CINEFANTASTIQUE ! 

Cinefantastique was a magazine featuring horror, fantasy, and science fiction films and TV shows with in depth articles and photos within its pages.

The magazine originally saw print as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967. Later it relaunched as a glossy, offset quarterly magazine in 1970 by publisher/editor Frederick S. Clarke.

The magazine originally intended to be a serious review journal of the film genres.  It immediately set the standard for such an enterprise. 

The magazine's competitors at the time were 'Famous Monsters of Filmland' and 'The Monster Times' both of which were good magazines, but were not high profile magazines.

Cinefantastique got rave reviews from the critics due to its' using a slick paper stock and using many full color film stills within its interior pages.

Cinefantastique's approach to printing articles and reviews used a near-scholarly approach and didn't speak down to the readers, similar to what Stan Lee did when starting the Marvel Age of Comics.

Cinefantastique quickly became known for its jam-packed "retrospective" articles. When it saw it circulation increase, Cinefantastique began producing huge 'double sized issues' which would have a theme, such as the 'Making Of' Star Wars or the 'Making Of' the Black Hole, etc.

The magazine has recently gone through a re-organzation and is now called 'CFQ'.

For in depth articles on some of the best pop culture movie films OR TV shows, just click on the 'X-Files' cover on the top left to see what issues of Cinefantastique we have in stock!

The following is an excerpt from my article on my history with the SDCC:

Well I wasn't going to let the 1973 SDCC, now named the San Diego Comic-Con, come and go without me! This time I had the days off of work, yes still at the San Diego Zoo, and I was set up as a dealer for all three days at the Sheraton Hotel, Harbor Island, in San Diego. I ran across the original check for the dealer table not too long ago, it is amazing what I paid then for 3 days versus what dealers paid for a booth last year at the San Diego Comic-Con International! Of course its' been 33 years since the photo above!

I set up alone at the SDCC that year in 1973, see picture to the middle left, and had the foresight to have my picture taken. Yes, that's me, 33 years ago, a young kid at having turned just 2l years of age the month before.

I was wearing a short-hair wig at the SD Zoo, because the big boss kept coming around us guys to get our haircut all the time, so we opted to wear short haired wigs and really let our hair grow..... and I had moved out of my parents' house, so I could have the length of hair I wanted to have. I have a lot less hair nowadays, and my mustache is a lot lighter in color, as well as my beard! Plus I have never been that skinny since my first marriage in 1975.... too much pasta since then!!

The comics on the table in front of me were just part of my stock, mostly Marvel comic books, with Captain Marvel, Amazing Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, Tales of Suspense, and Daredevil pictured. I had almost complete collections of all the Marvel Comics printed by 1973, and these were my duplicates for sale.

I don't believe short boxes for comics had been invented by then...I do remember buying comic bags from Robert Bell to insert the comics into for protection. (I still buy collections that have these old Robert Bell bags from the 1970's!!) I remember doing well selling at this con, even though only approximately 1100 were in attendance! Since I was alone in this commerical venture, I was not able to break away from the table to see the comics pros that came that year. It was the first SDCC to attract real professional interest from the New York Pros.

Guests that year were Neal Adams, Carmine Infantino, Sol Harrison, June foray, Ray Bradbury, A. E. Van Vogt, Jack Kirby among others.

Looking back now at this photo from 1973, and at the 1984 SDCC Program Book that tells about the first 15 years of the SDCC, I am pleased that I did jump into selling at the earliest Comic Cons held out here on the West Coast!

It was a much simpler time, and so much fun!

Today, the SDCC International is up to 125,000 attendees and takes up both wings of the SD Convention Center.... and it is a Real Zoo to attend! (Pun intended!)