About this time of year I start getting excited about attending my favorite comic con...   Yeah, it's the one we older fans still call the San Diego Comic Con, (SDCC) although the name has been changed to 'Comic Con International', (CCI).

I've blogged about the early history of this comic con in the past, but I'll repeat a little history of it that ties in with my earliest years at this con...

There was an initial mini-con that was a one day affair held March 1970 to raise funds for the then upcoming 3-day con.  I did not know of this mini-con and thus did not attend.

The 1st 'true' SDCC, then called the Golden State Comic-Con was held August 1st-3rd 1970 at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego.

I heard about this very late from a co-worker at the San Diego Zoo who knew I was into comics, and was able to attend on the last day, late in the day, after leaving work early. My memories of this event are not totally clear as it was my first realization that there were actually comics fans like me in the San Diego area!  That was a shock! Total approximate account of attendees was 300, yes only 300!

The 2nd SDCC, still called the Golden State Comic-Con, was held in 1971 at Muir College, UCSD Campus in San Diego. I was still working at the San Diego Zoo, had completed my first year at college, and either did not hear about the Con, or was too busy working.  Additionally the 'North' San Diego area where UCSD was not in my normal area of traveling to.  I had a more 'provincial' attitude in those days.  Heck, North San Diego was considered a long way off from the South Bay where I lived, even though gas was like 25 cents a gallon???  Attendance at the 2nd Con was approximately 800 persons.

Long time blog readers will then know that I first set up at this comic back in 1972 when I bought out another dealer at the Con when it was held at the El Cortez Hotel.  This Con was the 3rd San Diego's West Coast Comic-Con, (renamed), and was held August 18-20th, 1972.  

The following year I paid for a table early and exhibited when the Con was held at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island in San Diego.  It was this 4th con when it was renamed to the 'San Diego Comic Con'.

Well, the reason I am blogging down memory lane this morning is because the Comic Con International has decided to also write about its' history!  With a 40 Year History to draw from, the Con has released info on the book it has available for pick-up at this Year's Con.

Here is a little bit on what the book is about: 

"The massive 208-page, 9x12 full-color book features over 620 images from the 40-year history of Comic-Con. Most of the art has not been seen since its initial publication in Comic-Con's program and souvenir books, and the majority of the photos have never been seen outside of the Comic-Con archives. And sprinkled throughout the book are quotes and observations from leading professionals in comics, movies, and television, commenting on their own experiences at the show.

The whole package is capped off with an amazing new full-color wraparound cover by one of Comic-Con's favorite special guests: Sergio Aragonés. Masterfully colored by Tom Luth!

Advance sale books are $31.99 and includes CA Sales tax, but are only available to those attending Comic-Con 2009 and must be picked up on site during the convention. Unfortunately at this time Comic-Con cannot ship the book. All orders for pick up must be received by Monday, July 13, 2009.

Books will also be for sale at Comic-Con (provided books are still available) for the cover price of $40.00 + CA Sales tax."

Trust me on this one folks... This is will be a book You will treasure for year if You have ever been part of this Con's 40 Years of history! What a keepsake this will be!

For more info on the Comic Con International, including how to pre-order and pick up the book at the con, please see the web site at:  http://www.comic-con.org

Here at Make It So Marketing's Blog, we post daily on comics and pop culture news and events.  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale including Steve Ditko Comics in our online Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Earlier this past week I noticed a few of my Facebook Friends posting comments about the DitkoMania fanzine issue that was just published.   Well, I quickly sent a 'Friends Request' to who I thought was the publisher of that fanzine, asking if he was indeed that Rob Imes who was now publishing Ditkomania. 

That he was, and in short order, I plunked down my PayPal payment and purchased a copy online.  Just received it in Saturday's mail, and was so thrilled to see it arrive, I just had to read it last night!

After reading this fanzine, cover to cover, I just have to tell you it was the Best $2.50 I've spent on comics related material in a long time!  Granted there isn't much you can purchase about comics, or even comics for that matter now for $2.50, as many comic books have gone up to $3.99 each just recently!

Yet, receiving this fanzine, 32 pages with cardstock covers, and stapled in the middle, reminded so much of the fun I used to have when fanzines or catalogs came in the mail to me!

Yeah, I'm still a holdover fan from the 'old days' before I started getting a lot of my info online.  There's something about receiving a zine in the mail that I can hold that is exciting!  Similar to the 'rush' I got from receiving the first Overstreet Price Guide in the mail, or the catalogs from Robert Bell, Howard 'M' or 'D' Rogofsky in the early days.

I was going to run a photo of the publisher with this blog post, but Rob Imes would prefer to let the work speak for itself, and any reviews be done on the issue, not on himself...

Before I blog my thoughts on this issue, I want to post a little about the history of this  DitkoMania fanzine... 

First of all the fanzine DITKOMANIA is devoted to the work of comics artist Steve Ditko.  In case you aren't aware of what Steve has done so far in his lifetime, I suggest you view the documentary promoted by Blake Bell at the 2008 SDCC, 'In Search Of Steve Ditko', which I have blogged about earlier.

DITKOMANIA (DM) was founded by Bill Hall, who published the fanzine from 1983 to 1999.  However it was in 2001 that Bill announced that he would no longer be publishing DM.  Fortunately for Steve Ditko fans it wouldn't stay defunct for long.

Just recently, in 2008, DM was revived by the new editor/publisher Rob Imes with Bill's permission.  This 'new' DM picked up where the first series' numbering ended, with its' first issue, (#64), being released on March 1st, 2008.  Since then there have been nine issues released.  (DM issues #65-73.)

As stated above, the issue I just received was #73.  At the top left of this blog you can view the front cover which was drawn by Fred Hembeck, who I've blogged about a few time before, (click here).  This new issue  just 'hot off the presses', has a Doctor Strange theme, with articles about the Marvel Comics character from Nick Caputo, Winston Blakely and Christoph Melchert.  Additionally there is artwork by Larry Johnson and Winston Blakely, among others. 

What I found right off the bat when opening the fanzine, was that I was holding edition #182 of 200 copies printed by Rob Imes.  What I found out afterwards is that Rob has "decided that all new issues of DM will now be hand-numbered. My intention is to print 200 copies of DM #64, leaving a space in the indicia for the individual copy’s number, which I will then write by hand in pen. Those 200 copies would be DM #64’s “First Printing” and noted as such. When/if those 200 copies are gone, I’ll go back and do a “Second Printing,” and so on, the same way."

I found that this issue had struck my interest from the get-go. Of course being a fan of Fred Hembeck's works, I initially ordered it because of the cover.  Well, the interior pages, (all black and white), were just as much fun to look at and read! 

The 'EDITKORIAL' laid out what was happening with the fanzine, and a quick mention about the next issue 'Ditko at DC'. This was written in a manner that was not 'dry' yet being informative as to what was going on.

A short article along with an illustration by Winston Blakely started off the fanzine.  That was enjoyable.

A six page article by Nick Caputo about 'An Examination Into The Beginnings of Dr. Strange', was informative and not a re-hash of the history that goes back to the 1962/63 period.  A one page 'sidebar' was also included by Nick regarding 'The Genesis Of Dr. Strange's Hand Gestures'.

Following that was a feature by Christoph Melchert on 'What Doctor Strange and Spider-Man Have In Common'.  This was a treatise style article that reminded me of the early fan days.  Good Job on this article!

Then came the section titled 'Ditkotomy'.  Which was a review of 'Ditko Once More'.   Interesting point of view by the reviewer Michael Aushenker.

A little blurb at the end of 'Ditkotomy' followed, called 'Ditko In Your Future'.  Nice to see Steve Ditko's upcoming publication being mentioned in advance so the reader could make a note of it for possible purchase.

The Letters section followed.  This was the only section of the fanzine that my attention strayed away a little....  There had been an earlier issue printed that had included a Steve Ditko / Alan Moore 'comparison', which since I had not seen that issue, I didn't really get 'into'.  This wasn't the fanzine's fault, just that I hadn't seen the article several of the letters were referring to, so I felt a little 'left out'.

This reminded me back in the early days of Marvel Comics when they first started coming out with 'continued stories'.  With newstand distribution a little spotty where I lived in Kodiak, Alaska, and San Diego, California, I had to really search for a missing issue by going to several newstands, or just plain missed buying that issue.  Which ended up with me buying a subscription to each comic I enjoyed reading.  Which is probably what I'm going to have to do here with this fanzine!

Talking about subscriptions... Here's what you can do!  You can try a sample issue like I did, by going to the below mentioned web site and using PayPal to purchase one for $2.50 postpaid.  Heck of a bargain!  Or since DM is meant to be a quarterly zine, a one-year subscription would be 4 issues for $10.00 postpaid. 

Like I said near the beginning of this blog, the $2.50 I pulled out of my PayPal account for this issue is the Best $2.50 I've spent in a long while! No Kidding!