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| SCCS Comic-Con Connections Wardell Brown will once again be showcasing my work and selling my new book, the Art of War: Volume 2. Stop by Table E6. Lynn Stedd will be in charge of the Comic-Con San Diego Blood Bank donation center again for this, its 31st year! Blood Drive is open every day at 10 AM upstairs in the Sails Pavillion (11 AM Sunday). It only takes 45 minutes and you get a goody bag, a raffle ticket with prize donated by top exhibitors, a fabulous commemorative T-shirt and more! Archie's George Gladir can be found and will be participating in all things Archie. Luann's Greg Evans will be signing autographs at the National Cartoonist's Booth along with Cagle (editorial) Cartoon's Darryl Cagle. Marge Holland will again be serve as videographer for the Comic-Con Masquerade. Daughter Sonja Holland will be displaying her fabulous art at the Con Art Gallery. Jackie Estrada is the Eisner Awards Administrator, a mover shaker behind the scenes, planning and coordinating many Comic-Con comittees and activities and is an editor the official Comic-Con catalogue. Jorge Pacheco will be gracing Artists' Alley for the 34rd year! Batton Lash will be hawking his latest edition of his fabulous, quirky "Supernatural Law" comic book. Michael Aushenker will be at the WildCard Ink booth this year as a guest, signing his POKEY books (He's writing the GUMBY'S GANG miniseries and the first of the four issues is about POKEY). He says, "Drop by and visit! It's gonna be fun." Stan Yan will be selling his latest Squidworks books. Stay tuned for updated SCCS and Comic-Con info! |
| Comic-Con's creator SCCS' own Shel Dorf |
Thanks Shel !
by Charlie Roberts
As a collector living in Pennsylvania in the early 1980's, I'd heard
of the San Diego Comic-Con but had never been able to attend.
I'd also read pieces by Shel and seen photos he'd taken, but
never met him.
In April 1983 my wife Joan and I drove from Pa. to the "Cartoon
Museum" when it was still in in Connecticut for a chalk talk by "
Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon" comic strip creator
Milton Caniff. The presentation was excellent, and Caniff was
incredibly gracious, signing autographs and talking to everyone.
During the chalk talk he had done an incredible "Dragon Lady" in
color. When we got home I wrote Caniff, inquiring about
commissioning a color "Dragon Lady" for the collection and
sending him the incredible amount of $ 40 (well, $ 40 in 1983
would be equal to $ 42 today!). A few weeks later we received a
great specially done "Dragon Lady" original from Caniff, and
within a day or two Shel sent us a superb color photo he'd taken
of Caniff with our drawing. It turns out Shel and Tom French
happened to be doing a video interview with Caniff in Palm
Springs when Caniff received our request . The video actually
shows Caniff doing our art (Ta Daa !).
MORE
by Charlie Roberts
As a collector living in Pennsylvania in the early 1980's, I'd heard
of the San Diego Comic-Con but had never been able to attend.
I'd also read pieces by Shel and seen photos he'd taken, but
never met him.
In April 1983 my wife Joan and I drove from Pa. to the "Cartoon
Museum" when it was still in in Connecticut for a chalk talk by "
Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon" comic strip creator
Milton Caniff. The presentation was excellent, and Caniff was
incredibly gracious, signing autographs and talking to everyone.
During the chalk talk he had done an incredible "Dragon Lady" in
color. When we got home I wrote Caniff, inquiring about
commissioning a color "Dragon Lady" for the collection and
sending him the incredible amount of $ 40 (well, $ 40 in 1983
would be equal to $ 42 today!). A few weeks later we received a
great specially done "Dragon Lady" original from Caniff, and
within a day or two Shel sent us a superb color photo he'd taken
of Caniff with our drawing. It turns out Shel and Tom French
happened to be doing a video interview with Caniff in Palm
Springs when Caniff received our request . The video actually
shows Caniff doing our art (Ta Daa !).
MORE
The man widely considered the founder of the convention is 73.
The last time he went, several years ago, he was in a wheelchair
because of diabetes and he couldn't make his way through the
throng.
LAURA EMBRY / Union-Tribune
A drawing of Comic-Con founder Shel Dorf is on a wall of fame at
the Palm Restaurant in downtown San Diego.
“We had no idea it would get this big,” he said in a recent phone
interview. “To me, it's just become an ordeal. I don't know of any
way to make it smaller, though. I guess in some ways it's become
too much of a success.”
He isn't bitter, not publicly anyway. He figures he had his run. He
was actively involved in the convention for the first 15 years,
using contacts he'd built from a lifetime of loving the comics to
bring some of the industry's biggest names to San Diego.
The convention also helped him get more work as an artist and a
writer and enhanced his reputation as a historian of comics.
When Warren Beatty turned Dick Tracy into a movie in 1990, Dorf
was a consultant.
But now, being in the background is fine with him. He declined to
be interviewed in person at his Ocean Beach home. “I'm not
seeing people,” he said. He didn't want his picture taken, either.
He suggested using a caricature that hangs on the wall of a local
restaurant – a cartoon for one of cartooning's ultimate fans.
MORE
| August - vacation! No meeting, no Slice of Wry monthly mag September 10, Wednesday Jorge Pacheco - artist, cartoonist, caricaturist Nominations 4 prez SD Blood Bank 440 Upas, SD, CA *October 8 Wednesday = Yom Kippur, so meeting postponed *October 15, Wednesday - Eric Radomski- Hollywood animation producer (Batman, Spawn) Elections for Prez. SD Blood Bank November 12, Wednesday- Life almost-nekked drawing class SD Blood Bank November 25, Tuesday SD Charger Blood Drive SCCS caricaturists draw donors all day Town/Country Convention Cr. December 10, Wednesday Winter Holiday Party Jack White's Magic Museum 4275 University Ave, SD, CA 2009 MEETINGS January 14, Wednesday Ben Templesmith - artist, writer, multiple Eisner nominee February 11, Wednesday Batton Lash, cartoonist, caricaturist, comic book author SD Blood Bank March 11, Wednesday TBA April 8, Wednesday Caricature Demos - prep for Cartoonists day at Blood Bank SD Blood Bank April 25, Saturday Cartoonists Day, SD Blood Bank and ALL BB Branches! May 13 Wednesday annual 'Toon In Party Jack White's Magic Museum 4275 University Ave, SD, CA June 10, Wednesday Andy Mitchell - cartoonist, illustrator, author July 22-26 Comic-Con July 23, Thursday NCS/SCCS Comic-Con Kick Off Party Buster's Beach House 807 W Harbor Drive North County Meetings 6 PM 8/21,9/18, 10/16, 11/20, 12/18, 1/15, 2/19, 3/19, 4/16, 5/21, 6/18, 7/16, 8/20 - G'ma BB's Hilltop Restaurant 539 Vista Bella, Oceanside |
SHEL DORF
By Jim Whiting
June 20, 2008
Hard to believe, but when we first moved to California from
Watkins Glen, New York I'd never heard of the San Diego
Comic-Con. Nor of Shel Dorf, for that matter. Later of course, it
would be impossible to think of one, without the other coming
to mind.
I did know San Diego Union staff artist Bernie Lansky from our
Cartoonists & Illustrators School days in New York City and
when I told him about a small group of cartoonists having lunch
together once a month, he said, "You should talk to Shel Dorf.."
Bernie knew that Shel knew cartoonists downtown, uptown, all
around the county. Heck... around the country.
Well, I intended to get in touch with the cartoonist catalyst, but
before that happened, Shel happened. He got in touch with me
via telephone on March 16, 1986 and on the 18th. I drove him
and Steve Schanes to the third meeting of the Southern
California Cartoonists Society in Vista, CA.
It seemed as if every meeting following that one, a new face in
the crowd would appear due to the diligence of Dorf. The
consummate networker, Shel introduced a great number of
aficionados of the art - neophytes and old pros alike - to our
growing group. His personal contacts have resulted in many
outstanding programs presented by stars of the cartoon
industry at our monthly dinners. I often consider: if it were not
for him, Bernita and I would have missed attending a CAPS
banquet not long after we'd arrived in San Diego. It was there in
Los Angeles where it was my pleasure to become acquainted
with so many of our brothers and sisters in the cartooning
world. And I can't begin to number other individuals who have
enriched my west coast experience because of Shel's
introductions.
No one person can assume credit for the fine club we have
today, but certainly, if we had such award, Shel Dorf would be
deserving of an MVP cup. (Most Valuable Promoter)
***
By Jim Whiting
June 20, 2008
Hard to believe, but when we first moved to California from
Watkins Glen, New York I'd never heard of the San Diego
Comic-Con. Nor of Shel Dorf, for that matter. Later of course, it
would be impossible to think of one, without the other coming
to mind.
I did know San Diego Union staff artist Bernie Lansky from our
Cartoonists & Illustrators School days in New York City and
when I told him about a small group of cartoonists having lunch
together once a month, he said, "You should talk to Shel Dorf.."
Bernie knew that Shel knew cartoonists downtown, uptown, all
around the county. Heck... around the country.
Well, I intended to get in touch with the cartoonist catalyst, but
before that happened, Shel happened. He got in touch with me
via telephone on March 16, 1986 and on the 18th. I drove him
and Steve Schanes to the third meeting of the Southern
California Cartoonists Society in Vista, CA.
It seemed as if every meeting following that one, a new face in
the crowd would appear due to the diligence of Dorf. The
consummate networker, Shel introduced a great number of
aficionados of the art - neophytes and old pros alike - to our
growing group. His personal contacts have resulted in many
outstanding programs presented by stars of the cartoon
industry at our monthly dinners. I often consider: if it were not
for him, Bernita and I would have missed attending a CAPS
banquet not long after we'd arrived in San Diego. It was there in
Los Angeles where it was my pleasure to become acquainted
with so many of our brothers and sisters in the cartooning
world. And I can't begin to number other individuals who have
enriched my west coast experience because of Shel's
introductions.
No one person can assume credit for the fine club we have
today, but certainly, if we had such award, Shel Dorf would be
deserving of an MVP cup. (Most Valuable Promoter)
***
| from National Cartoonists Society In preparing for our NCS tribute to Frank Frazetta in late August, we will be presenting him with a scrapbook of original art and well wishes. If you would like to contribute to this endeavor, whether or not you are able to attend, please send your drawing/note to Jack Pittman at the address below. Art should fit on an 8.5 by 11 sheet. It would be helpful to receive these no later than August 1 to allow for assembling the book. This will be a memoir the whole Frazetta family will cherish and a wonderful addition from the National Cartoonists Society to the Frazetta Museum. And, as a reminder, if you do plan to join us for this event, please email me with the total number of people attending, including yourself as soon as possible to help expedite the preparations. The celebration is tentatively planned for a Saturday, most likely August 23 or 30, from 12 to 5 at the Frazetta Museum in East Stroudsburg, PA. Costs per person are not finalized as of this writing, but will be somewhere in the neighborhood of a modest $40-50 per person, which will include a light lunch and admission to the museum. If you plan to spend the weekend in New York City, the drive to East Stroudsburg, PA is about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. There are also accommodations in or near East Stroudsburg--Quality Inn, Hampton Inn, Shannon Inn, Budget Inn & Suites, and Best Western Pocono, to name a few. Further details are coming soon. Thank you for your generous assistance with this tribute to one of our most esteemed colleagues. Fraternally, Jack J. Pittman, Illustrator 1740 Brooks Avenue Raleigh, NC 27607-6618 www.jackpittman.net jack@jackpittman.net 919-785-1966 |
