Detroit Triple Fan Fair
Detroit Triple Fan Fair | |
---|---|
Status | Defunct |
Genre | Comics, fantasy books, and science fiction movies |
Venue | Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel (1968, 1972, 1973) Howard Johnson's New Center Motor Lodge (1969–1970) Detroit Hilton (1973–1974) |
Location(s) | Detroit, Michigan |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | 1965 |
Most recent | 1977 |
Organized by | Detroit Triple Fan Fair Productions[1] |
Filing status | Nonprofit[1] |
The Detroit Triple Fan Fair (DTFF) was a
In addition to the typical convention features like a dealer room and panel-led discussions, the Detroit Triple Fan Fair featured a costume contest, and "films till dawn" (often running all night long for the convention's duration). From 1967 to at least 1969, the show presented the Nova Award to that year's guest of honor. In later years, the DTFF also sponsored an amateur film contest.
History
On May 24, 1964, at the Hotel Tuller,[3] teenagers Robert Brosch and Dave Szurek[4] organized a Detroit-based convention for about 80 fans[5] of the comic book medium. Jerry Bails, the "father of comics fandom," was on the organizing committee,[6] along with members of the Michigan Science Fiction Society (the so-called "Misfits.")[7]
The next year Bails and local comics enthusiast Shel Dorf took over the event, christening it the Detroit Triple Fan Fair (referring to fantasy literature, fantasy films, and comic art)[8][9] and organizing it as an annual event (although no show was held in 1966). The board of the initial official Detroit Triple Fan Fair consisted of Bails, Carl Lundgren, Tom Altschuler, Ed Aprill, Noel Cooper, Gary Crowdus, Howard Devore, Marvin Giles, Dennis Kowicki, Larry Larson, and Eugene Seeger. Robert Brosch, an authority on horror films, also stayed involved with the DTFF in various capacities at least through 1970.
The first official DTFF took place July 24–25, 1965, at the Embassy Hotel in Detroit.
In what soon became a trend, aspiring local comic book creators flocked to the early events, and often became involved with organizing the show each year. For instance, the then-18-year-old Carl Lundgren was co-chairman of the 1965 DTFF, and Rich Buckler also attended the initial shows as a teenager, eventually "running things."[7][11] Arvell Jones recalls many members of the so-called "Detroit Mob" making appearances at various shows, including Buckler, Greg Theakston, Tom Orzechowski, Keith Pollard, Jim Starlin, Mike Vosburg, Al Milgrom, Terry Austin, and Michael Netzer (Nasser).[12] The reputation of the convention was such that a number of other industry professionals would appear at the event unbilled.[citation needed]
Among the films screened at the 1969 show were the Boris Karloff films The Mummy, Frankenstein, and The Bells.[13] Letterer Ken Bruzenak attended the 1969 convention, where he met his hero Jim Steranko, and also crossed paths with future collaborator Howard Chaykin for the first time.[14]
Co-founder Dorf left Detroit and the DTFF for Southern California in late 1969, where he shortly founded what became the San Diego Comic-Con.[15]
The 1970 show, organized by Buckler and DTFF originator Robert Brosch,
No DTFF was held in 1971, and Detroit-area enthusiasts
One of Theakston's first acts as official DTFF owner was to hold two shows in 1973, one over Memorial Day weekend, and one in October. "Films all night" from the May show included seven Marx Brothers movies and the Pre-Code Hollywood films Mad Love and Mystery of the Wax Museum. Chuck Rozanski, later a major Denver-area comics retailer, hitchhiked to Detroit for the Memorial Day DTFF, slept in Jerry Bails' home, and set up as a dealer at the show. Rozanski converted 50 high-value comics he brought with him into an inventory of more than 2,000 comics. By the end of the show, he had made more than $400 and had over 1000 comics which he sent back to Denver for future sales.[24] (Rozanski opened his first store in Denver the following year.)
The October 1973 show, featuring Barry Smith, Michael Kaluta, George A. Romero, and Russ Heath, sponsored an amateur film contest and the annual "masque" (with a $100 first prize). "Films till dawn" included two Marx Brothers films, 20 Warner Bros. cartoons, and six Amos 'n' Andy episodes.
In 1974, DTFF was considered the largest fan convention, in terms of attendance, in the Midwest.
By the mid-to-late 1970s, many of the Detroit-area creators who had helped organize the show had relocated to
Comic book artist Gray Morrow claimed to have illustrated the 1978 DTFF program booklet,[29] but there is no record of a show being held that year.
Legacy
From 1984 to 1986, local-area grad student
The Detroit Fanfare, established in 2010, openly acknowledged its debt to the Detroit Triple Fan Fair:[11][31]
Detroit has a very strong connection with comic conventions and fandom. Some of the earliest fandom magazines came out of the Detroit area in the late 1960s and the Detroit Triple Fan Fair was the first convention of its kind. ... Detroit Fanfare is both proud and excited to bring back home some of the major participants that helped to grow the comic industry into the behemoth it is today. There will [be] panels and discussions where the people who started so much will have a chance to discuss the early days, and reflect on their memories of the great stars that attended the convention. They will provide rare pictures and original drawings of some of the masters of the medium.[32]
In another nod to the DTFF, the Detroit Fanfare also distributed the "Shel Dorf Awards".[33] The Detroit Fanfare ceased operations after the 2012 convention.[34]
Dates and locations
This section is missing information about dates, venues, films, and guests.(May 2015) |
# | Dates | Venue | Organizer | Official guests | "Films till dawn" | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | May 24, 1964 | Hotel Tuller | Robert Brosch with Dave Szurek | None | '"Detroit Science Fiction Comic Book Convention'"; precursor to DTFF; c. 80 attendees | |
1 | July 24–25, 1965 | Embassy Hotel | Jerry Bails, Shel Dorf, Carl Lundgren | None | Phantom of the Opera (1925 movie) |
First "official" DTFF; more than a dozen comics dealers; 150 attendees;[35] $2 at the door |
2 | June 17–18, 1967[36] | Park Shelton Hotel[37] | Marvin S. Giles,[38] with Robert Brosch | Roger Zelazny (Guest of Honor),[37] Robert Taylor[36] | 2nd official DTFF; presentation of the first Nova Award[37] | |
3 | June 15–16, 1968 | Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel[39] | Shel Dorf | Harlan Ellison (Guest of Honor)[37] | c. 175 attendees[40] | |
4 | June 7–8, 1969 | Howard Johnson's Downtown Motor Inn | Hal Shapiro with George Young and Rich Buckler[13] | Al Williamson (Guest of Honor), Leigh Brackett, Edmond Hamilton, Stan Lee, and; other guests: Jim Steranko and Howard Chaykin | The Mummy (1932 film), Frankenstein (1931 film), The Bells (1931 film), The Big Sleep (1946 film) | Attendees include a young Ken Bruzenak[14] and a young Tom Orzechowski |
5 | September 3–7, 1970[41] | Howard Johnson's New Center Motor Lodge[42] | Rich Buckler and Robert Brosch | Jim Steranko (Guest of Honor) and Philip José Farmer (Dum-Dum Guest of Honor), Algis Budrys | Shared event with Dum-Dum '70 (Burroughs' Bibliophiles); 225 registered attendees | |
6 | May 1972 | Robert Brosch with Greg Theakston[20] | Russ Heath (Guest of Honor) | |||
7 | October 19–22, 1972[43] | Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel[44] | Robert Brosch with Greg Theakston and Lawrence Gibson Jr.[20] | The Devil's Bride, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Planet of the Apes (1968 film), Night of the Living Dead ("all choice cuts"), Duck Soup, A Day at the Races, At the Circus, Horsefeathers, Island of Lost Souls, First Men in the Moon (1964 film), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The Maltese Falcon (1941 film), 12 Star Trek: The Original Series episodes |
shared event with Al Schuster's Star Trek Convention [43] | |
8 | May 25–28, 1973 | Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel | Robert Brosch with Greg Theakston | Jerry Bails | Friday: 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain.[45] |
Memorial Day weekend;[24] $4 at the door |
9 | October 18–21, 1973[46] | Detroit Hilton | Robert Brosch with Greg Theakston and Carl Friedlander | Barry Windsor-Smith, Michael Kaluta,[47] George A. Romero, and Russ Heath[48] | Thursday: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Forbidden Planet, The Time Machine (1960 film), The War of the Worlds (1953 film).[49] |
2nd show of 1973; 17-year-old Canadian comics enthusiast Dave Sim attends as a writer for the zine Comic Art News and Reviews[47] |
10 | October 10–13, 1974 | Detroit Hilton | Robert Brosch with Greg Theakston and Carl Friedlander | Carmine Infantino, Stan Lee, James Warren (all three are Guests of Honor) and Jim Steranko ("Master of Ceremonies"); other guests include Alan Ormsby, Rich Buckler, Keith Pollard, Arvell Jones,[25] Neal Adams,[26] Jim Starlin, and Al Milgrom | Thursday: The Wizard of Oz, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Journey to the Center of the Earth . |
Known as "DTFF 10"; $1.50 per day admission at the door |
11 | October 1976[50] | Book-Cadillac Hotel, Detroit |
Greg Theakston with Carl Lundgren[51] | Joe Kubert (Guest of Honor), Jerry Bails (Fan Guest of Honor)[51] | program includes "a history of the Detroit Triple Fan Fair" | |
12 | May 28–30, 1977[52][28] | Troy Hilton | Greg Theakston | Ray Harryhausen (Guest of Honor), Charles H. Schneer | It Came from Beneath the Sea, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger | |
13 | October, 1977 | Troy Hilton | Greg Theakston | Chuck Jones (Guest of Honor) | self-titled the "Detroit Triple Fan Fair (in Exile)"[28] |
Nova Awards
The Nova Award was created by Jack Promo and Marvin S. Giles,[38] and was first presented in 1967.[37]
- 1967 Roger Zelazny — "in recognition of outstanding contribution to science fiction and fantasy"
- 1968 Harlan Ellison[37]
- 1969 Al Williamson — "in recognition of his achievements in illustrative art"[53]
Program booklets
- 1965 DTFF #1 program cover designed by Shel Dorf[citation needed]
- 1967 DTFF #2 program cover used Fantastic Four Annual#3 [marriage of Sue and Reed issue]
- 1968 DTFF #3 program cover by Rich Buckler depicting Flash Gordon as drawn by Reed Crandall
- 1969 DTFF #4 program cover by Jack Kirby in pencil depicting Loki and two other denizens of Asgard
- 1970 DTFF #5 program cover by Jim Steranko, and interior art pages by Neal Adams and Bernie Wrightson. The program booklet was dedicated to Jack Kirby.
- 1972 May DTFF #6 program cover by Russ Heath
- 1972 October DTFF #7 program cover by Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and the Starship Enterprise
- 1973 May DTFF #8
- 1973 October DTFF #9 program cover illustration of Conan by Barry Windsor-Smith
- 1974 DTFF #10 program cover illustration of The Spirit by Will Eisner
- 1976 DTFF #11 program cover by Joe Kubert of Tarzan
- 1977 May DTFF #12 program cover by artwork depicting Troglodyte from Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
- 1977 October DTFF #13 program cover by Chuck Jones, billed as "Detroit Triple Fan Fair 13"
Progress reports
The DTFF published "progress reports" in 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, as many as three for some of their conventions. Contributors included Allen Park and Robert Brosch; cover illustrations were by Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, and Neal Adams (Batman).
See also
References
- ^ a b c Detroit Triple Fan Fair, registered as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation on October 16, 1973, by Greg Allan Theakston (Agent) of Detroit, MI; dissolved on October 1, 1978. Accessed Feb. 15, 2016 Archived October 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Henrickson, Eric (July 7, 2010). "New comic convention, Detroit Fanfare, coming this fall". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
- ^ Duncan, Randy; and Smith, Matthew J. The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2009), p. 183.
- ^ Skinn, Dez. "Early days of UK comics conventions and marts," Archived February 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine DezSkinn.com. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ "Historian Collects Comics: They Are Works of Art," Detroit News (1965).
- ^ Schelly, Bill. "Jerry Bails' Ten Building Blocks of Fandom," Alter Ego Vol. 3, Issue #25 (June 2003), pp. 5-8.
- ^ a b c Cooke, Jon B. "Rich Buckler Breaks Out! The Artist on Deathlok, T'Challa, and Other Marvel Tales," Comic Book Artist Collection, Volume 3 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005).
- ^ Davidoff, Kale. "San Diego Comic-Con's Detroit Roots," Archived August 21, 2018, at the Wayback MachineWoodwords (July 9, 2015).
- ^ Detroit Triple Fan Fair program book (Detroit Triple Fan Fair, 1972).
- The Owosso Argus-Press(April 3, 1965).
- ^ a b Callwood, Brett. "Dark stars: How Detroit more than matches Gotham City and Metropolis, all from the minds of comic genius," Metro Times (January 5, 2011).
- ^ Moore, Vince. "Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants: Arvell Jones," Comic Book Resources (February 22, 2006).
- ^ a b Talbert, Bob. "Bob Talbert's Detroit," Detroit Free Press (June 4, 1969), p. 11.
- ^ a b Cooke, Jon B. (February 4, 2000). "Interview with Ken Bruzenak". Comic Book Artist. Archived from the original on July 16, 2007.
- ^ Rowe, Peter. "Obituary: Sheldon Dorf; Comic-Con co-founder," U-T San Diego (November 4, 2009).
- ^ Buckler entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "Program," 1970 convention booklet.
- ^ "Attending...," Detroit Triple Fan Fair program booklet (1970).
- ^ Turner, Greg. "Fabulous Find: 1972 Detroit Tri Con Program," Back to the Past website (February 20, 2015).
- ^ a b c Morrow, John. "Greg Theakston Interview," Collected Jack Kirby Collector (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2004), p. 97.
- ^ "Steady Sketches," Detroit Free Press (October 23, 1972), p. 19.
- ^ Bob Levin. "I See My Light Come Shining," The Comics Journal vol. 5, (March 2005). Archived at The Official Bodē website Archived May 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Daudt, Ron E. "Joe Barney Interview (Pt. 2)," Archived October 13, 2015, at the Wayback Machine The Silver Age Sage: A Tribute to the Silver Age of DC Comics. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- ^ a b Rozanski, Chuck. "The Summer of 1973 - Part II: Detroit Triple Fan Fair," Tales From the Database. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ Monster Times#38 (Jan. 1975).
- ^ a b Offenberger, Rik (July 2005). "Michael Netzer's New Comic Book of Life". Silver Bullet Comic Books. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- ^ Netzer, Michael. Crazy About Comics: The Art of Michael Netzer (Detroit Fanfare, 2010).
- ^ a b c d Talbert, Bob. "Slow Going at RenCen, Speed at Indy," Detroit Free Press (May 26, 1977).
- ^ Morrow entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "Con Reports: King Kon Strikes Again!". CBGXtra.com. August 22, 2008. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015.
- ^ Henrickson, Eric. "A feast for geeks," Detroit News (October 28, 2010), p. M.14.
- ^ "Panels," Archived September 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Detroit Fanfare website. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- ^ Shel Dorf Awards official site. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi. "Detroit Fanfare convention shuts down," The Beat (Dec. 26, 2014).
- ^ Cantor, George. "Krazy Kat Kavorts Again," Detroit Free Press (July 26, 1965), p. 3.
- ^ a b "Special Events," Detroit Free Press (June 11, 1967), p. 143.
- ^ a b c d e f Shapiro, Hal (chairman). 1969 DTFF program booklet.
- ^ a b "Fans of Fantasy Recall Their Idols," Detroit Free Press (June 19, 1967).
- ^ Thompson, Maggie. Newfangles #8 (Mar. 1968).
- ^ DeVore, Howard. "DTTF Con Report," Science Fiction Times (August 1968).
- ^ Sloane, Leonard. "Nostalgia for Extinct Pop Culture Creates Industry," The New York Times (March 22, 1970)
- ^ Cantor, George. "Pop Culture Fans Turn Relics to Art," Detroit Free Press (September 7, 1970), p. 3.
- ^ a b c Ayres, Bruce. "Editorials," The Vault of Mindless Fellowship #2 (Wildwood Press, Ltd., 1972). pp. 30-32.
- ^ Talbert, Bob. "Bob Talbert's Detroit," Detroit Free Press (April 4, 1972), p. 15.
- ^ Detroit Free Press (May 25, 1973), p. 23.
- ^ "Fiction for Sale," Detroit Free Press (October 19, 1973), p. 3.
- ^ a b Sim, Dave. Interview with Mike Kaluta, Comic Art News and Reviews #14 (October 1973).
- ^ Sim, Dave. Interview with Russ Heath, Comic Art News and Reviews #14 (October 1973).
- ^ Detroit Free Press (October 19, 1973), p. 31.
- The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom#152 (October 15, 1976).
- ^ a b 1976 DTFF program booklet.
- The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom#182 (May 13, 1977).
- ^ Ringgenberg, Steve "S.C." 50 Girls 50: And Other Stories: Al Williamson (Fantagraphics Books, 2013), p. 239.