Southwesterncon
Southwesterncon | |
---|---|
Status | Defunct |
Genre | Comic books, television, movies, pop culture |
Location(s) | (rotating) Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | 1966 |
Most recent | 1971 |
Organized by |
|
Southwesterncon was a series of regional
The initial plan for Southwesterncon was explained by Oklahoma Alliance of Fans co-founder Bart Bush: "Dallas held the first Southwesterncon in 1966, Houston held the second one in 1967, and then it went back to Dallas in 1968. The idea is that they would each do the con every other year."[1] Oklahoma City joined Southwesterncon in 1970.
The convention featured a large range of
History
Predecessor
There was an earlier "Southwesterncon": a science fiction convention held in Dallas on July 5–6, 1958. Organized by Tom Reamy and James and Gregory Benford of the Dallas Futurian Society (DFS) (so named after the earlier New York Futurians), Southwesterncon was the first science fiction convention held in Texas. The professional guest of honor was Marion Zimmer Bradley. Longtime science fiction fan personality, collector, and literary agent Forrest J Ackerman came from Los Angeles and served as the convention's banquet toastmaster.
The 1958 Southwesterncon was actually the sixth edition of a regional, rotating city and state series of cons which had started as "Oklacon", editions of which had previously been held in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Enid.[3] On the last day of the convention, as part of Southwestercon VI's business meeting, the members of the DFS disbanded their club (due to much behind-the-scenes intrigue and politics). That event spelled the end of the Oklacon/Southwesterncon series of science fiction conventions.
1966–1971: Southwesterncons I–VI
- 1966 Southwesterncon I (Dallas)
In 1966, Dallas-based comics enthusiast Larry Herndon (co-publisher of the fanzine
- 1967 Southwesterncon II (Houston)
Meanwhile, in 1965, Houston-based enthusiasts Ray Bonario, Marc Schooley, and Jerry Poscovsky formed the Houston Comic Collector's Association (HCCA).
Movies shown at the convention included Metropolis (1927), Shadows Over Chinatown (a 1946 Charlie Chan feature), Behind the Mask (a 1946 The Shadow feature), and Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941).[10]
The first
- 1968 Southwesterncon III (Dallas)
The third Southerwesterncon was held in 1968 at the Hotel Southland in Dallas. Produced by Larry Herndon and Tom Reamy,[12] official guests included special guest Fritz Leiber,[13] guest of honor Harold LeDoux, and H. H. Hollis.
Films shown at the con included
The con attracted 160 attendees, including
- 1969 Southwesterncon IV (Houston)
The fourth Southwesterncon returned to Houston in 1969. Panelists included
- 1970 Southwesterncon V (Oklahoma City)
Meanwhile, in March 1967, Oklahoma-based comics enthusiasts Bart Bush, Paul McSpadden,
The third leg of Southwesterncon, officially dubbed "Multicon 70," was held at the Skirvan Hotel in Oklahoma City on June 19–21, 1970. Don Maris and Robert A. Brown of OAF acted as convention chairs.[1] Buster Crabbe was the guest of honor[21] and Reed Crandall was the guest speaker.[22] Other guests included Jim Harmon. The show featured an exhibition of the world's largest private collection of Frank Frazetta's art.
Complete
Among the 511 attendees was
- 1971 Southwesterncon VI (Dallas)
In 1971, disputes amongst the Southwesterncon members[28] led to both Houston and Dallas staging conventions that year. The Houston Comic Collector's Association staged Houstoncon '71 on June 17–20, while the Dallas contingent put on "D-Con '71" — billed as the 6th annual Southwesterncon — on July 8–11; Robert Bloch was the guest of honor.[29]
1972–1981: D-Con and Multicon continue the tradition
With Houstoncon going out on its own and by 1973 becoming an annual event, the other legs of Southwesterncon — Dallas' D-Con and Oklahoma City's Multicon — continued the tradition of rotating convention sites (though not always every other year).
- 1972 Multicon
Multicon returned to Oklahoma City in 1972 with Eric Groves and Don Maris of OAF producing the convention.[1] Guests included Will Eisner,[30] attending only his second-ever comic convention[31] (and illustrating the convention booklet); other guests included Spanky McFarland, George Evans, Lum and Abner, and Tim Holt. For the teenage Chuck Rozanski, the 1972 Multicon was his first national comics convention;[32] he sold $1,800 in comics in three days, at that point realizing that comics retailing could be a career. The young Robert Beerbohm also set up as a dealer at that show.[31]
- 1973 D-Con
"D-Con '73", held June 27–July 1,
According to Chuck Rozanski, Harlan Ellison "liv[ed] up to his bad boy reputation by offending practically everyone in the state of Texas with his profanity-laced keynote address, and his genuinely derogatory depiction of the Lone Star State... In any event, I understand that Harlan was officially disinvited from any further Dallas shows after that one colorful appearance."[34]
Movies and serials shown at the convention (often running into the early-morning hours) included
(
.)- 1975 Multicon
Multicon '75, the third edition of Oklahoma's convention, was produced by OAF members Don Maris and Eric J. Groves; guests included
, and Steve Barrington.The film programming was heavy on
- 1976 D-Con
D-Con returned to Dallas in 1976.
- 1979 D-Con
D-Con 79 featured special guests
- 1981 Multicon
Multicon 81, the final edition of that show, was produced by OAF chairs Bart Bush and Gary & Elaine Burleson;[37] guests included John Byrne, L. B. Cole, Jim Engel, Chuck Fialla, Mike McQuay, John Wooley, and Ron Wolfe.
A "Multicon '82" for the following year was promised,[37] but never ended up happening.
Legacy
Larry Lankford, who produced D-Con '79, went on to produce the long-running Dallas Fantasy Fair.[38]
OAF member Bart Bush later opened the first
Convention locations and dates
This section is missing information about dates and venues.(February 2023) |
Southwesterncon era
Dates | Convention name | Venue/location | Guests | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
July 23–24, 1966 | Southwestern Con | Hotel Southland Dallas |
Dave Kaler | |
June 16–18, 1967 | Houston Comic Convention | Houston | ||
June 21–23, 1968 | Southwesterncon | Hotel Southland Dallas |
Harold LeDoux (guest of honor), Fritz Leiber, H. H. Hollis | [39] |
June 20–22, 1969 | Southwesterncon/Houston Con '69 | Ramada Inn Houston |
[40] | |
June 19–21, 1970 | Multicon 70 | Skirvan Hotel Oklahoma City |
Buster Crabbe (guest of honor), Reed Crandall (guest speaker) | |
July 8–11, 1971 | D-Con '71 (Southwesterncon VI) | Sheraton-Dallas Hotel Dallas |
Robert Bloch | [41] |
Post-Southwesterncon
Dates | Convention name | Venue/location | Guests | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
June 1972 | Multicon 72 | Biltmore Hotel Oklahoma City |
Will Eisner, Spanky McFarland, George Evans, Lum and Abner, Tim Holt | [30] |
June 28–July 1, 1973 | D-Con '73 | Sheraton Hotel Dallas |
Harlan Ellison, William Gaines, Burne Hogarth, Andrew J. Offutt, Jerry Bails | [42] |
June 19–22, 1975 | Multicon '75 | Oklahoma City | George Takei, George Pal, Spanky McFarland, Bret Morrison, Jim Bannon, Al Williamson, Steve Barrington | |
June 11–14, 1976 | D-Con '76 | Sheraton Hotel Dallas |
[43] | |
June 7–10, 1979 | D-Con '79 | Holiday Inn Central Dallas |
Special guests: Don Markstein |
|
July 3–5, 1981 | Multicon 81 | Lincoln Plaza Inn Oklahoma City |
John Byrne, L. B. Cole, Jim Engel, Chuck Fialla, Mike McQuay, John Wooley, Ron Wolfe |
See also
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Schelly, Bill (September 2019). "Comic Fandom Archive: BART BUSH, Then And Now – Part 2: Continuing Our Talk With The Co-Founder of OAF: (The Oklahoma Alliance Of Fans)". Alter Ego. No. 160. p. 69.
- ^ a b Wooley, John (September 24, 2014). "Nostalgia For Yourself". Oklahoma Magazine.
- ^ a b c McPhail, Dan. "Sha-Zam! We Visit the Southwesterncon" (PDF). Phantasy Press. No. 50. p. 3.
- ISBN 978-0972463003.
- ^ a b Schelly, Founders of Comic Fandom, p. 60.
- ^ "Coverage of Southwestern Con". Star-Studded Comics. Winter 1967.
- ^ Rouner, Jef (June 12, 2014). "Comicpalooza: How Houston's Comics Convention Came Back from the Dead to Become One of the Best in the Country". Houston Press.
- ^ Thompson, Maggie (May 1967). "Fanzine Library: Newfangles #2 (May 1967)". Newfangles. No. 2. p. 2.
- ^ Schelly, pp. 168-169.
- ^ "The 1967 Houston Comic Convention (advertisement)". Rocket's Blast Comicollector. No. 50. E. B. Love. February–March 1967.
- ^ Hahn, Joel (ed.). "1967 Alley Awards". Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Program". Southwesterncon 1968 program. 1968.
- ^ Schelly, pp. 60–61.
- ^ "Announcing the Southwesterncon 1968". Rocket's Blast Comicollector. No. 57. G. B. Love. 1968. p. 15.
- ^ Love, G. B. (1968). "The Southwesterncon 1968". Rocket's Blast Comicollector. No. 59. G. B. Love. p. 6.
- ^ "The 1969 Houston Comic Convention (advertisement)". Rocket's Blast Comicollector. No. 62. G. B. Love. 1969.
- ^ a b c "Obituaries: Bart Bush: September 2, 2020". The Norman Transcript. September 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c Price, Matthew (September 16, 2022). "OAFcon Returns to Norman in '22: Nostalgia show OAFCon returns to Norman". The Oklahoman.
- ^ Wooley, John (December 22, 2017). "A Jim-Dandy Comic Con". Oklahoma Magazine.
In 1970, following a few similar Texas-based get-togethers, a group called the Oklahoma Alliance of Fans held its first Multicon in Oklahoma City, celebrating comic books, old movies, radio plays and related material.
- ^
"Coming Events". The Financial Post. 1973-07-28. p. 13. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
- Amarillo Globe-Times. June 16, 1970.
- ^ Hanerfeld, Mark (January 1970). "Comicon News". The Comic Reader. No. 77.
- ^ "Coming Attractions (advertisement)". Rocket's Blast Comicollector. No. 63. G. B. Love. 1969.
- ^ "Multicon-70 Time Table". Multicon 70 program. Oklahoma Alliance of Fans. 1970.
- ^ Lewis, Evan (May 10, 2010). "A Rambling Interview with Robert S. Napier, Part 1". Davy Crockett's Almanack.
- ISBN 978-1506711676.
- ^ Walters, Timothy (June 2013). Rob Imes (ed.). "Letters" (PDF). Ditkomania. No. 91.
- ^ austex23 (August 13, 2012). "Early Comic Fandom in Texas (and elsewhere)". CollectedEditions.com.
I bought this copy either in 1967 at the first Houstoncon or in 1968 when the Southwesterncon, as it was briefly known, moved back to Dallas. For a very short period of time, Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma City cooperated on the cons but territorial issues between Houston and Dallas ended the rotation and cons happened regularly in all three cities after 1970.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Robert Bloch: Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Johnston, Rich (November 15, 2021). "When Will Eisner Foresaw What Comic Book Stores Could Be... In 1972". Bleeding Cool.
- ^ a b Beerbohm, Robert (January 6, 2010). "Comics Dealer Extraordinaire Robert Beerbohm: In His Own Words". Comic-Convention Memories.
- ^ Martin, Claire (June 6, 2012). "Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics talks about life, superheroes and Comic Con". Lifestyle. The Denver Post.
- ^ a b c "Schedule". D-Con '73 program. Joe Bob Williams. 1973.
- ^ a b Rozanski, Chuck. "The Summer of 1973 - Part IV: Dallas Convention II". Tales from the Database. Comics Buyer's Guide. Retrieved May 8, 2024 – via Mile High Comics.
- ^ Levitz, Paul (February 1973). "Et Al". The Comic Reader. No. 94.
- ^ "Schedule". Multicon '75 program booklet. Oklahoma Alliance of Fans. 1975.
- ^ a b Bush, Bart (1981). "Acknowledgments". Multicon '81 program booklet. Oklahoma Alliance of Fans.
- Robot 6. Comic Book Resources. Archived from the originalon March 29, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Maggie (March 1968). "Rocco Mastroserio Dead". Newfangles. No. 8. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06.
- ^ Hanerfeld, Mark (March 1969). "On the Drawing Board". The Comic Reader. No. 72.
- ^ Jacobson, Aileen (August 16, 1971). "Serious Comics Fans". The Washington Post. p. B2.
- ^ Schleef, Steve (1973). "D-Con '73". Foreign Comic Reviews. No. 3. p. 12.
- ^ Grimes, Paul (May 30, 1976). "Fantasy Boom: The Profits Are Real; Fantasy Boom: $50,000 a Weekend, $2 Million a Year" (PDF). New York Times.
Sources
- "Southwesterncon '68 con report". Science Fiction Times. No. 457. August 1968.
- ISBN 978-0786443475.