The definitive comics convention was held in Boston in October of 1976. I was fortunate enough to live in Boston and be, at twelve, old enough to go to comics conventions by myself. It was Newcon 76, and while I still go to conventions and enjoy them–such as Wondercon, which I attended in San Francisco this weekend–I know I’ll never go to another with a lineup to compare with Newcon, which was spearheaded by Boston fan gods Don Phelps and Marty Greim.
Of the guests mentioned on the flyer, Carl Barks, John Stanley, Dick Giordano, Harvey Kurtzman, Preston Blair, and Gil Kane are no longer with us; Jim Steranko, Mike Kaluta, Fred Fredericks, Bob Overstreet, and Ron Goulart are still around. (I don’t remember Preston Blair actually attending, but there were some notable guests who weren’t mentioned on the flyer–including, maybe, Wally Wood, who I met either at this Newcon or the next one, I’m pretty sure.)
I have vivid memories of meeting Barks, Stanley, Kurtzman, Kaluta, Fredericks, and Kubert, and the sketches and/or autographs to prove it; I can also recall wandering the dealer’s room, and only wish I could go back in time and visit it again with a little more money in my pocket.
Click on the image below (which I stole from the Comics Journal’s amazing new archive) to see a larger version.
