Comic-Con is THE convention to attend for anyone interested in comics, science fiction and related geeky things.
Sheldon (Shel) Dorf, the original man behind Comic-Con, was a kid from Detroit who was possessed by comics. Some have said that his relentless passion for comics stemmed from undiagnosed autism.
At 16, Dorf met the creator of Dick Tracy, Chester Gould, which cemented his dream to join the comic strip profession.
Though Dorf studied art in high school and at the Chicago Art Institute, he never achieved his teenage ambition. The closest he came was providing lettering and speech balloons for Milton Caniff who created Terry & the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips. But, hey, who ever said lettering is unimportant?
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book’s text. The letterer’s use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. Historically, sometimes the person who drew comics also lettered them; however, this was more common at independent publications and for comic strips. Large organizations, such as Marvel and DC, usually employed different people for drawing, inking, coloring and lettering, due to the sheer volume of comics they produced. No surprise … the computer age has turned that all upside down.
Dorf’s true legacy is Comic-Con, the largest comic convention in the world, which today covers comic books, science fiction, fantasy, horror, animation, anime, video games, tabletop games, movies, television and general pop culture.
In 1965, Dorf was a member of the Detroit Triple Fan Fair team. The “triple” stood for fantasy literature, fantasy films and comic art. When his parents chose to retire in San Diego, he moved there, became part of the comic fan club scene and started Comic-Con, using his persuasive powers to convince comic book artist Jack Kirby and science-fiction writer Ray Bradbury to appear at the inaugural event.
“He (Dorf) is a fine friend.” (Jack Kirby, Co-creator of Captain America)
Over time, Comic-Con grew into the largest convention of its kind. While a success, the event became so large that, in Dorf’s words, “It’s too big and too depressing … the last time there, I could barely find any comic books”.
The disillusioned founder of Comic-Con walked away from his brainchild and became reclusive in his final years, suffered poor health due to complications from diabetes and died in 2009.
Comic books rarely have an ending, they are driven by an eternal second act. The way I see it, Comic-Con is Shel Dorf’s second act.
“The guy just lived and breathed comics his whole life.” (Mark Evanier, Comic book and television writer)
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