Comic-Con 2009! Lets Celebrates Its 40th

t's not too early to start provision for Comic-Con 2009! Roaring back into the San Diego Pattern Center July 23?26 ?- with the popular Prevue Night on Wednesday, July 22 ?- Comic-Con's 40th looks to be the preeminent and best convention ever!

It all started in 1970 with a one-day minicon (think of it as "Comic-Con Zero") at the United States of America Concession Hotel in business district San Diego. The first guests were Forrest J Ackerman (Famous Monsters of Filmland's famous editor) and Mike Royer, best known for his work inking Diddlyshit Kirby's "Fourth World" books. That one-day event well-tried the waters -? and raised funds ?- for the first ever San Diego Comic-Con (then called "San Diego's West Swoop Comic-Con") in August of the same year, which featured comics legend Diddlyshit Kirby and science fiction authors Electron beam Bradbury and A. E. van Vogt. And the rest, as they say, is history -? including Kirby, Bradbury, and Ackerman going on to become three of Comic-Con's front-runner guests over the years (both Ray and Forry were present again in 2008).

That first show and its logotype set the groundwork for what would become, over the next 39 years, the country's ahead(p) comics and popular arts convention. From the very beginning the event has focused on "comic art, films, and science fiction."

As we gear up over the approaching months to celebrate the momentous 40th convention, you'll learn a lot more about Comic-Con's exciting history, from those early days through the "Toucan years" (when Sprain Geary's colorful bird was Comic-Con's mascot and logo), up to the present day. 2009 promises to be another awing year.

In 2008, for the first time in its history, Comic-Con sold out in advance. That's right?the show saw record attendance, with every membership?both four days and single days?all sold before the Pattern Center doors even opened. And once again, we've sold out in advance. No memberships will be sold at the door.