Wednesday, December 7, 2016

When Conventions were Fun


Very early on in my artistic life I did cartoons about comics and fandom for a group of friends in Boston. I didn't go to comics conventions but in those days "mainstream" science fiction/fantasy conventions attracted comics fans and vendors. Conventions were crowded, chaotic, exciting places where for a weekend you could party, share your interests, meet new people and make new friends, and buy a whole bunch of paper stuff. I frequented the conventions for business as well, trying to get illustration work and sell my art. It all comes back to me and these little drawings are an accurate portrayal of the con scene, including the 90 percent male attendance and the one recognizable girl dressed in a cloak, jacket, rustic pants and high boots, with a little cloth dragon fastened to her shoulder. There are still comics conventions, but they are huge shows driven by the commercial media, not the individual creators, and I am not in the picture.

Black tech pen ink on illustration board, 7" x 4", spring 1981. Click to see the accurate details.

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