OrlandoCon

OrlandoCon
StatusDefunct
GenreComic books, TV, and movies
VenueInternational Inn
Location(s)Orlando, Florida
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1974
Most recent1994
Organized byJim Ivey & Charlie Roberts[1]
Filing statusfor-profit

OrlandoCon, also known as O'Con, was a long-running comic book and comic strip fan convention which was held annually between 1974 and 1994 in Orlando, Florida. The first comics convention held in the Orlando area, OrlandoCon billed itself as the "Central Florida comic art convention and early TV/film festival."[2][3] Captain Marvel-creator C. C. Beck was a regular guest of the show; as were many other Golden Age comics creators who lived in the Orlando area.

The founders of OrlandoCon were regional chairman of the National Cartoonists Society Jim Ivey[4][5] (1925–2022)[6][7][8] and local enthusiasts Charlie Roberts, Rob Word,[9] Richard Kravitz, and Neil Austin.[10][7][11][12] Most OrlandoCons took place over a September weekend.

Events and activities

Each year's show featured a banquet for attending cartoonists and the presentation to the guest of honor of a gold brick called the Ignatz Award[4] named in honor of George Herriman's Krazy Kat.[13] Recipients of the Ignatz included Don Martin,[14] Ralph Kent, Joe Kubert, Martin Nodell, Don Addis,[15] Burne Hogarth, and Dik Browne.[13] (The OrlandoCon Ignatz Award is not connected to the current award of the same name presented annually at the Bethesda, Maryland-based Small Press Expo.)[13]

Each show featured a charity auction to benefit the Milt Gross Fund of the National Cartoonists Society.[11] The OrlandoCon often featured screenings of early TV shows, as well as panels, seminars, and workshops with comics professionals. In addition, there was a floorspace for exhibitors, including comic book and comic strip dealers, and collectibles merchants. The show included an autograph area, as well as an Artists' Alley where comics artists signed autographs and sold or produced free sketches.

History

The first OrlandoCon was held in September 1974 at the Orlando Howard Johnson's Convention Center — guests included C. C. Beck, Roy Crane, Hal Foster,[10] Ron Goulart, Mel Graff [fr], Les Turner, Ralph Dunagin, Bill Crooks, Harold McCauley, Scorchy Smith artist Edmond Good, and Disney artist Ralph Kent.

In 1976 OrlandoCon moved venues from the Howard Johnson Convention Center to the International Inn, where the convention stayed for most of the rest of its existence.

Even though he moved to Pennsylvania in 1974, Charlie Roberts stayed with the OrlandoCon as co-organizer with Jim Ivey until 1979,[16] at which point small press publisher Bill Black became involved with the convention.

With the collapse of the comic book speculating market in 1993, the show petered out. One of the final OrlandoCons was produced by local retailer Mike Kott on September 10–11, 1994, at the Clarion Towers; guests include show founder Jim Ivey and Martin Nodell.[17]

Locations and dates

Dates Venue Guest of honor/
Ignatz Award recipient		 Official guests Notes
September 1974 Howard Johnson's Convention Center C. C. Beck, Roy Crane, Hal Foster, Ron Goulart, Mel Graff, Les Turner, Ralph Dunagin, Bill Crooks, Harold McCauley, "Scorchy Smith" artist Edmond Good, and Disney artist Ralph Kent Convention booklet featured a cover sketch by Roy Crane; the back cover was illustrated by C.C. Beck.
August 16–17, 1975 Howard Johnson Convention Center Burne Hogarth Harvey Kurtzman, Roy Crane, Hal Foster, and Ralph Kent Program booklet cover by Harvey Kurtzman
September 18–19,[18] 1976 International Inn Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman,[1] and Floyd Gottfredson Program cover by Jack Davis, with interior profiles of Floyd Gottfredson and Mel Graff
1977 Walter B. Gibson, Ralph Dunagin and Scorchy Smith's Edmond Good Program booklet cover featured The Spirit, drawn by Will Eisner; the back cover was drawn by Bob Clampett; and interior art by, among others, Les Turner, C. C. Beck, Bill Black, Morris Weiss, and Zack Mosley.
1978 Will Eisner, Bob Clampett, Les Turner, Ralph Dunagin, C. C. Beck, Edmond Good, Bill Black, Morris Weiss, Ralph Kent, Bill Crooks, and Zack Mosley Show's official title was "Central Florida Comic Art Convention, TV & Film Festival." Program cover by Will Eisner
1979 Robert Cummings and Kirby Grant Will Eisner, C. C. Beck, and Jack Rosen
1980 Jock Mahoney ("media guest of honor") Gil Kane and Autumn Russell
1981 Dik Browne[a] C. C. Beck,[19] Fred Lasswell Program book, with a cover by Dik Browne, celebrating "Florida's 70 Cartoonists"
1982 International Inn[20] Bob McLeod[21] C. C. Beck The program booklet honored "Florida's 75 Great Cartoonists"[3]
1983 Don Wright C. C. Beck, Harvey Kurtzman, Wayne Boring, Will Eisner, Joe Kubert, Ralph Kent, Morris Weiss, Dik Browne, and Dean Young 10th anniversary show; program cover included a list of Florida cartoonists and featured artwork by Harvey Kurtzman, Wayne Boring, C. C. Beck, Morris Weiss, Dik Browne, and Dean Young, among others.
September 22–23, 1984 Will Eisner
1985 Martin Nodell[22]
1986
September 25–27, 1987[23] International Inn[23]
1988
September 23–24, 1989[24] International Inn[24] Bob Burden[25] 16th annual edition
1990 Gates McFadden 17th annual edition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Martin Nodell's Green Lantern. Program booklet cover by Bill Black.
1991 Dick Ayers and Joe Kubert
1992 Jack Bender[26]
1993 Don Addis and Don Martin
September 10–11, 1994 Clarion Towers Jim Ivey and Martin Nodell Produced by local retailer Mike Kott

Legacy

The huge Orlando-based multi-genre convention MegaCon was inaugurated in 1993 and is the spiritual successor of OrlandoCon;[27] it continues to this day.

Notes

  1. ^ Dik Browne was unable to attend the 1981 Orlando convention & banquet; Fred Lasswell accepted the Ignatz Award on his behalf.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b Fratz, Doug (Aug 1976). "TNJ Listings". The New Nostalgia Journal. No. 28. p. 39.
  2. ^ "Central Florida Comic Art Convention, TV & Film Festival". OrlandoCon '78 convention booklet. Orlando, Florida: Orlandocon. 1978.
  3. ^ a b "Honoring Florida's 75 Great Cartoonists!". Orlandocon '82: Central Florida Comic Art Convention and Early TV/Film Festival convention booklet. Orlando, Florida: Orlandocon. 1982.
  4. ^ a b Harvey, R. C. (Jan 2000). "Blood & Thunder: Two for Cho". The Comics Journal. No. 219. p. 3. ...the Ignatz Award was originated in the '70s at the Orlando Con, a pioneering comic convention staged mainly by Jim Ivey.
  5. ^ "James Ivey Collection: An inventory of his Collection at Syracuse University". Syracuse University Special Collections Research Center. In the 1970s he started the annual Orlandocon convention.
  6. ^ Holtz, Allan (July 19, 2022). "Rest in Peace James Burnett Ivey". Stripper's Guide.
  7. ^ a b Zablo, Craig (July 14, 2022). "RIP: Jim Ivey". CraigZablo.com.
  8. ^ Black, Bill (July 14, 2022). "JIM IVEY passed away last night". First Comics News. He was the original founder of our beloved OrlandoCon which ran over 20 years.
  9. ^ Marschall, Rick (July 21, 2022). "Another – 30 – : JIM IVEY". Yesterday's Papers. Jim was omnipresent in those places – and subsequently at OrlandoCon, the legendary annual comics fest he started with Charlie Roberts and Rob Word.
  10. ^ a b Roberts, Charlie. "The Frazetta 1977 Exhibit". FritzFrazetta.blogspot.com. In 1973 I moved to Orlando, Florida and became a co-founder of 'OrlandoCon' with Jim Ivey, Richard Kravitz, Rob Word, and Neil Austin.
  11. ^ a b Roberts, Charlie. "Milton Caniff and Shel Dorf: A Personal View," Scoop. Accessed Dec. 24, 2013.
  12. ^ "Article on debut of OrlandoCon". Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. December 8, 1974. p. 237. Orlandoco ... sponsored by Ivey and four fellow collectors from the Orlando area.
  13. ^ a b c Tea (April 25, 2018). "Ask A Cartoonist: What We've Learned from Krazy Kat". Comics Kingdom.
  14. ^ Boyar, Jay (May 12, 1985). "The Real Don Martin: We All Grew Up On His Cartoons. Fortunately, So Did He". Orlando Sentinel.
  15. ^ "About Don Addis". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006. Retrieved Jan 4, 2013.
  16. ^ "Superstars: The Charlie Roberts Collection at Hake’s," Scoop. Accessed Dec. 24, 2013.
  17. ^ Parrish, Ines Davis (12 Sep 1994). "Hobby is No Laughing Matter: Comic Book Collectors: Superheroes a Super Investment". Orlando Sentinel. p. C1.
  18. ^ Grimes, Paul. "Fantasy Boom: The Profits Are Real; Fantasy Boom: $50,000 a Weekend, $2 Million a Year," New York Times (May 30, 1976).
  19. ^ Hamerlinck, P.C., "I'll Never Forget C. C. Beck: C. C. Beck, Captain Marvel's Chief Artist," Fawcett Companion: The Best of FCA, Fawcett Collectors of America (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2001), p. 137.
  20. ^ Greatrex, Dana. "Comic Book Collecting, a Hobby for Darren," Daytona Beach Morning Journal (Oct. 26, 1982).
  21. ^ McLeod entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
  22. ^ Nodell entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
  23. ^ a b "Monday," Orlando Sentinel (21 Sep 1987): 24.
  24. ^ a b "Convention Caters to Cartoon Fans," Orlando Sentinel (23 Sep 1989): E2.
  25. ^ Burden entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
  26. ^ Bender profile, Jack Bender Cartoons: Syracuse University Libraries. Accessed Dec. 24, 2013.
  27. ^ Walt, Andra. "Owner/Director Beth Widera of Orlando’s MegaCon Stops by InvestComics," InvestComics (Feb. 13, 2012).