We’re counting down to Comic-Con 2023, which is now less than a month away (July 20-23, with Preview Night on July 19) at the San Diego Convention Center, and I thought it might be fun (for me, at least!) for the next four Mondays (including today) to look back on some of the things I created to promote the event, back in the days when we did everything on paper. (You remember paper, right?)
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When I took over the editing and designing of Update magazine with the first of three 2007 issues, Comic-Con printed and distributed a quarter of a million copies of this free publication to its entire mailing list, and to comic book shops in the good ol’ USA via Diamond Comics Distributors. No one really paid much attention to what I was doing, so I kind of had carte blanche with content. I tried to do some different, (hopefully) fun things, since my predecessors just kind of cranked the thing out to get it to the printer and in the mail. Here’s some stuff from that first year’s publications, 16 (!) years ago, in 2007. Unless you kept your original copies, most of these publications haven’t been seen since then.
Update magazine was a mainstay at Comic-Con. Various publications throughout the years were called that; in the beginning they were known as “Progress Reports,” designed to keep the people attending the con abreast of what was coming up for any given year’s show. In the late 1990s, it was officially renamed Update, and in 2004, it switched to a comics-sized publication; that’s what I inherited it when I (kind of suddenly) got thrown the baton in 2007.
Here are the first three covers for Update magazine that I designed. They were also the last three for that particular brand name. I pitched a name change to Comic-Con Magazine for 2008, which was accepted, so from 2008 through 2010, we called it that, before doing Comic-Con Annual in 2011 and 2012. The first issue was thrown together by me (click here to read more about that), and was only 40 pages. By the time issue #2 for 2007 rolled around (it shipped in May), there was more content, and that issue jumped to 56 pages. It was the publication that included the most info about that year’s event. Issue #3 (also 56 pages) shipped in October and included a pretty expansive recap of Comic-Con 2007, plus early info for WonderCon 2008 .
Believe it or not, these publications were Comic-Con’s chief way of communicating with their attendees. The first issue, which shipped in January, included a badge registration form and hotel info, which you filled out and mailed in to order your badges and book your rooms. Yep … all on paper! This was the last year for that; 2008 ushered in the era of registering online, both for badges and hotel reservations. These forms have been edited by me (obviously) so none of you clever people can send them in. (I know who you are and I’m keeping my eye on you.)
I tried to do some fun things with the splash pages, and this game board design (from issue #2 in 2007) was one of my first attempts. I’m not sure I was that successful, but it was fun for me, at least. I also got a chance to interview artist Tim Sale, who at that point was producing the paintings for the prophetic artist character on the hit show Heroes on NBC, which was executive produced by comics writer Jeph Loeb, who collaborated with Sale numerous times in comics, including Batman: The Long Halloween. The third image (far right) shows some of the special anniversary themes we celebrated in both programming and the Souvenir Book in 2007.
I loved Darwyn Cooke’s work—as both a writer and artist—and it was a pleasure to do this short interview with him during the time he was reviving Will Eisner’s The Spirit for DC Comics. Cooke had balls, I’ll say that much … not too many artists would even attempt to step into Eisner’s over-sized shoes, but Cooke also wrote and drew Before Watchmen, something considered sacrilegious to some Alan Moore fans. Cooke would also figure into Update #3 with the announcement of the DC Animated Movie, Justice League: The New Frontier, which had its world premiere at WonderCon in 2008, based on his DC: The New Frontier mini-series. I’m sad to say both Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale are no longer with us. They were each singular talents in comics and are sorely missed.
Speaking of world premieres, Comic-Con 2007 was the site for the very first direct-to-video DC Animated Movie, Superman Doomsday. I did a short interview with producer Bruce Timm about the new movie. It was also the year of the very first giant WB bag, which featured this animated film as its subject matter (only one design available), and of course, the debut of the inevitable dress and other articles of clothing made from it, truly pioneer times.
I always liked this two-page spread from Update #2 which explained a lot about creating costumes for Comic-Con’s world-famous Masquerade, the signature Saturday night event that packs them into Ballroom 20. It was fun being able to do things like this, and to take advantage of a “larger canvas,” like the centerspread of the book.
As I mentioned, Update magazine #3, debuting in the fall of 2007, was a major recap for Comic-Con. Here’s three different two-page spreads covering the programming for Comics (above), and Movies and Television (below). It’s interesting to look back and see what was hot 16 years ago. How many of these movies or shows do you remember … fondly or not?
That picture of Downey and company was from a little movie called Iron Man. I wonder what ever happened with that …
Photos © 2023 SDCC.
Heroes was THE big hit TV show of the time on NBC, but after its first gangbusters season, the show quickly fizzled. Still, it had that Loeb-Sale comic book connection, making it near and dear to the heart of Comic-Con.
Next time: We’ll look at the early issues of Comic-Con Magazine, the new (at the time) “up-format” incarnation of Comic-Con’s three times a year publication
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