Chapter 358: Comic-Con 1986

Anyways, it was just that time of the year already.

A four-day event, starting from the 31st of July to the 3rd of August.

Granted, the date tends to jump around but it is within the approximation of summer, so it truly is that time of the year again.

The SDCC. The San Diego Comic Convention. Or simply Comic-Con.

There's no denying that Creed Entertainment made quite a splash during the last one and they surely must not want to miss out on this one.

Then again, they are more than assuredly not alone on that front... since other parties also want to make their own mark.

All the while hoping that they reach Creed's previous caliber and some are even envisioning to surpass it.

This was no longer Comic-Con 1985, after all.

This was now Comic-Con 1986.

Surely, some things were bound to be different.

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In some ways, it sure was going to be.

For starters, the old Toucan had to be somewhat ditched for this year's posters... like the acrobatics of Marvel heroes that seems to be the welcoming faces of it.

There's She-Hulk holding up the whole ensemble...

Daredevil and Wolverine latching unto her...

Then Black Spidey and Nightcrawler proving their general flexibility...

And at the tippy top is no sexy cheerleader, only the coarse and heavy Thing!

Their whole acrobatics pose is done against a beachy background and the rest of Comic-Con 1986 should have kicked off with that.

Oh yeah...

In account of people probably getting lost, there's a guide to the whole Comic-Con given out.

With alphabeticals, layouts, and everything. The C-area sure took up a lot while the rest were no slack either.

Of course, these posters and maps were just the start of it.

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There's the event entree and the venue layout, so it just made sense for an in-the-face reminder of awards, awardees, and more than sure award winners to look out for.

Heading it up is the selection led by Comic-Con itself... The Inkpot Awards!

There's some weird Paul, Poul William Anderson, with quite a hefty awards list in his belt. These awards are quite important when one's job is writing prose and all that.

On that prose-writing note, noted feminist Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley, is slated for the award for her works such as The Mist of Avalon and the Darkover series to name a few.

Dave Chester Gibbons, a frequent collaborator of a certain Moore fellow, with accolades like being an Englishman comic artist, writer, and letterer. The first issue of 2000 AD being one of his greatest regards.

After the Englishman, Frenchman Jean Giraud, most known under his pseudonym as Mœbius, is set for an Inkpot.

Interestingly enough, there are Mario's brothers up for the esteemed distinction. Namely Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez for their work in the alternative comic, Love and Rockets.

Poor Mario Hernandez was singled out for this one. Making it a rare instance where a Mario didn't stand out.

On the non-humurous side, some guy named Denis Kitchen is acclaimed but not without controvery since his published works actually led a comic book store manager named Michael Correa to be charged with something as absurd as the sales and possession of obscene materials.

Talks of a Comic Book Legal Defense Fund are being circulated and it sure is quite the reminder of being tame so as to not have a People Vs. Larry Flynt scenario.

Anyways, it sure is a weird time for comic books to be accused like the Hustler magazine.

Anyways, on the Inkpot block, there's Steve Leilaloha, an inker and penciler, most known for his work in Spider-Woman.

After that Spider-Woman acclaim, there's Golden Age Green Lantern recognition for Martin Nodell with his pen name, Mart Dellon.

Harvey Pekar, is an autobiographical and "underground" comic writer, for American Splendor.

After Pekar, a man named Mark Stadler is also recognized.

Then a guy named Dave Lee Stevens, whose most-known for his creation, The Rocketeer.

Quite the list for the Inkpot Awards of 1986 but the distinct invisibility of the great Alexander Creed really puts the whole roster into question once again. Especially with how relevant The Watchmen is.

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Of course, it's not just the Inkpot that had awards to be announced as it's the second year for the supposedly fresh and hip Kirby Awards.

Having categories and nominees like...

Best Single Issue: Daredevil #227. Mage #8. Miracleman #1. Superman Annual #9. Swamp Thing #43.

Best Continuing Series: Daredevil. Love and Rockets. Miracleman. Nexus. And Swamp Thing.

Best Black-and-White Comics: Cerebus. Journey. Love and Rockets. Stig's Inferno.

Best Finite Series: Black Dragon. Crisis On Infinite Earths. Longshot. Pelleas and Melisandre.

Best New Series: 'Mazing Man'. Miracleman. Mr. Monster. Scout.

Best Graphic Album. Hard Times. Love and Rockets Book One. The Original Nexus. Rocketeer Graphic Album.

Best Writer. Gilbert Hernandez. Frank Miller. Alan Moore twice for Swamp Thing and Miracleman. Matt Wagner.

Best Artist. Alan Davis. Jaime Hernandez. Steve Rude. P.Craig Russell.

Then there's something like Best Writer/Artist, single or team, with mostly the same people in contention as the other categories.

Then there's the separate category for Best Art Team. With Steve Bissette and John Totleben, John Byrne and Jerry Ordway, Jerry Ordway again with George Perez, Dave Sim and Gerhard... then Matt Wagner and Sam Keith.

Jack Kirby's award sure was setting itself up to be quite distinct. Distinct in a way to really stay away from anything Creed or Alexander Creed related.

They sure were propping up Alan Moore once again and the belated Miracleman sure was being lauded while Watchmen seemed nonexistent.

Not to mention the hailing of relatively rising names like Frank Miller, the Hernandez brothers, and all the semi-obscure unique writers.

Clearly, something was afoot and it's not as subtle as Big Foot.

It's as if last year's fiasco wasn't enough cause for controversy. They really never gave a care with this one and even Inkpot was caught up in the mentality.

Reasonings for the Creed inclusion are even given.

With points such as Creed Comics' ten-man teaming creation being quite the conundrum to judge, Alexander Creed's legitimacy as a comic book creator with such a manufactured creative set-up, and Creed's overall lack of enthusiasm for the awards.

It all just seemed like bitter bullshit for Creed fans and even for the casual Comic-Con attendees.

At least, Comic-Con International had some saving grace to it. With a laudable logic such as the reservation of the award in lieu of Alexander Creed's still-progressing career.

Inkpots tend to have a lifetime celebration feel to them, after all.

However, the annual categories of the Kirby are undoubtedly dubious.

Dubious, indeed.

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In some ways, this whole event sure is different from the last one.

It wasn't just awards and the event offerings... the whole atmosphere of the whole thing is quite the disconnect as well.

Must be because of the great and welcomed boom that the comic book industry was experiencing these last few weeks, which should have been a culmination of a momentum that had been building up since the months and years before it.

It's as if all of it was converging in this convention.

This shouldn't come as a surprise since a convention is a place to convene.

If anything, it just seems that the great boom just juxtaposed in Comic-Con to make it quite distinct, different, and unique.

Perhaps the only constant is that all of these are still held at the San Diego Convention Center of Hotel San Diego. Or the overall Creed-exclusion of competitors.

Then again, those were just the outliers.

Without a doubt, all of this was Comic-Con 1986!