| OrlandoCon | |
| Status: | Defunct |
| Genre: | Comic books, TV, and movies |
| Venue: | International Inn |
| Location: | Orlando, Florida |
| Country: | United States |
| First: | 1974 |
| Last: | 1994 |
| Organizer: | Jim Ivey & Charlie Roberts |
| Filing: | for-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."[1] [2] 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[3] (1925–2022)[4] [5] and local enthusiasts Charlie Roberts, Rob Word,[6] Richard Kravitz, and Neil Austin.[7] [8] [9] Most OrlandoCons took place over a September weekend.
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[10] named in honor of George Herriman's Krazy Kat.[11] Recipients of the Ignatz included Don Martin,[12] Ralph Kent, Joe Kubert, Martin Nodell, Don Addis,[13] Burne Hogarth, and Dik Browne. (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.)
Each show featured a charity auction to benefit the Milt Gross Fund of the National Cartoonists Society.[14] 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.
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, Ron Goulart,, 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,[15] 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. The final OrlandoCon was produced by local retailer Mike Kott on September 10–11, 1994, at the Clarion Towers; guests included show founder Jim Ivey and Martin Nodell.[16] A rival event, "Mega-Show" was inaugurated in 1993 and evolved into the ongoing huge Orlando-based multi-genre convention MegaCon as the spiritual successor of OrlandoCon.[17]
| width=125px | Dates ! | Guests | Building | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22, 1974 | Neil Austin, C. C. Beck, Wally Bishop, Roy Crane, Bill Crooks, Ralph Dunagin, Hal Foster, Mel Graff, Kirby Grant, Jim Ivey, Harold W. McCauley, Bill Perry | Howard Johnson's Convention Center 304 West Colonial Drive | Roy Crane won Ignatz award. Convention booklet featured a cover sketch by Roy Crane; the back cover was illustrated by C.C. Beck.[18] | |
| August 16–17, 1975 | Howard Johnson Convention Center | Burne Hogarth won Ignatz award. Program booklet cover by Harvey Kurtzman[19] | ||
| September 18–19, 1976 | International Inn 6327 International Drive | Roy Crane won the Ignatz Award [20] [21] [22] | ||
| September 24–25, 1977 | International Inn | C. C. Beck and Dick Moores won the Ignatz Award. 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. 3,000 attending [23] | ||
| September 30-October 1, 1978 | International Inn | Show's official title was "Central Florida Comic Art Convention, TV & Film Festival." Program cover by Will Eisner[24] | ||
| September 29-30, 1979 | International Inn | Robert Cummings and Kirby Grant won the Ignatz award [25] | ||
| September 27-28, 1980 | International Inn | Jock Mahoney was the guest of honor [26] | ||
| September 26-27, 1981 | International Inn | Dik Browne was unable to attend and Fred Lasswell accepted the Ignatz Award on his behalf. Program book, with a cover by Dik Browne, celebrating "Florida's 70 Cartoonists" [27] [28] | ||
| September 25-26, 1982 | International Inn | Bob McLeod won the Ignatz Award. The program booklet honored "Florida's 75 Great Cartoonists"[29] [30] | ||
| September 24-25, 1983 | International Inn | Don Wright won the Ignatz Award. 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.[31] | ||
| September 22–23, 1984 | International Inn | Dunagin won the Ignatz Award [32] | ||
| September 28-29, 1985 | International Inn | Martin Nodell won the Ignatz Award[33] [34] | ||
| September 27-28, 1986 | International Inn | [35] | ||
| September 26–27, 1987 | International Inn | [36] | ||
| September 24-25, 1988 | International Inn | [37] | ||
| September 23–24, 1989 | International Inn | Bob Burden won the Ignatz Award[38] [39] | ||
| September 22-23, 1990 | International Inn | 17th annual edition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Martin Nodell's Green Lantern. Program booklet cover by Bill Black.[40] | ||
| September 21-22, 1991 | Clarion Plaza, 9700 International Drive | Dick Ayers and Joe Kubert were guests of honor[41] | ||
| September 26-27, 1992 | International Inn | Jack Bender won the Ignatz Award[42] [43] | ||
| September 25-26, 1993 | International Inn | Don Addis and Don Martin were guests of honor. | ||
| September 10–11, 1994 | Clarion Plaza | Jim Ivey and Martin Nodell were guests of honor. Produced by local retailer Mike Kott. Last OrlandoCon.[44] |
