Comic fandom has a lot to thank Shel Dorf for. It was Dorf who first organized the now-famous San Diego Comic Convention. As a result, he became widely respected in the industry.
Dorf was a freelance artist and lettered the Steve Canyon newspaper strip for the last dozen or so years of it's run (note the caricature of him by Milton Caniff above).
Shel interviewed Forrest J Ackerman for THE BUYER'S GUIDE FOR COMICS FANDOM #183 (May 20, 1977.
Last time I chatted with Forry, he'd come over to Manchester to hang out with Ray Harryhausen at the Festival of Fantastic Films. They also went on stage at a restored 1930s cinema in nearby Stockport to introduce a new print of King Kong.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an evening to remember! One of the highlights of my youth was visiting the Ackermansion. My neighbor and fellow monster kid received an invite from Forry after sending him a letter criticizing FM!
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