let people know this is happening and start building and event and a community. Solberg (in 2019): I opened up the phone book and just started calling alphabetically. I called All About Books and Comics. They said, “Well, you need to talk to the manager.” And that was Mike Banks, who went on to found Samurai Comics. From there, I talked with others within the community and we were off to the races. A New Hope The first Phoenix Cactus Comicon took place on Sunday, June 9, 2002. Solberg told New Times prior to the event that his goal was “to make this convention the best-organized, best-attended, and most fun convention Phoenix has ever had.” It ran six hours and featured 32 tables, which were populated by comic book creators like Jim Mahfood and such local publishers and companies like Todd McFarlane Toys and Chaos! Comics. A total of 432 people attended. Astell: That’s pretty damn good [turnout] for a first-time event. Even nowadays, little cons starting out would be very happy to get those numbers. Fotos: There were a handful of dealers, some artists, a few hundred fans, and a couple of costumes. Cosplay wasn’t a thing then like it is now. Solberg (in 2017): Our big-name comic creator [at] our first show in 2002 was Jim Mahfood. Jim Mahfood, indie comic book artist and former Valley resident: I was always doing Sometimes we’d bring a table, sometimes some of the employees would go and talk about the process if I was busy or out of town. Fotos: Being a comic book artist, you’re stuck in a cave most of the time, so it was fun to get out, meet with fans, talk comics, and get feedback. It was just another outlet for fan interaction, since there wasn’t much social media then beyond [internet] message boards. Sure, there weren’t many fans that first year, but it was a start and it was only going to grow from there. Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0/Flickr signings around Arizona and I think I was officially invited as a guest by [Matt Solberg]. I had some of my 40 Oz. Comics for sale. In [this one] photo, you can see Eric Mengel standing right beside me in the blue shirt, so he was there, too. He’s been on the Arizona comic scene forever and has been self-publishing this comic book called Ocho. Fotos: It was a small show in a ballroom. I think [comic book artists] Todd Broeker and Drew Hutchinson were there with me, because at the time we were working on Cy-Gor, Sam and Twitch, and Spawn The Dark Ages [for Todd McFarlane Todd McFarlane (right) emcees a panel for Stan Lee (left) at Phoenix Comicon in 2014. Productions], so we had a bunch of books to promote. We were all working in the McFarlane offices, so it was probably like, “Hey we’re going to go hang out at this little convention. Do you want come down and show off some stuff?” We might’ve brought some toys and stuff with us. Todd McFarlane, comic book creator and entrepreneur: Somebody probably reached out and said, “Hey, we’re having a local [convention]. Can you come by for a day?” It didn’t take long. Attendance almost doubled to 780 for the event’s second year at the Glendale Civic Center, which was touted on the Phoenix Comicon website at the time as having “more space and options for our needs.” The increased turnout and elbowroom wasn’t the only growth. During the con’s three-year stint in Glendale, Solberg and other organizers added elements that would become staples of the event, such programming, a costume contest, and celebrity guests. Mike Malve, owner, Atomic Comics: I remember going to check it out and help out a buddy of mine who had a booth. When I saw the attendance, I was like, “Hey, you know, Matt’s got his stuff together. I definitely want to support this.” Jessika Malic (a.k.a. Jinx Cosplay), local cosplayer: I went to the second in 2003 as Lum from [the anime] Urusei Yatsura. It was probably my third-ever >> p 18 17 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MAY 26TH– JUNE 1ST, 2022
