Oral History Of San Diego Comic-Con Panel - And You Don't Need A Badge

Posted in: Comics | Tagged: oral history, san diego comic con, sdcc

Oral History Of San Diego Comic-Con Panel – And You Don't Need A Badge

The Oral History Of San Diego Comic-Con Panel - And You Don't Need A Badge. For Thursday, the 23rd of July, 2026

Published Sat, 04 Jul 2026 10:57:10 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

• An Oral History of San Diego Comic-Con panel returns in 2026 after past rejection, but it will be held offsite.
• The free San Diego Comic-Con event runs Thursday, July 23, 2026, from 2 to 3 PM at Bards & Cards in Gaslamp.
• No SDCC badge is needed to attend as Mathew Klickstein hosts founders and key Comic-Con figures for candid stories.
• The panel ties into See You At San Diego, the oral history book exploring Comic-Con’s roots, fandom, and geek culture.

Three years ago, Bleeding Cool looked at a San Diego Comic-Con panel on the origins of the show, alongside an oral history by some of its founders published by Fantagraphics, See You At San Diego: An Oral History Of Comic-Con, Fandom And The Triumph Of Geek Culture and a number of those founders. Or rather, a panel that had been rejected by the current owners and organisation of the show. There was a lot of bad feeling, and I went into it in detail with the book's author, Mathew Kickstein. Well, in 2026, the panel is back for San Diego Comic-Con 2026. But this time, it's not actually at the show. Instead, it's going to be at Bards & Cards in the Gaslamp District, on Thursday, the 23rd of July, from 2 to 3 pm. It is free to attend, no badge needed, and no holes will be barred… I get the feeling it will be standing room only.

The panel is being organised by Mathew Klickstein, with stories from Roger Freedman (1970's committee member), Wendy All (1970's committee member), Scott Smith (Director of Electronic Publicity), Clayton Moore (1970's committee member), Gus Krueger (son of co-founder Ken Krueger), Barry Short (1980's Program Director), and Dave Clark (co-originator). Legendary cartoonist and illustrator Rick Geary, who created Comic-Con International's Toucan mascot, but who doesn't benefit financially from its use, designed the panel flyer, and sends his regards… if you go, do let me know what goes down!

See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture by Mathew Klickstein, and afterwords/forewords from RZA, Stan Sakai and Jeff Smith
SEE YOU AT SAN DIEGO: AN ORAL HISTORY OF COMIC-CON, FANDOM, AND THE TRIUMPH OF GEEK CULTURE is the full story of pop culture nostalgia and modern fandom through the lens of the prehistory, history, and expansion of the largest pop culture gathering worldwide: Comic-Con. As told through countless intimate, hilarious, at times heartbreaking and often thought-provoking stories by nearly fifty of today's most integral members of the pop culture community. Why did Neil Gaiman need a horde of armed ("Well, not exactly armed," he assiduously corrects) Klingons to help him through a particularly aggressive crowd of fans at Comic-Con one year? What was it like for the Russo Bros to first greet the overwhelmingly massive audience in Hall H and announce their debut Marvel film? Why are edible costumes no longer allowed at conventions of any kind? And what does all of this have to do with Dr. Timothy Leary, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hunter S. Thompson, David Bowie, and Frank Capra? No roads needed on this fantastic voyage where you'll boldly go into the heart of fandom as we know it and love it today, courtesy countless intimate, hilarious, at times heartbreaking and even occasionally thought-provoking stories told by nearly fifty of the most integral members of today's modern scene along with super-special celebrity guests who together make it clear how and why the geeks have at long last inherited the Earth. Bursting with reflections, observations, and plenty of raw hot takes on everything from Ray Bradbury to Stan Lee, from The Twilight Zone to Twilight, from Star Trek to Star Wars, and MAD Magazine to Watchmen, SEE YOU AT SAN DIEGO's special guests include: Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Bruce Campbell, Felicia Day, Scott Aukerman, Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragonés, Trina Robbins, The Russo Bros., Lloyd Kaufman, Tim Seeley, Kevin Eastman, Maggie Thompson, and many others, along with 400+ pics and art, plus an afterword by Wu-Tang Clan's own uber-nerd mastermind RZA. Learn how, in this historical and sociological tour de force, the geek at last inherited the earth … with a little help from a half-century of the planet's largest pop culture gathering (clocked twice by Guinness!): the San Diego Comic-Con.

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