Richard Alf (January 26, 1952 – January 4, 2012) was an American businessman and former
comic book store
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of:
* three major comic distributors:
** Luna ...
owner who co-founded
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
, and served as its chairman beginning in 1970.
Biography
Personal life
Alf was born to artist
Martha Alf and Edward F. Alf Jr., a
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
professor at
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
from 1963 until 1988. Alf was known for his height, as he stood 6-foot-6. He attended
Kearny High School in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. Alf studied music at the
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
.
San Diego Comic-Con
In 1970, Alf teamed with a group of other comic enthusiasts, including
Shel Dorf
Sheldon "Shel" Dorf (July 5, 1933 – November 3, 2009) was an American comic book enthusiast and the founder of San Diego Comic-Con.Spurgeon, Tom.Shel Dorf, 1933-2009, ''The Comics Reporter'' (self-published), 4 November 2009. Accessed 4 Novembe ...
,
Mike Towry
Mike Towry is an American co-founder of San Diego Comic-Con. Towry established the annual convention, then called "San Diego's Golden State Comic Book Convention," in 1970 with a group of friends, including Richard Alf, Shel Dorf
Sheldon "Sh ...
, and
Ken Krueger, to establish the first Comic-Con annual convention, then known as the San Diego's Golden State Comic-Con.
Shel Dorf
Sheldon "Shel" Dorf (July 5, 1933 – November 3, 2009) was an American comic book enthusiast and the founder of San Diego Comic-Con.Spurgeon, Tom.Shel Dorf, 1933-2009, ''The Comics Reporter'' (self-published), 4 November 2009. Accessed 4 Novembe ...
, who was 35 years old at the time, had conceived the idea for a comic convention, but lacked money and transportation to create the event. Alf, a then 17-year-old senior at Kearny High School, provided Dorf with both the money and transport, in the form of Alf's 1954
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...
. Alf donated several thousand dollars to fund the convention for its first three years. He would be paid back after the convention.
The first convention, known San Diego's Golden State Comic-Con, which was held at the
U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego in 1970, was co-chaired by Alf. Alf became the chairman of the convention in 1971, while he was a music student at the University of California, San Diego. He used his ties to the university to move the convention to campus in 1971, offering discounted
dorm room
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...
s as housing for attendees. The dorm idea proved less than successful, as the university placed attendees on the same floors as quiet study groups, such as the
Montessori
The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...
. In 1972, Alf and Mike Towry co-chaired the third annual Comic-Con at the El Cortez in San Diego.
The convention, now known as San Diego Comic-Con, is now an internationally known, four-day annual event held at the
San Diego Convention Center
The San Diego Convention Center is the primary convention center of San Diego, California, United States. It is located in the Marina district in downtown San Diego, near the Gaslamp Quarter. The center is managed by the San Diego Convention ...
. From its small beginnings, Comic-Con now attracts more than 125,000 attendees, with contributions from major celebrities and
film studio
A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; how ...
s.
Alf largely gave up his unpaid, volunteer positions at Comic-Con later in the 1970s. During the mid-1970s, he opened his own
comic book store
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of:
* three major comic distributors:
** Luna ...
, called Comic Kingdom, in the University Heights (now
Hillcrest) community of San Diego. In 1979, he sold the comic business (to
Chuck Rozanski
Charles M. Rozanski (born March 11, 1955) is a German-American retailer and columnist, known as the President and CEO of the Denver, Colorado-based Mile High Comics Inc., and a former columnist for the ''Comics Buyer's Guide''.
Early life
Rozans ...
of
Mile High Comics
Mile High Comics is an online retailer and comic book store founded by Chuck Rozanski.
History Origins
Rozanski started Mile High Comics in 1969, when he was 13 years old, selling back issues of comic books out of his parents' Colorado Springs ...
)
and pursued careers in
commodity trading
A commodity market is a market that trades in the primary economic sector rather than manufactured products. The primary sector includes agricultural products, energy products, and metals. Soft commodities may be perishable and harvested, w ...
and
outdoor advertising
Outdoor advertising or out-of-home (OOH) advertising includes public billboards, wallscapes, and posters seen while "on the go". OOH advertising formats fall into four main categories: billboards, street furniture, Transit media, transit, and a ...
.
In 2009, Comic-Con honored Alf, Dorf, Krueger, Towry and other co-founders of the convention. In November 2009, Dorf died in San Diego and Krueger died in
upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...
in the same month.
Alf contributed to a special project by San Diego State University's library to document the early years and founders of Comic-Con with primary sources.
Alf was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2011 after collapsing at his home in
Serra Mesa, San Diego
Serra Mesa is a community in San Diego, California, roughly between Interstate 805 and Interstate 15, north of Friars Road and south of Aero Drive. It is named for Junípero Serra, a Majorcan (Spain) Franciscan friar who founded Mission San Diego ...
. He spent a short time at La Jolla Nursing and Rehabilitation Center before being transferred to the home of his friend, Earl Bookhammer, in
Ramona, California
Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 21,468 at the 2020 census, up from 20,292 at the 2010 census.
The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community of San Diego (with so ...
. He died at Bookhammer's home in Ramona on January 5, 2012, at the age of 59.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alf, Richard
1953 births
2012 deaths
Comics retailers (people)
Businesspeople from San Diego
Deaths from pancreatic cancer in California
Inkpot Award winners
20th-century American businesspeople
Kearny High School (California) alumni