The 2011 OAFCON is just a sweet memory to all those who attended. It was our finest show to date. Attendance was up,
almost double from 2009. It appeared most of the exhibitors had a good time buying, selling and tradeing.
Saturday was very busy with the guests and comic creators visiting with the fans and collectors most of the afternoon.
Here are a few testimonials from OAFCON attendees:
OAFCON is sheer fun! The people couldn't be nicer -- I think we appreciate each other more than ever! -- and the goodies are many and varied, often at tempting prices. I found 30 items from the 1940s and 1950s, including two comics off my "highest priority" want list of fewer than 100 comics! It's so nice to attend a low-key convention similar to the shows that made us love comics collecting so much in the 1960s and 1970s!
Bart Bush, Robert Brown and their friends do an absolutely wonderful job. You can't beat the friendliness and enthusiasm of collectors from Oklahoma and Texas.
I drove more than 2,000 miles to attend from Northwest Washington and Bud Plant came in from Northern California, and we both agreed this is one of the highlights of our collecting year. If you've never attended an OAFCON, you have a genuine treat in store! It's also held in a convenient part of town, just off the freeway and near several good but inexpensive restaurants, and the host hotel is especially nice for the price.
I was especially impressed with the variety of material for sale. I picked up two scarce series books and a nifty pulp with a Zorro story. In addition to comics, there were enough pulps and books at the show to entertain anyone who loves to "dig" the way I do!
All in all, OAFCON is more fun than any comic show in America. It's not the biggest, but in so many ways it's the best!
Michelle Nolan
"It was a blast talking to so many different comic creators, and I'd never seen so many Silver Age books and Underground Comix in one place. Probably spent more than I should've, but that's part of the con experience."
Jeff Provine
As one of the founding fathers of the Oklahoma Alliance of Fandom, I was blown away by the latest OAFCON. Sure, it's amazing to see what 40-plus years of gravity can do to your fellow original OAFs, but even more than that, it was astounding to see the camaraderie and sense of joy and wonder that permeated the place.
I went to lunch with Mark Lamberti, whom I first met in the late '60s, I think, and it was as though we were picking up the threads of a conversation we'd started the night before -- even though we hadn't seen one another in years. All over the place, the same thing was happening. Not too get too cornball about it, but there was a great and rare feeling in that room, the same kind of feeling that made us all get together and form OAF in the first place all those years ago. We've all been down some long roads that have taken us to some very different places, but for that fleeting weekend, we were comic- and pulp-struck kids again.
How can you put a price on that? I don't know, but five bucks was a damned bargain.
Thanks to you and Robert for a great one.
John Wooley
Thanks for a great show. I had a blast!!!!!!
I picked up some great stuff at the show.
4 BIG BIG BOOKS,2 BIG LITTLE BOOKS, 10 BOYS BOOKS IN DJ and a COCA COLA SANTA STANDEE from the 1940's
Wally Stall
Bart, I took a few pictures and will send them once I’ve downloaded them. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the other dealers and artists. It was such a treat to meet Mr. Curtis, Count Gregore, Mr. & Mrs. Bender, and John Wooley and learning so much about comics. I hope our attendance at this event will encourage the public to take advantage of the last few weeks of the Okie Cartoonists exhibit. If anybody asks, let them know they can contact me for more $2 off admission cards. Thanks for letting the Oklahoma History Center participate and I wish you the best of luck with the 2012 event!
Shana
The oafs gathering was great! Three of us came together and we all agree what a great time we had and we were thrilled with some of our buys as well as the things we saw, but unfortunately some of those items were out of our price range at this time. Oh well, maybe can buy them next year! Once again, thanks for putting on the show and if we can help with the show next year, please let me know.
Dale Marlar
And what can I say about the OAF con? Well, where else can I find tables and tables of comics, toys, memorabilia, collectibles and what-not from the 1980s and before? Think I'm kidding? In just a few hours at the OAF con, I found some fanzines, convention brochures and a plastic statue of Ludwig Von Drake from the 1960s; two rare Gold Key Wacky Races comic books; a scarce book on the Hammer Films studio; a collection of Flash Gordon candy boxes; two 1940s Shadow pulp magazines; and the 1980s "Art of Al Williamson" book. Plus, I got to hear all sorts of stories about the old comic fandom and convention days from guests and customers and get to eat a great cheeseburger at a local hamburger chain. ONLY at OAF!
Rick Kelsey
Made almost twice as much as any other show I've done and had ten times as much fun.
It was like being paid to go to a family reunion.
Greg H.
Once again I had a fantastic time at this year's OAF Convention. Highlights were that I finally found a copy of PRESIDENT EISENHOWER'S CARTOON BOOK prepared by the National Cartoonist's Society members in 1955, with a gem of a cover by Frank Frazetta. Thank you Rick Payne for this one! Always a great selection of nostalgia memorabilia!
It was fun to hang out with all the OAF guys and seeing and talking with Bart Bush, Robert Brown and artist Kenneth Smith again. Also had a great time visiting with the Heritage guys Don Mangus and Jerry Stephan who came up from Dallas. My old APA buddies were there too including John Province and his wife Roberta who flew in from California. Ike Wilson attended the convention and brought with him a big selection of original GOLDEN AGE comics from the collection of DICK SPRANG
But the guy I want to THANK for selling me all kinds of great material at this show was John Bryant, who turned up the last issue I needed of CRAZY comic mag (published by Charlton) featuring the art of BILL WARD, STEVE DITKO, BASIL WOLVERTON and others. Try to find this baby on eBay. It's not easy!
Thanks guys for putting on another fun convention and I'll be back there next year for sure.
Roger Hill
"It's the only con I bother going to anymore"
Jim Gray
Although it wasn’t what I expected, I did enjoy myself at the OAFCON. It was cool to meet a lot of the very talented artists that are right here in Oklahoma. Hopefully we can all do some more networking, and offer more ideas to make next year’s OAFCON even better.
OCIE C. TAYLOR
The reason I've gone to the last 3 Oklahoma Collectibles shows is because of the friendly, knowledgeable people and the tremendous variety of cool vintage items -- comic books, movie stills, posters, books, toys and premiums. The prices are reasonable and oftentimes subject to negotiation, and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun. Highly recommended!"
Bill Schelly
With several big projects all going at once (more on that in a future email), I was hard pressed to find time to get away from the Lone Star Comics office to attend a comic show. But come hell or high water, I was determined to attend OAF Con, the more or less annual show hosted by the Oklahoma Alliance of Fans in Oklahoma City. This past weekend was our most recent gathering and I can tell you we ALL had a great time. Hats off to show chairman Bart Bush for a fantastic job! The OAF show is growing—more tables, more attendees, and the best selection of comics and related memorabilia yet! Sadly, some of my pals couldn’t make it. Eric Groves cancelled at the last minute due to business obligations. Bob Beerbohm wasn’t able to attend because of car trouble. But for all of us that walked into the dealer’s room, it wasn’t just wall-to-wall cool stuff that greeted us. What mattered even more were our fellow fans. I won’t name all the Texas/Oklahoma regional fans. The list would be too long. But I do want to mention several fans who traveled long distances to be with us—Aaron Caplan from Virginia, Michelle Nolan from Washington, Bud Plant from California, and Brett Ridgley from Arizona. Hanging out with these folks and many others—Bart Bush, Robert Brown ace collector of everything cool, my pals Rick Kelsey and Brett Weiss from Arlington, Mark Lamberti whom I hadn’t seen in ages, and Paul McSpadden, another long time friend. Again. I’ve left out folks, but you get the idea. People in the end matter more than stuff, no matter how cool the stuff is, so seeing so many friends was the real icing on the cake for me. And I just LOVE to hear collecting stories and at OAF there’s never a shortage of these.
But don’t think I spent all my time trading fandom and collecting yarns. Not by a long shot! I was also buying. Because OAF Con’s focus on pre-1980s comics, I had a lot of oldies to choose from. In the end Judy and I drove home with the car packed—and I do mean packed—with comics. At the end of the show, after most folks had already loaded up and gone, I still had dealers waiting their turn. Finally, when I negotiated a price for four long boxes of Silver and Golden Age, Judy said, “Where will you put them?” Well, I can tell you, I know how to pack a vehicle. The deal was made and those four boxes fit snugly into what had already been loaded. To tell you the truth, I bet I could have squeezed in four more boxes!
Buddy Saunders
I had a really great time at this year's OAF convention. It is so much like the friendly and exciting conventions of the early 1970s. There is unusual and cool stuff to be found, from show-and-tell goodies brought by veteran fans, to rare stuff I've never seen before. I scored a Mickey and Pluto rug and a Mickey and Minnie pillow case cover, both from the 1930s, for $100 each, along with a Little Orphan Annie and a Charlie Chan card game--and quite a bit more--from Rick Payne. He had a lot of very scarce material in nice shape. Next I found two great advertising pieces for "Fun Frosties" with Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray and a second with Andy Gump by Sidney Smith (see picture below), push those frozen treats! Both look to be drawn especially for this popsicle campaign in the 1930s.
Ike Wilson had a really nice batch of Golden Age Batman and Detective comics from the collection of Dick Sprang. I was pleased to get a Batman #81 and Detective #137 and 191, all on my want list. Each with art by Sprang. I loved his display, an entire eight foot table with just 15 or 20 issues, all beautifully laid out flat on the green covered table top. It reminded me of the kind of display we used to see before Wombats and fancy backdrops. Larry Bigman and his Dad used to sell Golden Age like that, right off the table top.
Lots of old comics changed hands. My highlights were Amazing Mystery Funnies #3 with Bill Everett cover and two stories. Also a very rare 1938 Centaur comic, Uncle Joe's Funnies, albeit a coverless copy but, hey, for $15! Also a very sharp Marvel Mystery #71 from friend Scott McAdam. I almost pulled the trigger on an excellent Black Cat page by Lee Elias from Black Cat #5, 1946, but my fellow exhibitor and collector Greg Hunerager snagged it at the last minute.
Lone Star owner Buddy Saunders made my show, as well as that of several others dealers. Late on Sunday he painstakingly came through the show and with Judy, bought out a TON of comics and related stuff. We made a deal for about 75% of the two boxes of Gold and Silver Age comics I had brought along, so I went away with all my new acquistions paid for and quite a bit more.
An old friend Steve Schleaf, who worked for Buddy for several years at Lone Star, came by and happened to mention that there were some Planet pulps and old Burroughs hardcovers at a local Half Price Books. So after the show as over, Michelle and I drove off and got thoroughly turned around and lost in the strange highway network of Oklahoma City. However, we finally found the right Half Price store ten minutes before closing and I scored a very sharp Capt. Future and several Planet pulps in exceptional condition. You just never know!
Also had several fun chats with artist Kenneth Smith who had a great display of his paintings there. It's a special show when you can walk away from your table and not worry about losing anything, or just toss a sheet over it and go out to look for comics, like I did Saturday afternoon. Can't do that at San Diego or any of the big shows. Yet I found as much cool stuff here as at any of those shows...and generally at better prices, since most everyone is willing to bargain with you.
Paul McSpadden showed up, and Alley Oop artist Jack Bender and his wife, and the list goes on... There will be more pictures and comments on the OAF website and Bart promises there will be a show next year. The room was 1/3 larger this year and quite impressive, quite a bit of growth from the first very small little show.
Best.
Bud Plant
And now below are some pictures from OAFcon 2011 ....
