As a child, Dorf loved comic books, and never outgrew them. In 1970, he decided to hold a convention of people like him; 300 people came, which was enough to repeat it. “I just felt that the cartoonists who entertained the popular masses were not getting their fair share of recognition,” Dorf said recently, and the concept worked: this year, the San Diego-based convention, known as Comic-Con, brought 125,000 attendees, and is one of the best-known and best-attended annual pop-culture events. (In addition to comic books, it features books, TV shows, and movies based on comics, as well as science fiction and fantasy.)
“He brought recognition to creators of comics at a time when no one did. It was considered a children’s medium,” said Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer. “He understood the historical value of comics in addition to their artistic value.” Dorf had been hospitalized in San Diego for more than a year suffering from complications of diabetes, and died November 3. He was 76.
Update: The San Diego Comic-Con topped out at just over 130,000 attendees in 2010, and has stayed at that level since, because that’s the capacity of the San Diego Convention Center. See also Richard Alf.