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The San Diego Union-Tribune

Column: A new Comic-Con oral history lets the geeks do the talking

Los Angeles Magazine

With his latest project, the prolific author, journalist and playwright Mathew Klickstein, who has become known for his sprawling oral histories of pop culture institutions, now tells the full, epic story of Comic-Con—warts and all—in his latest book.

Boing Boing

This hefty 480-page paperback tome gathers together reminiscences and behind-the-scenes gossip about Comic-Con through the years.

Fangoria

From The Twilight Zone to Ray Bradbury, Famous Monsters of Filmland, and Star Wars, to Twilight — Klickstein explores how fandom has transformed popular culture. Featuring more than 400 photos and art bursts, the book is an essential and defining resource of the forces that have transformed popular culture over the course of the past century.

Westword

The title of Mathew Klickstein’s new Comic-Con book, See You at San Diego, makes it clear that in the context of nerd-dom, the California town isn’t just a place — it’s an event.

The Orange County Register

Mathew Klickstein had a dream: To publish an oral history of San Diego Comic-Con that preserved the collective memory of the event.

Forbes

Last year, pop culture writer Mathew Klickstein explored the origins of San Diego Comic-Con in a podcast called Comic-Con Begins, where he interviewed dozens of people who were present at the creation of SDCC back in the early 1970s. Now, See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom and the Triumph of Geek Culture (Fantagraphics Books) collects all that valuable material and more in a hefty volume chock full of vintage photos, artwork and reminiscences.

San Diego Reader

The recent book See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture sets the record straight regarding how pop culture's geekiest get-together became the BFD it is today.

Gizmodo

Published by Fantagraphics and penned by pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein, See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture charts the history of Comic-Con’s evolution from its roots as a small comics gathering to the premiere event in the nerdy pop culture calendar, a behemoth where the world’s biggest studios and networks sit alongside those comics publishers to reveal the latest news, wild casting announcements, and, of course, maybe a trailer or 16.

Bleeding Cool

This full-fledged oral history, bursting with intimate reflections, hilarious observations, and at times, heartbreaking, often thought-provoking stories, is about how the geek at last inherited the earth and the story of the transformation of mainstream American pop culture into comic book culture over the past century.

The Good Men Project

One of the most rewarding ancillary effects of the recent release of my pop culture nostalgia/fandom oral history See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture (Fantagraphics, Sept 6) has been my witnessing the cartoonish eye-bulging that inevitably occurswhenever I present the book to a friend or colleague. There’s no two ways about it: the thing is MASSIVE.

Creative Review

“Fandom is a tribe of people,” says pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein. “Geeks, nerds, fanboys/fangirls, misfits, outsiders, weirdos — all bonding over pop culture nostalgia. People who speak a shorthand based on the singular universe built around certain niche passions. It’s more than a subculture, but rather an entire network of interconnected and often overlapping nodes of fandom.”

Comic Book Couples Counseling

Klickstein's massive tome is a beast of a feast, and one not only San Diego Comic-Con obsessives will enjoy. Inside, you'll find numerous wild characters. Yes, folks like Neil Gaiman, Kevin Smith, and Scott Aukerman are present, but wait until you meet cats like Mike Towry, Bjo Trimble, and Scott Shaw!

IGN

Comic-Con International: San Diego is one of the biggest and longest-running fan conventions in the world, so it stands to reason there are a lot of fascinating, untold stories about the Comic-Cons of yesteryear. That's the idea behind Fantagraphics' upcoming retrospective book See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture.

AIPT

Since its inception in 1970, San Diego Comic-Con has been the premier gathering for pop culture. What started as place for niche comics creators and fans to assemble has become a blockbuster of all things nerdery. History has literally been made in those conventions hall, and now you can read all about it.

Nerdist

These days, Comic-Con International is the nexus of nerd culture. No matter what you’re into, whether it’s film, TV, gaming, or actual comic books, it all converges in San Diego for four days every year. But it all started over fifty years ago, as just a small gathering of comics fans. Back in an era when geeks absolutely did not rule pop culture.

San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog

Comic-Con is a fandom unto itself, and author Mathew Klickstein has chronicled some of the comprehensive history of the convention in a new book from Fantagraphics, See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture.

KGNU - Metro

Author Mathew Klickstein joins us live in KGNU's Denver studio to discuss his beautiful and loving tribute to founding fans who created a world of fantasy interplay many now take for granted. With most Hollywood blockbusters now based on comics and sci-fi plots, debuting their promotions at San Diego Comic-Con, "See You at San Diego" shows how a grassroots gathering based on sharing "way-out" interests became a cornerstone of popular culture, in the words of those who made it happen. Published by Fantagraphics Books.

KPBS

Comic-Con has become a huge event not just for San Diego but for pop-culture fans around the globe. During the pandemic Mathew Klickstein created a podcast called "Comic-Con Begins," which presented an oral history about the pop-culture convention. But he had always planned for those interviews to be a book. Tomorrow "See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture" finally goes on sale.

KFI AM 640

The Mo’Kelly Show Presents – An in-depth conversation with Author & Pop Culture Historian Mathew Klickstein, who joins the program to discuss the Fantagraphics Books release “See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture” … A comprehensive chronicle of the rise of fandom and pop culture nostalgia throughout the past century on KFI AM 640

ICv2

See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture, by Mathew Klickstein, is a full-color history of Comic-Con International, with forewords by Stan Sakai and Jeff Smith; the 480-page paperback will be released in September with an MSRP of $39.99.

The Comic Book Yeti

Comic Book Yeti contributor Cody sat down with Mathew Klickstein to chat about See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom and the Triumph of Geek Culture. Mathew has written such a deep exploration of Comic-Con filled with stories and photographs. You are not going to want to miss it. Come read what Mathew had to say about this amazing project.

The Beat

Last night Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) held their CXC 2022 Announcement Party, an event at which the organization unveiled their lineup of special guests for this year’s festival. Set to take place October 6th through 9th, the guest line-up features two-dozen figures from across the world of comics, including Keith Knight, Maia Kobabe, Ron Wimberly, Trina Robbins, and many more.

Cherry Picks

Top 17: See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture

The Fire Wire

See You At San Diego is the comprehensive chronicle of Comic-Con International and modern geekdom itself as told through countless stories by nearly fifty of the most integral members of the Comic-Con and fandom scene.

Yellow Scene Magazine

Mathew Klickstein has been a storyteller his whole life. In elementary school, he would write stories instead of listening to his teachers, and as a teenager he devoted hours to making short films. Today, he continues to use his creativity working as a multi-form storyteller. Klickstein has published everything from podcasts to non-fiction books. His most recent book, See You At San Diego, is an oral history of the San Diego Comic-Con and geek culture; it will be published in September.

Word Balloon Comics Podcast

His new book see you in san diego is the more detailed follow up of last years amazing comic con history podcast series, with 500 pages and over 400 incredible photos. A must buy for comic book history fans.

Bleeding Cool

Scott Shaw! is channelling Sergio Aragonés for the new book See You At San Diego, as he has created artwork for the American Cinematheque launch event, projecting it onscreen during the LA movie panel this week on the 8th of September, which also includes a screening of Scott Pilgrim vs The World which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con.

Comic Crusaders

From THE TWILIGHT ZONE to Ray Bradbury to STAR TREK to FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND to STAR WARS to Bruce Lee flicks to TWILIGHT, SEE YOU AT SAN DIEGO: AN ORAL HISTORY OF COMIC-CON, FANDOM, AND THE TRIUMPH OF GEEK CULTURE explores how fandom has transformed popular culture. Featuring more than 400 photos and art bursts, the book is an essential and defining resource of the forces that have transformed popular culture over the course of the past century.

Pint O' Comics

After meeting Mathew Klickstein at Terrificon this year and learning of the work he has coming up and the work he's done in the past, there was no way I couldn't have him on as guest.

Popverse

To celebrate the book’s September 6 release, Popverse talked to Klickstein about the origins of the project, what he learned during his research, and why the combination of cartoonist Scott Shaw! and peanut butter can be bad for your plumbing. (No, really.)

Anime News Network

“Fandom is a tribe of people,” said Klickstein. “Geeks, nerds, fanboys/fangirls, misfits, outsiders, weirdos — all bonding over pop culture nostalgia. People who speak a shorthand based on the singular universe built around certain niche passions. It's more than a subculture, but rather an entire network of interconnected and often overlapping nodes of fandom."

The Fanboy Factor

Featuring Forewords by USAGI YOJIMBO creator Stan Sakai and BONE creator Jeff Smith, An Afterword by RZA, 400+ Photos and Art Bursts, And Stories by Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Bruce Campbell, Felicia Day, Scott Aukerman, Sergio Aragonés, Trina Robbins, the Russo Bros., Lloyd Kaufman, Tim Seeley, Kevin Eastman, and More

Major Spoilers

It’s more than a subculture, but rather an entire network of interconnected and often overlapping nodes of fandom.

ICv2

Fantagraphics Books will publish See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture, by Mathew Klickstein, on September 6. The 480-page paperback collects interviews with nearly 50 creators, media personalities and fans, including Sergio Aragones, Kevin Eastman, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Trina Robbins, Stan Sakai, and Kevin Smith, along with over 400 illustrations, both photos and artwork.

Lotusland Comics

Over the course of 480 pages, author and pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein presents the rise of both Comic-Con and modern geekdom itself...

Drop The Spotlight

These are my forebears, my people, and I think we together are telling the story of the progenitors of modern fan culture today.

Geek Vibes Nation

In what is commonly known by people who cover this wonderful thing that we call “Geek Culture” as my “paying job,” I walk a great deal. To pass the time as I walk, I have listened to an inordinate amount of audio books and podcasts. One of those that I listened to was Mathew Glickstein’s six-part audio documentary, Comic-Con Begins. This podcast was produced in partnership with SiriusXM/Stitcher. Comic-Con Begins was a historical look back the origins of the San Diego Comic-Con and the people who brought it to life. As a comic and pop culture nerd, I enjoyed it very much.

Super Hero Hype

In the past few decades, San Diego Comic-Con has grown far beyond its comic book roots. Over time, the biggest comic book convention in the country grew to become a pop culture event that drew thousands of fans from across the world…and attention from the Hollywood studios.

Con Skipper

Klickstein’s latest venture is a complete oral history of the most prominent and influential comic convention of all time: San Diego Comic-Con. In his new book, See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture, Klickstein gathers together first hand accounts about the famed convention, detailing all of the history and events that show the evolution of SDCC.

Transfer Orbit

This looks like a very intriguing volume: an overarching history of San Diego Comic-Con, told by the people who were there. I've got an advance copy of this, and I've been flipping through it with great interest (in no small part because this is a book I would have loved to have picked through while writing Cosplay!)

Otaku USA Magazine

Mathew Klickstein calls himself a Multi-Platform Storyteller, and his newest book, See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture, is being released on September 6 by Fantagraphics. The 500-page book has all sorts of information and interviews on different types of geek interests, including anime and manga.

Fanbase Press

The following is an interview with author and pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein regarding the upcoming release of his new book, See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture, through Fantagraphics. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Klickstein about the comprehensive chronicle of the rise of fandom and pop culture nostalgia throughout the past century, why Fantagraphics makes the perfect home for the book, and more!

Women Write About Comics

Dragon Con. NY Comic-Con. Flame Con. SDCC. The comic convention as juggernaut may seem like a recent occurrence, but the journey to get there stretches back five decades. To understand the present (and what the future may hold), we must look to the past. Pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein’s new book, See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture collects 50 years of history of San Diego Comic-Con, but fandom in general.

Popverse

The history of fandom is a wild and complicated one, but a new oral history attempts to tell the whole story from origins to the present day – while also sharing the journey of San Diego Comic-Con from its humble beginnings to its current status as one of the leading pop culture conventions in North America.

Mom Read It

A definitive history of San Diego Comic-Con, See You at San Diego is a personal chronicle of fandom, as members of the convention and fandom community provide their own stories of the rise of Con. From a group of like-minded science fiction and fantasy fans grew a definitive event in comic book culture and fandom history.

Pop Culture Squad

The smiles, laughter and comradery of geek culture and conventions comes through loud and clear in Mathew Klickstein’s new book: See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture. It was just published by Fantagraphics, and it’s a treasure too. This oral history is about the size of a phone book (anyone remember what those were?), and it’s packed full of stories and photos telling the birth, and perhaps adolescence, of the San Diego Comic-Con. (Now also called Comic-Con International).