San Diego Comic Con co-founder Richard Alf dies

As someone who’s enjoyed San Diego Comic Con several times, I’m sad to pass on the news of the death of one if its founders.

The Associated Press is reporting that Richard Alf has died. Alf, along with Metro Detroiter Shel Dorf and others, held the first show in 1970.

Here’s the AP story. I’ll update as they do:

San Diego — Richard Alf, one of the co-founders of San Diego’s Comic-Con, has died from pancreatic cancer at age 59.

U-T San Diego reports that Alf joined up with a band of volunteers in 1970 to start the now-annual convention celebrating comic books.

Friend and fellow Comic-Con co-founder Mike Towry says Alf fronted a few thousand dollars to pay for the convention for the first three years and gave other co-founders rides in his car.

In 1970, the first Comic-Con was relatively modest compared to the convention that now draws more than 125,000 people to San Diego every summer for a 3-day extravaganza.

Alf also founded the Comic Kingdom shop in North Park in the 1970s.

Alf was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in December.

He is survived by his mother.