The Detroit Triple Fan Fair (DTFF) was a

multigenre convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

generally held annually in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

from 1965 to 1977. It is credited for being one of the first comic book conventions in the United States. The Triple Fan Fair also gave balanced coverage to historic film showings and science fiction literature, in a manner that provided a template for many future convention organizers — most of which have yet to attain the same level of equal service to this sort of linked fan base. In addition to the typical convention features like a dealer room and panel-led discussions, the Detroit Triple Fan Fair featured a costume contest, and "films till dawn" (often running all night long for the convention's duration). From 1967 to at least 1969, the show presented the Nova Award to that year's guest of honor. In later years, the DTFF also sponsored an amateur film contest.

History

On May 24, 1964, at the

Hotel Tuller The Hotel Tuller once stood at Adams Avenue West, Bagley Street, and Park Avenue across from Grand Circus Park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was one of the largest luxury hotels in Detroit, and the first one to be erected in the Grand Circus P ...

,Duncan, Randy; and Smith, Matthew J. ''The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture'' (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2009), p. 183. teenagers Robert Brosch and Dave Szurek organized a Detroit-based convention for about 80 fans of the comic book medium. Jerry Bails, the "father of comics fandom," was on the organizing committee,Schelly, Bill. "Jerry Bails' Ten Building Blocks of Fandom," ''Alter Ego'' Vol. 3, Issue #25 (June 2003), pp. 5-8. along with members of the Michigan Science Fiction Society (the so-called "Misfits.")Cooke, Jon B. "Rich Buckler Breaks Out! The Artist on Deathlok, T'Challa, and Other Marvel Tales," ''Comic Book Artist Collection'', Volume 3 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005). The

next year "Next Year" is a song released as the last single from the third Foo Fighters' album ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose''. History A shorter version (running at just 3:21 compared to the original's 4:36) was released as a single in 2000 and wa ...

Bails and local comics enthusiast Shel Dorf took over the event, christening it the Detroit Triple Fan Fair (referring to fantasy literature, fantasy films, and comic art) and organizing it as an annual event (although no show was held in 1966). The board of the initial official Detroit Triple Fan Fair consisted of Bails,

Carl Lundgren Carl Leonard "Lundy" Lundgren (February 16, 1880 – August 21, 1934) was an American baseball and football player and coach. Lundgren played football and baseball for the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and played eight seasons o ...

, Tom Altschuler, Ed Aprill, Noel Cooper, Gary Crowdus, Howard Devore, Marvin Giles, Dennis Kowicki, Larry Larson, and Eugene Seeger. Robert Brosch, an authority on horror films, also stayed involved with the DTFF in various capacities at least through 1970. The first official DTFF took place July 24–25, 1965, at the Embassy Hotel in Detroit. Film showings included Lon Chaney's '' Phantom of the Opera'' and admission charge was $2.00 for both days. In what soon became a trend, aspiring local comic book creators flocked to the early events, and often became involved with organizing the show each year. For instance, the then-18-year-old

was co-chairman of the 1965 DTFF, and Rich Buckler also attended the initial shows as a teenager, eventually "running things."Callwood, Brett
"Dark stars: How Detroit more than matches Gotham City and Metropolis, all from the minds of comic genius,"
''Metro Times'' (January 5, 2011). Arvell Jones recalls many members of the so-called "Detroit Mob" making appearances at various shows, including Buckler, Greg Theakston, Tom Orzechowski, Keith Pollard,

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, and ...

Mike Vosburg Mike Vosburg (born July 23, 1947) is an American comic book artist primarily known for his work on the ''Tales from the Crypt (TV series), Tales from the Crypt'' TV series. Biography Mike Vosburg's comics career began in the 1960s, when as a 15- ...

, Al Milgrom, Terry Austin, and Michael Netzer (Nasser). The reputation of the convention was such that a number of other industry professionals would appear at the event unbilled. Among the films screened at the 1969 show were the

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

films ''

The Mummy A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse. Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to: Places *Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States *Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...

'', ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

'', and '' The Bells''.Talbert, Bob. "Bob Talbert's Detroit," ''Detroit Free Press'' (June 4, 1969), p. 11. Letterer

Ken Bruzenak Ken Bruzenak (born August 30, 1952) is an American comic book letterer, primarily known for his work on Howard Chaykin’s ''American Flagg!'' Bruzenak's lettering and logowork was integral to the comic's futuristic, trademark-littered ambience. ...

attended the 1969 convention, where he met his hero

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with the 1960s superspy feature " ...

, and also crossed paths with future collaborator Howard Chaykin for the first time. Co-founder Dorf left Detroit and the DTFF for Southern California in late 1969, where he shortly founded what became the

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

. The 1970 show, organized by Buckler and DTFF originator Robert Brosch, expanded to a five-day affair that shared events with "Dum-Dum '70" (put on by Burroughs' Bibliophiles). Guests and attending professionals included

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...

(the Dum-Dum Guest of Honor),

Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...

, Don & Maggie Thompson, Jerry Bails, Marv Wolfman,

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ( ...

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

, Alan Weiss,

Mike Friedrich Mike Friedrich (; born March 27, 1949) is an American comic book writer and publisher best known for his work at Marvel and DC Comics, and for publishing the anthology series ''Star*Reach'', one of the first independent comics. He is also an art ...

, and John Jakes. Panels were held on such topics as

Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck ...

Walt Kelly Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...

, the future of comics, and a " sword & sorcery symposium." The

Academy of Comic Book Arts The Academy of Comic Book Arts (ACBA) was an American professional organization of the 1970s that was designed to be the comic book industry analog of such groups as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Composed of comic-book profession ...

provided an exhibit of original art. The dealer room was known as the "Huckster Room" and "movies till dawn" were shown every night from Sept. 3–6. A masquerade ball, with prizes for the best costume, was held Saturday night. In addition to co-organizer Buckler, other attendees at the 1970 DTFF who later became comics industry professionals included Arvell Jones, Tom Orzechowski, Greg Theakston, and

Tony Isabella Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as ...

. No DTFF was held in 1971, and Detroit-area enthusiasts Tom Orzechowski, Terry Austin,

, Arvell Jones,

Martin Pasko Martin Joseph "Marty" Pasko (born Jean-Claude Rochefort; August 4, 1954– May 10, 2020) was a Canadian comic book writer and television screenwriter. Pasko worked for many comics publishers, but is best known for his superhero stories for DC Com ...

, and Jerry Bails feared it would fade away entirely. Accordingly, in August 1972 they organized the Detroit Tri-Con, held August 3–6 at the Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel. Official guests were Gray Morrow,

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

, and Fan Guest of Honor Rick Yager; other guests included Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, Al Williamson, Russ Myers, John Jakes,

T. Casey Brennan Terrance Casey Brennan is an American comic book writer. During the 1970s, he wrote for Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics anthologies ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie'', and ''Vampirella''. He also wrote for DC Comics' ''House of Mys ...

, and Robert Taylor; the program cover was by Gray Morrow. Films included

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's ''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

'', Douglas Fairbanks' '' The Thief of Bagdad'',

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's ''

The Lost World The lost world is a subgenre of the fantasy or science fiction genres that involves the discovery of an unknown Earth civilization. It began as a subgenre of the late- Victorian adventure romance and remains popular into the 21st century. The g ...

'', and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

's '' The Maltese Falcon''. Greg Theakston became a major player in the DTFF after Shel Dorf left,Morrow, John. "Greg Theakston Interview," ''Collected Jack Kirby Collector'' (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2004), p. 97. coming to own it from 1973 until its 1978 dissolution.Detroit Triple Fan Fair, registered as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation on October 16, 1973, by Greg Allan Theakston (Agent) of Detroit, MI; dissolved on October 1, 1978
Accessed Feb. 15, 2016
In response to the Detroit Tri-Con, and asserting that the Triple Fan Fair was "alive and well," Theakston staged a DTFF from October 19–22, 1972. That year's show shared billing with Al Schuster's ''Star Trek'' Convention; guests included

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

and Majel Barrett, as well as

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...

."Steady Sketches," ''Detroit Free Press'' (October 23, 1972), p. 19. "Films till dawn" shown at the 1972 DTFF included such Pre-Code Hollywood classics as '' The Invisible Man'', Bela Lugosi's ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'', and

's ''

'' and '' Bride of Frankenstein''; a selection of Hammer Horror films; an uncut version of ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven peop ...

''; four

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

films; and 12 ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' episodes. In addition,

Vaughn Bodē Vaughn Bodē (; July 22, 1941 – July 18, 1975) was an American underground cartoonist and illustrator known for his character Cheech Wizard and his artwork depicting voluptuous women. A contemporary of Ralph Bakshi, Bodē has been credited as ...

debuted his "Bodē Cartoon Concert" at the 1972 show, in front of a crowd of 80 people.Bob Levin. "I See My Light Come Shining," ''The Comics Journal'' vol. 5, (March 2005)
Archived at The Official Bodē website
Retrieved February 18, 2016. Admission each day to the 1972 DTFF was $4 at the door. (Illustrator Joe Barney — who later worked for

Continuity Studios Continuity Studios (formerly Continuity Associates, originally known as Continuity Graphics Associates)Eury, Michael and Giordano, Dick. ''Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time'', TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003. is a New York City and Los ...

— claims to have met his idol

at the 1971 Detroit Triple Fan Fair, but there is no record of a DTFF being held in 1971. Barney remembers

, Jeff Jones, Greg Theakston, Michael Nasser, and Keith Pollard being at the same show,Daudt, Ron E
"Joe Barney Interview (Pt. 2),"
''The Silver Age Sage: A Tribute to the Silver Age of DC Comics''. Retrieved May 18, 2013. which means he was probably thinking of the 1972 edition of DTFF.) One of Theakston's first acts as official DTFF owner was to hold two shows in 1973, one over Memorial Day weekend, and one in October. "Films all night" from the May show included seven

movies and the Pre-Code Hollywood films ''

Mad Love __NOTOC__ Mad Love may refer to: Books *''Mad Love'' (French ''L'amour fou''), collection of poems by André Breton *'' The Batman Adventures: Mad Love'', an Eisner and Harvey award-winning comic by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm * Mad Love (publisher), ...

'' and ''

Mystery of the Wax Museum ''Mystery of the Wax Museum'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery- horror film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, and Frank McHugh. It was produced and released by Warner Bros. and filmed in two-color ...

''.

Chuck Rozanski Charles 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 columnist for the ''Comics Buyer's Guide''. Early life Rozanski was born ...

, later a major Denver-area comics retailer, hitchhiked to Detroit for the Memorial Day DTFF, slept in Jerry Bails' home, and set up as a dealer at the show. Rozanski converted 50 high-value comics he brought with him into an inventory of more than 2,000 comics. By the end of the show, he had made more than $400 and had over 1000 comics which he sent back to Denver for future sales. (Rozanski opened his first store in Denver the following year.) The October 1973 show, featuring Barry Smith,

Michael Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer Den ...

George A. Romero George Andrew Romero (; February 4, 1940 – July 16, 2017) was an American-Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor and actor. His ''Night of the Living Dead'' series of films about an imagined zombie apocalypse began with the 1968 film of the ...

, and Russ Heath, sponsored an amateur film contest and the annual " masque" (with a $100 first prize). "Films till dawn" included two

films, 20

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

cartoons, and six ''

Amos 'n' Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' is an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago and later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio show ...

'' episodes. In 1974, DTFF was considered the largest fan convention, in terms of attendance, in the Midwest. The 1974 edition featured an

exhibit, an amateur film contest, and the annual "masque" with a $150 first prize. Thursday night's "films till dawn" and "fractured flickers" included six ''Amos 'n' Andy'' episodes. Artist Michael Netzer (then known as Michael Nasser) remembers that Greg Theakston introduced him to

at the 1974 DTFF. Adams took interest in Netzer's art and invited him to join

.Netzer, Michael. ''Crazy About Comics: The Art of Michael Netzer'' (Detroit Fanfare, 2010). By the mid-to-late 1970s, many of the Detroit-area creators who had helped organize the show had relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to work for Marvel and DC. The DTFF would continue sporadically through the 1970s. There was no DTFF held in 1975. In 1977, there was a final Triple Fan Fair held at the now-defunct

Hilton Hilton or Hylton may refer to: Companies * Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc., a global hospitality company based in the United States that owns several hotel chains and subsidiary companies containing the Hilton name ** Hilton Hotels & Resorts, fla ...

Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. Its population was 87,294 at the 2020 U.S. census, making Troy the most populous city in the county and the 13th most-populous municipality in the state. Troy is a northern suburb of Me ...

— that edition of the DTFF was known as the "Detroit Triple Fan Fair (in Exile)."Talbert, Bob. "Slow Going at RenCen, Speed at Indy," ''Detroit Free Press'' (May 26, 1977). Guests of honor at that event were

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

Charles H. Schneer Charles Hirsch Schneer (May 5, 1920 – January 21, 2009) was an American film producer, best known for working with Ray Harryhausen, the specialist known for his work in stop motion model animation. Life and career Born in Norfolk, Virginia, ...

, and Ray Harryhausen. Films screened at the 1977 DTFF included the Harryhausen movies '' It Came from Beneath the Sea'', ''

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad ''The 7th Voyage of Sinbad'' is a 1958 Technicolor heroic fantasy adventure film directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, and Alec Mango. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures and pro ...

'', and ''

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger ''Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger'' is a 1977 fantasy film directed by Sam Wanamaker and featuring stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film stars Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Jane Seymour and Patrick Troughton. The third and final ''Sinba ...

''. Comic book artist Gray Morrow claimed to have illustrated the 1978 DTFF program booklet, but there is no record of a show being held that year.

Legacy

From 1984 to 1986, local-area grad student Gary Reed (later publisher of Caliber Press) ran a local convention known as King Kon. Starting in 1989, comics retailer Michael Goldman launched a for-profit endeavor called the

Motor City Comic Con The Motor City Comic Con is a fan convention held in Novi, Michigan, United States, at the Suburban Collection Showplace. It is traditionally a three-day event (Friday through Sunday), usually held in May of each year. The Motor City Comic Con was ...

; it continues as an annual show to the present day. The Detroit Fanfare, established in 2010, openly acknowledged its debt to the Detroit Triple Fan Fair: In another nod to the DTFF, the Detroit Fanfare also distributed the "Shel Dorf Awards". The Detroit Fanfare ceased operations after the 2012 convention.

Dates and locations

Nova Awards

The Nova Award was created by Jack Promo and Marvin S. Giles,"Fans of Fantasy Recall Their Idols," ''Detroit Free Press'' (June 19, 1967). and was first presented in 1967.Shapiro, Hal (chairman). 1969 DTFF program booklet. * 1967 Roger Zelazny — "in recognition of outstanding contribution to science fiction and fantasy" * 1968

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

* 1969 Al Williamson — "in recognition of his achievements in illustrative art"Ringgenberg, Steve "S.C." ''50 Girls 50: And Other Stories: Al Williamson'' (Fantagraphics Books, 2013), p. 239.

Program booklets

* 1965 DTFF #1 program cover designed by Shel Dorf * 1967 DTFF #2 program cover used Jack Kirby art from the cover of '' Fantastic Four Annual'' #3 arriage of Sue and Reed issue* 1968 DTFF #3 program cover by Rich Buckler depicting

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

as drawn by

Reed Crandall Reed Leonard Crandall (February 22, 1917 – September 13, 1982) Reed Crandall
at ...

* 1969 DTFF #4 program cover by Jack Kirby in pencil depicting

Loki Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...

and two other denizens of Asgard * 1970 DTFF #5 program cover by

, and interior art pages by

and

. The program booklet was dedicated to Jack Kirby. * 1972 May DTFF #6 program cover by Russ Heath * 1972 October DTFF #7 program cover by

, featuring

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, concrete, block, etc.) used ...

, Green Lantern,

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...

, and the

Starship Enterprise ''Enterprise'' or USS ''Enterprise'' (often referred to as the "starship ''Enterprise''") is the name of Spacecraft in Star Trek, several fictional spacecraft, some of which are the main craft and setting for various television series and fi ...

* 1973 May DTFF #8 * 1973 October DTFF #9 program cover illustration of Conan by Barry Windsor-Smith * 1974 DTFF #10 program cover illustration of

The Spirit The Spirit is a fictional masked crimefighter created by cartoonist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940, as the main feature of a 16-page, tabloid (paper size), tabloid-sized, newsprint comic book insert distributed in the Sunday editio ...

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...

* 1976 DTFF #11 program cover by Joe Kubert of

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

* 1977 May DTFF #12 program cover by artwork depicting Troglodyte from Ray Harryhausen's ''

'' * 1977 October DTFF #13 program cover by

, billed as "Detroit Triple Fan Fair 13"

Progress reports

The DTFF published "progress reports" in 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, as many as three for some of their conventions. Contributors included Allen Park and Robert Brosch; cover illustrations were by Al Williamson, Frank Frazetta, and

(Batman).

References

External links

Fan page dedicated to the show
{{Fandom Defunct comics conventions Defunct multigenre conventions Defunct fan conventions Recurring events established in 1965 Tourist attractions in Detroit Conventions in Michigan Culture of Detroit

History

Legacy

Dates and locations

Nova Awards

Program booklets

Progress reports

See also

References

External links