With the growth of Comic Con, New Talented Artists Emerge
By Jennifer Benton
Staff Writer

In its dawning, Comic Con was a small gathering of comic book enthusiasts in a room at the convention hall. Since 1970 and more so over the last 10 years, Comic Con, also known as San Diego Comic Con and San Diego Comic Con International, has grown into a completely different animal. What was once an opportunity for fans to meet the artists of their favorite comics has become quite the celebrity hunt. With the sci-fi and comic genre of film breaking out this past decade, new fans emerge strolling blissfully ignorant past Peter Mayhew, David Prowse and, heaven forbid, Stan Lee himself.

While some of us, who have been in attendance since the first Tomb Raider film drew attention to Comic Con, feel that the women with body glitter hunting down vampires and the audacious DC and Marvel booths have, in a sense, ruined our oasis there are some formerly struggling artists who have had their lives transformed to a state of success that may not have been possible without the crowds and craziness that now reflect a weekend at Comic Con. While success stories abound, one particular artist’s story is close to my heart. He is the reason I first attended Con and put on my patent leather skirt in an effort to pedal his comics.

His name is Daniel Cooney and his love is a series of self-published comics, now a graphic novel, called Valentine. The birth of Valentine came with long drives to San Diego sharing small inexpensive hotel rooms with several attendees hoping to at least sell enough books to break even for the gas and cost of their booths at the convention. When I first saw Dan’s art, I remember thinking he was going to really make it, it was as bold and exciting as his passion. Back then, the most famous person you could hope to see at Con was Lou Ferrigno (which was really exciting!) along with perhaps an X-files character. Kevin Smith had the longest line and EVERYONE knew who Stan Lee was. The attention for the small artists was minimal and any possible interest seemed to dissipate mere weeks after Con ended, leaving the artists feeling hopeless at times. Photo: Daniel Cooney

Well, with more exposure and the making or remaking of so many comic book movies this past decade, bigger stars were pulled, and made. The small gathering of comic enthusiasts was a thing of the past and the industry literally (from a film perspective) exploded. Comic Con was now a plethora of international artists, film makers, video game designers and general merchandisers looking to tap into this rapidly growing interest by the public. The fan base for Comic Con grew ten fold, bringing fresh eyes, more publicity and new money--allowing artists who may have previously been overlooked another opportunity to show the big name studios, the media and most importantly, the fans, what they had to offer. The exposure also piqued an interest in young adults and instilled a desire to learn how to draw comic book art, opening yet more new doors to many of the struggling artists.
Photo: Valentine

There was not a lot of demand previously, so institutions like the Academy of Art University in San Francisco offered no such course. In the summer of 2005, they decided to offer a comic drawing/writing class to see how it was received. The class was full within a week and the University, seeing the demand and growth in this medium of art, created a full time position for Mr. Cooney, offering a wide array of comic art and comic writing classes. He additionally published his first text book which encompasses everything from background and inking to proportions and spacing. In most recent days, Dan has considered novelization and a film of his original Valentine story arc which longtime fans are waiting and hoping for with bated breath. He has come a long way from sharing a room in a tiny motel with his friends.

In this regard, the growth of Comic Con has brought immense success for the artist who was willing to hold on to his dream, and for that, we can all put up with the body glitter, the Hollywood stylized booths and the celebrity gawkers; after all, it is the largest pop culture event in America. For more information regarding Valentine, visit Dan’s website at http://valentinecomic.com Read an online Preview here: Volume 3 Preview

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