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Before Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin remembers being fan number one at the very first New York comic con
The Game of Thrones author talks about meeting Steve Ditko, the sudden growth of New York Comic Con, and compares it to the wild ride that the current show is.
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A fun fact about the people who write your favorite books is that they are often fans of comic books, TV shows, and movies themselves. Creative people love art, not always in the area in which they create. It is no secret that George R. R. Martin, celebrated author of Game of Thrones and other fantasy novels, loves comic books, but this year he revealed that he’s been coming to New York comic conventions for years – longer than anyone else, in fact.
“I am the first person ever to attend New York Comic Con,” George R. R. Martin told Popverse NYCC 2025. “It was 1964. Comic con was down in Greenwich Village at some sort of union hall. Just one afternoon, and they were advertising in the fanzines of the day, and it was $1.50. So, I saw it. I was living in Bayonne, New Jersey. I sent in my dollar-fifty, and then when they printed, ‘Here are the members. Number one. George Martin.’”
Obviously, New York comic conventions have changed a lot over the years, especially before New York Comic Con became the city's convention.
“It was like four people in the back with folding tables and cardboard boxes of the comic books they were selling. That was the dealer’s room,” Martin recalled.
Who did George R. R. Martin get to see at that very first New York comic convention? Not Stan Lee, who sent his secretary, Flo Steinberg, but Steve Ditko was there.
“He didn’t give a speech or anything that I recall, but he was friendly with the people that wanted to talk to him. So I came up and I loved Ditko’s work.”
Somewhere in the confines of his house, Martin says he has a manila folder signed by Steve Ditko, which sounds like the perfect geeky treasure hunt.
“I went to the following years, too, which was much bigger,” George R. R. Martin said. “In just one year, it had gotten like 10 times the size, and there were many more professionals there. Bob Kane showed up and spoke. When asked to compare those first few New York Comic Cons to the current show, George R. R. Martin was suitably understated."
“Yeah. Things have changed a lot.”
About New York Comic Con
Welcome home, hero. This is your event where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself, regardless of your cultural background, physical ability, personal identity, or self-expression. Where you can experience the best in pop culture, be inspired, get star struck, treat yourself, and create all of those memories with the people you care about the most.
Dates
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Location
New York City
United States
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