VCON 08 (1980)

1980 – (May 23-25) – VCON 8:

Guest of Honour: ROGER ZELAZNY. Special Guest of Honour: JOHN BYRNE. Toast Master: TED WHITE. Fan Guest of Honour: GEORGE METZGER.

Venue: Delta River Inn, Delta.

Attending: 750.

CONCOM: Chairman – Vaughn W. Fraser; Treasurer – Norma Beauregard; Publications – Barbara Przeklasa; Operations – Ed Beauregarde; Technical Support – Alan R. Betz; Films – Ed Hutchings & Grandee Englehart; Art Show – Lari Davidson & Kipy Poyser ( Auctioneer ); Publicity – Jo-Anne McBRide & Jim Welch; Trivia Quiz – Stuart Cooper; Secretary – Becky Bennett; Programming – Vaughn W. Fraser, Ed Beauregard, Ed Hutchings & Joanne Burrows;VCBA Liaison – Leonard S. Wong; Registration – Steven Forty & Savid E. Wilson; Dealers – Ken Wong & Terry Rutherford; Bacchanal – John Thomson & Becky Bennett; Hospitality Bar – David Greer; Head Go Fer – Chris Bell; Security – Jordan Brooks & Vancouver Star Trekkers; BCSFA Liaison – Steve Forty; Logo – Dean Motter. ( Elron Awards not presented. )

Jointly sponsored: by BCSFA, the British Columbia Science Fiction Association, and VCBC, the Vancouver Comic Book Club . Three days of triple-track programming with separate rooms for films, art show, hucksters, gaming & hospitality. Theme: comic & graphic SF art.

FIRST VCON to be jointly sponsored with another local club ( the first two don’t count since the members of the two university clubs also belonged to BCSFA ), FIRST to feature three-track programming, FIRST to host a Cartoon War, and FIRST to show THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW ( or at least, first to mention it in program book ).

FRIDAY (May 23/80 – Vcon 8) stuff included:

–          Opening rounds of the TRIVIA QUIZ with defending champion team from Victoria;

–          WOMEN IN COMICS slide show by Trina Robbins;

–          NEOFAN slide show by John Thomson;

–          a GUEST RECEPTION;

–          then a HEAVY METAL ROAST of Ted White, HM Editor;

–          ending with a showing of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW with the following notice in bold face in the program book: “Note: Proper decorum must be observed during the showing or the film will be discontinued. NO audience participation!” What Brainiac came up with that? A policy soon reversed.

SATURDAY (May 24/80 – Vcon 8) featured:

–          a VCBC BREAKFAST with speakers John Byrne & Trina Robbins;

–          MARS IN 3-D film followed by a slide presentation of photos taken by the VIKING LANDERS ON MARS given by Bill Copeland;

–          the ART MARKET panel on collecting SF art, with Steve Fahnestalk, Kipy Poyser, Darrel Anderson & John McLauglin;

–          PSYCHOLOGY OF ROBOTS lecture by Alan Mackworth of UBC;

–          “GRAPHIC STORY WORKSHOP” with artists Steve Leialoha, John Byrne, George Metzger & Ken Stacy;

–          “CANADIAN SCIENCE FICTION” panel with Susan Wood;

–          SEX & DRUGS & SCIENCE FICTION discussion with with George Metzger, Trina Robbins & Artie Romero;

–          SHORT STORY WORKSHOP with William Gibson, Eileen Gunn, George Gutherbridge & John Shirley;

–          a MODEL BUILDING WORKSHOP;

–          a slide show IMPRESSIONS OF ‘THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK’ & OTHER SF MOVIES by Jim Welch;

–          GROWN UP COMICS with Ted White, Mike Friedrich & Dean Motter;

–          THE SWORDSWOMEN OF ART, HISTORY AND MYTH by Jessica Amanda Salmonson;

–          a COSTUMING WORKSHOP;

–          F.M. Busby INTERVIEWS ROGER ZELAZNY;

–          a GRAPHIC ART TECHNIQUES demonstration by Darrel Anderson;

–          the JOHN BYRNE INTERVIEW;

–          a TRIVIA QUIZ;

–          a CARTOON JAM hosted by Steve Fanestalk with artists Geoge Metzger, Trina Robbins, John Byrne, Marv Newland, Artie Romero, Tim Hammell, Darrel Anderson, Steve Leialoha & others;

–          a BACCHANAL with COSTUME CONTEST & dance demonstrations by the Mid-Eastern Dance Association and Betty Bigelow,

–          followed by a DANCE with music by ‘Kingdom’.

SUNDAY (May 25/80 – Vcon 8) Started with:

–     an ART AUCTION ( Kipy Poyser as auctioneer );

–     a BANQUET BRUNCH in the pub ending with SPEECHES by Roger Zelazny, George Metzger & Ted White;

–          ANIMATION THAT LIVES panel with Michael Walsh ( mod ) & Marv Newland, Mel Collette, & Wayne Sterloff;

–          BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM talk by Tom Tothill;

–          a PUPPET SHOW by Fran Skene,

–          a FANZINE WORKSHOP complete with Gestetner co-ordinated by Jo-Anne McBride;

–          another TRIVIA QUIZ round;

–          NATURALLY YOU RETAIN CREATIVE CONTROL talk on converting written SF into Graphic Art with Roger Zelazny, Ken Stacey, Dean Motter & Mike Friedrich;

–          STAR TREK panel moderated by Barb Dryer;

–          THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE in which Dean Motter & Ken Stacey discuss their collaboration;

–          ALTERNATE UNIVERSES discussion of SF & Comics fandoms with Ted White & Artie Romero;

–          SCIENCE FICTION HAS BEEN VERY GOOD TO ME informal rap session with Roger Zelazny, Ted White & others;

–          and finally the DEAD DOG PARTY.