{"id":97330,"date":"2025-07-27T18:10:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T18:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/97330\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T18:10:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T18:10:19","slug":"one-comics-a-classic-the-other-doesnt-exist-yet-heres-the-hunt-for-both-at-comic-con-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/97330\/","title":{"rendered":"One comic\u2019s a classic. The other doesn\u2019t exist yet. Here\u2019s the hunt for both at Comic-Con. \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 57th issue of the comic book series \u201cThe Avengers\u201d was published in 1968. It is 36 pages long. The cover shows a giant man in a cape alongside text that reads \u201cBehold\u2026 The Vision!\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Guevara has wanted a copy since that character, known simply as \u201cVision\u201d in the Marvel movies, helped convince him that comic books weren\u2019t just for kids.<\/p>\n

The graphic novel \u201cThe Sebaceous Funk\u201d is much longer, around 200 pages, and mixes real-life details about jazz history with a surreal subplot concerning a song so powerful that it can impregnate listeners. At least, that\u2019s how it comes across in Jon Macy\u2019s head. Macy hasn\u2019t finished writing or drawing it yet.<\/p>\n

Both men walked into Comic-Con this week hoping to find somebody who could help realize their ambitions. Guevara, an experienced collector from San Diego, needed a seller. Macy, a longtime creator up for the comics industry\u2019s top award, a career first, needed a publisher.<\/p>\n

Underlying their parallel searches was the same question: What difference can a single work of art make in somebody\u2019s life?<\/p>\n

\u2666<\/p>\n

Wednesday was preview night. Guevara, 36, slipped in around dinnertime.<\/p>\n

Rows of vendor booths stretched out in all directions. A single table on the main exhibition floor might hold a dozen boxes, each of which could easily contain hundreds of pages of art. Older, rarer comics hung from makeshift walls, the work sealed off in protective plastic.<\/p>\n

\"RichardRichard Guevara, a collector from San Diego, searches for a classic Avengers comic at San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, 2025. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Guevara took little of this seriously while growing up around Paradise Hills. He watched animated TV shows about the X-Men and Batman, but the source material didn\u2019t feel particularly rich. Nor did it help that comics seemed to sprout endless sequels and offshoots. Where did you even start?<\/p>\n

One day in his 20s, Guevara happened to be at a Comics-N-Stuff shop in National City. He had picked out a comic but didn\u2019t have any cash on him, and the store required a minimum charge to use a credit card. On a whim, Guevara grabbed the first issue of a new series called \u201cThe Vision\u201d by Tom King.<\/p>\n

The first pages showed a suburban neighborhood. Nobody wore capes and nothing was exploding. Instead, the character Vision, an android, was introducing some neighbors to his robot wife and children. One neighbor seemed to distrust Vision\u2019s red-ish skin and pupilless eyes. When the kids begin school, the son is implicitly asked whether he\u2019s more \u2014 or less \u2014 valuable than his human classmates.<\/p>\n

Cinephiles like to tell a story about the world\u2019s first film that showed an approaching train on the screen. An audience in the 19th century, which had never seen a movie, jumped out of their seats.<\/p>\n

The anecdote\u2019s likely apocryphal, but it speaks to a larger truth: Your first real encounter with a new art form can knock you flat.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how reading \u201cThe Vision\u201d was for Guevara. The story\u2019s complexity was a revelation. Ever since, Guevara has wanted to own a piece of that character\u2019s history, and \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57 is when Vision first appears in comic books.<\/p>\n

He approached one booth and asked if they had a copy. The seller said no. He tried a second. Same answer.<\/p>\n

Guevara didn\u2019t mind walking. He\u2019d bought fresh insoles for Comic-Con. He moved on to another booth.<\/p>\n

\u2666<\/p>\n

Thursday. The first full day of the convention. Macy, 60, sat at a table in a booth wearing\u00a0a collared shirt.<\/p>\n

\"JonJon Macy, left, signs autographs and speaks to Sonya Saturday, center, and Millie Tanner while selling one of his graphic novels. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

To Macy\u2019s right was a stack of his most recent graphic novel, \u201cDjuna,\u201d which published last year. Selling that book was a major reason why he\u2019d flown in from Northern California. Yet he had also brought a pile of tiny booklets, each made out of a single piece of folded blue paper. \u201cThe Sebaceous Funk,\u201d read the cover, \u201cA graphic novel about jazz and early electronica.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost everyone who passed within arm\u2019s reach got a copy. \u201cHere\u2019s my zine,\u201d Macy said to one man. (\u201cZine\u201d is shorthand for a self-made magazine, or in this case a preview of an unfinished work.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWanna see my zine?\u201d Macy asked another passerby. A mother and daughter got a copy. So did a fellow author at the booth.<\/p>\n

Macy would silently watch as people flipped through his pages \u2014 there were black-and-white drawings of instruments and gyrating women and some bald people in funky looking costumes \u2014 before quietly pitching a love plot that may or may not morph into a murder mystery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is gonna be really wacky,\u201d he told one guy.<\/p>\n

\"JonJon Macy shows off a new comic he\u2019s been working on while at the Prism Comics booth on the main exhibition floor of San Diego Comic-Con. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sebaceous Funk\u201d is different from much of Macy\u2019s previous work.<\/p>\n

While growing up in Cupertino, Macy realized he was gay in his early 20s. But he couldn\u2019t find many LGBTQ+ characters in the comic shops, and he certainly didn\u2019t see gay fantasy life depicted on the page.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we became sexually active, we wanted comics that reflected that,\u201d he told an interviewer in the 2018 documentary \u201cDirty Sexy Comics.\u201d \u201cSo we created our own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macy spent years drawing erotic art. Some work ended up in LGBTQ+ anthologies and he won a Lambda Literary Award, a big honor for queer creators, for his illustrated adaptation of the famous erotic novel \u201cTeleny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet working in the genre also closed doors. He can still recall the sting of once being introduced to a famous artist at Comic-Con who refused to even make eye contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can stop a party cold by telling everyone you\u2019re a queer pornographer,\u201d Macy says in the documentary.<\/p>\n

Plus, pornography has saturated everything. Sex is everywhere. The type of stories that today feel almost counter-cultural to Macy focus on flawed, vulnerable people searching for emotional connection.<\/p>\n

Part of that shift in approach has already paid off. Earlier this year, Macy learned that \u201cDjuna,\u201d his biography of the pioneering writer Djuna Barnes, was nominated for two Eisner Awards, the Oscars of the comics world. Winners would be announced the Friday of Comic-Con.<\/p>\n

If he won, perhaps a publisher might be willing to take a chance on \u201cThe Sebaceous Funk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowds swirled by. Macy spotted one young man carrying a copy of the \u201cPolyamory Coloring and Activity Book.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood choice,\u201d Macy said. \u201cWanna zine?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2666<\/p>\n

On the same day Macy was selling books, Guevara weaved his way through the main floor.<\/p>\n

He had found several sellers that carried \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57. Some versions were nicer than others.<\/p>\n

Comics, especially older issues, are \u201cgraded\u201d on a scale of 0.5 to 10, and the best of the best usually get a 9.8. Guevara would certainly like one of those, yet as far as he\u2019s aware, the planet has fewer than two dozen 9.8 copies of \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57. It was possible one might be at Comic-Con, but that could come with a price tag worth around $40,000. Guevara previously worked as an associate pastor at a church in Chula Vista, and life in the ministry, with a few exceptions, is not known to be lucrative.<\/p>\n

As a result, Guevara was willing to accept a much lower grade.<\/p>\n

He arrived at a large booth packed with boxes. He had found a \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57 at this spot the previous night. Price tag: $250. The issue wasn\u2019t formally graded, but the dealer had marked it as being in \u201cfine\u201d condition, meaning it was probably a 6.0. Guevara had asked the owner to reserve it for him.<\/p>\n

Upon returning Thursday, he didn\u2019t see the comic on display. Hopefully that meant it was still on hold.<\/p>\n

\"SteveSteve Wyatt searches his collection for a classic Avengers comic Richard Guevara has been searching for at San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, 2025. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

After a short wait, a man with a graying beard and ponytail walked up. He wore a black T-shirt that read, \u201cI\u2019m Steve Doing Steve Things.\u201d This was Steve Wyatt, the booth\u2019s owner, and he loves \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my number one book,\u201d Wyatt said. He first read it when he was around 8 years old. \u201cThat was the book that made me go from a kid reading comics to: \u2018Look at this art! Look at this story!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Guevara asked if a copy remained available. Wyatt turned around, walked into his booth and bent over a box.<\/p>\n

\u2666<\/p>\n

Friday evening. The Indigo Ballroom in the Hilton Bayfront. The Eisners were about to begin.<\/p>\n

The awards are named after the artist Will Eisner, one of the \u201cinventors\u201d of the modern graphic novel, and the ceremony takes place each year at Comic-Con. Macy was up for two honors, \u201cBest Reality-Based Work\u201d and \u201cBest Writer\/Artist.\u201d His earlier optimism had given way to nerves, and before walking in he ordered a double bourbon at the hotel bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood evening ladies and gentlemen,\u201d said a disembodied voice over a loudspeaker. \u201cWelcome to the 37th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JonJon Macy, center, watches as one of his categories is announced during the Eisner Awards ceremony on July 25, 2025. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Nominees were seated around tables at the front. Behind them were chairs filled with fans. Macy sat near the back of his section, just a few feet from those who had come only to watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBest Writer\/Artist\u201d was one of the first awards given out. \u201cThis next category is my favorite category,\u201d a presenters said on stage, \u201cbecause it is the summary of, I think, so many seminal creators that redefined comics again and again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nominees\u2019 names were read aloud. Macy listened without moving.<\/p>\n

\"JonJon Macy\u2019s nomination is announced during the Eisner Awards ceremony. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

An inspiration for \u201cThe Sebaceous Funk\u201d was Miles Davis, who, to the dismay of jazz purists, experimented with electronic music later in his life. That change-up offered an obvious parallel with Macy\u2019s career: He\u2019s not embarrassed by his past in erotic comics, he just wants to keep evolving. And few things give people more freedom to evolve than trophies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe award goes to \u2026 Charles Burns!\u201d<\/p>\n

The room erupted. Jazzy horns blared from speakers. Multicolored spotlights swept over the crowd.<\/p>\n

Macy could still win for \u201cBest Reality-Based Work.\u201d<\/p>\n

His desire for a trophy went beyond personal ambition. For so long, it had felt like big awards were often off limits to LGBTQ+ creators. The nonprofit behind the booth he had been at, Prism Comics, formed decades ago to make the industry a more welcoming place for voices like his. Getting an Eisner for \u201cDjuna,\u201d a book that wrestled with questions about sexuality, might feel like a collective win.<\/p>\n

The ceremony continued for another hour, then two. Finally, a presenter announced\u00a0the nominees for reality-based comics.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the award goes to \u2026 \u2018Suffrage Song!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Applause. Horns. Lights.<\/p>\n

\u2666<\/p>\n

The after-party was in the foyer.<\/p>\n

Macy stood and walked away from his table, pulled on his jacket and then doubled back upon realizing he had forgotten his bag. Another author gave him a hug. Macy didn\u2019t say much.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t quite sure how he felt. Certainly having his name in the mix offered a level of validation. And the LGBTQ+ community was represented on stage by others. One winner teared up discussing how comics could create safe places for queer kids. Another winning work unpacked what it\u2019s like to transition.<\/p>\n

\"JonJon Macy hugs another author after the Eisner Awards ceremony. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Macy had also made a key connection earlier that evening. A punk musician happened to be at the same table during a dinner for the nominees, and Macy had pulled out his zine. The two ended up geeking out about Charles Mingus, another jazz great. The musician was based in Chicago, and he offered to take photos of venues where famous artists had performed to serve as references for drawings. Macy readily agreed.<\/p>\n

It was nearly midnight. Macy left the ballroom. He thought about getting a drink but didn\u2019t order anything in the foyer, even after a man wheeled up a portable bar. Macy surveyed the room, looking for anyone he knew.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sebaceous Funk\u201d felt like a living thing inside him. Many new story ideas did, but there was a real loneliness that came with that. Although he was surrounded by hundreds of fellow comics lovers, nobody else could see the pages in his head.<\/p>\n

\u2666<\/p>\n

Guevara got his \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57. He ended up negotiating a slightly lower price, $220. He paid with one $100 bill and six twenties.<\/p>\n

\"RichardRichard Guevara, a comics collector, picks up a classic Avengers comic he\u2019s been searching for. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

Before slipping the comic into a plastic sheath that went inside a cardboard case, Guevara opened the issue up. He\u2019d purposely never read \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57, even though reproductions are widely available. Guevara had waited until he could hold an original.<\/p>\n

Wyatt, the owner, watched from across the table. Other potential customers were milling about, but Wyatt\u2019s eyes didn\u2019t move from the pages.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at that!\u201d Wyatt said. \u201cLook at that art!\u201d<\/p>\n

Guevara has already thought about who he could share the comic with. Sure, letting other people leaf through it might reduce the value. Whatever. Guevara has young nieces, and maybe one of them will encounter Vision in a movie and ask about the character. He\u2019s ready to hand over \u201cThe Avengers\u201d No. 57, a comic that\u2019s been passed from person to person for more than half a century, and say: \u201cSee this!\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published: July 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 57th issue of the comic book series \u201cThe Avengers\u201d was published in 1968. It is 36 pages…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":97331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,1582,276,15661,171,1370,728,50,3549,3550,7264,1072,7289,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-97330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-comic-con","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-san-diego","17":"tag-san-diego-county","18":"tag-sandiego","19":"tag-things-to-do","20":"tag-top-stories-sdut","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114926546419877096","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}