2020 Souvenir Book Anniversary Celebrations

We’re celebrating the following special anniversaries in 2020.

100th Birthday of Ray Bradbury

One of the greatest authors in American literature, Ray Bradbury has made his mark in fiction, comics, movies, television, and so much more. His science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories have endeared him to millions of readers the world over. Numerous Bradbury books like Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes remain in print and available at your local bookstore, finding new readers and fans every day. In addition, Bradbury was a friend—and fan—of Comic-Con, being one of the very first guests at the show in 1970 and attending year-after-year until his death in 2012. We salute the centennial of this great author’s birth with a special section (like the ones the Souvenir Book featured in 2017 for Jack Kirby and Will Eisner) celebrating his life and work.

Do you have a special Ray Bradbury memory you’d like to share? Maybe you met him at Comic-Con or some other signing or event. Please tell us about it (in 250 words or less) and include a photo of you and Ray together and we’ll consider it for this year’s Souvenir Book!

100th Birthday of Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen made his mark as a special effects artist on science fiction and fantasy movies. Utilizing his amazing skill with models and stop-motion animation, Harryhausen produced an incredible body of work with such films as Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, The Valley of Gwangi, and Clash of the Titans. Harryhausen’s particular brand of movie magic has influenced countless moviemakers over the years. We celebrate the 100th birthday of this fantastic filmmaker. What’s your favorite Harryhausen creation? We’d love to see your artistic version of it!

75th Anniversary of EC Comics

While most comics fans think of the 1950s as the definitive decade for EC Comics, the company actually started in 1944 as “Educational Comics,” owned by M. C. Gaines, whose first book was Picture Stories From the Bible. When he died in a boating accident in 1947, his son, Bill, took over. In the 1950s, both he and editor Al Feldstein launched EC’s “New Trend” line of comics, featuring titles such as Tales From the Crypt, Weird Science, Crime SuspenStories, Two-Fisted Tales, and eventually, MAD. Known for both their mature subject matter and the incredible artists who illustrated their stories, EC (by then known as “Entertaining Comics”) set a new standard of comics storytelling. (Please note: While we know EC had a penchant for gory stories, if you’re submitting art to this anniversary celebration, please be mindful of our all-ages guidelines for the Souvenir Book.)

75th Anniversary of Moomin

Loved the world over, Moomin was created by Finnish writer-artist Tove Jansson. Starting in 1945 with The Moomins and the Great Flood, nine books were published telling the tales of the Moomins, and ending in 1970 with Moominvalley in November. Jansson also produced a series of five picture books from 1952 through 1993. The Moomin comic strip ran from 1947 to 1975, illustrated by Tove Jansson and her brother, Lars. The Moomins have also been successful in other media: TV, films, musical adaptations, theatre, and even a theme park in Finland, with numerous Moomin shops and cafes around the world. A favorite of adults and children alike, Moomin is a lovable cartoon figure with a fairy-tale like charm.

50th Anniversary of Conan in Comics

The world’s favorite barbarian debuted in Marvel Comics in 1970 under the creative team of Roy Thomas (writer/editor) and Barry Smith (artist). Conan conquered the comics world by storm and is still being published by Marvel a half-century later, after a long period at Dark Horse Comics. By Crom, we’ll celebrate the comic versions of this legendary hero created by Robert E. Howard and we can’t wait to see your art devoted to Conan … the Adventurer, the Freebooter, the Wanderer, the Buccaneer, the Usurper, and the Conqueror!

50th Anniversary of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World (New Gods, Forever People, Mister Miracle)

Jack “King” Kirby made major comics headlines in 1970 when he moved from Marvel to DC and started his epic “Fourth World” storyline, taking over Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen and creating Forever People, New Gods, and Mister Miracle, along with one of comics’ ultimate bad guys, Darkseid. Fifty years later, Kirby’s New Gods still resonate with an award-winning Mister Miracle maxiseries by Tom King and Mitch Gerads and a major motion picture in the works, directed by Ava DuVernay with a script by DiVernay and King.

Additional articles on comics and pop culture history will also appear in the 2020 Souvenir Book.

Our deadline this year is a Friday, April 17 at 11:59 PM.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE ART AND ARTICLES

You must include a filled-out submissions form with your art or article. Click here to download the submissions form PDF.

We’re looking for high-quality articles and art submissions for the 2020 Souvenir Book. All submissions MUST pertain to this year’s anniversary celebrations. We are not able to accept art and articles about anything else.

Please note that due to space limitations, not all submissions can be featured in the book. Submitting an article or a piece of art is not a guarantee that it will be used.

If your article or art is accepted, we’ll send you a FREE copy of the 2020 Souvenir Book (whether you attend Comic-Con or not).

The deadline for submissions is FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 AT 11:59 PM.

Due to the high volume of submissions each year and to be fair to those who submitted early, nothing will be accepted after 11:59 PM on that date.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING ARTICLES & ART

Please read these guidelines CAREFULLY before submitting art and articles. PLEASE NOTE: YOUR SUBMISSION MUST INCLUDE THE ENTRY FORM ON PAGE 1 OF THE DOWNLOADABLE PDF. Please download and fill it out and email it WITH your art or article submission. (It’s a modifiable PDF; you can type right on it.) IMPORTANT: To properly fill out the PDF, open it in Adobe Acrobat, fill it out there, and save it from there.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 AT 11:59 PM

Articles must relate to the anniversaries listed above and should be in the 1,000–1,500 word range. All articles should be of a historical, nonfiction nature. We cannot accept fictional stories about the characters being celebrated or articles on other topics. Please email your submissions to ccisouvbook@comic-con.org in Word format (.doc or .docx formats). Include a short (50 words or less) bio for yourself at the end of the article. Do not include any email, social media (including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr), or website addresses in the bio.

ART SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2020 AT 11:59 PM

1. Artwork must relate to this year’s anniversaries. Artwork should be no larger than 7” wide x 9” tall. For best presentation purposes, we prefer color art that is vertical in format; however, horizontal art (9” wide x 7” tall) will also be considered. These dimensions and formats are preferred for all art submissions.

2. Please send art submissions as electronic files. For all art submissions, we prefer an electronic file to ensure that your art maintains the color look you intended.

3. We cannot accept multiple submissions for the same anniversary. Please send only ONE piece of art or ONE article for the anniversaries of your choice. For example, if you choose the 50th anniversary of the Conan AND the 75th anniversary of EC Comics, send one piece of art and/or one article for each anniversary.

4. PDF is the preferred file format. If you’re sending an electronic image, it should be a 300 dpi color (CMYK) PDF, TIF, or JPG. If it’s a TIF file, please make sure all layers are flattened. If it’s a PDF file, embed all fonts and flatten all layers. WE PREFER PDF FILES, PLEASE. (PDF file format: PDF/X-1a:2001)

5. We prefer emailed files. Please email your art or articles to: ccisouvbook@comic-con.org

6. When signing your name on the art, do not include your email address, website URLs, or social media (such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr) information, or any info that will allow readers to contact you directly. Any piece of art with this information on it will be immediately disqualified from consideration.

7. Please do NOT include a copyright notice on your art. Comic-Con will print the proper copyright notice below or near each piece of art used. We will include a copyright notice for the characters the artwork portrays.

8. Please do not combine characters from different companies. For example, we cannot use art that includes Conan with Kirby’s Fourth World characters or other companies’ characters in the same image (however, characters from the same company, such as Mister Miracle, the New Gods, and the Forever People together are fine).

9. Please do not include your own characters or congratulatory messages that advertise your company. The art should be a tribute to the anniversaries being celebrated, not an advertisement for your own properties or company.

10. No nudity, gore, adult situations, or profanity will be accepted. The Souvenir Book is given free to all attendees (while supplies last) and is intended for an all-ages audience.

11. Mailing artwork. We regret to announce that we no longer be able to accept mailed art or articles. Please send your art and articles via email.

Email submissions WITH A FILLED-OUT SUBMISSION FORM to: ccisouvbook@comic-con.org