Richard Alf was one of the founders of San Diego Comic-Con.
Richard Alf ( January 26 , 1952 -- January 4 , 2012 ) was an American businessman and former comic book store owner who co-founded the San Diego Comic-Con International and served as its chairman beginning in 1970 . San Diego Comic-Con . It was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention in 1970 by a group of San Diegans that included Shel Dorf , Richard Alf , Ken Krueger and Mike Towry ; later , it was called the `` San Diego Comic Book Convention '' .