Comics, collectibles, vintage items to be showcased
By Deborah Rose
The second Vintage Mania Show will be held July 20 in New Milford.
“Show like this are getting far and few in between,” said resident Frank Oviatt, who coordinates the show with longtime friend and collector Brendan Faulkner of Danbury. “But we’ve got one right here in New Milford.”
More than 30 tables from approximately a dozen vendors will overflow with a variety of items for comic book fans, collectors, and vintage enthusiasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the John Pettibone Community Center on Pickett District Road.
Among the collectibles will be toys, comics, magazines, paperbacks, movie memorabilia, vintage pulp magazines, VHS tapes, DVDs, sports and non-sports cards, collectible figures, models, and more.
“Someone always finds a rare item,” Oviatt said. “Maybe a 1967 Seven Dwarfs squeeze toy, or rare 1950s Fisher Price pull toy, or a rare comic book from the 1950s or ’60s… all kinds of stuff.”
“We’ve also got vintage classic movies, from silents up until 1970s,” Oviatt said. “And we have original, sealed VHS tapes….factory released stuff and movie posters.”
In addition, science fiction paperbacks from the FRIENDS of New Milford Library will be available to purchase.
Among those who will participate will be Jim Main, of Main Enterprises, who publishes fanzines, and Paul Harrison of Third Son Books, who has all kinds of different toy-related material.
A comic book artist from New York State is also expected to be on hand.
Oviatt said attendees are invited to bring their artwork to share with artists on site, who very well may give feedback and pointers, he noted.
Faulkner acknowledged there are fans and collectors in the area but that finding a show to attend is challenging because “you’re fighting the Internet.”
However, “here you can pick up something to feel it, look at it up close,” he said. “It’s different.”
The first Vintage Mania event was held in March and was a success, according to organizers.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Faulkner said. “There was a good turnout…. it exceeded my expectations.”
Patrons came from Brooklyn, Manhattan, and southern New Jersey to attend the show, Faulkner said.
Following the July 20 event, the next Vintage Mania event in New Milford will be Nov. 16.
Faulkner said he hopes the event will continue to grow so even more Vintage Mania shows can be offered in New Milford.
Vintage Mania dates back nearly 20 years to Oviatt and Faulkner’s Vintage Mania event in New York City. It was held annually up until COVID, approximately 10 months of each year.
The two longtime collectors met at Elephant’s Trunk in 1989 and developed a partnership, traveling to shows all over the tri-state area.
Their New York City show was popular and wasn’t just focused on comics, but all vintage things, including movie posters, comic books, cards, non-sports cards, toys, and more.
Unfortunately, the show came to a halt with the onset of COVID and the loss of a venue.
Since then, Oviatt has longed to bring a vintage event to this area and did so this past March.
“I was always a comic book collector,” said Oviatt, who started a comic shop in his basement in 1978, and then moved it to Bank Street, where it was a successful business from 1978-91. “And I had good clientele.”
Faulkner agreed, adding that a large number of people who are into comic books and vintage goods live in the area.
“We’ll have to see where this goes,” he said.
Admission to the event is $1.
A portion of funds raised will be used to establish the Earl Norem Scholarship Fund to support future artists, Oviatt related.
Norem, who died in 2015 in Danbury, was an American artist and was well known for his work that appeared in comic magazines affiliated with the Marvel Comics division.
Courtesy of Mayor Pete Bass/A variety of items will be featured at the second New Milford Vintage Mania July 20.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Frank Oviatt of New Milford, left, is shown with the late Curt Swan, famed Superman artist, center, and the late Neil Hansen, who was a local artist from Bethel, in 1981.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Frank Oviatt, left, is shown with Mark Goddard of "Lost in Space" and "Don West" fame when the two met and became friends in New York City in the mid-1990s.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Brendan Faulkner, left, and Frank Oviatt, have been longtime friends. They are shown above at the first New Milford Vintage Mania event held in March 2024.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Jim Main, a local writer and publisher of Fanzines, is a collector and dealer. He and Frank Oviatt met in 1978.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Bob Brought Jr. and his wife, Jolene, are longtime collectors from Danbury. An assortment of rare items can be find at their vendor table.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Artist Matt Ryan, who works forOut to Lunch comics, attended the March 2024 New Milford Vintage Mania event.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Paul Harrison of 3rd Son Books, shown here in March 2024 in New Milford, will return to town for the July event.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Artist Thomas Sciacca, left, and his associate, attended the March New Milford Vintage Mania. Sciacca is a former artist for Marvel Comics, DC Comics and now has his own company.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Collector and dealer Mike Coleman serves up comics and other odds and ends at his vendor table.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Paul "The Toy Man," a good friend of Jim Main, sells vintage toys and more. He will attend the July 20 event in New Milford.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Randy and Raquel Anderson of New York City offer a wide variey of Golden age and Silver age comics. The Andersons' friendship with Frank Oviatt goes back 20 years. The couple isn't attending the July event, but will be back in November.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Greg Kalagian, who hails from the Manchester area, sells a variety of collectibles, including many rare comics and toys of all vintage eras. He plans to attend the November event.
Courtesy of Frank Oviatt/Frank Oviatt, left, is shown with his longtime collector-friend and associate John Dwyer of Southford.
