Clydene Nee, R.I.P.

Sad to have to report the passing of Clydene Nee, one of the indispensable workers — I think she was a volunteer — at Comic-Con International in San Diego since 1979. Since '89, she was in charge of the Artists' Alley area, a thankless job because there are always way more people who want those table spaces than there are table spaces. She was a huge fan and champion of artists of all kinds and tried to give those precious spots to new artists who needed the exposure and the revenue they might generate.

She did other things at the con — running a projector, coordinating art auctions and seminars. She also worked as a comic book colorist for several companies including Dark Horse and Image. She had recently been having several medical problems, most of them of a renal nature. Her friend Mark Brooks set up a Go Fund Me page for her in the hope of raising $3,000. It very quickly exceeded that goal and currently stands at $27,100. I'm sure a lot of that money came from artists who recognized how much Clydene had done for them. A very nice, giving lady.