Yes, Comiket existed that long ago, and greatly more amazingly, some video footage of a report on Comiket 28 (1985) has been posted on youtube. This was even before I was born, so dang it's been awhile. I don't want to spoil it for you so take a look at the videos for yourself:
Part 1:
Part 2:
What can we conclude from the Comic Market of 26 years ago?
Well... it's mostly the same as now. A gather of people who love manga. Most of the observations I made are more on the general era than Comiket itself.
- It was big even then. Damn, 20000 people squatting in line? One with even a portable TV? Shit, people were just as hardcore even then.
- Everyone dresses the same/similar with similar hairstyles. I'm seeing alot of ankle length skirts and short sleeved blouses on the women.
- Women didn't wear alot of makeup if any back then. Weird, makeup has existed for 1000s of years but I suppose it follows trends too. People must have spent more time outdoors too. They're so tanned.
- "Idol" anime characters existed even then. Lum's fandom reminds me of all the idol followings of today.
- Slutty anime cosplay is "not" a modern invention. It even existed back then!
- Skill and presentation was alot more amateur back then, but that's pretty much expected. You don't have all the fancy CG programs of today or the sheer selection/variety of print options.
Bonus points to whoever that can ID the dude in the black beret.