Comic Creator Autographs spring 2023
It’s that time again. Con season is starting up and you want to figure out your budget for the next show coming to your town! Well we’ve got a massive update in almost alphabetical order! However, it comes with the usual disclaimer. Some of this information may now be out of date, and I’ll just say I noticed a lot of those guys who were $5 pre-pandemic shoot up to $10 In fact, I was shocked at how many of them were $20!!! Congratulations guys. I’m skipping your table from now on. Keep that in mind. While I try to keep up to date as best I can, may be wrong here and there. Still, at least it lets you know who generally charges and who doesn’t. A lot of people have switched columns, and a lot of the offerings (i.e. “3 free then $ after that”) have also changed. I’ll update as I can, and if I’ve got pricing wrong, please feel free to let me know.
As always, I’m trying not to discuss the pros and cons of comic professionals charging for autographs (although I’m starting to really be bothered by some of these higher priced ones and I’ll admit my general kevetching is starting to creep in). Ultimately, I’m acknowledging the reality of modern convention economics. This is a little something to help you know what to expect when you go to a con so you don’t get blindsided. A lot of artists don’t have autograph charges clearly displayed and frequently con websites either don’t have this information or are asked not to display it (something I find dishonest and am getting increasingly fed up with). Here’s my current list – in sort-of alphabetical order. It’s not exhaustive by any means, things may change next month or next year. We’ll update and repost from time to time (So check the timestamp and maybe do a quick site search to make sure this is the LATEST update!).
Amanda Conner – first 1 free, $5 each after that
Aaron Campbell – First 5 free, then $5 each
Aaron Lopresti – First 5 free, then $1 each
Me so excited to meet Gerry Conway I forgot to open my eyes!
Adam Hughes – 5 free, then $5 each
Adam Kubert – $10 each, $20 for witnessed
Alex Saviuk – $10
Arvell Jones – $5
Al Milgrom – $10 per book
Adam Hughes – first five free, then $5
Andrew Robinson – $5 each
Andy Kubert – $10 each, $20 for witnessed
Anna Zhuo – free, graded $10
Ant Lucia – 5 free, then $5 each
Ariel Diaz – $5 each
Ariel Olivetti – first 2 free; then $10 each
Arthur Adams – 3 free then $5 each
Bart Sears – $5 each
Brad Anderson – $5 each
Benjamin Percy – $5 each
Bill Sienkiewicz – $25 each
BILL MORRISON – has started charging $10
Brett Breeding -$5
Brian Azzarello – $5, except for graded items and Batman:Damned
Bo Hampton – $10 each
Bob Camp – $30
Bob Wiacek – $2 (He might make you a deal for multiple issues)
Bob Hall – free for the first issue, or if you purchase a something from the table, otherwise $5
Bob Layton- $5 for CGC graded signings, otherwise free
Kevin Eastman loved my Borg suit
Bob Mcloud – one for free, then $5
Bob Budiansky -first 5 free, then $5 each
Bill Sienkiewicz – two for free, then $3, $10 for CGC
Bob Camp – $10w
Bob Hall – $5 each
Bob McLeod – First $5, then $10 each
Bob Sharen – $2 each
Bob Wiacek – $5 each
Bret Blevins – 2 free then $5
Brett Breeding – $10 each
Brian Azzarello – $10
Bruce Timm $5 each
Carl Potts – 1 free personalized, then $30
Cary Nord – 3 free, then $5 each
Chad Hardin – $5 each
Charles Soule – first 3 free, then $5 each after that, $10 CGC grading signings
Chris Clarmont – first free, then $20
Chris Bachalo – $5 each, $10 for graded. $10 for sig and doodle, $25 for graded and doodle (though some shows only $2 each for charity)
Chris Warner – $5 each
Clay Mann – first 2 are free; $5 each after that
Clayton Crain – $5 each regular; $10 for Infinity (multicolored sigs) ; $10 witnessed
Cody Ziglar – $5 each
Craig Kyle – $10 each
Creees Lee – $5 each
Cully Hamner – 2 raw free, then $5 each. Graded $10
D.G. Chichester – $5 per
Dan Slott – 2 free then $5
Dan Green – $5 each
Dan Jurgens – 2 free then $5
Dan Panosian – $5 each
Daniel Warren Johnson – raw free, duplicates $5, graded $20
Danny Fingeroth – first 5 are free, then $5 each unless you buy a book
Darryl Banks – Has recently started charging $5
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels – $50 per personal item, comics at table for $40 signed and posters for $20 signed
David Finch – $5
Dave Gibbons – $1 a book
Nolan signs some bat-issues!
Dave Johnson – 1 or 2 free; then $5
David Mack – $10 each
David Michelinie – $15
Dennis Culver – $5 each
Don Glut – $10
Donny Cates – $10
Don McGregor – $5 per signature
Drew Struzan – $80
Ed McGuinness – $10 each
Edgar Delgado – $5 CGC grading signings
Ed McGuinness – $10 each
Emanuela Lupacchino – $5 each
Esad Ribic – 1 free, $10 after
Evan “Doc” Shaner – 2 free, then $5 ea
Fabian Nicieza – $10 for anything Deadpool/New Mutants/X-Men/X-Force/Cable/Cable & Deadpool, $20 for witnessed, all other comics free
Fiona Staples – $20 CGC grading signings (otherwise free)
Frank Cho – $5 each
Frank Miller – $80 each for or $100 witnessed
Frank Tieri – $5
Garth Ennis – $5 each
Geoff Isherwood – I’ve heard $5 each (may sign 1 free with print purchase), but at Fantasticon 2023, he didn’t charge me at all for the three books I brought. Perhaps that’s show specific?
Graham Nolan – first one free, $5 after that
Greg Capullo – $10 each
Georges Jeanty – 5 free, then $5 ea ($10 each for Mandalorian comics none free)
Gerry Conway – $20 each
Glenn Fabry – $10 each
Gerhard $10
Greg Horn – Comics before 2014: 1st 3 are free then $5 each….Comics after 2014: $10 each. Even new comics from his booth cost $10 more to sign.
Greg Land – First 3 free, then $5 each; $10 for multiple copies
Howard Chaykin – $10 each; $15 each for Star Wars, $20 graded
Howard Mackie – $10 each, $30 graded
Humberto Ramos – $10 each, $20 if graded
J Hammond – $30 sketch cards
With Dan DiDio!
JM DeMatteis – $5 each
J. Michael Straczynski – $10 each for some items
J Scott Campbell – first 1 is free, $15 each after that
Jae Lee – $10 each, $20 if graded
Jay Leisten – 1st free; then $5 each (he may make deal if personalized or larger stack)
James Tynion IV – first 3 free, $5 each after
Jason Fabok – 1st free, then $5 each
Jeff Dekal – 1 book free, then $5 each
Jeph Loeb – $20 each
Javier Saltares – Free if personalized or $5 if not
Jerry Bingham – $10 each
Jerry Ordway – $3 each
Jim Shooter – Ranges from free to $25, depending on agent at the show (Always been free when I’ve met him)
Joe Sinnott – $10 per book
Jim Lee – $50
Jim Starlin -$10 per book (goes to Heroes Initiative)
Joe Giella- $4 per book
J. O’Barr – $5
Jae Lee- $5
John Romita Jr – three for free, then $2. $10 for CGC grading.
Jose Delbo – $5
Joe Rubinstein – $20 ($50 for Wolverine)
Jimmy Palmiotti – first 1 free, $5 each after that
-
With the legendary Denny O’Neil!
Jim Zub – 1st free, then $5 each
Joelle Jones – 1st three free, $5 each after, graded sigs $20
Joe Giella – $4 each; $15 graded
Joe Jusko – 2 free then $5 each
Joe Quesada – $50 each
Joe Rubinstein – $10 each
J Scott Campbell $10
John Cassandry $10
John Beatty – $5
Jim Sternako charges $50 per item last I checked – and that includes items and prints BOUGHT FROM HIS TABLE. Also, do not ask for a photo with him.
John Bolton – first 5 free, then $5 each
John Cassaday – $5 each
John Romita Jr – $20 each in June 2022; $45 for Dragon Con 2022
John Timms – 3 free, then $5 each
John Giang – $15 per
Jonathon Glapion- $10 ea
Jonboy Meyers – 2 books free, then $5 per signature
Jose Delbo – $10 each; $25 if graded
Josh Cassara – 3 free, then $5
Josh Williamson – first 3 free; $5 each after that
Julian Tedesco – 1st free, then $5 each
Keith Champagne – $5 each
Keith Giffen – 1st free, then $5 each
Keith Williams – $5 each
Ken Lashley – $5 each
Keith Pollard – $20
Kevin Eastman – first is free, $20 after that (He also doodles on the items!)
Keith Giffen – 1st book free, $5 per book after
Klaus Janson– $10, $20
Kyle Hotz – $5
Len Wein – $5, $20 CGC grading signings, $25 for Hulk 181, Giant Size X-Men #1 or House of Secrets #92.
-
Larry Hama wondering what he’s gotten himself into….
Larry Hama will sign two items for free if personalized, then $20 each
Lee Bermejo – 3 free; Batman Damned is $25 per issue
Lee Weeks – 2 free (personalized), $5 each after
Liam Sharp – $10 each
Lovern Kindzierski – $5 each
Matteo Scalera – $20 CGC grading signings
MIKE ROYER – $5 (For cancer research)
Mike Zeck – $5
Marv Wolfman – one free (I’ve heard elsewhere it’s two for free, but in his last interview he said one), $5.00 after that
Mark Texeria- one personalized signature free, $10 per book after or unpersonalized
Marat Mychaels – $5 each
Marc Laming – $5 each
Marc Silvestri – $10 each
Marguerite Bennett – $5 each
Mark Bagley – Personalized are free, Non-personalized $10; Witnessed $20
Mark Brooks – first 3 free, then $5 after. CGC are $10, except Avengers 684 is $20
Mark Irwin – 1st free, then $5 each
Mark Waid – 2 free, then $5 ea, unless personalized
Marv Wolfman – $5 each
Matteo Scalera – 1 or 2 free then $5 each, $20 for witnessed
Matthew Clark – personalized free; non-personalized $10 each
Matthew Rosenberg – first 5 free, then $5 each
Meredith Finch – first 2 or 3 free per day, $5 each after that (at Fan expo Dallas 2018, Fri and Sat were 3 free, Sunday was 2 free)
Mico Suayan – $5
Mitch Gerads – 2 free, then $5
Michael Golden- $20 per book
Mike Grell – $10 each, $15 for CGC
Mike Huddleston – $5 raw, $25 graded
Mike Mayhew – $10 each
Mike McKone – Personalized are free, Non-personalized $10
Mike DeCarlo – $4 each
Mike del Mundo – $5 raw, $25 graded
Mike Zeck – $5 each, $10 for witnessed
Golden age artist Mike Royo! Magnus Robot Fighter for the win!
Mirka Andolfo – 1 free then $5
Mitch Gerads – 2 free then $5 each
Nick Spencer – 1st free, then $5 each
Olivier Coipel – $10 each
Pablo Marcos – $5 for 1; $12 for 3; or $30 for 10
Paris Cullins – $5 each
Pat Broderick – $10 each
Patrick Gleason – 1 free then $5 each
Paul Azaceta – First 5 free, then $5 each
Paul Gulacy – $5 each; $10 Master of Kung Fu
Paul Kupperberg – $10
Paul Pope – 2 free then $10 each
Peter Tomasi – $5 each
J Scott Campbell Signing Fee: $30
Ron Frenz -$3
Ron Lim – 1st book free, $10 per book after
Rob Liefeld -$40 each, $60 for X-Force 11, $80 for New Mutants 87, 98, add $20 for witnessed
Robert Kirkman – $50
Rags Morales – $5 each
Ramon Perez – 1 or 2 free; then $5
Randy Emberlin: $10 per book
Rick Hoberg – $10 each
Rod Reis – $5 each
Rodney Ramos – $5
Ron Garney – $10 each ($40 BRZRKR)
Ron Lim – $10 each
Ron Marz – is now up to $10 each, $20 graded. So much for “Since it seems to be the topic of the day: no charge for signatures. If you bought the books, the least I can do is sign ’em. ”
Ron Wilson – $10 each
Rick Hoberg – $10 each
Jon Bogdanove scribbles on my Superman weddding album and Steel trade paperback!
Ron Lim – $10
Rudy Nebres – $5 each
Ryan Ottley – $20
Ryan Parrott – $5 each
Sal Velluto – $10 each, $25 for toys/funko
Sam De la Rosa – $10; $25 Venom LP #1
Sam Humphries – 3 free, then $5 each after
Sam Kieth – 2 free, then $10 each after
Scott Hanna – $20 each
Scott Lobdell – $5 for first group of 10 books, $10 for next group of 10 (sometimes signs free at smaller shows)
Scott Snyder – $10 each
Scott Williams – 1 free, then $
Sean Gordon Murphy – 5 free, then $5 each
Sergio Aragones – 1st 3 free, then $2 each
Shane Davis – $5 each
Shannon Maer – $20
Simon Bisley – $10 per signature
Skottie Young – $5 each at Heroes Con 2022
Sozomaika – $10 each
Stan Sakai – 1st 3 free, then $2 each
Stephanie Phillips – $5 ea ($10 Grim #1)
Stephen Segovia – 3 free then $10 each
Steve Englehart – $10 ea
Steve Geiger – $10 – be careful if you buy something off his table. He overcharges after signing and doubles his price.
Steve Lavigne – $10 each
Steve Orlando – $5 each
Simon Bisley – $10 per book
Terry Dodson – 5 free then $1 each after that
Terry Kavanagh – $5
Tim Townsend – $5 each
Tini Howard – 1st free, then $5 each
Todd Nauck – $5 for Phantom variants unless personalized, others free
Tom King – $5 each
Tommy Lee Edwards – $5 each
Tom Taylor – 2 free, then $5 each
Allen Bellman was there at the beginning!
TOM NGUYEN – $5
Tom DeFalco $5 each for three or less. After that $20 (“Dealer’s Pricing”)
Tony Isabella $10
Tony Daniel – $10 each
Tony Harris – first free then $5
Tony Moore – $20 walking dead singles, $5 other books, $20 witnessed
Trevor Von Eeden – $10 each
Tyler Kirkham – $10 each, witnessed are more
William Messner-Lobes – $10 (Sometimes first one is free)
Whilce Portacio –$10 for 1st Bishop issues(fee waived with purchase). Other comics free up to 5.
Victor Olazaba – $10
Yanick Paquette – $5
Tip Jar – pay what you want
Some of these are for causes like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or Heroes Initiative. Others are just personal. I urge you, respect the tip jar. (It’s so much better than autograph fees)
Alan Davis – free with Heroes Tip Jar (up to 10 comics)
Andrew Pepoy – Hero Initiative donation
Ann Nocenti – free with Heroes Initiative tip jar
Billy Tucci
Ben Templesmith
Barry Kitson
Chuck Dixon
Charlie Adlard
Dan Brereton – free with Heroes Tip Jar
Dan Fraga – free with Heroes Tip Jar
Jan Duursema
Jim Calafiore
Joe Staton – free, with tip jar for Hero Initiative
John Ostrander – free with Heroes Initiative tip jarKarl Kesel – free but tip jar for Hero Initiative
Kevin Nowlan – free with Heroes Tip jar
Mark Farmer – free with Heroes Tip Jar
Mark Schultz – free with Heroes Initiative tip jar
Larry Stroman
Peter David
Mike Barr
Mike Mignolia
Rick Leonardi – $1 each toward Hero Initiative
Roy Thomas
Rubinstein’s done just about everything!
Scott Koblish
Timothy Truman
Tom Grummett – Free, with Heroes Tip Jar
Tom Mandrake – free with Heroes Initiative tip jar
Walter Simonson – free with Heroes jar
Free
Adriana Melo
Agnes Garbowska
Al Ewing
Ale Garza
Alex Maleev
Alex Ross – Free with 5 item limit
Alex Sinclair
Allison Sohn
Andrew Dalhouse
Andrew Mangum
Andy Smith
Anna Zhuo – free, graded $10
Ash Maczko
Ashley Witter
Ande Parks
Angel Mediea
Art Thibert
Bill Anderson
Brandon Montclare
Brian Michael Bendis (Be prepared to wait a long time in line)
Bill Willingham
Brendan Fletcher
Bob Almond
Baldemar Rivas
Becky Cloonan
Ben Dunn
Bernard Chang
Bill Anderson
Bill Reinhold
Bob Smith
Brandon Peterson
Brennan Wagner
Brent Peeples
Brian Augustyn
Brian Pulido
Brian Stelfreeze
Budd Root
Buzz
Carlo Barberi
Cat Staggs
Charles Paul Wilson III
Chris Batista
Chris Marrinan
Chris Stevens
Chris Wictendal
Chuck Palahniuk
Cliff Chiang
Colleen Doran
Cullen Bunn
Christos Gage
CHRIS SCALF
Chad Townsend
Carla Speed McNeil
Clayton Crain
Cameron Stewart
Chip Zdarsky
Casey Jones
Dan Brereton
DAN DIDIO
Dirk Manning
Dale Keown
Dan Parent
Darren Auck
Dave Bullock
Dave DeVries
Dave Dorman
David Baron
David F. Walker
Dawn McTeigue
Declan Shalvey
Dennis Hopeless
Diana Greenhalgh
Dexter Vines- free
Don Kramer – free
Doug Mahnke
Dustin Weaver
Edgar Delgado – free, $5 for witnessed
Eduardo Risso
Elliot S Maggin
Eric Basaldua EBAS – Free for 15x, then $5 ea
Erik Larsen
Emanuela Lupacchino
Erik Larsen
Evan Dorkin
Fred Van Lente (assuming you can catch him. He dosent do to many shows these days)
Fiona Staples – free, $20 for witnesseed
Francis Manapul
Francisco Herrera
Franco Aureliani
Freddie E Williams
Gerry Dugan
Giuseppe Camuncoli
Glenn Whitmore
Greg LaRocque
Greg Pak
Greg Smallwood
Guillem March
Gail Simone
Gene Ha
Greg Wright
Heather Antos
Ivan Reis
Shooter is still a legend!
Inhyuk Lee – 3 free
Jason Latour
John Ostrander
Joe Staton
Joshua Williamson
Jim Zub
Judd Winick
Jerry Duggan
Jason Aaron
Jeff Schultz
Jacob Chabot
Jonathan Hickman
Jenny Frison
Joe Kelly
Jack Purcell
Jai Nitz – free
James Robinson
Jason Aaron
Jason Latour
Jeff Lemire
Jeff Johnson
Jeff Parker
Jeffrey Moy
Jenny Frison
Jeremy Clark
Jill Thompson
Jim Calafiore
Jim Krueger
Jody Houser
Joe Carmagna
Joe Casey
Joe Corroney
Tony Isabella greets the fans!
Joe Eisma
Joe Prado
Joe Quinones
John Dell
John Layman
Johnny Desjardins
Jonathan Lau
Jonathan Hickman
Juan Doe
Karl Moline
Kelley Jones
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin Maguire
Kristen Gudsnuk
Kyle Strahm
Karl Story
Kelley Jones
Kevin Maguire
Kevin Nowland
Keron Grant
Koi Pham
Kyle Higgins
Lela Gwenn
Lewis LaRosa
Louise Siminson
-
Don’t worry – it’s just a shadow from the gun – James didn’t actually give me a black eye!
Mike McKone – Personalized are free, Non-personalized $10
Michael Cho
Matt Miner
Matt Horak
Mike Mayhew
Mark McKenna
Mike Okamoto
Marc Sumerick
Mike Gustov
Mark Farmer
Mark Schultz
Micheal Conrad
Mike Choi
Mike Norton
Matt Fraction
Marguerite Bennett
Mike Hawthorne
Mark Evanier
Mark Russell
Matt “Batt” Banning
Matt Hawkins
Matt Wagner
Michael Dooney
Michael Lark
Mike & Laura Allred
Mike Baron
Mike Choi
Mike McKone
Mike Perkins
Morry Hollowell
Nei Ruffino
Neil Vokes
Marc Sumerick meets a fan!
Nick Derington
Nick Bradshaw
Nick Dragotta – free, duplicates $5, graded $20P.Craig Russell
Jorge Lucas
Jim Pasco
Phil Hester
Phil Noto
Paul Pelletier
Patricia Martin
Peter Gillis
Peter Kuper
Peter Steigerwald
Phil Jimenez
Phil Ortiz
Philip Moy
Philip Tan
Phil Noto
Pia Guerra
Pop Mhan
Rachael Stott
Raul Allen
Ray Lago
Richard Case
Richard Pini
Rico Renzi
Robert Venditti
Roger Stern
Rick Burchett
Rusty Gilligan – free, and gives away free signed promo cards
Rudy Obrero – Free (may not sign things though)
Russ Braun
Ryan Benjamin
Ryan Gary Browne
Rick Remender
Ron Fortier
RANDY ZIMMERMAN
Ramon Villalobos
Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
Rafer Roberts
Steve Leialoha
Steve Mannion
Stephen Sharar
Scott Snyder
Steve McNiven – Free if personalized
Stefano Gaudiano
Stephen T. Seagle
Scott Kolins
Sanford Greene
Sean McKeever
Sean Von Gorman
Shawn McManus
Sorah Suhng
Stefano Gaudiano
Steve Epting
Steve Erwin
Steve Leialoha
Steven Butler
Stuart Immonen – free up to 20
Talent Caldwell
Tana Ford
Tim Seeley
Tom Richmond
Tom Smith
Tomeu Morey
Tone Rodriguez
Trevor Hairsine
Tula Lotay
Ty Templeton
Tim Seeley
Tom Mandrake (sometimes a tip jar for Hero Initiative, but not when he was at NEO in 2019)
Tim Bradstreet
Todd DeZago
Tim Truman
Walt Simonson – donations for quick sketches
Will Rosado
Wendy Pini
Comic Creator Autographs spring 2022
Man, it’s been a while since we’ve done one of these hasn’t it? With cons starting back in earnest, some of this information may now be out of date, and I’ll just say I noticed a lot of those guys who were $5 pre-pandemic shoot up to $10. Keep that in mind, and I’ll update as I can. Huge thanks to Lee Wilson for sending me some new pricing to go with my observations from last weekend’s Fantasticon!
As always, we’re not really going to discuss the pros and cons of comic professionals charging for autographs. There’s plenty of other forums for that. We’re just going to acknowledge the reality of modern convention economics. This is a little something to help you know what to expect when you go to a con so you don’t get blindsided. A lot of artists don’t have autograph charges clearly displayed and frequently con websites either don’t have this information or are asked not to display it. Here’s my current list – in sort-of alphabetical order. It’s not exhaustive by any means, things may change next month or next year. We’ll update and repost from time to time.
Amanda Conner – free for 5 books, $2 after, $5 for CGC.
Me so excited to meet Gerry Conway I forgot to open my eyes!
Alex Saviuk – $5
Arvell Jones – $5
Al Milgrom – $10 per book
Adam Kubert – $5 per book
Brett Breeding -$5
Brian Azzarello – $5, except for graded items and Batman:Damned
Bob Camp – $30
Bob Wiacek – $2 (He might make you a deal for multiple issues)
Bob Hall – free for the first issue, or if you purchase a something from the table, otherwise $5
Bob Layton- $5 for CGC graded signings, otherwise free
Bob Mcloud – one for free, then $5
Bob Budiansky – first six free, $2 each after
Bill Sienkiewicz – two for free, then $3, $10 for CGC
Chris Clarmont – first free, then $20
Charles Soule – $10 CGC grading signings
David Finch – 2 free, then $5
Dave Gibbons – $1 a book
Don McGregor – $5 per signature
Edgar Delgado – $5 CGC grading signings
Fabian Nicieza – $10 Deadpool/X-Force related
Fiona Staples – $20 CGC grading signings (otherwise free)
Graham Nolan recently started charging, but not sure how much.
Greg Capullo – first 3 books free and $5 thereafter
Gerry Conway – $5
Gerhard $10
Greg Horn – $20 GameStop variants (otherwise free)
Humberto Ramos – $10-$20
Nolan signs some bat-issues!
Howard Chaykin – $5 per book
Javier Saltares – Free if personalized or $5 if not
Joe Sinnott – $10 per book
Jim Starlin -$10 per book (goes to Heroes Initiative)
Joe Giella- $4 per book
J. O’Barr – $5
Jae Lee- $5
John Romita Jr – three for free, then $2. $10 for CGC grading.
Jose Delbo – $5
Joe Rubinstein – $20 ($50 for Wolverine)
Jimmy Palmiotti – free for 5 books, $2 after, $5 for CGC.
J Scott Campbell $10
John Cassandry $10
John Beatty – $3
Jim Sternako charges $20 per item last I checked – and that includes items and prints BOUGHT FROM HIS TABLE. Also, do not ask for a photo with him.
Keith Pollard – $5
Kevin Eastman – first is free, $20 after that (He also doodles on the items!)
Keith Giffen – 1st book free, $5 per book after
Klaus Janson– $10, $20
Larry Hama wondering exactly what he’s gotten himself into…
CGC grading signings
Len Wein – $5, $20 CGC grading signings, $25 for Hulk 181, Giant Size X-Men #1 or House of Secrets #92.
Larry Hama will sign two items for free and charges after that.
Matteo Scalera – $20 CGC grading signings
Mike Zeck – $5
Marv Wolfman – one free (I’ve heard elsewhere it’s two for free, but in his last interview he said one), $5.00 after that
Mark Texeria- one personalized signature free, $10 per book after or unpersonalized
Mitch Gerads – 2 free, then $5
Michael Golden- $20 per book WTF! (at least he’s friendly and chatty)
With the Legendary Denny O’Neil
Mike Grell – $10
Neal Adams – $30
Pat Brodrick – $3
Ron Frenz -$3
Ron Lim – 1st book free, $10 per book after
Rob Liefeld – $25-$50
Rags Morales – $5
Scott Snyder – first 3 books free and $5 thereafter
Simon Bisley – $10 per book
Tom DeFalco $5 each for three or less. After that $20 (“Dealer’s Pricing”)
Tony Isabella $10
William Messner-Lobes – $10
Whilce Portacio – He was free when I met him several years ago, but from what I understand there’s a few key books he charges $10 to sign
Victor Olazaba – $10
Tip Jar – pay what you want
Some of these are for causes like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or Heroes Initiative. Others are just personal. I urge you, respect the tip jar. (It’s so much better than autograph fees)
Billy Tucci
Ben Templesmith
Barry Kitson
Charlie Adlard
Gene Ha
Jan Duursema
Jim Calafiore
Larry Stroman
Peter David
Mike Barr
Free
Alan Davis
Ann Nocenti
Ande Parks
Angel Mediea
Art Thibert
Aaron Lopresti
Bill Anderson
Brandon Montclare
Brian Michael Bendis (Be prepared to wait a long time in line)
Bill Morrison
Bill Willingham
Brendan Fletcher
Bob Almond
Christos Gage
Chad Townsend
Carla Speed McNeil
Charles Soule
Clayton Crain
Cary Nord
Cameron Stewart
Chip Zdarsky
Casey Jones
Darryl Banks
Dan Brereton
Dirk Manning
Ed McGuinness
Emanuela Lupacchino
Erik Larsen
Evan Dorkin
Fred Van Lente (assuming you can catch him. He dosent do to many shows these days)
Frank Cho
Franco
Gail Simone
Greg Land
Greg Wright
Heather Antos
Ivan Reis
Jason Latour
Jon Bogdanove
John Ostrander
Joe Staton
Joshua Williamson
Jim Zub
Judd Winick
Jim Shooter
Jerry Duggan
Jason Aaron
Jeff Schultz
Jacob Chabot
Jonathan Hickman
Jenny Frison
Jae Lee
Joe Kelly
Karl Story
Kelley Jones
Kevin Maguire
Kevin Nowland
Keron Grant
Koi Pham
Kyle Higgins
Lela Gwenn
Lee Weeks
It’s just a shadow. James O’Barr didn’t actually give me a black eye…
Louise Siminson
Mike McKone
Michael Cho
Matt Miner
Matt Horak
Mike Mayhew
Mark McKenna
Mike Okamoto
Marc Sumerick
Mike Gustov
Mark Farmer
Mark Waid
Mark Schultz
Mike Norton
Matt Fraction
Marguerite Bennett
Mike Hawthorne
Stephen Blickenstaff
Nick Bradshaw
Nick Dragotta
P.Craig Russell
Jorge Lucas
Jim Pasco
Phil Hester
Phil Noto
Paul Pelletier
Rick Remender
Ron Fortier
Ramon Villalobos
Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
Rafer Roberts
Sergio Argones
Scott Hanna
Steve Leialoha
Steve Mannion
Stephen Sharar
Scott Snyder
Steve McNiven – Free if personalized
Stefano Gaudiano
Skottie Young
Stephen T. Seagle
Tim Seeley
Tom Mandrake (sometimes a tip jar for Hero Initiative, but not when he was at NEO in 2019)
Tim Bradstreet
Todd DeZago
Tim Truman
Walt Simonson – donations for quick sketches
Will Rosado
Yanick Paquette
Comic Creator Autographs fall 2019
A while slew of updates fell into my lap just before NEO Comic Con (review will be up later this week), but I wanted to wait until after the con to make sure a couple of them were still correct. As always, we’re not really going to discuss the pros and cons of comic professionals charging for autographs. There’s plenty of other forums for that. We’re just going to acknowledge the reality of modern convention economics. This is a little something to help you know what to expect when you go to a con so you don’t get blindsided. A lot of artists don’t have autograph charges clearly displayed and frequently con websites either don’t have this information or are asked not to display it. Here’s my current list – in sort-of alphabetical order. It’s not exhaustive by any means, things may change next month or next year. We’ll update and repost from time to time.
Amanda Conner – free for 5 books, $2 after, $5 for CGC.
Me so excited to meet Gerry Conway I forgot to open my eyes!
Alex Saviuk – $5
Arvell Jones – $5
Al Milgrom – $10 per book
Adam Kubert – $5 per book
Brett Breeding -$5
Brian Azzarello – $5, except for graded items and Batman:Damned
Bob Camp – $30
Bob Wiacek – $2 (He might make you a deal for multiple issues)
Bob Hall – free for the first issue, or if you purchase a something from the table, otherwise $5
Bob Layton- $5 for CGC graded signings, otherwise free
Bob Mcloud – one for free, then $5
Bob Budiansky – first six free, $2 each after
Bill Sienkiewicz – two for free, then $3, $10 for CGC
Chris Clarmont – first free, then $20
Charles Soule – $10 CGC grading signings
David Finch – 2 free, then $5
Don McGregor – $5 per signature
Edgar Delgado – $5 CGC grading signings
Fabian Nicieza – $10 Deadpool/X-Force related
Fiona Staples – $20 CGC grading signings (otherwise free)
Graham Nolan recently started charging, but not sure how much.
Greg Capullo – first 3 books free and $5 thereafter
Gerry Conway – $5
Gerhard $10
Greg Horn – $20 GameStop variants (otherwise free)
George Perez – Free, but he has a ticketing system so get to his table first thing after the show opens or you’ll be stuck in line for HOURS waiting for a spot to open up. Alternatively, if you can deal with not MEETING him, you can buy a print and he’ll sign that and a couple books in between sketches and stuff.
Nolan signs some bat-issues!
Humberto Ramos – $10-$20
Howard Chaykin – $5 per book
Joe Sinnott – $10 per book
Jim Starlin -$10 per book (goes to Heroes Initiative)
Joe Giella- $4 per book
J. O’Barr – $5
Jae Lee- $5
John Romita Jr – three for free, then $2. $10 for CGC grading.
Jose Delbo – $5
Joe Rubinstein – $20 ($50 for Wolverine)
Jimmy Palmiotti – free for 5 books, $2 after, $5 for CGC.
J Scott Campbell $10
John Cassandry $10
John Beatty – $3
Jim Sternako charges $20 per item last I checked – and that includes items and prints BOUGHT FROM HIS TABLE. Also, do not ask for a photo with him.
Keith Pollard – $5
Larry Hama wondering exactly what he’s gotten himself into…
Kevin Eastman – first is free, $20 after that (He also doodles on the items!)
Keith Giffen – 1st book free, $5 per book after
Klaus Janson– $10, $20 CGC grading signings
Len Wein – $5, $20 CGC grading signings, $25 for Hulk 181, Giant Size X-Men #1 or House of Secrets #92.
Larry Hama will sign two items for free and charges after that.
Matteo Scalera – $20 CGC grading signings
Mike Zeck – $5
Marv Wolfman – one free (I’ve heard elsewhere it’s two for free, but in his last interview he said one), $5.00 after that
Mark Texeria- one personalized signature free, $10 per book after or unpersonalized
Mitch Gerads – 2 free, then $5
Michael Golden- $5 per book
With the Legendary Denny O’Neil
Mike Grell – $5
Neal Adams – $30
Pat Brodrick – $3
Ron Frenz -$3
Ron Lim – 1st book free, $10 per book after
Rob Liefeld – $25-$50
Rags Morales – $5
Scott Snyder – first 3 books free and $5 thereafter
Simon Bisley – $10 per book
Tom DeFalco $5 each for three or less. After that $20 (“Dealer’s Pricing”)
Tony Isabella $3. (As of Akron Comicon he’s dropped the “first one free” schtick)
William Messner-Lobes – $10
Whilce Portacio – He was free when I met him several years ago, but from what I understand there’s a few key books he charges $10 to sign
Victor Olazaba – $10
Tip Jar – pay what you want
Some of these are for causes like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or Heroes Inititive. Others are just personal. I urge you, respect the tip jar. (It’s so much better than autograph fees)
Billy Tucci
Ben Templesmith
Barry Kitson
Charlie Adlard
Denny O’Neil (Heros alliace tip jar)
George Perez
Gene Ha
Jan Duursema
Jim Calafiore
Larry Stroman
Peter David
Mike Barr
Free
Alan Davis
Ann Nocenti
Ande Parks
Angel Mediea
Art Thibert
Aaron Lopresti
Bill Anderson
Brandon Montclare
Brian Michael Bendis (Be prepared to wait a long time in line)
Bill Willingham
Brendan Fletcher
Bob Almond
Christos Gage
Chad Townsend
Carla Speed McNeil
Charles Soule
Clayton Crain
Cary Nord
Cameron Stewart
Chip Zdarsky
Chris Yambar
Casey Jones
Darryl Banks
Dave Gibbons
Dan Brereton
Dirk Manning
Emanuela Lupacchino
Erik Larsen
Evan Dorkin
Fred Van Lente (assuming you can catch him. He dosent do to many shows these days)
Frank Cho
Franco
Gail Simone
Greg Land
Heather Antos
Ivan Reis
Jason Latour
Jon Bogdanove
John Ostrander
Joe Staton
Joshua Williamson
Jim Zub
Judd Winick
Jim Shooter
Jerry Duggan
Jason Aaron
Jeff Schultz
Jacob Chabot
Jonathan Hickman
Jenny Frison
Jae Lee
Joe Kelly
Karl Story
Kelley Jones
Kevin Maguire
Kevin Nowland
Keron Grant
Kyle Higgins
Lela Gwenn
Lee Weeks
It’s just a shadow. James O’Barr didn’t actually give me a black eye…
Louise Siminson
Mike McKone
Michael Cho
Matt Miner
Matt Horak
Mike Mayhew
Mark McKenna
Mike Okamoto
Marc Sumerick
Mike Gustov
Mark Waid
Mark Schultz
Mike Norton
Matt Fraction
Marguerite Bennett
Mike Hawthorne
Stephen Blickenstaff
Nick Bradshaw
Nick Dragotta
P.Craig Russell
Jorge Lucas
Jim Pasco
Phil Hester
Phil Noto
Paul Pelletier
Rick Remender
Ron Fortier
Ramon Villalobos
Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
Rafer Roberts
Sergio Argones
Scott Hanna
Steve Leialoha
Steve Mannion
Stephen Sharar
Scott Snyder
Stefano Gaudiano
Skottie Young
Stephen T. Seagle
Tim Seeley
Tom Mandrake (sometimes a tip jar for Hero Initive, but not when he was at NEO in 2019)
Tim Bradstreet
Todd DeZago
Tim Truman
Walt Simonson – donations for quick sketches
Will Rosado
Yanick Paquette
This weekend’s cons
This weekend happening in Cleveland is the Cleveland CONcoction!
If you’re a gamer, this is seriously the place to be. They’ll be celebrating sci-fi and steampunk this year, with the chance to win a lot of the same games you’ll be playing!
There’s panels, author guests, the Wonderland Ball, the masquerade, costume contest, gameplay, live performances (you really need to check 
out Too The Egress) and tons more going on. This is the only con of it’s type in Cleveland and it’s exactly the kind of con I like, packed with tons of events and programming.
Hours:
Friday, March 13: 12pm – 11pm
Saturday, March 14: 9am – 11pm
Sunday, March 15: 9am – 3pm
That said, I’m already booked this weekend a little further west, and will be heading to Indiana Comicon.
I’m going mostly to meet Denny O’Neil – seriously, DENNY O’NEIL! The guiding hand of the Batman titles in the 90’s! The writer of the 70’s Shadow series! The author of countless editorial “From The Den” colums!
Stop looking at me like that. I’m excited.
Mike Zeck and Mike Grell are going to be there as well!
I could actually care less about the media guests at this one (although I and going to get princess autographs for my girls- I admit it). The guest list here is really looking impressive – John Beatty, Art Thibert, Bob McLeod, Whilce Porticelo, Jae Lee, I have a stack of stuff a mile high I’m bringing, just as soon as I break out my Shadow costume….
So wherever you’re headed, be safe, if you see me in Indiana tap me on the shoulder and say hi. If you’re heading to Cleveland, say hello to the POP! members or the Z.E.R.O.S. (Zombie Eradication & Rescue Operations Squad) and give them my best! And we’ll be back with new Violent Blue on Monday!
Lawn-Con 2014
Finally! I’ve been wanting to make it out to Lawn-Con for three years, but it always fell the Saturday of Wasteland…and I’m not missing Wasteland. This year however, Chris Yambar moved it to Sunday to avoid a scheduling conflict with another show, so I did the unthinkable and crammed two cons into a single weekend.
The venue was beautiful at the old B&O Railway station. I love these kind of places and they decorated it beautifully inside. a sort of tent town popped up outside of it with vendors and wares, along with a wrestling ring. I believe the art show going on inside was separate but I’m actually not sure. Either way, they complemented each other and made for a great symbiosis.
I took the girls with me to this one, I’ve always heard it’s very kid friendly and wasn’t disappointed. They each got a book to take home and were fascinated by the art. They loved all the people in costume and for the very first time they got to see a wresteling show.
In addidtion to the wrestling, there were bands outside and inside. I weas really enjoying the acoustic duo as we wandered the station and only caught the tail end of one of the bands outside.
The real treat on stage however was Jason Delfosse doing side show antics. My daughters were fascinated and transfixed as he lifted a boat anchor with a chain attached to his tongue and walked up aladder made of machates, or ate fire and jumped bare foot into broken glass.
We all entered the costume contest and the girls were adorable. I think I like Maddie better in that Supergirl outfit, but Lydia puts her own spin on it. I actually heard one of the judges complement her choice in boots. Maddie’s Poison Ivy was a great unique choice as always.
I went up and stood next to Iron Man (who I met back at All Americon) along with my friends Riley, Stephanie and Josh. There were some stunning costumes up there . The dragon still wows me, and that Batman Beyond just looked sick. I looked down and noticed that part of my foot had broken off – I’d been shedding bits and pieces of Groot all day. That’s a rough costume to wear.
Imagine my shock when I won first place. My jaw dropped. I never get first. I’m still feeling a bit gleeful.
We ended the day with some shopping. Maddie was in the Yambar booth and I suddenly heard her scream “JEANNIE!” I couldn’t believe it. She found I dream of Jeannie comics which Chris was gracious enough to sign.
This is a really fun show and I hope to get back to it again. If it stays on Sunday we definitely will, but I suspect that was an aberration. In any event we were stoked to get out there this time and recommend anyone who can make it check this show out!
AllAmeriCON 5
AllAmericon seems very much to be a show in transition.
I don’t know that I would have liked it in the past. From what I’ve heard, it was a much smaller show, and really just one of those “conventions” that served as a comic related bazaar. I’ve criticized this in the past with other shows stating how easy it would be to add a couple of guests, a panel or something to make it into something more.
AllAmericon 5 is attempting to do just that. This year, they shelled out some cash to get Jim Steranko as a guest – a big name if there ever was one. They also slated Daryl Banks, the co-Creator of the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern and a Cleveland mainstay, not to mention great guy. In addition, 
they brought in Knightmage – a well respected member of the cosplay community to bring a greater cosplay element in with a panel and a costume contest. I brought my Voltron costume to debut here, but the day started before I even hit the venue. About 20 miles out, an orange blur barreled down on me and I recognized My friend Riley’s Batwag following my little red Superman Honda. We waved at the stop light and occasionally one of my lion heads would peek out of my sunroof and make faces at them. Mage saw me as soon as I walked in and just shook his head at my costume. “You’re my hero man.” The admission table told me “We usually stamp people’s hands, but somehow I think we’ll know you’re part of the show.”
I hung out a bit but couldn’t do any shopping because of my lion hands. That was fine I was planning on changing out of the costume after the contest. At 11:00 most of the contestants hadn’t made it in yet and there weren’t a lot of people dressed up yet. I saw the line for Steranko’s table streached across the wall. We swung by several tables including Pixel Bits which I have seen before, most recently at Lake Effect Comic con where my Lydia bought a wonder woman design from them.
The Cosplay panel was fine. There was a heavy emphasis on cosplaying for charity which is a little bit of a departure from the cosplay panels I see at Anime cons. However it’s not surprising seeing as this
is a big part of what Knightmage and Riley do.
I got back on the floor and saw a really nice Iron Man costume – comic accurate, lit up, really well done. I was heading over there to get a picture but he saw me coming and was really excited to see Voltron. Apparently he’d been following my progress on Ohio Cosplayers. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see this in front of me!”. The photos of Iron Man and Voltron are some of my favorites from the day.
About forty five minuets before the costume contest my chestplate broke. The velcro held just fine – in fact it was stronger than the glue holding it to the foam! the strip ripped right off. Pulling it out, the crest in my chest began to come loose as well, however that was an easy matter. Push it back in and it would hold. The chest plate however, was another matter. Fortunately, I had a hot glue gun in my car with an AC adapter in my lighter. In about fifteen minuets I was back in the con, hoping the quick and dirty fix would hold for at least another hour and get me through the contest.
The costume contest was really nice, but in the uncomfortable costume it felt a little long. During the course of the day, a lot of really great costumes had filtered into the convention hall as I knew they would and I wasn’t so confidant of my ability to place. Indeed, a young woman in a beautifully hand crafted Mad Hatter-like getup took first place, and she definately deserved the win. I was pleased to get second, narrowly beating out a Catwoman I had seen a year or two ago over at Akron Comicon.
Finally out of the costume contest, I hastily wiped off my makeup and shuffled out of the costume then headed for Steranko’s table. There was no line this late in the day and I was a little concerned he may have packed up, but no, he was still there and now it was no waiting!
I asked for a Shadow print and pointed to the one I wanted. Jim told me “I’ve been saving this one all day just for you!”, then signed it for me, but declined to take a photo “I’d prefer not to, but we’ll always have this moment!”
He wasn’t rude or unreasonable, but he does seem to have a “convention personality”. Very much a sell sell sell feel. Nevertheless, I can forgive it. He really is a comic legend, and I’m going to treasure my personalized signed print of one of my favorite characters.
This convention has great potential, and they really are trying to become something bigger, something better. Not as big as say Wizard World or SDCC, but I think they are certainly trying to grow into the kind of show Akron is and I’m interested in seeing how they grow. I may not be back next year, but I think I certainly will be back in the future
A side note, it appears I made the news in my costume. http://wkbn.com/2014/07/06/big-day-for-comic-enthusiasts/
It’s not a comicon without picking up a stack of books from the quarter bins. I was particuarly pleased to find the Ambush Bug issue!
Glimmer is one of the few figures from the new MOTU line I really wanted, mostly for my girls who play with the She-Ra figures all the time. I won a gift certificate in the costume contest, and sunk the entire thing into getting this figure for us.
Deadshot is one of my all time favorite characters in comics. From the first mini-series which led me into Suicide Squad, I was hooked. It was so exciting to see a Deadshot cosplay here – and a good one at that, very firmly based in the Justice League cartoon.
We did have a huge turn out for that contest, they managed to pack that little lecture hall. All in all a great day, and a show I’d go to again.
Shinboku Con 8
Last year I went to Shinboku con on a whim. Some of the clix guys had mentioned it to me, probably Sean and I figured it was time I finally got around to checking out the con in my own back yard. I had such a good time that I decided to come back this year, and this time around, do it right.
I’d felt a little out of place last year because I wasn’t in costume (and a little older than most of the crowd. I’m an old school Anime aficionado) but this 
year I corrected that, designing my Mazingar Z / Transzor Z costume specificaly for this show (and then to be reused at Lake Effect next month)
I started off heading to one of the two Anime screening rooms for some Trigun and to get settled, plotting out my day. One of my big goals was to get Robert Axleod’s autograph fro my friend Johnny Em. Axlerod was one of the three spies in the original Robotech series, and john is the biggest Robotech fan I’ve ever met. Robert was nice, but professional. 
You can see he does a lot of these shows and he’s got a con persona. No complaints though. It was nice enough to meet him, he caught me on the way to his panel and I followed him in. The panal was all about his Power Rangers role, which was a little dissapointing consider his vast filmography.
I headed over to the Jedi stunt show wich was loads of fun, mostly involving lightsaber battles. A Darth Maul
came out and invited members of the audience to try a lightsaber out. Watching him fight Fix-it Felix from Wreck-it Ralph (at first I thought it was Handy Manny) was hiliarious. Blade against hammer….
I volunteered and the croud roared with applause as Maul and I double teamed the Jedi, slaying him quickly.
I can’t tell you how much I hope that video shows up on youtube or facebook. I really want to see it.
Off to Kyle Herbert’s panel. Kyle was incredibly funny and insightfull last year and I really wish I had recorded it. This year it was a talk about nutrition and food This has been on Kyle’s mind you see, since he was diagnosed with Diabetes last July. He still managed to inject the talk with plenty of wit and charm, but not quite as interesting as last year. when I walked in to the room he suddenly stopped short, lost for a second. And then said in disbelief “and then Mazinger Z walked in the room!”
I got a lot of that. This costume is one of the most popular ones I’ve ever worn…even more popular than Spider-Ham. I got asked to pose for a lot of pictures and to take pictures with a lot of people. It made it worth it to wear such an uncomfortable suit. It’s really hot. I hadn’t realized how dehydrated I was until I got out of it (I lasted about five hours before changing into my TARDIS T-shirt and jeans). I’ve got to fix that helmet before Lake Effect, it’s too tight around the nose, I’m still sore under my 
nose and at the roots of my teeth.
I hate that the convention moved from five minuets away to half an hour away. I suppose Huron is that far, but I do miss being able to walk to the con and come and go from home. However I understand why they needed to move. Sawmill Creek was an excellent venue, and and all of those problems getting from one part of the con to the next were solved, the layout was far more logical and easy. This was great since my boots made traveling a little difficult at times.
I only caught the tail end of Alexis Tipton’s panel and never managed to catch her signing session. That was a shame but I was in time to hear her sing the theme song from one of er more memorable Animes. She was a little embarrassed so I’m not sure if I want to upload that to YouTube…
I also managed to catch a bit of Amber Lee Connors panel about breaking into voice acting. She’s bubbly and bright and a delight to listen to, and just as pleasant at her table.
The other event I had a lot of fun at was the Super Hero training. I loved the costumes and the variety of heros there. The costumes were REALLY well done and if I’d been in street clothes I would have gotten photos with every one of them!
One of the facebook reviews of Shinboku con that I read mentioned how the quality gets better every year. This is absolutely right. I can see it was more polished this year, and the new venue helped a whole lot. I don’t know if they actually added any vendors and I’d 
still like to see more stalls in the vendor room, but nevertheless, I was able to move around easily in my armor, the panels were well done, traffic was directed well and there’s ALWAYS something going on. This is the single convention I do that packs more programming in than Cinema Wasteland and that’s saying something! in addition to the standard dealer’s room, Shinboku con sports two rooms constantly screening Anime. Two stages with programming in both locations at the same time. Two panel rooms that almost always had something going on. A video game room with at least eight screens for competitive play and 
frequent tournaments, tables for people to play their Nintendo DS and 3DS, and a separate room for tabletop gaming, including Heroclix. And Twister, not to mention a well stocked Artist Alley (well placed too. You HAVE to walk through it to get to the two main stages, the video game room or the vendors room). There’s always something going on, not to mention parties and concerts that spring up around the event.
I think Shinboku Con may become one of the cons I attend every year, much like Wasteland or Lake Effect – or possibly even Monster Bash. It’s one of the good ones, and I highly recommend it. See you guys next year.
Wasteland this weekend!
Just a quick reminder, I’ll be heading out to Cinema Wasteland this weekend. I expect to only be there Friday and Saturday, possibly in costume on Sat. There’s a great line up of films this time around with some really interesting guests. I’m going to get my Day of the dead poster started and both my Evil Dead 2 poster along with my Maniac Cop DVD finished. It’s the best convention I go to with some of the friendliest freaks around. Come join the best party in Cleveland and if you see me wandering around tap me on the shoulder and say hi!! Never fear though, there will still be new Violent Blue on Friday at the main site and Essential Violent Blue right here! Have a great weekend!
Lydia’s princess autograph!
Special Lydia autograph log today!
In the past I think we’ve had nicer successes. We send Disneyworld a card asking for a specific princess or character (I got Lilo and Stitch) and they would send us an “autographed” photo. Maddie got Cinderella back in the day. Well, I recently sent out a request for princesses but specifically Rapunzel for Lydia. A few weeks She received this!
It’s a pre-print and just a post card, but it was mail from the princesses with her name on it so she was still thrilled. The girls actually pull it out and put it in the castle or dollhouse wherever they happen to be playing with their princess dolls at the time!
A Christmas Story
You know, the Christmas Story is really more my wife’s thing, but that’s okay. She helps put it in perspective for me. Sometimes you need someone else to help you realize why something is cool.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the film and here in Cleveland we love it because parts of it were shot here. I’ve been to the house before, in particular to meet Ian Patrella (Randy, the little brother) but this year the people who run the house and museum decided o throw a small convention. It was scattered around town unfortunately and that made it a little hard to find at times. I hit the cast meet and greet over at the renaissance hotel in Public square and got my poster all marked up. I’d sent it to Peter Billinglsly (Ralphie, the main character) several years ago and he’d signed it through the mail. Ian had already autographed it as well. But there were still some fun cast members there including the evil elf from the Santa visit, the bullies and Ralphie’s friend Flick (who got his tongue stuck to the flagpole). I was especially excited to meet Zack Ward, the bully 
Farkus because he also has a small part in “Freddy vs. Jason”. He was charming, funny and extremely friendly.
Last weekend, they were screening the film in Cleveland. There were showings at both the Capitol and at the Cedar Lee. The Capitol is always my preferred venue because it’s closer and parking is free. It’s also a nice theatre. It’s not the palace, but it tries. The Cedar Lee is a bit of a dive (that’s not a bad thing by the way. You expect theatre that show Rocky Horror, or art and foreign films to be a little grimey!)
Usually I hit these theatres alone. Amy isn’t into a lot of the kinds of movies that they show at these places…but this time I packed her up and we headed out for a morning screening of A Christmas Story! $5.00 tickets and about a half full house. The snow was keeping some people away I think. It’s also possibly that it just wasn’t promoted enough. I’m not sure.
There’s a reason I like going to the theatre to see films…even ones I’ve already seen. It’s a wonderful collective experience and you always see things on the big screen that you miss at home. Like this for instance. Randy falls asleep amid a mass of presents….one of which IS A FRANKENSTEIN MASK! Who gets a Frankenstein mask for Christmas??? You know… besides me….
We hope it’ll show somewhere next year so we can take the kids, and perhaps make this a part of our Christmas traditions just like tomorrow when we watch it play for 24 hours on TV!
And a quick reminder, we’ll be taking this week off for Christmas, not only here at Argo City, but also over at Violent Blue. There’ll be some “lost” strips up for the vacation week, and regular comics and blogging will resume after the new year!
Thank you Annie Potts!
I send M.s Potts a while ago. I’ll admit it was all Ghostbusters stuff. I’ve seen her in other roles, but not affect me like Ghostbusters. I had hoped to send one or two of these on to Rick Moranis, but he seems like he’s getting harder to get these days and i’m not sure I want to risk losing these pics in the mail. We’ll think about it some more. Maybe later.
(I’ll bet the guys in Violent Blue are Ghostbusters fans….)
Thank you Peter Cullen!
By now you probably know I’m a He-Man guy. That was my series when I was kid and it still is my favorite cartoon today (Not sure what cartoon they liked in Violent Blue. Hmmmm. I should explore that some time…..). Still, I watched Transformers and G.I. Joe, and always love meeting the voices behind the characters.
Peter Cullen has been the voice of Optimus Prime for decades….and that’s really saying something. he’s the definitive voice for the character so you can imagine how pleased I was to receive this through the mail. Thanks so much!
Thank you Julie Newmar!
I do believe Julie Newmar is my favorite Catwoman. I liked Michelle Pffiefer, but her Catwoman was definitely a Tim Burton creation and not at all a reflection of anything in the comics. Anne Hathaway kind of captures that not-quite-a-villian feel, but really, she’s just to…nice.
We don’t talk about Hallie Berry.
There were of course, other Catwomen in the Batman TV series, but they were all imitations of Julie Newmar. She did it first and best and I’m thrilled to have her autograph!
Shinboku Con 7
I attended the seventh annual Shinboku con this weekend. This is a new one to me. I was aware of it last year but decided not to go because I already had a full con schedule and I’m not as into Anime as I used to be. About a year after I got married I stopped watching regularly, and probably stopped buying shortly after that, it had gotten to mainstream; to popular.
Now before you accuse me of being a hipster, I’d like to point out that it’s not necessarily it’s popularity per se that is the probelm. It’s everything that goes with it. It’s the pretentious posuers that crop up who think thier Anime experts because they’ve seen Tenchi Muyo, but have no idea what Robotech is. It’s the 
glut of crap anime that floods the shelves of best buy (or thier subsidiary Suncoast back in the day – a real perpetrator of this) that keeps people from discovering great stuff like Bounty Dog, or Bubblegum Crisis, or X.
I hadn’t expected much from this con, but decided to try it out this year, so I put on my one and only Anime shirt (Excel Saga) and headed over. The con is in my backyard – almost litrialy. I could walk to the hotel from my house. That’s a good thing and also a bad thing. Elyria isn’t known for it’s culture. That’s not quite fair, because there is some good stuff here, but it gets no press and doesn’t always get a chance to thrive.
I looked over the schedule and saw that there was some real organization here. It’s an ambitious con. A panel room, a main stage (which also doubles as another panel room. Sometimes you have to choose which one you want to go 
to), a video game room, a tabletop game room, a dealers room and an anime room. That’s a lot going on at any given time of day. I did check out the vendors room, but it was extremely small and not a lot that I was interested in. A real surprise that the vendors room was such a disappointment – it’s usually one of the coolest things about a convention. Still, there was definitely plenty of other things to see and do.
I started my day off hitting the cosplay panel. God bless the Ramada Inn by the way, for providing coffee. It was a cold rainy day and I wasn’t as bundled up as I should have been. There was a lot of basic info that I already knew here, but one interesting tidbit, I’ve never considered searching YouTube for cosplay tips and patterns like the moderator suggested. I like that. I may be looking into that for my next costume project….maybe even for some of the Hellraiser project. I headed 
downstairs for my next panel, with voice actor Kyle Hebert. The downstairs thing by the way, is a bit of a problem, it’s got to do with the way the hotel is set up. The con was divided into two places. First flooor towards the front of the hotel, and upstairs towards the back of the hotel. I was constantly running back and forth to get from one event to the next. Still, that’s the Hotel’s fault, not the cons.
Back to Kyle Hebert. He’s done several things I know about and was really fun to listen too. This was more of a random stream of consciousness talk rather 
than a formal panel (he would be doing a voice acting workshop later in the day. I managed to catch about half of that before I had to leave for the day.) and it was interesting to hear him talk about every subject under the sun, including 3d movies, the Wizard of OZ, working in video games and his dream of being in a Disney movies (finally fulfilled when he did two likes as Ryu in Wreck-it Ralph).
Since it was across the hall, I wanted to check out the video game room. While I like video games, I generally suck at them. It’s the main reason I’m not a gamer. However, I love watching other people play…it gives me some of the experience of the game without ripping out my hair because I can’t figure out the next stupid puzzle. I stood in awe watching the new marvel vs. Capcom game, along with some of the interesting Kinect games being played. Skull girls was a fun interesting title, along with Portal. Someone had rigged up a MAME machine to the big screen, and Super Mario was running for a good chunk of the day. Awsome.
On the other side of the hall there was the tabletop gaming room. I didn’t spend quite as much time in there as I would have liked too. It’s one thing to watch over someones shoulder while they are playing a video game, but I just feel weird watching a war game or a role playing game. I guess I’m just not sure what the protocol is there. The gaming vendors were down in this room as well instead of the vendors room and that worked out well. I really wanted to buy one of the plushie 12 sided die, but this was a little too close to Cinema Wasteland and I’m still kind of broke.
Amongst the games, there was a Heroclix tournament scheduled, but unfortunately I had a conflict, my wife had a job that night that was going to 
start about the same time as the heroclix tourney so I missed it. However I did run in to a couple of guys I know from clix beforehand and that was fun.
My next panel was the special effect makeup one. I do makeups frequently and am always interested in learning something new. That was half the reason I did the haunted house last year. I learned a new recipe for blood that I may be trying out at the Lakewood Zombie Walk this year and got a great idea for how to do a life cast. That’s something I’ve really been wanting lately as I try to create more and 
more intricate make up appliances.
Usually I will fill up a convention blog entry with pictures of people in costume. Of course at an Anime con, cosplay is far more pervasive. I’ve always complained about the lack of cosplay at horror cons and even at Ohio Comic cons (I admit, I do seem to see more of it outside of Ohio). I knew I’d see more at an Anime convention, but I really wasn’t prepared for exactly how much. Honestly, I actually felt a little out of place.
If I had tried to take pictures of everyone in costume I wouldn’t have had time to do anything else! There were however, a few stand out costumes.
Calvin and Hobbes. Yes, he IS carrying around a stuffed tiger. He wanted the picture to be more like we would typically see Calvin, so he made faces while I was snapping it. Note the Black Lantern ring????
Donnie Darko. It’s a cult film for a good reason….I just wish I could figure out what that reason was. Very cool costume choices though.
This No-Face from Spirited Away was just the coolest thing I saw all day. That’s 
actually an average size girl in there. If you look hard you can just make out the black fabric covering the eyehole.
I managed to sneak back for the Zombie Apocalypse panel and I’m incredibly glad I did. It was one of the funniest panels of the night. A little out of control with ranting and some of the more outrageous humor from the evening (they were actually carding people for this one – I can understand that from the language alone….)
I ended the evening at the glow stick ball. Lots of good thumping music here, with a lot of video game influences. In particular I was hearing a lot of Skyrim playing. People were dancing, having fun, minding thier own business….
and that’s when the lightsaber battle broke out…..
Now that’s a party.
It was a well done con. Better than I expected, though there were still some rough edges. Still, this is exactly the kind of thing Elyria needs more of and in a lot of ways it reminds me a lot of why I used to be into Anime myself. I don’t think I can ever get back to that kind of passion for the subject, but this convention definitely has my interest and is on my radar. I suspect I’ll be back next year, if for no other reason than to support a good Elyria event. Who knows? Maybe I can dress up as a character from Violent Blue! (Do they make squirrel costumes in my size?)
Cinema Wasteland spring 2013
There’s always something special about Wasteland. As time has gone by I realize I see a lot of the same folks there every year and that makes things a little more fun. I kind of hid behind cosplay makeup this year, but still managed to say hi to Jason and Sean and Douglas. Angelique and Killer Shrew, I’m sorry I missed you guys! And a special thanks to Jeff Josyln (the gent in the zombie Uncle Sam outfit) for letting me use a bunch of his photos in this post. We seem to hit several of the same events, I’m going to have to say hello the 
next time I see you.
I caught several movies this year that I’ve never seen before. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the new Gladiators – I only saw the tail end of it though (scheduling conflicts). Got to see She-Devils a-go-go with the director sitting about two seats away and the room peppered with cast members from Old School Sinema. The strangest thing I saw though, was probably Little Cigars. Little people con men…..featuring Felix Silla (Twiki, Cousin It). Just bizarre. If you’re curious, you can watch it on You Tube here– untill someone wises up and takes it down….
Ghastlee Night at the movies was fun as ever, though I didn’t manage to get in on any of the games. Ginger Rose brought in balloons that had glow sticks or lights or something in them and they were getting batted around the room all night. People were getting hit in the face, on the head and general chaos ensued. Ken the promoter got roasted (though Sally the Zombie Cheerleader was taking that a little too seriously when she brought out a grill and barbecue sauce) and there was the best cornhole game ever – trying to get teeny bottles of booze through the mouth on a blown up poster of Ken’s face. it just fits Wasteland to a “T”.
I got to meet the cast of Slumber Party Massacre, but the most exciting was getting to meet Brinke Stevens. She’s one of the original scream Queens and someone I’d wanted to see for a while. Jeff Lieberman was 
back this time as well, and I finally got a picture with him as well .his panel with the cast of Just Before Dawn was the funniest panel I’ve seen in ages.
I came home with a stack of DVDs, finally getting horror Convention massacre from Old School Sinema’s table and grabbing Gingersquach from Baron Morbid. Lieberman signed a copy of Remote Control. I’ve got a bunch of movies to get through in the next couple of weeks.
Can’t wait to head back to Wasteland in October for The Hills Have Eyes reunion. In the meantime, I better go catch up on my Violent Blue.
I’ve never seen these Kiss guys before. I’ve got to look into that further. The werewolf girl though, she was just adorable. I love the pink hair and the cute outfit!
I can’t believe I missed this! Where WAS I when this was going on outside????
I saw this young lady last year. She looked a lot more scary this time around 
Always lots of interesting vendors!
Thank you Carl Riener!
One of my favorite classic sitcoms is the Dick Van Dyke show. I’ve gone out of my way to grab autographs from Dick, Rose Marie and Mary Tyler Moore. I was unaware of Riener’s involvement until recently though. I probably knew, but just never made the connection I suppose.
I’ve enjoyed him of course in the Oceans series, and knew he was the father of Rob Reiner, but I also recently noticed his name on another of my favorite movies. Another connection I had never made before.
He directed Summer School.
He’s go a quick cameo in the beginning of it as well, but he DIRECTED this movie! It really seems unlike him for some reason. I love the heart in this film, the humor is off the wall, and the two monster kids might as well be me at that age. In fact they inspired a lot of my behavior from that period.
Anyhow, Mr. Riener was nice enough to singe two things for me through the mail, including the Summer School poster that Mark Harmon already scribbled on! My biggest thanks to Mr. Riener for making that poster even more cool!
Catching up on autographs
You know, I never posted any of the autos I got at the Akron Comic Con last year, and that’s something I’ve really been meaning to do. So here we are. I want to start with the ones from Gerry Conway because they are just my absolute favorites. The fact that I not only have these comics, but have signed copies of them just makes me want to squee everytime I see them.
Mike W Barr was a delight. I loved his run on Star Trek and especially love his Batman and the Outsiders, so it’s a great pleasure to have them both signed. Id didn’t just go with number ones though, I went with an issue of Trek that was special to me as well….the first one I ever got.
Tony Isabella created something special in Black Lightning, and I don’t know if we ever really appreciate it enough. I especially loved the 90’s version. They made a figure of it, but other than that, it got almost no attention at all. I never even knew about the series until long after it was over.
Breyfogal. enough said.
I’m a fan of Joe Staton’s Green Lantern and have to wonder why he isn’t a bigger personality in the field…It’s not that Dick Tracy is a bad gig, but it seems like he should be doing more.
Kyle Rayner is another underappreciated character. Polarlizing I guess. I hated him at first too, just because he took the place of Hal Jordan. Once my friend Ben got me actually reading the book though, I really grew to love him and realized my ire was more a reaction to how poorly Jordan was treated in Emrald Twilight. I got Daryl Banks, the costume designer, to sign a couple of great covers both with a lot of characters crammed into them!
A couple more to throw in here, Cameron Diaz was nice enough to sign a Green Hornet picture for me. Tara Strong signed a collage for me and a pony picture for my girls. Maddie sleeps with it….I kid you not.
Finally there is…this. How do I properly describe this and the joy it brings me?
About a year or so ago my friend Johnny Em bought an animation cell off ebay. The seller shipped it in this envelope to protect it. As soon as he saw it he thought of me. My wife couldn’t understand why I was so excited over a dirty old envelope. Well you see that Filmation logo on the corner? As in the people who made He-Man? This carried proofs or cells at one time while they were making the series – you can see the notes “young hordak, Sorceress, and (I think) Marlana scrawled up in the corner by the logo. It’;s signed by every person who when through the production phases – each signing off on thier work.Definitely one of the coolest pieces of He-Man Memorabilia I’ve ever gotten!
Days of the Dead
What a drive. I find myself wishing this con was closer to home because that drive was pretty brutal.
The length was comparable to the drive to Indianapolis, but the trip to Days of the Dead Chicago is harder and spends more time on toll roads and urban environments.
What first struck me was how many people were there. I had to wait in a surprisingly long line for tickets. I say surprisingly long, because I got there at noon, and the doors had opened an hour earlier. I could have bypassed the line and saved five dollars by pre-registering, but honestly, the only con I pre-register for is Cinema Wasteland because I save about 15-20 dollars and I usually spend the whole weekend there. This was a day trip. Oh well.
I got in and immediately searched out Keith David. He was one of the main reasons I was at this con, I wanted to get my Thing poster signed.
His handler was AWFUL. The guy interrupted with prices for different things, and answered questions for Keith and was generally intrusive, like a self-important pimp. A good handler takes money and snaps photos and is generally invisible. They are there to make sure no one takes advantage of the celebrity and more importantly to take care of the mundane business so the celeb can focus entirely on the fan (and vice versa). A pity, because I suspect that Mr. David is a far nicer person without the yo-yo hovering around his booth. This and hitting my pet peeve of charging for photo ops set a decidedly negative tone for this con immediately.
I sipped out of the vendor hall to hit the Collection panel. I had misunderstood about this though and thought it was a screening of the film. It wasn’t, although they did show both the first seven(?) minuets of the film, then talked at length about bot hit and the film that preceded it.
Let me just have a quick aside on this by the way. The guys making this movie did a remarkably smart thing as far as promotion goes. It should be so blindingly obvious that I can’t believe more people don’t do this, but whatever.They came to the con, the director and writer, brought a couple of the actors with them, showed bits of the film, then set up a table and signed posters for free. At a con where every one charges to autograph stuff, and some people even charge for photo ops, these guys not only gave away posters of their new movie, but all signed them and took photos with people for free. Let me tell you something, their strategy worked. This movie wasn’t even on my radar. Now, not only 
do I know about it, I can’t wait to see it. They only had their table set up for about three hours, and that was enough.
I had brought a small poster with me, because space is becoming an issue at my house. Besides, I didn’t want to be greedy, they could save those beautiful 11x17s for someone else. They were signing posters in an assembly line style and my smaller one got moved right along into the assembly line. At the end of the table, the director handed me my smaller poster and told me “Take one of the big ones too!” I was about to protest, but he kept on “Go on! If you can’t think of anything else to do with it, tape it to the roof of your car!” You know what? I love these guys. If you wanted to pinpoint a moment when my day turned around, this was it.
I dove back into the guest hall and as I passed by his table I realized I had completely forgotten that William Katt was going to be there. How did I forget this? Seeing him added to the line up after Keith David was what tipped the scales on me deciding to go! Maybe it was ll the planning or the glut of cons in the last couple of months. I don’t know.
I’ve heard things about William Katt. None of it good. I’ve heard that he charges more than other people, he tacks on fees for photo ops, I heard that he’s unfriendly or distant. I’ve probably heard more negative comments about him than I have about Tom Savini. I’m going to tell you right here and now, NONE of that was true.
He charged about average. Less than what a lot of people were. No extra fee for a photo. He was friendly and engaging. He really seemed to WANT to be there and connect with fans. He leaned across the table and grabbed my jacket, spreading it out to get a better look at my Punisher shirt then told me how much he loved it. He was shocked to discover I made it myself. We discussed the Star Wars auditions, something he seemed surprised I was aware of. I’m not sure I agree with his statement that it would have changed his life…Mark Hamil’s career didn’t fare too much better than Katts,
but I would have loved to have seen him in the role. He mentioned that the Star Wars auditions were what got him his role in Carrie. He also asked what i did for a living and when I told him I was in IT he told me how much he wished I lived out near him, he’d be calling me every day! Meeting him was absolutely the high point of my day.
Off in a small room to the side of the check in counter was a darling display called “Evil Puppets”. It was tucked away so neatly I walked right past it twice before noticing it. I tentatively creeped in and wondered if they would be mad at me talking a photo. There were no signs saying I couldn’t so I snapped a few photos. I really love getting my picture taken with celebrities and this presented a unique opportunity of getting a photo op with some famous monsters without having to put up with a rude handler like the guy 
that was hovering over Keith David. So I grabbed a random passerby and asked if he would mind taking a couple of shots of me. I knelt down to get into a better lever in front of the Gremlins. The guy tried to focus, then stepped back a moment. I felt something brush across my shoulder. I figured, I just had leaned back too far. Probably brushed against a puppet. Then it happened again. Then something was in my hair. I turned around to find the girl who was hosting the exhibit laughing and holding the gremlin’s hand in hers. She had been poking me with it and messng with me She continued to do so as the picture was taken> You can see me trying very hard not to burst in to laughter myself.
I grabbed one more autograph on my already crowded Dawn of the Dead poster from Paul Musser who asked me “When are you guys going to get a real football team up there in Cleveland?” I explained to him that was why I followed horror and not sports.
Had to hit up the Fright Night line as well. I love reunions like this where you can get five signatures on a poster in one shot like this. Chris Sarandon’s table never had a line the entire time I was there. I totally don’t get that. He actually IS someone. He’s done tons of stuff, The Princess Bride alone makes him a real star. I was also really stoked to see William Ragsdale. I spent every Sunday for three or four years watching him on Herman’s Head.
His hair is shorter now, and that’s kind of a shame, but I understand and I forgive him for it. Amanda Berse was there as well and ALWAYS had a long line. Not quite sure I get that. I realize there are a loot of people who remember her from Married with Children and if you pay attention to her career you’ll know she’s actually a talented director as well, but none of that justifies her having a bigger line than people like Keith David and Chris Sarandon. Go figure. She was hyper. Super nice but very energetic. She saw the camer and exclaimed in an almost excited voice “Come on! Let’s take a picture!” and then grabbed me and pulled me back. I don’t think I’ve ever been held that tightly by a lesbian before.
There were a couple of big surprises at this con. I saw the tail end of the “They Live” panel because I needed a break from standing in lines. It’s not one of my favorite Carpenter films but I figured there would be some “Thing” talk as well. Roddy Piper was hilarious. I had no idea he was so funny and clever. Not at all what I expected. The screening of “The Collective” was a lot of fun as well, 10 short films by 10 different directors. I have to give Days of the Dead props for decent programming. Not as much as Cinema Wasteland, but good for them for doing any at all, and quality stuff as well. The other big surprise was all the cosplay. Not just the quantity (although that WAS impressive. Tons of people in costume) but the quality. Really great costumes and fun ideas. My favorite was the dead Tinkerbelle, but there were a lot of monsters there whose makeups just took my breath away, the snake girl and the creeper especially.
This was a good con. It was really a good one. Again, I wish it were closer to home, because that’s it’s one big downfall. Chicago is an awfully long drive for one day, but horror cons for me tend to be one day events. IF this were in Ohio, PA or Indiana, somewhere in a three hour radius, I’d probably go every year. Chicago, I’m not sure it’s worth the drive to go back. Certainly not for a while, but maybe in a few years. I had a great time this year, and I hope it continues to grow even better. In the meantime, it’s back to Violent Blue for me.
Akron Comicon
The Akron Comicon was a pleasant surprise. I really wasn’t sure what to expect as I drove the hour long trip to Akron. I checked the website earlier in the day and was disappointed to see P.Craig Russel had canceled, but otherwise everyone seemed to be scheduled to still show up. So I took the day off from Violent Blue, donned my Shadow costume and off I went.
I had a hard time find the parking the FB page recommended, but was just as happy to park on a side street and walk the block to the show. My cloak flowed in the wind and that always puts me in a good mood.
It was a smaller space than I expected, but it was used with extreme efficiency. Almost immediately I was approached by a fellow who asked If I’d like to do an interview about my favorite comics and why I was at the con today. It pays to wear a costume! I don’t usually cosplay at horror cons because I want to look normal for photo ops, but comic cons are different.
I got in a surprisingly short line for Gerry Conway, the man who created the Punisher and wrote the death of Gwen Stacy in the Spider-Man comic series. After taking their pictures with me, the guys in line behind me and I started to chat a bit. They showed me some beautiful reprints they were getting signed. Then on of them pulled out his copy of Spidy 120 – the issue before Gwen dies. I smiled and pulled out 121, and they nearly plotzed. IT was a good feeling. I related the story behind how I got that and the Punisher origin story (you can find it back here : https://argocitycomics.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/new-old-comics/ ) and they speculated on what these might be worth in the condition they are in. I was told I had at least a couple of hundred dollars in my backpack, but I wasn’t sure. These werent in great condition. They also pointed out that autographs don;t always increase value. That was something new to me, but in the end, I really wanted Gerry to sign them.
When I got to the front of the line I flopped them down on the table and re told the story to Gerry who handled then with a remarkably gentle touch. He seemed to revere them almost as much as the fans behind me, advising me “You have some really expensive comics here.” He then mentioned with a smile, “these are worth more money than I was paid to write them!”
I popped over to a couple of other tables, and got to see Mike W. Barr who wrote my favorite series of Star Trek for DC. I’m not so much a TOS person or a TNG person as I am a DC comics-movie timeline person. That’s real Star Trek for me. He was also kind enough to sign my copy of Batman and the Outsiders #1 for me and chat a bit about Jim Aparo. Jim defines the look of Batman for me and I always remember Denny O’ Niel saying how brilliant he was. Mike agreed with these statements and related a story to me about the one and only time he heard Jim complain; “It was a crossover with the Teen Titians and there were some supervillians on the cover too. He finished it and then looked at me and asked ‘They aren’t ALL going to be like this one are they?'”
It seemed like I was getting through all the lines really quickly….untill I hit Norm Breyfogels line. Now I understand he IS a bigger name, but honestly, Gerry Conways line wasn’t this long! Of course people weren’t asking him to sign entire runs of his work either. I know the sign says “No Limit” but seriously? Dropping a stack of fifty or a hundred comics to be autographed is just the lamest of fanboy behavior. Yes dude. I’m calling you out. You ARE the bad guy here and Norm was a saint to put up with you.
I attended a few of the panels, These could have been better, but were perfectly fine for a first year con. There was a fun moment during one panel on how comics are made. The presenter was using an slide show that he had already prepared for other seminars and it began with the question and definition of “What are Comics?”
“I think if youre here at this show, everyone probably already knows the answer to this one.” He topped for a moment. “Well, maybe not the guy dressed as the Shadow, but the rest of you I’m sure…” I had no comeback ready for this, but someone else did. From the audience I head a voice shout out “oh, the Shadow KNOWS!”
Lots of fun cosplayers, and a LOT of Doctor Who, including the cutest little Doctor costume I’ve ever 
seen on a baby. Not as many sales as I would have like to have seen though and very little in the way of film, bootlegs or rare. I would have expected at least something like the corman FF or the JLA pilot, or even Mockingbird lane. Oh well, perhaps next year.
And from what I heard, the con was successful enough to guarantee there WILL be a next year, and it totally deserves it. I’ll expect more next year, but for now, I had a blast at this years show!
Just finished the thanksgiving Violent Blue comic strips, and to think, I almost didn’t use this story idea. I did condense it down from three strips to too, which fits better with the black Friday gag at the end. Those will be up on the Violent Blue site in a couple of weeks.
NaNoWrMo Novel is coming along well. Up to 14255 words and going strong. I think my favorite two bits in it so far are :
“That’s right,” Steve said, suddenly remembering. “Last night was Rocky Horror wasn’t it? I should have thought of that.” He flipped the switch on Chloe’s Xbox. Maybe he could squeeze in a quick death match while he waited.
“Yep. We stuck around Denny’s for an extra helping of slop, and said good bye to a couple of friends.”
“That’s cool,” Steve nodded. Plasma grenade, switch, suppressing fire. Two guys down. “You’re not going to start singing the Time Warp during one of the hymns again are you?”
Chloe fumbled with the buttons on her back. “Nope. It’s not really as funny after the third time….I can’t promise I won’t break out into a Meatloaf ballad during communion though.”
“You know that’s not real wine don’t you? You won’t be able to blame it on that this time….”
Chloe stepped through the door looking slightly dangerous in her dress and heels accessorized with a spikey bracelet. “I don’t know. I’m still not sure what they put in those communion wafers.”
and, a little earlier on :
Chloe pointed towards the foot of the stage where a couple of men in leather jackets were dancing badly. “Were those the guys that you were talking to?” she asked Jen.
Jen nodded. “Yeah.”
“Go punch one of them in the face would you? I want to get a mosh pit started.”
I’m probably going to have to put in a little extra work tonight though, I want to hit 20,00 words Saturday, but I’ve still got the Akron Comicon that day too. Starting to get stoked about that too. Got my Shadow costume out and ready, and I pulled the comics I want signed by the seven guests I’m going to see. If you’re in the Cleveland area, come on out to the con and see me ! (I could really use someone to hold my backpack while I sort through bargain bins of comics)
Akron Comicon
Okay, I have NO idea what to make of this. 
I just heard about these guys on Facebook and I’m interested in going. The thing is, I just drove out to Akron for a comic con that featured Gerry Conway a couple of months ago and well….we all remember what happened there….. ( https://argocitycomics.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/why-i-drove-out-to-north-coas-comic-con-and-didnt-go-in/ )
These guys made it CLEAR they weren’t associated with those guys and really, I want those spidey comics signed. The wife and kids are going away for the weekend and
I’m alone at home anyhow, so it’s providential timing . Gonna load up the iPod and hit the road again. We’ll tell you all about it next week (if I can tear myself away from Violent Blue and my NaNoWrMo project long enough to blog….)
I’m a little upset with Whoopie
As the weekend began,I finished up this months Violent Blue and came home to find a big yellow envelope waiting for me. I immediately recognized the return address….something I don’t always do.
Back in November. I sent Whoopie Goldberg two pictures. One from Star Trek, and one from Burglar – my favorite of her films.
It took ten months for her to reply, and when she did, what I received was this:
A head shot. It’s autographed, and I’m reasonably certain it’s real. The signature matches (though slightly varied also good. That means it’s not an auto-pen), and I’ve seen this picture before, but with the autograph in different places on the pic and written in different colors. I tested the lower left edge of the underline to see if the ink was separate from the paper. You can see a little that I rubbed off.
But really? Almost a year and I don’t get my pictures back? That’s kind of weak. I suspect my letter and pictures got lost somewhere and they only now rediscovered my SASE during a recent work session.
It’s a little off-putting, but on the other hand, I really don’t have much to complain about. I DID get an autograph from it. That’s better than just getting a pre-print, or nothing at all (which I was suspecting. At this point I had given up on hearing from her). Remember my autograph tutorial – she doesn’t really owe me anything. Signed on my pics or not, sending that auto is still a favor she did me, and I’m grateful.
But I’m more grateful to Malcolm McDowell for sending me a headshot AND signing my items too. Mr. McDowell, you’re a better dude than Whoopie. That’s all I’m saying.
Thank you Malcolm McDowell!
I’ve heard Malcolm McDowell was really hit or miss when it comes to getting him through the mail. I wasn’t sure I was going to get him back, and kept putting off my letter for months.
I sent the obligatory Clockwork Orange photo, but I also sent out his villain from Star Trek Generations. I’m not sure how often he sees those.
Not only did he sign and return my pics, he also sent me a nice 8X10 glossy (which got a little bent around the edges in the mail, but nevertheless) ! It’s always a pleasant surprise to open up one of those SASEs and find more in it that you sent it away with…
HorrorHound Indy 2012
Spent a good deal of Saturday at HorrorHound in Indianapolis. You know, I’m not into big cons, even though I’m going to two this year. The thing is, they can bring in the guests. HorrorHound was doing a Terminator/Aliens reunion. I’ve been wanting to meet Michael Biehn for ages and the chance to fill up a poster with autographs from the colonial marines was just too good to pass up. 
Man this joint was crowded. It felt like cattle being headed from one point to another. I really didn’t get to see much of the programing, but then again, it’s not Cinema Wasteland. Programing is secondary. They get points for having videos and movies, but lose a couple of points for not having much I was interested in. I’m finally getting my Elm Street poster going now, and this was a perfect chance to get Heather Langenkamp and Amanda Wyss. I’ve gotten Heather through the mail before but since she was there I wanted to take the opportunity to get a photo and start consolidating my Nightmare autographs in one place. She’s got such striking features….you see the wrinkles, but there’s not mistaking her. Amanda was EXTREMELY friendly. She wanted to talk and was absolutely effervescent. She looked over my NOES poster and was noting who had signed before then stopped short.
“Who is that?” she asked.
“Johnny Depp,” I replied.
She freaked out. Her eyes got wide and she exclaimed how excited she was, because she’d never signed something that he gotten first. She asked how I got it and I mentioned getting it through his agent (I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was likely an autopen – but better than nothing). The poster goes in the mail to Robert Englund next (I already met him a few years ago at Flashback in Chicago. I’ve got my photo with him, so I’ve got no regrets getting him again by mail) and hopefully we’ll be getting John Saxon in July at Monster Bash.
All in all, not a bad Con. I spent most of the day getting my autographs, which was really all I was there for. The staff weren’t rude per se, but detached and remote. (Come on, make me believe you having a good time! Again, I just think I’ve been spoiled by Cinema Wasteland). Was great to connect with the Aliens crew, and the Elm Street Girls, not to mention the Horror Hosts like Halloween Jack, Sammy Terry and the girls from Midnight Mausoleum Robyn and Marlena!
Pictures below. Browse through these, then head over to see whats going on over at Violent Blue this week!
Argo City Comics 