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Post by Rob Allen on Oct 15, 2019 1:44:47 GMT -5
I have several autographs from conventions in New York in the 1970s. The one I remember most clearly was when I unexpectedly encountered Roy Thomas in a hallway and quickly rifled thru my purchases that day for something for him to sign. I settled on Hulk #134, with the Golem. Roy seemed genuinely pleased that I had chosen that issue.
Among the cons I went to back then were the two run by Marvel. At one or the other of them, I got a con t-shirt. A few years ago, Roy came to the Emerald City con in Seattle and I brought the 35-year-old t-shirt and Roy signed it. That's certainly the best one of this century. Kurt (Cei-U!) was with me at that con as always, and that's when he and Roy first met. That shirt is a great memento of a great day.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 15, 2019 3:09:26 GMT -5
(...). In most cases, the autograph was largely an excuse to interact with the signer. Yep, that's really the most important thing. The reason I like the Chaykin sketch above so much is because I actually sat and chatted with him for about 20 minutes while he did it. He also signed a few comic books, including the issue of Marvel Premiere featuring Monark Starstalker (which caught the attention of the other people in the room who were mainly familiar with his work from the 1980s and later - I had to pass that one around so they could all inspect it). Same thing goes for some of the other sketches and/or books I have signed by artists like R.M. Guera, Dalibor Talajic and Goran Sudzuka - in the case of the latter two, I got to know them and we occasionally meet and hang out.
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Post by brutalis on Oct 15, 2019 8:00:31 GMT -5
(...). In most cases, the autograph was largely an excuse to interact with the signer. Yep, that's really the most important thing. The reason I like the Chaykin sketch above so much is because I actually sat and chatted with him for about 20 minutes while he did it. He also signed a few comic books, including the issue of Marvel Premiere featuring Monark Starstalker (which caught the attention of the other people in the room who were mainly familiar with his work from the 1980s and later - I had to pass that one around so they could all inspect it). Same thing goes for some of the other sketches and/or books I have signed by artists like R.M. Guera, Dalibor Talajic and Goran Sudzuka - in the case of the latter two, I got to know them and we occasionally meet and hang out.
See, that there is more important for me than "having" their autograph. Through the Phoenix Comic Com (now Fan Fusion...uggghh) I have spent many a joyous moment actually TALKING/COMMUNICATING/INTERACTING/THANKING the writers and artists I grew up reading. Many have been quite appreciative of the discussions and I have even explained to some that I don't need their signature on anything for remembering their graciousness and time spent in talking with me. That list of folks and remembrances is MUCH longer! To name a small few in random order of thought: Don Rosa Herb Trimpe George Perez Mike Zeck John Beatty Denys Cowan Brett Booth Mike Grell Colleen Doran Wendy/Richard Pini Bret Blevins Steve Rude Roy Thomas Gerry Conway Dennis O'Neil Marv Wolfman Chris Claremont Francis Manupaul Mark Evanier Lou Ferrigno Billy Mumy Walter Koenig Brian Pulido William Tucci Tim Vigil Dan Parent Bryan Augustyn Joe Staton
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Post by beccabear67 on Oct 15, 2019 11:48:59 GMT -5
Best 'sketch' ever!
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Post by mikelmidnight on Oct 15, 2019 12:56:12 GMT -5
I have some autographs I prize as much for what they're on as who they're from.
Grant Morrison - very early issues of Near Myths from the 80s, among his first comics work.
Jerry Siegel - he was actually so flattered that I had new work from him (his backup strips in Cerebus) rather than yet another Golden Age Superman reprint.
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Post by tartanphantom on Jan 2, 2020 18:44:06 GMT -5
Oddly enough, I've never been an autograph hound for comics. Sure, I have a few autographed books here and there, but other than a few prints signed by the artist (Dave Stevens comes to mind), I'm just not one of those that spends his time in mile-long lines at Cons, waiting to get a book autographed and slabbed. Just not my thing. However, I do have a wall of autographs that I have collected over the years. 95% of them were obtained by me first-hand, and I've never been one to gripe about someone personalizing the autograph... in fact, I rather prefer it, as I don't really intend to sell them, and they are more personal memento items than collectibles in my eyes. A few of my favorites (apologies for photo quality, I just snapped these with my phone-- most of these are framed and hanging in my hallway): Chuck Yeager-- got this one from him when he made an appearance at an air show back in the '90's. Unfortunately, he signed it with ball-point, and the ink has faded severely over the years (what's left of the signature can be seen on the right lower quadrant of the photo-- he used the black line on the tarmac as a signing line. Julie Newmar-- I bought this from her, it was pre-signed and pre-framed... no personalization.
Wayne Gretzky-- I also have a puck and a jersey signed by him. Mel Gibson and Sophie Marceau-- Braveheart press promo photo. Gibson is probably one of the toughest autographs I've ever got. It took almost a year, as they did not sign it at the same time. I got his in person, but I had to mail the photo to her after he signed it, sweating and hoping I'd get it back some day. Obviously, I did.
The next three all have stories behind them.
Bo Diddley-- I was in a vintage record/comic book store in Nashville (The Great Escape) one day during lunch back in 1991. I'm flipping through records, and there's a guy about two rows over flipping through the Blues/R&B section. I glanced up and did a double-take... It was Bo Diddley. Nobody else in the store seemed to recognize him, and he didn't have any entourage or bodyguard, or anything like that. I gathered up my nerve, walked up to him and asked him if he was Bo Diddley (just to be sure). He said yes, and we began talking records & such. Turns out he was in town to perform at a benefit show near the TSU (Tennessee State Univ.) campus. He said he always liked to go record shopping whenever he traveled, and Great Escape always had a good selection of obscure vinyl. After a while, I asked him if he would autograph a record for me. He smiled, and said sure, but that I'd better buy the record first!
We went over to where his old records were, and I then asked him to pick one of his favorites. He smiled again, pulled out an original Mono copy of "Go Bo Diddley", his second album-- released in 1959. He said, "Ya know, I think this one has always been one of my 'personal bests'-- what do you think?." I took the album to the checkout and paid for it, borrowed a pen from the store clerk and then brought it back to Bo.
As you can see, he personalized it for me. On top of that, he gave me two tickets to the show! I think he was just tickled that a 28-yr old white kid (in 1991) even knew who he was!
Duane Eddy-- This one was easy for me. I have been personally acquainted with Duane and his wife Deed for about 10 years now-- I first met them through some Gretsch Guitar events. Very fine people, and "neighbors" of a sort-- they live about 45 minutes away from me.
Last but not least-- My favorite actor of all time: Alec Guinness. While many younger people know him only as Obi-Wan Kenobi, I am more of a fan of his early British Ealing comedy films, as well as his appearances in the "Doctor Zhivago", "Bridge on the River Kwai", and probably my single favorite performance of his, "Tunes of Glory". I had a well-worn copy of Alec's first autobiography, "Blessings in Disguise" (published in 1985). In late 1998, An autograph collector friend of mine gave me an address for Alec in England, and told me that he was usually willing to sign personalized items for free if you sent it to him. However, Alec had been battling several health issues, and there was no guarantee that I'd get my book back.
I sent it to him anyway, in November 1998 with a letter to him in which I stated that he was more than just "Obi-wan" to me. Months passed, and no book, no reply, no word at all. I had begun to give up hope, as he was in his mid-80's, and might not be able to sign for various reasons.
In September 1999, a large mailing envelope from the UK arrived at my house. I looked at the return address, and recognized it immediately. I opened the package, and inside was my book, signed and personalized by Alec. There was also a short note from his wife Merula, apologizing for the delay, but stating that they had both been dealing with severe health issues. She thanked me for being a fan of his, stating that the love of die-hard fans was one of the few things that still brought him joy through cancer treatments.
Less than one year later, Alec passed away; and his wife passed a few months after him. I'd venture to guess that mine is probably one of the last few autographs he signed for a fan. That means a lot to me.
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Jan 2, 2020 19:04:35 GMT -5
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Post by Calidore on Jan 2, 2020 20:02:27 GMT -5
I've only gotten a few autographs myself. First I remember was in high school, when Peter Davison and then-wife Sandra Dickinson had an appearance at a bookstore. No idea whatever happened to that one.
Next two were from the only two book signings I've ever attended, which happened to be just a few days apart. One was Andrew Vachss, and the other was Ray Bradbury.
Next and last are from just a few years ago at a sci-fi movie marathon. Patricia Neal was the guest, and my dad's a fan, so I brought a DVD of Day the Earth Stood Still for her to sign, then sent it to him as a surprise.
I also got a couple of unexpected autographs for myself at the same event. They held a raffle to benefit Patricia Neal's stroke foundation, and I won the donation from Rich Koz (local horror movie host Son of Svengoolie, who I watched religiously in grade school): a signed Svengoolie t-shirt and, even better, a signed rubber chicken from the show.
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Post by berkley on Jan 2, 2020 23:19:11 GMT -5
This is something I've never gotten into, but I have had/still have some autographed items... the ones I got myself came from situations where it seemed rude not to ask for one, or someone just gave me/sent me/drew me something they signed. Well, it's non-comics, but I do kind of treasure my Ritchie Yorke (Australian) signed book on Canadian rock music circa the late '60s... I suppose I most wish I'd kept a Charlton Green Planet comic I got autographed by Dick Giordano. For other people I have gotten/given some cool things... best being a Ventures LP my BF now has signed by the classic four members from a dollar or two bin in Chico California!
First I ever heard of this book: must find a copy!
I've never really felt bitten by the autograph bug myself but I can think of one instance that might help me understand it just a little: when I was a kid, me and my brother somehow found out that you could send away for autographed pictures of the individual players of the Montreal Canadiens, our favourite team. They were stock photos of the players posing much as they do on the old hockey cards of the time (early 70s). It wasn't so much the autographs that I was interested in as the pictures themselves.
Anyway, on most of them the autographs were reproduced copies that came out in black but on one of them you could see the player had actually signed that individual picture himself in blue ink - you could see the indentation where the pen pressed into the cardboard.
Who was the player? Not, as you might think, some rookie too inexperienced to know he didn't have to take the trouble to sign every card himself, or some fringe-player not important enough to warrant making multiple reproductions of his signature.
It was Jean Beliveau.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 3, 2020 5:12:55 GMT -5
This is something I've never gotten into, but I have had/still have some autographed items... the ones I got myself came from situations where it seemed rude not to ask for one, or someone just gave me/sent me/drew me something they signed. Well, it's non-comics, but I do kind of treasure my Ritchie Yorke (Australian) signed book on Canadian rock music circa the late '60s... I suppose I most wish I'd kept a Charlton Green Planet comic I got autographed by Dick Giordano. For other people I have gotten/given some cool things... best being a Ventures LP my BF now has signed by the classic four members from a dollar or two bin in Chico California!
First I ever heard of this book: must find a copy!
I've never really felt bitten by the autograph bug myself but I can think of one instance that might help me understand it just a little: when I was a kid, me and my brother somehow found out that you could send away for autographed pictures of the individual players of the Montreal Canadiens, our favourite team. They were stock photos of the players posing much as they do on the old hockey cards of the time (early 70s). It wasn't so much the autographs that I was interested in as the pictures themselves.
Anyway, on most of them the autographs were reproduced copies that came out in black but on one of them you could see the player had actually signed that individual picture himself in blue ink - you could see the indentation where the pen pressed into the cardboard.
Who was the player? Not, as you might think, some rookie too inexperienced to know he didn't have to take the trouble to sign every card himself, or some fringe-player not important enough to warrant making multiple reproductions of his signature.
It was Jean Beliveau.
Oh... my... God!!!
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Post by beccabear67 on Jan 3, 2020 14:10:26 GMT -5
My Dad as a kid in the '50s living in Hamilton Ontario sent for some Maple Leafs colour photos from the Toronto Star newspaper and got them, but no autographs. I'm not sure if there were hockey cards as such yet, maybe cigarette cards? There were also hockey guy photos in plastic discs/balls in Shirriff brand food products... my uncle left behind a paper bag full of them, but I liked the ones with old plane and car srt more for sorting through.
The Axes, Chops etc. Canadian rock book was reprinted much later but I've never looked at it to see if it kept all the photos or added anything new, but I heard there was nothing new text-wise in it.
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Post by beccabear67 on Jan 3, 2020 14:17:57 GMT -5
I won the donation from Rich Koz (local horror movie host Son of Svengoolie, who I watched religiously in grade school): a signed Svengoolie t-shirt and, even better, a signed rubber chicken from the show. How does one sign a rubber chicken? I mean, other than 'very carefully'. My BF got a Rickenbacker guitar autographed by Red Dwarf star and Liverpool DJ Craig Charles, but he didn't put a fixative over it and it started to rub off. There's also a pick guard on a Gretsch with Jeff Beck or someone of that caliber's autograph, but it got a big crack somehow. I have a Trina Robbins Sheena drawing that is probably the nicest original I have (and I don't have much), and a Phantom Lady artist Bruce Lewis (who briefly did Robotech and Starblazers comics) drew for me... they'd make a nice pair framed... maybe someday.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2020 14:30:24 GMT -5
I won't name drop, but after attending Dragon*con for many years (and also via Gail Simone's board), I've become friendly with a number of well known sci-fi/fantasy authors. . so I have a lot of signed stuff that has been gifted to me over the years (honestly, in most cases, I'm not "fans" of their work per-se, but I think that's why thy enjoy hanging out or going to dinner with me, since i'm not gonna pepper them with "fan-questions"). So I treasure all of those autographed books greatly. i also treasure my Babylon 5 cast photo that I have the vast majority of the cast signed (again, from years of Dragon*con, or other conventions). I think my most prized one, tho, might be Arthur Adams. . since it took me so many years of wishing I could meet him, until it finally happened a couple of years ago at con when he was able to make it. as to beccabear's question as to how does one sign a rubber chicken? i have an autographed rubber banana, that was given to me by one of my "non-name-dropped" author friends a few years ago at Dragon*con. He had written scripts for a digital series, and had based one of the characters on me, including a featured moment where they solved a death-trap problem with a banana. . .so he gifted me the rubber banana prop (signed by himself and the cast) and made me a little carrier for it. (i was going to a party at Dragon*con and he asked me to swing by his room on the way there to visit because he had something for me). hence, carrying an autographed rubber banana "purse" in this pic with someone cosplaying as Pickle-Rick. LOL
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Post by The Captain on Jan 3, 2020 15:25:37 GMT -5
I've never been a big autograph guy, but I do have a few that I've gotten that are important to me.
Shortly before he passed away, Herb Trimpe was at a comics convention here in Pittsburgh. There was no one in line at his table, so he was sitting there signing a huge stacks of a recent variant cover he had done (I think it had Wolverine on it). I walked up and started chatting with him and his wife, both of whom were lovely people; they had taken the train from New York down to Pittsburgh to cut down on costs, as he said he didn't make a lot doing the shows any more. He asked if I had anything for him to sign, and I had brought a handful of old Hulk issues (like, pre-Wolverine-intro Hulk issues). His face lit up as he told me that few people ever brought him the old books to sign any more, and that it was a treat to find fans who were getting books from their collection signed, not just so they could flip them on eBay for cash. We talked for about 15 minutes more before I moved on, and it was just great to talk to one of the long-timers in the industry about books he cared about and was excited to sign instead of doing it knowing the people having the books signed just wanted his signature to add value to their items.
The other one that I have that means something to me is my autographed copy of Bruce Campbell's autobiography. He was in Pittsburgh for a big-screen showing of "Evil Dead 2" (it was around Halloween or something) and my girlfriend (now wife) and I went to see it. There was a meet-and-greet before the viewing, and I got my picture taken with him and he signed my book. I'd been a big fan of his for years, so it was a nice little treat to take something away from going to see a movie.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 3, 2020 15:48:00 GMT -5
Not an autograph collector at all, but was given a book about sports and opened it to find my uncle had somehow persuaded the three members of the Yankees at the dinner to sign the pages devoted to baseball. One was Gene Woodling, the second was Yogi Berra. Can't remember who the third player was. I never the book with me when I left home; my brother, an even bigger sports nut than I, "inherited" it. The only other autograph I got was at the NY Comic Convention in 1972. I literally turned a corner, saw a guy at an easel sitting by himself, and only realized who he was when he turned around. I was struck dumb, couldn't think of anything to say. He understood. I'm sure he was used to it, because he very gently reached for the convention booklet I was carrying... and signed the inside cover. It read...
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