Posted in: Comics, NYCC | Tagged: autograph, charging, comic con, Comics, entertainment, neal adams, NYCC, signature

Charging For Signatures – The Readers Of Bleeding Cool Speak

From the comments sections of Bleeding Cool…. continuing the debate as readers share their own experiences and observations regarding the thorny issue of comic book creators charging to sign autographs. With a couple of comic book pro additions along the way…

Michael Ivey

What Tom DeFalco was doing at his booth at Edmonton Expo last weekend was interesting – he was charging on a sliding scale based on personalization/quantity of items.

If you just wanted a single personalized item, it was no charge. On the other hand, a single item that WASN'T required a small donation (his money was going to charity). Subsequent items would cost more and more, in turn; this rationale was explained on his price list as a reaction to how a lot of unsigned stuff can just go straight to eBay.

Kevin Eastman also did a similar thing there; first item was free, while subsequent items were $20 apiece. Though I'm guessing the free first item was in part due to the con-exclusive Eastman print for sale at the Expo merch booth.

I can't really blame creators for wanting money for unpersonalized signatures on eBay-auctionable items, and I'd agree there probably shouldn't be a hard-and-fast standard here that writers are expected to adhere to. There's the fans who want to meet their idols/get stuff signed, and then there's the people looking to throw stuff up on eBay as soon as possible.

Ben Young

I'm all for charging for any CGC autographs. I think I like how the Chew guys do it best, free personalized autographs. Charging for non-personalized ones. Let flippers pay and fans get a free bonus!

John Grace

Actors and actresses charge for their autographs because they make a living off of their likeness. If you want a picture of them signed, you're asking for a part of that likeness, so okay. That much I can understand.

But an artist or writer asking for money for an autograph is very much (to me) absolutely silly.

Any professional artist or writer has already been paid for their work. Anyone who presents a comic to a pro at a comic con has already paid for that published work and it stinks of "double dipping" on the fans and readership, many who have already spent a good amount of cash themselves not only getting to a show but also spending money on sketches, small press books, comics and graphic novels being sold by retailers, food, hotels and so forth.

I'm sure someone will argue that a writer's words or an artist's lines are part of their likeness or some such thing. Not quite true, but fine. Charge away. But the few times that I've approached a professional that is asking for money for a signature, I politely excuse myself from their table or booth and from there on in I will never, EVER buy any of their work again. Asking for a donation to something like the Hero Initiative is fine, I can support that and giving to those that have fallen upon hard times and have been less fortunate than others is just fine by me. But you're asking me to pay twice for the work you did that I've already purchased and cherish. Sorry, but that is just not going to happen.

Darthdad67

Neal Adams was an ass. Worst time ever meeting a comic legend. After I paid his assistant $30 for his autograph, I thanked him and had the audacity to ask if I paid for it. I told him his son was great to work with after spending hundreds of dollars on commissions and he said that he has more patience than he does. Did not even thank me for my business. The guy is an egotistical ass. I have sold everything he did for me and happy that I did.

Neal Adams

Darthdad. Wow, If you went away from my booth feeling like that, I'm truly sorry. No one at my booth is like that, ever, so I certainly have no excuse for You and your bad experience. How could I? Again, I'm sorry, and i don't blame you for selling your Neal Adams stuff. I hope such an experience is never repeated for you, or any of you, at any con

sirflibble

I would generally be ok with paying for signatures, particularly as creators have to travel a fair distance (usually paid for by the con or a store at the con mind you) to be there. I did pay $30 for a Stan Lee signature a couple of years back. But with entertainment figures I rarely will pay for a signature simply because of value. To me $30 is too much for a signature and I generally wouldn't pay it, or very infrequently

thunderspun

Ive had some issues with signature sales over the past few years for a number of reasons. Mainly the dramatic increase there has been in price over the past 5 years. Most notably the emergence of voice actors and their fees which were only a few years ago, literally zero. Now, tom keeney, broke all voice actor records charging 40.00 for a signature. I work at a photo booth every year at fanexpo, and this was a very weak year, maybe because of the prices? Maybe lack of interest? Who knows. But me personally, the prices are outrageous. I only bought 1 photo of lamar(hermes from futurama) for 25, and he was willing to put a quoat on it, i think that was fair enough. But lets face it, how long does it take for you to sign something? A lot of these celebrities get paid to come a promote the expo, do Q&A's and so forth, so that definately eats a lot of theirs costs, if not all. But lets face it, charging 40.00 for something that takes max 20 seconds?(can be as quick as 3 if your machine gunning, and maybe faster) Its a bit much, but they have the right to charge w/e the hell they want. They're only going to adjust when we stop paying, and i bet that wont really happen anytime soon. The real question is, will this have long term effects on attendance. And i think the answer is a strong yes, but whats the solution?

On a personal note, the only thing that upsets me is when celebrities who charge a lot are kinda dicky about things, Neal adams pissed me off to no end, 60.00 for 2 signatures and he cant even be nice about it? But hey, to his credit i did pay him and thats capitolism. If your breaking ground with a high price when your other peers are either free or low, you need to be overly nice and at least fake it. But again, hes got the right, so who the hell am I to judge?

Lucia Lolita

Ugh. No. There shouldn't be a charge for getting an autograph and I can't imagine paying for one. Putting a limit on how many items get autographed makes sense since it can hold up a line of fans waiting, or takes away from the creator doing other things (like commissions or simply communicating with fans)

At the FanExpo in Toronto I met many, many creators and not one asked for money in exchange for their autograph. Not one. They all expressed surprise when I enquired about a fee, and they all said never. Buying their comics etc was more than enough and them signing anything I had with me was a delight.

Soule, the Finches, Jae Lee, Jeff Lemire, and more. They all didn't have fees set out and turned down offers to do so. If you want to argue that lesser known creators need the income, then have it compensated through prints, comics, etc, as an incentive. I can understand that, and would support that, absolutely (even with the more known creators).

As for "flippers", that's the name of the game. They purchased those items they are requesting to get signed. In those instances, sure, limit the number, but that's it.

Oh, as for Liefeld charging $30 to get that Deadpool first appearance signed by him? That's a joke and awful. How pathetic. I'd rather have Henderson sign a comic with Deadpool on it than him, just for that reason alone (although I do adore Henderson's Deadpool).

Peter G

In my experience, part of the reason for the price is that fans want a trophy. They can tell a story of how much they paid and get bragging rights on what they were willing to part with. How much they spend is a gauge of how real a fan they are (and this happens in all walks of life, with people bragging about how much they paid for a car or their clothes or their gaming rig or whatever). A creator, actor, whatever signing stuff just to do it is a personal memento. Someone signing stuff that you can put a value on? That's a measurement.

There are some people that I won't pay for autographs for, but some people, like Bruce Campbell, I had no problem forking over the cash. And considering some people are just looking to flip the stuff, I can understand artists wanting some sort of cut for the sale of their signature and taking it up front. I mean, when the motivation is as mercenary as, "I can't wait to put this up on eBay!", it's going to inspire those kinds of economics.

The strangest feeling I ever had was when I saw someone had bought a video game I made and sold at a convention for $25 selling it for $50 the following weekend. I didn't know whether to be annoyed or flattered. I mean, being flipped is kind of a sign that you've made it, you know?

Chad Townsend

I haven't asked for an autograph since San Diego Comic Con in 1993 because of Chris Bachelo. I worked for a comic shop at the time. (I was 20 yrs old). My boss was a super cool guy and brought me with him to the Con. I was gonna go get my copy of Death #1 high cost of living signed by Bachelo and my boss asked to get his signed too. when I approached the table to ask Bachelo to sign them he immediately ranted there in front of his wife or Girlfriend and said he wanted $20 a signature per book because i was wearing an "exhibitor" badge and I was just going to go off and sell them. (I dont remember anyone ever charging back then) I tried to explain to him it was actually for myself and my boss for our collections but he got even more irate and said i was lying. His demeanor got pretty ugly over this. I told myself from that day on if I ever ended up getting near where he does in my career I would not blink at signing anything. I love his art, But Chris I still to this day think you are a jerk. That impression has stuck with me this long

xybot

This is why BCC should never have started with the media guests. I saw the problems coming when they booked Kevin Smith and those awful Comic Book Men. So many creators were annoyed and put out by their presence and the show has never been the same since. BCC used to be the show I looked forward to every year because it was the comic book lover's show … where the creators were more relaxed and really got into the love of the books, not the hype machine. Mark Nathan had a great thing and, while I still love the guy, I think he inflated the show too big. Just comparing the show 5 years ago to what it is today … what a big difference. Barry Kitson used to do full color 11 x 17 pieces for free, for gosh sakes. Charlie Adlard did sketches for $20. And guess what? NOBODY was charging for autographs … except Mike Zeck. ; My point is, we've started down a slippery slope with the media guests and focus on cosplay that I don't think can be undone. It is still my favorite show, but I think we are only a few years away from it being like NYCC: too crowded to even get into the main hall, over saturated with video game companies and movie studios, and a huge focus on the commercial side of the industry instead of the connection between fan and artist.

Mark Walters

The bottom like is that for a creator to attend a convention, that's time away from work and time away from family, and with the abundance of conventions these days they're being asked more and more to sacrifice that valuable time. So is it so wrong they ask for a nominal fee for their signature? Personally I think the best solution would be for any "personalized" signatures to be free, but non-personalized signatures should come at a small fee – with the first signature always free. But whatever they decide, as long as the signature fee isn't outrageous, it's ultimately their prerogative on whether or not to assign that value to their autograph. The fans can speak with their wallets. If you don't like the price, don't pay it, but try to look at it from both sides. Time is money.

silverageflash

I have been collecting/reading comics for over 40 years. I have been to many shows, I value meeting and shaking the hands of creators whose work I admire. I am even an artist (Illustrator/Graphic Designer) myself. I have no problem with creators charging for autographs, it is my choice to pay it or not, and i do not think negatively about them. I too have met Neal Adams at Cons and had no interest paying the $30. I did want to shake his hand, while in line I noticed how he was with fans and he seemed like a jerk. I left the line. On the converse side these creators deal with a fair amount of jerks too. I once met Steranko, who is on my comics Mount Rushmore. I shook his hand and thanked him, I told him he was one of the reasons I became and artist as he inspired me so. As we were chatting a couple of bozos came up carrying posters and prints and sort of shoved them in his face "Can you sign these?" Jim was like "Hold on, is that the way you approach me? He pointed to me and said this man just thanked me for inspiring him to be an artist and you guys treat me like meat? He grabbed the material signed them and said please leave. I then asked him to sign my copy of Steranko Noir. He replied its already signed (they were individually signed previous to purchase), I said yes, but i would like you to sign it to me. He was extremely gracious. Other creators I have met and chatted with that i found gracious and helpful (I showed my portfolio to a few before i chose my career path): Walt Simonson, Rich Buckler, Jim Starlin and Mike Grell

Chad Townsend

I haven't asked for an autograph since San Diego Comic Con in 1993 because of Chris Bachelo. I worked for a comic shop at the time. (I was 20 yrs old). My boss was a super cool guy and brought me with him to the Con. I was gonna go get my copy of Death #1 high cost of living signed by Bachelo and my boss asked to get his signed too. when I approached the table to ask Bachelo to sign them he immediately ranted there in front of his wife or Girlfriend and said he wanted $20 a signature per book because i was wearing an "exhibitor" badge and I was just going to go off and sell them. (I dont remember anyone ever charging back then) I tried to explain to him it was actually for myself and my boss for our collections but he got even more irate and said i was lying. His demeanor got pretty ugly over this. I told myself from that day on if I ever ended up getting near where he does in my career I would not blink at signing anything. I love his art, But Chris I still to this day think you are a jerk. That impression has stuck with me this long.

Mark Walters

The bottom like is that for a creator to attend a convention, that's time away from work and time away from family, and with the abundance of conventions these days they're being asked more and more to sacrifice that valuable time. So is it so wrong they ask for a nominal fee for their signature? Personally I think the best solution would be for any "personalized" signatures to be free, but non-personalized signatures should come at a small fee – with the first signature always free. But whatever they decide, as long as the signature fee isn't outrageous, it's ultimately their prerogative on whether or not to assign that value to their autograph. The fans can speak with their wallets. If you don't like the price, don't pay it, but try to look at it from both sides. Time is money.

Chris Rogers

I went to my first Con in Indianapolis this year and was excited to get my green Arrow books signed by Mike Grell. Well I get to his table and the whole time he's signing my books he's talking to this other guy about a commission; while paying no attention to me. Meanwhile his twerpy assistant is being nothing but rude and trying to rush me away from the table. Artists and creators can charge for signatures, but they also need to be respectful and give 100% of their attention to the person paying them to get their books signed. The conversation with the other dude should've been put on hold so I can actually have had an opportunity to thank Mr. Grell personally for his work.

Ben Bizzle

I met Gerhard at Wizard World St. Louis earlier this year and all the while he was affable, friendly, and courteous. After chatting with him for a few minutes, I saw that he was willing to autograph for a $10 fee and I was happy to spend the money to have him sign the variant Walking Dead issue that attendees received. He had a clearly posted sign with a clearly posted price, and I made a value judgement that I enjoyed the time with him and was willing to pay the price. Easy D

I also met James O'Barr and purchased a print and protective sleeve from him. There was a younger girl that was acting as a sort of carnival barker for him. She was the only who initially called me over and asked me if I'd like to meet the "creator of the Crow!" It was fun talking with him for a few moments and hearing the scoop on the new movie. She then did a little wheeling and dealing on his behalf to ask me if I'd like him to personalize the print for a $5-10 fee. I appreciated the mans contribution and was happy to pay the money. Easy D

I also walked right past the booth where Neil Adams was set up with a few people there and a huge swath of prints that were for sale, next to the signage that said he would autograph for $30. I love Neil's art and I have always respected his contribution to the medium. But seeing that pricing felt as though he was looking to profiteer more than earn a modest living. So I skipped over the booth and decided that I could live without that interaction in my life. Easy D

It's a business, and a demanding one that takes a lot of commitment and personal sacrifice to be honored and celebrated in. I appreciate that so much. But out of 3 legends, 2 had practices that I could get behind and one didn't. It doesn't mean that I don't respect all three of them, but I am the one who chooses how we will interact and whether I'm willing to pay the price of admission if there is one.

dlarryhancock

I've been a collector since 1965. I've written a few comics and over time I have known a lot of professional personally. I attended several Pro/Cons in the early 90s. I never pursued autographs. Well, actually, I stood in line once for a sketch and short conversation with Joe Kubert – can you blame me? (And then I sat beside him for lunch the next year!)

I have decided it is time to downsize and two months ago began selling my collection piece by piece on ebay. It will be a long process. I am learning a lot as I go along.

I do want to maximize my return so I have been having some of my books CGC graded.

Neal Adams was at Fan Expo a month ago and I talked to my retailer and we chose 30 books to get autographed by him with the anticipation of the Signature Series sales being worth the investment of $10 per book that he had been charging. However, when I learned that he now wanted $30 per book, it just was not worth it.

I have no problem paying for a signature when my intention is to make money off of that signature. However, CGC charges extra to "slab" a Signature Series book as well. Taking into account the extra CGC fee and the $30 Neal Adams fee, I could not see how I would make any more money by selling the book, than if I just got it graded without the signature.

If Neal Adams had charged just $10 per book, I would have paid him and paid more to CGC. I would have (hopefully) sold the book for more, and each of myself, CGC and Neal Adams would have benefitted.

By charging an excessive amount (in my evaluation), Neal Adams ended up without the $300 extra that he would have gone home with. I hope he made enough from other people to make up for that.

jkatch

My son went to FanExpo. I think all the creators he asked signed for free. Furthermore – he got into a short conversation with Jeff Lemiere. Jeff asked if my son had read his other work and gave him a copy of Decender #1 (signed). My son read it and then went out and bought the tpb the next week. One artist offered to draw a sketch for my younger son and I bought his comic at his table.

I have no issue with charging (though I was disappointed about Neal Adams, as I could not afford to pay – tickets into the show were $60 apiece alone). I do think many aspects of these conventions could be explained to the public. For example, I always thought the fees for the movie/tv stars went right to the show organizer – movie/ tv person gets paid a flat fee by the show to attend and the signing fees go to the show. Is that not the case? I think most artists attend out of their own pocket (table rental in artists alley), but don't a few get expenses from publishers? Does the show not pay for some artists to attend? Also, if an artist is selling a book at their table, do they pay the same wholesale price for those copies as my regular retailer?

If you charge or not, please make sure your sign is clear so there is no confusion.

Chad Townsend

I noticed that not one comic creator in those twitter comments came up with the idea to sign their own copies get them graded and flip them. I do mean this tongue and cheek though ) OK creators, just stop signing books for anyone and create an inflated market here

Gregster

I think it depends in part on whether the creator is at the show on their own dime or the con brings them in, etc. I used to co-run a smaller show and we also took our guests out to expensive steak houses for dinner and these days it seems some of the shows don't even feed their creators. They appreciated how we treated them enough that at one show they did free sketches for anyone who asked. Now, I was at the Kansas City show that Neal Adams and Mike Zeck were at. I balked at paying the $5 Zeck was charging to get his signature in my copy of The History of the DC Universe HC (which has almost 200 so far and isn't for resale) because I was under the impression that he was brought in by the con. Plus, another artist (who I guess I won't mention by name to keep any bad feeling showing up) who I was a big fan of was signing whatever you wanted for free. Of course that meant you had to wait while everyone else got their sometimes large stash signed but that was cool. I also had a great time talking to Jim Shooter who wasn't charging for signature either.

Feel free to add your own experiences.

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