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Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios, Movies, Spider-Man, Stan Lee | Tagged: amazing fantasy 15, steve ditko, tom holland
When Tom Holland Signs Your Amazing Fantasy #15… But Should He?
When Tom Holland Signs Your Amazing Fantasy #15… But Should He? That's the question...
Article Summary
- Tom Holland signing Amazing Fantasy #15 sparks a collector debate over fandom, value, and comic book history.
- Roger Gaylord had Tom Holland sign his worn, unslabbed copy, raising questions about preserving rare Spider-Man keys.
- Critics compared the autograph to marking a masterpiece, while others argue fans can enjoy collectibles their own way.
- With thousands of copies on the CGC census, this Tom Holland signature may be bold, but not comic book sacrilege.
Amazing Fantasy #15, published in 1961, features the first appearance of Spider-Man by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, with a cover by Jack Kirby. Getting a signature from either of those might have been a good idea but… what about Tom Holland, the Norbiton actor who has appeared in seven Marvel films playing the character with more to come? .That's what Roger Gaylord did with his copy. He posted on Facebook last month, "Just attended the Spider-Man Brand New Day World Premiere! We met Tom Holland, his dad Dominic Holland & mom Nikki. Learned about their amazing charity, The Brothers Trust. The Hollands are truly the nicest folks! Even Broke out my rare 1963 Amazing Fantasy 15 for Tom to sign!"
Some people questioned the wisdom of doing so, given how valuable the comic book in question is and the temporary nature of the actors who have played Spider-Man over the decades. One user replied, "That's like getting Kim Kardashian to sign the Mona Lisa", or "paying 600 million dollars for Vermeer's The Girl with the Pearl Earring and getting Scarlett Johansson to sign it."
Here's the thing: Notably, there are thousands of Amazing Fantasy #15 slabbed on the CGC census. This is an unslabbed, more beaten-up copy, and Tom Holland signed the cover, and did so in a very unobtrusive fashion. Makes me think that's not the first time he's done it. There was a lot of hate for the fan who got Charlie Cox to sign her Daredevil #1 a while ago, but people can do what they like with their property. You have to let people participate in fandom on their own terms. And hey, filming it being signed might get a CGC Signature Series slab out of it too. Roger Gaylord seems to be approaching it with respect for the source, and while we hope that people who privately own unique, irreplaceable cultural artefacts feel an obligation to preserve them, there are all sorts of mitigating circumstances at play with this particular example.
I've worked with Dominic Holland a bit, as a voiceover actor, in my radio advertising days, and he has always been proud of his son's achievements, even before Spider-Man. I remember seeing Tom Holland around, in Kingston Town Centre, on the 85 bus, and just the other week, travelling at a very respectable speed through Richmond Park in some kind of sports car. I don't demand that he webswing through the trees and deer, before he gets to sign a Spider-Man comic…
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