Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment, Fan Expo Dallas

Who Charges What? Autograph Prices At Fan Expo Dallas

Published Thu, 09 Jun 2016 12:00:06 -0500

Last updated Thu, 09 Jun 2016 15:03:46 -0500

Brandon Wainerdi writes, pictures by Jason Kauzlarich,

Prices climb up and up for creator signings, holding in line with the inflation of autograph prices at conventions over the past few years. Here's just a small sampling of how much it would cost to get a couple scribbles at Dallas, Texas this weekend.

One of the biggest pulls for Fan Expo Dallas this year was the "reunion" of the major players of The Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Easily the longest line for comic creators at the con so far not named "Stan Lee" (Todd McFarlane will not have a table appearance until Sunday), Andy Kubert, Klaus Janson, and Brian Azzarello each charged $10 per signature, which racked up rather quickly. Frank Miller's autograph is only obtainable through a special $99 ticket (sold out in minutes months ago) or through a lottery.

All three were rather chipper, which they should be for $10 a signature.

Humberto Ramos was $5 per signature unless, as this sign shows, you were itching for his scribble on an Amazing Spider-Man #1 (which I unfortunately was.) $20 down the tube.

Scott Lobdell was $5 for the first ten books, $10 for the next batch of ten. But he also threw in a free copy of Uncanny X-Men #292 because I was a Brandon Peterson fan, so I'll take it.

Neal Adams was $30 a pop on the Batman #244 and Batman Annual #14 that I brought along with me so they remained signless and I settled for this interview instead. Priceless.

And if you want Stan Lee's autograph this weekend, bring $100 and be prepared to wait in line for the entire day. But it is his one of his last convention appearances ever (so they say) so it might be worth it? It is to these people. (And that was before he had even shown up for the day!)

All the comics in the shot cost $75 to get signed. How much would this have cost 5 years ago? Even a year ago? Artists deserved to be paid and autograph scalpers need to be slowed down but is there any easier way? I would rather put that $75 towards a commission or those $100 Impulse pages with written speech bubbles that Humberto Ramos brought to the con.