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Phil Kreisel
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Joined: 03 February 2006
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Posted: 15 August 2018 at 10:04am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Matt Hawes wrote:

The first time I saw Neal Adams at a show a few years back, he would sign for free and let you take a picture with him if one bought a print or original art from him. The next show I saw him at a couple of years later, he was charging for his autograph,  and for people to take his picture. 
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When Neal Adams first came to the Calgary Expo (I think it was 2014 or 2015), I did spend $20 to get him to sign my copy of Green Lantern /Green Arrow 76.  He also signed some prints that I purchased from him (one was personalized to me).

He did give out a free Neal Adams portfolio at Free Comic Book Day in NYC in 2017.  My director friend was in NYC at this time, and she graciously found his studio, picked up a portfolio for me (which he signed) and got a picture taken with him (all for free).

So, I've gotten my fair share of Neal Adams signatures.



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Jason Scott
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Joined: 06 August 2012
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Posted: 15 August 2018 at 2:45pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

In reading this (and the Star Trek thread) the thing that astonishes me the most JB is that not only were you signing for free, but that you were autographing 10(!) comics at a time.
I don't think I would have the nerve to ask for that. (Even though I could easily...EASILY..find 10 issues you've written or drawn in my collection that I love..)

Heck I felt guilty asking for 4 autographs from Matt Smith (which is probably the most I've ever asked for from one person) at the recent London Film and Comiccon and that was an event where there certainly were some hefty prices for autos.

All I can think of is how your poor hand must feel after an event like these. (And of course hands are very important for an artist!)
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 15 August 2018 at 4:52pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

It seems so strange to me, but I see Neal Adams at least twice a year (at Comic-Con and Wonder-Con), for the last few years.  He may not know my name, but he definitely knows my face!

At the start (maybe seven years ago?), he had a little sign saying one free signature.  So (at another booth), I bought an old FLASH he did the cover for and he was glad to sign that for me, and I don't think I bought anything from his booth that day.

The next year, I think he would sign something if you bought something at his booth.  Sketchbooks and prints were $20 each, and he would gladly sign (and personalize) those for free.  Maybe there was a sign that year or the next saying signatures (on your items) were $5 each.

So, every year, the prices go up, and prints are now $40 each.  But it's been a slow rise.  I guess it's been a slow testing of the water and seeing what the market will bear.  And since he's always sketching on a commission while he sits there, every moment of his time at a con is worth something.  It doesn't bother me, but I've stopped buying prints--I don't need a $40 print.

At the same time, he's started offering 8.5 x 11 original art head shots for $200 each--a big drop from the slightly larger or more detailed pieces available for $700 or $1100.  So, I bought an original Neal Adams Batman for $200, which he signed and personalized and even did a little extra finetune inking for me on it!

THAT was a bargain!  The other (lesser) guys, selling their sketchbooks for $20 but raise it to $35 for a signed one--THAT bothers me!  No thanks!  Adams is a legend, for his talent and also for his place in history, and he won't always be with us.  I wonder if anybody would balk at $5 or even $50 for a Picasso autograph.


Edited by Eric Jansen on 15 August 2018 at 4:55pm
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Kevin Sharp
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Posted: 15 August 2018 at 6:39pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Adams is a legend, for his talent and also for his place in history, and he won't always be with us. 

***

Eric, fair point. My "problem" is that, over the course of my fandom, I've gotten Lee, Kirby, Kubert, Infantino, Jerry Robinson, Gil Kane, Murphy Anderson, Russ Heath, Nick Cardy etc etc etc & have paid $0 for any of them. That's my price point, for Neal Adams or whoever else.

If the autograph comes with a print, or a sketchbook, or they ask me to "pay what you can" for the CBLDF... different story. Barring any of those, when I bring up a book AND the pen to sign with, asking only for the effort of a signature (not looking for a freebie sketch), I simply can't swallow paying for it. It's principle. 

If it cuts me out of the market on some creators, I'll live with that choice.


Edited by Kevin Sharp on 15 August 2018 at 6:41pm
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Eric Jansen
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Posted: 15 August 2018 at 8:07pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Oh, I would never pay for an autograph either.  I just can't blame Neal Adams for financing his giant booth (which enables him and his staff to attend all these cons and meet as many of his fans as he can) with things like giving a signature which increases the value of other people's items.

I've self-published a lot and I've signed many, many things.  I consider it an honor.  I'm glad to hear that JB still signs for free.  But he and NA are two of the only legends still around, and I recognize that an autograph from either is like an encounter with history, and people shouldn't take a moment with either lightly.

I really do liken it to meeting Picasso or Van Gogh more so than getting an autograph from an actress who did one episode of STAR TREK or something in 1989.  And owning a little signature from a great artist is in and of itself like having a little piece of art from them.


Edited by Eric Jansen on 15 August 2018 at 8:09pm
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John Byrne
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Posted: 16 August 2018 at 4:25am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

[JB] and NA are two of the only legends still around...

•••

Gleep! How are you defining "legend"?

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