Dennis Haysbert hail to the chief - Rebel Scum Con 2026

I had to go back to Rebel Scum Con on Saturday for one last autograph: Dennis Haysbert. This was the first convention I was aware of him attending and it was in my backyard, so I HAD to get President Palmer from the series 24.

He had a long line but I wasn’t concerned. I had all day. Even though it was long, the line was moving. To help past the time, the fans had lots of interesting items for him to sign. One had a foot tall coffin with Jubo in it. Another fan had a bucket of KFC. I was more mundane and just had an 8x10.

When I stepped up, I said, Hello President Palmer. I got a very small smile. I’m sure he got that a thousand times. Then I added, I always think of 24 when I see your name. It’s true. I do. Now you ask yourself, why did I get a photo from Major League signed? Because, I might think David Palmer but Major League is more iconic to me. I watch Major League at least once a year. I haven’t watched 24 since it ended many many years ago.

Dennis was nice. He added the quote: Hats for bats, which is a line The Wife and I toss about more times than I care to admit. And it’s perfect for the photo.

Then I left and enjoyed the rest of my Saturday.

AH

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Rebel Scum 2026

The last autograph on my list for Friday was Paul Sun-HyungLee. He was in a couple of the Star Wars series. He was also in Kim’s Convenience.

His line was about 30 people deep. It was moving slow because Paul was enjoying meeting his fans. He had stories to share and questions to answer. Very friendly and likeable. He shared his anecdotes with the Star Wars people about his chin strap and beard. He didn’t want to wear it as it made his face look fat. It was going back and forth and whether ‘canon’ was involved. Star Wars takes canon seriously.

After a short photo op break, I got his autograph and I headed back to the car. It felt good to sit and decompress the spine. And yes, there was still people in line to get their autograph tickets.

AH

Denise Gough Rebel Scum Con 2026

Okay, not the biggest name to appear at Rebel Scum but I think she commands the screen in the TV series, Andor. 

Denise Gough had a short line by the time I got there. She was moving fairly fast but giving people time. She wasn’t rushing people.

I think she picked up a blue pen to sign but I asked for white. I said it will work better with the grey background and match the uniform. She admitted it looked nice when she was done.

She offered the quote and I think it’s perfect.

AH

Bryce Dallas Howard Rebel Scum 2026

Seeing Bruce Dallas Howard’s name on the list for Rebel Scum Con was a surprise. She has not done many conventions. And this little convention got her. Not FanExpo Dallas but Rebel Scum. Color me impressed.

When I finally got through my autograph ticket conversion obstacle course, I headed to her table. She was not there. I think she was doing photo ops. She was supposed to be back in 30 minutes. I can work with that. That is when I went to Dean-Charles’ table. When I was with Dean-Charles, Bryce was at the table. I slowly made my way over.  One person was talking to her. This person had her hand on Bryce’s arm and leaning close. I figured it was a friend or a professional encounter. I asked the handler if Bryce was back or just talking to this person. I was told she was back. Awesome. And yes, I looked back, and there were still gobs of people in line to get their autograph tickets…glass half full…I’m not waiting in a long line for Bryce.

The handler liked the photo I brought. Although there was a table photo I saw and I debated. The handler said something that was true. My photo was a little more unique. At least for this show. I stayed with my photo. Mine was a little plain but I did like it.

Bryce was very friendly. We chatted. She made fun of me when I asked if she been to Dallas before. It is her middle name. in my defense, being conceive in Dallas is not the same as visiting Dallas. We had a few laughs. I was enjoying that no one else was in line.

She signed and I left. I had expected a very long line for her. This was a wonderful boon for an aging autogrpah hound.

AH

Dean-Charles Chapman Rebel Scum Con 2026

Rebel Scum had some issues with ticketing. I spent 2 ½ hours in line to convert my paid bar codes into ‘tickets’ to present at the table.

The ONLY positive of this issue was there was still a hundred or more people in line behind me that were stuck. Which means, there were not in front of me to get autographs. Trying to be glass half full…

I walked up to Dean-Charles Chapman first. Just one other fan in front of me. They were having a good conversation. I listened and waited patiently. My patience was surprising because I just finished a 2 ½ hour penitence…but glass half full…

Dean-Charles was friendly. We chatted. He signed. Since this convention is in my home town, I offered a few suggestions for diner.

AH

Delores Imperial HR Rebel Scum Con 2026

As I walked into the convention center, I saw the one guest that caused me the most excitement. Delores. She is the Imperial HR specialist. You have seen her on Facebook or Instagram. I think her cosplay is creative and a breath of fresh air. She interacts with fans and gives out citations for failure to follow cooperate policies.

I enjoy her so much I actually presented her with a letter of appreciation. It was from the Rebels. The Rebels were overjoyed with her work. It seems she has decreased morale in the Imperium and that has increased morale among the Rebels. They were encouraging her to continue the good work.

When I walked up to her table, we exchanged a few words and then I handed her the letter. It’s tough to be put on the spot to try to read something ‘cold’ and react. She did a good job. I got a smirk from her which is what I would expect from Delores.

Then I handed over my photo and she signed. I was a very happy camper.

AH

Michael Stackpole Rebel Scum Con 2026

I’ll skip my issues with Rebel Scum Con as I want to focus on Michael A Stackpole. While I was in the insane line for Rebel Scum, I passed Michael’s table. He was signing for others. He was chatting and explaining things about his work.

My line slowly inched forward. I kept looking back. People brought every copy of their books for him to sign. He didn’t mind. When his line was nearly empty, I asked the person behind me if I could leave for a few minutes. She gave me her blessing. Then I went to Michael’s table. He was just finishing with a younger fan as I pulled my book out of the backpack.

The fan left and I stepped up. I told him I was trying to multi-task. I was stuck in the line that was never moving and figured I would at least see him.

The last thing he said to the previous fan concerned writing stories in other people’s universes. The public doesn’t know what is planned. The publisher is often planning the next 2 years out. Either with books ready to print or consigning work to other authors. Michael’s suggestion to the fan was to contact the publisher before investing time on writing something that won’t fit the time line. I never thought of that before.

After I handed over my book, he asked about my polo shirt. yes, I was wearing my obligatory UofA shirt. He asked if the ‘A’ was Arizona. I asked if he went there. He said no, he lives in the Pheonix area. So that got us chatting about AZ and monsoons and mountains.

He asked if he could personalize. I said, I would like something more old school: name, date, and convention. He normally doesn’t do that but I think he liked that idea.

When I got back in line, the line moved about 50 feet. Not far but much further than I expected. We made progress. I think I waited another 1 ½ hours to get my autograph tickets.

AH

Diedrich Bader Bell County ComicCon 2026

Yes, I did the long drive to Belton County with an autograph buddy to get one autograph. Silly and not very thrifty of me. I had wanted Diedrich Bader for a while. I have missed him several times. I made the trip. Carpe Diem and all that.

The show was crowded. It is a lot of local fans that don’t travel 2 or 3 hours for a show. They are excited a show came to them. While I think they are missing out, they seem very happy at Bell County ComicCon.

When we got there, Diedrich was not at his table. I was told he’d be back ‘in a few’.  That can be ten minutes to an hour but I got in line with the other people waiting. The wait was closer to the 10 minute mark.

He chatted as he signed. Friendly and willing to talk.

He smiled when he saw my photo. I blamed The Wife. She really likes the Miss Congeniality movies. After he signed, I mentioned I really liked the Drew Carey Show and we watched every week. He thanked me and I was done.

I waited a short time for the buddy to finished and then we headed back to Dallas.

AH

John Cena SpaceCon 2026

This was my 7^th and last autograph for this convention. I had many more autographs planned but 7 cancelled over the months before the convention. It happens.

It was 5PM on Saturday and I was ready to get this done and go back to the hotel. The Spurs basketball team was in the NBA finals and the game was starting just across the parking lot. I wanted to get out before the game started.

I got in line for John Cena. There were several groups to be called before us but I was the front of our line. The guy next to me was watching the Rangers baseball game on his phone and chatting with the people behind him.

The line monitors started walking through the group. Reminders to have the prepaid tickets out and the item to have signed. They mentioned John had a hard break but he could get through everyone if we didn’t chit chat and were ready with our items. Yes, I did start to worry. I wondered if I would be staying late or coming back on Sunday. I really didn’t want to come back. I wanted to relax on Sunday.

The line really did start to move. When I got behind the curtains hiding signing table and John, I handed over my ticket and photo. I mentioned I would like red for the paint pen. The handler said, the ‘red’ they had didn’t work well. John actually paused and turned to me and said I won’t like the results in ‘red’.  But I will like the results in ‘blue’. With a smile, I said: ‘Blue’ it is.

Then I was in front of John and he signed.  I told him thanks and it did look good in ‘blue’. Then he smiled and said: I told you.

I left and it wasn’t too long after 5 PM. I called The Wife and she was already waiting in the parking lot waiting for me. A short walk in the San Antonio heat and I was in the car heading to a restaurant for dinner. Then we walked the game from the hotel room.

AH

Jimmy Smits SpaceCon 2026

While I never watched LA Law, this is the show I think of when I see his name. But that doesn’t mean I wanted Jimmy Smits’ to sign an LA Law photo.

When I was prepping for this convention, I couldn’t find a photo I liked that wasn’t pixelated. I was relying on the options at the table. Even they didn’t have too many options. I chose what I thought was best. I do like this photo. The silver paint pen was great.

While Jimmy was ahead of schedule with the signing, he was taking a few seconds with everyone. I welcomed him to Texas and he asked where I was from.  I told him I came from North of Dallas. He mentioned a relative in Ft Worth. Then he asked if I grew up in Texas. I’m sure I don’t sound Texan. I mentioned Jersey. He told me he worked in Princeton for a while. I told him my Dad worked in Princeton for a while too. Then a few more comments about how pretty Jersey is. Yes, Jersey is pretty. Lots of history too.

As we parted, he told me to say ‘hi’ to my Dad.  How cool is that? My Dad got a shout out from Jimmy Smits!

AH