Robert Kirkman SDCC 2018

Yes, it’s about time I got Robert Kirkman’s signature. All these years I’ve gone to SDCC and have seen him, I never got a chance to have him sign something.

This year was a different ComicCon for me. I could spend some time around the comic booths and I was on the expo floor early enough to pick up a wristband. Yeah me.  I guess seeing Robert Kirkman walk the floor on Preview night and having him wave back was a good omen.

Kirkman is not a ‘hard’ get at SDCC. He is accessible and he signs at different booths (or did in the past) and on multiple days. It’s a question of getting to the booth that is having the signing before the wristbands are gone. This year, I accomplished this feat.

Once I had the wristband on my grubby little wrist, I had to figure out what to get signed.  I wasn’t going to spend hundreds on a comic as that’s not my thing. While I could get three items signed, I wasn’t looking for collector’s items to flip. I wanted something that was more my style.

I went to the booth (they had lots of merchandise for sale) and asked one of the clerks what I should get.  He didn’t have a poker face and you could tell he thought I was a loon.  Okay, it was an odd question. I spent just enough time with him to be polite and left. I had some time before the signing. I would come back and ask a different a worker.

Later, I got someone different.  I asked again.  He only wanted to sell me collector action figures.  Not my thing. A coworker came up and she worked better for me.  I got a book (I like books), a Walking Dead comic book variant (at least they told me it was a variant. How would I know?), and the first volume of Outcast.  Outcast is another comic that crossed over to TV.

I got to the signing early and I was close to the front. Robert arrived about 15 minutes early and said with a smile: You’re here. I’m here. Let’s get started.

I heard the people in front of me. They gushed.  They were fanboying out. Not an issue. I do it too.  When I handed over my things, I said straight up: I don’t read comic so I don’t know much about these but I love both Walking and Fear.  He paused. He digested that.  He smiled to himself and said, That’s okay. Nothing wrong with that. We can be inclusive.’

I liked that answer. I picked up my items and left with a great memory.

AH