Mark Sheppard Fan Expo Dallas 2019

This is another occasion where I gotten more than one autograph from the same actor. A long time ago at SDCC, I got Mark Sheppard to sign a photo from Firefly.

That was before he dove into two very large fandoms and everyone wanted him: Dr Who and Supernatural.

He was in the Sails Pavilion and I don’t recall anyone in his line. I walked up. I told him I really liked Firefly and it was a shame it was cancelled. At the time, Firefly was still under most people's radar.

At Fan Expo, my friend from El Paso asked if I could do his nephew a favor and get a photo signed by Mark. Not an issue. He wanted something from Supernatural.  Since I was in line already, I choose a photo from Dr Who for myself.

Here are both photos. His signature hasn’t change much over the last 15 years.

AH

Sam Raimi Texas Frightmare Weekend 2019

Let me bore you yet AGAIN with a SDCC anecdote. In 2008, I was one of the winners of the raffle for Drag Me to Hell.  It was one of the secret signings the used to do. You only knew where and when to show up. It was always in the back of the convention center. You were not allowed to bring in your backpack or take any photos.  Ideally, you were only supposed to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’.

When we entered the room all those years ago, Sam Raimi was there along with Alison Lohman and Justin Long and I THINK Dileep Roa. I don’t remember him but it looks like it might be his signature on the mini poster.

Flash forward to 2019. I’m in line for Sam. He is being friendly with everyone. I handed over my photo and we talked over each other as we ask questions. We both smile and I wait for him. Then I tell him about 2008.  I told he asked me a question and I gave a silly answer.  He confessed he probably asked a stupid question.  When I denied that, his handler laughed in contempt and said he probably did. We all smiled.

So I told him that he asked about my favorite part of SDCC.  At the time, I was trying to be good and just stick to ‘hello’ and 'thank you’. I reply innocently  with, I liked the WB booth the most.  That was a stupid answer.  I figured he wanted a response like the Drag me to Hell panel was awesome! Or even this signing. I did not say anything clever. 
After I told him this, he said it was an okay answer and he should not have been asking questions.  But it was awesome he wanted to engage with the people and not just signing a quick autograph and shouting ‘next!’

I told him I always remembered that signing. I really liked that his attendance was not perfunctory. He wanted to be there. And it seemed to be the same thing with his appearance at Texas Frightmare.

AH

SDCC 2018 epilogue: read my lips

As I mentioned, I was sick this year. That was a first for me. And actually, I’m surprised. Over 13 shows, I would have expected to be either sick, in the beginning stages, or the dregs at least once before.

Because of my cold, I know I walked a lot less this year than last. The phone’s pedometer had my steps higher. This year, my phone was ‘on’ the whole day. In previous years, I would turn it off to save the battery.  This year’s count is more accurate.

This year was less of a physical beating. I spent fewer hours standing on concrete each day. It was easier on the back, hips, knees, and feet. I could also attribute that to being 10 pounds lighter than last year. Or walking DOWN (not up) 15 to 20 flights of stairs each work day. Or sleeping in a real bed in a hotel next to the convention center. Or the meds I got for the cold.

There have been several times over the last 14 years that I was planning to ‘quit’ ComicCon. After my first year, I thought I was one and done but The Wife really wanted to go as I had so much fun.

A few years after I had no plans to attend but a college buddy asked if I would go with him.

Another year, we talked ourselves into taking a friend’s kid.

When I was laid off, I didn’t expect to go. The Wife thought it would be good for my morale. She was right.

The Con has gotten harder and harder to get autographs. When I first started, my single goal was Ray Bradbury.  If you told me I would end up getting in line at 8PM and sleeping on the sidewalk, I would have thought you were crazy. The classic ‘slippery slope’. It slowly morphed into that to get the CHANCE to get the desired autographs.

While no other show is like SDCC, there are other intriguing shows to see and attend.  London Film & CC and NYCC call my name. I think Atlanta’s Walker Stalker would be a disappointing and frustrating zoo but I want to go.  Even the blood feud with Salt Lake doesn’t deter me from wanting to see SLCC for myself. I think Phoenix CC would be a blast. Oh, and I want go back to DragonCon and spend the whole weekend there. Maybe I’ll even venture to Vegas for Creation’s Star Trek extravaganza even though I really don’t like Creation.

Over the last few years, my lips have muttered the mantra: Never again. Then as the pain fades, I revisit my conquests, and write this blog, I get excited. By the time the badge sale is announced my desire grows and I perjure myself.  I have spoken those words again this year. It wasn’t in disappointment but a sense to move on.

The universe does like tempting you. It’s not out of cruelty but curiosity. It wants to see how you react. Next year is SDCC 50^th. I have an old coworker that tells me his daughter is planning her first SDCC next year. The list of movies that could have signings is painfully luring. I meet some new people I would like to see again. I missed spending time with people I usually see. And of course, I’ll miss seeing my long time SDCC buddies. 

As of NOW, it is ‘never again’. Au revoir SDCC.

AH

Legion SDCC 2018

Out of all my on-line raffle entries, this was the only signing I won. Previously I would get 5 to 6 cast signings at ComicCon from the Fox and WB booths.  Then I would pick up some ancillary signings at other booths.  This year, I won 1 cast signing from those 2 booths. It was disappointing.

However, the Legion signing was not a disappointment. The cast was ‘up’. They were enjoying this. There was 11 people at the counter signing for the fans.

When Amber asked if I had watched season 2, I said, I watched 15 minutes.  Then realized I didn’t now what was happening.  She laughed.  I said I re-watched those 15 minutes again and realized I was distracted by my phone and I need to really concentrate.  So I was planning to binge when I could give it the attention it deserved. Then John Cameron leaned over and said; You’re right. You can’t play on the phone and watch at the same time.   I think he was happy I realized that.

The signees:

Jeph Loeb (left top), Navid Negahban (right upper), JeremieHarris (upper center), Jean Smart (left center), Bill Irwin (right center), Amber Midthunder (left lower), Nathaniel Halpern (lower center right), DanStevens (lower left), Rachel Keller (lower center), Aubrey Plaza (lower right), and John Cameron (right bottom)

AH

Van Helsing SDCC 2018

I like Van Helsing on the Sy Fy network. I was excited about this signing.

The signing was smooth. It was quick. The cast was in 'sign and move on' mode, although Aleks and Jonathan, who were on the end, would pause to look up and say hi and shake hands.

Aleks Paunovic (top left), Rukiya Bernard (left upper center), Jennifer Cheon (right top), Kelly Overton (center left vertical), Trezzo Mahoro  (right center), JonathanScarfe (bottom right), and Neil LaBute (left bottom)

AH

Man in the High Castle SDCC 2018 (or no Parrots were killied in the making of this signing…)

Parrots? Did I have a stroke? No, I don’t smell burnt toast...

The signing itself was straight forward. I think a lot of people were expecting Stephen Root. He was not at the signing. This signing did allow a personal item to be signed.  A few people took advantage of that. I wish I knew. I would have loved to have gotten a photo signed by each of the actors. Oh well.

The signing had 3 actors and 2 producers. One of them is Phillip K Dick’s daughter.

Rufus Sewell top right, Dan Percival right center (silver), Isa Dick Hackett top left, Jason O’Mara Bottom Left, and Alexa Davalos bottom Right

Okay, okay, The Parrot.

As we were waiting for the signing to start, I heard a shout in the Sail Pavilion.  As I turned, I noticed a bird flying inside. Okay, no big deal. It’s a pigeon that was inside and woke and decided to stretch its wings. However, it didn’t fly like a pigeon. It was totally grey except for a red tail. 

The shouting got closer and you can now hear a command: Close the doors! Close the doors!

 No one was moving to the doors.  The bird was doing a big circle in the pavilion. The Sail Pavilion is rather large and is mostly clear glass. While there are lots of places for this bird (now identified as a parrot) to land, it was not happy and it was lost. Nothing was familiar. It wanted to escape this strange place.

I have seen this before. I knew the parrot would get tired and panic and rush to the nearest window thinking it was an opening to freedom. Then as expected, the parrot flew with a thud into the window not far from me. With the crash, the bird stopped moving and fell 15 feet to the floor with a muted thud.

The cries to close the doors stopped as the owner rushed over in tears. She sat with the bird as the crowd quickly discussed this.  After a few minutes. The owner stood and stroked the birds head. It had survived the window and fall.

So, this Parrot’s not dead. He was only resting. He was pining for the Norwegian fjords…

AH

Lauren Cohan and Tyler James Williams – not a Walking Dead reunion SDCC 2018

(Looks around to check that The Wife isn’t around. Gets up and closes the Door. Tip toes back to the PC.)

Okay guys, I need to be quiet. Lean in close so you can hear me. I don’t want The Wife hearing this.  I kind of lied to her when I got this autograph. Not a big lie.  Just one of those smallish types that make things ‘interesting’.

On Wednesday night (Preview Night at SDCC), I went to the ABC booth to find out more about the signings they were having throughout the weekend.  I thought this was a recon mission but they were actually giving out autograph tickets right there and then.   They had several shows to choose from.

The ABC booth was the Orca from Jaws and the autograph tickets were in the water.  The hungry ComicCon Great Whites were swarming.  The line for the autograph tickets was capped. Security yelled unsuccessfully to disperse. The sharks, ever vigilant, circled the booth waiting for the line to ‘uncap’. Hundreds of eager fans encased the booth clogging the aisles and frustrating security.  As I circled, I would swim close to see the lists of shows that still had tickets. Several intrigued me. Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time), Agents of Shield cast, Nathan Fillion (The Rookie), and LaurenCohan (Whiskey Cavalier) were all still available.

I had promised The Wife I’d try to get her Nathan. She likes him a lot. Then if I failed I would try to get Lana. I like Lana a lot and The Wife watches Once Upon a Time.  I really assumed that Nathan and Lauren would be gone before I even had a chance.  As I mentioned, this SDCC was different.

 The crowd spent 30 minutes circling as shouts of ‘move along move along’ were hurled at us.  Then one of the security guys passed me and chatted with an older lady.  I overheard: ‘Stick close’. I missed the rest but I knew what I needed to do, I stuck close to HER.

Then the heavens opened and the sun shone upon us.  The same security stopped and shouted: please done rush -  (Boom! I had 5 people between the old lady and me) we are reopening the line. 

The line was instantly 50 people deep and growing. 

As I got closer to the front of the line, I vacillated between Nathan and Lana. The Wife had met Nathan once before. He even told her a secret.  As I was about to select a ticket, I leaned to picking the Lana Ticket for the Sunday signing. But my black dead-like eyes saw that Lauren Cohan was still available.

(Pausing to look at the door to ensure it is still closed. My voice is even quieter…)

I had to choose Lauren. She cancels a lot of conventions and this might be my only chance to get her signature.  I made a purely selfish choice.

I got my ticket and quickly walked from the booth. Excited. I pulled my schedule from my pocket and checked if this signing (Whiskey Cavalier) conflicted with anything else.

Then I realized I did not have a Nathan ticket in my hand.  I didn’t even have a Lana ticket in my hand. The Wife was expecting one of those two.  Later that night, when I returned to the room I took the bull by the horns.  I told her I had mixed success at the ABC booth.  While I COULDN’T get Nathan, I was able to get Lauren.  She asked if Lana was ‘out’ too.  I told a half truth (or half lie), I said Lana was available but I choose at the last second to get Lauren.  I hope you don’t mind.

(Did you hear something?  Is that a noise at the door? I stop typing and strain to hear…Slowly I start to type again…)

Yes, The Wife assumed that Nathan tickets were gone and I didn’t correct her! I’m such a bad husband!

The day of the signing, I was in line early enough to be on the booth carpeting.  It’s extra thick padding and wonderful. But even standing 30 minutes on that is taxing.  

The guests were late.  When they arrived, they had to do some press stuff and photo ops.  Then they sat down and started the signing. They posed for photos and were chatty. I was surprised by that. Being near the front of the line I wasn’t worried about running out of time but I did wonder if everyone would get an autograph.

Whiskey Cavalier is the new show that Lauren Cohen will be in. For this signing, I was very focused on Lauren. I didn’t pay attention to who they said was also signing. When I got to the table and actually looked at the other actor, I realized it was ‘Noah’ from Walking Dead, Tyler James Williams.

I smiled and said hello. I told him the last time I saw him was at Walker Stalker in Dallas.  He paused and a light went on.  He said that was an awkward convention as it was the day before he was killed in the series. It was hard to keep quiet as EVERYONE was wishing him the best of luck with the show.

Then I side-stepped to Lauren. She looked much more glamorous than on Walking Dead. She asked where I was from and if I enjoyed ComicCon.  I told her I was excited to finally get to meet her.  She asked my name and signed the poster.  Then it was over and I moved on to the next quest.

Now remember, mums the word.  The Wife can’t learn of this.

Thanks,

AH

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

Andy Weir SDCC 2018

This would be the second time I’ve gotten Andy Weir’s signature at SDCC. The first time was a year AFTER the movie, The Martian came out. He was at SDCC the year BEFORE the movie too but he was not on my radar.

I wanted to get him to sign Artemis last year but the line was way too long. This year I succeeded. He was friendly.  He was at a table with several authors and he chatted with the crowd as people waited for the next author. The conversation turned to IPAs and alcohol content versus a quality taste. Being a nondrinker, it was a conversation I’ve not heard before.

AH

Kyle Newman and Jon Peterson SDCC 2018

Okay, I’m admitting now, I’m guessing who signed this. I was in line for Raymond Feist and there were other authors at the table too.  I was about to skip these two gentleman but the line handler was barking for them.  The sampler for their new book was free and the guys were nice. I'm thinking this was signed by Kyle Newman and Jon Peterson.

Since I had room in the backpack and I wasn’t too tired, I smiled and took the item they signed and gingerly added to my stash.

AH

R A Salvatore SDCC 2018

Another author quest bites the dust at SDCC 2018: R A Salvatore. 

A few years back, I got his autograph on a signed poster for a video game he was involved with. It’s not the same as getting a book signed.

AH

Raymond E Feist SDCC 2018

Another author I have been passively trying to get at various conventions over the years is Raymond E Feist. SDCC 2018 has been a good year for authors and I finally picked up Feist’s autograph. Since my focus wasn’t on the WB and Fox booths, I had more time to stand in other lines.

Raymond was nice. He was hurried as he had a meeting with some ‘big wigs’.  He didn’t give much of the details but mentioned he had been down that road before. You hope for the best and try not to get your hopes up.

AH

Kass Morgan SDCC 2018

As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy the TV series, The 100. I have gotten autographs from several cast members. Now was the chance to get the author, Kass Morgan.

Authors can be hit or miss at SDCC. Sometimes they have extremely long lines. Sometimes they are chatty and the line is slow. Other times, the line is short or empty and the process is quick.

This time the line was short-ish. I got to the front of the line fairly quick but the person in front of me had a lot to say. It’s wasn’t an issue and Kass was kind and listened.

For me, I think Kass wondered if I read the book. I’m not the demographic (Teen and/or Female). But I told her I really enjoyed the show and I was excited to get her to sign a copy of the book that started the series.

As an added bonus, I got  Light Years for free (advanced reading copy) and signed.  Very cool.

AH

SDCC and The Beatles 2018

This is not a complaint. It’s a wonderful observation. For some reason, this was a very Beatles ComicCon.

Alex Ross had some wonderful prints for sale. There was a set of 4 but there was some ancillary artwork to make it a larger college or theme to a wall. It would have looked awesome in our house. I have no idea about the prices or the worth or how many copies but they were beautiful. My photos are hurried as I wasn’t sure I was allowed to take photos. I wanted to show them to friends but not get caught. Please forgive the cock-eyed images.

Then Mattel created Hot Wheels to celebrate several Beatle albums. I’m not sure if they had cars for each record or the only the ones that were soundtracks to their movies.

Lastly, Titan Comics did a companion book to the Yellow Submarine and I got the artists to sign their book. 

Bill Morrison, Nathan Kane, and Andrew Pepoy signed.

AH

Neal Shusterman SDCC 2018

I actually said this to Neal Shusterman: it was about time I met him. He looked at me oddly. I told him it seemed every time I planned on seeing him, something came up and I missed out. He has actually been to Dallas (and maybe Frisco) within the last 2 years. I had to travel half way across the country to get him to sign a book. Funny how The Fates conspire.

Maybe his next book tour I won’t have to lug around a hardback half a day.

AH

Lynn Johnston SDCC 2018

The last several years, the IDW booth has been good to me. This year, they had Lynn Johnston who did the For Better or For Worse comic strip.  I read her comic for years in Jersey and when I moved to Dallas as a young adult. I only stopped reading it when we stopped getting a newspaper.

Early that morning I bought the massive tome For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library Vol 2.  It weighs about 5 pounds. Not fun to walk around ComicCon with that extra weight.  When it was time for the signing, I didn’t see her. I would have hated to have missed her. Just before I tracked someone down, I saw her sitting on a side counter talking to a man with a microphone. It looked like she was being interviewed.  I caught the attention of the booth attendee and he said I could walk right up. I wasn’t interrupting anything.

I slowly approached to make sure I didn’t ruin the interview and they both looked up and smiled. I introduced myself and told her I read the strip for years.  She introduced me to the blogger that was interviewing her.  He wanted to ask me some questions.  I paused as I tried to come up with some quick repartee. He saw my looked and told me it was not an issue if I didn’t want to be interviewed.  I teasingly threw out that I would end up talking about Farley and get all teary eyed. And I didn’t want to cry at ComicCon. We all laughed. And DANG IT!, I started thinking about Farley and I got all teary eyed! I jinxed myself.  And yes, I’m a little misty as I write this. Sniff.

Lynn had signed the book that I had selected that morning. When I handed over the book she picked up a blue pencil and shaded the sketch. It was great meeting her and she was very friendly.

AH

Deadly Class Image signing SDCC 2018

Did I mentioned, I didn’t have any luck with the online raffles for this SDCC? Because I didn’t need to get in line for the WB and Fox signing at O’ Dark thirty each morning, I could focus on some other signings around the convention.  One of them was the Image booth signing for Deadly Class.

The signing was a mix of the comic creators, actors, and TV people.  The people signing seemed as pumped and the fans getting the autographs. I think everyone of them thank me for waiting in line and being excited abut the show.  It was nice.

They had 9 people signing. It was hard to know who was who and I think I identified all of the signatures and the placement correctly.

Lana Condor (top left), Maria Gabriela de Faria (top right), Luke Tennie (center), Wesley Craig (center), Benjamin Wadsworth (center right wrote BW - Marus), Benedict Wong (middle bottom left), Rick Remender (lower center), Mick Betancourt (bottom right vertical), Miles Orion Feldsott (bottom left).

I also bought a graphic novel that they all signed.

AH

Kari Byron SDCC 2018

Who doesn’t love the semi red-head Kari Bryon from Myth Busters?

I have been fortunate enough to win a raffle ticket for a MythBusters (or alumni) every time I‘ve tried. Unfortunately, only once have I been able to get an autograph. Either the line is too slow and I need to leave or I have conflicts and can’t attend.

This time, Kari was signing her book, Crash Test Girl at the Harper Collins booth and I could actually attend. She gave me that heart melting smile. I told her I really enjoyed MythBusters and blah blah blah.  I asked if could sign the photo I printed.  When she saw the photo, she told me that was from a special day. She just returned from maternity leave and she was worried if she still had ‘it’.  Once she shot the rifle and hit the target with the first attempt, she knew she was ’back’.

Surprisingly, she brought her own photos and she gave me one of those signed too.  Three autographs in one visit AND that smile…very nice.

AH

Rodney Allen Rippy SDCC 2018

Yes, I said it. Rodney Allen Rippy. Now look up. Is there a question mark above your head?  Oh well, that means you are too young.

In the early 70’s he was seen all over the place: Merv, Mike, Dinah, and even Johnny.

He was very friendly and willing to chat about old times and new.  He had a nice selection of photos and it was a fun walk down memory lane.

AH

Benedict Wong SDCC 2018

In the past, I have more or less posted the autographs in the order I obtained them. This year, I’m unorganized.  I moved everything upstairs and I’m still trying to figure out where things go. I’m temporarily short on work space. I’m not going to be so anal this time. I’m going to post things that make a dent in the clutter more than chronological order.

I was actually surprised to see Benedict Wong in the Sails Pavilion doing a public signing. I’m also surprised he didn’t have a longer line.  He was friendly and he had an English accent. He was very serious about no photos unless you paid for them a selfie.  With a smile he got up and hid behind the convention booth piping as a fan tried to sneak a photo. He didn’t come out until the fan put the camera away.

We talked about The Martian and his character and estimates to fix a problem.  The selection of photos was mostly Dr Strange. The one photo from The Martian wasn’t very good but I like the one I got.

AH