Ultimate Collectors' Forums

Didn't know where else to stick this, but I attended my first comic con in Houston this Saturday, Houston's Comicpalooza. It was really fun and pretty surreal being so close to all these celebrities and entertainers.

I have a trip to Germany coming up so I didn't go too terribly crazy with autographs and photo ops. I did see a lot of celebrities at their tables, such as the cast of Gotham, some pro wrestlers I grew up watching, George Takei, JG Hetzler (General Martok from DS9).

I did get a chance to meet Marina Sirtis from TNG

and Cobie Smulders from The Avengers and How I Met Your Mother .

Looks like you had an awesome time, but I think it will pail in comparison to Germany. I've been to more cons than I can count and they seem to get boring after awhile. People watching is usually more intertaining than what you spend your money on there. Have fun on your trip and make sure to post photos when you come back.

I am really looking forward to Germany, but I can also see how without some self control, one could spend lots and lots of money at cons. Not just on autographs and photo ops, but just going through the dealers area and all the original artwork and vintage toys and other merchandise.


Don't worry, I am sure I will be taking a ridiculous amount of pictures while I am in Germany!

Marina looks very much how she looks in the recent Next Gen retrospectives. Cobie Smulders looks NOTHING like she did in the Avengers, IMHO!

It is very easy to spend a lot of money at cons. In my con heyday around 1990-1992, I mostly just spent the admission price plus the price for a photo to get signed (which was usually $5...ok, it was a long time ago). There was lots of stuff in the dealers' rooms but thankfully most of it did not appeal to me and that which did, was too expensive to consider.

But if you're going to Germany, if it were me, I'd be spending a lot time away from the con (well I guess I'm assuming you're going for a con) and seeing lots of historic sites and eating a lot of German food (well, as a vegan, probably not...Germany is not known for its vegan cuisine), and trying some German beers.

So did you gush over Marina what a bit TNG fan you were, or did you manage to restrain yourself?

Actually, I am going to Germany for Study Abroad... The History of Psychology.

I plan to partake in lots of non Vegan foods and German beers while I am there

Marina was very friendly the pic was off of my cell phone and after the person took our pic, she scrolled through my cell phone to make sure the picture looked good. She's still as gorgeous as ever.

My main reason for going was the Cobie Smulders photo op, I kind of have a crush on her She was super friendly as well, when we walked in for the photo op, she introduced herself "Hi, I'm Cobie" I said "I know" haha, then she asked if me and the person I was with were a couple and I said "no, we're uncle and niece" (this particular niece is 26) and she said "Ooops, nevermind"

She was also very cool during her Q&A session, even after they announced no flash photography, she said "why is that a rule? it's stupid, I don't mind"

I envy you Olorin, to have $5 autograph price!! Autographs ranged from free for a few people, mainly hovering around 20-40$, with the headliners, like George Takei, Stan Lee, Cobie Smulders about $60 for an autograph, up to Jeremy Renner's outrageous $140ish.

Photos were generally about 5-10$ more. For me personally, I'd rather have a personal pic with the people, to me thats more memorable than having a stock photo signed. Now, If I had a special piece of memorabilia then I'd love to get that signed. I kind of regret not having my photo with Cobie signed, oh well.

There's another con coming in September to San Antonio, one of my favorite cities to hang out in. Right now, on the line up are Billy Boyd and John Noble

But we'll see, I have to see how my financials recoup after getting back from Germany.

BladeCollector wrote: I envy you Olorin, to have $5 autograph price!! Autographs ranged from free for a few people, mainly hovering around 20-40$, with the headliners, like George Takei, Stan Lee, Cobie Smulders about $60 for an autograph, up to Jeremy Renner's outrageous $140ish.

There's another con coming in September to San Antonio, one of my favorite cities to hang out in. Right now, on the line up are Billy Boyd and John Noble

And bear in mind, the $5 was just for the photo unsigned...I could have bought it and walked out with it. The signing was FREE. How times have changed.

I think it would be interesting to see John Noble. He was good in LOTR, of course, but he was so freaking fantastic in Fringe, it's unreal.

Olorin wrote:
And bear in mind, the $5 was just for the photo unsigned...I could have bought it and walked out with it. The signing was FREE. How times have changed.

I think it would be interesting to see John Noble. He was good in LOTR, of course, but he was so freaking fantastic in Fringe, it's unreal.

Wow I have been trying to find out who sets the autograph/photo op prices. Is it the con? Is it the actor? Is it the management? Is it the professional photographer company setting photo op prices?

I get some sort of fee, someone is paying the actors to be there, the actors are making money to be there, their travel arrangements and hotels have to be paid for. Also, the cons are getting so popular, that the prices are kind of a built in crowd control. Although if that was the case, they could say its $20 bucks an autograph and the first X number of people that buy one get one.

Part of me hates to think that its the actors themselves that are taking that much advantage of the fans. Especially the actors/etc that have the no photos sign behind them at the autograph tables. What does it hurt to take a pic of the person signing my autograph, or taking a picture of them from a distance?

Looks like a fun time, BC, congrats!

Anyone here coming to Indianapolis for GenCon, the largest board game convention in the States? I'll be working a booth with a friend if anyone wants to come say hi!

I forgot about this thread!

In the last 3 years since I went to 2015 Comicpalooza, I've attended about 13 cons around Texas and I have done many many many photo ops with celebs. It has become my new "collecting addiction" so to speak. Along with a few autographs here and there and collecting art prints and slowly moving into original art from conventions... my sword collecting has slowed down considerably

Photo ops I've done range from William Shatner, Val Kilmer, Christopher Lloyd, Robert Englund, Mark Hammill, Adam West and Burt Ward, lots of celebs from the Arrowverse, some pro wrestlers Kate Beckinsale, etc.

This weekend I got to meet Rick Moranis

All of my pictures are on my Facebook which I have set to fairly private, but I think this link works for everyone, even if you don't have a FB page. Also, my instagram is set to public if you know my real name, I am easy to find and would like to view my adventures.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... b4ee9d2335

The 2020 San Diego Comicon is officially cancelled.
https://www.comic-con.org/cci

Were you going to attend?

Deimos wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 1:03 am Were you going to attend?

No, I've never been to SDCC, though I woiild love to some day.

So the companies like Weta that use SDCC to unveil their latest and greatest....I wonder now when they will showcase them...

Deimos wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:40 am So the companies like Weta that use SDCC to unveil their latest and greatest....I wonder now when they will showcase them...

I'm guessing that they'll do their own videos to post and share on the web and social media.

Probably. It's not quite like the hoorah surrounding an unveiling at SDCC.
Still, one does what one can in these strange times....