For the most part, I think getting autographs is weird. It’s just bizarre to me to want someone else to write their name, and then cherish that writing. In the past year, though, this has started to change a little bit. First, I went to Comic-Con International in San Diego last July. The experience is mind-blowing, and I recommend it to anyone. There are so many amazing people, and the celebrities are (almost) just as accessible as your fellow attendees. When you’re confronted with someone that you know from television, movies, comic books, etc., you can’t help but want some sort of memento. It’s awesome to take your picture with someone that you know, but that’s not always an option depending on the context of the conversation. After going to SDCC’10, I’ve started branching out to other geeky events, mostly for the opportunity to reminisce about my favorite (now cancelled show) Heroes. Because the show is cancelled, I need to have something to hold in my hands to commemorate the event.
The alternate (or supplement) to the photo with a celeb is the autograph. Almost always, the opportunity for an autograph is available. More than that, it actually provides an icebreaker to the conversation that a photo-op does not. Think about it, you see a celeb and want a photo with him/her. What do you do? You approach celeb, tell him/her what a huge fan you are, and ask for a photo. The photo is taken and you thank celeb and go your separate ways. With autographs it’s different. Add that to the fact that you will have a physical souvenir to the meeting of your celebrity, and the autograph is sort of perfect. Even if it is still a little weird.
Mind you, my experience getting autographs is at dedicated autograph booths for actors. In that setting, the celebrity expects you to want an autograph (duh), so it’s not awkward to ask. They have to be nice to you because you’re paying them. You also get a choice of photos from one of the celeb’s various works, which spurs a conversation with the artist about his/her different roles. I recently met Ray Park and had him sign a photo of him from Heroes. We talked about the show, his role, the cancellation. :( He was very gracious and personable. A real stand-up guy. UPDATE: Blog of this meeting can now be found at Red Dot Diva's blog here.
My experience with Mark Sheppard was very different. He was still gracious and personable. Believe me, I would never say a bad word against Mark Sheppard. Ever. The problem is that he is in too many things that I like. That’s a self-made problem, since I watch shows solely because he’s in them. It’s a vicious cycle. But I had a really hard time picking out a photo for him to sign. My friend Maxii had already picked a photo from Supernatural, so we discussed his role on the show (and his return in the next season) at great length. He was chatty. Which was great, because Maxii and I were both ogling him wordlessly. I ended up picking the Supernatural photo too, not because Crowley is my favorite of his roles, but because that was my favorite of the pictures he offered. He also had a Leverage photo, though, and it gave me the opportunity to ask him about that role. He was happy to discuss it and Sterling’s return to the show season-after-next (which is “next season” at the time of this writing). More on my Mark Sheppard experience can be found here.
One of my favorite autographs comes from another Heroes duo, Todd Stashwick (“Eli”) and Dennis Calero (a graphic novel author). They are collaborating on a web-based graphic novel (non-Heroes) and had a booth established at Comic-Con. Their webcomic can be found at www.toddstashwick.com. What makes this autograph unique was that it was not written on a photo. Dennis actually drew a picture of Jack Springheel, their comic’s antihero, and both Dennis and Todd signed it. The page is about the size of a trading card, but it’s very dear to me.
The last autograph I own is, again, from a Heroes veteran. David H. Lawrence XVII has to have been the most social, grateful, personable person that I’ve met to date. He actually became a little confrontational with SDCC staff when they tried to move Maxii and me along, telling him that we were there to see him and he’d talk to us as long as he wanted. He signed Doyle photos for both of us with cute little messages and was the one that suggested we each take a picture with him. He was sweet, outgoing, and genuinely a nice a guy.
Each of my autographs is more than just a name on a photo. For each of my meetings with the subject celebrities, I have a memory that is intimately tied to the artist’s signature. I may feel a little strange for owning people’s signatures, but the sentimental value more than makes up for it.
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