Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Once I found out that I wasn't going to be able to get my Art of Usagi signed by Frank Miller I considered not going. I'm glad I changed my mind. There weren't many artists there who contributed to the Sakai Project, but the ones that did were very friendly and the signatures were free (tip jars were on most tables). The only exception was Michael Golden ($5). I'm not saying he wasn't friendly, just letting you know that he charges for signatures. I wanted my books and prints signed so it wasn't a big deal. I'm now up to a whopping 17 signatures. I'll catch up to you West Coasters one of these days. The one big disappointment of the show was that NOBODY had a regular copy of Albedo 2.

Unless I go to one of those bigger cons in North Carolina or Baltimore I don't ever see filling up this book.

My list so far:

Adam Hughes
Allison Sohn
Arthur Adams
Billy Tucci
Buzz
Darwyn Cooke
Dave Johnson
David Mack
James O’Barr
Jeremy Dale
Joyce Chin
Mark Dos Santos
Michael Dooney
Michael Golden
Neal Adams
Tim Sale
William Stout

I took my brother's book with me so I ended up getting two different sketches from Michael Dooney.





Signed Batman HC by Andy Kubert and Greg Capullo.



Signed and sketched Tale of Sand HC by Ramon Perez.



Usagi head sketch in my Sakai Project by Jae Lee. I love his artwork.



Usagi head sketch in my Sakai Project by Adam Hughes. I don't think he was comfortable drawing Usagi. He said he'd try if that's what I wanted.
I did ask Allison ahead of time if he would draw Usagi and she said yes so I decided to stand in line. They were both very nice.
That may be common knowledge to most of you, but I don't get out to many conventions to actually interact with people.



I'm trying to put together two complete sets of prints (signed) from Baltimore ComicCon 2013. Eventually it will happen and then maybe one set will become a prize!

Good job on the signatures!
Like you I don't go to many cons, and when I do I find it difficult to interact with the artists (even the nice ones). I usually go blank and don't know what to say.

Gaffey wrote:
I'm trying to put together two complete sets of prints (signed) from Baltimore ComicCon 2013. Eventually it will happen and then maybe one set will become a prize!

That's cool. Somehow I missed seeing this image before.

Wow! You have AH! and a Jae Lee sketches. Cool! And you got the late Darwyn Cooke to sign your book. I admire his art a lot. Darwyn is one artist I wish I had the chance to meet. Congrats. Peace, maka

Some nice sketches you got there. Getting my Sakai Project book signed has forced me to be a little more social, meeting artists I may not have met otherwise.

I've found that most of the authors and artists I've met are nice people. If I'm asking for a signature, I always try to make sure I engage them in conversation. They're usually happy to talk art and inspirations, what projects they're currently working on, and share stories. I've found that some of the people who have been in comics for a long time usually have some great stories about working for publishers, meeting the big guys (Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, etc.), or how the industry has evolved over the years. When I draw a blank on what to ask, I usually find that asking about the comics they have on their table (how they came to draw that comic, what was their favorite part, etc.) is a great conversation starter.

jabba359 wrote:I've found that most of the authors and artists I've met are nice people. If I'm asking for a signature, I always try to make sure I engage them in conversation. They're usually happy to talk art and inspirations, what projects they're currently working on, and share stories. I've found that some of the people who have been in comics for a long time usually have some great stories about working for publishers, meeting the big guys (Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, etc.), or how the industry has evolved over the years. When I draw a blank on what to ask, I usually find that asking about the comics they have on their table (how they came to draw that comic, what was their favorite part, etc.) is a great conversation starter.

Good tips. I'll keep those in mind when I am lucky enough to go to another convention. Peace, maka

maichan wrote:That's cool. Somehow I missed seeing this image before.

It was also used in the Sakai Project (page 43). Have you seen the other prints? I'll take a picture if you'd like.

I think there were five in total. Terry Moore, Michael Golden, Ray Fawkes, Frank Cho and Mark Teixeira. There's probably a photo of them somewhere on the internet.

jabba359 wrote:If I'm asking for a signature, I always try to make sure I engage them in conversation.

I feel like I'm holding up the line so I try to keep it to a minimum.

Quick story: Greg Capullo was being pulled away to go to one of his panels when I was 4th or 5th in line and the fans in front of me were asking for selfies and talking about his work. All I wanted was one book signed!! Thankfully he continued to sign until the last possible moment. I could have gone back to his next signing, but it seemed like all the big name artists started up again at 5pm. I don't remember there being strict signing times at an artist's table when I last went to a convention.

Maka wrote:Wow! You have AH! and a Jae Lee sketches. Cool! And you got the late Darwyn Cooke to sign your book. I admire his art a lot. Darwyn is one artist I wish I had the chance to meet. Congrats. Peace, maka

I was also fortunate enough to get Jeremy Dale's before he passed away. I may have AH! and Jae Lee, but no Sakai.

My plan is to get Usagi head sketches from artists I like who didn't contribute to the book. I was going to go back to Ramon Perez’s table later in the day to see if he would draw in my book, but I complete forgot. It was getting way too crowded for my comfort and my mental to do list went bye bye. Not only that, I also forgot to go back to the tables of Mike Zeck and Michael Golden to see if I had won anything at the raffle. I was not a happy camper.

Gaffey wrote:

jabba359 wrote:If I'm asking for a signature, I always try to make sure I engage them in conversation.

I feel like I'm holding up the line so I try to keep it to a minimum.

Quick story: Greg Capullo was being pulled away to go to one of his panels when I was 4th or 5th in line and the fans in front of me were asking for selfies and talking about his work. All I wanted was one book signed!! Thankfully he continued to sign until the last possible moment. I could have gone back to his next signing, but it seemed like all the big name artists started up again at 5pm. I don't remember there being strict signing times at an artist's table when I last went to a convention.

Oh, for sure! If there's a line, I try not to take up too much time either. But if there's time to chat and nobody waiting, then I like to get to know the artists a little bit.

Gaffey wrote: NOBODY had a regular copy of Albedo 2.

I am sorry for my ignorance but what does this mean?

BuckRogers wrote:

Gaffey wrote: NOBODY had a regular copy of Albedo 2.

I am sorry for my ignorance but what does this mean?

Albedo 2 is the first appearance of Usagi Yojimbo and is the holy grail of UY comic books. I think only 2,000 were printed. So that is probably why no one had a copy at Megacon, it is rare. Peace, maka

BuckRogers wrote:

Gaffey wrote: NOBODY had a regular copy of Albedo 2.

I am sorry for my ignorance but what does this mean?

The only Albedo 2 at the show was slabbed/graded. The guy wanted $4000 and it was a 9.4 or 9.6. I was looking for an ungraded copy. That's what I meant by regular copy. I made it more confusing than it should've been.

Maka wrote:

BuckRogers wrote:

Gaffey wrote: NOBODY had a regular copy of Albedo 2.

I am sorry for my ignorance but what does this mean?

Albedo 2 is the first appearance of Usagi Yojimbo and is the holy grail of UY comic books. I think only 2,000 were printed. So that is probably why no one had a copy at Megacon, it is rare. Peace, maka

Tracking on Albedo 2. I actually have a slabbed copy myself of this issue. I was not sure what "Regular Copy" meant.

Gaffey wrote:

BuckRogers wrote:

Gaffey wrote: NOBODY had a regular copy of Albedo 2.

I am sorry for my ignorance but what does this mean?

The only Albedo 2 at the show was slabbed/graded. The guy wanted $4000 and it was a 9.4 or 9.6. I was looking for an ungraded copy. That's what I meant by regular copy. I made it more confusing than it should've been.

Got it! Nope, not your fault. My ignorance, nothing on your part!

I actually worked out he meant a non-graded copy... somehow!