LFCC Comic Zone Guest Signings

[Nerd Who]

Hey guys, so the first wave of Comic Zone guests has just been announced, and among them there are a few great Doctor Who comic artists I might want to meet  The announcement post doesn’t give much information on how signings work, though, so I though it’d ask a few questions here in case people who have met comic artists at previous events can answer and shed some light for newbies. Hope this is ok.

1. Do comic artists usually attend all day, all weekend unless otherwise stated? Will they have a particular signing schedule or will they sign at all times throughout the con when they’re at their tables?
2. Do they sign only comic books bought at their table on the day, or can you bring your own items for them to sign? Are autographs always free, free only if you buy something from them, or at an additional price?
3. Most importantly - can you ask for a sketch? Do they charge for sketches or are they free/included in comic books price? Do they usually do sketches for anyone who asks, or are they limited to the first few people who buy the comics? Is there any way to guarantee a sketch/drawing, like do you have to pre-book one or put your name on a waiting list or something?
4. Will details for any of the above be announced nearer the event, or do comic guests/publishers organize their signing schedule independently from Showmasters?

Thanks in advance to anyone who will reply 

[Wrong Name]

I haven't visited any of the comic guest for a couple of years but I'll try my best to answer the bits I can:

1. Unless stated, they are usually there all weekend. They work the same way as the media guests usually, where they will be at their tables unless on a break (again, unless stated).

2. You can bring your own comics for them to sign. There have been a few times I've seen where there was no mention of a charge before the show but there was on the day. It seems very rare though, most are free, without having to buy anything else.

3. Different artists seem to work in different ways. Some will ask via website/social media etc. for you to sign up before the event if you want a sketch, others will say it is first come first serve on the day. They usually only have a certain amount of spots (as it takes a while to do as you can imagine) so get in quick. You will usually have to pay for a sketch and how much is usually set by the guest and will differ depending on the amount of work (colour, size, amount of characters) they have to put in. You are best off trying to contact an artist to find out what they are doing.

4. Usually what you have now is about all the details you get about comic artists from Showmasters before the event.

 

Of course, any of this info could have changed in the couple of years it's been since I was at the comic side of things!

Edited May 2, 2018 by Wrong Name

[Nerd Who]

@Wrong Name Thank you so much!

I’ll keep an eye on the social media pages of the artists I’d like to meet in case they say something about preordering a sketch, otherwise I’ll try my luck on the day - probably on the Friday when they might be less busy and I’ll have more free time as well.

If I can’t get a custom sketch, I hope they’ll sell some premade sketches or prints at their tables so I can ask them to sign one of those, since from what you said I understand the signings are quite flexible 

Anyway, thank you again for your reply, that was really helpful! 

[Raylenth]

2 minutes ago, Nerd Who said:

@Wrong Name Thank you so much!

I’ll keep an eye on the social media pages of the artists I’d like to meet in case they say something about preordering a sketch, otherwise I’ll try my luck on the day - probably on the Friday when they might be less busy and I’ll have more free time as well.

If I can’t get a custom sketch, I hope they’ll sell some premade sketches or prints at their tables so I can ask them to sign one of those, since from what you said I understand the signings are quite flexible 

Anyway, thank you again for your reply, that was really helpful! 

If you like someones art work and you find their schedule is full at the event you can always ask for contact details and ask for something post show.  I think artists do do commissions away from the show as well sometimes.

[Nerd Who]

41 minutes ago, Raylenth said:

If you like someones art work and you find their schedule is full at the event you can always ask for contact details and ask for something post show.  I think artists do do commissions away from the show as well sometimes.

True, most artists usually do commissions when they aren’t too busy with their projects so that’s a possibility as well. I’d prefer to collect the artwork at the show but if that’s not possible at least I’ll have a backup plan  Good idea, thank you for suggesting it! 

[Raylenth]

Interestingly enough, as a result of Maxcat's post in the other comic guests thread I've just looked at the comic zone section of the website and found it still has all of 2017's details there and there was a signing schedule

http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/index.php/zones/comics-zone

However I did think it was just whenever they are at their desks.

[InfiniteMonkey]

Believe signing schedule was there so people who didn’t feel as confident just going up to the guests could go along to the specific signing area at the appropriate time, but you could still also get stuff signed at the individual tables whenever they were there

[Raylenth]

Makes sense.

[Nerd Who]

Oh, I should have checked the website, thank you Raylenth for the link! Having a proper signing schedule is very useful for planning, so even if some guests take breaks at different times or don’t stick around all day at least you know when to find them for sure 

Great to see all those interesting stage talks as well, I didn’t expect so many!  Hope there’ll be a panel with Doctor Who comic writers & artists this year too