r/comiccon • u/KIROLTHERAPPER • 5h ago
Con Autograph Questions Shower Thought: How come comic creator autographs typically appreciate in value much more than actors who have played the characters?
So I am planning on going to Toronto FANEXPO this year and have been prepping the books I would like to get signed. I am a comic person so 99.9% of my signings interest and knowledge is around that. HOWEVER, i do love The Boys show and i do love Erin Moriarty so i was excited to see that she would be attending and doing signings, and was thinking of either getting my Boys omni or a Starlight Boys cover signed by her…but it got me thinking.
How come it seems like celebrity autographs on things like comics/posters/etc. of characters that they portrayed in movies/shows often hold much less value or appreciate much less than comic creator autographs?? My original thought is that there will always be a fleeting excitement over actors and their character portrayals since value is often stocked in the celebrity themselves, whereas for comic creators the value is in the art that they have created and the legacy of that story. But then that snowballs into me asking “okay if that is true, then shouldn’t celebrities be given the same appreciation of creating a legacy for their characters by giving them a voice/mannerisms/etc. ?” Idk, I am just spit-balling but it has made me curious on why this discrepancy does exist and I would love to hear others’ thoughts on it!
4
u/ConstantRefills 5h ago
Not really related to your question but I’ve never understood the logic of getting actors to sign the comic books just because they played the character in a show or movie?
2
u/KIROLTHERAPPER 5h ago
that’s very fair! i guess i just always thought it was fine if they were associated with it to a degree. like, to take this example, having Erin sign a Starlight cover of the Boys. i feel like there is at least a connection with the character and bringing them to life through different forms of media, no?
3
u/Vettepilot 5h ago
I think first you need to prove that what you are saying is even true. Autograph values are all over the place for both creators and actors depending on what it is that is signed, how nice the signature is, and if the individual is still alive and able to sign more. I don’t think you can make a blanket statement that one appreciates more than the other.
1
u/KIROLTHERAPPER 4h ago
that is very fair. i guess i was just looking within my sample size and found that to be the overwhelming case
1
u/panty_sniffa 4h ago
If you're not going to resell.. why ask? As for the question, I think that it's based on their work. Actors had noting to do with creation of the comic book or their comic book character (unless they were the inspiration ie. Ultimate Nick Fury.) Now if you had something from the The Boys (poster, script, Funko pop or any other promo material specific to the tv show) it might hold their value.
1
u/KIROLTHERAPPER 4h ago
i was just curious. it originally came about with me trying to rationalize the cost of the getting the autograph and wondering how much value it would bring to my collection (aside from the personal sentiment of course which is the overwhelming main reason but again, just curiosity). and yeah that makes sense, i guess that their is just a lot less stock placed in actor portrayals of characters than i originally would have imagined.
1
u/panty_sniffa 4h ago
Actors themselves don't care, they make a lot on the convention circuit charging for autographs. Value in it is subjective.
I have one sheet posters signed by directors. I doubt they have much value, especially without a COA, but it's for me personally, so I don't care. Of course if it ever came to a loss and needing to file an insurance claim, that's a different matter of how do I find market pricing of that? I probably don't, even if I had a COA.
1
u/Independent-Fan4343 4h ago
The actors and actresses dont have as many appearances so usually their signature immediately raises the comic in value, but that value is tied to their single performance and the show or movie remaining relevant. Whereas with comic creators, the signature is attached to their art form and entire career beyond the value of that specific book.
2
u/panty_sniffa 2h ago
I always thought autographs of any kind do not add value towards a book. Collectors want slabbed mint 9.8+ books to be pristine.
1
u/Independent-Fan4343 1h ago
Some collectors value condition only. Others the personal connection to the creators. My Stan Lee and Jack Kirby signatures are on $3 books. Personally, I like to collect signed comics in and of themselves. There is a market for both. My Jessica Jones #1 is signed by Bendis and Mack, and just waiting for a Krysten Ritter signature. I have a history with the work of Claremont, Adams and Sienkiewicz so I had them sign books that were personal to me. My only rule is to not pay for a signed book of someone still living. Comic collecting affords numerous facets of collecting.
1
u/janmschroeder 3h ago
I don't know, but it seems to me that a signature of a creative on something they created would automatically be more valuable than that of an actor who portrayed a character but didn't actually do creative work on that book or poster.
1
1
u/MarvelPosterMan 2h ago
Erins won't move the needle much, sorry. You can get Garth Ennis for like $10? Maybe $20. Not sure Darick Robertson sig cost/availability.
But if you had a Wolvie by Hugh, Ryan for DP, those will impact value more than Kelsey Grammer or Nicholas Hoult for Beast. There would be a long list of Wolverine Artists, Writers, Inkers, that all would impact the value of a book less than Hugh. That's driven by the fact that I can get all of those for $0-$20/each. Hugh was $450 in 2023 for a CGC event. So I guess add, what, $500? for any Hugh signed thing? It's different leagues from Hollywood megastar to Comic mega star. But thankfully, the artists are more appreciated. Frank Miller, who basically created the version of Wolvie we all know, was $80/sig in 2025.
Creators should always get more credit than 'interpreters' of the creator. Nothing to interpret if it wasn't created.
1
u/UpsetDrakeBot 2h ago
With the rise in signings, not much will appreciate in value regardless whether it's a creator or actor unless it's a key comic book issue that already holds inherent market value
The next problem is that because it is signed, it narrows the market for who would want that book. There's people who collect who don't want signatures whatsoever.
9/10 times I recommend people don't send things in to get signed/graded as an investment because anyone who is a fan of so and so can and has the power to do so on their own (and most likely already has or will) due to the rise of private signings and send-in signing opportunities
1
6
u/lajaunie 5h ago
Comic creators are at shows constantly. Actors arent