Autograph Area rules

17 JULY 2014




Autographs are a big deal at Comic-Con. Some people make them a main point of their visit each year and other people ignore the whole shebang until their favorite celebrity is scheduled to appear in the Autograph Area.

It's not as simple as just getting in line and saying hi to Actor X when you get up to bat. For one thing, appearances can change on a dime. For another, there are rules and policies, just like you knew there would be. As such:

• The Autograph Area is open 10-7 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. You'll see it when you get your badge - it's right there in the Sails Pavilion.

• Like so many things at the Con, some autograph lines use a lottery. You have to pick a ticket out a container and it will or it won't have a "winning" stamp on the back. But if you draw a bum ticket, you can go back to the end of the line and pull another one.

• Yes, there are 2-3 lines involved in getting 1 autograph. There's a line for people waiting for the drawings to begin; possibly a separate line for your specific drawing; finally a line to actually get the autograph.

• But even getting an autograph ticket and standing in line doesn't mean you'll get a signature.

• What they will and won't sign: yes, they'll sign your Souvenir Book. Possibly another item instead. But they are free to refuse to sign whatever you propose.

With all of these caveats made, I don't know many people who've had trouble getting an autograph - the whole thing normally goes pretty smoothly. But because it can get crowded, and a celebrity's schedule is always prone to change, CCI wants you to understand that nothing is guaranteed.