It had been several years since San Francisco hosted a comic convention (long before COVID, as WonderCon moved to Anaheim some years ago), so it came as a pleasant surprise on my Facebook feed a few months ago when I saw that a show would be coming back! SF Fan Expo was held the weekend after Thanksgiving, and I bought a ticket for Saturday.

Jim Lee being there was a no brainer, since he’s my all time favorite artist, but $50 per signature meant I had to be very selective with what I brought for him to sign. It came down between Superman 204 and Uncanny X-Men 275, and ultimately I picked X-Men just because his run was earth shattering for my generation. I guess I’m a bad Superman fan.

I was going to get signatures from a few other creators- Joe Rubenstein, in particular, who briefly inked Dan Jurgens after Reign of the Supermen- only to find that EVERY creator charged for autographs this year. It appears that inflation has even gotten the better of comic conventions, and no longer is it just big names who charge.

Because that limited my options significantly, I had to pick one creator in addition to Jim Lee to sign, preferably someone connected with Superman. I ultimately decided to get my deluxe hardcover of Superman For All Seasons to be signed by Jeph Loeb, as the story has really grown on me over the years.

I bought a ticket to Loeb’s signing, and when it was my turn our exchange was pretty quick, as there was a line behind me. When I placed the book in front of him the first thing out of his mouth was “Look what you found!” I proceeded to nervously say I enjoyed his work with the character, to which his response was “Glad you enjoyed the book.” Or at least something along those lines.

I would have loved for more Superman creators to have been in attendance, and wish things were a little more affordable like the old days. Ultimately, I’m glad I went to the show, and even if I wasn’t able to bring home as big of a haul as I used to, there are still some unforgettable pieces. Many thanks to Mr. Loeb and all involved for giving fans some really cool stuff to remember! Here’s to next year!