Maik is a Polish Duckfan who wrote me some VERY VERY nice messages that appeared here just before and after he came to see me at a shopping-mall book store signing in Berlin during that German tour last October. You can see them (if you wish) back on page 263. He also posted lotsa photos of me at the signing so people can see what that sort of event looks like. (Remind me which is you in the group photo!)
He was with a group of other comics fans who made that loooong trip to see me... looks like 7 or 8 of them in the photo. I believe these were the first Polish fans I've ever met in person. But I get LOTS of e-mail from Poland.
Maik said one thing which was quite true, but which I'd like to comment on:
>>>>>I'm only sad some of my friends didn't get the drawing since the only first 12 people got the drawing and I was so happend to be the last One with five friends behind me... I undersand it was the rule but we where just a bit disapointed since we came all the way from Poland hoping to all get the drawings.
>>>>>Where however angry about the guy from the comic book store who told us and others beafore You arrive that that only people who will buy stuff in his store above 10 Euros will get the drawing (which most people who waited in line did). That's just unfair and he lied to people
Yes, I'm sorry to say that you visited the only store signing where the store owner said NO drawings. Since the shop owner is the boss, he's paying for the visit, it's his store, and so forth. We MUST do what he says. He's the boss. We don't ask the owners' reasonings for their policies... sometimes there are just too many people in line and it's physically impossible for me to do drawings for everyone in the 4 or 5 hours I have. Sometimes the shop owner says that the customers need to BUY something in order to get drawings or signatures -- but I don't think that's unreasonable. The owners have a LOT of expenses involved in bringing me and my partner into town, including hotel and so forth. Actually, even if each customer buys something, the store will still lose money on the signing event... it's a "customer relations" event. I think fans should realize that the shop is not a public charity, and they should be willing to buy something to be polite and show their appreciation. If the fan IS a real comics fan, there's always SOMETHING of worthwhile interest that he should be able to find in these huge shops. And you know it makes no difference to me what anyone buys... as you know, I get no royalties on sales of my work. I just think that if that's the store's policy, the customers should understand and be willing to contribute to the success of the event and perhaps insure that it might be repeated someday.
On the other hand, I disagree with a policy saying that the purchase must be "at least a certain price". I think it's better to leave that part unsaid, and it should be the customer's obligation to use his head and be honorable enough to realize that just buying a Spider-Man eraser (or whatever) is not showing any respect or support for the event.
But I refuse to obey the shop owner if he says something like "only people who buy something will get a drawing". No, everyone must get the same thing! The only limitation is time.
As I recall at that event, when we arrived (and we never know the owner's policy before we arrive) I guess he looked at the line of people and decided that I should not do drawings for ANYONE, even if they bought something. Or else I would not be able to even sign something and talk to everyone. I explained that our policy at other crowded stores is to do drawings for the first hour or something like that. But the best we could get out of him was to allow me to do drawings for (as Maik said) the "first 12 people". I'm not sure if he followed my other policy suggestion which is that the next person in line AFTER the last allowed drawing should receive a nice present from the store. I just think that softens the unavoidable blow of someone having such terrible luck!
I wouldn't say he "lied" about what his policy was. It was the first time he'd had a signing like that and I guess he was trying to invent his plan right on the spot. Next time he'll know to have a better policy in place from the start.
I recall being VERY sorry to know that some fans came from SO FAR AWAY, and would not get a drawing they had hoped for. And the inevitable plea was made "we came so far! Can't you make an exception? Please!" That sort of begging just makes the situation far worse. Even if the fan came from the Moon, the policy must be exactly the same for EVERYONE, no matter how far they came. I get the same pleading from parents who have several children at home who each want a drawing, or someone who has a sick friend who could not come. There are always people who think they need more consideration than someone else. But I always tell them that the policy MUST be the same for everyone. One person, one drawing. They could have brought some other friend to stand in line for the kid or the sick friend who couldn't be there -- that would be more thoughtful than trying to make me feel like a heel because I won't give them special treatment. I am sometimes amused by the guy who thinks I'm SO unfair not to do an extra drawing for his poor sick friend, while I'm thinking "y'know, you could have done your poor sick pal a nice favor and gotten a drawing for him rather than for yourself, but you'd prefer that I mistreat the other people in line and give you an extra drawing they won't get!"
I've learned one thing for certain after these many years of doing massive signing events -- I can sit and sign and draw for up to 10 or 11 hours NON-STOP... that's easy for me. I get so much positive energy from all my fellow comics fans that they enable me to "have the strength of ten". What is DIFFICULT is constantly trying to be totally fair to everyone in the line... and I only say "trying" because the fact is that it's not possible to always be totally fair to everyone in those situations. I need people's understanding of that, and I think people generally ARE very understanding. Duckfans are almost all nice people. Seems like at every major signing event there's never more than one selfish person who demands special treatment, and that strikes me as not bad.
Anyway, I hope that I see Maik and his Polish Pals again at another signing! (And that we all have better luck!)