The autographs were expensive, this year. Last year, most were $20 - $30. A lot of people WERE free, though... almost every comic guy, really. I got Kevin Eastman's Autograph, a conversation with him, a photo with him and a fun, memorable experience, all for free... which was nice for me, because I was and am a huge fan.
Some people see an autograph as a signature on a photo... others see it as an experience. And others still see it as an opportunity to meet someone that they've admired for as long as they can remember. My brother is and always has been a big Alice Cooper Fan. To say that he like Alice Cooper as much as you like GI Joe would be an understatement to the amount of admiration he has for the man. Two years ago, for $50, he was given to opportunity to meet Alice Cooper, have the first album he ever released autographed and have a good five minute one-on-one conversation about the origins of the album. It's very hard to put a price on meeting someone a person has idolized for as long as they can remember - and I'd bet every dollar I have that he'd pay more than triple that to do it again.
Now, some people feel that way about Star Trek stars, some about Star Wars stars and I'm sure even some about Wes Craven. And while I respect the opinion that it IS just a signature on a photo and a waste for some people, I hope that you can understand that for a lot of people, the price they pay is for an opportunity they've always dreamt of - and it can be insulting that you'd find that insulting.
Anyway, I meant I saw a lot of 25th Anniversary Joes, there... sorry for not mentioning that. And I'll correct myself further and say "more Joes than I thought there would be in more locations than I was expecting" instead of all over the convention. I only saw one 80's Boxed Serpentor's Air Chariot there for more than I'd pay. As far as 25th Ann, one booth had earlier waves for too much - but the rest that I saw (I'm counting 5 off the top of my head) had singles priced in the range of $8 to $9, sets for $35 or so, always tax-free and often discounted if you bought more than one and paid cash. I went for two days, got in two hours early on Friday with VIP admission to beat the crowd and spent a total of 10 hours there, looking and looking again at every booth that had action figures... So I had plenty of time to be meticulous in my huntings :wink: (
And I don't doubt that I'd find good or better prices at the JoeCon... this was just another option for me, that I exercised while I spent time on other hobbies that I enjoy. I'm in no way insisting that this is "the place to be" or that it's better than your JoeCon. I understand how it can be a waste for you, though - but for a lot of people it's a very fun and even rewarding experience, not just an event.
Clearly there aren't a lot of comic/horror/sci-fi/etc. fans on the boards, here, as this topic has only received two negative criticisms. So, I'll stop bringing it up.