Captain Awesome and his awesome signature -- awesome!

After a long legal battle, Douglas Allen Smith, Jr., an out-of-work carpenter, has won the right to change his name to Captain Awesome, in homage to a character on NBC's Chuck. Mr Awesome has the world's most awesome signature, too.

His original petition was delayed because the first judge he faced "questioned his seriousness." But Mr. Awesome would not be deterred. Mr. Awesome hit the books at the University of Oregon Law School library to study up on name change precedents, and when Mr. Awesome came to court a second time, the Judge was named Douglas Mitchell. Douglas helped a fellow Douglas out. I know. I'm tearing up, too.

This Is How Captain Awesome Signs His Name (via Neatorama)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Lobster

This is cute and amusing and all, but unless nothing bad ever happens to Mr. Awesome ever again, this is going to get REAL awkward some day.
kmoser

My “full” signature is a scrawl that barely looks like one or two letters that have been extended a bit longer than usual. I have never had any problems signing legal documents that way.

When endorsing checks, my bank doesn’t really care what I write, as long as I scrawl something–anything–on the back.

When signing credit card slips, I routinely draw a smiley face. I have never had anyone question it. Most of the time the cashiers just smile back.
Forteto

And this, my friends, is why I love America……
gandalf23

Technically That’s the signature of Douglas Allen Smith, Jr., since the arrow smiley arrow is for the present, not future, name of petitioner.
devophill

I had to stop and reassure myself that it wasn’t Douglas St. Clair Smith.
knoxblox

So, am I correct to assume that the arrows in the signature designate that he’s pointing to himself with both hands when he says “Captain Awesome” out loud, in reference to himself?

I’m seriously asking, because I don’t watch Chuck.
Anonymous

I heard about this on the news, but he is now having trouble with his local bank accepting his chosen signature. Too easy to forge, they say.

Odd, though. Normally, banks only require you to make your mark however you can. Often, just an ‘X’ is acceptable. Why they would quibble about this may be because he is not yet consistent in writing his new signature. Too many variations.
theawesomerobot

What’s with all this spam weaseling through? Someone get some CAPTCHA going.
sapere_aude

Personally, I like the notary public’s signature even better. :-)

@theawesomerobot: Do you want to have to fill out one of those stupid captchas every time you post a comment? I think a better solution would be software that prevents a single commenter from posting an identical block of text multiple times in the same day. If I’m not mistaken, Hulu uses something like that in their comments section to make life more difficult for spammers.
benher

One word: Awesome!!
Anonymous

I was once very nearly unable to close on a house because of my signature. They didn’t want to accept my regular scribble because it’s illegible, and they didn’t want to accept a nicely-written version because that wouldn’t match my driver’s license (which was, of course, signed in the unacceptable scribble). They had to call more than one lawyer before doing something or other to cope… iirc I had to sign “pretty”, and then initial each signature.
- blueelm
  
  Oh I had a similar problem! So stupid.
JeffF

Excellent forethought using a crazy pictographic signature that can still be typed:

–> :) <–
Anonymous

Been there, done that…. 3 years ago.

Don’t worry, Danger’s my middle name.
bradmofo

“in homage to a character on NBC’s Chuck”.

Of all the shows ever written….why?!?!
g0d5m15t4k3

For some damn reason every cashier that looks at the back of my credit card thinks I wrote “See ID” but I signed them. My initials are CI. I mean, I know when you say “C-I” out loud it sounds like “See ID” kinda but get a fucking education. This annoys me to no end. My cunning response is always “No, that would be my signature on the signature line.” and I hand them my ID that I always keep with me. Grr. Props to people with smiley’s for a signature.
- anthem2461
  
  Alas, those cashiers do that because many people do, in fact, write “CID” on their cards. I guess someone told them verbally to write “see ID.” It does seem like an idiotic mistake, but its so common that I thought it was some new, acceptable abbreviation. I mean, me and my fellow cashiers know what it means and act accordingly so I suppose that DOES make it a new, acceptable abbreviation. Ah, language.
  - Anonymous
    
    Yet once anyone who has writen “See ID” is a bit screwed when out of the USA as it actually voids the card and (UK/EU) are a more strict on cards. It comes from years of very high skimming and fraud.
    
    If your lucky you will get to keep the card, otherwise once the cashier caries out a code 10 call its likely to be destroyed and retained at the authorisers instructions as you have broke the conditions of the card.
Anonymous

This is, by definition, Awesome.