I managed not to peek...

I was telling Tnerb as soon as I saw the book had been shipped safe that I REALLY wanted to check the grade online, but somehow I managed to contain myself. I have never had more anxiety about the grade of any book in my life. This book has a lot of significance for me for a number of reasons. Sure its the first appearance of Wolverine, but more importantly its the first graded comic Ive ever owned...a beautiful 8.0 copy given to me by my wife 2006 as a Christmas present. Now I can blame her for all of the money spent on CGC books since that time, .

Anyway, while checking out who was going to be attending Phoenix Con this year I saw the names Len Wein and Herb Trimpe. Now why do those names sound familiar? Ohhh yeah, the writer and artist who created Wolverine! Hey, how cool would it be if they signed my Hulk 181? Then again, what if the grade dropped...that is too horrible a thought, Im not gonna do it. Besides, CGC isnt going to be there anyway so they cant witness the signatures. How can CGC not be there? This is Phoenix Con, its huge. Let me check the boards to see if anyone else is going and if there are other options. Turns out a very nice gentleman by the name of Hank Pym was going to be there...and he was a certified CGC witness. Ive never used a witness and didnt know how the process worked. I reached out to Hank and he was more than happy to assist me if I wanted to get my book signed. Now comes the days of indecision...should I or shouldnt I? Ultimately I decided, if it happened, a lower grade Hulk 181 signed by both creators was more prized to me than an unsigned 8.0 copy. Besides, its not like I would ever part with this book so what the heck.

The result...if you havent peeked already...is below. I am extremely pleased it turned out the way it did. No regrets whatsoever with the decision. Hank had his reservations because the signatures arent very prominent, but I really like the signature placement...Lens blends in with the shadowing of the Hulks muscles and Herbs blends in nicely with the pants. This is cool to me cause it doesnt take away from the art itself. Thank you again Hank for being there for me throughout the process, and to Tnerb for encouraging me to go for it while I seesawed back and forth.

Til next time...

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