jstam

@Dennis gitlin The Canadian Price Variant was never removed and remains in the set. I did organize it though so it's easier to see. The person who built that set must have done so before we'd got a lot of those books in and before most were re-labeled in our system under the English title. I added some that were missing to it and removed a couple that are not Secret Wars 8. 

@Dennis gitlin I only removed the US books. I haven't removed any Canadian Price Variants from those sets. 

@Dennis gitlin The US books have been removed from those sets.

@Dennis gitlin The cleanup is still in process and will be ongoing for several months, but let me know what sets you're referring to and I'll look into it. Do you mean there are still Foreign Editions in US sets? 

There are 19 variants associated with this title and all are reflected in the census. These variants are recognized in our database the way that they've been entered. There is a Mystery Box Gold Foil Edition. As for a chromium edition, I'm not sure which book you're referring to and what name that's been given in the database. 

@WDBill https://www.cgccomics.com/census/grades_standard.asp?title=Teenage+Mutant+Ninja+Turtles&issue=1&publisher=IDW+Publishing&year=2020&issuedate=12/20 

The data team have verified that the census is showing the Mystery Box variants.

January 2024 Set Changes

Zatanna Legacy Set breakouts: Zatanna 2010 series, Zatana Mini-Series & One-Shots added

Young Avengers/Avengers: The Childrens Crusade – this was a duplicate set that's been removed. Individual sets already existed as well.

Youngblood (1992) –Youngblood (1995) series given its own set. Youngblood: Strikefile added. Youngblood Mini-Series & One-Shots added.

X-O Manowar (2012) All Variants – applicable books moved into X-O Mini-Series & One-Shots set.

Valiant One Dollar Debut Reprints set built.

Star Wars (1977) Reprints added.

Green Lantern (1975) German Editions added.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose (2002) – existing set became Any Variant version. Added All Variants version.

Lobo (D.C. Comics) Changed to Lobo Mini-Series & One-Shots. Lobo 1993 and 2014 ongoing series given their own sets.

Sensational She-Hulk 2023 added

Batman Facsimile 357 Reprints set added.

Peacemaker Tries Hard set added.

X-Men Dark Phoenix 129-138 – UK Editions added to their own set.

X-Force/Cable: Messiah War – current set made Any Variant. All Variants version built.

X-Force Complete w/ Variants – this is one of several duplicate X-Force sets. This set was made into X-Force (1991) All Variants. The rest of the mini-series and other ongoing sets already existed on the Registry.

X-Factor (1986) Canadian Price Variant set added.

X-23 (2005) All Variants – 2010 One-Shots removed from this set and placed in the 2010 set, as they are both written by Marjorie Liu and lead into the 2010 series written by Marjorie Liu.

Web of Spider-Man 1985 All Variants – Canadian Editions removed and given their own set. Web of Spider-Man 2009 run books removed and put into their own set.

Wonder Woman Rebirth All Variants – FCBD Reprints removed and put into their own set. Wonder Woman 1,000,000 removed; this book exists in the DC 1,000,000 set.

Wonder Woman Adam Hughes Cover set created.

Iron Man (1968) UK & Canadian Editions sets created.

Wolverine (2015) All Variants set created.

Witchblade (1995) set labeled LEGACY. Foreign Editions removed. Limited Series & One-Shots set created.

WildC.A.T.S (1992) All Variants set – limited series and one-shots removed and put into their own set.

WildC.A.T.S (2023) All Variants set created

Werewolf by Night (1972) Any Variant – Foreign Editions and modern books removed, UK Editions Set created, 2020 Limited Series created, 2023 series created.

Warlord of Mars (Complete) – set is now Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris (2011) All Variants. Warlord of Mars: Fall of Barsoom set created. Original John Carter run and the 2010 Warlord of Mars sets already existed on the Registry.

Walking Dead 2003 Any Variant – this was previously the Walking Dead (2003) set. Image+ magazines removed, FCBD and all other books removed. This set was built as an Any Variant set of the original title run initially, and then more books/variants kept getting added outside of the run. The Walking Dead Legacy set contains all of those books already and this set was repetitive of it.

Walking Dead 2003 All Variants set created

Walking Dead #1 Reprints set created

Image+ Magazine set created

Negan Lives! Set created

Voltron (1985) – Canadian Editions moved and given their own set

Vision and the Scarlet Witch (1982/1985) Limited Series – Canadian Editions removed and given their own set

Excalibur – slots 86-96 combined due to inconsistencies in recognition of these books. Excalibur Special Edition nn and all variants added back to set.

Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror German Editions removed from Treehouse of Horror set. The German Editions set already existed.

The purpose of this thread will be to keep everyone informed of updates to sets as they're cleaned up, and let people know what sets the books were moved to. I will be updating this thread each month so the thread does not get too lengthy. Please contact me directly through the chat board email system with any questions or concerns and I'll be happy to discuss. 

@WDBill I've sent this information for the data team to take a look at. What I can see is that there are multiple Mystery Box variants represented for this book within the system. I'm unsure if the census is parsing the data incorrectly or not, but I'll come back to you once the data team confirm. 

@All-Star Squadman I am not leaning in any particular direction for or against this idea, and fortunately for me, no decisions with the Registry are solely mine to make! I am very glad to be hearing from the community on it. 

What I will say is that It comes to mind that those collecting books from 2000 forward (coated pages) would see a blanket increase but not much actual advantage. The largest advantage would go to those collecting Silver/Gold, since white pages are harder to come by from those eras, but that advantage would be felt less frequently overall. It seems that Bronze collectors would get the edge most frequently, followed by Copper collectors.

On the one hand, I can see the idea generally making sense since points are essentially based on book quality. What I'm not sure about is a situation in which the benefit of a points increase is not equally shared.

I'd like to mention that this is a great thread and everyone's efforts here are terrific. The Registry community is such a valuable resource to learn things like this. 

@Crushalot This is an interesting proposition. I'm going to leave this thread open to see what others think. 

@workingdog @ADAMANTIUM @Get Marwood & I Thank you all for the vigilance; it's much appreciated!

There was some testing happening yesterday with the way we'll be taking requests moving forward, and a few bugs seem to have cropped up. I'm aware of it and will be working with the developers to get it sorted. 

@Pantodude In a competitive environment, fairness has to be at the helm when we're measuring completeness.

We can't say that someone with an entire run of Avengers 1-100 has an incomplete set because it doesn't include the Foreign Editions.

We can't fairly compare 2 sets that are 70% complete where one has a mix of domestic and Foreign Editions while the other has only domestic.

We can't fairly award someone at 100% complete in a set that has Foreign Editions, while the rest of the participants have the entire run of domestic issues but their sets show as 85% complete because of the Foreign Editions being included in the set.

None of these scenarios are fair, and that is what was happening.

Your points are very true that Foreign Edition books are hard to find in high grade or in any grade for that matter. For those reasons alone they are deserving of their own sets and their own Awards category. You're also right that it would be an incredible accomplishment for someone to collect both domestic and Foreign Editions of the same run. That hypothetical set would now have three opportunities to win. It could compete in the Custom Set awards as a whole, and separately in the domestic and Foreign Edition set categories.

@Pantodude I'm unsure what you're trying to point out here? Domestically distributed Price Variants are exactly that - a variation in the normal price of a book that was distributed in the US. Those books are eligible for All Variants sets. They are not considered Foreign Editions. 

Foreign Editions are any book distributed outside of the US. 

@Yorick I sent you a detailed message about this yesterday if you'd like to take a look, but I'll put this information out here for everyone who might benefit. 

Foreign Editions are going to be awarded in their own category during the Awards cycles because there are many collectors of these books on the Registry. We can't evaluate progress or any completion of Foreign Editions if the books are buried in US sets. They had to go into their own sets with a measurable goal so that we could actually see them when we pull the data.

As well, you don't need a Foreign Edition to complete a US set, and vice versa. 

I completely understand wanting to showcase a collection of books all in once place, but this is what Custom Sets are for. We are also expanding the awards given to Custom Sets. I am also working with our developers and internal team to improve the programming for the Custom Sets section so that those sets have better categorization and can be more easily searched.

Competitive Sets need to have measured limits to ensure fairness, because when anyone requests, and is given, an addition to a Competitive set, it forces all participants to collect that book to complete the set, even if the book is not technically needed to complete it, i.e., reprints, books from other runs, cover homages, Foreign Editions. This is what was happening all over the place. In other words, Competitive Sets were becoming Custom Sets and that isn't their intended purpose. 

@JamesGGray The Registry programming would never be able to support any additional point value for Custom labels, but as far as points go what you've outlined regarding scoring is accurate: scores are reflective of the book itself. Custom labels do contribute to presentation though.

The Registry programming wouldn't be able to support this. 

Quite importantly, the observation is made in this thread that many people complete a set and might have a few Signature Series books in it. This exists frequently on the Registry across many sets. It would be unfair to force those individuals to compete in a Signature Series set. 

Where they compete in the same award categories, Universal label and Signature Series sets have the same chance of winning if both are well-presented and of equal quality/completion ratios. If one was presented with great images and write-up's and the other wasn't, the judges would go with the set that was better presented. 

This situation is also somewhat akin to a hypothetical scenario of a well-presented, higher grade Modern set with a couple of 9.9's or 10's, but sits at 50% complete. The points would likely push that set to a top rank, but it would never win against a 100% complete, higher grade set with a terrific presentation. I don't think anyone would argue against that. The same well-presented 50% complete set could also potentially beat out a complete, but lower grade set lacking images/presentation. I don't think anyone would make the argument against that win either. 

Much more nuance goes into the judging during the Awards than a cut and dry, points-only system. I've had many conversations with Registry members about the importance of images, presentation, and completeness in their sets, and I cannot stress enough just how important these factors are.

Please use the link below to submit New Set & Slot Requests: 

https://boards.cgccomics.com/requests/

CGC Comics Registry Clean-Up - 2024

After a period of review, input, and revision, the updates to the CGC Comics Registry Set Guidelines are now live on the CGC Comics Registry Chatboards in a dedicated thread.

The changes to the guidelines have been put in place for several reasons:

-        To better measure completeness for the Awards

-        To give greater visibility to expanded set types for the 2024 Awards and beyond

-        To ensure fairness in a competitive environment for all Competitive Set participants

-        To better accommodate planned programming changes in the future

Updates to existing sets will move forward across the entire Registry to bring them up to speed with the new guidelines. Books will be moved and placed into new sets where applicable, and at administrative discretion. The aim is to keep a thread on the Chatboards updated with these changes on a weekly basis. Please know that with some books there will be exceptions made for them to remain in place but these exceptions are meant to be kept to a minimum. 

This will be a fairly lengthy process; please bear with us. There will be pauses periodically in both clean-up and new set/slot requests to accommodate for the Awards as well as other initiatives.

Sets marked “Legacy” on the Registry will no longer be updated with any new slot requests. These are very, very large, older sets that contain multiple volumes of a title, or contain multiple titles, and have sometimes been labeled "Complete" or "Complete with Variants". These sets often contain reprints, foreign editions, and other related books that make them non-compliant with the updated guidelines. The Registry is no longer building/supporting sets of this nature. They will remain on the Registry for the time being, and you may add books to existing slots. There is a plan in development for some Legacy sets that will be announced once it is finalized.

During the clean-up, the respective volumes, foreign editions, or reprints that comprise Legacy sets will be added to their own sets if they do not already exist on the Registry. We encourage participants of Legacy sets to move their books over to these.

Please contact me through the Chatboards email with any questions and I'll be happy to assist. 

CGC Comic Registry Set Guidelines – Updated 2024

Prior to making slot/set requests, please familiarize yourself with the updated information herein.

Set requests will be approved based on these guidelines/set structures. Any changes or exceptions will be considered and approved at the discretion of the administrative team in the interest of fairness in a competitive environment.

For any sets that do not follow the outlined set structures, CGC encourages the use of the Custom Set option.

Eligibility, Set Structures, & Set Guidelines

Eligible Variants: sets containing variants allow the following for required slots or slot options:

-        Variant Covers

-        Variant/Deluxe Editions

-        Later prints (2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th prints, etc., produced to meet demand during the timeframe of a title run)

-        Manufacturing errors

-        Manufacturer or publisher recalls

-        Price variants

-        For some vintage books, logo variants

Newsstand Editions: eligible only as slot options in sets with variants. Required in Newsstand-Only sets.

Subscription Editions: eligible in the magazine category only as slot options in any magazine set with variants.

Foreign Editions: any comic published for distribution outside of the U.S. market. Eligible only for Foreign versions of any Competitive set structure.

Reprints: any comic reprinting previously published material distributed outside of, or after, the ongoing title run. Eligible for Reprint & Artist Covers sets.

One-Shots: eligible for One-Shots and Multi-Title sets. Some one-shots are eligible for Any Variant and All Variant sets.

Free Comic Book Day: eligible for Free Comic Book Day, Artist Cover, & One-Shot sets. FCBD books eligible for Any and All Variant sets of the same title/timeline.

Crossovers: eligible for Specialized Sets, One-Shots, Multi-Title, & Artist Covers.

Annuals: eligible for All Variants and Any Variants sets, Artist Covers, and Specialized sets. 

Competitive Set Structures

Minimum Set Requirements for Modern & Vintage Comics: 3 books

Modern (1990-Present)

All Variants – comprised of all issues in a single volume of an ongoing title run with one slot per eligible variant. Newsstand Editions are slot options. Story-advancing one-shots, annuals, FCBD, and 1^st appearances can be added at administrative discretion. Multiple volumes/titles cannot be combined.

Any Variant – comprised of all issues in a single volume of an ongoing title run with one slot per issue. Any eligible variant or Newsstand Edition can be used to fill each slot. Story-advancing one-shots, annuals, FCBD, and 1^st appearances can be added at administrative discretion. Multiple volumes/titles cannot be combined.  

Newsstand Only – comprised of only Newsstand Editions. Newsstand copies graded prior to CGC’s label recognition of Newsstand Editions are eligible. Due to internal programming challenges with Newsstand copies, all books must be accompanied with pictures in Newsstand-Only sets to be considered for the Awards. Pictures are not required to just register a Newsstand Only set.

Specialized Set – comprised of comic issues that are related in a specific way. Administrator discretion will be utilized for best competitive structure. (Examples: Kraven’s Run, McFarlane’s run on Amazing Spider-Man, D.C. Copper Age 1^st Appearances, Marvel Comics Bronze Age #1’s)

Foreign Editions – comprised of issues from a single country. Foreign Edition sets may include multiple volumes as these were not always printed/distributed in the same manner as the US. Foreign Edition Specialized sets can include books from multiple countries at administrative discretion. (Examples: Spawn 1, Amazing Spider-Man 252).

One-Shots – comprised of one-shot books grouped together by title, publisher, or another related way.

Mini/Limited Series – comprised of only mini/limited series books, generally with 12 issues or less. Cannot be combined with on-going title runs.

Multi-Title – comprised of multiple related mini/limited series and one-shots. These sets will be built with administrative discretion. Cannot be combined with ongoing title runs.

Reprint Sets – comprised only of reprints. Can be built using any applicable set structure. (i.e., Batman Adventures 12 Reprints set, Marvel Comics Silver Age #1’s Reprints)

Homage Cover Sets – comprised of comics with CGC recognized cover homage art. Can be built using any applicable set structure.

Artist Cover Sets – comprised of covers from a single artist. For sets with very large populations, these may be broken down into smaller sets at the administrative team’s discretion based on publisher, title, etc., to ensure timely/accurate administrative upkeep.

Free Comic Book Day – comprised of only Free Comic Day books related by title or another applicable way.

Legacy Set – large sets containing multiple volumes and marked “Legacy” (i.e., Amazing Spider-Man Complete with Variants) Legacy Sets will remain in place on the Registry but will no longer be updated. The volumes that comprise Legacy Sets will be broken out into their own respective sets if they do not currently exist. Participants of Legacy sets can still add books to existing slots. We strongly encourage these users to separate their books into other set structures.

Vintage Comic Sets (Pre-1990)

Vintage sets will be built around the same applicable set options as Modern sets and are subject to the same guidelines.

Some exceptions will be made due to the nature of vintage material (i.e., inconsistent numbering, publisher/title changes). Requests can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for any sets that fall outside of these guidelines and set structures.

Modern & Vintage Magazine Sets

Modern & Vintage Magazine sets will be built around the same applicable set structure options as comic sets and are subject to the same guidelines.

As with vintage comics, some exceptions will be made due to the nature of vintage material. Requests can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis for any sets that fall outside of the guidelines and set structures.

Subscription Editions will be slot options in Any Variant and All Variant magazine sets.

Other Notes:

Comics and Magazines should only be combined in 1st Issue/1st appearance sets and Artist Cover Sets, where applicable. 

Trade Paperback books are not eligible to be added to any sets.

@Drjrdenton911 The set has been updated and the points corrected. I have checked it against our database and it does appear that it's complete. 

DescCount stands for Description Count. Adding descriptions and photos to your set is advantageous for the Awards. 

This has been corrected.

Hi there - this is something that has been on the radar for quite some time. Unfortunately there is no timeline at the moment for when that programming would happen, but we would like to implement it.