You know, even seeing that, I'd still put it at 9.8 given the rest of the book and taking into account the gross inconsistencies I've seen at 9.8s on squarebounds -- some with ugly glue rippling etc. I suppose if it was consistent all the way across, I'd go with 9.6 as a technical grade. That corner is, I suppose, the real problem.
I'd be really disappointed if I bought that as a 9.8.
In regards to glue rippling, a book might appear ugly, but you can't downgrade something with a "bad appearance" as it's due to the way it was manufactured.
Yeah just barely enough to bring it down for the point deduction bringing it down to a 9.9 . It's so miniscule you can barely notice it and everything else looks super on this book So this book to me is worth the 9.8 grade. This isn't a big white tick mark that grabs your attention. I also lighten up the image of the book so people could examine more closely with better clarity on flaws. Go check at the two 9.6's on ComicLink.com squashed spine on one, and how the other one got a 9.6 is beyond me as it displays ticks and dings all over the cover.They don't start deducting from 9.8 they start at 10. Just my 2 cents worth.