newshane

Below is the second part of a series of posts on building the perfect storage cabinet... * * * * * STEEL - IT STILL AIN'T PERFECT! SOME CONSIDERATIONS... The serious collector should store his or her collection in a room where the temperature and humidity are under strict control. After researching the use of steel as a construction material in cabinets used to store comics, I discovered that it's possible for condensation to develop inside of a closed steel cabinet. However, this largely applies to steel cabinets that are stored in basements, sheds, attics, or any other area that isn't climate-controlled. Once again, I quote the Northeast Document Conservation Center : Condensation can be a problem in closed steel cabinets when the relative humidity where the cabinets are stored fluctuates.Condensation can result in rusting or mold growth in cabinets. For this reason, conditions in closed cabinets should be monitored. This is most easily accomplished by the use of dial hygrometers or paper-based humidity indicator cards. These devices do not have a high degree of accuracy, but they are sufficient to indicate problematic conditions. If possible, the use of closed steel cabinets should be avoided unless the cabinets are well ventilated or the relative humidity is closely controlled and monitored. After considering the situation, I think that a "sealed" metal cabinet should be fine as long as it's stored in a climate-controlled area. Building vents into strategic locations along the back of the cabinet is another option, especially if they are designed in a way that allows for quick and convenient opening and closing. If nothing else, simply opening the cab for an hour or so every day or every other day should also do the trick. You could also improve the interior environment of the steel shelves by using the Marvelseal product mentioned in part one of this series. The key is to ensure stability in regards to temperature and humidity! You also want to make sure that the temp inside of the cabinet is equal to or greater than the ambient temperature of the room. Condensation could happen if the interior somehow got colder than the rest of the room. What are some other ways to protect against possible fluctuations in temperature and humidity? 1. Make sure that your cabinet is at least a few inches or more off the ground. This helps ensure that the contents on the bottom shelves aren't subjected to cold floors and/or flooding. 2. Don't store your cabinet on a concrete floor. 3. Avoid placing the cabinet close to exterior windows or heating and air vents along the floor - places where the room temperature is almost certain to vary. If possible, try to avoid placing the cab against a wall along the exterior of your house. These are all examples of "micro-climates" that can develop inside our homes. 4. Don't place the cabinet along a wall stuffed with water pipes! If a leak happens... 5. Use the appropriate mix of fans, air-cleaners, and de-humidifiers to ensure the circulation of clean air. Bottom line? Make sure you monitor the interior conditions of the cabinet. There shouldn't be any problems at all if the steel cabinets are stored in a place with climate control, but a good measure of common sense, and a built-in vent, can make all the difference! * I thought about the problem of dust or other air-contaminants entering the cab through the vent. While there are some solutions to this problem, I don't think it will be a problem for CGC slabs sealed and stored in Mylar bags with archival tape. * * * * * Next up...should I store my slabs flat, upright, or spine-down? Get the real low-down, coming soon...

Welcome to the boards! A few years ago, I did some research and posted a series of threads on this topic. I will repost here: I've spent quite a lot of time over the last few days researching the optimal storage conditions for my CGC collection. Once I complete the Spawn run, I intend to entomb the collection for the long-haul. At first, I considered custom wooden filing cabinets. Some of these cabinets were made out of genuine hardwoods treated with various stains and sealants; other companies used particleboard with a melamine finish. One company even lined the drawers of the cabinets with cedar. This was done in an effort to guard against pest infestation. At first, I saw a great deal of promise in some of the "wooden" products. I even researched the best specie of wood to use. After spending so much time researching wood, I eventually learned that the material is NOT IDEAL for the long-term storage of paper! Along with nearly any of the associated finishing materials or coatings, wood is responsible for a fair amount of off-gassing. Overtime, this can lead to damage. Dense woods, such as oak, are especially prone to off-gassing. The same is true for particleboard. Ditto for sealants and other chemicals used to finish wood. Remember, your encapsulated comics are slightly vulnerable to the atmosphere. As proven in an earlier experiment documented in my journal, we know that the inner well of the slab is vulnerable to water penetration. In other words, the inner well is not COMPLETELY sealed, even if you do have to use scissors or an Exacto knife to cut through the plastic. Air exchange is possible. Your comic still breathes. So over many, many years, WHAT exactly, is the quality of the air your comics are breathing? If your comics are stored in wooden cabinetry, they are susceptible to the oils and elements that leach off the wood and into the air. After using the board's search function to peruse threads with useful information on the topic, I learned a great deal. I would like to put most of this is one place, and I may add to this in the future. So here we go... WHY WOOD IS BAD: Do not use wooden shelving or cabinetry for paper and film materials. Wooden shelving, particularly shelving made of particle board and plywood, gives off acidic gases that can contaminate and accelerate the deterioration of paper and film. Paint and shellacs also give off gases that can contaminate documents and hasten their destruction. Moreover, wooden shelving is flammable and that is another great danger to paper and film documents. - Source: Tennessee State Archives Harmful acids and other substances, however, are emitted by wood, wood composites, and some sealants and adhesives. Although the levels of emissions are highest initially, in most cases volatiles are present for the life of the materials. To avoid potential damage to collections, storage furniture made of wood or wood products should be avoided. - Source: Northeast Document Conservation Center ...paper and textiles will be harmed by the oils and fumes in cedar chests, says Museum of the Rockies registrar. - Source: Montana State University STEEL WITH A BAKED ENAMEL FINISH - THE EXPERTS SLIGHTLY DISAGREE: Use heavy-gauge steel shelving and cabinetry with stable baked enamel finish for paper and film materials. - Source: Tennessee State Archives The key word there was stable and that's where the pros disagree. As it turns out, not all baked enamel finishes are created the same way. Read what the Northeast Document Center had to say about the topic: Questions, however, have been raised about the possibility that the baked enamel coating may give off formaldehyde and other volatiles harmful to collections if it has not been properly baked (not long enough at high enough temperatures). This concern is especially serious when collections are stored on book shelves in an area that is enclosed or has poor air circulation, or are stored in closed furniture such as map cases, file cabinet drawers, and book cases with solid doors. Because of this concern about off-gassing, baked enamel furniture is no longer widely recommended unless it has been properly baked. For us to be certain that it has, the furniture must be tested. Testing should comply with ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) E-595. 1 This testing requires the use of sophisticated analytical equipment. Sounds to me like it would be easier to go with a different material. POWDER-COATED STEEL IS A BETTER OPTION: Steel storage furniture with various powder coatings appears to avoid the off-gassing problems associated with baked enamel. Powder coatings of finely divided, synthetic polymer materials are fused onto the steel. Testing done thus far indicates that the coatings are chemically stable, present minimal threat of volatile evocation, and so are safe for the storage of valuable materials. - Source: Northeast Document Conservation Center ANODIZED ALUMINUM IS THE BEST: It is lighter than steel and very strong. No off-gassing at all. But it's more than likely going to be cost-prohibitive. As a result, I think that power-coated steel is the material that would provide the greatest bang for the buck and will probably be the material I choose for my storage cabinets. SO WHAT IF I'M ALREADY INVESTED IN WOOD? SHOULD I FREAK OUT? No. There is a solution. It's a product called Marvelseal and it's available from this website. Below is a description from the site: The MARVELSEAL® family of Barriers is the Industry Standard in protection of Art and Artifacts during shipment and storage. All barriers offer excellent protection against the transmission of water vapor and other atmospheric gasses. All are economical, flexible and easy to fabricate…and are ideal for lining the inside of shipping crates and exhibit cases and for lining shelves with the objective of eliminating off-gassing from exposed wooden surfaces. The best Marvelseal product seems to be 1311, which is a lamination of Cloth/Foil/Poly and offers excellent MVTR protection and is ideal for easily attaching to wooden crates or shelving using wood glue or other adhesives. This seems to be the ideal solution for the concerned collector who is already using wood cabinets. WHAT IF I STILL INSIST ON WOOD CABS? HOW CAN I MINIMIZE THE POTENTIAL FOR LONG-TERM DAMAGE? 1. Use a raw wood finish for the interiors of the drawers. 2. Use a low-acidic, soft wood like poplar, which doesn't off-gas as much as oak or other harder species of wood. I'd use poplar for the drawers and a harder wood for the exterior. After all, you want your cabinet to resist dings and damage over the years. Poplar and pine dent up fairly easily. 3. Line the interior of the drawers with the aforementioned Marvelseal product. DOES ANY OF THIS REALLY MATTER? AM I TAKING IT TOO FAR? I probably am. But I'm approaching the subject from the viewpoint of someone who has the utmost concern for the details. I think that people, myself included, ultimately spend too much time thinking about these sort of micro-conditions. After all, comics from the Edgar Church collection were simply stored in tall, vertical stacks and without the benefit of all the plastics and acid-free materials available to the modern collection. Perhaps we do over-think stuff, but studying about the best ways to conserve a collection has given me a lot of unexpected joy. It's part of the fun of the hobby, at least to me. * * * * * There are many other factors to consider when building the prime storage area for your CGC slabs. We just now covered the appropriate kind of material for the cabinets. We've talked about the dangers of off-gassing. In the next post, I will discuss how I intend to "accessorize" my cabinets in a way that will further protect against atmospheric pollutants, temperature and humidity fluctuations, light, theft, and insect intrusion. Bottom line is that wood is not the best material to use in your cabinets if you intend to store paper for the very long haul (measured in decades, not years). Power-coated steel or anodized aluminum aren't nearly as beautiful or as romantic as wood, but the alloys offer the greatest long-term protection. More on this later... and I wrote lately regarding Neil Gaiman. I will have a Gaiman-related announcement for you soon. I'm really pumped.

I've seen them dock the grade for similar problems with other issues, so I wouldn't bother getting it graded.

What did the graders' notes say? It's important to remember that grade is based on cumulative defects and different flaws are given different weight. 9.8 with a spine tick or two can still grade out if the rest of the book is flawless...at least this is what I've seen from the CGC over the past several years. It doesn't look like the tick on the TMNT book breaks any color, but it's hard to really tell from the picture alone.

Agreed on all counts.

Hmmm....looks like it was a team effort. From Wiki: The artwork for Follow the Leader was done by Todd McFarlane Entertainment, with McFarlane and fellow Image Comics artists Greg Capullo (penciller) and Brian Hagelin (colorist) doing the album cover, and designer Brent Ashe handling the graphics work.[10][13] According to drummer David Silveria, the band got interested in McFarlane after hearing that "Todd had actually referred to us as 'the Doors of the 90's'", leading to them recording a song for Spawn, a film based on a comic book by McFarlane, and eventually approaching the artist to make an album cover for them.[14] The cover art depicts a child hopscotching off a cliff and a gathering of kids waiting to follow, a concept that begun with bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and sketched by a friend of Jonathan Davis before being submitted to McFarlane. It marked the third straight Korn cover featuring children in a disturbing context, which Davis explained by saying that "Children are always scared when they're all happy and stuff. They're the most beautiful thing in the world, but when you see it in our artwork, the way we've placed it, it's just kinda in' weird."[15][16] The "Freak on a Leash" music video features animated segments by McFarlane featuring this cover art.[17]

Yeah, I understand that he is a legend among Spidey fans, but I don't know who in their right mind would pick Ditko as their favorite. He had the same anatomy teacher as Rob Liefeld. Of course I picked Bags merely out of sentiment, so I can't judge Ditko fans for doing the same. I agree with AnthonyTheAbyss in regards to McFarlane as the technical and stylistic champ.

Once again, I don't think it's rust. Just put it in the Mylar bag and leave it.

Larsen darn near destroyed Spawn as well. His work last year on the title was absolutely gut-wrenching. Good thing that McFarlane was at least doing the inking. He was able to make some gross artwork look halfway passable. Apparently Larsen had a falling-out with McFarlane because his inks were starting to fundamentally change Larsen's pencils...as if he had a choice.

Agreed! I have to pick Mark Bagley because he was at the helm when I started reading Spider-man and collecting comics at around age 13. Plenty of people consider any comics from that era to be drek, but I'm just as nostalgic for Bagley's work as an older gentleman (or lady) may be for Ditko or Romita. It's hard to argue against McFarlane's run. He produced some iconic images during his time behind the desk.

Yep. This guy is a real turd. Block him instantly. Won my auction, never responded to invoicing or email. Area code is 08035 - Haddon Heights, NJ. Alias is Tommy O'Malley.

I just fail to see why wiping the grime off staples would warrant such a label when dry cleaning of the pages would not...seems like the same principle. I could be wrong, but I believe that "cleaned staples" is a more involved process...someone with more knowledge and experience, please weigh in here...

I doubt it. At worst it might get a conservation label these days. But I doubt they'd even notice it, to be honest.

Yeah man, I doubt it's rust. It looks just like that gunk I was describing. I won't pretend to have a scientific understanding of how it happens, but I saw this exact thing in many of the comics I found stashed away in unopened distributor's boxes from the early 90s. They were stored in a shed for many years. It seemed like some sort of gooey adhesive had built up on the staples and collected grime. Did it seem somewhat gooey when you scraped it off, or did it come off as a powdery substance? The "goo" is darker and grey-colored. Rust is typically red or orange hued.

Dear god I should read this thread more often... He just won one of my auctions . I sent him an invoice...we'll see.

Starslayer 2 CGC 9.8 for $105 shipped.

You can't stop entropy. Nothing will stop the rust from spreading, but proper storage may slow the process down. It's a runaway train. EDIT: That might not be rust. It might be some sort of glue, dirt, or gunk. Perhaps try to scrape it off with an Exacto knife? Just be very careful. I've seen the same sort of gunk on a few books from the early 90s.

The problem is that anything less than a 9.8 just isn't good enough...and that's gonna cost me more than $20 a month. I just can't afford it and with over 400 slabs I'm almost out of room. The total expense of the set is already beyond embarrassing. Thanks for the kind words on the set!

The recommendation is 7 years. That number is based on the lifespan of the microchamber paper. After that time period, the microchamber paper becomes inert and no longer works to mitigate the effects of any off-gassing. I'm sure it will continue to protect against any possible ink transfer, however. If you're OCD about preservation and have the funds, I recommend getting it done. If you're more rational about preservation, you realize that the book will age better than you will regardless of your decision. In short, do you HAVE to? The answer is no. Is it a good idea? Only time, really, will tell. Is it a bad idea? Not if you have the money.

This book is extraordinarily hard to find. I remember endless hunts back when I collected the Wolverine run, and I never came close to finding a 9.8. Pure awesome! GLWTS

Lately, yes...but for over a year, during the "homage" cover run, they released incentives...LOTS of them. I guess my ultimate point is...I would like to deal with one cover per month.

It just seems like a violation. In my opinion, books that old need to be preserved in the original condition. If you're looking for a more rational reason, I'm afraid I won't be able to give it to you. It's just my personal taste.

I stopped collecting Spawn because the variant game was getting out of control. I just couldn't handle it anymore. It's a shame because Spawn went against the grain in the mid 90s by not releasing any sort of gimmick cover. Now they have 3 or 4 variants per issue...EVERY issue. Some of them aren't even announced in advance. I can't even begin to express my disgust. I'm done, done, done with the variant chase.

Depends. Does the "spine break" break color? According to Overstreet standards, color break is not allowed in 9.8 or 9.6. "Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends, or color break" are allowed in 9.6. They also say that no stress lines are allowed in this grade. They allow up to a 1/16 bend in 9.4 as long as it doesn't break color and permit books with "almost no (stress) lines" in this grade. This assumes that the rest of the book is in "perfect condition" as mentioned. It's just hard to say without having the book in hand. It all depends on how nasty that flaw looks. I should also mention that Overstreet standards are not exactly congruent with CGC standards. During periods of looser grading, I've seen 9.8s with a color-breaking spine tic or two. From all accounts, I think they've really tightened up over the last few years, and I'm more cautious than ever when submitting books for a 9.8. Anything less than what I'd describe as nearly perfect is a crapshoot, and my definition of "nearly perfect" does not allow for any sort of stress line and a non-color-breaking indention is also pushing it, even if the book is perfectly flat and the corners are sharp. If grade is important to you, I suggest buying CGC graded comics. Hope this helps and good luck! * * * EDIT: I'm flipping through the Overstreet Guide to Grading Comics and there is another chart (pg. 25) that counts a 1/32 inch defect as "slight and subtle" and it accounts for one defect, which could allow an otherwise perfect book to grade a 9.8. According to their chart (pg. 24), you can have up to two defects in the grade of 9.8 * * * SOURCE: THE OVERSTREET GUIDE TO GRADING COMICS (2016)

Well, GPA is a good starting reference point, and I'd have to agree that it's about $100 or a tad bit more in CGC 9.8. So is it worth $350? Not in my opinion. Even if it were signed, I think that's a little high. Personally, I'd crack it out and get Todd to sign it for an extra $100 or so before I'd plop down $350. Yeah, you'd run the risk of a grade-drop...but I'm just saying what I would do. It IS a tough book thanks to the black cover. That's what makes Spawn so challenging. TOUGH covers. As a disclaimer, I own a 9.8 blue label of this book.