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Is it really Qualified or is it Universal?? I recently submitted 2 very rare Tomb raider #46 Wizard World Texas Comic Con comics with the great Michael Turner cover art. This comic was limited to only 100 copies, which were all hand numbered from #1 to #100. I believe there are a few AP (Artist Proofs) out there. These comics are very collectible do to the fact they are very rare and have a beautiful piece of art by Michael Turner. Both of these comic received a CGC Qualified 9.8 grade, which at times is very difficult to receive with these type of variants. I was very happy with the comics receiving the 9.8 grade. A few years ago, I submitted 2 other Tomb Raider #46 Wizard World Texas Comic Con comics to CGC and both received a very nice Universal 9.6 grade. Maybe someone can answer my question regarding the way CGC graders evaluate if its a Universal or Qualified grade. I realize this comic has handwritten numbering, but the way this comic is designed is just for that. Each individual comic has a space for the number to be written and they all come with a handwritten number. So should it be a Universal or Qualified grade? Does CGC have a guideline or policy which states it is a Universal or Qualified or do they leave it up to the individual grader? Let me know what you think or what you know. Thank you, 109 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

My first graded Modern Age Comics I attended the Long Beach Comic Con this year and submitted several comics to CGC for grading. In the past I have only submitted Modern Age comics, but for the first time I submitted 2 Bronze Age comics, Incredible Hulk #181 Wolverine and Superman #233. I purchased both several years ago and I paid around $125 for the Hulk #181. I just received both of them back from CGC and it was like being a little kid again opening presents on Christmas. The Superman #233 is really the only old Superman comic book I have. When I was a kid, I received a Superman #233 jigsaw puzzle for Christmas and from then I have always loved that cover. I still have the puzzle and it is framed. I was hoping the Superman #233 would come back with a 9.0 grade or higher. I was very happy to see that it came back with a grade of 9.2. The Hulk #181 came back with a grade of 5.0, which I'm also very happy with. It has white pages and the value coupon is still intact. Thanks for reading, 109 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

SUPERMAN / BATMAN GERMAN STYLE I am a big Superman / Batman collector and fan. I loved Michael Turner's artwork on this series and one of my favorite was the German variant version of Superman / Batman #4 with Supergirl. I purchased this comic several years ago from the online Rupp's Comics and just recently submitted to CGC for grading. This is a very limited comic of only 400. I was very happy to see it came back as a 9.6, but since it was numbered by hand, CGC made it a qualified grade. This is definitely one my favorite Michael Turner's pieces of art. Thank you and enjoy. 109 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Grifter and WildC.A.T.S. I'm a fan of Jim Lee's art and comics. I enjoyed the WildC.A.T.S. series and was big fan of Grifter. I got back my copy of Jim Lee's Sketchbook with Grifter on the cover from CGC. It's a very cool cover. I was hoping the comic was a possible 9.9, but it came back as a 9.8. Hopefully, one of these days I will get back a 9.9 or a 10.0. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Grifter and WildC.A.T.S. I'm a fan of Jim Lee's art and comics. I enjoyed the WildC.A.T.S. series and was big fan of Grifter. I got back my copy of Jim Lee's Sketchbook with Grifter on the cover from CGC. It's a very cool cover. I was hoping the comic was a possible 9.9, but it came back as a 9.8. Hopefully, one of these days I will get back a 9.9 or a 10.0. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

This is one of my favorite covers I really enjoyed collecting WildC.A.T.S. comics and thought it contained some of the coolest characters along with the very sexy Voodoo, Zealot and Void. I recently picked up this WildC.A.T.S. #40 with a CGC 9.8 grade with a nice signature from Travis Charest. It is one my favorites and I just wanted to share it. Thanks for looking, 109 To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Strip label on top should it stay or go? I recently purchased a Witchblade #1 Movie Edition graded with a CGC 9.8. The plastic case at the top was missing the paper label at the top of case. I kind of like it better without the label. It was one of the early graded comics from the old CGC labeling and a lot of those top labels curl up and look terrible. It would be nice if CGC could come up with a better way to affix top paper labels to where they stay in place. I think the only thing the top paper label is good for is finding a particular comic if you have it stored in an upright box. I don't think it changes the value at all. Thanks for reading. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Do you have a Diamond? Diamond Comic Distributors have been around since about 1982 and I believe they are the primary delivery company for most comic books to retail comic shops. I collect Witchblade comics and years ago I was able to purchase a Witchblade #1 with the Diamond Distributors emblem stamped on it. I would image these were given to retail comic shops for ordering a certain amount of Witchblade #1 comics. Witchblade is the only comic that I have ever seen with Diamond Distributors emblem stamp, but you would think there are other comics that have the same stamp and maybe there are. I don't remember what I purchased the comic for, but I believe it was a fair price at the time. I don't see these online very often, but when I checked in the past it appeared they went for about $100 for a raw comic. It appears that most of these comics were sent to the retail comic shop signed by Michael Turner and David Wohl. It appears there are harder to find without the autographs. I sent my Witchblade #1 Diamond Distributors to CGC for grading and it came back with a great 9.6 CGC Qualified Grade, which I was extremely happy with due to the fact they are hard to come by. I recently checked the CGC Census and found there was a total of 14 graded. The highest grade was only 2 at a Qualified 9.6 Grade. There were 6 at a 9.4 Qualified Grade and 5 at a Qualified 9.2 Grade. There was only 1 with a Universal Grade and it was at an 8.5. With so few being out there and with a grade of 9.6, I wonder what the real value would be on it. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

What's the benefit of not selling your overpriced comic? I know the topic of overpriced CGC graded comics on eBay has been discussed on a few different occasions. Some of these sellers ask for an arm and leg for these graded comics that are not worth a quarter of what they are asking. Some of the same comics have been up for sale for past few years. Why would these sellers continue to ask for ridiculous prices for these comic? Sometimes I will find the same comic in the same grade with a much lower asking price and many times the comic isn't selling at that price. How does it benefit these sellers? To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Happy Father's Day Happy Father's Day from me and my Witchblade collection. ! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Happy New Year and She-Hulk can ride the Pony. I just want to say I have enjoyed reading all the journal posts for the past year or so and I'm looking forward to reading many more through-out 2014. I hope all you dedicated comic collecting NERDS had great Happy New Year. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Do you have a Test Copy Comic Book in your Collection? Several years ago, I purchased a few different Test Copy Comic Books on eBay. The reason I purchased them was because it was the comic book runs I was collecting at the time and I figured there were only a few of them out there. I believe a Test Copy Comic is the original version of that particular comic and is sent back to the Comic Book Company for approval. I could be wrong, so if anyone else knows more about Test Copy Comic Books let us all know, so we can be more educated about what they are and if they are worth anything. I would believe to serious collector they could be. Below is a picture of a Test Copy of Randy Queen's Dreams of the Darkchylde #2. I purchased this Test Comic from Randy Queen. Randy even signed it and sketched a small picture at the bottom of the cover. It's a really cool looking comic book. I actually had to make my own comic book board and sleeve to protect it from damage. Due to it being a Test Copy it's actually oversized. I would love to have a Test Copy graded by CGC, but I doubt they have a holder that would hold it. I know they don't grade the Jay Company Museum or European Museum copies due to the size. PGX does, so I don't understand why such a big company like CGC would not have a encapsulate sleeve for it. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Why are there, so many 9.9 and 10 graded comics? I have submitted numerous comics to CGC for grading and have never been lucky enough receive a 9.9 or 10 on any of my comics. I have a few 9.9 or 10's, because I purchased them from someone else who had them graded. I have noticed a rise in 9.9 and 10's in graded comics, but many of them appeared to be from the independent comics. For example Grimm Fairy Tales and related issues that are published by Zenescope and a few other publishers that I'm not too familiar with seem to be producing a higher grade comic. Maybe it's just me, but it sure seems that way. Attached is my Michael Turner's Fathom v2 #0 Wizard World Los Angeles 2005 Con Edition. It's a beautiful 10. Thanks for looking. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

I think this comic has a great Christmas cover. Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holidays and this cool Randy Green Witchblade #132 VA Comic Con edition. Definitely one of my favorite Witchblade covers. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

The Beautiful art of Greg Horn I recently purchased this CGC graded Chaos - Image/Top Cow Lady Death / Medieval Witchblade Preview #1 Dynamic Forces Blue Foil Edition comic. The comic is graded at 9.8 and has beautiful artwork by Greg Horn. The story is written by Brian Pulido. Hopefully, I will be able to collect more of these awesome comics in a high grade. I just wanted to share, thanks for looking. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

What a cool cover! SWD3, I read your posts in regards to Witchblade and Darkness comics. Very nice collection of Autographed Cyblade/Shi and Darkness comics. I think I'm jealous of those beautiful copies of Cyblade/Shi comics. ! Congratulations with your collection. I did get lucky enough to land a CGC graded 9.8 Signature Series Medieval Spawn/Witchblade #1 Platinum Edition signed by Garth Ennis. According to the Census there has only been four graded and this is the only signature series. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Graded comics with variant covers or are they really variants? In the Modern Comic World many of the independent comics like Image / Top Cow, Dynamite and even Marvel and DC make variant covers for comics. Many of the CGC graded comics that I have come with 2 or more different covers. Some issues can come with 10 or more different covers. Many of these covers are equally distributed in count with some of them listed as an "A" or "B," etcetera covers. Realistically, I believe the first cover is the regular cover and anything after is a variant. Now CGC will list on the label that there are 2 different covers and then list the cover artist names. These comics will fall into the same slot in the registry. Is this the correct way to do this or should the secondary covers be listed as variants? Like so many of you, I like a different slot on the register, so it shows an accurate account of my collection, plus the additional CGC points that comes with it. I guess CGC could add a slot for the different covers and break it down by "A" or "B" covers with the different cover artist name, but some of the other covers have the same artist. In other cases I've seen CGC list these equally distributed covers as variants. I realize CGC grades thousands and thousands of comics, but it doesn't seem impossible to fix this problem and have some consistency. I have a Witchblade #116 variant comic with Greg Horn cover that is not equally in count and is an actual a variant. CGC has this comic listed as one of 2 different covers. I would have never thought this comic would have fallen into this multiple cover mishap. Well I'm just frustrated with these little things. !!! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Would you pay 5 times what a comic book is worth? I'm a big Tomb Raider collector and I am patently trying to put together a complete set of CGC grades. On September 11, 2013, I had bid on CGC graded Tomb Raider #48 regular edition comic that was graded at a 9.8. My max bid was $36.00, which I felt was reasonable for comic book. The Tomb Raider #48 comes with different covers, but both are equally distributed by quantity. There is really nothing special, but it is a crossover with Magdalena. Later I checked on the eBay auction and found it sold for a whopping $157.50. WOW!!! There appeared to be two different bidders just fighting over this comic. On November 2, 2013, I had bid on the same comic that was on eBay that was being auctioned from England. I was the only bidding and paid $32.16 for the comic, plus shipping which was reasonable and I received the comic in 5 days. To me this is just amazing what people will pay for comic book that has nothing really special to go with it. Thanks for reading. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Witchblade: Shades of Gray #1 I've been collecting Witchblade comics for some time now and I was really amazed when they came out with Witchblade: Shades of Gray #1 Billy Tan's Negative Art cover. The original cover with the same art was just awesome, but there was something about the Negative cover that just made the piece look sexier and more desirable piece to collect. The Negative covers were very hard to come by, but I was able to have one graded through CGC that came back with an awesome 9.8 grade. According to the Census this is the only one 9.8 and the only other one graded was a 9.4. I really enjoy Billy Tan's artwork and have been lucky enough to score an original art piece from a different comic series. I haven't seen to many other Negative Art covers with other series, except for the Red Sonja editions. Thanks for looking and enjoy the attached picture. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Here is another Virgin for you with creepy Halloween spiders... I figured it is Halloween, so I'm posting a picture of one of the coolest Virgin comics there is. This Darkchycle: Redemption #1 variant comic by Randy Queen is just awesome and she is covered in spiders. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!!! To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Have you ever had a Virgin? I figured if I label this journal as a Virgin I would catch the attention of many a nerds. !!!!! But, what I'm really here to talk about are Virgin Edition comics. I'm not sure how they got the name Virgin, but Virgin comics usually come without writing or labeling on the cover. The comics are variant editions, which are usually very limited. Most of the Virgin comics I have collected or scene usually have a really cool cover. Below is a picture of one of my favorite Virgin comics, the Witchblade #54 variant edition. I sent this comic to CGC to be graded and it received an awesome 9.8 grade. Hope you got a laugh. Thanks for looking....... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

WHAT IF: CGC could certify without being a witness to the signing? I believe CGC could improve their service with a secondary option to certifying signature series comics. Don't you hate submitting a high grade comic with a signature on it that you know is the real deal, but CGC certifies with a qualified label. What if CGC hired a certified or expert that can certify signatures? I think this would be a boost for CGC and would make a lot of customers very happy. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

ANOTHER UNIVERSE WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST PLACES TO FILL YOUR COMIC NEEDS. I remember ordering comics, posters, lithographs, statues, cards and anything else that I wanted to collect at the time from Another Universe. I used to enjoy getting their catalogs with the newest and coolest comic related merchandise. I'm not really sure what happened to them, but I believe a bigger company bought them out and then they were gone. If you remember Another Universe and know what the real story is about what happened to them, let us know. Below is a picture of one my favorite Darkchylde: The Legacy #1 variants by Another Universe that was graded at a CGC 9.8. Thanks for looking. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Michael Turner's Witchblade #25 German Splitter Chromium Edition Comic (Fathom) German edition comics continue to pop up on eBay with many of them having different cover art. Most of the German editions that I see are limited variant editions. Some of these editions are 1 out of every 100 they produce. Some are limit to 333 or 666. I'm not sure how or why they were limited to numbers like 333 or 666. I collect the Witchblade and Tomb Raider editions and some of these comics can be pricey at times. I believe a couple of the more popular German comics are The Incredible Hulk 181 with the first full appearance with Wolverine and the Michael Turner cover of Superman / Batman #4 with Supergirl. Most of the re-makes or re-issues were produced many years after the original issue came out and were probably produced due to that particular comic being extremely popular amongst collectors. One of my favorites, which I had graded, was Michael Turner's Witchblade #25 German Splitter Chromium Edition, which was graded at a 9.8. I was very happy with this high grade and it's one of my favorites in my collection. Thanks again for looking..... To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Wizard Ace Edition: WANTED #1 CGC Signature Series 9.8 I see there are some J.G. Jones fans on this site and just wanted to share my Wizard Ace Edition: WANTED #1 CGC Signature Series with a 9.8 grade. This edition has a great cover and it's one of my favorites in my Wizard Ace Edition collection. Quit a few of these have been graded with a total of 60 graded at 9.8 as a Signature Series. Just wanted to share with all the J.G. Jones fans. Thanks for looking. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.