Kevin76

Add some Black!! Like I did

$550 for the NM Annual 2 should be enough dough to buy a scanner with

Unlikely. Being an error of some kind is more likely. I just wish there were more examples of different books having this same error. In the history of marvel, this scenario should have happened a few more times than just these two books. That's just my feeling on the matter. The difference with these books is that somebody probably took them from the printer's building and held on to them. In almost every other instance, these books would never have left the printing building, but would have been destroyed. These books are probably examples that "fell off the truck", and were taken by an dishonest employee. Due to the many copies of xmen classic that are out in the wild, I have a hard time putting this book in the same category as the 302. My quest for the truth continues.

Are you on a Mac? Are you using a HP 8250 scanner?

I got my scanner off of ebay. It didn't come with any of the software at all. I had to download it from the HP site. I have a mac so the installation required a few more steps to get it to work with the current OS but all the other downloads seemed pretty straight forward. Got mine off of Amazon used for like $120 (Not paying $800 brand new) I had to buy the power cable and USB cable as well. Then just downloaded the driver. I work in printing so I know how to color ~

I bought my scanner off of amazon used and then just went to the HP website and downloaded the latest driver. I'm using an IMac. All I do, I click on a picture and at the top of my desktop it switches to "HP Scan" I click "Tools" Click "Adjust color" from the drop down menu and use the sliders back and forth, most of the time, I only use "Contract slide to the right and Sharpness slid to the right.

This better? Just gonna have to live with a little glare.

WW I adjusted the color on the ASM 5 for you!

The book in hand is very bright in itself, you don't want to pump the color up so much it doesn't look real. Just bring the black up enough that all the areas are black and add some brightness to it if it's too dark. Careful you don't lose the color blue on the label, I usually keep an eye on that. Bring up the sharpness so you can actually read the writing and it'll bring out the details in the art.

The ASM 5 and Dr Strange are too dark, it's crushing the blacks. Turn down the blacks a bit, turn up the yellow and brightness and add a little red. Add red to the FF48. Turn up the sharpness on all the images.

Before color - Notice how terrible the blacks look? After color adjustment - black added with the contrast up, Sharpness almost all the way up, Brightness turned down a little.

How do you raise the black level once the image is scanned/saved? I do all of the adjustments before I scan the image via "Preview". Generally I use 300 DPI, Brightness 60, Contrast 70 But it still isn't as sharp as other people's scans I see and can never figure out the black levels/contrast? After the scan is saved on my desktop, I click on "Adjust Color" in the tool bar and adjust it that way. I'll post before and after scans When it's saved on your desktop though, what program do you use to "Adjust Color"? HP Scan is at the top of my screen, I just click on "Tools and the Adjust Color"

How do you raise the black level once the image is scanned/saved? I do all of the adjustments before I scan the image via "Preview". Generally I use 300 DPI, Brightness 60, Contrast 70 But it still isn't as sharp as other people's scans I see and can never figure out the black levels/contrast? After the scan is saved on my desktop, I click on "Adjust Color" in the tool bar and adjust it that way. I'll post before and after scans

Can you post a scan of a book so we can see what you're doing wrong?

I have a HP 8250 scanner, I like it alot. Once an image is scanned and saved, first thing to do is to raise the black level, comes out a dark grey at first. There is a tip for you!

I look at them as a cash cow

Those beautiful comics with that ugly hat! j/k +1 Not kidding Go Chargers. Chargers disappointed me. Being a lifelong Patriot fan, I get nervous around this time. I just hope manning folds, as he usually does, when Brady is on the other side. I'm a Pats fan too, we should go see a Pats game together and we can talk comics in between plays Brady is 7-0 against a Del Rio defense FYI. I have a bad feeling about this game, unless Blount gets it going. At least it's not f'ing Eli he's up against. 2007 Pats weren't physical enough, 2011 Pats had the worst defense to ever make it to a SB. Broncos have a terrible pass defense, 2013 Pats pass defense is so much better than in recent years, They just need to get Peyton off his spot, He'll throw at least one INT this game. I see the Pats winning in a close game.

I keep seeing a 9.8 third print for #18 on eBay being re-listed, the price has gone down a bit but it's still over $200. I have to say it's tempting, but I don't think I can bring myself to spend that kind of money. Maybe we'll look back on this several months from now and think that was a bargain. Last few ebay auctions they have been selling for over $200, People are asking crazy money for the 17's lately.

Those beautiful comics with that ugly hat! j/k +1 Not kidding Go Chargers. Chargers disappointed me. Being a lifelong Patriot fan, I get nervous around this time. I just hope manning folds, as he usually does, when Brady is on the other side. I'm a Pats fan too, we should go see a Pats game together and we can talk comics in between plays Brady is 7-0 against a Del Rio defense FYI.

In 40 years people will say, boy do I miss the prices of 2014!

As I packed it last night, I (as always) had seller's remorse. On closer inspection, the book has a serious chance at a 9.9 - not a single flaw. It's not a 9.9, It's a 9.8. might even be a 9.6 with the way CGC has been latley, getting back surefire 9.8's as a 9.6...can't find a single thing wrong! CGC says 9.6, starting to think CGC is trying to make sure they don't hand out to many 9.8's. It's their way of guaranteeing continuing submissions. They have their "loose" periods where everybody gets ecstatic by getting higher grades than they were expecting coming back. Then they "toughen" up their standards for a few months, enraging people by giving grades that were much lower than expected. The genius of this plot, they know that once word gets out that they're in another "loose" phase, everybody and they momma is going to re-submit the books that were under-graded in the first place. Admit it, you've all fallen for it. You get the under-graded books back, steam over it, then when word comes out that they're loose again, you re-submit the book, and then are over-joyed by the grade bump. The true "suckers" in this instance are the re-submitters, because CGC got them to pay grading fees not just once, and sometimes, more than 3 times, just to get the grade the submitter felt the book should have gotten the first time. I don't fall for this, some guys shell out 30, 40 50 dollar resubmits to try and get a grade bump. I just prescreen everything, whatever comes back 9.8 I see slabbed, whatever comes back rejected, I sell raw.

As I packed it last night, I (as always) had seller's remorse. On closer inspection, the book has a serious chance at a 9.9 - not a single flaw. It's not a 9.9, It's a 9.8. might even be a 9.6 with the way CGC has been latley, getting back surefire 9.8's as a 9.6...can't find a single thing wrong! CGC says 9.6, starting to think CGC is trying to make sure they don't hand out to many 9.8's.

I had hopes fox would do the same with Forge in the First Class or DOFP movies. Start stock piling those X-Men 184's!

On the boards, it's agains't board policy to speak your mind.

I'll help you! I like to help