ExNihilo

For me, it's largely a matter of value and how deeply I care about the grade of a particular book. If a book is less than $300 raw, then I'm probably not willing to throw another $50 at it just to get it graded. (I don't have a lot of books to grade so I would be unable to spread shipping costs across multiple books). If a modern book isn't a strong candidate for 9.8, then that's another reason I wouldn't get it graded. 9.8 moderns seem to be in high abundance so I might as well just buy one of the many already graded copies instead of subbing my own. That said, if all I care about is having the book in my collection, grade be damned, then I'd rather save some money and shop around for the sharpest looking raw copy and save myself a few dollars. In the end it boils down to your own preferences. If you're looking to present your comics, then a frame is one of the best/classiest ways to do it. https://www.amazon.com/Coinz-Comics-Acid-Free-Protected-Mountable/dp/B088QS87PQ/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=comic+book+frames&qid=1603909196&sr=8-5 Alternatively, these mounts work just as well for regular books and slabbed books. https://www.amazon.com/Comic-Mount-Shelf-Invisible-Adjustable/dp/B00GP1HJQG/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=comic+book+frames&qid=1603909294&sr=8-8

Gonna agree with HaDokKen here. In the short time that I've been aware of CGC, I've come to realize that it's a waste of money slabbing certain books. I used to think I wanted all keys slabbed, but I not realize that, with certain exceptions, it's better (and cheaper) to just use Mylite2's/Fullbacks. I only slab SS books and expensive keys where I feel the slab offers greater protection than the Mylites. I realize each person has their own preferences, but personally, I found slabbing most unsigned books a waste of money. Looking back, I'd rather have that money back to work my way through my list of grail books/original art.

I don't collect much commissioned work, but there are perhaps 3-4 personal grails (specific artist drawing a specific character) that I hope to collect one day. A David Finch Wonder Woman piece is one of those grails and I'm ecstatic to be able to call this one mine.

How can you live with yourself saying "60 cents" and "75 cents" when your name is "StillOnly25Cents"?

Yes, there is intentional coloration that looks like foxing as seen in this Marvel promotional image. (source: https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/77178/venom_2018_25) (direct link to hi-res image: https://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/9/80/5e8653cc71ba6/clean.jpg)

I dunno, it's a tight race.

My initial thought was "I don't know CGC's address off the top of my head, but I do know that 99% of business sites have a Contact Me page that usually lists address and customer service phone numbers." I mean, if I can't find the address to my local Chinese restaurant, do I search their site for it or post on Yelp.com looking for an answer?

I have a copy of the book and can confirm mine does not have the saliva/grease stain on it.

I get that sigs aren't everyone's cup of tea because it covers the artwork. In a slab, the representation of someone's contribution to the book is limited to the front and back covers. The back here tells me about Frogger. I don't see the connection between Romita, Shooter (?) and whomever else to Frogger. At the very least, when a book is signed on the front, I can make the connection from the creator to the book. I can't say I would particularly like to have my book signed on the back (with exception to a blank cover), but to each their own.

Maybe the Feds have knocked on his door for interstate fraud activity and he's thus otherwise busy. Sigh...one can only hope...

I defer to James J Johnson, he was on an absolute mission to expose Stan Lee forgeries.

You would never make it onto a jury panel since you're not voting based on facts, you're voting based on beliefs. It is what it is and I accept your position, but the system is intended to be unbiased and built on facts. In a court process you have a "trial" and then a "sentencing" process. First comes the determination of guilt. Then comes the determination of punishment. By voting with "hope" in your heart, you are effectively jumping to sentencing without taking a firm stance on whether the accused is indeed guilty of his/her actions.

In my opinion, when it comes to comics as investments, the 1st appearances of these three characters are the ONLY books that I might recommend as "proper investing". I liken it to an S&P 500 ETF in that all historical evidence points to these books growing over a 40 year window. It's about as safe a bet as there is in the world of comics. Every other key 1st appearance I liken to strong individual stocks like AAPL or V or MSFT. Consistent growers, but a little riskier. And then you get to the speculative books which are like 90% of the stocks out there. They might go up, they might go down. Bottom line, I have less confidence in them than I do the holy trinity of Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, and Amazing Fantasy #15. Also, "Spider-Man". C'mon @revat, respect the hyphen.

Fred! I choose you!

Alright, I think I've FINALLY figured out what you're talking about here. Your original description was a bit confusing because you mention two separate books, but made it sound like it was all one issue. And some of the photo layouts didn't make much sense, but my notes are in the edited post below:

The last visible eBay sale for Stan/Todd was $2,799. (Michelinie's sig doesn't carry that much value as best I can tell). So if you subtract eBay's 10% fee, you're looking at something around $2,500 cash as a basis for comparison. It could be higher it could be lower. All I looked at was the last comp, not the last 10.

Not to be confused with Hed the Frenchman.

I dunno, looks like a generic henchman to me.

I'm still confused, what's the question? It appears to be a blank sketch cover with two blank sketch pages.

I'm a little behind. I just read #0 (still haven't read #37 yet), but it's remarkable to see how knowledgeable of the characters written history Al Ewing is and how he's able to weave a coherent story using elements laid out by his predecessors. I'm always astonished when a writer does such things because it shows a strong understanding of who these characters fundamentally are. And for someone like myself who has never read anything prior to the copper age, reading Mantlo's words were eye opening. It really shows how much narration there was and how, the stories then seemed so much more driven by the words than the art. Nowadays you can read a book in like 5 minutes because there's so little content outside of eye candy. But really loving what Ewing is doing with Immortal Hulk (and Guardians of the Galaxy).

I had a package delivered, they rang the doorbell and stood back 10 feet. When I opened the door, they just confirmed my name and signed off on the pad. I'm guessing if I didn't open the door, they would have taken the package back and re-delivered on another day (or so I would have hoped). Seems to be on an individual basis depending on how lazy the delivery driver is.

So at which point is a HoS discussion/vote started? Seems pretty open and shut to many of us here.

Not that it matters, but on the two or three occasions where I've sold a valuable book, I've always gone to the post office and done a single shot video with a quick look around of the item sold, then of me packing it, clearly showing the label, and then handing off the book to the post office. The book/package never leave the cameras view until the USPS takes it and drops it in whatever bin they use. At least that should cover me in case someone responds that I shipped the wrong item.

I'm more excited about CGC partnering to get sigs with Ashley Eckstein. I'm on a commission list with a creator and hopefully they can get to me and sub the book by the due date.

Let me guess...all_things_comics?