comicginger1789

How long were you "uninvolved" in comics? If it has been since pre 2000, a LOT has changed. And, no disrespect, but it sounds like you just jumped right in assuming you knew a 9.8 from a 9.6. You believed pressing would guarantee the former and you sent off books you paid up for and that only 9.8 would give you a great return on (that or you are just a die hard 9.8 collector). I have been collecting for the past 15 years. I have been familiar with CGC since I first learned about it back in 2005. I havbe bought countless grading guides and looked at images. I read stuff on these forums for several years before signing up because I felt (somewhat) knowledgeable enough to have a convo and hold my own with regards to grading and overall comic knowledge. And you know what? I STILL suck at determining 9.6 from 9.8. Granted it is not so much a focal point for me but if I were someone jumping back in after a 5-10 year break from comics, I would make sure I get some second opinions on a book (and no, not a friend or two, I mean people like you have here who are more than happy to give ya a dose of reality). I would be willing to bet enough eyes would see some minor flaws on the books sent in (corners, spine ticks, interior issues....people tend to only grade the front and back but CGC actually opens the book). As for CGC presser and their abilities. They have been in the game for almost 20 years. No one has come close to dethroning them and unless they see a serious dip in quality, I cannot see it happening in the near future. If I am to trust my money in CGC, I feel 95% sure they will get it right with regards to properly handling and grading my book. The other 5% is the human error that NO company can avoid. So the questions becomes do you think both your books fall into the 96% or 5%? And if the latter, is it worth it to pay for them to take another look?

I'm sorry if I came across that way. Basically, there are just some modern artists that people love that I hate. Art is subjective. I can say "I don't like Jim Lee art or Rob Liefeld art" but I would be stupid to say they aren't good artists. Obviously they are doing something right for enough people because they are still in the biz. So kudos to em. Just isn't for me. I totally get people saying they don't like Kirby art (heck it took time to grow on me even). And that is fine. But they cannot deny that Kirby was massively successful. As a wise man (or animated VW bus) said, "respect the classics, man" and I feel I do that mostly with my collecting and enjoyment in this hobby. I've always felt like a 60 year old collector stuck in a 30 year old body.

I have read verrrrry little in the past decade. Chip Zdarsky's art I love on Sex Criminals which is great, same with Morazzo and O'Halloran on Ice Cream Man. I've tolerated Bennet on Hulk, although I would not say it blows my mind (the story is where its at and the art is just there). Aja on Hawkeye was also a nice change and worked with that run and same with Henderson on Nailbiter. Aside from those, there aren't many in the last decade that have drawn me in to wanna read, even though I know some great stories are aplenty.

Lol no he goes so far in the opposite which is gaudy and so off-the-wall that I cannot appreciate it. I just find there are much more artists from the 40s-80s that I like a lot compared to the 90s to now. I left many off my above list (Wally Wood, John Buscema, Walt Simonson, Marie Severin) and feel if I were to list modern day artists that I really like, the list is maybe 10 or so. And many of those don't do a ton of interior work.

LB Cole, Gil Kane, Neal Adams (early work), Bernie Wrightson, John Romita, Steve Ditko, Bill Sienkevicz, Jack Kirby, Graham Ingels, Joe Kubert, Mike Kaluta, Jim Steranko, Jim Aparo, Earl Norem, Barry Windsor-Smith, Ross Andru, Sal Buscema. There are more but those are the ones I gravitate towards the most. Cannot say I am a huge fan of many others. I just don't look at artwork from the last 20 years or so the same because it is so digitized. I miss the more intricacies of artwork from the earlier days is all. I am not saying artwork today is bad and generally, I like a lot of the independent stuff more than the mainstream stuff. I find the mainstream superhero stuff tries to be hyper realistic which I don't need. I don't need to see Batman or whoever appear so real that they could be standing beside me looking that way. A lot of it is almost like looking at a picture someone took which, for me, I always HATED seeing that in older comics. Granted back then it actually looked bad but for me, I see the same thing. Art should look like art, pictures of real things should look like pictures of real things. The closer art gets to looking real and I lose appreciation for it. Does that make any sense from an artistic perspective?

Yes but I feel like that is the exception, not the rule. And that was what, almost a decade ago. In recent memory, I have only heard of one massive find in the past 5 years. Unless I am out of touch....

How often are comics actually found in a storage unit? I have only heard of a handful of extremely good finds over the last 30 years. More often than not, comics found in these lockers are the traditional garbage that comic shops can't even sell for a buck.

To me, this looks like a married cover. The pics aren't the best. Would help to try and see the staples holding the book together currently better...they could be "authentic" old staples but used to attach a cover on what was a coverless copy. How CGC would determine this I have no clue. Because if you had a coverless copy with the staples still stuck in it, it would be easy to take a cover and marry it and make it look pretty darn authentic. Could it be manufacturing? Sure. Personally I have not seen enough of this flaw though to weigh in on how common it is, especially being as off as they are. I know missing a staple happens and I have seen some older books where there are double staples but they are very close to each other.

There is a lot of muck. Visual muck though. If you can get past that, yes. But some like me have a hard time because again, I'm a visual guy.

Did someone say golden age:)

Comics were simple and fun back then. I wouldn’t say you read them to be blown away by stories but I would say they provided enjoyment and great art. The 80s are when comics hit their stride in terms of stories. And even the last twenty years have been exceptional. The problem for me is that comic art no longer has the same feel. I like that classic feel. Today it’s all glossy and flashy and super realistic which I don’t necessarily need all the time.

Well twenty minutes ago I read the little story the optometrist gives you when doing an eye check. Didn’t even get to finish it! Guy cut me off! What if I want to know what happened to the little brown fox eh?

Did I just read some people saying art and stories from the 70s was painful?! How....DARE....you!

Always a good thing! Honestly, I don't take page quality into account on my grading unless it is noticeably bad. And I rarely sell books that are better than 9.0 by my standards anyways so having off white pages shouldn't come into play. I have never had a buyer mad at a book because of page quality affecting the grade. But it could happen. I just make sure to take several front, back and one centrefold shot to give a sense of the overall condition for buyers to asses by their own standards.

Again, I don't think CGC uses this but it is a good indicator on the way it was on older books back when grading was done in the 70s and 80s. If you notice a bit of the off-white colour on edges but white everywhere else, they may denote off white to white.

I mean, you shouldn't have a 9.8 with cream pages. All I'm saying but hey maybe I am wrong. There are people who desire the white pages. Basically, if they like a newspaper paper, kinda whitey grey, that is white. If a slight yellowy tinge is invading, you may get hit with a more off-white label. If that colour is the permanent colour, it is more cream. Use an OWL card or even an image of an OWL card. Not that CGC uses it but it can help a lot and I found helped me when I was briefly interested in page colour. For me though, so long as it isnt brittle, I don't really care.

I mean, a 9.4-9.6 seems more likely. I find a lot of CGC errors happen on the more modern (post 1990 or so) books. Am I wrong in that? And I understand collectors wanting the perfect copy, especially if they pay perfect copy prices. Because this is impossible to avoid (humans are involved so to have perfection will always be impossible), if I WERE someone buying 9.8 copies, I would ask the seller to take lotsa close up pics and not just assume the book inside is as perfect as I want it to be.

Solid 3.0. Some of the back cover stains keep it from higher.

People gamble on these types of books a lot, where it is 9.8 or bust. If you want a 9.8, buy one. If you want to hunt til you find one, be prepared to send in a couple that come back as 9.4-9.6. If you are trying to turn a profit, these are not the types of books to gamble on because they are so "all or nothing". Spend money on actual key books.

I agree with 6.5. Back cover seems cleanable and should ensure a 6.5 is reached.

If a deal has been struck, it is bad to walk away unless something changes. If I agree to a price and seller agrees to a price, I am paying said price and seller is giving me said items upon which said price was agreed upon. Sometimes, I will walk away from a negotiation. That is different. If I don't like the price, I won't pay. If I feel like I may get buyer's remorse, I stay away. Simple as that. Take your time to research and know what you are buying before ya buy it.

This came from an original owner collection two years ago. I haven’t had any desire to remove it.

Definitely not trimmed Books are not aligned perfectly when printed and sometimes get miscut. Personally, the one that is cut worse should grade slightly less, even if otherwise flawless (it should be 9.6 tops, not 9.8) but that is just me.

I lay on the carpet floor in the basement or else read on the couch near my shelves. When I’m done, I grade my books, add quick notes on the back of the backing board regarding price paid and estimated value, then I file it away.