scburdet

From October 2022. Recalled Elektra #3 "nude" variant. Got the special random sketch bonus on this one. I guess Greg couldn't fit the sketch in the area above the derriere on the front, or didn't want to cover the title with a sketch. Now both sides are potentially objectionable

Tears along might set the ceiling at 5.0. 4.0/4.5. Apparent tanning on the back cover added to the spine stress lines & tears.

You've got a couple of corners, TLFC & TLBC that are less than perfect. The staples look like there's some rust. The book says rust that hasn't transferred to paper lowers the ceiling to 9.0/9.2. Add the corners & I believe your limit is more like 8.0/8.5.

I've got a nice copy of this one too in newsstand with only a small bindery tear. My facilitator has passed over it multiple times b/c he says CGC grades this book particularly hard (along with Secret Wars 8). I'm going to say 9ish too, not accounting for this.

The mashed staple & mild spine stress lines are indicative of a 9.0/9.2. I'm a little hesitant b/c there appears to be some paper oxidation, or something, along the spine. I prefer to see some shots of the inside of the cover pages & inner pages to assess tanning b/c of how harshly cgc seems to be treating this. Could be several grades lower.

The corner & white spot by the spine near the ring finger make the ceiling more like 9.4/9.6. It's unclear to me how much pressing is necessary with the heavy stock covers, which I believe this is

She used a thinner marker to sign it seems. Looks cleaner than thicker sharpie sigs. This is the first sig book that I have that looks like it was signed with a thin tip marker. Looks to me like the same color as the lips too. I could see that being the last part of the sketch, and she just used the last marker to add the signature rather than swapping for something else. I think you can see how the earlier art influenced the Power Girl design.

1.0

Spine stress line around Thor's face, little color breaking crease just above the T & a chip to the right of the CCA box. I'd lean toward 9.0 without that little crease, but I'll say 8.5±0.5

Looks like maybe some color rub above Ivy's head, but it could be glare. There's definitely a few indentions along the spine & again the glare is making it a little hard to tell if/how much color break there is. I see what looks like some finger bends on the back cover. Definitely would give this one a press to get to 9.2±0.2

1.8/2.0. Too beat up for pressing to do much good. At best it might look marginally better to make it lay flatter (if it survived the process), but I don't the grade would change.

dumb question, are all the inserts in the same issue the same? It takes about 30 seconds to find a New Mutants 98 with a MJs that doesn't match this one. I don't know if/how much the inserts vary.

From 12/22

From Dec 2022. 1st Capullo Spawn. Took a flyer on the #73 as a minor key newsstand

2.0/2.5

light oxidation along the back top edge, looks like some soiling on the back spine. I can't quit tell what's going on at the BLFC. Is there a spine split or tear, or just some heavier wear. A few spine stress lines & rounded corners. Depending on the corner I can't tell for sure about, 5.0/5.5. It's a pretty cool cover, even if this doesn't seem like an otherwise notable issue.

some paper oxidation around the back edges. Stress lines along the spine. 5.0±0.5

1.8/2.0

I'm not an expert, but my impression is that a standard clean (removal of surface grime) is not an effective way to remove foxing (mold that permeates the paper). It can be removed to so degree by a professional restorer. It may be a case of cost/benefit though. FMV of this in the low 9s is ~$300. I don't see a low 9 here even if there was no foxing. It depends on how much a cleaning would cost to move the needle from a $100 book to a $200 book and still keeping a universal label. Going after more aggressive cleaning makes more sense when the books are worth thousands of $$$ where improved grades can really mean a difference in asking price. Personally, I would be conservative with a book like this. Do the standard c/p and have a nice looking 6 or 7.