scburdet

5.0/5.5. The dark cover is tough, but looks pretty good. Tanning along the back spine might get flagged, especially if it's on the insides too.

I put this comic in the bin of books I need to do something with. I specifically remember where/when I got this comic b/c it was part of a package including Hulk 180 & 181 that were all advertised as NM in the early years of ebay. The 180 is at CGC now, the 181 came back at 6.5. Luckily, at the time I filed a claim & the prices weren't even close to crazy back then, so not a huge $$$ investment (I've officially held them long enough to make back my money many times over). I already have a direct edition of this book at the TM signing. I got this one out & realized it's a newsstand, which I suppose merits some consideration in future plans. The defects are pretty obvious. The wrap is well off center & there are some spine stress. That said, it's presentable & I think we look better pressed, I just not sure it's worth it.

I'm not entirely convinced the C/P will get rid of all the defects highlighted & back soiling, so 9.0/9.2 with C/P. Maybe higher if it is more successful.

According to the new book, a comic with a missing piece can grade from 0.5-9.8. I'd say they gave themselves a lot of leeway with that wide range If you asked me to guess, I would say the missing piece wouldn't affect the grade at the condition for the rest of the book. I am particularly intrigued by this book now b/c absent other information, I might be closer to @AhsokaTano Jedi Apprentice but the 8.5 for sale definitely has a worse looking cover so If there's another HC signing someday, I might window that bottom left block for a sign/sketch (unless I find a nicer copy for a price like I paid for this one sometime between now & then).

Minor color rub is 9.0-9.4, so I think 9.2 too. I've had hesitation to send a few of mine with this defect, but I swear that I've seen 9.6s with more black ink missing along the back spine for sale. It's a little bit of a gamble IMO.

not sure I see a 9.6 with the bottom spine corner. 9.2/9.4

you're entitled to a full refund of my grading fee. I've been reading CGC's new book, it states that stress lines are less of an issue with pre-modern books (which would grade much lower with the same number of them). That would seem to account for many of the concerns people had. What's a little surprising to me is a 9.4 given the volume of CGC notes. I've gotten four 9.4s back recently & only one had one note. Again, the books says a 9.4 can have a couple of slight handling defects so if I were you, I'd invest heavily in lottery tickets. Post the graded book photos when it comes in. Will be interesting to see.

I'm a fan of collecting creators' career landmarks, even if the books themselves might be obscure or sought after. I got Chaykin to sketch/sign a Marvel Super Action with Dominic Fortune & it got me thinking about the models for this character. I have this Scorpion 1 for future consideration. I did notice a small piece out of one internal page. I also skimmed through ebay for books that came through the HC signing this summer. 8.5 is the highest grade I found, and I added a link of that book for reference purposes (https://www.ebay.com/itm/185604769893). I'm a bit shocked at the grade with the amount of color loss in the black. It does seem to be quite common with this book. The black space does offer a nice area for sketching IMO.

+1 on trying to press the various stuff under the SS's board. Could some of those wavy lines be printer's creases? I do see a color-breaking line on the far right. IDK if there's a name for this, as I have comics with similar lines. As far as the reader's crease, I bought the CGC guide so you don't have to. The book says max for a non-color breaking RC is 8.0 and a full length color breaking RC can go as low as 5.0. It also says square bounds are treated a little bit easier. This RC is color-breaking, but does not appear to be the full length with the color disruption. Beyond that, the book leaves ambiguity, which I'm sure is intentional. My feeling is that it's at least a mid-severity RC, so 6.5 max. I'll say 6.0±0.5 b/c there is uncertainty about the other little defect. By the way

I think 9.0/9.2 just for the rounded corners. I don't see much else going on.

+1. I see in the notes that there's fading in the TLFC corner, and soiling on cover. Not sure I see the fade in the photos. Not sure about the soiling either. Maybe it means the edges on the back? IDK. The other outcome of this post was I bought a copy of this book b/c I liked it too much

Me thinking about admitting to how many books I currently have at/going to CGC.

I got mine signed/graded & was surprised that it came back 2-3 grades higher than expected. You do seem to have pressable defects, so I'm focused on the small TRFC bend, the fingerprint, the rough BRFC & the grunge on the back. It's better if that stuff on the back is soiled, not stained, b/c the latter is a real killer by CGC standards. Stained, I would say 5.5/6.0. Soiled but then cleaned & pressed 7.0/7.5. The fingerprints hurt.

Thanks. I got a fair number of them in 'fair' conditions too. I won't bother posting those. These 3 were the best of the lot. Early days of ebay FTW.

Make sure to edit the Topic to say "Grade is in" so people know to look at the result. Nice book

4.0/4.5 That piece is gone from the back corner, right?

I don't think this one is quite as nice as the 107. First Destroyer though. Small paper lift or tape pull on the upper right FC and a small crease lower right FC. Otherwise "good for its age". I feel confident that if I sold just a couple of the books from this purchase today that I would cover my initial investment. As long as I'm not losing gobs of money on comics, I consider that a win.

From the same batch my JIM112 came from. One of the books that's significant enough (1st Grey Gargoyle) and high enough grade to post for input. There's some cover overhang at the top that caused a couple very small tears & the wrap is obviously imperfect. A little bit of color chipping/flaking on the lower part of the spine. I think this might grade a bit higher than the label the seller had on the bag.

definitely some light spine ticks. Maybe some slight corner rounding. 9.2ish. I don't see a 9.6/9.8.

≥9.2

≥9.2 I have several examples that suggest CGC doesn't hit ticks all that hard. Plus this is early ASM. I think 9.4 is the most likely outcome.

This is true. I got the CGC book and it says foxing over the entire cover is a 4.0-6.0 range. However, it does not give a difference between front & back. I'd think front is worse obviously. The front does look good, but I'm going to go with 5.5±0.5 based on what I've experienced.

7.5±0.5. Corner issues & spine ticks

That corner is smashed pretty good. Spine ticks are color breaking. Cover is off-center. None of these defects are pressing candidates. CGC grader notes, if any, would be helpful to know if there's anything else. This looks like a 9.2 to me. Could re-grade lower.

I remember pulling this out a few months ago and thinking "this looks much nicer than I remember, I should definitely get this graded", then my eyes moved to that corner....