ConcreteMob181

Makes sense. Thanks for the run down and the endorsement of DMZ and Northlanders. I may need to give them both a try.

Thanks all. Very helpful. It was advertised as a 7.5. I put it at a 6.5 before I bought it. Price was closer to a 4.0 - 4.5. So I still came out ahead but it seems I may have over graded a bit.

Dear CGC, I went to check on my order status today and it appears to have vanished from your system. I searched for it and was told no order with that number exists. I received two of the books some time ago but the other 3 were still scheduled for grading as of 48 hours ago. Please advise: CGC7276562193 Thanks.

It really was a phenomenal imprint. Not for everyone I suppose but they had far more hits than misses IMO. I forgot about Deadenders. That may be one I need to pick up. Thanks!

Got it. Thanks for the rundown. And thanks to all for the grade estimates!

Tidelines? I’ve never heard that phrase before but its apt. Moisture makes sense in terms of what we’re seeing. I was aware of the damage when I purchased a couple of years back but clearly wasn’t sure exactly what it was (unlike the foxing). Does CGC grade tidelines the same way they grade staining? If not, is there a rough guideline for how tidelines affect the grade? I’m guessing cleaning isn’t going to help here.

A few notes: No tears but a few small creases. Light foxing on lower left spine of front and back covers. The big issue is the very top of the front and back covers which looks like staining or possibly a dust shadow of some sort. It’s very light but does go through both front and back covers as you can see. Thanks much!

Thanks for this! Really great rundown! I read a bunch of Crossing Midnight. I remember initially liking it but then losing interest, in part because of the pacing. Later on, I felt like it was a bit of a dry run for some parts of Unwritten - which was great. #24 is probably one of the best standalone issues I’ve ever read. I’ve heard Black Orchid mentioned a few times but don’t know anything about it. The art I’ve seen is certainly interesting. May have to circle back on that one. FBP was a miss for me. I didn’t make it past the first couple of issues. Liked Unfollow and Clean Room though which came out around the same time. Thanks again!

Sandman was great. It’s probably my second favorite Vertigo run after Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing (I know the floppies weren’t published under Vertigo but I count it and Morrison’s Doom Patrol and Animal man as Vertigo). Love Hellblazer but I haven’t quite finished it. Working my way through Denise Mina’s run right now. Love all the titles you listed at the end. Unwritten IMO doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves. I’ve heard a couple of endorsements for the Losers. What grabbed you about it (if you feel so inclined to share)? Thanks much for your response!

Thanks so much for the response. If you had to pick one of Northlanders or DMZ, which would you choose and, if you feel so inclined, why? Also, why was Loveless a miss form you? Thanks again!

I am a huge Vertigo fan. As a collector of comic runs, I have read and own most of the greatest hits (as well as a several slightly off radar - Shade and Exterminators anyone?). But there are a few Vertigo ongoings I know very little about. My question to the community is, which (IYO) of the below would you consider a must/own/can’t miss for the Vertigo collector and why? Given that it’s Vertigo, I place a premium on story. 1. DMZ and/or Northlanders. I have a weird relationship with Brian Wood’s stuff. He always picks subjects that grab my attention. I try out the series and, for whatever reason, it fails to grab me. I actually read the first few issues of DMZ years ago but, for reasons I’ve long forgotten, dropped the series. 2. Books of Magic. Loved the mini. Never read the ongoing. Don’t know anything about the writers. 3. Unknown Soldier. Young me thought this was the comic equivalent of an Oscar grab. Older me thinks younger me was, on occasion, a pretentious $&:@. 4. Loveless. Love Azzarello (100 Bullets and the admittedly not for everyone New 52 Wonder Woman are some of my favorites). But missed this series and don’t know a thing about it. 5. House of Mystery. Another one I dropped a few issues in after it came out for reasons I have likewise forgotten. 6. Jack of Fables. Really liked Fables. Heard mixed things about this spinoff. 7. iZombie. Love Mike Allred (especially Madman and his art on X-Statix). Generally not a huge zombie fan. 8. And then a whole bunch I know absolutely nothing about except the title: Madame Xanadu, War Stories, Kid Eternity, The Losers, The Dreaming, House of Secrets, Human Target, Testament, Young Liars. Many thanks!

Jennifer, Great thanks. It is a blue label and I would much rather CGC remove it than I. So, if I’m understanding you correctly, I would leave it in the case and just submit for press and grade as if it were any other book? Thanks again.

Dear CGC, I recently got back a book which, I realized in retrospect, I should have had pressed before being graded. My question is if I want to resubmit for a press and a regrade do I have to take the book out of its case or will CGC do that for me? Thanks much!

Looks like I’ll have to check out JIUW too. Good rec! Does anyone have a preferred reprint/collection for reading EC?

The covers are phenomenal! I’d never heard of the series before this thread but I’ve now checked out the cover art a few times. Really exceptional.

I’ve been looking at the EC books for a long time. I know some of the stories and love the Feldstein and Wood art especially. I sometimes get the sense that the horror books overshadow the scifi a bit. Do you think the horror books are “the best” or that the quality is so good across the line that it doesn’t matter what genre you’re looking at as long as its EC?

That makes sense (I thought the Kirby one was GA but it’s ‘61). Pretty unique looking covers on these. I quite like them. Thanks for the rec!

These are great recommendations. Thanks much to all. I checked out Wolverton and can verify that the fact I was totally unaware of him has confirmed my status as a golden age noob. I was at least familiar with a few of the others but Science Comics, Speed Carter, and Superworld were brand new to me. I love the Kirby Amazing Adventures covers so happy to hear the endorsement.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and the response. I always suspected there were a few more Concrete fans out there! To answer your question, while I love a great cover I will choose story over cover every time. I don’t know anything about Basil Wolverton though…where would I start?

I am a huge scifi fan and am curious as to what the community would say the key Golden/Atomic age scifi series are? I see Planet Comics getting a lot of love. And I am personally drawn to the EC books for the art and social significance. Are these the big 2? Or are their others out there from this era that are must read/collect if you are a comic scifi fan? Many thanks!

-Finish (or come close to finishing) the middle of my Kirby/Lee FF run (#30-67 + annuals). Just over halfway done so may fall a bit short. If, by some miracle, I make it will move on to #10-29. -Upgrade a couple of the sub-par issues in my Claremont X-Men run. -Make some tough selling decisions. May be time to say goodbye to Hellboy, Hawkeye, Vision, Grendel, some Wonder Woman, and a bunch of other moderns. I try to stay under 5K books in my collection and I just re-crossed that line. Plus I need the dollars for FF.

Hi everyone. My name is Evan and I currently reside in DC (I move around a lot). I have been a comic fan since middle school. My first comic was Silver Surfer 50 and since then I’ve been a huge fan of Marvel Cosmic. Also a huge collector of Vertigo and proto-Vertigo and loving what Image has been doing lately. I pretty much only collect runs (specific creative teams on specific titles). Have some great ones including all of Claremont’s X-Men, Miller’s Daredevil, Kirby’s Fourth World, and many more. My grail-so to speak-is to put together a complete Kirby/Lee FF run. About a quarter of the way there. If I finish that will go after EC books. I also sell a lot of books on eBay. Really happy to join the community and thanks again to everyone who already helped me out with a question on comic stains and grading.

Awesome - thanks for the link!

I had guessed 6.0 to 6.5 (based on my nearly non-existent experience grading stains) so I am heartened to hear it could grade a bit higher. I do think it presents really well and I got a great price so I may try to hold onto it and see if I can get some money back. Thanks again. Oh and if anyone is down for posting some links to resources on stains (types, affect on grade, etc.) I would really appreciate it.

Wow. Thanks everyone for the feedback. CapraAegagrus has a good point. Tough to offer an opinion with just one photo. Here are some more. As you can see the stain goes through to the other side of back cover but has no impact on the actual pages. There is no warping or molding. Just light discoloration. Comicquant - thanks for the photos. Super helpful. As you can see my stain's a bit bigger. Is there a general rule of thumb for grading stains (based on size, discoloration, type of stain, etc)? Aardvark88 - have you tried this process with any of your books? Thanks again everyone.