Comics to be signed - key issues, or good covers?

[slym2none]

I am curious - when looking for issues to be signed for CGCs Signature Series, do you immediately think of a key-ish issue to have signed, or will a nice cover be enough? Say a particular title has an issue with a white background for the cover art and a large-enough section for a sig or even a sketch, but it's a common issue - is this worthy of your consideration? Does the market support these SS issues? Shun them? Apathetic towards them?

 

Yes, I am asking for myself - I have a common X-Force issue with a white background I'd love to get a Deadpool sketch on. The issue itself is an easy 9.8 (for once, I will say I'd be disappointed if it was subbed as it is now & didn't get a 9.9, at least) but nothing in high demand.

 

 

 

-slym

[kerplunc]

I'm not very familiar with the selling aspect of SS books. The only SS books that I purchase are ones that I want for my personal collection. As for cover versus key issues, I generally go for a cover that I really enjoy. Sketch covers especially, I imagine that at some point those will be the only flavor of CGC book that I will own.

[seanfingh]

I am curious - when looking for issues to be signed for CGCs Signature Series, do you immediately think of a key-ish issue to have signed, or will a nice cover be enough? Say a particular title has an issue with a white background for the cover art and a large-enough section for a sig or even a sketch, but it's a common issue - is this worthy of your consideration? Does the market support these SS issues? Shun them? Apathetic towards them?

 

Yes, I am asking for myself - I have a common X-Force issue with a white background I'd love to get a Deadpool sketch on. The issue itself is an easy 9.8 (for once, I will say I'd be disappointed if it was subbed as it is now & didn't get a 9.9, at least) but nothing in high demand.

 

 

 

-slym

 

There are no break out keys in any of the X-Force series. Thus, the most important things will be (1) who is signing, including the number of signers, (2) what is the book's grade, (3) how does it look in the slab aesthetically.

 

A 9.8 copy signed by Nicienza and Liefeld, or Remender and Opena for the modern series, would do just fine. A 9.4 would probably not recoup costs.

[A-DONIS]

+1

 

I will have to agree with Sean

[Hank Pym]

+2

 

Sean knows SS

[Comixroc]

I have very few signature keys. Generally, I sub a book for signature because I loved the story or because I love the artwork on the cover. Sometimes it's a combination of both. Here are my examples:

 

I wanted Cap #350 signed because of the amazing fight between Steve and John Walker. It was long and action packed! One of my fav Coppers and pretty tough to get in high grade.

 

 

Got New Avengers #27 simply for the cover. I stopped collecting comics in the mid-90's. One day I picked up a previews mag which listed upcoming issues and i came across this cover. I Immediately fell in love and started collecting again. Never read this issue.

 

 

....And PPSSM is an example of an awesome cover and story!

 

 

Problem with getting books signed under these 3 examples is I'd have a tough time selling them. But as a collector, I get my books signed for the love of the hobby. I have about 7 issues I would not mind trading or selling, but most of my collection is not for sale, so it works for me! (thumbs u

 

[LloydJBailey]

You summed up perfectly how I think the hobby should be

 

I have very few signature keys. Generally, I sub a book for signature because I loved the story or because I love the artwork on the cover. Sometimes it's a combination of both. Here are my examples:

 

I wanted Cap #350 signed because of the amazing fight between Steve and John Walker. It was long and action packed! One of my fav Coppers and pretty tough to get in high grade.

 

 

Got New Avengers #27 simply for the cover. I stopped collecting comics in the mid-90's. One day I picked up a previews mag which listed upcoming issues and i came across this cover. I Immediately fell in love and started collecting again. Never read this issue.

 

 

....And PPSSM is an example of an awesome cover and story!

 

 

Problem with getting books signed under these 3 examples is I'd have a tough time selling them. But as a collector, I get my books signed for the love of the hobby. I have about 7 issues I would not mind trading or selling, but most of my collection is not for sale, so it works for me! (thumbs u

[kaholo1256]

I am curious - when looking for issues to be signed for CGCs Signature Series, do you immediately think of a key-ish issue to have signed, or will a nice cover be enough? Say a particular title has an issue with a white background for the cover art and a large-enough section for a sig or even a sketch, but it's a common issue - is this worthy of your consideration? Does the market support these SS issues? Shun them? Apathetic towards them?

 

Yes, I am asking for myself - I have a common X-Force issue with a white background I'd love to get a Deadpool sketch on. The issue itself is an easy 9.8 (for once, I will say I'd be disappointed if it was subbed as it is now & didn't get a 9.9, at least) but nothing in high demand.

 

 

 

-slym

 

Did someone say X-Force??? For me its a little of both. For the older more historical comics i tend to stick to signatures that don't detract from the art itself. Meaning I'm not looking for Stan's sig over Spider-man's face. For the newer comics I would like to find those which have a good blank space of either a solid black or white area to do a small remarking on the cover in an out of the way area, yet also to remain away from the majority of the art. Additionally my own personal view, i'm not a fan of the fifty signatures on one comic look. At a certain point it just looks like a lot of random scribbling as most signatures look like they were rushed when place. They just seem like the artist or writer really didn't want to do it so why place a decent legible signature on it.

 

And back to my original statement...Not in high demand... I could be such an individual in demand....

[seanfingh]

I am curious - when looking for issues to be signed for CGCs Signature Series, do you immediately think of a key-ish issue to have signed, or will a nice cover be enough? Say a particular title has an issue with a white background for the cover art and a large-enough section for a sig or even a sketch, but it's a common issue - is this worthy of your consideration? Does the market support these SS issues? Shun them? Apathetic towards them?

 

Yes, I am asking for myself - I have a common X-Force issue with a white background I'd love to get a Deadpool sketch on. The issue itself is an easy 9.8 (for once, I will say I'd be disappointed if it was subbed as it is now & didn't get a 9.9, at least) but nothing in high demand.

 

 

 

-slym

 

Did someone say X-Force??? For me its a little of both. For the older more historical comics i tend to stick to signatures that don't detract from the art itself. Meaning I'm not looking for Stan's sig over Spider-man's face. For the newer comics I would like to find those which have a good blank space of either a solid black or white area to do a small remarking on the cover in an out of the way area, yet also to remain away from the majority of the art. Additionally my own personal view, i'm not a fan of the fifty signatures on one comic look. At a certain point it just looks like a lot of random scribbling as most signatures look like they were rushed when place. They just seem like the artist or writer really didn't want to do it so why place a decent legible signature on it.

 

And back to my original statement...Not in high demand... I could be such an individual in demand....

 

I would offer you this to think about as it relates to signatures in general, and especially as it relates to jam books - try to remember how many of these books are out there. Take Batman 400 as an example. I don't know the print run, but it is safe to say that, at minimum, there were several hundred thousand made.

 

A jam book with 20 signatures may look cluttered and even out of sorts. But what does that represent? 20 people who worked on that book had it pass through their hands, and they left their permanent mark on the book. That is a special thing, and it is far more than the sum of its parts, starting with the comic itself. That comic is replaceable, easily, within hours. The jam book could possibly be irreplaceable.

 

The aesthetic changes for a jam book, and a lot of people don't accept that, which is fine. But for me, I can look at a clean copy of a book any time. Show me a jam book, created with time, effort and love of the medium and I am over the moon!

[kaholo1256]

I have nothing against a jam book what so ever. Personally I want to get an ASM Blank Variant Signed both front and back by every creator possible as is being done by those with the ASM 700's. It's the reason I so freely hand out the list to people who PM for it. My issues are with the signatures themselves. Take Stan's Sig, I can read his writing easily. Same with many of the older artists and writers Neal Adam's, Denny O'Neil, and the list goes on. But when I look at a book and see a bunch of squiggles and cannot possibly make out who's signature it is then that's when I find it not for me. Most newer artists unless you window the book specifically for them will sign in the most inconvenient of areas and even then in a way that once slabbed and sold I would have to post it in a journal typed "Who Signed Where."

 

Additionally if I am not their to get the Jam book signed myself then I'm not big on it either. Its the story of how it was signed or "No *Spoon* their I was" that I would want. Not something through someone else that I had to purchase.

 

But again, different tastes and opinions. Heck I'm a huge X-Force fan... how many people can say that?

[slym2none]

I was thinking of getting a Daniel Way sig and a Frank Cho sketch of Deadpool's head on a flawless copy of X-Force #56 this weekend at the NCComicCon. I would honestly, in all my years, be disappointed if this issue only graded a 9.8 as it stands right now. Going over all the advice about window-bagging and other protections I have read in this section gives me hope I can keep in its current condition.

 

:shrug:

 

 

 

-slym

[seanfingh]

If you can get Cho to sketch, it will be more than worth it.

[slym2none]

Ah... more wisdom imparted!

 

 

 

 

-slym ( )

[Kevin.J]

I am very happy that I have books that were signed by creators that I grew up admiring, never did I dream of a time that they would sign books that I could own.

I dont even really care about the grade so much, a 9.8 is great, but it is not the end of the world for me to have a lesser grade, its much more about the sig or sketch.

To answer Slym's original question, I would rather keep my key books blue, as to me they are already special and have a great looking, but common book made special by a nice signature.

 

I hope you get higher than a 9.8 Slym

[Humangatan]

I am curious - when looking for issues to be signed for CGCs Signature Series, do you immediately think of a key-ish issue to have signed, or will a nice cover be enough? Say a particular title has an issue with a white background for the cover art and a large-enough section for a sig or even a sketch, but it's a common issue - is this worthy of your consideration? Does the market support these SS issues? Shun them? Apathetic towards them?

 

Yes, I am asking for myself - I have a common X-Force issue with a white background I'd love to get a Deadpool sketch on. The issue itself is an easy 9.8 (for once, I will say I'd be disappointed if it was subbed as it is now & didn't get a 9.9, at least) but nothing in high demand.

 

 

 

-slym

 

Did someone say X-Force??? For me its a little of both. For the older more historical comics i tend to stick to signatures that don't detract from the art itself. Meaning I'm not looking for Stan's sig over Spider-man's face. For the newer comics I would like to find those which have a good blank space of either a solid black or white area to do a small remarking on the cover in an out of the way area, yet also to remain away from the majority of the art. Additionally my own personal view, i'm not a fan of the fifty signatures on one comic look. At a certain point it just looks like a lot of random scribbling as most signatures look like they were rushed when place. They just seem like the artist or writer really didn't want to do it so why place a decent legible signature on it.

 

And back to my original statement...Not in high demand... I could be such an individual in demand....

 

I would offer you this to think about as it relates to signatures in general, and especially as it relates to jam books - try to remember how many of these books are out there. Take Batman 400 as an example. I don't know the print run, but it is safe to say that, at minimum, there were several hundred thousand made.

 

A jam book with 20 signatures may look cluttered and even out of sorts. But what does that represent? 20 people who worked on that book had it pass through their hands, and they left their permanent mark on the book. That is a special thing, and it is far more than the sum of its parts, starting with the comic itself. That comic is replaceable, easily, within hours. The jam book could possibly be irreplaceable.

 

The aesthetic changes for a jam book, and a lot of people don't accept that, which is fine. But for me, I can look at a clean copy of a book any time. Show me a jam book, created with time, effort and love of the medium and I am over the moon!

 

This. Sean put into words better than I can what I find so special about SS slabbed comics. It's fun to me to look at an SS and know that various creators have made their mark on that individual comic. Special out of a sea of thousands.

[miraclemet]

Usually for me it's more about the person than the book (in other words, I want a Stan Lee signature more than I care WHICH book has the Stan Lee signature. And Im almost never (outside of ONE book once) getting a book signed and subbed with the intent of resale, so resale doesnt factor in for me.

 

1. I want a cover that will look good with a sig. It needs to be a not-to-busy cover, with a good spot (or two or three) for a signature). I had trouble deciding which GL/GA cover to get Denny/Neal to sign, since they are all pretty busy, and/or the subject matter on the cover didnt work for me.

 

2. It doesnt have to be a key book, but it does need to be a cover I like/love. I'll choose ASM39 over ASM40 100 times out of 100. I also like heroic covers over heroes in peril covers.

 

3. If Im deciding between a few covers, whats the SS census comparison. I'll admit it, I like having the lone SS book when I can (though not to the detriment of the other factors) so if one book already has a few on census, while the other has none? I'll submit the one that would be a One of A Kind.

[JasonDaTwit]

I am very happy that I have books that were signed by creators that I grew up admiring, never did I dream of a time that they would sign books that I could own.

I dont even really care about the grade so much, a 9.8 is great, but it is not the end of the world for me to have a lesser grade, its much more about the sig or sketch.

To answer Slym's original question, I would rather keep my key books blue, as to me they are already special and have a great looking, but common book made special by a nice signature.

 

I hope you get higher than a 9.8 Slym

 

For the most part I agree with Kevin.

My personal preference: keep sketches on Blank covers and not on other comics. Sometimes, depending on the cover and sketch placement, it can look cluttered and that doesn't interest me. Some people don't mind seeing 25 signatures on a book but I do. The sigs should not detract from the cover artwork, otherwise why look at it at all? You can pull that off on a movie poster since there's tons of space, same can't be said for a comic. I own an Amazing Spider-man #700 (Skyline Variant) w/ 6 sigs on it right now. I want to add a few more without the sigs looking messy or written on top of each other so I have to be picky with who should sign it. I also have an AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #100 signed by Stan Lee & John Romita (8.5). I love it but I wish they used the same ink: one sig is in grey & the other is in black. It may not be a key issue but I love the cover on this comic. Incredible Hulk #340 is not key issue but it is a gorgeous book cover done by Todd McFarlane before he was started working on Spider-man. It's universally recognizable in the comic world.

 

Better to get sigs now than later. Many of these creators will be leaving us soon (as Nick Cardy did last night). I missed out on him when he attended a Florida convention during the summer this year. I want to avoid regretting not getting the sigs of creators I really admire. I was fortunate enough to get Carmine Infantino to sign some of my books at NYCC 2012. A few months later he passed away. The point is that you can buy any comic without a sig anytime of the year. You can't say the same about comics with sigs especially those prior to and during the Baby Boom generation. Get the sigs of the creators you love on books you love. I'm still doing just that.

 

Sean stated earlier that there were no key X-FORCE books and I would have to disagree. X-Force #2 is, in my personal opinion, a key. Why? It's the second appearance of Deadpool. The beauty with this one is that it's dirt cheap right now and most don't think about it at all. Same was once said before for INCREDIBLE HULK #180 & 182. That's the cameo & 2nd appearance of Wolverine and those books are going up like crazy now. It's all about doing your homework -- research character appearances, changes in costume, creator 1st appearances -- and you'll be ahead of the curve.

[Erndog]

I do not want to touch my keys let alone "deface them" with signatures and such unless, perhaps, they are low grades. Even then, Keys = BLUE for me.

 

Having said that, I find "classic covers" to be a little silly. Sure the covers are great, but typically the price doesn't justify it... so for those books I LOVE getting SS. Artist and/or writer on a classic cover is great! It gives it more appeal, and the idea of the classic cover getting autographed is much more enticing than a 1st appearnace key getting 'graphed.

 

Essentially,

 

Keys = blues

Classic covers = Yellow

 

IMHO.

[slym2none]

 

Not a key, not a classic cover, and already a little jumbled! One more DP head in there won't hurt, right?

 

 

 

 

-slym

[JasonDaTwit]

 

Not a key, not a classic cover, and already a little jumbled! One more DP head in there won't hurt, right?

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

You could put the sketch right in the center of the X.