30 in 30 - Day 11: X-Men #138 and I

[Brandon Shepherd]

Maybe I have a problem...

 

X-Men #138 (Oct. 1980) and I have some history. I was not around when the issue hit the stands, the history I have with this issue is a story of a quest for perfection. My first copy was a $40 raw copy, I wanted to treat myself to something nice, and I had read the story to #138: "Eulogy," in X-Men: Days of Future Past TPB. I had also seen copies of #138 at a few different shops, the cover is quite noticeable. The issue features Cyclopes narrating the history of the X-Men, right up to the climax of the Dark Phoenix Saga. This issues is somber in tone, as Cyclopes reflects on the X-Men's past, as the funeral of Jean Gray is proceeding.

 

After reflecting on his relationship with Jean, Cyclopes decides to leave the X-Men, hence the cover notation: "Exit Cyclopes!" The cover is striking, set against a background of past covers - in an almost pink, comic sunset coloring - to convey the history of the X-Men as detailed in the pages inside, the image of a parting Cyclops with his gear in hand and head down reinforce the somber tone. Also effective are the surviving members of the X-Men, both from the new and original team in the background together, coping with the loss of Jean and the departure of a teammate.

 

I have always enjoyed the collaboration of John Byrne and Terry Austin, Byrne's pencil work conveys a natural style, the faces in particular on his human characters use minimum detail, resulting in a clean presentation of facial expressions and emotions. Byrne has a gift for presenting complex characters like Cyclops in a way that keeps the art style simple without sacrificing such character complexity, in other words, the art is classic comic book style but it feels real, without being overdone.

 

When I purchased my first raw copy of X-Men #138, I remember taking it to the counter of Comic Book World, the guy behind the register went, "ah, a classic!" He told me how he could only afford the reprints, I almost felt guilty for sending the $40. I was proud of my purchase for a while, as I came to collect CGC examples, my expectations started to incline, especially on books printed after 1980. I became used to and spoiled by 9.8 examples, I began to look down on my raw X-Men #130, so I set out to find a CGC 9.8 example, with a WHITE PAGES designation. Also, as I got more into the graded books, I noticed cover centering more and more. My raw copy had a cover misswrap, with the white portion of the back cover showing on the front. I had not noticed or cared much about this before I got into CGC, something about seeing this characteristic in a clear holder versus a bag and white backing board turned this into a thorn in my side.

 

I did track down a copy in 9.8 grade, the copy I found had white pages and did not have the back cover showing on the front. This copy was pricey but I justified the purchase to myself. This is not the end of my history with this issue, this graded copy had one particular characteristic that I noticed before I purchased it but ignored. X-Men #138 is difficult to track down with a good cover alignment, not only is there the issue of the back cover appearing on the front, the top portion of the cover, the infamous green "Toys R Us" banner has a tendency to be cut off at the top. The expensive slab I purchased had the top portion of the advertisement cut off at the top. I justified this by thinking that at least I didn't have to look at a spine misswrap on this copy. As time went on, I felt buyer's remorse. I parted with both the raw and graded copy, taking a loss on both books. I did come to find another copy, this time with a perfectly centered cover and an alignment that featured the top portion of the cover in its entirety.

 

I decided to write about this for a few reasons, the first was to have a good laugh at myself. I wore myself out worrying about something so petty; pursuing that near perfect book, after all, there are way more important things in life! Secondly, I wrote about this share a valuable lesson learned, when in doubt pass. As for the raw issue, $40 was not so bad; selling was probably not the best idea. As for the first graded example I purchased, I should have passed, I was in doubt about the top portion of the cover alignment, but I bought it anyway, resulting in a disappointing purchase ($160) and a disappointing resale result ($110). I've said before how at the end of the day it's just a comic book, so this journal will help to remind me of this. With all of this behind me, I can laugh this off, this is one of the many experiences that has shaped my collecting experience and I'm glade I learned something from it.

 

Now that I think about it, my current copy does have some ink smudges in the Spider-Man/UPC box area, the top pages edges are also quite brown...

 

See more journals by Brandon Shepherd

[B. Koski]

Just a beautiful book my friend. This run of Byrnes and Claremont is just Spectacular and amazing. Personally I believe it to be the greatest of all time! I wouldn't trade my graded run for any other period! Beautiful art and stories that have stood the test of time. And will continue too climb in are hearts and value... Guaranteed!!

[SW3D]

Wholeheartedly agree! That run as BK mentions is probably the greatest run of the Copper Age, and easily in the Top Ten All-Time!

 

In my opinion, a 9.8 is a 9.8 is a 9.8 regardless of cover mis-wraps and other printing specific defects/errors, especially for a 33 year old comic or anything vintage. But having said that, I sympathize, empathize and understand the relentless pursuit of perfection... it's a natural byproduct of being a collector of graded things. Once the grading bug gets into your system, there's rarely a cure.

 

Beautiful book!

 

Congrats!

 

SW3D

[Brandon Shepherd]

Just a beautiful book my friend. This run of Byrnes and Claremont is just Spectacular and amazing. Personally I believe it to be the greatest of all time! I wouldn't trade my graded run for any other period! Beautiful art and stories that have stood the test of time. And will continue too climb in are hearts and value... Guaranteed!!

 

 

Thank you, Bradford K, I agree with your assessment of this classic run, the test of time has been passed with flying colors.

 

Brandon

[Brandon Shepherd]

Wholeheartedly agree! That run as BK mentions is probably the greatest run of the Copper Age, and easily in the Top Ten All-Time!

 

In my opinion, a 9.8 is a 9.8 is a 9.8 regardless of cover mis-wraps and other printing specific defects/errors, especially for a 33 year old comic or anything vintage. But having said that, I sympathize, empathize and understand the relentless pursuit of perfection... it's a natural byproduct of being a collector of graded things. Once the grading bug gets into your system, there's rarely a cure.

 

Beautiful book!

 

Congrats!

 

SW3D

 

Well said. It can be easy to get caught up on the label portion, forgetting about the book it describes altogether.

 

Brandon

[Solsticeguy-migration]

Thank you for sharing. Starting CGC collecting, I want to make sure I don't get out of hand and just enjoy the process.

 

I have this same issue filed away. I will be sure to be submitting it for grading.

[Brandon Shepherd]

Thank you for sharing. Starting CGC collecting, I want to make sure I don't get out of hand and just enjoy the process.

 

I have this same issue filed away. I will be sure to be submitting it for grading.

 

You're welcome! Good luck with your submissions, you have the right idea, just enjoy the process!

 

Brandon

[surfer99]

Cool looking book. My biggest gripe with these covers are the banner ads...they totally ruin it for me. It's like what Tnerb wrote about earlier...I'm paying for the book which includes the cover, so let me see the whole cover you know?

 

 

[Brandon Shepherd]

I hear you on the banner adds, I wonder if there are some out there who collect these as a theme, there were quite a few Marvel titles that did this. I have also noticed DC doing something similar with top cover adds, usually for DC related movies and TV shows.