0.1 Graded Comics as Art 1 1

[Axe Elf]

Since there are some grading scales that recognize the "0.1" ("one-tenth") grade for as little as a single page of a book, I was thinking about maybe selling some of my crappier Warren magazines "in tenths"; as comic-based art.

The product would be an actual 0.1 graded Warren comic, packaged in an industry-standard polyurethane bag and acid-free board, displayed in an attractive black bevel-cut frame, with a sticker at the bottom showing a miniature pic of the issue's cover and information about the issue and artist, etc.  The overall size, including frame, is 11"x14".

Here's my first prototype...

So the bag/board/comic could be removed from the frame if desired, but it's also mounted so that the comic could be removed from the bag/board for reading or inspection without removing the bag itself from the frame.

EDIT: To add that I am also planning to stick a little adhesive hanger at the top of the back to make it easy to hang from a nail/tack.

If nothing else, I have a cool logo...

So whaddya think, would people be interested in something like this?

Edited March 12, 2022 by Axe Elf

[Randall Dowling]

It's not for me but who knows?  Others might be interested.  

I'm more of a "complete magazine" guy and that applies to Ladies Home Journals, Life Magazines, Saturday Evening Posts, etc.  But there are a lot of people that chop those up and sell advertisements and covers as single pages.  So maybe, could work.

I'm still grumpy with anyone who cut out an MVS when they were a kid.  Little bastards!  

[Axe Elf]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:55 PM, Randall Dowling said:

I'm more of a "complete magazine" guy

Me too, but these were like 1.5, 2.0 issues (and worse) that I had from my youth and never took care of--some of them are already incomplete.  I wouldn't feel right selling them to anyone for a dollar.  So I can throw them away, or I can try to rebrand some of the inner pages as art.

I dunno, worth a shot I guess.  As George Carlin once said, "If you nail two things together that have never been nailed together before, some schmuck will buy it from you."

Here's hoping his business model works for taping a bagged 0.1 graded comic to a frame.

[shadroch]

In the early/mid 90s, I disassembled a few books  and used a comic bag and board as a cheap frame.  I'd sell the pinups/posters/ mutilated pages for a buck each and sales were very hit and miss. I found if I was at an outdoor venue and had room to spread them out they did okay but if they were in a comic boxc they were almost ignored.  There was one book that featured Superman pinups from the ages that I could sell six or seven pages from better than I could sell the comic itself. It wasn't much of a money maker but it moved some inventory. 

Just be prepared because there is always a richard who will talk bad because you desecrated a sacred text.

[Axe Elf]

On 3/12/2022 at 8:22 AM, shadroch said:

Just be prepared because there is always a richard who will talk bad because you desecrated a sacred text.

You know, after spending the past month collecting almost full runs of EERIEs and CREEPYs, it was pretty hard to start lifting up those staples myself.

But trust me, these sacred texts are already pretty desecrated, or I wouldn't even be considering it.  I'm sure nobody's scouring eBay for a 1.5 copy of CREEPY #104, so like I said, it's pretty much either throw them away, or recycle them as art.  The surgery may be harsh, but without it, their life comes to an end.

I choose to prolong their life, existing in pieces, rather than resting in peace.

[shadroch]

On 3/12/2022 at 11:18 AM, Axe Elf said:

You know, after spending the past month collecting almost full runs of EERIEs and CREEPYs, it was pretty hard to start lifting up those staples myself.

But trust me, these sacred texts are already pretty desecrated, or I wouldn't even be considering it.  I'm sure nobody's scouring eBay for a 1.5 copy of CREEPY #104, so like I said, it's pretty much either throw them away, or recycle them as art.  The surgery may be harsh, but without it, their life comes to an end.

I choose to prolong their life, existing in pieces, rather than resting in peace.

Go for it. 

[Jayman]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:55 PM, Randall Dowling said:

It's not for me but who knows?  Others might be interested.  

Same here, but I can see where the right splash or page for the right person could sell. Especially if it’s presented nicely in a frame.

[wombat]

I just don't see who would want a random page. But go for it. Test it out and see if there is a market for it. 

[Axe Elf]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:41 PM, wombat said:

I just don't see who would want a random page.

Well, it's not exactly a RANDOM page; I'm hoping maybe each book will yield 3 or 4 nice splash pages or opening pages to iconic series (like the Rook, Haggarth, Dax the Warrior, etc.) illustrated by some iconic artists; but I'm not trying to sell a framed page of Star Wars merchandise or something.

[Axe Elf]

Now that I'm satisfied with the prototype, I made one that might be a little more marketable--now with an attached hanger at the top and an actual sticker on the front (the first one I just Photoshopped on).

Who doesn't like man-hating warrior women strapped into futuristic death machines displayed prominently on their man cave walls?

[wombat]

On 3/14/2022 at 5:32 PM, Axe Elf said:

Now that I'm satisfied with the prototype, I made one that might be a little more marketable--now with an attached hanger at the top and an actual sticker on the front (the first one I just Photoshopped on).

Who doesn't like man-hating warrior women strapped into futuristic death machines displayed prominently on their man cave walls?

That's the deluxe model that comes with a massager on the bottom. 

[Axe Elf]

On 3/16/2022 at 12:01 AM, wombat said:

That's the deluxe model that comes with a massager on the bottom. 

Massager?

I barely knew her...

[shadroch]

On 3/14/2022 at 2:32 PM, Axe Elf said:

Now that I'm satisfied with the prototype, I made one that might be a little more marketable--now with an attached hanger at the top and an actual sticker on the front (the first one I just Photoshopped on).

Who doesn't like man-hating warrior women strapped into futuristic death machines displayed prominently on their man cave walls?

Price point?

[Axe Elf]

On 3/16/2022 at 1:23 AM, shadroch said:

Price point?

Good question!

I'm thinking maybe I get a few made and auction them; maybe with a $10 reserve?  I've never sold on eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter), but with what I'm seeing about seller's fees, I'd about need that just to break even on materials, let alone time and effort (though admittedly, it's a labor of love).

Ambitiously, I'd like to think I'd pay $20-$25 myself for a nice piece of Rook art ripped straight from the actual pages, or an EERIE Monster Gallery page I could hang on the wall or something like that--but I realize it would have kind of a niche (which is to say "limited") market appeal.

So $25 would be Christmas, I'd be pretty happy with $15-$20, but if all I can get is $10-$12, I'll take it...

...if not for profit, at least as the In.Tenths motto goes, "Better to exist in pieces than to rest in peace."