SPAWN! A look back at an award-winning collection of graded slabs. 9 9

[newshane]

On 1/7/2023 at 11:36 AM, Erndog said:

Just an inch to the left and woulda been perfect imo

That's what I was hoping for, but it turned out a little differently. 

[pmpknface]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:48 AM, newshane said:

SPAWN 12 - CGC 9.8 

Probably one of my least favorite covers from the entire run. Certainly my least favorite from the first 12 issues. Sorry for the scuzzy scans. 

Spawn meets Chapel. 

 

Funny that this is your least favorite, it's my only Todd sig - but I didn't pick the book as it was a gift. 

Enjoying the thread!

[pmpknface]

On 1/6/2023 at 7:49 PM, newshane said:

SPAWN 11 - CGC 9.8 - SIGNED BY FRANK MILLER 

This was signed back in 2015, shortly before Frank changed the look of his autograph. What you see here is his "old school" signature placed vertically. 

I was always careful to work with my facilitators on signature placement. It was my idea to have Frank sign in that location. I always tried to find places on the book that weren't overly congested. I also carefully selected the pen color. Most of the time, the artists were happy to accommodate my desires. Another legend's name on a Spawn book. 

 

I have never seen this Miller sig! Cool. I first met Frank in about '94 and it was different then. Gotta get more info on this!

[LadyDeath]

Fun thread. Love Spawn.

I never went full ham with collecting Spawn slabs, only my favorite covers (which are a lot!) - I was more focused on raws of the early run. Stopped before #135 I believe, so I have 1-112 straight with others scattered about. That was always good enough for me. I preferred the older art style anyway, and later issues being low prints were a turnoff - wasn't too interested in conquering that mountain.

Edited January 8, 2023 by LadyDeath

[newshane]

On 1/8/2023 at 7:25 AM, LadyDeath said:

Fun thread. Love Spawn.

I never went full ham with collecting Spawn slabs, only my favorite covers (which are a lot!) - I was more focused on raws of the early run. Stopped before #135 I believe, so I have 1-112 straight with others scattered about. That was always good enough for me. I preferred the older art style anyway, and later issues being low prints were a turnoff - wasn't too interested in conquering that mountain.

I think things were just starting to get super cool after issue 100. Right around where you stopped, actually. By that time, the run had become super dark and rather obscure. I can't wait to get past issue 100. 

Thanks so much for tuning in! I appreciate your commentary! 

[newshane]

SPAWN 13 - CGC 9.8 

I had a few Diamond Distribution boxes full of these. Unfortunately, most of the issues inside suffered from spine rub against the box. Never could find the elusive 9.9. In fact, I don't recall fishing out any 9.8s either. 

Bought this one slabbed. 

 

[LadyDeath]

On 1/8/2023 at 1:19 PM, newshane said:

I think things were just starting to get super cool after issue 100. Right around where you stopped, actually. By that time, the run had become super dark and rather obscure. I can't wait to get past issue 100. 

Thanks so much for tuning in! I appreciate your commentary! 

Interesting! I definitely still like the covers in the 140s-50s. The logo change and art style was rather peculiar starting at 166.

[newshane]

SPAWN 14 - CGC 9.8

Clown makes his cover debut, and it's a pretty good one! Love the reds on this cover. 

 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

@newshane... did you ever have anxiety about maintaining the high grades? Opposite of acquiring them but maintaining 9.8+ books ... did that ever cause anxiety or worry? 

[newshane]

On 1/10/2023 at 5:32 AM, oldmilwaukee6er said:

@newshane... did you ever have anxiety about maintaining the high grades? Opposite of acquiring them but maintaining 9.8+ books ... did that ever cause anxiety or worry? 

Yes! Lots of joy and satisfaction, but lots of anxiety as well. 

The greatest anxiety came from cracking out books in 9.8 slabs to have them signed. This was especially true with some of the HTF issues that you will see later. It was a real roll of the dice, but I have to credit my facilitators for their delicate hands. I worked with many facilitators. It will take me a while to hunt all the names, but I worked with @Rich_Henn the most. He did an absolutely stellar job, and I would like to publicly thank him for helping me build the set. 

I will say that I never encountered a problem from any facilitator, and I was amazed by their professionalism. I only experienced one "downgrade" out of dozens of submitted books. Fortunately, the loss of grade was on a newer book, so I had the time and resources to track down another one and try again. But Rich was awesome in the way he handled the books, the window placements, and chasing down some of the lesser known artists and writers. I've moved away from modern collecting and signature books, but I will never forget the joy of working with other people on this run.

I couldn't have built this set without Rich, specifically. In addition to acting as my primary facilitator, he also chased down a number of HTF issues for me. Thanks, Rich!  

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 15 - CGC 9.8 

Love the greens! Here, we have medieval Spawn. You'll see all kinds of variations of the Hellspawn throughout the run. 

This is also around where I stopped collecting as a teen. I just started trailing off as other interests (headlights and taillights) began to take hold. 

A super, duper cool double signature will be shared tomorrow! 

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

I had a fellow boardie contact me privately about my commentary on Spawn 1 B&W. He had issues with the term "dealer incentive" and challenged the print run numbers from the source I provided. 

I certainly trust him more than the source I quoted, so I'd like to update the thread with a condensation of his remarks. He was very...passionate...in his response to my posting. 

In 1992, there were multiple distributors, so there was absolutely no way to total orders. Technically, there were no "dealer incentives" as they exist today, even in 1997. Anyone could participate. While it may be possible that the retailer received the numbers claimed [by my initial source] (recalledcomics.com), it's important to note that it's not an ordering incentive. There is no way that the numbers were tied to the print run or even the order numbers for #65. That's not the way the industry worked back then.

So, it appears that we're dealing with dubious information when trying to pin down the exact number of copies in existence. 

I can definitely say that there are quite a few of these floating about. It is probably the most common of all B&W Spawn covers. As a result, I stand by my assertion that the comic is overpriced. As for the exact numbers, who really knows?

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 16 - CGC 9.8 - Signed by Greg Capullo and Grant Morrison. 

This was Greg Capullo's first work on the title. He would later become one of the primary artists responsible for Spawn's image, and his influence on the title is tremendous. It was interesting watching him develop as an artist. If you compare this image with his later work, you can see how far he progressed. Some would argue that his work eclipses McFarlane's. What do you think? Look at the image composition here. Top notch! 

This is my first double-signature book. Grant Morrison is also represented here. 

I would certainly call this a key issue in the run, and this was an outstanding copy. 

I had a few Diamond boxes full of these. Again, no luck finding a 9.9. 

But a double-sig 9.8? Yeah, I'll take it. The coolest copy of this book that I've ever seen. 

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by newshane

[newshane]

SPAWN 17 - CGC 9.8

A fun part of this thread, for me at least, will be watching Greg Capullo mature over the years. 

Not saying this is terrible art, but we all know how much better he got. 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by newshane

[LadyDeath]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:03 PM, newshane said:

A fun part of this thread, for me at least, will be watching Greg Capullo mature over the years. 

Not saying this is terrible art, but we all know how much better he got.

I think you can argue he eclipsed Todd in perfecting Spawn's look, as crazy as that sounds.

Edited January 13, 2023 by LadyDeath

[Dr. Balls]

The Spawn covers of the earlier era are just amazing in style, detail and composition. I owned my comic shop when Spawn was in it's early days, and that title was just head-and-shoulders above everyone else with it's execution - everyone noticed that back in 1993-1995. Not that titles like Wildc.a.t.s., Wetworks or Youngblood weren't filled with action and style, but Spawn was a different level between McFarlane and Capullo doing it.

[newshane]

SPAWN 18 - CGC 9.8 

Sorry again for the hideous scan. Not sure what was going on back in the day. Probably dirty glass? Fortunately, the scans get better over time. 

I had a few Diamond boxes stuffed with these as well. Same result. No dice on the 9.9s. 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 19 - CGC 9.8 

 

[newshane]

SPAWN 20 - CGC 9.8 

Not sure what happened back in the day, but this was actually published AFTER issue 24. 

[newshane]

SPAWN 21 - CGC 9.8 

Again, I had a few Diamond Distributor boxes full of these. Couldn't find a 9.9. 

These were OLD Diamond Distributor boxes that had sat in a storage shed for a decade or so. But still...

goes to show you how tough 9.9s are to find in the wild. 

I've heard people use the phrase "low print run" to describe this issue. In a REALITIVE sense, I suppose they are correct, but there are still about a gazillion of these out there.