Cpt Kirk Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 (edited) DC sold combo packs with digital codes so they could be read online from roughly 2012 through 2015 and then they quit making them in the titles of Batman, Superman, Detective and Action Comics. There's an interesting article written about them in the link below. Has anyone noticed the plastic bags starting to fall apart on these combo packs? I just realized that many of the original plastic bags on my copies of the Batman combo packs have gotten brittle and are falling part (I have not yet had time to check my Detective, Action or Superman combo packs but I will do that later and report the results). I had kept most of my combo packs sealed and then I placed them in a mylar sleeve with acid free backing board, so I'm thinking the original plastic bag is simply unstable. I'm wondering if they were made with some sort of environmentally friendly plastic that would easily biodegrade in a landfill. I would love to hear if anyone else has any experience with this. Here's the link to the article I mentioned about about combo pack comics and their rarity. https://trendingpopculture.com/the-rarity-of-dc-combo-pack-comics-2011-2015/ Edited July 24, 2023 by Cpt Kirk Iconic1s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastballspecial Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 About 25-35% of the combo packs I have bought over the years the plastic just disintegrates. I thought it was weird the first time I saw it happen, but its so common now I dont think much about it. Iconic1s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Kirk Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 On 7/24/2023 at 12:15 PM, fastballspecial said: About 25-35% of the combo packs I have bought over the years the plastic just disintegrates. I thought it was weird the first time I saw it happen, but its so common now I dont think much about it. Thanks for letting us know. I have approximately 100 of them, so I can report on the percent that went bad when I have time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimik Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 The listed distribution numbers for the combo packs seem low to me. Why would DC do a bagged print run of 1,000 or fewer copies? Do the disintegrating bags damage the comics as they degrade? Cpt Kirk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradejunky Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 (edited) The polybag serves no purpose but to leave indents from the seam on the back and damage the book over time. The fact that you are noticing bag disintegration further drives home the reason to remove all of them from their polybag tombs. The Combo Pack banner in the corner of the FC of all those books is what tells you it is the combo-pack, and not the regular edition. Edited July 26, 2023 by gradejunky newshane and Cpt Kirk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimik Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Now I have to dig them out and do this. I hate putting effort in once books are bagged/boarded and tucked away for a bit. Cpt Kirk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Kirk Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 On 7/25/2023 at 11:59 PM, kimik said: Now I have to dig them out and do this. I hate putting effort in once books are bagged/boarded and tucked away for a bit. Sometimes it is hard to believe it has been almost 8 years since the last DC combo packs came out. ADAMANTIUM and onlyweaknesskryptonite 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastballspecial Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 (edited) On 7/24/2023 at 10:20 PM, kimik said: The listed distribution numbers for the combo packs seem low to me. Why would DC do a bagged print run of 1,000 or fewer copies? Do the disintegrating bags damage the comics as they degrade? I don't really think its that low, but I would agree you don't see them much. Only the one large store in my area even ordered any. The lower print titles they are very hard to find, but while some selling for nothing because nobody cared about the title. Maybe years down the road they maybe valuable to so if I see one for a buck in good shape I grab one. I don't think they hurt the books Ive found several NM copies removed from the bags. Edited July 27, 2023 by fastballspecial Cpt Kirk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimik Posted July 27, 2023 Share Posted July 27, 2023 On 7/27/2023 at 9:51 AM, fastballspecial said: I don't really think its that low, but I would agree you don't see them much. Only the one large store in my area even ordered any. The lower print titles they are very hard to find, but while some selling for nothing because nobody cared about the title. Maybe years down the road they maybe valuable to so if I see one for a buck in good shape I grab one. I don't think they hurt the books Ive found several NM copies removed from the bags. Thanks. I think I am going to have to dig mine out and break them out of the polybags to be safe. That will be an August long weekend project. Cpt Kirk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Kirk Posted August 5, 2023 Author Share Posted August 5, 2023 My records show that Batman New 52 had combo packs in issues 5 thru 40, and I have them all. The following disintegrated on me: #11, #0, and #13 thru #19. Oddly enough the poly bag on #12, which is chronologically between #11 and #0, was in perfect shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newshane Posted August 5, 2023 Share Posted August 5, 2023 “I'm wondering if they were made with some sort of environmentally friendly plastic that would easily biodegrade in a landfill.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themagicrobot Posted August 8, 2023 Share Posted August 8, 2023 Weird but true. A dozen years ago I put some Hotwheels Batmobiles into a Tesco supermarket plastic bag and placed it at the bottom of a wardrobe. A few days ago I noticed what looked like confetti next to the bag. I picked the carrier bag up and it literally turned to dust in my hand as if it had been zapped by some futuristic ray gun. The toy cars fell to the floor amidst dust and plastic confetti. Never seen that before. I have saved some old 1970s LP record bags from long defunct shops and they are still perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Kirk Posted August 9, 2023 Author Share Posted August 9, 2023 On 8/8/2023 at 9:54 AM, themagicrobot said: Weird but true. A dozen years ago I put some Hotwheels Batmobiles into a Tesco supermarket plastic bag and placed it at the bottom of a wardrobe. A few days ago I noticed what looked like confetti next to the bag. I picked the carrier bag up and it literally turned to dust in my hand as if it had been zapped by some futuristic ray gun. The toy cars fell to the floor amidst dust and plastic confetti. Never seen that before. I have saved some old 1970s LP record bags from long defunct shops and they are still perfect. If you have heard of PFAS/PFOAs, it is easy to see how disintegrating plastic into the environment could cause problems with quality of drinking water now that you see this plastic disintegrating into a million pieces. It is become a national concern with respect to water quality. But I digress!! Brock 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Kirk Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 8/5/2023 at 5:37 PM, newshane said: “I'm wondering if they were made with some sort of environmentally friendly plastic that would easily biodegrade in a landfill.” I think you are right about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Kirk Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 (edited) On 8/5/2023 at 5:10 PM, Cpt Kirk said: My records show that Batman New 52 had combo packs in issues 5 thru 40, and I have them all. The following disintegrated on me: #11, #0, and #13 thru #19. Oddly enough the poly bag on #12, which is chronologically between #11 and #0, was in perfect shape. I finally got through my other comic books and here's what else disintegrated. I noticed that all the plastic bags that fell apart all felt like they could crumble into a million pieces, which makes me think they were meant to biodegrade on their own. Action Comics combos occurred in issues #5 thru #23 and the following fell apart: #'s 11, 12, 0, 13 thru 20 Detective Comics combo packs occurred in issues #8 thru #40 and the following fell apart: #'s 11, 12, 0, 13 thru 20 I'm noticing a trend here. Edited September 12, 2023 by Cpt Kirk onlyweaknesskryptonite, F For Fake, Iconic1s and 1 other 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
