• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Metro's high grade Batman 1-19 find...

Started by nearmint,

81 posts in this topic

Crowzilla

Crowzilla

Posted
Posted

That CGC 7.5 they mention in the description might have been technically a lower grade (not sure how though), but it certainly looks a heck of a lot nicer than that moldy 8.0

The photo on comiclink looks very cleaned up compared to the original photo in the Heritage archives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sacentaur

sacentaur

Posted
Posted
The photo on comiclink looks very cleaned up compared to the original photo in the Heritage archives.

 

Good eye, Wonder Boy - what do you make of this? (lifted from the CL October auction thread...)

 

1459330-supe6.jpg

 

supe6new.jpg

 

STEVE

Link to comment
Share on other sites
iggy

iggy

Posted
Posted
The photo on comiclink looks very cleaned up compared to the original photo in the Heritage archives.

 

Good eye, Wonder Boy - what do you make of this? (lifted from the CL October auction thread...)

 

1459330-supe6.jpg

 

supe6new.jpg

 

STEVE

 

I downloaded the bottom pic and did a simple one-step tonal correction in Photoshop and got this:

 

sup6iggy.jpg

 

Most people don't know how to color correct their images. The 1st scan may be too light, but the 2nd scan looks like it is too dark. The actual comic probably looks closer to somewhere in the middle. I don't believe the comic was actually cleaned- but you never know...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bigfiver69

bigfiver69

Posted
Posted

This raises an very important ethical and perhaps even legal issue.

 

Photoshop. The digital restoration device.

 

Even without getting into the painting tools, there can be so much manipulation done with the simple colour levels, lightness/darkness, contrast controls - just by moving a slider tool. Takes seconds.

 

Obviously, this is totally unethical, but it appears to be happening more and more. It's the old song 'She's just a 3 dressed up as a 9'.

 

When I scan a book, I scan it and don't touch it.... but I've had my scanner properly calibrated to give the truest image possible.

 

There are 'forensic' ways to see if a scan has been touched up, but you do need a pro to look at them. Typically, you'll see artifacting and bitmapping in certain parts of the image, but you need to know what you're looking for.

 

I've been burned a couple of times on books that were digitally touched up. I suppose it's impossible to stop.

 

Thoughts, anyone?

 

Oh, Metro guys - that is a lovely run of books. Congratulations... I expect you will be making some collector very happy in the near future. I for one would love to know that those books stayed together.

 

Shep

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tth2

tth2

Posted
Posted
It is a nice run of Batman's, but aren't they pretty common, even in higher grades?

With the possible exception of All-Star and various Fawcett titles, Batman has to be the easiest GA run to find in HG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lou_fine

lou_fine

Posted
Posted
Photoshop. The digital restoration device.

 

Even without getting into the painting tools, there can be so much manipulation done with the simple colour levels, lightness/darkness, contrast controls - just by moving a slider tool. Takes seconds.

 

Obviously, this is totally unethical, but it appears to be happening more and more. It's the old song 'She's just a 3 dressed up as a 9'.

 

Thoughts, anyone?

 

Shep;

 

Actually, this is a very good point and one that I am surprised has not been brought up more often.

 

Definitely shows the hazard of purchasing books based upon scans since they can hide a lot of otherwise very visible defects. All you have to do is to go back to the Heritage archives to see books changing before your eyes due to Photoshop manipulation alone. frown.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Crowzilla

Crowzilla

Posted
Posted

Because of the lighter spot next to Supey's left foot and the crease in the bottom right corner, I'd say it's definitely the same book. But the Supey #6 is unslabbed (I assume) so it could have received the wonderbread treatment and might actually look like the newer scan...

But the Batman #1 is still in the same old-label CGC holder, so I really have to wonder what happened to it.

To me, touching up a scan like that is a much more deliberate attempt at deception than the crack and press shenanigans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rodan57

rodan57

Posted
Posted
This raises an very important ethical and perhaps even legal issue.

 

Photoshop. The digital restoration device.

 

Even without getting into the painting tools, there can be so much manipulation done with the simple colour levels, lightness/darkness, contrast controls - just by moving a slider tool. Takes seconds....

 

There are 'forensic' ways to see if a scan has been touched up, but you do need a pro to look at them. Typically, you'll see artifacting and bitmapping in certain parts of the image, but you need to know what you're looking for.

 

I've been burned a couple of times on books that were digitally touched up. I suppose it's impossible to stop.

 

Shep

 

A number of very good points.

 

Perhaps a quick off-the-cuff method to judge a scan is to look at the whiteness of the background of the CGC number grade on the new style slabs.

 

Compare the white behind the '7.5 or 9.0 or whatever' to whites in the comic book image.

 

Not at all foolproof (because it only addresses issues of contrast and not colour variation) but it does provide a place to begin judgement even before importing the image into Photoshop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing