newshane

This is true. The biggest difference has been the "T" vs. the "Todd" in his signature. Pardon the lack of depth. I'm not a handwriting expert. I don't authenticate signatures on a professional or even an amateur basis. I'm simply chiming in as someone who has followed McFarlane since I first got into comics around 25 years ago. The both of you are already familiar with my Spawn collection. I don't claim that those things make me an expert. But since we are all sharing opinions on the subject, I will be happy to provide my armchair analysis: 1. Todd usually has a better sense of signature placement. 2. I find the gap between his initial and last name to be quite suspect. Way too much space. 3. Todd usually signs very deliberately. From what I can gather, the signature on the book in question seems a bit smeared and blunted. The "a" is comparatively sloppy compared to most of what I've seen. 4. The spacing between the letters in his last name looks off to me - particularly the M and the F. It looks to me like someone very deliberately tried to copy his style...almost there, but not quite. It's not really the hardest signature to pull off. Would Voldy give it a thumbs up? Probably. I would too, if you paid me enough. Stuff like this is why the verified witness signature program exists. I wouldn't be shocked to learn that it's authentic, but I just feel something fishy. Personally, I'd wage that it's a fake. That's my unqualified opinion. Little science here, but handwriting analysis is more of an art than a science, as far as I've gathered in my limited research of the matter. Perhaps there is a software algorithm that could apply some sort of science to things, but if it exists, I am wholly unaware of its existence.

It's still a fake.

My ignore list is growing larger by the day.

I agree with Charles. Looks like a fake to me.

I've participated in many sales threads over the years, but I always seem to enjoy Rick's the most. He lists some truly phenomenal books. Rick is friendly and quick to respond. We were able to work out a pretty significant deal with no bumps along the way. Shipment was swift and secure, and the books arrived as advertised. Rick is one of the very best sellers on the board and I will not hesitate to do business with him again! Highly recommended.

What's next? Probably a cattle-prod, a tub of Vaseline, and a petri dish.

I've actually done research on this...provided a big write-up on storage methods. The CGC's official stance is that the books should be stored upright and vertical. Some people believe that storing them with "spines on the ground" will protect books with an overhang from greater damage due to the impact of gravity over time. Cliffnotes version - they are fine either way. For more detailed information, you can look up my post. I just got called for a conference, so I have to cut this short!

The book will age better than you will and will be very likely around after all of us are gone.

I've tried them all, except for Carta Blanca. Steel Reserve is horrible, but King Cobra is probably the worst of the worst. What I miss from the late 90s is St. Ides "special brew." Passion flavor baby!

You guys can do whatever you want, but there is no way I would participate.

B is the top "hand cover" of all time.

I was just fantasizing about this very book the other day. Too bad it's out of reach for me currently. I hope to own this one day. GLWTS

ETERNALS 2 - Q NM+ $25

I've spent around 40K on Spawn comics. If that doesn't qualify as a mental illness............... actually, it's probably more than that. I'm too terrified to take a hard look at the receipts.

The first step is to learn how to accurately grade comics on your own. The next step is to learn when a press can help, when it can hurt, and when it won't make a difference. Some people press everything. I don't agree with this approach. Lots of books are being pressed when there is no need to do so. In short, I try my best not to expose my book to moisture, pressure, or heat...all of which are used, to varying degrees, when a book is pressed. You also risk all sorts of damage, like popped staples and split spines. That being said, there are instances where pressing a book will be very profitable. It can also help out desperate people who play the registry 9.8 game, of which I was a former major player. Pressing is NOT a miraculous method. The learning curve can be steep and I wasted a lot of money before I became more judicious about improving my grading ability and building an understanding of how and when you should press a book. If you blindly press everything you submit, you will lose a lot of time and money. Learn how to accurately grade. Learn how and when pressing can help.

I tapped out with issue 275. Color me DONE. I got so sick and tired of chasing all the variants. I was wanting to go through 300 but... NOPE! I've been very happy with my decision thus far.

I've looked everywhere, but I can't find any information regarding Tony Daniel's scheduled appearances for 2018. I'm also interested in Brian Holguin. If anyone has any information, please PM or post here.

...and I agree with Bob. Stay away from the press, especially if it's already as flat as you described.

That's very common with early Image books. I'm not sure how the CGC would treat it under current guidelines, which seem to be quite harsh, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't affect the book if everything else was perfect; however, I will say that the corner looks a little concerning. I'd have to have the comic in-hand before I'd be comfortable giving my final word. Those pictures greatly magnify those sort of problems and make it's worse than what it usually looks like in-hand. I say this because I've graded and submitted hundreds of Spawn comics throughout the entire run. Those of you who know me know that it's kind of my specialty.

You might have better luck if you would provide us with a high-res scan or an estimated grade for each book (as stated by the rules). No one here is likely to buy your product with a poorly-lit and cropped photograph of the front cover only, especially when the comics are still in bags. That being said, welcome to the boards and good luck with the sale!

B

Been there, done that. Guy advertised as NM. Books arrived in the Fine range. Asked for a return. He refused and accused me of pulling the ole' switcheroo...told me that I was trying to keep his "nicer" books while sending back my filler copies. He got really nasty via email, despite my professionalism. I reported him to eBay on both fronts. In the end, he was forced to take the return. I got my money back, he got his poorly graded books back in the same condition in which they were sent. From what I can tell, this seems to be a fairly popular scam on eBay. Sorry you're going through this...but you'll end up getting your money back. It will just be a pain in the duff.

Emma Stone!

I've been a good boy by saying "no" for around 4 or 5 times now. No more! via PM. Thanks Rick!

Well, they aren't going to be cheap! Good luck!