Susan Cicconi

[Foolkiller]

In today's world, I think Matt is the best. That being said, I've really never had a problem with any of the work I've seen Susan do either. Frankly, I'd use Matt without question if I had a big book I'd need restored.

[Hero Restoration]

Wow, its like your scanner upgrades the comic. I stand corrected and retract my bleach comment. I want to add I liked it better when I thought it was whiter but thats just me.

[buttock]

I have to agree with FFB. What Kenny & Matt are doing is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else. Unfortunately, I think the whole field lags in what it can or can't do. Let's say most are stuck in the 19th century, Matt & Kenny are in the 20th century. That's no slight against Matt & Kenny - they do wonderful work. But that's more a statement on how nobody did anything at all to advance the field over the past 3 decades.

 

While it was widely agreed that Susan was "the best" for years, her work was often inconsistent, and even at its best still looked a little amateurish in the finished product. ***RUMOR ALERT*** the inconsistency has been explained to me as the result of various apprentices who came through under Susan - no evidence to back this up whatsoever ***END RUMOR ALERT*** I have rarely seen a moderate-extensively restored book that looks like it was done really well, as the color matching, piece infilling, and cleaning methods never seemed to be able to replicate the original with much fidelity. I haven't seen any of Matt & Kenny's new work up close, but I'm eager to because the photos look fantastic. I'd love to see if they are doing a better job of matching the originals, and to see how the leaf casting actually feels.

 

The best work I consistently saw was a lady named Kelly Essoe (husband Gabe was a dealer) in the Pac NW. She could rebuild a spine like nobody's business. She was dirt cheap and fast, but disappeared after only a couple of years. Everything she touched looked great - but still not quite original.

 

It seems to me that with graphic technology where it is now, it should be possible to more accurately reproduce missing areas with color loss.

[DrWatson]

Susan worked on a couple or three books for me several years ago and I was quite pleased with the outcome. However, I fear that in terms of modern restoration, she has passed her prime. Furthermore, I believe her association with NOD has not been the best thing for her.

 

I really think you need to strike the word NOD from your vocabulary. It'll do you a world of good.

 

Unfortunately, he can't help himself. He's too much against disclosure.

Your association with the organization has changed you... and not for the better. I have never been against disclosure. Get your story straight, lumberjack.

[DrWatson]

Susan worked on a couple or three books for me several years ago and I was quite pleased with the outcome. However, I fear that in terms of modern restoration, she has passed her prime. Furthermore, I believe her association with NOD has not been the best thing for her.

This is just stupid. Careful, your prejudice is showing.

I'm not the one with regrets...

[Dick Pontoon]

The funny thing about regret is it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done.

 

And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, be sure and tell her, SATAN, SATAN, SATAN!!!

[TrippyMcSkippy-migration]

Well, kind of want to keep "my story' under wraps..basically its this. If a very experienced collector/dealer says a book isnt restored, yet Susan says it is..who do you believe?

[Mr. Zipper]

Well, kind of want to keep "my story' under wraps..basically its this. If a very experienced collector/dealer says a book isnt restored, yet Susan says it is..who do you believe?

 

The one that doesn't have a financial interest in the answer.

[Mac Man]

Um... here's how I break it down:

 

A very experienced collector / dealer is someone who is a Jack of All Trade / Master of None, meaning that they are someone who is educated in all things comics (or at least, if they bill themselves as "A very experienced collector / dealer," then they purport as such).

 

On the other hand, Susan bills herself as an expert in one particular field of comics--restoration. So, given the differing arguments between someone who is a "generalist" and has knowledge in many areas versus someone who is a legitimate subject matter expert in the field of question, I'll take the subject matter expert 9 times out of 10.

 

But I hedge my bet with the additional 1/10 because, well, absolutes always bite you in the rear

[capt_comics]

I have to agree with FFB. What Kenny & Matt are doing is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else. Unfortunately, I think the whole field lags in what it can or can't do. Let's say most are stuck in the 19th century, Matt & Kenny are in the 20th century. That's no slight against Matt & Kenny - they do wonderful work. But that's more a statement on how nobody did anything at all to advance the field over the past 3 decades.

 

While it was widely agreed that Susan was "the best" for years, her work was often inconsistent, and even at its best still looked a little amateurish in the finished product. ***RUMOR ALERT*** the inconsistency has been explained to me as the result of various apprentices who came through under Susan - no evidence to back this up whatsoever ***END RUMOR ALERT*** I have rarely seen a moderate-extensively restored book that looks like it was done really well, as the color matching, piece infilling, and cleaning methods never seemed to be able to replicate the original with much fidelity. I haven't seen any of Matt & Kenny's new work up close, but I'm eager to because the photos look fantastic. I'd love to see if they are doing a better job of matching the originals, and to see how the leaf casting actually feels.

 

The best work I consistently saw was a lady named Kelly Essoe (husband Gabe was a dealer) in the Pac NW. She could rebuild a spine like nobody's business. She was dirt cheap and fast, but disappeared after only a couple of years. Everything she touched looked great - but still not quite original.

 

It seems to me that with graphic technology where it is now, it should be possible to more accurately reproduce missing areas with color loss.

 

I would agree.............she did some work for some local people here in NC and it was top notch.

 

 

 

 

[Transplant]

Depends on the type of restoration involved. I'm not 100% confident in anyone's trimming detection capabilities. Of course you could always try out Matt and have him take a look at the book, or CGC.

 

This is why details are important. Your first post made it sound like Susan botched a restoration job. Now it seems like you're just disputing her restoration detection skills. Details please.

[Lebowski]

Sounds like an ax to grind, if you ask me, given the discrepancies in Trippy's posts.

[Mr. Zipper]

When I sent books to Susan for a resto check, she seemed conservative and didn't want to "guess." Of course, anyone can make mistakes, but I find it hard to believe she'd flag a book as restored unless there was objective evidence or very strong circumstantial evidence. (In the case of trimming, often all you have is "circumstantial" evidence.)

[FFB]

As for Susan, I've seen some of her work in the past and by those standards (1980s/1990s), she was the best I had seen. I haven't seen any of her work in a long time because she was out of the game for so long and have no idea what her current skill levels are. So spill with the details already.

I have a lot of respect for what's being done at Classics Inc. But don't you think this is really the only on-topic response to the comments of the OP?

 

And yes, obviously you came to get your story out, so please do Trippy.

 

I didn't realize I needed to ask for your approval prior to exceeding the scope of an original poster's stated message.

 

And as for your "amazing" result from Susan Cicconi, I consider it to be a "good job," not an amazing one. All of the work is obvious and she did a lousy job on surface cleaning the yellowed area before working on it. Compare that with one of the Superman #1s that Kenny and Matt worked on recently and it's not even close to the same quality.

[Transplant]

As for Susan, I've seen some of her work in the past and by those standards (1980s/1990s), she was the best I had seen. I haven't seen any of her work in a long time because she was out of the game for so long and have no idea what her current skill levels are. So spill with the details already.

I have a lot of respect for what's being done at Classics Inc. But don't you think this is really the only on-topic response to the comments of the OP?

 

And yes, obviously you came to get your story out, so please do Trippy.

 

I didn't realize I needed to ask for your approval prior to exceeding the scope of an original poster's stated message.

 

And as for your "amazing" result from Susan Cicconi, I consider it to be a "good job," not an amazing one. All of the work is obvious and she did a lousy job on surface cleaning the yellowed area before working on it. Compare that with one of the Superman #1s that Kenny and Matt worked on recently and it's not even close to the same quality.

Don't get pissy. The OP asked for opinions about Susan Cicconi and you expanded with flowery prose about Matt and Kenny. I think both of these guys know how highly I value their work. As for comparing any particular piece of resto work, it's important to know the limitations around time imposed on the craftsman. My guess is that a lot less time was devoted to an Action 41 than a Supes 1. But either way I was mainly impressed with the structural conservation done. Further, I'm not staking a claim for either shop in who does better work nowadays. I've seen more examples from Kenny than anyone else.

 

But it's funny that we're "arguing" about it since Trippy's experience seems to only center around detection not actual restoration.

[FFB]

I have to agree with FFB. What Kenny & Matt are doing is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else. Unfortunately, I think the whole field lags in what it can or can't do. Let's say most are stuck in the 19th century, Matt & Kenny are in the 20th century. That's no slight against Matt & Kenny - they do wonderful work. But that's more a statement on how nobody did anything at all to advance the field over the past 3 decades.

 

 

That is my frustration as well - it has seemed to me that almost everyone doing restoration work on comics for the last several decades was either (a) a total hack, or (b) learned from Bill Sarill or learned from someone who learned from Bill Sarill and then just tinkered with those techniques a bit instead of trying to think way outside the box and learn the state of the art techniques used in paper conservation.

 

Matt and Kenny are now thinking way outside the box. Kenny's proximity to a world class document conservation center and his anal retentiveness, almost-annoying perfectionism, and natural curiosity are certainly helping to bring the more broadly used state of the art techniques into the comic restoration field. They're also learning that what is possible with some paper artifacts is not possible with comic books, and vice versa. They've only been at it for a relatively short time, but they've made huge strides and it is exciting to watch the progression.

[FFB]

As for Susan, I've seen some of her work in the past and by those standards (1980s/1990s), she was the best I had seen. I haven't seen any of her work in a long time because she was out of the game for so long and have no idea what her current skill levels are. So spill with the details already.

I have a lot of respect for what's being done at Classics Inc. But don't you think this is really the only on-topic response to the comments of the OP?

 

And yes, obviously you came to get your story out, so please do Trippy.

 

I didn't realize I needed to ask for your approval prior to exceeding the scope of an original poster's stated message.

 

And as for your "amazing" result from Susan Cicconi, I consider it to be a "good job," not an amazing one. All of the work is obvious and she did a lousy job on surface cleaning the yellowed area before working on it. Compare that with one of the Superman #1s that Kenny and Matt worked on recently and it's not even close to the same quality.

Don't get pissy.

 

OK.

 

The OP asked for opinions about Susan Cicconi and you expanded with flowery prose about Matt and Kenny.

 

 

I think both of these guys know how highly I value their work. As for comparing any particular piece of resto work, it's important to know the limitations around time imposed on the craftsman. My guess is that a lot less time was devoted to an Action 41 than a Supes 1.

 

Ironically, I will bet you money that as to those two particular books, the opposite is true, i.e., Matt and Kenny's work on the Superman #1 I saw took a lot less time to do the structural work on than your Action #41. Not because an Action #1 "deserves" to have more time spent on it, but merely because the way that Matt and Kenny are doing things now is so much faster and better than the old way.

 

But it's funny that we're "arguing" about it since Trippy's experience seems to only center around detection not actual restoration.

 

Indeed. I was confused by his follow-up post as well.

[HGComics-migration]

She only accepts "softball" jobs these days. Anything mildly complicated in paper restoration, she'll have difficulty. I am interested in hearing your story.

 

You may have a point.. I had originally contacted her to work on my Popeye Feature Book #nn and she turned it down. She thought the book was too far gone to fix. Classics Inc never balked at taking the job and the finished book looks amazing.

 

 

From a resto-porn perspective...

 

resto-porn

 

I also had a book she said couldn't be improved but sent to Matt and it was indeed improved.

[BillS25]

I don't know Susan in any way, shape or form so I can say without any persuasion either way the OP has done a disservice to himself and especially to Susan by not providing an actual accounting. Maligning someone or implying they perform substandard work without providing actual basis of proof is reprehensible. Without the OP actually providing actual details so the readers/commenters can provide comments within context the initial post only implies a maligning of Susan's professional standing.

[Transplant]

Ironically, I will bet you money that as to those two particular books, the opposite is true, i.e., Matt and Kenny's work on the Superman #1 I saw took a lot less time to do the structural work on than your Action #41. Not because an Action #1 "deserves" to have more time spent on it, but merely because the way that Matt and Kenny are doing things now is so much faster and better than the old way.

Could be. But I'm pretty sure an Action #1 deserves to get more time.