Why is Marvel Chipping limited to the front cover? 1 1

[KPR Comics]

Most examples I’ve seen, the chipping is limited to the right front cover.  Wasn’t the same blade cutting the back (aka the front of the next copy)?

[kav]

because people turn the page from front to back

[KPR Comics]

That would suggest it's not a production defect, right?

[kav]

1 hour ago, KPR Comics said:

That would suggest it's not a production defect, right?

yes.  Its a result of cheap paper and a lot of handling.  

[Lazyboy]

2 hours ago, KPR Comics said:

Wasn’t the same blade cutting the back (aka the front of the next copy)?

What?

[kav]

2 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

What?

It's my understanding and from taking a printing class in college the sheets are already precut and ordered, then printed and assembled.

[KPR Comics]

27 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

What?

In my mind I imagine a long roll of paper that goes XYXYXY... with X being the front and Y being the back.

XY/XY/XY/... with the / being the cut so the cut after Y.

[kav]

12 minutes ago, KPR Comics said:

In my mind I imagine a long roll of paper that goes XYXYXY... with X being the front and Y being the back.

XY/XY/XY/... with the / being the cut so the cut after Y.

thats how they print newspapers but I think comics is different.  stacks of sheets that go thru printing press.

[KPR Comics]

Precut then printed?

[kav]

2 minutes ago, KPR Comics said:

Precut then printed?

thats my understanding.

[kav]

Thats just from my own experience with printing-they might indeed use the roller method for the large volume needed to print comics in the 60s.

[kav]

 

[jcjames]

3 hours ago, kav said:

 

@1:57... "No 9.8s for you!"

 

[kav]

3 minutes ago, jcjames said:

@1:57... "No 9.8s for you!"

 

oh lord

[kav]

And here I was told CGC artificially holds down the # of nosebleed grades!!!   

[FSF]

Does the fact that the front cover has a lot coloring and the back much less so, especially along the edges, have anything to do with it?

[kav]

1 minute ago, FSF said:

Does the fact that the front cover has a lot coloring and the back much less so, especially along the edges, have anything to do with it?

I would say no.  If anything I would think a layer of ink would strengthen the thin paper.  It's just the fact that when anyone opens a comic, to read or flip to a page, they do so by gripping the front cover not the back.

[kav]

another minor factor might be that when someone leaves a comic lying around it usually is face up and exposed to the degradating effects of light.

[Tony S]

Vintage Comic book covers and comic book pages were printed in very large width giant rolls of of paper, then folded and THEN cut. So one cut was cutting multiple interior pages. You can see this for yourself from time to time with vintage books where the cutter did not cut all the way through the pages. You'll have like six or eight pages (I forget) still stuck together and not completely trimmed. Because 6 or 8 pages were printed at the same time on one super wide piece of paper. You can also see this occasionally on vintage giant size books that were stapled and the cover glued on. If the cutter did not cut the interior (spine side) clean and the cover comes loose you can actually see the folded bunch of pages. A giant size book might have 4-6 such bunches depending on page count, Most comics in the 50's on were printed at World Color Press in Sparta, IL. 

Covers were similar, but better paper. And many to most covers  up until the late 60's were printed at Eastern Color in New York, then the covers shipped to Sparta.  Six covers - front and back - were typically printed at a time. Occasionally uncut sheets of covers turn up for sale and are napped up by collectors. Here is an example. This is ONE sheet - I snagged the picture from a discussion here back in 2010. This is Not something taped together. So when everything was folded up, there was just a few cuts.  By the late 60's World Color press had largely taken over all of the printing of comic books - including the covers. The exception I'm aware of was Charlton, who owned their own printing plant. I'm not really sure without more research where Marvel and DC print their comics today. I think it moved to Canada. But there are a number of places that print comic books now.  The printing process being what the posted video shows. 

Response above is more about how comics are manufactured. 

The answer about Marvel chipping is to some degree an unknown. The most likely answer is NOT the common one about dull cutting blades. The simplest answer is probably correct. Martin Goodman had a reputation of being cheap. When Marvel's distributor went out of business Marvel nearly did too. A deal with DC to distribute their books kept them from bankruptcy but was also designed to keep them from making too much money and from distributing too many titles. So Goodman saved money where he could -likely in printing costs. Marvel used cheaper paper those early years and  the front cover gets more wear than the back. 



 

[kav]

12 minutes ago, Tony S said:

Vintage Comic book covers and comic book pages were printed in very large width giant rolls of of paper, then folded and THEN cut. So one cut was cutting multiple interior pages. You can see this for yourself from time to time with vintage books where the cutter did not cut all the way through the pages. You'll have like six or eight pages (I forget) still stuck together and not completely trimmed. Because 6 or 8 pages were printed at the same time on one super wide piece of paper. You can also see this occasionally on vintage giant size books that were stapled and the cover glued on. If the cutter did not cut the interior (spine side) clean and the cover comes loose you can actually see the folded bunch of pages. A giant size book might have 4-6 such bunches depending on page count, Most comics in the 50's on were printed at World Color Press in Sparta, IL. 

Covers were similar, but better paper. And many to most covers  up until the late 60's were printed at Eastern Color in New York, then the covers shipped to Sparta.  Six covers - front and back - were typically printed at a time. Occasionally uncut sheets of covers turn up for sale and are napped up by collectors. Here is an example. This is ONE sheet - I snagged the picture from a discussion here back in 2010. This is Not something taped together. So when everything was folded up, there was just a few cuts.  By the late 60's World Color press had largely taken over all of the printing of comic books - including the covers. The exception I'm aware of was Charlton, who owned their own printing plant. I'm not really sure without more research where Marvel and DC print their comics today. I think it moved to Canada. But there are a number of places that print comic books now.  The printing process being what the posted video shows. 

Response above is more about how comics are manufactured. 

The answer about Marvel chipping is to some degree an unknown. The most likely answer is NOT the common one about dull cutting blades. The simplest answer is probably correct. Martin Goodman had a reputation of being cheap. When Marvel's distributor went out of business Marvel nearly did too. A deal with DC to distribute their books kept them from bankruptcy but was also designed to keep them from making too much money and from distributing too many titles. So Goodman saved money where he could -likely in printing costs. Marvel used cheaper paper those early years and  the front cover gets more wear than the back. 



 

thx for the info.  I googled like crazy but couldnt find squat.