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New Comics Spine Damage?
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17 posts in this topic

I've been an on and off comic collector, and ever since I started I've been really pedantic about the condition/quality of the books I purchase. I've gone to great lengths to make sure I get the best possible condition (without breaking the bank ofc) so I usually buy doubles, sometimes triples of a particular issue. And this is where I've been stumped for the longest time. I've noticed, since I started this hobby back in 2011, that a lot of the newly released comics often come with their spines damaged already. This type of damage usually runs along the entire vertical span of the spine, resembling creased paper, with spine ticks sometimes forming as well. I don't know if this is just a symptom of whatever paper stock manufacturers use or a manufacturer or what, but it'd be great if someone knew about why this is happening.

This has always been the number one thing that's bugged me when I buy floppies other than slightly dented/damaged corners. Some good examples of this type of damage is Detective Comics #5/#6 New 52 or Batman #4 New 52. All my copies of these have spine damage and I've seen CGC graded copies anywhere from 9.4-9.8 with the same issue. I'm honestly just stumped. Some input/discussion would be awesome!

Thanks guys!

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Welcome To The Boards!!!

I do not have a real answer for you other than if this is occurring on "new" books and you have seen CGC graded copies up to and including NM/MT 9.8 with the issue it must be a Bindery Defect.

I have no idea how comic books are shipped/transported to their destination these days so could that be a cause, if that were the case the book would be graded as having a Spine Defect, not a Bindery Defect, and you would not see a NM 9.4 or higher.

Are these books being purchased at your LCS, if so you could always ask the owner of the LCS what is going on with those books.

Pictures would probably help.

Bindery Defect - Defects associated with the binding process, including mistrimming, miswrapping, inaccurate stapling, etc.

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to add on this if your picking these up at a Local comic shop might want to ask the owner like Marvelmaniac mentioned chances are I am guessing your looking at the books on the rack remember those books are getting handled a lot more by others digging and looking for those 9.8 copies with this handling you can get spine ticks when they flip through.. I usually look for a few copies behind the first one in the box or on the rack. 

 

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In some cases, new comics will be manufactured with flaws. This would explain why the grades range from 9.4 - 9.8; on some of the books, the flaw is more pronounced, while on others it's very slight. CGC usually takes into consideration the severity of the flaw...

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@The Lions Den @marvelmaniac @theCapraAegagrus @Krismusic

 

Hey guys, sorry for the super late response. Stuff's been hectic. I've got some pictures to show you what I mean exactly.

If you take these 'spine damaged' books and just look at it from the front, you'd probably expect them to be somewhere near 8.5 to 9.4. The corners and spine creases and other cover defects are usually non-existent on these books but then when you look at its spine, it looks hella screwed up (as seen in the other photo). And this seems like a pandemic on eBay and other marketplaces where sellers will always be state that the books are 'averaging NM.' From the front sure, but as an overall book I wouldn't personally give these higher than a 8.0 VF just because it makes the book so damn ugly. 

As stated in my original post, I see this type of defect/damage on newer books as well. I'm in Australia so there may be some damage during transit when Diamond ships their books but I've gotten some books with similar issues from DCBS in the States. Curious to see if you guys have noticed this or have an explanation if CGC overlooks this type of stuff.

Cheers and hope you guys had a good Christmas!

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3 hours ago, tomborage said:

@The Lions Den @marvelmaniac @theCapraAegagrus @Krismusic

 

Hey guys, sorry for the super late response. Stuff's been hectic. I've got some pictures to show you what I mean exactly.

If you take these 'spine damaged' books and just look at it from the front, you'd probably expect them to be somewhere near 8.5 to 9.4. The corners and spine creases and other cover defects are usually non-existent on these books but then when you look at its spine, it looks hella screwed up (as seen in the other photo). And this seems like a pandemic on eBay and other marketplaces where sellers will always be state that the books are 'averaging NM.' From the front sure, but as an overall book I wouldn't personally give these higher than a 8.0 VF just because it makes the book so damn ugly. 

As stated in my original post, I see this type of defect/damage on newer books as well. I'm in Australia so there may be some damage during transit when Diamond ships their books but I've gotten some books with similar issues from DCBS in the States. Curious to see if you guys have noticed this or have an explanation if CGC overlooks this type of stuff.

Cheers and hope you guys had a good Christmas!

20191231_193230.jpg

20191231_193240.jpg

Hi Tom from the limited experience I have I have seen this type of damage from my own collection from when I read the books and the pages bend a lot specifically on the new 52 series as well and the book rubs against a hard surface it was a reader copy so didn’t really handle it carefully. I’ve also seen in on the rack on a select few books from my LCS I suppose some could be manufacturers defect or from shipping since I’ve only seen it a select few times on the comic racks I always assumed someone opened it and started to read or something. But it could be the books at the bottom of the box and the extra weight compressed the books and cause the spine to get damaged like that as well. 
 

just my 2cents I could be wrong but that’s what I have seen but not very often have I seen this.

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42 minutes ago, Krismusic said:

Hi Tom from the limited experience I have I have seen this type of damage from my own collection from when I read the books and the pages bend a lot specifically on the new 52 series as well and the book rubs against a hard surface it was a reader copy so didn’t really handle it carefully. I’ve also seen in on the rack on a select few books from my LCS I suppose some could be manufacturers defect or from shipping since I’ve only seen it a select few times on the comic racks I always assumed someone opened it and started to read or something. But it could be the books at the bottom of the box and the extra weight compressed the books and cause the spine to get damaged like that as well. 
 

just my 2cents I could be wrong but that’s what I have seen but not very often have I seen this.

Oh legit?? I guess my LCS or my luck has just been bad then...At least 25% of the new stock that I see my LCS put on the racks all have this issue (every single copy even the ones in the middle of the pack).

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59 minutes ago, tomborage said:

Oh legit?? I guess my LCS or my luck has just been bad then...At least 25% of the new stock that I see my LCS put on the racks all have this issue (every single copy even the ones in the middle of the pack).

If this is present on new books there must be other buyers seeing/saying the same thing.

Have you spoken to the proprietor of your LCS about this issue, curious what he/she would have to say about it.

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I would agree with the statements above. This does appear to be a manufacturing issue which is likely related to the type of paper stock being used. 

If we go forward into the past, let's use Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine as a similar example. Many early issues of this classic magazine have notoriously weak spines which are prone to splits and wear. It's primarily due to what some folks call a "clay-coat" cover stock. In any event, it causes numerous issues with spine appearance and integrity, and collectors of these books are very familiar with this particular flaw. 

CGC graders are also painfully aware of these kinds of flaws, and usually it's not a huge deal-breaker. This would probably fall under the "they all have it" clause, which means the book could still achieve a grade as high as 9.6. (Believe it or not!) 

And oh yes, by the way...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  :bigsmile:

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10 hours ago, marvelmaniac said:

If this is present on new books there must be other buyers seeing/saying the same thing.

Have you spoken to the proprietor of your LCS about this issue, curious what he/she would have to say about it.

I actually don't see anyone else other than me worry about the conditions of the books. People who do buy floppies either get the store to pull it for them or just pick the first one off the shelf. I'm literally the only person in the store who meticulously goes through the pile (I feel awkward for doing this though) and searches for the least damaged book just because I believe if I'm paying 5.28 USD (7.50 AUD) for a 3.99 USD book I, at the bare minimum, deserve something that's not defected with flaws.

I haven't talked to the owner of my LCS just because I don't frequent the store that much or engage in conversations with them. The prices have always put me off plus the amount of time required to get there (30-40 minutes by bus/car). I know supporting my LCS is extremely important especially when this store is the only standing store left in this city, but I can't bring myself to spend what I spend when I'm getting an 'inferior' product. I digress. From observations and assumptions I don't think the owner/employees care too much about the condition of the books. Just this week I saw them manhandling the new arrivals. Literally gave me a shock.

Even though this spine issue is persistent I'm still gonna buy the issues until my first DCBS order arrives. While I love my LCS shop for standing the test of time, the OCD person inside of me can't stand the handling of stock and prices. You're right though, I should probably ask them what's been going on but I guess I'm a bit afraid haha. HNY!

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2 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

I would agree with the statements above. This does appear to be a manufacturing issue which is likely related to the type of paper stock being used. 

If we go forward into the past, let's use Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine as a similar example. Many early issues of this classic magazine have notoriously weak spines which are prone to splits and wear. It's primarily due to what some folks call a "clay-coat" cover stock. In any event, it causes numerous issues with spine appearance and integrity, and collectors of these books are very familiar with this particular flaw. 

CGC graders are also painfully aware of these kinds of flaws, and usually it's not a huge deal-breaker. This would probably fall under the "they all have it" clause, which means the book could still achieve a grade as high as 9.6. (Believe it or not!) 

And oh yes, by the way...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  :bigsmile:

Then I assume they use different quality paper stock for books because titles released in the same week all have varying conditions on its spines. I guess it's not a dealbreaker when you're looking at the cover directly from the front, but I'm too meticulous to ignore it :(

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7 hours ago, tomborage said:

Then I assume they use different quality paper stock for books because titles released in the same week all have varying conditions on its spines. I guess it's not a dealbreaker when you're looking at the cover directly from the front, but I'm too meticulous to ignore it :(

I understand completely...  

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On 1/2/2020 at 8:16 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

It looks kinda normal, but excessive compared to most cases I've seen.

This is one of the reasons why it's so tough grading books on a professional basis. Imagine, if you will, an invoice that contains 50 copies of the same book. Some of the books have a defect like the one pictured, but some of them don't. Let's say you give the ones without the defect a 9.8. What grade do you give the ones with the defect? You can't give them a 9.8, can you? They're obviously not as nice as the ones without the defect, and the defect varies from book to book. So each book becomes a judgement call according to the perceived severity of the defect...  :pullhair:

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