Thoughts on Signature placement 2 2

[BigLeagueCHEW]

Hey Everyone, just looking for opinions. and a quick look at the placement of the Romita sig.

This is the 2nd book that I have seen like this, on this issue.

Any reason they would sign on goblins face? And also, does it take value and appeal from the book?

[Artboy99]

yes I think it takes something away from the attractiveness of the book.

[BigLeagueCHEW]

Just now, Artboy99 said:

yes I think it takes something away from the attractiveness of the book.

I wish Romita would have signed at least under torn Spider-man's arm. Why on the face 

[revat]

I'm pretty sure in some cases its like a factory and things are going so fast the signer doesn't even know/care where the sig goes.  OR they've signed a million and they're just mixing it up for their own amusement.  Or its the end of the day after signing 85 thousand comics and they're just scribbling anywhere to go home faster.

Either way, if you're not willing to risk bad sig placement, don't get your book signed.

And yes, if someone could choose better sig placement for the same price, i'm sure people will choose better sig placement.  Objectively it looks worse.  But how much the premium would be could depend on a million factors (with luck being a huge one).

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Stan loved to sign on heads and faces. 

[s-man]

That's why you can do this yourself

https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/241753-how-to-window-bag-your-books-for-ss-with-photos/

[miraclemet]

If it's a book that is readily available (such as this one) many collectors will wait for better sig placement options. 

 

Im never a fan of signatures over the title, gets to busy.

On this particular book I'd want the signatures grouped in the bottom 1/2 of the book, starting below the Hobgoblin mask. 

[Buzzetta]

Crotch of the Spider-man costume would have been best as there would have been a circle of signatures surrounding the goblin's face. 

[Ken Aldred]

As collectors, it’s natural for us to be sensitive about placement.

Obsessive-compulsive to varying degrees, naturally concerned about avoiding having features on the cover obliterated by thick marker lines, conscious about having often paid a nosebleed price to acquire the book, not wanting its value, nostalgic or monetary, destroyed in one way or another.

To a creator, it’s a product they worked on years ago with a cent value, and maybe oblivious or unconcerned about its secondary market status, something personally irrelevant to them decades on, and blind to our amped-up neuroses. Or, at the other end of the scale, they’re fully aware of our concerns, the costs we’ve incurred to own the book and to attend the event, and are behaving maliciously.

And, all largely unpredictable positions in between those extremes. Conflicts are inevitable.

Edited November 12, 2020 by Ken Aldred

[badback83]

Yes.  It detracts big time from the book to me.  I don’t care for signed books for the most part anyhow, but that makes it even worse.

[Hollywood1892]

5 hours ago, BigLeagueCHEW said:

Hey Everyone, just looking for opinions. and a quick look at the placement of the Romita sig.

This is the 2nd book that I have seen like this, on this issue.

Any reason they would sign on goblins face? And also, does it take value and appeal from the book?

Not sure why he chose to sign there.

[catman76]

I hope he does it just to screw with people wanting a meaningless scribble. That's what I would do. Why anyone would want a scribble of an artist's name I have no idea. I want a drawing of something from an artist.

[MGsimba77]

6 hours ago, BigLeagueCHEW said:

I wish Romita would have signed at least under torn Spider-man's arm. Why on the face 

Well Its entirely possible they were window bagged for Romita. I don't think he would sign there voluntarily. 

[Mercury Man]

Silver shows up good on black areas.   Maybe it's the color wheel in his brain guiding him there. 

[astrometric]

I think in general there is definitely a trade off between sig placement vs. quality/presentation of the sig itself (especially when multiple sigs are in play.) I would be curious to hear any input from @seanfingh on this one.

I looked for a very long time to find a 238 that had perfect book structure (i.e. centered with all corners completely lining up with the pages, no overhangs, no spine miswrap etc.) coupled with 2X SL and JR but with sigs not placed anywhere on top of Spidie nor HG's face.  

[seanfingh]

2 hours ago, astrometric said:

I think in general there is definitely a trade off between sig placement vs. quality/presentation of the sig itself (especially when multiple sigs are in play.) I would be curious to hear any input from @seanfingh on this one.

I looked for a very long time to find a 238 that had perfect book structure (i.e. centered with all corners completely lining up with the pages, no overhangs, no spine miswrap etc.) coupled with 2X SL and JR but with sigs not placed anywhere on top of Spidie nor HG's face.  

I love the Lee sig, it is small and tight - and I like Jr's placement. I would have put Romita anywhere other than where he did it, and depending upon the order of when the sigs were obtained, I would have window bagged for Romita and Shooter to both be much lower. But if this book were on my hit list, I wouldn't hesitate to get it. But by the same token, if the Romita sig bothers you, stay away, because it will never not bother you.  Some multi sig books, you have to take what you get because they are unduplicatable.

[D2]

21 hours ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Stan loved to sign on heads and faces. 

That's so true.

Amazing Fantasy 15 signing... like, really??

If signature placement bothers me on a book, I flip them. 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

24 minutes ago, D2 said:

21 hours ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Stan loved to sign on heads and faces. 

That's so true.

[D2]

21 minutes ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

 

[Robot Man]

I like having signed books. In the 50 years I've been collecting, I have gotton just about every major artist or writer to sign my books. The signature is really not that important in it's self. It represents the few minutes I had interacting with the signer. Talking about his or her work and maybe hearing a few stories.

I am "old school" I almost always have them sign with a ball point pen on the splash page. Defacing the cover is very distasteful to me. Plus, sharpies (especially black) tend to fade or spread into the porus paper.

Then, there is the question here. Placement. The few books I might have signed on the cover are those with a lot of blank area. This way, it does not interfer with the art and highlights the signature better. Books with a lot of art on the cover just don't work for this.

As far as value is concerned, I don't care at all. A signature (especially of a creator that has passed away), is just an added bonus if done properly.

I brought my House of Secrets #92 up to Berni Wrightson for a signature once. Before I could say a word about it, he had grabbed a sharpie and scrawled a long autograph across the cover. I was a little shocked. But he was such an incredible guy, I loved and admired his work so much, It didn't kill me. That and the fact I bought it off the newstand, I knew I would always come out way ahead when and if I ever decided to sell it.

Most of the greats I have been lucky enough to meet, passed away long before CGC Signature series ever began. I'm way OK with it.