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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 4, 2022 17:37:42 GMT -5
I think we can make this a general thread about common physical comic-book defects. But I created the thread because of spine rolls.
I mentioned on another thread that I was going to take a hiatus from getting any more old issues of Detective Comics, but I was looking at eBay and checking the status of the Batarang X issue and I idly looked at “suggested items,” and there was a new listing, a low-grade copy of Detective Comics #224.
The major defect is a serious case of spine roll. From what I can tell from the image, it’s one of the worst cases of spine roll that I’ve ever seen.
Spine roll doesn’t bother me very much.
One of the first old comics I ever bought at an actual comic book store (1977 or so) was a Tales of Suspense #63 with a bad spine roll. I loved the split cover! The Kirby art! The origin of Captain America! Don Heck Iron Man!
I also loved the price. Fifty cents! I had already spent $7 on Tales of Suspense #49 and I was being very careful with the two or three dollars that remained.
I eventually collected every issue of Tales of Suspense. But I never upgraded that #63! It didn’t really bother me.
The core of my Lois Lane collection is five or six issues I bought as a low-grade lot 10 or 15 years ago. Several of them have rolled spines. It never even occurred to me to upgrade them when I decided to get every issue from #105 to #130. (The Rose and the Thorn issues.) I finished that little project earlier this year.
I think I have a couple of New Look issues of Detective with rolled spines.
I also don’t mind a few grease pencil marks, a date stamp or a ten-cent sticker. A name scribbled across the top of the front cover? That saved me $50 at least on a comic I bought recently. Things like that give it a little cultural value that I like.
But I hesitate with this Detective Comics #224. The main reason is that I never spent $60 on a comic book with a spine roll before.
On the other hand, it’s probably saving me $100 ... at least! And it’s a defect that doesn’t bother me.
Some kid back in 1955 rolled it up and stuck it in his back pocket and rode his bike home like that.
I will almost certainly pull the trigger within a day or two, but I was wondering what others think.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 4, 2022 17:38:11 GMT -5
If it makes your back feel better then go for it.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2022 17:52:57 GMT -5
Most of the comics I had as a kid wound up with either a spine roll or a detached staple, so it doesn't bother me much. If it's an issue I am considering buying, I am ok with it as long as the asking price reflects it.
-M
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2022 18:51:55 GMT -5
Certain spine-rolls can be fixed and pressed out, removing that flaw altogether (without encroaching upon restoration)...so they aren't a deal breaker for me.
I know collectors who seek out books like this so they can acquire them at a lower-grade price (eg VG) and then get to work fixing them. Preferably through someone who knows how to realign the spine and then get it pressed out.
So a VG Amazing Spider-Man 129 (1st Punisher) with spine-curl can be upgraded to a FINE/VERY FINE and its value goes up by several hundred dollars. I've seen it happen.
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Post by Hoosier X on Nov 4, 2022 19:17:14 GMT -5
What do you do? Do you roll it up the opposite way and stick it on your back pocket and ride around on your bike for a few hours?
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 4, 2022 20:31:00 GMT -5
...Or put it under the long box for a couple weeks, that usually does it
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 4, 2022 20:44:57 GMT -5
I just read the dang things; so, as long as the whole story is there, I don't care if the spine has scoliosis.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2022 3:38:58 GMT -5
Same here, I buy all my books to read, I actually hate them to be "too perfect" because a nice worn copy I can just relax with. Spine roll, no problem.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2022 4:05:44 GMT -5
What do you do? Do you roll it up the opposite way and stick it on your back pocket and ride around on your bike for a few hours?
I don't do anything, I might pop the damn staple. I'd pass it over to a 'professional' until I'm confident enough to try it myself.
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Post by Cei-U! on Nov 5, 2022 5:58:02 GMT -5
If a spine roll means I get a desired book for $2 instead of $20, I'm totally down with it.
Cei-U! I summon the frugal fanboy!
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,051
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Post by Confessor on Nov 6, 2022 5:35:37 GMT -5
I'm not generally a collector who is overly concerned with condition, as long as the comic is complete, but spine roll -- especially bad spine roll -- does bug me more than some other defects for some reason. If it really prevents the book from lying flat, it does annoy me on some level. But it's still not a deal breaker and I have purchased comics with varying degrees of spine roll on occasion.
Water damage, on the other hand, is a total "no no" for me.
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Post by james on Nov 6, 2022 5:55:42 GMT -5
I got spiderman 120 for 10.00 because of a spine roll*. I'll take a spine roll over water marks or tears anyway.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 6, 2022 7:43:31 GMT -5
(...) Water damage, on the other hand, is a total "no no" for me. Even water damage doesn't bother me if the book's still readable and the price is right - e.g. I found a slightly water-damaged copy of Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf (the one illustrated by Wrightson) in a used bookstore in Zagreb for the equivalent of about 3 bucks. Bought it without giving it a second thought.
I prefer spring rolls to spine rolls, though.
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Post by The Captain on Nov 6, 2022 9:56:15 GMT -5
Depends on the book or series.
I have gone through my entire Captain America catalog and replaced everything that had a spine roll, missing/loose staple, water damage, etc. That is the pride and joy of my collection, and I treat it as such.
Some random Batman issue from the $1 bin? As long as all of the pages and panels are there (more of an issue with Marvel books and the Marvel Value Stamps) and the front and back covers aren't shredded, it can be rolled, stained, or otherwise. Those are books I buy to read, not to collect, and many of them stay in my possession for less than 90 days. I read them, then give them to my daughters to read, give them to some neighbor kid to read, or sell them at a flea market. Disposable enjoyment.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2022 3:24:31 GMT -5
The only books I own with a slight or moderate (but not too bad) spine-curl are all Golden-Age (ie pre 1956). Hence my hesitation to try to realign the spines myself, I don't want to risk any damage that can't be undone.
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