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Your pal, KC. Art by Keith Wilson

A KC COLUMN by KC Carlson

I’m very ecstatic to see DC Comics taking a step beyond the normal Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman/The Flash/Green Lantern/Justice league Omnibus collections and start issuing Omnibuses starring some of DC’s a lot more esoteric heroes and features.

SUICIDE AIN’T PAINLESS!

Suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus

Apparently, sales were great on last year’s suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus featuring NOT the characters from the major motion picture, but the original comic book suicide Squad/Task force X. Their adventures were set post-WWII, with soldiers battling dinosaurs and other gigantic monsters on South Pacific islands and other exotic locales. These stories (originally from the pages of The brave and the bold #25-27 and #37-39 and star Spangled war stories #110-111, 116-121, 125, and 127-128) retroactively became a part of the modern-day suicide Squad backstory by having the original Col. Rick Flag of this SS become the daddy of the Rick Flag who anchors the action team of the modern-day suicide Squad, which is run (some might say “dictated”) by Amanda Waller.

This early version of the Squad was originally published in the late 1950s and early ‘60s and reflects the a lot more action-only storytelling of the Silver Age. Robert Kanigher wrote the huge majority of these stories, which were (mostly) illustrated by the then-very-popular Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The trio produced literally hundreds of DC war tales together during this era, and when war comics started falling out of favor, the trio moved on to oddball superhero series like metal Men; Rip Hunter, Time Master; Sea Devils; and wonder Woman.

The brave and the bold #25

Later, Andru moved to Marvel, where he drew the earliest adventures of The Defenders before being associated nearly exclusively with Spider-Man in both marvel Team-Up and a five-year run on remarkable Spider-Man. That makes him one of the earliest artists to have serviced both Superman and Spider-Man. He is also the first artist to illustrate the Punisher, working from John Romita Sr.’s original designs in the pages of remarkable Spider-Man.

The striking cover design and the cover artist (Michael Cho) of the suicide Squad: The Silver Age Omnibus both look like they will carry over to at least some of these upcoming collections, so these books will “pop” when displayed alongside a lot more modern collections. At least I hope so — some of these “new” Omnibus covers seemingly haven’t been illustrated yet, but at least the upcoming Adam odd cover has also been brilliantly illustrated by Michael Cho.

DOOM DE DOOM DOOM

Doom Patrol Silver Age Omnibus

The first new esoteric DC Omnibus is Doom Patrol, collecting the original run from 1963. The Doom Patrol was created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bruno Premiani. other people factoring into the creation include writer Bob Haney and editor Murray Boltinoff. The story goes that Haney was called in by Drake when the first issue script was running late, and that first issue (only) was co-scripted by the pair. Boltinoff was the series editor, and it was normal DC policy that editors were not included as “official” creators. However, Boltinoff (and artist Premiani) both famously appear in the final issue of this Doom Patrol run (in issue #121), pleading for readers to help save the Doom Patrol (most of which actually die in this issue).

The ploy didn’t work, and the next batch of DP creator/revivers (there have been a bunch!) had to actually resurrect a lot of of the original characters from the dead over time, to join with the inevitable “new” members that were introduced with each new revival. I believe we are close to a baker’s dozen of Doom Patrol revivals (or creative turnovers) over the last four or five decades. other creators for the original series include Bob Brown, who did a lot of covers for the later part of the series, except for the moody cover of the last (original) issue of the series which was by Joe Orlando.

The classic Doom Patrol consisted of four main characters: The chief (Niles Caulder), Robotman (Cliff Steele), Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr), and negative man (Larry Trainor). They never really liked each other much, which was an unusual storytelling element for that early era. Their main foes were general Immortus, the shape shifting Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, and the Brotherhood of Evil, which included the brain (an actual brain), the intelligent gorilla Monsieur Mallah (an actual gorilla), and Madame Rouge, who, besides the power to stretch, had a malleable face, which allowed her to impersonate various people. the most crucial supporting DP character was Beast Boy, who later became a lot more popular in the Marv Wolfman/George Perez new teen Titans series as Changeling (among other names). early issues of that series occasionally featured surviving Doom Patrol members.

There is a lot of fan discussion about the similarities between the original Doom Patrol and the original 1960s X-Men, considering that both debuted around the same time in 1963. It shouldn’t take you a lot more than two minutes on Google to find something — and it’s much a lot more substantial than two “old” people in wheelchairs. (Maybe I must do that column someday…)

My greatest adventure #80

Getting back to the actual Doom Patrol Silver Age Omnibus, it collects the relevant stories from My greatest adventure #80-85, the original anthology title where the DP first appeared… and then they took over the title completely, so the Omnibus also collects Doom Patrol #86-124. (That’s according to the official DC solicitation, whose writer probably didn’t know that the real last issue was #121, and #122-124 were years-after-the-fact reprints — including the covers! (So it makes no sense to include those covers in the Omnibus either.) Sheesh! Man, it’s nearly 20 years later, and I am still fact-checking DC’s solicitations, like I occasionally did when I worked there in the 1990s.) Weirdly, DC has yet to show us the (hopefully) new cover to this Omnibus. Solicitations have included the original cover to Doom Patrol #86 (which is kinda odd as it isn’t even the first Doom Patrol cover; the cover to My greatest adventure #80 is). Regardless, this 1,056-page (yipes!) Omnibus is scheduled to be in comic shops in late June.

STRANGE… ADAM STRANGE

Adam Strange: The Silver Age Omnibus volume 1

Next up (and solicited now for a July ’17 release) is Adam Strange: The Silver Age Omnibus volume 1 — and this one is only 944 pages with a great all-new cover by Michael Cho. Adam odd was DC’s a lot of austere “superhero”. Technically, he’s a non-powered adventurer in the old-school adventuresome way. While on earth (his home), he’s just an archaeologist. but when he’s mysteriously teleported to the distant planet Rann, Adam odd inadvertently becomes the superhero of the planet. With his new ally, the creative and beautiful Alanna, Adam defends Rann against alien invaders, gigantic monsters, mad scientists, out-of-control robots, and more!

Adam even teams up with the Justice league of America in a full-length crossover adventure (originally from mystery in space #75)! The Silver Age adventures of Adam odd are collected in one gigantic omnibus, which includes his stories from showcase #17-19 and 101-103, mystery in space #53-100 and 102, odd Adventures #157, 222, 226, Hawkman #18-19, and World’s Finest Comics #262-263. Most all of the early stories are by Gardner Fox, drawn by Carmine Infantino, and inked by Murphy Anderson.

Showcase #17

Anderson also created the Adam odd “costume” for a cover of showcase #17 — Adam Strange’s first appearance — that was ultimately rejected in favor of a new cover by Gil Kane. Anderson’s costume design was retained for the replacement cover and for all of the Silver Age run of the character. For the character’s tryout run in showcase #17-19, Mike Sekowsky was the artist, but when the series began its regular (and classic) run in mystery In Space, Carmine Infantino became the long-lasting penciller. occasional issues were inked by Bernard Sachs, Joe Giella, and Sid Greene.

Jack Schiff became the new editor of MiS with #92 and replaced Infantino and Anderson with new artist Lee Elias. This run only lasted from #92-100. #102 was Adam Strange’s last appearance in MiS and his last regular appearance for a long time. occasional one-off stories and guest appearances in other titles and miniseries were to follow (several of them included in this new Omnibus), but considering that then, Adam has mostly been a supporting character in other books. He appears in miniseries like planet Heist (2004), Rann-Thanagar war (2005), 52 (2006), and Countdown to adventure (2007), as well as having a regular role in R.E.B.E.L.S. a lot of recently, in the DC regeneration era, he’s appearing in The death of Hawkman miniseries. He’s also had brief appearances in JLA: another nail (2004), DC: The new Frontier (2004), and as a regular strip in Wednesday Comics (2009).

LONG live ESOTERIC!

Superboy and the legion of Super-Heroes #231

I’m very ecstatic to see not one but two upcoming hardcovers devoted to the adventures of the legion of Super-Heroes. Tentatively scheduled for June is a 376-page Superboy and the legion of Super-Heroes hardcover, collecting issues #234-245 from early in the Paul Levitz (occasionally with co-writer Paul Kupperberg) era of LSH. This is also the odd period where the format/page count of the comics kept changing frequently, and a large number of very unusual artists (Jim Starlin! Walter Simonson! Jim Sherman! Howard Chaykin! Mike Grell! Joe Rubinstein! and more!) all pitched in to keep the series on schedule. speaking of odd formats, this was also the era where there was a tabloid-sized special of the wedding of Saturn girl and Lightning Lad that was a huge deal at the time (All-New Collectors’ edition #C-55) — but there is no certain mention (yet) whether that is also included in this collection. (Hopefully the compilers didn’t forget about it! That would be embarrassing!)

All-New Collectors’ edition #C-55

Maybe even better is the first legion of Super-Heroes Silver Age Omnibus, currently scheduled for August. This will tentatively include (according to the providing at Amazon) adventure Comics #247, #267, #282, #290, #293, and #300-328; action Comics #267, #276, #287, and #289; Superman #147; Superman annual #4; Superman’s friend Jimmy Olsen #72 and #76; and Superboy #86, #89, #98, and #117. (These 680 pages are roughly equivalent to the contents of the legion of Super-Heroes Archives volumes 1-3, except in a much larger format, and a lot of likely without the introductions from the Archives volumes.) These are the earliest legion of Super-Heroes appearances from the very beginning (the 1958 Superboy story from adventure Comics #247 by LSH creators Otto Binder and Al Plastino) to the 1965 LSH adventure “The Lad who Wrecked the Legion” from adventure Comics #328 by Jerry Seigel and Jim Mooney. other significant legion contributors in this Omnibus include Curt Swan, George Papp, Robert Bernstein, Sheldon Moldoff, George Klein, John Forte, Stan Kaye, and Edmund Hamilton.

Adventure Comics #247

Lots of good reading in the months to come! Plus, even a lot more down the road. I’ll be back in a couple months with a lot more info, including some very appealing DC mystery comics anthologies!

_______________________________________

KC CARLSON SEZ: My legion flight ring finally ran outta juice, so I’m patiently waiting for the 30th Century to recharge it. Dum dee dum dum…

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the silly things that KC says. especially that thing that really irritated you. You indicating you and only you.

Classic covers from the Grand Comics Database.

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KC and his cow

A KC COLUMN By KC Carlson

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #36

Sometimes I think I’m too old to be enjoying Scooby-Doo Team-Up as much as I do. Although, given that a lot of of the characters that appear in the most current issue were created during the 1960s (or even earlier), I also wonder who this issue is being written for. considering that a lot of of the characters that appear here haven’t appeared in a DC comic book for a looong time, maybe I am the target audience!

No guest-stars are specifically credited on the cover of this issue, a departure from normal practice for the series. but old fogies like me quickly know who the co-stars are: Angel and the Ape! Although they are only referred to as Angel O’Day and Sam Simeon (their “real” names) in the comic itself. has DC abandoned (or forgot to renew) the Angel and the Ape trademark/title for some reason? Interesting…

The real fun is not trying to figure out this particular mystery. (That’s for old geeks like me and Wayne to scratch our beards about.) The real fun in Scooby-Doo Team-Up #36 is figuring out who all the other old DC characters are — because this issue is packed to the gills with obscure DC folks, including a few “unofficial” ones that absolutely are no longer DC trademarks.

Scooby & the Gang, Louie, Angel, and Sam

As usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. This issue (written by the very silly Sholly Fisch and cartooned — and I’m not saying this as an insult — by the frequently dazzling artist Dario Brizuela) is solidly stuffed with obscure characters, dialogue, jokes, and probably even stuff I missed. It’s set up as the annual Louie Jervis Telethon for the United Charities which (of course) is hosted by comedian/movie star Louie Jervis — who announces that comedian/movie star Rob Pope is also performing. If these names don’t sound familiar, then you haven’t enjoyed enough telethons hosted by either Jerry Lewis or Bob hope — who both coincidentally starred in their own DC Comic books published from the 1950s to the early 1970s. (Most likely, DC no longer has rights for either of them. Which is why you probably will never see a collection of either of those titles — despite all the terrific work in them.)

HALOS and BANANAS

Before we get too far along, Angel and the Ape was created and frequently written by E. Nelson Bridwell. He is best known as the long-running Superman assistant editor (most notably under editor Mort Weisinger) because of his encyclopedic knowledge of the character’s history.

The artists a lot of associated with the original series were penciller Bob Oksner and inker Wally Wood. Oksner was also the long time artist of The Adventures of Jerry Lewis and The Adventures of Bob Hope. Concentrating mostly on humor series for DC, Oksner also illustrated The lots of loves of Dobie Gillis (see a lot more below), Sgt. Bilko, Pat Boone, and welcome Back, Kotter. He was also the artist on the syndicated I love Lucy newspaper strip in the 1950s. As DC’s humor titles eventually died out, Oksner switched to features like Superman, Supergirl, Shazam!, and Superman’s girl Friend, Lois Lane.

It would take a column longer than this one to acknowledge Wally Wood’s contributions to comic books.

Angel O’Day is a private investigator and a partner in the O’Day and Simeon Detective agency — with her partner Sam Simeon. Sam is quite an unusual character: Not only is he a talking (kinda) gorilla, he’s also a comic book artist, working for a possibly outrageous editor who may or may not have been based on Stan Lee.

Angel and the Ape #2

Angel is impossibly beautiful. (She occasionally models for Sam for his comic book work.) She is also fantastically dazzling at her detective job. This first series lasted for eight issues after a tryout. (Showcase #77, Angel and the Ape #1-7, and the last issue renamed as meet Angel #8.)

In the 1990s, the series was revived by Phil Foglio, who stuck to its earlier zany roots. In the 1991 Angel and the Ape miniseries, it was revealed that Angel is the half-sister of Dumb Bunny (a member of the inferior five (see below) — and both characters were created by E. Nelson Bridwell). Sam was also re-tooled. He became the grandson of Gorilla Grodd (the Flash villain). He was also given mental powers to make people see him as a human being. I think a lot of people thought that this was an unnecessary change (at least I did), and I’m not sure if it’s still part of the character.

I’m also obligated to tell you that there is a four-issue Vertigo version of the Angel and the Ape series, written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman and Illustrated by Phillip Bond with covers by Arthur Adams. As much as I admire all these men’s work, I’ve never been able to actually read this series. I am afraid.

Other modern Angel and the Ape appearances include the DC holiday special ’09 (one page by Andrew Pepoy) and an ongoing segment in the 2012 Joe Kubert presents anthology title. I hope there will be a lot more appearances of the duo in the future — with their title intact.

WAS THIS another kind of PARODY OF STAN LEE?

The Fox and The Crow #104

Also appearing in this Scooby-Doo Team-Up issue is a little kid who has a strange-looking pet. Stanley and His Monster was about a kid and his pet monster. Stanley (who wasn’t too bright) actually thought this seven-foot-tall, pink-furred, mild-mannered beast was a dog. (Nope, he really was a monster.) It was created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Winslow Mortimer and appeared as a feature in The Fox and the Crow beginning in issue #95 (January 1966) and running through issue #108. With issue #109, the title changed from The Fox and the Crow to Stanley and His Monster which ended exactly three issues later in #112.

Supporting characters in the series included a leprechaun (named Shaughnessy Poltroon), a gremlin (Schnitzel), and the ghost of French emperor Napoleon. (I’m really not making this up!) There was also Stanley’s sexy teenaged babysitter Marsha — who also looked a lot like Angel from Angel and the Ape. (Another unrevealed younger sister?) BTW, Jerry Lewis guest-stars in Stanley and His Monster #110.

With a cast like this, of course, a lot more comic book weirdoes came along years later and revived them. a lot of notably Phil Foglio in a four-issue miniseries in 1993 (after contributing the characters’ origins in secret Origins #48 in 1990). Foglio parodied Vertigo-style storytelling elements in his stories. Kevin Smith revived the characters again in 2001 in green Arrow (of all places), showing Stanley as a young teenager. (With occurrences a lot more graphic and unfunny. Not recommended.) a lot more adult appearances of Stanley occur in limitless crisis #6 and a storyline in Batman/Superman: Sorcerer Kings in 2011.

THEY’RE NOT INFERIOR! THEY’RE just MISUNDERSTOOD…

Inferior five #7

As I pointed out above, where Angel goes, her sister may wind up as well. The inferior five was created in 1966 by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Joe Orlando. This superhero parody team consisted of Awkwardman, Merryman, White Feather, The Blimp, and Bunny (formerly Dumb Bunny). They were the sons and daughter of a number of members of the freedom Brigade (a parody of both the Justice league and the Justice Society). The older heroes retired, hoping that their children would carry on the family super-tradition. Sadly, none of them really wanted to, nor had the talents (or powers) to be genuinely effective — thus, their self-chosen team name. They first appeared in showcase #62, 63, and #65 before graduating into their own 12-issue series (only the first 10 were new material).

Like a lot of these other characters, they eventually appeared in showcase #100, and then sporadically around the DC Universe. Their best appearance was in Batman: The brave and the bold #17. Later, the I5 team up with the legion of substitute Heroes in The brave and The bold #35 and with Bat-Mite in Bat-Mite #5. There was also an appearance of the remarkable five in the Villains United miniseries that appear to be a parody version of the inferior Five. (What a silly idea!) The remarkable five also appear among the imprisoned supervillians in salvation Run, and Jongleur (based on Merryman) is sent to retrieve the get Out of hell complimentary card from the secret Six.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

Showcase #68

The house band for the telethon in this issue is The Maniaks, a fictional rock band that first appeared in showcase #68 (May 1967), created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Mike Sekowsky. This was not a successful showcase launch, as the concept never got a regular series — leaving the fates of Silver Shannon (lead vocals, manager), Phillip “Flip” Folger (guitars, contortionist), Gilbert “Jangle” Jeffries (guitars, ventriloquist), and Byron “Pack Rat” Williams (drums) unresolved. Woody Allen appeared with the band in showcase #71, probably the most significant issue of this run.

Later on, Silver Shannon appeared in issues of The Power company as a personal assistant to Josiah Power. Also, there’s a reference (not an actual appearance) to the band in The Power of Shazam #48. and finally, in Justice league of America: Vixen: regeneration (2017) it’s pointed out that Mari McCabe (aka Vixen) is dating Phil “Flip” Folger of the Maniaks. Again, NOT an actual appearance. SHEESH!

TAKING TELETHON donations AT THE PHONE BANK: SCOOTER (FROM SWING WITH SCOOTER) and windy and WILLY!

Swing with Scooter #1

Swing With Scooter was first published in 1966 and ran for 36 issues. Scooter (apparently no last name was ever given) was a British-born musician who pertained to America (specifically Laurel City). The nickname comes from the motor scooter he frequently used in the series. His teenage friends/supporting cast included Cookie, Kenny, Malibu, and Penny. An early issue introduces the mysterious Cynthia (also a Brit), whom all the girls assume is his girlfriend. WRONG! She’s his sister!

The series was drawn early on by Joe Orlando, although it got very cartoony later with art by Henry Scarpelli. The series was created and written by DC romance editors Jack Miller and Barbara Friedlander, which might be part of the reason that so few people remember the series… which eventually got cancelled in 1972.

Windy and Willy #1

Windy and Willy wasn’t even a real comic book series. DC made a decision to save money by having production artists re-draw pages from The lots of loves of Dobie Gillis from the 1950s, updating all the hairstyles and clothing to appear current. original Dobie artist Bob Oksner was still working for DC and reportedly he assisted in lots of of the “updates”. new covers were drawn from scratch — but the cover gags themselves were also recycled from old Dobie covers.

Other fun stuff: Debbie (from A date With Debbie and Debbie’s Dates) is also staffing the phones… but who’s the dude in the 7? Z? tee shirt next to her?… Both artists Bob Oksner and Mike Sekowsky get shout-outs by Merryman and Sam Simeon (both professional cartoonists in the DCU)! So does Goody Rickles! (Why?)… Plus, mime jokes! (Should they be silent?)

Even Sugar and Spike from DC’s long-running classic series by Sheldon Mayer (and their parents) are here, and they are involved in the groan-inducing quote that comes from the villains at the end of every Scooby Doo adventure. You know… the one about those meddling kids!

So much fun — especially for long-time DC fans who love all those cult titles and characters from the 60s! long may those characters live on!

KC CARLSON: Glx Sptzl Glahh!

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the silly things that KC says. especially that thing that really irritated you. Scooby-Dooby-Doo! (I’m fluent in both DC baby talk and Hanna-Barbera-speak!)

It’s one more unfortunate day for the comic book community. Brian Augustyn, finest understood in the comics neighborhood for his fantastic occupation as an editor for DC Comics as well as a number of other publishers, died after suffering a large stroke. His colleague, as well as one of his closest friends, mark Waid, provided the news to his fans as well as fellow creators. If you’ve checked out DC Comics, you’ve checked out something that Brian has either edited or written. He’s a lot of popular for Gotham by Gaslight, in which he dealt with artist Mike Mignola. however that’s just a little decrease in his general career.

As a DC Comics Editor, Brian Augustyn introduced mark Waid’s Comic composing Career

Brian’s a lot of popular work. (DC Comics)

In 1991, mark Waid was an partner editor at DC Comics, however Brian Augustyn saw that his talents were much better fit as a writer. as well as ever considering that then, the two have been finest friends. That connection is obvious in Waid’s letter to good friends as well as fans:

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“This one hurt unimaginably: Brian Augustyn, rest in peace.

“The Augustyn household has asked me to let Brian’s good friends as well as fans understand that Brian passed away after suffering a sudden, serious stroke over the weekend. I have spent a great deal of time these last few hours composing about Brian, as well as I’ll share those thoughts soon, however for now I just wished to let everybody know. Comics has lost a extremely kind, extremely skilled guy who has been my huge sibling as well as one of my extremely finest good friends for almost 35 years.”

Throughout his occupation as a DC Comics editor, or as a writer or editor elsewhere, he’s dealt with a few of the very best creators in the business. In his phone call for condolences cards, Waid names just a few of them:

“If you’ve ever been a friend, colleague, or fan of Brian’s–or, frankly, a fan of the work done by Humberto Ramos, Mike Wieringo, Mike Parobeck, Oscar Jimenez, Howard Porter, Travis Charest, or any type of of the many, lots of other creators who owe their careers to Brian, myself included–I’m asking you to send a card or a note to reveal your condolences as well as tell them what he indicated to you.”

A look at Brian Augustyn’s contributions to Comics as well as graphic Novels

Brian’s very first DC Comics work. (DC Comics)

There are lots of best-of books we might listing here, however instead, let’s look at the beginning of his occupation as well as the last books he left us with. The very first comic Brian Augustyn got an editor credit score for wasn’t DC Comics. It was for the now-defunct publisher now Comics. The superhero he was accountable for? Valor Thunderstar as well as His Fireflies! You understand Thunderstar, right? No?

He lastly made his DC Comics debut as a writer for the newspaper-style comic everyday world #1. Oddly enough, mark Waid was the editor of that book! complying with this, he started editing on pulse-pounding books like Who’s who in the DC world as well as Who’s who in the legion of Super-Heroes. Thrilling. The very first huge superhero he edited was the dark Hawkman title Hawkworld. However, he would go on to either compose or The Flash from 1989 to 2000! He’s the person a lot of accountable for making Wally West the very best Flash. however let it not be stated he was biased towards DC. He did compose a marvel title: Imperial Guard #1-3, 1997.

Brian just recently assisted introduce Dragonlance: The legend of Huma for Devil’s Due Comics. He likewise had a hand in premiering a new comic imprint, absolute Comics, with titles like Darchon as well as Amped. however his a lot of prominent recent comic was Archie 1941, which he co-wrote with mark Waid.

From his work as an editor at DC Comics to his contribution to indie comics, Bryan Augustyn was a guiding force in comics, commonly working behind the scenes. It’s a heavier loss to the comics neighborhood than a lot of visitors will ever realize. however possibilities are, he edited a comic you loved.

(Featured Image: Facebook)

When it pertains to collecting and reading comics, taking care of them is fairly easy. A lot of care taking that goes into the hobby comes down to storing comics safely. then again, accidents do happen. It is unavoidable sometimes, due to human error, to never run into any maintenance issues. For the most part, taking care of any issues with a comic book are fairly straightforward. Collectors know too well that one of the most common problems is a comic book spine roll.

We will take a look at the ways in which comic book collectors can avoid this issue through care and storage, then take a look at why this issue occurs. To equip you with the ability to fix the problem, we will then go through the process of taking care of the spine roll, and lastly will make sure to wrap up any ideas or tricks to keeping this problem out of your mind as much as possible.

Caring for Comic Books

In a lot of cases, comic book damage can be avoided. Of course, it is not worth beating one’s self up about little spills or tears: they happen. Nevertheless, knowing the secret behind proper care of comic books is crucial for beginning collector’s. Likewise, a refresher for seasoned comic fans is never a bad thing either.

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Comic book Handling
When it pertains to managing and reading a comic book, a few easy options can help avoid major issues. The first and a lot of easy to accomplish is making sure you only read or manage a comic book with clean hands. simply taking 30 seconds to wash your hands before reading can save you the anxiety of a stain or smudge. Not only is food and drink residue present on the hands without our knowledge sometimes, but it can also slip the mind after a meal. wait to read, and wash your hands first.

Keep Food and drink away from Comic Books
While on the topic of food and drink, avoiding either to be present near comic books at any time is a good routine to get into. It only takes 30 days to make a routine permanent, so even if snacking or drinking some coffee while you read is a routine now, it won’t be in a month. Making an effort to kick this routine eliminates two major accidents waiting to happen.

Keeping Comic book page Angle at 180 Degrees or Less
The motion pictures and TV shows like to display kids or adults reading comics with the book folded over for convenience. bending the comic from cover to cover for one-handed reading is horrible for comic book care. nobody in any situation must be reading a comic book like that. two hands, at no a lot more than a 180 degree angle, is important to the longevity of the book. This gets into certain care for the spine roll. When bending the book from cover to cover, the spine roll begins to loosen and warp. In lots of cases, this can cause damage that is tough or impossible to reverse. Let’s take a look at a lot more spine roll worries when it pertains to comic book care.

Avoid causing Creasing
A lot of comic fans who maybe take their books on the go will use items to bind them into a lot more compact shapes. If this occurs, it could seriously damage the spine roll. A common item that gets used is a rubber band. The rubber band rolls the comic together into a cylinder, making it pocket friendly, and much easier to store in certain areas. While, yes, it does make it much easier to carry than normal, it can cause severe damage to a comic’s spine.

It’s clear to see from the lots of issues above how spine roll damage can occur, and just how easily it can happen. Overall, it is crucial to understand the spine roll and its configuration to know how to care for it.

Understanding Spine Roll in a Comic Book

Spine roll is an ever present problem for comic collectors. When a comic book is stored improperly, the cover begins to fall out of line. When the cover is visibly uneven to the back cover of a comic, that is considered a spine roll. The damage can be slight; only 1/4 of an inch can qualify as what a lot of would consider to be a spine roll.

When Does This occur a lot of Often
Spine roll a lot of typically occurs from pressure. Of course, binding a comic book with a rubber band or other item is damaging. lots of think that storing comics for a step or to keep them out of the way indicates stacking them into a box. In fact, this is one of the most likely ways to cause spine rolling. When boxing comics together, a stack of them can start to really add weight to the lower books in the pile. If the pile is not completely even and balanced, spine rolling can start to happen. even if you are careful, it can be hard to avoid.

A spine roll also occurs when reading. If the front cover or back cover are pulled too much during reading, warping can start to occur. If the binding is pulled too far in one direction, the covers can start to bend and fold into themselves, causing a little bump in the surface. That bump, even when corrected, can stay uneven. To avoid this, make sure to only read at 180 degree angles or less, as provided and in-depth above.

How to fix Spine Roll

The a lot of popular method for taking care of a spine roll is to press the comic with a tool indicated for that very action. By doing so, the spine is typically able to return to its original crease, avoiding damage or value depreciation. While some collectors look down on pressing comics, the method is typically the best way to battle a spine roll or other forms of damage to a comic.

Preparing to press the problem Away
Placing the comic book between two pieces of thick paper supplies the comic with protection from the press. By doing so, you are making sure that the comic is not coming into contact directly with the press. Some presses are heated, which could cause damage to the comic. Make sure the pieces of thick paper, typically a cardboard, are white. This allows the comic to come in contact with the paper and not run the risk of colors bleeding. Likewise, ink must not run onto the paper.

image Credit: Kaptain Myke

Pressing the Comic for Spine Roll
Most comics are under 30 pages and typically made with a thin paper. because of this, excessive pressing could cause real harm to the comic. even if the spine roll is severe, the pressure of the press need to not be too hard. If pressed roughly, the comic may be worse than when you started. By applying a press to the comic, the spine roll is being returned to its natural position.

The press can hold down on the comic for a few minutes before causing any cosmetic changes to the book. The spine, after four to five minutes under a press, and protected with cardboard, must return to its natural state.

Does pressing a Comic book with Spine Roll Work?

For some comics, spine rolls are much much easier to fix with a press. higher quality paper is much a lot more likely to respond positively to the process. Thin, more affordable comics are a lot more likely to experience additionally damage. As amazing as some older comics are, the material with which they were made is not always easy to work with. especially if the covers have worn extremely over the years, a press could easily cause damage to older, worse for wear comics.

Likewise, a comic that is newer and published relatively recently is a lot more likely to be able to manage the process. If a comic looks to be in good shape, even if it is from the 70s or 80s, it could likely hold up the process of taking care of the spine roll. As long as the pressure is not excessive, it will be fine with cautious care.

DIY Spine Roll care or professional help with Comic Books

There are professional card shops and comic stores that will have a high quality press in house. They may be able to do the job better than a novice who does not feel confident in their work. consider going to a professional if the job seems tough. It is also worth going to a pro if you just do not feel like you can do a good job. even basic spine rolls require caution and care. If it feels like a job you cannot handle, a pro might be the way to go.

Solve Spine Roll issues with Comic books Easily

A comic book spine roll is not the end of the world. They are not basic fixes in some cases, but they can be done if time and attention is given to them. If a comic book is looking rough at its spine, performing this fix could get it looking good as new! and if you want to keep your comics looking fresh, check out our post on how to get fingerprints off comic books!