All comics are conservatively graded based on Overstreet standards for grades. KaPow Comics are personally graded by Martin Davidson, Comics Manager, who has been in the comic business since 1986.
The grades listed for books on our Online Store are based on the following guidelines:
Near Mint (nm) (9.4)
Books are like new. The spine shows up to 3 small sixteenth inch stress lines. The book has brilliant colors and the page color can be white to mild yellowing. The centerfold is well attached at both staples. Staples are not pulled and there are no creases or folds. No margin tears allowed. All corners for the most part are sharp but can have very mild blunting.
Very Fine (vf) (8.0)
Very nice book with good color and up to a dozen small sixteenth inch stress lines along the spine. Page color can vary from white to light tan. The centerfold is well attached at both staples. Staples are not pulled. One or two small sixteenth inch margin tears allowed. There can be a corner crease of up to a quarter inch in length that breaks color. Small less than half inch folds are allowed as long as they do not break color. Corners can be mildly blunted.
Fine (fn) (6.0)
Starting to show mild wear with some potential areas on the cover showing fading or mild creasing up to an inch long in the corners of the book. The spine shows stress lines of up to a quarter inch in length. A single staple can be pulled at the cover or at the centerfold page. The margins of the book can have numerous small margin tears up to a quarter inch long. Folding is more prevalent from handling of the book. Page color can be tan to light brown but pages are still supple and not brittle. Corners can be blunted or rounded up to an eighth of an inch.
Very Good (vg) (4.0)
The standard used comic. Shows wear from handling over the years. The front and back covers can show book length creases and folds. Small corner pieces can be missing up to a half inch long. The spine can be rolled and show stress and margin tears up to a quarter inch. A staple can be pulled, and the centerfold can be completely detached from both staples as long as it is still with the book. There can be tears of up to an inch in length. Interior pages can be chipping at the corners as long as it is not greater than a half inch piece missing. Page color can be brown but the page quality must still be good enough to flip the pages without the book pages splitting or cracking. The pages are still slightly supple. Corners can be rounded up to a quarter inch.
Good (g) (2.0)
Heavy wear and tear. Pieces up to two inches on the cover can be missing. The book must be complete but can show fading, heavy creasing and folding, interior page chipping, tears and scraping. The cover can be completely loose and there may be several pages loose at the staples at the centerfold. There can be staining and writing on the outside or the inside of the book. The page color and quality can be poor as long as the book is, for the most part, readable.
Fair/Poor (fr/pr) (1.0)
These books are incomplete books or books that are heavily damaged via water, age, soiling, heat, and brittleness. They can be incomplete, missing pages or they may have a coupon clipped or distribution damage from not being sold.
In-between Grades (f/vf, g/vg, vf/nm, etc.)
Books graded in between above grades have less defects than the lower grade but still have enough to keep them out of the higher grade.
Note: Grading is subjective no matter who does it. I rarely have issues with returns or complaints about my grading. That being said, please return any books that do not meet your standard for collect-ability. Please follow our return policy when doing so. Thanks, Martin