Thanks. Appreciate what you have inspired in many of us.
@mauricedevereaux6573Күн бұрын
Kudos Phil fantastic work! And great show. Cheers.
@micpar22 күн бұрын
GROOVY!!
@A100-ND3 күн бұрын
Thank you for another fine presentation. The first Superman issue ([Summer 1939]) is known to have enjoyed a total of 900,000 copies printed (over 3 separate printings), so its present-day scarcity is truly sad with that knowledge! The number 1 does not appear on (or in) that issue, so at the GCD we have designated it #[1]; another option would be #[nn] for "no-number."
@A100-ND3 күн бұрын
Dr. Paul: Thank you for the instructional videos. I wanted to offer some random thoughts on cover cleaning. I have not tried the eraser-shavings method, as from a draftsman's pouch, which you had demonstrated on your early Flash Comics issue, so that video is much-appreciated and something I plan to use. Speaking of draftsmen, I wanted to mention possible use of an aluminum eraser shield. I was not aware that the Pentel brand erasers are less invasive than Staedtler Mars, so I appreciate that info. More than 15 years ago I shifted my focus from collecting comic books to collections of newspaper comics, along with PS Artbooks collections, DC Archives and the like. The newspaper comic collections are often oblong, with the text blocks' sagging lower fore edges especially prone to dirt transfer from bookshelves. I've used a Staedtler eraser for all these years, with excellent results, to carefully clean the text block edges from general soiling and smudges. For a hard, glossy cover, I use a 3-option approach to cleaning off any foreign matter: first I'll see if it responds to water on a tissue; if not, I try a little Naphtha. If those both fail, I will try a small amount of household cleaner such as Formula 409. In rare cases I may try Isopropyl alcohol as a 4th option. The alcohol often will remove permanent marker, on which the Naphtha (which I far prefer) may be ineffective. I will caution though that the Isopropyl may be too invasive for some plastic-coated surfaces. My experiences with dust jackets have some things in common with comic covers: decal removal and pressing of indentations. Residue from decals usually (but not always!) poses no problem, as I've used Naphtha on jackets since the 1970s -- keeping in mind a high-gloss jacket is a different animal from the vast majority of comic covers and will easily withstand most any cautious cleaning. As far as residue on comic covers, on which Naphtha is not an option, I may be alone in the following practice: I like to have some wax paper handy, where I don't want sticky residue to come into contact with anything, so I will cut a small square of the paper to cover the remnants -- buying me time to go back and address the matter later. This practice earned me some good-natured ridicule on the CGC message boards, as I'm replacing one decal with another -- but the wax paper is relatively translucent and I think worth using. One never can predict when residue will prove VERY challenging to deal with; I've had cases where it's taken me the better part of an hour to remove it from a jacket afflicted with a stubborn decal, so having the wax paper buys me the time I sometimes just don't have. At times I've used a half-inch diameter steel bearing ball on dustjacket indentations and wrinkles, something that's also recommended for comic covers if done correctly with a hard backing. I have an old, small, flat lead window-sash weight for that backing. The final and most pertinent thing I wanted to mention to you concerns DCs from the 1950s and '60s, my longtime interest. I suggest inserting copy paper between the covers and interior first/last pages when cleaning, as the inks of the commonly black & white interior covers are prone to smudging -- and the paper will prevent any transfer of black ink to the interior page. Best wishes for your cleaning and conservation work & videos.
@DrPaulKosnik3 күн бұрын
Thank you @cap_1stuperman536 for the generous donation! Going to use it to bring the Live show to folks ad free for the next few weeks!
@peteralachi38883 күн бұрын
Listening a little later. Incredible job, Phill. Congrats on getting the tape and some of the glue off. And Dr Paul, you are right about these books born with inherent vice. And true that tape was placed on by the owner and all you could do is remove it best you can. Great job. And Dr Paul, there was a Superman #1 at Harrison’s when you were here in Salem! I forget the CGC grade and what they wanted for it. Excellent show as always. Nice not to see any commercials!
@DrPaulKosnik3 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it Peter! It was a fun show though i think we all missed Larry. As i recall, wasn't the Superman #1 at Harrison's CVR only?
@peteralachi38883 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik oh, I think you’re right. Was it like for $30 K? I need to go back and check it out. Not that I can afford it.
@2hugebros2413 күн бұрын
It all grades are created equal. That 1.8 that sold well over 200k was incredible striking book. So appeal def does play on grades
@DrPaulKosnik3 күн бұрын
It does have a lot of eye appeal. As we say, buy the book, not the grade. I agree, if sent to auction this book could easily top $200K.
@MickeyCoalwell4 күн бұрын
Watching you brush the eraser crumbs off the cover with the back of your fingers made me jump. Should you use a soft brush instead? I am always amazed at how you confidently handle books with your bare hands. Do you ever wear gloves? Thanks for your detailed commentary as you work! Fantastic!
@DrPaulKosnik3 күн бұрын
Mickey, thanks for the view, the kind words, and the thoughtful question! This question has been asked several times by viewers, and not always as politely as you raise it here! Actually it turns out that museum professionals and library conservators don't recommend gloves when handling old paper. The official position of the Library of Congress is that clean, dry, hands are the best way to interact with an old book, all things considered. So i never use gloves in my regular interactions with comic books, although there are certain times when it makes sense with certain modern covers that are more plastic than paper and with mold or other contaminants. As to whether or not it would be better to use a brush or the back of my clean and dry hands to brush away eraser crumbs, i find the brush tends to hold some eraser crumbs and put them back on the book with the subsequent stroke and the back of my hand doesn't (as much). And of course the back of my hand is much faster. So for efficiency's sake (and because i have the confidence that comes from knowing the recommendation of the Library of Congress that my clean and dry hands are OK for handling paper) i tend to use the back of my hands. But i do have a brush and use it on occasion. It's just much slower/less efficient than my hands.
@MickeyCoalwell3 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnikthank you for the explanation. I think conservation at your level requires something like the hands of a surgeon. I’ve watched professional art restorers make quick and decisive moves that seem horrifyingly dangerous, but turn out fine every time. I appreciate the exceptional skill it takes to be a top level conservator like yourself.
@jasonpinkney11505 күн бұрын
It's always a pleasure to watch you work, Dr. Paul! I'd like to urge the community to use the term "specular reflection" instead of "raking light". In optics, there are two main types of reflection: diffuse and specular. Specular reflection is when rays of light bounce off of a smooth surface while obeying the law of reflection (angle of incidence equals angle of reflection). In diffuse reflection, the outgoing rays (from a rougher surface) are almost isotropic. Specular reflection is what most of us use to see warps, dents and gloss loss. It's using the cover like a speculum, or mirror. "Raking light" implies that the rays of light are nearly tangent to the surface, thus exposing bumps and warps through the shadows that they cast. Specular reflection can be seen with normal (perpendicular) rays if the surface is polished enough. So these are two distinct and useful approaches to comic evaluation and therefore two terms are needed. Now excuse me while I go annoy a different KZbinr about the term "Newton's rings" ... 🙂
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
This is a great point. I used to describe it as “light with a low angle of incidence” but Matt Nelson has popularized the term “raking light” in his book and numerous interviews and videos he’s done to describe the lighting they use at CGC for grading. I adopted the term to match his parlance when describing it, mostly so as to not confuse others and have to answer questions about the differences. I’ve been surprised how many folks struggle with the concept of incident light, and how few can use it effectively to reveal defects in a comic book cover. Appreciate your feedback and I should probably make the distinction between the use of reflection and raking light as you suggest, but may still use CGC’s term as short hand in most instances.
@jasonpinkney11505 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik Absolutely, at this point it's good communication to use "raking light". But here's the problem: some might be so hung up on a low angle of incidence that they miss the benefits of a high angle of incidence for judging gloss. Low angle may be best for seeing bumps, but high angle is best for judging whether a surface is smooth enough to undergo specular reflection. Even a piece of printer paper will look glossy if held within ~3 degrees of edge-on to the incoming light, but as you tilt it you only see diffuse reflection. So I don't know what we should say except maybe throw in a phrase like "raking light does not have to be raking, just use the surface like a mirror".
@ajrilo17766 күн бұрын
Can anything be done for the rust infiltration of the paper by the staple?
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
Yes. There are several chelating substances that can be used to safely remove those rust stains from the paper. They would require removal of the staples, disassembly of the book and aqueous bath of each page. I opted not to perform those steps with this books because I felt the staples wouldn’t tolerate being opened without breaking, which would then force me to replace them, and because this book has other technical flaws that are going to keep it from truly high grade so I didn’t feel the improvement in grade from the rust stain removal would be worth the equity lost by moving to a conserved grade from Universal. For more info on the process of rust stain removal, check out this video: kzbin.info8M8lMOKiRvY?si=NKlGg7IrsWZk1Knu
@Mr_Craftician6 күн бұрын
Is this the same mixture/ratio of Methyl Cellulose and water that we should use to make glue to patch small cover tears with tengu paper (as you did in The Flash video #3)? It seems like it would just be easier to use wheat paste, no? (Your tutorials are invaluable. Thank you).
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you are enjoying the content. We use a different concentration of methyl cellulose when we use it as an adhesive. I purchase the Lineco methyl cellulose you can find on my Amazon Influencer page in the video description, and I mix it per the manufacturer’s instructions. It will have a gel consistency at the correct concentration for using it as an adhesive. 👍🏽
@Mr_Craftician5 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik Hey Doc! One last question regarding wet-cleaning. When it comes to wrap rinsing, you maintain (in multiple videos) to use 100 mil of (Saturated) Calcium Hydroxide (per wrap) or 150 mil of (Saturated) Calcium Hydroxide for multiple (2) wraps. Unless I missed it (and it's possible I did), what water ratio vs. Hydroxide did you use for the finished solution? Meaning, how much water did you use in your bottle (30 oz.??) and ow much Hydroxide (half a cup?). (I hope I don't sound too idiotic. I'm new to conservation, and an imbecile when it comes to math and chemistry). And again, since I haven't been able to watch everything on your channel, it's possible I missed this. I just want to make sure I have the right saturation.
@Presskammer6 күн бұрын
Hi Paul again a Great Video. My question is how is your video setup? Do you use a phone or a camera and how is the camera setup? Does it hang above your head? Just curious because I’m thinking of doing so insta live and want to have a good setup and yours is perfect imo Thnx and regards Erik Presskammer Germany
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
Erik I’m actually just shooting everything on an iPhone 12, on an inexpensive iPhone tripod mount. I do have a nice heavy Gitzo tripod (though it’s quite old, I recently purchased a used backup for not that much money off of eBay). I use an app to get the phone perfectly level so I have less distortion in the image. I’m looking forward to upgrading to an iPhone 16 as soon as they drop. I use the iPhone because I use a Mac and iMovie software and it’s all pretty seamless to stay in the iOS ecosystem. Happy to answer any other questions you may have about setup for videography.
@AndrewSunada6 күн бұрын
Sad that youre helping to propagate the toxicity of CGC...but good work on the book!
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
All opinions are welcome here Andrew, though I clearly don’t see it the same way you do.
@AndrewSunada6 күн бұрын
Its ok. CGC will see it and still give it a 9.9
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
Wish me luck!
@Mr_Craftician6 күн бұрын
Another winner.
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
Thanks!
@CarlBeatty6 күн бұрын
How can I create good lighting for restoration and should I buy a press machine for getting rid of creases and folds? Thank you for these great techniques!
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
Carl thanks for the questions, glad you are enjoying the content! I have Amazon affiliate links to the LED ring light that I use and the press that I recommend in the video description. I only recommend you try comic book cleaning and pressing if you are patient and find satisfaction in improving your comic collection and growing your comic book equity!
@ricknestor89306 күн бұрын
thanks for all the cleaning tips , Dr. Paul !
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
My pleasure! Happy you are enjoying the content Rick. 👍🏽
@Mr_Craftician7 күн бұрын
Wow. This video is incredibly insightful and helpful. The supplies list (and link) alone are to die for. As a beginner, I can't thank you enough, Doc.
@DrPaulKosnik7 күн бұрын
@@Mr_Craftician I’m glad you enjoyed it! I hope you find the rest of my video catalog equally useful, I’d love to hear more feedback to improve the channel.
@Mr_Craftician6 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik I would like to pick you brain on the purpose of the different erasers listed in your supplies list. There's everything from gum erasers, white erasers, to vinyl erasers and kneaded erasers. I'm just not sure was distinguishes them (I'm a beginner). Do you have a public email address to which I could submit some of these novice questions? Thx so much.
@Johnny-dz6vl7 күн бұрын
Beautiful colours 😊
@DrPaulKosnik5 күн бұрын
They are indeed Johnny!
@micpar28 күн бұрын
I'd clean, press, wash it. Then have CGC regrade it.
@DrPaulKosnik8 күн бұрын
Mike, i agree--the tricky thing is to get CGC to recognize the Big Apple Pedigree and make sure that the Pedigree is preserved on this book. The Big Apple pedigree is one i hold in reverence as historically significant.
@micpar29 күн бұрын
Loved the original Sandman.
@Hectekk9 күн бұрын
So this worked for you better than using blow dryer?
@DrPaulKosnik8 күн бұрын
Much better for me. One thing about the blow drying is the air can whip the paper around and even cause the page to flap and/or rip. But this method works better than heat in my opinion.
@azsitemaster10 күн бұрын
Amazing job!!
@DrPaulKosnik10 күн бұрын
Thank you!!
@Presskammer10 күн бұрын
Jim is my Obi-Wan for the Cleaning and Pressing 🫶
@DrPaulKosnik10 күн бұрын
It was very cool to meet him, talk cleaning, pressing, and conservation, and learn about his product development!
@arthurtripp692210 күн бұрын
All American, DC had a higher grade of paper then MJL..War time paper had different grade of paper.Near the end of the War some of the companies went to one staple.
@DrPaulKosnik10 күн бұрын
All true!
@bronzevillecomics258111 күн бұрын
Wouldn't Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel) qualify as the first female super hero?
@DrPaulKosnik10 күн бұрын
Great question Bronzeville! The scholars usually recognize Hawkgirl. Possibly because she was introduced in a serious superhero story rather than a comedic or parody story. Possibly also because in the early stories the Red Tornado was not drawn definitively as a female and was not known to be a female by onlookers in the early stories. I suspect it's because of the non-parody aspect. Perhaps we should bill Hawkgirl as the first serious super-heroine in comics?
@bronzevillecomics258110 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik additionally the “Red Tomato” did appear in All-Star Comics 3 and by the silver age was considered a member of the JSA.
@coopeecrausare12 күн бұрын
earned a subscriber I love comics
@DrPaulKosnik11 күн бұрын
Welcome to the channel Coopee! Happy to have you here.
@ricknestor893012 күн бұрын
Dr. Paul , i meant , oops , sorry sir !
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
@@ricknestor8930 no worries, I’m flattered to be associated with Phill. He does spell it with two L’s, though! 🤣 Hope you enjoy the video my friend.
@ricknestor893012 күн бұрын
all right , another resto video ! thanks , Dr. Phil!
@JSSBrooklyn12 күн бұрын
Thank you for this video and sharing your work - new subscriber. Look forward to additional videos and more of your craft. Thanks again.
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
@@JSSBrooklyn Brooklyn, welcome to the channel. Glad to hear you are enjoying the content. This one is at CGC at the moment so stay tuned for the final result!
@abrax_712 күн бұрын
Hoping for the best results for this comic featuring my favorite character, The Spectre.
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Abrax, i've always loved him myself. First became aware of him during Roy Thomas's run on All-Star Squadron.
@Adrift.12 күн бұрын
Love the history lessons you provide for these books!
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it Adrift! I try to make content that I enjoy and I’m not always sure there is an audience so it’s good to hear others enjoy it too.
@BenStewart-up4fs12 күн бұрын
Gorgeous colors on that book... looking forward to next vid.
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Starman is a connoisseur!
@PluckedMyLastNerve12 күн бұрын
Sweet book! Closest I have to that is #8 1969 Nice to see you back in action!!
@Johnny-dz6vl13 күн бұрын
How much grade will be evaluated because of the rusty staples?
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Johnny, technically you can have a tiny amount of staple rust all the way up to 9.6. However, in this severity my guess is it's the greatest defect and if we have all the other addressable defects sorted out, we are still going to be in the 5.0 range. But grading is not my area of expertise, especially when you have an otherwise really nice book with a severe defect. I find these kinds of comics the most difficult to grade. But this one is off at CGC, so we won't have to speculate for long--i'll share the results with you here!
@micpar213 күн бұрын
Howdy!!
@micpar213 күн бұрын
Always loved the Spectre. The DC Showcase ten-minute short is great. A cross between Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry/ The Shadow, Christine/ Scooby Doo 1969 and very Mike Ploog looking animation. Great soundtrack too. The Jonah Hex DC Showcase short is great as well.
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Thanks for letting us know Mike, i'll have to check it out!
@Johnny-dz6vl13 күн бұрын
Coffee ready , phone off, animals fed, yep, I'm ready for some comic book goodness 😀 😄
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Hey Johnny thanks for joining the premiere!
@IAMTHESTARMAN13 күн бұрын
Yooooooo what a cool book to work on!
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
Right? Someone has good taste in comic books.
@commodorerook379713 күн бұрын
I can't believe you can submerge a comic cover in water and it doesn't ripple or stain....
@DrPaulKosnik12 күн бұрын
It is sort of like magic isn't it?!
@binkysphinx14 күн бұрын
Came here to find a link for holytex, but don't see one. Where do you get it from? What weight? Do you reuse the sheets?
@DrPaulKosnik13 күн бұрын
Binky, there are several suppliers online. I purchased a bulk roll off eBay a few years back. Yes, it is reusable, nearly indefinitely depending on exactly what work you are doing and how careful you are. Unfortunately no good sellers on Amazon. Here is a video on different non-woven polyester fabrics you can use for comic book conservation substrate and the pros and cons of each: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5DNgaN5bNOChMU
@Presskammer15 күн бұрын
Just love your channel! For me, I’m still a beginner in the Cleaning and pressing industry, the way you explain with that calm voice is such a zen experience 😅 kind regards Erik, Presskammer Germany
@DrPaulKosnik14 күн бұрын
@@Presskammer thank you for the kind words Erik and glad to have you as a member of the channel!
@binkysphinx17 күн бұрын
adventure 38 is the same back cover
@DrPaulKosnik16 күн бұрын
Good to know. Now I can bid on it! 🤣
@binkysphinx16 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik Action 12 & More Fun 43 also have the same back cover as Detective 27. Adventure 38 is going to be your cheapest buy in I'm guessing. Movie Comics and All-American Comics at that time didn't have the same back covers.
@binkysphinx16 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik FYI, some fun trivia... The back cover on the Heritage Detective 27 is the back cover from Crack Comics #10, Smash Comics #19 and Feature Comics #41
@DrPaulKosnik16 күн бұрын
@@binkysphinx deep knowledge! I appreciate you sharing. 👍🏽
@GamalShealey18 күн бұрын
😊Liberty Hill comics and Marvel rock and roll andand also excite me sincerely Jamal with a G shealy senior
@DrPaulKosnik18 күн бұрын
Thanks Gamal!
@ajguez20 күн бұрын
Great content! I have an all star 3 in 4.5 which is one of the top issues in my collection !!!!
@DrPaulKosnik19 күн бұрын
That’s one heck of a comic book AG! Did you see my unboxing for my All Star 3? kzbin.info/www/bejne/iV6QlmWjgql9d8Usi=ccQlSSLgZmSrdTi0
@ajguez19 күн бұрын
@@DrPaulKosnik I went back to see your video on AS3…great video..did you take that 9.0 and make a conserve or is this too big of a book to attempt? Nice copy btw..restored or not, 9.0 is special!
@dansxmencomics20 күн бұрын
Just an incredible gain for your collection here. Managing your budget and satisfaction rate to make sure you are on track with your goals is a great call. I understand managing the budget but I forget how that has a direct affect on the satisfaction rate from which books come into the collection. It’s great to get a consistent stream of comics coming in but we need to keep our eyes on the prize to make sure it is getting us closer to our goals. I need this reminder every once in a while as I can stray from the path when I lose sight of the goal.
@DrPaulKosnik19 күн бұрын
Thanks Dan! Just reach out if you ever need a reminder to keep your eye on the prize! 🤣
@peteralachi388820 күн бұрын
Dear Dr Paul, All Star Comics #32 is another great addition to complete your collection. Thank you as always for the background story and going over the Psycho Pirate and JSA story and then Captain Midnight and others. I didn’t realize he was dubbed the Caped Crusader. Such characters to draw out as you tell the story. The price you paid is reasonable imo and as long as you’re satisfied is what matters.
@DrPaulKosnik19 күн бұрын
Thanks as always Peter!
@xxperhaps20 күн бұрын
Great find. I've been piecing together Comic Cavalcade and finding mid grade copies has been quite challenging.
@DrPaulKosnik19 күн бұрын
Comics Cavalcade is a great golden age title to hunt. Supply is very low but demand isn’t crazy either. The title has two of Solomon Grundy’s golden age appearances too, which is fun!
@doncarter946720 күн бұрын
Wow! That is a cool pickup - at this grade! Congrats