Want a closer look?
Getting a book graded, or particular about condition? Ask us for more photos before you buy. We'll send photos of the actual copy from several angles and point out any flaw we see.
If we have more than one copy, we'll look them over and send you the best one.
You can also come to one of our Whatnot shows and we'll show you the book live.
What new means here
A new book is one that has been well protected and hasn't been read or mishandled along the path from the printer to us. We go by eBay's idea of new, which is unused, unopened and undamaged.
Books can go from the printers to distributors to retailers to a collector and then to us, and still be new. A book can also be a recent release mishandled along the way and not be considered new.
New books can still have small flaws
New comics often arrive with minor imperfections, even when they come straight from the distributor box and are handled carefully. Common ones are spine ticks, slight denting along the spine, a soft corner, a little color rub, wavy paper stock, a cover printed a little off center, or ink and trim variation from the press.
These come from printing, binding and shipping. Many current books also use light cover stock, which marks more easily than the heavier card stock used on some variants.
Marks like these fall within Near Mint.
How we describe condition
Books we sell as new are listed as Near Mint or better.
We don't put numbers on raw books. If we put 9.4 on a listing, we'd be guessing on your behalf.
Any flaw we've noticed is named in the listing.
Back issues are sold as pictured
At Monster Arc, a back issue is any book that isn't new in the sense above (possibly a reader copy, or unboarded back stock), whatever its age. Each one is sold as pictured.
How the condition and numbers line up
For reference, grades below 10 allow some defects, and Near Mint covers a range on the ten point scale (roughly 9.2 to 9.8). Books described as Near Mint can sit anywhere in that range.
This is how CGC describes the top of their scale:
- 10 Gem Mint: No evidence of any manufacturing or handling defect.
- 9.9 Mint: Nearly indistinguishable from a 10, with one very minor manufacturing defect and no handling defects.
- 9.8 NM/M: Nearly perfect, with negligible handling or manufacturing defects.
- 9.6 NM+: Very well preserved, with several minor manufacturing or handling defects.
- 9.4 NM: Very well preserved, with minor wear and small defects.
- 9.2 NM: Very well preserved, with some wear and small defects.
- 9.0 VF/NM: Very well preserved with good eye appeal, and can carry minor handling or manufacturing defects.
Signed books
We stand behind every signature we sell. Every signed artifact ships with a Monster Arc certificate of authenticity. If you want to know more about a particular signature, ask us.
Raw and slabbed
Nearly everything we sell is raw, meaning a normal comic in a bag and board. Slabbed books are sealed in a hard case with the grade, usually from CGC or PSA. When we sell a slabbed book, the listing includes the grade and authority.
What we always tell you
- Damage we've noticed, like a smeared signature or a crease.
- If a book is signed, and who signed it.
- The print run, when the publisher states one.
- Anything unusual about how the book reached us.