bag board comics | KaptainMyke – TV Movie T-Shirts, TMNT Toys, Comic Books, Collectibles

Greetings!

I’m here to tell you how to prep your comic books for comicons like San Diego Comicon or MegaCon or even the big New York Comicon as well! Here we go:

Today we will window prep an Amazing Spider-man #1 for Stan Lee to sign! You will need: Mylite2 and Fullback, 1 exacto knife, 1 sharpie black marker, skinny blue painter’s tape from the hardware store, and a small cutting board from a kitchen department store area like at Target or Walmart.

First you need a few tools:

Mylite2 and Fullback (or BCW. Do not use Ultra Pro.)
exacto knife or surgical steel cutting tool
sharpie black marker
skinny 1″ blue painter’s tape from the hardware store
6″ x 9″ small bamboo cutting board from a kitchen department store area

Mylites2 and Fullbacks are recommended for absolute protection of your 9.8s and 9.9s. Ultro Pro works, but I suggest otherwise.

Mylites2 and Fullbacks are recommended for absolute protection of your 9.8s and 9.9s. BCW works, but I suggest otherwise. Do not use Ultro Pro.

An alternative to Mylites2 and Fullbacks, I would use BCW bags and BCW boards. No ultra pro. No way.

An alternative to Mylites2 and Fullbacks, I would use BCW bags and BCW boards. I do not personally like Ultra Pro because they bubble and wrinkle a lot. This can cause problems possibly during the handling of your book. This is only a personal preference however, do not let me scare you away from Ultra Pro.

Now you will need to place the fullback inside the mylite2 and slide the cutting board inside the bag/board:

Cut a hole where you want the signature to go:

Slide the cutting board out of the bag/board. Place skinny blue painter’s tape around the window you cut.

Double wrap the corners with 1″ pieces of skinny blue painter’s tape:

When placing blue painter’s tape at the top corners, be sure to place the tape below the flap line so it doesn’t get stuck when the grader is trying to remove the comic!

Write on the window box who you want to sign the comic book. In this example, Stan “The man” Lee:

When you slide the comic book in the bag/board, be sure to watch the bottom of the window against the bottom edge of your comic book:

On the opposite side, type or write on the backer board your name, address, phone number, email address. Seal the bag/board with only 1 peice of skinny blue painters tape for easy removal for the grader. Tape or write your details sheet to the backer board that is slid inside the mylite2.

In the space provided below, write the year, title, publisher, and name of the comic book along with issue number. Write who you want to sign the book, and instruct what services you want provide. This includes any additional instructions, and fast pass, yellow label authorized signature witness, pressing, etc.

You have now finished prepping your book.
Good luck!

Of course, there are other artists, and other creators. Sometimes I feel the placement is just as important. This is how I prep all my J Scott Campbell books for his sweet Amazing Spider-man variants:

How I prep a J Scott Campbell book for his signature.

Stan Lee is getting older, and I’ve been told by some he needs more room to see where he signs. I frequently have asked for Stan Lee’s signature right on top of the THOR or SPIDER-MAN logos here:

Alternative method for prepping a Stan Lee signed comic book. Right across the top logo, plenty of space for him to sign. Good eye appeal, too.

One thing to mind is if you have tape overlapping the sides, protect the book behind it! It might not even be your book!

Do not allow tape to overlap the sides of your book! It will harm the book behind it possibly.

So use an extra piece of tape and wrap that bad boy all the way around the sides so there is NO TAPE STICKINESS on the opposite site of your book:

Double wrap any tape hanging off the sides!

Sketch covers. What if you want a sketch? Or, better yet: What if you have like 5 people you want to sign your book? Make a BIG WINDOW!

Large window bag prep for a sketch cover book or multiple signatures. This is a good method if you absolutely don’t care where your signatures go.

There are drawbacks, however. If you make the window too big it can bend outwards and defeat the purpose of protecting the edges of your book. Try not to make it too big. If so, double tape it with overlapping strips:

A window bag that is too big can bend outwards so double tape if this happens.

Example of a sketch cover in progress inside a large window bag prepped comic book.

I’ve been given some sneak peeks at some books from my convention facilitator, Matt Saltzman from Trinity Comics Convention Facilitator Services. Check them out, look! This gives you an idea what they look like before getting sent off for grading with CBCS and CGC:

1991 DC Comics BATMAN #563 High Grade Newsstand Edition Early cover art by J Scott Campbell. Probably the only Batman cover before DKIII

1991 DC Comics BATMAN #563 Early cover art by J Scott Campbell. Probably the only Batman cover before DKIII

Mirage Studios Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 Second Printing, very rare Ultrom cover art by Kevin Eastman.

Mirage Studios Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 Second Printing, very rare Utrom cover art by Kevin Eastman.

Amazing Spider-man #607 J Scott Campbell Variant Cover art of Black Cat

Marvel Comics Thor #109 So this can happen too. Fair warning. Stan doesn’t always read where he should sign.

Marvel Comics AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #601 Mary Jane cover art by J Scott Campbell, beautifully signed in gold sideways. This is a high grade Newsstand Edition, by the way.