<comic grading guide>

For the sake of consistency in describing comic books, <the edition> deploys the gradings system favoured by Comics Price Guide.

MINT GRADES
gem mint: 10.0  /  mint: 9.9
Near perfect. Particularly rare to find books earlier than 1990 in such fine condition.
There is no surface wear and the cover is bright and without loss of lustre. There is no writing without or within. Corners point and are without crease. Internally tight bright and clean.

NEAR MINT+ GRADES
near mint/mint : 9.8 /  near mint : 9.6
Near to mint comics may have minor defects, typically slight stress lines by the staples.  The cover may have minor loss of colour ink (it may be chipped or flaked in older books) however it will not be faded. However the staples are rust free.  Corners may be slightly blunted.
There may be minor bindery tears (less than 1/16 inch) and superficial binding and/or printing defects. Internally as new, possibly with neat arrival dates either stamped or written in pencil or ink.
According to Comic Price Guide, notations on the cover or the inside are seen a bonus by collectors as they help provide provenance.

NEAR MINT GRADES
near mint: 9.4  / near mint - : 9.2
Colours are vibrant and pages are clean tight and supple to the touch. There may be some minor stress lines, no larger than 1/4 inch, at the spine but this does not break the colour surface. There may be some minor discoloration of the staples. Internal pages may be slightly off white.

VERY FINE GRADES
very fine-near mint: 9.0 / very fine + : 8.5 / very fine: 8.0 / very fine - : 7.5
Has been read but handled with care. There are some defects, such as a small cover fold or crease. There may be some marks on spine. The cover may have some chipping or slight surface wear but also keeps its original gloss.

FINE GRADES
fine-very fine: 7.0 / fine + : 6.5 / fine: 6.0 / fine - : 5.5
This has been well-read.  The comic may have a major defect such as a piece out of the cover or a tear up to one inch long. There may be many stress lines around the staples as well as creases due to opening and closing the cover.  Internal pages may have age tone, but are not brittle. The spine may be rolled and there may be some colour loss or minor soiling. There may be minor tears and folds, and the cover may have loosened by one staple. An otherwise Very Fine comic, but with a tape repair to the internal cover, may be graded as Fine.

VERY GOOD GRADES
very good- fine: 5.0  /  very good + : 4.5  / very good: 4.0 /  very good  - :3.5
A complete copy, but with major creases, spine roll, loss of cover gloss.  Internal pages may be yellow with small pieces missing. There may be a piece missing from the cover no larger than ½ inch. May be scuffed and soiled, but is still a readable copy.

GOOD GRADE
good - very good: 3.0  / good: + : 2.5 / good: 2.0  / good - : 1.8
A readable copy with many of the above defects, but no missing pages.

FAIR GRADE
fair - good : 1.5  /  fair: 1.0
Copy is heavily worn and tattered. Will have all pages and most of the covers. Heavy creases and folds with low paper quality. Spine and cover may be split and staples may be missing. Copy may be brittle. Tape repair may be extensive.

POOR GRADE
poor: 0.5
Many major defects potentially with mildew, cover abrasion, heavy defacing with paints etc. Inside pages may be extremely brittle.