Comic Book Creator #43 (2026)
NEW RELEASE
$14.24
$14.24
Condition
Description
Big John Buscema basks in the spotlight of CBC #43, with a one-on-one interview with the legendary artist conducted by editor Jon B. Cooke — where the Marvel stalwart reveals the moment when comics broke his heart — plus a in-depth biographical essay on the artist along with a gallery of his fabled behind-the-original-art pages amazing "warm up" artwork. We examine the tragic fate of prolific ’70s/’80s Marvel scripter Bill Mantlo, co-creator of Rocket Raccoon and Cloak and Dagger. Also, the fascinating, inside tale of Eastern Color Printing, earliest publisher of American comic books, the first collaboration in an occasional series by historian/researcher Shaun Clancy and Jon B. Cooke. There’s also part two of our lively Shary Flenniken interview, creator of Trots ’n’ Bonnie, about her charming cartooning for National Lampoon. Ted Jalbert talks with Ivan Katz about life with his dad, Jack Katz, and we include Steven Fears' interview with the great (and underrated) cartoonist Ric Estrada about his varied career, as well as a look at Bazooka Joe comics… and Hembeck, too!
Release Date: 2026
THE HIGH GRADES (Investment Quality)
- 9.9 – 10.0 MINT: Near perfect. No discernible defects.
- 9.8 NM/MT: High-end; negligible stress or bindery tears.
- 9.6 NM+: Nearly perfect; very minor surface wear.
- 9.4 NM: Standard high-grade; minor corner blunting.
- 9.2 NM-: Excellent; small stress lines (no color break).
- 9.0 VF/NM: Great eye appeal; minor spine stress.
THE MID GRADES (Collector Quality)
- 8.5 VF+: Clean copy; small amount of wear/creasing.
- 8.0 VF: Very attractive; minor surface wear or foxing.
- 7.5 VF-: Slight accumulation of defects; minor blunting.
- 7.0 FN/VF: Solid copy; minor creases or color breaks.
- 6.0 FN: Average mid-grade; small spine splits or tears.
- 5.0 VG/FN: Significant wear; small pieces may be missing.
THE LOW GRADES (Reader Quality)
- 4.0 VG: Average used copy; heavy creasing or scuffing.
- 3.0 GD/VG: Heavily read; major creases or staple rust.
- 2.0 GD: Well-worn; covers may be detached but present.
- 1.0 FR: Heavily damaged; large chunks missing.
- 0.5 PR: Fragile; missing pages or severe degradation.
Our raw grading is an opinion based on 30+ years of experience. We do not guarantee a specific numeric grade from 3rd party services (CGC/CBCS) but strive for maximum accuracy.
