Attention: Marvel, Fix your damn Staples!!!! [Archive]

Beast

01-30-2008, 02:17 PM

Expletive Deleted

01-30-2008, 03:02 PM

It just happened to me last week, with MIGHTY AVENGERS #7.

Usually, though, I only notice it affecting larger books. My comic shop had a simply awful time with some issues of WWH.

GalactaSurfer

01-30-2008, 03:37 PM

Please fix this please!

Theres nothing more frustrating than seeing your comic fall to peices.
The first time it happen to me was when i got my Captian America #2 I was MAD as all hell a blemish to my Cap collection.

DaeJi

01-30-2008, 03:51 PM

Maybe Marvel should experiment with glue.

Brandon Hanvey

01-30-2008, 03:59 PM

Marvel doesn't print their own books. They hire printers to do it.

But when you are printing so many books (as many as 20,000 to sometimes over 100,000), you are going to have some bad ones. Press checks can catch them, but even then you can't check every copy so bad ones get through sometimes.

Best thing to do it take the issue back to the place you bought it and get a good one. The shop can report it as a damaged copy and either get a replacement or a refund.

madrox1977

01-31-2008, 08:16 AM

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 08:20 AM

Maybe you're just a bit too rough on your books.

Out of the last few years of comics, I've had one instance of this happening.

And that was in The Twelve #1. That's all. And I buy around 25-30 books a month.

My copy of The Twelve #1 also had the middle pages fall out. I also had about 4 pages of New Warriors (the issue before last) that weren't cut correctly. The pages actually extended about 3 inches past the book's length, but were folded inward so I didn't notice until I got home and read it.

Crimson

01-31-2008, 09:47 AM

Sentinel K

01-31-2008, 09:58 AM

I've never had a bad book, and mine come all the way to the UK.

drwho

01-31-2008, 10:03 AM

I've never had a bad book, and mine come all the way to the UK.

I end up having between 3 to 5 books a month out of 30 with something wrong with them. Thats why i now try my best to go to page by page of every book I buy. Most annoying is when one of the pages inside some how got a crease, or tear i guess while being printed.

Pwood

01-31-2008, 11:04 AM

The pages definitely come out on me all the time. My problem is not that the staples are coming loose, but rather where the staple is suppose to fold into the page's crease there is a slit in the page instead of two punctures. It's a clean cut and the staples have nothing to hold onto...

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 12:02 PM

Yeah ive had this happening on quite a frequent basis lately some even falling out as i go to pick them up to read.............as for taking them back well my LCS is forbidden planet and cant really see them going for the 'my comic is damaged can you replace it please' line, they would use the 'well dont be so rough with it then' reply

Then get a better shop. Any shop who cares about their customers would be willing to replace a damaged book. Plus they can report the damage book to the distributor who then reports it to the publisher.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 01:03 PM

Then get a better shop. Any shop who cares about their customers would be willing to replace a damaged book. Plus they can report the damage book to the distributor who then reports it to the publisher.

The only problem with that is that in most cases, the publisher couldn't give a ****. Marvel in particular is notorious for not taking responsibility.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 02:55 PM

The only problem with that is that in most cases, the publisher couldn't give a ****. Marvel in particular is notorious for not taking responsibility.

Well it is really only Marvel's responsibility to check in with their printer to make sure things are going well. If there is a printing problem, the press needs to fix it.

Marvel isn't there to check all of their own books. They most likely only get a few press proofs to make sure things look right.

Most comic publisher don't even get the bulk of the printed comics. Most are shipped directly to distributors or retailers from the printer. The publisher usually only gets a small percentage of the full print run.

Edit: Plus I bet Marvel would only really "care" if it was a large percentage of the press run. If a few hundred or even a few thousand of a 100,000 press run is messed up, I bet they would just let it slide.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 02:59 PM

Well it is really only Marvel's responsibility to check in with their printer to make sure things are going well. If there is a printing problem, the press needs to fix it.

Marvel isn't there to check all of their own books. They most likely only get a few press proofs to make sure things look right.

Most comic publisher don't even get the bulk of the printed comics. Most are shipped directly to distributors or retailers from the printer. The publisher usually only gets a small percentage of the full print run.

All well and good. But when a company's product is damaged, it falls upon the company to take responsibility, not the individual companies that might have been involved in the manufacturing of the product.

I work for a company that puts it's product into a bottle that is made by another company. If a consumer's bottle is damaged, that's on us. The same principle applies to comics. Whoever's name is on the product, that's the responsible party.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 03:03 PM

All well and good. But when a company's product is damaged, it falls upon the company to take responsibility, not the individual companies that might have been involved in the manufacturing of the product.

I work for a company that puts it's product into a bottle that is made by another company. If a consumer's bottle is damaged, that's on us. The same principle applies to comics. Whoever's name is on the product, that's the responsible party.

Sure that is why you talk to your retailer and get a good copy. And they report the damage copy to get a replacement and/or refund. If a large enough percentage of damage product is reported, Marvel will most likely talk to their printer and either get a refund and/or reprint the run to replace the damaged products.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 03:10 PM

Sure that is why you talk to your retailer and get a good copy. And they report the damage copy to get a replacement and/or refund. If a large enough percentage of damage product is reported, Marvel will most likely talk to their printer and either get a refund and/or reprint the run to replace the damaged products.

Did you forget my post about Marvel being notorious for not taking responsibility for this sort of thing? That was how this exchange started.

PunisherFan

01-31-2008, 03:12 PM

The only problem I ever had with staples was when I had subscriptions. You might be turning the pages too quickly.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 03:14 PM

The only problem I ever had with staples was when I had subscriptions. You might be turning the pages too quickly.

That's not the problem in my case. I treat my comics like newborns. :)

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 03:14 PM

Did you forget my post about Marvel being notorious for not taking responsibility for this sort of thing? That was how this exchange started.

Yes I know Marvel is that way. But if enough reports from retailers happen that causes Diamond to issue a large number of refunds that causes Diamond to ask for a refund from Marvel, then I bet Marvel will care and talk to their printer.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 03:16 PM

Yes I know Marvel is that way. But if enough reports from retailers happen that causes Diamond to issue a large number of refunds that causes Diamond to ask for a refund from Marvel, then I bet Marvel will care and talk to their printer.

Well, it hasn't happened yet, has it? We've been having this problem with Marvel books for years. There's been no change in their policy or their printer.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 03:30 PM

Well, it hasn't happened yet, has it? We've been having this problem with Marvel books for years. There's been no change in their policy or their printer.

But do we know the overall percentage of bad books? If its less than 5% of the total of what Marvel is printing, I bet that is why there is no change.

Whatever printer you use, you will have a batch of bad books from time to time. When you are printing so many books a month, there are going to be small batches of bad books.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 03:35 PM

But do we know the overall percentage of bad books? If its less than 5% of the total of what Marvel is printing, I bet that is why there is no change.

Whatever printer you use, you will have a batch of bad books from time to time. When you are printing so many books a month, there are going to be small batches of bad books.

Right, nothing's perfect. The problem with Marvel is that they go so far as to outright deny that there's a problem. Like, they've straight up told me that the pages are intact in the comic book that I was holding in my hands. It's pretty bad.

StrangeD

01-31-2008, 04:27 PM

I experience my first poorly stapled book today: Captain America #34. I'm so frustrated with it that I feel the need to buy another copy! argh!

drdogtown

01-31-2008, 04:47 PM

I don't think that there's any doubt that this is a Quality Control Issue with whoever is printing. I would say I get 2-3 Marvels a month (of about 35 total Marvels) where the bottom staple has so much compression on it that it rips right through the page. It always happens on/with the BOTTOM staple. Has anyone else noticed that? It is frustrating, and it's definitely NOT due to handling the book improperly. More and more issues have a lot of interior creasing as well. That can't be happening in shipping, the cover is fine and these creases are on the interior. Marvel should be looking into this further - hopefully something like this thread will let them know that it's happening. I'm getting my comics in the Central-Midwest (I suspect [?] Marvel may use different printers for where their books will be distributed). Whoever started this thread - THANK YOU!

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 05:07 PM

Yeah, it's definitely always the bottom staple for me, too.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:07 PM

Marvel mostly uses one printer that has various printing plants around the country and in Canada. An issue of a title is usually printed at one of those plants and then shipped to distributors.

I don't think a thread like this will get Marvel attention. The only way it will get their attention if it costs them money ie returns and refunds.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 05:08 PM

It can't cost them money in returns and/or refunds if they don't offer them.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:10 PM

The bottom staple issue is probably due to a saddle stitcher that needs adjusting after a long run of binding. Most saddle stitchers can run "hot" after long periods of running which can cause more pressure to be applied.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:12 PM

It can't cost them money in returns and/or refunds if they don't offer them.

Most people do not buy their comics directly from Marvel. You get them through a retailer. Most retailers will refund damage products and then get replacements/refunds from Diamond who then get replacements/refunds from Marvel.

If enough go up the chain, things may change.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 05:16 PM

Most people do not buy their comics directly from Marvel. You get them through a retailer. Most retailers will refund damage products and then get replacements/refunds from Diamond who then get replacements/refunds from Marvel.

If enough go up the chain, things may change.

Heh. I'm a link in that chain, myself. Dealing with Diamond will get you nowhere fast about 97% of the time. Dealing with Marvel is even worse.

CaptainCanada

01-31-2008, 05:21 PM

I had this happen a couple of times recently; every copy of New X-Men #46 in my store had the bottom staple come loose, as did my copy of Captain America #34; and possibly one other that I can't recall.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:30 PM

Heh. I'm a link in that chain, myself. Dealing with Diamond will get you nowhere fast about 97% of the time. Dealing with Marvel is even worse.

I'm a link in that chain as well. I work in pre-press for a publisher. And we get charge backs from time to time.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 05:34 PM

You clearly don't print Marvel books, then. I doubt word would ever make it back to you.

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:39 PM

You clearly don't print Marvel books, then. I doubt word would ever make it back to you.

The on-site I'm work for is not Marvel. The publisher I work for doesn't really do saddle stitched books. All prefect bound.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 05:41 PM

Is it comics?

TheAmazingSpidey

01-31-2008, 05:45 PM

I've never had a problem with staples. *shrugs*

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:46 PM

Is it comics?

Yes it is a comic publisher.

JoshuaCee

01-31-2008, 05:50 PM

What publisher's books do you print, if you don't mind me asking?

Brandon Hanvey

01-31-2008, 05:52 PM

What publisher's books do you print, if you don't mind me asking?

I work at Viz. We only handle the pre-press. Viz uses a number of different printers.

drdogtown

01-31-2008, 08:48 PM

I work at Viz. We only handle the pre-press. Viz uses a number of different printers.

Hey, thanks for your insight on this. It is definitely something that I have seen happening more and more with the Marvels that I get. I really feel it is a Printer QC issue. I have talked to my local store about this, and they make it seem like it is a pain to bring up with Diamond (my store is more than willing to replace my book if they have another one in stock). But, if my shop needs to order that book (in most instances), Marvel has a given print run, and the book supposedly goes to a second print (if it does at all). I basically shrug it off, as in the end I am quite comfortable being a collector and not an investor (I'm happy with what I get). It would just be nice if the books did not do this!

Trey

01-31-2008, 09:37 PM

Yes, It is the bottom hole. Cap #34 this week. Next week i'm checking all my copies. Its no big deal. But annoying as hell. I too treat my books like newborns, lol.

Will.S

01-31-2008, 09:41 PM

Yes, It is the bottom hole. Cap #34 this week. Next week i'm checking all my copies. Its no big deal. But annoying as hell. I too treat my books like newborns, lol.
Yeah I usually look out for the staple problem myself as it happened to a few of my books like New Warriors, Mighty Avengers and some other one. Usually I try to leave the page in and be very delicate with the pages as much as I can.

If it becomes too much of a worry I'll probably trade in the singles for trades or hardcovers which I'm sure won't have those problems since they're bound.

Dr. Chaos

01-31-2008, 09:46 PM

I've never had a problem with staples. *shrugs*
Me neither but this topic sure scares the hell out of me.

elaniel

02-01-2008, 05:09 AM

Then get a better shop. Any shop who cares about their customers would be willing to replace a damaged book. Plus they can report the damage book to the distributor who then reports it to the publisher.

Clearly you have never shopped in a Forbidden Planet in the UK. The staff are the most helpful and rude people ever. I asked for the Astonishing X-Men 24 Cover A on day of release (as they only had the B covers) and they said if it's not on the shelf we don't have it and if you don't like it buy your (gratuitous swearing here) comics online. o.O So rude there. Also the comics don't get delivered until first thing Thursday morning and tend not to be out until about 4pm either. No bags and boards and they charge £2.20 (Which is $4.35 for a $2.99 comic)

Although Madrox1977, I would suggest if you do live in Cardiff to check out The Comic Guru, I get stuff online from there and they're wonderful people to deal with! :)