How so I fix the bindings of a graphic novels and mangas

Gio Ravalico Thank you! And yes, I think the smell of old paper is as lovely as the smell of new rain on dry earth. Sometimes when I’ve been gone for.a few days and come back home, the smell of paper from my bookshelves wallops me when I step back indoors, and it’s my favourite kind of welcome home!

I honestly even love the smell of most new comics too. Lol just a nostalgia thing for me cuz I did it as a little kid haha

Is not light. Is his natural warm

Wow, thank you! And I'm glad what I was saying here resonated with you. Different people will have different approaches, so I'm not judging anyone else, but for hands-on folks like us, repair is a useful option!😁

What a great tip! I'm tempted to go repair a comic right now just to try it out! 😀

Haha, wise words indeed!

Thanks, as always! If you do use that tape, let me know you find it!

​ Rohan Clancy Interesting! I have never replaced a page outright myself, but I do know someone who replaced damaged pages in Euro albums with pages from second-hand copies he bought 'off the street'. What he did was preserve a bit of the gutter in the page he was removing, the bit that goes into the spine. He then took the whole page and pasted its edge/gutter over the strip he had retained. That way, the page was slightly thicker for one little strip right by the binding, but was secure. A straight ruler, a box cutter and something hard under the page to prevent cutting the one beneath with the box cutter would do the trick, I'm pretty sure. But two questions - 1) Would the paper quality of the single match that of the trade? 2) I'm guessing you're ok 'ruining' the single over getting another trade, with that trade-off😀?

Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it! 😁

Thank you so much, and a very warm welcome aboard! I hope you find plenty on this channel to enjoy!

Thank you so much - for both your kind words and that excellent tip! I'll be trying it out for my very next repair!😁

I had to look up which image you meant - is it the one with the fuzzy boots? 😂

@@ftloc Yes, that one! The one where he sat back and was like "oh, those legs look quite long" and then put fur on the boots to widen the horizontals. That picture and his Captain America profile portrait with the chest you could board a train on are so unabashedly bad that nobody should have given him a pencil after. I can appreciate his earlierr art for what it was and what it was trying to do and Rob was also a good inker.

That's exactly the point, and I am thrilled to hear it! Thanks and so glad you enjoyed the video!

That's a great collection of one of the finest comics ever made, isn't it? 😁 To be honest, I don't spend a lot of time fixing comics myself, I am a bit lazy. But where I see I will want to return to the work many times, and constant reading or handling could make a tear worse or bigger, I'll take some preventive steps to ensure a long life! SO glad you liked the video, thanks so much!

Thank you so much and a very warm welcome to the channel! And I'm glad to hear you say that - after all, it's not for the Hate of comics, it's for the LOVE of comics! 😁

@@ftloc Absolutely, very much looking forward to seeing more.

Ooh that sounds like and interesting problem. I guess 5he pages are stuck to each other but not so tightly to the spine? I don't know much about book repair, but i think the trick is to get the spine reinforced a bit, to fill the gap that currently exists? It's hard without being able to see it front of me...

It's the most important thing - to hold and read and enjoy the comics - so why wouldn't we, am I right? 😁 Thank you so much; I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!

Thank you! There’s a lot to learn!

Thank you! Are you worried about resale value? If not, I'd say you should try the Lineco tissue version of this which I've heard great things about. If you have a practice comic to make a test attempt on, you'd know if the result is to your liking. I've really enjoyed this tape being as invisible as it is, and thinner tissue sounds even better!

Glad it helped! I looked up binding tape and the only kind I find here is the extremely adhesive-heavy, borderline duct tape type. I can see using that in the interior of a box or slipcase perhaps but I'd worry about using it in contact with thinner paper and exteriors. Is that what you meant or is there a different binding tape I should be looking at? Thanks!

@@ftloc It is ment for the outsides of Hardcovers, and yes it is highly adhesive and supposed to be because the tape is very strong. And you only use it on the outsides of the hardcovers, along the place were the spin and the front or back cover connect to stop it from ripping off any more.

Kudos!

Those are so tough because of the perfect (or far from perfect!) binding on such a thin spine. I've never done it, but perhaps pasting on a thin strip of paper inside the spine for the pages to attach to could be part of it?

Hmm, do you mean at the spine? What does it feel like when you rub your finger over the lines? Exactly like the rest of the page? Or is there a bump/ difference in texture?

The decay of paper, I have heard, is what creates that particularly intoxicating smell; new books have a completely different smell 😀. And you’re right - it may be better for something to be left alone rather than irrevocably damaged. I don’t go for absolutely falling apart books because I would neither be able to read them nor properly repair them. As long as the damage isn’t something that gets worse with reading, I’d be fine leaving it alone. Glad you enjoyed the video!

Did the whole (front and back) come off the staples? If so, yes, I beleive you can take up the torn paper around the staples, inside and out. But I've never done it myself so I can't be sure! Let me know how it goes if you try it out!

Wonderful! As I mentioned in this video, I haven’t tried the tissue but I imagine it’s even better than Lineco’s already excellent tape. It’s great that you got top flight expertise to weigh in on this, even partially, and good to know I settled in the same solution! Any tips on fixing dinged corners? 😀

@@ftloc No, haven't faced that issue yet.

Thank you; those are really the most important things to me, personally, but of course they will not be for everyone.

I'd say the most important thing is reading and enjoyment of it. If you like the book and see yourself reading it often, keep it, irrepective of small issues. In front of a great story, most things are kind of superficial or cosmetic anyway. In general I find omnibuses very bulky and hard to read at the drop of a hat, and therefore usually go for slimmer volumes myself, like I did for Y with the TPBs first and then the Deluxe HCs, which I think are the perfect fit for me.

Interesting question! What would you want to do it for - preservation? Look and feel? DO you have the option of custom binding multiple comics together?

This is called a "married cover". The staple holes often times won't line up and CGC will grade it with a qualified label.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for your kind words! I'd never be comfortable advising anyone on how to spend thousands of dollars! So all I'll say is if the value would be enhanced and you're thinking of it as an investment or heirloom, then the math will tell you if it is the right thing. If not, and you only want it to read, then why bother? Foxing is a possible fact of life, like liver spots. Let's just go with it 😁

I'm not too familiar with magic tape, but I would avoid using scotch tape, as I mention here. It will hold together stuff fine, but the high adhesive content and plasticky nature will discolour over time and look really ugly. It is technically true it can repair documents, But I wouldn't call it archival or preservation oriented, just functional. Using paper tape avoid the high quantities of glue and also blends in more organically, which is why I would prefer it.

Thanks, glad it helped and a very warm welcome to the channel! I hope you find plenty to enjoy here! 😁

BoredomCake Yes, that’s a tough one. I’ve found acetone/ nail polish remover to work sometimes - usually when it is a light mark and not too dug in. I’d recommend doing it in slow and small steps: blot with a swab, wait for it to dry, blot again. Newer glossy covers would take the punishment better than old interior pages I think. Why don’t you try it on something worthless first, to get the hang of it? And let me know how it goes if you give it a shot!

@@ftloc thank you so much haha! currently i dont really have a worthless comic xD i tried it yesterday and it stained it a little bit, its a old comic and looks like the cover kinda absorbs the nailpolish lol. I might try thinner next since its better at removing ink/paint. man I really wanna get rid of that writing

I was gonna suggest using a Mr. Clean magic eraser and wasn't sure about it, but then saw someone else comment that they use them as well. They mentioned they cut the eraser into small pieces and not on colored parts of the book. So use with caution if it is a colored area and you want to test it. Might be worth a try though. I'd definitely get a some cheapy throw away comics to test methods with. Good luck!

@@KrissyMeow I dont think we have mr clean magic eraser in my country

Thank you so much! Greetings right back from India!

I'd love to give it a shot but 1) I would probably screw it up way worse than you would and 2) the shipping to and from India would make the whole thing unfeasible! Why don't you practice on some random, unimportant issue and see how you fare?

Wow, that's a very clever use of the tissue paper! It would definitely work, as long as you like your hand lettering 😁. I am not sure if the paper could be printed on, at least not in any regular printer I'm thinking of?

@@ftloc I was thinking of getting the issue in question digitally and printing out that specific page at the right size then just cutting the bubbles out. Also I just want to say thank you for the reply, I really appreciate how engaged you are with the community.

@@KingofStolenDiamonds I'd love to know how that attempt works out! Printing on to thin strips sounds like it could be finicky but I bet if done right the results would be fantastic! And it's easy to be engaged with such an interesting and smart bunch of people making up the community, so thank *you*! 😁

Since you mention glue, as opposed to stapled comics, are you referring to TPBs and /or bound volumes? This may have to do with a combination of things, including bad binding (a lot of my Vertigo TPBs from the mid 2000s detach from their spine) , very dry conditions , and improper storage. For example, a spine takes more pressure when books are stacked horizontally instead of vertically, so i only do that with robust hardcovers

@@ftloc unfortunately 2 years ago my wife and I had to leave our apartment due to toxic mold. The bulk of my TPBs were stacked in containers in my parents garage for about a year exposing them to very cold temperatures in the winter and hot temperatures in the summer. I am thinking that may have been the culprit but it doesn’t seem like all were effected. All of the books that are falling apart are from image and purchased in the early 2010s

Oh absolutely, if I was ever to sell anything taped or repaired I would definitely mention it, and show photos etc But that's never the primary or even secondary thinking, so what would increase potential buyers just doesn't feature in my decision to repair. 😀

For the Love of Comics that’s fair.

Excellent suggestion. It also gives you 'less consequential' lead time to make slight mistakes and adjust accordingly. I'm going to try it out the very next time, thank you!

Wow, that sounds high level and very cool. I fear I have neither the skills nor the equipment (and I have doubts about my temperament too) but I would love to learn more about repair and bookbinding. It is a very different level when talking about grades an value, is what I meant to say here, which is why I gave the caveat that what I am talking about here would only apply to people who didn't care about grade either.

@@ftloc I did another one today,the mighty Marvel western #32, water damaged and the cover all wrinkled up so a lot of the color was missing, I restored that with printer's ink and bleaching. I still need to redo some of the ink because so much of it was missing. I always write in permanent ink "restored" with a list of what I did written on the backing board so they can be tracked.

Haha, I hope the video lived up to it!

@@ftlochaha it's pretty similar to the the Magic tape that I use for tears,it isn't that adhesive the achieves the same opacity as I'm noticing here.

Arindam Sen I've actually used magic tape as well and I find it works great for bright covers in particular, but can look a bit more opaque than this does. Also, the edges of magic tape gather dirt over long periods of time, so the 'blending' is another advantage I give the stuff I am using here. I probably rushed through the video and didn't do as great a job as I could have 😋!

That sounds like an excellent idea and one I will definitely try out the next time. Cutting-edge technology has never been so simple! 😁

@@ftloc ok, now I'm wondering where you got your tape from because I just unwrapped a comic that's been on my shelf for months and while stretching the spine I found 1/3 of a page was bent, somehow splitting in half and a little torn. Is the tape available on Amazon? I tried a quick search for it here in Germany but couldn't find anything.

@@Tyler-Clark it is available on Amazon US. The brand name here is Lineco so Lineco Archival Repair Tape or tissue tape, I'd suggest

As I said in my recent Q and A video, one of my all-time favourites! Have you checked out my 'Second Richest Duck/ #Uncle Scrooge #15 video here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nc-YZcp_3JfcpGw.html ? If you get a chance, I'd love to know what you think of it!

haha well, it's exactly the same for me - as I say here, I don't really read digitally. But I generally buy trades and collected volumes, in part due to availability and the kind of comics I read, but that also helps mitigate the costs relative to singles, which would end up being more expensive, I think.

Those are great tips; thanks so much! I'm not sure if I can find Elmer's here, I'll look for an equivalent. And of course you are right about the feathering and tapering of tears, but honestly I don't trust my finesse in mixing a watered down version of glue then using it with enough precision not to affect the pages behind and in front of the page in question - I'm generally all thumbs as even this video demonstrates! 😁 And with the low adhesive content (which even the Elmer's will have) and the presence only of tissue-thin paper, not plastic, I'm also fine with a quicker, non damaging and acid-free solution like this, especially as it is something archivists and librarians use! Cheers!

Haha no, no not at all! Each to his own, and I'll *never* begrudge anyone the way they want to love something. I'm just not interested in that approach myself and the only reason I mention it here is to clarify that for people who may be aghast at the very premise of this video. So it's just part of the 'why' in this video's title, I'm sure you understand! Glad you still enjoyed the video! 😋

Thank you, glad you liked it and I too find grading and slabbing to not be my thing really. The VF NM type of grades are good for people buying online and unable to examine the physical book, I suppose, but anything beyond that is for a different kind of collector than me.

Thank you and I'm so happy to hear you say that. Yes, it is absolutely about personal choice - after all it is your money, your space and your reasons. There is no absolute right and wrong, and for me the holding in my hands and reading and reading is the primary goal, always! 😁

@@ftloc thanks for helping out. Also loving your content you gave me another reason to wait for Sundays.

Glad you liked it! 😁

Oh yes, I'm sure I'd rather have an expertly restored copy of something classic than a falling-apart thing that I'm afraid to touch, so I can completely understand that!

Thank you! Do you have an opinion on slabbed comics? I think I've irritated a few friends of mine by expressing my disdain too vehemently, so I'm trying to develop a more rounded view.

@@ftloc I think there is a certain "Madness" to it all right now concerning CGC, CBCS, etc. Folks don't seem to realize that the grading companies are a big business right now (Right now) and are making money hand over fist! I am NOT into any of it. I understand books that are very expensive needing this service..but modern books being pressed and cleaned and submitted? If you watch any of my videos (Please!) you'll see I'm a reader/collector and not a money person. I've had comments left not understanding why some of my books are NOT slabbed? I'm glad I found your program!

@@aftacomics5865 So great to have a 'professional' take on this that I can agree with 😁. I'm going to check out your channel right now!

Thank you! I do think that collecting comics should intersect fully with reading comics, but I know that's not everyone's thinking. 😁

I just thought the same. Judging by the amount of replies from people approving of good restoration, this is bound to evolve into a shift of attitudes at auction. The opinion that restoration renders a comic less valuable than one that is torn is risdual from when people used sellotape which yellows and hardens. Things have advanced since then, and after all, it's the collectors who dictate the value.

Much appreciated, sir!

Haha! Well, glad you've seen it now!

Ah thanks for the feedback, that is much appreciated! I guess I didn't think this video would be popular outside of my tiny audience who know that most of my comics are in bound volume form 😁. Which is also why I used the term 'comics' over 'a comic book'. But having said that, the same techniques and materials apply to the floppies, as long as we are talking about tears and rips, not the more complicated issues I refer to in the introduction here. Maybe I should make a follow-up video in which I do the same but with a floppy!

Thank you!

Ayush Nalavade Thanks so much; glad you liked it!

Haha, purely my opinion of course; I know that there will be people who disagree with me, and that's fine. This is just my reasoning behind what I do. Thanks for the appreciation!

Oh yay! I'm so glad to hear that. If you can get your hands on the tissue version, I've now heard a couple of people praise it even higher than the tape!

One of life's great pleasures, the smell of books! 😁

Maybe one day!

Hi there. Not sure what you mean - this is how I repair tears and rips in comics, whether they're singles/floppies or bound books. I'm thinking of trying the Lineco tissue though, which, from other comments here, sounds even better.

Only if you wish not to toss the comic book into the garbage. Not for reselling or grading.

@@mikesmith-yx4xb Yes, that's sort of the thesis of this video. I don't care about reselling, I don't care about grading and I certainly don't care about slabbing. I care about reading and preserving and rereading. Perhaps you skipped the 'why?' part of the video?

That's just invisible tape. Could be useful for taping the screen of my smartphone from peeling off.. Other then that, I don't need it...peace.

@@mikesmith-yx4xb actually it's document tape, made from acid free archival paper, used in restoring old books and other paper products.

Sir, this is a Wendy's...