BEM 24: UK fanzine July 1979: Martin Lock editor. From the long-running Bemusing/BEM series. As well as the usual reviews and letters there are two full page comix strips: Thundermole by Terry Moore, The Aliens by Rob Davis. And 2 short satirical strips: Nasty Comics & Ultra Man, plus graphic art throughout the magazine, on every page, some by Mike Matthews and reminiscent of OZ Magazine style, the whole being brightened by different coloured inks. The BEM interview is with Bill Mantlo, giving insights into Marvel and the career challenges of comics artists those days. And much more.......
Tall Magazine 11.75" x 8.25". 28-pages, published by the Editor Martin Lock. Condition is very fine minus (VFN-: the minus for rusty staples, but they have not damaged the good quality white paper.)
I obtain and can produce an official Certificate of Posting for every item shipped. Ask me for the price of insurance if you require it.
Lots of items like this in my shop. Why not click the tab. .
Grading is not an exact science, but the Overstreet system makes it possible to achieve some degree of uniformity across all the dealers and collectors who need to grade books. I try to detail any major faults of the item in the description, but have the following criteria in my mind as I write the listing (I apply them to magazines and books as well as comics):
Mint (M) (9.8 to 10) The comic is printed perfectly, with no faults and perfectly centred. The cover has all its original gloss (if applicable): there are no signs of wear or aging (including white of pages), and the corners are sharp. I almost never using this rather dangerous grading as very few new comics or magazines and only publisher-sealed paperback or hard cover books are this good!
Near Mint (NM) (9.0 to 9.7) Any wear to the cover is so minor as to be nearly un-noticeable. The spine is tight with no roll at all. The cover has nearly all its original gloss (if applicable). Any printing defects are minor. Pages are white. Some new comics are in this grading though actually I seldom find it possible to use it. For books they are invariably new and often in the publisher's shrink-wrap.
Very Fine (VFN) (7.5 t0 8.9) Some wrinkles at the staples are allowed and minor stress creases down the spine: it is clear the book has been read. There is some loss of the original gloss: there is no spine roll and any crease is minor, perhaps a tiny one-eighth-inch dog-ear at one corner. In general it is a nice comic. A comic, paperback, or hardcover that has been read but looked after will often be in this grading and it is in my opinion a very collectable grade.
Fine (FN) (5.5 to 7.4). Certainly no writing on the cover or tape repair, but there may be more stress creases and one or two minor, short creases. Corners may be rubbed a bit. A well-read paperback or hardcover kept on an open shelf is often in this grading.
Very Good (VG) (3.5 to 5.4). The original gloss is now gone, and there may be minor writing such as newsagents make, or other discolorations. There may be spine roll, larger corner creases or minor tears / splits. I seldom sell in this grade and only for books which would be rather expensive in higher grades. "Very good" is a low grade and the lowest collectable grade in my opinion.
Good, Fair, Poor . I don't sell in these grades. It would have to be a real rarity, and I would describe the faults in detail.
I grade dozens of comics and books each month and my feedback suggests I am ok in this area, but if you think I have made an error of description please message me (my email address is in the blue "contact details" tab on any of my listings) so we can sort it out.