Secret Wars 8 Grade Bump.

This comic has stared at me from my wall for years, taunting me. Every time I pass by, I think, "I can bump that one." Today, I finally decided to take the plunge. The goal? A cleaner, sharper, higher-grade copy. Whether it’s a win or a lesson, it’s time to find out. It's not a comic I would sell, it's a personal item, so bumping the grade is fair.

Grade Notes: The Starting Line

• Light spine stress

• Light creasing on the cover

• Finger marks on the cover

  
  

We can't erase the past; those stress lines are here to stay, but we can soften their visual impact. The finger marks? The creasing? Maybe fixable. Will this be a profit or a bust?

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Before cracking the slab, I like to document everything: issues, severity, and treatment plan. Here’s the pre-game table:

Observation	Impact	Treatment
Spin Tick and Crease, middle front cover, draws the eye; also, the tick is a color break	Major	Heat the Iron and Pressing
Dirt on the comic. The whites are not white.	Minor	Dry Cleaning
Color Breaking Crease on the cover :	Minor	It cannot be treated. Just clean and press to be less visible.
The back cover is dirty and shows spine stress.	Minor	Dry cleaning and heat iron.

Before I even touched the case, the comic looked worn, dusty, dull, and neglected. Despite the dirt, the book had potential: no restoration, white pages, all intact.

But the moment I cracked it open, reality hit. The creases were deeper than expected. This was no quick bump. This was going to be a recovery project..

DRY CLEANING

Dull shine, suppressed colors, and dirt were the main culprits. For delicate cleaning, I ditched gloves for better control. Using art erasers, rubber pads, and a magic eraser, I gently worked the surface. With each pass, vibrancy returned, like the comic was waking up.

SPINE STRESS AND CREASES

The spine damage wasn’t your standard tick; it was crunchy and spread across the cover.

Time for a careful, measured approach:

1. Heat Iron – Tackled the creases gently, avoiding ink lift.

2. Steam (deionized water) – Relaxed paper fibers.

3. Press – Locked in changes and minimized warping.

I started with the hot iron. If I had steamed the comic first, the heat could have caused the ink to lift, resulting in a major defect.

My focus was on the spine and the central creasing. I was careful not to overwork the area, knowing these flaws wouldn’t disappear without some moisture treatment. At this stage, I was mainly observing the impact of the heat iron alone.

After the treatment, the comic is already looking much better. Even if it returns with a grade of 8.0, I’ll be satisfied knowing the visual appeal has improved. The surface appears cleaner, and the colors are starting to shine with greater vibrancy. However, some creases and cover defects remain and will need further attention.

The next stage is steaming the comic. I insert a center board for support and place the comic in a metal basket to elevate it, preventing water from pooling underneath.

At this point, I wear gloves, as damp fingers can lift ink from the surface when the comic is wet.

I steam both the front and back for 120 seconds, just until the paper is visibly damp and begins to curl. Any longer, and I’d either need to press for an extended period or risk water damage.

THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO PLAN!!!

I’m not expecting the first press to fix everything, but I do anticipate seeing some noticeable improvements. The real challenge lies in deciding which pressing strategy to follow.

Secret Wars was printed in 1984, placing it firmly in the Bronze Age. However, since the Copper Age began around 1985, it falls right on the transition line, making heat timing decisions a bit tricky.

Normally, I’d start with a conservative press: 10 minutes at 30°C, followed by 10 minutes at 60°C, even for Bronze Age books. Then, depending on the results, I’d increase the temperature on a second press, using my published temperature guidelines. For reference, my standard is 70°C for 10 minutes for Bronze Age books, and 70°C for 15 minutes for Copper Age.

In this case, I'm particularly concerned about flaring pages. Because I'm using steam to relax the paper fibers beforehand, there’s a heightened risk of flaring due to sudden temperature changes. That’s why I typically begin with 30°C and gradually increase to 60°C, to minimize heat shock. However, if I stick with that lower starting point this time, the comic will likely be nearly dry by the time it hits 70°C, which may reduce the effectiveness of the press after steaming.

After weighing the risks, I decided to place the comic directly into the press at 70°C for 13 minutes, followed by a 24-hour cold press to set the results.

Unfortunately, after the first press, things weren’t looking good...

There was some noticeable flaring of the pages, but that wasn’t the worst of it; the creasing on the cover still stood out prominently and remained the most distracting defect.

Also, the spine ticks are proving stubborn, they’re not going away, even after the first press and steaming. These small, linear indentations along the spine are often the most difficult defects to eliminate, especially if they’ve broken color or have been there for a long time.

While some improvement may be possible with moisture and multiple press cycles, I’m managing my expectations. At this point, it's clear that additional treatment will be needed if I want to minimize their visibility.

There’s also a slight cover roll that has become more noticeable after pressing. It may be a minor manufacturing defect, something I've seen even on comics graded as high as 9.8, but it still counts as a flaw. Regardless of its origin, it's now more visible and detracts from the overall presentation. Since the goal is to address every defect possible, this roll will need to be corrected in the next stage of treatment to ensure the cleanest and most symmetrical appearance.

RAISING THE GAME, FIXING THE DEFECTS

Okay, I started this project to give it my absolute best effort, and I’m committed to seeing it through. That said, it currently feels like I’ve taken a step backward rather than forward.

To address the lingering defects, I took several additional steps:

• I pressed the comic five more times at 70°C for 15 minutes each, carefully monitoring the paper’s response after each cycle.

  
  

• I used the heat iron multiple times on the front cover, focusing on persistent creases and surface imperfections.

  
  

• I cold-pressed the comic for a week as well.

  
  

Then I moved on to a more advanced cleaning method. I prepared a solution consisting of 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% deionized water. I lightly sprayed this mixture onto a piece of inkjet paper, placed it over the comic, and gently scraped the dampened paper using a plastic card.

This technique helps lift surface dirt and oxidation, while remaining relatively safe for the paper when done with precision.

Scraping the paper flat is important because you don't want any bubbles, as this will leave blotches on the comics.

This process is going to have three effects:

1. Lighten the comic

2. Remove the creases

3. Smooth the comic paper.

TURNING THINGS AROUND

Over-lightening a comic can result in a Conserved grading label, which indicates detectable restoration or preservation work. Additionally, aggressive treatments tend to smooth the surface excessively, making the comic appear altered, another red flag for graders. Our goal isn’t to conceal defects at the cost of authenticity; it’s to responsibly clean the book, enhance its natural presentation, and revive some of the vibrancy in the colors.

With that in mind, I take a cautious approach:

• I lighten both the front and back only once, just enough to lift surface dirt and reduce discoloration.

  
  

• After this, I repeat the pressing process using 100% deionized water, no hydrogen peroxide, to reintroduce moisture into the paper fibers. This helps maintain flexibility, reduces brittleness, and supports a more natural-looking finish.

  

  
  

• I then press the comic with no paper cover on top and bottom, just the cardboard to add roughness back to the cover.

• I then repress the cover using the standard pressing method.

I’m now at a stage where I can begin targeting the remaining defects, starting with a spine tick on the back cover. To address it, I carefully dab the affected area with a small amount of deionized water. This softens the paper fibers just enough to allow for gentle manipulation, increasing the chances of reducing or eliminating the tick without damaging the surrounding area. I then use the heat iron on the reverse of the cover, because I want to press the cover forward, not emboss the tick into the top cover:

The result is that the spine tick is now virtually gone, significantly reduced to the point where it’s barely noticeable under normal lighting conditions.

Next on the list is the spine roll. Fortunately, it hasn’t caused a color-breaking crease along the spine, which means I can safely attempt to reset it without risking a downgrade.

To correct the spine roll, I gently pull the edges of the comic so they align properly, then pinch them together using my finger and thumb. This creates controlled tension along the spine, which temporarily warps the book, but that’s expected. The goal is to realign the structure before placing it into the press, where the tension will be neutralized and the spine reset into a more natural position.

Next, place just the spine section of the comic into the press, applying localized pressure at the appropriate temperature for the comic’s age. In this case, I used 70°C for 5 minutes, enough to relax and reset the spine without affecting the rest of the book.

The process is then repeated on the back cover:

From the images above, you can see the refreshed white tone of the back cover. Below, the results of the complete spine reset are shown, restoring proper alignment and significantly improving the book’s overall appearance.

I gave the comic one final full press for 24 hours to ensure everything settled into the correct state. This brought the book to its final, finished condition.

FINAL RESULTS

Only a few minor areas are remaining, specifically in the bottom-right corner, that may benefit from some light pressing with the heat iron, although the crease is color breaking. The colors are vivid, the spine roll has been corrected, the spine tick has been reduced as much as possible, and the whites are cleaner.

Even the cover creases are now barely visible. The comic has been improved.

The CGC grader notes:

1. Spine stress lines cover

2. Crease the right bottom of the cover

3. Wear cover

I couldn’t remove the wear, the color-breaking crease on the right corner, or the stress lines. The final grade came in at 8.5. While that’s not a massive leap in market value, that was never the real goal.

When I cracked open the original slab, I was genuinely surprised it had received an 8.0. That unexpected grade made this entire project more of a challenge and more rewarding. With persistence and careful treatment, I managed to improve the condition and bump the grade, which I consider a clear win. It was never going to be a 9.0, so there was no point in continuing to remove the defects, unfortunately, but it now looks significantly better, cleaner, and far more loved than it did at the start.

So yes, I’m calling this one a victory. That said, next time… I might think twice before taking on a project like this. Honest !!

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