LBC/Waco Comic Bookbindery

[VinceB]

I've come to the conclusion that bagging and boarding comics, while increasing the longevity of my precious periodicals, is ultimately not a good thing. Once bagged, I put 'em in a box and never read them, again. It's like they don't even exist. So, I've decided to try binding some runs (first off: the Kelley Jones Batman run), but I have ZERO experience with any of the companies that specialize in this kind of thing.

Has anyone dealt with the Library Binding company mentioned on the CGS forum or other outfits? I've been to the LBC site, but they don't list any prices...

SO, YOU WANT TO BIND YOUR COMICS....

This thread is very long, so here are some basics to get you started. 

FAQs:
Aziz's page
The Marvel Masterworks Fan Site page
You should be able to answer most of your question with help from these 2 resources.

LIST OF BINDERIES:
This list is not exhaustive, but it's a good starting point: BINDERIES

[evaD]

Hey all! I decided, not too long ago, to try out the binding thing. I've been doing the graphic covers and having a blast designing them. I've done some of the art on some and worked with scanned images on others. For the most part I'm pleased with the effect, but you can tell the difference in art quality between those done by the pros and the ones done by my. I'm attaching the cover files for anyone that wants a look and will post some of the finished books when I get them all back and get photos.

[Christopher Stark]

LOVE that Maxx one!

[evaD]

Thanks. That's one of my favorites, too. Some of it is pulled off the Darker Image cover and some is pulled from the covers of the series.

[Dean S.]

Hey all! I decided, not too long ago, to try out the binding thing. I've been doing the graphic covers and having a blast designing them. I've done some of the art on some and worked with scanned images on others. For the most part I'm pleased with the effect, but you can tell the difference in art quality between those done by the pros and the ones done by my. I'm attaching the cover files for anyone that wants a look and will post some of the finished books when I get them all back and get photos.

Those are great!  I wish I had some sort of skill in that area.

[evaD]

Those are great!  I wish I had some sort of skill in that area.

Thanks, Dean. I'm working on a WildCATS one that I think will be really cool if I can get it to turn out right. I'll post that when it's done. I'm also part way through a Nexus cover, but I think that will be relatively plain.

[Dean S.]

Curious if any of you have come up with unique solutions for binding some of these odd-ball sized comics that come out from time to time.  

I've finally gotten enough of these Image, golden-age-sized comics to make a volume of Dean Presents (I'm putting Cowboy Ninja Viking, Viking and 27 together in a volume).

But, what are folks doing with the really weird sized stuff like Loose Ends?  It's taller and narrower than Golden Age.  Then I've got a random issue of Kick Drum Comix by Jim Mahfood that I love and it's the same height as Loose Ends, but about 2mm wider.  WTF?

I imagine this is one of those situations "without a good answer" but if anyone has a scheme, I'd love to hear it.....

[travazz]

I had a crazy situation, huge unexpected expense hit late last week.  Sadly I had to cover the expense while things are being investigated.  So to help cover that expense I will be selling some of my bound books on eBay the next few weeks.  Here are the first auctions:

Deadpool 12 Volume Bound Collection

Deadpool Current Series (Full Run)

Deadpool 1-3 1/20 Variants

Deadpool 45 1/50 Variant

Deadpool 50 1/50 Variant

[Dean S.]

I sent off a big batch of stuff to get bound....

Alien Legion volume 1 (all the single issue).

Northlanders (issue 1 - 25 or so)

A compilation of 80's X-Men Miniseries and one shots in TWO volumes, including: Wolverine, Obnoxio the Clown, X-Men/Teen Titans, Magik, X-Men/Micronauts, Kitty Pryde/Wolverine, Heroes for Hope, Beauty & the Beast, Iceman, Longshot and Nightcrawler (Lots of goodness there)

Two more volumes of "Dean Presents" which is my hodge-podge of minis/runs/one-shots, including: Cowboy Ninja Viking 1-10, Viking 1-5, Twenty Seven v1 1-4, Hulk by Parker & Hardman, Severed 1-7, Superior 1-7 and the newest Terry Moore sketchbook

Can't wait to get them back. 

[Pat Moleman]

Got this batch in the mail a few weeks ago. That is the classic X-Factor and the Howard the Duck is the black and white magazine that Vice was raving about. It look so nice in a book like this.

[evaD]

I'm getting ready to send some more books off to get bound. I'm doing the 1984 New Teen Titans series issues 1-18 Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S. issues 0-14, and then a collection of Image mini series; Phantom Jack,Underground, Who is Jake Eillis, and Forgetless. The minis will be bound together. I'm still working on the WildC.A.T.S. cover design, but here are the other two cover designs:

[Christopher Stark]

That Image one is sick!

I have to stop procrastinating and just get one of these damn things done already.

[evaD]

That Image one is sick!

I have to stop procrastinating and just get one of these damn things done already.

Thanks. It's a lot of fun coming up with the covers. I've designed covers for collections of Hulk, Supreme, the Maxx, Miracleman (the Alan Moore issues), and Nexus. I'm working on X-Statix (still filling some gaps in this collection), D.P.7, The Sixth Gun, Locke & Key (waiting for the series to end), two more Image mini series compilations, and more Supreme, Miracleman (The Gaiman issues) and Nexus.

[Christopher Stark]

I want to do a GIJoe collection, a transformer collection,  Hawkman by Palmiotti, Hex, and a few others.

[BobBretall]

I got these bound by Herring & Robinson (in San Francisco).......

Jim Balent flipped out when I showed him these at SDCC:


He sketched in the 1st one for me:

[Dean S.]

Jim Balent flipped out when I showed him these at SDCC:

I've generally gotten the same reaction from creators too when I get them to sign a bound volume.  They always love it, think it's super cool, show it to other creators near their booth, etc. 

I'm waiting for one guy to complain that I ripped him out of a double-dipper royalty on the sale of a hardcover, but it hasn't happened yet.

[evaD]

I've generally gotten the same reaction from creators too when I get them to sign a bound volume.  They always love it, think it's super cool, show it to other creators near their booth, etc. 

I'm waiting for one guy to complain that I ripped him out of a double-dipper royalty on the sale of a hardcover, but it hasn't happened yet.

I hadn't thought of that, but I can't image that happening since you paid for the singles and they are yours to do with as you please. It'd take a real tool to say something like that.

[Spigs]

Love reading this thread, one of these days I'll actually scrape some money together and get some of my collections bound.  A few of the runs still need to be filled in but currently the tops one's on deck are

-Amanda Conner's Power Girl work, including the JSA one shot and her run on Terra
-Palmiotti and Gray's run of Jonah Hex
-Spider-Man The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt
-Howard the Duck

Someday...

[BobBretall]

I like to bind stuff that's not likely to ever get the HC treatment from the publisher.

Next up for me: Master of Kung Fu.  This will likely never be reprinted due to copyrights from the Sax Rohmer estate, but is great stuff.   I need to snag 1 or 2 more early issues.

[TheoWard]

I like to bind stuff that's not likely to ever get the HC treatment from the publisher.

Next up for me: Master of Kung Fu.  This will likely never be reprinted due to copyrights from the Sax Rohmer estate, but is great stuff.   I need to snag 1 or 2 more early issues.

I working towards a Master of Kung-Fu bind too.  A long way to go though.  Please post pics when your finish it though.  Do you have a map for how you'll organize the books or are you just going 'straight numbering'.

[BobBretall]

I working towards a Master of Kung-Fu bind too.  A long way to go though.  Please post pics when your finish it though.  Do you have a map for how you'll organize the books or are you just going 'straight numbering'.

I do boring/simple binds.  Since I did a LOT before all the fancy "design a cool cover" stuff came along I tend to just do simple buckram in a color that matches my idea of the material.   For MOKF, Probably Red with yellow or gold lettering on the spine.

As to order, the main stuff, in order, and I'll likely splice in the stuff in parentheses in approximately that location where they don't seem to break up story momentum in the normal MOKF title.

Special Marvel Edition #15-16
MOKF #17-20  (GS Spider-Man #2 goes around here somewhere)
MOKF #21-22  (GS MOKF #2)
MOKF #23-25 (GS MOKF #3)
MOKF #26-28 (GS MOKF #4)
MOKF #29-47 (MOKF Annual #1)
MOKF #48-53 (Marvel Two-In-One #29)
MOKF #54-78 (Marvel Team-Up #84-85, What If #16)
MOKF #79-120 (ROM #38-39)
MOKF #121-125
Marvel Comics Presents #1-8 (Just the MOKF stories)
MOKF: Bleeding Black #1
Moon Knight Special #1
Captain America #412-414
Marvel Comics Presents #156-158 (just the MOKF stories)
Daredevil Annual #10
X-Men #62-64
Journey Into Mystery #514-516
Elektra #16
Heroes for Hire #18-19
Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu #1-6
Shang Chi Master of Kung Fu One Shot (B&W)

I'm thinking of ending it with the B&W one-shot.

There are also a number of other comics where he make came appearances & I've not decided if I want to slide those in or not.

Let me know if I missed anything major.