AI comic book grading

Sample grade

Sensational She-Hulk #40

Sample report from a live grade. Your book gets the same layout.

GradeMyGrail.com

Chart estimate

Raw condition

9.4

NM

Page color

Off-White to White

Assessment date

September 16, 2026

Findings

Attractive modern book with strong color and gloss, complete, and Off-White to White pages. Minor edge/corner handling and limited spine stress keep it from higher NM tiers under a conservative read.

• Edge wearVery light non-color-breaking wear along right front edge and blue border.
• Corner wearSlight tip softening at corners; no clear color-breaking creases in corner close-ups.
• Spine stressLimited non-color-breaking stress inferred along spine edge; dedicated spine segments are incomplete/ambiguous so conservative reading applied.

Chart estimate for raw condition only — not a professional certification.

Start with how to grade a comic book at home, then the full grading scale from 10.0 Gem Mint to 0.5 Poor.

• How to grade a comic

  A conservative home method: honest photos, structure first, paper as a ceiling, color breaks over bends, and the lower number when you are unsure.

• Grading scale

  A 10-point ladder with no 9.7 or 9.5. When a book sits between two grades, the lower one is assigned.

• NM, VF, FN, VG

  Letter grades are bands. NM is roughly 9.2–9.8. VF is roughly 7.5–9.0. A listing that only says VF is not a 9.0.

• Photograph a comic

  A grade is only as honest as the photos. Square shots, even light, original files (not gallery screenshots), and a close-up of wear that blends into the art prevent inflated reads.

• Color-breaking defects

  White paper showing through ink is a color break. It costs more grade than a bend of the same length that does not break color.

• Page quality

  Paper color is a ceiling, not a bonus. White is required for a perfect 10.0. Brittle pages cannot exceed 3.5.

• Spine stress

  The spine is where books fail first. Stress, ticks, roll, and splits are graded by depth, color break, length, and accumulation.

• Corners and edges

  Corners and the right edge take stacking damage. Missing paper is a piece defect; a soft blunt is not. Manufacturing chips are not graded like a torn bite of the same size — except at the very top of the ladder.

• Raw condition

  Raw means the book in hand: unrestored, unslabbed, graded conservatively from photos. It is an estimate for condition, not a certificate and not a price.

• Should I press?

  A press can relax some waves, light bends, and roll. It cannot restore cracked ink, missing paper, or brittle pages. When in doubt, do not press first.

• Glossary

  Short definitions for the words that actually move a raw grade — so a listing and a photo mean the same thing.

• AI grading accuracy

  Photos show a lot, not everything. What an AI estimate can read, what it can't, and why the lower grade wins when it is close.

• Comic grading app

  What a good comic grading app should ask for, show you, and admit — and how this one runs in your phone browser with no download.

• Worth grading?

  Raw value, slabbed value, every cost both ways, and time. A fill-in-your-own-numbers check before you pay for professional grading.

• CGC vs PSA vs CBCS

  What each grading service says about itself, side by side — CBCS has closed to new submissions — and why to grade it raw first.

Questions

How do I grade a comic book at home?

Photograph the front and back. Then fill the defect chart: ticks, crease lengths, tears, stains, and the rest of the columns. The lowest matching row is the grade. If you are between two grades, the chart already picked the lower one.

What is a 9.8 comic book grade?

9.8 is NM/M: nearly perfect, negligible defects, Off-White paper typical minimum. Any meaningful color break usually prevents 9.8. It is not the same as a casual “near mint” sticker.

What does NM, VF, FN, or VG mean on a comic?

They are letter bands, not single numbers. NM is roughly 9.2–9.8. VF is roughly 7.5–9.0. FN is 5.5–7.0. VG is 3.5–5.0. A listing that only says VF is not a 9.0.

Is this a professional certification?

Chart estimate for raw condition only — not a professional certification.

How accurate is it?

It is a conservative chart estimate, and it is only as good as your photos and the defects you enter. When a book sits between two grades, the lower one is assigned, and color breaks and page quality are weighed hard. See How accurate is AI comic book grading? for what photos can and can't show.

What photos do I need?

Front cover and back cover. That’s enough to start. Spine segments, four corners, and an interior spread help — those live on Guides, not as a prerequisite here.

How much does a grade cost?

50¢ per grade (1 credit). The first 500 sign ups get 1 free grade. If the estimate fails, the credit is refunded.

Why are the grades conservative?

When a book sits between two rungs, the lower grade is assigned. Color-breaking defects weigh more than non-breaking ones. Page quality is a hard ceiling.

What grading scale do you use?

A 10-point raw scale from 10.0 Gem Mint to 0.5 Poor. Valid numbers only: 10.0, 9.9, 9.8, 9.6, 9.4, 9.2, 9.0, then half-points down to 0.5 (plus 1.8). There is no 9.7 or 9.5.

Can I use this as a phone app?

Yes. Add GradeMyGrail to your home screen. It opens full-screen like a native app — no app store required.

Questions or comments?

Email Grademygrail@gmail.com. We read every note. If your grade includes a note about a defect the scan didn’t detect, send us a screenshot of the grade, the note, and a picture of the defect clearly shown, and we will give you another grading credit.