Who is DWC?

Desert Wind Comics is an independent company that contracts with CGC to provide CGC Signature Series signing opportunities to comic fans and collectors. Desert Wind Comics is classified as an Authorized CGC Signature Series Facilitator for specific comic conventions, trade shows and individual private signings. Desert Wind Comics is a division of Desert Wind Enterprises Incorporated based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Desert Wind Comics is a company that is fully insured to protect your investment and is staffed by caring comic book collectors and enthusiasts that have many years of experience in handling high value comic collectibles. We have built our reputation on the relationships we have built within the comic book collectible industry that is second to none.

How does this submission process work?

Well there are three possible ways to submit to DWC.

Option 1 is you can mail in your comic collectible to have DWC take to a show or signing to be signed by the creator you specify at that show or signing. The fee that is charged includes any signing fee charged by the creator or celebrity signing it, the CGC grading fee (unless you request it be returned ungraded or it is not able to be graded i.e. a statue) and the DWC handling fee. This fee is specific to each item or book submitted to DWC. Please go to our pricing tab to find pricing information. The return shipping fee which is an extra fee is calculated based on the total number of items to be shipped back to you. Once receiving the item or book, it is then entered into our computer system, prepared to be signed, transported to the event, signed, if it is to be graded then shipped to CGC in Sarasota, Florida for grading. Once the grading process is completed it is then shipped directly back to you. If it is not to be graded then the item is shipped back to you after it is signed. Please note that you are responsible to get the collectible to our office by the posted submission deadline.

Option 2 is you can come to the DWC booth at an event and drop your comic collectible off to be submitted to be signed. The fee that is charged includes any signing fee charged by the creator or celebrity signing it, the CGC grading fee (unless you request it be returned ungraded or it is not able to be graded i.e. a statue) and the DWC handling fee. This fee is specific to each item or book submitted to DWC. Please go to our pricing tab to find pricing information. The return shipping fee which is an extra fee is calculated based on the total number of items to be shipped back to you. Once receiving the item or book, it is then entered into our computer system, prepared to be signed, signed, if it is to be graded then shipped to CGC in Sarasota, Florida for grading. Once the grading process is completed it is then shipped directly back to you. If it is not to be graded then the item is shipped back to you after it is signed.

Option 3 is you can come to the DWC booth at an event and request that the DWC/CGC Witness walk with you to get your item signed by a creator or celebrity at the event. The fee that is charge includes any signing fee charged by the creator or celebrity signing it, the CGC grading fee (unless you request it be returned ungraded or it is not able to be graded i.e. a statue) and the DWC handling fee. This fee is specific to each item or book submitted to DWC. Please go to our pricing tab to find pricing information. The return shipping fee which is an extra fee is calculated based on the total number of items be shipped back to you. The book(s) are then surrendered to DWC to ship to CGC in Sarasota, Florida for grading. Once the grading process is completed it is then shipped directly back to you.

If you are at a show that a creator or celebrity is signing at and if it is a large signing as in the case of Stan Lee, DWC will have a table or representatives set up near the area where the creator or celebrity will be signing and you can then walk over to the representative to submit your item signed to be graded. The prices for this type of submission is as listed here plus a $5.00 special fee.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: If you walk out of the area with the book and then decide to come back to the area to submit the book, DWC can NO LONGER accept that item to be Signature Series graded. CGC rules are very specific that if the item that is signed leaves the eyesight of the witness and facilitator then that item is then considered ineligible to be certified. NO EXCEPTIONS!

What if I want the signature in a specific spot or color?

Two ways to indicate where you want the signature:

1.)    Cut a piece of paper the size of the comic book.  Cut out a rectangular hole 2” x 4” in the area where you want the signature to be. Place this piece of paper over your comic book inside the comic bag.  This is the preferred method.

2.)   Photocopy the cover of your book and mark on the photocopy and include the photocopy with your submission form. Please make sure you allow a 2” x 4” area to sign. You don’t want the person signing it feel like they need to make their signature a little spec on the cover. So leave plenty of space to sign. And try to stay away from the edges of the book.

Please note that some creators do have their favorite spots to sign in and they may decide to sign in that spot instead of where you asked.

If you want a color other than black or silver then you must include the color pen to be used. MAKE SURE you try out the pen first. DO NOT use pens that take more than a few seconds to dry otherwise you run the risk of the signature smearing.

How do I calculate my fee for submission?

You need to know a few things about the book you are getting graded such as the published date and the fair market value. You can find the publish date on the inside of the book in the publication statement normally found at the bottom of the first or last page. To determine fair market value, either use what you paid for the book if purchased within the last couple of years, look on eBay or any other auction site, or use a guide such as the OverStreet Guide. It does not have to be precise and it is better to over value rather than under value your book. The purpose of the value is for insurance and CGC determines the grading tier based on the value. Once you have the date and value, go to the pricing tab on the web site and choose regular con or private signing, such as Stan Lee. First look at the date section of pricing graph. If the book was published since 1980 that could qualify as a “Modern” tier as long as the value is below $200. If it was published prior to 1980 then it would qualify for any of the other tiers. To determine which tier, use the value of the book with the less expensive books being Economy tiers and the most value being Express or Walk-Thru. Please note an original 1963 X-Men #1 would never be submitted as an Economy Tier.  If CGC disagrees with your valuation, they will ‘bump up’ the tier and charge more to grade the book.

How do I package the books up to ship to you?

Simply slide the book inside of a bag and board and then place 2 pieces of thick cardboard on each side of the bag. Use MINIMAL amount of tape in securing the book. You do NOT need to use a whole roll of packing tape to secure one book. Remember the more tape you use the higher the chance the book could get damaged while removing the tape from around the book.  Wrap a few layers of bubble wrap around the cardboard surrounding the book.  Again only use a single piece of tape to secure the bubble wrap. Then place the package in a box and seal the box.  Ship it to DWC. Ask yourself how easy you can get the book out of the package and bubble wrap and cardboard while you are wrapping. If it is tough for you then it will be tough of us as well. Please do NOT use peanut packing as it can shift around in the box and allow the book to get damaged. REMEMBER THAT TAPE IS A BOOK’S ENEMY!

What if my book has already been graded?

Should I remove it before shipping it to DWC?

You may wish to ship the book in the hard shell for protective reasons but DWC does charge a fee to remove the book from the encasement. Please see the pricing page for details. The hard shell can act as a protective barrier when shipping the book and we have experience in opening several thousand CGC cases. Absolutely do not remove books that have previously been signed and have a Yellow CGC Signature Series label. If you remove the book from the CGC shell you will nullify the signature certification. NO EXCEPTIONS!

When will I get my books back?

CGC list the grading time as 20 BUSINESS days for Modern tier, 40 BUSINESS days for Economy tiers, 15 BUSINESS days for Standard tier and 5 BUSINESS days for Express tier. However these are just guidelines and CGC posts on their website whether they are on schedule.

Although DWC cannot control the amount of time it takes for CGC to grade the books, we can aide in finding out the status of your books.

If you have other questions please e-mail us at questions@desertwindcomics.com.