A Conversation with CGC

转载声明：本文转载自 CBSI Comics，版权归原作者及原媒体所有。

Welcome back to another installment of Gutters : comic gab for life in between the panels.

The 2026 New York Comic Con was a few weeks ago, and during my time there I had the pleasure of speaking with Shawn Caffrey, Vice President of Comics Grading for CGC. CGC ( Certified Guaranty Company ) has been offering their services for almost three decades and is undoubtedly the most popular comic grading company in the world. That statement is not hyperbole, but why is that? Why are they the first choice for many collectors? Is it solely for the premium ROI that investors receive versus other grading options? Or is it more?

WHY CGC OVER YOUR COMPETITORS?

Shawn Caffrey: “We’ve been around the longest. We have integrity and have proven to be the best.”

I can admit that in my personal opinion they are the Wolverine of the grading market. I couldn’t help but follow up by asking what about CGC is he most proud about — “what would you like to personally highlight?”

Shawn Caffrey: “Service and Consistency. We’re the best at what we do.”

Again, CGC was built with an adamantuim skeleton.

WHAT ABOUT GRADING INCONSISTENCIES?

But not every service can offer a near mint experience all the time, can they? I asked Shawn what he would say “to collectors who complain about grading inconsistencies, or books being damaged after being sent to them?”

Shawn Caffrey: “When it comes to damages, we can always make it right and offer the customer some sort of compensation. When it comes to inconsistencies, I’ve been doing this for years, and we can point out things in person that not everyone will catch. It’s one of the reasons we want to make ourselves present at shows like this, so we can show that and educate.”

I can confirm that going to conventions is a great way to get up close and personal with CGC, and to learn more about what they do, and how they do it.

WHAT WOULD CGC CHANGE ABOUT COMIC BOOKS?

What would CGC change, not about their services, but about comic books as a whole? I asked several people in the industry this question (over my four days at NYCC), and Shawn’s answer was quite honestly a surprising one.

Shawn Caffrey: “Nothing. Comics change and evolve themselves, and we welcome that — the world, the people, artists, everyone involved, we are a family.”

This was the only time I heard someone say that they wouldn’t change a thing, but I appreciate Shawn’s wholesome and positive outlook, and I agree that the comic community does feel like an extension of a family.

MANGA HOLDERS ARE COMING!

Lastly, I asked Shawn if “there were any new or exciting announcements you could share with our readers?”

Shawn Caffrey: “Well other than the three variants we dropped for the convention (one for Absolute Batman and two for Dungeon Crawler Carl ) which we have the artists signing behind us right now, we announced a custom label for Dungeon Crawler Carl and are also looking into creating a holder for Manga, but we are taking our time, to make sure it is right.”

It doesn’t surprise me that they’d take their time designing the right holder for Manga, as they’d want it to hold up to their high (quality) standards. As a fan of Manga and Anime, I can’t help but be excited to see what my copy of Tokyo Ghoul would look like in a slab.

I appreciate Shawn and the CGC team for having a conversation with me, and for how passionate they all sounded about the medium as a whole. I was able to drop a book off for grading myself and snag a copy of that beautiful Jock variant of Absolute Batman #24. Check out my last article for a glimpse of that cover, and several other NYCC exclusives.

Do you collect slabs? How do you feel about CGC or the grading market? Let me know in the comments below and come back next month to find out what Jeph Loeb, Martin Simmonds, and others in the industry would change about comic books.