[Phalanx]

Who cares about grading if you're gonna read it anyways, you'd be surprised at how careful you can be reading a comic, and to have it slide down the grading scale...
The biggest joke is the company that actually grades and seals them now, they charge a fair bit, and your comics can be damaged in the post on the way in..., then they come back (sure sealed nice n pretty) and unless you're lucky, or just buying EVERYTHING, especially these days, you'll find there was little point in doing all this. (Although I do envy anyone who got this done with the "wolverine: origin" series, anyone aware of current pricing will know why)

I say the best way to keep an actual comic and enjoy it, is to either buy double copies, or read once and then seal yourself. You can vac-seal em, or simply put them in your plastic sleeves, either with backing, or on a solid surface (pile them tail to top), should be fine...of course after all this effort, collecting comics simply is seldom worth it anymore.
Prices going up, values going down.
This is why I download.
Superior selection, won't fall apart, no ridiculous price attatched.

I've collected comics, haven't been on the pirate side the whole time...but I've been there and done that, and something I read changed my mind, can't remember exactly how it went, but the message was, the only way to REALLY enjoy a comic as it should be enjoyed = get it, read it, then fold the sucker in half and shove it in your back pocket, condition be damned...this way you can re-read/relive the comic again and again, simply put, this is how comics used to be, and how they should be. Lying in treasure piles to dive through anytime you like.