Thanks for that.

I had another look at the comic I was referring too and I would not trust myself or a grading company to really open the comic to search for staples unless they use an x-ray machine so I did a test with a pin pointer.

A comic with staples sets the pin pointer off and this comic does not go off so it is bound with no staples at all.

They get graded the same way. Staples are usually inside, so all the pages are stapled together, then the cover is glued on. So you can still check for rust, etc...

Most books come with staples unless it's a square-bound issue, which is glued. If a regular book that should have staples is missing them or they were removed it isn't a 9.4. It's an incomplete book and worth very, very little.