I know this is not really card related, but I figured this is worth posting here in the General Card section, rather than the Entertainment section, where it will probably be less read

The reason I am posting is to vent on how, in my opinion, some companies go WAY to far with variants on collectibles, and how it turns fans like myself off. I have yet to see this happen in the non-sports field. Hopefully it will never come to this !

Since the early 1990s, alot of comic book companies have been producing variant covers on their comics, exclusive to San Diego and other shows, and exclusive to certain dealers and on line stores

FATHOM is a comic which started in the 1990s, now published by Aspen. There was a card set about the character, as well. There have been many variants on the comics over the years

However, they have now published a new title called the ALL NEW FATHOM. Issue # 1 just came out with at least 38 different covers !!!

The kicker is that that about 30 of the 38 are exclusive to specific comic stores around the country, about 200 to 500 copies of each of the 30 produced. Literally, 30 different stores have their own, exclusive variant cover. So to be a true completist, you'd have to chase down a cover from 30 comic stores, as no two have the same variant. So far I've seen only about 6 of the 30 appear on ebay.

I never thought a company would go so far !

Marvel started in 2010 a program where if you bought it on certain comics that your store name would be in the cover. You would have to order 200 to 500 of these "special" variant comics. Unfortunately, I know too many shops that over inflate the price of these variant covers to cover the cost of issues that sit on the shelf. I know one dealer that 100% believes that the overpaying of his prices on variant covers is what keeps his shop in business.

Of the 30 that I have seen images of, I would say that 22-25 of them have the same cover picture of Fathom with a surfboard, but each is a completely different color (some are black and white) with the store logo on them. However, approximately 5-8 have totally unique images on them

A year or so back, they did a My Little Pony comic book which had 40 or 50 different covers !

Where variants are concerned, the shark was jumped on comics long ago. Comics from the likes of Avatar, IDW, and Dynamite have routinely had multilple cover for pretty much every comic they publish.

Marvel and DC usually have at least 3 covers for at least their better selling titles. In the end, though, it's the same comic inside, and with very few exceptions, a single copy of a given issue more than satisfies the "completist" in me. I just need one of each number, not one of each cover. The only thing that bothers me is when a variant cover, especially one of the really rare ones, boasts a better cover than the normal version, but that's a matter of opinion as to which one is better than which.

Mars Attacks #1 from IDW came out last year and had nearly 60 different covers (including one for each original card), but on that, I decided I'd be happy with the one I got that was randomly selected for me by my subscription company, and I was.

Justice League #1 from DC Comics came out a few months ago with 50 different state covers along with a US Flag version, and I actually do have four versions of that one.

On that, I pre-ordered the states I've lived in (California and New Mexico) and then I got two free along with an order I placed from Mile High Comics. The idea there was to get the ones with lower production runs, so I picked up two from states that don't have so many comic shops.

DC did offer a full set of them, I believe with a 51st cover, but really, that's just like buying the same comic 50 times. Can't do it, and won't do it. One of each number is enough for me.

They've had some bizarre ones over the past few years.

Top Cow had these "all beef" variants (?) on their titles (Darkness, Witchblade, etc.) about 5 years ago. There were maybe 8 to 10 different ones total, only 100 copies of each. From what I recall, comic stores had to enter a raffle to obtain the privilege of getting them, and eventually tiny, obscure comic stores in the middle of nowhere ended up being the only ones who had them. At first, they sold for big bucks

Other "memorable" variants from about 4-5 years ago were the ones only available from Hastings, an electronics/entertainment store out in the western, USA (none here on the east coast) They did-- and apparently CONTINUE to do variants-- on IDW, Image and Marvel comics like True Blood, X-Files, Walking Dead, etc

The bottom line here is that companies churn out these variants because people keep going out and buying them. If collectors stopped buying them I guarantee the companies would stop making them.

I quit buying comics a long time ago so I don't know what's going on in the current market, but manufacturing minimally different varients in cards or comics is an inexpensive way to get collectors to buy the same thing dozens of times over.

I agree 100% with wolfie. If you are smart enough to know its a scam, why go along with it?

I though the most brilliant idea ever from a business standpoint was the variant sketch cover... the blank one that the company doesnt have to pay an artist to create. It essentially says. "Hey pay someone yourself do do this cover, kid, because we wont"

Im waiting for Topps to just start including blank sketch cards in packs. Judging by some of the quality of Topps sketches, that would be a step up.

Evan
Studio-Hades

I don't worry about card variants - one card of the specific number is enough for me - if there are 2,20 or 38 variations good luck to those chasing them

The 1st mass variant comic I had to have was Gen 13 with 13 covers back in the mid-nineties. As to cards not sure I buy into those parallel sets. More of an ego thing boasting you chased down the gold set. Maybe that's what were looking for, the thrill of the hunt.

I think that you will find that most collectibles will have variants, if it is not the name of the distributor printed somewher it will be the colour. To some extent it matches the real world it that you can purchase a car with a multiple choice of colour for both the inside and outside. Another example would be the Harry Potter books that were issued with different variants, one for children and another for adults. (I've never read them so I don't know the exact differences).

Some of the earliest "on purpose" card variants were some of the chase cards in the Fleer Ultra X-Men and the Marvel Masterpieces (Hildebrandt Brothers art) sets from 1994-95

In the X-Men cards, there was a 10 card chase set that had the same art, but different color background and foils depending on whether the cards were from Hobby, Retail, or specially marked packs sold at Walmart.

With MM94, there were 10 Holofoil chase cards and they came in the regular silver in hobby and retail, gold in Jumbo packs, and Bronze in Walmart packs. The bronze versions are now very valuable and sell at many multiples of the price the normal silver ones sell at. The Golds are somewhat more valuable than the Silver, but back when I got some of those, I remember thinking "This is stupid. Why not just make different inserts cards instead of just changing the foil color?" and with that in mind, I actually gave away the Gold ones I had back then. Oops.

Good thing for avoiding future regret that I didn't get any of those bronze ones way back when (well, not for the lucky person I probably would've given those to, as well!).

One of the Red Sonja card sets was originally solicited with blank sketch cards in the boxes but they dropped it before the release.

The blank sketch covers are the only books collectors actively "destroy" by drawing on them or getting them drawn on. Some of the more popular ones like The Marvels Project and Amazing Spider-man have gotten hard to find blank and sell for around $20 each.

The difference between these new Fathom comics and the Bettie Page promos is threefold:

1) Theoretically, you could just buy several dozen copies of NSU (as I know some people did) and open them all, and could pull most if not all of the variant promos

2) Most of the cards people described above were just COLOR variants. But on these new comics, there are 30 different ones ALL called "Cover D", and yet many of them have completely new artwork on the covers, making them unique from the rest. Yes, about 2/3 of them are just color variants, but many are NOT

3) Finally, you actually have to go to, or order from, 30 different comic stores to get these covers ! You would literally have to run to 30 different locations around the USA. To me, this is carrying things way to far.

Tommy, to drive you even crazier...

ALL the Aspen 10 for 10 promotion titles have store exclusive cover variants for the #1 issue. Each has averaged about 15-20 stores each book. Fathom was a MUCH larger print run (it's their flagship title) and had more stores in the promotion because of it.

Probably won't find all of them on ebay either (unless someone puts them together as a set to sell). The shops locally here in Vegas just sell them in their stores (usually at cover price). With the Fathom #1 being $1 cover price, it'd be cheaper to hunt them down by calling the shops and asking if they ship.

And I agree, the amount of variants in the industry as a whole can be pretty crazy!

Aspen sent me a list of the 36 different stores (yes, there are 36 retailer versions, NOT 30 as reported by me earlier) that each have an exclusive cover on Fathom. Just doing an internet search alot of these places don't seem to have websites. I imagine that others will not be willing to ship a $ 1 comic through the mail, either.

So, to clarify, there are 36 store variants PLUS 2 regular covers, a sketch cover, a 10th anniversary cover, 2 San Diego Comic Con covers, 2 from Blue Rainbow (a Facebook retailer), and one from Smash It, whatever that is. AT LEAST 45 different covers !!!

quote:

Originally posted by Tommy C:
So, to clarify, there are 36 store variants PLUS 2 regular covers, a sketch cover, a 10th anniversary cover, 2 San Diego Comic Con covers, 2 from Blue Rainbow (a Facebook retailer), and one from Smash It, whatever that is. AT LEAST 45 different covers !!!

So at this time, are any of these variant covers considered to be more valuable than the others, or is that supposed to come later?

Or do you get points for just having all 45 covers of the same comic?

This one issue could make up someone's entire comic collection.

Well, one of the San Diego covers is limited to 100. (Cover G) But ironically, 4 or 5 have appeared on ebay since the show. I think one of the two Blue Rainbow covers is also limited to 100, the other to 300. These are covers H and I.

I have not seen Covers C (sketch) or E (Anniversary) anywhere.

The 36 different Cover Ds are all limited to between 200 and 500 each, from what I can see. The challenge is putting together a set. How you can do so, short of calling 36 different comic book stores-- some are in Canada, BTW-- and getting them to sell you a $ 1 comic, is beyond me

In the end, its just good business. In terms of cards, 7 parallels means 7 cards that you dont have to pay anyone to create except the printer.


I'd rather see more good cut autos, relics,
redemptions etc but that costs more. Also why i dont collect modern, only pre 1955. Same way Image comics made me start collecting pulps.

What's a parallel set if it's not a variant?

Non-sport cards have been doing this for years! How about Lady Death Ser.3. Not just one parallel set of 90 but six!! With the main set that's 630 cards to the set without inserts.

Even promo cards do the same thing. Overstreet had the good grace to call their set "Giveaway Gimmick" and it had only 10 cards to the set but they came in 7-9 colours each (and they're scarce to boot!!

Collect what you want, forget about what you don't