I was looking through an old Dazzler comic...

...it had a Hulk cover and was in the 50 cent bin at my LCS so I figured why not. One of the articles in the Bullpen Bulletins of this issue caught my eye and I found it interesting reading so I thought I would pass it along...

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Many collectors have inquired about the two different types of covers theyve seen on Marvel Comics. One type has the price, date, issue number, and some strange numbers and symbols in little boxes...as seen in the upper left hand side of the Dazzler book below.

Another has the price, date, and issue number in a diamond shape.

The reason for the two different covers is that our comics are circulated two different ways. Some reach the public via the Curtis Circulation Company and a network of Independent Distributor Wholesalers who service newstands, drugstores, 7-11s, and other magazine outlets across the country. These comics whose covers have the little boxes. They carry the Curtis seal and, presumably, the strange numbers mean something to wholesaler type people.

A substantial number of our comics are NOT distributed by Curtis, however. These comics go directly to comics specialty shops and other locations not serviced by ID Wholesalers. Since these comics arent handled by Curtis, they dont need the funny little numbers and cant carry the Curtis seal...hence the artful diamond design, which so beautifully sets off the remaining info. Clever, huh? Thats the scoop.

Apparently some collectors were worried that the one type might be less valuable as collectibles that the other type, or that the little boxes covers were reprints, or vice versa. Well, how much our comics are worth as collectors items really us up to YOU guys. Only in the marketplace can the value of a collectible be determined. We CAN tell you that the comics with both types of covers are printed at the same time, on the same presses, that neither type is a reprint of the other, and that except for the cover markings, the comics are identical in every way. All clear?

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Admittedly Ive noticed the two different price logos, but had no idea what their significance was until now. According to Wikipedia, the Curtis Circulation Company was the official distributor of Marvel Comics from 1969 to 1986. I dont see this changing the way I collect, but I enjoyed learning about this little piece of Marvel Comics history and hope you did as well.

Til next time...

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