I just read a few journals about comic variants and a new "variant" age... thought I'd share my thoughts as well...

I love comics, a complete nerd when it comes to them... but when it comes to variant issues or covers, that to me is strictly about the dollars. The "core"/story of the book is no different, so why would I even buy the issue if I simply wanted the satisfaction of reading the story. Also, the retailer incentive issues don't sell for cover price when released, which I find outright outrageous... why print a $2.99/$3.99 sales price on a 1:100 issue when you know darn well it never makes it to the "rack"... those issues go straight to the showcase for mark up or get sent straight to CGC, for potentially even more of a mark up... personally, I don't waste my time with buying new variant issues because they seldomly hold value in the long run. my personal collection is all about a few key principles... 1) does the issue have historical significance? 2) does it change/introduce new character development? and 3) what is the long term potential in regards to investment value? new variant issues are all about publishing companies squeezing every last dollar out of your pocket. it happened in the early 90's, and its happening again... don't get suckered in...

as far as a new age of comics, I definately believe we are in a new age... I think the new age began with the release of Ultimate Spiderman # 1, but, hollywood has a lot to do with it.... the recent comic boom and influx of new collectors is directly tied to the production of big box office movies related to comic book characters, so this is probably the first comic age that is directly tied to and relies on influnces in hollywood.

just my thoughts