Metarog

Here are some comics which were not only one-shots for the title but for the publisher...

Yes, that's the case with DC Whitmans - Whitman logo and no issue number on the cover. If you look inside at the indicia inside the front cover at the bottom of the first page you can determine which issue numbers you have. Superboy #31.... that is a metarog joke, not a warlord joke Oh, sorry. Boy, make one mistake years ago and you are still outed even on a different board.

It is a process when it comes to huge variant sets... at first I just wanted any copy to complete my set but then little by little I have upgraded to the point where the with the exception of a couple issues mine are all fine and above with the majority being in the VF or better range. I still look for upgrades when they are reasonably price (translation-cheap) and for issues that are not missing the points of the starburst due to vertical centering (this is just one of my hangups). Most of my other sets are very high grade except for a good amount of my Modern Comics reprints which had horrible production problems. Most of my mini-comic promo sets are also really nice but not too many people collect those as fervently as regular issue variants so they can be found if you are patient. Totally agree with you on the Guide... it has never reflected real world price variant prices and is very slow to change so for a variant collector it is less than helpful as a price reference.

Oh Oh, looks like variant fever to me. I got it almost ten years ago and it still flares up from time to time. Regardless as to the origins of "price variants" they are different, rarer and just fun to collect. I know that my complete 30 cent variant set is the centerpiece of my collection and although I have over a dozen other "variant" sets it is the one that I continue to marvel and gawk at!!! Good to have a new variant poster to spice things up around here to. (thumbs u

This could be various things because it was right before the price went to 20 cents in the U.S. However, I have seen several around this time frame before and always thought they were Canadian. What I did is look at issues on E-Bay that were sold in Canada and looked for the different cover price. I just looked through for a few minutes and found several. Dagar-look at the first 3 issues http://cgi.ebay.com/DAGAR-INVINCIBLE-1-17-Gold-Key-Run-1972-VFN-UNREAD-/390221573656?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0 Star Trek http://cgi.ebay.com/STAR-TREK-18-Gold-Key-1973-FN-/230508970895?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0 Boris Karloff http://cgi.ebay.com/1972-Boris-Karloff-Tales-Mystery-Comic-42-Gold-Key-/120606693740?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0 Little Stooges http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLD-KEY-LITTLE-STOOGES-2-1972-CURLY-APES-/360288563994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2 I could go on as there are dozens of them if you search in Canada for Gold Key but I think you can see why I always thought these were Canadian editions,

I'm in Bills camp. The timing of these issues being right around the change from 12 to 15 cents is simply too convenient. While somewhat related, I do remember that Dell had a few years around 1960 where they had 15 cent comics for all years. I think this was before they reduced the size of the comics they were producing. I don't get this. This title didn't change to 15 cents until July 1969 and issue #75 is Mar 1962 so it took over 7 years before the price actually changed. It's pretty easy--the test failed. Dell tried it, and failed, only to revert to 12 cents, and Archie tried to test the waters, as well. There's no way they are Canadian editions. Think about this--with almost the same currency valuations, Canadians would have been paying almost 50% more for a comic. No way would that fly. Also, we're talking a very discreet period of publication. It's not like some of these books are from 1967. It would be nice to find documentation that spelled out what these were, but the chances of finding a letter like the Brodsky one are next to nil. I agree that your facts on the currency exchange are compelling. However, if these were test variants much doesn't make sense to me. For one Archie had just raised the price of their comics to 12 cents from 10 cents just 2 months prior to the B&V 75. Why test the market so soon as I doubt they had even compiled the sales data from the 12 cent increase. I also think that a 50% increase is just to much at that time so if it wouldn't work for the Canadian market-it wouldn't work for the US market either IMHO so why even bother testing it unless you increase the page count or have some other substantive change to the comic itself? Note that I don't care per se if these are test variants or not but I would like to know the reasons behind them. Good discussion here BTW... keep it going.

I'm in Bills camp. The timing of these issues being right around the change from 12 to 15 cents is simply too convenient. While somewhat related, I do remember that Dell had a few years around 1960 where they had 15 cent comics for all years. I think this was before they reduced the size of the comics they were producing. I don't get this. This title didn't change to 15 cents until July 1969 and issue #75 is Mar 1962 so it took over 7 years before the price actually changed.

I read everything you wrote about the indicia. I am not saying it is not cool. I am not saying it is not rare. But, I would still bet it is Canadian. There are a lot of GK examples like this. Guess I'm in the same boat as SheildAgent. Regardless though, great find. I love these finds. Put me in the same boat. Especially when you factor in the price increase just a few months before. Regardless-these would be nice to own.

Okay thanks, I know that Marvel and DC of the period had Canadian subsciption rates but it looks like Archies didn't.

The Marvel Canadian editions were also printed in the USA but were published for the Canadian market. Issue #73 was the first 12 cent cover so it is curious why they wanted to test the market only a couple months after they had just raised the price. Look at the indicia and see if it has a higher rate for Canadian subsciptions. Regardless it is much rarer than the regular edition.

Star Publications had a short-lived title called Indian Warriors in 1951.

Great Blog Craig, This required reading for variant geeks so it is now on my favorites. I like your review angle and the price tracking too. Keep up the good work.

Congrats Terry, that was my next to last when I completed my set. I hope Harry has one of your last two and vice versa. Hope we can all chat together sometime soon.

Here are the pics...

Great discussion over here... been a long time. As many have said we may never know the specifics as to the print runs of variants as this information is well over 30 years old and who knows if accurate records where even kept. We do know there was a collection from Wilmington, NC (IIRC) that had about 100 35 cent variants but that is one of or the only BIG find I can think of. I think what SA is saying is not that 30 centers are as rare as 35 centers so much as saying that the difficult nature of finding them as unidentified variants on E-bay skews the rarity some. I live and travel all over Florida and have been looking for these variants since 2003 and I have only found 4 35 cent variants and 2 30 centers while searching about 80% of the comic shops in the state. That is a very small sample but I think in this case the "normal" looking nature of the 35 centers probably worked in my favor.

That Cap variant is so striking... makes you wonder how that got out of quality control! The Dr. Strange variant may have been a corrective action as the regular 25 cent edition also has an orange starburst. Like SA states above since you can clearly see the "still only 25 c" behind the "30 c" block it might have been caught and changed to yellow. I don't know why the color makes a difference as there are other variants with orange starbursts like the Hulk 200 so maybe I'm off base.

Is that including the Dr. Strange #14 orange starburst variant? I believe this is the order of sets completed (excepting the above variant). FlyingDonut Silver&Bronze 4Gemworks Darthdeisel Shieldagent Metarog Canickus Bonas Do we know how long it took everybody? It took me a little over two years from the time I got my first (DD 134) until my last (KC 208). I'm always amazed that CosmicSpiderMan finished the 35 cent variants before the 30 cent variants? How may complete sets of 35 cent variants are there? Cosmic has the only complete set that I know of although there are a few within striking distance. I don't know if there are enough copies of the HB variants to make more than 5 complete sets so this is quite an accomplishment.

Is that including the Dr. Strange #14 orange starburst variant? I believe this is the order of sets completed (excepting the above variant). FlyingDonut Silver&Bronze 4Gemworks Darthdeisel Shieldagent Metarog Canickus Bonas Do we know how long it took everybody? It took me a little over two years from the time I got my first (DD 134) until my last (KC 208).

Nice ones Carl, always love to see your primo copies. Well since everybody is posting up their western variants and I am filing mine away anyway I took some picks of my mostly humble mid-graders. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/metarog/DSC00148.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/metarog/DSC00147.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/metarog/DSC00149.jpg

Glad you got that last western... as far as I know only Cosmic-Spider-Man and you can say that.

It was a special book club edition available to members of the RH book club. I read about it in one of those "ask the answer man" columns that ran in DC comics way back when.

I'm trying to collect just the DC pages "Direct Currents" from all of them. Would you be prepared to help I would but I was mistaken and I don't have them anymore. I am moving and I may have sold them or given them away months ago. I only had a dozen or so anyway but if I do find any I will let you know.

Anybody ?? Anyone ?? I think I have some of the early ones at home. I'll take a look tonight.

I owe half my rare promos to you. You are the ABSOLUTE KING when it comes to unearthing rare DC promos including loads we never knew existed. You deserve some sort of award.. Number One Promo Turner-Upper. Ha Ha, I'm sure I can dig a few more too. I am still looking for that Superboy giveaway I mentioned in my e-mail... I'll let you know when it turns up. I am still looking for that darn Swordquest Waterwold comic to complete my Atari promos but I have'nt seen one without the game in a long time.

I am glad you are back posting and finding comics on here again... a bit like the olds days but with a nice friendly flow. Hope all continues to go well.