Did you know U.S. Marvel comics are also distributed to more than the UK overseas. I traveled Europe last year and just about every shop I visited had new Marvel comics. The exact same ones we have in the U.S. In English. I saw this in France, Belgium, Germany, etc.
It would be interesting to know how much those sales account for. I can see another 15% or more easily just from the other countries.
Aside from a few other European countries like Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, etc there's also...
Australia, new Zealand, INDIA, Philippines, Singapore, and probably some others.
Do these constitute HUGE #'s? Maybe, maybe not, but in aggregate it MIGHT in some cases represent another bump in variant print run, which may not insignificant, and may or may not be consistent (some variants might not even be offered internationally for whatever reason, or at different incentive levels).
The point is not that any single factor causes sooooo much uncertainty, although in some cases it might, but the point is that there's sooooo MANY factors that going into deciding print run (of any comic, including variants), with 99% of them being unknown to the public for any given issue, that essentially you're just closing your eyes and throwing darts at a moving board and then making a guess at what you hit.
The variants we get are distributed through Diamond N.A. and there is nothing that I have ever seen that even suggests that they are offered overseas.
Again, what I see are foreign reprints that use many of the variant covers but with different interiors, or covers that are unique to the overseas market that we don't get here.
It is a different market and should not be a part of the conversation.
-J.
Is this fact or opinion?
Those same stores that carry those U.S. comics also had the same exact Diamond Previews. I guess it is possible those overseas shops are counted in the North American numbers. Do we have any non-North American/non-UK posters who can tell us how comic shops overseas order, if the U.S. variants are available there, and if the comics are distributed from a warehouse in the U.S. or overseas?
I honestly don't know, but after having seen how popular U.S. comics are overseas, I am interested in learning.
The international market represents maaaaaaybe 10-15% over and above the published N.A. numbers, and I have never seen Diamond UK offering the same variants (although that's not to say the UK market doesn't get a crack at the same loser books like everyone else during the occasional variant dump) and publishers like Panini are offering different books altogether in the non-English speaking countries.
-J.
At least you've finally conceded that Marvel does have occasional variant sales, which would also imply that you concede that they print more than they distribute.