Jaydogrules

Definitely a contender in six months if this is something we're still talking about then. -J.

Nothing you have pointed out is a "discrepancy". You just mentioned additional information I did not. I chose to write the little blurbs about each book as I saw fit and nothing I did write is factually incorrect. Also, simply Re-reading the stated criteria in the original post will answer a lot of questions and any quibbles you may have regarding how I elected to rank the books. **Edit-- I modified the narrative in the description for the ASM 700 Ditko to clear things up for you. -J.

All right guys, based on new information brought to my attention I have updated the Dirty Dozen. Thanks to all for your continuing suggestions and contributions. #12- Batman #1 Sketch Cover (2011)- Batman, Batman, Batman. It's not surprising that the most popular DC character would have a spot (or two) on this list. This hard to find cover easily breaks $1k in a 9.8 nowadays, and why not? It's the first issue in the run in one of the best artistic pairings on the title ever. #11- Amazing Spider-Man #700, Ditko (2013)- A ridiculous 1:200 ratio made this ridiculously expensive right out the gate, with some SS copies skyrocketing as high as $4000 upon its initial release. It has since settled down, but a recent uptick in prices, coupled with the strength of its sales in almost all down grades, as well as what it gets in a yellow label earns this the #11 spot. #10- Amazing Spider-Man #688, J. Scott Campbell (2012)- Did you really think we'd get very far on this list without seeing a JSC? Typically known for his pin-up work, this cover by him is actually kind of scary, and has broken $1500 in a 9.8 and has flirted with $600 raw as the folks who missed it when it first came out (or did not even realize it was a JSC cover) scramble to add it to their collections before it moves even further up the list. #9- X-23 #1, Dell'Otto (2010)- Another great and hot artist lodges his first cover here. Combined with the fact that X-23 may be Marvel's hottest female character right now, a rumoured movie appearance, and a breath-taking cover, and you have a book that has now fetched $1500 in a 9.8 and $600+ raw. #8- Walking Dead #100, Lucille/Red Foil Editions (2012)- The introduction of the iconic Negan in these crazy- rare issues has some people paying as much as $1800 for a 9.8 since word first leaked that he would (finally) be making his appearance in the show. Depending on how they ultimately end up depicting him there, these books could easily move up the list! #7- Siege #3, J. Scott Campbell (2010)- A bizarre retailer incentive that involved destroying other comic books, a super hot artist, and one of Marvel's most trendy characters flossing on the cover are the perfect recipe to catapult this book to $2000+ in a 9.8. #6- Spawn #185, Sketch (2008)- One of Image's original and longest running titles checks in here with its most valuable RI variant to date. Clocking in at $2750 the last time a 9.8 copy came up for sale publicly, the scant census numbers should keep rare variant chasers on their heels and this book in high value and esteem for the foreseeable future. Shout out to Topnotchman for pointing this awesome book out. #5- Batman #608 RRP (2002)- The granddaddy of the RRP's (and possibly all modern variants) makes the top 5. And why not? It's Batman, a first appearance of a new villain, and Part One of a story line that put the Batman title back on top. Oh yeah, and it has Jim Lee art. With prices at well over $3,000 for 9.8's and copies seeming to have disappeared into personal collections, don't expect to get this one on the cheap ever again (if you can even find one). #4- Uncanny X-Men #510 Partial Sketch Cover, J. Scott Campbell (2009)- Without a doubt the most valuable and hard to find convention book out there, 9.6 copies of these have sold for $2800, and only proves once again that Campbell + crazy rarity + beautiful pin-up art = salivating fans and $$$. All things considered, it wouldn't take much for this book to jump up higher on this list. #3- Wolverine #1, J. Scott Campbell (2010)- Yet another JSC cover, this one his best, lands at #3. Featuring a stocky Wolverine bulging out of Deadpool's costume, this book easily commands $3k+ in a 9.8 and is very strong in all down grades, as well as raw. It was another "destroy comics" incentive to retailers, an incentive that was so derided in the industry that it has yet to be repeated, but resulted in a book with a very low print run and insatiable demand. It was the uber-high sales prices of this book a couple of years ago that really got the JSC train going at 100 miles per hour, and if it ever stops chugging along, people will still be paying big money for this book. #2- Amazing Spider-Man #678 (2012)- This now classic and oft-reprinted and homaged cover features Mary Jane in mid-possession by the alien symbiote known as Venom. Its character mash-up and spoof elements made it an instant hit right out of the gate and it never looked back. A 1:50 variant released when ASM sales were barely cracking 50,000, this book has gone for $3500 in a 9.8 (on the rare occasion they're offered), and still breaks $1000 in an 8.5! Raw copies routinely break $1000 and its scarcity on the market, its "modern grail" status, and presence in the ASM run should keep it at the top of this list for a very long time. #1- Amazing Spider-Man #667, Dell'Otto (2011)- Really? Like, what else was it going to be? We're talking about a book that sells in raw, 8.0'ish condition for $2500. Possibly one of the rarest books of all in the entire ASM run, this book is a completionist's nightmare, and a rare variant hunter's wet dream. Hardly ever offered for sale, in any condition, there have been rumours and reports that as few as ~200 of these were produced. Whether this is true or not, however few copies there are seem to have already disappeared into permanent collections, and it is a veritable feeding frenzy when a copy does find its way to market. If there is such a thing as "Golden Age rarity" in the Modern Age (whether that rarity is "manufactured" or not), the ASM 667 Dell'Otto has it, and at this rate, there could easily come a time when years go by without a copy seeing the light of day. ***Up and Comers*** Amazing Spider-man #648 Colour, J. Scott Campbell (2011) Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Black Cat #1, J. Scott Campbell (2010) Uncanny X-Force #20, Venom Variant (2012). -J.

No but there are certainly other lists that can be created that could include other variants that other people have asked about. "Most Valuable Ashcans", "Most Valuable Foriegn Variants", "Most Valuable Variants Released in the Last 24 Months", "Most Valuable Error/Recalled Books", "Most Valuable Sketched Blanks", "Most Valuable Variants That Aren't First Prints". etc etc etc. In order for a list to even be possible there has to be "some" kind of criteria, so I decided to go with the sweet spot that applies to "most" modern variants as we know them today. -J.

Nothing personal. I love the book too. I would just like to keep the list tight with an apples to apples comparison. -J.

Indeed. But it's not a first print. All of the other books on the list are (unless I missed another one that isn't). It's a case of "which of these is not like the others". I want to try to keep the playing field level for every book that's included, and the second, third, etc-print market is an emerging sub-niche market when it comes to variants. I could easily make another list of the "most valuable second-and later print books", because they are starting to become a thing now. But as for this list, I want to keep it first print only, since they all basically are. -J.

Going to have to keep it limited to first prints only. That's great info on that saga RRP guys, I definitely learned something new here today. The list will be updated. -J.

The cut off point is three years specifically to exclude the many variants that start off super hot and then crash in value shortly therafter (as I explained in the first post). On any given day a new variant can come out and skyrocket in price and be forgotten the next week, month, or year. The purpose of this list is to highlight the books that have proven to be the exceptions to that pattern over an extended period of time. If people are still paying for the Vader down in another two and a half years what they're paying now, I'll be happy to add it. -J. But most of these books on the list have just skyrocketed in the past year. Why are they the exception? They also have no track record to speak of. Really, only two of them have "skyrocketed" in the last 12 months. The rest started pretty strong and just continued to get stronger. But that's why the list is fluid and why the order will undoubtedly shuffle as other qualifying books experience similar growth spurts and leapfrog other books on the list. Bringing in whatever "hot" new variant of the month only to remove after it crashes only plays into the statements of those who think variants are a waste of money or a "bad investment". The purpose of this list is to show who the top performers have been and are now, and not just because it is the new hot dot of the moment (even if they weren't necessarily so right out of the gate). -J.

The cut off point is three years specifically to exclude the many variants that start off super hot and then crash in value shortly therafter (as I explained in the first post). On any given day a new variant can come out and skyrocket in price and be forgotten the next week, month, or year. The purpose of this list is to highlight the books that have proven to be the exceptions to that pattern over an extended period of time. If people are still paying for the Vader down in another two and a half years what they're paying now, I'll be happy to add it. -J.

I understand that is when it was distributed but was it actually run off as and intended to be a "third print", or was it printed along with the first print and held back until and then distributed at the summit? -J.

Okay I double checked and this link is the only things that refers to the RRP as a "third printing". I'm thinking it might be an error, as both mycomicshop and both CGC call the blue lettered version the third print. Without something more definitive I think the saga #1 RRP deserves to stay on the list. -J.

I agree the walking dead 100 hero initiative blanks are more rare and have at times sold for more than the Lucille/RF. But those were intended for original sketches and published with no variant art, and may not have even been intended to be released by the publisher at all in that form. It is the same reason I excluded recalled/error comics, as those are also a different beast than those on the Dirty Dozen list. The list is intended to be fluid, and I honestly did forget about Spawn 185, it should have made the original Dozen, but some of the more obscure or less applicable suggestions others have mentioned, I did consider and did not include because they honestly were not consistent with the others on the list (including the German Supergirl cover by Turner, which I did not include because it is a "foreign variant"). -J. So now Panini (Deutschland) isn't a good enough publisher for your list? Only Marvel, DC and Image qualify? It's fine, and I'm sure that Supergirl book, as awesome as it is, would be at or near the top of the "most valuable foeign variants" list. (though it is also technically a foreign reprint, if I'm not mistaken). -J. Of course it's licensed and reprinted from DC. So? It's a variant of Batman/Superman 4, published by Panini Deutschland. It has an alternate art cover, which you are now claiming is so important for this thread. Nothing you have said previously in this thread excludes it from consideration. Seriously, a foreign reprint is a completely different animal than the other books represented on the list. Also, it's a REPRINT, which alone would exclude it from consideration. -J. The WD #100 is a reprint...just saying. #100's came out in July, Lucille's came out at the end of August. Jim Is there anything that specifically stating that it's a reprint rather than a special cover that was held back for whatever reason? Also, I did not know that the saga 1 is a third print. I may have to adjust the list.... -J.

Its not on his personal list. Its always been about his personal list. Well the list as it exists, comparing like to like and from the same time period is a fair and accurate representation as of today. As with all things there are outliers, but most scientific studies that I've seen also exclude those for a reason. -J.

I agree the walking dead 100 hero initiative blanks are more rare and have at times sold for more than the Lucille/RF. But those were intended for original sketches and published with no variant art, and may not have even been intended to be released by the publisher at all in that form. It is the same reason I excluded recalled/error comics, as those are also a different beast than those on the Dirty Dozen list. The list is intended to be fluid, and I honestly did forget about Spawn 185, it should have made the original Dozen, but some of the more obscure or less applicable suggestions others have mentioned, I did consider and did not include because they honestly were not consistent with the others on the list (including the German Supergirl cover by Turner, which I did not include because it is a "foreign variant"). -J. So now Panini (Deutschland) isn't a good enough publisher for your list? Only Marvel, DC and Image qualify? It's fine, and I'm sure that Supergirl book, as awesome as it is, would be at or near the top of the "most valuable foeign variants" list. (though it is also technically a foreign reprint, if I'm not mistaken). -J. Of course it's licensed and reprinted from DC. So? It's a variant of Batman/Superman 4, published by Panini Deutschland. It has an alternate art cover, which you are now claiming is so important for this thread. Nothing you have said previously in this thread excludes it from consideration. Seriously, a foreign reprint is a completely different animal than the other books represented on the list. Also, it's a REPRINT, which alone would exclude it from consideration. -J.

I agree the walking dead 100 hero initiative blanks are more rare and have at times sold for more than the Lucille/RF. But those were intended for original sketches and published with no variant art, and may not have even been intended to be released by the publisher at all in that form. It is the same reason I excluded recalled/error comics, as those are also a different beast than those on the Dirty Dozen list. The list is intended to be fluid, and I honestly did forget about Spawn 185, it should have made the original Dozen, but some of the more obscure or less applicable suggestions others have mentioned, I did consider and did not include because they honestly were not consistent with the others on the list (including the German Supergirl cover by Turner, which I did not include because it is a "foreign variant"). -J. So now Panini (Deutschland) isn't a good enough publisher for your list? Only Marvel, DC and Image qualify? It's fine, and I'm sure that Supergirl book, as awesome as it is, would be at or near the top of the "most valuable foeign variants" list. (though it is also technically a foreign reprint, if I'm not mistaken). -J.

Again, I acknowledge that the Danger Girl is a kind of precursor or bridge to the modern variants of today, but I just did not feel it made the cut based on the duplicate art across the multiple versions that were released (more of a '90's thing). And this isn't "changing" the definition of anything, unique art being published by multiple artists, even , at times, across multiple covers on the scale we are seeing today is what distinguishes the variants of today vs what has come before (which is also why I consolidated the walking dead #100 Lucille/RF into one data point on the list). -J. I stated before that there are probably earlier isolated books prior to 2000 that may have had alternate cover art, the difference now being that it is the norm and not an isolated incidence. PS I looked at Danger Girl, and once I consolidated the listing as I did with WD #100 Lucille/RF, and calculated a weighted average of the three covers with the identical art, it still didn't make the top 12, as there is only one high sale in a 9.8 (yellow) and currently weak support in most down grades (I also did the same thing with the Maxx covers after you pointed those out too BTW.) -J.

Again, I acknowledge that the Danger Girl is a kind of precursor or bridge to the modern variants of today, but I just did not feel it made the cut based on the duplicate art across the multiple versions that were released (more of a '90's thing). And this isn't "changing" the definition of anything, unique art being published by multiple artists, even , at times, across multiple covers on the scale we are seeing today is what distinguishes the variants of today vs what has come before (which is also why I consolidated the walking dead #100 Lucille/RF into one data point on the list). -J.

I agree the walking dead 100 hero initiative blanks are more rare and have at times sold for more than the Lucille/RF. But those were intended for original sketches and published with no variant art, and may not have even been intended to be released by the publisher at all in that form. It is the same reason I excluded recalled/error comics, as those are also a different beast than those on the Dirty Dozen list. The list is intended to be fluid, and I honestly did forget about Spawn 185, it should have made the original Dozen, but some of the more obscure or less applicable suggestions others have mentioned, I did consider and did not include because they honestly were not consistent with the others on the list (including the German Supergirl cover by Turner, which I did not include because it is a "foreign variant"). -J.

The list isn't based on poularity or desirability it's based on publicly closed sales (and I would personally never purchase several books on the list , though I can still respect and appreciate what they are and what they sell for). -J.

At least a "sketch" is a significant change to the actual artwork. There is no change among the various Danger Girl smoking gun covers other than the colour of the title font. That's closer to the '90's style of variants than the ones that define the current era of variants, although I did note in an earlier post that it looks to be a bit of a bridge or precursor to the variants of today. This isn't "changing" the definition of anything. It's acknowledging that variants have changed and comparing apples to apples. -J.

Ashcans are a sub-niche market. The Maxx books should be discussed in a context with other ashcans. And the only difference between the covers of the Danger Girl (as well as the Maxx ashcans) are different coloured covers or even just the title lettering. These are some of the hallmarks of '90's "variants" ( Legends of the Dark Knight or McFarlane' Spider-Man #1 similarly come to mind). "Modern" variants have unique art oftentimes by multiple different artists across multiple different covers for a single issue. This is probably "the" largest and most significant defining characteristic of variants as we know them today, and is the DNA shared by the books on the Dirty Dozen list. Were there other isolated incidents of books like this prior to 2000? Probably so. But this list was not intended to examine "all variants from the modern age", just the top ones from the past 10-15 years or so when these types of variants as we know them now have collectively been such a big part of the hobby and publishers' marketing and distribution strategies. -J.

Looks to be his outfit when he escapes from prison. It comes with an interchangeable face. TOYARK: MAFEX Suicide Squad Joker Figure What was that head used for in prison ? -J.

Hello, and welcome to the Boards ! We do already have two walking dead #100's on the list, and they go for much more than the otley sketch comixology store exclusive. So far that reason alone, it wouldn't make the Dirty Dozen at the moment. Apart from that though, my gut tells me that store exclusives shouldn't be considered anyway since they are essentially commissioned and then distributed only by the purchasing retailer (correct me if I'm wrong). Additionally, the early 1990's Maxx ashcan colour "variants" are a different animal than the other books on the list as well, and are not indicative or consistent either with the modern variants as we know them today. (Also what scant public sales figures information that there is would have them come up short in any case.) -J.

Why is he shirtless? -J.

Every 9.8 X-23 #1 dried up on the market thanks to that Wolverine movie rumour undoubtedly... -J.