GeeksAreMyPeeps

Filming is done. Release is February 2020

The problem is that the non-glossy versions still look kinda glossy, so unless you've got both together, you may mistake the common version for the uncommon

Yes, but that's largely irrelevant. It's not the first appearance of Rai, just the first appearance of the next Rai. And since the continuity from the original Valiant line is dead, there's nothing significant about the "new" Rai. Especially since the current line's Rai is more similar to the original Rai.

The All-New, All-Different, Uncollectible Dreks-Men

Nothing else about that book comes to mind as being particularly key, except Bloodshot's first full appearance

Well, older collectors will be gone in time as well. Who knows whether a new generation of collectors will consider oversized books uncollectible.

Most bookshelf/prestige format books fall into this category, but there are a few books (e.g. Excalibur specials, Wolverine Saga 3-4, Havok/Wolverine: Meltdown) that have both UPC and non-UPC versions.

Good catch. I'm working my way through Marvel's monthly releases from 12/88 on, looking for books that seem to fit the profile, but haven't gotten to this one yet.

Is there a good resource for what titles were direct-only during this time period? I updated the list with more titles. The UPC-only books start in December 1988, and end, from what I've been able to tell so far, in October 1991 for comics and May 1992 for Prestige/Bookshelf format titles.

Like… overstating the condition of an item, perhaps?

I don't doubt your reasoning on this, but I know that I was only regularly going to newsstands (stationery stores and 7-11s, mostly) in my neighborhood for the first few years I was collecting comics. After that, and once I was driving, I didn't really bother, as I could drive to the various comic stores in my area. Occasionally I might buy a book from a "newsstand" on a whim, but that would usually be an additional book in my collection. As it is, I have a few copies of each Hulk book in that time period, all of them Direct copies, except 397, for which I *only* have Newsstand copies. There's nothing particularly special about that book that would have resulted in a sellout at my comic shop that I had to hunt down elsewhere. And they're all in great condition too, which probably would not have been the case if grabbed from a newsstand.

Good call. This scenario appears to be exclusive to books on Baxter paper. Especially with books that initially were on newsprint, but switched (Power Pack, Alpha Flight, 'Nam). Since it fit the profile, I checked on Strikeforce Morituri and found a few potential issues as well. Basically I've been starting by going through the covers on the Marvel wiki and then checking Mile High's website to see if they only have Newsstand issues available. I started checking eBay as well for some issues. Any other titles fit this profile?

As mentioned in the other thread, since many of these "Direct Only" titles seem to have barcodes coincide with crossover events, I wonder if there was limited distribution of those books to newsstand, even if they were not normally distributed there. As I recently was sorting through some books to post on ebay, I realized that I have some "Newsstand" editions of books (e.g. Hulk 397) that I doubt I got from a Newsstand, as I was in college at the time and not really doing any hunting for comics. I was picking up my pull lists from my usual comic store, and that's about it. There are Direct editions for some books that I only have the Newsstand Edition of, and I'm almost certain I got them at a comic shop. There's a chance there could be some aberrations in those Direct books.

Full page suggests the actual door is on the other side of the room. So maybe this is like adjoining hotel rooms where you can open the door between them if it's unlocked on both sides. Does Batgirl live in a converted hotel?

I started another thread to compile a checklist. I know it's sort of duplicating what's being discussed here, but maybe we can keep discussion about the topic here and compilation there. One thing I noticed while starting a list is that a lot of the books that were direct only start to include UPCs when there's a line-wide crossover (Inferno, Acts of Vengeance, Infinity Gauntlet, etc.) for the crossover issues and then sometimes for a few issues after. Maybe these crossover issues were also distributed to newsstands so readers who only bought at the newsstand could read the whole story (similar to the reason for the Quasar and Dr. Strange/Ghost Rider books), and perhaps tested them for the following issues as well?

Figured I'd start a new thread to try to build a somewhat definitive list of Copper Age books that only had a UPC, even if the title was direct-only, so there's a handy resource for those trying to figure if a Direct and Newsstand edition exists for a book they're looking to complete a full run of with every variant. The UPC-only books start in December 1988, and end, from what I've been able to tell so far, in October 1991 for comics and May 1992 for Prestige/Bookshelf format titles. MARVEL COMICS COMIC BOOKS Alpha Flight #65–76, 78, 81–84, 86, 88 Black Knight #1–4 (The Mutant Misadventures of) Cloak & Dagger #2–11 Destroyer: The Adventures of Remo and Chiun #3 (4-issue mini) Destroyer: The Adventures of Remo and Chiun #1 (1-shot) Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #2–3, 5, 7–9, 11–34 Foolkiller (1990) #1, 3–7 Hero (Warrior of the Mystic Realms) #1, 3 Marc Spector: Moon Knight #4–6, 8–28 Marvel Fanfare #42–43, 46–47, 49–52 The 'Nam #25–31, 33–36, 38–51, 53–55 Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD Vol.3 #1–12 Power Pack #42–46, 50–51, 53–56, 58 Saga of the Original Human Torch #1–2, 4 Saga of the Sub-Mariner #3–7, 9–10, 12 Sensation She-Hulk #1, 15–16 Strikeforce Morituri #24–29 X-Factor #71(2nd print) NEW UNIVERSE D.P. 7 (New Universe) #26–32 Justice (New Universe) #26–32 Psi-Force (New Universe) #26–32 Star Brand (New Universe) #17–18 BOOKSHELF/PRESTIGE TITLES: Since most Prestige/Bookshelf format titles and Trade Paperbacks seem to be barcode-only, it might be easier to list the books that *do* have multiple versions. I'm leaving the list below that I've only found with barcodes, but note that isn't necessarily a complete list. Instead, here are the books that I've verified *do* have multiple versions: Adventures of Captain America #4 Excalibur Special #nn Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem Wolverine Saga #3–4 And books with barcode-only: Open Space #1-3 Deathlok (1990) #1–4 Classic Punisher Punisher Movie Special Punisher: No Escape Shadowmasters #1–4 She-Hulk: Ceremony #1–2 Strikeforce Morituri Electric Undertow #1-5 The War (New Universe) #1–4 Wolverine: Jungle Adventure Wolverine Saga #1–2 X-Men: Spotlight on...Starjammers #1–2 Yuppies from Hell Son of Yuppies from Hell MARVEL UK Cyberspace 3000 #1 (Note that this is outside the date range of the other books listed here, and seems to be an aberration in that the barcode looks to be a typical Direct Edition barcode without saying “Direct Edition” in the box, like the rest of the books in this series.) EPIC COMIC BOOKS Interface #1–4, 6, 8? BOOKSHELF/PRESTIGE TITLES: Akira #1–33 I wonder if Mile High had ever sold a single copy of these books, since they have them all listed as Newsstand editions at their newsstand prices.

Outsiders/Adventures of the Outsiders followed this format too, with the Baxter title being reprinted after about a year in the cheaper newsstand comic. None of the reprint titles survived all that long. It must have been nice to have been a fan of any of those titles and suddenly have two new books every month, at least for a while.

Most Valiant characters' first appearances (that are owned by Valiant) are under $100 in 9.2, and many in higher grades as well. The thing with Valiant is that there are movies on the way; if the first is successful I would think we'll see a decent number more be produced. It's not like Marvel or DC where the obvious candidates for movies are already well-known characters whose first appearances are far more expensive than the range suggested by this thread.

It's got Spider-man!

I added this to my watch list. I need to see where this ends.

This looks like the cyan and magenta plates were swapped

Links shows me a different, amusing, auction. Hey, it's a newsstand: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Spider-Man-300-1st-Appearance-Origin-of-Venom-McFarlane1988-TRASHED-/254094053038?oid=202568915110

And "Bitcoin" is a proprietary name for a strain of weed.

Considering the impact that Black Panther has had, I think the only book that has the potential to explode like FF 52 is Marvel Super-Heroes 13 (which has already seen a huge increase since the announcement of phase 3).