GeeksAreMyPeeps

I can't be bothered to do the work right now, but I do wonder how many of the books no longer qualify.

290 & 295 would be additional examples of where the Direct Edition only has black in the area where the barcode is on the Newsstand Edition. 358, 425 & 427 have the box on the back cover (none of those have ads on the back cover).

It looks like the art is probably only black ink in that area though, which would be a case where they're still using common CMY plates.

Just wanted to note that typically, the reason for the box on the Direct version is so that you can print all of the Direct and Newsstand editions using the same cyan, magenta, and yellow printing plates. Then you just need to create different black plates for the 2 versions. If there was some other difference between the 2 covers (different back cover advertisements, for example – which is not the case here) that meant the cyan, magenta, and yellow plates were going to be different anyway, then that would be a good reason to drop the box on the Direct, since you couldn't use common plates for any of the separations. But that doesn't appear to be the case for either of the books.

No idea why, but I know of at least one other similar book in this time period: X-factor 11.

Or just looked at eBay for the much cheaper BINs.

um, there *was* a tv show

I had the same Watchmen pin. Might still be in a box somewhere.

Honestly I don't see the need to limit to those specific dates. Anything you picked up at a comic shop will do.

Apparently a Marvel staffer, with this issue being her only writing credit. I'm guessing she had to step in and write one of the pages. While I think these are all distinct from ads (as, unlike the issue with Darkhawk, it's not as if the content used is direct excerpts of the comics to be published), they're not exactly stories, as there aren't any story arcs involved. They're more recaps of where the protagonists of each series stands. But the art is the art, created specifically for this issue for the recap. Whether that's important enough to be collectible is up to the discretion of the individual collector.

This board needs a steel chair emoji, where someone can interfere from outside the fight, with neither combatant getting a clear victory.

Golden Apple comics, which is big/popular enough to offer their own store variants, indicates CGC offerings ship in 60 days. That suggests they're in the same queue with everyone else.

I agree with others suggesting they may be allowing additional time for potentially increasing TATa and/or ME fixes, but the timeline still seems long for that. I imagine that they're also going through the print run and picking out the best copies to submit (which takes time) so they're not getting hit with charges for prescreen rejects. That would also explain why the copies you're ordering ungraded aren't in the best condition; you're getting the ones that they feel aren't worthy to submit for a 9.8 prescreen.

Since Advanced Dungeons & Dragons had a moment in the sun, and now Dragonlance is getting hot, any thoughts on the other DC TSR comics?

It doesn't hurt that Dan Slott teased it on Twitter, basically indicating that he's the real deal. Next one to watch will be his first solo story in the Edge of Spider-verse mini (issue 3). Since pre-orders are still open for that, I expect that will be this generation's Turok #1.

I think if they want to establish credibility, they need to release on a regular schedule. Otherwise only the most ardent supporters of the philosophy of the publisher are going to care, and not about the comics, but because they agree with the agenda.

As a guy that's about to turn 50, I'm trying to re-think speculating. If I was giving advice to a 20-something YO, I might say go ahead and buy and hold, because when you're about to turn 50, there will be collectors who weren't around when it came out that will pay a premium for this book. (Think: recent rise in Jim Lee X-Men books and other overprinted Copper keys). But I don't want to be trying to unload books when I'm 80 years old, and I'm sure that whoever is left with that problem if I don't make it to 80 probably won't know how to profit from it.

Because some people can't be bothered to match it up?

Yep. These are all from the same submission.

Interesting find. The fandom wiki shows the annual as having a release date a week prior to 51. https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Marvel_Age_Annual_Vol_1_3 https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Alpha_Flight_Vol_1_51

I've seen someone post over on the Milestone Facebook group that they're aware of 3. Someone there posted a photo of theirs, and ComicTom often has one as part of his backdrop in videos, so I've seen at least 2 (if not in person).

What I want to know is why the logo is backwards everywhere.

Adding in 90 million for marketing still means it brought in more than twice its budget. Which means you're still wrong to suggest it "hardly broke even."

"hardly broke even"? It made more than 4x its budget back. And it's one of the few comic book–based movies to win an Academy Award. Alan Scott?

It wasn't earlier today. I grabbed another 5 copies at cover to go with the 10 I pre-ordered when Dan Slott teased it on Twitter before FOC.