Joosh

I have not seen either titles in newsstand of any issue. I just checked mile High Comics and they’ve none listed as newsstand, in stock or not, so they haven’t seen them either. 
Thats not to say Mile High Comics has seen every newsstand; I’ve got plenty of marvel newsstand editions they haven’t ever listed.
 

@RockMyAmadeus I’ve not seen much info on the last newsstand issues from image. I think it was however long the creator kept selling through that channel.
Spawn went until 133 I think.
EDIT: Spawn newsstand went until at least 134; just found one (terrible condition) on eBay.

Thanks! I have a Union #3 newsstand. Does that mean there’s a #1 newsstand out there? I didn’t see it in your #1 collection.

I’ve been indiscriminate in which titles of issue #’s I pick up, but very particular on condition and price. These are all the high grade low priced Image newsstand books I’ve come across. I’ve seen plenty more in Fine or worse but didn’t take them. 

Nice collection! I like the run of Pitt. Haven't seen those yet

I’ve been indiscriminate in which titles of issue #’s I pick up, but very particular on condition and price. These are all the high grade low priced Image newsstand books I’ve come across. I’ve seen plenty more in Fine or worse but didn’t take them. 

So basically this is where I think everything spiraled out of control in relation to your method of finding a deal:
Youve suggested a tactic that made less sense to me than, lets say this one:
And I think that regardless of ethicality or not, theres alot of wisdom in what comicginger says. 
Patience and diverse search practices are fundamental to finding deals on eBay. There are many out there and I can find an average of one deal an hour just by applying a broad net of search terms after building a credible history of transactions that will teach me to obtain such deals.
And I will just leave it at that 
 

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion in the comic community surrounding first appearances. This discussion has prompted a lot of healthy (and some unhealthy) debate as well as drive interest in more and more comics.
As an English teacher, the thing that I feel is holding people up is the terminology behind it all. Surely there must be a way to classify all of these appearances in a way that is clear, concise and can accurately account for all of the variations that currently exist. So without further ado, here is my attempt to classify first appearances of characters.
 
First Prototype Appearance
A prototype appearance is the lowest level of first appearance. Perhaps it is showcasing a character in development or it shows a character who later is fleshed out into a well known character. The quickest examples here that come to mind are Foom #2 (first Wolverine prototype) and Marvel Age #12 (first black suit Spider-Man). These are just images of the characters, there is no story involvement and in these cases, the final design for the character is not ethe same one that appears later in stories.
 
First Preview Appearance
This label is denoted to an appearance of a character in something like a comic magazine or even as an ad in a comic book. In these cases, it is the actual character. They are beyond a prototype, it is character as it is intended to appear when it appears for the first time. Books like Malibu Sun #13 (not a comic) or Gobbledygook #1 (an ad in a comic book) fit this label.
 
A book like DC Comics Presents #26 should NOT be labelled a preview in any way. Within, is a full on story depicting the first appearance of the New Teen Titans. In New Teen Titans #1, the events from DCCP #26 have already happened. Granted, it is not their book they appear in but back in the day, comic had multiple stories with multiple characters. This technically was a preview, sure, but to me it does not fit my definition which is showing a character in a non comic or as an ad. DCCP #26 is first appearance of New Teen Titans. New Teen Titans #1 is first cover appearance, second appearance of New Teen Titans.
 
First Unknown Appearance
I do not like the term “cameo”. To me, a cameo is a minor role of a character that is known outside of their regular series or story. For example, when Spidey shows up in Silver Surfer #14, he is a well known and making a cameo appearance. A character appearing for the first time is not a cameo to me.
 Calling the first panel appearance of a character a cameo implies we won’t see them again, at least not often. However, with a lot of these currently labelled cameo appearances, we do get a panel or more and the character becomes very much involved in the next couple issues and subsequent issues beyond.
 So I am proposing a change in terminology here. Woah. You can do that? Yup, and I am. Allow me to try to explain the “first unknown appearance”. This label is designated to characters that we see but not enough to get a sense of their appearance (hence, the unknown part). Perhaps it is a dark face in a trenchcoat (think Killer Croc in Batman #357…which is currently his first full appearance but I strongly disagree with that). This should be first unknown appearance. Sure, we know his name but we don’t have a face to that name. We don’t know is “full appearance”, we cannot accurately describe him. His appearance is unknown to us. Sure, we can describe his body but you could put anybody in that trenchcoat...we need the face. Similarly, in Amazing Spider-Man #298, we see a dark a dark shadow and a hand. It is later clear this is Venom but we don’t get a full sense what he looks like. Thus, these are first unknown appearances.
 First Appearance
My definition for first appearance is simple and answers the following question: Do we see enough of the character to visually know who they are? If the answer is yes, then it is a first appearance. Hulk #180 features a full panel of Wolverine. We clearly see him and we know who he is but most importantly, what he looks like. In Amazing Spider-Man #299, we see Venom in full at the end. We can now identify this character, thus it is his first appearance. In Jimmy Olsen #134, we can clearly see Darkseid’s face on a monitor. It may not be a full body shot, but it is enough to know if we see it again (with a body drawn) we know “hey, that’s Darkseid!”. With Killer Croc, we do not get that until Detective Comics #524…making Detective #523 and Batman #357 “unknown appearances”, first and second respectively. 
A character who first appears in a book and plays a major role throughout will only ever be classified as a first appearance. They appear for the first time, clearly, and there is no argument. Amazing Spider-Man #129 is the first appearance of the Punisher. No debate. His first appearance is easily discernable, there is nothing prior to be noted and subsequent appearances are easy to note.  
First Full Appearance
This label is denoted to a character who has already appeared before visually but in less than 5 panels. For example, Wolverine appears in less than five panels in Hulk #180. That comic would have a label as being his “first appearance”. Hulk #181 would be labelled “Second appearance, first full appearance. Hulk #182 would simply be “Third appearance of Wolverine”.
 Some further examples: 
Amazing Spider-Man #299 is “first appearance of Venom”. Issue #300 is “Second appearance, first full appearance of Venom.”  
Jimmy Olsen #134 is “first appearance of Darkseid”. Forever People #1 is “second appearance, first full appearance of Darkseid”.
Amazing Fantasy #15 is "first appearance of Spider-Man". No other notation means it is definitive 
 
First Cover Appearance
This last label is reserved for the first time a character appears on a cover. This label is SEPARATE from appearances in continuity and comes about largely due to the fact that you have had (in recent years) variant covers which feature a character to come but the story itself does not contain the character whatsoever. It is simply the first time the character appears on the cover.
So, for a standard book like ASM #129, it should be labelled “first appearance and first cover appearance of Punisher.” If a character has appeared prior in a story but not on a cover, the first time they are on the cover gets labelled. No matter how small. A head, a face, a full on glorious action shot.
Amazing Spider-Man #315 is first cover appearance of Venom (just a head but by my definition, still can be noted as a first cover appearance)
Another example. Avengers #195 features the first appearance of Taskmaster. He is fully shown on the final page. This comic will be labelled hi first appearance. Issue #196 features him on the cover and for more than 5 panels, thus it is his “second appearance, first full appearance and first cover appearance”.
A final example. Ronin first appeared on a variant cover only of New Avengers #1. He is there but nowhere in the story. This is his first cover appearance. In New Avengers #11, he appears for the first time in the story and on the cover. This should be labelled as his “first appearance”.
 
The Messy Stuff
Now, a couple of things muddy the waters on my labelling. The biggest is Sgt. Rock. So currently, GI Combat #68 is labelled as a “Sgt Rock prototype”. Now, it is my understanding that even though this character is not fully fleshed out, we get an origin tale for a soldier called “The Rock”. My understanding is that this origin is later attached to Sgt. Rock. So it is the same character all along, even if the writers/artists did not know 100% what they were doing. For me, that means it is the first appearance. He evolves into Sgt. Rock and the fact they keep his origin part of his story (as well as his other currently labelled “prototype” appearances which should just be subsequent appearances). The name changes by adding a rank…that is pretty much it.
 
A second one that could cause problems but doesn’t seem to too much is Rocket Raccoon. In Marvel Preview #7, the character is called Rocky Raccoon. However, in Hulk #271, we get Rocket. It is explained in the issue though that Rocky was short for Rocket. So it’s the same character. Simple.
 
 
Will This Matter?
Will this matter to anyone? Maybe, and maybe not. I just found it an interesting topic to flesh out. I think these labels would be best suited for CGC to adapt and terminology for collector’s to use. It seems simple to me. Maybe a lot of writing which some people complain about as is (wanting less label and more focus drawn to the comic). 
 
As for what people want to spend their money on, that is a different opinion. For me, the cover of Hulk #181 will always, hands down I dare anyone to argue against it, be the superior looking cover. So why can’t it be more valuable? Why does the first appearance have to be the most expensive when the second appearance and first full appearance and first cover appearance is amazing.
 Same goes for ASM #300. Iconic cover, iconic moment in the title’s history and looks so much better than #299.
 Same for Avengers #196 over #195. And many others.
 
Your Thoughts?
Thank you for your time reading this. I am 100% sure there are examples out there that do not fit into my labels. I welcome all examples. This is a starting point that I am hoping we can build on. I am hoping people can find a book that does not work for my labels so that we can have some discussion! I don't have aspirations of changing anything here but I am interested in trying to find a way to word all of these different appearances that is at least a little more clear. 

X Force 11 in CGC 9.4 has been going for $30-50. Not too shabby, and a good book to own for Domino fans.
making local sales is typically the best option for low value slabs. Shipping a $15-$20 slab (those other x force slabs) for $7-$10 really eats into the potential value online. 
 

A then full run of Spawn 1-72, meaning I bought it around May 1998, since 72 was the latest issue at the time. Still got them all, actually just rediscovered this collection this past Spring. It was awesome. I got them for less than cover with shipping, aww yeah.

All of my silver age books are highly valuable newsstand editions-

The Op is right in saying the sales tax adds up. The exact math isn’t as important as realizing this makes a significant difference more many.
As annoying as this can be it is inevitable. Online interstate sales have had the tax free advantage since their inception, but it’s been at the cost of the local brick and mortar. Catalog sales going back 100yrs had this too, but the quantity didn’t reach levels high enough to bother.  I think it’s a good thing long term to have sales tax caught up with the times. It was a good run though. 

@ADAMANTIUM
The state taxes on US domestic sales theoretically will lower purchase prices overall, at least at first. I have a hunch it will have little change to low cost sales as most will disregard the $0.50 on their $5 purchase, but will be heavily factored into large purchases, $500+, as the taxes become a significant expense. We’ll see, I suppose.
Personally, I’ll factor in total cost involved in every purchase just as I do offline. But I seem to operate differently from the majority.

@ADAMANTIUM
The state taxes on US domestic sales theoretically will lower purchase prices overall, at least at first. I have a hunch it will have little change to low cost sales as most will disregard the $0.50 on their $5 purchase, but will be heavily factored into large purchases, $500+, as the taxes become a significant expense. We’ll see, I suppose.
Personally, I’ll factor in total cost involved in every purchase just as I do offline. But I seem to operate differently from the majority.

The Op is right in saying the sales tax adds up. The exact math isn’t as important as realizing this makes a significant difference more many.
As annoying as this can be it is inevitable. Online interstate sales have had the tax free advantage since their inception, but it’s been at the cost of the local brick and mortar. Catalog sales going back 100yrs had this too, but the quantity didn’t reach levels high enough to bother.  I think it’s a good thing long term to have sales tax caught up with the times. It was a good run though. 

I've updated the $100,000 Club data which also means you can see the latest sales reflected in the record comic sales chart. The current all-time top ten looks like this:
TITLE ISSUE# PEDIGREE GRADE DATE VENUE PRICE Action Comics 1   9.0 on 2014/08/24 eBay $3,207,852.00 Action Comics 1   9.0 on 2011/11/30 ComicConnect $2,161,000.00 Action Comics 1   8.5 on 2018/06/13 ComicConnect $2,052,000.00 Action Comics 1   8.5 on 2010/03/29 ComicConnect $1,500,000.00 Amazing Fantasy 15   9.6 on 2011/03/09 ComicConnect $1,100,000.00 Detective Comics 27   8.0 on 2010/02/25 Heritage $1,075,000.00 Action Comics 1 Kansas City 8.0 on 2010/02/22 ComicConnect $1,000,000.00 Action Comics 1   5.5 on 2016/08/04 Heritage $956,000.00 All Star Comics 8   9.4 on 2017/08/27 eBay $936,223.00 Captain America Comics 1 Reilly 9.4 on 2019/08/12 Heritage $915,000.00

The Direct market started about 1974.
The publishers realized they needed a way to distinguish non-returnable Direct market books from returnable newsstands.
Marvel's solution was the "fat diamond" price boxes,which began in November/December, 1976:

This IS NOT a "Whitman variant", as some claim. It is a Direct market version. Yes, Whitman was a big early adopter of Direct market distribution, but it was not the only one. 
Marvel toyed around with the idea for 2 years, then finally went company wide in March of 1979, with their June 79 cover dated books.
Gold Key's solution was to have their books carry the Whitman cover dress:

 

DC's solution came in 1978, with their expressly Whitman books....BUT...there is some doubt whether or not these were ALSO distributed to the couple of hundred comic stores in existence at that point around the US.

It's interesting to note that DC did not institute a cover-wide Direct market cover dress program until October of 1980....nearly a year and a half after Marvel.
So....yes, it makes sense that CBCS would mark even late 70s books as "newsstand" since there were, by that time, Direct market versions that existed.
What does NOT make sense is that they decided to stop doing that at the very odd cutoff date of 2000. Makes no sense. Marvel's newsstand copies continued until 2013, DC's until 2017, and I imagine Archie's does still.

Grade of the Daredevil #1 came back, it is a 1.5! Congrats to those that got it! I'll share a pic of it when it gets shipped back home, thanks for your input everyone!

The Spider-Man 2099 comic is an original 1st print. I removed all the ink and redrew the parts I liked. 
Venom sketch for fun.

The Spider-Man 2099 comic is an original 1st print. I removed all the ink and redrew the parts I liked. 
Venom sketch for fun.

The Spider-Man 2099 comic is an original 1st print. I removed all the ink and redrew the parts I liked. 
Venom sketch for fun.

The Spider-Man 2099 comic is an original 1st print. I removed all the ink and redrew the parts I liked. 
Venom sketch for fun.

My technique is to go through dollar boxes looking for books that I think should sell for at least $3.  I buy them and put them in boxes in my house.  Every once in a while, I look at them and consider selling them, but decide that it would be too much work.  I follow the comic market carefully, so that when a book I bought cheap pops due to a movie/TV announcement, I can go look at it, decide that I will scan and list it soon, and then get busy and forget about it.