RockMyAmadeus

Just for clarity, and I don't know if this was answered elsewhere, but the coding on the Direct edition on the left is for a "variant", not a second printing. The first three numbers of the code are the issue number, the 4th number is the printing (or edition; rarely used in comics), and the 5th number is the printing. Though it is WILDLY misused much of the time, the coding is supposed to look like this: 37611 <---- this is the code for a standard, first print, issue #376 37621 <---- this is the code for a first print variant. 37612 <---- this is the code for a second print. 37613 <--- this is the code for a third print. 37622 <---- while excessively rare, this would be the correct code for a second print variant. I doubt this actually exists. Also...the two groups of five numbers at the bottom of the code refers to the Publisher (first five numbers) and the Title (second five numbers.) Publisher and title codes are usually different for Direct and newsstand (Curtis Circulation), but in this case, the code for "Wolverine" is the same, which is interesting. For the newsstand, the top number ("12" in this case) represents either the number of issues released with that cover year (in this case, 12, and usually corresponds to the month, unless there were issues released more frequently) OR the last two digits of the issue number. I do not know, and have never been able to learn, what the small numbers represent.

RMA I was asking about the 2 specific books that I took pics of which is a newsstand and which is comic shop. "search around" because it has been discussed previously in great length in many threads . Everyone was a newbie at one time and responses like this have a tendency to alienate newer members and make them reluctant to want to join in. just my 2 cents You're not a noob. Virtually everything you could ever want to know about comics, especially modern comics, has been posted here and discussed, often many times, by a lot of people, who have put in a lot of effort to give out this information....freely....to the collecting community. This place is, more than just about any other web site out there, a virtual encyclopedia of information on all aspects of the comics market. The only real issue is that it's not organized, but it IS searchable. And, the bonus is, as you search for the information you want, you can discover other things you never knew. People have put a lot of time and effort into posting this information. I don't think you'd rather have people ignore the request altogether (which happens a lot already.) Lazyboy linked one such thread. Here's another: Here's another: Here's one of my posts from that thread: I forgot all about the Hulks! THANK YOU for reminding me of that! There WERE $1.95 Direct books that were still $1.50 on the newsstand, which was the opposite direction. The Direct books were more expensive than the newsstand books, but the newsstand books were using the cheaper paper, until Marvel abandoned the more expensive paper across the line. I had forgotten all about that! Hulk was "deluxe" for issues #426-429, then dropped the "Deluxe" from the cover, but kept the same price. I *believe* they kept the same glossy paper stock for issues #430-#432, but I'm pretty sure they dropped it by #433. I'd have to check my copies. I know by #435, the "deluxe" quality was gone, but still at the same price. I also remember being annoyed at the $1.95 price, and wanting to go to the newsstand to buy the $1.50 copies...but didn't want to wait! Hulk, I think Dr. Strange? I want to say the "Marvel Edge" books? I'd have to look it up, but yes, in the time in between, there were Direct books that were more expensive than the newsstand books. Here's another thread that touches on it: This one touches on it, as well: Lots of info out there.

No, it's a loss leader in that scenario when I'm pricing normally $4-10 books at a buck a book to stimulate sales elsewhere. It's just not profitable at that price at the more expensive cons. Depends upon your definition of a "loss leader." I'm employing the one where it's sold at below it's minimum profit margin. If you want people to understand you, you have to use terms as they are defined. A "loss leader" is an item that is sold AT OR BELOW ITS COST in an attempt to bring in business for other, profitable items. A "loss leader" isn't something that is sold "below its minimum profit margin" (which, itself, doesn't have meaning), as you are using it here. If you are making SOME profit....even if it's not what you'd like to make...then you're not losing money, which is where the "loss" comes from. No one's saying you cant define words whatever way you wish....but if you want people to understand you, you have to speak the same language.

That's not what loss leader means, so probably that's where the confusion lies... I understand a dealer not wanting to bother with $1 boxes at a more expensive show, but that's something else. But what kind of show charges $600 for a table and only provides 6' tables? That's awful. Well...if that's Canadian dollars, that's what, like $14.73 US...? That's not so bad....

That's not what loss leader means, so probably that's where the confusion lies...

Search around. This has been discussed at great length on the board, in many threads.

They're mags. That's likely the biggest reason. Mags are much harder to get in uber high grade, and far fewer people collect them, in general, and sub them. Plus, there's the additional cost. This particular run of mags is chock full of greatness. Alan Moore's only Marvel work, The Last Galactus Story, beautiful covers...it's a brilliant run. I don't think it's because no one finds them worthwhile, as for the other reasons I listed.

You wish! Oh...oh God...bleagh...

There were 4 signings...one in May of 2008 by chainnball (the first), another in July of 08, one in Jan of 09, and the last in May of 2009. Chainnball was the man who made it all possible. Without him, there would be no Frazetta SS. That's why it's important to get this stuff signed. Creators are leaving us. The number of Frazetta SS is *about* 125. Someone cracked out a yellow label Frazetta...?

I'm 39, I exercise 5 times a week between a variety of sports (hockey, baseball, squash) and strength and cardio (gym, yoga, biking). I consider myself in very good shape for my age, Wait, is this a dating site....?

Bar codes suck, and are so....industrial. Plus the Curtis Circulation series id number in the price box was so...cluttered. I didn't mind having newsstand copies, but given the choice, would always have picked Directs. Cleaner, neater.

I'm RICH!!!!

I said most important or memorable I probably would have to say FF1 most important because of your statement. But memorable? My first Marvel was Amazing Spiderman #3. It rocked me like no other comic book had ever done. It seemed almost real. Every school had a "Peter Parker". And every Peter Parker's dream was to be Spiderman. A very sad life for Peter. He couldn't display his powers nor could he get close with anyone. And, as time as shown, Spiderman has far eclipsed the FF4 in popularity. Now which issue or issues? Hard choice for me... Sure, I just went with most important. There are all sorts of books that are more memorable. But FF #1 was the cornerstone. Much like Valiant wasn't Jim Shooter's first comic writing job, the foundation of the Valiant universe was laid with Magnus #1 (or, #0, if you want to get technical.) Same with FF #1, which wasn't Stan's 1st, 10th, or even 100th comics writing job. My reply, to Chrisco, was whether or not AF #15 even existed if not for FF #1...I think it's an interesting question...

Without FF #1, AF #15 never exists... Discuss.

Fantastic Four #1. Is there any other? It is the lynchpin upon which the Marvel universe turns. Without it, Spidey, Thor, Iron Man, DD, and all the rest may have never existed. Prior to that book, nothing Stan had done would have made him stand out from any of the countless names that floated through comics in the 40s and 50s. That book launched a universe that doesn't merely echo to this day...it turned a mediocre romance and sci-fi comic book publisher into the premiere powerhouse of creative entertainment and imagination well into the 21st century. Perhaps only DC, the Star Wars Universe, and Disney can claim as great, or greater, influence on the pop culture of the 20th and 21st centuries, not just in the US, but around the world. When you see kids wearing Spidey t-shirts in Azerbaijan...you know your influence. And it all started with FF #1. Without that book, it's possible that Atlas would have quietly folded in the early years of 1960s.

Wow. A giant has left us.

Lazyboy answered both, but I'll add that Spiderman #1 gold UPC was available at selected newsstands: in this case, almost certainly only available at Walmarts across the country that sold comics. A theory I have about that and the other newsstands of around this time is that it was Walmart that requested all of them. But no, X-Factor #71 2nd was never available on the newsstand.

Yes,

No. They weren't sold on any newsstands. There was no mechanism in place for that to happen. The newsstand 2nds are an anomaly, that shouldn't exist, as is the Spiderman #1 2nd news. I suspect it was the printer deciding to keep the plates as they were. X-Factor #71 sold out pretty quick, so I imagine they still had the plates. If I had to guess, I would imagine they printed the Direct, then the newsstand...and a week or two later, got the order for the second print (it happened pretty fast) and just used the newsstand plate.

I used to love going through long boxes. Spent thousands of hours doing it. Back when you could find all sorts of "once hot, now not" books in dollar bins, it was great fun. I would happily spend $1 each on books like McFarlane Hulks and Amazings, and other books like that. Grant Morrison Animal Mans, early Sandmans, early Jim Lee X-Mens, you name it. Now...I just don't have the heart for it anymore. Anything that could be remotely considered "special" has been snarfed up, and I find that my time is far, far better spent looking at wall books to see what can be improved. It's a lot less time consuming, and a lot more rewarding...at least financially.

Hi Kav! That's an odd juxtaposition, since those two comments are unrelated, but let me see if I can clarify. There's a difference between looking for comments by people one has a vendetta against, to slyly and subtly contradict them....and an honest, genuine disagreement. And, I think most people can see that. And it's a little bit weird that you save comments from people on unrelated topics that have no bearing on the discussion at hand. Can't you just respond on your own? Cheers!

That one is an exception. All of the second prints were printed with a UPC.