L.E. Gill

I think part of that is that the reprint issue is on fragile paper. I had one high grade copy that got ruined when it slid slightly against my workspace when I stupidly put about 3 other raw comics on it. :/ They are pretty easy to find, but generally in low to mid-grade unless you get a sealed kit.

I'm not completely sure, but I think someone new took over the Add this to Registry / Make a new set/ etc threads around when all this started up and perhaps wasn't following the same rule of thumb as whoever worked on it before. My Legion of Superheroes V.3 set had a lot of mini series and a Who's Who set added in around the same time which really threw me for a loop. Has anyone had any cool finds or DCU pickups of late? I've found a couple harder ones in low grade, but otherwise nothing exciting.

All the best to CGC employees, family, and everyone impacted by Ian. Stay safe, that is a harrowing situation to be in.

I am happy about the annotation and curious how they will handle the non-Zero Hour/ non-DCU multipack variants like the Bat Signal UPC. But the potential registry changes are a bit concerning. It may be like the Crisis registry set(s). At some point in the last year or so, the original Crisis on Infinite Earths' registry set had all the Canadian Price Variants added, making a lot of sets very incomplete. Then they created a new Crisis set without the variants and I had to add my books to it. I would hope they would create a new one for variants for those who are interested but maintain the original.

CGC now recognizing DCUs as multipack editions.

For the purposes of discussion, I’ll be splitting up my notes regarding potential (if unlikely) DCUs into parts by time frame. Here I’ll be focusing on the latter half of 1996, the undiscovered country. Fair warning, it gets long behind the cut and is an alarming mix of obsessive research and wishful thinking. From July 1996 to December 1996, the number of known DCUs drops sharply. The bulk of identified DCUs from this time period are found in the boxed DC Comic Collector’s Sets, with a handful available in the sealed 2-packs. At some point, it seems that DC began to slowly shift their efforts towards collecting storylines via TPBs and I theorize that some of the non-box set DCUs from this time may have been intended for box sets that got scrapped. There was also a lot of crazy going on in the comics market in general in the mid-90s, such as Marvel acquiring Heroes World which led to DC signing with Diamond. Additionally, market pressures and various events involving Toys-R-Us likely impacted how much that particular chain was ordering multipacks around this time. At some point, whatever contract the box stores had for the 20 pack bricks must have run out and not been renewed, much like the Marvel 18 pack bricks that came before the DC ones. That leaves us with the unmarked 3-pack polybags and the mixed DC/Marvel Comic Super Value Packs of 50/ other speciality sets in clamshells previously discussed and posted about here and there on this thread. Several DCUs I found from later in 1996 not in a box set came from one of those; I’ve been told they were sold at Wegman’s. The following is a list of potentially undiscovered DCUs based on speculation and several assumptions, namely, I have eliminated any titles published by DC in which there has not already been a DCU (e.g. no Teen Titans, min-series titles, etc.). I have also eliminated any established DCU series in which the only occurrence(s) of a DCU was specific to a box set storyline (e.g. things like Sovereign Seven #1, Green Arrow, or Batman Chronicles #4 in the Contagion Storyline). I included non-DCU UPC variants such as the WB Reading and other miscellaneous multipack logos in my monthly counts. Dates are based upon cover date, not release date. Because I don’t know the provenance of some of the Legends/Dead Earth Annuals (e.g. Impulse Annual #1, Robin Annual #5) versus ones that came in a box set (such as Superboy Annual #2) I have opted to include every Legends/Dead Earth Annual from the timeframe, though I suspect most are highly unlikely. Does anyone have confirmation on how those annuals were released (also, I need those Impulse and Robin annuals if anyone has a spare; please PM me ). In summary, despite fewer and fewer identified DCUs in 1996 as compared to earlier years with consistent 20 pack bricks, there are definitely a few issues with potential. In particular it may be worth checking bins for short runs from Azrael, and Batman & Robin Adventures, as well as missing links in Power of Shazam, Steel, and Superboy.

An excellent point regarding the Man of Tomorrow and Justice League titles. In the case of Man of Tomorrow, #5 is more an outlier, as #1 was released in two different box sets. Presumably #5 came in a 2 pack or one of those odd unmarked 3 packs/ a super value pack. Anyone have a sealed example? I have a lot of thoughts about issues which might exist in some of these runs and some notes on which of the 'missing' issues in a run are unlikely. I'll try to compile and post a bit about it this weekend.

Will do, I don't think there will be any surprises on it but would love to get any info such as the previous discussion on Steel #23.

That's a beautiful book, congrats! For me, the Zero Hour logos are just like the Bat Signal and other non-DCU upc variants, in that they were released in the September 1994 and October 1994 20 pack bricks (packaged with DCUs and a Bat Signal, in the case of September's brick) and in various two packs and collector sets as well.

Happy to have run across this one! Although not in amazing condition, the front looks much nicer than the back and it was one I didn't have yet.

What are your favorite DCU covers and which titles do you wish there were more of? Not sure about a favorite, but I am very fond of some of the Power of Shazam covers (gotta love Ordway) and wish we had a few more in that run. I'd especially like a Power of Shazam #14 DCU. I also find Jeffrey Moy's Legionnaires artwork charming and would not have said no to more of that in a DCU. The Bolland Wonder Woman covers and a lot of the Batman Adventures run (bat signal or otherwise,) are distinctive/ nostalgic as well. I'm still thinking about my favorites in several of the Superman and Batman titles.

Thanks, I knew it had to be in single digits but didn't realize there have been that few found. Worth every inch of random dreck that I purchased just to have it, lol.

Thanks! I am definitely guilty of paying a premium, especially in the last year as I traveled less and narrowed my want list down to much harder issues. There's nothing quite so exciting as finding them in the wild at a bargain though! According to my working list there are at least 542 confirmed DCUs with physical or photographic evidence, which includes at least 5 stickered variants and things like two different versions of Green Lantern #96 (Stridex or Covermall back covers), indicia variations, etc. I have a further sublist with about a dozen questionable/rumored to exist/ extremely unlikely to exist issues which, if they were to exist, would bring the number up somewhere around 555. This does not count any other multipack UPC variants such as the Zero Hour logo, Bat Signal logo, etc. I'm always so grateful for the existence of this thread and all the knowledgeable boardies who have shared their photos and info over the years!

Celebrating a milestone; with this comic I have hit 500 unique DCU titles/issues. Found it by chance in a group lot that averaged out at $1 a book. There were a few other DCUs but nothing else super exciting.

Weird but fun: two copies of Batman #515 with a Direct Sales sticker over the DCU upc. I picked both up on eBay recently from two different sellers, one in California and one in New Mexico. When I asked, each seller said they purchased as part of a collection, one recently and one when they were younger. At a glance, the sticker size and shape appears consistent with the ones used for stickered DCUs. A sticker is a sticker, obviously, so YMMV. But I am counting it as a fun little addition to the madness that must have been Troika storyline era printing and a cool companion for my Shadow of the Bat #35 misprint. Anyone ever find one of these in the wild?

Looking at the list, it seems like maybe it should specify there are two versions of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (two different covers, one is the standard cover and one is the deluxe version- both have a version with the bat signal logo on the back), two different versions of the Batman Forever Movie Adaptation (again, standard and deluxe/ prestige both came in various polybags with bat signal logo UPCs but the front covers are different), and perhaps add the DC Bullet logo multipack version of Batman: The Collected Adventures, Vol. 1. Batman Forever Standard Bat Signal came in a fuschia poly bag labeled standard edition (the prestige/ collector's edition came in at least three different sets- 2 different polybags in green or fuschia with pogs or a CD and the Collector's Set with Riddler and Two Face: Crime and Punishment). One version of Mask of Phantasm came in the January '94 brick as previously discussed in this thread. You may notice one has an ISBN near UPC and one does not.The other was typically available in the multipacks that were packaged with various Batman Adventures toys and usually included the early Bruce Timm Harley Quinn Batman Coloring Book, and is also the source for the Batman: Collected Adventures TPB Bullet Logo and the second printing bat signal logos of Batman Adventures 14 and 16. The trick isn't finding any of these so much as it is finding them in great condition. They are pretty easy to find on eBay so long as you are willing to slog through a lot of direct sales and newsstand edition listing.

Not sure what it says about me, but I am almost as excited (relieved?) about being able to mentally table some of these questonable DCUs as unlikely as I have been when someone posts a new one that's never been seen before.

I picked that one up specifically for the 691 and didn't give much thought to the stickered 690 at the time; guess I am honor bound to leave it sealed now for posterity and variant science, lol.

This would be very helpful! I would like confirmation on the existence of Steel #23 which has been on this list since the beginning but I haven't seen a copy. There is an entry on comic realm for it with a thumbnail uploaded by user T.I.A. however, the same user also provided thumbnails of a DCU logo Batman Adventures #18 (a bat signal logo upc of this issue has been confirmed, making a DCU less likely) and a thumbnail of the above mentioned Adventures of Superman #530 DCU that I suspect were generated based on a DCU list as opposed to made from actual scans. So I would like to know if anyone has Steel 23 DCU (and if anyone has a spare, PM me, lol).

I've pulled sticker Superman 104 directly from a sealed Collector's Set but frankly that one makes less sense than the sealed 2 packs, since they left the bar coded Green Lantern annual alone in one of the GL collector sets- no risk of the bar code being scanned for purchase. At least in the case of the 2 packs where the UPC of both comics are exposed, the stickers make sense for finishing up a batch if they ran short. For example, I have a non stickered Man of Steel 42 sealed in a 2 pack but we know the stickered version exists. Was there a May 1995 10 pack? I remember that there was June 1995 but not sure about May. If not, the 2 pack sets were probably the only way that MOS #42 was distributed unless they ended up in one of those 50 comic super value packs. I do think the GL#55 stickered variant is questionable although I have seen more than one posted online because the sticker is not consistent with the other DCU stickers, but who knows. Here's a sealed Detective 690 with sticker: And the back:

Very cool! Did you request qualified over universal or do the graders make that decision? I think in the case of a stickered DCU I would definitely want a green label. A 9.4 seems pretty ok hit to take on the sticker. Do the grader notes say anything else?

That's what I thought at first too! I figured that maybe it was improperly stored or something but when I asked the seller if they remembered if it came out that way when they opened the package they said they had no idea. I think they were afraid I wanted a return, lol. I set it aside as an oddity to photo later. But then I was reboarding some new acquisitions that had transfer on the backing boards and realized if it was that it would have been a reverse image!

Cool, thanks! I just did.

Adamantium suggest I post this here from another thread. Would love to hear if anyone has thoughts on this misprinted DCU variant, with a partially visible direct sales UPC under the DCU logo and then the entire cover was overprinted (what is this type of error called?) with the back cover upside down on the front and vice versa. It's a little hard to see some of the details, but for example you can see a bit of Batman's leg and cape etching and a DCU logo on the back cover. Some of the photos show a comparison to a normal version. I put the rest under the cut since it's a bit image heavy. I pulled this out of an open Batman Troika Collector's Set that came in a mixed lot a few months back off eBay. At first I thought it was some kind of acid burn transfer like you get sometimes on old comic boards but then I realized the writing from the back cover would be backwards and not just upside down if that was the case. And the direct sales upc plus the faint imprint of the dcu upc on the back suggests it ran thru the printing press at least three times. My current theory is that either whoever was working that day was either "Well I forgot we were supposed to print for these collector sets now," or maybe they were demoing how to change out the plates for an intern and it slipped thru quality control. I collect DCUs so this was a pretty cool find for me. Would love any insight boardies could share.

Been meaning to share this misprinted DCU, with a partially visible direct sales UPC under the DCU logo and then the entire cover was overprinted (?) with the back cover upside down on the front and vice versa. It's a little hard to see some of the details, but for example you can see a bit of Batman's leg and cape etching and a DCU logo on the back cover. Some of the photos show a comparison to a normal version. I put the rest under the cut since it's a bit image heavy.