Warlord

I've got my swags ready, count me in!

There are two Whitman variants (or multi-pack editions, to use CGC's term) - one labeled Reprint, one that's not. The version that you have would be worth a tad more than the reprint, IMHO, because some people would certainly shun a reprint. As others have already confirmed, your comic is not the "rare" 35-cent variant.

Multi-Pack edition is the PC term. Many collectors call issues such as you've described as Whitmans because they've been solely documented as being distributed by Whitman. There are #4s that are first prints, and others marked as Reprint. Does your say Reprint along the spine next to the Luke? I would guess not, or that would probably be indicated on your CGC label.

Here are the 3-packs I've spotted over the years with a Doctor Spektor or Doctor Spektor Presents Spine-Tingling Tales book on the front or back.

I obtained many of the Marvel super-hero glasses by drinking many, many slushees (Icees?) at K-Mart!

Solid 2.0

Grades in! I'm out!

I bought this one back in July. Definitely overpriced at the time, I thought, but it was a Whitman variant in HG so I reluctantly paid up for it. I'd like to thank the movie hype machine for turning that purchase into a bargain!

I never learn, I' in!

It could've been a comic book!

I was buying comics in Troy at a supermarket throughout the '70s, but missed my chance at being part of this history. The supermarket we frequented was Pangles, not Marsh.

Huh, I never noticed these price and numbering inconsistencies before! Good call, it appears that from the start through November 1978, all the black circle Whitman logo covers have no price. Then those from December 1978 (even a few of the black circle Whitman logos) on all seem to have the cover price, except for the LSH266 oddball, unless there's another one hiding in there that I'm not seeing.

The cover layout of the previous three LSH issues has the small Whitman W in the spot where the issue number appears, and the price to the right of that. But for #266, they put the small W in the "wrong" spot, which hid the cover price and left the issue number visible! Is that also the only DC Whitman that doesn't have the price on the cover? What an oddball! It's a set of one, collect them all.

Nicely done!

Hm, I can't think of a single DC Whitman comic that has the issue number on the cover. Am I right, or can anyone point one out?

I found a super sharp Action #686 DCU I needed for my collection, and also a few dupes.

Here's a question which I've never heard answered well by the "direct" proponents - why were there so many Marvel titles, and issues within some titles, that don't have diamond versions? For instance, Howard the Duck has only one issue. X-Men, a long-running title, has only one issue. Daredevil, a long-running title, has only two issues. etc etc. I think there were about 40 Marvel titles from 1977 through May 1979 that had diamond versions for at least one issue. Where were the diamond versions for the rest? See the image below using Marvel's February 1977 lineup, to illustrate the point - out of the first 24 issues shown, only 10 were printed with diamond versions. You can find many examples of Whitman multi-packs that contain diamond versions for this timeframe. I suspect that eventually it will be documented that every diamond comic in this timeframe was found in a Whitman multipack. But what about the opposite? You would have a harder time finding examples of diamond comics that can't be documented to exist (Yet! I think all will be documented eventually) in Whitman multipacks. If these diamond versions were Marvel's direct editions, why are there titles with none at all, or why the titles with so few issues? I think the answer is because Whitman was the driving force for the production of the diamond versions. If Whitman didn't order them, they weren't published.

Thanks!

There were small diamonds in that earlier timeframe too. I think this cover dated July 1977 version of John Carter Warlord of Mars #2 was probably the first. It was only effective with June 1979 cover dated issues that the small diamond layout was used on all Marvel titles. Spidey Super Stories and Tarzan also had small diamonds in, I believe, 1978.

The image on the left, showing a 50 cent cover price, has to be circa 1980/81-ish. For comics printed in that timeframe, I don't think anyone would dispute that the diamonds were clearly direct editions. If CGC tries to say that Marvel's June 1979 diamond issues are multi-pack variants (aka Whitmans) and not direct market versions then I'd be with you in objecting. May 1979 though? Not so fast. The debate lies in the 1977 through May 1979 Marvels. What's the time of publication of the image on the right?

Thanks for the share!!! That's interesting, but very strange, that someone was delivered comics marked as "Reprints" for their subscription. Your friend was ripped off! Given the frenzy over Star Wars #1, it doesn't seem totally shocking that they'd have sent their first prints to retailers and made up for the shortage by sticking subscribers with reprints. So that's clearly evidence of something, but you're stretching to use that example to conclude that these versions are direct editions. It does make it evident that some of these Marvel comics made it out into the world without going through Whitman's multi-packs. Which isn't too surprising. I remember buying Star Wars #1 at my LCS. It was the newsstand version with the UPC. My retailer told me later that he couldn't sell the multi-pack variants because customers considered them reprints and so he literally threw them away when he found any in back issue collections he purchased.

If you have any info for Marvel comics from 1977 through May 1979 (the "diamond" issue timeframe) please share your evidence with all of us!

I had a 9.8 slab in my last sub that came back with newton rings ruining a great Dave Stevens cover. I didn't know about this Mech Error/Return option. Thanks for posting about it, I'll definitely take pursue a reholder!