Differentiating first and second printings of Conan the Barbarian #1 (2-3)

[OveraboundingMint]

 

There were rumours from around the time in the 80s that Marvel took to reprinting the first 3 issues of Conan after the series picked on successfully in the early 70s. Some say the reprinting took place in 1974 while another source placed it around '77 to 78 period.

 

Question now is, how do people tell the difference between the true original and the subsequent 'original'? Let's hear it from those who knows more on this matter.

 

[mrlatko]

Never heard this.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Never heard of this either. What did Marvel do with the copies of Conan 1, 2, and 3? Distribute them even though the Conan series might be on #15 or so?

[jerome34]

They could have put them in a 3-pack for sale at Wall-Mart,

Toys 'r Us, etc. Check the ad on the back cover.

[underthebigw]

Where the heck did you hear this?

 

Is it possible they went back to press around release time--Sure, but doubtful. Remember that they only received sales figures months later. And there wouldn't have been a perceived low supply if that was the case.

 

There was absolutely no sign of this in the mid-late 70's. None.

[Jeffro.]

Yeah, sounds fishy to me. Never heard of 2nd printings on Conan 1-3.

[blutobc]

There were rumours from around the time in the 80s that Marvel took to reprinting the first 3 issues of Conan after the series picked on successfully in the early 70s. Some say the reprinting took place in 1974 while another source placed it around '77 to 78 period.

 

Question now is, how do people tell the difference between the true original and the subsequent 'original'? Let's hear it from those who knows more on this matter.

 

In 30 years of collecting Conan comics I have not heard of any 2nd printings of the early CTB. There are reprinted stories in the usual comic book suspects - King Sized Annual #1(1973); Giant-Sized Conan's #1-6(1974/75), and Marvel Treasury Editions(1974/75).

 

[telerites]

There were rumours from around the time in the 80s that Marvel took to reprinting the first 3 issues of Conan after the series picked on successfully in the early 70s. Some say the reprinting took place in 1974 while another source placed it around '77 to 78 period.

 

Question now is, how do people tell the difference between the true original and the subsequent 'original'? Let's hear it from those who knows more on this matter.

 

In 30 years of collecting Conan comics I have not heard of any 2nd printings of the early CTB. There are reprinted stories in the usual comic book suspects - King Sized Annual #1(1973); Giant-Sized Conan's #1-6(1974/75), and Marvel Treasury Editions(1974/75).

 

Never heard this either - There were the paperback sized reprints that were also released between 77-79.

 

 

 

 

 

[jools&jim]

 

Sounds like nonsense to me, though I suppose it's remotely possible that there could have been an uninformed rumor of the books being counterfeited somehow in the '70s...

[blutobc]

Sounds like nonsense to me, though I suppose it's remotely possible that there could have been an uninformed rumor of the books being counterfeited somehow in the '70s...

 

He could be thinking of the counterfeit Cerebus #1 from 77' when Sim was still channeling BWS?

[seanfingh]

Sounds like nonsense to me, though I suppose it's remotely possible that there could have been an uninformed rumor of the books being counterfeited somehow in the '70s...

 

The rumor wouldn't surprise me - based upon the amount of hoarding of issue #1 that went down. When the stashes started to come out over the years, rumors of them being reprints would comport with the random stupidity and baseless nature of most rumors.

[OveraboundingMint]

Sorry that i am unable to named names but I heard from a comics collecting friend who saw issue #1 being sold new together with the then current issues at a couple of newstands (USA) in 1974. Not long after, # 2-3 were also seen on stands together with the current releases.

 

The other source mentioned seeing the same thing happening but around the time of 77/78.

 

Then someone wrote to the Marvel offices in 1987 to clarify on this but Marvel did not deny or confirm it.

 

If the rumours are indeed true, then the non-original ones are not counterfeit but a second-printing as they are still legit since they were manufactured by Marvel to cater to readers' collecting demand.

 

Given what i have heard, the way to tell the original #1 from the non-original #1 is from the background color tone- original has darker brown background unlike the later print.

[oakman29]

Pass the crack pipe.

[OveraboundingMint]

I extend my apologies to any sellers who may be offended by this post.

[jools&jim]

 

It's not offensive at all...but without any hard evidence to substantiate the existence of a "reprint"--and given what we already know to be true about the way Marvel and comics distribution in general worked during the '70s--it's just a highly unlikely scenario. For starters, if Marvel had gone back to press with the books (unprecedented back then), they most certainly would have publicized it: Stan Lee was a huckster's huckster, and wouldn't have let an event like that go to waste, let alone keep it a secret!

 

I agree with fingh: this "rumor" probably has a lot to do with hoarding and affidavit returns fraud involving early issues of Conan during the early/mid '70s: e.g., here's a tidbit from Bob Beerbohm in a thread from a few years ago on the subject...

 

I do not remember what the very last mafia books we got shipped to the west coast. Mostly we bought Conan 1 2 4 as that Barry Smith title was the guaranteed hottest one to turn over, and not a risk buying 300 case lots at a time (the only way you could get the books to be sent to the west coast)

 

The complete thread is here:

 

Conan #3, etc.

 

 

[SOTIcollector]

There were rumours from around the time in the 80s that Marvel took to reprinting the first 3 issues of Conan after the series picked on successfully in the early 70s. Some say the reprinting took place in 1974 while another source placed it around '77 to 78 period.

 

Question now is, how do people tell the difference between the true original and the subsequent 'original'? Let's hear it from those who knows more on this matter.

 

I've only been collecting since 1974, so I wasn't around when Conan #1 hit the stands. However, I have been around long enough to be highly doubtful of the existence of reprints of #1-3. In fact, this is the first I've even heard of the rumor.

 

As has been noted, Conan was hot from the start. If the stories of people who were there such as Robert Beerbohm aren't sufficient, go back to Overstreet #2 from 1972 (the first one to list Conan). It lists Conan #2-14 as 30 cents each in Mint. (Yes, this was when the Guide listed prices for G/F/M grades). So brand new, just-published-before-the-Guide-came-out issues of Conan were listed at a 50% premium over cover price. Comparable recent issues of mainline Marvel titles (such as Amazing Spider-man, Avengers, Captain America and Fantastic Four) all listed for only 20 cents each (cover price) in Mint. It's apparent that there was an increased collector demand for these books that dates back to at least press time for the 1972 Guide.

 

Given that fandom, such as it was, was paying attention back in the 1970's, it seems nearly impossible that Marvel could have reprinted the books and sent them out for newsstand distribution without SOMEBODY noticing.

 

Years after a significant event happens, there's always somebody who suggests that the evidence at hand is wrong or inaccurate. Despite numerous facts to the contrary, there are those who claim that man never landed on the moon, there was a shooter on the grassy knoll, and even that the Holocaust never happened. While most of the general public is willing to listen to logic, there will always be conspiracy theorists who won't let the facts stand in the way of their notions of what "really" happened. I am NOT saying that the OP is a conspiracy theoris. These theories sometimes garner support among people who haven't seen the evidence that contradicts the theory, and I applaud the OP for starting this thread so that we can see if there's any evidence to back up this rumor.

 

Let's compare the evidence for the existence of these reprints versus the evidence against it.

 

EVIDENCE FOR:

A couple people the OP knows claim to have knowledge of these reprints.

 

EVIDENCE AGAINST:

-The stories of those who claim to have knowledge of these books conflict one another, calling the memories of these people into question.

-Conan collectors in the 70's were pretty die-hard. Collectors would likely have noticed the reprints at the time they came out, and yet nothing has been mentioned about them in 40 years of Overstreet Guides.

-The distribution system of the time didn't lend itself to sending out reprints such as described.

-Stan Lee, as noted, was a huckster and would have wanted to capitalize on these reprints. With the popularity of Conan at the time and the known demand for Conan #1-3, a reprint would have been the top item in Stan's Soapbox when it came out.

-Robert Beerbohm seems to know a lot about the distribution of Marvel books in the early 70's. Based on reading his Conan #3 post, I'd say he has no knowledge of such reprints.

 

And I'm sure there's more evidence against it.. that's what comes to mind at the moment. If there's any more evidence of these reprints, I'd love to hear it. Anybody who was around at the time, like BLB, who can confirm/refute this tory?

 

I'd be stunned if these reprints exist.

 

 

 

 

 

[underthebigw]

Sorry that i am unable to named names but I heard from a comics collecting friend who saw issue #1 being sold new together with the then current issues at a couple of newstands (USA) in 1974. Not long after, # 2-3 were also seen on stands together with the current releases.

 

The other source mentioned seeing the same thing happening but around the time of 77/78.

 

Then someone wrote to the Marvel offices in 1987 to clarify on this but Marvel did not deny or confirm it.

 

If the rumours are indeed true, then the non-original ones are not counterfeit but a second-printing as they are still legit since they were manufactured by Marvel to cater to readers' collecting demand.

 

Given what i have heard, the way to tell the original #1 from the non-original #1 is from the background color tone- original has darker brown background unlike the later print.

 

This is a classic "If you want to make a lie believable...." scenario. Of course there are color differentiations across the print run. This true for most every book up to this period, and some examples are dramatic.

 

I can tell you right now, I was a full blown collector by this point, and I NEVER saw a Conan one for sale anywhere other than a back issue dealer or in a collection of similarly aged books. If reprints were for sale in any distribution channel Marvel had, it would have been publicized.

 

Are you telling me that, in the midst of the implosion of the comic industry, when Marvel and DC were both struggling, Marvel printed a few thousand copies to sell only to back-issue dealers at cons? NO WAY-not worth their time.

 

Not only were they not in any formal channel of distribution, but there was no spike in Conan 1s in The Buyers Guide, which I read every week during 1977-78. Despite the hoarding, Conan 1 was actually a somewhat tough book to find, unless you went to a big show.

 

Never happened.

[OveraboundingMint]

Are you telling me that, in the midst of the implosion of the comic industry, when Marvel and DC were both struggling, Marvel printed a few thousand copies to sell only to back-issue dealers at cons? NO WAY-not worth their time.

.

 

In the early 70s, Marvel was doing exceptionally well, adding more and more titles of different genres to the mix. Anyway, i mentioned that copies of ctb #1, and later #2/3s were seen on the newsstands with the current issues, back issues sales at con is of course common then.

 

 

[OveraboundingMint]

Of course there are color differentiations across the print run. This true for most every book up to this period, and some examples are dramatic.

 

Absolutely no doubts about that. In fact i have personally bought lots of multiples of issues i like for this reason, due to things like the different degrees of centredness, variation in color tones, etc not to mention price variants. Every single issue printed the old way using the pulp paper have issues that just look so different from one another and that's the beauty of collecting and appreciating them differently.

[OveraboundingMint]

Very convincing and plausible arguments all. i am almost totally persuaded to believe them for a fact although what's said about Stan Lee and publicised announcements, we may never know all there is to know, do we.

 

Now, hypothetically if the rumors are not at all false, and we all know how astute Stan can be in the way he ran Marvel back then, surely he knew that by making an announcement on a issue 1 reprint would devaluate its worth when the objective is to make the readers happy with their collection and continual patronage. With this logic, I would not at all be surprised whether Marvel would have gone that extra mile to print additional issues of those mentioned bks so as to give the segment of existing readers who had missed out the first time round a chance to own them.