How important are Variant Covers to you?

[Jking3437]

Variants only for the walking dead

[rjpb]

No real interest in variants, if there is more than one regular cover, I just buy the one I like best. If I was going to pick any of the limited variants up for a title I liked, it would only be when I thought the cover was cooler than the regular one, like some of the Mignola Hellboy variants, but even there I haven't actually plopped the money down.

[jimbo_707]

When I collected bronze and copper age books, I preferred the comic store versions because I thought the bar codes on the others were sort of ugly, but it was only a slight preference. I would have taken either. Now that I'm mostly into GA, it's a non-issue.

[thunsicker]

When I collected bronze and copper age books, I preferred the comic store versions because I thought the bar codes on the others were sort of ugly, but it was only a slight preference. I would have taken either. Now that I'm mostly into GA, it's a non-issue.

 

But what about Batman #1 dot or no dot? Do you feel the need to own both?

[Heavy_Hog-migration]

If I like the art I buy it.

 

 

If I don't I pass.

 

 

If I miss it and it is really expensive by the time I see it. ...moving on.

 

Unless I love the art. Then I buy it graded a 9.8

 

 

But I have a sickness.

[miraclemet]

I've only ever bought ONE variant since getting back into collecting a dozen years ago.

 

ASM #700 Skyline/Names variant (For SS purposes)

 

I own one other variant that was a gift to me (ASM #700 Rivera variant)

 

thats it, and I seriously doubt there will ever be more in my collection.

 

I have a complete run of Green Lantern GL 90 (v2) to present and have ZERO need, desire, or interest in getting the various alt covers from the last decade.

[Porter]

I used to be a modern completest, now I have sold off most of my modern and focusing on Silver Marvels, so a non-issue now...except that I have to sell all of my variants.

 

I am looking for any Iron Man 55 variants though, but those don't really count...right...right?

 

Double covers, Mark Jeweler's inserts, foreign, etc...

 

Cheers,

Cole

[Beamer]

I like variants but only if the cover is cool and cheap. Not paying over $10.

[slym2none]

So the question to you, my fellow comic collectors, how important are variant covers to you? Not, just the latest craze of covers, but also, say, Newstand verses Direct comics? Are you just happy to get a copy of a book or are you chasing the variant cover dragon?

 

Not at all.

 

Then again, I don't buy new comics at all.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[jerome34]

As part of collecting every DC comic, I was collecting the variants as well.

When the 52 upchuck came along with a 1:200 every week, I stopped

getting ANY new DC comics. Watching what DC is doing makes me

happy that I am out of the post-upchuck collecting. It was impossible

when I got out and it seems to be getting worse every month or so.

 

On the other hand, I am still collection the pre-upchuck variants. So

far I have gotten about 2000 and know of close to 100 that I do not

have. DC started variants in 1936 but they were fairly few per year

until about 1992.

 

I have learned that starting in about 1999, the direct version of a

comic often had an additional wrap (4 pages) or two that was not

in the newsstand version. I have been working on documenting

the issues with this variation. So far, I have found and gotten

about 500 of these beasts and I suspect I have found only 1/4

of the ones that exist.

 

In that search for newsstand variants I grab any I find at very cheap

prices, Then I check them and if there is a difference, they go

into my collection. If not, I try to sell them for a couple of bucks

or trade with collectors who are looking for the newsstand versions.

[HeroX]

I do not buy variants. As someone else said, back when the direct vs. newsstand meant no barcode vs. barcode, I would get the direct because I thought it made the cover look better. But the modern variant craze? No, thank you.

[Dr Chaos]

For most titles I do not bother with variants unless I think I am really getting a discount on them.

 

For a couple titles titles (Locke & Key, Hit Girl, Adventure Time) I think I have almost all of the variants.

 

With that being said I am willing to visit multiple stores to get 5 copies of the 3D Harley Quinn variant coming out today.

[chrisco37]

I'm not a variant collector, but I find the 30/35 cent variants kind of a cool niche.

 

For modern stuff, I don't care at all. I'd buy one if it had a cover that I really, really liked. I bought the Spider-Ham sketch variant of ASM a few years ago (I forget the issue #).

[vader2001]

I collect the ones I like. Some of them have really nice covers. If you are a collector of ASM or Justice League it could get brutal trying to collect them all. For some other titles it is achievable.

 

This is exactly what I do.

 

Trying to get every Thanos cover is rough, so I decided to get only the ones I really like.

[kpaqu1]

I could care less about variant covers. In fact, if there is a variant cover, I don't buy it. A variant cover is a like a reprint. Something about it that ain't right.

 

The probability is high (50/50 at least) that the shorter run covers were printed first. That would mean you've been collecting the "reprints" all this time!

[FineCollector]

Gimmick, plain and simple.

 

I do NOT want variant covers in my collection, even when they're printed 50/50 (like Ross' Justice). I'm a run collector, so the picture on the front does nothing for the story.

 

I own all of one 2nd print variant, an Action Comics with Luthor in his classic battlesuit instead of his orange Lantern whatever suit... Paid a buck for it, and have no intention of buying the 1st print.

[otherworldcomics]

I know we all seem to have our collecting quirks. For example, someone on the boards collected all of the variant covers for the Death of Superman story line. Honestly, I didn't know there were that many. Most of the variances were just the coloring of the cover. One had the title "Superman" in red, the next blue, etc. For him it was a personal quest. Someone else just mentioned Batman #1 with or without a dot. That kind of thing. Just wondered how others felt. To me, all the variant covers, though some are great art, kind of take away from the hobby.

 

Like someone else said earlier in the thread, its one thing to have a variant cover once in a while for a book, but like ASM, there were 4-5 variant covers every other book. I know it makes the companies money, but this kind of thing kinda helped tank the comic industry in the 90's.

[vaillant]

I do not buy variants. As someone else said, back when the direct vs. newsstand meant no barcode vs. barcode, I would get the direct because I thought it made the cover look better. But the modern variant craze? No, thank you.

 

As with any kind of "artificially induced rarity", I don’t consider them serious.

 

But if they have the same print run, they occasionally offer the option to have a better cover over the standard one, which may be not so good.

[TXReplicant]

I began strictly collecting Cover 1As until I became ravenously attracted to B&W/Sketch Variants.

[Catalyst Comics]

Not big on the Variant covers. They seem to be more for someone to try and and make a score on ebay then for serious collecting.