The Variant Scene

[OldGuy]

Long read, but if you buy modern books you should take the time to read it.

[Darthdiesel]

Read it... looks like a well thought out, well presented, thoroughly reasearched and eloquent small-time retailer gripe. We all like to beetch and moan and that's what this was to me...one guy's POV that did not win me over to his side and actually found it offensive to read because I have that personality that I must have every variant/new cover regardless of cost and this guy is just telling me that my way of collecting is wrong (along with several forum members on here).

 

Until the day I decide that variants are not worth my time or money, then I could give a rat's arse about what this guy or anyone else thinks about the way I collect. why should I have to justify it...I get tired of explaining to folks like this retailer that I buy enough comics to read, and also try plenty of new titles and obsessively collect runs of long standing Marvel titles. If I can also afford, on top of that, and want to purchase variants, I shouldn't be made to feel like I'm responsible for the death of an industry. Maybe this retailer, instead of resting on his laurels of selling 100 books here and 200 books there of the most promoted and hyped titles of the year, and then offending the "lowest common denominator" variant collectors - take his gripe to the publishers themselves and leave people like me the f' alone

 

In the short term, since that is what these retailers live in, it is people that spend the stupid money on variants and number 1 issues and multiple copies that pay their rent and utilities, not the folks who pick up 1 or 2 copies of established titles (ASM, X-men, Superman, batman) when and if the story arc is interesting. If comic retailers counted on just the sales of quality material from the Big 2, they'd be out of business in a month.

[uclapeterg]

"To each their own"

 

That was really well said, Darth.

[Kevin Boyd]

Got to agree with you Darth, seems to me like he's calling his own customers insufficiently_thoughtful_persons for buying variants. Isn't that short-sighted?

 

Parts of the article were well written and he made some nice points about the state of the industry when companies want to squeeze additional monies out of a hot title by producing variants. I personally don't understand the need for every variant, but then again that's never been my thing. I don't have anything against the people that do, but I also understand the sentiment that too much of a good thing (i.e. too many variants) can be a negative....

[OldGuy]

Maybe this retailer, instead of resting on his laurels of selling 100 books here and 200 books there of the most promoted and hyped titles of the year, and then offending the "lowest common denominator" variant collectors - take his gripe to the publishers themselves and leave people like me the f' alone

 

I thought that's what he was doing. I personally don't have a problem with variant collectors.

 

I got my Cassiday AXM #1 variant for cover price and paid $10 for the variant to #4. If I can get the variants I want at a reasonable price (cover or slightly higher) then I buy them. With the Wolverine #20 I'll be selling the copy I get (for cover price) from my LCS on Ebay to someone that "just has to have it" for what's looking to be about $100.

 

I love the "just have to have it" guys. They pay for my modern collecting habits. If I had to spend just "my own money" on modern books I'd buy about half of the 20 or so titles a month I currently get.

[Darthdiesel]

I love the "just have to have it" guys. They pay for my modern collecting habits. If I had to spend just "my own money" on modern books I'd buy about half of the 20 or so titles a month I currently get.

 

If you (in general) can be patient, MOST new titles show up at the local con at highly discounted prices from cover. But yes it is always great to buy your books with "someone else's money"

[OldGuy]

I love the "just have to have it" guys. They pay for my modern collecting habits. If I had to spend just "my own money" on modern books I'd buy about half of the 20 or so titles a month I currently get.

 

If you (in general) can be patient, MOST new titles show up at the local con at highly discounted prices from cover. But yes it is always great to buy your books with "someone else's money"

 

I can't even be patient enough to use subscription services with their nice discounts.

[Solar]

Let me get this straight... This guy is whining that some dealers have to up their order from maybe 35 copies of Wolverine 20 to 65 copies to get the variant.

 

Ok, I have no idea what retailers pay per copy, but I'm guessing it's considerably less than $2. Therefore, this guy's point is completely idiotic when you consider that the variant is going for about $100 on ebay preorders. I mean, if they normally pay $70 for 35 copies and are instead paying $130 for 64 copies and a $100 variant, then it seems like they're coming out on top by $40 and 29 extra copies.

 

Some dealers will actually sell the variant cheap, but I know my local shops will throw that sucker right on ebay.

[Alberto1975]

Honestly, I don't know what the big deal really is.

 

Ok, so publishers want to come out with Variants. What's so wrong with that?

 

Why do so many LCS owners play the victim? Really, it's not that hard. Like in any store, they have to look at what they can buy and what they can sell.

If you have to buy 65 issues of wolverine to get 1 variant, then go ahead and charge your customers the price for 65 issues at cost, and you end up with a variant to keep your customer happy. Then you have 65 issues of Wolverine that you might not sell, but really didn't cost you anything. Heck, what's the big problem? Have them near your counter and offer it for free to other people, put it in the 25c bin.

And if you don't think any of your customers will buy the variant at that price, and you cannot afford a better price, just don't get order any variants, and let the customer know.

 

My LCS told me that if I wanted it, I would probably have to pay $75 or so for it, since they had to cover their costs of ordering extra copies of Wolverine. I said fine, and since I'm paying for you to order extra copies, please throw in a handful of copies of the regular cover at no cost, and they agreed. So now, I will have the regular version, the variant version, and a handful of copies that I will hand out to co-workers, nephews, etc etc. Is that such a bad thing to happen?

 

I just don't understand why people are acting like they're forced to spend money when really they aren't. To me, this issue with variants is non existant, and really, I think it's just part of business.

[mitol]

I have to agree. Personally, I like variants, but not all of them, mind you. So, I buy what I want. If I can get it at my LCS, great. If not and I still really wanted that particular copy, I'll go elsewhere. Nobody's pointing a gun to head to make me buy it.

 

The writer makes a very good point that there are many good books available that a customer could spend his hard-earned money on instead of an expensive variant cover, but in all honesty, if that variant wasn't available, would the customer actually take that "variant" money and spend it on untried books? Doubt it. And the reverse is also true. For example, if you weren't a reader of Wolverine and never really cared for the character for example, would you actually be interested in this extremely rare variant that you'd have to pay $50 to obtain? Of course, if you knew about the book and was able to pick it up cheap just to flip, that's entirely different.

[shadroch]

I wonder how much of the money spent on variants and slabbing moderns would go back into the market if those two options didn't exist.

What I don't understand is the gotta have it first mentality. If you think a variant is going to be a good long term investment,the time to get it is when it has cooled off,not when its hot.And if you don't think its a good investment,why are you shelling out $50 or more dollars just for a different cover?

[OldGuy]

What I don't understand is the gotta have it first mentality. If you think a variant is going to be a good long term investment,the time to get it is when it has cooled off,not when its hot.

 

I'm with you on this big time. I wanted the AXM #4 variant because I loved the cover. But there was no way I was going to pay $30 the week it came out. I also wasn't willing to pay $20 two weeks later. I almost paid $15 a month later, but I held out one more week and got one for $10. Next month I wont feel to bad when they're going for $5.

[mitol]

I wonder how much of the money spent on variants and slabbing moderns would go back into the market if those two options didn't exist.

What I don't understand is the gotta have it first mentality. If you think a variant is going to be a good long term investment,the time to get it is when it has cooled off,not when its hot.And if you don't think its a good investment,why are you shelling out $50 or more dollars just for a different cover?

 

I can only answer you from my own point of view, but as a modern collector, I can say in all honesty that if I were to stop buying variants or modern slabs, I wouldn't put anything back into the market, but that's just me. As far as investment value goes, I've never picked up a variant for investment value purpose, simply something to add to my collection, but that's just me as well. I do suspect that people want the variants the same way they want their books every Wednesday. They just want to get to the store to pick up the books to have in their possessions asap. After that, they move on.

[shadroch]

Some of the variant schemes described in that article are insane. Trying to get dealers to sell an equal amount of a BW comic as the regular color issue is ludicris.

The incentive plan for New Avengers#1 is possibly the first disincentive plan as many retailers limited their orders so asto qualify for the later variants.

This Wolverine #20 has the making of being one of the rarest Marvels ever. Even if orders go up to 100,000,there will only be about 1,500 copies,

but to get one,a dealer needs to order 65 copies.If the average shop sold 65 copys of each issue,Wolverine would be selling 250,000 a month,not the 65,000 it does.

So the big guys(Mile Hile,Buddy Saunders,ect) get a freebie,and the smaller shops that are struggling get nada.The bigger shops get a $100 book simply for ordering their normal amount of books. If a shop is ordering 25 a month,now they need to order an extra 40 copies.Will they be able to sell the variant for enough to cover the additional costs? It seems quite possible,this time. But if this variant succeeds in pumping sales by 20% or more,they'll be many,many more to follow.

[Underdog]

The only thing I've found that keeps me from wanting to buy a variant is I can't afford em, but, hell, I do love them!

[mitol]

The incentive plan for New Avengers#1 is possibly the first disincentive plan as many retailers limited their orders so asto qualify for the later variants.

 

Absolutely!! This is one I'm skipping altogether.

[OldGuy]

Now this is a use for variant comics I think we can all agree on. http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/

[Alberto1975]

That's great!!!!

 

[WiseGuyX]

I'm a little split on the matter my self...I love to collect Variant covers but the number of them in the modern comics is getting reduntant. I think a good example is the New Avengers #1-6 variants that is about to come out. That is six more variants on the list to track down just from one title at god knows what price. Heck I just droped 50.00 on Wolverine's #20 1-65 and then a few hundered more to go get the sketch comver version. It's really not that much to get the sketch since I have to be in Dallas anyways and besides it well be my first convention

 

Well I better stop now

[highlite23]

I'm with Darth, If I can get the variant I want at my price I'm in, and If I can get one dirt cheap and it's going for stupid money................ebay all the way.

 

My Superman/Batman Retailer showed me the lite, got it for $50, sold it for $300, and oddly enough I don't really miss it...