MARVEL REVISES NEW AVENGERS/YOUNG GUNS VARIANTS

[Kevin Boyd]

http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19458

 

Under the revised plan, the order plateaus condition has been dumped, and now allows the retailer to purchase a variant cover to New Avengers #1 for every 20 regular editions that they buy. The main difference comes in the following issues, as retailers no longer have to meet 95% of the previous issue's numbers.

 

The ratios for purchasing a variant cover for the first six issues of New Avengers are:

 

New Avengers #1, Steve McNiven - 1 for every 20 Regular

New Avengers #2, Trevor Hairsine - 1 for every 19 Regular

New Avengers #3, Olivier Coipel - 1 for every 18 Regular

New Avengers #4, Jim Cheung - 1 for every 17 Regular

New Avengers #5, Adi Granov - 1 for every 16 Regular

New Avengers #6, mystery artist - 1 for every 15 Regular

 

[Alberto1975]

While I am happy that they revised it, I think the way they did it still sounds silly.

 

Why couldn't they just keep all 6 variants as 1 in 20?

 

It's definitely good news that they removed the 95% order requirement though...

[deathlok]

So much for the variants being rare. Now there will be tons of them to be had.

[Kevin Boyd]

What it means is that there will be plenty of variants of all the issue for the variant collectors. The ratios are supposed to factor in the natural reduction in orders the book should see between issues 1 and 6, but, in theory, what you will see is the variants for the middle covers (#3 and #4) being the ones with the smallest print runs.

 

For instance, guesstimating based on current trends... #1 will have high orders in the Astonishing X-Men range, but by the time you get to #6 they will settle down to Amazing Spider-Man's numbers.

 

New Avengers 1 ~150,000 copies = 7500 variants

 

New Avengers 2 ~125,000 copies = ~6600 variants

 

New Avengers 3 ~100,000 copies = ~5600 variants

 

New Avengers 4 ~95,000 copies = ~5600 variants

 

New Avengers 5 ~93,000 copies = ~5800 variants

 

New Avengers 6 ~ 90,000 copies = ~6000 variants

[Darthdiesel]

Might as well be a 50:50 distribution - people will treat this like they treat the X-men 1 (1990) cover variants today. Part of the allure of the variants is rarity. If everyone can have one, then it might as well be a regular cover so new Avengers 1-6 variants =

[Kevin Boyd]

Well, that's a bit extreme.

 

The print run on X-Men #1 (1990) was, like a million copies. And the four main covers seem to have been distributed equally - 200,000 copies for each cover.

 

200,000 compared to 5000-7000?

[shadroch]

Didn't the deadline for ordering issue one pass already?

This is akin to locking the door after your horse has absconded.The dealers who ordered issue one low so they could meet the plateau requirements are getting totally screwed.

Or are they allowing re-orders on issue one,which supposedly came in way below expectations?

 

The bright side of this is that Marvel listened to its

buyers and was flexible enough to change a failed incentive program.

[Kevin Boyd]

When I asked my LCS about this they told me they were contacted by Diamond yesterday and given the option to revise their orders on #1 accordingly. They opted to order 100 issues of #1, and thus get 5 copies of the variant.

[Darthdiesel]

When I asked my LCS about this they told me they were contacted by Diamond yesterday and given the option to revise their orders on #1 accordingly. They opted to order 100 issues of #1, and thus get 5 copies of the variant.

 

 

If this is the case, and this relates to the X-men 1 analogy I was bringing up, all LCS's can fix their orders to accommodate the demand from their variant collectors and charge them accordingly = about $40 per variant; 5000-7000 variant copies is just about enough to get 1 variant copy into to the hands of those who care enough to go out of their way, spend a little extra, to have them. ever wonder why DF, Jay Co and Graham Crackers print 5000 - 10000 whenever they do variant covers? Look and see how much those sell for on eBay $2- $5 if that...

[Kevin Boyd]

While I agree with the fact that everyone who wants one should be able to get one quite easily, I still don't see your X-Men #1 (1990) analogy as a good one.... Astonishing X-Men #1 (2004) definitely.

 

X-Men #1 shipped with four different covers over a period of 4 different weeks in fairly equal numbers and those issues were (and still are) widely available for cover price (or less).The premium edition (with the gatefold cover ) was also very well ordered. At no point was I ever denied access to any of those different versions or forced to pay a premium price for any of them.

 

I do not have the option of walking into my LCS and choosing which cover of New Avengers #1 I want to buy. Those 5 copies will be sold on eBay or for premium prices to the customers that ask for them.

[Amazing_Bag_man]

Are there any images of the six covers out there that anyone can see on the web? I could only notice the one with the new group in a silhouette and lightning in the background.

[awe4one]

I do not have the option of walking into my LCS and choosing which cover of New Avengers #1 I want to buy. Those 5 copies will be sold on eBay or for premium prices to the customers that ask for them.

 

Couldn't this "increase" in the amount of variants come back and bite the dealers in the ? If they over order to get their hands on a variant that technically won't be that rare, wouldn't they be more at risk of being stuck with unsold regulars and variants that can't come close to making up the difference? And with eBay, it becomes quite clear very quickly whether a variant is rare and when obvious, the associated price drop...

 

We saw this same tactic kill some comic shops in the early 90s...Marvel gets their money and the dealer's screwed...even smart dealers got burned....

 

Jim

[Darthdiesel]

I do not have the option of walking into my LCS and choosing which cover of New Avengers #1 I want to buy. Those 5 copies will be sold on eBay or for premium prices to the customers that ask for them.

 

Here is the difference between us. I can go to my LCS and ask them to order enough copies to insure a variant while I agree to cover their cost. I'm surprised Peter won't arrange the same for you

[Darthdiesel]

Not if they charge the variant guys the cost price or higher for the variant. The extra regular copies are just gravy.

[awe4one]

Not if they charge the variant guys the cost price or higher for the variant. The extra regular copies are just gravy.

 

But what if the variant guys balk at paying that much since they know by waiting a month or so, they'll be able to get the variant much cheaper?

 

Jim

[Kevin Boyd]

Here is the difference between us. I can go to my LCS and ask them to order enough copies to insure a variant while I agree to cover their cost. I'm surprised Peter won't arrange the same for you

 

You seem to think I'm actually interested in getting these variants rather than just passing along information, which is actually the real difference between us. I couldn't care less about getting a variant cover if it costs me more than cover price minus discount to get it. Put them in front of me 50/50 - same cost - I might buy both, but chances are I would just go with the one I liked.

 

Hey, I like Steve McNiven...he's a heck of an artist, and a heck of a nice guy. I would prefer to have his cover (or any of the Young Guns' covers) over one by Finch... but I don't want to pay $30-60 to get it... and they will all be in the inevitable collection (which I prefer anyway).

 

In all honesty, if I wanted to get a variant copy it wouldn't be that hard to do, I just don't care enough about them to do it. At that price I can get another hardcover for my collection.

 

All I ask of Peter is that he shows the variants to me before they get put away out of sight so that I know what they look like, for reference purposes.

 

But back to your point, covering their cost is basically to pay the equivalent of 20 regular issues. Even at the store's cost, that's $25-30.

[Darthdiesel]

Not if they charge the variant guys the cost price or higher for the variant. The extra regular copies are just gravy.

 

But what if the variant guys balk at paying that much since they know by waiting a month or so, they'll be able to get the variant much cheaper?

 

Jim

 

I'm talking about adjusting orders according to the subscribers demands. The retailer (at least my LCS) can ask regulars who they know like variants if they will want one and what it would cost them. If the LCS can get buyers to commit then they won't end up being out of money for this issue. As for the ones waiting, they'll have a long wait before it goes down below cost.

[shadroch]

This is why I hate this BS.I do my homework,find an oppurtunity,and Marvel changes the freakin rules. I must have called fifty store owners that I know,ascertained that none of them are ordering NA#1 heavy because of the future ramifications of the variants,so I order heavy.Now Marvel looks at their very disappointing pre-orders and revises their whole dis-incentive program.

The jerks who didn't think this thru get a free pass,the owners who ordered low on #1,planning to cash in on the scarcer later variants get knocked off their game plan,and Marvel still won't sell as many copies of issues 1 thru 6 than they would have before this program.

Bring back Shooter and DeFalco.

[Darthdiesel]

I hope you can ancel your orders, bro...

[shadroch]

Already Done. Kept 100 to distribute at our Annual Youth Sports Dinner and to keep a few for myself.The forgot to include the keyword upwards when they said you could adjust your orders.