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BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE
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191 posts in this topic

The green ink on the lettering indicates it's a 1st print. I looked on Go Collect and there is no upc code on the front of any of the 14 printings of this book that they show. Double-checking: is the upc sticker on the book or on the plastic bag the book is in? If it's on the book, it might have been put there by the retailer. Just a guess on my part. 

Edited by MetaHuman
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On 5/10/2021 at 2:00 PM, AlBogz said:

I was going through my old comics in my mom’s attic and came across a copy of what looks to be a first printing of Killing Joke. However, it has a UPC sticker attached to the cover of the book.  I don’t remember where I would have bought this 25+ years ago that would have added that. Has anyone seen this before?  Any options to get this graded or am I out of luck unless I somehow can remove a 25+ year old sticker without leaving residue behind?

 

12B3EF51-604A-431D-9CB8-5A3523B73040.jpeg

The sticker is very similar in design to the one on my newsstand edition of Sandman #12, which I'm pretty sure I got from a Walden Books at a mall.

I had earlier issues from the Sandman series, which I traded way back then, but I remember the UPC stickers on those being thinner.

 

sandman12upc.jpg

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On 5/12/2021 at 6:17 PM, MetaHuman said:

The green ink on the lettering indicates it's a 1st print. I looked on Go Collect and there is no upc code on the front of any of the 14 printings of this book that they show. Double-checking: is the upc sticker on the book or on the plastic bag the book is in? If it's on the book, it might have been put there by the retailer. Just a guess on my part. 

The only version that has a UPC code on the front cover is the 6th print newsstand edition.  As far as I have found there are only 3 newsstand editions that were printed.  The 6th, 11th, and 13th.  There is also a 4th print Book of the Month Club edition.  There are no other newsstand editions that I have been able to locate.

As far as the sticker on the cover, that was more than likely put their by a retailer, as I do not know of any 1st print newsstand editions.  Even if there was a newsstand 1st print, I doubt they would have used a sticker on it as it would have been the Direct version with just a "sticker on cover".

 

Edited by aszumilo
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On 1/11/2020 at 7:45 AM, aszumilo said:

Another note on the UPC codes. 

The 6th print Newsstand is the first printing that uses a barcode and only one I have seen on the front cover.  All other printings, with a barcode, are on the back cover.
There were no UPC codes used on the Direct Editions until the 8th printing.
9th and 10th printings used the same UPC code.
The 8th and 9th Direct editions have a code that correlates to the printing (118 = 8th, 119 = 9th)
The 11th and 12th Direct editions have a code that correlates to the printing (121 = 11th, 122 = 12th)
The 13th Direct Edition has a code that, using the correlation on 11th and 12th prints, that should technically correlate to the 14th printing (124 = 13th instead of 14th printing)
The 14th printing and the "DC Direct Edition" have the same barcode.  
CGC calls some 14th prints as the DC Direct Edition, but, they are wrong as I showed in another thread.  Got no response from CGC about it.

KJUPC.JPG.66baec09b19328820b4de24690ebd2ad.JPG

Hi aszumilo - as you look to be the leading authority on this book and it’s versions… 1st thanks for the research- I quite littering stumble across this because I bought an 11th printing and noticed the UPC nbr was drastically different from my other prints with an UPC

 

Can you tell me please the difference in the 14th print - I have the figures new in box with that print but don’t want to open it to look at that edition - I ordered a 14th printing separately and the back has the DC Direct Joker & Harley Quinn advertisement and the the UPC says Direct Sales $5.99

 

i just purchased a 11th print direct sales and all I need or thought I needed is a 9th & 10th to complete my set.  That was of course until I learned I also need a 6th & 13th newsstand 

 

thanks

michael 

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On 4/15/2022 at 7:54 AM, MichaelBSmith said:

Hi aszumilo - as you look to be the leading authority on this book and it’s versions… 1st thanks for the research- I quite littering stumble across this because I bought an 11th printing and noticed the UPC nbr was drastically different from my other prints with an UPC

 

Can you tell me please the difference in the 14th print - I have the figures new in box with that print but don’t want to open it to look at that edition - I ordered a 14th printing separately and the back has the DC Direct Joker & Harley Quinn advertisement and the the UPC says Direct Sales $5.99

 

i just purchased a 11th print direct sales and all I need or thought I needed is a 9th & 10th to complete my set.  That was of course until I learned I also need a 6th & 13th newsstand 

 

thanks

michael 

The book included with the action figures IS the 14th printing.  CGC listed it as Direct Edition OR as the 14th printing (depending on who graded it, I guess).  I finally got them straightened out and now they only list the 14th print for the registry. 

As far as the 11th printing goes, there is a Direct Sales edition (UPC 7 61941 20212 00121).  If you look at the UPC code, the last digit corresponds to the 11th print.  There is also a Newsstand edition (UPC 9 780930 289454 50495).  The last 3 digits of the UPC code corresponds to the price of the book.  495 = $4.95 cover price.

The 6th Print Newsstand will have a UPC Code on the front cover.  The Direct Sales edition has no UPC code at all.

There is also a Book of the Month club 4th Printing.  Inside the front cover you will see BOMC and the back cover has no price or mature reader warning on it.  So, you might want to be on the look out for that one.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to me.

If you really want to go down the Killing Joke rabbit hole, try the foreign editions.  Here are a few of the ones I have.  There are quite a few more out there I am trying to track down.

KJForeignUpdated2.thumb.jpg.48a1d38d0dea7ed69cca2922351a01b6.jpg

 

Edited by aszumilo
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On 4/15/2022 at 12:44 PM, aszumilo said:

The book included with the action figures IS the 14th printing.  CGC listed it as Direct Edition OR as the 14th printing (depending on who graded it, I guess).  I finally got them straightened out and now they only list the 14th print for the registry. 

As far as the 11th printing goes, there is a Direct Sales edition (UPC 7 61941 20212 00121).  If you look at the UPC code, the last digit corresponds to the 11th print.  There is also a Newsstand edition (UPC 9 780930 289454 50495).  The last 3 digits of the UPC code corresponds to the price of the book.  495 = $4.95 cover price.

The 6th Print Newsstand will have a UPC Code on the front cover.  The Direct Sales edition has no UPC code at all.

There is also a Book of the Month club 4th Printing.  Inside the front cover you will see BOMC and the back cover has no price or mature reader warning on it.  So, you might want to be on the look out for that one.

If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to me.

If you really want to go down the Killing Joke rabbit hole, try the foreign editions.  Here are a few of the ones I have.  There are quite a few more out there I am trying to track down.

KJForeignUpdated2.thumb.jpg.48a1d38d0dea7ed69cca2922351a01b6.jpg

 

Seeing as you seem to be the resident expert, always thought I had the first printing and recently went through my collection for the first time in a long time...I actually have the 9th printing which is supposedly one of the rarer printings. Is that actually the case?  Got it cleaned and sent off to be graded, hoping for a good outcome.

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On 4/18/2022 at 10:42 AM, Miguelb said:

Seeing as you seem to be the resident expert, always thought I had the first printing and recently went through my collection for the first time in a long time...I actually have the 9th printing which is supposedly one of the rarer printings. Is that actually the case?  Got it cleaned and sent off to be graded, hoping for a good outcome.

I don't think the 9th print is all that rare.  I usually see 1 or 2 on E-Bay.  9th prints used to sell for pretty cheap, inline with the other prints other than the 1st print.  Someone posted a 9th print for sale calling it "Rare" and somehow people ran with it.  I think 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th prints are harder to find and may be a bit more rare than the 9th.  I haven't been able to find any numbers that show how many of each print were actually printed, but, based on number of graded copies in the census the 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th prints have less copies graded than the 9th.  The actual rarest, I believe, is the 4th print Book of the Month Club edition with only 3 copies graded (mine was the first one graded).  There are 2 9.6 and 1 9.4 graded currently.

1st - 8928 graded
2nd - 175 graded
3rd - 89 grade
4th - 54 graded
4th BOMC - 3 graded
5th - 98 graded
6th - 103 graded
7th - 72 graded
8th - 23 graded
9th - 46 graded
10 - 15 graded
11th - 19 graded
12th - 11 graded
13th - 7 graded
14th - 49 graded

Also, CGC does not recognize the 6th, 11th, and 13th newsstand editions, so, those are included in the total graded for those printings.

Quick browse of E-Bay, there are currently 8 9th prints for sale, 1 10th print and 1 11th print for sale.  Majority of the US editions, for sale on E-Bay,  are 1st thru 7th.

 

Edited by aszumilo
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On 4/18/2022 at 10:24 PM, aszumilo said:

I don't think the 9th print is all that rare.  I usually see 1 or 2 on E-Bay.  9th prints used to sell for pretty cheap, inline with the other prints other than the 1st print.  Someone posted a 9th print for sale calling it "Rare" and somehow people ran with it.  I think 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th prints are harder to find and may be a bit more rare than the 9th.  I haven't been able to find any numbers that show how many of each print were actually printed, but, based on number of graded copies in the census the 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th prints have less copies graded than the 9th.  The actual rarest, I believe, is the 4th print Book of the Month Club edition with only 3 copies graded (mine was the first one graded).  There are 2 9.6 and 1 9.4 graded currently.

1st - 8928 graded
2nd - 175 graded
3rd - 89 grade
4th - 54 graded
4th BOMC - 3 graded
5th - 98 graded
6th - 103 graded
7th - 72 graded
8th - 23 graded
9th - 46 graded
10 - 15 graded
11th - 19 graded
12th - 11 graded
13th - 7 graded
14th - 49 graded

Also, CGC does not recognize the 6th, 11th, and 13th newsstand editions, so, those are included in the total graded for those printings.

Quick browse of E-Bay, there are currently 8 9th prints for sale, 1 10th print and 1 11th print for sale.  Majority of the US editions, for sale on E-Bay,  are 1st thru 7th.

 

Thanks for the info.  Higher grades have been going for quite a bit, maybe I should sell mine before anyone figures it out lol.

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@aszumilo 

What's the rationale for having three UK first prints with three different cover prices?

While the indicia may not have changed between printings, an increase in price is generally indicative of a later date (and later printing).

In many cases (other comics), sometimes the only way to know that a book goes from 1st print to 2nd print or from 3rd print to 4th print is the higher cover price.

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On 4/19/2022 at 10:46 AM, valiantman said:

@aszumilo 

What's the rationale for having three UK first prints with three different cover prices?

While the indicia may not have changed between printings, an increase in price is generally indicative of a later date (and later printing).

In many cases (other comics), sometimes the only way to know that a book goes from 1st print to 2nd print or from 3rd print to 4th print is the higher cover price.

The UK editions have me confused as well.  Not sure about the different prices, I would have to check on that, but, it is a plausible scenario.  They also have different color logos.  While the indicia lists those as 1st prints, CGC does not.  I think CGC lists the Yellow logo as the 3rd printing.  I don't remember 100% offhand.  I would have to double check when I get home from work.  

Edited by aszumilo
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Sorry, but I am just now seeing this thread. This copy of mine was stolen off of a porch earlier this year. Please let me know if you ever see this one.... It is less than likely that someone would crack and resubmit a Bolland signed copy... perhaps to CBCS as a verified book though.

Killing Joke nn stolen 6019.jpg

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On 4/19/2022 at 6:45 PM, Ron C. said:

Sorry, but I am just now seeing this thread. This copy of mine was stolen off of a porch earlier this year. Please let me know if you ever see this one.... It is less than likely that someone would crack and resubmit a Bolland signed copy... perhaps to CBCS as a verified book though.

Killing Joke nn stolen 6019.jpg

That sucks.  I will keep an eye out.  Make sure you let your local comic stores (and maybe pawn shops) know about it.

Also add it to your registry.  This way if someone else tries to add it to theirs, you'll get a message asking if you still own the book.

Edited by aszumilo
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On 4/19/2022 at 10:46 AM, valiantman said:

@aszumilo 

What's the rationale for having three UK first prints with three different cover prices?

While the indicia may not have changed between printings, an increase in price is generally indicative of a later date (and later printing).

In many cases (other comics), sometimes the only way to know that a book goes from 1st print to 2nd print or from 3rd print to 4th print is the higher cover price.

Looking at the books I have (3 graded and 4 raw), I see the following from my raw books:
Green - Indicia shows "1st Titan Edition May 1988" - £1.95 price
Pink - Indicia shows "2nd Titan Edition" (no date) - £1.95 price
Orange - Indicia shows "1st Titan Edition May 1988" - £2.25 price
Yellow - Indicia shows "1st Titan Edition May 1988" - £2.50 price

How CGC sees them according to the label:
Green - "UK Edition" - No printing designation (which falls in line with the US edition label)
Orange - "UK Edition/3rd Edition"
Yellow - "UK Edition/4th Printing"

So, it makes sense that 1st = Green, 2nd = Pink, 3rd = Orange, and 4th = Yellow, even though they all state first edition and date of May 1988 (excpet for pink)

You are correct on the price = printing.  I seriously never thought to look at the prices on them before and wondered why CGC labeled them that way.  Now I know.

I did come across a listing (somewhere) that said there was a copy that said 4th Edition in the indicia.  Not sure where I saw it at and have never seen a UK edition where it does say it, so, not sure if that exists or not.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

 

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On 4/19/2022 at 10:53 PM, aszumilo said:

Looking at the books I have (3 graded and 4 raw), I see the following from my raw books:
Green - Indicia shows "1st Titan Edition May 1988" - £1.95 price
Pink - Indicia shows "2nd Titan Edition" (no date) - £1.95 price
Orange - Indicia shows "1st Titan Edition May 1988" - £2.25 price
Yellow - Indicia shows "1st Titan Edition May 1988" - £2.50 price

How CGC sees them according to the label:
Green - "UK Edition" - No printing designation (which falls in line with the US edition label)
Orange - "UK Edition/3rd Edition"
Yellow - "UK Edition/4th Printing"

So, it makes sense that 1st = Green, 2nd = Pink, 3rd = Orange, and 4th = Yellow, even though they all state first edition and date of May 1988 (excpet for pink)

It's likely we're putting more thought into it than DC/Titan did, but if you think of the cover price as an "edition", then there is a 1st and 2nd for £1.95, and it actually is the 1st edition of the £2.25 printing (but 3rd overall), and then it's the 1st edition of the £2.50 printing (4th overall).

It reminds me of the draft (in professional sports), where someone can be the 1st pick in the 3rd round.  They're probably 50th overall, but they still get to be remembered as the 1st pick of the 3rd round.

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Okay Detectives, here's a new twist on the 4th Print...
A few weeks ago I was rereading this thread and decided to look for a BOMC 4th print.  I dug through a few hundred eBay listing and found 2 so I bought them.  One arrived last week and the other, from Canada, arrived tonight. 

Front cover logo on the one from Canada (left) is slightly lighter than the one from the US but that's no big deal .

IMG_8092.thumb.JPG.61dc2132bef384c51802f8b7c66177a8.JPG

Back covers look the same -- no MATURE CONTENT warning nor price.

IMG_8093.thumb.JPG.9daaf5bdf3817dab428b3a4857f138ca.JPG

However, when I opened the book from Canada there was no BOMC notation.  :whatthe:

IMG_8094.thumb.JPG.b6f7b748e8e61386f5f0c7fb97f34f7d.JPGIMG_8096.thumb.JPG.3bda7edf5454f1f90e50e039a84c718d.JPG

So now it appears there is yet another, 3rd variant, of the 4th printing.  Anyone see one of these before?

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On 5/11/2022 at 7:51 PM, Stronguy said:

Okay Detectives, here's a new twist on the 4th Print...
A few weeks ago I was rereading this thread and decided to look for a BOMC 4th print.  I dug through a few hundred eBay listing and found 2 so I bought them.  One arrived last week and the other, from Canada, arrived tonight. 

Front cover logo on the one from Canada (left) is slightly lighter than the one from the US but that's no big deal .

IMG_8092.thumb.JPG.61dc2132bef384c51802f8b7c66177a8.JPG

Back covers look the same -- no MATURE CONTENT warning nor price.

IMG_8093.thumb.JPG.9daaf5bdf3817dab428b3a4857f138ca.JPG

However, when I opened the book from Canada there was no BOMC notation.  :whatthe:

IMG_8094.thumb.JPG.b6f7b748e8e61386f5f0c7fb97f34f7d.JPGIMG_8096.thumb.JPG.3bda7edf5454f1f90e50e039a84c718d.JPG

So now it appears there is yet another, 3rd variant, of the 4th printing.  Anyone see one of these before?

Lighter colors happened throughout all the printings.  Just ink running low,  Some people on E-Bay say it is a variant, but, they are fools.

As far as that 4th print.  That is something new.  Not sure where that came from.  Maybe it was a misprint from the BOMC variant, where they forgot to add the BOMC part.  Curse you :sumo:, now I have something else to track down and figure out.  The "regular" 4th print should have the price ($3.50) and mature warning on the back cover.

Maybe @RockMyAmadeushas some insight, since he and I talked heavily on the BOMC edition.

Edited by aszumilo
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On 5/11/2022 at 11:31 PM, aszumilo said:

Found another 4th print, on E-Bay, that does not have the price or mature warning on the back.  Can't see the inside of the front cover since it is graded.

 

Yeah, I have been watching that one.  I'm not going to pull the trigger at the current asking price.

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On 5/11/2022 at 10:51 PM, aszumilo said:

Lighter colors happened throughout all the printings.  Just ink running low,  Some people on E-Bay say it is a variant, but, they are fools.

As far as that 4th print.  That is something new.  Not sure where that came from.  Maybe it was a misprint from the BOMC variant, where they forgot to add the BOMC part.  Curse you :sumo:, now I have something else to track down and figure out.  The "regular" 4th print should have the price ($3.50) and mature warning on the back cover.

Maybe @RockMyAmadeushas some insight, since he and I talked heavily on the BOMC edition.

I was pretty surprised to see no BOMC noted on the indicia.  I figured it was like the other BOMC 4th prints. 

Maybe it has something to do with being out of Canada.  Was there a special 4th printing for Canada with no price?  That seems unlikely because who would print something that was individually for sale without a price.  Is this an error?  Maybe.  Just another mystery for us to solve.

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On 5/12/2022 at 7:04 AM, Stronguy said:

I was pretty surprised to see no BOMC noted on the indicia.  I figured it was like the other BOMC 4th prints. 

Maybe it has something to do with being out of Canada.  Was there a special 4th printing for Canada with no price?  That seems unlikely because who would print something that was individually for sale without a price.  Is this an error?  Maybe.  Just another mystery for us to solve.

As far as I know all US editions were printed in Canada.  I believe the UK versions were as well.  I would have to double check that.  I have not heard of any Canadian variants.  Pretty sure the US versions were sold on both sides of the border.  The weird part is it has no price on it.  Maybe it was a give away of some sort?

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