Whitman 3-pack Education - please enlighten me

[ASM-completist]

I am only interested in Amazing Spider-Man copies. Who can give me some REAL information about the Whitman 3-packs? If the copy is out of the bag, how can one tell that it is a Whitman copy? I have seen sites that suggest Whitman copis lack a date/month and also have a blank UPC box. That same site suggested the same for another issue except the UPC box, with code, had a diagonal line through it. Another site stated that the diagonal line through the UPC box was simply another direct sales issue. HELP! I want the ASM Whitman copies but do not know what to buy? How can I tell if an issue is a Whitman? PLEASE HELP!

[Metarog]

This is what I know about the ASM Whitmans/Western Publishing variants:

 

The only known issues that were variants of this sort are ASM 165-175,179-181,183-189 and 192. After that you had the slash through the UPC which where the direct sale copies as opposed to the returnable newstand copies without the slash.

 

All have the familiar White Diamond in a black box where the price and issue numbers are (Issues 165-168 and 183-187 have the month in the Diamond).165-172 have UPCs, 173-175 and 179-181 have blank UPCs then in 183-185 the UPC returns. Then in 186-189 and 192 the UPC is blank again.

 

Any Issues after #192 are "regular" Direct Sale issues and not Whitman/Western Publishing variants. Hope this helps.

[mrwoogieman]

 

If that doesn't help, I don't know what will!

 

 

Maybe a link to a current sale?

[tay666]

http://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/Direct/index.htm

 

Should be everything you need to know at that link.

[ASM-completist]

To me, that link is worthless. It does not describe the cover differences for the Whitman copies.

[tay666]

To me, that link is worthless. It does not describe the cover differences for the Whitman copies.

 

That is all that the page is about

 

It even has pictures.

Those 4 sets of images show the different styles of whitman variations on the marvel comics.

 

It even has images of 30 out of the 39 ASM Whitman issues.

[ASM-completist]

Huh? Those images are proof that direct sale issues exist.

 

"The list below contains grids for those titles known to have Direct Sale issues published during the 1977 to 1979 time period. Links to examples are provided in the cases where I have an image to prove the existence of a Direct Sale issue."

[FFB]

To me, that link is worthless. It does not describe the cover differences for the Whitman copies.

 

Unless a book is a "Whitman REPRINT" (like the Star Wars reprints), there is no difference between the cover of a Direct Market copy sold through a comic store and a Direct Market copy that was bundled by Western Publishing Company into the Whitman 3-packs. That is the entire point of that website, and that is why the Overstreet guide does not separate books that were in Whitman 3-packs from other Direct Market copies. They are the same book. If you want to be sure that a book was in a Whitman 3 pack, you need to buy it while it is still in the Whitman 3 pack.

 

The bottom line is that if you're trying to buy Whitman 3-pack books because you think they're some kind of variant, don't bother. They aren't variants. They are just regular old Direct Market copies that Whitman (one of Marvel's biggest distributors) sealed into three-packs for sales purposes.

[ASM-completist]

Exactly. That is what I wanted to hear. Notice my original post. How can one tell if it is a Whitman copy, unless it has been removed from the pack? Apparently, it can not. Now, was there ever an ASM issue that was a Whitman REPRINT, like the Star Wars copy that you mentioned? I am familiar with how those covers are different. Were any ASM issues created like that? If so, which ones?

[tay666]

Ok, the confusion was with your original wording then.

You want Whitman REPRINTS.

Where as the direct market versions (with the price diamond) are comonly refered to as Whitman's.

[ASM-completist]

I want both. Apparently I can only (because that is the only way to be sure they came from a Whitman 3 pack) get the Whitman Direct copies if they are still in their original pack. Not sure why you say the diamond price copies are referred to as the Whitman's.

[tay666]

Not sure why you say the diamond price copies are referred to as the Whitman's.

 

Because that is how most people were exposed to them.

There weren't really a lot of direct market outlets in 1977-79.

 

Also, might want to give this thread a read.