ASM "Whitman" copies being sold as variants - legal?

[PovertyRow]

AFAIK, there are NO distinguising marks on the direct edition comics that went into the Whitman 3-packs.

 

This is way out of my area of expertise, but didn;t these Whitman books have a Whitman logo? I am SURE I've seen such. If a price variant can be called a variant where only the price is different, why not a Whitman variant? Or am I missing something? (haven;t read all the way through here so...)

[FFB]

AFAIK, there are NO distinguising marks on the direct edition comics that went into the Whitman 3-packs.

 

This is way out of my area of expertise, but didn;t these Whitman books have a Whitman logo? I am SURE I've seen such. If a price variant can be called a variant where only the price is different, why not a Whitman variant? Or am I missing something? (haven;t read all the way through here so...)

 

Not the Marvel books sold in Whitman 3-packs. They were just ordinary direct market copies that distributors sealed into empty Whitman bags to sell off unsold stock. They weren't actually printed by Whitman the way that "true" Whitman variants (like the Gold Key/Whitman variants) were and they are exactly the same as every other direct market copy.

[Hobgoblin]

AFAIK, there are NO distinguising marks on the direct edition comics that went into the Whitman 3-packs.

 

This is way out of my area of expertise, but didn;t these Whitman books have a Whitman logo? I am SURE I've seen such. If a price variant can be called a variant where only the price is different, why not a Whitman variant? Or am I missing something? (haven;t read all the way through here so...)

 

Not the Marvel books sold in Whitman 3-packs. They were just ordinary direct market copies that distributors sealed into empty Whitman bags to sell off unsold stock. They weren't actually printed by Whitman the way that "true" Whitman variants (like the Gold Key/Whitman variants) were and they are exactly the same as every other direct market copy.

 

Did Whitman also package DC books in 3 packs? I used to get 3-Packs of Batman quite regularly. But no, they had no Whitman logo. Most of them were newsstand editions though, not direct market.

[ASM-completist]

OK, there are different Whitman copies. There are many DC comcs that actually were Whitman variants and they had the Whitman logo on the cover. There were also Whitman 3-packs that had Marvel(others?) comics in them and they were simply direct market editions without any distinguishable mark.

 

I find it odd that Hobgoblin, and correct me if i am wrong, thinks a newstand edition is a variant.

[Hobgoblin]

OK, there are different Whitman copies. There are many DC comcs that actually were Whitman variants and they had the Whitman logo on the cover. There were also Whitman 3-packs that had Marvel(others?) comics in them and they were simply direct market editions without any distinguishable mark.

 

I find it odd that Hobgoblin, and correct me if i am wrong, thinks a newstand edition is a variant.

 

Taste of H8. I personally don't normally call newsstand a variant. But I went over the definition of variant once, and if we were to really use the true definition of the word variant, then newsstand and direct market are variants of each other.

 

But no, I don't consider newsstand editions to be variants. That's not what I meant.

[PovertyRow]

AFAIK, there are NO distinguising marks on the direct edition comics that went into the Whitman 3-packs.

 

This is way out of my area of expertise, but didn;t these Whitman books have a Whitman logo? I am SURE I've seen such. If a price variant can be called a variant where only the price is different, why not a Whitman variant? Or am I missing something? (haven;t read all the way through here so...)

 

Not the Marvel books sold in Whitman 3-packs. They were just ordinary direct market copies that distributors sealed into empty Whitman bags to sell off unsold stock. They weren't actually printed by Whitman the way that "true" Whitman variants (like the Gold Key/Whitman variants) were and they are exactly the same as every other direct market copy.

 

Ahhh! I see now. Thankee, Scott. Such a strange hobby is this! Always something new to learn! Keeps one young!

[Lazyboy]

What if the seller bought the books in the "Whitman" 3-pack and posted them thinking they were Whitman variants? I have no more knowledge of the circumstances in this particular case than anyone else, but is this not possible?

Now, since I am a new user making my first post, it's time for the flames and accusations. (am I the offending seller? am I a new shill for abc123xyz?)

And for anyone who welcomes me, thank you... but you're no fun.

[ASM-completist]

OK, there are different Whitman copies. There are many DC comcs that actually were Whitman variants and they had the Whitman logo on the cover. There were also Whitman 3-packs that had Marvel(others?) comics in them and they were simply direct market editions without any distinguishable mark.

 

I find it odd that Hobgoblin, and correct me if i am wrong, thinks a newstand edition is a variant.

 

Taste of H8. I personally don't normally call newsstand a variant. But I went over the definition of variant once, and if we were to really use the true definition of the word variant, then newsstand and direct market are variants of each other.

 

But no, I don't consider newsstand editions to be variants. That's not what I meant.

 

 

That's what I figured, got it.

[FFB]

OK, there are different Whitman copies. There are many DC comcs that actually were Whitman variants and they had the Whitman logo on the cover. There were also Whitman 3-packs that had Marvel(others?) comics in them and they were simply direct market editions without any distinguishable mark.

 

I find it odd that Hobgoblin, and correct me if i am wrong, thinks a newstand edition is a variant.

 

A newsstand copy is a different "version" than the direct market copy of the same book, but a newsstand copy is not a "variant" in the sense that there is any premium attached to the price as compared to the price of a direct market copy. If anything, the earliest direct market copies are a bit rarer than newsstand copies because they were printed in smaller numbers (although a larger number of newsstand copies were returned unsold, whereas direct market copies were sold on an unreturnable basis). As the direct market grew and newsstand distribution shrank, the numbers inverted and direct market copies came to outnumber newsstand copies.

 

Neither newsstand nor direct market versions are true "variants" in the sense that 30 cent and 35 cent variants are. No one calls normal newsstand or direct market copies "variants" and it is disingenuous at best to refer to them that way in order to create the impression that one is worth more than the other.

[Hobgoblin]

What if the seller bought the books in the "Whitman" 3-pack and posted them thinking they were Whitman variants? I have no more knowledge of the circumstances in this particular case than anyone else, but is this not possible?

Now, since I am a new user making my first post, it's time for the flames and accusations. (am I the offending seller? am I a new shill for abc123xyz?)

And for anyone who welcomes me, thank you... but you're no fun.

 

That's a good point. Maybe the seller believes they are Whitman variants, just because they came from a Whitman package but don't have the actual logo. That doesn't seem to far fetched to me, if the seller doesn't know much info about these so called variants.

 

[Hobgoblin]

OK, there are different Whitman copies. There are many DC comcs that actually were Whitman variants and they had the Whitman logo on the cover. There were also Whitman 3-packs that had Marvel(others?) comics in them and they were simply direct market editions without any distinguishable mark.

 

I find it odd that Hobgoblin, and correct me if i am wrong, thinks a newstand edition is a variant.

 

A newsstand copy is a different "version" than the direct market copy of the same book, but a newsstand copy is not a "variant" in the sense that there is any premium attached to the price as compared to the price of a direct market copy. If anything, the earliest direct market copies are a bit rarer than newsstand copies because they were printed in smaller numbers (although a larger number of newsstand copies were returned unsold, whereas direct market copies were sold on an unreturnable basis). As the direct market grew and newsstand distribution shrank, the numbers inverted and direct market copies came to outnumber newsstand copies.

 

Neither newsstand nor direct market versions are true "variants" in the sense that 30 cent and 35 cent variants are. No one calls normal newsstand or direct market copies "variants" and it is disingenuous at best to refer to them that way in order to create the impression that one is worth more than the other.

 

Dude, I just said I don't consider newsstands or directs to be variants.

[ASM-completist]

Well, in my case the seller was an Amazing Spider-Man expert in every sense of the word. In that case, I would still consider it fraudulent in nature. In you scenario, you have an uninformed seller, which to me is much different than an uninformed buyer. And, if the uninformed seller is told about his mistake and does not correct it, then he is now an informed seller, and that too, IMHP, is fraudulent.

 

BTW - welcome.

[FFB]

What if the seller bought the books in the "Whitman" 3-pack and posted them thinking they were Whitman variants? I have no more knowledge of the circumstances in this particular case than anyone else, but is this not possible?

Now, since I am a new user making my first post, it's time for the flames and accusations. (am I the offending seller? am I a new shill for abc123xyz?)

And for anyone who welcomes me, thank you... but you're no fun.

 

Since you're obviously Bugaboo under a new identity, you need to give us your social security number, a scan of your driver's license, a high school yearbook photo, and a blood sample before we can respond to you.

 

I am sorry, but rules are rules.

 

As for your question, we didn't get to see the auction in question because no one posted a link. It's possible that what you suggested is exactly what happened and that the seller is ignorant as to the Whitman variant/non-variant issue. Maybe the seller bought them as loose Whitman variants and just doesn't know the difference. Either way, the question that Taste posted was whether someone who knows the difference should be allowed to sell them as Whitman variants. The answer to that one is no.

 

Oh, and I was going to Welcome you to the Boards!!!! but I am nothing if not fun.

[Lazyboy]

Well, if the seller is an expert, I would have to agree with you. Sometimes sellers just don't have a clue, and sometimes they're looking for a sucker. Buyers should know what they are doing, but blatantly misrepresenting something when you know exactly what it is IS wrong.

Thanks for the welcome (and non-welcome )

[Hobgoblin]

Did the auction in question end? I did a search for "Whitman variant" and 7 auctions came up, all of which truly are Whitman printed books.

[Sal]

Well, if the seller is an expert, I would have to agree with you. Sometimes sellers just don't have a clue, and sometimes they're looking for a sucker. Buyers should know what they are doing, but blatantly misrepresenting something when you know exactly what it is IS wrong.

Thanks for the welcome (and non-welcome )

 

i think the way you've managed to construct a name from two slang terms for "[#@$%!!!]" that also serve as Proper names, without going to the obvious choice of "richard" was a masterstroke of unbridled genius, worthy of commemoration in the highest sense. like a statue or medal or something.

 

on the scale of Immortal wits of the last three hundred years, there's Oscar Wilde, then there's Dorothy Parker, then you

[FlyingDonut]

 

[Lazyboy]

i think the way you've managed to construct a name from two slang terms for "[#@$%!!!]" that also serve as Proper names, without going to the obvious choice of "richard" was a masterstroke of unbridled genius, worthy of commemoration in the highest sense. like a statue or medal or something.

 

on the scale of Immortal wits of the last three hundred years, there's Oscar Wilde, then there's Dorothy Parker, then you

 

Gee, thanks for breaking my sarcasm detector. Do you have any idea how long it took to get it working? It's a long running joke because of one of my friends whose given birth name is the same. It just happens to be a convenient name for things like messageboards (especially since whenever I try to choose a name, it never seems to be available).

[casey1870]

Was'nt "Doug Sulipas Comic World" in Winnepeg in the late 70's?

[Lazyboy]

Doug's retail store closed sometime in the 90's, now he just has his warehouse and website (www.dougcomicworld.com).

And it's WinnIpeg, dammit!! grr....