Amazing Spider-Man #25 1:1000 Variant 1 1

[ygogolak]

Interestingly, it doesn't seem to have bumped sales. DC has two covers for each issue. Batman is really only doing the same numbers it was during New 52 +/- 10,000.

Quite honestly, the variant covers for Batman kinda suck. The "Night of the Monster Men" covers were particularly bad (both regular and variant).

 

They are paying two artists with the same price they were paying one before, is my guess. The cover of Flash Rebirth 1B is horrible.

 

Several of the publishers realize how silly the limited variants are and see the potential in offering variants as just another copy to order. Not limiting them at all, but instead solicit them alongside the standard cover. I applaud this effort and hopefully Marvel will see this is a better way of gouging their fans.

 

Interestingly, it doesn't seem to have bumped sales. DC has two covers for each issue. Batman is really only doing the same numbers it was during New 52 +/- 10,000.

 

It is hard to say what impact it has had on sales. Batman written by Mikel Janin and/or Tom King (who are they?) is selling as well as Batman written by Scott Snyder. Pretty impressive when you consider how popular Snyder's run was. Do two covers for regular price help? It is hard to say, but it definitely isn't hurting.

 

Scott Snyder had a great run on Batman, one of the best. He has some great comics under his belt, but I think that series propelled him. Tom King is somewhat well known. Yes, he was not as well known in comic circles.

[Jordysnordy]

I guess I'm a different type of "completionist" - I have every ASM book from AF15 to ASM 700 but just one of each - meaning I haven't gone out of my way to buy any variants. Any variants I have are due to my LCS looking out for me and putting them in my weekly pull pile.

While I understand the need others have to own every ASM book, I'm happy with what I have and for the life of me, I can't see myself dropping that type of money on a modern book, not matter how rare it may be.

Like Elmer said, I would rather upgrade my Silver Age ASMs with any extra money I have.

As prices of modern variants show, I'm sure plenty will disagree with my line of thinking.

More important to me is that they get ASM back to being a great title, not a mediocre one like it is now.

[aerischan]

Several of the publishers realize how silly the limited variants are and see the potential in offering variants as just another copy to order. Not limiting them at all, but instead solicit them alongside the standard cover. I applaud this effort and hopefully Marvel will see this is a better way of gouging their fans.

 

Personally, this change is bad for my wallet. It's a lot easier for me to ignore Marvel's crazy overpriced incentive variants than it is variants that are priced the same as regular cover.

Ergo Marvel would be better off gouging the fans with variant covers that are distributed the same as the regular cover. Put out 5 - 10 variant covers that way and watch the sales increase.

 

It is easy to see the variant covers have an impact on sales. I've been following the Star Wars sales and have written about them on my blog. Issues with more variants sell better than issues without them. Make them easier for everyone to get and watch sales increase.

, I know. I was laughing at myself because of how true that statement is for me. Dunno about better but certainly more effective.

[rjrjr]

Several of the publishers realize how silly the limited variants are and see the potential in offering variants as just another copy to order. Not limiting them at all, but instead solicit them alongside the standard cover. I applaud this effort and hopefully Marvel will see this is a better way of gouging their fans.

 

Personally, this change is bad for my wallet. It's a lot easier for me to ignore Marvel's crazy overpriced incentive variants than it is variants that are priced the same as regular cover.

Ergo Marvel would be better off gouging the fans with variant covers that are distributed the same as the regular cover. Put out 5 - 10 variant covers that way and watch the sales increase.

 

It is easy to see the variant covers have an impact on sales. I've been following the Star Wars sales and have written about them on my blog. Issues with more variants sell better than issues without them. Make them easier for everyone to get and watch sales increase.

, I know. I was laughing at myself because of how true that statement is for me. Dunno about better but certainly more effective.

 

Definitely more effective. Better on my wallet.

 

[fastballspecial]

Pretty daring of Marvel to try this when they are losing ground every month in sales.

 

[Mapleleafvann]

I am one of those people that focuses solely on the ASM title and who has invested a lot of time and money to get a near-complete collection: newsstands, direct editions, variants, even the insane number of 140+ variants of ASM666. When the 1:1000 variants started to appear, I worried that eventually there would be one of these ratio-variants for ASM. Now I ask myself the question: do I want to spend such a lot of money on this book instead of a upgrade of one of my Silver Age books? And if I do, will I be able to find one? And if I find one and spend all this money, what will be next? Another relaunch with 50+ variants? A 1:2000 variant which will cost even more? And if I don't find this variant or I am not willing to pay this money, is there any reason to continue my collection or should I break it off at ASM328, ASM441, ASM700, SS31, ASM18 or ASMRYV5? Or should I stop collecting variants, get rid of all variants I have and just continue with the regulars?

 

I really don't understand why Marvel does this. The ratio is such that it will not gain them a lot of extra orders. On the contrary, it makes completists like me start to think whether it is better to stop collecting variants or the series altogether. That can't hardly be the intention of Marvel, can it?

 

I feel for you. I was the same way with Star Wars comics, then Marvel got the license and ... well, let's just say I've had to adjust the way I collect comics.

 

None of the comic publisher want completist. They feel they can survive on events, variants, and gender changes to established characters. Your loyalty does not matter to them. They don't care. Prices for comics have risen such that they are making more today selling to the dwindling base than they did a year ago. They'll make up for the lost collectors with higher prices and yes, even more variants.

 

If you enjoy collecting ASM, I wouldn't sell off what you already have. Buy the regular issue if you like reading the title. Buy those variants you like. And take solace in the fact that there is probably not a complete ASM collection with all the variants anyway. Your collection won't be any different.

 

I would say if you're an ASM completionist, just go up to issue 700. If you happen to get all the variants and reprints, then start aiming for the 'other' variants - get the price variants, Whitman/directs, the newsstands, the ones that come with toys, the foreign editions, store variants. Its enough chasing to last you a lifetime, but they're not constantly printing more variants to chase so you can at least feel like you're making progress. And you get to 'discover' new variants to chase, instead of being FORCED into chasing manufactured variants.

 

I agree, stop at 700. One of the reasons the 667 Dell Otto commands such extreme prices is the fact that ASM completists have to have it. So when it comes up - infrequently as it does - they all have to fight hard for it. It's less about the intrinsic value of the book, and more about the hole it leaves on your wants list. Completists are a little barmy by design, and that barminess extends to paying ridiculous sums for the holy grails. But they're artificially manufactured grails. This new 1:1000 will likely be the final nail in the coffin for many an ASM collector. Marvel are taking the rise and, coupled with the lack of quality in the book itself, the purchase will leave some feeling used. If I could pass down one piece of advice to a new collector it would be "never be a completist". Unless you're very, very wealthy.

 

While we're at it - completist or completionist?

 

I fully agree with this as well. I would guess that MOST ASM fans think the series died at 700---with a barely recognizable resurgence in the reboot....

 

Slott is doing a pretty good job at finishing off the last of the hardcore collectors for ASM.....

 

[kimik]

So......is the 1:1000 variant for this book going to be a black and white ASM #300 Spidey image on the front that they can claim as a McFarlane variant?

[SquareChaos]

When things stop being fun or fulfilling I stop whatever it is.

 

I don't collect new Marvel or DC floppies anymore, they've both burnt me too many times. I still read some of it, and I buy the better stuff in hardcover and collect those, but nothing is bought sight unseen anymore.

 

Needless to say, my costs sunk appreciably, and it opened up other areas of the hobby to me. I recommend that everyone reevaluate their comic spending on a regular basis.

[ygogolak]

Pretty daring of Marvel to try this when they are losing ground every month in sales.

But this is what is going to turn them around!

 

 

[exitmusicblue]

This is exactly what I was predicting in the 667 thread. An easy way to make short-term bank, then be dumbazzes long-term.

 

Just pathetic.

[exitmusicblue]

This is so, so, so lame... who the hell did they hire at the control tower? Who's calling these shots?

[Lethal_Collector]

I decided to pass on the McFarlane variants and I'll pass on this one too. They seem too risky, even for me and I wonder if they'll go the way of the buffalo Vader Down #1

 

 

Jerome

[exitmusicblue]

Prostituting your loyal collector base and over half a century's worth of tradition isn't a sustainable way to make money.

 

Employ and retain good talent. Don't act like robber barons who sketch creative ways to make more and more and more.

 

Stan could've done this exact same gimmick for himself in the 70's. He didn't.

[rjrjr]

Marvel does it because people will buy it. Look at the books that sell for $1000+ that have been published in the past 10 years. Obviously some fans have the money and Marvel wants to cater to them since they have the big bucks. And they sell a few more copies of worthless comics (i.e. the regular cover) in the process.

Edited January 20, 2017 by rjrjr

[exitmusicblue]

Marvel does it because people will buy it. Look at the books that sell for $1000+ that have been published in the past 10 years. Obviously some fans have the money and Marvel wants to cater to them since they have the big bucks. And they sell a few more copies of worthless comics (i.e. the regular cover) in the process.

 

Hence, my pure genius idea for them - http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9763677#Post9763677

 

Why go through all this smoke and mirrors when you can go for the kill in one fell swoop? No doubt some billionaire will leap at the chance of owning the sole existing copy of an issue.

[SquareChaos]

A question for many of you variant hunters... I know you're out there... what sort of signals are you really trying to send to Marvel by participating in your normal variant purchasing and collecting habits? That you want rare variants? But not too rare?

 

I personally hate the very (business) concept of any variant that can't be ordered like a normal cover, but in this day and age of comics, I feel like one of the only people in that boat. From the outside looking in, this just seems like a... natural... progression to the game of the artificially rare modern issue. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a thread praising this book some time after release, so...

 

1:100 = good, 1:1000 = bad. I wouldn't exactly call such a reaction arbitrary of course, but I do hope that those of you that this inquiry may apply to can see my confusion as a legitimate question and not an attempt to cause an argument.

[ygogolak]

I decided to pass on the McFarlane variants and I'll pass on this one too. They seem too risky, even for me and I wonder if they'll go the way of the buffalo Vader Down #1

 

 

Jerome

 

That one's doing just fine.

The Vader Down should not be used as an industry gauge. The cover is absolutely horrible.

[Sensei Ryan]

When would the cover image for this 1:1000 variant be released? I'd be curious to see what it'll look like...perhaps a partial white cover with Spidey at the top of steps facing off against Spider-Ham?

[Lockford88]

Being a retailer, I don't mind the occasional ratio variant. 1:25's on better selling titles...those are realistic numbers for 90% of comic shops to consider hitting depending on the variant. If I typically order 17-19 copies of a specific book and they offer a 1:25 variant that looks crappy, I don't bump my order. If it's a nice cover I might consider bumping the number of copies I get to obtain the variant knowing I can move that for a few bucks more. We are a decent size store in a small town in NJ. We are not Midtown. That's what this caters to. its ridiculous any way ya slice it.

[SquareChaos]

Being a retailer, I don't mind the occasional ratio variant. 1:25's on better selling titles...those are realistic numbers for 90% of comic shops to consider hitting depending on the variant. If I typically order 17-19 copies of a specific book and they offer a 1:25 variant that looks crappy, I don't bump my order. If it's a nice cover I might consider bumping the number of copies I get to obtain the variant knowing I can move that for a few bucks more. We are a decent size store in a small town in NJ. We are not Midtown. That's what this caters to. its ridiculous any way ya slice it.

 

But surely a 1:1000, or a 1:x, is not for everyone? By it's very definition. This one is just more so, it's more exclusive.