The "Newsstand Edition" Phenomenon 5 5

[valiantman]

On 6/5/2024 at 9:09 AM, Darwination said:

Rarity is one thing, but surely people agree the barcode is ugly?

Just about every comic book printed in the past 30 years is a direct edition with a barcode.

 

[Gonzimodo]

On 6/5/2024 at 11:08 AM, Jesse-Lee said:

I disagree. Growing up, the only comics I had access to for a long time were at the drug store and the grocery store. I love newsstands - especially copper age newsstands - because it's nostalgic for me.

In my early days of collecting, the first time I saw non-newsstand edition comics were in those wonderful polybagged three-packs at department stores.  I didn't know what to make of that Spider-Man head where the UPC usually is, so I thought they must have been reprints or something.  (The fact that my first couple of three-packs actually were GI Joe reprints didn't help.)  It was at least a year or two before I was finally educated on the difference between newsstand editions and direct market editions.

[Stefan_W]

People collect what they want and always vote with their wallets. Prices on books go up if demand exceeds supply and people who want them are willing to pony up extra cash. The same is true for everything, including news stands. This all happens outside of individual opinions - for example, I cant fathom why the price of Hulk 181 still so high, but it does. It is more of a larger group-behaviour type of process.