Rai 0 white shadow error 0

[Vick93]

With the Bloodshot movie out right now, I figured it was time to re-introduce this particular error of Rai 0. Based on information and images on the valiant archive website, it features the black silhouette on cover with a sort of "white shadow" along every left edge of the silhouette. Especially prominent in his gun, where there is a white inner line as opposed to red and white. For images and more details check the link http://valiantarchive.com/valiant/rai0glossy.php. I heard about this error years ago, but to this day have not seen one in the wild or online. Just wondering if anyone in the forums can confirm ever owning or seeing a copy (besides the one in link).   

[Keys_Collector]

@valiantman

 

[Lazyboy]

Is being slightly off-register really anything special?

[Keys_Collector]

6 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

Is being slightly off-register really anything special?

I would think not but there's been other ridiculous printing errors that at one time or another went for decent money.

[Vick93]

4 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

Is being slightly off-register really anything special?

Tbh I wouldn't think so, but with the popularity of the glossy variant it seems even minor differences can be more desirable. Personally I dig the look of this variant, it adds a kind of third dimensional effect to the silhouette. 

[THE_BEYONDER]

[valiantman]

http://valiantarchive.com/valiant/rai0glossy.php

As mentioned in that article (written May 2004), the knowledge of the "glossy" Rai #0 caused a few collectors to really study their copies of Rai #0 for a bit 15+ years ago to see if any differences could be found.  The differences noted weren't helpful in identifying "glossy" (though it was later determined that the glossy covers are too short and they show the first page easily on the right edge of the front cover), the article is like a summary of what could be found, as slight as it was.

What was visible were examples of the blurring title and this "white shadow" (slightly off-register) situation:

As with most errors (manufacturing errors, especially), any "premium value" that gets assigned is usually a combination of the scarcity of the error and the "cool factor" of what the error does... if it makes an ugly book, the value is usually very low, but if an error gives a book some distinction that's "attractive" there can be value added if buyers can be found.

Valiant collectors already loved Rai #0 when it was believed that all copies were alike because the contents of Rai #0 are like a "future of Valiant prophecy" that went forward 2,000 years, and represented what might have been if (original) Valiant hadn't been bought by Acclaim and rebooted.  Once the discussion of "glossy" got going, the idea that some copies were different really took hold, and even a tiny printing error like this became "discussion worthy" even if it wasn't necessarily worth more.

To be honest, I don't remember where the scan of the "white shadow" came from, but it was probably a collector on the ValiantFans.com forum... and Rai #0 having only 3 colors makes the "white shadow" error "pop" giving a tiny amount of depth to an otherwise completely flat artwork. 

If it was any other Valiant book (apart from the key issues), it would probably never have been noticed, but the weird combination of Rai #0's demand in all forms, the limit of 3 colors on the cover, and the evidently hard-to-find aspect of this particular printing variation, combine to make what could be a fun book to try to locate.  

   

Edited April 15, 2020 by valiantman

[Hollywood1892]

This book is plummeting in value

Edited April 15, 2020 by Hollywood1892

[valiantman]

4 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

This book is plummeting in value

There are plenty of copies, since Rai #0 is now 2nd behind only Spawn #1 in the total number of copies CGC graded (non-Marvel, non-DC).

http://www.cgcdata.com/cgc/cgctop/other

It's ahead of books like Saga #1, Walking Dead #1, and Spawn #9 in terms of how many copies have been graded.  The total value of all graded copies is probably way, way up since 2015 (the original announcement of the Bloodshot movie), but the value of each individual copy of CGC 9.8 Rai #0 will probably settle back around $80 to $100 unless it's a confirmed "glossy".

[Vick93]

8 minutes ago, Hollywood1892 said:

This book is plummeting in value

It should have been jumping in value, but unfortunately the movie wasn't so hot. Bad writing and camera work really killed the hype once it released imo. Not enough bloodshot (vin diesel) screen time either. Of course covid 19 causing mass theater shutdown doesn't help. Hopefully the sequel still happens but who knows. 

[Vick93]

16 minutes ago, valiantman said:

http://valiantarchive.com/valiant/rai0glossy.php

As mentioned in that article (written May 2004), the knowledge of the "glossy" Rai #0 caused a few collectors to really study their copies of Rai #0 for a bit 15+ years ago to see if any differences could be found.  The differences noted weren't helpful in identifying "glossy" (though it was later determined that the glossy covers are too short and they show the first page easily on the right edge of the front cover.

What was visible were examples of the blurring title and this "white shadow" (slightly off-register) situation:

As with most errors (manufacturing errors, especially), any "premium value" that gets assigned is usually a combination of the scarcity of the error and the "cool factor" of what the error does... if it makes an ugly book, the value is usually very low, but if an error gives a book some distinction that's "attractive" there can be value added if buyers can be found.

Valiant collectors already loved Rai #0 when it was believed that all copies were alike because the contents of Rai #0 are like a "future of Valiant prophecy" that went forward 2,000 years, and represented what might have been if (original) Valiant hadn't been bought by Acclaim and rebooted.  Once the discussion of "glossy" got going, the idea that some copies were different really took hold, and even a tiny printing error like this became "discussion worthy" even if it wasn't necessarily worth more.

To be honest, I don't remember where the scan of the "white shadow" came from, but it was probably a collector on the ValiantFans.com forum... and Rai #0 having only 3 colors makes the "white shadow" error "pop" giving a tiny amount of depth to an otherwise completely flat artwork. 

If it was any other Valiant book (apart from the key issues), it would probably never have been noticed, but the weird combination of Rai #0's demand in all forms, the limit of 3 colors on the cover, and the evidently hard-to-find aspect of this particular printing variation, combine to make what could be a fun book to try to locate.  

   

Yea I'm definitely one collector who sees this as a more attractive error. Would be nice to grab one but no luck thus far

[valiantman]

Just now, Vick93 said:

Yea I'm definitely one collector who sees this as a more attractive error. Would be nice to grab one but no luck thus far

I forgot it existed. 

Makes me want to check out my copies... but that would involve finding them... and that's a few hours of time I'd never have unless there was some global pandemic that forced us all to sit around and... wait a minute... 

[Vick93]

3 minutes ago, valiantman said:

I forgot it existed. 

Makes me want to check out my copies... but that would involve finding them... and that's a few hours of time I'd never have unless there was some global pandemic that forced us all to sit around and... wait a minute... 

Lol quarantine certainly opens up more free-time

[Buzzetta]

3 hours ago, valiantman said:

I forgot it existed. 

Makes me want to check out my copies... but that would involve finding them... and that's a few hours of time I'd never have unless there was some global pandemic that forced us all to sit around and... wait a minute... 

I checked through my two 9.8s and 6 raw copies.  I don't have one. 

I also went though 579 BIN listings on eBay and looked at each one over the course of over an hour... I did not see a single copy.

However!

I did notice that this book has a lot of registration issues where I see a few examples where the gun is completely black with no highlights whatsoever.   

No matter what comes up though, even all this time it is an iconic and striking cover. 

[Buzzetta]

For example... this gun is almost pure black... 

 

[Vick93]

22 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

For example... this gun is almost pure black... 

 

Okay I see what you're saying. I believe this is grouped under the "blurred" or "fuzzy" error that was reported in that valiant archive link, since the blurring ink effect is also seen in the top rai title banner, but am not too sure about that. 

[Vick93]

54 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

I checked through my two 9.8s and 6 raw copies.  I don't have one. 

I also went though 579 BIN listings on eBay and looked at each one over the course of over an hour... I did not see a single copy.

However!

I did notice that this book has a lot of registration issues where I see a few examples where the gun is completely black with no highlights whatsoever.   

No matter what comes up though, even all this time it is an iconic and striking cover. 

That's a thorough search indeed. I've done something similar over the years but no finds either. 

[Buzzetta]

2 minutes ago, Vick93 said:

That's a thorough search indeed. I've done something similar over the years but no finds either. 

This was the first time I have ever heard of this type of variant.  Those that collect Valiant are a more niche collector base so to some of us this is a variant.  To those it is a printer error.  I would love to see recorded data for the book in terms of price.  I guarantee you though that most have traded hands without being realized for what they are.   This is something that would normally escape most collectors.  I would assume that there are many of them out in the wild but the eBay search says otherwise.  On the other hand there are still Valiant collectors that are hoarding every book they can find due to love of the publisher. 

[Buzzetta]

Oh and btw @Vick93

 

Seriously, great thread.  These are the types of threads I very much enjoy reading on the boards.

[valiantman]

13 hours ago, Vick93 said:

13 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

For example... this gun is almost pure black... 

 

Okay I see what you're saying. I believe this is grouped under the "blurred" or "fuzzy" error that was reported in that valiant archive link, since the blurring ink effect is also seen in the top rai title banner, but am not too sure about that. 

Yes, "blurry" "fuzzy" or "smudged" would be descriptions of this problem - particularly the Japanese word/symbol 'rei' for "spirit" next to RAI on the top right.  It was that "smudging" that caused Valiant to experiment with different types of paper during the printing, leading to the "glossy" version (which is the glossiest of the different papers they tried).  It's likely there are more than two types of cover paper stock for Rai #0, but thus far, only two names are used "matte" and "glossy" and they are not separated in the CGC Census.  The best guess is that there were about 130,000 "matte" and about 20,000 "glossy".  This book did spend a little while in bargain boxes in the mid-to-late 1990s, and didn't really break out until the past 5 or 10 years, so there are lots of collections with Rai #0 from a bargain box that didn't survive in high grade.  Still, it's the 2nd most submitted "independent" (non-Marvel, non-DC) to CGC behind Spawn #1, so there are probably stacks of Rai #0 in many collections (or dealer inventories) that can keep the CGC Census growing as long as it makes sense to submit them.

For the record, Rai #9 through Rai #16 are the most common Rai books, but they have no value, so there's no reason to send them to CGC (apart from the #9 Gold retailer incentive) and Rai #0 will always look "common" on the CGC Census when it's actually probably about 9th or 10th most common out of the 34 issues they printed (#1-#33, #0).