"Replica" don't mean what it used to (don't mind me, I'm just venting) 0

[ttfitz]

So, a couple months ago, I won just one or two things in a Comic Connect auction, and as I often do when that happens, I look thru the non-auction offerings to see if I can get some more things to spread the shipping costs out on. There's a copy of the "Toy's R Us Special Replica Edition" of Batman #121 (first Mr. Zero aka Freeze) for a reasonable price. Since Batman #121 is on my wantlist, but also priced beyond what I'm likely to ever afford, I think, hey, I'll get this and put it in my collection as a placeholder in case I never win the lottery/find out I had a rich uncle I never knew.

To make a long story short (too late), when I get it I am dismayed to find that this "replica" is only the 8 page Mr. Zero story! Man oh man, what a ripoff!

That is all.

[shadroch]

I've seen it with price tags of $50-$100  for HG copies. 

[ttfitz]

1 hour ago, shadroch said:

I've seen it with price tags of $50-$100  for HG copies. 

Well I paid 4 bucks for this one, listed as 8.0, which is High Grade in this house. 

[shadroch]

Kool. Its a nice filler until you get a real one. I've got one in my Batman 100-200 run.

There is also a Detective 38, and one other key Bat book. I guess they were sold as a three pack.

Edited June 26, 2021 by shadroch

[catman76]

it was a toys r us giveaway comic what do you expect? i got these when they were giving them away in the mid 90s. I think there was a Detective 38 too and the first 60s batgirl issue whatever Detective issue that was. They were printed on newsprint too thats why i kept them

[Ken Aldred]

It’s nice to have a complete reprint, such as DC’s Millennium Editions or Famous First Editions, but that also leads to reprinting a lot of material that might be seen as irrelevant or boring or insignificant. For example, their Detective Comics 27 was a great, complete reprint from my perspective, but most of the anthology book might be seen as pointless to others.

There’s the diametrical conflict.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Ken Aldred

[Namtak]

Some are fun owning like this one with a superman statue and hardbook about superman collections ..the statue is already in display not in box lol,ok the reprint is not near mint but still fun(ebay near mint though )

[ttfitz]

2 hours ago, K.P.D. said:

This is where The GCD comes in handy:

https://www.comics.org/issue/96983/

Haha, yeah, if I had thought to check.

[ttfitz]

17 hours ago, catman76 said:

it was a toys r us giveaway comic what do you expect?

I expect a "replica edition" to be, well, a replica edition. 

[ttfitz]

12 hours ago, Ken Aldred said:

It’s nice to have a complete reprint, such as DC’s Millennium Editions or Famous First Editions, but that also leads to reprinting a lot of material that might be seen as irrelevant or boring or insignificant. For example, their Detective Comics 27 was a great, complete reprint from my perspective, but most of the anthology book might be seen as pointless to others.

There’s the diametrical conflict.

True, but in this case they left out 2 other Batman stories from the issue, unlike the anthology book.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Most Action Comics #1 reprint/replicas do not contain the entire issue, rather just the Superman story.

So, yeah, I would agree that the term "replica" (and "reprint", for that matter) is abused.

[valiantman]

3 hours ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

Most Action Comics #1 reprint/replicas do not contain the entire issue, rather just the Superman story.

So, yeah, I would agree that the term "replica" (and "reprint", for that matter) is abused.

That's true, when you think about it Superman #1 is just reprints of the Superman stories from Action Comics, making it more like graphic novel. 

Edited June 28, 2021 by valiantman

[Ken Aldred]

On 6/26/2021 at 11:00 PM, ttfitz said:

True, but in this case they left out 2 other Batman stories from the issue, unlike the anthology book.

That falls into the ‘seen by some as irrelevant’ category. As completists, we’d disagree.

Edited June 28, 2021 by Ken Aldred