Distribution Spray on a Whitman book? 2 2

[Beyonder123]

I just recently purchased this Brave and the Bold #157 Whitman variant. As I was looking it over, I saw it had a distributor mark on it. If these were originally sold polybagged, why is there this mark? Any ideas? Or am I misunderstanding the importance of distributor marks. Please ignore the construction hands.

[catman76]

I don't think all Whitman were sold in bags. Whitman versions were just distributed to retail stores by Western Publishing, while the regular versions were distributed on newsstands by DC

[Lazyboy]

On 8/26/2021 at 9:07 PM, Beyonder123 said:

As I was looking it over, I saw it had a distributor mark on it. If these were originally sold polybagged, why is there this mark? Any ideas? Or am I misunderstanding the importance of distributor marks.

You're confusing distributor spray with the printed stripe/box that was added to most comics not that long (within a year or so - I don't recall exactly when) before this issue was printed. Whitmans wouldn't need any marking, which was there for returns, but them having it is evidence that they were printed with the rest of the run, for anyone who still thinks they're reprints.

[Number 6]

I don’t mean to hijack the OP’s thread, but I’ve been wondering much the same thing about this book:

This issue is supposed to have only been available in sealed packs, no newsstand distribution.  Yet the top right corner looks very much like it has gray distributor ink. 

Any thoughts on what this is or why it’s there?

[Readcomix]

Whitmans were also sold individually in the book section of some department stores at that time. But I don’t know whether a third-party distributor got them there, or whether they were shipped direct from Western Publishing. I do know an old-timer who worked there; he may or may not know. 

[Beyonder123]

On 8/27/2021 at 6:08 PM, Readcomix said:

Whitmans were also sold individually in the book section of some department stores at that time. But I don’t know whether a third-party distributor got them there, or whether they were shipped direct from Western Publishing. I do know an old-timer who worked there; he may or may not know. 

Would be quite interesting to hear his input

[Beyonder123]

On 8/27/2021 at 5:06 PM, Lazyboy said:

You're confusing distributor spray with the printed stripe/box that was added to most comics not that long (within a year or so - I don't recall exactly when) before this issue was printed. Whitmans wouldn't need any marking, which was there for returns, but them having it is evidence that they were printed with the rest of the run, for anyone who still thinks they're reprints.

I think you're right. Comparing my copy to an ebay copy, the first page has some "ink bleed" for a lack of a better word, on both my copy and an ebay copy in the same exact pattern. Definitely looks like it was printed on. In fact all copies I can find of this book, Whitman or not, have the same mark.

[bellrules]

On 8/27/2021 at 6:43 PM, Number 6 said:

I don’t mean to hijack the OP’s thread, but I’ve been wondering much the same thing about this book:

This issue is supposed to have only been available in sealed packs, no newsstand distribution.  Yet the top right corner looks very much like it has gray distributor ink. 

Any thoughts on what this is or why it’s there?

I've encountered a lot of Whitman books that have had grey markings like this. I wonder if they were remaindered. Some of them had the grey paint down the entire spine. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by bellrules

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 8/26/2021 at 7:07 PM, Beyonder123 said:

I just recently purchased this Brave and the Bold #157 Whitman variant. As I was looking it over, I saw it had a distributor mark on it. If these were originally sold polybagged, why is there this mark? Any ideas? Or am I misunderstanding the importance of distributor marks. Please ignore the construction hands.

You already have the cleaner bottles on the counter, tidy up that mark and your all set 

[bellrules]

Went through one of my Whitman boxes and I seem to have sold off a lot of the copies I had that had the grey paint on them, but I did find this messy example. 

[bellrules]

On 8/26/2021 at 8:07 PM, Beyonder123 said:

I just recently purchased this Brave and the Bold #157 Whitman variant. As I was looking it over, I saw it had a distributor mark on it. If these were originally sold polybagged, why is there this mark? Any ideas? Or am I misunderstanding the importance of distributor marks. Please ignore the construction hands.

From one of my sealed packs. That’s not overspray. 

[Beyonder123]

On 9/16/2021 at 8:25 PM, bellrules said:

From one of my sealed packs. That’s not overspray. 

Very cool. I think this case is pretty much closed. Now I'm interested in the spray on the kids books.