DC Whitmans and their logos 0

[shadroch]

I've been hoarding these for awhile but I really don't know much about them. I see the Whitman logo changes frequently. I just recieved a batch of six Superboy issues between 244 and 254 and they have several different logos. One is a black circle, some are red, some are blue andothers are green. Is there a key to these?  They almost seem like a return date code but they were non-returnable as far as I can tell. They all have the same Superman figure in the UPC box. Two have no cover price,and there are other minor differences. 

Is there a definitive list, and are there variants between the same book?  For example- will all Superboy 244s have a black circle logo and no little funny whitman logo?

Edited December 30, 2021 by shadroch

[Brock]

We have a whole thread dedicated to Whitmans here in the Bronze section, including lots of discussion of the DC Whitmans - join us!

In terms of the DC Whitmans, you can find some information here: https://www.sellmycomicbooks.com/whitman-comics.html

We've had a pretty good sense of what  DC Whitman editions there are for about 20 years now, though the existence of a Whitman version of DC Comics Presents #22 was unconfirmed for many years. Over the past decade, though, about 20 or 30 copies have been found.

There is no particular meaning to the logo variations - they just evolved over time. No single issue has multiple versions of the logo - they were all printed the same. There are some interesting related variations though... Batman #307 (for example) seems to have had its print run interrupted for the production of the Whitman variants, with the spot on the cover where the Whitman logo appears showing different colour variations before and after this interruption (or at least that's the theory - hard evidence is lacking).

Some DC Whitman variants are very hard to find (especially a group sometimes referred to as the 'Big 8'), but most are reasonably common. They can be difficult to find in high grade, however. I am trying to assemble a registry set of CGC graded DC Whitmans in 9.0 or higher, and it's been a long, slow process.

[shadroch]

Thanks. I'll check out that thread. I saw the other page you referenced but didn't find it all that useful.

[PeterPark]

On 12/30/2021 at 3:03 PM, Brock said:

We have a whole thread dedicated to Whitmans here in the Bronze section, including lots of discussion of the DC Whitmans - join us!

In terms of the DC Whitmans, you can find some information here: https://www.sellmycomicbooks.com/whitman-comics.html

We've had a pretty good sense of what  DC Whitman editions there are for about 20 years now, though the existence of a Whitman version of DC Comics Presents #22 was unconfirmed for many years. Over the past decade, though, about 20 or 30 copies have been found.

There is no particular meaning to the logo variations - they just evolved over time. No single issue has multiple versions of the logo - they were all printed the same. There are some interesting related variations though... Batman #307 (for example) seems to have had its print run interrupted for the production of the Whitman variants, with the spot on the cover where the Whitman logo appears showing different colour variations before and after this interruption (or at least that's the theory - hard evidence is lacking).

Some DC Whitman variants are very hard to find (especially a group sometimes referred to as the 'Big 8'), but most are reasonably common. They can be difficult to find in high grade, however. I am trying to assemble a registry set of CGC graded DC Whitmans in 9.0 or higher, and it's been a long, slow process.

I thought that was a DC Whitman page but the picture seems misleading or my perception was off. There should be one dedicated specifically to those as informational overlap is not as likely to appeal to the same audience. I straddle more than most, but have many more DC's than Whitman/Gold Key types...

[OtherEric]

Here are the Whitman variants of Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes, since it's the run I have all the Whitman variants of.  It will give you a good idea of how the logo evolved, even if Legion wasn't as consistently used as some of the other titles.

[OtherEric]

[OtherEric]

[PeterPark]

On 12/30/2021 at 4:17 PM, OtherEric said:

Nice 264!

[Brock]

On 12/30/2021 at 3:13 PM, shadroch said:

I saw the other page you referenced but didn't find it all that useful.

Here's a complete list of the DC Whitman variants if that helps:

Action Comics 481-483, 485-492, 495-499, 501-508

All-New Collector's Edition C-56

Batman 306-308, 311-320, 323, 324, 326

The Brave and the Bold 143, 145-147, 150-159, 165

DC Comics Presents 1-4, 9-12, 14-16, 19, 21, 22

Famous First Edition C-61

Flash 268, 273-276, 278, 283, 286

Green Lantern 116-119, 121

Justice League of America 158, 160, 163-173, 176-179, 181

New Adventures of Superboy 1, 2, 5, 6, 8

Sgt. Rock 329

Super Friends 13-16, 20-23, 25, 32

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes 244-248, 251-258, 261, 263, 264, 266

Superman 321-323, 325-327, 329-332, 335-345, 348

Warlord 22

Wonder Woman 250-252, 255-264

 

[shadroch]

Thank you.  I see a group of 8 referred to several times but didn't see the actual list.  You've been very helpful, and hopefully you or someone can direct me to it.

[Brock]

There was a list of the Big 8 published in CBSI a few years ago, but I can't find it at the moment. This group is typically considered the hardest-to-find of the Whitman DC variants, and includes:

Action #508

Batman #324

DC Comics Presents #22

Flash #286

Justice League of America #179

Legion of Super-Heroes #264

New Adventures of Superboy #6

Superman #348

In addition, the following two books are also very difficult to find:

Sgt. Rock #329

Warlord #22