X-Men 118 question

[HarrisonJohn]

Hi, I'm new around here. Just back into comic after a loooong break so bear with me. I picked up Uncanny X-Men 118 today and right away it looked a little weird to me. I compared it to copies on ebay and there's some differences. In place of the starburst "still 35 cents" on the top left is instead a diamond (with the rest of the star blacked out) that says 35 cents and the number of the issue. Where the number of the issue should be (top right) it's just white with 'x-men' in small type. There's also no bar code- that space is completely blank. I'm thinking it's an early direct-to-comic store copy, but wanted to ask in case it's something else.

Also, this issue is in great shape except that there's some massive errors in how it's been printed. The staples are not along the spine (about a half inch into the back cover instead) and for the second half of the book, the artwork is printed dangerously close to the end of the paper (spilling off slightly on a page or two). AND the pages look like they were cut with a dull knife. I was wondering how these sort of printing defects affect the value of the comic book if it is otherwise mint.

[500Club]

The book sounds like a Whitman variant, HJ. Remember the old plastic bagged 2-packs of comics that could be found for sale in places like gas stations. Whitman used to bag and sell comics for some of the other publishers.

 

Don't suppose you can post a scan...?

[HarrisonJohn]

Is there any difference in value for the Whitman Variants in general? I was thinking it may have come from one of those bagged deals too. I could get a scan but it would take a day or two.

A company other than Marvel printing it could explain the poor factory job on it.