Image Comics is releasing a 1:100 variant for an upcoming book called Reborn. The new series is by Mark Millar and Greg Capullo. This may not seem odd except not long ago, Image Publisher Eric Stephenson took a stand against variants. He said he did not feel that they were good for comics. Yet, for the first time in a long while, possibly since the Big Man Plans #1 1:100 variant, Image is doing a ratio variant. So, for Image to be putting out a ratio variant, and a high ratio variant is a pretty big deal.
The tip comes from a listing our friend, and comic genius, Brian Springman found over at Frankie’s Comics while looking through the October pre-orders. I contacted Kevin at Frankie’s to verify there was a 1:100 variant and got this back.
It is very odd to see a ratio variant for an Image book after the February ComicsPRO speech. In fact, here is an excerpt from his speech at ComicsPRO’s meeting this year which shows just how Stephenson feels about ratio variants and variants in general:
If you are a retailer ordering more copies of a comic than you can sell simply to qualify for a variant incentive: Stop.
Variants don’t build a lasting readership on the books you’re trying to sell. At best, they pay short-term dividends; at worst, they deprive fans of something that is limited in nature. All comics should be for everyone. Not just collectors. Not just whoever has the most cash on hand.
By the same token, if you are a publisher trying to force your comics into the marketplace with exclusive variants retailers can only order by irresponsibly increasing their orders: Stop.
You’re getting a short-term sales boost at best, and you don’t benefit from stacks of unsold books cluttering up the stands or being shoved into dollar boxes.
So, is Image softening (reversing) their stance on variants, or is this because of the names attached to the project?
And issue #2 is slated for October 2019 release.. 😛
Lol.
Are u getting any of these sdcc foil covers? Or are they a pain cause they get finger prints to much ? Like batman 1
No I am in money mode for saving for New York comic con and Baltimore comic con
I got an offer for Batman and Robin 1 sketch for $50. You think its worth it? Damian on the cover first time as robin its a 1:250 and his getting alot of love on rebirth . Good buy?
The question, and the point, is that this is either back peddling on he part of Image comics and their Publisher’s stance on variants or because Millar demanded it he got it.
Maybe Eric was on vacation during the week they planned this title release.. 😉
One has to wonder, why is Eric against ratio’d variants but he has no problem releasing 2 or 3 different covers of the same title and issue (Goddamned, Beauty, Spread, etc)? He knows most will buy all of them, so he’s just playing the game of boosting his own publishing numbers by creating evenly distributed copies. When a book prints 30k books with 3 covers and it doesn’t go to a second print, there’s a good chance at least 1/3 or 1/2 of those the buyers picked up all the covers, so theoretically the print run should be 1/3 or 1/2 less of that. I know it would be impossible to figure out who buys what and so on but being a collector, I know most collectors will buy every cover if they can.
I know a lot of collectors who don’t even touch their issues but wait for the TP to read them as well.
I love Beauty and Goddamned but only get the cover I like the best. For Spread, and people know this one, I buy them all. I really like Kyle and Justin’s work on this.
So Eric isn’t totally against variants (he lies if he says he is), Image uses the evenly distributed variants likely to boost their publishing numbers. 😉
Agreed. They do. And they do convention variants. So variants are not out of the question. They are against shop variants (yet they do these for TPB’s) and against ratio variants, but here we have a ratio variant.
This is interesting. Just at a glance I’d guess this is because of the names attached to the project. Mark Millar, regardless of what people think of him (*cough Poyo *cough*) is a damn good writer. If you’re teaming his writing talent with Greg Capullo, one of the best artists out there then maybe they demanded it. Knowing Millar works though he’s already talked and this has been optioned. Isn’t that every book he writes?
Either way, it’s a 1:100 Capullo variant. There’s bound to be lasting value with his name on it.
Oh, I might of boycotted Millar but I never claimed he wasn’t a great writer, that’s what pissed me off…. I loved the first Jupiter’s Legacy….. and I loved Starlight (that was the last of his I read). I just dislike his business practices and delays, etc.
There’s a 1:25 McFarlane variant as well.
That is correct and while furiously typing I left it out.
Image+ #4 – Reborn preview
If you’re gonna spec, spec on that.
(cause you know there will be a movie announcement after the book comes out)
I don’t know man, I see those image + books like the preview books. There’s a crowd that says the preview appearances are first appearances but generally they don’t command as high premiums as the first issue. The only plus to the Image+ is that it contains part of the story and artwork but I still don’t see a high dollar amount for them.
Negan origins.
And again, that is true. Except if it comes out before the book does which has happened n
Well I forgot about Negan origins. That could boost it. As well as the art and full pages of story. Ugh, who knows. I’ve been wrong plenty of times. Time will tell
No one can be 100% all the time. So who knows which way this will go. And that is speculating on the chance that a Mark Millar book becomes profitable on the secondary market (which has not happened in a long, long time) that is why I kind of left any spec out of the post and just went with Image going back on what they said they wouldn’t do.
Kyle, there was not a mention of spec in this piece. It was actually about the flip flopping nature of what Eric Stephenson has said and what is happening. I agree though, Image+ is a spec lovers dream. Negan origin, new series promo’s showing actual pages.
Anyone else go with the pink Dell Ottos Harley #1 limited to 800 today? Another day of waking up at 6am for variants.
Nah. No matter how limited it is it’s still ANOTHER Harley 1 variant. I’ve just lost interest in those. Way too many exclusives out there. Dell Otto is the only thing keeping my interest but I’ll just pass
I did call bulletproof and have them cancel my order for the regular Dell Otto color version (3000 print run) and then purchased the more limited “pink” version. For just $15 more I would rather have the one limited to 1000..I mean 800. By the way, if anyone is still interested as of writing this (1:40pm pst US) he said they have less than 300 out of the 800 still up for sale.
I was tempted…They are still up for sale at $40 on the website, but as Nic T pointed out there are just soooo many variants…Also, Bulletproof comics stated they will be selling 800 copes but the print run is 1000… they are listing 800 for sale in case some arrive damaged… If 200 are expected to arrive damaged they really need to have a chat with the post office.
Already has a completed listing on eBay at $95 best offer accepted amazing someone bought one on eBay at twice the price they can still be picked up for.
Yeah, there are a lot of collectors that don’t realize all the private/shop variants out there and that if they just googled it for a second could most likely save them a few bucks. I have a feeling that one will be worth a little more than the $40 asking for it down the line just because of the small print run, but I am not sure it will hold a $95 value for very long. Just imagine if it was one of only a handful of exclusives instead of one of so very many. Still, my personal favorite of all the variants. Got the regular color one, and will be happy with it.
Real news would be a comic shop that isn’t doing a Harley Variant. 😉
The imagination Harley variant? When I’m awake it is the color version..when I am asleep it is in B&W.
Variants…I have a love hate relationship with them. While I enjoy many of the covers and the extra value that go with “some” of them, sometimes it goes overboard…such as the dozens and dozens and dozens of Harley variant #1’s and Star Wars #1’s and other extreme examples. Damn you capitalism!
The story sounds good and its a Capullo sketch variant. If my shop gets it, and I can get it at a good price, I’m in. Not for Mark Miller but for Capullo.
Was just about to say the same thing. The Capullo name on the book is a bigger sell for me than Millar at this point.