So a few days ago, this Dell’Otto sketch started to circulate around. It was suspected since he had a 1:50 variant coming out for Venom Inc. that this would probably be the cover. Diamond released the full cover today and it turns out this gorgeous image is just that, the Venom Inc #1 1:50 Dell’Otto Variant. See the full cover below.
Copies have been listed for as high as $225 with at least one recorded sale at $150. Here is the full cover with cover trade dress.
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There are multiple retailers doing a store variant, so each of those retailers will have a minimum of 60 copies each. Add that to all the other retailers qualifying across the country and you have a 1:50 variant that will not be scarce.
People should DEFINITELY hold off on paying the insane presale prices. This book will absolutely drop in price at/just after release as retailers undercut each other to unload their copies. Imho, a person shouldn’t be paying more than $40-50 for this, and that’s even a tad high.
Well said Brian –
Was thinking the same thing.
I know what you are saying Brian, but a $3.99 cover price book will cost a retailer $2.00 a copy. Meaning a store will have to kick out at least $100 to get one copy. I don’t know why they would sell cheaper. I do know some will. I think that store variants will cost a store more than $2 a copy so their cost to get them will be higher. The cost to recoup has to be built in the selling price. I don’t pay ebay prices for stuff so I am skipping but I know others will want it.
I disagree with the above and retailers who use that methodology. It only COSTS them $2.00 for that book…as long as they order 50 copies of the regular qualifying editions. It does NOT cost them $100….that $100 is for the original 50 copies.
It’s $2 if they order 50 copies. It’s not available to them if they order 49. So if a store wants to order one and don’t normally sell 50 of Venom they have to increase their order to compensate for it.
Completely agree….and I am glad you didn’t get too frustrated with my response. I feel that the calculation must consider the value of the original book order. If you were simply to throw them out or just dispose of those 50 copies, then allocating a cost of $100 to that variant is very accurate. That’s not the case though….I have never met a retailer that threw anything out….but have met several that claim the variants “cost” them x amount.
Vann. I don’t get frustrated with different opinions. It’s a chance for a conversation. Nothing for me to get upset about. We always welcome different points of view. The problem is, if one store sells let’s say 20 copies of a book. A customer comes in and says they want the 1:50 Variant, the store still has to recoup the cost of the other 30 books. Now they aren’t throwing them out but they may sit on them forever.
Well store variants are usually sold more than what normal cover is to cover their costs. But they definitely make good money off of it even before the ratio variants they get are added in.
Store variants are a different animal though. The store has to commit to some crazy amount of copies up-front. Even with the 3,000 and 1,500 and 1,000 print run – 3 cover book sets, that’s a lot of $$$ up front. I think that’s why you see several stores band together to do one particular issue—it spreads the risk. I know of a couple places that had their own ASM #1 variants done several years ago and they are still sitting on piles of them….
Well, regardless of the accrual, aggregate or opportunity costs, this is one stunning cover!
Yeah, it really is!
Its too bad Dan Slott is writing it…
Yup….I agree with you.
Gorgeous cover
Needs a tad more tongue. But otherwise perfection.
Venom always looked the best when McFarlane drew him. Evil, sinister sneer with normal teeth and a normal tongue. The saliva and long tongue is such a stupid look for the character. Thanks for nothing, Larson.
One more thing Eric Larson messed up.
Perhaps I was being a bit too critical. Venoms saliva and tongue look, which I realize is what he has looked liked for the majority of his existence, isn’t ‘stupid’. It is just a big step back from his original design, IMO.