Here is a cool cover with a very interesting story. Stadium Comics has a sweet exclusive coming out for Amazing Spider-Man #1 that is an homage to New Mutants #98. The cover is by Jamal Campbell who did a fantastic job working in Spider-Man, Venom, and Black Cat into the classic New Mutant poses.
The book is available in two versions, both of which will have hard print runs, the copies listed will be the only copies for sale, and once they are gone, they will not be available at any other retailer (you would need to look on eBay if you miss out.)
The Standard color cover will have a 3,000 copy print run. The second one, will feature the original New Mutants font, will have a print run of 1000 copies and will only be available in a set. These are only available at the Stadium Comics website.
Now here is the interesting story:
When the store first released the unfinished image via Twitter, Liefeld took notice and chastised them for not including ‘after Liefeld’ in the artwork. Liefeld stated he would not sign copies (not sure why anyone would want him to sign a book he didn’t work on). Liefeld got roasted on Twitter showing a bunch of swipes he did where he didn’t have credit to the original artist. The store owners didn’t back down either, and had stated that the artwork was clearly labeled as unfinished. They added that the actual artist, Jamal Campbell, didn’t even have his own signature on the released, unfinished image. Liefeld has since deleted his tweets.
26 thoughts on “Variant Envy: Amazing Spider-Man #1 New Mutants #98 Homage”
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And that is why I don’t care for Liefeld. That and his art sucks.
Lol
Can someone tell me who the white spiderman next to gwen is
It’s either Anti-Venom or Agent Anti-Venom
Couldn’t believe how he acted.
No surprise there
Happened with Unknown Comics variant of Deadpool 1 as well. Artist was John Tyler Christopher I think. Similar swipe on NM98 but with a direct and newsstand versions. JTC also did not put his name on the finished product.
I made sure to order these the day they were ravailable for preorder. Really cool variant idea.
Really nice cover. I’m ordering my set.
I’m buying.. only as a swipe back at Liefeld for the way he acted. (and because I like the cover… I’m going against my own stance of store variants but for good cause, cause F%*K Liefeld). 🙂
Standard cover and “Original New Mutants Font?”
This variation is as equally poor as the recent JTC “Fake Newstand” variant. Stores are becoming more and more lazy with their exclusives. When they aren’t changing the art at all, why would anyone buy more than the standard? It’s quickly becoming ridiculous. What’s the limit for collectors? Eventually, they will just put a 1cm by 1cm square in the bottom-right corner and just changing the color of it. And some will still pay a premium to get the “ultra mega grand supreme RED BOX variant, limited to only 100 copies world wide.” We have to hold them accountable. But . . . “A fool and their money…”
I am going to do it. Going to do the Shawn B red square variant.
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Kind of like the Pink Signature done on those Image books….
Don’t forget about the little frogs they are putting on some covers.
That was last week’s. I couldn’t find them anywhere.
It worked on me, I wasn’t going to pick up oblivion song 1 but the 3 copies on the shelf were all pink signature variants. Grabbed 2 and left 1 for the next guy.
I grabbed three copies of the Pink Sig and got one in my Skybound box. Sold the three I grabbed and kept the one.
I won’t lie. If I saw some on the shelf i would have grabbed too. Talk about an easy flip.
The first guy to sell a pink sig oblivion song 1 did very well it quickly sank after that.
Completely agree that the miniscule variant is similar in both. Though, I will argue that there are vastly principled differences in an unannounced, easily-overlooked, miniscule variation that causes surprise for the collector and often offers a fun chase that can be obtained at cover price AND that of an advertised, miniscule variation manufactured for the sole purpose of demanding a premium price, based on a misleading announced rarity.
Vastly principled differences.
Yes different but not any worse if you ask me. I say if your going to do a chase variant, make it so its completely unique. And not all stores sold those chase books at cover, there are plenty guilty in pulling to sell at secondary market type prices. This is no worse than Marvel removing the dressing and creating a virgin cover variant of the regular cover and maming stores buy 100 to qualify for 1 variant.
I hate chase inserts though, that type of crap ruined the trading card industry.
At least one could argue that the buyer has the choice in buying the slightly different cover in this case. Dont like it, dont buy it. Like it, you got a better chance at obtaining instead of chasing.
“Not any worse”?
An unadvertised variant does not artificially increase the print run and it doesn’t demand a premium cost (from the entity producing the variant). Store exclusives do both of those things.
To bring things back on topic though . . . I was commenting on store/site exclusives that are completely phoning in “variations” within a set to essentially get more return on the exact same art. My comment was aimed at the laziness of the product offered and the disservice to collectors. Obviously, buy what you like.
Guess what I don’t like: Covers featuring the same art with simple color changes. Covers featuring the same art with differing barcode boxes. And, obviously, covers featuring the same art with FONT changes. (Not to mention that 8 or 9 times out of 10, their is nothing of importance in the guts of the book.) I’m no artist. But if I am able to make the same changes between covers in a premium priced set, that’s lazy and a disservice to the industry.
Though, if it’s “not any worse,” I might as well make my own non-artist exclusives. I will begin offering my own TRUE EXCLUSIVE line of “DEUCE” variants, where I will sketch poop emojis or poop related themes on issues that I feel have no long- or short-term key events/appearances. For each comic chosen, I will only produce 10 … that’s right, TEN copies (so, you can guess how much I will be charging). And, it won’t be first come, first served. There will be an entry window when you can submit for a purchase, after which 10 people will be selected at random. Message me for further details.
It’s my greatest idea since “Red Square Variants.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m with you on the slight changes. I’m just saying the publishers who do chase inserts are just as bad. It might not push the print runs but it does create artificial demand. Just like the Walking Dead 171 pink signature, that book sold out at every online retailer once word got out in hopes people would nab a copy.
Like I said, to qualify for the same cover A for a virgin 1:100, a store might not only have to buy a 100 copies of cover A but also X amount of covers for Title X. That’s how craptastic Marvel ordering sucks. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s what one shop told me how it is at times to qualify for some books.
Sure the special variants that are a complete surprise on release day don’t push up the print run but from what I’ve seen, there are way more retailers who abuse when discovered than those who give collectors a chance at them.
But with store variants, sure it’s a cheap way to slightly alter the same cover, look at all those 3 cover sets where it’s a regular, a B&W and then they just remove the dressing to make a virgin. You know how easy that is to do in photoshop? I can at least say changing the logo fonts and titles though is a little more work.
I’m not the best graphic artist but I was messing with creating some new CHU logo’s and spent an entire Saturday morning trying to come up with logos, it’s not as easy as it looks. I spent at least 4-6 hours on probably just a dozen or so renderings.
Are these retailer sets a disservice to the collector community, that’s hard to say. For some it is, for others, not so much since they keep doing it and people keep buying them.
So yes, slightly changing the font on one cover and bumping the price cause it’s more limited seems crappy but one should also realize Stadium Comics spent a good penny to get an artist to create the cover art, then paid someone to do the font changes and layout. Then they had to buy the books, now they have to pay employees to handle them, pack and ship. Then pay employees for customer service when things go wrong. $50 turns into a much smaller profit margin in the end. I know why stores do this though, it increases overall revenue and profit.
If I was a shop who can commission an artist to do a variant to make a little extra cash, by all means I’d be doing this as well if people are willing to buy them.
Honestly though, I wish all these eye candy covers will go away that have nothing to do with the story. I would love to just bring back awesome covers that depict what’s going on in that actual issue and the inside story and artwork is what drives the collectible value up in price. Sadly that’s how it use to be. Could we imagine if back in 1963 Amazing Spider-Man had 15 variant covers and 20 Store variants? Sigh..
I was sold at red square variant.
I picked up a pink sig variant today for cover. Have sold 3 so far
I think the cover is pretty awesome but for that price and the only guarantee is a VF copy, not so sure.