Final Order Cut-Off Highlights for 9/10/18

Final Order Cut-Off is the last day that shops can guarantee their orders for comics. After Final Order Cut-Off, or FOC, these books will only be available to retailers on Advance Reorder. And that is not guaranteed. So here are the highlights for Monday, 9/10/18’s FOC list.
First up are the foil covers. DC is doing another variant month and this time around they are foil covers, like the ones they do for conventions.
Batman #56
Catwoman #4
Curse of Brimstone #7
Detective Comics #990
Flash #56
Green Arrow #45
Green Lanterns #56
Hawkman #5
Redhood and the Outlaws #27
Sideways #9
Suicide Squad #47
Supergirl #23
Superman #4
Titans #27
Unexpected #5
Wonder Woman #56
DC has a couple of Killer B covers worth Watching as well.

The Artgerm Catwoman #4 and Jenny Frison Wonder Woman #56, Suicide Squad #47 close out this week.

DC has something really cool on FOC this week as well, completely blank comics. You can write, draw, color, your own comics on these 16 page comics.
Batman #1 Blank, Superman #1 Blank, and Wonder Woman #1 Blank all are on FOC. Get them sketched you will have something truly unique.

Not a blank but very cool is Cursed Comics Calvacade #1. It is a high priced horror book just in time for Halloween.


Image has a couple of cool books out.
Black Bird #1 (especially the Fiona Staples cover)
Dead Rabbit #1
Errand Boys #1
Jook Joint #1
Marvel

Deadpool #5 has a sick cover just in time for Halloween. Shatterstar #1 starts a new series for the Sword-swinging mutant.

J. Scott Campbell art graces the covers to X-Men Black with X-Men Black Emma Frost, X-Men Black Magneto, X-Men Black Mystique, X-Men Black Juggernaut, and X-Men Black Mojo.
Marvel’s variant theme for the month is Battle Lines.

Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 has an awesome Maxx Lim Ghost Rider Cover.
Deadpool #5 features a Sujin Jo Gwenpool cover
Dr. Strange #6 features a Kuenwoo Lee Strange cover.
Superior Octopus #1 has a Yoon Lee Doc Ock cover.
Typhoid Fever Spiderman #1 has a Heejin Joen Typhoid Mary cover.
Weapon H #8 has a Sujin Jo Manthing cover.

Just in time for the Netflix show, Dark Horse has Umbrella Academy Hotel Oblivion #1 with two covers.

34 thoughts on “Final Order Cut-Off Highlights for 9/10/18”

  1. Thank you for this! I juat got in orders for cosmic ghost rider and deadpool variants because of this. Please keep this up since my LCS has stopped buying variants blindly from previews that have no pictures.

      1. I put this right behind everyone’s weekly picks as my favorite. Now I don’t seem so blind before your Monday video. But my wallet threw up once it saw this week maybe a big week.

      2. I read that too, Tony. I think they are upset as it might cut into their bottom line. The die hard spec’rs think this will take away one of their advantages over the run of the mill spec’rs. They may not like this articles content, but it always rubbed me the wrong way when I see posts on other sites that point out a book, and the article is posted one hour after FOC. How does that post help anyone? Id rather read something I can use, than read about something I missed out on. This is a spec site. Pre FOC is pure spec. Post FOC is a crap shoot. Articles pointing out books after FOC does me, a member of the group that brings hits to the site, no good. I think its a marriage that was meant to be.

        1. I haven’t read anything. Got a few emails this morning saying people are upset. People get upset about everything now a Days. I can’t help that people don’t like stuff. There is validity that posting before FOC will increase orders some. But most of the books have been discussed before in numerous places, as well as offered as five packs by numerous online stores. The covers to some of the exclusives have been shared here and other places many times. So, yes, it can increase orders on books, but none of these books are “surprise books”.

      3. Now, having said that, this articles content wont ruin any potential spec, imo, unless we are exclusively selling to other spec’rs. If we are selling exclusively to other spec’rs, then this would hurt all of us. But I dont think our clientele are exclusively other spec’rs. If we are selling to the avg comic fan, which I think is largely the case, then this will do nothing but help us all. Do the people that dislike a pre FOC article really believe that your little article is going to raise print runs by any significant number? I dont think so. And even if it did raise the print run by 1 or 2 thousand, that wont affect us as resellers, imo.

        1. At this point the post has had 771 views. If everyone bought all the issues one per we are talking a total increase of 771 additional copies. If they bought 10 each then we are talking a significant increase in print run.

        2. Well said JayClue.
          Print runs don’t create value, demand creates value. If the book is good enough based on a number of reasons people demand it, the potential spec value will go up not matter. Print runs only assist in overall availability that affects the overall value when demand goes up. We see this in play when demand goes up and then the market is swamped when such item heats up.

      4. All I can say is, if a retailer who buys their comics directly from Diamond is upset with a FOC list, then they need to drop their Diamond account and come stand in line with the rest of us secondary market speculators.
        I have issues with retailers with Diamond accounts trying to withhold freely available information in hopes they can sell books at secondary market prices.
        Who should love a list like this? Honestly, everyone should love it, especially publishers and retailers, it’s more money in their bank accounts. It’s actually pushing more sales for your local shops so they stay in business.
        Who doesn’t like this type of list? Those who want to keep the print runs low by trying to withhold information on ordering deadlines and likely create artificial demand for such books in hopes to flip for extra profit. That’s when I have issues in the speculation market on a moral ground. That’s the only reason I can see if someone is mad or bent out of shape about a list like this, they likely have ill intentions for their own personal gains. It’s these people who are actually ruining this market and hobby.

      5. Who cares what other people think, that’s why I say this is the best spec’ going. The people that talk about comics after FOC are people that went heavy on those comics and want to increase demand.

        1. Exactly. Websites and groups who spend a lot of time talking about what other sites are doing or posting must live really horrible lives.

  2. For those that can’t keep up with all the release dates, cutoff dates and spend hours skimming through the Diamond Previews, this is a great way to make sure you don’t miss the books you intended to grab.

  3. i love the idea of making this a weekly article, HOWEVER it shouldn’t be posted till 12:01 am Tuesday morning. thats gives every one here a chance to get the books at cover without jacking up the print run. supply and demand, the less supply the higher the prices

    1. @Kevin…how many copies would have to be ordered in order for it to meet your definition of ‘jacking up’ print runs? 1000? 2000? 5000? If its under 5K, then there is nothing to worry about.

    2. I don’t have a pull list at my lcs…I actually will go to different shops if my main shop gets damaged copies. They also don’t order many b covers or variants. So I’ll order online from unknown comic books when I want variants…and if I get in before FOC they offer 35% discounts which pretty much covers shipping.
      UKCB does send plenty of notices each week about the upcoming weeks FOC…and they have a really good system which you can sort by past, present or future FOC. So I can plan my variant comic buying weeks in advance.
      So I’m alll for this weekly column as a supplement/reminder as it helps save cash and get the comics i know I want.

  4. The whole point if this article is to let people know BEFORE foc which is great for comic shops so their clients can increase their orders if wanted. eBay prices will always go up on hot books no matter the print run. Most of the price jumps are just speculators trading with each other on ebay bumping the price up anyway. Every “hot” book is always on the shelf at all 4 of my LCS’s so modern hot books are fools gold anyway till the characters proven. There’s certain people on a Google+ site that don’t like this cuz they can’t as effectivly pump books after foc with all the copies they have.
    This is great! Keep it up!

    1. If any speculators are buying online from other speculators at secondary prices, they aren’t very good at speculating. Obviously there is some speculators buying, from my experience, my clientele are dudes and dudettes who want these books for PC, whos local shops dont exist, or were late to the shop and missed the book. I know thats me being speculative. I wish I knew with certainty, exactly who is buying on the secondary market.

    2. What I find funny is I get all kinds of emails about FOC from Midtown and other retailers. Even Image sends out FOC emails in their press releases for books. People getting their panties all knotted up over nothing if you ask me.

      1. Agreed, Poyo. Springman actually booted me from FACTS when I presented a reasonable argument that differed from his ‘perspective’ regarding this FOC article. The guy cant propose a reasonable rebuttal so he deletes his ‘opponent’. FACTS=CBSI. Same shit, different pile. As a friend told me today, that Springman guy is too deep into comics. He thinks this will affect his income. The guy needs to put more lines in the water. He will catch more fish. (In other words, stop relying so heavily on comic sales for your income, and get a real job.).

      2. This was my point above too. The FOC “2 minute warning” is already well broadcast if you sign up for any of the big online retailers. An article like this will likely just remind a few people to put in their order that it may have slipped their mind after a busy weekend…

  5. Love this. Those who are complaining just need to get over it. We are a community; we are here to help our fellow lovers of comics. Comics, liberté, egalité, and fraternité!

  6. I hope this article stays. I have only 1 local LCS and they rarely over order, ordering essentially just their subs, so I appreciate a list like this that gives me a chance to have them add to their order to make sure I can get some of these books. If I can spec, great, but at least I have a copy for the PC.

  7. I love the article and it’s a free world. Make no mistakes, however, that this will be copied re/cross posted and any hotness these books will have had upon release will be significantly diminished. Catwoman 4 is a dead spec before it’s been printed. It’s all part of it, though. Real speculators stay ahead of the game. It’s time to get off the new issue carousel and start using the information from previews to seek out back issues. I bought 10 copies of Edge of Spiderverse 5 Land variant for $10 each 4 months ago. The info is there. Anyone allowing Anthony or anyone else to do their spec for them is destined to lose. He’s just pointing out the obvious. He’s not divulging his secrets.
    Buying 20 copies of a Teen Titans 20 is a losing bet right now, and will continue to be in the current climate. After all these new found, hoping for quick bucks without reading an issue flippers go broke, it may be time to get your pre-orders in again.

    1. I try to stay directly out of The Fray amongst other speculation sites but Ben is dead on. If you are hoping to line your pockets because you think you’re the only one who’s aware of a ‘secret spec’ especially a cover driven one, you are sadly mistaken. The game is now in reading books, using your comic knowledge to track threads and striking while the iron is hot. I try to balance it both on my G+ site but other groups solely rely on leaving people in the dark until it is too late hence the extra layer of saltiness.

  8. I personally think this is a great pre FOC compiled list. I understand the concept that keeping consumers unaware of new hot books could potentially increase the profits after final order cutoff, but I’m not certain if that is healthy for the hobby. I’ve speculated for last 4-5 years and made thousands doing so, but at some point it gets exhausting seeing the hobby turn against itself. If buyers are feeling like they are chasing after every hot book after the the FOC cutoff and they have to pay a premium to attain a book, it might turn them away from collecting. If there are less collectors, then there are less buyers, and in turn less opportunity to sell. There has to be a certain give and take to make it work. I don’t know the exact formula for everyone’s success in the speculation game, but I do think increased collectors equal increased profits.

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