Uncanny X-Men 302 logo variant 2 2

[ygogolak]

2 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

There are 3 versions of that issue: Direct, Newsstand, and Error (Newsstand edition with "Only 25c" circle).

Aren't there only two? Direct and Newsstand that indicates $2.25 in the box? I don't think there were any produced without the $0.25 circle, were there?

http://www.recalledcomics.com/UncannyX-Men423PriceError.php

Edited August 14, 2017 by ygogolak

[Lazyboy]

8 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

Aren't there only two? Direct and Newsstand that indicates $2.25 in the box? I don't think there were any produced without the $0.25 circle, were there?

http://www.recalledcomics.com/UncannyX-Men423PriceError.php

That page also says there are 3 versions. What am I missing?

[ygogolak]

8 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

That page also says there are 3 versions. What am I missing?

Ah, yes. The one doesn't have a $0.25 circle and states $2.25 on the box. I guess that would be a price variant. Didn't state the $0.25 price anywhere. So yes, 3.

[Metarog]

I was rebagging so here are the two X-Men 423 variants...

 

[Ant-Man]

Dug this up due to recent discussions in the Modern thread (Adventures in the dollar box).

[srezvan]

So was the consensus that Colossus was a Pressman variant? 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 4/16/2022 at 10:04 AM, srezvan said:

So was the consensus that Colossus was a Pressman variant? 

ya it's all confusing @Ant-Man I'm not "getting the specialty of it" but idk

[awakeintheashes]

Question for anyone who has a newsstand and direct edition of this book. Is there an insert inside the book celebrating the x-men 30th anniversary?

@manetteskadoes your copy have an insert inside or look like it had an insert at one point?

I think the direct copies had the insert, but I’m not sure about the newsstand version. If there is a difference, that could point to what this was supposed to be if it is a printing error. 

[awakeintheashes]

On 4/16/2022 at 11:04 AM, srezvan said:

So was the consensus that Colossus was a Pressman variant? 

No. The pressman copies had special ads and had some type of color variation on the cover. 

[awakeintheashes]

It’s either some random promo comic that nobody has been able to identify over many years, or..

it’s a newsstand printing error. If it is, many may have been returned with any unsold copies of the non-error version because no price and no barcode, but some may have made their way to shelves and price checked or were saved by a store/newsstand manager before returning. If it were a direct edition printing error it seems like more would have made their way to the market or been known about at the time.

 Just a thought. 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by awakeintheashes

[manetteska]

On 4/16/2022 at 11:29 AM, awakeintheashes said:

Question for anyone who has a newsstand and direct edition of this book. Is there an insert inside the book celebrating the x-men 30th anniversary?

@manetteskadoes your copy have an insert inside or look like it had an insert at one point?

I think the direct copies had the insert, but I’m not sure about the newsstand version. If there is a difference, that could point to what this was supposed to be if it is a printing error. 

Full page insert or partial?

There's about 10-12 pages for A 30th, but not an insert like the Tattooz or Mark Jewelers.

Edited April 16, 2022 by manetteska

[awakeintheashes]

On 4/16/2022 at 2:09 PM, manetteska said:

Full page insert or partial?

There's about 10-12 pages for A 30th, but not an insert like the Tattooz or Mark Jewelers.

Thanks. I think that’s it. Wonder if both have that insert or if it’s exclusive to direct editions, which would rule out my newsstand printing error guess. 

Edited April 16, 2022 by awakeintheashes

[srezvan]

For those of you who don't want the overly dramatic story...I bought this from eBay.

Unnecessary background: I finally got my copy! I have saved searches on eBay for various things, and most aren't really that helpful. This was listed as a buy it now for < $20 with shipping and tax. I couldn't believe the price and couldn't hit buy it now fast enough. The seller printed the shipping label right away but didn't ship it for 4 days. I kept checking the status like a maniac, thinking the seller was going to cancel the sale. Then he shipped it media mail. I kept thinking it was going to be a direct or newsstand edition and he used a stock photo. But it arrived perfectly.

I quickly compared this to my copy, which is a newsstand. I must have had that comic since 1993 when it came out, if not shortly after. The error version DOES have the extra pages in the middle advertising A 30th. These pages don't appear to be an "insert" that can be removed, but rather a part of the book. My newsstand version does NOT have those A 30th preview pages. I'm going to try and pick up a direct edition this weekend so I can look at all 3 together. I suspect the direct will have the A 30th pages, which would make me lean towards a printing error. I don't think this is a Pressman variant, which I think most people have ruled out. Why would the Pressman or toy version (if that's what this is) include those preview pages and advertisements? Just my initial thoughts, but more research to come.

[masterlogan2000]

On 10/20/2022 at 9:51 PM, srezvan said:

For those of you who don't want the overly dramatic story...I bought this from eBay.

Unnecessary background: I finally got my copy! I have saved searches on eBay for various things, and most aren't really that helpful. This was listed as a buy it now for < $20 with shipping and tax. I couldn't believe the price and couldn't hit buy it now fast enough. The seller printed the shipping label right away but didn't ship it for 4 days. I kept checking the status like a maniac, thinking the seller was going to cancel the sale. Then he shipped it media mail. I kept thinking it was going to be a direct or newsstand edition and he used a stock photo. But it arrived perfectly.

I quickly compared this to my copy, which is a newsstand. I must have had that comic since 1993 when it came out, if not shortly after. The error version DOES have the extra pages in the middle advertising A 30th. These pages don't appear to be an "insert" that can be removed, but rather a part of the book. My newsstand version does NOT have those A 30th preview pages. I'm going to try and pick up a direct edition this weekend so I can look at all 3 together. I suspect the direct will have the A 30th pages, which would make me lean towards a printing error. I don't think this is a Pressman variant, which I think most people have ruled out. Why would the Pressman or toy version (if that's what this is) include those preview pages and advertisements? Just my initial thoughts, but more research to come.

That's a real good pickup!

I've owned 4 copies of this book over the years and have sold three of them.  Each copy I had seems to originate in the Chicagoland or Midwest area.

Looking forward to seeing an in depth comparison between all your copies.

[gradejunky]

Crazy how just one random X-Men book can have a rabbit hole so deep.  It is what amazes me and keeps me collecting after so many years.  One could just focus on 1 niche of this hobby and spend a lifetime procuring everything within it.

[srezvan]

Here's the comic in question that's the source of much speculation. I can't say I have an answer, but I have a theory. Read below for my research and opinion.

 

Background Research

I've had a newsstand version in my collection probably since the issue came out. I went out and picked up a direct edition from my LCS so I could have all three. Here are a few shots showing the fronts and back (for all pictures, I keep the order of left to right: direct, newsstand, variant; or top to bottom: direct, newsstand, variant):

Other than the UPC box and corner box, these look identical on the front and back.

 

Here's are the indica for each book, which look the same to me:

 

 

The middle of the book is where there's a big difference - the direct and variant editions have extra pages for the Maximum Anniversary at the centerfold. This is interesting, because some online sources say that the direct and newsstand issues are the same, but they are not. In fact, @mycomicshop/Lone Star Comics makes no distinction between the issues. I emailed them about it, and this was their exact response: "I am sorry, but we do not differentiate between the newsstand and direct editions for that issue. I am sorry, but I am not aware of any printing errors for issue #302."

 

Finally, here's the interior back cover, which looks the same for all 3 versions:

 

Hypothesis 1: This issue is a Pressman Variant

I don't think this is the case. For comparison, here's a Pressman variant and regular edition from my collection:

 

 

The differences on the cover (front back, inside, outside) are pretty clear, although the contents are the same. Finally, as someone noted in previous posts, the Pressman variants are pretty well known. While no site is perfect, Lone Star Comics specifically calls out the four known Pressman variants:

I have no reason to believe that this is a Pressman variant.

 

Hypothesis 2: This issue is a Marvel Legends Variant

For comparison, here's a copy of a Marvel Legends issue and regular issue.

The differences on the cover (interior and exterior) are pretty clear and the interior contents were modified.

I don't have copies of all the Marvel Legends comics, but I pulled from Wikipedia that the Marvel Legends series was born out of the Spider-Man Classics line, which also had comic inserts. I don't have any of those, but from what I can find, they are identified as reprints.

With all that, I don't think this is a figure insert.

 

My opinion: it's a printing error

I don't have a way to prove it. But if the comic was to be an insert or promo or something that came out years later, why would it include the extra centerfold pages and why would it not be identified in any way?

 

Thoughts?

[dzbad]

1st let me say, I appreciate this boards thorough research on this book.  It sounds like everyone landed on Printing error.  

I was lucky enough to find this odd looking book in a 1 bin.  While it is maybe a 6-7 still seems to be worth a buck.

[John Neville]

Recent $2 find! 

[Jlambert4081]

Has anyone seen an error where instead of a white box in the lower left there is a black box?

[srezvan]

On 1/6/2024 at 5:43 AM, Jlambert4081 said:

Has anyone seen an error where instead of a white box in the lower left there is a black box?

Do you have a photo? Sometimes there's a black box and "not for resale" text in white when the comics come packaged with Marvel Legends figures.