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Variants make me puke!
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33 posts in this topic

I can not possibly be in the minority on the boards here that have noticed an absolute absurd amount of increased variants spreading through the comic industry like a virus. It is actually worse then the 90's IMO and my reason why is because back then the extent of it was (holograms, foils, chrome). Fast forward to today and we still have that and MORE. Every variant has not 2, 3 but 4! (some cases more: looking at you JSC)different versions of the SAME cover. We have reached an all time LOW for laziness with variants. Not to mention that literally 90% of these variants have tanked. I have no clue how these variants are still coming out. I wanted to bring awareness to this because as a collector the books are rapidly decreasing in value while the hobby is very expensive.

So where do you see this craziness going? will it eventually crash?

rantrant

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I buy a few, but only artists I enjoy. Resale value means little to me, I think of it as more of a piece of art for a PC. I will not purchase a variant just because its a 1:50, or 1:100, I have to actually enjoy the art. Recent examples are Mattina and Dell'Otto exclusives I have purchased genuinely because the art is incredible. I wish Marvel did more attractive Cover Bs like DC. I buy almost every Middleton, Frison, Mattina and AH, and Coipel variants at cover price.

Edited by Stephen H
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36 minutes ago, starlord86 said:

I can not possibly be in the minority on the boards here that have noticed an absolute absurd amount of increased variants spreading through the comic industry like a virus. It is actually worse then the 90's IMO and my reason why is because back then the extent of it was (holograms, foils, chrome). Fast forward to today and we still have that and MORE. Every variant has not 2, 3 but 4! (some cases more: looking at you JSC)different versions of the SAME cover. We have reached an all time LOW for laziness with variants. Not to mention that literally 90% of these variants have tanked. I have no clue how these variants are still coming out. I wanted to bring awareness to this because as a collector the books are rapidly decreasing in value while the hobby is very expensive.

So where do you see this craziness going? will it eventually crash?

rantrant

You are far from alone bud. 

My suggestion, walk away from any variant that costs more than cover price and never look book. 

No matter what the print run is, the story on the inside is exactly the same. It also doesn’t matter how many scumbag dealers are screaming “BUY MINE!” with some form of misleading wording, you don’t need them. So just walk away and save your money. 

Edited by IntoAnother
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1 hour ago, IntoAnother said:

You are far from alone bud. 

My suggestion, walk away from any variant that costs more than cover price and never look book. 

No matter what the print run is, the story on the inside is exactly the same. It also doesn’t matter how many scumbag dealers are screaming “BUY MINE!” with some form of misleading wording, you don’t need them. So just walk away and save your money. 

Very solid advice and I couldn't agree more. However, I have to imagine that this is already happening because there is no way people can financially keep up the pace. Like I said the turn around on the book is so short lived if you are even able to make a profit. Fool me once but not twice kind of thing. 

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23 minutes ago, starlord86 said:

Very solid advice and I couldn't agree more. However, I have to imagine that this is already happening because there is no way people can financially keep up the pace. Like I said the turn around on the book is so short lived if you are even able to make a profit. Fool me once but not twice kind of thing. 

Yeah, some people have unfortunately already walked away from the hobby due to all the variants. 

I’m sure the cash grab reboots don’t help as well but it was the variants that drove a few of my completist freinds away from the hobby. Now they read the stories via TPB’s, could care less about the shiny new variants of the week, and have no plans of ever returning. 

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3 hours ago, IntoAnother said:

You are far from alone bud. 

My suggestion, walk away from any variant that costs more than cover price and never look book. 

No matter what the print run is, the story on the inside is exactly the same. It also doesn’t matter how many scumbag dealers are screaming “BUY MINE!” with some form of misleading wording, you don’t need them. So just walk away and save your money. 

Just Devil's Advocate here. I purchase plenty of Silver Age, etc.. for just the cover. Have you never purchased a Key for the cover alone? Even though the story was no good? I see variants as no different.  Typically if I spend over cover, its for a virgin variant where the art can really be appreciated. Just my opinion. 

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3 minutes ago, Mercury Man said:

I think the variant bunch is a smaller segment of the larger hobby.  They just seem to beat their chests the loudest, especially if they think they are sitting on a book worth a few grand.   Oh, and they constantly like to remind you that they own it.  It's almost as if they are trying to re-assure themselves.   Give me a $2K Silver Age book over a Modern Variant any day.

 

I would want to self assure myself to if I paid $2k for book that was a few months old as well lol.



 

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16 minutes ago, Stephen H said:

Just Devil's Advocate here. I purchase plenty of Silver Age, etc.. for just the cover. Have you never purchased a Key for the cover alone? Even though the story was no good? I see variants as no different.  Typically if I spend over cover, its for a virgin variant where the art can really be appreciated. Just my opinion. 

Hey Stephen H, I have always gravitated towards the stories inside the books so I have not purchased any keys for just the cover, and if the story isn’t any good I’m not going to be buying the book.

I do appreciate the additional art and virgin covers can be very stunning as you pointed out, I just don’t support the price tags and shady business tactics used to sell them. 

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Some of it is sickening but like others said many collect for cover art and variants seem to almost always have the best artists attached. I have 90 percent silver and bronze stuff but 10 percent is modern variants and sometimes not variants if the art was great. Examples of some I have and some I'm waiting on below. In 20 years who knows how these  will be valued compared to old stuff? To not collect variants would be to miss out on some amazing comics.

 

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Edited by jason4
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