Spawn #9 newsstand with manufacturing error 0

[newshane]

If you want to chase a unicorn, try finding Spawn 156 in 9.8 condition. 

Not going to happen. 

[WolverineX]

14 minutes ago, newshane said:

If you want to chase a unicorn, try finding Spawn 156 in 9.8 condition. 

Not going to happen. 

What is so hard about that?  Low print run?

[RockMyAmadeus]

10 minutes ago, newshane said:

If you want to chase a unicorn, try finding Spawn 156 in 9.8 condition. 

Not going to happen. 

Challenge accepted.

By the way...it's entirely possible that there are newsstand Spawn #9s with Direct pages in slabs already that were missed. No one will know until and if they're broken out. It's one of the bigger problems of the census, and why it was such a mistake to not differentiate newsstands from the outset.

I'll have to check my Spawn #9 newsies and see what I have.

This is like the Magnus #57 error, with a good chunk of the print run having pages out of order...that's not the only one, but it is one of the more familiar ones. There is a Catwoman #50 (1993 series) that was bound with just the first 20 or so pages, twice (it's a double sized issue.) Sandman #19 is another famous one, with pages 19 and 20 printed out of order...and that was actually a printing error, not a binding error...the pages are on the wrong side of the leaf, so that page 20 faces page 18. And, of course, Sandman #18 with the blue panels.

I still love my Hulk #393 no foil error. I've only seen 2. 

Here's a pic:

[FlyingDonut]

2 hours ago, newshane said:

And for the record, there is NO such thing as a "rare" Spawn 1-12. Doesn't matter if it's an error or a newsstand or what. 

I doubt that the "no black ink" Spawn 1 manufacturing error (green label) is as rare as some people think, but admittedly that's just a hunch. 

Hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, millions, of these books were printed. I laugh out loud at auctions that claim these books are rare in any way. 

The real tough issues were released after the turn of the century and the middle of the first decade. 

I paid $5 for a super high grade newsstand Spawn 2 today. I figure I'm OK.

[FlyingDonut]

1 hour ago, newshane said:

I probably wouldn't have bought the book anyway. It's a lowly 9.6.  

I eschew 9.6s. Drek.

[comic girl]

https://spawncomics.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/spawn-9-newsstand-edition/

interesting link on the subject.

[FlyingDonut]

5 minutes ago, comic girl said:

https://spawncomics.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/spawn-9-newsstand-edition/

interesting link on the subject.

[RockMyAmadeus]

21 minutes ago, comic girl said:

https://spawncomics.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/spawn-9-newsstand-edition/

interesting link on the subject.

Gag.

The "author" of that blog is a guy named Benjamin Nobel, who is as filled with error as Chips Ahoys are filled with chocolate chips. That wouldn't be a problem, except that he also doesn't take kindly to correction of any kind, and actively blocks people who suggest corrections to him.

He's one of the people who makes it very, very difficult in the hobby, because he spreads misinformation like the plague, but since he sounds like he knows what he's talking about, it's that much more destructive. It's truth mixed with error, and only the very knowledgeable can spot the difference. People believe all sorts of wacky things because this guy says it, and if he says it, well...it must be true!

Avoid at all costs is my recommendation.

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by RockMyAmadeus

[RockMyAmadeus]

16 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

Too late!

As an example of his error, in the very first paragraph of the link given, Mr. Nobel (hopefully no relation to Alfred) says this:

'As discussed in Comic Book Newsstand Editions: Understanding The Difference, the vast majority — 98-99% — of comic books sold by Image Comics were direct edition copies sold to comic shops on a non-returnable basis."

Sounds good, right? But that figure...98%-99%...is completely and totally made up. Pulled out of thin air. He has no idea how many were Direct and how many were newsstand. No clue at all. Neither does anyone except Image and the printer. Image never published that information and, as far as I know, never published it for ANY of the books they printed for the newsstand.

So, he creates this fantasy number....98%-99%....and will quote Chuck Rozanski's ALSO erroneous "estimation" of ALL newsstands from the time period....and you will come away with the VERY, VERY mistaken impression that Image...having printed somewhere between 1.75 and 2.5 million copies of Spawn #1...only printed 17,500 to 50,000 copies for newsstands all across North America. And this, at a time when the newsstand was quite alive in terms of selling comics. If there were less than 200,000 copies of Spawn #1 printed for the newsstand, I'd be VERY, VERY surprised.

There are 31 copies of Spawn #1 newsstand for sale on eBay right now. 

But, if you went by Mr. Nobel's totally made up estimate...you'd think there were only a tiny handful of these copies out there, and you might seriously overpay....which is the real danger his error-blog is to people...for books that aren't really as rare as he claims they are.

And that's just the first paragraph. There are more errors as we go along...

Edited November 4, 2018 by RockMyAmadeus

[FlyingDonut]

1 minute ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Too late!

As an example of his error, in the very first paragraph of the link given, Mr. Nobel (hopefully no relation to Alfred) says this:

'As discussed in Comic Book Newsstand Editions: Understanding The Difference, the vast majority — 98-99% — of comic books sold by Image Comics were direct edition copies sold to comic shops on a non-returnable basis."

Sounds good, right? But that figure...98%-99%...is completely and totally made up. Pulled out of thin air. He has no idea how many were Direct and how many were newsstand. No clue at all. Image ever published that information and, as far as I know, never published it for ANY of the books they printed for the newsstand.

So, he creates this fantasy number....98%-99%....and will quote Chuck Rozanski's ALSO erroneous "estimation" of ALL newsstands from the time period....and you will come away with the VERY, VERY mistaken impression that Image...having printed somewhere between 1.75 and 2.5 million copies of Spawn #1...only printed 17,500 to 50,000 copies for newsstands all across North America. And this, at a time when the newsstand was quite alive in terms of selling comics. If there were less than 200,000 copies of Spawn #1 printed for the newsstand, I'd be VERY, VERY surprised.

There are 31 copies of Spawn #1 newsstand for sale on eBay right now. 

But, if you went by Mr. Nobel's totally made up estimate...you'd think there were only a tiny handful of these copies out there, and you might seriously overpay....which is the real danger his error-blog is to people...for books that aren't really as rare as he claims they are.

And that's just the first paragraph. There are more errors as we go along...

I think - and this is TOTALLY A GUESS - that the number for Image newsstands was probably at most 10% of the print run and then dropped overall. Late run Spawns newsstands are legitimately really really hard to find. That, of course, means in my world there's 175,000 Spawn 1 newsstand copies, which isn't by any meaning of the word "rare".

[RockMyAmadeus]

1 minute ago, FlyingDonut said:

I think - and this is TOTALLY A GUESS - that the number for Image newsstands was probably at most 10% of the print run and then dropped overall. Late run Spawns newsstands are legitimately really really hard to find. That, of course, means in my world there's 175,000 Spawn 1 newsstand copies, which isn't by any meaning of the word "rare".

I think your estimate is much, much more in line with reality than Chuck Rozanski's...who, it must be mentioned, had been dealing exclusively with the Direct market for 25+ or more years by the time he came up with his infamous "newsstand estimate." 

Late Spawn newsstands...especially past #100...are a BEAR to find. That's when I can imagine print runs of 10,000 or less, but, still keeping in mind that the newsstand, thanks to Borders and Barnes & Noble and other booksellers, might have done slightly better during that time period (1998-2005) than the Direct market. We just don't know, and currently have no way of finding out.

But...again, it has to be kept in mind that newsies went almost exclusively to individual readers, many of whom probably save them, but only to the tune of 1 copy each....so those copies have a much harder time trickling back into the marketplace.

But look at Spawn #1. 31 copies for sale, right now. People have been made aware, and that book has trickled back into the marketplace. I doubt the numbers for Savage Dragon #1 or Wildcats #1 were significantly less. Thankfully, Youngblood wasn't sold on the newsstand until later.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

And...there are a TON BUNCH of Spawn newsstands for sale on eBay right now...even copies in the 100s.

[fastballspecial]

If the error is visible like RMA's Non foils then the book will do well over time. 
If its something that isn't visible to the eye it better have some background information on it making it desireable
otherwise you have a book that very few will want because honestly it doesn't look any different unless its like a double cover etc....

 

[newshane]

1 hour ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Challenge accepted.

 

Where were you back when I was offering $400 or $500 for the book?  

That ship has sailed. 

But you won't find one anyway. 

[newshane]

1 hour ago, Wolverinex said:

What is so hard about that?  Low print run?

Relatively speaking, yes. Low print. All of the 150s are tough, but 156 is the one I could never find. Tough black cover with really poor paper stock. Every copy I could find was 9.0 at best. Very, very tough book. None on the census in any grade, last I checked. I think that is unique for a Spawn book BTW. 

[Foley]

9 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

What, my info wasn't good enough...?

 

Sometimes even the most expert diagnosis requires a second opinion 

[comic girl]

And the verdict is....

-Listed on GPA as manufacturing error/ newsstand edition (but only after I appealed, lol)

    When I checked yesterday afternoon the transaction was on GPA but grouped in under the 9.6 newsstand column at $610 which is obviously a poor indication of price point for the regular newsstand editions. So I emailed them stating my case as to why it should be separately identified (kind of common sense anyway I’d say) and Lo and behold there it was this morning as the only issue specific to the manufacturing error with my price as the benchmark. Kudos to GPA on their quick response and logical assessment; very impressed with their professionalism.

 

 

[Bomber-Bob]

49 minutes ago, comic girl said:

And the verdict is....

-Listed on GPA as manufacturing error/ newsstand edition (but only after I appealed, lol)

    When I checked yesterday afternoon the transaction was on GPA but grouped in under the 9.6 newsstand column at $610 which is obviously a poor indication of price point for the regular newsstand editions. So I emailed them stating my case as to why it should be separately identified (kind of common sense anyway I’d say) and Lo and behold there it was this morning as the only issue specific to the manufacturing error with my price as the benchmark. Kudos to GPA on their quick response and logical assessment; very impressed with their professionalism.

 

You've just made your own market on this book ! Now, you need CGC to recognize it on the census. Since it's on the label, they should accommodate . 

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 11/3/2018 at 8:26 PM, newshane said:

I'll definitely back you up a little by saying, once again, that I've never seen a graded copy with that notation and I've seen just about every Spawn book to hit the market since just before 2013...so I can confirm that much. It's a really cool book!

FWIW... +1   

I've handled a lot of raw Spawns in my collecting days and I haven't seen this particular example. 

But... I also collect underground comix where we see odd ball manufacturing errors. I cannot discount RMA or LB when they say it was probably some leftover guts to which a newsie cover was attached. But that's exactly how these errors happen! 

And... Don't sweat too much that you set the market. It's an excellent example of a first appearance character with a fair amount of history to her (what with Gaiman suing McFarlane). And now we will be on the lookout for another one!  

Edited November 7, 2018 by oldmilwaukee6er

[oldmilwaukee6er]

On 11/3/2018 at 8:48 PM, Wolverinex said:

What is so hard about that?  Low print run?

RE 156

As a general rule Spawn's print run drops significantly after milestone issues with multiple variant covers. Estimated presales at 27k copies. And 156 has a black cover. Spine ticks like CRAZY on this issue! It's almost unreal - copies with 8-12 spine ticks consistently.

I watched eBay for a few years trying to source a 9.4 or better copy for my collection before finding one locally in a new-to-market collection.