• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Show us your Copper Age Newsstands!
15 15

685 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, valiantman said:

Last issue on third row (Snake-Eyes) is not a newsstand. (thumbsu

Nor are Alpha Flight #88 or Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #34.

Did Akira, Atomic Age and Wild Cards actually have Newsstand editions?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Warlord said:

I know some indy publishers such as Now and Image clearly marked their newsstand issues but I'm not sure if that's the case with other indies or if they even had newsstand distribution.  Anyone know which of the "major" indy publishers did only direct sales? Or which of them had newsstand sales, if that's the shorter list?

Most independent publishers existed because of the direct market and didn't use the newsstand system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:
2 hours ago, valiantman said:

Last issue on third row (Snake-Eyes) is not a newsstand. (thumbsu

Nor are Alpha Flight #88 or Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #34.

Those are understandable, since Marvel screwed up and put a newsstand barcode on the direct editions.  They'll be confusing collectors forever.

39 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

Did Akira, Atomic Age and Wild Cards actually have Newsstand editions?

I wondered about those, but I figured @Warlord might have manually checked the back cover since there was nothing on the front cover.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Warlord said:
8 hours ago, Spawnfreak said:

Would someone give years of comic book ages?

Answers will vary, but I used 1980 through 1994 for the images that I posted.

Those books are 26 to 40 years old at this point, and terms like "Chromium Age" didn't really catch on, since Copper Age doesn't have a clear ending.

Modern Age being 1995-2020 would be the longest age ever, since Golden Age 1938-1955 is only 18 years, Silver Age 1956-1969 is only 14 years, starting in 1970, the Bronze Age would only be 10 years if Copper Age starts at 1980.

1994 comics were definitely "Modern Age" when this board started (2002), but 26 years ago isn't Modern for the industry now.

Decade terms make more since starting with the 1980s, if not earlier.

1990s comics are 21+ years old, so they are "all grown up" away from Modern Age at this point even if they don't qualify for an older definition of "Copper Age".  1990s comics are 1990s comics no matter how much time passes. lol

Edited by valiantman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, valiantman said:

Last issue on third row (Snake-Eyes) is not a newsstand. (thumbsu

A No-Prize Winner!  Keep watching your mailbox for it to arrive!  I have two copies of that issue and needed to check if my notes were wrong or if I had posted the wrong scan.  The notes were wrong, both copies are Direct.  Thanks for the catch!

Edited by Warlord
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, valiantman said:

Those are understandable, since Marvel screwed up and put a newsstand barcode on the direct editions.  They'll be confusing collectors forever.

I wondered about those, but I figured @Warlord might have manually checked the back cover since there was nothing on the front cover.

Yeah, that's why I covered myself by saying my images contained "anything with a UPC".   There are some old comics with UPCs that wouldn't literally be defined only as newsstand because they were probably sold both there and in comics shops and they predated the existence of the direct market.  Calling such issues newsstands seems pointless and incorrect.  Sometimes in my list my note just says "UPC" on those pre-direct market issues.  They might better be described as "returnable", but there's no distinction between versions to make in any case.   I chose not to try to sort out those distinctions and if it has a UPC I opted to just use a note of newsstand.   But I think I'll add a clarifying note on my Alpha Flight and Dr Strange issues that LazyBoy called out as known direct-only issues. (thumbsu

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

Nor are Alpha Flight #88 or Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #34.

Did Akira, Atomic Age and Wild Cards actually have Newsstand editions?

UPCs yes.  Newsstand?  I dunno. Not marked as Direct, and they have the small section in the UPC unlike the larger section of Direct UPCs. Here are all the back covers, and a large image of Akira's bc.

 

800142082_CopperNewsstandsbacks.thumb.jpg.98f693efe4e7093432dd94cb247c829d.jpg

akira24-b2.thumb.jpg.cf1e009b94102463b9492866965304a9.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

Most independent publishers existed because of the direct market and didn't use the newsstand system.

Yep.  So what's the list of indy publishers who DID also market to newsstands?

I'll start with a few and try to list anything other than Marvel and DC and their imprints (eg, Star, Amalgam, Milestone)

  • Archie
  • Bongo
  • Continuity
  • Dark Horse
  • Gladstone
  • Image
  • Malibu
  • Now
  • Top Cow
  • Topps
  • United Plankton Pictures
  • Valiant

And I found one Harris Vampirella issue that has a UPC, but not sure what to make of that...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Warlord said:

There are some old comics with UPCs that wouldn't literally be defined only as newsstand because they were probably sold both there and in comics shops and they predated the existence of the direct market.

Well, the direct market predates the appearance of UPCs on comics, though it was very small at the time. But there are comics with UPCs (before that became the norm) that were not made for newsstand distribution.

53 minutes ago, Warlord said:

UPCs yes.  Newsstand?  I dunno. Not marked as Direct, and they have the small section in the UPC unlike the larger section of Direct UPCs. Here are all the back covers, and a large image of Akira's bc.

Regardless of what the UPC box looks like, is there a different version of those issues? That's my question.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Lazyboy said:

Well, the direct market predates the appearance of UPCs on comics, though it was very small at the time. But there are comics with UPCs (before that became the norm) that were not made for newsstand distribution.

Regardless of what the UPC box looks like, is there a different version of those issues? That's my question.

That's a good question.  I've seen Marvel and DC GNs that have a UPC, however that might be the only version that exists.  Hoping someone will pop up with an example if there are two versions of any such "UPC" issues.  :popcorn:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Warlord said:

There are some old comics with UPCs that wouldn't literally be defined only as newsstand because they were probably sold both there and in comics shops and they predated the existence of the direct market.

I thought the older books were basically newsstands that had the bar code disrupted in some way if they were a "direct market" (i.e. comic shop) copy? Like this:

 

Man-thing 1.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, valiantman said:

Those are understandable, since Marvel screwed up and put a newsstand barcode on the direct editions.  They'll be confusing collectors forever.

It's hard to say they screwed up when it was done on a fairly regular basis. There must have been some reason for it, which I'd still love to know.

3 hours ago, valiantman said:

I wondered about those, but I figured @Warlord might have manually checked the back cover since there was nothing on the front cover.

See my previous post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Warlord said:

That's a good question.  I've seen Marvel and DC GNs that have a UPC, however that might be the only version that exists.  Hoping someone will pop up with an example if there are two versions of any such "UPC" issues.  :popcorn:

 

Regular floppies were generally consistent with a UPC for Newsstands and something else in the box for Directs. The markings on other formats (GN, PF, TPB, etc.) seem pretty random and :sick:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Warlord said:

Yep.  So what's the list of indy publishers who DID also market to newsstands?

I'll start with a few and try to list anything other than Marvel and DC and their imprints (eg, Star, Amalgam, Milestone)

  • Valiant

And I found one Harris Vampirella issue that has a UPC, but not sure what to make of that...

Valiant "experimented" with newsstand in 1994-1996, but not for all titles.  They didn't sell well, since newsstand buyers didn't recognize the characters. 

The good news for anyone looking for Valiant newsstands is that every one of them says "Newsstand Sales" in the UPC box.  Any other 1990s Valiant with a barcode also says "Direct Edition" in that UPC box.

1828152344_newsstand_valiant_m1.jpg.2ef4b744a7d635769d670057ab811240.jpg

Edited by valiantman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/20/2020 at 7:08 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

I thought the older books were basically newsstands that had the bar code disrupted in some way if they were a "direct market" (i.e. comic shop) copy? Like this:

 

Man-thing 1.jpeg

This is a very early Direct Edition copy that came out late summer of 1979. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/20/2020 at 7:03 PM, Warlord said:

Yep.  So what's the list of indy publishers who DID also market to newsstands?

I'll start with a few and try to list anything other than Marvel and DC and their imprints (eg, Star, Amalgam, Milestone)

  • Archie
  • Bongo
  • Continuity
  • Dark Horse
  • Gladstone
  • Image
  • Malibu
  • Now
  • Top Cow
  • Topps
  • United Plankton Pictures
  • Valiant

And I found one Harris Vampirella issue that has a UPC, but not sure what to make of that...

1980s and 1990s Harvey Comics were also distributed to newsstands.  There are loads of those that exist as both Direct and Newsstand.

First (First / Berkley) is believed to have distributed their 1990-91 Classics Illustrated through bookstores, in addition to comic shops.  (Some copies have a barcode, others have a blank white box or no box on the back covers.)

Also, in 2003 I found Jack Lake Productions' Classics Illustrated Jr. at a newsstand.

Edited by EC Star&Bar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, EC Star&Bar said:

1980s and 1990s Harvey Comics were also distributed to newsstands.  There are loads of those that exist as both Direct and Newsstand.

First (First / Berkley) is believed to have distributed their 1990-91 Classics Illustrated through bookstores, in addition to comic shops.  (Some copies have a barcode, others have a blank white box or no box on the back covers.)

Also, in 2003 I found Jack Lake Productions' Classics Illustrated Jr. at a newsstand.

602482644_X-Factor29001.thumb.jpg.27a9fd9f7349bb09bd2771ee641f88d3.jpg

Image.jpg

Robin lll 1 of 6 001.jpg

Detective Comics 583 001.jpg

X-Factor 22 001.jpg

X-Factor 24 001.jpg

X-Factor 25 001.jpg

X-Factor 26 001.jpg

X-Factor 27 001.jpg

X-Factor 28 001.jpg

X-Factor 30 001.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
15 15