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Whitman Variants, Direct vs Newsstand
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194 posts in this topic

Spotted this while going through a collection today. It’s a Heroes’ World ad for some treasuries and it seems that they did get direct market Whitman versions of those based on the ad artwork. (I call it a Whitman as it actually has the Whitman logo on the cover) 

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1 hour ago, bellrules said:

Does it really matter, if they were all done in the same run? Plus, who’s to say that they always did it in the same order? 

In coins, the early runs have the best detail, so I'd assume it works the same with printed stuff. I'd be shocked if they didn't follow the same order each and every time. 

It is a process, not some wily nily operation.

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8 minutes ago, shadroch said:

In coins, the early runs have the best detail, so I'd assume it works the same with printed stuff. I'd be shocked if they didn't follow the same order each and every time. 

It is a process, not some wily nily operation.

Striking a coin and printing a comic are a little different. The only indicator would be the vibrancy of the colors, but that has nothing to do with plates, that’s the ink. Unless you Can provide an example where cover images are sharper on one version vs the next, it doesn’t matter in this regard. 

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Someone mentioned they thought the Marvel UK editions had brighter covers but I've never noticed any difference.

When I had my shops in the 1980s, UK Marvels sold at substantial discounts, if they sold at all.  I thought I had scored when I picked up a bunch of Byrne X-Men with pence prices but couldn't move them.

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Printing plates do get worn down a tiny amount with each strike.  For most modern printing, it’s so small as to be barely perceptible, but it does occur.  This is true with stone plates, metal plates, and wood.  It’s why when you have numbered editions, the lower the number, the higher the value (supposedly).  I’ve had certain books where the color registration is unusually perfect compared to other books.  I remember asking @DiceX about it but he didn’t think it was a thing.  2c

By the way, that Heroes World ad is for treasuries and it looks like only the close encounters was a Whitman product (and exclusively so).  Is it possible that a mail order dealer found a venue to purchase Whitman products?  Sure.  But that is by far the exception, not the rule.

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6 hours ago, bellrules said:

Does it really matter, if they were all done in the same run?

Only in context. I'd love to know how it was done myself 

6 hours ago, bellrules said:

Plus, who’s to say that they always did it in the same order? 

If you ever check my UK Price Variant, L Miller and US Price Font variant threads you'll see discussions about this. From the examples and scenarios I've documented, my belief is that they probably didn't stick to a rigid production pattern when variant copies were first introduced into the print runs from 1960. Maybe by the seventies they did have a standard way of doing it.

4 hours ago, shadroch said:

Someone mentioned they thought the Marvel UK editions had brighter covers but I've never noticed any difference.

See above. CGC themselves have noted deeper colour strikes on early pence copies. The scenarios in which this could manifest though are many. Maybe they filled the ink up when they stopped the presses to change the cover plates. I don't think we'll ever know for the early days. Someone could still be around from the seventies though who might remember re these 'Whitman' copies

4 hours ago, shadroch said:

When I had my shops in the 1980s, UK Marvels sold at substantial discounts, if they sold at all.  I thought I had scored when I picked up a bunch of Byrne X-Men with pence prices but couldn't move them.

Times have changed for many books. Not all, but many are creeping up in popularity.

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4 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Only in context. I'd love to know how it was done myself 

If you ever check my UK Price Variant, L Miller and US Price Font variant threads you'll see discussions about this. From the examples and scenarios I've documented, my belief is that they probably didn't stick to a rigid production pattern when variant copies were first introduced into the print runs from 1960. Maybe by the seventies they did have a standard way of doing it.

See above. CGC themselves have noted deeper colour strikes on early pence copies. The scenarios in which this could manifest though are many. Maybe they filled the ink up when they stopped the presses to change the cover plates. I don't think we'll ever know for the early days. Someone could still be around from the seventies though who might remember re these 'Whitman' copies

Times have changed for many books. Not all, but many are creeping up in popularity.

:sick:

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8 hours ago, shadroch said:

 

 

Heroes World was a retail shop that rather quickly grew to about a dozen stores before it morphed into a major distributor.

That’s my point, it could be one of the retail points where direct market books were available other than in bagged sets. Given Ivan Snyder’s connection to Marvel, the availability of back issues through his shop, (like the Star Wars reprints), it’s a definite possibility. 

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I think the relationship between Marvel and Heroes World needs to be examined.  I'll note that the original name of the business was The Super Hero Shop but they were forced to change it to Hero's World when Marvel and DC were able to jointly trademark the word Super Hero.  

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I found this is my paperwork today - an old CBG article from 2005 which I saved. Might be of interest to some 

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22 minutes ago, picon3 said:

Now that I see a list posted, even if it's from 2005, is anybody actively collecting these?  Just curious. Paul

There is a niche for them.  Most collector/readers don't seem to know much about the subject but some do and will pay premiums to get their fix.

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