Batman Blind Justice Tradepaperback - open questions 1 1

[archivist]

 

Hello,

I haven't found a thread with this topic, therefore the new one.

I did some research over the last few weeks and the following questions remained without answer:

1. Does anybody know when this trade was distrubuted ? There seems to be a disagreement if it was in 1989 or in 1992. Unfortunately neither side had some source of proof for their statement.

2. Does anybody know where this trade was distrubuted ? The location might help to find out the right date ?

3. To the owner of this book: Can you tell me which color the stripes at the top of the trade has ? This is easy to see regardless if the book is still unopened or not.

4. Does anybody have an open copy of the trade ? I would like to know if the books used were newsstand copies or direct copies.

Maybe @Moondog knows something about this ?

Bye the way, for all the newer collectors: I'm talking about this book:

Best Regards,

Archi

[Michael Browning]

The Batman Blind Justice Retailer Seminar Edition was given away as a retailer gift at the 1992 Diamond Retailer Summit along with the Todd McFarlane Spider-Man Torment retailer trade paperback and it and the Torment qualify as the first Retailer Response Program giveaways. I was the person who found a copy in a comic shop, then was so curious about it that I researched it and the Man of Steel raffle edition for Comics Buyers Guide and the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.

These are very scarce and they reportedly only printed enough for the retailers who registered and paid for the seminar. It's basically the actual, individual comics bound under one trade paperback cover.

Finding them in good shape is another problem, as trade paperbacks were not really regarded as collectible at that time and most retailers didn't treat them the same as they would have treated a collectible comic. They came in a very loose-fitting, clear plastic bag. My first copy was still sealed in the bag. When I first started researching these, I asked Paul Levitz for help with information about them and the DC library didn't even have a copy so they weren't sure if it was a real DC publication or not. However, I discovered through a lot of research that these were RRPs for retailers put together by the DC production staff as gifts for the retailers at the seminar. It took me years to get it listed in Overstreet, despite me being an advisor for the Guide and showing sales information.

I purchased the very first copy I ever found at Comic World in Huntington, WV, for $15. I sold my copy to Ian Levine for his complete DC collection that was just recently put up for sale (Ian sold it years ago, but it is still called The Ian Levine Collection). I'm sure the copy I sold Ian was still in that collection unless it has all been sold now.

I rarely ever see these for sale. I have owned three copies and currently have one. Only one of my copies was in VF and that was the first copy I bought. The other two were damaged in some way or another and were both Fine/Fine+.

The comics inside are the direct editions with the 50th anniversary bat-logo and the bars on top of the comic pages are are blue and only on the last two issues. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Michael Browning

[Brandon Shepherd]

Wow, I had no idea this existed. Thank you @archivist and @Michael Browning for this.

[shadroch]

I've a question that is slightly related. I've come across several sets of a three volume of bound Marvel Comics that appear to be every Marvel Comic printed that month. I've been told these were also given out at a Diamond summit meeting., yet they are much more common than the Blind Justice TPB.  Does anyone know the story on these? I bought the first three sets I saw thinking they would be pretty scarce but they pop-up regularly.