Spiral Comics Blog

WELCOME

Hello, comic fans! Well, Marvel has hit a new low in my opinion in the variant cover bubble we are currently inhabiting. Now, they’re issuing 1-in-25 variants for second printings! So, follow me here…there’s a regular second printing of FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN [2019] #6 and WAR OF THE REALMS: AGENTS OF ATLAS #1, but also 1-in-25 variants of the second printings. This isn’t the very first time they’ve done this. As far as I can tell, last month’s IMMORTAL HULK #16 second printing also had a 1-in-25 variant and could be the first one. I thought it might be a fluke last month, but here we are with a couple more this month. I’ve been collecting comic books since 1984 and seen the different variant cover schemes develop since their inception, and this is definitely a new twist. While scarcity is a large factor in the collectability of variant covers, the art is also a huge factor. In all these second print ratio variant cases, the art has not been revealed before the final order cut-off date. So, I’m left to wonder who would actually be collecting these variants that retailers have to order sight unseen for customers who have no chance to pre-order them. I remember well when 1-in-25 variants first started appearing on one of my favorite titles and I had to have them all. There was a definite thrill of the hunt, but Marvel overdid it with just about every title having some kind of variant every month. I eventually had to begrudgingly pass on chasing variants in favor of more titles to read. Now, these ratio variants are so common, I have no difficulty passing on all variants except the ones with exceptional art. Maybe it’s just a simple ploy to get retailers to order a minimum of 25, and nobody is actually looking for these things. Which reminds me… As always, let us know if there is something we can track down for you…we try to cater to regular, normal newbies…crazy, intense collectors…and everyone in between (except for Mr. Nobody, because he has no heart). –Glenn
P.S. Spiral Comics offers a free Recommendations Service for upcoming comic books. Learn more here

ANNOUNCEMENT

You’re already getting our monthly Newsletter with generic comic book info. Why not sign up for our Free Recommendations Service, where we send you curated comic book selections that specifically meet your interests! We have hundreds of character/team tags to choose from. The recommendations are always free, but what do the actual comics cost, you wonder? Prices vary, of course, but you can get up to 4 standard comics per month shipped to your home for approximately ~$16. That’s a monthly dose of 4 of your superhero crushes delivered to your door every month. Test drive our recommendations service here.

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NEW TAGS

The following tags were added to Spiral Comics’ database since last month. They can represent existing pop culture tags that hadn’t been created in our database yet, as well as brand new tags from the latest Previews catalog. Click on the links to see a short description and any items that can be pre-ordered this month…
    BLADE RUNNER
    CARE BEARS
    DEATH’S HEAD
    MARVEL FACSIMILE EDITIONS
    NEW BUFFYVERSE [2019]
    VIZ MEDIA
    VIZ SHOJO BEAT
    VIZ SHONEN JUMP
    VIZ SHONEN SUNDAY
    VIZ SIGNATURE
    WARP WORLD
    YEAR OF THE VILLAIN–THE OFFER [2019]
Explore our massive Tag List here

SPOTLIGHT TAG

Each month, Spiral Comics focuses on a tag which has a stand-out presence in the latest Previews catalog. Check it out!

    SCI-FI

There is something like 12 parsecs of new science fiction series being offered for pre-order this month. If you’re a fan of the genre, there’s definitely something here for you!

Explore our massive Tag List here

FIRST IMPRESSIONS FOR MAY 2019

See all of our First Impressions for this month here
See all of the brand new series for this month here

NEWLY ADDED AND IN-STOCK