Still not sold on variant covers being worth the hype

Back in 2016 I used to grab every variant I saw at my local shop in Portland. Now I just stick with the regular cover and spend that $5 on a back issue instead. Anyone else feel like variants are just a cash grab now?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_brian4d ago

I started counting the different variants on one Batman book a few years back and gave up at twelve. That's just ridiculous. The blank sketch covers for $25 are the biggest joke to me. Like congrats, you paid extra for the privilege of doing their job for them. I miss when a variant meant something special instead of just a different colored border or a foil stamp that scratches off if you look at it wrong.

wade_kelly774d ago

Oh man, I feel you on this. Are you talking about the store variants that are just a different color border or have a foil stamp on it, or the actual artist variant covers with totally different art? Because I think that changes the whole argument. The blank sketch covers for $25 feel like a rip-off to me, but the ones where a totally different artist like Pepe Larraz does the cover, that actually feels worth it. Do you think the hype died because the speculator market crashed or because the covers themselves just got lazy?

mark_chen624d ago

I read a Bleeding Cool piece last month that said Marvel put out over 300 variant covers in a single month in 2022. That kind of volume just floods the market and makes nothing feel special. The Pepe Larraz and other A-list artist variants still have value, but the rest just feel like cash grabs now.