A while ago, I posted on my broadcast that I found a few variant covers in my collection. I have always loved variant covers, it's something that has always appealed to me in some strange way. I remember going through the collection of my classmates and the wide selection of comics they had in their collection. From first editions to variants, the variants were the ones that attracted me the most. I loved them but I couldn't afford them and when I could afford them, the comic shops where I live decided that comics were not profitable. Comics were for kids and selling comics was a waste of time and money to them.
I was crushed when I heard that a lot of shops were either closing down or switching from comics to action figures, card games and what not. Thankfully I was able to buy a few comics over the years and a few variants too. They're still in my collection, humble and small though it may be.
For this edition of the broadcast, I wanted to share some purchases I made. These days I don't really get to buy too many comics anymore, so when I do, it's a thrill for me. These days I buy whatever comics I can online but I recently had a chance to go for a little vacation in Melbourne, Australia and it was there that I had a chance to pick up a few comics, it was a great experience for me to walk into two comics shop in Melbourne and pick up a few comics. I talked about the visits in my previous broadcast: A Kid In A Comics Shop.
Okay, Variants, yeah I managed to get a few variants recently and I am really pleased with the purchase I made. Let's start with this issue:
This is The Amazing Spider Man # 1 with a great cover penciled, inked and colored by Alex Ross. When this issue was first released I was only able to get a digital copy. As I mentioned no bookstore would sell comics anymore where I am, so there was no way I was going to get a physical copy. I was lucky that the comics shop in Melbourne still had copies of Issue # 1 for sale. I bought this issue and when I got back home, I went online to look for other comics to buy and I came across one specific item, it was a variant cover to Amazing Spider Man # 1. well, I made a bid and was able to purchase that issue. I was so happy when the issue finally arrived, take a look at this variant cover:
Well, as the cover states and clearly, this is a Variant Edition to Amazing Spider Man # 1. This is also a cover by Alex Ross but this cover features the design of Spider Man's new updated costume. This Variant is called the Alex Ross Design Variant, one of 14 variant covers that exists of Amazing Spider Man # 1. I gotta admit, I like the look of this cover and I'm glad I was able to get this issue when I did.
The other comic I bought when I was in Melbourne was Issue # 1 of Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez and Justin Ponsor's Invincible Iron Man # 1. When Iron Man was released, again I never had the chance to get the physical copy and I had no idea just how impressive this first issue was.
Look at that cover, when I bought this issue I didn't realize that the cover was printed on a heavy card stock cover and it is just beautiful. Once you flip open the cover, you'll find the two-page spread cover without the text.
Beautiful isn't it? I loved this issue and I was again very happy that I was able to get this issue. Well me being the person that I am, I wasn't quite satisfied with just getting this issue because a while back I read that Invincible Iron Man # 1 had 30 variants cover, 30!! There was one cover in particular that I wanted and again I went looking for it online and I found it. Here it is:
Isn't that a work of art? Beautiful isn't it? I love this cover, when I first saw this cover as a poster, I loved it, then I found out that this would be one of the 30 variant covers, I knew I wanted to get it and I am so glad I did. The cover by David Marquez and Justin Ponsor was already an impressive issue, some how Adi Granov is able to make the new Iron Man armor look so bad ass. I love this variant cover.
I was also able to get issue # 2 of The Invincible Iron Man.
As soon as I found Issue # 2, I went looking for the other two variant covers to Issue # 2 of The Invincible Iron Man. There was a Walt Simonson Variant and another one by Alex Garner. Well, I was very lucky because I was able to find the Alex Garner Variant cover and it is a beautiful cover.
I knew I wanted this cover and I was able to get it. I love how Alex Garner drew the new Iron Man Armor for this variant cover. I love it.
I also saw another variant on display in a different store in Melbourne. It was a variant of a major series that was currently into it's 8th issue, the concluding chapter will be released next year in January, I'm talking about Secret Wars. Originally Secret Wars was supposed to be an 8 issue series but it's been expanded to include another issue. When I saw this cover, I grabbed it right away. There were others as well but I wasn't able to get them all, I couldn't afford the price but I decided to get this one.
This is the variant to Secret Wars # 1 by Esad Ribic. This is the Retailer Incentive Promo version. The cover was penciled, inked and painted by Esad Ribic. This cover is quite different from the regular version by Alex Ross and just as impressive.
The only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to buy the regular issue of Secret Wars # 1with this cover by Alex Ross. Having this version and the variant version would complete my collection.
I also made one other, well two other purchases in Melbourne. When I saw this comic, I wanted to get all the variant covers but I was only able to get the regular version and the variant. I was again disappointed but the other variants were no longer available. Sold out I think. Here's the issue I was talking about.
Apart from Batman, this is the only other DC Comics I follow right now and it's all because of Bryan Hitch. I love his work on The Ultimates 1 and 2 and also his Image series America's Got Powers. I've always been a fan of his artwork and when I found out that he was taking over as writer and artist for Justice League of America, I knew I had to get it. Apart from this version, I bought the variant called The Cyborg Cover Variant.
I really wanted to get the complete set of covers for Justice League of America # 1. There were 10 altogether. I really wanted to get the rest but being the collector I am, I decided not to because a few of them were badly bent and damaged and I wasn't willing to settle for a comic with that much damage. I would have loved to get them all especially this one in particular but it just wasn't meant to be. Here's a look at the other variants of JLA.
And this, this is the Seven Panel Foldout Variant version with all the different covers collected in one variant issue. I wish I bought this one but I think it was sold out, it would have been great to get this variant but, yeah it just wasn't going to happen. Another item on my Holy Grail List. Who knows, hopefully one day, I can add this variant to my collection.
I have always loved Variants. These issues have become the must have Holy Grail list items. Over the years I've managed to collect a few and to this day I am still slowly buying them either on line or if I'm lucky enough to come across them.
Thanks for spending the time to read about comics and variants, thanks for dropping by for this edition, the 63rd Edition of the Co(s)mic Comic Book Broadcast, I hope you enjoyed what I shared with you this time around, drop by again next time for another edition of the broadcast and as usual, you take care.
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