Both look great imo, but the Venom 25 2nd print will always be first cover appearance. I picked a 3rd print up too.
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I preordered one, only one, when it first hit FOC on PullBox. Which is typically the case, one.
I want to clear the air on the 1990’s spec boom and how it is different than today. So bare with me. Several things happened that are vastly different today than back then.
First, comic shops were the only spot to get comics. If you didn’t have a lcs you were pretty much boned for getting hot comics. But, they were also the only spot to SELL hot comics. So if a book had a print run of a million copies, and news coverage in papers and on tv, people would mob the local comic shops to get a copy or 10. People were already buying multiple copies back than and stores would raise prices on the day comics came out. Magazines like Wizard and Hero were covering the hot books and people would see the value in what they had. The big problem was the print runs were so high because so many people from outside the hobby were grabbing copies to “pay their kids way through college”. When it came time to sell the comics, the people would go back to their local shops and try to off load the comics they bought at inflated prices to a store that already had multiple copies only to be offered pennies on the dollar.
No secondary market meant no competitive place to sell their books. People got burned out of the constant over printed hot books, and we are talking about millions of copies, and left the hobby. Every comic with a foil, holochrome, embossed, or bullet hole gimmick would sell millions of copies and may sell at an inflated price in stores on the shelf, but not selling back to the shop. See, the magazines had contributors, those contributors were stores. They would report they sold 10 copies of a book at 20 bucks, and so would the other contributors. That doesn’t mean that is what the book was worth, just what they were selling it at. So a reader would see this $20 price tag and fomo would kick in. They had to have it. But there was no place to resell other than the lcs who would not pay to get the book back at that price.
Now we have eBay, where you can sell, but also check to see what others are selling the book at to see if it is worth grabbing. I check recent sold prices all the time when I am out picking. Also CovrPrice and Key collector tell you what the books are selling for. You no longer have to wait 1 month to find out what book is hot. We tell you Tuesday night what book is selling for cover in the Pre-Game Report. And our weekly articles that mention what sold well for the week.
The game is completely different and people only want to compare one aspect of the 1990’s to now when making the comparison. However, the markets and speed of info is completely different.
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BINGO!! Great write up @Anthony that’s exactly what it is. Even a few youtubers like Perch. Bueller etc the non spec guys just info dumps all mention that difference but it’s like no one listens.
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I have a cut and paste response I usually give when people mention the 90’s. Its more in depth and better written than that one. I have been saying for years.
Also, the bubble burst topic. I ask which bubble. The comic market isn’t one bubble. It is multiple and bubbles burst all the time. Just look at Momoko covers. Her stuff used to sell out straight away and now they linger for sale. The bubble may not have popped but it is stretching thin. That doesn’t mean all hot artist cover bubbles are going to burst, nor are all modern comic bubbles going to burst, or the over all market. I collect pre-code horror which is on fire. Modern bubble collapses doesn’t mean older comic market is going to tank.
Hi new member recently joined and recently discovered the forum. But belongs to other mainly decent spec group all free. Read all the arguments about keeping the forum free access wanna chime in on that.
Of course thats what CHU needs to do. WITH OUT A DOUBT!!! Let everybody see and put a time stamp if you think youre loosing credits
There is alot of paid spec forum sites that really needs to shut down like immediately if people realize they can get the same info for free here those paid sites wont exist
Thats what CHU is all about right? Free spec info
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True. I look at Momoko similar to J Scott Campbell because his covers now stay at regular price mostly. But before they were pricey as hell.
We do and we pride ourselves on that. You’ll notice we link to many retailers and have no problems with others sharing links to buy products. Yes we have affiliates as well that help pay for the site and the enormous amounts of time spent for CHU but anyone can tell you, we also link to non affiliates as well. If Midtown had an affiliate program I’m sure @Anthony would already have that new Jeep he’s been wanting many moons ago… 
Yup, over time the covers she does that are ratio’s are the ones that will hold value. Demand + Limited Supply + Limited Availability… cause even there are thousands out there, there’s a a lot of people who got their copy to tuck away in the collection, never to be seen on the market for years to come.
Now the open order books and retailers who took advantage are souring the artist in a sense. Too much all too soon. We saw the same thing with Artgerm. Hot covers, limited supply… then retailers caught on, went heavy, speculators went heavy… market swamped… supply greater than demand. Comic book speculators are like butterfly chasers… when the Monarch passes by as you chase the Painted Lady, you stop chasing the Painted Lady to chase the Monarch…
So yeah, comic industry is like the ocean with plenty of air bubbles that pop on all the different levels for sure… 
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I think I cried a little reading that. Then I looked for the Painted Lady’s first appearance.
The real question is… did the painted lady’s first appearance happen as a larvae before becoming a caterpillar or did it happen sometime while during the cocoon stage turning into a butterfly?
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Would it be considered a costume change or a new character?
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The name and the guts are still the same, its just a costume change
Well put!
Larvae is first appearance adolescent. Caterpillar is a cameo…butterfly is first full adult.
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It all comes down to which one sells for the most.
Oh, so we let the market decide which one is the most valuable and that’s the “true first” appearance? 
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Just own it all and let the market whine til they find out.
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yeah, pretty much.
Jeopardy time…
A:
Q: What did Poyo say to Tony at NYCC?
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