N
Common Ground News

When did variant comics start?

Author

James Craig

Updated on March 11, 2026

When did variant comics start?

1986

Correspondingly, why do comics have variant covers?

Cover variants are standard comics with unique covers drawn by various artists that publishers allow stores to order, depending on how many copies of the standard (version A) they order. If a store orders a certain number of copies of a new Spider-Man comic, they qualify for a copy of a special, ultra-limited variant.

Secondly, are variant comics worth it? With that in mind, variant covers fetch more than regular covers if the variant cover is popular and rare. Otherwise, it's worth around the same, if not less, than the regular cover.

Hereof, how do you tell if a comic is a variant?

The best way to identify a Convention Variant is by finding the logo and year of the specific convention it was sold at on the front or back cover of the comic book. For example, a limited convention variant sold at the San Diego Comic Con 2018 will usually show as SDCC 2018 or SDCC '18.

What is a marvel variant?

A variant is a person who branches away from the main timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by creating an alternate version of events. The term is generally used by the Time Variance Authority, a group of officers responsible for maintaining the cohesion of the MCU timeline.

What is the rarest comic book in the world?

Marvel Comics #1 - About $1.2 Million

Also issued in 1939, Marvel Comics #1 is one of the rarest comic books in the world, according to Sell My Comic Books. There are only 26 examples of this issue in original condition. This is the first appearance of Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch.

What is a 1/25 variant cover?

A 1:25 variant means 1 variant is produced for every 25 regular covers printed. Any print run can have any number of ratio variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:500). When ordering a ratio variant, shops have to purchase a certain number of books to receive the ratio variant.

What does variant mean in Loki?

Time Variance Authority

Why are some comic variants so expensive?

Because some stores will order more books than they need in order to nab a few extra variants, it's common to find chase variants sold for a lot more than their cover price so the store can recoup its losses. Retailer Exclusives generally have their own particular cost that may not be directly tied to their rarity.

What happened to Valiant Comics?

Valiant was acquired by DMG Entertainment in 2018. In 2015, Valiant announced that they had partnered with Sony Pictures to produce five films based on the Bloodshot and Harbinger comic books. The rights for Harbinger would later be acquired from Sony by Paramount Pictures in 2019.

How many variant covers are there?

The variant cover phenomenon began in 1986 and was immediately embraced by fans everywhere; it was then bolstered in 1991 by Marvel Comics' X-MEN #1, setting the world record for the best-selling comic of all time, which is attributed to the astonishing collection of five variant covers released for the issue.

What is a metal cover comic book?

Metal Prints and Metal comic book covers

Print your artwork on material that will last forever. Metal comic book covers help the durability of the comic's spine and helps protect the book pages from being torn.

What comic books are worth a lot of money?

10 Rare Comic Books That Are Worth a Fortune
  • Action Comics No. The inaugural issue of Action Comics marked the first appearance of Superman and helped kick off the superhero genre.
  • Amazing Fantasy No.
  • Detective Comics No.
  • All Star Comics No.
  • X-Men No.
  • Tales of Suspense No.
  • Marvel Comics No.
  • The Incredible Hulk No.

How do you know if a comic book is worth money?

The easiest way to determine if your comics fall into the “good” category is by looking at the cover price. Almost all comic books have the retail cover price at the time of publication on the cover. The valuable ones will have 10c, 12c, 15c, 20c, or 25c on the cover.

What is a ratio variant comic book?

A RATIO VARIANT refers to the amount of standard issues a comic book seller must order to receive ONE alternative cover.

What do the numbers mean on comic books?

Newsstands and magazine stores used these scanners, so by 1976, comic book companies had to begin adding UPCs to their books. That format was called UPC-A Supplemental 5, which simply means that it is a basic UPC plus an extra five digits that comic book companies could do with as they pleased.

How can you tell if a comic book is a first edition?

The first 3 numbers 001 indicate the issue number. The fourth number indicates the cover; a 1 is the regular cover. If it was a 2 or 3 it would mean this issue has a variant cover. The fifth and final number tells you the printing, with 1 meaning the issue is a first printing.

Where is the issue number on a comic book?

The big splashy logo at the top of the front cover is usually the Title, and the most prominent number (other than the price) is generally the Issue Number.

What is a foil variant comic?

A cover of a comic book that has had a thin metallic foil hot stamped on it. This can be a partial stamp where just the logo or a character is in foil - or the foil can be the whole of the cover.

Are second print comics worth anything?

On average, most 2nd print comics are not worth anything. However, in cases where the 2nd print contain first appearances of characters, they can be worth something. In some, 2nd print can be more expensive than 1st prints.

What is a cardstock comic?

Well DC Comics has done that very well for July with their DC Year Of The Villain cardstock covers, charging a dollar more, $4.99, for the same comic with a thicker cover of a headshot (mostly). While making the regular cover available for $3.99.

What does card stock variant mean?

38d. Card Stock is a thicker type of paper and is generally harder to tear and damage that the regular type of paper interior pages and normal covers use. The kind used for Black Label covers and variants are also glossy so they make the art pop a bit more.

Is Loki a female?

Why did Loki turn into a woman? In the comics, Loki is reborn as a woman, known simply as Lady Loki, after the events of Ragnarok in Asgard, but even that wasn't too innocent: When Thor and his fellow Asgardians are to be reborn in new bodies on Earth, Loki actually stole the body intended to be for Sif.

What does 1a mean in comics?

“Type 1a Variants: Cover Price Variants intended for foreign distribution with limited regional distribution, published simultaneously with standard or 'regular' editions. The indicia and all aspects of the book, except for the cover price and sometimes the company logo, are identical to regular U.S. editions.”

What is Nexus Marvel?

A “nexus” is a connection, a link, or a collected group or series. The point where a new timeline branches off from the Sacred Timeline would therefore logically be called a nexus of the two timelines. This isn't the first time we've heard the word “nexus” in Marvel's Disney+ series.

Who is Arris Quinones?

Arris Quinones is an actor and producer, known for Armistice (2006), Proximity (2013) and U.F.

What is TVA in Marvel?

The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is a fictional organization, a group of timeline monitors appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.