The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of Variant and Gimmick Covers

[@ComicTropes]

Use my code COMICTROPES to get $5 off your delicious, healthy Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: magicspoon.thld.co/comictropes_0322

[@funnyjewguy]

Good evening! I found a few old comics after thinning out my collection, and I thought I could send them to a P.O. box if you’d like to laugh at them as I have.

[@adampoole948]

i looked up the website and thought it was a bad joke when i saw its around $10 for a box of cereal and you need to buy them as 4 pack... for $40 i could buy like 11 or 12 boxes of healthy cereal elsewhere.. yikes

[@GamingDreamer]

Dose this remind you of NFT?

[@thomasleblanc9024]

Hey I just wanted to thank u for these videos you've helped me thru a couple hard times and u didn't even know it. Your real good dude thanks for being such a good friend to me without even knowing it

[@theajshow]

Really diggin' your take on the ads! It's smart of Magic Spoon to let you use your creativity and run with it. Well done!

[@galactic85]

"Oh Hi! You caught me making another video without one of my famous 'Oh hi!' intros. Speaking of cheap gimmicks designed to attract attention, let's talk about gimmick comic book covers!"

[@alexchrist1020]

Hahaha we need always someone that jumps in for that^^

[@NerdyHalfrican]

Why doesn't this comment have a heart yet?

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

XD

[@galactic85]

@@NerdyHalfrican Thanks man that's very kind of you to say.

[@stevenking3659]

Nice!

[@mediumjohnsilver]

Scene: A boy arrives home with a bag of comic books. Father: “Did you get anything interesting at the comic book shop?” Son: “I’ll say! I got Mega-Blood number negative one half with the holographic and foil embossed cover!” Father: “That’s great. What’s the book about?” Son: “What do you mean ‘about’???” 🤨

[@MarkLipka]

"It's about $3.95."

[@grahamfloyd3451]

@@MarkLipka $3.95 in 2023 lol

[@kenosabi]

About 8.50. Cause your dollar is worthless. Follow me for more pro tips.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Indeed. Then folk were shocked by the events of 1995-1996/7. I remember when Marvel were brought by Revlon was it? Prices jumped from like $1 to $1.50. I remember going to a card shop in the UK Athena and got some comics in early 1993 and the X-Men and West Coast Avengers cost around £.080 were now something like £1.25 in UK terms. I was like I’m out. True the quality had really dived in recent years. As cheap can you get all those X-Men covers. It was a huge seller but they hugely over estimated its popularity. I think Image went the most crazy. Silver Sable are rather forgettable title but like Deathlok I loved it. Oh lord the Avengers that was the title that broke me. The Clone Saga I felt like Marvel were finished - which technically they were.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Did anyone else think when they saw the aliens at the beginning of The Phantom Menace think “Hey, Sleepwalker!”

[@GodLovesComics]

I hate the gimmickry of variants when it relates to the superficiality of foil covers and such. But when you're talking about great artists like Paul Pope or David Choe doing a cover, I'm all in.

[@keithhorning7753]

Yes a painted cover ,or one by one of my favorite artist is a reason to spring for a variant cover but I won't pay more for a cover I don't even like because it's rare.

[@OmegaShenronDragon]

Same, i love different cover art

[@doggoplex3462]

To names: Lee Bermejo.. 'Nuff said.

[@coreylineberry8557]

I have two more words: Dan Mora.

[@GodLovesComics]

@@coreylineberry8557 I've posted Dan Mora covers in my daily comic covers poll. Really liked his Klaus covers among many others and will surely do another poll featuring his art eventually.

[@ftenacious]

Working at a comic shop and processing collections that would come in, we’d sometimes see whole long boxes of X-Force #1, then you’d know it was likely somebody who once owned a shop and had been hauling that albatross along for decades. On the other hand, I never found a 30¢ or 35¢ variant of the old Marvel books.

[@believein1]

I remember the cards ❤

[@christopherjohnson4276]

This was a great show. I'm 48 years old and all the gimmick mania was through my senior year of high school and first year of college, brings back great memories.

[@robd1329]

I was in 8th grade

[@mglikeabossplaysMC]

I agree! Also, very nice seiko in your profile picture!

[@chadwik4000]

I was in 6th grade... I thought I struck gold finding Cable's first apperance at cover price. It was a second printing.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Those were great days. Going to the cinema to see films like A Few Good Men, The Crow or the Mask and T2 and Jurassic Park.

[@UrbanDragon]

Oh man, I worked at a comic store in 1989 when Legends of the Dark Knight came out and the owner was so pissed at DC over those 4 covers - pre-orders were out the roof and they had to make sure to get the color info from the customers ,etc.

[@PatDK]

I remember that…. I was torn between it being something different and cool or a more likely money grab, and then as the years passed it is definitely a money grab

[@BigBennKlingon]

My general rule for my comics store pull list is to stick with standard covers. Living thru the 90s has made me very wary of the contemporary variant covers. Regardless of how cool they can be, a part of me feels like a sucker when I buy them. I'll indulge in variants once in a while, but I restrict it to issues that are otherwise meaningful to me.

[@mr.pavone9719]

Same here.

[@AceLM92]

Same man. Only time I will intentionally buy a variant is if it's by an artist I like a lot or if the variant catches my eye. Closest I did to buying multiple variants of the same issue was early in the Boom comics Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic

[@raditzhoneyham]

I don't buy comics as a whole anymore like through a series so I'm only buying one if it's an artist I like or I do like sketch covers. Can be a fun gift for one of your art friends, or just draw someone a homemade comic cover that's fun

[@KTF0]

I wholeheartedly agree with you and I know I'm 100% done with variant homage covers. I felt like a member berry sucker when I bought those.

[@BigBennKlingon]

@@KTF0 Ya the faux silver/bronze style variants often tempt me.

[@AkuMayfair]

The Superman vs Lobo colorform cover will always be the king of the gimmick covers for me.

[@javialan2503]

The Marvel Hip-hop variants. As a person who grew up collecting those albums, it was fun seeing iconic artwork with Superheroes and Villains

[@dawolf856]

Oh wow.... forgot about those. They were cool.

[@ImpalerVladTepes]

Haha, oh yeah, those were rad.

[@roymakescomics]

@Heartattack 77 they did them in the last few years..between like 2015-2018 👍

[@TheMightyMidget]

They were cool for a while but they did the classic over saturation trick. Theres so many of them, they make an album book of those covers 😂🤦‍♂️ That said, I have the Carnage/Redman variant and it's proudly displayed

[@kerricaine]

i remember my dad was obsessed with all the variants of marvel stuff in the 90s. he had a bunch of the foil spiderman and silver surfer comics framed on the walls lol. of all the ones you showed i think the spectre glow in the dark covers are my favourites

[@robd1329]

Thats a cool dad!

[@cjhepburn7406]

Cold Crushing it…with the Glow In The Dark!

[@ianfinrir8724]

Your dad sounds awesome.

[@fuferito]

09:00 A friendly correction; Not _all_ those behind Spider-Man and MJ are enemies, but only those lined up on the left side of the cover. Opposite them are superheroes.

[@markthesolarexpert]

Yes.

[@HatchEntry]

I had a cousin who collected ton of comics in the 90s and I still remember flipping through all his X-Men comics with random variants thrown in. Honestly I prefer variants far more to gimmick covers, beautiful artwork from talented people

[@spectacleHD]

yeah as far as they aren't intentionally put in a (much) higher price range than regular covers, I like variants. They allow artists to give their take on a book and sometimes you just want a new pretty cover by your favourite artist... also, sometimes they allow me to pre-order books when the default cover is already out of pre-order, so that is nice lol. (I live in Europe, where its a bit harder to just show up at your local comic store and find the issue you seek).

[@michaeldy3157]

Waste of $$

[@scottreacher]

The Ghost Rider one you have in your thumbnail, I had no idea it was glow in the dark until someone told me while I was browsing some stuff in the glass case. I immediately went home pulled it out of my shoe box.... And sure enough neon green. I always thought it was weird how Sandy the cover felt lool

[@jerdongreenhaw4182]

Way way back in 2011 I lost my whole comic collection in a F5 Tornado in Alabama. I had a lot of awesome comics and all the gimmick covers that I had you showed on screen and I was flooded with nostalgia. For my books.. my grandpa.. and youth. I had to say that my favorites are the glow in the dark. But my owned favorite is the 30th anniversary of Spiderman. All four I had and kept in cases. Never read myself just admired them. Thank you so so so much for what you show on here. My collection is zero as of now but your vids help keep that fire burning. Thank you for helping keep me young at heart. MUCH LOVE!!!

[@5Detective]

This is going to sound nuts, but I live in the same area as you and I totally think your comics ended up in junk stores. I've seen a lot of 90s comics in rough shape. I'm guessing many of them were found and redistributed, haha. Could just be a coincidence though.

[@ikepigott]

April 27. You can’t forget it.

[@jimmyju76]

Somewhere some wicked witch is enjoying is dancing in delight

[@jerdongreenhaw4182]

@@jimmyju76 And to be perfectly honest with you.. it's probably one of my ex's sooooo.... Thank God I'm not in "Kansas" anymore haha!!

[@jerdongreenhaw4182]

@@5Detective I know we did find family photos in. A creek somewhere in TN and MS. I wouldn't doubt someone having something. But it wouldn't even be worth cover price. I sure wish I had them all though.

[@erikdaniels6006]

The amount of work you put into your videos is amazing. Thanks for the hard work.

[@samwill7259]

Of all the speculator BS that we're still living with I think variant covers are the least harmful to the medium and business as a whole. More art from cool artists that doesn't involve constant character introductions, weird nonsense numbers and "big event" stupidity

[@TheMightyMidget]

@Heartattack 77 idk when the prices arent abnormal or stupid, I enjoy having connecting variants on my singles, especially when it's a reputable artist.

[@karabearcomics]

I have a copy of that Fantastic Four one with the embossed Human Torch performing his nova flame. However, mine is white, not orange. It caught my eye, because I was intrigued by a cover that went the opposite direction than being colorful and the like. The image is hard to see as it is, and can look like a blank white cover, which is an odd thing to think of. It actually inspired an issue of a webcomic I started doing, where one of the issues took place in a white void, where no character was visible, and the cover was almost completely white (except some gray for my "company" logo and the title logo). I may not think that was the best issue I've ever done, but it was a fun experiment, and I can credit a gimmick cover from the 90s for that experience.

[@jpboursaw4469]

I remember that cover and thinking the Torch gets “white hot”. Literally. But that it inspired YOU to explore something creative is cool. Some might say ice cool!

[@daviddalrymple2284]

IIRC, the white cover was the original, and the red cover was a supplemental printing they did because the demand for the original was so high. To my memory, FF 371 is the definitive "speculator" issue. After one month (once 371 had been replaced by 372 at newsstands) some specialty shops were selling it for $20 or more. The Torch's rampage had been billed as a huge, status quo altering event (and in the short-term, it very much was).

[@Woodclaw]

Interestingly enough, the Italian edition of Amazing Spider-Man #400 used a different trick, with the "gravestone cover" being a wraparound. It's also worth noticing that, at the time, Marvel Italia was playing catch-up with the US, meaning that each issue actually featured multiple stories, printed on thicker paper and with a poster board cover, making them much more durable.

[@StreetPreacherr]

I just wonder who first saw the 'final product' of the 'gravestone gimmick' and said 'yeah that looks good!'?!?! Was it a situation where Marvel was already 'all in' on the idea and just couldn't afford to scrap the issues already printed and come up with an alternative? Or did the 'proof of concept' somehow look better than the final 'mass produced' version? I mean, when I first saw that cover I had NO IDEA it was meant to look like Aunt May's gravestone! I just thought it was just supposed to be a 'grey' (granite) mountain, and maybe the story took place in Colorado or something! lol

[@medes5597]

​@@StreetPreacherraccording to Fingerof, the original plan was for a deeper emboss. However it turned out to be much cheaper to make it much shallower, which had the side of effect of making it basically impossible to work out what the image was of

[@williamtimonen6814]

That second Spectre cover was so cool. Especially like how its essentialy a second picture that you can only see in the dark.

[@chrish7983]

I loved the gimmicky covers back in the 90s, and still love them today. Just a fun addition to the hobby.

[@wesbone5187]

Some of my favorite variants have to be the recent decade based variants for detective 1000 and action comics 1000. The idea of using different artists for each decade? Created some absolutely beautiful art

[@richardjohnson9543]

A big chunk of my collection from that time was accidentally thrown into a dumpster(still hurts) but one of the few survivors were those Spectre issues. They still glow

[@cowpuddles4851]

Yeah, I had to sell 7 milkcrates full when I got married. Still wondering if I made the right choice.

[@RyderLComics]

So cool to finally see this getting attention! Always was curious about em - thanks Chris!

[@dfailsthemost]

I remember that white spider-man cover. Even as a kid, I remember thinking we had gone too far.

[@Syntox]

Lolol I had that ridiculous Death of Aunt May comic...that was the nail in the coffin

[@bryB1]

Thoroughly enjoyed this!! Trip down memory lane. I love that Ghost Rider 15 execution! Hated the Robin III, so muddy. The Silver Surfer 50 just fit the character so perfectly. I did not care for the chromium and by that time my teenage eyes were rolling like crazy over the variant madness. But like you said, some were great executions and some were just so so awful. Thanks for this!!!

[@bryansteele832]

I think retrospect yeah all this was nickel and diming people but a lot of this stuff was neat and cool to own. I loved holograms, and the deluxe polybagged comics came with some cool stuff.

[@serotoninsyndrome]

That Ghost Rider #15 to this day has a special place in my heart. It was the "first" in my collection when I began collecting in earnest in the early 90s. (I had a dozen or so from the mid 80s when I was much younger). I loved Mark Texeira's style, especially what he did with Ghost Rider

[@LowellLucasJr.]

I think artists lime J. Scott Campbell, Adam Hughes, Frank Cho, Micheal Linsner, Artgem & others have accelerated a great demand for variants! Alot of times id just buy the variants just for the awesome art over a normally boring cover!

[@newdamage5945]

What has Campbell done except variants in years? Seriously, I love his work but I mean WTF.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

@@newdamage5945 illustrated pages in Spawn #300 for starters.

[@newdamage5945]

@@LowellLucasJr. I own that so I should have known but I mean at a certain point you just make your money off variants and covers if you want to ? Then there are those like Romita Jr who continue to do interiors because they want to?

[@LowellLucasJr.]

@@newdamage5945 From what was shared to me, by a couple of comic illustrators, is covers make the same money as interiors. If your artwork is popular, or well known, it'll help sell a book. For example( and I'm sure you know this) but Catwoman and Wonder Woman were some of most under performing books ( at the time) til Adam Hughes started doing the covers. They were so successful he was even brought in to do Power Girl and Zatanna. Now, no offense to other artists like John Romita Jr, but you will see a plethora of incentive covers by other artists due to their popularity, or even just the variant image( Gwen Pool cover for the Deadpool secret wars for example).

[@newdamage5945]

@@LowellLucasJr. Wow I had no idea there was that much money in covers, thanks for the info.

[@SteelRaven11]

It may be nostalgia but I still dig the covers for Punisher War Journal #61, The Punisher War Zone #23, The Punisher #86 and the die cut cover of Punisher War Journal #64. The foil cover theme of Frank Castle shooting through glass was great and still looks good thanks to the amazing art by Michael Golden. Golden's line work looks great regardless but the contrast of the almost monochrome Punisher against the colorful shattered glass really makes his work pop. In my option, it's right up there with Ghost Rider #15 and Wolverine #50.

[@vjm3]

Here's the thing: I LOVE variant covers, either if it's from a really talented artist, or if the cover is so well done, it can be framed and used as a picture (virgin variants are good for this). I also think it's great how people can express the comic with their vision through a variant. My biggest problem is when publishers use this to push more product (buy 1 of 100 to get this semi-naked Wonder Woman variant, etc). I feel it's taking advantage of fans. Especially when through other means someone gets wind (or can blatantly tell) that the original "A" cover is a cheap put-together while a variant cover was planned to be the original, but changed at the last minute. If I had to choose: I'd say it's better to have variants, and let people decide with their wallet. What I've personally never understood are people who buy comics as a form of investment, like they're buying a gemstone or gold or something. Like imagine there's a great depression, literally everywhere now that the global economy is in play. WHO will buy a comicbook when they can't afford food? The ONLY way I can imagine a physical comic being valuable is when in the future they don't have physical versions of some comics anymore, and you don't actually OWN the digital versions (subscription based). Who knows how many generations it'll be before we allow that to fly in entertainment?

[@wilagaton9627]

I bought some books that I dont really read simply for the variant. I have the Lee Bermejo Suicide Squad variant that paid tribute to the classic Alex Ross Joker/Harlequin cover, but with Harley and Lex. Also the Tony S. Daniel variants for the multiple X00 issue. Got the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman ones. Its fun to have great art for a price of a comic book. And I get to support my LCBS.

[@thesexybatman263]

Are they called virgin variants because only virgin neckbeards wo will never feel the touch of a woman would do that?

[@obscuredictionary3263]

@Heartattack 77 no they are pirated and spread all over the internet.

[@roymakescomics]

@@thesexybatman263 virgin varbaroness variants with just the artwork on the cover.. no logos or barcodes.

[@robd1329]

Alex Ross does the Best Spiderman variant covers ever!

[@griffinseppala8463]

Not really a variant cover, but Marvel somewhat recently released a collection of rap album covers remixed with their characters. As a fan of hip-hop I thought that was really cool

[@ianfinrir8724]

That's definitely a "How do you do, fellow kids" sorta thing but still cool.

[@freack3333]

Did not expect a Comicpop appearance. Love those guys. 👍🏻

[@chicotedelaacera7937]

Chris! Recently Ive been loving the "Connecting Variants" these are normally used in minis in a way that you can see a poster by putting all the covers together

[@brunocolin960]

I love how Venom had like a trillion miniseries for the simple reason to re-start in #1 every five-six months so they could get a new gimmick cover. I really like some of those Venom covers, except Funeral Pyre.

[@SoulEaterTV101]

ComicPop was just introduced to me last week and here it appears! Comics worlds are colliding!

[@PoffinFresh]

My first gimmick book was 1982’s Battle for a Three Dimensional World #1, which came with 3D glasses. I remember thinking that a first issue with Jack Kirby art in 3D would become a valuable collector’s item. Of course I was wrong, but it’s still kinda cool as a novelty.

[@alexn8672]

Although I wasn't really a hardcore reader until the late New Tens after developing a strong hyperfixation on the Young Avengers, I've grown to appreciate the artistry of variants with omnibuses like Empyre's that showcase about every variant made for the event. I think two of my absolute favorite variants are Bryan Lee O'Malley's Young Avengers 2013 #1 variant, which really encapsulates the teen drama and geeky aspects of the run in the same vein of Scott Pilgrim, and Jamie McKelvie and Rachelle Rosenberg's Empyre #4 variant, which stands out from the typical nature of variants by being a very quiet and understated piece showcasing some of the event's emotional core with Wiccan and Hulkling,

[@RageAgainstRustyCage]

Mark Texiera's Ghostrider pencils were awesome...

[@snakepliskin4146]

Considering the time period I'm surprised they never tried making any "magic eye" gimmick covers. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@jimgillespie6109]

Then you might be happy to learn that Continuity Comics did do a sort of 3D effect for an issue of their Ms.Mystic comic. The cover showed a pterodactyl (normal line art and color) attacking the heroine, whose body was was obscured by a cloud of dots. There were two other dots elsewhere on the cover, and if you could focus your eyes so that those two dots lined up, you were supposed to be able to see Ms. Mystic's body in 3D. I was only ably to see the 3D effect once, and even then, I had to use a blown-up Xerox of the cover to see it.

[@snakepliskin4146]

@@jimgillespie6109 That's pretty interesting! I was semi being a smartass because those magic eye posters were hideous, only worked for a small percentage of the population as the directions were "relax your eyes" instead of "cross your eyes on purpose, dummy" and even if you could get it to work the shape was very hard to make heads or tales of. I'll look that cover up and see if I can get it to work on something bigger than a comic page. Thanks for the info!

[@calebfromtherealworld]

Last year I collected all of the fashion variants for Hellfire Gala because they gave a really good look at the unique costumes.

[@SugaryCoyote]

My uncle is a collector and gave me a ton of variant covers for my birthday back in the 90s. One of my favorite presents I ever got.

[@wjlince]

My favorites are the Fatal Attractions holograms, they are really done well. Especially Gambit on X-Men 25, the 3D effect really pops.

[@lollerkeet]

Of all the comics that did not need a gimic...

[@artisfu9]

This is why I'm a SUBSCRIBER!!! You are not only a great Historian of comics, your RESEARCH in putting these vids. together, is UNCANNY!!!

[@eladiocofresi5202]

One of the interesting variants involving the rivalry between DC and Marvel was the Siege #3 Deadpool variant, which was ordered with fifty stripped covers from select tie-in issues from the Blackest Night story arc. There were also the second printings of the first two issues of Marvel Zombies Return, which were homages of Blackest Night.

[@juniorjames7076]

This era is bittersweet to me. A hardcore collector since elementary school, by 1991 I had started college, living on campus in northern Maine, and becoming very disengaged and disappointed with both the quality and direction mainstream comics (DC & Marvel) were going, and this variant cover craze was not helping. Every month I found less and less reason to shlep to the local comic shop in town until by late '92 I had stopped buying comics almost completely except for independently published graphic novels or comics from Europe or Asia.

[@lamartherevenger]

The GitD and hologram covers the most. Green Lantern 50 was one of my faves, but was lost, so I've been hunting it. Silver Surfer 50 was perfect (the 2nd printing wasn't good with the Surfer being inked), but 75 took it to an awesome level with the silver holographic foil to it. It's amazing

[@myerscorpcosplay]

My moms boyfriend at the time was one of those who tried to flip special covered books in the 90s. Him taking me to buy them got me into comics. When my mom and him broke up, he left his collection with me. Now I own many of those crazy and fun books.

[@robd1329]

Hope he doesnt come back for those issues

[@incubo_Morbid]

Hello i loved this chapter, i Buy many of those comics back in the 90s and still have them, i was a reader of almost every mutant title and Ghost Rider. Thanks for your amazing videos and keep it doing it. Greethings from Guadalajara México

[@markjazyk3934]

I've got a copy of the first issue of "The Button" story from DC Rebirth with a lenticular cover that alternates between Batman and The Flash. I think it's pretty neat, especially since the story is essentially a team-up between the two, and is evenly split between both series

[@derekbartonart7004]

A lot of the Shadowhawk covers were kinda cool, the unmasking cover stood out a little more than the others.

[@cowpuddles4851]

Loved Shadowhawk back in the day.

[@PeteMossLives]

I remember at the time of that Robin lenticular cover I was at Harris Comics working on Vampirella. As Publisher Dennis Page said: “It looks like Robin’s trying to waft away a fart!”

[@williamlee2182]

As someone raised in the 90s, I can appreciate all these variant covers lol

[@raphaelcurley]

Kayfabe effect... Pre-ordered the Piskor variant of Rugg's Hulk Grand Design bc I love their channel so much!

[@djarcadian]

The Spectre had some great glow in the dark covers.

[@StegoKing]

INCREDIBLE walk down memory lane. Impeccable research. This is one of the best comic book related videos ever put on KZbin.

[@lo1bo2]

I admit those X-Men Fatal Attractions hologram covers grabbed my interest in my LCS and I dipped my toe in Wolverine for a couple years.

[@panelsandplatters]

Another great video. I must say, my friend and I purposely bought the Tyvek covers to test how indestructible it was. LOL

[@joehard3733]

Knocked another one out of the park Chris! I have most of all the early 90s comics and this brought me back. I love the gimmicks, but hated the variants

[@marcrobinson4907]

I LOVE THIS EPISODE! I stopped collecting around 91/92. The gimmick covers were such an obvious cash grab that I just hated so I stopped collecting BUT, I did purchase all of Jim Lee's X-Men #1. Fast forward to eight months ago I start collecting again because of channels like Comic Tropes, Variant and Comic Tom. NOW, I find myself looking for that unique cover that I like that are not sold in any of my LCS'. I will pay more for a cool cover. I won't spend money on 1:50 - 1:1000 because the prices for those are normally ridiculous. Chris you did an exceptional job on this episode. I love your take on the hobby. I've learned so much from your investigative behind the scene infotainment. GREAT JOB! Thanks.

[@neilkirnon734]

You know it’s a good day, when comic tropes pops up on your notifications 😊

[@zero28ism]

hell yeah brother

[@shaggydee91]

Amen 🙏

[@watchforever1724]

Agreed

[@mekman4]

I definitely confused the chromium with the holographic covers as a kid, I did enjoy Age of Apocalypse, though. The chromium covers and the artwork on it are the only things I remember about it. Great coverage!

[@dthomscappello]

I remember buying the gloss platinum cover of Generation X #1 when I was a teenager and the vendor told me it was gonna be worth thousands when I got older. Then I saw tons of them in every store from Pennsylvania to New York and was like "ohhh *I'm the mark, here"

[@brotherjamesstrang]

Give it another year, maybe

[@kangtheconqueror9545]

Same

[@jpboursaw4469]

Dealers, however friendly, aren’t necessarily your friend. They’re dealers. How well they take care of their customers may vary, but at the end of the day, it’s still a business. Something we ALL need to remind ourselves of on occasion. Caveat emptor, and better luck!

[@dthomscappello]

@@brotherjamesstrang lol will do

[@timsanfillippo1805]

Another slam dunk, and the picture looked gorgeous - can’t wait for the next one Chris!

[@Alex-fn2hl]

I like full-art variant covers made by an artist who can really go all-out.

[@lollerkeet]

Kael Ngu making me buy books that never leave the bag

[@MrMDrewery]

Man, I remember in '97, Image had the eight variant covers for The Darkness #8...I hunted them all down. LoL Geez.

[@pinfarmer]

Top of my list is the blacklight. It changes the experience. I would like to see it again for the right subject.

[@ReaperXC]

Your best recent video. Loved this. Deep dives into the industry and little known titles are my favourites.

[@alexandrebelinge8996]

I remember seeing about 100 Xforce #1 for 10cents each in the late 90's. Variant cover is a bane of modern comics in my opinion. edit I owned at least 5 still in the polly bag lol I'm a sucker to !

[@RedDragonM1]

"Baywatch Nights"! Someplace, Lupa is cheering! "MY SAVE!"

[@seedhillbruisermusic7939]

that was very interesting. I abandoned superheroes in 1989 to move to other comics like Cerebus and Love & Rockets so I missed out on all these 90's shenanigans, but I'm not sad that I did so. There might have been some cool cover art stuff but I was never a collector so even if I'd still been buying superhero comics these variants and gimmicks wouldn't have interested me. But it's good to learn the history of this period.

[@randomguyfromgermany]

Greeting. As you said, you won`t feature every gimmick cover, but I`m kinda surprised, that that you mentioned the lenticluar cover of the "Robin III"-series, but not the "holograms, the size of a trading card on the other Robin-covers (which is/was quite different, from the other gimmicks you mentioned). As for Eclipso: I actually own this copy. The "gem" is still in place, but (even with using backing boards) I alway keep the comic in front of a longbox, because of this "feature". On a side-note: I found it interestuing, that in the mid-90s the embossed cromium cover of Superman #82 (Superman vs Hank Hanshaw aka Cyborg Superman) had an aftermarket price of 25 DM (that`s about 12-15 Euro, and aboth 12 USD at that time) in germany, whereas I could buy the same comic in London for 2,50£, which was about 7, 00 DM (about 3, 50 Euros/USD). Apart from that, we (in germany) had quite a variety of gimmick covers back in the 90s... There was the "glow-in-the-dark"-cover for Superman-Blue, various covers with holes for Lobo (one issue featured a red variant, where only Lobo`s head was shown, and the same issue had a green variant, ehre we only got to see the dog`s head), as well as a couple of variations for "Pinky & the Brain". E.g. one of their covers was a "scratch, and sniff"-cover (the cover/comic was Mad Max-themed, and after rubbing/scratching a certain part of the cover, it should smell like petrol).

[@MarsHottentot]

The Continuity Comics "Crazyman" issue shaped like his stressed out face was a gimmick low on numerous levels

[@husendusenxxl9771]

From the DC-Superman-Lobo book with the stickers, i placed on of the stickers on to my motorbike helmet back when in came out in the 90s. The sticker has wandered from old helmet to new one all these years and is still there today. Never fell off or got lost. My man of steel good luck charm.

[@d_a_o_u_r]

As a 99% digital comics reader, I'm pretty neutral on variants. If anything, to me, modern varaint covers are just neat illustrations I can find online of my favorite characters by my favorite artists, or a nice little bonus if they're added to a trade as part of a cover gallery. That being said, I'm wary of their role in the "comics-as-collectibles" market, or if publishers use them to artifically inflate sales and coerce more money out of shops with the "you gotta buy X copies of this issue to get this variant" strategy.

[@wjlince]

It was so funny seeing all the mainstream coverage of the Death of Superman and us comic fans were already debating how he would come back.

[@keithhamilton736]

Okay I admit I bought two copies of Ninjak #1 with the cool Joe Queseda chromium foil cover for speculation purposes. Guess I won’t be retiring anytime soon 😔

[@jsa141]

Fave gimmick cover: DC The Spectre #13 glow in the dark by Tom Mandrake.

[@Logan5]

I don't know if they ever did it for a comic cover, but I seem to remember scratch and sniff gunpowder Punisher trading cards that I thought were ridiculous and fun.

[@connor_bell]

I like the idea of being able to "choose" your favorite cover. Like not getting multiple variants necessarily, just getting the one you think looks the coolest. It makes the buying process a little more fun, and makes a casual collection way more personalized!

[@ShadowEl]

I remember when I was collecting Spider-Man: One More Day (I know, I know) my LCS *only* had a variant cover for one of the books. so I have three Quesada covers, and a variant. I guess I'd be more pissed if it was an actually good storyline...but it was one of the first I was following and collecting in real time, so it was still a bummer.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

i remember when i did for mark waid's all new avengers and dan slott's all new all different spider-man era... the comics were meh bordering to fogettable boring but passable but the alex ross covers were awesome

[@reedandravstudios]

One of my favorite variant cover tropes is when they honor the “Coming of Galactus” story for Fantastic Four books, and an artist recreates the iconic scene of the main heros and the Watcher looking towards the sky. It really catches my eye and last time they did it I bought the issue, introducing me to a FANTASTIC comic run.

[@MarkLipka]

@4:13 "Wilmington". Wilmington, *New York? North Carolina? Delaware? Minnesota? South Carolina? Illinois? Indiana? Kansas? Massachusetts? Ohio? Pennsylvania? or maybe Vermont??* Wait...he couldn't have meant Wilmington *Australia*, could he?!?

[@jesusisfictional]

*MUST* be Delaware! (That is the most well known of the Wilmingtons)

[@nihilism242]

Whatta fantastic episode, my friend! I loved that era of variants as a kid, but I understand as an adult how possibly dangerous they could be. Huge fan of your content.

[@christopherfischetti8373]

You are going to make me climb into my attic just too see how many of these gimmick covers I still have. Super nostalgia of my 12 year old self. If I only knew the it was all a ploy to get my allowance money

[@noneofyourbusiness4616]

The 1986 first issue of the direct market indie humor comic "Boffo Laffs" had a hologram cover. Predates the other gimmick covers you name. I have this one in my collection.

[@bloodfireize0]

Huge fan of Peach Momoko's work. I love collecting her peices!

[@JerekBilbar]

God! I hate variant covers. I’ve still bought a few variants though.

[@dylanmahaffey8920]

I remember the Ghost Rider comic coming out. The comic shop owner at the store I purchased my comics told us he had no idea it glowed in the dark until he closed his shop that night and he saw a bunch of glowing skulls in the back of the store, freaked him out a bit.

[@AnthonyAnalog]

Half my Spawn collection variants 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@dowters1]

Hi Chris, I've been reading comics for years but my actual "knowledge" of comic books was sadly lacking...until I found your channel. Wow I'm not watching anything else again ever. You're the most informative and most entertaining out there. Please keep 'em coming. Fantastic work thank you

[@denistuohy2535]

THERE ARE WAYYYYYY TOO MANY VARIANT COMIC COVERS

[@Oddlogical]

Great video,Chris! I have most of the early Marvel ones (only a few of the hologram ones, though). Loved the glow in the dark Ghost Rider and "silvered" Silver Surfer. I have that Eclipso, too, lol! Once I got a car payment and insurance bills, I cut way back on comics, especially gimmick covers. Loads of nostalgia and fun! Thanks again, Chris!

[@kayag8]

Its surprising that Steven Crowder is subscribed to you. Didnt know he liked comics

[@RageAgainstRustyCage]

Crowder's a good guy... Imagine a Comic Book "Change My Mind", 😆....

[@kayag8]

@@RageAgainstRustyCage Even the mildest jokes is considered hate speech. Hes really not a bad guy

[@RageAgainstRustyCage]

@@kayag8 I'm a fan. Check out LFR Family's reaction today, w/ Crowder's umass SJW triggering. I enjoy watching libs reacting to common sense comedy and music, as they turn from Fake Woke to unapologetically truthful and you could say MCU's "What if...?" Series could've influenced Crowder's "Change My Mind", ... Maybe that's just me, but I can imagine it as a concept that began with comic books in Steven's youth, before politics reeled him in. #neverdaily 🔥

[@richardNbacchus]

This is one of my favourite thumbnails you've done. Good job man!

[@br0wneyedsusan]

I recall loving the Daredevil glow /radar cover. Loathed the hologram covers mainly due to how bad the craftsmanship was. Loved the bloopers!

[@smbcollector]

I'm glad the Sleepwalker mask cover was included in the video, I always thought that one was so weird and silly.

[@jamesstrevels5447]

The Robin II miniseries was too much. I remember they even released a slipcase set for $30 (I owned it years ago) that had a new cheap "R" hologram on the front of it.I dont like gimmick and variant covers. I think them , along with CGC, relaunches and over saturation by DC and Marvel of the same characters are hurting the industry. It appears DC is nearing it's life in the comic medium which is truly a sad story.

[@polybius3765]

I know it's not a comic but back in 04 I was the web designer/flash animator for The Simpsons and they tapped my shoulder to do some special TV Guide covers. They were lenticular animated x-mas ornaments. I grew up in the 80's and 90's with all these gimmick covers and always wanted to do one of those. So much fun.

[@kchishol1970]

I was collecting at my peak at that time, and I absolutely despised the superficiality of the gimmick covers. It help drive my interest to independent comics I actually READ and were not interested in such worthless garbage.

[@kamtekar300]

“They didn’t even take full advantage of the hole . . . .”