For the past couple of years (maybe longer) magazine, book, and comic book publishers have used variant/alternate covers to increase sales. These issues all have the same content, but different covers. Not much work has to be done by the publisher, and yet they get to sell two times as many copies of their publication (or more depending on how many different covers there are). These are targeted not to the general public, but to the fans of the publication or of the subject matter depicted on the cover. The problem is that if you have too many alternate covers, and you print alternate covers of your publication too often, you start to lose and/or alienate your intended audience. I believe this is why TV Guide, who has had numerous alternate covers over the past ten years ranging from X-Files to Wrestling (which itself had numerous issues with alternates), has slowed down on the amount of "Collector's Edition" issues it publishes (there certainly aren't as many per year as there used to be). This is something I wish 88MPH Studios would learn.
In current circulation is part 1 of a 4 part story (mini-series) entitled "Legion." Issue #2 isn't even out yet and there are already SIX different versions of issue #1 (see images above)! Think about it. There are more versions of issue #1 than there are parts to the story. In addition to this, each of the other three parts will have a variant cover each. So there will be a total of 12 different comics for a 4 part story. After the Legion story concludes, the comics will restart at #1 as a regular monthly series. Issue #1 of the ongoing series already has a variant cover!
Legion issue #1 hit stores in mid-April, two months after it's intended release date of February 2004. We have yet to see issue #2, or even the 2nd printing of #1 (which contains the 6th alternate cover, featuring the Ecto-1). 88MPH is run by one man, and I'm starting to think that the GB comic may be too much for him to handle. I think we may be lucky if we get the last three parts of Legion by the end of the year, much less the first issue of the ongoing series in June (it's current target release date, if you believe that!).
Personally, I think the series should stop after Legion concludes and NOT go on to be a regular series. Of course, with all these damn variant covers, I'm tempted to stop buying altogether.
BUY COMICS:
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Graham Crackers - NOW RGB & 88MPH GB
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88MPH GB #1 Toyzz.com Exclusive
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Mile High - 88MPH GB
BUY 88 MPH GB: LEGION #1 UV INCENTIVE COVER
(also available at Graham Crackers for $40.00)
[prices listed are as of this writing, item may not be in stock]
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$9.45 - Click And Carry (I bought my copy from them)
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$9.95 - Comic Central
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$25.00 - Mile High
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$29.99 - Rupps World
