Posted in: Comics | Tagged:

Diamond Representatives Briefed Over Major Amazing Spider-Man #1 Damages

Marvel Comics has printed over 700,000 copies of Amazing Spider-Man #1, published today, with stores often ordering several thousand copies of the book with covers exclusive to that store. We've managed to identify almost fifty of them (listed below).

But there's a  problem. Last night, Bleeding Cool began to hear word of significant damage to copies being received by stores. One posted,

I'm getting word that this issue was printed on cheap paper. The spine's corners on most books, whether they're variants or regular covers, are slightly nicked. I'm told many of them are not 9.8 candidates – 9.6's or 9.4's.

We're picking the best of the best for our books, but this has apparently been reported from many people receiving their books today.

But other retailers seem to have had it worse, and I've seen evidence of binding tears, corner rips, cover scuffs and torn covers on thousands of received comics. One retailer told me,

Stores that did ASM variants across the nation got their comics in almost at 75% to 90% damaged.

And that they have over thousands of damaged copies they don't believe they can sell in this condition to collectors and believe they can't return them or get a refund.

Diamond Comic Distributors inform me that they have held meetings with their retailer services representatives who deal with retailers on a daily basis to let them know about the situation. That they are sending out replacements for retailers who report damages. But for the exclusive/store variants, of which there are no extras for damages to cover, retailers are having to discuss directly with Marvel on how to handle the situation. Nevertheless, retailers are encouraged to need to work with their Diamond Customer Service Rep to work out the damages and returns.

Marvel did not respond to enquiries made last night, or followed up this morning.

Some retailers I've spoken to have only reported no significant damages to their standard order. But one reader wrote in to report covers with,

dinged corners that almost appear to be torn off. I've gone to multiple comic stores and everyone in the NY/NJ tri state area: Midtown Comics, Amok Time, JHU Comics, Forbidden Planet, Zapp Comics, Fat Moose Comics, etc have all had the same issue.

Normally publishers and distributors do issue refunds over damaged deliveries. But it is possible that the damage on this particular comic could cost far more to refund that others.

I've also been told that the printer getting the blame for binding the comic at the wrong size for much of the run. Amazing Spider-Man #1 is not only a big fat comic, but Marvel put a reprint of Inhuman #1 in the back. Maybe the printer didn't compensate for that?

Here are the details of all the covers in full that we can find, retailer exclusive or otherwise. What condition they are in, well that's where you come in.

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (standard cover – Humberto Ramos)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant blank cover)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant cover – Skottie Young)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant connecting cover – J. Scott Campbell)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant cover – Alex Ross)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant cover – Ed McGuinness)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant cover – Jerome Opena)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant cover – Marcos Martin)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant cover – Pop Mhan)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant Diamond Retailer Summit 2014 cover – Barry Bradfield)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant sketch cover – Alex Ross)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (variant sketch cover – Jerome Opena)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Hastings variant cover – Steve Epting)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Hastings variant sketch cover – Steve Epting)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Mile High variant – Mike Perkins)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Midtown Comics variant connecting cover – J Scott Campbell)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Midtown Comics variant connecting sketch cover – J. Scott Campbell)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Dynamic Forces variant cover – Terry Dodson)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (M&M variant cover – Terry Dodson)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Gamestop variant cover)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Brave New World / Laughing Ogre variant cover – Kevin Maguire)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Brave New World / Laughing Ogre variant sketch cover – Kevin Maguire)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (CoBra / Desert Winds variant cover – John Romita Sr.)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (CoBra / Desert Winds variant sketch cover – John Romita Sr.)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (DCBS variant cover – Chris Samnee)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (DCBS variant sketch cover – Chris Samnee)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (CoBra / Desert Winds variant cover – John Romita Sr.)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Dimenson X variant cover – Simone Bianchi)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Disposable Heroes variant cover – Dale Keown)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Disposable Heroes variant sketch cover – Dale Keown)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (eXpert Comics variant cover – Neal Adams)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Fan Expo Regina variant cover – Mico Suayan)

Amazing Spider-Man (series 3) No. 1 (Fan Expo Regina variant sketch cover – Mico Suayan)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Forbidden Planet variant cover – John Cassady)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Forbidden Planet variant sketch cover – John Cassady)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Limited Edition Comix variant cover – Adi Granov)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Limited Edition Comix variant sketch cover – Adi Granov)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (MaximuM Comics variant cover – Adi Granov)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (MaximuM Comics variant sketch cover – Adi Granov)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Newbury Comics variant cover – Kevin Nowlan)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Newbury Comics variant sketch cover – Kevin Nowlan)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Planet Comics variant cover – Greg Horn)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Planet Comics variant sketch cover – Greg Horn)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Stan Lee variant cover – Humberto Ramos)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Stan Lee variant cover – Humberto Ramos)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Wizard World Atlanta variant cover – John Tyler Christopher)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Wizard World Atlanta variant sketch cover – John Tyler Christopher)

Amazing Spider-Man (Series 3) No. 1 (Zapp! Comics variant cover – Luke Ross)

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!