Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics, Superman | Tagged: krypto, superboy

Another, Bigger Problem With DC's Krypto Superboy Facsimile Comic

Another, bigger problem with DC's Krypto Superboy facsimile comic, published tomorrow

First, DC Comics was to publish a facsimile copy of the original Adventure Comics #210 this Wednesday, featuring the first appearance of Krypto, the Super Dog, ahead of his appearance in the upcoming Superman movie. Then they cancelled the usual cardstock and foil versions, reduced the price to a Free Comic Book Day-style level for retailers, doubled the orders that they got, put them in polybags and added a special prize giveaway to go to the Superman movie premiere. And this was just for direct market comic book stores. Everyone was really happy, and retailers ordered it in the hundreds and thousands of copies. DC President/Publisher/CCO Jim Lee even saw to it that Nick J. Napolitano, Vice-President of Manufacturing Administration for DC Comics. placed the movie premiere tickets in the comic books themselves. It was a perfect promotion.

And then retailers realised that under the sealed polybag in 99.99999% of the copies without the golden ticket, was a golden invitation for thirty days trial of DC Universe Infinite Ultra, which gives readers unlimited digital streaming of DC Comics published over a month ago, as well as new content and sometimes titkes going digital streaming early. As comic store owner Aaron Haaland of Ultimate Comics Oviedo in Florida put it, "This is a book ONLY for comic shops with promotional pricing as a movie tie-in. This was made exclusively for existing comic shop customers. Digital comics as a pay per issue to "own" a file proved not to cannibalize comic sales, but this isn't that. This is a subscription model of being able to read old and new releases digitally for a monthly fee. And the first month is free, with automatic recurring monthly charges. Why would any store want to give out something with a free code to access what they sell digitally from someone else for a monthly fee? IF this were a free code on dog biscuit boxes or even with a Superman movie ticket, that would be entirely different. I'd welcome reaching outside of the existing direct comic shop market with digital subscriptions."

As a result, Bleeding Cool has received reports of comic book stores junking their entire copies. Potentially including those premiere tickets. But now it seems, from those who have opened copies early, there is another problem. As well as the Superboy story, The Super-Dog from Krypton, Adventure Comics #210 also contains an Aquaman story, The First Undersea Newspaper, and a Green Arrow story, The Defeat of Green Arrow.

And it turns out that page 5 of the Green Arrow story is printed again in the middle of the Aquaman story, instead of the intended Aquaman page 5. To date, it appears to have happened in every copy that has come to Bleeding Cool's attention. Will DC Comics have to pull these and reprint? Run the promotion again? Let retailers know about the runner-up prize ahead of time? Because that's quite a lot of copies to amend…

ADVENTURE COMICS #210 FACSIMILE EDITION (NET)
(W) Otto Binder (A) Curt Swan, Ramona Fradon, George Papp (CA) Curt Swan
THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG! A young Clark Kent rediscovers a Superboy's best friend in this heartwarming reunion spanning years of time and light-years of space. Introducing Krypto–The Superdog from Krypton! Then thrill as Aquaman thwarts a team of smugglers attempting to sink a nautical newspaper, and Green Arrow and Speedy match wits against the insidious intellect of Mr. Genius! In-Store Date: 6/18/2025

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