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Ignition Press To Number Each One Of Their Comics, Individually

Ignition Press to number every single one of their comics, individually, at San Diego Comic-Con and beyond

I think it was the long-forgotten Triumphant Comics who first did this during the nineties boom. Numbering every single comic they published, individually. Well, I can happily see that Ignition Press, launching big at San Diego Comic-Con with their own building in the Gaslamp District, and Burlesque party night, are a lot, lot better than Triumphant Comics ever were.

This evening, one of the biggest and most respected influencers in collector circles, Shawn "Big Clutch" Kirkham, discovered a different type of "ignition sequence" entirely hidden in Ignition Press comics and shared it with his fellow collectors on Instagram. Big Clutch knows collectability and the variant cover game as well as anyone in the industry, and indeed, has an impressive array of SDCC exclusives of his own this year including G.I. Joe, Something Is Killing The Children, BRZRKR, Witchblade, and Big Rig.

Earlier this year, Ignition Press ran a successful campaign on Kickstarter allowing early adopters to pre-order copies of Murder Podcast: The Cold Open. Ignition's Cold Opens are standalone issues that act as entry points for longtime comic fans and new readers alike, featuring an original, self-contained vignette that introduces the reader to the world, the stakes, and characters of the larger story. Each Cold Open issue also includes behind-the-scenes material, special sneak peeks, and information on how to get the entire series through more traditional retail channels. In short, a way to give potential readers a taste of a new series through direct-to-consumer without cannibalising issue #1 sales and competing with comic book retailers.

As it turns out, Big Clutch was one of these early adopters that backed the Kickstarter campaign. Shipments started going out last week and Kirkham spotted something unique on his copies of Murder Podcast: The Cold Open. A four-digit code printed on the back cover of the comic in a designated area. And since Big Clutch has been friendly with a number of folks behind Ignition Press for many years, he reached out to find out what the numbers were. It turns out that every copy of Murder Podcast: The Cold Open features a one-of-a-kind, randomised serial number on the back cover. Each cover (there are two) has a different serial number sequence that corresponds with that cover's total print run. Which means that EVERY copy, even the main cover of Murder Podcast: The Cold Open, is in theory a unique collectable. In fact, I understand that in addition to limited copies of Murder Podcast: The Cold Open that Ignition Press will have available at the Ignition Press Room this week, every single Ignition Press comic book available at SDCC will have this unique serial number on it. And since the numbers are completely randomised, there's no way to know what copy you will get… thereby short-circuiting the normal speculator/flipper behaviour that has been pervasive at comic cons with limited edition variants for years.

What will be the difference on the aftermarket between a single or double-digit copy versus a four-digit copy? That's for the collector community to say. But one can easily see how, if an Ignition Press title gains mainstream attention… for example, when The Beauty television series by Ryan Murphy drops on F/X and Hulu, that a high graded copy with a low serial number would be worth more than a high graded copy with a high serial number. In short, Ignition Press seems to have found a way to reward long-term collectors while creating a new chase collectability element for their comic books while making it nearly impossible for short-term flippers to turn to their advantage.

Those collectors who want to get in on the ground floor may want to line up early to get into the Ignition Press Room. Located in the heart of the Gaslamp District (643 G Street), the Ignition Press Room will be open with free admission to the public beginning on July 24th (9am–5pm PT), July 25th and 26th (9am–4pm PT), and July 27th (9am–2pm). And while they are it, they may as well RSVP to attend the Ignition Press Room (ignitionpress.myflodesk.com/freetoken) and receive one free token for the Ignition Press Room gachapon machine featuring exclusive stickers, enamel pins, and rare "Golden Tickets." Tell them Rich and Big Clutch sent you and if you happen to pull a #1 copy, maybe consider sending me a finder's fee?

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