Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Spider-Man, Venom | Tagged: marvel, variant, walmart

The Marvel Variant Covers at Walmart are "True" Variant Covers Now

Published Thu, 28 Nov 2019 08:00:19 -0600

Walmart started putting Marvel 3 Packs in stores a few years ago, and in response DC upped the commitment starting up the new Giant line that used to be Walmart exclusive, and now is early shipped to Walmart with variant covers. Marvel responded a few months back by selling Walmart a new approach for the three packs, putting upcoming hot selling books as the front facing comic, with two other unsold comics with it. In addition to "hot Marvel comics" each wave would have two or three Walmart exclusive variant covers.

For example the Walmart exclusive Todd Nauck Black Cat #1 variant cover.

However, one thing that close examination of those older three packs yielded is that the "hot comics" were not overstock of those comics, or unsold copies, but a run of that specific comic printed for Walmart. Looking closely the comics that were not all new variant covers, like Black Cat #1, but looked just like the normal covers of hot or sold out Marvel books, were a new print run but with the same "main" cover. For example you can see Captain Marvel Braver & Mighter #1 main cover, with the 111 ending bar code,

Followed by the Ron Lim variant cover, with 112 ending bar code,

And then the eBay exclusive cover, with 113 ending bar code,

The version from the Walmart 3 Pack has the same cover as the standard cover and a slightly different color for the logo and with a different bar code, ending with 114, indicating a different part of the first press print run.

However, the third wave of these Marvel Walmart 3 packs has taken a different approach. First, there are exclusive Walmart only covers: Spider-Verse #1 by Todd Nauck with the first cover appearance by Spider-Zero.

King Thor #1 by Humberto Ramos? (We think…)

And Tony Stark: Iron Man #16 by Nick Bradshaw.

But there are also five other comics in this wave, including: Spider-Man #1 with different coloring and no UPC

Ghost Rider #1 with different logo and no UPC

Strikeforce #1 with different logo and no UPC

Jane Foster Valkyrie #1 with no UPC and different logo placement

And Star Wars Allegiance #1 with different logo.

And all of these as shown have different back covers, marking them as "true variants", and all first prints, some for titles like Spider-Man #1 and Ghost Rider #1 that have gone to second print already. Now with these shiny new variant covers, you also get two other comics, mostly unsold second prints, and most of which are the same two comics behind the main comic, though there are a few differences sometimes. Spider-Verse #1 can come with:

Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 Main Cover (first print), Venom #162 (Second Print), Venom #5 (Second Print), Venom #8 (Second Print), The Unstoppable Wasp #6 (another rare first print), The Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Second Print), The Haunted Mansion #4 (Second Print). and X-Men Grand Design #2 (Second Print). King Thor #1 can come with:

Star Wars #50 (Second Print), Marvel Rising #1 (First Print), and Multiple Man #1 (Second Print). Tony Stark: Iron Man #19 can come with:

Daredevil #611 (Second Print), Shuri #2 (Second Print), Shuri #3 (Second Print), and Fantastic Four #1 (Second Print). Spider-Man #1 can come with:

Star War Vader Dark Visions #1 (Second Print), and The Amazing Spider-Man #11 (Second Print). Ghost Rider #1 can come with:

Captain America #6 (Second Print), The Amazing Spider-Man #7 (Second Print), Thor #3 (Second Print), and Star Was Age of Republic Qui-Gon Jinn #1 (Second Print). Strikeforce #1 can come with:

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Second Print), and Daredevil #611 (Second Print). Jane Foster: Valkriye #1 can come with:

Savage Sword of Conan #2 (Second Print), Star Was Age of Republic Qui-Gon Jinn #1 (Second Print), Moon Knight #188 (Second Print), and Doctor Strange #384 (Second Print). And Star Wars Allegiance #1 can come with:

Weapon X #1 (Second Print), and X-Men Grand Design #2 (Second Print). A wide and varied batch of books available in this Walmart Marvel variant wave. Retailers and collectors beware there are new Walmart variants out there, some very to mistake for the main covers.

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