comic book covers....

[Marvel2099]

I think it depends what type of collector you are if a cover is important or not.  While researching what conditions to keep my comics I found out there are four types of comic collector. The reader, collector, infester or the Speculator.

The reader only reads a comic once or twice a month.  Kind of like how I started. Save up my pocket money go to the newsagent and buy a comic that looked the most exciting.

The collector will collect a certain artist, series or character.  So the cover doesn't really matter if the comic was part of a series he was collecting or has a certain hero in it.

Infestor who collects but also keeps them for infestment.  I can kind of call myself as an invester, as I buy the comics and if it is an important issue I will buy a couple of the variant covers or multiple copies to have a unopened version.  Best example is Fantastic 4 in the "death" bag or Amazing Spider-man #700 as I have just bought 5 variant covers.

Speculators buy comics just to make money.  So the cover is very important.  They will buy a comic with a rare cover just so they can make money from it later down the line.  I have seen this a few time.  When a comic gets into the news loads of people will buy it.  Partly due to being on the news and the PR, however some will buy a load of them to sell onto the collectors who would have bought them in the first place.

So for me regular covers are not that important as half the time I don't see them before buying them.  I also buy variant covers. during AvX I bought both the team X-men and team Avengers variant covers.

[Navarre]

I was a Collector. I bought every issue of titles like Avengers or Uncanny X-Men, regardless of who drew it or wrote it. The cover was only of passing interest to me.

Now I am a Reader. I buy an issue if I think I'll like the story and can at least tolerate the art. The cover is still not of much interest to me.

If I find a title I really like, such as Morning Glories or Irredeemable, I will slip back into Collector mode for that title. But again the cover wouldn't matter much.

So I agree that there are different reasons one buys comics and that can determine what all this means to you.

[Gaumer]

I'm a reader, but I buy what I like despite that fact.

If a cover looks cool, I may just buy it.


And a collector may buy a comic he has never read before just because he is collecting a certain artist or writer.


No, buying 5 variants of an 8 dollar comic would not make you an investor it would make you INSANE jk

[Navarre]

No, buying 5 variants of an 8 dollar comic would not make you and investor it would make you INSANE jk

But there's the Wolverine black & silver variant, the Wolverine brown variant, Wolverine bone claw variant, Wolverine disco gigolo variant, and one cover featuring both Wolverine and Spider-Man! How can I not buy all those?!?

[Marvel2099]

one cover featuring both Wolverine and Spider-Man!

Two of the most used heroes on the cover of a Marvel comic and thanks to another Wolverine film, expect even more.

No, buying 5 variants of an 8 dollar comic would not make you and investor it would make you INSANE jk

It's a good thing I didn't buy the variant cover that cost $750 then

[Slappy]

Ok this is just a quick rant or comment about comic book covers. I hate going down o the keep (local comic book store) and going over the comic book rack and seeing all this great art on the covers, getting me all excited tell i pop open the book and Wham! Shitty art inside, well not shitty but sub par. So many books out there is crappy art inside, they spend a ton on money to pay the cover artist but nothing inside for a decent artist. I know not every book is like this, but there is a ton of them, and it is really annoying. UGHHHHHHH!!!! Not going to say I could do a better job, but I just did say that. - _ -

One of the biggest regular bait and switches for me was JLI of the late 80's/90's.  They had some great covers, and Ty Templeton doing the interiors.  Never being a fan of his, I saw wonderful cover art, and looked inside to see art that made Rob Liefeld look like the great anatomical purist. 
On the reverse of that, I would have enjoyed seeing Brian Stelfreeze doing interiors to Shadow of the Bat.  He did all of the covers to the series, and I knew that he was not doing anything inside.  While the interior artwork was also very good, Mr. Stelfreezes covers were stylized and excellent.  I wasn't fooledby anymeans and not disappointed by opening the cover either.

[_brad_]

All I know is when my books finally come out, I am going to be doing all the covers, or take art from the pages and use it as a cover.

[Gaumer]

All I know is when my books finally come out, I am going to be doing all the covers, or take art from the pages and use it as a cover.

Self publishing? That will be refreshing.

Through an actual publisher? I bet you let editorial do what they want