Hot take: I used to laugh at people who collected variant covers

I was that guy who would roll his eyes at the comic shop whenever someone would grab 3 copies of the same issue just because the cover art was different. Like, you're gonna read it once and then bag it forever? Seemed like a waste of cash to me. Then about 6 months ago I picked up a Jenny Frison variant for something I was already getting, just because I thought the art was cool. I didn't even plan to keep it sealed, I just liked looking at it. Next thing I know I'm hunting down specific artists' covers and actually enjoying the hunt more than reading the main story sometimes. What flipped me was realizing these covers are like mini art prints for like 4-5 bucks instead of the 20-30 you'd pay for a decent print at a convention. Has anyone else here completely changed their stance on variants after swearing them off for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia5581mo ago

Seemed like a waste of cash to me" is exactly what my buddy used to say too. Then his wife got him a blank sketch cover for his birthday and an artist at a con drew on it for like 20 bucks. Now he's got a whole wall in their office just full of those things framed up. He said it's way cheaper than buying actual art prints and he gets to pick which characters he wants. I still don't get the hype myself but I can see why people like it now.

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patricia5581mo ago

Yeah but framed up on a wall theyre just comics with no story inside, might as well tape a happy meal toy to the wall and call it art. At least a print comes from a real piece of work, those con sketches are usually rushed and sloppy.