There is a lot of confusion in the market about the difference between newsstand and direct editions. Sellers on eBay regularly confuse the two. And it’s not just about people new to collecting. I’ve talked to comic book store owners who don’t know the difference between direct and newsstand editions. even major online comic book retailers currently list comics incorrectly. here are some quick examples to make the point clear.
Understanding the difference is important because depending on the year, newsstand variants are MUCH rarer than their direct edition counter parts. As a result, they often command a much higher price. At other points in time, however, newsstands are MORE COMMON than direct editions and there’s no reason why they should be more expensive.
You are reading: Direct edition comic books
Knowing which kiosks are rare and which are common will prevent you from being taken advantage of and will also help you find deals, and there are plenty of deals available if you know what to look for.
so, in this post I will explain:
- the history of newsstands and direct editions.
- how to identify newsstands and direct editions.
- are newsstands really rare?
- how do rating companies treat newsstand editions.
- why is any of this important?
the (simplified) history of newsstand and direct editions
If we jumped into a time machine and went back to the late ’70s and early ’80s, we’d find fewer comic book stores. much less until the mid-1980s, most comics were sold in general stores such as pharmacies, bookstores, or newsstands. the business model looked like this:
Comic companies would sell comics to general retailers. These retailers would then sell the comics to customers. The problem was that the comic companies didn’t really like this model. This is because if the stores didn’t sell their comics, they could return their unsold inventory back to the comic companies who were required to buy the issues.
This process of refunding unsold comics was tracked through the bar code on these newsstand editions. Stores were frequently required to tear off and submit the cover for reimbursement to ensure that they weren’t double dipping, that is selling comics and requesting a refund.
But as the industry matured, more and more local comic shops began to spring up. these local comic shops began to account for an increasing share of comic book sales. Eventually, the comic book companies came up with a new business model. they would sell comics to local comic book stores at a discount, but in exchange for the discount, these stores would not be able to return inventory they did not sell. this is the direct editing model.
Comics sold under this business model had a strike running through the UPC that prevented the comic from being returned. This provided the comic companies with some stability in their revenue because they wouldn’t have to issue refunds and provided local comic shops with a discount in exchange for keeping everything they ordered.
but what happened when comic shops ordered more comics than they could sell? dollar containers were born! (or at least it became much more common).
However, the UPC strike through didn’t last long. It’s ugly and visual appeal has always been a large part of comic collecting. But comic companies still needed some way to distinguish direct editions from newsstand editions and soon began filling the UPC box with art.
See Also: Notable nonfiction books in 2016 – The Washington Post
As you can see, though, that didn’t last long either.
I don’t think there’s a single reason why bar codes came back, but I do have a couple best guesses. At their beginning direct editions needed to have an alternative to the bar codes on newsstands, but as newsstands became less and less common there was simply less of a need to distinguish them. Additionally, at the same time that newsstands were becoming less common, comic companies began printing multiple variant covers of the same issue. Bar codes made it easier to track these for both comic companies and collectors.
how to identify newsstand editions
Despite a great deal of confusion surrounding this issue, it is actually quite easy to identify newsstand editions. they, of course, are barcoded, but as seen above, direct editions in the late 1990s and later are also barcoded. so how can you tell a newsstand edition?
sometimes the upc self-identifies as a newsstand edition. that’s always useful, but it’s also rare. The surest way to identify a newsstand edition is to look at the second part of the barcode on the UPC box. direct editions have five numbers and newsstand editions have two numbers.
here are some examples.
Batman #457 is Tim Drake’s first appearance as Robin. click to see current ebay prices.
daredevil #21 is the first appearance of the superior spider-man. click to see current ebay prices.
Are Newsstand Editions Actually Rare?
The fact that newsstand editions are rare compared to direct editions depends on two factors: the year of publication and the state of the comic. newsstand issues are more common in older comics and much rarer in newer comics. this is because newsstands were being printed in smaller numbers as time went on and the people who stocked and bought them were less likely to care for them. this means recent newsstand issues in near mint condition can be extremely rare.
mile high comics is one of the few comic book companies that recognized early on how difficult it is to find nm copies on later newsstands. When they began to distinguish newsstand editions from direct editions and charge more for the former, some doubts arose about the decision. In response, they posted a very helpful justification that included the following facts and statements:
To better illustrate the scarcity of high grade newsstand editions I made the following graph. Here you can see that after 1986 direct editions are increasing as a percentage of print runs and distribution and newsstand editions decrease.
But when you look at this graph it’s important to remember the role that condition plays in the scarcity of a comic. The closer to the present the more unlikely it is to find a 9.8 newsstand. An easy experiment will bear this out…
See Also: Brandon Sanderson – Book Series In Order
search ebay to see how many amazing spider-man #252 cgc 9.8 are on the newsstand and direct editions then do the same for x-factor #6 cgc 9.8, x-men #266 cgc 9.8 and new mutants #98 cgc 9.8. And in case you think this is limited to wonder, check out Doomsday’s first appearance in Superman: Man of Steel #18. Do you see how many direct editions there are more than newsstand editions? If this sounds like a lot of work, you can also watch me do it here:
The bottom line is that newsstands are much rarer than direct editions in later years (after 1986), especially in the higher grades (9.4+).
How rating companies treat newsstand editions
One of the biggest misconceptions about newsstand editions is the pervasive and persistent belief that ratings companies don’t distinguish between direct and newsstand editions. this is simply completely false. all major grading companies recognize newsstand editions in some way.
let’s look at cgc first, as they are the leading rating company (this is not an endorsement of cgc, it’s just a fact of the market at the moment). cgc recognizes kiosk editions as variants if they meet a specific set of requirements. for example, if the content of the comic differs between the direct and newsstand editions, or sometimes if there are price differences.
Spawn #9, the first appearance of Angela and Medieval Spawn, is a great example of when CGC will recognize newsstand editions. The direct edition of Spawn #9 is on nice glossy paper and contains a poster. The newsstand edition is printed on horrible low quality paper without a poster. The newsstand also has a bar code, but that alone will not get newsstands noted on the label.
a more recent example is daredevil #21. cgc notes that it is a kiosk in part because it is priced differently (higher).
Next, let’s look at CBCS. This is an easy one because CBCS really is taking the lead in advancing the industry by flat out no exception recognizing newsstand editions. As a collector I really appreciate this – it’s just giving the community more and better information. They announced this as their policy on Facebook a few years ago.
Finally, PGX has recognized newsstand editions for a long time.
Who Cares? Does Any Of This Matter?
While researching this post, I found many heated conversations about newsstand editions. it’s amazing how passionate some people are about not liking these particular variants. here is a non-scientific sample that I cut out for this post. look at the hate?!
But even if you dislike newsstands, that’s not stopping other people from paying a LOT more for them. Especially in recent printings. Perhaps the best example of this is the first appearance of Miles Morales in Ultimate Fallout #4. A same day sale of both issues in CGC 9.8 condition resulted in a difference of more than $7,000.
Love newsstand editions or hate them, if you have any financial interest in collecting, it’s probably best not to ignore them.
See Also: Clive Cussler – Book Series In Order