shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,646
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Post by shaxper on Sept 3, 2021 10:20:05 GMT -5
Because of the way in which they are sold, each issue of a comic generally needs to be visually distinct from the previous one in order to earn the sale. If the October cover looks too much like the September cover, readers might mistakenly believe they already bought it. So I'm curious which books (two issues or more) show the least change across issues. The front-runner in my mind is the Justice League/Suicide Squad crossover in Justice League International #13 and Suicide Squad #13.   At first glance, I mistook these two as being duplicates of the same issue. Or perhaps, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #2-5:     I know I accidentally bought two copies of #5 instead of a copy of #4 and #5 each initially. |
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Post by MWGallaher on Sept 3, 2021 10:53:06 GMT -5
I'd forgotten the JL/Suicide Squad crossover. That's a pretty neat trick, each cover showing the same scene from different viewer perspectives (on the JL title, you're watching from the League's side, with the Squad attacking you, on the Squad issue, you're facing the onslaught of the League). Here's a couple of other pairs of consecutive issues: BEWARE THE CREEPER #5 & #6 I'm convinced both these covers were originally drawn for the same issue, one of which was rejected. Then, when the series was cancelled, they decided to use them both rather than pay for yet another cover for a dead series:   Quality Comics often relied on familiar pin-up style covers, where one cover was much like another, but I've never seen another example where two consecutive issues were quite as similar as: HIT COMICS #47 & #48   |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 3, 2021 11:16:41 GMT -5
Those Legends of the Dark Knight covers were direct market only. At that point I think that the publishers figured if you were buying in comic shops you knew what you were getting and were paying attention.
As M.W. points out, it wasn't that unusual for covers to look very similar in the 40s and 50s. We were talking about the Uncle Scrooge covers in the "allowance" thread. Many were so generic that I can't keep them straight at this age, much less a little kid in a candy store trying to remember whether it was the same book he'd already bought.
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Post by kirby101 on Sept 3, 2021 13:07:17 GMT -5
Different costume, same pose.  |
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Post by brutalis on Sept 3, 2021 13:38:54 GMT -5
Todays current covers are almost indistinguishable with so many up close faces or generic posing in place. Can hardly tell them apart and personally I have bought duplicate issues in thinking it was the newest issue. FRUSTRATING
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Post by tarkintino on Sept 3, 2021 13:51:07 GMT -5
I'd forgotten the JL/Suicide Squad crossover. That's a pretty neat trick, each cover showing the same scene from different viewer perspectives (on the JL title, you're watching from the League's side, with the Squad attacking you, on the Squad issue, you're facing the onslaught of the League). Here's a couple of other pairs of consecutive issues: BEWARE THE CREEPER #5 & #6 I'm convinced both these covers were originally drawn for the same issue, one of which was rejected. Then, when the series was cancelled, they decided to use them both rather than pay for yet another cover for a dead series: Quality Comics often relied on familiar pin-up style covers, where one cover was much like another, but I've never seen another example where two consecutive issues were quite as similar as: HIT COMICS #47 & #48 Hit Comics was not even trying!  |
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Post by badwolf on Sept 3, 2021 16:21:36 GMT -5
The Machine Man limited series from 1984 that showed him gradually being assembled over the four issue covers.
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Post by kirby101 on Sept 3, 2021 17:17:23 GMT -5
The Machine Man limited series from 1984 that showed him gradually being assembled over the four issue covers.  |
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Post by profh0011 on Sept 3, 2021 19:13:00 GMT -5
The first time I noticed a problem like this was on TV GUIDE magazine, after they stopped doing painted covers and began doing exculsively photo covers. 2 weeks had the SAME background color, and we wound up buying the same issue twice by accident. One of the actually-competent things a certain infamous comics editor did regularly, was to make sure no 2 issues of any series had the same background color schemes. Even when the resulting background colors wound up making no sense. (Say what you like, he knew "marketing" way, way, WAY more than "art" or "creativity". Or WRITING. Or even EDITING...  ) |
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 3, 2021 21:38:36 GMT -5
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Post by kirby101 on Sept 4, 2021 8:00:53 GMT -5
Not exactly a comic series, but there are these.  |
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Post by Prince Hal on Sept 4, 2021 13:49:51 GMT -5
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Post by Prince Hal on Sept 4, 2021 13:52:26 GMT -5
And I'll bet you there were buyers who weren't sure which issue of Plop! they had already bought...
Granted, the main color changed, but the covers were essentially identical for most of that run, and sometimes they reused the main color....
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