#Comic collector search missing issues code#

Talk about a successful idea! By the 1990’s newsstand sales had dwindled to a mere ~15% of the total. That first year, just ~6% of their total distribution was direct sales to comic shops (and said to be over 10% for more popular titles like X-Men), but by the 1985/1986 time-frame it was an even 50/50 split. Below are a couple of examples:Ĭlick here for enlarged version and links to sources this is a slide from Newsstand Rarity: Discussion & EstimatesĪlthough these are estimates (also see: Newsstand Rarity Discussion & Estimates), what this chart above clearly shows, is that what began as a good idea - to start making non-returnable direct edition sales to comic shops - absolutely explodedinto Marvel’s primary distribution method. But look closely and you’ll see that direct edition copies say “Direct Edition” in small type along the bar code, while returnable newsstand copies say something else (such as “Amazing Spider-Man”) and may also contain a “display until” date. This made them look identical at a glance to the untrained eye. In later years, Marvel would replace the Spider-Man Rectangle with a UPC code - but a different code. Comics with the Spider-Man rectangle were direct sold to comic shops on a discounted but non-returnable basis, while over on the newsstands, unsold copies with UPC codes could be returned through the traditional newsstand channel. But that’s the “origin story” of that rectangle… it appeared in connection with closing the loophole to keep non-returnable comics distinguishable from returnable comics.

#Comic collector search missing issues code#

It amazes me to this day how many collectors don’t know - nor even think about - why some copies of comics have the bar code and some have the Spider-Man Rectangle (or some variation of it). The first distinction introduced to close this loophole was the barcode strike-through:Īnd that’s the origin of the Spider-Man Rectangle that appears in place of the bar code, on direct edition copies. Clearly, this could not continue there needed to be two distinct print run batches, so that direct sold copies could be told apart from returnable newsstand copies. And some shops were buying with their discount at what was supposed to be a non-returnable basis, but since the copies could not be told apart they were returning them through the newsstand channel and pocketing the spread. These savings would enable Marvel to offer the shops a hefty discount to cover price, in exchange for the guaranteed sale.Īnd it worked, but there was an initial hiccup: at first, there was nothing to distinguish a direct-sold copy, from a returnable newsstand copy. Not only would this eliminate the administrative costs to accept returns, but Marvel could publish a more precise number of copies instead of over-producing each issue. While this was an improvement over shipping back entire comics, there was still the large administrative cost to manage this process and issue credits for returns.Īs comic shops started to grow in popularity, the idea came about to sell copies of comic books directly to the shops on a non-returnable basis. Then at some point they figured out they could save on the return shipping cost by permitting just a torn off cover as evidence of an unsold copy. How inefficient is that!? The shipping cost alone cut deeply into profits, not to mention the cost of manufacturing more comics than actually sold through (not knowing how many would sell, and not wanting to under-produce, it was common on average to publish three comics for every one that ultimately sold). Returned for a refund? That’s exactly right… Historically, the unsold comics themselves were literally shipped back. But before this “advent” of early direct edition comics in the 1977-1979 period, the prior primary distribution method for comic books in North America was the newsstand model: one primary type of comic was produced, and unsold copies of that type could simply be returned for a refund.

That was a major development, culminating from what began in 1977 when Marvel started producing distinguishable non-returnable comics for the first time (encompassing Whitman multi-packs from Western Publishing which were specially marked and non-returnable). In June of 1979, something happened in comics that would change everything - Marvel changed its ‘trade terms’ and standardized its distinct direct edition type comic books which were sold to specialty comic shops, at discounted prices but on a non-returnable basis.