Variants and reprints
How to tell a first print from a reprint or facsimile
The same cover can be worth very different amounts depending on which version you're holding. Here's how to tell them apart.
Start with the indicia
The indicia is the block of small print on the inside front cover or first page. It lists the title, issue, publisher and date, and on reprints it usually says so. Read it before anything else.
Later printings
Popular modern comics are often reprinted after the first run sells out. Later printings usually say "Second Printing" or "2nd Print" on the cover or in the indicia, or use a different cover color or variant. The first print is almost always the one collectors want.
Facsimile editions
Facsimiles are modern reprints of famous old issues, made to look like the original, ads and all. They're a common source of false hope. Tell-tale signs:
- A modern barcode, a modern price (several dollars rather than cents) or "Facsimile Edition" printed on the cover.
- Bright white, modern paper and a modern copyright line in the indicia.
- Crisp, perfect condition on a book that would be decades old.
Older reprints exist too. In the 1970s, oversized "Famous First Edition" reprints of books like Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 were sold, and copies with their outer cover removed have fooled people since. A genuine copy is standard comic size, not tabloid size.
Newsstand vs. direct edition
From the late 1970s on, many comics were printed in two versions: newsstand copies, sold in grocery and drug stores with a regular UPC barcode, and direct edition copies, sold in comic shops, often with the publisher's logo or artwork in the barcode box. For some years newsstand copies are scarcer and collectors pay more for them, though it varies by issue.
Variant covers
Many modern issues have several covers. Most are easy to find, but incentive variants (marked with ratios like 1:25, 1:50 or 1:100, meaning one per that many regular copies ordered by shops) are printed in small numbers and can be worth much more than the regular cover. Check the cover credits or indicia for the variant name.
Signs it's not a first print
- "Second printing", "2nd print", "reprint", "facsimile" or "edition" wording.
- A cover price that's too high for the cover date.
- A barcode on a comic from before barcodes were used.
- A trade paperback or collected edition rather than a single issue.
Questions
How do I know if my comic is a reprint?
Check the indicia (small print inside the front cover). Reprints and later printings usually say so there or on the cover. A modern price or barcode on an old-looking book is another giveaway.
Are facsimile editions worth anything?
Usually a small fraction of the original. They're fun to own and read, and some sell for a bit over cover price, but they're not the valuable original.
Is a newsstand edition worth more?
For some issues, yes, because fewer survived. It depends on the specific issue and era, so compare sold listings for each edition.