Multiple Cover Maddness

How long has it been since I've complained about a comic book having too many covers? It feels like it's been a while. Too long, I guess, since it looks like the publishers, well Marvel to be specific, have stopped listening to me, or they've forgotten.

Pictured above are the six, yes that's right, SIX covers for the Invincible Iron Man #1 comic that came out today. Why six? Why not I guess. Three limited variant covers, the movie variant cover and the two regular covers. The Avengers/Invaders book put out by Marvel & Dynamite Entertainment had three covers, a regular cover and two limited variant covers.

I had the morning off from my job as a banker at the bank (because I got a perfect score when I was shopped) so I came and helped Craig with the new books. There were many, many variant covers today. Just too dang many, OK. Some of the other Marvel books had what they called a "skrully" variant, there was a DC Ran Thanagar War variant (who even WANTS a variant on that??) an Angel sketch variant, a black and white Logan variant cover... you get the idea? Just too darn many covers for the comics.

While a cool cover is nice, we don't need six cool covers for one issue of one comic book. REALLY, we don't. Save those nice covers for upcoming issues or something instead of flooding the market with three or six different covers. Yes I'm talking to you publishers. Lay off the variants! I prefer the comic book to be good ON THE INSIDE. If the best thing about the comic is the cover then you can keep it. If we have to resort to flashy variant covers in order to increase sales, let's redevelop the business plan and marketing plan. Sure, I do have some customers that like variants, but they are getting to be fewer and fewer. Would those customers continue to buy comics if there weren't variants - probably yes, as long as they could still enjoy the comic itself.

I don't know yet if the Invincible Iron Man comic was any good - I will have to read it in the next day or two and see. But I do know that six covers is unnecessary if the comic is good and unforgivable if the comic stinks and the covers are the only way to sell it.