My local comic shop owner tried to tell me my Amazing Spider-Man #300 was a reprint, and I had to prove him wrong on the spot.

4 comments

4 Comments

My buddy had that happen with a first print of The Walking Dead #1, the shop guy was totally convinced it was a later printing. He had to pull up the original order form from his files on his phone, the one with the specific price codes, to finally get the guy to believe him. The look on the owner's face was priceless, like his whole world view shifted a little. Makes you wonder how many times that mistake gets made the other way around, you know, with people getting lowballed.

hunt.nora12d ago

That story about the order form is a solid way to prove it, but just so you know, The Walking Dead #1 first print doesn't actually have a price code on the cover like some books do. The main way to tell is by the copyright info inside, and if it's the super rare one, the paper quality is different. A lot of shops mix up the second and third prints for the first.

susanm569d ago

Wait, the first print doesn't have a price code on the cover at all?

sean7829d ago

The 1992 X-Force #1 is a perfect example of a book where the price code is the only real tell for the first print. For Walking Dead #1, you're right, it's all about that inside copyright date and the paper feel. Susanm56, the first print just says "2003" on the inside title page, no month listed. I've seen third prints with the glossy cover get passed off as firsts way too often, it's a mess.