Trade covers for different printings

[Sparko]

Is it typical to have a different cover for a different printing of a trade? For instance, I remember the first time I bought Zero Volume 1, it was a 1st print and a matte cover, now that I've come across a 2nd print, it's a glossy cover. Not the biggest pain in the world, but I just love the matte finish it had as a first print.

[Funk Masta]

I don't think it WAS too common for trades to have different covers for different printings. But it looks likes we will see more of them from Image.

Bleeding Cool learnt today that Image Comics will be announcing that they will no longer offer “retailer exclusive” variant single comics. It was a promotional program started by IDW for the launch of their Godzilla comic, then adopted by everyone from Boom to Avatar to Marvel to Titan to DC, where retailers could commission their own exclusive cover of a comic book if they committed to ordering so many thousands of issues. As a result, they have been a shot in the arm to many a title, with subscription box variants for the likes of Loot Crate adding hundreds of thousands of sales to a comic – whether that be Orphan Black or Bravest Warriors.

Image Comics however operates on a different model, where Image Central gets a flat fee per comic and doesn’t directly benefit from increased sales. So it might be a matter of different priorities. We asked Image to comment, asked if this was just for retailers or for conventions and subscriber boxes as well, or how they would deal with specific creator requests. We had received no response this afternoon.

Instead, Image Comics added the following to a newsletter sent to retailers this evening, saying.


After much internal deliberation, Image Comics will no longer be offering single issue retailer exclusive variants. While the intent of this program was to offer our retailer partners the opportunity to have exclusive content in order to build strong continued series sales at their stores, data accumulated over the last year suggests these variants only serve to further feed the speculation market, artificially inflating first issue sales, and thereby doing little to positively affect a series’ longterm health.

With those findings in mind, Image Comics will now be offering retailer exclusive covers for trade paperbacks. Requests must be submitted by the deadline of initial orders for the Previews that the trade paperback is solicited in. The minimum order threshold will be determined on a title by title basis. Retailers will also have the opportunity to place additional orders of their retailer exclusive trade paperback every time it returns to press for an additional printing.

We understand that many of you who have participated in these single issue retailer exclusive variants may be disappointed with this decision, but we must act based on what we feel is in the best interest of our creators, their series, and the growth of the marketplace.

Exclusive trade paperbacks instead! Maybe we will see those at San Diego Comic Con… such as the variant Chew Smogasbord collection we highlighted the other day.

from http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/05/...f-speculation/

[Sparko]

Thanks for your answer, it provided some stuff I wasn't aware of, but actually, it was answering a different question. What I was really asking is if a cover will have a matte finish versus a glossy finish, just maybe based on the 1st print versus any other printing. To give you an example, the Zero Volume 1 trade has the same cover image regardless of 1st or 2nd print, but the finish, the feel of the cover is different from 1st to 2nd prints. I think the matte might be more expensive, so once 2nd prints come about they go to glossy, but I can't be sure.
I think American Vampire had something similar with the first volume.

[Turn the Page]

Fear Agent, Criminal, and the current IDW TMNT ongoing are 3 off the top of my head that have new covers for new printings. Not really that common I guess, but it happens.