2014 in Review has ended, but there are still tons of things Multiversity’s staff loved in comics from the year. As we approach the end of the year, Multiversity’s staff will share one thing a day they loved from the year, highlighting anything from a comic, creator, cover, comic shop, app, or anything really. As long as it involved comics, it can be featured. We hope you enjoy.
I think variant covers are silly.
Don’t get me wrong, there are countless times when I see an awesome variant by an artist I adore and think “man, I would love to buy that.” However, living on a poor grad student’s budget, I can in no way justify paying three times cover price, or more, for a comic. I acknowledge that variant covers aren’t really for me. I’m not a speculator. I don’t really consider myself a “collector” of comics (although the long boxes in my closet may suggest otherwise). I don’t really know where I stand on the question of whether or not incentive variants help or hurt the industry. Most of the time, I just ignore them.
In 2014, DC flooded the market with monthly themed variant covers. Per my usual indifference, I didn’t pay them much attention to them at first. However, they soon became hard to ignore them, as the supply of variants would often outstrip that of the regular covers at my local shop. On weeks when I was particularly late to the shop, the variant covers might be the only available option. The large supply was due to the fact that these are not incentive variants, but rather alternate covers that retailers can purchase as they desire. That means that shops could afford to sell them at cover price! So I ended up picking up a few, no big deal.
Then DC announced something that really caught my attention, and set the tone for the rest of the year; Mike Allred’s “Batman ’66” variant covers. Who doesn’t love Mike Allred? Seeing DC dedicate an entire month to what was essentially an artist showcase demonstrated that these themed months could be something more than just half-baked gimmicks.
Now, not every themed month has lived up to the potential set by Allred’s artistic tour de force. The “Scribblenaut,” “steampunk,” and “selfie” variants stand out as particularly weak concepts. Ant Lucia’s “Bombshell” variants, while quite good looking, were somewhat questionable for obvious reasons. However, there were a number of exceptionally strong themes, particularly later in the year. October’s monster variants were terrific, with brilliantly imaginative offerings from the likes of Ivan Reis, Rafael Albuquerque, and Chris Burnham. November’s “Lego” variants offered looks at mini-figures I could previously only dream of. However, it all culminated in this month’s unbelievably gorgeous Darwyn Cooke variants. I picked the Cooke variant over the normal cover for each book in my pull, and at cover price to boot.
Comic book covers are tricky business. They’re the first thing we see when we walk in a shop. They’re the bait that attracts and unsuspecting comic fans, so that they can be hooked by by the contents inside. However, all too often covers feel like an afterthought, especially in the case of Big Two comics. With these things in mind, DC’s themed variants often put their regular covers to shame. When I see a variant, cleanly designed with a smart theme, sitting next to a cover blanketed in garish trade dress and hokey copy, I know which one I’m more likely to be drawn to.
Thanks to the crystal ball that is comic solicitations, we’ve already caught glimpses of next year’s variant themes. With Flash anniversary covers, a Harley Quinn invasion, and the brilliant “movie” month, I’m really excited to see this initiative continue. It was fantastic to see my Twitter feed blow up with interest when the “movie” variants were announced. That kind of positivity, devoid of typical comic fan snark, is extremely refreshing. Here’s hopping that DC can continue to engender that level of enthusiasm in the year to come.
P.S. I know I previously decried incentive variant covers. However, DC also forced me to make one small exception in 2014; “The Multiversity.” With three sets of variants (four if you count the pencil variants), one could easily argue that it’s all a bit excessive. However, the quality of these things are just incredible. The “History of the Multiverse” line is an absolute love letter to DC history, and the accompanying series of “alternate earth” covers offer brief glimpses of worlds I’d love to read about. Top it off with the extremely limited Grant Morrison sketch variants, and you have me tempted to drop huge money to double, triple, and quadruple dip If someone at DC is listening, what would it take to get a “Covers of The Multiversity” deluxe hardcover?
