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Gaffey wrote:I want a copy of the book, but I don't want to pay the premium prices if the print run isn't as low as it seems.
If I knew the cover was going to be reprinted in the hardcover I'd pass on the getting the book altogether.
What is it going for nowadays?
{ runs to check }
OMG!
And I complained when I paid $50 for mine last year. That cover really needs to be done as a print. If not, I hope it winds up in some future publication.
It's pricey for a 1:25 book. I always thought the rule of thumb was a 1:25 should be $25. I never saw one for that price. Now I have to dish out $300+ if I want a slabbed 9.8.
Trying to determine how many copies of an incentive cover has been printed has been discussed ad nauseum on the Valiantfans message board.
According to Comichron Usagi #6 sold 9,809 copies. If each store ordered in exactly 25-unit blocks that would mean 377 copies of the 1:25 cover would have been sent to stores. Obviously, this is not the case as not all retailers would order that many copies of the issue so this should overstate the number of copies out there.
However, where publishers have confirmed print runs this crude calculation using Comichron sales always understates the amount of copies printed considerably.
Aside from Metal covers it also seems quite rare for publishers to print less than 400 copies of an issue.
So the question becomes beyond the copies retailers actually earn (which would be less than the crude calculation above) and extras needed for damages and to give to the artists what does the publisher do with all the extra copies. Some publishers destroy the extras, truly keeping the incentives rare, others give them out as to those that visit their office or as promotional material, other publishers (looking at you Marvel) a year or two later blow the extra covers out to retailers at discounted prices who then they flood the market.
I have no idea what IDW does, but I would guesstimate that 600-800 copies were printed. How many were sent to retailers I have no idea, nor do I have any idea what IDW does with the extras.
I would be careful about paying up massively for this book without getting more confirmation from IDW regarding how many were released as I suspect many of the store variants of #1 are much rarer and perhaps some of the other variant covers of issue 6.
I still need this cover if anyone has an extra and is willing to part with it for a reasonable price.
As I think I mentioned somewhere (may have been this thread), several places got stiffed on the 1:25 Darrow variant for issue #6 and received absolutely none despite ordering enough. This included Jaks who ordered 750 copies of its variant and got zero 1:25 (they would have been eligible for 30 copies of it, and yes Retailer Exclusives count towards earning the incentives). The suspicion is that the number required was under-reported to the printers and thus not everyone eligible got their copies. I'm willing to bet there's 150-200 copies at most out there.
With a breeze comes a storm, but then you'll all be washed away...
Mayhem wrote:As I think I mentioned somewhere (may have been this thread), several places got stiffed on the 1:25 Darrow variant for issue #6 and received absolutely none despite ordering enough. This included Jaks who ordered 750 copies of its variant and got zero 1:25 (they would have been eligible for 30 copies of it, and yes Retailer Exclusives count towards earning the incentives). The suspicion is that the number required was under-reported to the printers and thus not everyone eligible got their copies. I'm willing to bet there's 150-200 copies at most out there.
Yes, I was working with Jaks to get their variant and the Darrow for dojo members. I put in the order. Later they told me, "Due to an invoicing error at Diamond Comics, we did not receive any 1:25 Darrow incentive covers. There are none available to fill the order. So we will not be able to fill any Darrow pre-orders. If you look online there are only a couple and they are really high priced. So no one hardly got any at all. We apologize for not being able to fill the 1:25 orders. There are no available copies for us at Diamond Comics, and IDW apparently did not print the ones needed to fill our initial invoice. If something should change about the Darrow covers we will let you know. We have plenty of our store exclusive covers."
But Jaks made up for it by including a free Tessa Rose sketch that we included in the Usagi Yojimbo Dojo Charity Giveaway.
I got my copy by pre-ordering it from my LCBS for $50.
I got my copy by pre-ordering it from my LCBS for $50.
Brilliant!
This included Jaks who ordered 750 copies of its variant and got zero 1:25 (they would have been eligible for 30 copies of it, and yes Retailer Exclusives count towards earning the incentives)
Didn't Torpedo Comics get their copies?
I wonder if Stan's variants counted towards the incentive? Between the blank, the Albedo 2 homage, and the Dogu variants they must have ordered thousands of copies. That would mean he should have received over 100 Darrow variants. It'd be interest to know if he received any at all.
Here is a neat fact. The ones that made it out are being well preserved. The Usagi Yojimbo Darro #6 has more CGC 9.8 Universal slabbed copies than any other Usagi appearance except for Usagi Yojimbo (1987) #1. (There are a few that have more 9.8 Signature Series labels).
It is a neat cover and it is somewhat rare (but how rare we don’t know) but in 10 years time will it really be that much more sought after than almost all other Usagi issues?
Gaffey wrote:I wonder if Stan's variants counted towards the incentive? Between the blank, the Albedo 2 homage, and the Dogu variants they must have ordered thousands of copies. That would mean he should have received over 100 Darrow variants. It'd be interest to know if he received any at all.
It isn't automatic afaik, you still have to fill in the requisite Diamond order forms to acquire the incentives. It's certainly the case for ordering the regular covers (A, B etc) according to my comic store, they could order 10 Usagi regular cover but not receive the 1:10 for that issue if they forgot to put a 1 in the box against that variant on the order form.
Ergo, despite ordering all those different variants for #6, it's entirely possible Stan and the crew got none of the incentives with them because they never asked for them.
With a breeze comes a storm, but then you'll all be washed away...
I don't collect any of the individual comics (just collected books) - so in case you are searching - the comic con at home - limited signed bookplate version of Bunraku - is available on IDW site. Just went live today.
