IDW Optimus Prime #14 Review

The captions were masterful, well done!

In the full list of IDW Publishing comics solicitations for January 2018 - posted here - we had seen one of the covers for the upcoming The Falling arc in the Optimus Prime ongoing series, by Casey Coller.

We now also have, directly from the source herself and via fellow Seibertronian Sunstar, the cover as imagined by regular artist Kei Zama and colourist Josh Burcham, featuring a very different take on the concept, though with Optimus, Windblade and the Mistress of Flame still taking front stage. Give it an eye below!

Also mirrored from Previews World is the Brendan Cahill retailer incentive cover, featuring a scene with Megatron and Optimus Prime that has nothing to do with the interior of the comic itself, but pretty impressive nonetheless!

“THE FALLING, PART 1!” Darkness falls over Cybertron as the legendary Onyx Prime returns. What does this mean for Optimus Prime—and the Earth? Windblade defends an already tense planet against a secret that could shatter Cybertron forever.

Thanks to a tip from fellow Seibertronian Soundwave902, who pointed us towards iTunes, we have the initial three-page preview for Transformers: Optimus Prime #15! This issue promises the return of the big bad Onyx Prime, whose return has been hinted, assumed, and downright spelled out over the last couple of years in IDW comics. Check out the preview below, and head back here for the full preview, and a rousing discussion, once the issue is released on January 17th!

“THE FALLING, PART 1!” Darkness falls over Cybertron as the legendary Onyx Prime returns. What does this mean for Optimus Prime—and the Earth? Windblade defends an already tense planet against a secret that could shatter Cybertron forever.

I see Optimus Primal and BW Megatron!

Oh man, here's the meat. And Zama/Burcham is doing fantastic work of it.

Awwwwwwwwwwwww yeah, this is what I have been looking forward to! And Primal and Beast Megatron are there! Hopefully they actually get called out by name this time, seeing as how both were seen in issue 10 I believe(?) and unnamed in Trion's story.

This going to be epic I can’t wait. I can’t wait for the Beast Wars cameos.

The art is fantastic Zama and Burcham are a perfect team.

Am I being blind? I can see Optimus Primal clearly but I can't see bw Megs...there's also a few others I recognise like the bunny one, but I can't place a name on him.

ZeroWolf wrote:Am I being blind? I can see Optimus Primal clearly but I can't see bw Megs...there's also a few others I recognise like the bunny one, but I can't place a name on him.

BW Megatron is alright right beside Primal in the same panel as him. He's a bit trickier to identify, but you can see the glow of his T-Rex head on his hand.

and the bunny would be Stampy, except he showed up in sins of the Wreckers in a different role, so it must be different

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Am I being blind? I can see Optimus Primal clearly but I can't see bw Megs...there's also a few others I recognise like the bunny one, but I can't place a name on him.

BW Megatron is alright right beside Primal in the same panel as him. He's a bit trickier to identify, but you can see the glow of his T-Rex head on his hand.

and the bunny would be Stampy, except he showed up in sins of the Wreckers in a different role, so it must be different

Ah I thought that spec was just the background showing through but yeah I can see it now, thanks.

So by the colors I’m guessing those two bots with The Mistress Flame are previous torchbearers.

Mr.MicroMaster wrote:So by the colors I’m guessing those two bots with The Mistress Flame are previous torchbearers.

Indeed! We've seen Praesidia before, in last year's TF annual.

Are you ready for some bots to the wall mythological action? Next week's IDW Publishing comic book, from the ongoing Transformers title Optimus Prime, sees John Barber, Kei Zama, and Josh Burcham bring back in full the story of Onyx Prime, the Mistress of Flame, and the Torchbearer predecessors to the Rust Renegades who form Victorion. You can see the full preview below, courtesy of fellow Seibertronian Sunstar and entertainment website Newsarama - join the conversation in the Energon Pub discussion boards, and stay tuned after the book's release for the Seibertron.com review!

Optimus Prime #1
Cover A: Kei Zama
John Barber (w) • Kei Zama (a & c)
“THE FALLING, PART 1!” Darkness falls over Cybertron as the legendary Onyx Prime returns. What does this mean for Optimus Prime—and the Earth? Windblade defends an already tense planet against a secret that could shatter Cybertron forever.
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Bullet points:
· Variant cover by Brendan Cahill!

That onyx prime needs to appear as a toy...

ZeroWolf wrote:That onyx prime needs to appear as a toy...

Oh he is. You get a little Prime master

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:That onyx prime needs to appear as a toy...

Oh he is. You get a little Prime master

Don't forget Batman! Oh wait that's Onyx Primal...

Really looking forward to this!

Randomhero wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:That onyx prime needs to appear as a toy...

Oh he is. You get a little Prime master

I might still get him depending on his pretender sheLl. There's certainly a way they could get more money by giving us proper figures of the primes (well the ones we haven't got figures for yet)

Out of the pages of Rom vs Transformers: Shining Armor, and into the ones of the IDW Publishing ongoing series Optimus Prime, we find the recently created character of Stardrive at the hands of artist Alex Milne. In the latest issue before this week (number #14), Livio Ramondelli was the one bringing her into present day, but Milne has shared concept art of her Wraith form - Wraithdrive, in his words - and you can check her out below.

Also included, via artist Kei Zama, is the linework for the opening pages of this week's issue of the series, Optimus Prime #15, in full inky glory, and a concept sketch of one of the Camiens accompanying the soon-to-be Mistress of Flame - Magrada, the linguist. All images have been mirrored below for your viewing convenience!

I like those lineart drawings for Stardrive, especially the out of control mode which is making me think of Guyver (with some Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode mixed in)

This week in Transformers comics, quality returns with the arrival of Optimus Prime 15, "The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes". Much more than a mere exercise in thematic brand synergy, this latest chapter of John Barber's Optimus Prime starts an ominous new chapter for our heroes - not to mention the book's namesake character himself. Is this one you should pick up and read, and is it for only seasoned veteran readers or can newcomers easily follow along? Read on to find out more!


Somewhat fitting to the book's title, there really are a surfeit of plot threads, but it still works. Most of these are also given context to help new readers along. For instance, Scoop reappears as something other than Devastator's leg for the first time in quite awhile, and at least this basic premise of who and what he is gets provided by the book's dialogue and other context. The results are decent at introducing the character for those unfamiliar while still making him somewhat relevant to the plot at hand, offering some great continuity with another recently canceled series that is very refreshing to see. The Mistress of Flame, a somewhat enigmatic figure in the IDW Transformers universe, also gets some overdue attention. Her backstory and running commentary not only helps build her character, but it also helps frame the overall issue's narrative in a creative way that I quite enjoyed.


In a book like this one with a big cast, it can be easy and often is appropriate to put a character in the background and pick up their goings on down the road. That limited space for characterization is used well with Arcee and Aileron, in a similar but still different manner from the approaches taken with the Mistress of Flame and Scoop. Without giving too much away, the reader is left wondering what kind of influence a character like Arcee might have on Aileron, who is already surrounded on all sides by strong influences. However, the opposite happens with Slide, where what feels like too much time is given to beats that have been heard many times before. While there is a definite, clear, and effective point to doing this again in this book at this time, I'm left wondering how many more issues Slide will spend as a victim character sorely in need of development. Hopefully, this is the issue where a tipping point is reached and she'll soon start saying new words.


As seen in both the solicits and the preview, Onyx Prime arrives in the story in earnest at last. Sometimes the build doesn't deliver, but for this issue it truly does. Fellow staff member Va'al agreed, and points out something else worthy of note:

Va'al wrote:We've had too many charmy-scary villains in these books. Time to have a freaking terrifying one.

Onyx definitely gives an aura that business is about to pick up, with a fearsome, though a little bit inspired look to go along with it. While I wish there were a bit more of him in this issue, it's probably for the best as the story would suffer from a pacing perspective were he already wreaking mass chaos. His presence here serves a purpose, one that is foreboding but also an exciting, effective hook for the issues to come.


Speaking of what's to come, there are some really fun teasers for this in the book. While many fans might see the above and write it off as Total Brand Awareness, they're probably also not careful longtime readers that would have seen this coming. Or is it coming at all? You can let me and your fellow Transformers fans know by replying to this story on our Energon Pub Forums!


The visual work is stellar throughout, with Kei Zama returning on linework supported by colorist dynamo Josh Burcham to deliver another surfeit: a surfeit of cool. The new character Magrada, seen above, is a treat to look at with the Camien aesthetic blending with a Junkion flair in a splashy, fun approach. This is a transitory character, yet great care was taken to the point where it almost feels like she's destined for a flashback spin-off at some point. If she's not, it's another credit to the artistic team that speculation like that would even occur. Her brief appearance oozes personality without a word spoken like a fascinating, magnetic rock star. Even Onyx's design takes the earlier mentioned inspiration and bends it in a way that feels fresh. Couple this with Tom B. Long deftly navigating the layouts to provide background narrative that never distracts and character names that feel right in place and you have an absolute visual feast of Transformers style. I haven't even mentioned the lighting effects that made some of this issue look like it was paper where a light was bouncing off, and while that actually holds true for many reading experiences, keep in mind our first experience as reviewers is on a digital copy.

The Zama/Burcham combo also handles the "A" cover for this issue, with Casey Coller's lines with John-Paul Bove's colors on the "B" cover seen in this news story's thumbnail. As always, you can find images of all of the covers and full credits for the issue in our Vector Sigma Database page for Optimus Prime #15, but do note it does contain a character appearance list that may be considered as spoiler-laden!


This issue was very good, I'm very hooked and excited to see what's next, but it's a hair too busy. In the context of the overall story being told it's very likely great, but the serial format causes some of the panels and moments to feel truncated. While a little more focus may have served it well, this is still a superb read and genuinely feels like a great jumping on point if you've been off this ride for a while. After all, Optimus has his faceplace down at the start, so the action's clearly taking off soon. I can't wait to read more, be sure to do yourself a favor and get to your local comic shop or website of choice (that isn't one where you're reading scans you didn't pay for, that makes you a thief) to pick this one up!



Especially after the write up above and the gushing on the visuals, I feel like I have to explain the score above. Maybe I don't, regardless, please realize that I don't subscribe to scoring styles like the Net Promoter Score or IGN styled bloat and I don't write these because I want IDW to buy me things. On my personal scale for these reviews, a 4/5 is "very good", with 5/5 reserved for "all time great Transformers comic" and first issues of larger arcs almost never hit that in the monthly format, for me, given the nature of their content. I don't like scores, but maybe if we can make them more than "good" and "bad", we can be smarter about how we think about the media we consume.

tl;dr, this issue was really good and I recommend it, even if you've been trained by the internet to think a 4/5 is just 'ok'

Poor Magrada, such a short intro and goodbye.

And that Wraithdrive is fantastic

This was a solid first issue arc. This is a story that’s been hinted for like three and half almost 4 years. Since the start of season 2 of RID so daaaaaaamn John has been playing the long game with setting this all up and managing to include hints and straight up plot points with crossovers like Combiner Wars and Titans Return and even crossover hasbroverse books.

Someone was saying this feels like Johns final story but he’s not leaving. He’s helming the Unicron story after.

One question I have though, is this the Power of the Primes arc? It’s not subtitled power of the primes but the Primes are returning and with the Unicron Story being the big story later in the year was The Falling intended to be Thr final arc in the Prime Wars trilogy and IDW said “screw it weve planned all this out were still doing it but not calling it POtP” And Hasbro said “sure go for it”

Awesome issue, and continues to show that OP is the best comic going on right now. Really well done, and I am really looking forward to all the Onyx stuff.

As a note here, considering reference keeps getting made to unicron, and even includes one in this story, and his story is coming later this year, can Onyx be an agent of Unicron. Afterall, isn't his ship this big black eye?

And on the black eye thing: "adorned the titan will be in metal black" coupled with Optimus and the Mistress' dreams, what if the Dark Cybertron prophecy is actually Unicron coming?

Also, Primal and BW Megatron need to get an actual introduction soon. They have appeared too many times to be mere easter eggs.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:Awesome issue, and continues to show that OP is the best comic going on right now. Really well done, and I am really looking forward to all the Onyx stuff.

As a note here, considering reference keeps getting made to unicron, and even includes one in this story, and his story is coming later this year, can Onyx be an agent of Unicron. Afterall, isn't his ship this big black eye?

And on the black eye thing: "adorned the titan will be in metal black" coupled with Optimus and the Mistress' dreams, what if the Dark Cybertron prophecy is actually Unicron coming?

Also, Primal and BW Megatron need to get an actual introduction soon. They have appeared too many times to be mere easter eggs.

It is curious what that giant eye is. Antilla orbits a black hole and Unicron just woke up erupting from a planet that was orbiting a black hole...

I really hope that is Unicrons design. I don’t want him looking like his regular G1 self and please don’t turn into a giant robot. I never liked it when he would transform.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:Awesome issue, and continues to show that OP is the best comic going on right now. Really well done, and I am really looking forward to all the Onyx stuff.

As a note here, considering reference keeps getting made to unicron, and even includes one in this story, and his story is coming later this year, can Onyx be an agent of Unicron. Afterall, isn't his ship this big black eye?

And on the black eye thing: "adorned the titan will be in metal black" coupled with Optimus and the Mistress' dreams, what if the Dark Cybertron prophecy is actually Unicron coming?

Also, Primal and BW Megatron need to get an actual introduction soon. They have appeared too many times to be mere easter eggs.

Possibly, though I'm still holding onto my theory that Onyx is actually a Doomsday Prepper trying to stop Unicron. Remember that Onyx was in possession of the Talisman, the magical energy of which can utterly destroy Transformers. And in Revolutionaries #8, Onyx tells Blackrock that "the Talisman is an inoculation against that which comes."

Combine this with Infinitus/Sentinel Prime (a servant of Onyx) saying that it was Optimus's duty as a Prime to subjugate Earth for its own protection, it seems to suggest Onyx's MO is to conquer worlds to protect them. It would also help explain why he has both two colonies (Eukaris and Antilla).

Assuming my theory is correct, I'd imagine the eye is that of Unicron that Onyx and his army actually ripped out. Which is pretty badass when you think about it.

So I've gone over it a few times and i still don't understand the opening. The fembot with the dreads just loses her head for no reason.

LE0KING wrote:So I've gone over it a few times and i still don't understand the opening. The fembot with the dreads just loses her head for no reason.

The Mistress of the past, complete with a translator (the dreads) and a bodyguard followed a signal coming not far from their own planet. They traveled there and found Onyx, and apparently they were not supposed to, so Onyx killed the one he got his hands on (dreads) and then eventually killed the bodyguard, as seen in the annual. He's ruthless and sees his duty as bringing judgement upon his race, and their crime was actually following a signal they received from him and finding him.

Daniel Adkins wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:Awesome issue, and continues to show that OP is the best comic going on right now. Really well done, and I am really looking forward to all the Onyx stuff.

As a note here, considering reference keeps getting made to unicron, and even includes one in this story, and his story is coming later this year, can Onyx be an agent of Unicron. Afterall, isn't his ship this big black eye?

And on the black eye thing: "adorned the titan will be in metal black" coupled with Optimus and the Mistress' dreams, what if the Dark Cybertron prophecy is actually Unicron coming?

Also, Primal and BW Megatron need to get an actual introduction soon. They have appeared too many times to be mere easter eggs.

Possibly, though I'm still holding onto my theory that Onyx is actually a Doomsday Prepper trying to stop Unicron. Remember that Onyx was in possession of the Talisman, the magical energy of which can utterly destroy Transformers. And in Revolutionaries #8, Onyx tells Blackrock that "the Talisman is an inoculation against that which comes."

Combine this with Infinitus/Sentinel Prime (a servant of Onyx) saying that it was Optimus's duty as a Prime to subjugate Earth for its own protection, it seems to suggest Onyx's MO is to conquer worlds to protect them. It would also help explain why he has both two colonies (Eukaris and Antilla).

Assuming my theory is correct, I'd imagine the eye is that of Unicron that Onyx and his army actually ripped out. Which is pretty badass when you think about it.

I don’t think he’s a herald of Unicron. Onyx has continuously portrayed as a Cybertronian purist like many of his time. He not good that’s for sure. I was hoping he was going out getting the rest of the Primes together and they going to be lead by Prima and wage war for cybertron(hehehe). We know the Primes were not really good people and was hoping for a Prima like that too. Galvatron was very much “they are coming, this is hadn’t news and you need me”

I miss Galvatron. Still got hope that undead monster will be coming back.

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

LE0KING wrote:So I've gone over it a few times and i still don't understand the opening. The fembot with the dreads just loses her head for no reason.

The Mistress of the past, complete with a translator (the dreads) and a bodyguard followed a signal coming not far from their own planet. They traveled there and found Onyx, and apparently they were not supposed to, so Onyx killed the one he got his hands on (dreads) and then eventually killed the bodyguard, as seen in the annual. He's ruthless and sees his duty as bringing judgement upon his race, and their crime was actually following a signal they received from him and finding him.

Ah I missed that entirely. I'm not a big fan of this artist, the text doesn't match the picture in most panels. The way the mistress was talking about questions and answers I was under the impression they had a conversation. Then the dreads bot loses her head for no reason so they calmly leave.
I'll read it again and see if it makes more sense.

Thanks man.

Magrada is much less to type than "that one with the dreads"

“He shall arrive with a Titan; and adorned the Titan will be in metal black."

I think has been already done (In dark Cybertron) - I felt it was more of a shockwave thing.... But then again, what is being suggested is pretty solid as well.

“ And he shall arrive and stand alone while not alone; and time will rust... and stars will scream.”

I think we know where I am going to go with this - Starscream obviously, but a few points
He will stand alone, while not alone - Could be Starscream with ghost of bee. To everyone else, Starscream is alone, but he is rarely without him near at hand.

Time will rust - that could be an antilla reference, we can see. Stars will scream - could be Cybertron screaming to Unicron


"And the symbol of the Uncreator shall be clear... and his gaze shall unravel the legacy of Primus."

Not sure, but a big aft eye seems like a gaze... I think this is the one we're heading into more or less. The last part of the second, and this.

ScottyP wrote:Magrada is much less to type than "that one with the dreads"

Yeah, but I kinda liked Dreads

Sunstar wrote:"And the symbol of the Uncreator shall be clear... and his gaze shall unravel the legacy of Primus."

Not sure, but a big aft eye seems like a gaze... I think this is the one we're heading into more or less. The last part of the second, and this.

Ooooooooooooooo I like this part. The symbol was an eye, thought to be Shockwaves, but then here we have another eye...

Despite contradicting information from IDW Publishing (the schedule we received says this book is out some time this month, but other listings state 20th February) we do have a full preview of the second collected trade for the ongoing Transformers comics series Optimus Prime!

Collecting the stories included in issues 7 to 10, and the Transformers 2017 Annual - you know, the Ghost Stories one - the preview can be seen below. Check it out!

Transformers: Optimus Prime, Vol. 2 Paperback
by John Barber (Author),‎ Priscilla Tramontano (Illustrator),‎ Casey W. Coller (Illustrator),‎ Kei Zama (Illustrator),‎ Livio Ramondelli (Illustrator)

Confronting threats old and new while discovering the Transformers universe through the stories of fan-favorite Autobots. Featuring untold tales from the ancient past of Cybertron--and hints to the true fate of deceased Autobot Bumblebee!

Optimus and his Autobots narrowly prevented an alien invasion of Earth. Now, in the aftermath, dive into stories of war, loss, regret, and redemption. This volume of Optimus Prime gives readers dramatic Transformers stories that spotlight the Autobots' present and past struggles while setting the stage for future surprises! Collects Transformers: Optimus Prime issues #7-10 and the Transformers 2017 Annual.

Mr. Prime... Now that's a name he should be called more often.

Thanks to a heads up from Seibertronian Sunstar and Twitter user The Kup, we have a newly revealed cover for the upcoming Optimus Prime #16, which is due out in February! The new cover is drawn by regular artist Kei Zama with colors by Josh Burcham, and shows off Soundwave with Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ravage. What is interesting about this cover is that Ravage is drawn in a body style that is similar to his much earlier Megatron Origins design, which is fitting seeing as how Soundwave appears to have a rubsign, much like he did in Optimus Prime volume 1 during the "in the past" scenes.

Check out the cover below, and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

They’re a all drawn in their pre-earth forms

Fellow Seibertronians ScottyP and Sunstar have linked us to a recently uploaded variant cover for the current arc taking place in the IDW Publishing ongoing Transformers comics series Optimus Prime, specifically, the 1-in-10 incentive that will be released with issue #16 of the series, due end of February!

The art, featuring Optimus Prime (the Thirteenth/Arisen from Aligned and now seeping into IDW mythology) and Onyx Primal - the baddest winged spiky centaur of them all - is by Marcelo Matere, the colours are not credited, but may very well be Priscilla Tramontano or Joana Lafuente. Check it out below!

W) John Barber (A) Kei Zama (CA) Marcelo Matere
The Falling, Part 2: The arrival of Onyx Prime throws Cybertron into chaos-because he hasn't come alone. Onyx's treacherous companion forces Soundwave to finally make a choice: is Optimus Prime a friend... or foe?

Would you kindly explain what 1 in 10 promotion means?

I'm not sure if I'm correct but I think it's something along the lines of every 1 in 10 issues will have this cover

For every 10 standard covers a shop orders they can get 1 variant,.

ZeroWolf wrote:I'm not sure if I'm correct but I think it's something along the lines of every 1 in 10 issues will have this cover

Alas, it takes proactive ordering from the shop, Rodimus Knight has it correct here:

Rodimus Knight wrote:For every 10 standard covers a shop orders they can get 1 variant,.

Va'al wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I'm not sure if I'm correct but I think it's something along the lines of every 1 in 10 issues will have this cover

Alas, it takes proactive ordering from the shop, Rodimus Knight has it correct here:

Rodimus Knight wrote:For every 10 standard covers a shop orders they can get 1 variant,.

There is 1 variant cover I want for an IDW book (the only decent cover offered imho). I checked with 3 local shops, 2 nearby out of state shops and my friend looked into the 5 shops near him halfway across the country, and only 1 place ordered enough to get the variant cover I wanted, and it was already spoken for.

This is another reason I dislike IDW.

Rodimus Knight wrote:

Va'al wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I'm not sure if I'm correct but I think it's something along the lines of every 1 in 10 issues will have this cover

Alas, it takes proactive ordering from the shop, Rodimus Knight has it correct here:

Rodimus Knight wrote:For every 10 standard covers a shop orders they can get 1 variant,.

There is 1 variant cover I want for an IDW book (the only decent cover offered imho). I checked with 3 local shops, 2 nearby out of state shops and my friend looked into the 5 shops near him halfway across the country, and only 1 place ordered enough to get the variant cover I wanted, and it was already spoken for.

This is another reason I dislike IDW.

I understand the frustration, but this is not IDW's doing. This is the scourge that is the Direct Market. Those comics that the shops buy? Mostly non-returnable, and they've already paid for them. If no customers buy them, and they're on no orders, they'll just drop the title. That's the case for any publisher doing variants to drive sales, misunderstanding the fucking point entirely.

Va'al wrote:

Rodimus Knight wrote:

Va'al wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I'm not sure if I'm correct but I think it's something along the lines of every 1 in 10 issues will have this cover

Alas, it takes proactive ordering from the shop, Rodimus Knight has it correct here:

Rodimus Knight wrote:For every 10 standard covers a shop orders they can get 1 variant,.

There is 1 variant cover I want for an IDW book (the only decent cover offered imho). I checked with 3 local shops, 2 nearby out of state shops and my friend looked into the 5 shops near him halfway across the country, and only 1 place ordered enough to get the variant cover I wanted, and it was already spoken for.

This is another reason I dislike IDW.

I understand the frustration, but this is not IDW's doing. This is the scourge that is the Direct Market. Those comics that the shops buy? Mostly non-returnable, and they've already paid for them. If no customers buy them, and they're on no orders, they'll just drop the title. That's the case for any publisher doing variants to drive sales, misunderstanding the **** point entirely.

Actually you just pointed out that it is the publisher's fault. If people don't want to purchase their books, it's the fault of the company making it. Either the writing is bad, the arts is bad, or the subject is bad.

You need to put out a good product if you want people to purchase it. If you're doing something new and original, then maybe don't make the variant requirements so high, or allow them to purchase multiples.

If you put you best cover on the variant in hopes that it will cause shops to purchase more of the standard, then you should have just used it as the standard, and maybe the stores would purchase more. Comics are a visual medium, and if you create stupid or ugly covers, people will skip over it.

The guy who runs the shop I spend most of my time at, directed me to one of the biggest shops with an online store that sells across the country, and even they don't appear to be ordering enough to get the variant.

Rodimus Knight wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Rodimus Knight wrote:

Va'al wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:I'm not sure if I'm correct but I think it's something along the lines of every 1 in 10 issues will have this cover

Alas, it takes proactive ordering from the shop, Rodimus Knight has it correct here:

Rodimus Knight wrote:For every 10 standard covers a shop orders they can get 1 variant,.

There is 1 variant cover I want for an IDW book (the only decent cover offered imho). I checked with 3 local shops, 2 nearby out of state shops and my friend looked into the 5 shops near him halfway across the country, and only 1 place ordered enough to get the variant cover I wanted, and it was already spoken for.

This is another reason I dislike IDW.

I understand the frustration, but this is not IDW's doing. This is the scourge that is the Direct Market. Those comics that the shops buy? Mostly non-returnable, and they've already paid for them. If no customers buy them, and they're on no orders, they'll just drop the title. That's the case for any publisher doing variants to drive sales, misunderstanding the **** point entirely.

Actually you just pointed out that it is the publisher's fault. If people don't want to purchase their books, it's the fault of the company making it. Either the writing is bad, the arts is bad, or the subject is bad.

You need to put out a good product if you want people to purchase it. If you're doing something new and original, then maybe don't make the variant requirements so high, or allow them to purchase multiples.

If you put you best cover on the variant in hopes that it will cause shops to purchase more of the standard, then you should have just used it as the standard, and maybe the stores would purchase more. Comics are a visual medium, and if you create stupid or ugly covers, people will skip over it.

The guy who runs the shop I spend most of my time at, directed me to one of the biggest shops with an online store that sells across the country, and even they don't appear to be ordering enough to get the variant.

That is not what I said.

Let's try again:

"They’re a very normal part of the comic book landscape and are offered to retailers in a few different ways: A and B covers where a shop will get an equal amount of the standard cover and the B variant. And Incentive Variants where a retailer has to order a certain amount of A issues from Diamond to get issues with the B cover, or occasionally separate covers for the same issue with Separate Order Codes that shops can order as they wish.

Variant covers are a really popular part of comic buying for fans, but can be a real struggle for retailers, as they encourage speculation, where collectors buy rarer books specifically to resell them at a higher price. If a shop takes a risk on a large variant scheme that doesn’t land well, it can really damage a business.

[...]

One of the most interesting things about variant covers is they are always sold to shops at cover price. So the inflated prices that you will often see for the rarer books are set by whomever is selling them. Comic shops will usually set a price close to what the book is being sold for online, as this means that they won’t just be selling it to someone to sell on at a hugely inflated rate.

Variant covers can impact order numbers in different ways. They can drive initial sales up as shops order to get specific covers for customers, but sometimes they actually lower numbers by spreading them out among different codes, which can cause sales to be completely misreported. A separate order code is typically used when a variant cover has a higher cover price than the standard cover. Also, the number of comics sold by Diamond in no way equates to the actual number of comics sold. "


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If getting the variant cover is so important to some wouldn't it be easier to just order the 10 directly from the distributor? Sure you would be paying for more books but you end up getting what you want

Ultra Markus wrote:If getting the variant cover is so important to some wouldn't it be easier to just order the 10 directly from the distributor? Sure you would be paying for more books but you end up getting what you want

Some people do pool together and do that, or then resell the other copies on secondary market, or both!

Va'al wrote:

Ultra Markus wrote:If getting the variant cover is so important to some wouldn't it be easier to just order the 10 directly from the distributor? Sure you would be paying for more books but you end up getting what you want

Some people do pool together and do that, or then resell the other copies on secondary market, or both!

I'm willing to pay double or maybe triple for the variant (because I only know one shop that sells variants at cover price), but I'm not willing to go higher then that. Otherwise, If I read it I'll just read the comic online and not buy it at all.

I purchased the transformers Archie x-over book for the cover with Hot Rod, Betty and Veronica because I liked the cover. I couldn't' give a rats ass about the story. I never read it, but I display the cover art.

Companies create variant covers to try and drive up sales, for their own profit. My point is, if they wrote and drew comics people want they wouldn't need to create a false sales model. People would buy the books. If a company feels they need to put their best covers on hard to get variants, it's because they don't believe the book will sell well, and In the case of IDW it's become a way of life for them period and really needs to stop.

Again, if one of the largest online retailers is apparently not even getting the variant cover, it shows just how bad they are expecting the book to sell.