collectors.

Back when I bought and read comics (non super-hero ones, like American Splendor, Heavy Metal, Stinz, Concrete) I actually read them. Collectors buy issues and immediately put them into bags. When they read issues at all, it's just the first issue, because those are the ones that appreciate in price the most. You'd think having a complete collection of a series, like say, the first 12-issue set of Alien as published by Dark Horse, would be more desirable than 1st issues. Not according to what the collectors told me.

So, while I have no idea what comic that is you're talking about, my educated guess is that it was produced for collectors, or rather, to take advantage of collectors. Image, DC, and Marvel all had a gimmick back in the 90s of producing the same issue multiples times with different covers. Collectors lapped them up. I suspect the publishers still do this, too.

I can't remember the name of it now, but there was an excellent comics review magazine at one time, and maybe that's the title. I'd have to pull out my copies at home to help you. Or ask your local shop about it. I just remember they always had great, in-depth interviews with the creators, writers, and artists

is fooling themselves. Yes, you can speculate and all that, but you're better off putting the money in a Roth.

I do grab some first issues just to see if I like the title and then keep it in plastic in case it goes up, but I'm never making money on it. I'll keep all my comics in plastic just so my kids can pay for some alcohol when I die, but I'm not kidding myself.

Though I agree that the number of variant comics is ridiculous and a ploy to get money from cover chasers.

about every other month my comic book shop would try to push all the variant covers on me, and I'd refuse to take them. I'm into comic books for the storyline, not collecting so the variant covers mean absolutely nothing to me.

The blank covers are for you to take to conventions and get your favorite comic artist to do a drawing on it. It happens a LOT. Though, as they are WAY overpriced, I don't get it.

I just take a blank sketchbook around and have them draw in that.

although it kind of sucks that its overpriced but then again most things at conventions are overpriced.

for $4-5. Depends on the title, of course.

I have several blank variants of some of my favorite titles that I am either going to try get some of my favorite comic artists to do (e.g. Jenny Frison who does the covers of Revival and who also illustrated an awesome Alice in Wonderland to draw Alice as Thor on a Thor blank variant) or find less famous artists I like to draw something.