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How This Picture Changed the Comic Book Industry FOREVER! || Comic Misconceptions || NerdSync

Have you ever looked at an old Marvel comic book and wondered why there's a picture of Spider-Man's head where the barcode should be? This is because of the direct market of comic sales, and has had enormous repercussions on the entire comic book industry from the boom of specialty comic shops, the market for back issues, and even the speculator bubble of the 90s. There is a lot of history behind this seemingly insignificant image!
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Every Wednesday, Comic Misconceptions explores the incredible stories, fascinating ideas, and mind-blowing theories regarding comic books and the rich history and culture that surrounds them!
Hosted by Scott Niswander (@ScottNiswander)
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Пікірлер: 796

  • @KaijuRamen54
    @KaijuRamen548 жыл бұрын

    The reason I love back issues is because I grew up reading my dads comic books...and now that he's gone, collecting those old books reminds me of the good times. That's why if I were to ever ask Stan Lee to sign a comic, it wouldn't be an expensive or rare one...it would be an old unimpressive Spider-Man issue...but it's the first one I ever read with my dad and what made me a comic book fan.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for leaving this comment!

  • @ValpasKankaristo

    @ValpasKankaristo

    8 жыл бұрын

    I replied to give you another like.

  • @SciFiFan2012

    @SciFiFan2012

    6 жыл бұрын

    Exactly, comics are tangible links to memories we fans shate. My first purchase with my own money was one of those 3 pack comics on the spinner racks when I was 7, haven't looked back! My mom gave me a dictionary, said I can look up the words I don't know, and my reading level shot up 3 grade levels because of Batman!

  • @pepsitate8019

    @pepsitate8019

    5 жыл бұрын

    Yeah, and plus there are so many stories that haven’t been put into digital comics or trades. I’ve been buying old back issues of Master Of Kung Fu for a while now because there’s just really no other way to read them, accept for maybe if I wanted to buy a volume of the omnibus for 90$.

  • @dzas_cave

    @dzas_cave

    Жыл бұрын

    I read that as black issues

  • @slothstradamus89
    @slothstradamus895 жыл бұрын

    Maybe I'm just weird, but one of the most RAD things about buying a bunch of X-Force and Uncanny X-Men at my job (Goodwill) a few weeks back was getting to see the ENTIRE comic in its original form. And by that I mean ads and stuff like old giveaways included. There's just something magical about sifting through an old 80's/90's issue and it sparking nostalgia within you, seeing what life was like back then. Again, maybe that's just me lol.

  • @christophertomasello1227
    @christophertomasello12272 жыл бұрын

    I remember when the barcode comics were introduced in 1975. I was outraged I always wondered why the heck can't they restore the image as the artist originally envisioned on the direct sales versions.?!

  • @inferiordelirium210
    @inferiordelirium2106 жыл бұрын

    Nothing will ever beat having a physical copy of a comic book.

  • @sirroxalot
    @sirroxalot8 жыл бұрын

    Personally, no matter how many stories I can find online I'll always want the tangible copy in my hand. I'm five books away from completing the entire Ironman vol. #1 run(332 issues plus annuals). I know I can purchase any book over the internet, but every single book came from a dealer and it's taken me twenty-two years so far. I like doing it the old-fashioned way, sort of like treasure hunting and I feel like using the internet is "cheating" if that makes any sense.

  • @michaelargueta4979

    @michaelargueta4979

    8 жыл бұрын

    Holy shit Much respect to you man. And Iron man is my favorite. And I agree finding them from a dealer feels more rewarding and satisfying. I sure hope you find those last few comics you need. 2 decades and finally finished the entire run. Good luck bro :)

  • @sirroxalot

    @sirroxalot

    8 жыл бұрын

    Michael Argueta Thanks man. I'm two books away now. Getting close.

  • @wowisntitanamazinglyamazin9550

    @wowisntitanamazinglyamazin9550

    7 жыл бұрын

    sirroxalot did you find those last 2 man

  • @bigbabysld

    @bigbabysld

    6 жыл бұрын

    I have recently just started reading books on line, BUT there is nothing like having the actual print in your hands, the smell of an old comic just cannot be imitated. I have been collecting comics for 38yrs...and their is nothing like having the hard copy in your hands flipping thru the pages

  • @SciFiFan2012

    @SciFiFan2012

    6 жыл бұрын

    bigbabysld preach lol

  • @DoctorTopper
    @DoctorTopper8 жыл бұрын

    Spider-Manuary is over. Now it is Webrurary month. Then Spider-March Madness. Then April

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    I am upset by how funny this is. Haha

  • @slothstradamus89

    @slothstradamus89

    5 жыл бұрын

    No Arachnid-April?!

  • @Celtic1020

    @Celtic1020

    5 жыл бұрын

    @Cadeboy 13 J. Jonah July.

  • @hydrolito

    @hydrolito

    4 жыл бұрын

    Mary Janeuary, Merry Marvel March, Storm causes April Showers, Aunt May flowers, Thor creates August of Wind. Nova ember

  • @igota100inscience9

    @igota100inscience9

    4 жыл бұрын

    hydrolito leave this comment section, we are talking about only spider-man related months

  • @The1066BMJ
    @The1066BMJ6 жыл бұрын

    I bought comics in the late 1960s with little thought about them..since i was just a kid then. I got into a collecting comics as a hobby at age 12..in 1973. I was a Marvel fan & didn't care much for DC. I attended the second annual Marvel Comicon in NYC in 1976. I stopped collecting comics around 1983. I still have a number of the comics & related material i bought during the 1970s..up to the beginning of the 80s. The comic Book scene is vastly different today than from the 1970s. I feel privileged to have been a collector from an earlier time period over today's overblown & somewhat confusing array of material being offered at present time. I guess i'm just old school & a product of my generation.

  • @ScottyNiswander
    @ScottyNiswander8 жыл бұрын

    This was a super fun video to research! I learned a bunch about the comics industry thanks to that little picture of Spider-Man's head!

  • @cameronarmijo4228

    @cameronarmijo4228

    8 жыл бұрын

    Scott? What are you doing here?

  • @xihangyang

    @xihangyang

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Scott Niswander why do people still be issue comic and not tpb or hard cover or digital.

  • @MopeeDuck

    @MopeeDuck

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Scott Niswander aww bless you

  • @jinnbs414

    @jinnbs414

    8 жыл бұрын

    +xihang yang tpbs and hardcover are released after the single issues are published, so that may be a reason.

  • @pokemontrainerj5808

    @pokemontrainerj5808

    8 жыл бұрын

    #Magicwebs

  • @LeoxandarMagnus
    @LeoxandarMagnus8 жыл бұрын

    Huh, this was interesting. Most of my collection is built on back issues. One of my favorite things to do when I go to my local comic shop is to explore the rows of old issues they have. It's like archaeology. Now I've probably made some people feel old.

  • @LeoxandarMagnus

    @LeoxandarMagnus

    8 жыл бұрын

    Odin's eye. I'd like to have a peek around your collection :P

  • @jmen4ever257

    @jmen4ever257

    8 жыл бұрын

    I love to read the old marvel letter pages. Interesting comments,ofton from future comic stars,and often answered by Stan Lee personaly.

  • @jagruger
    @jagruger8 жыл бұрын

    He's only half right. His explanation misses the role WHITMAN played in this. Before direct distribution, Whitman had a deal with Marvel, DC and Gold key which would allow them to distribute those books in three packs. The comics in those packs were generally distributed to department stores. They were not eligible for returns. so to differentiate the whitmans, they simply put a Whitman logo over the gold key and the DC logos. Marvel had different 3 pack deals outside of whitman as well as with Whitman, so they devised thee "diamond" corner box with a blank upc code. That's why you see Marvel books before 1979 with those boxes. Keep in mind that the first Marvel books with UPC codes appeared in 1976, many, like Fantastic four 171, had a cover date of June 1976. So, from 1976-1979, Marvel already had the blank UPC box in place. After 1979, they just continued to use the same method they devised for their deal with whitman for the Direct Market. DC adopted Marvel's blank UPC code with the Whitmans, as well.

  • @bencutrer2426
    @bencutrer24268 жыл бұрын

    Once I heard the word "Back Issues" I immediately thought "Sals gonna be here isn't he " then once he showed up I was like "I'm done , this is great :D"

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Hahaha! You should wait for the episode we do about Variant comic book covers...

  • @harveyabel1354

    @harveyabel1354

    7 жыл бұрын

    Fart on variant covers.

  • @No8Named8Shadow
    @No8Named8Shadow8 жыл бұрын

    It always astounds me just how much information you can squeeze out of a topic about comics

  • @Spoomis
    @Spoomis7 жыл бұрын

    Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer printed comics to images and words on a screen.

  • @Patrick-er2ld

    @Patrick-er2ld

    5 жыл бұрын

    Old fashioned

  • @pokemonassociate2238

    @pokemonassociate2238

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thrawn so do i

  • @pokemonassociate2238

    @pokemonassociate2238

    4 жыл бұрын

    patthemightymat I don’t think you know, but that’s not gonna annoy him😂

  • @hydrolito

    @hydrolito

    4 жыл бұрын

    So what did you think of the Batman TV show with sound affects written as words on screen, POW Wham etc.?

  • @chemsomnia

    @chemsomnia

    4 жыл бұрын

    There is a certain vibe that comes with the textured paper and the smell of the ink.

  • @SuperiorDeadpool4c
    @SuperiorDeadpool4c8 жыл бұрын

    This is the kind of video that I show my friends that wanna get into comic books. Thank you, Scott, for all the great videos. I've come to learn a bunch of stuff I could have never imagined.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    That's so great to hear! Thank you!

  • @ericfellner2689
    @ericfellner26898 жыл бұрын

    I totally support back issues. Old comics show so much about the culture of the time, and will never pop up again. An old art style won't pop up again, old printing limitations go away, and the ads are time and medium specific. I also think old issues rely less on continuity and more on short runs, making them easy to follow. Stories can be so interwoven that you're forced to read every comic to know what's going on in your favorite. Services like Marvel Unlimited will eliminate comic stores the same way iTunes did record shops. Collecting didn't ruin the comics industry, the industry's over production in response did. Back issues are cheap and physical copies make industries less disposable.

  • @comicbookreviewer4856

    @comicbookreviewer4856

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Eric Fellner i like back issues and I do reviews on the classics but showing the pictures and the stories that come with it

  • @ROOKTABULA
    @ROOKTABULA6 жыл бұрын

    They didn't send back the comics here, for many years, just the covers. I would get a STACK of cover free comics every week from my mom. Some seriously valuable late 70s and 80s comix went thru my hands-if only they had covers!

  • @mattwcheese2045
    @mattwcheese20456 жыл бұрын

    "Originally all comics had barcodes on them" -- comic books were around for ~35 yrs before bar codes were invented...

  • @NerdSyncProductions
    @NerdSyncProductions8 жыл бұрын

    Let's all agree that Sal is the best.

  • @coolblaze442

    @coolblaze442

    8 жыл бұрын

    Agreed!

  • @bossguyaskme1363

    @bossguyaskme1363

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync He's TIE-riffic. I'm back.

  • @comicpop

    @comicpop

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync Aw shucks! Right back atcha, Scott!

  • @geekmangacomic5281

    @geekmangacomic5281

    8 жыл бұрын

    Agreed

  • @maplebob23

    @maplebob23

    8 жыл бұрын

    I agree that I love Back Issues and Off the Rack.

  • @mirkecWii
    @mirkecWii8 жыл бұрын

    I feel very sad that I NEVER read a superhero comic,I never had a comic book store in my city (or I never knew). But then I saw Raimis Spiderman,which made me watch EVER superhero film,and now I basically know everythinf about any heros because of Channels like this,Thanks!

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic! I didn't read an actual comic for years after I was interested in superheroes. I just searched wikipedia pages and talked with friends who knew about the stuff.

  • @mirkecWii

    @mirkecWii

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync Exactly like you,except I never had friends that read comics

  • @declaration14
    @declaration148 жыл бұрын

    I dunno how it would fit into your niche but would it be possible for you to do an episode on Marvel's No Prize Award? I just think it's a really interesting way of getting the fans involved AND acknowledging artists' mistakes.

  • @savagevideos1

    @savagevideos1

    8 жыл бұрын

    I second this

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    That would be pretty cool!

  • @theseanwardshow
    @theseanwardshow8 жыл бұрын

    Now that we have digital comics, the only people who want back issues are hard core collectors. Readers can just call up the issue they're missing in the app and get it right now, as opposed to having to go looking for the print issue. Also, this change will open up the market because before, to get into comics, you had to make the commitment to having your comic books all take up space in your house and it was a very particular kind of person who wants to do that. Now anyone can keep years worth of stories in their iPad and read them anywhere they want.

  • @darthnihilus9964

    @darthnihilus9964

    8 жыл бұрын

    Digital issues are pretty good if there aren't any comic book stores where a person lives.I have lot's of comics on my ipad.(for free,shhh don't tell on me).

  • @theseanwardshow

    @theseanwardshow

    8 жыл бұрын

    +TacoCatVids I've got four comic book stores within a 30 minute walk and I do all of my reading in the app. Print issues I buy are just for the collecting aspect (Spider-Mans, variant covers, etc)

  • @darthnihilus9964

    @darthnihilus9964

    8 жыл бұрын

    The Sean Ward Show Sadly,no comic book stores and no monthly issues.Fuck the place where i live.Fuck it.

  • @Alex-gu6qq

    @Alex-gu6qq

    8 жыл бұрын

    +The Sean Ward Show Comics are like boobs. They look good on a screen, but I'd rather have one in my hand. -Stan Lee

  • @Wesker10000

    @Wesker10000

    8 жыл бұрын

    +The Sean Ward Show But is it really enjoyable to read comics on a screen? I mean doesn't it make your eyes feel like they want to bleed after a while?

  • @Dasdutt
    @Dasdutt8 жыл бұрын

    I remember my initial interest in comics was with the X-Men. Back then when old stories were referenced there were footnotes referencing the issue #. So I would read a new story, make note of the references and then buy those back issues. That is what turned me into a collector.

  • @shadowxelnaga
    @shadowxelnaga8 жыл бұрын

    I am a simple ComicPop fan, I see Sal, I press like.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    My plan is working... Haha

  • @phoenixmcleod985

    @phoenixmcleod985

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync Quick, Scott, more ComicPop, these likes will make you famous

  • @TheJamF100

    @TheJamF100

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Shadow Gabriel lol DId the same thing.

  • @sagganuts18
    @sagganuts188 жыл бұрын

    you guys are one of the best comic-based channel on youtube. Your information are so unique, interesting, well researched, and well delivered. I can't believe you do't have more subscribers and views

  • @gregoryl.levitre9759
    @gregoryl.levitre97593 жыл бұрын

    Comicpop Dude: "I found that I was being caught up in the culture of comics." I fail to see the problem with that. The culture is literally what keeps people interested in comics. After he said that I kept waiting for the punchline but it never came, and then I realized he was being serious.

  • @EveryDayALittleDeath
    @EveryDayALittleDeath8 жыл бұрын

    this was interesting. and made me very grateful to have discovered Comixology, because there are a lot of comics I never would have gotten into if I couldn't read them from the beginning

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Comixology is a godsend!

  • @davidwatson9064
    @davidwatson90648 жыл бұрын

    I read "back issues" mostly through trade paperbacks while I was young. The old ones still hit the young demographic with there campy stories.

  • @Lotmeister
    @Lotmeister6 жыл бұрын

    Unlike Scott, I was born in the '70s. I grew up in a little town where comics were sold only at grocery stores and the town drug store. Once I got an issue of Batman with the first half of a story, with the second half to appear in the next issue of Detective Comics - "coming in two weeks!" So I made sure my mom did her grocery shopping exactly two weeks later, and sure enough, there was the Detective issue. Unfortunately I was only able to get her to do this for one more story. Anyway, some of the comics had ads with references to "specialty comics shops." That blew my prepubescent mind - an entire STORE full of comic books?! That would be heaven on earth! Unfortunately by the time I was old enough to drive and get to other cities that had such stores, I was more interested in other magazines that you could only get in certain stores, if you get my drift.

  • @jacpod2046
    @jacpod20467 жыл бұрын

    Digital comics suck. Nothing beats the feeling of a new, slick comic in your hand.

  • @EthanBradburyVlogs

    @EthanBradburyVlogs

    6 жыл бұрын

    JacPod stay in the past old man

  • @MicFader410

    @MicFader410

    6 жыл бұрын

    King Bradberry No

  • @farpointgamingdirect

    @farpointgamingdirect

    6 жыл бұрын

    JacPod Good luck finding all of those great golden-age comics without digital, like a complete run of hard to find titles

  • @SciFiFan2012

    @SciFiFan2012

    6 жыл бұрын

    farpointgamingdirect it is possible to get a run of lesser known Silver or Golden age titles, it's not all about the big guns of Marvel and DC.

  • @dripsystem5785

    @dripsystem5785

    6 жыл бұрын

    Real print is far better, less strain on the eyes and feel of turning the paper. Things are only going to get more digital in the future

  • @DaveKrzeminski
    @DaveKrzeminski8 жыл бұрын

    Another cool video. I really did wonder why a spidey pic was at the bottom of my XMen comics. Cool to see Sal here too! Get the whole Pull cast to appear lol.

  • @mitrooper
    @mitrooper8 жыл бұрын

    It's a great picture, it's how I want to see Spidey, love the Romita design of the Spidey mask.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    It is nice to look at!

  • @l.clevelandmajor9931
    @l.clevelandmajor99318 жыл бұрын

    OK, you say "Originally all comics had bar codes on them!" This in itself is not true! I bought Spiderman 1 the day it hit the newsstand back in the mid 1960s! At that time, all inventory was done using the much older method of manually counting and recording the results. No barcodes were on any comics, or for that matter anything else. Barcodes were created to take advantage of new technology that included a computer system of inventory and sales. Programs were written for the computers and peripheral scanners were invented to work with those programs/ This did not actually get started until we were well into the 1970s. Now think about this, Comics have been in existence for approaching a century now. Indeed I had a comic from the 1930s. If computers even existed as we know them now at that time, only the universities and the government were using them, and they were so large that they would not fit into small spaces like computers of today. Plus the language used for them would have been too much for businesses to even begin to understand, let alone afford to incorporate. Thus no barcodes! I was around when barcodes began being used, and that was in the 1970s!

  • @mickeynotmouse

    @mickeynotmouse

    8 жыл бұрын

    +L. Cleveland Major congratulations on your ripe old age

  • @l.clevelandmajor9931

    @l.clevelandmajor9931

    8 жыл бұрын

    +mickeynotmouse I might be pretty old, but I still like the comics just like always!

  • @heathcoffield1923

    @heathcoffield1923

    7 жыл бұрын

    If I remember correctly, barcodes were on the covers around mid 1976 (at least for marvel) and it was at least a couple more years before direct sales started. I generally categorize 1970 to pre-barcode 1976 as early Bronze age.

  • @comicblueswithjonygitar36

    @comicblueswithjonygitar36

    5 жыл бұрын

    Much of the information in this video is plain wrong. I've bought comics since early 70's, no bar code, like my Hulk 181,has no code on it. When you're "hunting" for back issues, you're getting stuff lcs got burned buying. If we went back to old system prices would drop, risk would shift to publishers like marvel, would make them abandon sadistic garbage like Secret Empire, ie Punisher, dufus zemo, bad cap etc, why would marvel change it? If they had to buy them back would fix overnight. We need a store wide revolt to fix comicsgate. Dont like lady iron man, lady thor, lady daredevil, lady iron fist, all this garbage? Make Marvel pay for the unsold issues. Fixed over night, watch.

  • @lronhillbilly

    @lronhillbilly

    3 жыл бұрын

    I really cringed when I heard that line "Originally all comics had bar codes on them", and felt really old.

  • @KTF0
    @KTF07 жыл бұрын

    Wow, this brings back memories. I remember getting into Venom because of back issues and I asked the vendor the same question about the picture. I saved enough money and bought his first appearance for $42. I had every Venom issue until they overdid the miniseries.

  • @blubastud
    @blubastud8 жыл бұрын

    Why did i have a geekgasm over Sal's cameo, lol. Oh yeah, your set up for it was classic, lol. As soon as you said I'm not an expert on back issues I screamed out "Sal!", and I was right...awesome sauce.

  • @Igaveyoumyfakename
    @Igaveyoumyfakename8 жыл бұрын

    I pressed the play button wondering how it could possibly take almost 10 minutes to explain a simple barcode image. Thankfully it didn't actually take that long. But what I got was a REALLY interesting lesson on how we got to where we are in the comic hobby. Thanks. More stuff like this please.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Igaveyoumyfakename THAT is awesome! And YOU are awesome! Thanks for watching :) - Nali

  • @cathyvickers9063
    @cathyvickers90638 жыл бұрын

    Originally, there WERE no bar codes! I remember when cover art changed to accommodate bar codes. (Collecting since 1968)

  • @jmen4ever257

    @jmen4ever257

    8 жыл бұрын

    I still hate the damn things on covers. Remember how shocked I was, to see original art covers, with an empty box drawn on them for it.

  • @CarlosRodriguez-sv4wd
    @CarlosRodriguez-sv4wd8 жыл бұрын

    I love that you didn't put comic pop or sal in the title so it was just a great surprise that made me smile. great job guys, excelsior

  • @onenonlyJDK
    @onenonlyJDK8 жыл бұрын

    i like how nerd sync comes with these unique like they are so different like no one would ever think of , keep it up

  • @MrLourie
    @MrLourie8 жыл бұрын

    My favorite comic shop closed down a few months ago, and I'm still heart broken. I gladly traveled 45 minutes to get there. It had everything; statues, action figures, trades, hardcovers, back issues, magazines, all sorts of collectables, and seem to have a loyal customer base. Yet, it slowly went out of business. Many, rather than travel and peruse the comic shops on a weekly basis, choose to order online and download the issues. It's just not the same. I need to hold the actual comic, feel it, smell the ink, and appreciate the art that I hold in my hands. It's sad to think that the day will come when there will be no paper comics, just digital images behind the glass screen of a computer. Just as the movie and music industries are quickly turning to downloadable content. No DVD, no CD, no comic book, to physically possess, but literally in the "clouds".

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    I don't know if there will ever be a time when comic books will stop being printed for good, but that might be an interesting topic to do a video on.

  • @MrLourie

    @MrLourie

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync I'm glad you say that. Please do, I'm interested in what you would have to say on the topic. Also, will there come a time when rather than individual issues on a weekly basis, there may be complete stories released on a monthly basis in trade or hardcover.

  • @harveyabel1354

    @harveyabel1354

    7 жыл бұрын

    There are all kinds of good, even great, online comic book subscription services! I personally get my orders every month from All New Comics - mind you, they ship to Canada only.

  • @SciFiFan2012

    @SciFiFan2012

    6 жыл бұрын

    Louis Riehm the media has been saying ebooks will end paper books for over a decade now, CDs were the end cassettes and vinyl, yet there are still book stores, DVDs to buy and record shops. There will always be a market for all of it. Digital is a fail waiting to happen.

  • @potluckanimations7633

    @potluckanimations7633

    5 жыл бұрын

    I understand but nowhere here sells real comics (I live in the south of England) and.i read the online and love them

  • @ItsOver9000Productions
    @ItsOver9000Productions8 жыл бұрын

    Should've put Sal in thumbnail. Everyone loves Sal!!

  • @javib2978
    @javib29785 ай бұрын

    This idea of the picture on bottom left corner, it was also used for a happy anniversary for characters like Captain America in X-Force Vol. 1 issue #1.

  • @kairon156
    @kairon1567 жыл бұрын

    Someone told me about a place that had a free Comic Book day which after watching this might be a good way to "unload" your excess comics.

  • @NitroModelsAndComics
    @NitroModelsAndComics7 жыл бұрын

    Tell ya what guys. Send all your back issues to me. I'll provide an address and even pay for shipping.

  • @_oxcy

    @_oxcy

    5 жыл бұрын

    Robert Frias No.

  • @Fun_With_Google_Translate
    @Fun_With_Google_Translate6 жыл бұрын

    Also, don't forget those grab bags that comic stores often did with all those extras. Discovered so many great titles that I might have never picked up that way.

  • @derekstack7479
    @derekstack74798 жыл бұрын

    My gaming group (back when "Champions" was a thing) always used to joke that Spider-Man got one experience point for every comic where his face appeared on the cover (thus explaining why he was the most powerful character in the Marvel universe).

  • @AVITIPON
    @AVITIPON8 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for another great episode guys, like always you must have spent so much time in researchand all; you really are awesome; keep it up !

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Oh yes. Many weeks of research. But it's all worth it!

  • @AVITIPON

    @AVITIPON

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync Yes it definitely is ! Thanks again for enhancing our conception and perception of comics; may you continue your videos for Eternity ! (if youtube don't copyright strike you for no reason of course)

  • @ikmnification5737
    @ikmnification57378 жыл бұрын

    Growing up with the X-men TV Show and then seeing Spiderman or Captain America's face on the corner of the comic really confused me as a child. Made me think they made a special appearance in the issue.

  • @DaiAtlus79
    @DaiAtlus796 жыл бұрын

    4:08 as well, as a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s, some stores would offer sealed mixed polybags from a supplier with things like a certain run of comics (i got the 1986 Superman #'s 1,2 and 3 this way for a buck at my local department store in the toy section a year after it was published), or other collections (one common staple in our Easter Baskets and Christmas Stockings as kids were things like the complete set of Marvel's adaptation of Return Of The Jedi or the first few issues of their A-Team series, in a sealed bag). This was VERY common to find in many discount and department stores in the 80s and early 90s, at least here in Canada, and ALL comics had the Direct Market box on them.

  • @sebkim7970
    @sebkim79708 жыл бұрын

    The comic industry is so interesting! It so cool that real world problem effect the comics themselves

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    That's my favorite part about learning about comics history!

  • @chriswaugh1177
    @chriswaugh11778 жыл бұрын

    nice to see sal on this channel, he's the man

  • @DaiAtlus79
    @DaiAtlus796 жыл бұрын

    Also, some comic series were Direct Sales ONLY! DC had their premium comics, printed on nicer paper and a bit more mature in content as Direct Market only, which helped as well both give comic shops an incentive, as well as kept more mature content from showing up in places like a supermarket.

  • @MrLucasD123
    @MrLucasD1234 жыл бұрын

    My favorite comic book store has both a great selection of new comics and a large area of back issues. It's awesome

  • @ravenfirepheonix
    @ravenfirepheonix6 жыл бұрын

    I literally have no more room at home to collect so i've gone digital. And i'm recollecting all on digital. But there is something about holding a #1.

  • @dvepps6780
    @dvepps67808 жыл бұрын

    ur videos are WAY more interesting than any other comics channel on KZread

  • @timmeyer9191
    @timmeyer91914 жыл бұрын

    I like back issues, but I do believe many vendors have the majority of them overpriced. About 5 years ago, I was working at a direct market comic store. Most comics cost less than $1.50-$2.00 a book for the store, but sold at cover price to the customer which was close to a 100% mark up in some cases. There are some gems in the back issues that need to reflect that demand in their price, but in my experience, most back issues can be reduced on price down to reflect the number of copies in stock or to move stock to make room for newer books. At my store, after 3-4 months at cover price, most back issues would be reduced to $1-$1.50. Most of the new releases sold well enough that reducing the leftovers to less than cost didn't hurt the bottom line, but we did this to increase the chances of the merchandise moving. It was better to sell it below cost rather than sit on it at cover price and not make anything off it. Online, we would sell the books for cover or even more than cover price cuz of the increased costs in shipping and Amazon usage fees. Each store is different, but I find the trick is trying to not overbuy new release stock, or at least not overbuy so much than it eats away at your profits if you don't sell all of them.

  • @brianrebmann676
    @brianrebmann6768 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful video full of interesting history and information. I literally did not know the bulk of what was said in this video. Although, I do remember you discussing the spiderman image on the cover of comics in a previous episode. I love history and facts thanks again.

  • @lazedout8755
    @lazedout87558 жыл бұрын

    Look like those "back issues" will give you "back issues"

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Well played! Haha

  • @MemphiStig
    @MemphiStig6 жыл бұрын

    a good shop tried to keep up with all its regular customers for just this reason. bookstores, for example, routinely dealt with returns and refunds for unsold books, but comics were different. and even when "special issues" came out, they would poll their regulars to determine how many they could count on selling. even if they carried, and sold, lots of back issues, they couldn't depend on that to keep them in business if they didn't manage their new titles well. and even in the crazy days of the 90s, there were some things you couldn't get unless you could get the shop to order/reserve you a copy, and they generally wouldn't do that if they didn't already know you were a dependable customer. i mean, if you really wanted all seven covers of Death of Superman, you had to know somebody and ask nicely. you couldn't just count on the back issues section to pick them up later.

  • @SupernerdScrawl
    @SupernerdScrawl8 жыл бұрын

    Um Scott, not all wizards can tell the future. Divination is the most uncertain form of magic and is often laughed at in wizarding social circles. Muggle.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    I love this comment more than I've ever loved anything!

  • @sarahgray430

    @sarahgray430

    6 жыл бұрын

    Speaking as a person whose understanding of such things doesn't just come from J.K. Rowling, there are two kinds of dharma, fixed and mutable. Fixed dharma can be predicted (it's set at birth, like your DNA) whereas mutable dharma is dependant on the choices a person makes in life, and is much harder to predict. To quote Gandalf "All you need to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."

  • @mimicoffey1393

    @mimicoffey1393

    6 жыл бұрын

    Except among us Ravenclaws were always excited to learn (even if we scoff upon it)

  • @scotendowins893

    @scotendowins893

    5 жыл бұрын

    J. K. Rowling bastardized biblical ideas and in her own statement if you know how the new testament ended you will know how this ends it's obviously significant that she would give her main character a symbol of the lightning bolt too,God is the only one that can predict the future and when everyone gets the microchip in a way we will all have our lightning bolt,I won't get one I'll be like Dennis Leary in demolition man, I'll live in the sewer and eat rats lol

  • @sarahgray430

    @sarahgray430

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@scotendowins893 Yet more reason to believe that JK Rowling is evil and may have had an even more nefarious agenda than simply making a fast buck. I for one would like to see Hogwart's overcome by a ravening hoarde of Dothraki and burnt to the ground!

  • @cessnaace
    @cessnaace4 жыл бұрын

    I'm old fashioned in that I collect what I read and vice-versa. Even when it comes to indie comics that aren't published as such, but can be purchased digitally from IndyPlanet, I always pay for a print-on-demand copy. I've been burned in the past buying digital only copies of songs or games, only to have them disappear later.

  • @SharinganSora95
    @SharinganSora958 жыл бұрын

    Depends on the shop. Sadly were in an age where back issues for the most part are way too expensive due to this resurgence (or reaching new levels) of comics in popular culture. Especially for me being a spiderman collector. But when it comes to my Moon Knight and Spiderwoman collection, its fairly easy/ cheap to get back issues.

  • @missuscake
    @missuscake7 жыл бұрын

    Very well done. how the icon we have all seen familiarly on the bottom corner of many books, for me late eighties Black Spiderman bad luck outfit books, turned into a discussion of back issues themselves out of the origin and purpose of the icon from the direct sales market, which led to back issues, which is where in my age group most people found those issues. Segued well friends! Back issues aren't done, but the concept has evolved. Marvel loyalty programs practically are changing the comic book industry.

  • @ericbolton9512
    @ericbolton95128 жыл бұрын

    I work in a convenience store, and I understand that, no one knows what products are going to sell. They have to go on what has been selling, they order more of those items, and less of the rest. But in my experience, there have been lots of products that weren't ordered in large amounts, but sell out a day after the order.

  • @theonewho547
    @theonewho5476 жыл бұрын

    2:30 in you answered the question. done. dont need the rest.

  • @GuyWRWaynes
    @GuyWRWaynes6 жыл бұрын

    UPC barcodes were not in retail stores until the 1970s. To get credit for unsold magazines, and comics, retailers would tear of the covers (or some identifying portion of it) and mail it to publishers. Tearing off the covers was cheaper than sending entire magazines through the mail.

  • @mth1022
    @mth10228 жыл бұрын

    That is a thing I always wondered about. Well, wonder no more! Always appreciate learning something new and I'm finding your videos a damn good place to do that. Keep up the good work.

  • @PhuryousOne
    @PhuryousOne3 жыл бұрын

    The older 12 and 15 cent comics have amazing covers. One bonus is you'll never see a barcode on the front. The Spider-Man is much more eye appealing than the barcode for sure, especially on Amazing Spider-Man #300, for example, but I wish they would have put the barcode on the back cover.

  • @seanmccallum6558
    @seanmccallum65587 жыл бұрын

    Is there any chance of doing a episode talking about Roger Stern? (he's my favorite writer).

  • @titanproductions48
    @titanproductions486 жыл бұрын

    I use digital comics, so I look for story arcs and volumes of series, but I admire anyone who was able to grab most of the comics from one story

  • @czsmindhole3507
    @czsmindhole35078 жыл бұрын

    In Newcastle, Geek Retreat's back issue section is a mess of damaged comics in boxes so full you can't check what comic your holding without pulling it out.

  • @ricardorios2355
    @ricardorios23558 жыл бұрын

    Great video! It's cool to see Saul. You should do a video on the Spiderman costume that came out before the first Spider-man comic. It is a neat story and would make a good video.

  • @jeanemlicar27
    @jeanemlicar276 жыл бұрын

    I got plenty of comics with Spidey's face near the barcode. I love it.

  • @Lantern_Matt_2814
    @Lantern_Matt_28143 жыл бұрын

    I always thought the Spidey head was there to cover the barcode if anyone tried to replicate the issue and cover

  • @sebkim7970
    @sebkim79708 жыл бұрын

    This is off topic but I love your podcast! Yours and Mrsunday's are the only ones I listen to :)

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @hiko082673
    @hiko0826738 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic post Scott!! Very informative.

  • @newdamage5945
    @newdamage59456 жыл бұрын

    My first book was right off the newstand 1995 an Age of Apocalypse tie-in. This in turn sent me into comic shops which turned me into a collector. I loved the collecting/hobby aspect of it. I don't even know what I would have done if I'd had a Comixology app. back then.

  • @megamatt1915
    @megamatt19158 жыл бұрын

    When Sal popped up I was like "SAL!" Definitely surprised to see him in one of your videos.

  • @bartdman95
    @bartdman956 жыл бұрын

    I'm from a country which is an Island in the South Pacific. Comic book stores in my area sold the one's with the bar codes cheaper than the one with the just photo. We could only buy the bar-coded ones in a discount book store called BOOK SALE. While the Direct Editions and ones with Spidy and/or sups is comic book stores like FILBAR'S and COMIC QUEST.

  • @devilzchild91
    @devilzchild918 жыл бұрын

    Do a video on who you think is the most powerful member of the Justice League. Or a video on the outcome of a hypothetical battle between the core members or the Justice League vs the Avengers. Or both. Love your channel. Keep up the good work.

  • @liloiax22
    @liloiax228 жыл бұрын

    of course he showed a pic of Mopey (sp?) when he said "wizard" lol I saw that coming from a mile away

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    I blame the editor who put that in because I asked him too!

  • @CyberPumpkin
    @CyberPumpkin8 жыл бұрын

    Seriously stopped in the middle of my X-Files marathon to watch this, minutes after it was uploaded, at midnight here in England. I was not disappointed. Excellent video Scott. Now when someone asks me (which is more frequently then you would think), I can just point them to this video and channel! (I love sharing knowledge but I'm sick of this question being asked to me haha)

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Hahaha, you have some serious dedication! And yeah, feel free to point people our way!

  • @CyberPumpkin

    @CyberPumpkin

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync always do my man. Plus, insomnia mixed with insanity and a love of comics goes a LONG way. Haha

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    HUZZAH!

  • @bsabruzzo
    @bsabruzzo8 жыл бұрын

    The thing is, nothing is static. All changes create new changes and systems. Comic book shops not only got into the back issue market, but began subscription programs. This guaranteed the customer would get all the issues in a title or series or story. And it also meant the stores could plan better how many minimum comics were definitely needed. For this, there was the privilege of discount prices. Some shops would buy back the comics from their subscribers to fill out the missing back issue holes. The back issue market also lead to the reprint and trade paperback market, which cut into the back issue sales and even new issue sales. With the new digital market, it cuts into the ability of me to sell back my issues from a few years ago, because no store want them. It forces me to buy my comics online, harming the comic book shops.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    These are all really great points! Thanks for writing this!

  • @tree_fingers
    @tree_fingers8 жыл бұрын

    arg I hate having barcodes on the cover. Learn from Image, marvel!

  • @dooseyboy
    @dooseyboy8 жыл бұрын

    back issues are my life. i looooove finding older comics, i love having complete series in singular issues, it feels right.

  • @hydrolito
    @hydrolito7 жыл бұрын

    When Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan was in the news I went and found back issues of Flash comic books about Golden Glider an ice skating villainess. Who knows why back issues might become important? Anything in the news or entertainment world might inspire someone to buy back issues.

  • @UnownDepth
    @UnownDepth8 жыл бұрын

    Feels good watch NerdSych before going to bed.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Good night!

  • @jackji2325
    @jackji23258 жыл бұрын

    Can you do a history of comic book art style? I've always wondered why the comics look different from the early history (30's, 40's) to the 60's + 70's to the current style (glossy, computer assisted/generated?). THe backgrounds and textures just look so different than back in the day

  • @warbot4017
    @warbot40176 жыл бұрын

    My Comic Shop created Grab Bags with extras they couldnt sell, Usually 10 comics for 5 bucks. this might seem like a bad idea for a customer to buy at first. But considering the most likely comics to be over bought by the store were the popular ones, I would end up with some great stuff. Once in a while they would toss in a real gem. [Got most of the dark phoenix saga in one grab bag] . It really seemed to work for both as I could try out new comics, get gems and save money.

  • @Fragment38
    @Fragment386 жыл бұрын

    I was a comic freak in the 80's... used to buy about 20 titles a month, easy. I stopped around 1991 or so, and foolishly sold ALL my back issues to a friend who never did pay me more than about 10% of what we had agreed upon. I'm used to rows of long boxes and now if I go into a store I mostly see trade paperbacks. Maybe make a video (if you haven't) about what the heck happened to the comics industry... the implosion that must have occurred. I got out around the time that independents were starting to flourish. Seems to me it all started with those darned Ninja Turtles.

  • @donkeyman9992
    @donkeyman99928 жыл бұрын

    When I was a kid, I thought that the symbol meant that Spider-Man made a cameo in that certain comic. But it came to me when I wondered why the hell would Spider-Man debut in Ice Man?

  • @Joeh1154
    @Joeh11547 жыл бұрын

    Hmmn...to me, everything that Sal has a problem with, I would consider part of the fun of reading, and collecting Comics. The thrill of the hunt for a book I might have missed and the possibility of finding an older gem is great fun. As a reader/collector of the Marvel Silver Age (which was my era of books) going to comic shops, comicons, ebay, etc it's all part of being a reader who also likes to collect these wonderful books and of course, the older books have a unique smell to them which brings me back to my childhood in Brooklyn every time I get that whiff of older books.. Sal seems to talk like it's a bother. To each their own, I suppose.

  • @josephmassaro
    @josephmassaro6 жыл бұрын

    There will always be a place for back issues as long as there is a desire to collect things. The back issue market will undoubtedly shrink, but you will always have people collecting things from porcelain figurines to stamps to comic book back issues. With digital comics, the person who buys exclusively to read can do so, while the collector can still hunt for that coveted 9.8 grade missing issue.

  • @pulsarstargrave256
    @pulsarstargrave2568 жыл бұрын

    There's still a reason why I haunt comic shops and the occasional convention, it's to get comics that I like that haven't been compiled. Or if it has, it includes something I'm not interested in, like the issues of the Fantastic Four after Kirby left, just so they can wrap up Jack's last Sub Mariner v. The FF story!

  • @musicmongerdnsf
    @musicmongerdnsf8 жыл бұрын

    great topic, it provides informative fill-in much as back issues. much appreciated, thank you.

  • @geekmangacomic5281
    @geekmangacomic52818 жыл бұрын

    Omg ComicPop and NerdSync

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Together at last!

  • @geekmangacomic5281

    @geekmangacomic5281

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync I have a few questions for you if you don't mind. Will you be doing any Deadpool related videos this month or are you leaving that to Variant? Also once Batman v Superman comes out could you be doing some kind of Fandom Rivalry video? I think it'd be quite interesting to see.

  • @NerdSyncProductions

    @NerdSyncProductions

    8 жыл бұрын

    Razorc Skelly OF COURSE WE'LL HAVE DEADPOOL VIDEOS! We're just not going to do a whole month of them since I've done a bunch already.

  • @geekmangacomic5281

    @geekmangacomic5281

    8 жыл бұрын

    +NerdSync Sorry about that Scott. I was trying to offend you or anything, Thanks for responding to my comments though.

  • @geekmangacomic5281

    @geekmangacomic5281

    8 жыл бұрын

    +Razorc Skelly Oops I mean wasn't.

  • @ederfabian9111
    @ederfabian91118 жыл бұрын

    wow... one little image means so much. Definitely earned a sub! Really informative

  • @benphillips7333
    @benphillips73338 жыл бұрын

    My experience was the exact same as Sals, always felt weird about that haha like I wasn't a real fan because the grocery store gave me my first comics and not a dark and kinda unwelcoming comic book shop.

  • @moonlightatmidnight271
    @moonlightatmidnight2718 жыл бұрын

    Cool Collectables in the background, like the Thanos.^^ The owner of Marvel, shipped the returns,over to the british market, and made more out of it, than if he had done selling them in the states. Can look that up, smart guy.

  • @osiawideman5846
    @osiawideman58466 жыл бұрын

    Spiderman has always been my favorite superhero beside Batman and Earth 2 Atom

  • @greenmachine949
    @greenmachine9496 жыл бұрын

    Digital is a fine add-on to an actual physical comic if you need a crisp image of the book to mess around with on computer or something but nothing smells better than an actual new real comic book. Back-issues may not have that new-comic-book-smell but they do smell like history.