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Marvel's Original Sin – Soliciting A Second Print While There's Still A First Print To Order?

Published Wed, 09 Apr 2014 21:00:28 -0500

There's a trick some publishers pull. Printing the second print of a comic book at the same time as the first. Just run a few extra thousand copies of the insides and then print a new cover to attach around it – it is so much cheaper to do that at the time of the first printing than to set the printer up for a few more thousand at a different time. It's especially easy if the cover is printed on different stock to the insides or as part of a different print run.

But then why not make it all first print and have extra copies to sell the first time around? Because some people like to buy second prints. There's another new cover. And having a second print indicates that your comic has sold well, and will keep selling well, giving the retailer confidence to order more if the next issue.

However, it's rather rare to admit to second prints as a planned strategy, rather than a reaction to the sales of issue one. But here's one that might have sneaked out.

As part of a series of listings on Diamond's website for upcoming second prints such as Silver Surfer #1, Loki #2, Daredevil #1, Ghost Rider #1 and Superior Spider-Man #30, there's a listing for a second printing of Original Sin #1 that has been up for a week. While retailers are still being asked to up their orders on the first printing, indicating that the print run for that issue is as yet unfixed.

It's a curiosity, certainly… here's what Original Sin #1 will be promising, and you can read a Bleeding Cool mini-review here.