Posted in: Comics | Tagged: boom, Comics, entertainment, Kong of Skull Island, previews, Retailer Exclusive

Boom! Auctions Two Kong of Skull Island Retailer Exclusives Through Previews

Published Wed, 20 Apr 2016 19:12:45 -0500

Last updated Thu, 21 Apr 2016 08:46:25 -0500

Boom! Studios' announced the addition of a significant, classic license in their July-shipping solicitations at Emerald City Comicon – King Kong. Kong of Skull Island is planned as a six-issue limited series written by James Asmus (All-New Inhumans) with art by Carlos Magno (Planet of the Apes). BOOM!'s King Kong comic, based on the granddaddy of all giant apes created Merian C. Cooper and grounded in Joe DeVito's Skull Island, is exclusively authorized and endorsed by the Cooper family according to the official press.

What no one seems to have noticed yet is that Boom! has a compelling, but potentially controversial variant cover opportunity with Kong of Skull Island. Retailer exclusive variant covers have become commonplace in the industry and Boom! certainly does their fair share of them. These exclusive variant covers are typically limited to one retailer store or chain of stores. Most of the time they are set up by the retailer reaching out to the publisher or vice versa. What no comic publisher has done yet, until now, is offer up a retailer exclusive variant cover to the highest bidder through Previews. Titan auctioned off exclusive covers for their The Walking Dead magazine in 2012 and creators have auctioned off appearances and character names, but I can't recall anyone doing this.

Boom! is offering, not one, but two retailer exclusive variant covers for Kong of Skull Island by Ryan Sook and Paul Pope for auction. Retailers will be able to place a orders for each cover and the retailer with the highest "bid" (no matter what quantity) at Final Order Cutoff will receive that cover exclusively. All other orders will be canceled. The two auction variant will FOC one week before the main codes so that retailers who don't win can adjust their main cover orders accordingly.

Here's the real hook, I've learned that Boom! will not be offering any other retailer exclusive variants for Kong of Skull Island #1. So if your store wants one, they have to bid. And since both covers are being shown as part of Boom!'s Previews solicitations, it's a fair bet Kong fans will be searching these out.

Will these go to one of the titans of retail like Midtown Comics or Forbidden Planet? Or will Dennis Barger, Larry Docherty or Jesse James see this as the promotional opportunity it is and swoop in to grab one?

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