Whitman DC Variant Appreciation Thread

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Here's the latest DC Whitman 3-pack that I snagged. Such a shame about the package damage, however the good news is that the comics are in perfect condition.

Action #485, DC Comics Presents #1, Superman #325

Another addition to the DC Whitman multipack hoard! I've seen this package before so it's not impossible to find, but it's taken a while for me to find one to buy for my collection!

Whitman 3-pack $.99

Contents:

Superboy/Legion #246, #247, #248

Question:

Do you guys keep the books sealed in the Whitman bag or do you remove them?

what is in the bag, stays in the bag.

what is in the bag, stays in the bag.

Just acquired...Spent a little more than I wanted...but I always loved this Kubert Batman cover, esp. with the white W in the corner.

Bumping this thread.

Bought a huge batch of DC Whitman variants from a collection today. (Around 35 copies) Going to slab the Sgt Rock which is around 8.5. Didn't find the ultra rare DC Comics 22. Although I went so fast I might of missed it. Didn't see the Warlord either.

Any other DC variants worth slabbing in VF to VF/NM?

That, my friend, is the sixty-four thousand dollar question.

 

I do not know the answer.

 

Another thing I forgot to mention, Whitman printed all of those Gold Key books and nobody calls those reprints.

 

And if you really want to reopen a can of worms, just say you believe the white box marvels were whitmans too. I do.

Late to the party, but that's correct...they are not reprints, and never were. They were printed at the exact same time as the regular newsstand versions.

The reason people thought they were reprints is twofold:

First, the Star Wars issue. Because Star Wars was the first comic to be quickly reprinted because of demand, and it coincided almost perfectly with the start of the Direct market cover marking program instituted by Marvel in late 76, it was simply assumed that the rest of the "fat diamond" "3-pack" books were, in fact, reprints as well. To the mind of the buyer, "fat diamond" must mean "reprint", since that's what most of the Star Wars reprints looked like. That perception stuck.

Second, Whitman stockpiled these books in their warehouses (presumably in Wisconson) and packaged them up when they felt they had enough random books to fill their three packs. So, of course, many of the issues were months old by the time they started showing up in the 3-packs.

The new Direct market program was a huge boon to Whitman, which comprised the lion's share of it in those early years (77-79), because they were now getting books they were not going to return anyways, at a substantially higher discount than before.

And while we know that Phil Seuling's Seagate Dist, Bud Plant, and others were taking part in Marvel's Direct market experiment, DC decided to try it solely through Whitman (which didn't make much sense, but hindsight and all)...and thus were born the Whitman DC variants.

As for the white box Marvels...I share SA's belief that they were, at least in part, because of Whitman. Since the UPC was still a fairly new invention, it appears that retailers were having problems with their clerks scanning the UPC from a single book INSIDE the bag, and charging 30 or 35 cents for a 3-pack, instead of the 79c, 82c, 99c, whatever the 3-pack sold for.

So...a few months after the fat diamonds appear...the white box appears. This is supported by the evolution of the Whitman bags themselves:

(no UPC)

(by the way...the above are FIRST PRINT Direct market editions.)

(note the new "Whitman rectangle" to fit over where the UPC goes.)

And, by 1979, Marvel had introduced the strikethrough UPC, which rendered the UPC inoperable:

The only gold key whitman variant re print I know of is Flash gordon 30 the 50 cent one .My set would not take Flash 30 50 cent book because it is a re print as CGC printed reprint on my 9.6 copy case.

I had to buy a 9.4 of the 40 cent Flash in order for it to fill the slot.

I am sticking with my gold key Whitman variants I sent 60 to CGC today that I have collected for my set. As far as I am concerned I have no interest in marvel or DC.I have searched for many years to get the books that I have so they are great to me.

Pretty sure the Bugs Bunny 222 with a 50 cent cover is a reprint as well based on ads in the book.

I am sticking with my gold key Whitman variants I sent 60 to CGC today that I have collected for my set. As far as I am concerned I have no interest in marvel or DC.I have searched for many years to get the books that I have so they are great to me.

Bonnie, you have an AMAZING collection of the 3-packs! (I sold the Donald Duck #223 9.8 to you.) It's one of the best collections that exists!

I would LOVE to see you post pictures when you can. It's truly a breathtaking accomplishment when you consider how rare most of these are!

I am sticking with my gold key Whitman variants I sent 60 to CGC today that I have collected for my set. As far as I am concerned I have no interest in marvel or DC.I have searched for many years to get the books that I have so they are great to me.

 

Bonnie, you have an AMAZING collection of the 3-packs! (I sold the Donald Duck #223 9.8 to you.) It's one of the best collections that exists!

 

I would LOVE to see you post pictures when you can. It's truly a breathtaking accomplishment when you consider how rare most of these are!

Yes, please after you get them back it would be great to see scans.

That, my friend, is the sixty-four thousand dollar question.

 

I do not know the answer.

 

Another thing I forgot to mention, Whitman printed all of those Gold Key books and nobody calls those reprints.

 

And if you really want to reopen a can of worms, just say you believe the white box marvels were whitmans too. I do.

 

Late to the party, but that's correct...they are not reprints, and never were. They were printed at the exact same time as the regular newsstand versions.

I have a question.

I've been re-reading the Whitman article in the 2001 CBM. They refer to the big diamond/blank UPC Marvels as reprints. Of course, as you pointed out, now we understand that's not the case.

Thing is, the same article refers to pre-1980 no-number Whitmans as reprints of their Gold Key counterparts.

Is that still the correct understanding? Or has there been a change in understanding on that as well?

That, my friend, is the sixty-four thousand dollar question.

 

I do not know the answer.

 

Another thing I forgot to mention, Whitman printed all of those Gold Key books and nobody calls those reprints.

 

And if you really want to reopen a can of worms, just say you believe the white box marvels were whitmans too. I do.

 

Late to the party, but that's correct...they are not reprints, and never were. They were printed at the exact same time as the regular newsstand versions.

 

I have a question.

 

I've been re-reading the Whitman article in the 2001 CBM. They refer to the big diamond/blank UPC Marvels as reprints. Of course, as you pointed out, now we understand that's not the case.

 

Thing is, the same article refers to pre-1980 no-number Whitmans as reprints of their Gold Key counterparts.

 

Is that still the correct understanding? Or has there been a change in understanding on that as well?

That, I don't know (yet.)

As Bellrules pointed out, the ads are different on some. That doesn't necessarily mean reprint, but it makes a very strong case for it.

The thing with Whitman was, as Western, they were Gold Key and Whitman, so there were no rights issues involved, and they were the publisher, and could print and reprint at will.

But with the Marvels and DCs, Western simply bought the books as part of the new Direct market program that Phil Seuling had convinced the Big Two to try in the early/mid 70's, so they could make and sell three packs.

So, while they had the right to print Gold Keys/Whitmans at any time they wanted, they merely acted as a distributor for the Marvels and DCs, with no rights to print at will (and, indeed, no mechanism to do so....Sparta would have to get an order from the appropriate persons at Marvel/DC for such a reprinting to take place.)

In this case, it will probably have to take the same type of reconstruction that the Marvels and DCs did, though there probably isn't the drive to do it as much.

If anyone has or has done any scholarship on the issue, it would be much appreciated.

Gold Keys were newsstand and Whitmans were the versions sold in the bag sets. In 1980, they turned their back on newsstand distribution which spelled the end of Gold Key.

No posts in here for a loooong time so it's time for a revival.

I just finished going through all of my Whitman DC variants and I have a number of duplicates that I would be interested in trading for other Whitman DCs that I don't have. Some are low to mid-grade and some are higher grade. I will keep my highest graded copy but all others are available for possible trade. Here is my list of duplicates and their quantities:

Batman #307 (1)

Brave and the Bold #146 (3), #151 (2)

DC Comics Presents #2 (1), #15 (1)

Justice League of America #160 (1)

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #244 (1), #245 (1), #246 (2), #247 (3), #248 (2), #251 (2)

Super Friends #14 (1)

Superman #323 (1), #325 (2), #330 (2), #335 (1), #336 (1)

Wonder Woman #251 (1), #252 (1)

Obviously, the list of DC Whitman variants I don't have is a lengthy one (over 100), so if you see anything here you need and have some to trade just let me know what you're interested in and what you have for trade. If you're just interested in buying outright maybe we can work a deal on those also.

Rescued from a dollar bin.

Rescued from a dollar bin.