Ran into a guy at a con in Chicago who knew every single variant cover number off the top of his head

I was at C2E2 back in March, just browsing through a bin of cheap back issues. This older guy next to me starts picking through the same bin and he's muttering about the print runs. I didn't think much of it until I pulled out an Amazing Spider-Man #300 and he casually says 'that's the 3rd printing, you can tell by the darker red on the logo.' I looked closer and he was right. We got to talking and he knew the exact month each variant came out, which stores got which exclusives, everything. He wasn't showing off either, just knew his stuff inside out. I've been reading comics for 15 years and I felt like I knew nothing. Has anyone else met someone like that who just had an unbelievable memory for the tiny details?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia84328d ago

Met a guy at my local shop who could name the exact bag board combo for every major key from the 80s and 90s. He'd just glance at a book and go 'that needs a half back, not a full back'. Wild to watch someone that tuned in. Made me realize some people just live and breathe this stuff in a way most of us don't.

wesleyjohnson28d ago

That kind of deep knowledge is something you can't really pick up from Youtube tutorials or forums anymore. It comes from years of actually being in the trenches, handling the books and the boards day in and day out. I'd bet that guy started out just like anyone else, but he paid attention to the small details nobody else bothers to notice. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like that specific kind of expertise is dying out a bit with the new wave of collectors who focus more on value than the actual craft. There's something almost meditative about being that dialed into a niche like that. Respect to that guy for keeping the old school alive.