Unpopular opinion: the boom in variant covers is ruining the actual reading experience

I started collecting comics back in the 80s. Back then you got one cover, maybe a second printing if you missed it. Now I go to my Local Comic Shop in Portland and theres 14 variants for one issue. I spent 45 minutes last Saturday just trying to figure out which one to buy. The story inside was fine, nothing special, but the covers were all I could think about. It feels like the publishers care more about selling to speculators than to readers. Has anyone else stopped picking up new series because of this?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.troy9d ago

What worked for me was setting a rule before I even walk into the shop. I pick one cover artist I like and only buy that variant for each issue. It cut my decision time down to maybe two minutes. The rest of the noise from all those other covers just falls away. Now I focus on the story again instead of worrying about which one will be worth something later. Publishers definitely push the variants hard, but you can still ignore that part if you want to.

sanchez.blake8d ago

Do you think having that strict rule ever makes you miss out on a cover you'd actually enjoy more just because it's not from your chosen artist? I've seen some people swear by the one-variant rule, but I always wonder if it ends up feeling like a restriction instead of a relief. How do you handle the FOMO when a different cover from a different artist really catches your eye?