How do I get "pullbox" and other variants?

[X-O Dudeowar]

So this is an incredibly dumb question, but I've never seriously been into current comics. My Valiants have all been bought after the fact from quarter bins in random comic shops, Dollar Store baggies, or online. Thus far, for my X-O and Harbinger purchases, I've basically just bought "sets" of the main cover and the pullbox variant off eBay (as well as the Aja/Braithwaite variants for both issue #1s, no Djurdjevic for me, alas!)

I assume there's a better way, but I don't have any comic booky friends. Can I get subscriptions and get both the regular and pullbox variants? Do I simply just do like I've been doing? What about when there's a second variant? Should I just go to a physical comic shop, find one I like, and see what they can do for me there?

Thanks for any info! I've been reading Valiants for years, but I'm a seriously hardcore comic noob!

[etos45]

I believe it would be cheaper to get the regular/pullbox from a comic shop because of shipping. It theory, you have to have a pullbox to get the pullbox variant from a comic shop, but almost all of them are treating it like a 50/50 and just throwing it on the shelves. The 1:20s and 1:50s are another story. I've heard some people on here getting amazing deals from their comic shop. Mine is a little pricey (when he even buys enough issues to get them), so I find it's cheaper to just go to eBay and pay the shipping. It's my thinking that you would be well served to use patience on the 1:50s. I may be dead wrong and smacking myself later, but I think they'll get more reasonable in a few months when there's 400 different Valiant variants in the wild.

BTW - Love your screen name.

[Daniel Jackson]

If you can find a decent shop you like, tell the owner what you want and I'm sure he can get you set up. If not, pre-ordering from DCBS or MOC is another way to go. The downside is shipping, but if you order other books as well, it makes it less painful.

[X-O Dudeowar]

I believe it would be cheaper to get the regular/pullbox from a comic shop because of shipping. It theory, you have to have a pullbox to get the pullbox variant from a comic shop, but almost all of them are treating it like a 50/50 and just throwing it on the shelves. The 1:20s and 1:50s are another story. I've heard some people on here getting amazing deals from their comic shop. Mine is a little pricey (when he even buys enough issues to get them), so I find it's cheaper to just go to eBay and pay the shipping. It's my thinking that you would be well served to use patience on the 1:50s. I may be dead wrong and smacking myself later, but I think they'll get more reasonable in a few months when there's 400 different Valiant variants in the wild.

BTW - Love your screen name.

Hah, thanks!

I don't even know exactly what a pullbox is - you tell them what you'll buy monthly, and they specifically set it aside for you? I was worried about them specifically just putting both on the shelves anyway.

That's a good point about holding off for a bit, and I've been really torn. Getting into the original Valiant well after the fact, it was super easy to grab later variants, but those early ones are pretty expensive now. Still, the 1:50 is just far too expensive for me to justify right now, so I'm going to need to hope it drops if I ever want to get a copy anyway!

And then we've got a second and third printing of X-O Manowar #1 coming... do I just keep an eye on comic shops and eBay? I just keep thinking there should be a better way to do this, but I'm just out of my element, heheh.

If you can find a decent shop you like, tell the owner what you want and I'm sure he can get you set up. If not, pre-ordering from DCBS or MOC is another way to go. The downside is shipping, but if you order other books as well, it makes it less painful.

Cool, thanks, I'll check out all of the above! I've been getting them shipped anyway just to be sure I get what I want without running around, so the above might not be too bad!