Gregory Hecht

There is no such field. Many comics have a cover date that is at least one month ahead of the actual release date. And many times a delayed comic still gets the same cover date that it would have received if it were released on time. If a ComicBase entry has an image associated with it that is not a preliminary image, that is fairly good indicator that the item has been released. But the converse is not necessarily true. Items that have a preliminary image or no image at all are not necessarily unreleased. A common example of this would be trade paperback and hardcover collected editions, as the Human Computing offices typically don't order those and they rely heavily on user submissions for those items.

The Phantom Stranger Omnibus has been cancelled and should be removed from the database. No word on whether it will be resolicited (although the PRH website still lists it, albeit with an August 2023 release date). EDITED TO ADD: This is in the current solicitation catalog, so the existing entry in CB probably only needs to be updated rather than deleted.

That is correct.

I wonder if the gap is the result of some of the variants getting cancelled. I know for sure that the "Jim Lee Christmas Card" cover variant was cancelled. (For some retailers that was Variant R, but that doesn't appear to be the case for ComicBase.)

UPC numbers sometimes change between info that is initially sent to retailers and the printing of the actual book. Since we don't know when TFAW (or any other retailer) enters those UPC's into their system, it might save the CB folks some work if folks send actual UPC info from the printed book.

The HC offices generally don't get collected editions, especially not the über-expensive ones... so sometimes those items don't get added into the database until a user submits it. So if you get yours before it shows up in the database, go ahead and submit!

The HC offices generally don't get collected editions, especially not the über-expensive ones... so sometimes those items don't get added into the database until a user submits it. So if you get yours before it shows up in the database, go ahead and submit!

There continues to be an ongoing problem with mass market paperback reprints of comics and comic strips ending up in the Book category. This week the following Book titles were created, but they belong in the Comics category: Kittycat’s Motor Is Running MAD About MAD! MAD as the Devil! MAD Marginals MAD’s Don Martin Cooks Up More Tales MAD’s Don Martin Steps Further Out MAD’s Maddest Artist Don Martin Drops 13 Stories Oops! We’re Out of Juice! Pick Up What Things? Viva MAD! Wanna Be Smiled At? Who Invented Rain? (BTW: Large and Loveable: Marmaduke is still hanging around in Books; it should be moved to Comics... see this thread) This week's update added The Adventures of JP Cummings. Shouldn't that really be Adventures of JP Cummings, The ? The Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus title still needs clean-up (see this thread).

Looks like the Alan Moore absolute got a re-name in the 12/28/2022 content update.

See my comment over in the earlier Schiff's Shoes thread. I'm not sure that each shoe store should get its own variant designation. @Mark J. Castaneda: After reading these two threads, what is ComicBase's position on this?

Does the indicia for the Alan Moore edition include "by Alan Moore" in the title? Or does it just say "Absolute Swamp Thing"?

The variation and the printing number are separate fields... so you can have issue #1/A 3rd printing, for example. But in looking at the Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus title, it looks like it needs some clean up, so I am pinging @Mark J. Castaneda on this thread. 1. AFAIK, there were only two versions of volume 1 first printing. Issue #1 and Issue #1/B look like duplicates. One of those needs to go away. If it matters in the decision making, I believe that what is shown as #1/A was the DM variant (as indicated in the Notes field). 2. I am pretty sure that both versions of volume 1 had second printings and third printings. So those need to be added once Mark decides how to handle the above item. 3. Similarly, volume 2 had only two versions. Again, what is shown as #2/A is the DM variant (as indicated in the Notes field). The entry for #2/HC is superfluous. Volume 2 should be listed as either #2 and #2/A **or** as #2/A and #2/B. I recommend using the same convention as for volume 1 (so again, what gets used will be determined by Mark's decision re: volume 1). 4. I am pretty sure that both versions of Volume 2 have had second printings, and I think that third printings have either been solicited or they are expected to be solicited soon.

This week's update added two titles that look like they are reprints of the Family Circus comic: I Could Hear Chewing, It's Muddy Out Today, and Jeffy's Lookin' At Me! They were both added as Books, but they should really be in Comics. • This is the second instance this month where I have seen mmpb reprints of panel cartoons getting posted to the Books section of the database. So a heads-up on this to the beleaguered folks who field all of the user-generated CB data submissions. • Not sure why, but the Jeffy's Lookin' At Me title is acting wonky on the AA site. I can type "Jeffy" into the search box and it shows up as an option, but clicking on it takes me to an error page.

Yes, the Title comments would be a very helpful resource for somebody who is trying to track down those flipbook issues.

So in yesterday's Livestream, @Peter R. Bickford said that we should be posting our drink recipes. I checked with Pete, and he said the recipes should go in this thread rather than start a new one. My Gingerbread Old Fashioned recipe: • 1 part Bittermilk #7 (Bittermilk website; Amazon link for Bittermilk #7) • 4 parts bourbon whiskey or rye whiskey (with higher proof whiskeys, I will often 2 parts whiskey and 2 parts ginger ale) • stir and add ice • optional: garnish with an orange wedge and/or maraschino cherry You can also make a "Shirley Temple" version for people and/or occasions where alcohol not preferred: • add a generous drop of maraschino syrup to an old fashioned glass • 1 part Bittermilk #7 • 4 parts ginger ale • stir and add ice Stay tuned for Pete's Sugar Cookie Martini recipe! If he doesn't post it in a couple of days, I will start pestering him on Slack. I hope that everybody has a great set of holidays (no matter which ones you observe)!

In the mid-1990's, Caliber reprinted the Wordsmith series from Renegade. The first four issues were reprinted as their own title (and are correctly indexed in ComicBase) but issues 5, 6, 7, and 8 were reprinted as flipbooks as follows: • issue #5 in Searchers #3 • issue #6 in Raven Chronicles #10 • issue #7 in Nowheresville #3 • issue #8 in Silent Invasion #4 ComicBase currently double-lists issues #5-8 as issues of Wordsmith (Caliber), but they should be deleted. (Note that somebody is listing #6 for sale on AA.) The database also lists issue #9, and AFAIK that was indeed published as a separate issue and should therefore NOT be deleted.

Based on Steven's answer, this sounds a lot like March of Comics in that various retail stores would have their name and/or logo printed on the cover of the issues that they were giving away in their store. The database doesn't treat these as different variants and AFAIK the collector's market as a whole doesn't distinguish between the different retailers when determining a value for a particular issue. With that in mind, IMO the database probably shouldn't track each of the different shoe stores as a different variant for this title. (These shoe retailer issues should be tracked differently from the regular newsstand editions, certainly, just not an individual variant for each individual shoe store.)

Matthew, are you talking about a Thor Masterworks volume or some other trade paperback or hardcover? (Archive editions were DC's hardcover reprint series, so I suspect you're really asking about Masterworks or some other collected edition.)

Wow, I had no idea that Westfield was still around. I remember that they were one of the early mail-order subscription pioneers way back in the 80's (long before home internet was a thing).

I think that the three biggest online subscription services (in no particular order) are mycomicshop.com, dcbservice.com, and midtowncomics.com

The sale is posted here. I don't see an end date for the sale, but it does say order by 12/17 (that would be today) 2pm Central Time for guaranteed Xmas delivery. (I assume that is for postal delivery of scanners or disks).

The database includes a listing for Incredible Hulk Epic Collection #23. I don't believe that vol. 23 exists. Vol. 22 certainly does exist, and vol. 24 was recently solicited, but I can't find evidence that vol. 23 was published in Feb 2019 or at any other time.

The "New Book Titles" list for this week includes Sleeping Beauty,, The (Luna). Should that really have two commas? And the corrections for last week's content update still need to be addressed.

This week's update added Large and Lovable: Marmaduke to the Book category. Based on the cover, this looks like a reprint of Marmaduke comics. If this is true, then it should be moved to the Comics category. Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Gramdpa was added to the database. Should that really be Simpsons One-Shot Wonders: Grampa ? [note spelling]

I'm not totally positive, but I believe that you can't have two of the same title in CB even if they are in separate categories. Best route for your book would be to include the publisher in your title. So I believe that your hardcover would go under the title Eye of the World, The (Tor) or something along those lines.