Direct editions and Newsstand editions

[Simon R. Mellors]

Lately I've been trying to work out how to differentiate between direct and newsstand editions in the entry of my collection onto Comicbase. 

I'm not sure whether this is a cry for technical help or a wish to hear from other collectors in how they use their product.

A further aspect of this query is the thumbnail cover images.

I have the Professional plus version. 

At first I used the Description field, placing a few words in it to indicate whether an issue was newsstand or direct and explaining why. For example- "Newsstand edition - code in UPC box" or "Direct edition - stated in UPC box". Of course that got tiresome pretty quick as it is long-winded and I have a collection of 18.000 items.

Then under Variations I spotted the Direct Market edition option. The problem with that is, if you select it, on the summary line, the issue number gains the /DM suffix and the thumbnail image cover drops out, presumably because the program thinks the issue is not the regular issue.

I've been collecting for almost fifty years, and have been with Comicbase for decades. I love what it does and what it allows one to record. This is not a complaint about Comicbase. Please forgive me if there's a simple solution and I have just not spotted it. It's the first time I've tried to use this forum.

Thanks for your time

Simon

[Steven L. Dasinger]

Currently, the way CB is set up, when both Direct and Newsstand issues exist, the plain numbered issue is the Direct edition (i.e. 1) and the Newsstand has the NS variation (i.e 1/NS).

It there is only a Direct edition OR only a Newsstand edition, it is just a plain number (i.e. 1).

When first set up, CB added Newsstand Edition to the 'Item Description' column.

So far, CB has been 'mass changed' to add NS Issues for Marvel and DC (from about May 1977 through Oct 2017)

In generally, I would NOT use the DM variation (or change to using the DM variation) if CB does not already have it (some older issues may have use DM when there was some 'feature' that made using DM make sense at the time. Now it would not be used.

As for the cover scans, they are 'linked' to the issue by the Item #. So if you change the Item #, you would have to open the picture folder for that title and rename the cover scan to match the change.

[Steven L. Dasinger]

PS While issues before (about) May 1977 may have other distributing methods like the direct market, it was decided to have a cutoff date. the earlier issues are left as (mostly) 'Whitman' variants for the ones that where sold at other places besides the traditional Newsstand stores.

[Simon R. Mellors]

Steven,

 

Thanks so much for your detailed response. That answers all my questions for the moment.

 

Best regards

 

Simon