[spookcentral]

A few weeks ago I purchased the three Ghostbusters: Tainted Love issues (Cover A, Cover B, RI Cover) from GrahamCrackers.com. I've always been pleased with all of the IDW comics I've purchased from Graham Crackers over the years, but I was extremely displeased over something from this recent order.

There was a sticker (with bar code and item info) placed on the cover of the RI issue! That seriously depreciates the value of the comic, especially one that is produced in smaller quantities than the regular covers - and for which all comic shops are charging more for than the regular covers.

I'm curious, did anyone else who bought this issue (from Graham Crackers or elsewhere) have a sticker on the cover of their books? Here's a comparison of the bar code on the actual comic and the bar code sticker placed over it:

[SlimeGuy]

I ordered mine from the GBFans shop and it too had a sticker.

I just took it off but then I don't really care how much it depreciates in value. I bought it for me, not for Steve at the comic shop... Then again, I also open all my figures.

[AJ Quick]

ALL of them have the sticker unfortunately.

[rapidtransit]

Mine has the sticker too.I've seen pics of that issue with the barcode actually printed on the cover like normal.If I remember right weren't these delayed due to some customs problem?Might be wrong but i think I remember a post on here about it.I thought maybe when they showed up, the barcode was missing so the sticker was slapped on so they would pass and be released.

[castewar]

A comic that is otherwise immaculate but has a sticker will drop from mint to around very fine, depending on the quality otherwise.

If it's a sticker applied by the publisher, that might be taken into account.

Basically, trying to take the sticker off will likely depreciate the comic more than if you just leave it alone.

That's if comic speculation was actually worth something anymore.

[spookcentral]

I just got a reply from John Robinson of Graham Crackers who assured me that they didn't put the sticker on the cover, though he didn't have any more copies in stock to be able to check for himself if there were stickers on other copies they had. Coupling that with what AJ said about ALL of the copies he sold having the sticker, and what everyone else confirmed, it would mean that IDW put the sticker on there.

There IS a very small difference in the bar codes numbers. The cover reads "8 27714 00119 8 00112", while the sticker reads "8 27714 00137 2 00112". Three numbers in the middle are different. So maybe IDW was forced to put the sticker on there so as to correct the bar code number. Maybe that was what that customs delay was about, that Rapidtransit reminded me about.

That's all speculation on my part. I just fired off an e-mail to IDW to see if I can get an "official" explanation about why the sticker was put on there.

Even if they needed to change it, surely there's a much better way to do it than a sticker. Considering (from a collectors standpoint) the variant exists solely as a higher valued version of the more-mass-produced regular edition, a sticker would lower that value. At least that's my somewhat "common sense" thinking.

Although I have a nice comic collection, I'm not a die-hard collector, which I think Chris/Castewar is. So his speculation might be more accurate than my way of thinking. I took a chance taking the sticker off and got lucky that it didn't rip the cover - which DEFINITELY would depreciate the value :-)

I think the cover looks nicer without the sticker, especially since the sticker also covered over the Nick Runge credit and the IDW logo.

[AJ Quick]

Or Diamond Select comics added it.

[Borzou]

I think it is possible to take off the sticker without damaging the cover. You just need a little steam and a lot of patience.

[TristanJones]

Or decent fingernails...

[Dreamstalker]

I was able to peel the sticker off very easily, just had to go slow to make sure it didn't tear.

[AJ Quick]

I had no problem either.

[gozerlives]

how can you get a copy of the othersiders. I cant find any of them any were

[Kingpin]

This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

how can you get a copy of the othersiders. I cant find any of them any were

It's "The Other Side", not "Othersiders", that's probably why you haven't found anything online.

Amazon presents you with a few options, either the separate issues if you want the individual comics, or the trade paperback collecting the whole series:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html? ... ive=390957

[spookcentral]

I was able to peel the sticker off very easily, just had to go slow to make sure it didn't tear.

That's what I did.

I've found that that's a good method of removing stickers from things like this, or DVD case liners. The old "bandage" scenario - take it off quickly to lessen the pain - is NOT good in this situation :-)

[ECT0-1]

I bought mine from Jim Hanley's and it had a sticker too. I started to take it off, but some of it got stuck on. Fortunately a damp paper towel and a lot of rubbing will take care of that.

[Dr. Ray Stantz]

Mine has no sticker, but I just got it from the your average joblo comic shop.

[AJ Quick]

Mine has no sticker, but I just got it from the your average joblo comic shop.

Only the special varient issue has the barcode sticker...

[Vincenzo330]

ALL of them have the sticker unfortunately.

Mine does not have stickers, but I also got it weeks before it hit the shelves. IDW comes in and shops at my local comic shop and they bring stuff early for us.