*DC: Not commonplace anywhere, and very seldom seen in the UK, are variant covers of a number of DC comics from the late 1970s to the 1980s, known as ‘Whitman variants’. These are alternate printings, contemporary with the originals, of selected DC titles with the issue number, cover month and DC logo overprinted with Whitman’s insignia. Whitman Comics was known as Western Comics, who used to publish their own comics under the Gold Key imprint (a gross oversimplification of a very tangled business relationship, but don’t worry about it), and had a distribution deal with supermarkets and chain stores. DC licensed some of their titles through Whitman so that they could have their books sold in department stores in the three-in-a-bag format as novelties for children. These were not returnable, unlike newsstand copies, and were intended to remain on sale indefinitely, hence the elimination of the number & date info. Once disregarded as reprints, these are now acquiring some interest as ‘variant editions’. We have a selection of these curiosities on offer: Batman #314, DC Comics Presents #1,#2, & #3 (Issues #1 & #2 are the 4th Superman/Flash race, obsessive chums!) Superboy and the LSH #251, #252, #253 and Wonder Woman #264 listed under their parent titles in our DC section.