Spiderman #1 (1990) Purple or Gray webs...?

[ChopinWasFramed!]

https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/5136 ... t=12535241

The information here is incorrect.

The "purple" vs. "grey" webs have nothing whatsoever to do with "color variation in the inks during printing."

As was mentioned by others, the DIRECT bagged editions have purple webs, distinctly purple, and an entirely different color than the grey.



The NON-BAGGED Direct editions have gray webs.



The NEWSSTAND editions have gray webs.



The bagged NEWSSTAND also have gray webs.



There may be exceptions to these rules, but they generally follow.

Now...how do I KNOW this is true, rather than just being my opinion?

Because of this:





On the purple webs, there's an artifact on the plate(s) that made those two small spaces on Spidey's knee print GREEN (the background color), rather than BLUE (Spidey's costume color.)

On the GRAY webs, that artifact is fixed. The artifact is present on ALL purple webs, and absent on ALL gray webs. That means those books weren't printed on the same plate(s).

It ALSO means that it's not merely a "color variation" issue, or you would see that artifact on gray webs, and fixed on purples. No, these were two SEPARATE runs, printed with different plates, on purpose.

Anyone feel free to cut and paste that into that thread. I don't need any credit.

[Erik71]

Wow! This is a great post!

I am a long time and big Spider-Man #1 fan and collector. I am a member on a FB group concisting only on Spider-Man #1 covers and its hommage variant.

For me, it was always difficult to see the difference between purple and grey web. With what you post here, this is now easy and everybody who know this, can better and quickly identify the cover.

I have made this little list consisting on all the Spider-Man #1 differents covers:

OFFICIAL 9
1. Green Green, Purple webs, Direct
2. Green Green, Purple webs, Poly-Bagged, Direct (125K)
3. Green Green/Yellow, Grey webs, Direct (750K - 1M with both green polybagged edition)
4. Green Green/Yellow, Grey webs, Poly-Bagged Newsstand (125K UPC)
5. Silver Black, Direct (1M)
6. Silver Black, Poly-Bagged, no cover price, Direct (125K)
7. Gold Gold 2nd printing Direct 400-450K
8. Gold Gold 2nd printing Newsstand 10K +/- UPC (Walmart exclusive)
9. Platinum Platinum Ticker cover and big "1" in corner box Direct 10K 7,000 given as gifts to retailers + new McFarlane art
REPRINT
10. Marvel Collectible Classics: Spider-Man #1 Chromium Direct
11. True Believer: Spider-Man #1 Green/Yellow Grey webs Direct
12. Spider-Man #1: Facsimile Green/Yellow Grey webs Direct
RED WEB STAMP SIGNED by McFARLANE
13. Green Green Purple webs Red web stamp on back cover Direct Signed at the Spider's Web comic shop + letter of authenticity
14. Green Green/Yellow Grey webs Red web stamp on back cover Direct Signed at the Spider's Web comic shop + letter of authenticity
15. Silver Black Red web stamp on back cover Direct Signed at the Spider's Web comic shop + letter of authenticity
PRINTING ERRORS
16. Silver Black Blue Lizard Direct Manufactured with 7th & 10th page color plates transposed
17. Silver Black Copper Lizard Direct Manufactured with 7th & 10th page color plates transposed
18. Silver Black Bottom front cover not aligned Direct
19. Gold Gold 2nd printing. Almost copper lizard Direct Same affected pages and panels as others

There is what we called on the 1990 SM1 Club on facebook, The Original 9 covers. Personnally I think there is only 8 and that there is no SM #1 Purple web direct non polybagged. We got no proof of that and I think that when you see one graded by CGC, it's only because the bag have been removed before sending it to CGC.

After, we got the 3 reprint edition.

Then the 3 that got a little red web stamp on the back cover of 3 comics that McFarlane signed at his own shop. You can also see that the McFarlane signature is quite different.

And last we got the printing errors.

You can take a look at my SM #1 collection here:

https://www.myslabbedcomics.com/Gallery ... ?GSub=1766

Thanks

[MetalPSI]

@Erik71 that is a fantastic collection, thanks for sharing

[ChopinWasFramed!]

Wow! This is a great post!

I am a long time and big Spider-Man #1 fan and collector. I am a member on a FB group concisting only on Spider-Man #1 covers and its hommage variant.

For me, it was always difficult to see the difference between purple and grey web. With what you post here, this is now easy and everybody who know this, can better and quickly identify the cover.

I have made this little list consisting on all the Spider-Man #1 differents covers:

OFFICIAL 9
1. Green Green, Purple webs, Direct
2. Green Green, Purple webs, Poly-Bagged, Direct (125K)
3. Green Green/Yellow, Grey webs, Direct (750K - 1M with both green polybagged edition)
4. Green Green/Yellow, Grey webs, Poly-Bagged Newsstand (125K UPC)
5. Silver Black, Direct (1M)
6. Silver Black, Poly-Bagged, no cover price, Direct (125K)
7. Gold Gold 2nd printing Direct 400-450K
8. Gold Gold 2nd printing Newsstand 10K +/- UPC (Walmart exclusive)
9. Platinum Platinum Ticker cover and big "1" in corner box Direct 10K 7,000 given as gifts to retailers + new McFarlane art
REPRINT
10. Marvel Collectible Classics: Spider-Man #1 Chromium Direct
11. True Believer: Spider-Man #1 Green/Yellow Grey webs Direct
12. Spider-Man #1: Facsimile Green/Yellow Grey webs Direct
RED WEB STAMP SIGNED by McFARLANE
13. Green Green Purple webs Red web stamp on back cover Direct Signed at the Spider's Web comic shop + letter of authenticity
14. Green Green/Yellow Grey webs Red web stamp on back cover Direct Signed at the Spider's Web comic shop + letter of authenticity
15. Silver Black Red web stamp on back cover Direct Signed at the Spider's Web comic shop + letter of authenticity
PRINTING ERRORS
16. Silver Black Blue Lizard Direct Manufactured with 7th & 10th page color plates transposed
17. Silver Black Copper Lizard Direct Manufactured with 7th & 10th page color plates transposed
18. Silver Black Bottom front cover not aligned Direct
19. Gold Gold 2nd printing. Almost copper lizard Direct Same affected pages and panels as others

There is what we called on the 1990 SM1 Club on facebook, The Original 9 covers. Personnally I think there is only 8 and that there is no SM #1 Purple web direct non polybagged. We got no proof of that and I think that when you see one graded by CGC, it's only because the bag have been removed before sending it to CGC.

After, we got the 3 reprint edition.

Then the 3 that got a little red web stamp on the back cover of 3 comics that McFarlane signed at his own shop. You can also see that the McFarlane signature is quite different.

And last we got the printing errors.

You can take a look at my SM #1 collection here:

https://www.myslabbedcomics.com/Gallery ... ?GSub=1766

Thanks

Happy to help! As someone who was in on the new McFarlane Spiderman #1 from the day of release, wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in June of 1990, I've always been very interested in the variations among these books. This was essentially the first multi-version book ever made in comics. There were certainly variants before this...but not multiple different versions for entirely different markets.

It was quite the fanfare. Even with the number of copies printed, I'm surprised it's not a more valuable book.

[ChopinWasFramed!]

I have made this little list consisting on all the Spider-Man #1 differents covers:

OFFICIAL 9
1. Green Green, Purple webs, Direct
2. Green Green, Purple webs, Poly-Bagged, Direct (125K)
3. Green Green/Yellow, Grey webs, Direct (750K - 1M with both green polybagged edition)
4. Green Green/Yellow, Grey webs, Poly-Bagged Newsstand (125K UPC)
5. Silver Black, Direct (1M)
6. Silver Black, Poly-Bagged, no cover price, Direct (125K)
7. Gold Gold 2nd printing Direct 400-450K
8. Gold Gold 2nd printing Newsstand 10K +/- UPC (Walmart exclusive)
9. Platinum Platinum Ticker cover and big "1" in corner box Direct 10K 7,000 given as gifts to retailers + new McFarlane art

Wish I'd paid a little more attention to this when it initially was posted. All the numbers you quote are estimates, since Marvel did not then, and has not now, released any official information regarding print runs on this book.

Also...there are no "Direct edition purple webs." You won't find it. All the regular "green" Direct editions were grey webs. Purple webs came exclusively out of bags. If you see a purple edition without a bag, it's been removed from the bag.

Can I prove it? Not anymore. Marvel doesn't share that info, if they ever even knew (and it's certainly possible Quebecor didn't give them that info.)

As for the bagged newsstand...I'm still not convinced, having seen zero evidence, that they really existed in the first place. Very early on, there were claims (I imagine in Wizard) that people were taking newsstand copies and putting them back in opened bags and heat-sealing them back up.

I'm not saying it wasn't possible...but until I see proof (an invoice, printing order, etc.), I'm not going to say "yes, bagged newsstands were really a thing."