When Rob Liefeld released his Deadpool Team-Up title last summer, he was surprised to see only four variant covers produced for the issue. Typically, variant covers are indicative of a book’s popularity, and with the Deadpool and Wolverine film tie-in, he had anticipated greater interest.
A year later, Liefeld’s optimism has been significantly vindicated with Youngblood No. 1, which boasts an extraordinary total of 27 variant covers. This achievement is particularly noteworthy as the comic is neither affiliated with a prominent multimedia franchise nor tied to a film adaptation.
“My instinct told me I would not have anywhere near this support,” Liefeld expressed to The Hollywood Reporter regarding the upcoming November 7 release.
Each participating retailer has selected an artist to create exclusive covers for their store, with Liefeld providing final approval for each design. For typical comic releases, retailers must order a minimum of 500 copies to be eligible for exclusive covers; however, Liefeld successfully negotiated with Image Comics to increase this to 750 copies, leading many retailers to exceed these order commitments.
Youngblood is already poised for success even before its official release, having generated over $500,000 in sales from special editions sold directly through Liefeld’s website earlier this year. This comic marks a return to the title that was pivotal in launching Image Comics back in 1992.
Liefeld is set to meet with retailers at the upcoming New York Comic Con, marking a pivotal eight months since his well-publicized departure from Marvel.
“I broke away from Marvel, and this year has been my biggest year in a decade,” says Liefeld.
Participating retailers include well-known names such as Big Time Collectibles, Geek Street Productions, Top Shelf, PCB Hobby, Black Saber Comics, Heroes & Fantasies, Shell Beast, AnZ Comics, Midtown Comics, Countdown Comics LLC, East Coast Comics, TenFwd Comics, Comic Inspiration, FURYCOMIX, Nirvana Comics, Windy City Comics, and Third Eye Comics.
Read on to see a selection of the stunning covers produced for this landmark release.
Based on reporting by Hollywood Reporter. Read the full story at Hollywood Reporter.