Dell’Otto and Paul Renaud comic covers that wouldn’t cost you a bomb
I feel sorry for cover collectors like us who now have to pay noise bleeding prices for some of the variants that are heating up on Ebay. Buying covers used to be a fun and cost saving way of comic collecting but in this era of variant investing, it is anything but. No worries though my fellow readers. If you are in it just for the art and not for the specs, here are some cheap Dell Otto and Paul Renaud covers that you can get for cheap. These are currently under the radar of most speculators so get them if you are a fan of either of the artists.
Ms Marvel #50 Variant
Print run: 25k
Distribution ratio: Unknown
Uncanny X-force #20 variant was really one of my comic regrets. I kept on putting it off even though I love the cover as I thought it will be there anytime I want. I didn’t expect the Venom Variant craze of Spider Man #668 to carry over to this book. Now , it is forever out of my buying range.
As such, the only consolation is to buy other books from the same artist Paul Renaud. Unfortunately, he didn’t produce that many covers for Marvel. The only one that I think is somewhere comparable to the Uncanny X Force beauty is this. Doesn’t hurt that it features a character that will have her own movie soon 🙂
Scarlet Spider #17 Variant
Print run: 24k
Distribution ratio: 1:15
I mentioned in my previous article on X Force key issues that Dell Otto covers are starting to climb in prices, thanks to CGC board discussion. Later, a reader told me that the pump and dump sites are also starting to pump this artist, which explains why most of his books are flying off the shelves. Luckily, the X Force: Sex and Violence 2nd print that I have recommended and this book are still under radar so they are cheap to buy if you a Dell Otto Fan.
I like this one for its stylish cover that is different from most of Otto’s work. Unfortunately, the black cover makes it hard to score a 9.8 especially since this book is already out for almost 3 years.
Wolverine #35, German edition
Print run: Unknown
Distribution ratio: Unknown
I know very little about the supply of foreign books so I leave it to my friends and readers who are more well versed than me in this area. This is a really beautiful book IMHO and I only manage to find one copy for sale. If you are familiar with overseas buying, you might find to try Ebay Germany. That was how I bought my only copy (No, it is not for sale LOL)
To conclude, this listings is really for collectors. I am not saying they will appreciate or anything but if you do not want to pay noise bleed prices to collectors works of your favorite artists, you can give these a shot.
Thanks for your write up on these artists and their variant covers. I am trying to get a couple Dell’Otto covers on Ebay right now. I am wondering why Lucio Parillo’s variant covers have not exploded in a similar way. He’s created some outstanding Red Sonja/Warlord of Mars covers. Maybe if he created Marvel or DC variants, we’d be talking about him more often. Even with Dell’Otto, it’s not like his variants were created yesterday. Sometimes it takes a while for some comics to become recognized for the treasures that they are.
Just curious – someone told me that the Scarlet Spider 17 isnt a Dell Otto piece, but I am seeing it listed elsewhere as a Dell Otto. Is there any way to verify?