Bloodshot #14 all damaged on Long Island NY?!

[ValiantReader]

So I just wanted to see if anyone in the NY area was able to get the new Bloodshot this week and if you know a store with copies? I went in my LCS on Wednesday and I was informed the whole shipment was damaged and had to be sent back. I then went to another shop closer to my job the next day and I got the same story. Then i called 3 shops and got the same story again. How can so many issues be printed and shipped with defects. Do they not have a Quality Control team at the printer level. I worked in printing in my past and it wasn't hard to take a look at what you were printing hear and there. I hope valiant is getting a really good deal on printing but if thats so why are we paying so much a issue. I am buying 2 or 3 copys of each issue and that is like 12$ every book they put out. It is crazy! I love the books but damn man spend my money on better printers or lower the price. This has been eating at me for a long time now but i feel like because of this bloodshot issue... well *SQUEE* hitting the fan! Like yea i can DL the issue that im dying to read but then ill have paid for it digitally and then have to buy 2 or 3 physical copies whenever my LCS gets it delivered. so then ill have spent 16$ for one book. I really want others opinion here. Am i over reacting? Am i crazy to want to get a 9.8 quality book when im paying 4$ a issue? Should i have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to read the new bloodshot?

[lorddunlow]

More than likely the damage was the result of Diamond mishandling the books at the local distribution center.

[jmatt]

I'll say it again: For $4, we deserve better cover stock. I have to pick through all my LCS' issues to find a copy without dings and impressions.

[lorddunlow]

I'll say it again: For $4, we deserve better cover stock. I have to pick through all my LCS' issues to find a copy without dings and impressions.

I think in addition to the cover stock being lighter, the fact that many shops order fewer Valiant than other titles, and as such Diamond just ends up throwing stray issues in a box with other stray issues. I say this because my store orders small amounts of most of everything, and my books all have issues frequently. The only ones that don't are the books that he states he orders in high supply. Also, every book I've gotten from Ed has been in great shape, but I'm sure he gets full cases of each book and therefore probably less handling by Diamond staff as a resultI. This is just my theory.

Having said that, I wish VEI used the same cover stock as Image for East of West. All of my copies are in pristine condition and most of the copies on Ebay seem pretty sharp.

[jmatt]

I think in addition to the cover stock being lighter, the fact that many shops order fewer Valiant than other titles, and as such Diamond just ends up throwing stray issues in a box with other stray issues.

Good point. My shop gets about 20 issues of a Valiant title. That means more manhandling.

[hawkeyeps]

Getting good copies is difficult for sure, I know Valiant is aware of this and I hope they are taking action.

There were a lot of damages here in Calgary as well but they appeared to be handling defects (Diamond) as opposed to print defects, still a little heavier cover would make them slightly more durable.

It's a major pain and the retailers hate it too, if a book is going to sell for $4 it has look good on shelf or no one will pick it up. If it looks cheap and is all dinged up people don't give it a chance.

A think a slight investment on the printing side would definitely pay dividends in attracting new fans IMO, to let the quality of the monthlies slide suggests they are only interested in the TPB and digital markets and that is discouraging for hard core monthly fans like us.

It's a lot of work to have a nice Valiant collection, the regular and pullbox copies you get on release day should be in nice shape, we shouldn't have to settle for lousy copies.

I'm happy with everything I got this week but it took me 4 hours and multiple shops to get nice books.

[SJS4]

Every issue in my LCS had the same damage unfortunately. I bought it because i want to read the story, but will get a nicer issue from eBay.

[Intrepidxc]

I've been buying from midtown comics. My issues always come bagged and boarded and are way better quality than my LCS. I have Midtown ship monthly. The 9.00 shipping fee is offset by the 15% reduction in price for each title, making it about equal to going down to my LCS.

[StarBrand]

I'll say it again: For $4, we deserve better cover stock. I have to pick through all my LCS' issues to find a copy without dings and impressions.

I've been burned big twice ordering VEI books in quantity for my eBay store. I won't be doing that anymore.

[Helios]

More than likely the damage was the result of Diamond mishandling the books at the local distribution center.

Every copy that came into my store was split from the top staple up. It looks like a printing error to me (Q&W had the exact same thing here). Also the pullbox covers did not ship, adding to the issue's unavailability.

[kjjohanson]

Midtown Comics always has stacks on the shelf. But for many issues it's tough to find a high-quality copy. It's the rule rather than the exception to find wrinkles on the covers. I do wish they'd switch to better cover stock.

[ValiantReader]

More than likely the damage was the result of Diamond mishandling the books at the local distribution center.

Every copy that came into my store was split from the top staple up. It looks like a printing error to me (Q&W had the exact same thing here). Also the pullbox covers did not ship, adding to the issue's unavailability.

Yea the Q&W #1 issues were like that at my LCS. A 1st issue should not be sent out like that. Im lucky the shop had the other cover that was is good condition. Also I was given the damaged cover for free. I really liked the art and I think my LCS is getting sick of returning damaged books. Its just happening to much.

[nonplayer]

There is this guy in my city Wednesdays he sometimes shows up. And all the new comics are in a bin that comes uo half way up each comic. This guys comes along and pulls the comic forward like he is counting how meny issues are there and put in one big fat crease in each of the spines of the books. Really *SQUEE* me off. Ive even said what I witness to the owner and he does nothing. I dont buy much from that store. So it doesnt affect me much.

[Savant]

More than likely the damage was the result of Diamond mishandling the books at the local distribution center.

Had to be the reason. It's far too odd that one particular city received all these messed up copies of the same title.

There is this guy in my city Wednesdays he sometimes shows up. And all the new comics are in a bin that comes uo half way up each comic. This guys comes along and pulls the comic forward like he is counting how meny issues are there and put in one big fat crease in each of the spines of the books. Really *SQUEE* me off. Ive even said what I witness to the owner and he does nothing. I dont buy much from that store. So it doesnt affect me much.

You need to go Bobby Boucher on that vagrant.

[nycjadie]

There's a nice comic shop near my house called Comics Dungeon, but the reason I don't go there is because most of their new comics are in a display that allows for this type of creasing. If they changed their display, I would probably drop $200+ in new comics a month there. There always seems to be that guy who likes to flip through all the comics, bending them...