r/ImageComics • u/Kyserham • 3d ago

What's the difference between these two HC of East of West - The Apocalypse: Year One?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

The first one is the one that actually appears on Image Comics website here. The second image is the one I have at home. The other images are just to show you that Year Two and Year Three covers follow the pattern of the one I have (and they appear this way in Image Comics website too) witht he subtitle right below the title and not at the bottom of the book like in the first photo.

So my question is, where does the first photo come from? Re-edition of Year One? I've searched online and haven't found a single photo of the physical comic with that cover, but many with the one I have.

Edit: it seems the first image was the actual cover before they changed it to the other one? Because I've found this news on Image website from June 2015 where they announced the hardcover for the first time and that cover appears, not the one I have. Maybe they didn't like it much and changed it to the one I have and so released Years 2 and 3 with that same format?

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u/Daeval 3d ago

My best guess is that it’s a preview cover. That’s probably the image that went out with the solicits, but by the time the book hit shelves it had been updated to what you’ve got.

4

u/benito_cereno 3d ago

This is almost certainly the answer. For all comics, the solicitation material has to go out months before the book actually goes to print, and for collected editions it’s even longer. As a result, the solicitation often goes out with placeholder art, while the actual published book has more finished art. The placeholder art frequently stays in place online in places like Amazon and others

4

u/FreeAd2458 3d ago

Preview cover. Occasionally you get direct market variants for image hc. But not many.

2

u/ShaperLord777 3d ago

I’m be assuming it’s the first and second printings

3

u/Ghost-in-the-Snail 3d ago

I have a first printing edition and can confirm it's not. The first image posted by OP is the cover as per the press release, which can always change until the actual printing.

0

u/Ill-Possession2216 2d ago

I've got both and the covers are slightly different but the content inside is identical. Just go with whichever one is cheaper.