Youtube VariantGate screencapĬollector Matt Butler found what was meant to be a ComicsPRO version of Demon Days: X-Men #1 first printing as well. Kaboom Comics & Collectibles spend $300 on Wal-Mart packs and scored with a 1:1000 Thor cover, a 1:500 Marvel Zombies Resurrection cover but also a Demon Days: X-Men #1 cover that should have been exclusive to Unknown Comics. But also there is a much greater availability to buy them. What does this mean? Well someone somewhere may have to make VariantGate amends, for the reduced exclusivity of retailer covers or the greater availability of higher tier covers, for those who ordered them. This is to preserve the comic books' rarity and exclusive availability, something very much valued by the collector marketplace, for whom Marvel Comics has been catering for more and more of late. They will also print more tiered covers than required, so as to cater for last-minute orders and damages, but excess copies are usually pulped. Marvel Comics often print more copies of a retailer exclusive cover than required, so they can replace any damaged comics. Marvel did not return e-mails sent earlier today but Diamond told Bleeding Cool "Diamond acts as the agent for Marvel and as such, picks, pulls and ships products as requested." But with Marvel Comics switching their exclusive distribution to Penguin Random House – including all retailer exclusive cover distribution, it is possible that things were hurried along more than they should have. Diamond Comic Distributors would have sent the comics in question to the company that repackages liquidated Marvel comics for Walmart at Marvel's instruction. The blame for VariantGate is being pointed at problem with the use of codes in the distribution of covers. It also explained why there have suddenly been few 1:500 Silver Surfer Black #5 foreshadow variant covers selling on eBay in the last few days for $500 a pop with more listed. Right now private comic collector forums are flooded with people posting their VariantGate finds. Or even more scandalously, retailer exclusive covers, that were only meant to be sold by the store who ordered them, and who had to order thousands to get them. But this week, Bleeding Cool is receiving reports from all over are coming in of so many people finding Walmart packs with covers that were previously issued to comic store retailers as 1:500 or 1:1000 tiered variant covers, that comic stores had to put a lot of money down to buy.