Posted in: Comics | Tagged: blind bag, keenspot, Mark Spears
Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift Blind Bag Now Returnable After Complaints
Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift #1 Blind Bag has now been made returnable after customer and retailer complaints
Article Summary
- Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift Blind Bag is now fully returnable after collector and comic shop complaints.
- Buyers reported opening multiple bags only to find the same common cover, sparking backlash across podcasts and forums.
- Keenspot admitted the blind bag marketing caused confusion, as many expected odds and variety like past Mark Spears bags.
- Lunar returns use the standard affidavit process, with stripped covers, destroyed copies, and proof kept for audit.
In a first for the publisher in nearly 27 years, Keenspot and Mark Spears have asked Lunar Distribution to make Mark Spears Graveyard Shift #1 blind bag edition fully returnable to (and from) comic shops. The decision follows significant collector backlash that erupted almost immediately after the blind bagged comic book hit shelves. Many buyers expected an experience similar to last year’s Mark Spears’Monsters blind bags, the Hallowe’en and Winter Horrorland editions that together sold more than 700,000 copies. Instead, large numbers of collectors reported repeatedly ripping open the bags to find the same common Body Bag Exclusive Cover H.
Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift Blind Bag
Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift Blind Bag
The controversy was widely discussed on collector podcasts. The Absolute Geek Podcastnoted that “comic collectors are calling out Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift #1 blind bags after reports of buyers repeatedly pulling the same cover” and a later edition titled 24 out of 25 the same cover?! Mark Spears Blind Bag Controversy Gets Worse, went further, stating “collectors are reporting duplicate covers after buying multiple mystery bags,” including that specific claim of 24 identical covers out of 25 bags opened. Discussion centred on whether the bags were properly mixed and whether the advertised rarity ratios (ranging from 1:50 up to 1:20,000 for the hand-signed and sketched edition) matched real-world results. Stand Up Comics wrote, “The blind bags were a huge debacle. Another blunder by Spears even if it wasn’t directly his idea. They went from too many covers to 1 cover over and over… just do what Image does!!!!! Anyway… I like the story. The werewolf looks cool I’d like to see where it goes. I will never buy a non Image blind bag again tho.”
While the blind bag “Body Bag Edition” was produced as originally solicited, with one random exclusive cover from a set of eight, plus a Time Card trading card, Keenspot acknowledged that the packaging and marketing led many collectors to reasonably assume it would function more like the previous year’s popular blind-bag programs. “We made a blunder (to say the least!) by not realizing many collectors might understandably assume it would be something completely different based on the two Mark Spears blind bags we produced last year. This confusion was not intentional in any way on our part, and we should’ve done a better job of communicating the differences. The disappointment expressed since the bag hit shelves one week ago has saddened us all terribly. We quickly knew we had to take action… We are so sorry we delivered a disappointing and frustrating collecting experience for many of you.”
Mark Spears also posted yesterday, ‘I know some of you were questioning why I have not publicly made a statement about the bags after their release. I was having discussions behind the scenes and wanted to wait until we had something in place. The blind bags are now returnable. More details can be found with your distributor or comic store you purchased from. And do not worry if you already opened your bags. All can be returned. I wanted the comic community to have a fun experience and after seeing some feedback realized some action needed to be taken. I appreciate the community I built and the many fans that have turned into dear friends. I would not be able to do the job I love if not for my fans. I hope you join me today on Whatnot as we give away over 200 items to show some love to my amazing fans. Show starts at 2pm cst.’ That ran last night; some folk saw it as an “oops! sorry! how can I make it up to you” event.
Returns of Mark Spears’ Graveyard Shift #1 – Body Bag Edition will follow Lunar’s standard affidavit process: covers must be stripped, the books made unsellable, and the destroyed copies discarded or recycled. Retailers are advised to retain proof of destruction for two weeks after the return cycle in case of audit.
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