ROM Variant Cover

[Red Oak Kid]

I just noticed that my copy of ROM 73 has a solid black rectangle where the bar code usually is.

And the scan at Mile High is the same.

ROM 73 (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=70058905482%2073)

However the GCD scan has the bar code.

Just wondering how common this is. My guess is it has something to do with including these issues in with a toy ROM doll.

Anyone seen this variant on other ROM issues?

[dupont2005]

interesting. i have a set of "the untold legend of the batman" that are somewhere between ashcan sized and regular sized. they came with audio cassette tapes that i threw out when cd's came around (regretting that now). i have been unable to find out anything about them either.

[METAROG]

I just noticed that my copy of ROM 73 has a solid black rectangle where the bar code usually is.

And the scan at Mile High is the same.

ROM 73 (http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=fullsize&issue=70058905482%2073)

However the GCD scan has the bar code.

Just wondering how common this is. My guess is it has something to do with including these issues in with a toy ROM doll.

Anyone seen this variant on other ROM issues?

It looks like the one on Mile High is a Direct Sale edition and the one on GCD is the newstand edition. You can see that the price/issue/date boxes are also different.

As to the UTOB issues I happen to have all these issues including the tough Archie issues. Some of us over at STL comics have put together a gallery and write-up but I don't know if it is ready yet. Here is a cover gallery- http://stlcomics.com/cover_gallery/categories.php?cat_id=352

[MartinRedmond]

It's a direct market edition. The barcode box usually had Spider-Man's face or if the artist was "kewl" a little bonus drawing! I guess they left it black so it would blend with the cover.