Reviewing and Approving Covers

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When reviewing covers, use the following as a checklist:

  • Check the image for any watermarks (Mile High Comics, mycomicshop, Lone Star Comics, eBay, etc.). If any, immediately reject with explanation.
  • Check to make sure any cover number on the image matches the issue that it's being tied to
  • Check to make sure the image is for the correct series (takes some knowledge of the feature/book)
  • Make sure the image is trimmed well; no extra edges around it
  • If the image doesn't have the normal retail markings (UPC, price, dates, etc.), consider looking it up on eBay, Mile High, or MyComicShop to see if the uploaded image differs from a scan of the actual cover.
  • Check to make sure the image is not from a solicitation (it's sometimes hard to tell if the company also produces "virgin" variant covers). Ask if unsure and the uploader did not say.
  • Do at least a cursory check for cover manipulations (e.g. no enhanced bustlines on Betty and Veronica)
  • For older comics, check the image for hints that it might be from a reprint (biggest clue: modern coloring (with solid colors) on classic issues)
  • If a wraparound cover, make sure it's one image (and not independent art pieces on front and back cover). Having a pinup on the back cover does not qualify for a wraparound cover. If there is no seam visible, be extra careful that it's not a promotional or solicitation image.
  • If gatefold wraparound cover, make sure the selected part of the image makes sense for a front cover
  • If a variant cover, make sure it doesn't already exist (in the exact format), and that it's not part of a related series that had slightly different content (e.g. a giveaway that only reprinted one story).
  • If a replacement cover, carefully compare to the original cover. If any printed differences, ask about it being a variant instead. If completely different, check the original cover for wrong-issue problems (hopefully, the uploader will have already told you for such a case). If the quality difference is negligible, you can reject, as we say up front "Cover replacements will usually be rejected unless significantly better so do not expect your replacement cover to always be accepted".

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