Zoom Suit Raises the Bar on Variant Collecting – Comics Buyers Guide #1617

Zoom Suit raises the bar on variant collecting

by WILLIAM INSIGNARES

Zoom Suit the comic is based on the animated short film of the same name that has been shown to more than 500,000 viewers at more than 60 film festivals in recent months. It has won many accolades from fans and critics alike, earning it numerous awards in film contests throughout the U.S.

Zoom Suit is the story of an armored suit of alien origin that is lost by the military and found by an average boy. This all-ages humor book is being heavily promoted by Superverse Productions, its parent company, with numerous promotions and giveaways. For months leading up to the release of the first issue in April, fans have had access to free promotional trading cards, contests, and special limited edition comics via the company website. Retailers have been given the red carpet treatment. From numerous press releases to help build sales momentum to posters, trading cards, ashcan editions, and free limited edition issues, any and all promotional material needed was available. As an additional incentive, retailers were enticed with an astonishing discount on the first issue and different tiered limited-edition variants available at no charge depending on the increments of the book ordered. These were in the same rare books with covers by some prominent artists that have worked on armored super-hero titles before.

There are a total of eight covers for Zoom Suit #1. Below is the breakdown:

Zoom Suit #1 ships in equal quantities with three different covers:

Cover A by Bill Tucci — Saturday Evening Post (aka “The Kiss”)
Cover B by Billy Dallas Patton — I Can Fly
Cover C by Bob Layton — The Suit Doesn’t Fit!

There are four retailer incentive variants:

• Armored Legends Bob Layton is a 1:10 Variant

• Armored Legends Bart Sears is a 1:20 Variant

• Armored Legends Gene Colan is a 1:25 Variant

• Armored Legends Jim Starlin is a 1:50 Variant

Last but not least is the super-rare, Film Festival Edition. It was only made available for friends, family, and fans that helped out with the project way back when.

I recently spoke with John Taddeo, the creator and writer of Zoom Suit, and asked him:
“Now that you have seen Zoom Suit #1, did it meet or exceed you and your staff’s expectations?”

John responded very enthusiastically: “Blew away our expectations! A few times in the office at around three in the morning we would ask, ‘Why are we doing this?’ When we saw the finished product, our question was answered. It’s a very special book. It’s clearly made by people with intense love for comics. You can’t work that hard and put that much energy in to something unless you love it.”

I had a chance to read an advance copy of the first issue and was very impressed. The book has nice weight to it and lays flat in your hands for easier reading. The issue features a heavy cardstock cover. MetalFX technology was used throughout the book, a high-end metallic ink process usually reserved for high-end projects. Inside are beautifully rendered, glossy pages that are very appealing to the eyes. A well thought-out masterpiece that will raise the bar on what you come to expect a finished product to look like from an independent comic-book company.

The comic book is also interactive. Look for hidden codes inside the book. A reader can decipher a phone number, which when called, will take them on an alien conspiracy across the internet. Every cover has a unique code. Fans can input the code at the Superverse website or at their local store to see if they have won a limited edition. For additional information visit: www.superverse.com.