Hulk 181 vs Fake 1813817

Originally Posted by Dshel61
How do you tell the difference between a real 181 and a fake?

Originally Posted by comic_book_man
@Dshel61

I'd say a fake is usually one with real interior pages and a replica cover, or vice versa. These are usually sold as replicas, but they become "fakes" when someone tries to pass them off as authetic/original. I've seen them on eBay, generally from new low-rating sellers. Often times they will claim they inherited it from a "collection".

It's hard to spot the fakes online, but generally the replica covers have similar markings between them, the text can be a bit blurry(like on the back advertisements), and occasionally the imagery will be oversized/undersized. The cover may also appear larger than the interior pages and some fraying on the cover may indicate non-original paper.

In person, these replicas will smell of fresh ink. Under lighting, you will also see printing imprints along the imagery sort of like a hologram or a topographic map. Lastly, you will see the replica covers tend to be such a stark "printer paper white" that it should obviously not match the interior page color...same goes for staples that may look like staples out of your home stapler(not looking old or worn).

This a great thread, and fakes exist so be very careful when shopping for Hulk 181s. Make sure if you buy one that is suspect, you have some sort of buyer protection. Request clearer photos and buying from trustworthy sources is your best defense. If your questioning it or it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

I hope this helps and good luck!!