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G.I. Joe #1 bagged from Target9149

Collector daywalker private msg quote post Address this user
Just wondering if anyone has any info on a bagged copy of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #1 from Target, published by Marvel in 1982. Was it a regional thing? I live in Illinois and I don’t think we even had Target here in the 1980’s.🤔
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Collector daywalker private msg quote post Address this user

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COLLECTOR JLS_Comics private msg quote post Address this user
I think Target was nationwide at that point, having had a pretty aggressive expansion period full of M&A's. After the success of the Marvel/Lucas deal, they started licensing out comics to align with toys and movie/tv so GI Joe, Transformers, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc. They'd push these out to nationwide stores to hit shelves and help move more merchandise. They did a few exclusives with Hasbro, including with the action figures.

1982 was still very early on in the Newsstand/DM delineation. During this time, the Marvel comic packs - distributed by Whitman for Western - were predominately just bagged DM editions. There's a couple exceptions that sport the Whitman logo like the Treasury Editions. But for the rest, it was harder to tell unless you bought it yourself. You can tell this one is Direct because of the diamond in the top left corner box and the spidey head on the bottom. The earlier Whitmans had the diamond logo and a blank UPC box so the bar code I guess could go on the bag. They made these that went out to retailers so they wouldn't get the returnabiity that the other logo-ed books got on the newsstand side.

Though yours is 1982 and would've been distributed by Parkes Run, the same principles apply to the book itself. What you have here is a 1st print, direct sales copy of issue one!

Usually there's other markings on the bags, do you have a scan of the rest of the bag or is that it?
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans. esaravo private msg quote post Address this user
@daywalker - I have never heard of a “Target” edition, and like @JLS_Comics says, it looks like a 1st print Direct Edition. But if you paid $1.34 for it, I would say you did great.
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Collector daywalker private msg quote post Address this user
The bag is just a clear bag, front and back with the hanger hole at the top. No, I didn’t get it for $1.34...I wish!
I had an almost complete run, but sold it a few years ago...one of those wish I hadn’t moments! So I’m trying to pick a few keys back up!
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