Is My We3 a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Serial first: three-issue Vertigo mini-series, 2004; a first-print issue #1 carries no later-printing notation in the indicia
• First collected edition: Vertigo trade paperback, 2005
• A separate expanded deluxe hardcover followed in 2011 and is a later first-thus, not the original collection

How DC Comics marked a first edition

• Indicia/copyright page carries the publisher block ('Copyright © [year] DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.'), ISBN, and a printing statement: a first printing states 'First Printing', often with no later dates, or a single…
• Modern DC collected editions use a descending number line in the indicia ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest number present is the printing, so '1' present indicates a first printing.

Full DC Comics first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Read the indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
3. Verify this is the world true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

The 2004 mini-series is the serial first appearance and outranks the collection in precedence; the 2005 trade paperback is the first book form; the 2011 deluxe hardcover is later and expanded. Distinguish the three.P-010761

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition; later printings and the deluxe edition are later. Verify the 2004 serial first prints (unmarked indicia) and the 2005 first collected printing.P-010762

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of We3 a first edition?

A first edition of We3 by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely (DC Comics) is identified by: Serial first: three-issue Vertigo mini-series, 2004; a first-print issue #1 carries no later-printing notation in the indicia.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. The 2004 mini-series is the serial first appearance and outranks the collection in precedence; the 2005 trade paperback is the first book form; the 2011 deluxe hardcover is later and expanded.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition; later printings and the deluxe edition are later. Verify the 2004 serial first prints (unmarked indicia) and the 2005 first collected printing.

I have a first edition of We3 — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.