Foil Variants: Friend or Foe? What Do Comic Book Fans Want?

We asked comic collectors what they think.

Variants, alternate covers of comics that have become an integral part of the comic community. These covers are a celebration of art and showcase many different artists and mediums—from oil paintings to even photographs of clay sculptures. These stunning pieces of art are meant to draw people to these stories and communicate the subject and themes of their respective comics. 

Variants have become their own specific part of the comic collecting community in the modern age. While some people are only interested in the stories themselves, many collectors have embraced the hunt for their favorite covers, and every year Comic-Con patrons line up to get their books signed by their favorite cover artists. Like all types of collecting, from TCG cards to statues and figures, there will always be negative aspects when it comes to resellers and price gouging. But overall, variants have helped fund comics through sales and don’t take away from the accessibility of the main covers and the stories found within. As a variant collector myself, I love lining my walls with the various beautiful pieces of art from my favorite stories.

Comic covers from Grim, SIKTC, Poison Ivy, and Supergirl.

Today we are specifically discussing foil variants—those shiny, reflective metallic covers. There are two types of foil variants, full foil variants are completely metallic all over, while spot foils have only certain parts that are—like a single color, object, or the title. Foil variants have become highly sought after and are more exclusive than their non-metallic counterparts. But, do people actually want foil variants?  

With foil variants being a divisive subject within the comic collecting space, I posted a poll and asked comic fans on social media to share their opinions on if they liked full foil variants or not. Here is what they had to say! (We are only talking about full foil covers in this article.) 

First, let’s talk about the negative opinions. Many people believe that full foil covers take away from the artwork, pointing out that oftentimes printers print them too dark, and the shine can make it hard to fully see all the details of art, especially when displaying them. Multiple comic book fans who participated in the survey online said that foil variants ‘drown the art out’, ‘cheapen the art’, and ‘mute the colors.’ One collector shared, “Foil variants leave fingerprints on the books, and l'm not a fan of the smudging all over the place.” Many people shared that same sentiment. Another common criticism regarding the glossy texture was the fact that full foil variants are oftentimes difficult to get signed by creators due to smudging and the ink not taking correctly to the cover.

The majority of the comments were, unfortunately, not in favor of foil variants. Many participants had a common critique on par with the comment, “You can’t see the artwork and it's entirely about the chase and novelty."

The price point is another deterrent for many variant collectors. One comic fan stated, “I'm a Cover A guy. Why would I pay more for its foil version?”, which is a common criticism for variant collecting overall. This opinion was backed by another comment “You are just paying more money for art that is harder to see.” Another participant said “I love foil variants but they are generally out of my price range.” followed by “It’s like looking at a Monet painting. You appreciate it but unless you have money, you can’t like…get it.” 

What about the artists themselves, do they like their work turned into foil variants? We spoke to one cover artist who has worked with multiple major publishers, they shared, “With full foil, I understand the appeal. It’s different and shiny. But it does come at a price, and that is the clarity of the artwork and being able to see what the artist wanted to show you. If you like full foil, awesome! But I personally don’t, and I don’t hold onto comics with that treatment.” 

Now let’s talk about the good opinions. Many people love foil variants, the spectacular shine draws collectors in, and the exclusivity excites many fans. One person shared “for the series Free Planet, the foils are 1:25, making them as exclusive as they look.” Many people who participated in the survey attributed their love of foil variants to being 90s kids saying things like, “As someone who grew up in the 90s, the appreciation for a foil cover has been ingrained in me” and “we were raised on foil variants. There is a bit of nostalgia in play for me.” 

Another participant pointed out, “Some artists have only foil variant covers and that's the only way to get said artist’s cover.” And just like all art, how people view foil covers is subjective. A couple foil variant fans shared, “I love foil variants, I think they're beautiful. I don't really see them looking too dark.” and “I collect cards too, when the lighting is done right the cover glows and it's a conversation starter.” Perhaps it’s the fact that they are different from non-foil covers that makes them so special to people, another answer from the survey was “I just think they're something really distinct and interesting compared to the standard.” which was backed by another comment “they are like a break in the ‘ordinary’.” And a personal favorite answer shared was, “I don't know. I must be a magpie as I'm a sucker for shiny covers!”

comic book shop comic display wall

Many comic collectors took a middle ground when participating in the survey. When it comes down to it, a lot of the criticism for foil variants have to do with the print quality, the art is simply too dark and difficult to see. Many people said that what makes a good foil variant is how good the printer is, saying things like, “When done right they're beautiful, when done wrong they're meh.” Many opinions on what makes a foil variant work might have to do with the actual colors of the piece, one collector shared “Honestly, it is case by case. It depends on the image and colors used if the foil works.” This was backed by another collector’s statement “if it's bright and colorful it works, if it's dark it kinda blends too much.”

So, what are the numbers? How many people like full foil variants, and how many people don’t? I opened up a poll on my Instagram story and on Threads; take the results with a grain of salt because of the limited sample size and margin of error. With 350+ votes across a couple of social media platforms, on average about: 

40% said that they like foil variants and

60% said that they do not like foil variants. 

The consensus? Based on the results, most fans do not like full foil variants. The solution? Give the people options! One person stated “I think foil variants are fine if a regular is also offered.” This makes the artwork more accessible for people who like the cover, but don’t have the funds for a foil. This also gives foil collectors and non-foil collectors the ability to enjoy these beautiful pieces of art.

I love the concept of foil variants, they make the cover feel so special and unique. I myself, am probably also a magpie. I have quite a few in my collection, but when it comes down to execution, I don’t like the majority of full foil variants. I have been disappointed on many occasions when I have fallen in love with a cover and found out there were only foil options that were dark and muddled. I also find foils to be a particular drawback as a content creator. I can’t display foil variants on my comic wall in my videos because they are hard to see on camera and reflect my set lights. So, while I do love them, the overall printing quality hasn’t quite gotten to the point that a lot of fans are demanding, especially for the price point. 

While this article is discussing only full foil variants, I want it to be known that I love spot foil variants, and many people who participated in the survey and responded to my post do as well. So, if you are reading this and are somebody in charge of deciding if a comic gets a foil or not, the answer is give the people options! Don’t take away foil variants from collectors who like them, but give the majority of collectors the options for non-foil versions as well.