Holy sales war, io9ers! Marvel Comics is offering retailers a rare issue of its new mega-event Siege. The catch? Store owners have to send Marvel 50 torn-up DC Comics titles.


In a move seemingly out of Norman Osborne's playbook, Marvel is offering comic book stores a special Deadpool variant cover of Siege #3. All retailers have to do is send in 50 covers of any of the six DC titles tied in with DC's winter Blackest Night ring promotion. In order to receive copies of the Blackest Night rings, stores had to order large quantities of the comics, and some retailers found themselves with a backlog:

In an effort to provide assistance to comic retailers in 2010, Marvel is offering retailers an opportunity to turn unsold comics into an extremely rare Siege #3 Deadpool Variant! Retailers – for every 50 stripped covers of the following comics sent to Marvel, you will qualify to receive one FREE Siege #3 Deadpool Variant. The 50 stripped covers can be any combination of the comics listed below and all submissions need to be received at the Marvel office at the address below by Tuesday 2/16/2010. Also included with the stripped covers must be your store contact information including Diamond Account # and email address. Stripped Covers To Be Sent:

Adventure Comics #4

Booster Gold #26

Doom Patrol #4

Justice League Of America #39

Outsiders #24.

R.E.B.E.L.S #10


On one hand, giving retailers an avenue to dispose of excess comics is a welcome (if unorthodox) option. On the other hand...promoting the destruction of your competitor's product? That's ripped straight off of the syllabus of "Business Ethics 101" at Latveria Community College.

[via Publisher Weekly's The Beat]