Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1, the first issue of the long-awaited limited series that marks Rob Liefeld‘s first contributions to the world of G.I. Joe, has sold out of its first print at Diamond Comics Distributors, and will go back to press immediately for a second printing, which will be available shortly for direct market comics retailers. The sold-out status came within 24 hours of the series hitting comic shop shelves. The comic launched on Wednesday with dozens of variant covers, including a number by Liefeld himself. It’s arguably not much of a surprise that the comic sold out, given that Liefeld’s last big creator-driven project, Marvel’s Major X, sold out repeatedly, in spite of Marvel and DC print runs being generally bigger than those of publishers like IDW.
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The second printing will come with another new cover, again from Liefeld. You can check it out below.
“As I have shared with anyone and everyone, Snake Eyes is a dream assignment and getting to depict G.I. Joe characters is one of the great thrills of my career,” Liefeld said in a statement. “I am so excited that fans of all ages showed up and consumed our first issue and sold us out! Thank you to everyone at IDW and all the fine folks at Hasbro for this opportunity — and huge thanks to all the fans for your support. The best is yet to come!”
The series, which brings Liefeld to one of the properties he has said was on his creative bucket list, was announced back in July of last year with a targeted launch date of “early 2020.” By the time we spoke to Liefeld in February, the plan was to have the first issue in stores by June which, given the long delays suffered by a lot of titles as a result of the pandemic and Diamond’s brief shutdown, seems pretty on-point for IDW.
“The heat on Snake Eyes is undeniable,” John Barber, IDW’s Editor-in-Chief,” said in a press release. “And it’s justly deserved, as well. The talented Rob Liefeld and his team — Chad Bowers, Adelso Corona, and Frederico Blee — have really gone above and beyond to deliver a high-stakes, nail-biting saga that won’t soon be forgotten by G.I. Joe devotees. A job well done, everyone!”
For retailers looking to get their hands on the Second Printing, Diamond Comic Distributors is creating a new item code and will begin taking orders shortly. For fans? Contact your local comic shop to snag one — or possibly to pick up any remaining copies of Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1’s first printing, since distributor-level sellouts sometimes take a while to disappear completely from stores.
