Convention exclusives are the worst. And by that I mean they’re the best (but they’re mainly the worst). Every year around this time anticipation builds for the announcement of what exclusives are going to available at San Diego Comic Con as incentives for attendees (and even for non-attendees these days). An SDCC exclusive occupies a special place for all of us because no matter how you get them (by standing in line or by refreshing online), securing some of these exclusives always feels like such a flat-out victory. It takes a lot of work and it’s a lot of stress, and if the planets don’t align and you miss out, it can definitely sting, especially if the exclusive is a crucial part of a team or something of equal importance. So what makes a “good” con exclusive? Let’s see if we can figure it out.
Exclusives being in crazy demand serves a purpose in building hype for a brand, and make no mistake — hype sells. Companies want their exclusives to sell out, and fans want the exclusives, and re-sellers want the exclusives because fans want the exclusives, so limited supply and heightened demand make the con season what it is for collectors: a potential migraine.
Sometimes I feel like I’m better off if an exclusive is something I don’t want at all. But, really, what fun is that? In a perfect, safe, non-threatening, stress-free world, an exclusive is something that is cool but not essential, like an alternate costume for a favorite character or team. The exclusive is worth picking up, but if acquiring one doesn’t work out, then no big deal. Walgreens’ recent Marvel Legends Ant Man and Daredevil exclusives are good examples of this idea. It’s cool that they were produced as a service to fans, but neither can be considered absolutely essential (mileage may vary, sure, but still).
Unfortunately, not all exclusives hit that sweet spot, and SDCC exclusives often don’t. The SDCC Marvel Legends X-Force set from 2012 is a prime example of an exclusive that featured definitive versions of core characters — so it was something of a stressful nightmare to get because the demand for it was insanely high. Hasbro made an effort to make it “less” exclusive by releasing different versions of Wolverine and Archangel at retail, but that really didn’t help all that much. Psylocke and the X-Force Archangel with the sweet chromed-out wings were exclusives to that particular set, and it was a set that, honestly, took a fair bit of luck to get, whether you were actually in line at the con or sweating it out online waiting for that sweet 5-minute window when it would be available to order. This set was an absolute perfect storm of a con exclusive: a set many, many fans considered essential and the supply didn’t quite meet the demand.
Sometimes, however, there are essential members of teams that are not viable for any sales avenue outside of a con exclusive. Satana from the Thunderbolts set is a perfect example of this. There is no way she was ever — EVER — going to appear on the pegs at Toys R Us or Walmart, so, really, an SDCC set was the only way we were ever going to see her. Even as a limited con exclusive, it was still a bit astonishing to see her available at all because of her name and her costume. This is why a convention-only set can be so cool; impossibly unlikely characters suddenly become viable. The Thunderbolts set wasn’t quite as difficult to get as the X-Force set was, but it still wasn’t a picnic.
Now, while it’s awesome to get a set like the modern X-Force team, the con-exclusive route was not the ideal way to go about it. Plenty of people missed out or had to pony up big bucks on the secondary market to get it. Sure, getting it as a con exclusive is better than not getting it at all, but come on — the X-Force set would have done well wherever and however it was offered, even as a retailer exclusive. So when I read through the message boards and see people hoping for definitive versions of teams like Excalibur or the New Mutants as SDCC exclusives, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. I totally get wanting those teams/sets because I’ve been foaming at the mouth for them for years, but as con exclusives? No freakin’ way. I’d much rather not deal with the stress. But, in reality, a con exclusive is the most likely way we’ll ever see those teams these days (take a second and look up all the conspiracy theories involving Marvel and the Mutants), so our choices are nothing at all or a stress-filled ordeal.
Another option is the route Mattel took with the DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins and Swamp Thing: make the sets widely available via the online store, but offer a convention-only exclusive accessory to make it worth the while of those who actually attend. Sounds reasonable, right? In the case of Swamp Thing, it was totally reasonable. The con-exclusive Un-Men pack-ins were fun extras. But Gleek? An essential part of the Wonder Twins? People FREAKED OUT. Message boards melted down. It was bad — and there are tons of fans who don’t even LIKE the Wonder Twins, but the demand for the set with Gleek was still out of this world regardless. Lessons were learned from that fiasco. Hasbro attempted something similar with their SDCC exclusive Star Wars Black Series Boba Fett. Boba Fett would be available later on at retail as a single release, but at the con he came in a sweet box with an exclusive “accessory” — a Han Solo in carbonite. Now, only an insane person could call that Han a “mere accessory,” so that set became one of the more difficult SDCC exclusives to get ever. And there are scores of people who were left out and would love to have that Han. I mean, it was a cool exclusive set if you were able to get one, but if you weren’t . . . the burn was real. And then it’s not like Boba Fett was ever easy to get as a single at retail, so this one was just a headache top to bottom.
The absolute worst-case scenario has often been the Ashley Wood 3A exclusives. You know — when there are 75 figures available and 1,000 people fighting for them? Let’s just . . . not even discuss that insanity. Hopefully they’ve gotten better about it, but I remember those NYCC 12-inch Zombs being the most brutal things to get ever. I’m just thankful no one was looking 3A’s way as a model for how to handle exclusives.
So what’s the answer? What makes for a perfect con exclusive? Sound off below and let us know what kind of exclusive would make you happy!