Ratio variants explained: 1:10, 1:25 and beyond
What the numbers on incentive covers mean, how shops unlock them, and how we handle them.
You’ve probably seen covers labelled “1:25” or “1:50”. These are ratio variants, also called incentive covers, and they’re some of the most striking covers on the wall.
What the ratio means
The ratio tells you how many regular copies a shop has to order to unlock one copy of that cover. For a 1:25 variant, a shop must order 25 qualifying regular copies of the issue to get one.
- 1:1010
- 1:2525
- 1:5050
- 1:100100
That’s why higher ratios turn up less often: fewer shops order enough copies to unlock them. Publishers like Marvel, DC and Image announce each issue’s ratio covers ahead of FOC.
Why FOC matters
Shops lock their orders at Final Order Cutoff, and that final number decides how many ratio covers they can get. Strong preorders before FOC help unlock more of them. Read What is FOC to learn more.
Vault covers
How we sell them
- Individual priced one by one, not at cover price
- Limited only a few copies of each
- Preview cover images are publisher previews
Look for ratio covers in our FOC preorders each week.
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