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Attention, Crawlers! Collectibles grading company CGC is teaming up with “Dungeon Crawler Carl” author Matt Dinniman for the release of a free exclusive variant cover of his comic book series at New York Comic Con next
month.
From Oct. 8-11, CGC will offer a limited-edition “Dungeon Crawler Carl” #0 variant featuring newly commissioned artwork by “The Mask” and “Aliens” artist Doug Mahnke at its NYCC booth, where Dinniman and Mahnke are both set to make signing appearances.
Adapted from Dinniman’s bestselling litRPG novel series of the same name and published as a webcomic and in print through Vault Comics, the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” comic book is a post-apocalyptic story that follows the titular Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they’re thrust into a deadly, game-show-style dungeon where survival depends on wit, grit and leveling up fast.
“Comics are still new to me, and it’s surreal to see all these awesome artists coming together to make badass art in the ‘DCC’ universe,” Dinniman said. “Doug’s cover stands out, and I’m forever grateful an artist like that wants to work on something I created.”
CGC and JSA return to NYCC this year as the convention’s official grading and authentication services. Per CGC, fans submitting eligible collectibles to CGC for grading at the brand’s NYCC booth (CGC Booth #2805, CGC Signature Series & JSA Booth #HB906) will be able to receive the exclusive “Carl” variant for free, limited to one per person while supplies lasts.
“We’re giving this variant away because we want the fans who’ve followed Dungeon Crawler Carl from the beginning to be the ones who get it first,” CGC’s vice president of comic book grading Shawn Caffrey said. “That’s always been the idea behind our program — put incredible art directly into collectors’ hands, free, and let them be part of the moment a series like this breaks wide open.”
Con-goers will be able to pick one of three options between the “Carl” comic book and two new variants of “Absolute Batman” #24 featuring original artwork. Written by Scott Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta, “Absolute Batman” reimagines Bruce Wayne as a younger Dark Knight without the Wayne fortune, forcing Batman to rely on ingenuity, determination, and sheer physicality.
Additionally, CGC is also introducing a new “Dungeon Crawler Carl” custom label that will be available beginning Sept. 22 for “Dungeon Crawler Carl” comic book submissions.
News of the CGC-“Dungeon Crawler Carl” collab comes amid intense popularity for the book series, which is now in the works as a TV show at Peacock.
“It’s awesome to see people collecting stuff based on my world,” Dinniman said. It’s humbling to know people are actually interested in collecting them and keeping them to display.”
See below for Variety‘s Q&A with CGC’s Caffrey about the collaboration.
How did the partnership come about?
Caffrey: CGC has spent the last couple of years building a tradition of giving away exclusive, free variant covers to fans at San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con, including a Superman #680 variant from Dan Mora and an Avengers #31 variant from Peach Momoko, among several other fan-favorite artists.
For New York Comic Con, artist representative Jon Jespersen approached CGC about working with acclaimed artist Doug Mahnke on a variant cover. With the incredible buzz surrounding “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” we saw an opportunity to do something especially fun for fans of the series. Jon shared an initial concept art-directed by his wife, Sarah, a longtime “Dungeon Crawler Carl” fan, and with Doug’s artwork and colors by David Baron, we knew we had something special.
We’re thrilled to bring the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” variant to New York Comic Con and to have both Doug Mahnke and David Baron signing for free at the CGC booth during the show.
What was the process like working with Matt Dinniman on the art? Fans know these characters so well already that remaining text accurate while also having artistic license could be difficult.
Doug approached the cover with a real respect for Matt’s world – the characters, the tone, and all of those details “Dungeon Crawler Carl” fans know so well. That gave him the foundation to bring his own distinctive artistic style to the cover while still making it feel unmistakably DCC. David Baron’s colors really bring the finished piece to life, and we think fans are going to love what they created together.
“Dungeon Crawler Carl” #0 has already been released, but this will be the first opportunity for fans to get a Doug Mahnke “DCC” variant. That makes being able to debut it at New York Comic Con especially exciting.
What made NYCC the right time for this collaboration, and are there plans for more?
Issue #0 launched right alongside a huge wave of momentum for “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” and issue #1 comes out right after the show, so NYCC felt like the perfect moment to put this variant directly into fans’ hands. It also fits the model we’ve built with artists like Peach Momoko and Dan Mora: giving devoted collectors free access to premium variant art rather than charging for it. At the end of the day, a lot of us on this side of the business are the same fans we’re serving — we read the novels, we love this world, and we collect what we love, so of course we want to be part of the moment it becomes a comic. Our booths are always popular at fan fests like Comic Con and we expect this year at New York to be no different. If you look at all the trending novels for Audible and all the best books of the year, “DCC” is right there topping the charts with numerous books fighting for the top spot. And we’re also excited to see “DCC” as a live-action series on Peacock.
We are looking forward to potentially more collaborations with the “DCC” franchise and the creator himself. There are no plans locked in yet, but Doug and David will be signing at our booth during the show, and we see this as a great first step. We’d love for this relationship with the “Dungeon Crawler Carl” world to keep growing.
