So much for Stormbringer .2

I went to the comic store yesterday and I was pissed. They had four copies left of Stormbringer #2, but all that was left was the black and white Thunderwing cover. These last few months IDW had been pimping the Optimus Prime battle scene cover and I was all excited about getting that one. I guess it sold out before I got to my shop. This is why I hate alternate covers-more often than not if I don't arrive the day that the comics get to the store the cover I want will be gone and all I'm left with are the craptacular ones nobody else liked. Is it so unreasonable to expect that I should be able to walk into my comic store the same week a comic comes out and get the cover that's been advertised in all the promotional materials? So instead of getting the shitty unfinished, half assed Thunderwing cover I didn't like I'm just going to skip buying Stormbringer #2 altogether.

I want to say a couple things about this trend of using the uncolored inks as alternate covers. Instead of calling these 'sketch covers' let's just call them what they really are-half assed attempts by IDW to save a few bucks by not completing the printing process. What you're getting with the retailer incentive to Stormbringer #1 and the Thunderwing variant of #2 is not an artist's sketch, it's uncolored, unfinished art. Art that was taken all the way up to the inking and then left undone. How is this anything less than laziness on the part of IDW? How is unfinished comic cover art supposed to be desireable? What's next? Color it yourself comics shipped with magic markers?

I hope Stormbringer is successful and they sell out of issue #2 but they'll be doing it without me. Stupid crap like this alternate cover BS makes it so easy to support digital comics piracy. At least with torrents I can guarentee I'll get the cover I want.