I know that this was four years ago, but it STILL needs to be made known.
This is the so-called Ultimate Fallout #4 “Flag Variant.”
And it represents one of the most embarrassing moments in modern comic collecting.
Let’s stop pretending.
This book is NOT:
• a Marvel variant
• a sanctioned edition
• a publisher-approved release
It is an aftermarket alteration, stamped after publication, with zero Marvel authorization.
And yet it was:
• marketed as something special
• hyped into artificial demand
• graded and encapsulated by Certified Guaranty Company
That alone is a failure.
But here’s where it becomes outright predatory.
🔥 BLACK FLAG COMICS — THIS IS ON YOU 🔥
Black Flag Comics knowingly pushed an unofficial, altered book into the market and let collectors believe it carried legitimacy it absolutely does not.
This wasn’t ignorance.
This wasn’t a mistake.
This was manufactured scarcity wrapped in patriotic marketing, designed to exploit:
• Miles Morales hype
• MCU speculation
• and uninformed buyers
If a retailer alters a book after it leaves the publisher, it is no longer a variant — it’s a custom product.
Selling it otherwise is deceptive, period.
🎨 CLAYTON CRAIN — YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED OUT OF THIS 🎨
Now let’s talk about Clayton Crain.
Whether intentional or not, his involvement gave this false legitimacy.
Crain’s name carries weight. His participation — even indirectly — blurred the line between:
• official creator variants
• and aftermarket nonsense
Creators should be protecting the integrity of the medium, not lending credibility to books that never existed in Marvel’s publishing history.
When respected creators get involved in this kind of stunt, it sends a dangerous message:
If the artist is attached, it must be real.
It isn’t.
🧱 CGC — THIS IS WHERE THE LINE WAS CROSSED 🧱
CGC’s job is to authenticate publisher-released material.
By grading this book as if it were legitimate, CGC effectively told the hobby:
“Unofficial alterations are fine — as long as there’s money.”
That decision shattered trust.
If this passes:
• why not Sharpie logos?
• why not foil stickers?
• why not recolored covers?
Congratulations — you’ve turned comic grading into a marketing accessory.
❌ THIS IS A STAIN ON THE HOBBY ❌
This book is not history.
It is not canon.
It is not a real variant.
It is a manufactured product, hyped, flipped, and slabbed into false legitimacy.
And everyone involved — retailers, creators, and graders — should be embarrassed.
Collectors deserve truth, not hype cycles built on loopholes.
🛑 This is how trust dies.
🛑 This is how standards collapse.
🛑 This is how the hobby eats itself.
#ComicCollecting #UltimateFallout4 #BlackFlagComics #ClaytonCrain #CGC #HobbyIntegrity #UnofficialVariants #ManufacturedScarcity
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