"..and meet the sun" (reprise)

So, this is kind of weird...

Over a decade ago (and does that make me feel old), I posted something about quality control at DC comics, specifically concerning a well regarded run of comics that they were then starting to reprint in a fancier hardcover edition, and which I was perfectly willing to buy in that version, despite already having at least one, and in most cases two or more, previous printings of the work. When the actual first book of that series came out, I was disappointed to learn that an especially egregious production error that had cropped up on earlier reprints, the deletion of the final line of script for one  of the stories, was repeated in the new hardcover.

This is how a powerful moment at the end of the first Bissette/Totleben/Moore Swamp Thing storyline should appear:

Some people reading this are likely surprised, since the version they read is missing a certain something, and they saw this:

And yeah, those colours are also way too bright, but that's another issue.

Anyway, fast forward a few years and one of the first digital comics I bought was that issue of SWAMP THING, and the first thing I checked was that page and it was missing the caption. I sent off a quick note to Comixology (also noting some paging errors on double page spreads of other issues), got back a prompt response saying they'd check with DC and a few days later got back a note saying updated files were available, and indeed they were, a quick download confirmed the caption was restored.  Later I even heard it was correct in the softcover print version of the collection, though I didn't check for myself. Good God was in his heaven, good gumbo was in the pot.

So it was kind of a surprise a few months ago when the foremost living expert on Swamp Thing posted about checking the comic on DC's new digital subscription service and noting that the caption was missing again, and followed up to note that it was also missing in the most recent print copy he'd gotten in his store. And I went back to my digital copy on Comixology, downloaded it again and, lo and behold, no caption. Good God is not in his heaven, and the gumbo in the pot is spoiled.

And recently I noticed that my local library had a few copies of the book, some acquired within the past few years, and I figured I'd take a look. The first I got was an older edition, from before the hardcovers but after the first print (the version with gorgeous but incongruous Michael Zulli cover), and it was missing the caption. In fact, I think that was the version where the caption issue first cropped up. I returned it and placed another hold, and this time got a fourth print of the current edition. And there's the caption in all its glory.

Now I'm really confused. The other day I was in a bookstore and checked their comic section (hard to find, they label it "graphic novels" for some reason). There's a copy of the book. First I check the printing, and it's the seventh printing. Then I check the page in question and... motherforker! No caption.

This is kind of driving me crazy all out of proportion to its importance (yes, I know a corrupt and possibly crazy man is running the most powerful nation on Earth). What is it about this error that it defies all attempts to correct it. I'd say it has a "herpes-like persistence" if that expression didn't have another meaning in Alan Moore fandom circles. Now that DC are preparing to reprint the issue in their even-deluxier Absolute format in just a few weeks, is anyone taking bets on whether we'll have another outbreak, or will the re-colouring on the newer version finally be the thing that stamps out the error for good (and fixes a few other problems with reprints of this run of comics)?