The distribution model for Chainkata / Karman Blade / The Last Driver / Crowbound / Hammerfist are identical. One ashcan/preview variant was sent (one per store) to retail shops, and a second ashcan/preview variant was available for purchase at SDCC. The two are easily differentiated by the presence of a tag under the Image logo on each cover. Most of these are missing one or the other (or have the art swapped, or both) in CLZ.
Should the words used for variant description and variant assignment be homogenized for consistency across series? (Are they previews or ashcans?) Should one or the other consistently be assigned A or B? (The One Per Store variants were available to the market first chronologically, if that matters.)
Chainkata
#Preview-A ‘Daniel Warren Johnson One Per Store Preview’
#Preview-B ‘Daniel Warren Johnson SDCC Exclusive Preview Variant’
Karman Blade
#Ashcan ‘Ian Bertram SDCC Exclusive Ashcan’
Missing: One Per Store variant, art below (in-hand)
The Last Driver
#Ashcan-A ‘Sean Murphy SDCC Exclusive Ashcan’
#Ashcan-B ‘Convention Exclusive Ashcan’
Correction: One Per Store variant description, art below (not in-hand)
Crowbound
#Ashcan ‘Dustin Nguyen SDCC Exclusive Ashcan’
Correction: Currently using the One Per Store art. Art below (in-hand)
#Ashcan-B ‘SDCC Exclusive Ashcan’
Correction: One Per Store variant description, art currently used by #Ashcan
Hammerfist
#Ashcan ‘Steve Epting SDCC Exclusive Ashcan’
Correction: Currently using the One Per Store art. Art below (not in-hand)
Missing: One Per Store variant, art currently used by #Ashcan
Before I read trough your post properly, I’d like to say this:
What we use is depending on what’s written on the cover and for format, what size the book is. Yes they’re released the same with the same intention. But if I were to call the “Karman Blade” a preview when there’s ashcan written on the cover, it could be confusing for some people.
When there’s preview written on the cover or nothing, we use preview. It just depends on what’s written on the cover
Thanks for the info, Justin! That makes sense! With it in mind, this is a list of what each variant self-identifies as in print on the cover:
Chainkata
Exclusive Retailer Edition
Convention Exclusive Ashcan
Karman Blade
Ashcan
Convention Exclusive Ashcan
The Last Driver
Ashcan
Convention Exclusive Ashcan
Crowbound
Ashcan
Convention Exclusive
Hammerfist
Ashcan
Convention Exclusive Ashcan
So, ten of the twelve are printed with the word ‘Ashcan.’ Crowbound leaves out the word ‘Ashcan’ on its Con variant, and Chainkata refers to itself with entirely different phrasing for its One Per Store. Do with that what you will! 
The additional photos should be helpful in completing the entries, in any case.
Uhm.. didn’t think you were going to read it like that and take it that literal. I meant it as, we take what word is written on the cover and apply that to our standard for the variant description. Chainkata has ashcan written in the indicia (not on the cover), so we used that word in our standard for variant descriptions. The SDCC exclusive is a variant of the one that was sent to stores. The descriptions currently used for Chainkata are good as is for these variant descriptions.
The decisions (of course) are yours and the teams! I’m simply trying to understand the ‘rules’ so any corrections I suggest are within your expectations. I think what’s most important is that each series has both variations available in core, with correct images for easy identification when adding them to collections.
The Last Driver, Crowbound, and Hammerfist still require attention in this way.
Oh okay, yeh no worries! Just making sure we’re on the same page 
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