Feels like a lot of Marvel's titles are skewing towards that demo; Squirrel Girl, Champions, Moon Girl, etc. this is related to why I'm picking up only one or two titles from them every month of late.
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
The last one at my daughter's school (a middle school) had Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Moon Girl, all on the very first table. They also had Princeless, and a couple of other comic tpbs.
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
Did you see ANY Marvel related offerings at your son's school's book fair, @Mr_Cosmic?
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
Did you see ANY Marvel related offerings at your son's school's book fair, @Mr_Cosmic?
I didn't see any collections of Marvel comics. There were a lot of books about the characters..a retelling of the Doctor Strange movie for example.
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
The last one at my daughter's school (a middle school) had Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Moon Girl, all on the very first table. They also had Princeless, and a couple of other comic tpbs.
I wonder who chooses what books a school gets sent to sell? Does each school have a say or does the company just send what they feel the school should sell?
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
The last one at my daughter's school (a middle school) had Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Moon Girl, all on the very first table. They also had Princeless, and a couple of other comic tpbs.
I wonder who chooses what books a school gets sent to sell? Does each school have a say or does the company just send what they feel the school should sell?
I would assume there are sales reps assigned to specific regions who bring the product to the schools in that area based on what’s hot and on past sales. I doubt the schools have much input into what they bring unless parents raise objections to specific books/items.
I think I'm most fascinated comparing the previous market numbers to now.
This was the top 10 in February 2015 1 Orphan Black #1 497,092 copies 2 Darth Vader #1 264,449 copies 3 Spider-Gwen #1 254,074 copies 4 Star Wars #2 162,042 copies 5 Batman #39 118,106 copies 6 Amazing Spider-Man #14 106,778 copies 7 Darth Vader #2 100,000 copies 8 Amazing Spider-Man #15 99,660 copies 9 Silk 1 #106,778 copies 10 Justice League #39 72,904 copies
This was the top 10 in February 2017 1 Star Wars: Darth Maul #1 - 105,177 copies 2 Batman #16 - 102,096 copies 3 Batman #17 - 99,637 copies 4 Justice League of America #1 - 93,494 copies 5 Super Sons #1 - 90,345 copies 6 Walking Dead #164 - 83,999 copies 7 All-Star Batman #7 - 77,096 copies 8 Star Wars #28 - 74,002 copies 9 Justice League of America Rebirth #1 - 73,397 copies 10 Justice League #14 - 65,458
No Spider-Man titles in the top 10 (there were four in 2015). Batman has slipped a bit with its relaunch, but with 3 Bat-titles in top 10, DC is moving far more copies. Star Wars and Justice League titles have slipped a bit also. New #1 issues are no longer a guarantee of 100k+ copies ordered.
I just volunteered with my wife at our son's school's book fair..tons of books..didn't see one Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. Not saying it doesn't sell well that way but it just didn't happen to be for sale here..for whatever reason.
The last one at my daughter's school (a middle school) had Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and Moon Girl, all on the very first table. They also had Princeless, and a couple of other comic tpbs.
@nweathington another way I'm seeing that Marvel is planning to reach the younger audience is something I've been wanting to see them do for a while, and that's get their material back into the big retail shops and newstands. According to a press release last month, they've teamed up with Archie Comics to create a series of digests this year.
Marvel Entertainment and Archie Comics, two of the leading pop culture and entertainment brands in the world, announced plans to create and distribute a new MARVEL COMICS DIGEST for “big box retailers,” newsstand, and comic shops, packaged and distributed by Archie. The digest format, long the specialty of Archie, will spotlight some of the best-loved Marvel Comics tales for new and young readers in a captivating way that will create new direct comic book market customers.Archie Comics will publish six Marvel digests a year, with four hitting in 2017. The collections will feature various eras and stories including many of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes, with the Amazing Spider-Man and the Avengers hitting first. MARVEL COMICS DIGEST: Starring The Amazing Spider-Man, hits in June. Future MARVEL COMICS DIGEST will feature Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the X-Men!
They might also consider doing one or more of these from their Star Wars line.
It’s worth a shot, and it's smart on their part to have Archie publish them as they already have a distribution pipeline in place. Though I have to say, I don't see the Archie digests quite as often as I used to, and it's something I always keep an eye out for. I'm sure they're still profitable, but I don’t think they're saturating the market like they did even five years ago. But a Star Wars digest is a no-brainer. If I was in charge, I would make sure at least two of the six digests were Star Wars related.
a Star Wars digest is a no-brainer. If I was in charge, I would make sure at least two of the six digests were Star Wars related.
I completely agree.
And FWIW, I personally still see the Archie Digests in several places locally. From the big box retailers to grocery stores. Haven't been to a newstand / bookstore in ages though. Hopefully this is win/win for Marvel/Archie, and it seemed like an appropriate post given the mention of the Scholastic distribution Marvel is trying.
And FWIW, I personally still see the Archie Digests in several places locally. From the big box retailers to grocery stores.
Those are really the only places I see them now. And where I might have seen them in four out of five of the stores I went into a few years ago, now I might only see them in three out of five. Or where they might have been in half the check-out line displays at one location, now they're only in a couple of the line displays.
And FWIW, I personally still see the Archie Digests in several places locally. From the big box retailers to grocery stores.
Those are really the only places I see them now. And where I might have seen them in four out of five of the stores I went into a few years ago, now I might only see them in three out of five. Or where they might have been in half the check-out line displays at one location, now they're only in a couple of the line displays.
Oh, I agree that they've diminished somewhat, but still populating many of the same areas. That's what makes this a smart move for Marvel because Archie Comics already has the infrastructure in place. It's encouraging.
It’s worth a shot, and it's smart on their part to have Archie publish them as they already have a distribution pipeline in place. Though I have to say, I don't see the Archie digests quite as often as I used to, and it's something I always keep an eye out for. I'm sure they're still profitable, but I don’t think they're saturating the market like they did even five years ago. But a Star Wars digest is a no-brainer. If I was in charge, I would make sure at least two of the six digests were Star Wars related.
I would go 3 star wars (you've got all that Darkhorse and the old Marvel series and the new marvel series), one Spidey, one Avengers, and one of something else, probably Starwars, Spidey, avengers, or Guardians related.
If I had a kid old enough to read I'd grab a copy just about every check out. I'll still probably get a copy anyway without one in that age range.
Interesting... here's Archie Comics' solicitation for this digest.
MARVEL COMICS DIGEST #1 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (W) Stan Lee, Len Wein (A) Steve Ditko, Ross Andru (CA) Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel Excelsior! Marvel Comics’ best-selling heroes are now in the ever-popular digest format! Each digest is a mixture of over 200 pages of the most memorable classic and modern stories, spanning every decade of Marvel history and readership. This first issue spotlights the Amazing Spider-Man, featuring art and stories from comic greats including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Len Wein, Ross Andru and more. This is a can’t-miss collector’s item that will not be reprinted! (STL045275) Digest, 224pgs, FC SRP: $6.99
I never thought I'd say this, but I think this means that Archie Comics is putting out the best Spider-Man comic in June 2017.
Interesting... here's Archie Comics' solicitation for this digest.
MARVEL COMICS DIGEST #1 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (W) Stan Lee, Len Wein (A) Steve Ditko, Ross Andru (CA) Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel Excelsior! Marvel Comics’ best-selling heroes are now in the ever-popular digest format! Each digest is a mixture of over 200 pages of the most memorable classic and modern stories, spanning every decade of Marvel history and readership. This first issue spotlights the Amazing Spider-Man, featuring art and stories from comic greats including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Len Wein, Ross Andru and more. This is a can’t-miss collector’s item that will not be reprinted! (STL045275) Digest, 224pgs, FC SRP: $6.99
I never thought I'd say this, but I think this means that Archie Comics is putting out the best Spider-Man comic in June 2017.
Interesting... here's Archie Comics' solicitation for this digest.
MARVEL COMICS DIGEST #1 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (W) Stan Lee, Len Wein (A) Steve Ditko, Ross Andru (CA) Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel Excelsior! Marvel Comics’ best-selling heroes are now in the ever-popular digest format! Each digest is a mixture of over 200 pages of the most memorable classic and modern stories, spanning every decade of Marvel history and readership. This first issue spotlights the Amazing Spider-Man, featuring art and stories from comic greats including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Len Wein, Ross Andru and more. This is a can’t-miss collector’s item that will not be reprinted! (STL045275) Digest, 224pgs, FC SRP: $6.99
I never thought I'd say this, but I think this means that Archie Comics is putting out the best Spider-Man comic in June 2017.
Marvel has developed a good working relationship with Scholastic. DC is practically non-existent at the student book fairs, while Marvel seems to be creating books specifically for that market.
I find the whole Scholastic route an interesting venue for pushing comics to kids. Brilliant really. I'm happy to see kids (other than my own) excited about actual comics for a change. There was a feeding frenzy for Squirrel Girl at my kids' last book fair (alas, I can't get my girls to share their father's love for the Rodent Avenger).
Teen Titans Go! is one of Cartoon Networks best performers, especially for the 7-14 age group. I'm not a fan, but CN still shows it multiple times a day. But the direct market has never been good at selling "kiddie" comics. Or pure humor comics for that matter.
I've been able to salvage a couple of comments by hitting the cancel button, but it doesn't always pop up. Lately I've taken to copying any long posts I write or edit before I hit the post button, just in case.
Anyone interested in the June numbers? Here's a quick look at the top ten comics for the month. Spider-Man manages to return to the top slot, with a new #1, but not how he used to. Batman continues to dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the More Big Events and First Issues!:
1 Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #1 - 224,620 copies 2 Dark Days: The Forge #1 - 130,651 copies 3 Star Wars Darth Vader #1 - 118,644 copies 4 Batman #24 - 116,037 copies 5 Dark Knight III Master Race #9 - 103,319 copies 6 Batman #25 - 102,798 copies 7 Edge of Venomverse #1 - 98,052 copies 8 Secret Empire #4 - 91,621 copies) 9 Secret Empire #5 - 87,675 copies 10 Walking Dead #168 - 82,970 copies
Six books sell over 100,000 copies; Batman maintains his grip on the top ten, but just barely. Marvel's Secret Empire and three new #1's is enough to secure Marvel's share of the Top Ten. Looks like gimmicks and big events are still enough for the comic book audience to ensure the big sales.
A brief explanation of the following data: the first number in parenthesis is the actual ranking on the month’s Top 300 sales charts; next is the first percentage quote which is the drop (or rise) in sales from the previous issue, and the second percentage quote is the movement over six months (or, if the book has been around for less that that time, since the first issue*).
Here’s the raw data for the Top Six Losers at DC for June:
1 Teen Titans Go #22 - 8,531(232), (+.01%), (-.09%) 2 Gotham Academy Second Semester #10 - 7,304 (248), (-.02%), (-25%) 3 DC Looney Tunes 100 Page Spectacular #1 - 7,022 (254), (n/a), (n/a) 4 Lucifer #19 - 6,407 (265), (-.02%), (-17%) 5 Scooby Doo Team Up #27 - 6,281 (271), (+13%), (-56%) 6 Savage Things #4 - 4,739 (300), (-11%), (-55%*)
All of these books are below the presumed DC cancellation point (10,000 copies). Scooby-Doo Team-Up's performance is directly tied to the members of the team-up. It goes up and down. Savage Things is a mini that ends with issue #8. Gotham Academy Second Semester ends with issue #12. There hasn’t exactly been a rush on Lucifer comics even though the FOX TV show tries to remain close to the book material (and it was ALMOST cancelled). I understand the Teen Titans Go! TV show isn't all that popular either, so I don't know how this book is surviving. Maybe it's tied to the cartoon and won't end until it does.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are, well, see for yourself:
Bullseye ended at issue #5. Zombie Assemble ends at issue #4. Vision Directors Cut ends at issue #6. Occupy Avengers is cancelled. In addition to the controversial title, making Hawkeye a murderer probably doomed this book before it started. Apparently Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl are doing well enough in other mediums to stave off cancellation. And apparently the "cancellation threshold" at Marvel is getting lower and lower. I've heard that these books make it up in digital sales although they don't publish numbers on that, so who really knows?
Overall, for DC, Batman is back up over 100K, Dark Days is off to a healthy start and DK 3 is holding up. But without those 4 titles, there is no upper list. Only mid-list and All-Star Batman, the sole other title selling above the 60K line in the Direct Market estimates, is ending soon. When it goes, the next highest selling ongoing title will likely be Detective Comics or The Flash, both of which are in the 55K range at the moment. DC had pretty good luck with the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes comics this month, largely because of the DC hero/Looney Tunes crossovers. And I expect we’ll be seeing Batman/Elmer Fudd show up next month with the second printing.
Marvel’s sales are oriented toward stunts and gimmicks. Event comics and #1 issues that have high numbers of variant covers with higher minimum orders and don’t really have any bearing on ongoing sales. Marvel had two ongoing title launches that look like they might have some legs: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man and Darth Vader. Star Wars (the closest thing Marvel has to DC's Batman) is still over 70K, if only just. The top of the mid-list – that 50K-59K band, Old Man Logan and Amazing Spider-Man are outpacing Detective Comics and The Flash for that tier 2 market. It could be worse. You take out the stunts and those are not great numbers. Far too many titles that are going to be special order/pull list only for a lot of shops. X-Men Blue/Gold might be fading, but let’s give that another month. Secret Empire down to ~87.7K with #5, so you wonder how low it will finish: another bad pattern with Marvel Events that seems intact. We are in a historically shallow period for Marvel’s ongoing single issue sales and they’ve got a long way to go.
For Image, Walking Dead, Saga, and Paper Girls still continue to be good performers.
Teen Titans Go! is one of Cartoon Networks best performers, especially for the 7-14 age group. I'm not a fan, but CN still shows it multiple times a day. But the direct market has never been good at selling "kiddie" comics. Or pure humor comics for that matter.
It's reached 22 issues without being cancelled. Sadly this is a considerable accomplishment with the Big 2
I understand the Teen Titans Go! TV show isn't all that popular either,
I don't know what sort of ratings it gets but my 11 year old son and his friends love it. It's also on CN all. the. time. They're still making new specials:
I understand the Teen Titans Go! TV show isn't all that popular either,
I don't know what sort of ratings it gets but my 11 year old son and his friends love it. It's also on CN all. the. time. They're still making new specials:
I understand the Teen Titans Go! TV show isn't all that popular either,
I don't know what sort of ratings it gets but my 11 year old son and his friends love it. It's also on CN all. the. time. They're still making new specials:
My daughter read one and thought it was okay. She didn't ask for more. She loved Tiny Titans, which, of course, they stopped doing so they could do a comic more like the show.
Given all of the multi-media entertainment options for young people today, does anyone ever wonder if floppy comic books could eventually begin to go the way of old time radio dramas? That they may soon disappear? These are not good sales numbers.
Comments
This was the top 10 in February 2015
1 Orphan Black #1 497,092 copies
2 Darth Vader #1 264,449 copies
3 Spider-Gwen #1 254,074 copies
4 Star Wars #2 162,042 copies
5 Batman #39 118,106 copies
6 Amazing Spider-Man #14 106,778 copies
7 Darth Vader #2 100,000 copies
8 Amazing Spider-Man #15 99,660 copies
9 Silk 1 #106,778 copies
10 Justice League #39 72,904 copies
This was the top 10 in February 2017
1 Star Wars: Darth Maul #1 - 105,177 copies
2 Batman #16 - 102,096 copies
3 Batman #17 - 99,637 copies
4 Justice League of America #1 - 93,494 copies
5 Super Sons #1 - 90,345 copies
6 Walking Dead #164 - 83,999 copies
7 All-Star Batman #7 - 77,096 copies
8 Star Wars #28 - 74,002 copies
9 Justice League of America Rebirth #1 - 73,397 copies
10 Justice League #14 - 65,458
No Spider-Man titles in the top 10 (there were four in 2015).
Batman has slipped a bit with its relaunch, but with 3 Bat-titles in top 10, DC is moving far more copies.
Star Wars and Justice League titles have slipped a bit also.
New #1 issues are no longer a guarantee of 100k+ copies ordered.
They might also consider doing one or more of these from their Star Wars line.
And FWIW, I personally still see the Archie Digests in several places locally. From the big box retailers to grocery stores. Haven't been to a newstand / bookstore in ages though. Hopefully this is win/win for Marvel/Archie, and it seemed like an appropriate post given the mention of the Scholastic distribution Marvel is trying.
If I had a kid old enough to read I'd grab a copy just about every check out. I'll still probably get a copy anyway without one in that age range.
At roughly the same price as a 22 pager...
The bar has been set fairly low.
1 Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #1 - 224,620 copies
2 Dark Days: The Forge #1 - 130,651 copies
3 Star Wars Darth Vader #1 - 118,644 copies
4 Batman #24 - 116,037 copies
5 Dark Knight III Master Race #9 - 103,319 copies
6 Batman #25 - 102,798 copies
7 Edge of Venomverse #1 - 98,052 copies
8 Secret Empire #4 - 91,621 copies)
9 Secret Empire #5 - 87,675 copies
10 Walking Dead #168 - 82,970 copies
Six books sell over 100,000 copies; Batman maintains his grip on the top ten, but just barely. Marvel's Secret Empire and three new #1's is enough to secure Marvel's share of the Top Ten. Looks like gimmicks and big events are still enough for the comic book audience to ensure the big sales.
A brief explanation of the following data: the first number in parenthesis is the actual ranking on the month’s Top 300 sales charts; next is the first percentage quote which is the drop (or rise) in sales from the previous issue, and the second percentage quote is the movement over six months (or, if the book has been around for less that that time, since the first issue*).
Here’s the raw data for the Top Six Losers at DC for June:
1 Teen Titans Go #22 - 8,531(232), (+.01%), (-.09%)
2 Gotham Academy Second Semester #10 - 7,304 (248), (-.02%), (-25%)
3 DC Looney Tunes 100 Page Spectacular #1 - 7,022 (254), (n/a), (n/a)
4 Lucifer #19 - 6,407 (265), (-.02%), (-17%)
5 Scooby Doo Team Up #27 - 6,281 (271), (+13%), (-56%)
6 Savage Things #4 - 4,739 (300), (-11%), (-55%*)
All of these books are below the presumed DC cancellation point (10,000 copies). Scooby-Doo Team-Up's performance is directly tied to the members of the team-up. It goes up and down. Savage Things is a mini that ends with issue #8. Gotham Academy Second Semester ends with issue #12. There hasn’t exactly been a rush on Lucifer comics even though the FOX TV show tries to remain close to the book material (and it was ALMOST cancelled). I understand the Teen Titans Go! TV show isn't all that popular either, so I don't know how this book is surviving. Maybe it's tied to the cartoon and won't end until it does.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are, well, see for yourself:
1 Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #21 - 10,937 (199), (+.01%), (-38%)
2 Zombies Assemble #3 - 10,558 (202), (-.02%), (-39%)
3 Occupy Avengers #8 - 10,404 (206), (+8%), (-44%)
4 Bullseye #5 - 10,398 (207), (-9%), (-69%)
5 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #20 - 7,731 (240), (-3%), (-30%)
6 Vision Directors Cut #1 - 5,740 (279), (n/a), (n/a)
Bullseye ended at issue #5. Zombie Assemble ends at issue #4. Vision Directors Cut ends at issue #6. Occupy Avengers is cancelled. In addition to the controversial title, making Hawkeye a murderer probably doomed this book before it started. Apparently Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl are doing well enough in other mediums to stave off cancellation. And apparently the "cancellation threshold" at Marvel is getting lower and lower. I've heard that these books make it up in digital sales although they don't publish numbers on that, so who really knows?
Overall, for DC, Batman is back up over 100K, Dark Days is off to a healthy start and DK 3 is holding up. But without those 4 titles, there is no upper list. Only mid-list and All-Star Batman, the sole other title selling above the 60K line in the Direct Market estimates, is ending soon. When it goes, the next highest selling ongoing title will likely be Detective Comics or The Flash, both of which are in the 55K range at the moment. DC had pretty good luck with the Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes comics this month, largely because of the DC hero/Looney Tunes crossovers. And I expect we’ll be seeing Batman/Elmer Fudd show up next month with the second printing.
Marvel’s sales are oriented toward stunts and gimmicks. Event comics and #1 issues that have high numbers of variant covers with higher minimum orders and don’t really have any bearing on ongoing sales. Marvel had two ongoing title launches that look like they might have some legs: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man and Darth Vader. Star Wars (the closest thing Marvel has to DC's Batman) is still over 70K, if only just. The top of the mid-list – that 50K-59K band, Old Man Logan and Amazing Spider-Man are outpacing Detective Comics and The Flash for that tier 2 market. It could be worse. You take out the stunts and those are not great numbers. Far too many titles that are going to be special order/pull list only for a lot of shops. X-Men Blue/Gold might be fading, but let’s give that another month. Secret Empire down to ~87.7K with #5, so you wonder how low it will finish: another bad pattern with Marvel Events that seems intact. We are in a historically shallow period for Marvel’s ongoing single issue sales and they’ve got a long way to go.
For Image, Walking Dead, Saga, and Paper Girls still continue to be good performers.
Thoughts?
Reference numbers provided by Comichron.com and The Beat.