The 20-30-page single issues will go away eventually, but they'll hang around longer than anyone expects.
How do the overall sales numbers—total number of all comics sold—compare to the past few years?
And DC seems to be moving more toward the European format. At least they’re going to dip their toes into that pool with a few special projects with big-name creators. I'm all for that approach as long as they give the creators the time they need to make a kick-ass book.
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:
The 20-30-page single issues will go away eventually, but they'll hang around longer than anyone expects.
How do the overall sales numbers—total number of all comics sold—compare to the past few years?
And DC seems to be moving more toward the European format. At least they’re going to dip their toes into that pool with a few special projects with big-name creators. I'm all for that approach as long as they give the creators the time they need to make a kick-ass book.
One of the hottest topics in industry conversations I had all weekend was the precarious state of the Direct Market. At the retailer event on Friday, DC said out loud what a lot of people have been saying in whispers: that the problem of oversupply and gimmickry is about to become a crisis for stretched-thin retailers. Big players are worried and openly talking about a crash that could cripple the primary distribution channel for periodicals. Everyone I spoke to was much more optimistic about the book trade, which is great for expanding the audience for comics, but doesn’t solve the problem of getting monthly story installments into the hands of habitual readers.
The comic book market isn't in a good shape; sales are dropping, and market leader Marvel is repeating short-term sales strategies that caused the '90s comic book bubble to burst. Flagging comic book sales were a hot topic of SDCC 2017 and a paradox. For while superheroes have never been more popular, the comic book industry is in trouble.
Are comics as an industry going to collapse? Absolutely not, but there now appears to be danger of a direct market contraction and a wave of small LCS's closing. As much as I enjoy comics, the formula of publishing monthly floppies that take 6 months for stories to play out and going to a specialty shop (or website) to pre-order titles out of a catalog months in advance is just about the farthest thing from being a highly-relevant format for entertainment media in 2017. Selling OGN’s and full story volumes, in whatever format that needs to be - is definitely the future. Society is a binge watch culture these days and any industry that refuses to adapt its products and sales strategies won’t survive.
The medium is better than ever, but the the way it's being sold is not. It's remarkable that no publisher will release their digital sales figures. And the industry can't actually address the "brick and mortar" problem if we're still unclear if everyone is still buying their books at a retailer or digitally. It would be interesting to understand the impact of Marvel Unlimited. The fact that DC haven’t offered a similar service always confuses me. Does that indicate that it’s not as successful as Marvel claims, or are they just cautious of the impact it would have on their actual book sales?
While no one wants to admit it, periodicals are dying in paper format. Magazines, newspapers, books, comic books, etc are going the way of vhs, dvd, blu-rays, tapes, cds, etc. The future is the digital platform where new comics are .99 - $1.29. No kid wants to spend $5 for a single comic book. 22-page super-hero pamphlets that take 5 minutes to read only appeal to people who are hopelessly addicted to these floppies. This is NOT the future. Yes, people have predicted this demise since the late 90s (and much earlier), but I suspect that the current trend of rising prices and a shrinking readership may finally kill it.
The 20-30-page single issues will go away eventually, but they'll hang around longer than anyone expects.
How do the overall sales numbers—total number of all comics sold—compare to the past few years?
And DC seems to be moving more toward the European format. At least they’re going to dip their toes into that pool with a few special projects with big-name creators. I'm all for that approach as long as they give the creators the time they need to make a kick-ass book.
I know the book market (trades, OGN's, etc) is strong but I wonder if the publishers are inflating prices to compensate for the online discounts that they know most of us are getting.
I do not really think the Big 2 really pay much attention to places like DCBS but they do pay attention to Amazon. Amazon usually gives a 32% to 37% discount. I wonder if for example the 5 issue hardcovers that Marvel likes to put out at $25 are priced to compensate for the discount.
No, when I read columns/blogs like that too often, my eyes start to glaze over. Doing that month in and month out would make my head explode. I prefer looking at larger sample sizes. A quarterly report and a yearly report are all I really care about.
It would be interesting to understand the impact of Marvel Unlimited.
I can only speak to my own buying habits... but Marvel Unlimited has had a dramatic impact on what I purchase. As an old curmudgeon, "I'de never read comics on a screen!". But I stumbled across a steep discount code for Marvel Unlimited, and figured for the price of two books a month, I'de give it a whirl, if only to dig through some golden oldies that I had never had the chance to read.
Surprisingly , I realized I didn't mind reading comics on my iPad (although I still prefer floppies). What I found was, that I was passing up impulse buys at my LCS to cover the cost of the "two books a month" for Marvel Unlimited, and decided to wait the 6 months for them to show up on the App. As a result, I stopped adding a LOT of titles to my pull list. The overall effect has been that as Marvel continued to cancel titles that were on my pull list, I had stopped replacing them with new titles (as I was now waiting or already reading them on the App), and my monthly Marvel pull list has dwindled dramatically. I still purchase a core list at my LCS, but a lot of what I otherwise would have grabbed off the rack, and added to my pull list, is now read on the App.
Marvel has lost income from me, a die-hard Marvel Zombie, due to the Marvel Unlimited.
It would be interesting to understand the impact of Marvel Unlimited.
I can only speak to my own buying habits... but Marvel Unlimited has had a dramatic impact on what I purchase. As an old curmudgeon, "I'de never read comics on a screen!". But I stumbled across a steep discount code for Marvel Unlimited, and figured for the price of two books a month, I'de give it a whirl, if only to dig through some golden oldies that I had never had the chance to read.
Surprisingly , I realized I didn't mind reading comics on my iPad (although I still prefer floppies). What I found was, that I was passing up impulse buys at my LCS to cover the cost of the "two books a month" for Marvel Unlimited, and decided to wait the 6 months for them to show up on the App. As a result, I stopped adding a LOT of titles to my pull list. The overall effect has been that as Marvel continued to cancel titles that were on my pull list, I had stopped replacing them with new titles (as I was now waiting or already reading them on the App), and my monthly Marvel pull list has dwindled dramatically. I still purchase a core list at my LCS, but a lot of what I otherwise would have grabbed off the rack, and added to my pull list, is now read on the App.
Marvel has lost income from me, a die-hard Marvel Zombie, due to the Marvel Unlimited.
There is no telling how much Marvel lost from me when I switched. I didn't even like the app for a long time, but the deal was too good. I didn't renew this year and dropped even more Marvel books because I got out of the habit of feeling like I keeping up was important.
The 20-30-page single issues will go away eventually, but they'll hang around longer than anyone expects.
How do the overall sales numbers—total number of all comics sold—compare to the past few years?
And DC seems to be moving more toward the European format. At least they’re going to dip their toes into that pool with a few special projects with big-name creators. I'm all for that approach as long as they give the creators the time they need to make a kick-ass book.
The 20-30-page single issues will go away eventually, but they'll hang around longer than anyone expects.
How do the overall sales numbers—total number of all comics sold—compare to the past few years?
And DC seems to be moving more toward the European format. At least they’re going to dip their toes into that pool with a few special projects with big-name creators. I'm all for that approach as long as they give the creators the time they need to make a kick-ass book.
Could explain the European format?
Oversized, more like magazine dimensions, with 60-70 pages or so. Usually hardcover.
It would be interesting to understand the impact of Marvel Unlimited.
I can only speak to my own buying habits... but Marvel Unlimited has had a dramatic impact on what I purchase. As an old curmudgeon, "I'de never read comics on a screen!". But I stumbled across a steep discount code for Marvel Unlimited, and figured for the price of two books a month, I'de give it a whirl, if only to dig through some golden oldies that I had never had the chance to read.
Surprisingly , I realized I didn't mind reading comics on my iPad (although I still prefer floppies). What I found was, that I was passing up impulse buys at my LCS to cover the cost of the "two books a month" for Marvel Unlimited, and decided to wait the 6 months for them to show up on the App. As a result, I stopped adding a LOT of titles to my pull list. The overall effect has been that as Marvel continued to cancel titles that were on my pull list, I had stopped replacing them with new titles (as I was now waiting or already reading them on the App), and my monthly Marvel pull list has dwindled dramatically. I still purchase a core list at my LCS, but a lot of what I otherwise would have grabbed off the rack, and added to my pull list, is now read on the App.
Marvel has lost income from me, a die-hard Marvel Zombie, due to the Marvel Unlimited.
Same for me. I realized, especially as I was getting behind in my reading overall, and generally it tended to be titles from Image and other publishers that I was reaching for first anyway, that I could just time shift all my Marvel reading to MU. I did not feel enough urgency to read them to justify the price of accumulating the paper comics for 'appointment viewing', when I could just wait and 'Netflix it' later. I still read plenty of Marvel, just not as urgently as before, and for a lot less money.
There was a good article/op-ed piece recently from Jimmy Palmiotti about the changing nature of creating comics. It was a while back, so if I get some extra time I'll try and dig it up.
Nutshell Version: He's thinking of moving away from the monthly book (outside of the contracted stuff he does which pays the bills) to doing more longer-form one volume stories, or one volume of an ongoing story stories. Y'know...like they're books or something. :)
I recently picked up a couple Valerian trades (to speak to Eric's European model, which it pretty much follows (France being in Europe and all that :) )), and I'm on board with this. Writers are pretty much writing to the trade now on most of the licensed stuff anyhow. I'd still pick up a Supergirl or Captain Marvel book if it came out every six months and was 120 or so pages (provided that art and story still appeal) as opposed to every month. Heck, I pretty much do that right now with manga, so it wouldn't be that big an adjustment.
I don't think we're at the "death of the floppy" quite yet, but I think the way we buy comics (both digitally and perhaps longer form) will be in a continual state of change for a while still.
Also... @bralinator - Thanks for resurrecting this thread. It has always been one of my favs. I find the sales numbers, along with knowing what is on the chopping block, endlessly fascinating.
July numbers are posted. The Direct Market slowdown accelerated into July, as North American comic shop orders could not keep up with the blistering pace set by DC's Rebirth last year, according to analysis based on data released by Diamond Comic Distributors. Shipments for comic books, graphic novels, and magazines only reached a little over $41 million, down more than 19% from the previous year's blockbuster month for DC. Here's a quick look at the top ten comics for the month for the "Big Two".
Dark Days: The Casting is in the top slot, another new #1. And Batman continues to dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the More Big Events and All-New First Issues!:
1 Dark Days: The Casting #1 - 128,261 copies 2 Astonishing X-Men #1 - 122,287 copies 3 Batman #26 - 107,071 copies 4 Batman #27 - 102,335 copies 5 Secret Empire #6 - 85,887 copies 6 Secret Empire #7 - 81,365 copies 7 Star Wars #33 - 74,969 copies 8 Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again #1 - 74,006 copies 9 Walking Dead #169 - 67,910 copies 10 Spider-Men II #1 - 67,362 copies
Only four books sold over 100,000 copies; Batman is the only ongoing title selling over 100k+, but just barely. Marvel's Secret Event, Star Wars ongoing, and three new #1's is enough to secure Marvel's share of the Top Ten. Gimmicks and big events still work apparently.
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 July:
1 Mother Panic #9 - 9,282 (203), (-5%), (-50%) 2 Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #10 - 9,005 (206), (-6%), (-37%) 3 Shade the Changing Girl #10 - 8,468 (215), (-4%), (-37%) 4 Gotham Academy Second Semester #11 - 6,947 (245), (-5%), (-27%) 5 Scooby Doo Team-Up #28 - 6,028 (264), (-4%), (-8%) 6 Everafter From The Pages of Fables #12 - 4,635 (292), (+*), (-21%*)
All of these books are below the presumed DC cancellation point (10,000 copies). Everafter From the Pages of Fables was not even in the top 400 in May or June, so previous month's numbers didn't apply. Scooby-Doo Team-Up's performance is directly tied to the guest star so it tends to go up and down. Gotham Academy Second Semester ends with issue #12. This really looks like Gerard Way's Young Animal DC imprint is floundering badly. Not included in the bottom 6 were 'DC Justice League Essentials' $1 one-shot reprints and any second printings.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things were pretty much just as bad for July as they were for June:
Apparently Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl are still doing well enough in other mediums to stave off cancellation. I've frequently read that both of these books make up for low print sales in digital sales (although they still don't publish numbers on that, so who really can tell?). Unstoppable Wasp however... was not very "unstoppable". That title has been cancelled at issue #8 which just came out this month.
From the writer's Twitter feed:
I love our Unstoppable Wasp fans. I really do. However, if you want to know why it ended, just take a glance at these July numbers. pic.twitter.com/5xPYfkap16
My take on titles like that are Marvel keeps trying to do 'Betty & Veronica' as superheroes and it isn't clicking with readers. Whereas Thor featuring Jane Foster is straight-up, intense superhero action and it does well. Marvel might want to reconsider their formula of hiring webcomic artists to do girly-girl superhero books and wondering why those books don't seem to catch on.
For Image, Walking Dead, Saga, Paper Girlsand Seven To Eternity are still performing well, making Image the number one independent publisher. Other top indie publishers hit their peaks with the following titles:
+ BOOM! Studios reached the #86 slot with their Go Go Power Rangers #1 selling 26,170 copies. + Dark Horse reached #94 with Neil Gaiman American Gods Shadows #5 selling 23,801 copies. + Dynamite Entertainment hit the #106 spot with Bettie Page #1 selling 21,299 copies. + ONI Press climbed to the #125 spot with Rick & Morty Pocket Like You Stole It #1 which sold 16,501 copies + IDW Publishing achieved a height of #145 with TMNT Usagi Yojimbo #0 selling 14,181 copies. + Valiant Entertainment reached #154 with X-O Manowar by selling 13,278 copies.
Your thoughts?
Reference numbers provided by Comichron.com and The Beat.
My take on titles like that are Marvel keeps trying to do 'Betty & Veronica' as superheroes and it isn't clicking with readers. Whereas Thor featuring Jane Foster is straight-up, intense superhero action and it does well. Marvel might want to reconsider their formula of hiring webcomic artists to do girly-girl superhero books and wondering why those books don't seem to catch on.
They aren’t trying to get Betty & Veronica readers, they're trying to get Raina Telgemeier readers. Because there are thousands and thousands and thousands of Telgemeier readers, far more than those who read Betty & Veronica, or any of Marvel’s current comics for that matter (her graphic novel Smile has 1.4 million copies in print alone). That’s the crowd they’re trying to connect with through outlets like Scholastic with books like Squirrel Girl and Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. You just can’t reach that crowd—not nearly enough of it anyway—through comic shops. Kids’ style comics (or YA in this case) and humor comics have never sold well in comic shops. That’s not the fault of the product. As far as I'm concerned, Erica Henderson is one of the best artists at Marvel. Natacha Bustos is pretty darn good too. They just don’t work in a style that the typical comic shop customer is interested in, and they draw books that the typical comic shop customer is not interested in. Personally, I don’t think it’s because the books are thought of by some as “girly” so much as it is because the books on the surface seem like “kiddie fare”. The “comics are for kids” stigma isn’t as strong as it was 30, 20, or even 10 years ago, but it still carries some weight. More kids have read Bone because of Scholastic than they ever did through a comic shop.
My take on titles like that are Marvel keeps trying to do 'Betty & Veronica' as superheroes and it isn't clicking with readers. Whereas Thor featuring Jane Foster is straight-up, intense superhero action and it does well. Marvel might want to reconsider their formula of hiring webcomic artists to do girly-girl superhero books and wondering why those books don't seem to catch on.
They aren’t trying to get Betty & Veronica readers.
I never said Marvel was "trying to get Betty & Veronica readers", Eric.
What I said was that they were doing Betty & Veronica as superheroes, or at least that's the way it's coming across to many people who have been reading comics for a while. It's fluffy, goofy, girly-girl, and shallow. And for the record, it's DC that's trying to get the Betty & Veronica readers.
I was more referring to Unstoppable Wasp in my B&V comment, not Erica Henderson's series, which is why I shared the tweet from that book's creator, Jeremy Whitley. They've done the same type of B&V treatment for She-Hulk, America Chavez, and Unstoppable Wasp. As for Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, I know people disagree about art all the time, but IMO Erica Henderson's artwork doesn't favorably compare to Raina Telgemeier's in 'Smile' (see below) at all. This is why I used the 'webcomic artist' label above. It may be a superficial concern, but the truth is that if you make your protagonist unnecessarily ugly, it's going to narrow your market penetration. Most of the images I see Ms. Henderson produce of Squirrel Girl make her look ugly and somewhat deranged.
Of course most middle-aged men aren't reading Lumberjanes and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. We're arguably not the intended audience. Marvel is being savvy by trying to cultivate that audience now though means like Scholastic as we've discussed many times on these boards. That still doesn't equate to Diamond retail sales, which is generally the point of this thread and those happen to be the only available numbers we have for now. Which is why I'm still paying attention them from time to time and apparently Jeremy Whitley does too.
What I said was that they were doing Betty & Veronica as superheroes, or at least that's the way it's coming across to many people who have been reading comics for a while. It's fluffy, goofy, girly-girl, and shallow.
Why would you do Betty & Veronica as superheroes if not to get Betty & Veronica fans/readers to read your superhero books? As far as I can tell, Squirrel Girl, Unstoppable Wasp, et al, are being published to serve as gateway drugs to get new readers to check out the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Squirrel Girl is goofy, yes. And I suppose it's fluffy, given her tail. ;) But it's not girly-girl, at least not what I think of as being girly-girl, and it’s just a fun adventure book. It’s no more shallow than your average superhero comic. “Serious” drama does not equal depth, as I'm sure you'll agree. Like you said, that’s not the way it's coming across to many people, but that goes back to what I said about the bias of the typical comic shop customer towards “kiddie fare”.
I only read the first two issues of Unstoppable Wasp, and it was less fluffy than Squirrel Girl, no more goofy than the average Spider-Man comic, and again, no more shallow than your average superhero comic, and again, not what I think of as being girly-girl. The problem I had with Unstoppable Wasp was simply that it was a little on the boring side. Too much sitting around talking, and not enough going out and doing.
As for Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, I know people disagree about art all the time, but IMO Erica Henderson's artwork doesn't favorably compare to Raina Telgemeier's in 'Smile' (see below) at all. This is why I used the 'webcomic artist' label above. It may be a superficial concern, but the truth is that if you make your protagonist unnecessarily ugly, it's going to narrow your market penetration. Most of the images I see Ms. Henderson produce of Squirrel Girl make her look ugly and somewhat deranged.
That's funny, because I think of Telgemeier’s artwork as being pretty typical of a web comic. Telgemeier’s work is fine, and it works for her subject matter and her intended audience, but I see a million artists drawing in basically that same style, while Erica’s work is unique. Unique doesn’t necessarily equate to superior, but I like her storytelling and the expressiveness of her art. And let's face it, Squirrel Girl was never meant to be a beauty queen. To each their own.
Marvel is being savvy by trying to cultivate that audience now though means like Scholastic as we've discussed many times on these boards. That still doesn't equate to Diamond retail sales, which is generally the point of this thread and those happen to be the only available numbers we have for now.
I agree, and that was my main point. “You just can’t reach that crowd—not nearly enough of it anyway—through comic shops. Kids’ style comics (or YA in this case) and humor comics have never sold well in comic shops.” Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if, at some point, Marvel cancels the Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur monthly, then relaunches it as a series of short graphic novels (say, 64 pages or so) specifically for the bookstore/Scholastic/library markets. That’s what I would do anyway. The only reason to keep publishing it as a monthly is to squeeze out a few more bucks to help finance the eventual book.
Of course most middle-aged men aren't reading Lumberjanes and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. We're arguably not the intended audience. Marvel is being savvy by trying to cultivate that audience now though means like Scholastic as we've discussed many times on these boards.
As much as I've tried, I can't get my girls to share their father's love for Squirrel Girl. They both dig super heroes, but I think the Rodent Avenger IS too goofy for them, and I suspect Henderson's artwork might not be helping. However, they both LOVE Raina Telgemeier's books.
Maybe I should try to push Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur on them? (although it did nothing for me).
Aside from Squirrel Girl, I'm not surprised by any of the titles on their month's "Carousel of Doom"
Anyone interested in the August sales distribution numbers? Here's a quick look at the top ten comics for the month. Dark Nights: Metal kicks in the door, beating DC's Rebirth #1 from last year. Batman continues to dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the More Big Events and First Issues (and Star Wars)!:
Last year, August 2016, was the center of the DC Rebirth sales explosion, with more than 10 million comic books shipping; it was the first time that mark had been seen in two decades, thanks in part to the Rebirth titles being returnable. Consequently, sales for August 2017, when DC's fall Metal event was just starting and Marvel's fall Legacy event had not yet begun, could not compare. Shipments were down 26% in new comic book units, and overall retail dollars spent on comics, graphic novels, and magazines dropped by nearly 21%.
The period from June to August was down 20.5% against those Rebirth/Civil War II months a year before, the worst three-month year-over-year comparison since September 1997 though November 1997. (Marvel’s “Heroes Reborn” event in September 1996 and the wedding of Superman had been succeeded in 1997 by “Heroes Return,” which didn’t fare as well.) But a bigger explanation for the 1997 collapse was the number of comics shop failures, on a scale not seen in 2017 — and given that DC launched so many more books in 2016, the scope of 2017’s comparatives said more about Rebirth’s strength than anything else.
Speaking of Rebirth and DC, Comichron estimates that Diamond Comic Distributors shipped almost exactly 262,000 copies of Dark Nights: Metal #1, the kickoff point for this fall's Metal event, to North American retailers in the month — quite a few more copies than the 235,800 shipped of DC Universe Rebirth #1, the corresponding launch book, in its first month.
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 Mother Panic #10 - 8,589 (231), (-7.5%), (-34%) 2 Teen Titans Go #23 - 8,494 (232), (-1.1), (-10.5%) 3 Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #11 - 8,231 (242), (-8.5%), (-29%) 4 Shade The Changing Girl #11 - 8,035 (246), (-5.2%), (-24%) 5 Gotham Academy Second Semester #12 - 6,572 (270), (-5.4%), (-19%) 6 Scooby Doo Team Up #29 - 5,778 (295), (-4.1%), (-9%)
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. Gotham Academy Second Semester ends with this issue.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are, well, see for yourself:
Unstoppable Wasp ends with this issue. Maybe we'll get a Janet van Dyne mini-series next? Monsters Unleashed also ends with this issue. Marvel's Thor Ragnarok Prelude ends at issue #4. Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur continues to stave off cancellation via Scholastic and digital numbers (of which no one has seen). The new series follow the younger Nick Fury isn't doing that well, but I am unaware of any cancellation announcement. Apparently the "cancellation threshold" at Marvel is getting lower and lower (for some books). Speaking of, America Chavez is still slipping, now below 10k units. Don't expect it to be cancelled though, just sayin'.
Overall, for DC, Batman is still selling over 100K, but just barely and may slip below that next month. Metal is off to a VERY healthy start. But without those titles, there is no upper-list at DC. 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. The Batman/Elmer Fudd second printing moved almost another 10k units in pre-oder so I expect we'll continue to see these crossovers.
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 two most recent ongoing title launches have tumbled: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man sold 41,282 this month (down from 225k+) which is an 82% slide from its launch two months ago. Darth Vader has only slipped 50% from its launch 3 months ago. Star Wars (the closest thing Marvel has to DC's Batman) has now slipped to 65K. Marvel's next highest selling ongoing is Amazing Spider-Man which is selling what may be a series low of only 54,102 issues this month.
When you take out the stunts, Marvel doesn't boast great numbers. Far too many titles that are going to be special order/pull list only for a lot of shops. Secret Empire finished "meh". Now maybe we'll see the Marvel Events pause so we can really gauge how Marvel is doing (don't hold your breath). We are still sinking lower into a historically shallow period for Marvel’s ongoing single issue sales.
For Image, Walking Dead, Saga, Seven To Eternity, and Kill or Be Killed are still performing well, making Image the number one independent publisher. Check out the following indie title best sellers:
+ Image's Walking Dead slipped 2 places to #11 in August with issue #170 selling 65,855 copies. + Titan hit the #82 slot with Robotech #1 selling 26,864 copies. (Only 11,661 copies for issue #2) + Dark Horse reached #105 with Neil Gaiman American Gods Shadows #6 selling 22,102 copies. + BOOM! Studios reached the #155 slot with their Go Go Power Rangers #2 selling 13,750 copies. + IDW Publishing reached a height of #158 with TMNT (Ongoing) selling 13,449 copies. + Benitez hit #169 with issue #2 of Lady Mechanika Clockwork Assassin selling 12,423 copies. + Dynamite Entertainment hit the #173 spot with Shadow #1 selling 12,174 copies. + Valiant Entertainment reached #177 with X-O Manowar #6 by selling 12,000 copies. + Archie Comics made it to the #188 spot with Sabrina #8 which sold 11,423 copies + ONI Press clung to the #194 spot with Rick & Morty Pocket Like You Stole It #2 which sold 10,758
Slavish fandom got me to pick up the Robotech issues. Interior art is horrid, but I'll stick with it for a bit. Hey, slavish fandom will only get you so far. :)
Nice to see The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl isn't making a repeat appearance on this bottom feeder list. Maybe Marvel is pulling her out of the fire and she is finally starting to catch on? ...or perhaps her numbers are the same, and these 6 are just that much worse?
And it’s already time for the September numbers! And this time around – Marvel's all-new number one issue has taken the top spot and staved off this summer's losses resulting in Marvel's September beating its previous September by 14%, thanks in large part to Marvel Legacy #1 moving more than 298,000 copies. 2017 has been a year in which comics and graphic novel orders had been down 10% in the Direct Market, but Legacy has become the top-seller of 2017 thus far, beating out last month's new leader, Dark Nights: Metal #1; the second issue of that came in second place with nearly 150,000 copies shipped. It seems positive that we're getting new entries atop the top-sellers for 2017 list; again, better than the alternative. It'll be interesting to see how Legacy shakes up that list in October once the event is fully underway and people understand that it's no 'Rebirth'.
Let’s have a quick look at the top ten comics for the month. Batman and DC Comics still dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with a few Big Events:
1. Marvel Legacy #1 = 298,242 2. Dark Nights Metal #2 = 149,487 3. Venomverse #1 = 105,398 4. Batman #30 = 100,083 5. Batman #31 = 98,594 6. Harley Quinn Ann Special = 97,211 7. Action Comics #987 (Lenticular 71,550 + Regular 25,317) = 96,867 8. Walking Dead #171 = 84,239 9. Batman The Red Death #1 = 81,904 10. Batman Murder Machine #1 = 78,202
Four books sold over 100,000 copies; Batman maintain his grip on the top ten with 6 bat-related titles selling a combined total of over 600,000+ copies, but Marvel Legacy trounces everyone else, nearly hitting 300K copies with a $6 number one issue! Walking Dead still continues to be a strong performer for Image. Our bottom six this month is more of the same, but with a few new titles.
A brief explanation of the following data: the number in parenthesis is the actual ranking on the month’s Top 300 sales charts; the first percentage quote 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 September:
1 Scooby-Doo Where Are You #85 (295) 4,209 +10.3% -4.7% 2 Scooby-Doo Team-Up #30 (238) 5,760 -1.0% -17.1% 3 Shade The Changing Girl #12 (221) 7,640 -5.0% -22.3% 4 Mother Panic #11 (216 ) 8,019 -6.7% -28.1% 5Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #12 (214 ) 8,050 -2.2% -26% 6 Astro City #47 (194 ) 9,246 +1.1% -0.7%
All of these books is below DC’s "cancellation point" (which we once considered to be 10,000 copies); the poorest selling of the six is still Scooby-Doo titles, which are likely safe for the time being. Not sure how much longer Young Animal line is going to be allowed to survive with these kinds of numbers in its first year, but new titles were announced at NYCC, so we'll see. I just don't think this line has the staying power of Vertigo. Astro City, however, seems to have plateaued at it's sweet spot, just shy of 10k.
We’ll see what the future holds. If we dismiss the Young Animal line and look strictly at DC Universe proper (legacy characters, etc) the 6 worst sellers are (from worst to best) Cyborg (10,385), Blue Beetle (10,879), New Superman (12,431), Superwoman (13,343), Injustice 2 (9 & 10), and Bombshells United (14,388). None of the DC/Young Animal titles listed above are announced to be cancelled or ending.
===============
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are only slightly better:
Zombies Assemble 2 lost over 40% of its readers from the previous month. This is only issue two, so this is strictly due to pre-orders. Moon Girl continues to baffle. This time 3 years ago, Elektra was cancelled when it was selling twice as many copies monthly. Not sure what to make of this, but its numbers hold steady, losing only 4% of its readers from last month and only 10% over the last 6 months. It's found its audience, it's just a very small audience. Nick Fury continues to drop like a rock, losing over a thousand copies per month with and a 74.8% decline for the past six months. I don’t think anyone really cares about James Robinson's take on the Sam Jackson version of Nick Fury, which surprises me. Guardians has several off-shoot titles out there, all under-performing (Rocket and Groot titles are both around 12k each). This title is based on a video game series, not sure if it's an ongoing or not. In Jim Shooter's day, 'America Chavez' is beyond close to being called DOOMED…! - but that's another title I can't understand why it's still on life support. It's losing over 1500 readers per month. Not sure it will make it to 12 issues. And everyone's favorite rodent warrior princess, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is still steadily losing around 1000 readers per month, but only 16.5% over the last 6 months. This may be another of the Scholastic & "digital sales!" titans we keep hearing about.
None of these titles are announced as being cancelled, although the Guardians title is based on a video game and I expect it is a limited run.
Check out the following indie title best sellers:
+ Image's Walking Dead is still king of the indies, selling 84,239 copies this month. + IDW Publishing reached a height of #49 with Star Wars Adventures (Ongoing) selling 49,184 copies. + Valiant Entertainment peaked #87 with Bloodshot Salvation #1 by selling 28,738 copies. + Dark Horse reached #115 with Neil Gaiman American Gods Shadows #7 selling 20,928 copies. + Dynamite Entertainment hit the #127 spot with Sheena #1 selling 16,889 copies. + BOOM! Studios reached the #147 slot with their Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #19 selling 13,560 copies. + Aftershock Comics reached the #177 spot with Dark Ark #1 which sold 11,005 + ONI Press hit the #180 spot with their strongest title, Rick & Morty #30 which sold 10,874 + Archie Comics made it to the #197 spot with Archie #24 which sold 9,038 copies + Titan hit the #206 slot with Robotech #3 selling 8,288 copies.
Thoughts?
Information here is based on numbers presented by Comichron and are direct to retailers order numbers, not sell-through to consumers.
Comments
How do the overall sales numbers—total number of all comics sold—compare to the past few years?
And DC seems to be moving more toward the European format. At least they’re going to dip their toes into that pool with a few special projects with big-name creators. I'm all for that approach as long as they give the creators the time they need to make a kick-ass book.
Are comics as an industry going to collapse? Absolutely not, but there now appears to be danger of a direct market contraction and a wave of small LCS's closing. As much as I enjoy comics, the formula of publishing monthly floppies that take 6 months for stories to play out and going to a specialty shop (or website) to pre-order titles out of a catalog months in advance is just about the farthest thing from being a highly-relevant format for entertainment media in 2017. Selling OGN’s and full story volumes, in whatever format that needs to be - is definitely the future. Society is a binge watch culture these days and any industry that refuses to adapt its products and sales strategies won’t survive.
The medium is better than ever, but the the way it's being sold is not. It's remarkable that no publisher will release their digital sales figures. And the industry can't actually address the "brick and mortar" problem if we're still unclear if everyone is still buying their books at a retailer or digitally. It would be interesting to understand the impact of Marvel Unlimited. The fact that DC haven’t offered a similar service always confuses me. Does that indicate that it’s not as successful as Marvel claims, or are they just cautious of the impact it would have on their actual book sales?
While no one wants to admit it, periodicals are dying in paper format. Magazines, newspapers, books, comic books, etc are going the way of vhs, dvd, blu-rays, tapes, cds, etc. The future is the digital platform where new comics are .99 - $1.29. No kid wants to spend $5 for a single comic book. 22-page super-hero pamphlets that take 5 minutes to read only appeal to people who are hopelessly addicted to these floppies. This is NOT the future. Yes, people have predicted this demise since the late 90s (and much earlier), but I suspect that the current trend of rising prices and a shrinking readership may finally kill it.
https://bamsmackpow.com/2017/07/19/number-crunching-top-20-comics-sales-estimates-june-2017/
I do not really think the Big 2 really pay much attention to places like DCBS but they do pay attention to Amazon. Amazon usually gives a 32% to 37% discount. I wonder if for example the 5 issue hardcovers that Marvel likes to put out at $25 are priced to compensate for the discount.
Surprisingly , I realized I didn't mind reading comics on my iPad (although I still prefer floppies). What I found was, that I was passing up impulse buys at my LCS to cover the cost of the "two books a month" for Marvel Unlimited, and decided to wait the 6 months for them to show up on the App. As a result, I stopped adding a LOT of titles to my pull list. The overall effect has been that as Marvel continued to cancel titles that were on my pull list, I had stopped replacing them with new titles (as I was now waiting or already reading them on the App), and my monthly Marvel pull list has dwindled dramatically. I still purchase a core list at my LCS, but a lot of what I otherwise would have grabbed off the rack, and added to my pull list, is now read on the App.
Marvel has lost income from me, a die-hard Marvel Zombie, due to the Marvel Unlimited.
I didn't renew this year and dropped even more Marvel books because I got out of the habit of feeling like I keeping up was important.
Nutshell Version: He's thinking of moving away from the monthly book (outside of the contracted stuff he does which pays the bills) to doing more longer-form one volume stories, or one volume of an ongoing story stories. Y'know...like they're books or something. :)
I recently picked up a couple Valerian trades (to speak to Eric's European model, which it pretty much follows (France being in Europe and all that :) )), and I'm on board with this. Writers are pretty much writing to the trade now on most of the licensed stuff anyhow. I'd still pick up a Supergirl or Captain Marvel book if it came out every six months and was 120 or so pages (provided that art and story still appeal) as opposed to every month. Heck, I pretty much do that right now with manga, so it wouldn't be that big an adjustment.
I don't think we're at the "death of the floppy" quite yet, but I think the way we buy comics (both digitally and perhaps longer form) will be in a continual state of change for a while still.
Dark Days: The Casting is in the top slot, another new #1. And Batman continues to dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with the More Big Events and All-New First Issues!:
1 Dark Days: The Casting #1 - 128,261 copies
2 Astonishing X-Men #1 - 122,287 copies
3 Batman #26 - 107,071 copies
4 Batman #27 - 102,335 copies
5 Secret Empire #6 - 85,887 copies
6 Secret Empire #7 - 81,365 copies
7 Star Wars #33 - 74,969 copies
8 Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again #1 - 74,006 copies
9 Walking Dead #169 - 67,910 copies
10 Spider-Men II #1 - 67,362 copies
Only four books sold over 100,000 copies; Batman is the only ongoing title selling over 100k+, but just barely. Marvel's Secret Event, Star Wars ongoing, and three new #1's is enough to secure Marvel's share of the Top Ten. Gimmicks and big events still work apparently.
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 July:
1 Mother Panic #9 - 9,282 (203), (-5%), (-50%)
2 Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #10 - 9,005 (206), (-6%), (-37%)
3 Shade the Changing Girl #10 - 8,468 (215), (-4%), (-37%)
4 Gotham Academy Second Semester #11 - 6,947 (245), (-5%), (-27%)
5 Scooby Doo Team-Up #28 - 6,028 (264), (-4%), (-8%)
6 Everafter From The Pages of Fables #12 - 4,635 (292), (+*), (-21%*)
All of these books are below the presumed DC cancellation point (10,000 copies). Everafter From the Pages of Fables was not even in the top 400 in May or June, so previous month's numbers didn't apply. Scooby-Doo Team-Up's performance is directly tied to the guest star so it tends to go up and down. Gotham Academy Second Semester ends with issue #12. This really looks like Gerard Way's Young Animal DC imprint is floundering badly. Not included in the bottom 6 were 'DC Justice League Essentials' $1 one-shot reprints and any second printings.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things were pretty much just as bad for July as they were for June:
1 Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #22 - 10,425 (182), (-5%), (-41%)
2 Monsters Unleashed #4 - 10,004 (192), (-17%), (-63%*)
3 Marvel's Thor Ragnarok Prelude #1 - 9,751 (195), (n/a), (n/a)
4 Marvel's Thor Ragnarok Prelude #2 - 8,037 (223), (-18%*), (n/a)
5 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #21 - 7,586 (232), (-2%), (-31%)
6 Unstoppable Wasp #7 - 7,431 (235), (-3%), (-31%)
Apparently Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl are still doing well enough in other mediums to stave off cancellation. I've frequently read that both of these books make up for low print sales in digital sales (although they still don't publish numbers on that, so who really can tell?). Unstoppable Wasp however... was not very "unstoppable". That title has been cancelled at issue #8 which just came out this month.
From the writer's Twitter feed:
My take on titles like that are Marvel keeps trying to do 'Betty & Veronica' as superheroes and it isn't clicking with readers. Whereas Thor featuring Jane Foster is straight-up, intense superhero action and it does well. Marvel might want to reconsider their formula of hiring webcomic artists to do girly-girl superhero books and wondering why those books don't seem to catch on.
For Image, Walking Dead, Saga, Paper Girlsand Seven To Eternity are still performing well, making Image the number one independent publisher. Other top indie publishers hit their peaks with the following titles:
+ BOOM! Studios reached the #86 slot with their Go Go Power Rangers #1 selling 26,170 copies.
+ Dark Horse reached #94 with Neil Gaiman American Gods Shadows #5 selling 23,801 copies.
+ Dynamite Entertainment hit the #106 spot with Bettie Page #1 selling 21,299 copies.
+ ONI Press climbed to the #125 spot with Rick & Morty Pocket Like You Stole It #1 which sold 16,501 copies
+ IDW Publishing achieved a height of #145 with TMNT Usagi Yojimbo #0 selling 14,181 copies.
+ Valiant Entertainment reached #154 with X-O Manowar by selling 13,278 copies.
Your thoughts?
Reference numbers provided by Comichron.com and The Beat.
Young Animals
Scooby-Doo Apocalypse
I never said Marvel was "trying to get Betty & Veronica readers", Eric.
What I said was that they were doing Betty & Veronica as superheroes, or at least that's the way it's coming across to many people who have been reading comics for a while. It's fluffy, goofy, girly-girl, and shallow. And for the record, it's DC that's trying to get the Betty & Veronica readers.
I was more referring to Unstoppable Wasp in my B&V comment, not Erica Henderson's series, which is why I shared the tweet from that book's creator, Jeremy Whitley. They've done the same type of B&V treatment for She-Hulk, America Chavez, and Unstoppable Wasp. As for Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, I know people disagree about art all the time, but IMO Erica Henderson's artwork doesn't favorably compare to Raina Telgemeier's in 'Smile' (see below) at all. This is why I used the 'webcomic artist' label above. It may be a superficial concern, but the truth is that if you make your protagonist unnecessarily ugly, it's going to narrow your market penetration. Most of the images I see Ms. Henderson produce of Squirrel Girl make her look ugly and somewhat deranged.
Of course most middle-aged men aren't reading Lumberjanes and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. We're arguably not the intended audience. Marvel is being savvy by trying to cultivate that audience now though means like Scholastic as we've discussed many times on these boards. That still doesn't equate to Diamond retail sales, which is generally the point of this thread and those happen to be the only available numbers we have for now. Which is why I'm still paying attention them from time to time and apparently Jeremy Whitley does too.
Squirrel Girl is goofy, yes. And I suppose it's fluffy, given her tail. ;) But it's not girly-girl, at least not what I think of as being girly-girl, and it’s just a fun adventure book. It’s no more shallow than your average superhero comic. “Serious” drama does not equal depth, as I'm sure you'll agree. Like you said, that’s not the way it's coming across to many people, but that goes back to what I said about the bias of the typical comic shop customer towards “kiddie fare”.
I only read the first two issues of Unstoppable Wasp, and it was less fluffy than Squirrel Girl, no more goofy than the average Spider-Man comic, and again, no more shallow than your average superhero comic, and again, not what I think of as being girly-girl. The problem I had with Unstoppable Wasp was simply that it was a little on the boring side. Too much sitting around talking, and not enough going out and doing.
Maybe I should try to push Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur on them? (although it did nothing for me).
Aside from Squirrel Girl, I'm not surprised by any of the titles on their month's "Carousel of Doom"
1 Dark Knights: Metal #1 - 261,997 copies
2 Batman #28 - 104,666 copies
3 Batman #29 - 100,787 copies
4 Secret Empire #10 - 86,123 copies
5 Generations Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1 - 85,688 copies
6 Secret Empire #8 - 81,488 copies
7 Secret Empire #9 - 77,072 copies
8 Generations Unworthy Thor & Mighty Thor #1 - 76,400 copies
9 Star Wars #34 - 66,628 copies
10 Star Wars #35 - 65,943 copies
Last year, August 2016, was the center of the DC Rebirth sales explosion, with more than 10 million comic books shipping; it was the first time that mark had been seen in two decades, thanks in part to the Rebirth titles being returnable. Consequently, sales for August 2017, when DC's fall Metal event was just starting and Marvel's fall Legacy event had not yet begun, could not compare. Shipments were down 26% in new comic book units, and overall retail dollars spent on comics, graphic novels, and magazines dropped by nearly 21%.
The period from June to August was down 20.5% against those Rebirth/Civil War II months a year before, the worst three-month year-over-year comparison since September 1997 though November 1997. (Marvel’s “Heroes Reborn” event in September 1996 and the wedding of Superman had been succeeded in 1997 by “Heroes Return,” which didn’t fare as well.) But a bigger explanation for the 1997 collapse was the number of comics shop failures, on a scale not seen in 2017 — and given that DC launched so many more books in 2016, the scope of 2017’s comparatives said more about Rebirth’s strength than anything else.
Speaking of Rebirth and DC, Comichron estimates that Diamond Comic Distributors shipped almost exactly 262,000 copies of Dark Nights: Metal #1, the kickoff point for this fall's Metal event, to North American retailers in the month — quite a few more copies than the 235,800 shipped of DC Universe Rebirth #1, the corresponding launch book, in its first month.
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 Mother Panic #10 - 8,589 (231), (-7.5%), (-34%)
2 Teen Titans Go #23 - 8,494 (232), (-1.1), (-10.5%)
3 Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #11 - 8,231 (242), (-8.5%), (-29%)
4 Shade The Changing Girl #11 - 8,035 (246), (-5.2%), (-24%)
5 Gotham Academy Second Semester #12 - 6,572 (270), (-5.4%), (-19%)
6 Scooby Doo Team Up #29 - 5,778 (295), (-4.1%), (-9%)
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. Gotham Academy Second Semester ends with this issue.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are, well, see for yourself:
1 America #6 - 9,548 (215), (-16%), (-78%)
2 Nick Fury #5 - 9,145 (220), (-17%), (-71%)
3 Monsters Unleashed #5 - 8,614 (230), (-14%), (-68.5%)
4 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #22 - 7,466 (252), (-1.5%), (-10%)
5 Marvel's Thor Ragnarok Prelude #3 - 6,909 (263), (-3%), (-30%)
6 Unstoppable Wasp #8 - 6,882 (265), (-7.4%), (-44%)
Unstoppable Wasp ends with this issue. Maybe we'll get a Janet van Dyne mini-series next? Monsters Unleashed also ends with this issue. Marvel's Thor Ragnarok Prelude ends at issue #4. Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur continues to stave off cancellation via Scholastic and digital numbers (of which no one has seen). The new series follow the younger Nick Fury isn't doing that well, but I am unaware of any cancellation announcement. Apparently the "cancellation threshold" at Marvel is getting lower and lower (for some books). Speaking of, America Chavez is still slipping, now below 10k units. Don't expect it to be cancelled though, just sayin'.
Overall, for DC, Batman is still selling over 100K, but just barely and may slip below that next month. Metal is off to a VERY healthy start. But without those titles, there is no upper-list at DC. 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. The Batman/Elmer Fudd second printing moved almost another 10k units in pre-oder so I expect we'll continue to see these crossovers.
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 two most recent ongoing title launches have tumbled: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man sold 41,282 this month (down from 225k+) which is an 82% slide from its launch two months ago. Darth Vader has only slipped 50% from its launch 3 months ago. Star Wars (the closest thing Marvel has to DC's Batman) has now slipped to 65K. Marvel's next highest selling ongoing is Amazing Spider-Man which is selling what may be a series low of only 54,102 issues this month.
When you take out the stunts, Marvel doesn't boast great numbers. Far too many titles that are going to be special order/pull list only for a lot of shops. Secret Empire finished "meh". Now maybe we'll see the Marvel Events pause so we can really gauge how Marvel is doing (don't hold your breath). We are still sinking lower into a historically shallow period for Marvel’s ongoing single issue sales.
For Image, Walking Dead, Saga, Seven To Eternity, and Kill or Be Killed are still performing well, making Image the number one independent publisher. Check out the following indie title best sellers:
+ Image's Walking Dead slipped 2 places to #11 in August with issue #170 selling 65,855 copies.
+ Titan hit the #82 slot with Robotech #1 selling 26,864 copies. (Only 11,661 copies for issue #2)
+ Dark Horse reached #105 with Neil Gaiman American Gods Shadows #6 selling 22,102 copies.
+ BOOM! Studios reached the #155 slot with their Go Go Power Rangers #2 selling 13,750 copies.
+ IDW Publishing reached a height of #158 with TMNT (Ongoing) selling 13,449 copies.
+ Benitez hit #169 with issue #2 of Lady Mechanika Clockwork Assassin selling 12,423 copies.
+ Dynamite Entertainment hit the #173 spot with Shadow #1 selling 12,174 copies.
+ Valiant Entertainment reached #177 with X-O Manowar #6 by selling 12,000 copies.
+ Archie Comics made it to the #188 spot with Sabrina #8 which sold 11,423 copies
+ ONI Press clung to the #194 spot with Rick & Morty Pocket Like You Stole It #2 which sold 10,758
Thoughts?
Reference numbers provided by Comichron.com and The Beat.
...or perhaps her numbers are the same, and these 6 are just that much worse?
Let’s have a quick look at the top ten comics for the month. Batman and DC Comics still dominate the Top Ten, sharing space with a few Big Events:
1. Marvel Legacy #1 = 298,242
2. Dark Nights Metal #2 = 149,487
3. Venomverse #1 = 105,398
4. Batman #30 = 100,083
5. Batman #31 = 98,594
6. Harley Quinn Ann Special = 97,211
7. Action Comics #987 (Lenticular 71,550 + Regular 25,317) = 96,867
8. Walking Dead #171 = 84,239
9. Batman The Red Death #1 = 81,904
10. Batman Murder Machine #1 = 78,202
Four books sold over 100,000 copies; Batman maintain his grip on the top ten with 6 bat-related titles selling a combined total of over 600,000+ copies, but Marvel Legacy trounces everyone else, nearly hitting 300K copies with a $6 number one issue! Walking Dead still continues to be a strong performer for Image. Our bottom six this month is more of the same, but with a few new titles.
A brief explanation of the following data: the number in parenthesis is the actual ranking on the month’s Top 300 sales charts; the first percentage quote 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 September:
1 Scooby-Doo Where Are You #85 (295) 4,209 +10.3% -4.7%
2 Scooby-Doo Team-Up #30 (238) 5,760 -1.0% -17.1%
3 Shade The Changing Girl #12 (221) 7,640 -5.0% -22.3%
4 Mother Panic #11 (216 ) 8,019 -6.7% -28.1%
5Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #12 (214 ) 8,050 -2.2% -26%
6 Astro City #47 (194 ) 9,246 +1.1% -0.7%
All of these books is below DC’s "cancellation point" (which we once considered to be 10,000 copies); the poorest selling of the six is still Scooby-Doo titles, which are likely safe for the time being. Not sure how much longer Young Animal line is going to be allowed to survive with these kinds of numbers in its first year, but new titles were announced at NYCC, so we'll see. I just don't think this line has the staying power of Vertigo. Astro City, however, seems to have plateaued at it's sweet spot, just shy of 10k.
We’ll see what the future holds. If we dismiss the Young Animal line and look strictly at DC Universe proper (legacy characters, etc) the 6 worst sellers are (from worst to best) Cyborg (10,385), Blue Beetle (10,879), New Superman (12,431), Superwoman (13,343), Injustice 2 (9 & 10), and Bombshells United (14,388).
None of the DC/Young Animal titles listed above are announced to be cancelled or ending.
===============
Meanwhile, over at Marvel, where things are only slightly better:
1 Zombies Assemble 2 #2 (235) 6,255 -39.6% N/A
2 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #23 (224) 7,153 -1.0% -10.2%
3 Guardians of the Galaxy Telltale Series #3 (215) 8,030 -13.3% -41.4%
4 Nick Fury #6 (198) 8,019 -12.4% - 74.8%
5America #7 (195) 8,050 -15.7% -66.5%
6 Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #24 (190) 9,869 -10.1% -15.5%
Zombies Assemble 2 lost over 40% of its readers from the previous month. This is only issue two, so this is strictly due to pre-orders. Moon Girl continues to baffle. This time 3 years ago, Elektra was cancelled when it was selling twice as many copies monthly. Not sure what to make of this, but its numbers hold steady, losing only 4% of its readers from last month and only 10% over the last 6 months. It's found its audience, it's just a very small audience. Nick Fury continues to drop like a rock, losing over a thousand copies per month with and a 74.8% decline for the past six months. I don’t think anyone really cares about James Robinson's take on the Sam Jackson version of Nick Fury, which surprises me. Guardians has several off-shoot titles out there, all under-performing (Rocket and Groot titles are both around 12k each). This title is based on a video game series, not sure if it's an ongoing or not. In Jim Shooter's day, 'America Chavez' is beyond close to being called DOOMED…! - but that's another title I can't understand why it's still on life support. It's losing over 1500 readers per month. Not sure it will make it to 12 issues. And everyone's favorite rodent warrior princess, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is still steadily losing around 1000 readers per month, but only 16.5% over the last 6 months. This may be another of the Scholastic & "digital sales!" titans we keep hearing about.
None of these titles are announced as being cancelled, although the Guardians title is based on a video game and I expect it is a limited run.
Check out the following indie title best sellers:
+ Image's Walking Dead is still king of the indies, selling 84,239 copies this month.
+ IDW Publishing reached a height of #49 with Star Wars Adventures (Ongoing) selling 49,184 copies.
+ Valiant Entertainment peaked #87 with Bloodshot Salvation #1 by selling 28,738 copies.
+ Dark Horse reached #115 with Neil Gaiman American Gods Shadows #7 selling 20,928 copies.
+ Dynamite Entertainment hit the #127 spot with Sheena #1 selling 16,889 copies.
+ BOOM! Studios reached the #147 slot with their Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #19 selling 13,560 copies.
+ Aftershock Comics reached the #177 spot with Dark Ark #1 which sold 11,005
+ ONI Press hit the #180 spot with their strongest title, Rick & Morty #30 which sold 10,874
+ Archie Comics made it to the #197 spot with Archie #24 which sold 9,038 copies
+ Titan hit the #206 slot with Robotech #3 selling 8,288 copies.
Thoughts?
Information here is based on numbers presented by Comichron and are direct to retailers order numbers, not sell-through to consumers.