Diamond Comic Distributors has released the initial wave of data regarding the comic book direct market for July 2018. As expected, Batman #50, featuring the non-wedding of Batman and Catwoman, topped the charts.
Both Marvel and DC had five titles in the top ten, with Doomsday Clock #6 ranked #4 and Superman #1 ranked #5. This is the first time in a while that I remember the two publishers having an even split in the top ten without The Walking Dead or other comic making an appearance.
Top 10 Comic Books by Units Shipped
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY UNITS SHIPPED | |||
---|---|---|---|
RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | PUBLISHER |
1 | BATMAN #50 | $4.99 | DC |
2 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 | $5.99 | MAR |
3 | CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
4 | DOOMSDAY CLOCK #6 | $4.99 | DC |
5 | SUPERMAN #1 | $3.99 | DC |
6 | CATWOMAN #1 | $3.99 | DC |
7 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 | $3.99 | MAR |
8 | BATMAN #51 | $3.99 | DC |
9 | X-23 #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
10 | COSMIC GHOST RIDER #1 | $3.99 | MAR |
The data is slightly different when you look at the top ten when you look at the amount of money invoiced by Diamond Comic Distributors to the comic book shops.
Top 10 Comic Books By Dollars Invoiced
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY DOLLARS INVOICED | |||
---|---|---|---|
RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | PUBLISHER |
1 | BATMAN #50 | $4.99 | DC |
2 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 | $5.99 | MAR |
3 | CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
4 | DOOMSDAY CLOCK #6 | $4.99 | DC |
5 | SUPERMAN #1 | $3.99 | DC |
6 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 | $3.99 | MAR |
7 | X-23 #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
8 | CATWOMAN #1 | $3.99 | DC |
9 | BATMAN #51 | $3.99 | DC |
10 | COSMIC GHOST RIDER #1 | $3.99 | MAR |
Keep in mind some of the comics in the top ten lists were marked as returnable, which means 100,000 copies could have shipped and billed, but half of those could have been returned. Also, data sent to us from Diamond Comic Distributors only tracks the direct market, and does not include data on the actual number of comics sold to customers.
Due in part to the sheer number of comics shipped this month and the slowly creeping cover prices, overall sales for July 2018 were up compared to June, with the overall trend for the year to year comparison rising as well. However, when it comes to the year to date compared to 2017, the numbers are very different.
Comparative Sales Statistics July 2018
DOLLARS | UNITS | |
---|---|---|
JULY 2018 VS. JUNE 2018 | ||
COMICS | 14.18% | 7.84% |
GRAPHIC NOVELS | -13.07% | -9.36% |
TOTAL COMICS/GN | 6.01% | 6.55% |
TOYS | 16.78% | -0.28% |
JULY 2018 VS. JULY 2017 | ||
COMICS | 17.37% | 10.40% |
GRAPHIC NOVELS | -9.11% | -4.96% |
TOTAL COMICS/GN | 9.53% | 9.27% |
TOYS | 15.77% | 4.94% |
YEAR-TO-DATE 2018 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2017 | ||
COMICS | 0.76% | -7.02% |
GRAPHIC NOVELS | -8.26% | -10.42% |
TOTAL COMICS/GN | -1.93% | -7.28% |
TOYS | -8.63% | -10.45% |
It will be interesting to see how the real data nerds interpret the comparative sales data for July 2018, and I can’t wait to see the overall trend on how the industry is doing.