Diamond Comic Distributors has released the initial breakdown of comic sales for August 2018, and while comic sales are up compared to this time last year, the month to month dropped slightly. Could $5.99 comics be behind it all?
The unit share breakdown is not surprising. Marvel continually ships more comics than anyone else, and Image has been shipping more titles in the recent months, so the top three publishers really come as no surprise.
| TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS | ||
|---|---|---|
| PUBLISHER | DOLLAR SHARE | UNIT SHARE |
| MARVEL COMICS | 40.87% | 43.12% |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 27.51% | 31.02% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 8.90% | 9.08% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 4.43% | 3.81% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 3.05% | 2.37% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 2.58% | 2.30% |
| VIZ MEDIA | 1.33% | 0.54% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.32% | 1.12% |
| TITAN COMICS | 0.98% | 0.66% |
| AFTERSHOCK COMICS | 0.63% | 0.72% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 8.40% | 5.27% |
There are other people far more insightful than us that will break down the comparative sales statistics, but I was really hoping August would continue the positive growth for the industry. There are a number of factors that I have noticed over the years that show August/September to take a drop, with the number one culprit appearing to be students going back to school, and extra money being used for other purchases.
Comparative Sales Data for August 2018
| COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS | ||
|---|---|---|
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| AUGUST 2018 VS. JULY 2018 | ||
| COMICS | -1.95% | -6.19% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 33.98% | 28.57% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 6.88% | -3.97% |
| TOYS | 49.89% | 32.04% |
| AUGUST 2018 VS. AUGUST 2017 | ||
| COMICS | 5.04% | -5.25% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 2.91% | 1.44% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 4.37% | -4.71% |
| TOYS | 13.76% | 4.26% |
| YEAR-TO-DATE 2018 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2017 | ||
| COMICS | 1.31% | -6.80% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | -6.73% | -8.83% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -1.10% | -6.95% |
| TOYS | -5.15% | -8.32% |
And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for – the top ten comics for the month. Here, I was very surprised to see two comics (Fantastic Four #1 and Infinity Wars #1) taking the top spot – especially with that $5.99 price tag.
Top Ten Comic Books by Units Shipped
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | PUBLISHER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FANTASTIC FOUR #1 | $5.99 | MAR |
| 2 | INFINITY WARS #1 | $5.99 | MAR |
| 3 | BATMAN #52 | $3.99 | DC |
| 4 | BATMAN #53 | $3.99 | DC |
| 5 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 6 | THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1 (MR) | $4.99 | DC |
| 7 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 8 | SUPERMAN #2 | $3.99 | DC |
| 9 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #5 | $3.99 | DC |
| 10 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #6 | $3.99 | DC |
Top 10 Comic Books by Dollars Invoiced
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | PUBLISHER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FANTASTIC FOUR #1 | $5.99 | MAR |
| 2 | INFINITY WARS #1 | $5.99 | MAR |
| 3 | THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1 (MR) | $4.99 | DC |
| 4 | BATMAN #52 | $3.99 | DC |
| 5 | PUNISHER #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 6 | BATMAN #53 | $3.99 | DC |
| 7 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 8 | INFINITY WARS #2 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 9 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 10 | VENOM: FIRST HOST #1 | $3.99 | MAR |
While many will point out that both of these titles are first issues and, in the case of The Fantastic Four, the much-anticipated return of a favorite team. That’s all well and good, but I’m concerned we are seeing the first salvo for a company-wide (maybe industry-wide) push for $5.99 cover prices for all comics.
What take-aways are you culling from the charts above? Are you concerned about $5.99 becoming the norm instead of the exception? Use the comment section to share your thoughts. Next week, we’ll have the complete rundown for August 2018.
