We knew during the San Diego Comic Con that The Walking Dead was the top selling comic for the month of July, and early numbers indicated it was the top selling comic for the last decade. Diamond Comic Distributors has released the numbers for July, and things are looking good.
DC sat on top of the mountain in July claiming the top spots for Dollar Share and Unit Share. In past months, the split between Marvel and DC has been less than one percent, but July had DC beating Marvel over one-percent for the number of books sold.
| PUBLISHER | DOLLAR SHARE | UNIT SHARE |
|---|---|---|
| DC COMICS | 32.71% | 36.55% |
| MARVEL COMICS | 31.96% | 35.45% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 9.42% | 9.39% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 6.61% | 4.51% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 4.51% | 3.79% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 2.77% | 2.64% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 1.38% | 1.30% |
| ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.22% | 1.04% |
| EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS | 1.20% | 0.27% |
| VIZ MEDIA | 0.95% | 0.42% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 7.28% | 4.65% |
While all of that is well and good, when it comes to the Top Ten Comics Sold in the Direct Market, things get a little strange. The Walking Dead #100 took the top spot – the only non Big-Two book to make the list, but DC didn’t enter the Top Ten ranking until number four with Batman #11. Marvel claimed the silver and bronze with two installments of the Avengers vs. X-Men series.
| RANK | TITLE | PRICE | PUBLISHER |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE WALKING DEAD #100 (MR) | $3.99 | IMA |
| 2 | AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #7 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 3 | AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #8 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 4 | BATMAN #11 | $3.99 | DC |
| 5 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #11 | $3.99 | DC |
| 6 | BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS #1 (MR) | $3.99 | DC |
| 7 | AVX VS. #4 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 8 | DETECTIVE COMICS #11 | $3.99 | DC |
| 9 | GREEN LANTERN #11 | $2.99 | DC |
| 10 | ACTION COMICS #11 | $3.99 | DC |
Though things are looking shiny and bright from the initial numbers, the data becomes more interesting when one notes that compared to June, the total number of books sold in the direct market was down by nearly 2-percent. While I haven’t gone back to look at the actual number of books shipped, I have a feeling Marvel shipped fewer books in June, resulting in the dip in books sold as well as Marvel not claiming the Unit Share top spot as the company has in the past.
Compared to a year ago, comic sales are up by 15-percent, with dollar amounts increasing by 22-percent. The amount of money brought in needs some further investigation as one needs to see if overall cover prices increased from July of last year.
Finally, the Year to Date numbers are looking good as well, as overall comic sales are up over 18-percent. A number of factors could be contributing to this including the “Hold the Line at $2.99” initiative, the New 52, and Marvel’s The Avengers movie.
3 Comments
Note: DC’s top books are 5 regular titles and 1 stunt.
Marvel has 4 stunt titles.
This says to me: Marvel continues to be validated in making event book after event book, and DCs monthly titles are perceived to be of higher quality and more accessible. Not that Marvel doesn’t have good monthlies, but people aren’t reading them. Probably due to the constant interruption by events. Which everyone buys to understand their monthly. Which is why the event books are in the top 10.
DC- Quality
Marvel- Gimmickry
Isnt the entire DC reboot a gimmick?
Maybe at first. Flashpoint was, definitely. But I think the new 52 was just a way to commit to quality storytelling. A year in, the gimmick factor is gone, and what’s left is the status quo. And the status quo is better books across the board, quick turn around for the books that don’t sell, and more truly new readers than we’ve seen in years.