ICv2.com: 18 June Comic Books 100K+

The business news and analysis site ICv2.com has put out their suite of articles on the June Direct Market (comics and hobby shop) sales numbers. According to the site, an unprecedented number of comic books selling over 100,000 copies led to only slight gains in the market overall when compared to last year, and a slowdown from last month's hugely positive numbers. The performance of comic books makes up for a modest decline in graphic novel sales. The site assures us in a couple of place that numbers for the quarter are still pretty boffo.

Analysis/Overview
Dollar Trends
Top 300 Comic Books
Top 100 Graphic Novels

According to my own scientific analysis of holding my thumb toward the computer screen at arms length and thinking grumpy thoughts, what's going on seems a continuation of last month's numbers on a slightly less ridiculous scale. The Direct Market has long been primed to handle "event" comics at the top of its ordering limits, and new events sit on top of the old events (like All-Star Superman, pictured), crushing them slightly and pushing them down the charts. We have a lot of event comics right now, so the top of the market is loaded. As the market this month doesn't seem to be enjoying a surge that would match so many six-figure books, worries that these sales a) come at the expense of midlist sales (which many retailers deny), b) supplant reader desires for a diversified group of mid-range books (which many readers deny), or c) indicate a bit of market exhaustion beyond the events where things actually seem to be happening (which a whole range of people denies), seem to have some traction.

DC and Marvel combined have an unprecedented market share right now, more than they did when people were horrified by the combined market share in the late '80s, and what they choose to pursue in terms of what kind of sales they want does a lot to shape the Direct Market. And what they seem to want right now is top of the line performers of the limited event variety. Although DC recently sort of claimed to be doing the last couple of years of identity-related event comics in order to reinvigorate their main lines, I wouldn't be surprised if they were already doubtful of continuing such a boost past a #1 or a #2 or a relaunched regular title, and it would hardly be shocking if the next round of mega-events was already in some rough form in editorial.

Also, it seems to me that maybe DC's 52 in this month started what seems likely to be a sustained drop, while Civil War is performing ahead of expectations, although that's only a hunch. I like making that hunch because it kind of parallels the fortunes of the film industry, where Time Warner's Superman Returns seems to lack legs while Marvel would represent all the studios with poorly reviewed blockbusters that people like anyway.
 
posted 10:50 pm PST | Permalink
 

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