Analysts: September 2009 DM Estimates

The comics business news and analysis site ICv2.com offers their usual array of lists, estimates and analysis regarding the performance of comic books and graphic novels in the Direct Market of comic and hobby shops, this time for September 2009.

* Overview
* Analysis
* Top 300 Comic Books
* Top 300 Graphic Novels

John Jackson Miller at The Comics Chronicles has begun his analysis of the month right here.

In fact, it's Miller's analysis that I found the most interesting, as he feels comfortable at this point extrapolating for the year and barring a disastrous Fall and Christmas-shopping season, he sees things in that market remaining stable. Given the fears that folks had going into the year-long recession, I would imagine that's good news. It's not like things couldn't turn sour in a hurry, but I think most people given this option and an industry status report behind a curtain would take the relative stability.

I think I agree with the analysts that the top story for the month itself is the rare performance by certain Blackest Night comics: both the main title only dropping a tiny number of issues moving from issue #2 to issue #3 to various tie-ins actually growing in circulation. This is I imagine a good thing because the series and it tie-ins are finding their level which is 1) reasonably high, 2) doesn't come after burning off some numbers that indicate early issues were over-ordered. Also: I would have guessed that the well-regarded Incredible Hercules sold about 10,000 more copies -- I had no illusions that one was a hit, but but I didn't imagine it selling quite that poorly, either.

The notion that $3.99 pamphlets are having a severe effect on ordering of issues past a first issue is an interesting one, and makes a lot of sense. If any retailer out there would like to share their experience in that sense, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

I thought the graphic novel chart was generally interesting, too, in that some titles seem to do strong supplementary business in comics shops while their main sales are elsewhere (Walking Dead, L&R, according to anecdotal evidence) while other entries on the list are very standard comics favorites (Batman-related stuff). And then there's Buffy, which I think may be performing over expectation in both markets.
 
posted 8:10 am PST | Permalink
 

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