ICv2.com Analyzes and Dissects: Comic Store Sales Up (Slightly) in November

Like a box full of tops just waiting to be spun, the monthly barrage of ICv2.com analysis pieces on the comic book direct market has hit the Web. As usual, they provide a general news story reporting the slight increase, a more specialized news story about a decline in sales for comic books at the top, and lists for graphic novels and comic books with real-number approximations the site derives on its own.

There is also a stand-alone story and interview with Ruwan Jayatilleke about the sales success of one of Marvel's initial prose-line offerings, which unfortunately spins like a carnival ride and only deals in self-serving approximations.

The things that popped out at me from the lists this month: First, I'm always amazed how quickly the number drops for top books, with relatively few titles in the moderate hit department, which says that retailer confidence is really focused on sure-fire best sellers. Second, I always like looking at how comparatively diverse the top 100 trade sellers as opposed to the top 100 comics, which I'm sort of thinking may point out either a racking strategy hangover or simply how different formats appeal to different sets of fans. And third, I'm always interested to note which books from mainstream comics titans Marvel and DC fall under 20,000 in sales. Here's my count this time around, eliminating obvious re-offers and the like (I may have missed a couple).

DC Comics
100 BULLETS #55, ANGELTOWN #1, BATMAN STRIKES #3, BLOODHOUND #5, BOOKS OF MAGICK: LIFE DURING WARTIME #5, CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #3, CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #6, FALLEN ANGEL #17, KINETIC #8, GOTHAM CENTRAL #25, HARD TIME #10, HELLBLAZER #202, HERO #22, HUMAN TARGET #16, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #3, LOONEY TUNES #120, LOSERS #18, LUCIFER #56, MANHUNTER #4, OCEAN #2, PLASTIC MAN #12, POWERPUFF GIRLS #56, RAZORS EDGE WARBLADE #2, RICHARD DRAGON #7, SCOOBY DOO #90, SLEEPER SEASON 2 #5, SMALLVILLE #11, TEEN TITANS GO #13, TERRA OBSCURA VOL 2 #4, SLEEPER SEASON 2 #6, SWAMP THING #9, TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES #12, WILD GIRL #1 , WILDSTORM WINTER SPECIAL, WITCHING #6.

Marvel Comics
GUARDIANS #5, JUBILEE #3, MARVEL AGE FANTASTIC FOUR #8, MARVEL AGE HULK #3, MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN #15, MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN #16, MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2004, MARVEL, SPIDER-MAN DOCTOR OCTOPUS YEAR 1 #4, STARJAMMERS #6, THOR SON Of ASGARD #10, WARLOCK #3.

This gives me some idea about what isn't selling, and how many comics each company is willing to carry either in the red or near the red for different reasons. A DC rep once told me that none of their comics ever go in the red, but when asked how that was possible, they alluded to sales statistics from markets to which I was not allowed access. So okay, maybe I'm wrong. On the other hand, it's worth pondering whether the market perhaps be better off if both companies carried about half this load? Would that give the surviving half a better chance to gain momentum or would it just kill a lot of these companies' already arguably weak attempts at diversity?

It's not a comic people tend to talk about, but that's your number one pictured above. All figures and information derived thereof is the property of ICv2.com.
 
posted 7:55 am PST | Permalink
 

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