The AVENGERS VS X-MEN crossover continued to dominate both franchises in July. There are also two new ongoing titles – CAPTAIN MARVEL and X-TREME X-MEN – which unusually launch in the middle of the big crossover. And while Marvel have generally eased off on their miniseries of late, we have two this month – SPACE PUNISHER and INFERNAL MAN-THING.

In terms of market share, DC won the month, leading Marvel by 37% to 35% in units and 33% to 32% in dollars. The other big news, of course, is the remarkable sales of WALKING DEAD #100, which topped the charts with an extraordinary estimated sale of over 335,000 – but that’s a story for another column. (It also seems like a good opportunity to remind people that these figures only reflect sales to the direct market in North America. Total sales are therefore bound to be higher once you factor in sales through other channels, most obviously to the UK and Europe.)