DC Comics’ big launch in May was, of course, the weekly Countdown. Succeeding the tremendously successful 52 and widely publicized as the “spine of the DC Universe” for the coming twelve months, Countdown seems to be met with high expectations by the publisher: It has to deliver as an event book in its own right; and, unlike 52, it also has to serve as the lynchpin of a large-scale crossover with a plethora of tie-ins and spin-off books coming up, all of which are going to live or die on the popularity of the mother title. Do the first four issues of Countdown live up to those expectations? Well, look below for an answer.
In other news, DC’s average and total periodical sales were down again in May. This comes as no surprise, given that April’s World War III event miniseries was effectively ordered as four extra issues of 52 and resulted in a sizable sales boost. With the perennial bestseller Justice League of America, the erratically shipping All Star Batman and a strong final issue for 52, the publisher had three books selling beyond the 100,000 unit mark in May. However, they remained the only DC titles to make the Top 15 that month. The only new title coming from DC’s sub-labels, meanwhile, was the TV adaptation Supernatural: Origins. In other words, it was yet another very, very, very quiet month for Vertigo and WildStorm, in terms of periodicals.
On a cautiously positive note, I should mention that, for the first time in ages, all DC Comics periodicals solicited for May actually did come out that month, for a change. With the exception of the supposedly ongoing Doctor Fate monthly, that is, which has been reworked into a different format and is now set to launch in September. And, of course, a few books were an issue or two behind their schedules. And, sure enough, this doesn’t cover the bunch that remain in production limbo and weren’t solicited to begin with, either. Or the ones which were on a planned skip month in May. Or the fact that several major and minor titles solicited for June have already been pushed back to July. But still. It’s a start. See below for the details.
Thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2.com for the permission to use their figures. An overview of ICv2.com’s estimates can be found here.
—–
3 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 05/2001: JLA #54 -- 69,390* 05/2002: JLA #66 -- 60,581* 05/2003: JLA #81 -- 60,316 05/2004: JLA #96 -- 70,377 [ 71,546] 05/2004: JLA #97 -- 68,170 [ 70,446] 05/2005: JLA #114 -- 63,934 -------------------------------------- 07/2006: Justice League #0 -- 162,378 (+118.4%) [169,199] 08/2006: Justice League #1 -- 212,581 (+ 30.9%) [251,266] 09/2006: Justice League #2 -- 143,412 (- 32.5%) [158,480] 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Justice League #3 -- 140,939 (- 1.7%) [143,310] 12/2006: Justice League #4 -- 136,709 (- 3.0%) [139,123] 12/2006: Justice League #5 -- 132,460 (- 3.1%) [133,924] 01/2007: -- 02/2007: -- 03/2007: Justice League #6 -- 130,099 (- 1.8%) [131,754] 04/2007: Justice League #7 -- 154,984 (+ 19.1%) 04/2007: Justice League #8 -- 130,365 (- 15.9%) 05/2007: Justice League #9 -- 129,285 (- 0.8%) ----------------- 6 months: - 8.3% 1 year : n.a. 2 years : +102.2%
Sales remain high for the second month of “The Lightning Saga,” a crossover with Justice Society of America which runs through both titles. The lack of a boost from the book’s established range suggests that there’s going to be a drop with issue #11, once the crossover storyline is over. So far, though, the book keeps generating great sales.
As usual, retailers were able to order a variant cover edition for every ten copies ordered of the regular edition, which likely enhanced the numbers. A fourth printing of issue #1 sold another 4,375 units in May, meanwhile, and a second printing of issue #2 shifted an additional 3,557 copies.
—–
9 - ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER 07/2005: All Star Batman #1 -- 261,046 [306,976] 09/2005: All Star Batman #2 -- 178,592 [184,962] 12/2005: All Star Batman #3 -- 162,993 [166,218] -------------------------------------- 05/2006: All Star Batman #4 -- 160,401 (- 1.6%) 06/2006: -- 07/2006: -- 08/2006: -- 09/2006: -- 10/2006: -- 11/2006: -- 12/2006: -- 01/2007: -- 02/2007: -- 03/2007: -- 04/2007: -- 05/2007: All Star Batman #5 -- 114,302 (-28.7%) ---------------- 6 months: n.a. 1 year : -28.7%
The release history of All Star Batman reads like some bizarre counter-experiment running alongside 52: Behold, here’s the book that never comes out! Unusually, unlike with most other prennially late series, retailers seem to have lost patience with this one, resulting in a considerable drop in sales. (As with previous issues, there was a 1-in-10 variant cover edition.)
Speaking of the All Star line, the bold plan to have one All Star book out every month through September is in shambles. All Star Superman #8, originally solicited for June, is now slated to ship in July, suggesting that the subsequent issue won’t stick to its August shipping date, either. It’s somewhat remarkable that DC still haven’t learned their lesson.
—–
15 - 52 05/2006: 52 Week 1 -- 140,971 [143,611] 05/2006: 52 Week 2 -- 128,393 (- 8.9%) [130,704] 05/2006: 52 Week 3 -- 123,982 (- 3.4%) [126,913] 05/2006: 52 Week 4 -- 121,440 (- 2.1%) [125,297] 06/2006: 52 Week 5 -- 111,895 (- 7.9%) 06/2006: 52 Week 6 -- 110,028 (- 1.7%) [111,732] 06/2006: 52 Week 7 -- 110,188 (+ 0.2%) [112,618] 06/2006: 52 Week 8 -- 105,107 (- 4.6%) [108,775] 07/2006: 52 Week 9 -- 102,142 (- 2.8%) 07/2006: 52 Week 10 -- 100,779 (- 1.3%) 07/2006: 52 Week 11 -- 122,016 (+21.1%) [123,724] 07/2006: 52 Week 12 -- 98,667 (-19.1%) [102,362] 08/2006: 52 Week 13 -- 119,507 (+21.1%) 08/2006: 52 Week 14 -- 118,259 (- 1.4%) 08/2006: 52 Week 15 -- 119,411 (+ 1.0%) 08/2006: 52 Week 16 -- 117,472 (- 1.6%) [118,624] 08/2006: 52 Week 17 -- 116,637 (- 0.7%) [118,775] 09/2006: 52 Week 18 -- 111,830 (- 4.1%) 09/2006: 52 Week 19 -- 111,611 (- 0.2%) 09/2006: 52 Week 20 -- 111,099 (- 0.5%) 09/2006: 52 Week 21 -- 110,350 (- 0.7%) [111,986] 10/2006: 52 Week 22 -- 108,624 (- 1.6%) 10/2006: 52 Week 23 -- 107,962 (- 0.6%) 10/2006: 52 Week 24 -- 107,413 (- 0.5%) 10/2006: 52 Week 25 -- 106,332 (- 1.0%) 11/2006: 52 Week 26 -- 104,614 (- 1.6%) 11/2006: 52 Week 27 -- 104,265 (- 0.3%) 11/2006: 52 Week 28 -- 103,529 (- 0.7%) 11/2006: 52 Week 29 -- 102,699 (- 0.8%) 11/2006: 52 Week 30 -- 102,576 (- 0.1%) 12/2006: 52 Week 31 -- 100,596 (- 1.9%) 12/2006: 52 Week 32 -- 99,634 (- 1.0%) 12/2006: 52 Week 33 -- 99,441 (- 0.2%) 12/2006: 52 Week 34 -- 98,379 (- 1.1%) 01/2007: 52 Week 35 -- 105,095 (+ 6.8%) 01/2007: 52 Week 36 -- 96,815 (- 7.9%) 01/2007: 52 Week 37 -- 96,612 (- 0.2%) 01/2007: 52 Week 38 -- 95,945 (- 6.9%) 01/2007: 52 Week 39 -- 94,865 (- 1.1%) [ 96,545] 02/2007: 52 Week 40 -- 94,694 (- 0.2%) 02/2007: 52 Week 41 -- 94,486 (- 0.2%) 02/2007: 52 Week 42 -- 94,220 (- 0.3%) 02/2007: 52 Week 43 -- 93,505 (- 0.8%) 03/2007: 52 Week 44 -- 94,246 (+ 0.8%) 03/2007: 52 Week 45 -- 94,085 (- 0.2%) 03/2007: 52 Week 46 -- 93,513 (- 0.6%) 03/2007: 52 Week 47 -- 92,676 (- 0.9%) [ 94,151] 04/2007: 52 Week 48 -- 94,715 (+ 2.2%) 04/2007: 52 Week 49 -- 94,681 (- 0.0%) 04/2007: 52 Week 50 -- 97,073 (+ 2.5%) [100,214] 04/2007: 52 Week 51 -- 94,934 (- 2.2%) 05/2007: 52 Week 52 -- 102,075 (+ 7.5%) ---------------- 6 months: - 1.4% 1 year : -20.7%
That’s a strong finish, which is in line with the book’s overall performance in the last twelve months. As far as experiments go, 52 is a big whopping success, whose performance has defied skeptics and surpassed all reasonable predictions. Not only has the book sold in excess of 100K for most of its run and never dropped below 92,000, it’s also come out like clockwork. It’s quite an achievement, and one which won’t be easy to replicate.
—–
16 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 05/2001: JSA #24 -- 38,669* 05/2002: JSA #36 -- 41,928* 05/2003: JSA #48 -- 44,019 05/2004: JSA #60 -- 42,824 05/2005: JSA #73 -- 51,326 --------------------------------------- 05/2006: JSA #85 -- 52,620 (- 1.2%) 06/2006: JSA #86 -- 50,338 (- 4.3%) 07/2006: JSA #87 -- 49,583 (- 1.5%) 08/2006: -- 09/2006: -- 10/2006: -- 11/2006: -- 12/2006: Justice Society #1 -- 102,990 (+107.7%) [108,140] 01/2007: Justice Society #2 -- 86,180 (- 16.3%) [ 92,459] 02/2007: Justice Society #3 -- 84,356 (- 2.1%) [ 86,014] 03/2007: Justice Society #4 -- 84,449 (+ 0.1%) [ 86,475] 04/2007: Justice Society #5 -- 98,069 (+ 16.1%) [102,275] 05/2007: Justice Society #6 -- 96,900 (- 1.2%) ----------------- 6 months: n.a. 1 year : + 84.2% 2 years : + 88.8%
Due to “The Lightning Saga,” sales remain comfortably up, while the April issue sold another 4,206 units in May. Given that the book’s sales were already nudging upwards before the crossover, there shouldn’t be too much of a drop-off once it’s done. The publisher could need more performers like this one.
Issue #7 has missed its June release date, meanwhile.
—–
19/20/22/25 - COUNTDOWN 05/2007: Countdown #51 -- 91,083 05/2007: Countdown #50 -- 83,752 (-8.1%) 05/2007: Countdown #49 -- 81,484 (-2.7%) 05/2007: Countdown #48 -- 79,810 (-2.1%)
“There are a series of events set in motion, as you’ve seen in the first two issues, that will spark a chain of events that will snowball into a huge event happening next year. This is the countdown to that big event,” Countdown plotter Paul Dini responded when asked about the series by Comic Book Resources. As nondescript and helpless as Dini’s circumscription sounds, it seems adequate for the book, if the public response is any indication – or for DC’s mainstream line at large, for that matter. It’s that thing leading to things that set the stage for the things to come.
Countdown debuts with lower sales than the least successful issue of 52. For an excessively hyped event title that’s meant to be the “spine” of DC’s entire superhero line and whose brand will have to sustain dozens of tie-ins and spin-off series over the coming year, this is an enormously disappointing start. Reactions so far seem mixed, at best. The term “continuity porn” is being thrown around, suggesting that the book is concerned more with the minutiae of the DC Universe and with hinting at yet another sweeping doomsday event than with actually telling an accessible and engaging story.
To encourage retailers to increase their order numbers for Countdown, DC are supporting the book by making the first eight issues of returnable, provided retailers ordered a certain quantity. For May’s issues #51-48, retailers had to order at least as many units as they had ordered of 52 Week 44 to qualify for the scheme; for June’s issues #47-44, the benchmark was 52 Week 48. But there’s a catch: For every returned issue, retailers will have to pay a 10% fee, 29 cents per book. Due to this fee, as retailer Brian Hibbs points out, there is a point when it becomes unfeasible for retailers to order large quantities despite the returnability. While 52 was supported with a similar incentive, the fee never really seemed an issue in that case, since interest remained high throughout. Given the modest interest in Countdown so far, many retailers apparently thought twice about taking DC up on their offer, this time around.
The pressure on Countdown to deliver is increased by the fact that it’s not just a largely self-contained 51-part weekly series. Unlike 52, Countdown was made to exist in a permanent crossover mode with other DC Universe titles, effectively requiring the publisher’s mainstream line of titles, which has been plagued by late-shipping titles for years, to be released in lockstep all of a sudden. Granted, DC have made progress with getting their titles back on reasonable schedules recently. Still, the notion that there are going to be no more delays from now on seems illusory. If nothing else, it’s going to be interesting to watch how they’re dealing with the issue as time goes on, but – even if they can keep the mother title on track – there’s bound to be a point where they’ll have to decide whether to delay Countdown or to march on and leave any stragglers behind.
To be fair, looking at the sales of 52, there was a sharp turnaround with Week 13. At that point, sales went up again, ultimately settling down at a much higher level than it initially seemed, and remaining thoroughly stable until the final issue. So we’ll have to give it a few months before Countdown has to be written off as a misfire. At this stage, though, to be honest, it certainly looks like one. Plainly, someone badly misjudged the audience here. The question is whether it’s the retailers or the publisher who did it.
—–
24 - BATMAN 05/2001: Batman #591 -- 40,508* 05/2002: Batman #603 -- 51,898* 05/2003: Batman #615 -- 144,090 [158,350] 05/2004: Batman #627 -- 76,885 05/2004: Batman #628 -- 74,348 [ 75,832] 05/2005: Batman #640 -- 66,640 [ 71,120] ------------------------------- 05/2006: Batman #653 -- 77,257 (+ 6.0%) [ 78,435] 06/2006: Batman #654 -- 76,525 (- 1.0%) [ 78,671] 07/2006: Batman #655 -- 113,567 (+48.4%) [123,903] 08/2006: Batman #656 -- 95,982 (-15.5%) [ 99,024] 09/2006: Batman #657 -- 91,357 (- 4.8%) [ 96,127] 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Batman #658 -- 94,349 (+ 3.3%) 11/2006: Batman #659 -- 90,651 (- 3.9%) 12/2006: Batman #660 -- 76,967 (-15.1%) 12/2006: Batman #661 -- 75,512 (- 1.9%) 01/2007: Batman #662 -- 72,499 (- 4.0%) 02/2007: Batman #663 -- 83,167 (+14.7%) 03/2007: Batman #664 -- 80,497 (- 3.2%) [ 82,107] 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Batman #665 -- 80,122 (- 0.5%) ---------------- 6 months: -13.4% 1 year : + 3.7% 2 years : +20.2%
With the regular creative team both showing up for a change, the current storyline has sales stabilizing again. They’re considerably lower than those of Morrison and Kubert’s first arc, mind you.
The book’s schedule is still screwed up, meanwhile. The next issue has been pushed back to July, the one after that to August.
—–
31 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN 05/2004: Superman/Batman #10 -- 178,865 [197,704] 05/2005: -- --------------------------------------- 05/2006: Superman/Batman #25 -- 103,702 (+ 2.4%) [110,845] 05/2006: Superman/Batman #26 -- 118,821 (+14.6%) [130,077] 06/2006: Superman/Batman #27 -- 95,717 (-19.4%) 07/2006: Superman/Batman #28 -- 92,603 (- 3.2%) 08/2006: Superman/Batman #29 -- 90,665 (- 2.1%) 09/2006: -- 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Superman/Batman #30 -- 84,008 (- 7.3%) 12/2006: Superman/Batman #31 -- 81,716 (- 2.7%) 01/2007: -- 02/2007: -- 03/2007: Superman/Batman #32 -- 77,905 (- 4.7%) 04/2007: Superman/Batman #33 -- 74,807 (- 4.0%) 04/2007: Superman/Batman #34 -- 71,278 (- 4.7%) 05/2007: Superman/Batman #35 -- 68,160 (- 4.4%) ---------------- 6 months: -18.9% 1 year : -38.7% 2 years : n.a.
Sales keep declining too fast for comfort with the Metal Men storyline. This doesn’t bode well for the upcoming limited series starring the characters.
—–
34/39 - TEEN TITANS 05/2004: Teen Titans #11 -- 67,813 05/2005: Teen Titans #24 -- 69,046 ---------------------------------- 05/2006: Teen Titans #35 -- 72,954 (-11.6%) 05/2006: Teen Titans #36 -- 71,486 (- 2.0%) 06/2006: -- 07/2006: Teen Titans #37 -- 71,263 (- 0.3%) 08/2006: Teen Titans #38 -- 69,232 (- 2.9%) 09/2006: Teen Titans #39 -- 65,969 (- 4.7%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Teen Titans #40 -- 64,176 (- 2.7%) 11/2006: Teen Titans #41 -- 61,714 (- 3.8%) 12/2006: Teen Titans #42 -- 60,165 (- 2.5%) 01/2007: Teen Titans #43 -- 60,290 (+ 0.2%) [62,560] 02/2007: -- 03/2007: Teen Titans #44 -- 61,572 (+ 2.1%) 04/2007: Teen Titans #45 -- 61,051 (- 0.9%) 05/2007: Teen Titans #46 -- 61,478 (+ 0.7%) 05/2007: Teen Titans #47 -- 63,673 (+ 3.6%) ---------------- 6 months: - 0.6% 1 year : -13.4% 2 years : - 9.4%
Issue #46, a hangover from April, was the final issue by writer Geoff Johns, at the same time introducing interim writer Adam Beechen. Issue #47 was touted as a major issue and marked as a “Countdown” tie-in, so that might explain the increase.
—–
37/40 - GREEN LANTERN 05/2001: Green Lantern #138 -- 33,488* 05/2002: Green Lantern #150 -- 42,141* 05/2003: Green Lantern #164 -- 44,351 05/2003: Green Lantern #165 -- 37,997 05/2004: Green Lantern #177 -- 33,391 05/2005: GL: Rebirth #6 -- 114,354 05/2005: Green Lantern #1 -- 168,353 [180,483] -------------------------------------- 05/2006: Green Lantern #11 -- 78,926 (- 1.0%) 06/2006: -- 07/2006: Green Lantern #12 -- 80,292 (+ 1.7%) 08/2006: -- 09/2006: Green Lantern #13 -- 78,101 (- 2.7%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Green Lantern #14 -- 72,894 (- 6.7%) 11/2006: Green Lantern #15 -- 70,148 (- 3.8%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: Green Lantern #16 -- 66,105 (- 5.8%) 02/2007: Green Lantern #17 -- 62,018 (- 6.2%) 03/2007: Green Lantern #18 -- 61,661 (- 0.6%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Green Lantern #19 -- 62,439 (+ 1.3%) 05/2007: Green Lantern #20 -- 60,556 (- 3.0%) ---------------- 6 months: -14.0% 1 year : -22.1% 2 years : -56.5%
The decline continues, although it’s slowed down in the last couple of months. In June, the regular series will be on another skip month while one-shot special starts a new crossover storyline running through both Green Lantern titles.
—–
41 - WONDER WOMAN 05/2001: Wonder Woman #170 -- 28,032* 05/2002: Wonder Woman #181 -- 26,048* 05/2003: Wonder Woman #192 -- 25,994 05/2004: Wonder Woman #204 -- 30,377 05/2005: Wonder Woman #216 -- 31,601 ------------------------------------- 06/2006: Wonder Woman #1 -- 132,580 (+190.2%) [139,562] 07/2006: -- 08/2006: Wonder Woman #2 -- 84,618 (- 36.2%) [ 87,276] 09/2006: -- 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Wonder Woman #3 -- 76,998 (- 9.0%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: -- 02/2007: Wonder Woman #4 -- 69,860 (- 9.3%) 03/2007: Wonder Woman #5 -- 64,414 (- 7.8%) 03/2007: Wonder Woman #6 -- 62,458 (- 3.0%) 04/2007: Wonder Woman #7 -- 60,168 (- 3.7%) 04/2007: Wonder Woman #8 -- 58,772 (- 2.3%) 05/2007: Wonder Woman #9 -- 58,561 (- 0.4%) ----------------- 6 months: - 24.0% 1 year : n.a. 2 years : + 85.3%
The book seems to have found its level, for the time being. Issue #9 was billed as another “Amazons Attack” tie-in, once again without a sales boost. Given that the supposed event title is actually selling below Wonder Woman, that’s not surprising, though.
Wonder Woman Annual #1, the missing final chapter of the book’s initial arc that was originally slated for issue #5, has now been solicited for September, by the way.
—–
44/46 - ACTION COMICS 05/2001: Action Comics #779 -- 35,380* 05/2002: Action Comics #791 -- 32,836* 05/2003: Action Comics #803 -- 32,118 05/2004: Action Comics #815 -- 49,483 05/2005: Action Comics #827 -- 44,009 ------------------------------------- 05/2006: Action Comics #838 -- 62,702 (+12.3%) 05/2006: Action Comics #839 -- 61,898 (- 1.3%) [64,278] 06/2006: Action Comics #840 -- 61,786 (- 0.2%) [63,676] 07/2006: Action Comics #841 -- 58,657 (- 5.1%) 08/2006: Action Comics #842 -- 57,964 (- 1.2%) 09/2006: Action Comics #843 -- 56,084 (- 3.2%) 10/2006: Action Comics #844 -- 78,869 (+40.6%) [88,290] 11/2006: Action Comics #845 -- 66,742 (-15.4%) [71,135] 12/2006: -- 01/2007: -- 02/2007: Action Comics #846 -- 64,554 (- 3.3%) [66,349] 03/2007: Action Comics #847 -- 64,679 (+ 0.2%) 04/2007: Action Comics #848 -- 62,216 (- 3.8%) 05/2007: Action Comics #849 -- 53,610 (-13.8%) 05/2007: Action Comics #850 -- 56,166 (+ 4.8%) ---------------- 6 months: -17.8% 1 year : -11.9% 2 years : +24.7%
Reality is catching up with Action Comics sales; both May issues were fill-ins, while issue #851, which supposedly continues the plot, has been pushed back to July. The book’s schedule remains a disaster.
—–
45 - SUPERMAN 05/2001: Superman #170 -- 41,302* 05/2002: Superman #182 -- 38,327* 05/2003: Superman #193 -- 34,927 [ 36,599] 05/2004: Superman #205 -- 208,105 [213,514] 05/2005: Superman #216 -- 70,205 05/2005: Superman #217 -- 65,321 --------------------------------- 05/2006: Superman #652 -- 70,458 (- 4.0%) 06/2006: Superman #653 -- 69,079 (- 2.0%) 07/2006: Superman #654 -- 69,526 (+ 0.7%) 08/2006: Superman #655 -- 66,976 (- 3.7%) 09/2006: Superman #656 -- 64,288 (- 4.0%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Superman #657 -- 62,327 (- 3.1%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: Superman #658 -- 60,682 (- 2.6%) 02/2007: Superman #659 -- 58,258 (- 4.0%) 03/2007: Superman #660 -- 57,169 (- 1.9%) 04/2007: Superman #661 -- 55,738 (- 2.5%) 05/2007: Superman #662 -- 55,236 (- 0.9%) ---------------- 6 months: -11.4% 1 year : -21.6% 2 years : -18.5%
The story in issue #662, originally solicited for issue #661, begins a new arc by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Carlos Pacheco, but it doesn’t make much of a difference to the book’s sales. As it currently stands, what was originally announced as a five-part story will be interrupted by two more fill-ins in issues #665-666, before being finished in #667-668.
—–
50 - DETECTIVE COMICS 05/2001: Detective Comics #758 -- 38,373* 05/2002: Detective Comics #770 -- 49,339* 05/2003: Detective Comics #782 -- 38,443 05/2004: Detective Comics #794 -- 34,875 05/2005: Detective Comics #806 -- 38,838 ---------------------------------------- 05/2006: Detective Comics #819 -- 65,800 (+ 8.9%) 06/2006: Detective Comics #820 -- 65,988 (+ 0.3%) 07/2006: Detective Comics #821 -- 67,345 (+ 2.1%) 08/2006: Detective Comics #822 -- 66,372 (- 1.5%) 09/2006: Detective Comics #823 -- 64,215 (- 3.3%) 10/2006: Detective Comics #824 -- 62,431 (- 2.8%) 11/2006: Detective Comics #825 -- 58,940 (- 5.6%) 12/2006: Detective Comics #826 -- 59,657 (+ 1.2%) 12/2006: Detective Comics #827 -- 55,031 (- 7.8%) 01/2007: -- 02/2007: Detective Comics #828 -- 55,206 (+ 0.3%) 03/2007: Detective Comics #829 -- 52,943 (- 4.1%) 03/2007: Detective Comics #830 -- 52,395 (- 1.0%) 04/2007: Detective Comics #831 -- 56,284 (+ 7.4%) 05/2007: Detective Comics #832 -- 51,727 (- 8.1%) ---------------- 6 months: -12.2% 1 year : -21.4% 2 years : +33.2%
Another fill-in story brings another significant sales drop. If the numbers continue to rebound, as they did in April, that won’t be much of a problem. But I have my doubts. Regular writer Paul Dini returns for two issues beginning in June, but issues #835-836 will be another two-part filler.
—–
51 - SUPERGIRL 05/2001: Supergirl #58 -- 20,376* 05/2002: Supergirl #70 -- 19,156* --------------------------------- 05/2006: Supergirl #6 -- 102,860 (- 0.2%) 06/2006: -- 07/2006: Supergirl #7 -- 85,175 (-17.2%) 07/2006: Supergirl #8 -- 76,942 (- 9.7%) 08/2006: Supergirl #9 -- 74,252 (- 3.5%) 09/2006: Supergirl #10 -- 67,358 (- 9.3%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Supergirl #11 -- 62,544 (- 7.2%) 12/2006: Supergirl #12 -- 59,819 (- 4.4%) 12/2006: Supergirl #13 -- 56,648 (- 5.3%) 01/2007: -- 02/2007: Supergirl #14 -- 52,977 (- 6.5%) 03/2007: Supergirl #15 -- 51,083 (- 3.6%) 04/2007: Supergirl #16 -- 51,641 (+ 1.1%) 05/2007: Supergirl #17 -- 50,429 (- 2.4%) ---------------- 6 months: -19.4% 1 year : -51.0%
Sales resume a slow decline. A new creative team waits around the corner.
—–
55 - FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE 05/2001: Flash #174 -- 26,841* 05/2002: Flash #186 -- 27,952* 05/2003: Flash #198 -- 31,210 [ 33,152] 05/2004: Flash #210 -- 45,354 [ 47,723] 05/2005: Flash #222 -- 47,528 ---------------------------------- 06/2006: Flash: FMA #1 -- 120,404 (+196.8%) [126,741] 07/2006: Flash: FMA #2 -- 77,487 (- 35.6%) [ 82,501] 08/2006: Flash: FMA #3 -- 70,633 (- 8.9%) [ 72,067] 09/2006: Flash: FMA #4 -- 66,663 (- 5.6%) 10/2006: Flash: FMA #5 -- 61,576 (- 7.6%) 11/2006: Flash: FMA #6 -- 56,789 (- 7.8%) 12/2006: Flash: FMA #7 -- 53,600 (- 5.6%) 01/2007: Flash: FMA #8 -- 50,967 (- 4.9%) 02/2007: Flash: FMA #9 -- 47,214 (- 7.4%) 03/2007: Flash: FMA #10 -- 46,133 (- 2.3%) 04/2007: Flash: FMA #11 -- 46,963 (+ 1.8%) 05/2007: Flash: FMA #12 -- 47,809 (+ 1.8%) ---------------- 6 months: -15.8% 1 year : n.a. 2 years : + 0.6%
The official start of artist Tony S. Daniel’s tenure results in another slight increase. (Daniel then showed up one issue early with #11, we recall, which also benefited from a variant cover edition.)
As you may have heard, DC surprisingly canceled Flash: The Fastest Man Alive with June’s issue #13. Issues #14-15 were solicited, but those solicitations, as it turns out, are fake, and were released to keep the new relaunch a secret until the last minute. Contrary to initial assumptions, though, “fake” in this case doesn’t mean that retailers won’t be seeing any comics for their orders of Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #14-15. Rather, those orders are now being rerouted towards the two replacement issues, All Flash #1 and Flash #231, respectively, which are by different creators.
Arguably, the deception won’t do much harm, since (a) it’s safe to say that the two actual issues will outperform the solicited ones, (b) they’re both going to be returnable and (c) retailers were still able to adjust their orders in any way they wanted at the time the cat was let out of the bag. But a deception is what it is. Either way you look at it, DC lied to their audience, and they lied to their retailers, as well. I may be old-fashioned, but – and I’m speaking hypothetically, by the way, since I don’t read the book – I don’t appreciate being lied to about things I pay money for. Chances are I’d like it even less if I had to make a living selling them to other people.
According to Newsarama, Mark Waid, who’s writing the series beginning with All Flash #1, recently stated that the latest revamp “has been in the works for nearly a year.” If that’s true, it means that DC pulled the plug on The Fastest Man Alive almost immediately after the book’s launch. (The notion that the reboot was undone on short notice is corroborated by Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns, the writers of the “Lightning Saga” crossover which tied in with the final issue, in another recent Newsarama article.) Suffice it to say, this only reinforces the notion that DC have grown rather twitchy of late, and that whatever plans they may have are subject to abrupt revisions.
Which is their prerogative, of course. After all, the relaunch turned out to be a disaster from the word go, and with every passing month, it became more obvious that something drastic had to be done if they wanted to salvage the book. Still, I wonder. In a market which has again come to emphasize “events” over everything else, is the message that DC want to send to their fans really that the earth-shaking big event story of the month may have been undone this time next year? Whatever the reasons behind their malaise – and I think there are many – I don’t imagine this latest stunt is going to convince more people to pick up Countdown, Amazons Attack and their inevitable successors.
Be that as it may, the important question, in the short term, is whether the change will help the book’s sales, of course. For the next three issues (that’s Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13, All Flash #1 and Flash #231), orders will almost certainly increase by a significant margin, because DC promised full returnability of these books – without a return fee, for a change – to any retailer ordering twice as many units of them as they did of issue #10. (An incentive that’s now been rendered redundant, by the way, since All Flash #1 and Flash #231 are going to be returnable no matter how many units were ordered, due to the inaccurate solicitation copy.)
In the long run, I strongly question the wisdom of such stunts. Purposely lying about your product is not a clever ruse – it suggests creative bankruptcy and demonstrates contempt for your audience and your retailers. And working to undo a high-profile revamp within months of its release is not a sign of confidence and long-term planning, but of panic and shortsightedness.
—–
56 - AMAZONS ATTACK 04/2007: Amazons Attack #1 of 6 -- 55,445 [58,273] 05/2007: Amazons Attack #2 of 6 -- 47,552 (-14.2%)
An average second-issue drop. For an event title with multiple tie-ins across the line coming up, these are disappointing numbers.
—–
71 - OUTSIDERS 05/2004: Outsiders #12 -- 43,432 05/2005: Outsiders #23 -- 40,617 05/2005: Outsiders #24 -- 51,313 [54,734] -------------------------------- 05/2006: Outsiders #36 -- 45,705 (- 0.2%) 06/2006: Outsiders #37 -- 44,109 (- 3.5%) 07/2006: Outsiders #38 -- 41,974 (- 4.8%) 08/2006: Outsiders #39 -- 40,524 (- 3.5%) 09/2006: Outsiders #40 -- 38,626 (- 4.7%) 10/2006: Outsiders #41 -- 36,672 (- 5.1%) 11/2006: Outsiders #42 -- 35,598 (- 2.9%) 12/2006: Outsiders #43 -- 34,243 (- 3.8%) 01/2007: Outsiders #44 -- 34,437 (+ 0.6%) 02/2007: Outsiders #45 -- 32,976 (- 4.2%) 03/2007: Outsiders #46 -- 32,577 (- 1.2%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Outsiders #47 -- 33,267 (+ 2.1%) ---------------- 6 months: - 6.6% 1 year : -27.2% 2 years : -35.2%
From May through July, Outsiders runs a crossover with Checkmate, hence the slight sales increase. Surprisingly, the book is apparently axed with September’s issue #50. While sales haven’t been very good lately, though, they’re obviously not nearly bad enough to justify cancellation, so presumably we’re headed for a relaunch.
—–
72 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS 06/2006: Green Lantern Corps #1 -- 76,686 (+27.6%) 07/2006: Green Lantern Corps #2 -- 56,886 (-25.8%) 08/2006: Green Lantern Corps #3 -- 51,485 (- 9.5%) 09/2006: Green Lantern Corps #4 -- 46,619 (- 9.5%) 10/2006: Green Lantern Corps #5 -- 43,546 (- 6.6%) 11/2006: Green Lantern Corps #6 -- 41,089 (- 5.6%) 12/2006: Green Lantern Corps #7 -- 38,737 (- 5.7%) 01/2007: Green Lantern Corps #8 -- 36,924 (- 4.7%) 02/2007: Green Lantern Corps #9 -- 34,897 (- 5.5%) 03/2007: Green Lantern Corps #10 -- 34,227 (- 1.9%) 04/2007: Green Lantern Corps #11 -- 33,506 (- 2.1%) 05/2007: Green Lantern Corps #12 -- 33,267 (- 0.7%) ---------------- 6 months: -19.0%
The numbers seem to be bottoming out around 33K. It’s been a long, ugly decline, but that’s actually still not bad for a Green Lantern spin-off.
—–
78 - NIGHTWING 05/2001: Nightwing #57 -- 35,400* 05/2002: Nightwing #69 -- 43,916* 05/2003: Nightwing #81 -- 29,942 05/2004: Nightwing #93 -- 30,816 05/2005: Nightwing #108 -- 37,019 --------------------------------- 05/2006: Nightwing #120 -- 46,076 (- 0.6%) 06/2006: Nightwing #121 -- 44,974 (- 2.4%) 07/2006: Nightwing #122 -- 42,542 (- 5.4%) 08/2006: Nightwing #123 -- 40,111 (- 5.7%) 09/2006: Nightwing #124 -- 38,251 (- 4.6%) 10/2006: Nightwing #125 -- 38,470 (+ 0.6%) 11/2006: Nightwing #126 -- 36,145 (- 6.0%) 12/2006: Nightwing #127 -- 34,889 (- 3.5%) 01/2007: Nightwing #128 -- 33,930 (- 2.8%) 02/2007: Nightwing #129 -- 32,651 (- 3.8%) 03/2007: Nightwing #130 -- 31,788 (- 2.6%) 04/2007: Nightwing #131 -- 31,530 (- 0.8%) 05/2007: Nightwing #132 -- 30,807 (- 2.3%) ---------------- 6 months: -14.8% 1 year : -33.1% 2 years : -16.8%
Declining.
—–
79 - SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 05/2001: Legion Worlds #2 -- 20,570* 05/2002: Legion #8 -- 24,771* 05/2003: Legion #20 -- 23,184 05/2004: Legion #33 -- 24,865 05/2005: Legion of SH #6 -- 40,970 --------------------------------------- 05/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #18 -- 45,520 (+ 1.6%) 06/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #19 -- 43,918 (- 3.5%) 07/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #20 -- 41,679 (- 5.1%) 08/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #21 -- 39,852 (- 4.4%) 09/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #22 -- 36,735 (- 7.8%) 10/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #23 -- 41,554 (+ 13.1%) 11/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #24 -- 33,985 (- 18.2%) 12/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #25 -- 33,288 (- 2.1%) 01/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #26 -- 32,342 (- 2.8%) 02/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #27 -- 31,387 (- 3.0%) 03/2007: -- 04/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #28 -- 31,525 (+ 0.4%) 04/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #29 -- 30,906 (- 2.0%) 05/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #30 -- 30,767 (- 0.5%) ---------------- 6 months: - 9.5% 1 year : -32.4% 2 years : -24.9%
It’s found its level again. Historically, writer Mark Waid and artist Barry Kitson’s tenure has done well, as the long-term comparisons show. Comparative to its launch numbers or to the boost it gained with 2006’s “One Year Later” stunt, however, it hasn’t managed to hold on to its numbers very well. A new creative team took over with June’s issue #31.
—–
80 - GREEN ARROW 05/2001: Green Arrow #4 -- 79,756* 05/2002: Green Arrow #15 -- 69,356* 05/2003: Green Arrow #25 -- 52,535 05/2003: Green Arrow #26 -- 50,475 05/2004: Green Arrow #38 -- 34,037 05/2005: Green Arrow #50 -- 34,886 ---------------------------------- 05/2006: Green Arrow #62 -- 39,185 (+ 8.9%) 06/2006: Green Arrow #63 -- 37,803 (- 3.5%) 07/2006: Green Arrow #64 -- 36,148 (- 4.4%) 08/2006: Green Arrow #65 -- 35,705 (- 1.2%) 09/2006: Green Arrow #66 -- 33,793 (- 5.4%) 10/2006: Green Arrow #67 -- 32,583 (- 3.6%) 11/2006: Green Arrow #68 -- 32,135 (- 1.4%) 12/2006: Green Arrow #69 -- 32,234 (+ 0.3%) 01/2007: Green Arrow #70 -- 31,798 (- 1.4%) 02/2007: Green Arrow #71 -- 31,470 (- 1.0%) 03/2007: Green Arrow #72 -- 31,144 (- 1.0%) 04/2007: Green Arrow #73 -- 30,652 (- 1.6%) 05/2007: Green Arrow #74 -- 30,751 (+ 0.3%) ---------------- 6 months: - 4.3% 1 year : -21.5% 2 years : -11.9%
The book’s numbers have been rock-solid over the last six months. Still, Green Arrow ends with June’s issue #75, to be followed first by a “Year One” limited series, then by a new ongoing title.
—–
82 - SHAZAM: THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL 02/2007: SHAZAM: Monster Society #1 of 4 -- 35,970 03/2007: SHAZAM: Monster Society #2 of 4 -- 31,957 (-11.2%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: SHAZAM: Monster Society #3 of 4 -- 30,671 (- 4.0%)
This one’s doing perfectly fine. Issue #4 has been pushed back from June to July, meanwhile.
—–
85 - BIRDS OF PREY 05/2001: Birds of Prey #31 -- 23,977* 05/2002: Birds of Prey #43 -- 38,882* 05/2003: Birds of Prey #55 -- 23,227 05/2004: Birds of Prey #67 -- 31,846 05/2005: Birds of Prey #82 -- 29,855 ------------------------------------- 05/2006: Birds of Prey #94 -- 34,905 (+ 1.5%) 06/2006: Birds of Prey #95 -- 33,954 (- 2.7%) 07/2006: Birds of Prey #96 -- 32,219 (- 5.1%) 08/2006: Birds of Prey #97 -- 31,578 (- 2.0%) 09/2006: Birds of Prey #98 -- 32,715 (+ 3.6%) 10/2006: Birds of Prey #99 -- 30,385 (- 7.1%) 11/2006: Birds of Prey #100 -- 34,607 (+13.9%) 12/2006: Birds of Prey #101 -- 29,825 (-13.8%) 01/2007: Birds of Prey #102 -- 29,043 (- 2.6%) 02/2007: Birds of Prey #103 -- 28,327 (- 2.5%) 03/2007: Birds of Prey #104 -- 28,464 (+ 0.5%) 04/2007: Birds of Prey #105 -- 28,328 (- 0.5%) 05/2007: Birds of Prey #106 -- 28,363 (+ 0.1%) ---------------- 6 months: -18.0% 1 year : -18.8% 2 years : - 5.0%
The numbers are rock-solid again. Looking back at writer Gail Simone’s tenure, they’re at the lower end of the spectrum, though.
—–
87 - ROBIN 05/2001: Robin #90 -- 26,889* 05/2002: Robin #102 -- 27,620* 05/2003: Robin #114 -- 22,593 05/2004: Robin #126 -- 49,083 [53,750] 05/2005: Robin #138 -- 29,935 ----------------------------- 05/2006: Robin #150 -- 41,417 (+11.4%) 06/2006: Robin #151 -- 38,921 (- 6.0%) 07/2006: Robin #152 -- 37,466 (- 3.7%) 08/2006: Robin #153 -- 36,608 (- 2.3%) 09/2006: Robin #154 -- 34,387 (- 6.1%) 10/2006: Robin #155 -- 32,951 (- 4.2%) 11/2006: Robin #156 -- 31,682 (- 3.9%) 12/2006: Robin #157 -- 30,556 (- 3.6%) 01/2007: Robin #158 -- 29,464 (- 3.6%) 02/2007: Robin #159 -- 28,210 (- 4.3%) 03/2007: Robin #160 -- 27,659 (- 2.0%) 04/2007: Robin #161 -- 27,180 (- 1.7%) 05/2007: Robin #162 -- 26,801 (- 1.4%) ---------------- 6 months: -15.4% 1 year : -35.3% 2 years : -10.5%
The decline keeps slowing down.
—–
89 - FABLES (Vertigo) 05/2002: Fables #1 -- 22,026* 05/2003: Fables #13 -- 25,158 05/2004: Fables #25 -- 25,526 05/2005: Fables #37 -- 24,477 ----------------------------- 05/2006: Fables #49 -- 24,444 (-0.1%) 06/2006: Fables #50 -- 26,210 (+7.2%) 07/2006: Fables #51 -- 25,087 (-4.3%) 08/2006: Fables #52 -- 25,378 (+1.2%) 09/2006: Fables #53 -- 25,388 (+0.0%) 10/2006: Fables #54 -- 25,534 (+0.6%) 11/2006: Fables #55 -- 25,635 (+0.4%) 12/2006: Fables #56 -- 25,892 (+1.0%) 01/2007: Fables #57 -- 25,744 (-0.6%) 02/2007: -- 03/2007: Fables #58 -- 26,065 (+1.3%) 03/2007: Fables #59 -- 25,815 (-1.0%) 04/2007: Fables #60 -- 26,048 (+0.9%) 05/2007: Fables #61 -- 26,056 (+0.0%) --------------- 6 months: +1.6% 1 year : +6.6% 2 years : +6.5%
Virtually no change from last month. Fables remains one of the publisher’s most consistent performers.
—–
92 - Y: THE LAST MAN (Vertigo) 05/2003: Y: The Last Man #11 -- 26,196 05/2004: Y: The Last Man #22 -- 26,771 05/2005: Y: The Last Man #33 -- 26,883 -------------------------------------- 05/2006: Y: The Last Man #45 -- 25,866 (-0.5%) 06/2006: Y: The Last Man #46 -- 25,881 (+0.1%) 07/2006: Y: The Last Man #47 -- 25,791 (-0.4%) 08/2006: Y: The Last Man #48 -- 25,829 (+0.2%) 09/2006: Y: The Last Man #49 -- 25,690 (-0.5%) 10/2006: Y: The Last Man #50 -- 26,802 (+4.3%) 11/2006: Y: The Last Man #51 -- 25,606 (-4.5%) 12/2006: Y: The Last Man #52 -- 25,422 (-0.7%) 01/2007: Y: The Last Man #53 -- 25,375 (-0.2%) 02/2007: Y: The Last Man #54 -- 25,374 (-0.0%) 03/2007: Y: The Last Man #55 -- 25,300 (-0.3%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Y: The Last Man #56 -- 25,759 (+1.8%) --------------- 6 months: +0.6% 1 year : -0.4% 2 years : -4.2%
The same can be said for Y: The Last Man, which is now on a bi-monthly schedule until it reaches its natural conclusion with issue #60. Incidentally, and remarkably, Fables and Y are also the only two DC titles with a positive six-month comparison in May.
—–
95 - THE SPIRIT 11/2006: Batman/The Spirit -- 35,541 [39,666] 12/2006: The Spirit #1 -- 34,558 (- 2.8%) [36,900] 01/2007: The Spirit #2 -- 27,245 (-21.2%) 02/2007: The Spirit #3 -- 25,516 (- 6.4%) 03/2007: The Spirit #4 -- 24,383 (- 4.4%) 04/2007: The Spirit #5 -- 23,887 (- 2.0%) 05/2007: The Spirit #6 -- 23,708 (- 0.8%) ---------------- 6 months: -33.3%
Sales have found their level. The Spirit doesn’t exactly set the charts alight, but it’s selling respectably.
—–
99/101 - CHECKMATE 05/2006: Checkmate #2 -- 41,773 (-15.5%) 06/2006: Checkmate #3 -- 37,551 (-10.1%) 07/2006: Checkmate #4 -- 34,661 (- 7.7%) 08/2006: Checkmate #5 -- 31,252 (- 9.8%) 09/2006: Checkmate #6 -- 28,887 (- 7.6%) 10/2006: Checkmate #7 -- 26,302 (- 9.0%) 11/2006: Checkmate #8 -- 24,899 (- 5.3%) 12/2006: Checkmate #9 -- 23,436 (- 5.9%) 01/2007: Checkmate #10 -- 22,032 (- 6.0%) 02/2007: Checkmate #11 -- 20,659 (- 6.2%) 03/2007: Checkmate #12 -- 20,116 (- 2.6%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Checkmate #13 -- 22,554 (+12.1%) 05/2007: Checkmate #14 -- 22,074 (- 2.1%) ---------------- 6 months: -10.4% 1 year : -46.6%
The increase comes from the six-part crossover with Outsiders that started in May. The 12-month comparison still looks awful, mind you.
—–
103 - JLA: CLASSIFIED 05/2005: JLA: Classified #7 -- 45,788 -------------------------------------- 05/2006: JLA: Classified #21 -- 33,800 (- 0.7%) 06/2006: JLA: Classified #22 -- 34,023 (+ 0.7%) 06/2006: JLA: Classified #23 -- 33,564 (- 1.4%) 07/2006: JLA: Classified #24 -- 31,697 (- 5.6%) 07/2006: JLA: Classified #25 -- 30,709 (- 3.1%) 08/2006: JLA: Classified #26 -- 27,816 (- 9.4%) 09/2006: JLA: Classified #27 -- 27,754 (- 0.2%) 10/2006: JLA: Classified #28 -- 26,003 (- 6.3%) 11/2006: JLA: Classified #29 -- 24,785 (- 4.7%) 12/2006: JLA: Classified #30 -- 23,644 (- 4.6%) 01/2007: JLA: Classified #31 -- 22,939 (- 3.0%) 01/2007: JLA: Classified #32 -- 23,091 (+ 0.7%) 01/2007: JLA: Classified #33 -- 22,504 (- 2.5%) 02/2007: JLA: Classified #34 -- 22,347 (- 0.7%) 02/2007: JLA: Classified #35 -- 21,998 (- 1.6%) 03/2007: JLA: Classified #36 -- 21,799 (- 0.9%) 04/2007: JLA: Classified #37 -- 22,350 (+ 2.5%) 05/2007: JLA: Classified #38 -- 21,961 (- 1.7%) ---------------- 6 months: - 7.4% 1 year : -35.0% 2 years : -52.0%
104 - JSA: CLASSIFIED 05/2006: JSA: Classified #12 -- 37,446 (- 1.0%) 06/2006: JSA: Classified #13 -- 36,066 (- 3.7%) 07/2006: JSA: Classified #14 -- 33,832 (- 6.2%) 08/2006: JSA: Classified #15 -- 32,308 (- 4.5%) 08/2006: JSA: Classified #16 -- 32,173 (- 0.4%) 09/2006: JSA: Classified #17 -- 30,340 (- 5.7%) 10/2006: JSA: Classified #18 -- 26,783 (-11.7%) 11/2006: JSA: Classified #19 -- 25,663 (- 4.2%) 12/2006: JSA: Classified #20 -- 24,722 (- 3.7%) 01/2007: JSA: Classified #21 -- 24,476 (- 1.0%) 01/2007: JSA: Classified #22 -- 23,830 (- 2.6%) 02/2007: JSA: Classified #23 -- 22,730 (- 4.6%) 03/2007: JSA: Classified #24 -- 22,113 (- 2.7%) 04/2007: JSA: Classified #25 -- 22,052 (- 0.3%) 05/2007: JSA: Classified #26 -- 21,569 (- 2.2%) ---------------- 6 months: -16.0% 1 year : -42.4%
The two Classified books continue their standard declines.
—–
106 - SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS (WildStorm) 05/2007: Supernatural: Origins #1 -- 21,128
WildStorm’s recent adaptations of horror film franchises have performed abysmally, so debut sales above 20K – and, it should be pointed out, without a variant cover edition to boost the numbers – can almost be rated as a hit for this new prequel to a TV show. The book’s performance no doubt benefited from the back-up story by high-profile writer Geoff Johns and artist Phil Hester, but it’s still an encouraging start.
—–
110 - SHADOWPACT 05/2006: Shadowpact #1 -- 50,279 06/2006: Shadowpact #2 -- 39,969 (-20.5%) 07/2006: Shadowpact #3 -- 36,341 (- 9.1%) 08/2006: Shadowpact #4 -- 33,383 (- 8.1%) 09/2006: Shadowpact #5 -- 29,983 (-10.2%) 09/2006: Shadowpact #6 -- 27,276 (- 9.0%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Shadowpact #7 -- 25,701 (- 5.8%) 12/2006: Shadowpact #8 -- 23,898 (- 7.0%) 01/2007: Shadowpact #9 -- 22,866 (- 4.3%) 02/2007: Shadowpact #10 -- 21,823 (- 4.6%) 03/2007: Shadowpact #11 -- 21,114 (- 3.3%) 04/2007: Shadowpact #12 -- 20,746 (- 1.7%) 05/2007: Shadowpact #13 -- 20,335 (- 2.0%) ---------------- 6 months: -20.9% 1 year : -59.6%
Declining more slowly now.
—–
112 - JACK OF FABLES (Vertigo) 07/2006: Jack of Fables #1 -- 27,097 08/2006: Jack of Fables #2 -- 23,554 (-13.1%) 09/2006: Jack of Fables #3 -- 22,373 (- 5.0%) 10/2006: Jack of Fables #4 -- 21,614 (- 3.4%) 11/2006: Jack of Fables #5 -- 21,191 (- 2.0%) 12/2006: Jack of Fables #6 -- 20,950 (- 1.1%) 01/2007: Jack of Fables #7 -- 20,314 (- 3.0%) 02/2007: Jack of Fables #8 -- 20,060 (- 1.3%) 03/2007: -- 04/2007: Jack of Fables #9 -- 20,273 (+ 1.1%) 05/2007: Jack of Fables #10 -- 19,982 (- 1.4%) ---------------- 6 months: - 5.7%
Standard attrition. Looking at the six-month comparison, the book’s numbers are holding up nicely.
—–
113 - CATWOMAN 05/2001: Catwoman #94 -- 24,094* 05/2002: Catwoman #7 -- 31,357* 05/2003: Catwoman #19 -- 23,732 05/2004: Catwoman #31 -- 24,250 05/2005: Catwoman #43 -- 20,818 ------------------------------- 05/2006: Catwoman #55 -- 30,184 (+ 4.4%) 06/2006: Catwoman #56 -- 28,942 (- 4.1%) 07/2006: Catwoman #57 -- 27,302 (- 5.7%) 08/2006: Catwoman #58 -- 26,568 (- 1.0%) 09/2006: Catwoman #59 -- 25,324 (- 4.7%) 10/2006: Catwoman #60 -- 24,117 (- 4.8%) 11/2006: Catwoman #61 -- 23,182 (- 3.9%) 12/2006: Catwoman #62 -- 22,305 (- 3.8%) 01/2007: Catwoman #63 -- 21,597 (- 3.2%) 02/2007: Catwoman #64 -- 20,767 (- 3.8%) 03/2007: Catwoman #65 -- 20,237 (- 2.6%) 04/2007: Catwoman #66 -- 19,896 (- 1.7%) 05/2007: Catwoman #67 -- 19,926 (+ 0.2%) ---------------- 6 months: -14.1% 1 year : -34.0% 2 years : - 4.3%
There’s no obvious reason for the sudden halt of the book’s sales decline, so it seems people are responding well to the current storyline.
—–
114 - THE MIDNIGHTER (WildStorm) 11/2006: The Midnighter #1 -- 39,796 12/2006: The Midnighter #2 -- 30,464 (-23.5%) 01/2007: The Midnighter #3 -- 27,564 (- 9.5%) 02/2007: The Midnighter #4 -- 24,792 (-10.1%) 03/2007: The Midnighter #5 -- 21,452 (-13.5%) 04/2007: The Midnighter #6 -- 20,561 (- 4.2%) 05/2007: The Midnighter #7 -- 19,910 (- 3.2%) ---------------- 6 months: -50.0%
That’s a god-awful six-month comparison. This was the first of three filler issues, at any rate, before a new regular writer takes over with issue #10. May’s creative team of writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Darick Robertson was relatively high-profile, but the numbers kept declining at an unhealthy pace.
—–
115 - GEN13 (WildStorm) 05/2001: Gen13 #65 -- 19,861* 05/2002: Gen13 #77 -- 16,244* 05/2003: Gen13 #9 -- 16,714 ---------------------------- 10/2006: Gen13 #1 -- 47,535 11/2006: Gen13 #2 -- 33,494 (-29.5%) 12/2006: Gen13 #3 -- 30,233 (- 9.7%) 01/2007: Gen13 #4 -- 27,615 (- 8.7%) 02/2007: Gen13 #5 -- 22,422 (-18.8%) 03/2007: Gen13 #6 -- 21,356 (- 4.8%) 04/2007: Gen13 #7 -- 20,555 (- 3.8%) 05/2007: Gen13 #8 -- 19,638 (- 4.5%) ---------------- 6 months: -41.4%
Sales aren’t bottoming out, after all. These numbers are still dropping too fast.
—–
117 - MYSTERY IN SPACE 09/2006: Mystery in Space #1 of 8 -- 46,610 10/2006: Mystery in Space #2 of 8 -- 28,781 (-38.3%) 11/2006: Mystery in Space #3 of 8 -- 25,804 (-10.3%) 12/2006: Mystery in Space #4 of 8 -- 23,575 (- 8.6%) 01/2007: Mystery in Space #5 of 8 -- 21,612 (- 8.3%) 02/2007: Mystery in Space #6 of 8 -- 21,000 (- 2.8%) 03/2007: Mystery in Space #7 of 8 -- 20,116 (- 4.2%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Mystery in Space #8 of 8 -- 19,430 (- 3.4%) ---------------- 6 months: -24.7%
Despite the stiff drops early on, this one finishes at a respectable level, given the C-list characters.
—–
122 - EX MACHINA (WildStorm) 05/2005: Ex Machina #11 -- 21,885 --------------------------------- 05/2006: Ex Machina #20 -- 20,589 (+ 1.1%) 06/2006: Ex Machina #21 -- 20,195 (- 1.9%) 07/2006: -- 08/2006: Ex Machina #22 -- 20,079 (- 0.6%) 09/2006: Ex Machina #23 -- 20,135 (+ 0.3%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Ex Machina #24 -- 19,813 (- 1.6%) 12/2006: Ex Machina #25 -- 19,234 (- 2.9%) 01/2007: Ex Machina #26 -- 18,567 (- 3.5%) 02/2007: -- 03/2007: -- 04/2007: Ex Machina #27 -- 18,242 (- 1.8%) 05/2007: Ex Machina #28 -- 18,164 (- 0.4%) ---------------- 6 months: - 8.3% 1 year : -11.8% 2 years : -17.0%
Finding its level again. The book has lost some steam over the last few issues, but remains a decent performer, by WildStorm standards.
—–
128 - TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED 10/2006: Tales of the Unexpected #1 of 8 -- 35,486 11/2006: Tales of the Unexpected #2 of 8 -- 24,219 (-31.8%) 12/2006: Tales of the Unexpected #3 of 8 -- 21,166 (-12.6%) 01/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #4 of 8 -- 19,872 (- 6.1%) 02/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #5 of 8 -- 18,355 (- 7.6%) 03/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #6 of 8 -- 17,709 (- 3.5%) 04/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #7 of 8 -- 17,403 (- 1.7%) 05/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #8 of 8 -- 17,106 (- 1.7%) ---------------- 6 months: -29.4%
See comments on Mystery in Space. The two books’ numbers have apparently pursuaded DC to publish more double-feature titles, but this time with the added incentive of being Countdown spin-offs.
—–
131 - BLUE BEETLE 05/2006: Blue Beetle #3 -- 41,711 (- 4.7%) 06/2006: Blue Beetle #4 -- 38,622 (- 7.4%) 07/2006: Blue Beetle #5 -- 35,490 (- 8.1%) 08/2006: Blue Beetle #6 -- 33,181 (- 6.5%) 09/2006: Blue Beetle #7 -- 29,079 (-12.4%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Blue Beetle #8 -- 25,861 (-11.1%) 11/2006: Blue Beetle #9 -- 23,785 (- 8.0%) 12/2006: Blue Beetle #10 -- 21,358 (-10.2%) 01/2007: Blue Beetle #11 -- 19,865 (- 7.0%) 02/2007: Blue Beetle #12 -- 18,555 (- 6.6%) 03/2007: Blue Beetle #13 -- 17,653 (- 4.9%) 04/2007: Blue Beetle #14 -- 17,167 (- 2.8%) 05/2007: Blue Beetle #15 -- 16,906 (- 1.5%) ---------------- 6 months: -31.9% 1 year : -59.5%
132 - AQUAMAN: SWORD OF ATLANTIS 05/2003: Aquaman #6 -- 33,213 05/2004: Aquaman #18 -- 25,357 05/2005: Aquaman #30 -- 18,606 ----------------------------------- 05/2006: Aquaman: SoA #42 -- 32,610 (- 13.2%) 06/2006: -- 07/2006: Aquaman: SoA #43 -- 30,584 (- 6.2%) 08/2006: -- 09/2006: Aquaman: SoA #44 -- 28,001 (- 8.5%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Aquaman: SoA #45 -- 23,540 (- 15.9%) 11/2006: Aquaman: SoA #46 -- 21,974 (- 6.7%) 12/2006: Aquaman: SoA #47 -- 21,197 (- 3.5%) 01/2007: Aquaman: SoA #48 -- 19,459 (- 8.2%) 02/2007: Aquaman: SoA #49 -- 17,939 (- 7.8%) 03/2007: Aquaman: SoA #50 -- 18,997 (+ 5.9%) 04/2007: Aquaman: SoA #51 -- 17,499 (- 7.9%) 05/2007: Aquaman: SoA #52 -- 16,778 (- 4.1%) ---------------- 6 months: -26.3% 1 year : -48.6% 2 years : - 9.8%
134/140 - HAWKGIRL 05/2002: Hawkman #3 -- 42,795* 05/2003: Hawkman #15 -- 29,899 05/2004: Hawkman #28 -- 29,332 05/2005: Hawkman #40 -- 19,912 ------------------------------- 05/2006: Hawkgirl #52 -- 29,898 (- 2.5%) 06/2006: Hawkgirl #53 -- 27,786 (- 7.1%) 07/2006: Hawkgirl #54 -- 25,201 (- 9.3%) 08/2006: Hawkgirl #55 -- 23,880 (- 5.2%) 09/2006: Hawkgirl #56 -- 21,560 (- 9.7%) 10/2006: Hawkgirl #57 -- 19,909 (- 7.7%) 11/2006: Hawkgirl #58 -- 18,634 (- 6.4%) 12/2006: Hawkgirl #59 -- 18,141 (- 2.7%) 01/2007: Hawkgirl #60 -- 17,893 (- 1.4%) 02/2007: Hawkgirl #61 -- 16,575 (- 7.4%) 03/2007: Hawkgirl #62 -- 16,164 (- 2.5%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Hawkgirl #63 -- 16,497 (+ 2.1%) 05/2007: Hawkgirl #64 -- 15,816 (- 4.1%) ---------------- 6 months: -13.3% 1 year : -46.0% 2 years : -18.9%
135 - JONAH HEX 05/2006: Jonah Hex #7 -- 21,910 (- 3.8%) 06/2006: Jonah Hex #8 -- 21,006 (- 4.1%) 07/2006: Jonah Hex #9 -- 20,385 (- 3.0%) 08/2006: Jonah Hex #10 -- 19,772 (- 3.0%) 09/2006: Jonah Hex #11 -- 18,957 (- 4.1%) 10/2006: Jonah Hex #12 -- 18,299 (- 3.5%) 11/2006: Jonah Hex #13 -- 18,747 (+ 2.5%) 12/2006: Jonah Hex #14 -- 18,295 (- 2.4%) 01/2007: Jonah Hex #15 -- 17,987 (- 1.7%) 02/2007: Jonah Hex #16 -- 17,490 (- 2.8%) 03/2007: Jonah Hex #17 -- 17,081 (- 2.3%) 04/2007: Jonah Hex #18 -- 16,880 (- 1.2%) 05/2007: Jonah Hex #19 -- 16,473 (- 2.4%) ---------------- 6 months: -12.1% 1 year : -24.8%
136 - THE ALL-NEW ATOM 07/2006: The All-New Atom #1 -- 49,969 08/2006: The All-New Atom #2 -- 38,239 (-23.5%) 09/2006: The All-New Atom #3 -- 33,254 (-13.0%) 10/2006: The All-New Atom #4 -- 28,450 (-14.5%) 11/2006: The All-New Atom #5 -- 25,569 (-10.1%) 12/2006: The All-New Atom #6 -- 22,852 (-10.6%) 01/2007: The All-New Atom #7 -- 20,996 (- 8.1%) 02/2007: The All-New Atom #8 -- 19,004 (- 9.5%) 03/2007: The All-New Atom #9 -- 17,572 (- 7.5%) 04/2007: The All-New Atom #10 -- 16,739 (- 4.4%) 05/2007: The All-New Atom #11 -- 16,193 (- 3.3%) ---------------- 6 months: -36.7%
Hawkgirl is canceled with issue #66. This means that the air is getting thin for the four other DC Universe titles selling inclose vicinity. Various crossovers are coming up in Blue Beetle and The All-New Atom, but whatever additional sales they may bring probably won’t stick around for long. Aquaman is still declining way too fast, meanwhile, with no crossovers solicited through September, which doesn’t bode well for the series. Jonah Hex has been the most stable of the bunch, but it’s still declining faster than it should.
—–
146 - GRIFTER & MIDNIGHTER (WildStorm) 03/2007: Grifter & Midnighter #1 of 6 -- 20,156 04/2007: Grifter & Midnighter #2 of 6 -- 16,531 (-18.0%) 05/2007: Grifter & Midnighter #3 of 6 -- 14,847 (-10.2%)
149 - DANGER GIRL: BODY SHOTS (WildStorm) 04/2007: Danger Girl: Body Shots #1 of 4 -- 17,122 05/2007: Danger Girl: Body Shots #2 of 4 -- 14,358 (-16.1%)
The two limited series starring some of WildStorm’s better known characters display some mediocre drops.
—–
154 - WETWORKS (WildStorm) 09/2006: Wetworks #1 -- 43,824 10/2006: Wetworks #2 -- 28,181 (-35.7%) 11/2006: Wetworks #3 -- 24,493 (-13.1%) 12/2006: Wetworks #4 -- 23,267 (- 5.0%) 01/2007: Wetworks #5 -- 18,313 (-21.3%) 02/2007: Wetworks #6 -- 16,359 (-10.7%) 03/2007: Wetworks #7 -- 14,852 (- 9.2%) 04/2007: Wetworks #8 -- 14,189 (- 4.5%) 05/2007: Wetworks #9 -- 13,340 (- 6.0%) ---------------- 6 months: -45.5%
Despite the involvement of established creators Mike Carey and Darick Robertson, the book keeps bleeding sales. New regular writer J.M. DeMatteis takes over with issue #10.
—–
155 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo) 05/2001: Hellblazer #162 -- 17,961* 05/2002: Hellblazer #174 -- 18,611* 05/2003: Hellblazer #184 -- 16,931 05/2004: Hellblazer #196 -- 14,954 05/2005: Hellblazer #208 -- 15,420 ---------------------------------- 05/2006: Hellblazer #220 -- 14,161 (- 0.3%) 06/2006: Hellblazer #221 -- 13,973 (- 1.3%) 07/2006: Hellblazer #222 -- 13,912 (- 0.4%) 08/2006: Hellblazer #223 -- 13,956 (+ 0.3%) 09/2006: Hellblazer #224 -- 13,704 (- 1.8%) 10/2006: Hellblazer #225 -- 13,629 (- 0.6%) 11/2006: Hellblazer #226 -- 13,388 (- 1.8%) 12/2006: Hellblazer #227 -- 13,231 (- 1.2%) 01/2007: Hellblazer #228 -- 12,956 (- 2.1%) 02/2007: Hellblazer #229 -- 13,032 (+ 0.6%) 03/2007: Hellblazer #230 -- 13,210 (+ 1.4%) 04/2007: Hellblazer #231 -- 13,142 (- 0.5%) 05/2007: Hellblazer #232 -- 13,164 (+ 0.2%) ---------------- 6 months: - 1.7% 1 year : - 7.0% 2 years : -14.6%
Sales have been rock-solid in the 13K area for the last six months.
—–
156 - DMZ (Vertigo) 05/2006: DMZ #7 -- 15,026 (- 1.2%) 06/2006: DMZ #8 -- 14,999 (- 0.2%) 07/2006: DMZ #9 -- 14,786 (- 1.4%) 08/2006: DMZ #10 -- 14,704 (- 0.6%) 09/2006: DMZ #11 -- 14,562 (- 1.0%) 10/2006: DMZ #12 -- 14,640 (+ 0.5%) 11/2006: DMZ #13 -- 14,228 (- 2.8%) 12/2006: DMZ #14 -- 13,731 (- 3.5%) 01/2007: DMZ #15 -- 13,340 (- 2.9%) 02/2007: DMZ #16 -- 13,199 (- 1.1%) 03/2007: DMZ #17 -- 13,081 (- 0.9%) 04/2007: DMZ #18 -- 13,120 (+ 0.3%) 05/2007: DMZ #19 -- 13,116 (- 0.0%) ---------------- 6 months: - 7.8% 1 year : -12.7%
Another relatively consistent performer.
—–
158 - STORMWATCH: PHD (WildStorm) 05/2003: StormWatch: TA #11 -- 14,078 ---------------------------------------- 11/2006: StormWatch: PHD #1 -- 29,975 12/2006: StormWatch: PHD #2 -- 21,605 (-27.9%) 01/2007: StormWatch: PHD #3 -- 18,371 (-15.0%) 02/2007: StormWatch: PHD #4 -- 15,893 (-13.5%) 03/2007: StormWatch: PHD #5 -- 13,475 (-15.2%) 04/2007: StormWatch: PHD #6 -- 13,109 (- 2.7%) 05/2007: StormWatch: PHD #7 -- 12,812 (- 2.3%) ---------------- 6 months: -57.3%
The numbers are bottoming out. Of course, issue #7 was artist Doug Mahnke’s final work on the book, so all bets are off again. The less said about the half-year comparison, the better.
—–
159 - DEATHBLOW (WildStorm) 10/2006: Deathblow #1 -- 34,056 11/2006: Deathblow #2 -- 22,880 (-32.8%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: Deathblow #3 -- 18,813 (-17.8%) 02/2007: -- 03/2007: Deathblow #4 -- 15,842 (-15.8%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Deathblow #5 -- 12,547 (-20.8%) ---------------- 6 months: -45.2%
This was the first issue of Deathblow without a variant cover edition, so it’s not surprising that the book follows the patterns of the other new WildStorm Universe titles and displays a large drop-off with issue #5. That excuse won’t save it if it doesn’t find its level soon, of course.
—–
160 - 100 BULLETS (Vertigo) 05/2001: 100 Bullets #24 -- 15,539* 05/2002: 100 Bullets #36 -- 16,950* 05/2003: 100 Bullets #44 -- 17,493 05/2004: -- 05/2005: 100 Bullets #61 -- 14,927 ---------------------------------- 05/2006: 100 Bullets #72 -- 13,489 (- 0.2%) 06/2006: 100 Bullets #73 -- 13,407 (- 0.6%) 07/2006: 100 Bullets #74 -- 13,265 (- 1.1%) 08/2006: 100 Bullets #75 -- 13,322 (+ 0.4%) 09/2006: 100 Bullets #76 -- 13,082 (- 1.8%) 10/2006: 100 Bullets #77 -- 13,054 (- 0.2%) 11/2006: 100 Bullets #78 -- 12,954 (- 0.8%) 12/2006: 100 Bullets #79 -- 12,907 (- 0.4%) 01/2007: 100 Bullets #80 -- 12,651 (- 2.0%) 02/2007: 100 Bullets #81 -- 12,458 (- 1.5%) 03/2007: 100 Bullets #82 -- 12,260 (- 1.6%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: 100 Bullets #83 -- 12,475 (+ 1.8%) ---------------- 6 months: - 3.7% 1 year : - 7.5% 2 years : -16.4%
Sales are stabilizing in the 12K area. Issue #84, originally solicited for May, has now been pushed back to July. The promotional page for issue #85, first slated for June and then resolicited for September, has apparently been taken off the publisher’s website, suggesting further delays.
—–
167 - THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY (Johnny DC) 04/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #1 -- 13,519 05/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #2 -- 11,121 (-17.7%)
The highest-selling Johnny DC title in the direct market. See disclaimers.
—–
171 - ARMY@LOVE (Vertigo) 03/2007: Army@Love #1 -- 14,578 04/2007: Army@Love #2 -- 11,195 (-23.2%) 05/2007: Army@Love #3 -- 10,312 (- 7.9%)
An average third-issue drop.
—–
172 - WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY (WildStorm) 12/2006: Welcome to Tranquility #1 -- 24,352 01/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #2 -- 15,087 (-38.1%) 02/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #3 -- 12,334 (-18.3%) 03/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #4 -- 11,423 (- 7.4%) 04/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #5 -- 10,407 (- 8.9%) 05/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #6 -- 10,280 (- 1.2%)
The book is finding its level quickly now – and it has to, if it wants to survive the year.
—–
181 - JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (Johnny DC) 05/2002: JL Adventures #7 -- 17,453* 05/2003: JL Adventures #19 -- 14,265 05/2004: JL Adventures #31 -- 12,348 05/2005: JL Unlimited #9 -- 11,869 ------------------------------------ 05/2006: JL Unlimited #21 -- 10,430 (- 1.8%) 06/2006: JL Unlimited #22 -- 10,430 ( 0.0%) 07/2006: JL Unlimited #23 -- 10,255 (- 1.7%) 08/2006: JL Unlimited #24 -- 10,117 (- 1.4%) 09/2006: JL Unlimited #25 -- 9,985 (- 1.3%) 10/2006: JL Unlimited #26 -- 9,696 (- 2.9%) 11/2006: JL Unlimited #27 -- 9,690 (- 0.1%) 12/2006: JL Unlimited #28 -- 9,713 (+ 0.2%) 01/2007: JL Unlimited #29 -- 9,273 (- 4.5%) 02/2007: JL Unlimited #30 -- 9,123 (- 1.6%) 03/2007: JL Unlimited #31 -- 9,072 (- 0.6%) 04/2007: JL Unlimited #32 -- 9,326 (+ 2.8%) 05/2007: JL Unlimited #33 -- 9,230 (- 1.0%) ---------------- 6 months: - 4.8% 1 year : -11.5% 2 years : -22.2%
Another Johnny DC book.
—–
184 - SCALPED (Vertigo) 01/2007: Scalped #1 -- 13,644 02/2007: Scalped #2 -- 10,005 (-26.7%) 03/2007: Scalped #3 -- 9,531 (- 4.7%) 04/2007: Scalped #4 -- 9,163 (- 3.9%) 05/2007: Scalped #5 -- 9,022 (- 1.5%)
Writer Jason Aaron’s recent limited series for Vertigo, The Other Side, has been met with some critical acclaim. Scalped seems to profit from that; it’s doing awfully low numbers, but at least it seems to be finding its level very quickly.
—–
186 - TEEN TITANS GO (Johnny DC) 05/2004: Teen Titans Go #7 -- 14,731 05/2005: Teen Titans Go #19 -- 14,348 ------------------------------------- 05/2006: Teen Titans Go #31 -- 11,140 (- 0.8%) 06/2006: Teen Titans Go #32 -- 10,736 (- 3.6%) 07/2006: Teen Titans Go #33 -- 10,516 (- 2.1%) 08/2006: Teen Titans Go #34 -- 10,328 (- 1.8%) 09/2006: Teen Titans Go #35 -- 9,940 (- 3.8%) 10/2006: Teen Titans Go #36 -- 10,214 (+ 2.8%) 11/2006: Teen Titans Go #37 -- 9,642 (- 5.6%) 12/2006: Teen Titans Go #38 -- 9,529 (- 1.2%) 01/2007: Teen Titans Go #39 -- 9,425 (- 1.1%) 02/2007: Teen Titans Go #40 -- 9,132 (- 3.1%) 03/2007: Teen Titans Go #41 -- 8,895 (- 2.6%) 04/2007: Teen Titans Go #42 -- 9,050 (+ 1.7%) 05/2007: Teen Titans Go #43 -- 8,918 (- 1.5%) ---------------- 6 months: - 7.5% 1 year : -20.0% 2 years : -37.9%
Johnny DC.
—–
188 - THE EXTERMINATORS (Vertigo) 05/2006: The Exterminators #5 -- 10,978 (- 3.2%) 06/2006: The Exterminators #6 -- 11,004 (+ 0.2%) 07/2006: The Exterminators #7 -- 10,743 (- 2.4%) 08/2006: The Exterminators #8 -- 10,299 (- 4.1%) 09/2006: The Exterminators #9 -- 10,177 (- 1.2%) 10/2006: The Exterminators #10 -- 9,970 (- 2.0%) 11/2006: The Exterminators #11 -- 9,973 (+ 0.0%) 12/2006: The Exterminators #12 -- 9,636 (- 3.4%) 01/2007: The Exterminators #13 -- 9,447 (- 2.0%) 02/2007: The Exterminators #14 -- 8,965 (- 5.1%) 03/2007: The Exterminators #15 -- 8,839 (- 1.4%) 04/2007: The Exterminators #16 -- 8,758 (- 1.0%) 05/2007: The Exterminators #17 -- 8,813 (+ 0.6%) ---------------- 6 months: -11.6% 1 year : -19.7%
The start of guest artist Ty Templeton’s two-part story brings a tiny sales increase.
—–
189/191 - AMERICAN VIRGIN (Vertigo) 05/2006: American Virgin #3 -- 14,764 (- 6.4%) 06/2006: American Virgin #4 -- 14,081 (- 4.6%) 07/2006: American Virgin #5 -- 13,265 (- 5.8%) 08/2006: American Virgin #6 -- 12,487 (- 5.9%) 09/2006: American Virgin #7 -- 11,767 (- 5.8%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: American Virgin #8 -- 11,275 (- 4.2%) 11/2006: American Virgin #9 -- 10,567 (- 6.3%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: American Virgin #10 -- 10,331 (- 2.2%) 01/2007: American Virgin #11 -- 9,628 (- 6.8%) 02/2007: American Virgin #12 -- 9,215 (- 4.3%) 03/2007: -- 04/2007: American Virgin #13 -- 8,960 (- 2.8%) 05/2007: American Virgin #14 -- 8,805 (- 1.7%) 05/2007: American Virgin #15 -- 8,613 (- 2.2%) ---------------- 6 months: -20.3% 1 year : -41.0%
The decline is slowing down.
—–
192 - FRIDAY THE 13TH (WildStorm) 12/2006: Friday the 13th #1 -- 15,801 01/2007: Friday the 13th #2 -- 9,555 (-39.5%) 02/2007: Friday the 13th #3 -- 8,965 (- 6.2%) 03/2007: Friday the 13th #4 -- 8,637 (- 3.7%) 04/2007: Friday the 13th #5 -- 8,724 (+ 1.0%) 05/2007: Friday the 13th #6 -- 8,605 (- 1.4%)
Canceled.
—–
200 - BATMAN STRIKES! (Johnny DC) 05/2001: Gotham Adventures #38 -- 12,655* 05/2002: Gotham Adventures #50 -- 13,893* 05/2003: Batman Adventures #2 -- 19,856 05/2004: Batman Adventures #14 -- 12,194 05/2005: Batman Strikes! #9 -- 10,376 ---------------------------------------- 05/2006: Batman Strikes! #21 -- 8,467 (+ 1.6%) 06/2006: Batman Strikes! #22 -- 8,104 (- 4.3%) 07/2006: Batman Strikes! #23 -- 8,154 (+ 0.6%) 08/2006: Batman Strikes! #24 -- 8,139 (- 0.2%) 09/2006: Batman Strikes! #25 -- 7,765 (- 4.6%) 10/2006: Batman Strikes! #26 -- 7,560 (- 2.6%) 11/2006: Batman Strikes! #27 -- 7,567 (+ 0.1%) 12/2006: Batman Strikes! #28 -- 7,427 (- 1.9%) 01/2007: Batman Strikes! #29 -- 7,330 (- 1.3%) 02/2007: Batman Strikes! #30 -- 7,335 (+ 0.1%) 03/2007: Batman Strikes! #31 -- 7,100 (- 3.2%) 04/2007: Batman Strikes! #32 -- 7,294 (+ 2.7%) 05/2007: Batman Strikes! #33 -- 7,235 (- 0.8%) ---------------- 6 months: - 4.4% 1 year : -14.6% 2 years : -30.3%
Johnny DC.
—–
201/211 - DEADMAN (Vertigo) 05/2002: Deadman #6 -- 12,476* ------------------------------ 08/2006: Deadman #1 -- 21,980 09/2006: Deadman #2 -- 15,494 (-29.5%) 10/2006: Deadman #3 -- 12,936 (-16.5%) 11/2006: Deadman #4 -- 11,294 (-12.7%) 12/2006: Deadman #5 -- 10,113 (-10.5%) 01/2007: Deadman #6 -- 9,157 (- 9.5%) 02/2007: Deadman #7 -- 8,342 (- 8.9%) 03/2007: Deadman #8 -- 7,784 (- 6.7%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Deadman #9 -- 7,211 (- 7.4%) 05/2007: Deadman #10 -- 6,690 (- 7.2%) ---------------- 6 months: -38.5%
Canceled with issue #13.
—–
204 - TESTAMENT (Vertigo) 05/2006: Testament #6 -- 12,361 (- 3.2%) 06/2006: Testament #7 -- 11,770 (- 4.8%) 07/2006: Testament #8 -- 11,073 (- 5.9%) 08/2006: Testament #9 -- 10,462 (- 5.5%) 09/2006: Testament #10 -- 9,629 (- 8.0%) 10/2006: Testament #11 -- 9,059 (- 5.9%) 11/2006: Testament #12 -- 8,690 (- 4.1%) 12/2006: Testament #13 -- 8,320 (- 4.3%) 01/2007: Testament #14 -- 7,960 (- 4.3%) 02/2007: Testament #15 -- 7,618 (- 4.3%) 03/2007: Testament #16 -- 7,422 (- 2.6%) 04/2007: Testament #17 -- 7,193 (- 3.1%) 05/2007: Testament #18 -- 6,963 (- 3.2%) ---------------- 6 months: -19.9% 1 year : -43.7%
207 - CROSSING MIDNIGHT (Vertigo) 11/2006: Crossing Midnight #1 -- 12,756 12/2006: Crossing Midnight #2 -- 8,982 (-29.6%) 01/2007: Crossing Midnight #3 -- 8,236 (- 8.3%) 02/2007: Crossing Midnight #4 -- 7,568 (- 8.1%) 03/2007: Crossing Midnight #5 -- 7,196 (- 4.9%) 04/2007: Crossing Midnight #6 -- 7,036 (- 2.2%) 05/2007: Crossing Midnight #7 -- 6,866 (- 2.4%) ---------------- 6 months: -46.2%
With Deadman gone, Testament and Crossing Midnight probably aren’t far behind.
—–
230 - NINJA SCROLL (WildStorm) 09/2006: Ninja Scroll #1 -- 16,819 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Ninja Scroll #2 -- 12,143 (-27.8%) 12/2006: Ninja Scroll #3 -- 10,468 (-13.8%) 12/2006: Ninja Scroll #4 -- 7,781 (-25.7%) 01/2007: Ninja Scroll #5 -- 6,895 (-11.4%) 02/2007: Ninja Scroll #6 -- 6,371 (- 7.6%) 03/2007: Ninja Scroll #7 -- 5,949 (- 6.6%) 04/2007: Ninja Scroll #8 -- 5,628 (- 5.4%) 05/2007: Ninja Scroll #9 -- 5,488 (- 2.5%) ---------------- 6 months: -54.8%
Axed, I presume. There’s been no announcement, but the book is missing from the September solicitations.
—–
249 - SCOOBY DOO (Johnny DC) 05/2001: Scooby Doo #48 -- 5,068* 05/2002: Scooby Doo #60 -- 6,238* 05/2003: Scooby Doo #72 -- 5,980 05/2004: Scooby Doo #84 -- 5,490 05/2005: Scooby Doo #96 -- 4,718 --------------------------------- 05/2006: Scooby Doo #108 -- 4,496 (+ 3.1%) 06/2006: Scooby Doo #109 -- 4,423 (- 1.6%) 07/2006: Scooby Doo #110 -- 4,781 (+ 8.1%) 08/2006: Scooby Doo #111 -- 4,492 (- 6.1%) 09/2006: Scooby Doo #112 -- 4,385 (- 2.4%) 10/2006: Scooby Doo #113 -- 4,339 (- 1.1%) 11/2006: Scooby Doo #114 -- 4,387 (+ 1.1%) 12/2006: Scooby Doo #115 -- 4,364 (- 0.5%) 01/2007: Scooby Doo #116 -- 4,285 (- 1.8%) 02/2007: Scooby Doo #117 -- 4,275 (- 0.2%) 03/2007: Scooby Doo #118 -- 4,395 (+ 2.8%) 04/2007: Scooby Doo #119 -- 4,373 (- 0.5%) 05/2007: Scooby Doo #120 -- 4,343 (- 0.7%) ---------------- 6 months: - 1.0% 1 year : - 3.4% 2 years : - 8.0%
288 - LOONEY TUNES (Johnny DC) 05/2001: Looney Tunes #78 -- 2,961* 05/2002: Looney Tunes #90 -- 3,742* 05/2003: Looney Tunes #102 -- 3,732 05/2004: Looney Tunes #114 -- 3,245 05/2005: Looney Tunes #126 -- 2,852 ----------------------------------- 05/2006: Looney Tunes #138 -- 2,774 (+ 8.4%) 06/2006: Looney Tunes #139 -- 2,694 (- 2.9%) 07/2006: Looney Tunes #140 -- 2,680 (- 0.5%) 08/2006: Looney Tunes #141 -- 2,783 (+ 3.8%) 09/2006: Looney Tunes #142 -- 2,695 (- 3.2%) 10/2006: Looney Tunes #143 -- 2,741 (+ 1.7%) 11/2006: Looney Tunes #144 -- ????? 12/2006: Looney Tunes #145 -- 2,732 01/2007: Looney Tunes #146 -- 2,588 (- 5.3%) 02/2007: Looney Tunes #147 -- 2,553 (- 1.4%) 03/2007: Looney Tunes #148 -- 2,705 (+ 6.0%) 04/2007: Looney Tunes #149 -- 2,640 (- 2.4%) 05/2007: Looney Tunes #150 -- 3,093 (+17.2%) ---------------- 6 months: n.a. 1 year : +11.5% 2 years : + 8.5%
And more Johnny DC books.
—–
RE-ORDERS: 247: 4,375 -- Justice League of America #1 254: 4,206 -- Justice Society of America #5 270: 3,557 -- Justice League of America #2 283: 3,141 -- 52 Week 50 286: 3,101 -- World War III #3 287: 3,101 -- World War III #2 298: 2,828 -- Amazons Attack #1
—–
Average Sales per Title
(not counting reprints, re-orders shipping after the initial month of release, Johnny DC titles and magazines)
DC COMICS 05/2003: 26,961 05/2004: 32,096 05/2005: 34,801 --------------- 05/2006: 42,860 (+27.7%) 06/2006: 40,778 (- 4.9%) 07/2006: 39,915 (- 2.1%) 08/2006: 42,497 (+ 6.5%) 09/2006: 34,920 (-17.8%) 10/2006: 33,406 (- 4.3%) 11/2006: 34,906 (+ 4.5%) 12/2006: 34,418 (- 1.4%) 01/2007: 29,706 (-13.7%) 02/2007: 31,051 (+ 4.5%) 03/2007: 32,398 (+ 4.3%) 04/2007: 39,134 (+20.8%) 05/2007: 34,489 (-11.9%) ---------------- 6 months: - 1.2% 1 year : -19.5% 2 years : - 0.9% 3 years : + 7.5% 4 years : +27.9%
DC UNIVERSE 05/2003: 32,055 05/2004: 38,502 05/2005: 43,505 --------------- 05/2006: 56,982 (+26.3%) 06/2006: 51,088 (-10.3%) 07/2006: 49,638 (- 2.8%) 08/2006: 54,382 (+10.0%) 09/2006: 46,329 (-14.8%) 10/2006: 42,581 (- 8.1%) 11/2006: 45,399 (+ 6.6%) 12/2006: 44,641 (- 1.7%) 01/2007: 38,302 (-14.2%) 02/2007: 39,976 (+ 4.4%) 03/2007: 42,634 (+ 6.7%) 04/2007: 52,768 (+23.8%) 05/2007: 47,294 (-10.4%) ---------------- 6 months: + 4.2% 1 year : -17.0% 2 years : + 8.7% 3 years : +22.8% 4 years : +47.5%
VERTIGO 05/2003: 14,798 05/2004: 17,376 05/2005: 14,520 --------------- 05/2006: 15,266 (- 1.3%) 06/2006: 14,965 (- 2.0%) 07/2006: 16,684 (+11.5%) 08/2006: 16,107 (- 3.5%) 09/2006: 15,399 (- 4.4%) 10/2006: 15,189 (- 1.4%) 11/2006: 13,773 (- 9.3%) 12/2006: 13,834 (+ 0.4%) 01/2007: 13,572 (- 1.9%) 02/2007: 11,855 (-12.7%) 03/2007: 13,748 (+16.0%) 04/2007: 12,105 (-12.0%) 05/2007: 12,256 (+ 1.3%) ---------------- 6 months: -11.0% 1 year : -19.7% 2 years : -15.6% 3 years : -29.5% 4 years : -17.2%
WILDSTORM 05/2003: 22,470 05/2004: 15,505 05/2005: 13,593 --------------- 05/2006: 12,737 (-20.6%) 06/2006: 15,056 (+18.2%) 07/2006: 12,778 (-15.1%) 08/2006: 14,741 (+15.4%) 09/2006: 13,285 (- 9.9%) 10/2006: 25,747 (+93.8%) 11/2006: 18,987 (-26.3%) 12/2006: 17,288 (- 9.0%) 01/2007: 14,525 (-16.0%) 02/2007: 14,105 (- 2.9%) 03/2007: 15,224 (+ 7.9%) 04/2007: 13,609 (-10.6%) 05/2007: 14,260 (+ 4.8%) ---------------- 6 months: -24.9% 1 year : +12.0% 2 years : + 4.9% 3 years : - 8.0% 4 years : -36.5%
—–
6-MONTH COMPARISONS + 1.6%: Fables + 0.6%: Y: The Last Man - 0.6%: Teen Titans - 1.0%: Scooby-Doo - 1.4%: 52 - 1.7%: Hellblazer - 3.7%: 100 Bullets - 4.3%: Green Arrow - 4.4%: Batman Strikes - 4.8%: Justice League Unlimited - 5.7%: Jack of Fables - 6.6%: Outsiders - 7.4%: JLA: Classified - 7.5%: Teen Titans Go - 7.8%: DMZ - 8.3%: Ex Machina - 8.3%: Justice League of America - 9.5%: Supergirl and the Legion - 10.4%: Checkmate - 11.4%: Superman - 11.6%: The Exterminators - 12.1%: Jonah Hex - 12.2%: Detective Comics - 13.3%: Hawkgirl - 13.4%: Batman - 14.0%: Green Lantern - 14.1%: Catwoman - 14.8%: Nightwing - 15.4%: Robin - 15.8%: Flash - 16.0%: JSA: Classified - 17.8%: Action Comics - 18.0%: Birds of Prey - 18.9%: Superman/Batman - 19.0%: Green Lantern Corps - 19.4%: Supergirl - 19.9%: Testament - 20.3%: American Virgin - 20.9%: Shadowpact - 24.0%: Wonder Woman - 24.7%: Mystery in Space - 26.3%: Aquaman - 29.4%: Tales of the Unexpected - 31.9%: Blue Beetle - 33.3%: The Spirit - 36.7%: The All-New Atom - 38.5%: Deadman - 41.4%: Gen13 - 45.2%: Deathblow - 45.5%: Wetworks - 46.2%: Crossing Midnight - 50.0%: The Midnighter - 54.8%: Ninja Scroll - 57.3%: StormWatch: PHD
—–
1-YEAR COMPARISONS + 84.2%: Justice Society of America + 11.5%: Looney Tunes + 6.6%: Fables + 3.7%: Batman - 0.4%: Y: The Last Man - 3.4%: Scooby-Doo - 7.0%: Hellblazer - 7.5%: 100 Bullets - 11.5%: Justice League Unlimited - 11.8%: Ex Machina - 11.9%: Action Comics - 12.7%: DMZ - 13.4%: Teen Titans - 14.6%: Batman Strikes - 18.8%: Birds of Prey - 19.7%: The Exterminators - 20.0%: Teen Titans Go - 20.7%: 52 - 21.6%: Superman - 22.1%: Green Lantern - 21.4%: Detective Comics - 21.5%: Green Arrow - 24.8%: Jonah Hex - 27.2%: Outsiders - 28.7%: All Star Batman - 32.4%: Supergirl and the Legion - 33.1%: Nightwing - 34.0%: Catwoman - 35.0%: JLA: Classified - 35.3%: Robin - 38.7%: Superman/Batman - 41.0%: American Virgin - 42.4%: JSA: Classified - 43.7%: Testament - 46.0%: Hawkgirl - 46.6%: Checkmate - 48.6%: Aquaman - 51.0%: Supergirl - 59.5%: Blue Beetle - 59.6%: Shadowpact
—–
2-YEAR COMPARISONS +102.2%: Justice League of America + 88.8%: Justice Society of America + 85.3%: Wonder Woman + 33.2%: Detective Comics + 24.7%: Action Comics + 20.2%: Batman + 8.5%: Looney Tunes + 6.5%: Fables + 0.6%: Flash - 4.2%: Y: The Last Man - 4.3%: Catwoman - 5.0%: Birds of Prey - 8.0%: Scooby-Doo - 9.4%: Teen Titans - 9.8%: Aquaman - 10.5%: Robin - 11.9%: Green Arrow - 14.6%: Hellblazer - 16.4%: 100 Bullets - 16.8%: Nightwing - 17.0%: Ex Machina - 18.5%: Superman - 18.9%: Hawkgirl - 22.2%: Justice League Unlimited - 24.9%: Supergirl and the Legion - 30.3%: Batman Strikes - 35.2%: Outsiders - 37.9%: Teen Titans Go - 52.0%: JLA: Classified - 56.5%: Green Lantern
—–
OTHER PUBLISHERS
12 - BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Dark Horse Comics) 05/2001: Buffy #33 -- 16,823* 05/2002: Buffy #45 -- 15,979* ----------------------------- 03/2007: Buffy #1 -- 109,919 [142,032] 04/2007: Buffy #2 -- 96,409 (-12.3%) [116,616] 05/2007: Buffy #3 -- 106,634 (+10.6%)
The book continues to solidify its status as a super hit by defying the usual trends altogether and actually going up in sales with its third issue. Issues #1 and #2 sold another impressive 15,239 and 20,207 units in May, in the meantime. The litmus test comes with issue #6, the first one not written by Buffy creator and sales magnet Joss Whedon.
—–
73/75 - STAR WARS: LEGACY (Dark Horse Comics) 06/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #1 -- 34,758 [36,375] 07/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #2 -- 33,298 (-4.2%) 08/2006: -- 09/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #3 -- 34,268 (+2.9%) 09/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #4 -- 34,362 (+0.3%) 10/2006: -- 11/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #5 -- 34,362 ( 0%) 11/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #6 -- 33,003 (-4.0%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #7 -- 34,249 (+3.8%) 02/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #8 -- 33,533 (-2.1%) 03/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #9 -- 33,084 (-1.3%) 03/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #10 -- 32,320 (-2.3%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #11 -- 33,138 (+2.5%) 05/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #12 -- 32,161 (-3.0%) ---------------- 6 months: - 3.1%
Dark Horse’s Star Wars titles remain rock-solid performers.
—–
74/90 - HELLBOY: DARKNESS CALLS (Dark Horse Comics) 05/2001: Hellboy: Conqueror Worm #1 of 4 -- 22,146* -------------------------------------------------- 05/2007: Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1 of 6 -- 32,321 05/2007: Hellboy: Darkness Calls #2 of 6 -- 26,008 (-19.5%)
Hellboy continues to profit from its film adaptation – even in single-issue form, which is not the norm.
—–
77 - THE BOYS (Dynamite Entertainment) 08/2006: The Boys #1 -- 31,636 [37,795] 08/2006: The Boys #2 -- 26,165 (-17.3%) [32,075] 09/2006: -- 10/2006: The Boys #3 -- 26,415 (+ 1.0%) 10/2006: The Boys #4 -- 24,848 (- 5.9%) [28,452] 11/2006: The Boys #5 -- 26,842 (+ 8.0%) 12/2006: The Boys #6 -- 27,039 (+ 0.7%) [35,173] 01/2007: -- 02/2007: -- 03/2007: -- 04/2007: -- 05/2007: The Boys #7 -- 31,616 (+16.9%) ---------------- 6 months: +17.8%
Well, that’s a surprise.
After being dropped by DC Comics’ WildStorm imprint over content concerns, writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson’s ultra-violent superhero book returns at Dynamite Entertainment, the publishing arm of Dynamic Forces. Instead of displaying the inevitable drop-off everybody expected, though, The Boys once again defies the odds and actually goes up in sales, almost reaching the numbers of the debut issue.
Granted, Dynamite released a 1-in-4 variant cover edition of the book which is likely to have increased sales. However, the variant was a “surprise” for both retailers and customers that was announced fairly late, so I reckon the increase we see on the May chart is largely genuine, and not a result of the gimmick edition. The question why publishers seem to think it’s prudent to “surprise” their retailers lately is another one entirely, of course.
That aside, The Boys doesn’t just seem to have survived the transition from DC to Dynamite unscathed – it actually looks like it’s profited from the controversy stirred up by its cancellation. It’s Dynamite’s bestselling title now, and it’s still got all the characteristics of a hit.
—–
83 - STAR WARS: DARK TIMES (Dark Horse Comics) 11/2006: Star Wars: Dark Times #1 of 5 -- 34,513 12/2006: -- 01/2007: Star Wars: Dark Times #2 of 5 -- 30,500 (-11.6%) 02/2007: -- 03/2007: -- 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Star Wars: Dark Times #3 of 5 -- 29,501 (- 3.3%) ---------------- 6 months: -14.5%
The second of four Star Wars issues in the May Top 100. Perfectly good numbers.
—–
91 - FRANK FRAZETTA'S DEATH DEALER (Image Comics) 04/2007: Death Dealer #1 of 6 -- 32,352 [36,959] 05/2007: Death Dealer #2 of 6 -- 25,839 (-20.1%)
That’s a comparatively steep drop for a miniseries. Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer is still Image’s bestselling title at present, of course, so I doubt anyone’s unhappy about its numbers. Another surprise hit.
(There are variant cover editions of both issues, and issue #1 sold an additional 4,607 units in May.)
—–
93 - CONAN (Dark Horse Comics) 05/2004: Conan #4 -- 50,759 [52,600] 05/2005: Conan #16 -- 37,632 ---------------------------- 05/2006: Conan #28 -- 31,675 (- 0.1%) 06/2006: Conan #29 -- 32,049 (+ 1.2%) 07/2006: Conan #30 -- 31,095 (- 3.0%) 08/2006: Conan #31 -- 30,887 (- 0.7%) 09/2006: Conan #32 -- 29,070 (- 5.9%) 10/2006: Conan #33 -- 29,137 (+ 0.2%) 11/2006: Conan #34 -- 28,144 (- 3.4%) 12/2006: Conan #35 -- 27,115 (- 3.7%) 01/2007: Conan #36 -- 26,245 (- 3.2%) 02/2007: Conan #37 -- 25,532 (- 2.7%) 03/2007: Conan #38 -- 25,236 (- 1.2%) 04/2007: Conan #39 -- 25,103 (- 0.5%) 05/2007: Conan #40 -- 24,982 (- 0.5%) ---------------- 6 months: -11.2% 1 year : -21.1% 2 years : -33.6%
Sales have found their level again.
—–
94 - SPAWN (Image Comics/TMP) 05/2001: Spawn #110 -- 52,267* 05/2002: Spawn #122 -- 42,209* 05/2003: Spawn #125 -- 40,950 05/2004: -- 05/2005: -- ----------------------------- 05/2006: Spawn #156 -- 27,017 (+ 1.1%) 06/2006: Spawn #157 -- 26,325 (- 2.6%) 07/2006: Spawn #158 -- 26,875 (+ 2.1%) 08/2006: Spawn #159 -- 26,232 (- 2.4%) 09/2006: Spawn #160 -- 25,580 (- 2.5%) 10/2006: Spawn #161 -- 25,840 (+ 1.0%) 11/2006: Spawn #162 -- 25,069 (- 3.0%) 12/2006: Spawn #163 -- 24,922 (- 0.6%) 01/2007: Spawn #164 -- 24,534 (- 1.6%) 02/2007: -- 03/2007: Spawn #165 -- 24,519 (- 0.1%) 03/2007: Spawn #166 -- 23,690 (- 3.4%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Spawn #167 -- 24,277 (+ 2.5%) ---------------- 6 months: - 3.2% 1 year : -10.1% 2 years : n.a.
It’s too early to tell whether the increase is a blip or the result of the book’s new direction. A new spin-off title, Spawn: Godslayer, debuted with a respectable 21,232 units in May, rating at No. 105 on the chart.
—–
96/98 - STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Dark Horse Comics) 05/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #5 -- 23,223 (+2.8%) 06/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #6 -- 23,424 (+0.9%) 07/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #7 -- 23,531 (+0.5%) 08/2006: -- 09/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #8 -- 24,374 (+3.6%) 10/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #9 -- 24,229 (-0.6%) 11/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #10 -- 24,021 (-0.9%) 12/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #11 -- 24,437 (+1.7%) 01/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #12 -- 24,940 (+2.1%) 01/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #13 -- 24,149 (-3.2%) 02/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #14 -- 23,395 (-3.1%) 03/2007: -- 04/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #15 -- 23,560 (+0.7%) 05/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #16 -- 23,572 (+0.1%) 05/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #17 -- 22,907 (-2.8%) ---------------- 6 months: - 3.3% 1 year : - 0.1%
Two more Star Wars comics making the Top 100.
—–
263 - GODLAND (Image Comics) 05/2006: Godland #11 -- 4,473 (+ 7.9%) 06/2006: -- 07/2006: Godland #12 -- 4,611 (+ 3.1%) 08/2006: -- 09/2006: -- 10/2006: Godland #13 -- 4,364 (- 5.4%) 11/2006: Godland #14 -- 4,029 (- 7.7%) 12/2006: -- 01/2007: Godland #15 -- 4,024 (- 0.1%) 02/2007: Godland #16 -- ????? 03/2007: Godland #17 -- 3,703 (- 8.0%) 04/2007: -- 05/2007: Godland #18 -- 3,718 (+ 0.4%) ---------------- 6 months: - 7.7% 1 year : -16.9%
Sales are holding level, but the 60-cent issue in February doesn’t seem to have had the slightest effect on the book’s monthly sales. They keep publishing collections in various formats, mind you, so perhaps the loss-leader was effective in that area. If it wasn’t, that’s a whole lot of money gone through the chimney, though.
—–
Disclaimers, et cetera
The numbers above are estimates for comic book sales in the North American direct market, as calculated by ICv2.com according to the chart and index information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors. ICv2.com’s estimates are traditionally known to be somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate. Since it’s a “month-to-month” column, the comments, unless otherwise noted, are on the most recent month. The estimates from March 2001 to February 2003 (marked with an asterisk) were for initial orders rather than actual sales, so they’re only roughly compatible with the subsequent figures.
Bear in mind that the figures measure sales to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Re-orders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book’s initial month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month.
If additional copies of an issue did appear on the chart after the book’s initial month of release, you can see the total number of copies sold in parenthesis behind those issues (e.g. “[36,599]”). Should more than one issue have shipped in a month which is relevant for one of the long-term comparisons, the average will be used.
Titles released under the Johnny DC imprint and magazines, such as Mad, mostly sell through channels other than the direct market, so direct market sales don’t tell us much about their performance. For Vertigo and WildStorm titles, collection sales tend to be a significant factor, so the numbers for those books should be taken with a grain of salt as well.
—–
Germany-based Marc-Oliver Frisch has a weblog and regularly contributes to German online magazine Comicgate.
04/2007: Superman/Batman #34 — 71,278 (- 4.7%)
05/2007: Superman/Batman #35 — 68,160 (- 4.4%)
“Sales keep declining too fast for comfort with the Metal Men storyline. This doesn’t bode well for the upcoming limited series starring the characters.”
I somehow read this as more a result of the general malaise surrounding this title and it’s creative team, rather than a condemnation of the Metal Men.
Now will their mini-series sell in these numbers? Doubtfull. But I’m sure the numbers it finally does post will have benefited more from the popularity of 52 than from the pedestrian storytelling of Superman/Batman.
Are Image and Dark Horse numbers hard to come by? Is that why we don’t see them every month? I’d like to see an in depth analysis of both companies every month, along with Marvel and DC.
I would like to see a comparison of Vertigo’s yearly trade sales vs. the circulation of the collected issues. Also, does a trade collection affect the circulation, or is the trade market segregated from the comics market? Might a collector just wait for the second trade instead of buying the same story twice?
Marc covers the major non-Marvel/DC books towards the end of his column. The major Image/Dark Horse books tend to be in there.
Trade information is available for the direct market, but is not readily available for bookstores, so that doesn’t give an accurate picture of sales. The continued publication of Vertigo titles that sell less than 10,000 copies a month certainly suggests that they do a lot better as trades.
“And working to undo a high-profile revamp within months of its release is not a sign of confidence and long-term planning, but of panic and shortsightedness.”
Ladies and gentlemen, the legacy of Mr. Dan Didio.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the snarkiness of Mark Engbloom.
Oops. Sorry. Engblom.
Lad’s got a point, though.
would love to see these numbers with reorder numbers… the final sales of the books.
as a self publisher at one time, you have to take any comment made with a grain of salt because there are so many other things to take into consideration on these titles. its far from cut and dry as presented. these kinds of pieces do more damage to smaller books than they know and create a false panic for some titles that are not in any trouble at all because the cost to print ratio is not explored… as is the income gained by trade collections.
jimmy
Trade information is available for the direct market, but is not readily available for bookstores, so that doesn’t give an accurate picture of sales.
What about Bookscan numbers? Granted, they are sales to consumers, not stores, and do not include Baker & Taylor (which can be a sizable market for GNs) but it’s a good indicator in the trade bookstore world.
I too would like to see a similar chart like this for TPB sales.
“would love to see these numbers with reorder numbers… the final sales of the books.”
Reorders are generally added in in later months. Any books that saw reorders in May had them added in, and any that see them in June will have them likewise added next time around.
Vertigo must do gonzo trade business because those monthly numbers would have gotten many persons fired a long time ago.
From an anecdotal standpoint as a retailer, we actually sell a few more copies of the Fables trade in first week release than we do in single issues. And that’s first week… if you count in restock sales throughout the year, it’s considerably higher. We sell at least a half-dozen Fables trades every week, and sometimes more than that, if someone picks up the whole set.
And we sell a reasonable number of Fables single issues, so that’s a pretty good benchmark to hit.
Same is true of DMZ, American Virgin, Y The Last Man and (previous to their ending) Lucifer and Losers, among others.
So yep, Vertigo does gonzo trade business. And that’s just one store in the direct market, not taking into account success they’ve obviously gained in the bookstore market.
I work one day a week in a comic shop and we sell more copies of new Y and Fables trades in the first month than we do the singles. Fables backlist has really been moving since the lastest trade came out. But the other Vertigo trades don’t do anywhere near that. I think DMZ does best of the rest. But what happens when Y ends? And what if one day Willingham woke up and decided he was done with comics? The next best-selling title does half of what those do in monthly sales. Where would that leave Vertigo?
“would love to see these numbers with reorder numbers… the final sales of the books. ”
They do include re-orders, Jimmy. Those are the numbers on the right, in the square brackets.
Of course, they DON’T include sales outside the direct market, or to Diamond UK (which is a fair chunk), which is why a lot of creators are regularly able to claim that the true sales are higher than what we see here. They are.
But I’m inclined to believe that these numbers *are* a fair reflection of what is sold in North America through the direct market – certainly as good a reflection as you’re going to get so long as publishers insist on the current nonsensical system of only declaring how much a book sold as a proportion of that month’s BATMAN. The fact that ICV2 and CBG, working independently, come up with virtually identical figures each month tends to suggest that they’re getting it right.
“Reorders are generally added in in later months.”
If they’re strong enough to make the Top 300 again, yes. Otherwise, there’s currently no way to track them through the data we have.
“these kinds of pieces do more damage to smaller books than they know and create a false panic for some titles that are not in any trouble at all because the cost to print ratio is not explored… as is the income gained by trade collections.”
The collection sales aspect is flagged up in the disclaimer, Jimmy, and sometimes it’s mentioned in the comments, as well.
As for doing damage to smaller books: Please define “damage.” And please define “smaller books.” I respect your experiences in the industry, but “you’re doing damage” is pretty vague; if there’s any hard data to support the notion, I’d appreciate it.
Randy: That’s extremely interesting. I never knew Vertigo trades were doing that well. Also interesting that you mention American Virgin along with Y, Fables and DMZ. If that’s not just your store, then American Virgin might survive longer than the other low-selling Vertigo titles because of strong trade sales. Though I still think Testament ought to be doing good in bookstores.
Another ray of light for Vertigo should be Diamond UK sales, since European readers are probably more interested in other genres than superhero books. My retailer (Berlin) told me a few months ago that most Vertigo books are doing better than Civil War in his store.
well…retailers and fans always ask me if hex is being cancelled after seeing this list.
personally i think it hurts the sales because if they think its being canned, they order less…thats what 3 retailers i know personally have told me. the book is on the way out.
thanks for the corrections by the other posters by the way.
Remember when Preacher ended and everyone wondered what would take its place and whether Vertigo could survive? Same with Sandman before it. I have confidence in Karen Berger and the rest of the editorial group to find something out there that is as good as all of those books.
Vertigo has as many (if not more) misses than hits, but you can say the same thing for every publishing company.
Well, SANDMAN and PREACHER were both huge, enduring mass-market hits, and I think it can fairly be argued that Vertigo never has found another hit on the same scale as either. Mind you, that’s a high target. And the Vertigo books do sell in significant numbers in trade – even in the direct market, Y: THE LAST MAN does almost half its sales in trade paperback format.
“personally i think it hurts the sales because if they think its being canned, they order less…thats what 3 retailers i know personally have told me.”
Well, in principle, I’d expect retailers to place more faith in their circle sheets and in the ordering behavior of their customers than in this column. But if the column helps someone to get a better understanding of how a title is selling in general and makes their job a little easier because of it, I consider that a good thing. After all, if a book is on its way out, I’d certainly want to know it if I were a retailer (or a reader, for that matter).
But, to stay with the example of JONAH HEX: We know that it’s a DC Universe book, we know that it sells below HAWKGIRL, which has been canceled, and we know that it’s been in a decline for a while. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I suggest that it may be in trouble.
I can see where you’re coming from, as a creator. But I question whether simply putting sales information out there and analyzing it can kill a book that’s healthy, anyway. There seems to be a logical leap.
The big problem (or solution perhaps) for Jonah Hex is that the trades don’t get bundled in your big box bookstores along the Westerns where they might actually find readers outside of the comic fans.
I’ve let my Father-In-Law read Punisher tpbs and he loves them, but I’ll be damn if you’d find those alongside Don Pendleton’s The Executioner series in a bookstore.
Graphic Novels really get ghettoized in some places.
“Well, SANDMAN and PREACHER were both huge, enduring mass-market hits, and I think it can fairly be argued that Vertigo never has found another hit on the same scale as either. Mind you, that’s a high target.”
I would say that Fables sells as much — if not more — than Preacher in the trade market. Fables, in fact, has a much broader appeal (Sandman-esque) than Preacher. I would easily recommend Fables or Y to nearly anyone who enjoys fiction; Preacher, not so much.
I’m still waiting for the day we can get the number that will really mean something- the numbers that can account for ALL sales, though by the time we get that we’ll likely be counting direct downloads into our brains but I’d still like to actually have a full count of single issues AND trades and foreign sales added together so we see that the Jonah Hex level book which seems to be on the cusp of cancellation when only looking at single issue sales in the direct market is actually doing good because of other, equally valid sources of revenue. I know many people see Hex as a DCU book but I gotta think the suits see it more as a Vertigo title- I don’t know why they haven’t made the switch other than perhaps they think that could hurt sales for some reason.
I notice the big 2 seem to prefer shaking things up and rolling the dice which usually results in a late shipping books making no money month to month instead of a nice monthly groove from consistent talent even if the numbers dip ever so slightly month to month. I suppose that’s to be expected, but I think changing the creators and even the titles keeps series from having a nice long series of trades you can stack together on a book store shelf that result in real presence the way a series of 5-10 or more manga books can. There obviously are a few examples of books getting this right (Fables, obviously) and I’m sure it results in better bookstore sales just from taking up more shelf space and the increase in visibility when books are displayed spine out.
Hi Marc-Oliver,
Is there any way you can add sales numbers for Mirages TMNT titles and mini series with the ‘extra publishers’ sometime?
Keep up the great work!!
Thanks.
“Is there any way you can add sales numbers for Mirages TMNT titles and mini series with the ‘extra publishers’ sometime?”
Generally, the farther down the chart you get, the less meaningful the sales estimates tend to get, due to a variety of factors. So any books from other publishers which didn’t make the Top 100 will remain the exception.
I’ll have a look, but no promises.
Not sure why everyone is getting on Marc’s case for his comments. He’s writing the piece and making opinions based on the numbers. Call them ‘snarky’ all you want but he isn’t saying anything different than what everyone else is saying around the store aisles, amongst friends and yes, even on the internet. People can like what DC is doing all they want but the majority does not and it is reflected in sales.
If some want to get all pissy because they don’t like people’s commenting about DC being in the toilet, well, don’t shoot the messenger or the people discussing amongst themselves — look at the people responsible for putting DC in the toilet. It’s certainly not the readers. We only buy the books if we like them. Also — as seen by the numbers, since readers are jumping off the DC boat like passengers on the Titanic, its safe to say they’re not very liked.
So yes, the reign of Dan Didio and his bloodbath continues… killing characters and chasing away readers… monthly.
Well, sometimes monthly…
People do react very emotionally to this list at times; we all have our own needs we bring to it. I’d love it to be shorter, myself, and formatted differently. But Marc’s comments (even when I don’t agree with them) are often the best part of the chart to me, because it adds an editorial quality that is informative and makes some sort of sense of all these numbers.
Comments are closed.