By Paul O’Brien

CIVIL WAR is finally behind us – well, the miniseries, if not the event – and March saw Marvel moving on to its next phase. The big news of the month, of course, was CAPTAIN AMERICA #25, with the death of the title character. But March also had the debut of MIGHTY AVENGERS, along with several other “Initiative” titles. That banner covers several new titles (or existing ones with new status quos) arising from the fallout of CIVIL WAR. It isn’t a crossover, but there’s a genuine common theme among the books.

There’s also the “Back in Black” event in the Spider-Man books. There’s the second issue of DARK TOWER, a hugely important project for Marvel. And the sleeper hit MARVEL ZOMBIES returns in an intercompany crossover with Dynamite’s ARMY OF DARKNESS.

Yet again, Marvel was the biggest publisher in the direct market. They led DC by 43% to 31% in dollar share, and 46% to 35% in unit share. Now, let’s keep this in perspective. DC’s one third share of the direct market isn’t exactly bad. And DC puts more faith than Marvel in imprints like Vertigo and CMX which aren’t oriented to the direct market, so the overall picture of the two companies may well be closer. But when it comes to the superhero genre, which is central to both companies and where they compete most closely, there’s no doubt that Marvel is dominant right now.

One common reading of DC’s predicament is that they failed to capitalise on the momentum generated by INFINITE CRISIS. Marvel is now entering the same phase with CIVIL WAR. Some argue that this means they’ll experience a similar downturn. There’s a degree of truth to that – but to my mind, DC’s problems are broader. And even in the “event aftermath” area, there’s plenty of scope for Marvel to learn from DC’s mistakes.

On a more prosaic level, March 2007 marks the fourth anniversary of the current chart format, so for the first time, we can do four-year comparisons. For those who don’t know, the current chart is based on actual sales to retailers in the North American direct market. The pre-2003 chart was based on pre-orders, which meant that re-orders didn’t count for the chart, and that issues charted in the month they were solicited for, even if they didn’t actually come out. Obviously this was very silly, which is why they changed it. The pre-2003 numbers given below should be approached with caution – although at the time, Marvel had a “no overprint” policy, so the re-order activity was very probably minimal.

I’ve also decided to put the full titles back into the tables, instead of just the issue numbers. This has the advantage of making it easier to tell various miniseries apart. Also, I just like it.

Thanks as always to Milton Griepp and ICV2 for permission to use their figures for these calculations.

1.  CAPTAIN AMERICA
03/01  Captain America #41 -  37,059
03/02  ---
03/03  Captain America #10 -  51,270
03/04  Captain America #24 -  39,168
03/05  Captain America #4  -  46,654
=====
03/06  Captain America #16 -  44,717  (  +3.2%)
04/06  Captain America #17 -  45,541  (  +1.8%)
05/06  Captain America #18 -  46,740  (  +2.6%)
06/06  Captain America #19 -  47,315  (  +1.2%)
07/06  Captain America #20 -  47,357  (  +0.1%)
08/06  ---
09/06  Captain America #21 -  49,050  (  +3.6%)
09/06  Captain America #22 -  86,875  ( +77.1%)
10/06  Captain America #23 -  81,323  (  -6.4%)
11/06  Captain America #24 -  82,348  (  +1.3%)
12/06  ---
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  Captain America #25 - 290,514  (+252.8%)
                              6 mnth  (+234.4%)
                              1 year  (+549.7%)
                              2 year  (+522.7%)
                              3 year  (+641.7%)
                              4 year  (+466.6%)

CAPTAIN AMERICA #25 was delayed by three months because of the knock-on effect from CIVIL WAR’s scheduling problems. Surprisingly, issue #26 has also been pushed back into May. All this means that issue #25 will be the only issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA to hit the shelves over a five month period.

However, with sales like this, nobody’s going to be losing any sleep about it. Retailers complained that Marvel didn’t give them enough information about the story, but it’s hard to see how Marvel could have done so while still keeping the story secret. In any event, the number above includes the second printing, which shipped in the final week of March. It’s a massive figure, up there with CIVIL WAR itself.

Of course, nobody seriously expects CAPTAIN AMERICA to hold on to all these extra readers. But remember, the book’s benchmark before CIVIL WAR was around the mid-40K range. It’s got every chance of holding on to a big increase from that.

2.  MIGHTY AVENGERS
03/07  Mighty Avengers #1 - 141,288

In any other month, this would have been the number one title. In this month, MIGHTY AVENGERS debuts with less than half the orders of CAPTAIN AMERICA. It’s also a much smaller number than NEW AVENGERS #1, which sold around 279K in its first month.

But it’s still a very good start, and so far, Marvel’s renewed faith in the appeal of the Avengers franchise seems to be wholly justified. It also marks the first of four top ten titles written by Brian Bendis, which is a considerable achievement.

3.  AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
03/01  Amazing Spider-Man #29  -  45,436
03/02  Amazing Spider-Man #41  -  92,896
03/03  Amazing Spider-Man #51  -  96,428
03/04  Amazing Spider-Man #505 -  83,613
03/05  Amazing Spider-Man #518 -  77,025
=====
03/06  Amazing Spider-Man #530 - 101,226  (-23.5%)
04/06  Amazing Spider-Man #531 -  96,213  ( -5.0%)
05/06  Amazing Spider-Man #532 - 119,083  (+23.8%)
06/06  Amazing Spider-Man #533 - 137,926  (+15.8%)
07/06  Amazing Spider-Man #534 - 125,553  ( -9.0%)
08/06  ----
09/06  Amazing Spider-Man #535 - 122,968  ( -2.1%)
10/06  ----
11/06  Amazing Spider-Man #536 - 121,003  ( -1.6%)
12/06  ---
01/07  Amazing Spider-Man #537 - 123,160  ( +1.8%)
02/07  Amazing Spider-Man #538 - 145,435  (+18.1%)
03/07  Amazing Spider-Man #539 - 137,730  ( -5.3%)
                                  6 mnth  (+12.0%)
                                  1 year  (+36.1%)
                                  2 year  (+78.8%)
                                  3 year  (+64.7%)
                                  4 year  (+42.8%)

This is the first “Back in Black” issue for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, thanks to CIVIL WAR-related delays. This book has gone from event to event without much break over the last few years, making it tough to figure out quite how big the core audience is. But “Back in Black” opens with higher sales than most of the CIVIL WAR tie-in issues that preceded it, and that’s got to be a good sign.

Issue #538 picks up re-orders of 2,479. As always, they’re included in the numbers above.

4,8,36,143.  CIVIL WAR ONE-SHOTS
03/07        The Initiative - 137,658
03/07        The Confession - 112,422
03/07  Battle Damage Report -  60,638
03/07           Poster Book -  12,083

A selection of epilogues and tie-ins which I’m gathering together for simplicity. THE INITIATIVE does very nicely indeed, considering that it’s basically a series of scenes promoting the various “Initiative” titles. CONFESSION is more of an epilogue to CIVIL WAR. Both land happily in the top ten with sales that would delight most titles.

BATTLE DAMAGE REPORT is a vaguely HANDBOOK-styled tie-in issue, selling around three times as many copies as the HANDBOOK usually manages. And the POSTER BOOK is exactly what it sounds like.

5.  DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER BORN
02/07  Gunslinger Born #1 of 7 - 184,141
03/07  Gunslinger Born #2 of 7 - 136,338  (-26.0%)

A fairly standard second issue drop. Issue #1 picks up re-orders of 8,927. It’s not dominating the direct market, but nonetheless it’s a huge hit, and the biggest non-superhero book we’ve seen in years. Bearing in mind that DARK TOWER also has good prospects for long term sales in the bookstores, Marvel have every reason to be delighted with these numbers.

7.  NEW AVENGERS
03/01  Avengers #40     -  60,378
03/02  Avengers #52     -  53,249
03/03  Avengers #65     -  59,155
03/04  Avengers #80     -  55,533
03/05  New Avengers #4  - 155,113
=====
03/06  New Avengers #17 - 122,847  (  -1.1%)
04/06  New Avengers #18 - 121,550  (  -1.1%)
05/06  New Avengers #19 - 125,223  (  +3.0%)
06/06  New Avengers #20 - 125,600  (  +0.3%)
06/06  New Avengers #21 - 154,911  ( +23.4%)
07/06  New Avengers #22 - 143,391  (  -7.4%)
08/06  New Avengers #23 - 155,550  (  +8.5%)
09/06  ---
10/06  New Avengers #24 - 136,811  ( -12.0%)
11/06  New Avengers #25 - 136,504  (  -0.2%)
12/06  New Avengers #26 - 122,670  ( -10.1%)
01/06  ---
02/07  New Avengers #27 - 132,109  (  +7.7%)
03/07  New Avengers #28 - 119,514  (  -9.5%)
                           6 mnth  ( -12.6%)
                           1 year  (  -2.7%)
                           2 year  ( -23.0%)
                           3 year  (+115.2%)
                           4 year  (+102.0%)

Settling back to its normal range after the months of CIVIL WAR crossovers and,in February, the start of the book’s new direction. Issue #27 picks up re-orders of 1,578.

10. WOLVERINE
03/01  Wolverine #162 -  67,762
03/02  Wolverine #174 -  69,340
03/03  Wolverine #187 -  62,144
03/04  Wolverine #12  -  69,815
03/05  Wolverine #26  - 105,984
=====
03/06  Wolverine #40  -  77,627  ( +3.1%)
04/06  Wolverine #41  -  70,965  ( -8.6%)
05/06  Wolverine #42  - 112,209  (+58.1%)
06/06  Wolverine #43  - 116,540  ( +3.9%)
07/06  Wolverine #44  - 111,478  ( -4.3%)
08/06  Wolverine #45  - 110,662  ( -0.7%)
09/06  Wolverine #46  - 107,865  ( -2.5%)
10/06  Wolverine #47  - 106,201  ( -1.5%)
11/06  Wolverine #48  -  99,991  ( -5.8%)
12/06  Wolverine #49  -  78,807  (-21.2%)
01/07  Wolverine #50  - 117,160  (+48.7%)
02/07  Wolverine #51  -  99,636  (-15.0%)
03/07  Wolverine #52  -  95,276  ( -4.4%)
                         6 mnth  (-11.7%)
                         1 year  (+22.7%)
                         2 year  (-10.1%)
                         3 year  (+36.5%)
                         4 year  (+53.3%)

Dropping back a bit for the third Loeb/Bianchi issue. However, WOLVERINE now seems to be reverting to the format of having different creators do each arc. That means it’s likely to get periodic sales bumps, and that retailers may be tempted to order each arc along the lines of a miniseries. By those standards, this would be a perfectly fine number.

Issue #51 picks up 2,455 re-orders.

16. UNCANNY X-MEN
03/01  Uncanny X-Men #392 -  96,271
03/02  Uncanny X-Men #404 -  95,386
03/03  Uncanny X-Men #420 -  85,473
03/04  Uncanny X-Men #441 -  86,431
03/05  Uncanny X-Men #457 -  86,365
=====
03/06  Uncanny X-Men #470 -  79,389  ( +0.4%)
03/06  Uncanny X-Men #471 -  78,286  ( -1.4%)
04/06  Uncanny X-Men #472 -  79,157  ( +1.1%)
05/06  Uncanny X-Men #473 -  79,335  ( +0.2%)
06/06  Uncanny X-Men #474 -  78,140  ( -1.5%)
07/06  Uncanny X-Men #475 - 106,037  (+35.7%)
07/06  Uncanny X-Men #476 -  92,154  (-13.1%)
08/06  Uncanny X-Men #477 -  89,225  ( -3.2%)
09/06  Uncanny X-Men #478 -  89,850  ( +0.7%)
10/06  Uncanny X-Men #479 -  89,052  ( -0.9%)
11/06  Uncanny X-Men #480 -  88,584  ( -0.5%)
12/06  Uncanny X-Men #481 -  85,995  ( -2.9%)
01/07  Uncanny X-Men #482 -  83,860  ( -2.5%)
02/07  Uncanny X-Men #483 -  83,009  ( -1.0%)
03/07  Uncanny X-Men #484 -  82,043  ( -1.2%)
                             6 mnth  ( -8.7%)
                             1 year  ( +3.3%)
                             2 year  ( -5.0%)
                             3 year  ( -5.1%)
                             4 year  ( -4.0%)

Still in a gentle decline as the year-long “Fall and Rise of the Shi’ar Empire” nears a conclusion. However, Ed Brubaker and Billy Tan remain significantly up on the sales of the previous creative team.

18,24. FANTASTIC FOUR
03/01  Fantastic Four #41  - 48,055
03/02  Fantastic Four #53  - 44,949
03/03  Fantastic Four #67  - 53,218
03/04  Fantastic Four #511 - 50,089
03/05  Fantastic Four #524 - 46,660
=====
03/06  Fantastic Four #536 - 79,680  (+84.8%)
04/06  Fantastic Four #537 - 79,576  ( -0.1%)
05/06  ---
06/06  Fantastic Four #538 - 92,624  (+16.4%)
07/06  ---
08/06  Fantastic Four #539 - 89,676  ( -3.2%)
09/06  ----
10/06  Fantastic Four #540 - 88,933  ( -0.8%)
11/06  ----
12/06  Fantastic Four #541 - 84,895  ( -4.5%)
01/07  Fantastic Four #542 - 84,338  ( -0.7%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Fantastic Four #543 - 78,823  ( -6.5%)
03/07  Fantastic Four #544 - 73,880  ( -6.3%)
                             6 mnth  (-16.9%)
                             1 year  ( -7.3%)
                             2 year  (+58.3%)
                             3 year  (+47.5%)
                             4 year  (+38.8%)

Two issues this month. Issue #543 was billed as a CIVIL WAR tie-in, but it was also (ahem) “the double-sized 45th anniversary issue of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine.” You may be wondering how it comes to pass that FANTASTIC FOUR, which launched in 1961, celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2007, instead of the more mathematically conventional 2006. Well, count up all those missing months from last year and you’ve got your answer.

Issue #544, which features the Black Panther and Storm as members of the team, was solicited with the notorious “Classified Information” blurb. Both issues are down from the main CIVIL WAR crossover, but that’s only to be expected. Pre-CIVIL WAR, this book’s normal range was the mid-40Ks, so it’s still well up from that.

20. MOON KNIGHT
04/06  Moon Knight #1 - 114,533
05/06  Moon Knight #2 -  77,552  (-32.3%)
06/06  Moon Knight #3 -  72,206  ( -6.9%)
07/06  --
08/06  Moon Knight #4 -  67,802  ( -6.1%)
09/06  Moon Knight #5 -  64,736  ( -4.5%)
10/06  --
11/06  Moon Knight #6 -  74,017  (+14.3%)
12/06  --
01/07  Moon Knight #7 -  76,921  ( +3.9%)
02/07  --
03/07  Moon Knight #8 -  77,390  ( +0.6%)
                         6 mnth  (+19.5%)

Another belated CIVIL WAR tie-in. Even allowing for that, and the shaky scheduling, Marvel have every reason to be pleased with the performance of this book. I would have bet against a MOON KNIGHT title still being in the top 20 at this stage, and it’s proving me wrong.

21. MARVEL ZOMBIES/ARMY OF DARKNESS
03/06  Marvel Zombies #4 of 5   - 60,399
04/06  Marvel Zombies #5 of 5   - 64,156  ( +6.2%)
05/06  ---
06/06  ---
07/06  ---
08/06  ---
09/06  ---
10/06  ---
11/06  ---
12/06  ---
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  Army of Darkness #1 of 5 - 76,875  (+19.8%)

Last year’s sleeper hit returns in a crossover which continues directly from Dynamite’s ARMY OF DARKNESS #13. This is a very respectable debut for any MARVEL ZOMBIES sequel; diminishing returns have not yet set in. There’s clearly still mileage in this idea.

22. X-MEN
03/01  X-Men #112     -  93,428
03/02  New X-Men #124 - 104,138
03/03  New X-Men #138 -  95,278
03/04  New X-Men #154 - 117,253
03/05  X-Men #168     -  83,979
=====
03/06  X-Men #184     -  79,480  ( +0.0%)
04/06  X-Men #185     -  78,815  ( -0.8%)
05/06  X-Men #186     -  79,536  ( +0.9%)
06/06  X-Men #187     -  77,918  ( -2.0%)
07/06  X-Men #188     -  95,487  (+22.5%)
07/06  X-Men #189     -  85,157  (-10.8%)
08/06  X-Men #190     -  83,436  ( -2.0%)
09/06  X-Men #191     -  82,048  ( -1.7%)
10/06  X-Men #192     -  81,816  ( -0.3%)
11/06  X-Men #193     -  80,102  ( -2.1%)
12/06  X-Men #194     -  78,114  ( -2.5%)
01/07  X-Men #195     -  76,900  ( -1.6%)
02/07  X-Men #196     -  75,707  ( -1.6%)
03/07  X-Men #197     -  75,184  ( -0.7%)
                         6 mnth  ( -8.4%)
                         1 year  ( -5.4%)
                         2 year  (-10.5%)
                         3 year  (-35.9%)
                         4 year  (-21.1%)

In decline. The X-books are relying on the upcoming “Endangered Species” crossover to give them a boost.

23. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
04/06  Origins #1  - 182,672
05/06  Origins #2  - 131,522  (-28.0%)
06/06  Origins #3  - 116,058  (-11.8%)
07/06  Origins #4  - 110,830  ( -4.5%)
08/06  Origins #5  - 120,448  ( +8.7%)
09/06  Origins #6  - 101,013  (-16.1%)
10/06  Origins #7  - 103,273  ( +2.2%)
11/06  Origins #8  -  91,585  (-11.3%)
12/06  Origins #9  -  84,733  ( -7.5%)
01/07  Origins #10 -  97,881  (+15.5%)
02/07  Origins #11 -  78,901  (-19.4%)
03/07  Origins #12 -  74,750  ( -5.3%)
                      6 mnth  (-26.0%)

Still adjusting to life without variant covers. The decline seems to be slowing, and it’s quite possible that ORIGINS will settle to a very respectable mid-table position.

25,26. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
03/01  Ult. Spider-Man #7   -  70,846
03/02  Ult. Spider-Man #20  -  80,515
03/03  Ult. Spider-Man #38  - 112,562
03/04  Ult. Spider-Man #54  -  93,025
03/05  Ult. Spider-Man #73  -  84,943
=====
03/06  Ult. Spider-Man #91  -  74,028  ( +3.6%)
03/06  Ult. Spider-Man #92  -  72,269  ( -2.4%)
04/06  Ult. Spider-Man #93  -  72,831  ( +0.8%)
05/06  Ult. Spider-Man #94  -  74,051  ( +1.7%)
05/06  Ult. Spider-Man #95  -  73,564  ( -0.7%)
06/06  Ult. Spider-Man #96  -  73,472  ( -0.1%)
07/06  Ult. Spider-Man #97  -  76,612  ( +4.3%)
08/06  Ult. Spider-Man #98  -  77,304  ( +0.9%)
08/06  Ult. Spider-Man #99  -  76,075  ( -1.6%)
09/06  Ult. Spider-Man #100 - 119,194  (+56.7%)
10/06  Ult. Spider-Man #101 -  78,963  (-33.8%)
11/06  Ult. Spider-Man #102 -  77,121  ( -2.3%)
12/06  Ult. Spider-Man #103 -  76,251  ( -1.1%)
01/07  Ult. Spider-Man #104 - 108,082  (+41.7%)
02/07  Ult. Spider-Man #105 -  74,376  (-31.2%)
03/07  Ult. Spider-Man #106 -  73,832  ( -1.3%)
03/07  Ult. Spider-Man #107 -  72,818  ( -1.4%)
                               6 mnth  (-38.9%)
                               1 year  ( -1.6%)
                               2 year  (-14.3%)
                               3 year  (-21.7%)
                               4 year  (-35.3%)

Sliding, but still within the book’s established range.

30. ULTIMATE POWER
10/06  Ultimate Power #1 of 9 - 113,823
11/06  Ultimate Power #2 of 9 -  76,654  (-32.7%)
12/06  Ultimate Power #3 of 9 -  70,148  ( -8.5%)
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  Ultimate Power #4 of 9 -  63,818  ( -9.0%)

Drifting off the radar.

31. ULTIMATE X-MEN
03/01  Ultimate X-Men #1  - 97,985
03/02  Ultimate X-Men #16 - 96,150
03/03  Ultimate X-Men #30 - 89,544
03/04  Ultimate X-Men #43 - 97,002
03/05  Ultimate X-Men #57 - 83,835
=====
03/06  Ultimate X-Men #68 - 72,765  ( +0.1%)
04/06  Ultimate X-Men #69 - 73,188  ( +0.6%)
05/06  Ultimate X-Men #70 - 72,235  ( -1.3%)
06/06  Ultimate X-Men #71 - 71,314  ( -1.3%)
07/06  Ultimate X-Men #72 - 70,593  ( -1.0%)
08/06  Ultimate X-Men #73 - 70,153  ( -0.6%)
09/06  Ultimate X-Men #74 - 68,874  ( -1.8%)
10/06  Ultimate X-Men #75 - 73,837  ( +7.2%)
11/06  Ultimate X-Men #76 - 69,054  ( -6.5%)
12/06  Ultimate X-Men #77 - 67,338  ( -2.5%)
01/07  Ultimate X-Men #78 - 66,409  ( -1.4%)
02/07  Ultimate X-Men #79 - 64,363  ( -3.1%)
03/07  Ultimate X-Men #80 - 63,037  ( -2.1%)
                            6 mnth  ( -8.5%)
                            1 year  (-13.4%)
                            2 year  (-24.8%)
                            3 year  (-35.0%)
                            4 year  (-29.6%)

Another Ultimate book in decline. If the direct market sales are anything to go by, the imprint really needs a kick.

35. THUNDERBOLTS
03/01  Thunderbolts #50    - 36,258
03/02  Thunderbolts #62    - 28,944
03/03  Thunderbolts #77    - 24,857
03/05  New Thunderbolts #6 - 29,103
=====
03/06  Thunderbolts #100   - 26,798  ( +12.9%)
04/06  Thunderbolts #101   - 24,170  (  -9.8%)
05/06  Thunderbolts #102   - 23,741  (  -1.8%)
06/06  Thunderbolts #103   - 60,823  (+156.2%)
07/06  Thunderbolts #104   - 63,850  (  +5.0%)
08/06  Thunderbolts #105   - 61,467  (  -3.7%)
09/06  Thunderbolts #106   - 31,527  ( -48.7%)
10/06  Thunderbolts #107   - 29,624  (  -6.0%)
11/06  Thunderbolts #108   - 27,890  (  -5.9%)
12/06  Thunderbolts #109   - 27,300  (  -2.1%)
01/07  Thunderbolts #110   - 73,557  (+169.4%)
02/07  Thunderbolts #111   - 62,791  ( -14.6%)
03/07  Thunderbolts #112   - 61,395  (  -2.2%)
                             6 mnth  ( +94.7%)
                             1 year  (+129.1%)
                             2 year  (+111.0%)
                             3 year  (  ---- )
                             4 year  (+147.0%)

Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato’s relaunch of the ex-villain team continues to perform impressively. Retailers are ordering this as if it were a new series with a much wider appeal than its predecessor, and it looks like the new THUNDERBOLTS is going to settle at a vastly improved level.

38. SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN
03/05  MK Spider-Man #12      - 59,893
=====
03/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #24 - 53,910  ( -8.7%)
04/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #25 - 51,992  ( -3.6%)
05/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #26 - 52,496  ( +1.0%)
06/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #27 - 50,721  ( -3.4%)
07/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #28 - 58,532  (+15.4%)
08/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #29 - 55,420  ( -5.3%)
09/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #30 - 54,467  ( -1.7%)
10/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #31 - 51,587  ( -5.3%)
11/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #32 - 50,222  ( -2.6%)
12/06  Snstnl. Spider-Man #33 - 48,443  ( -3.5%)
01/07  Snstnl. Spider-Man #34 - 47,008  ( -3.0%)
02/07  Snstnl. Spider-Man #35 - 59,423  (+26.4%)
03/07  Snstnl. Spider-Man #36 - 56,139  ( -5.5%)
                                6 mnth  ( +3.1%)
                                1 year  ( +4.1%)
                                2 year  ( -6.3%)

Getting a modest boost from “Back in Black”, although it’s nothing extraordinary. “Back in Black” isn’t actually a crossover – it’s just a banner being applied to any story where Spider-Man is wearing his black costume – and in reality, the two satellite titles are just going about their business. I have my doubts about how long they’ll continue to experience a boost from this event.

40. ONSLAUGHT REBORN
11/06  Onslaught Reborn #1 of 5 - 82,642
12/06  Onslaught Reborn #2 of 5 - 55,111  (-33.3%)
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  Onslaught Reborn #3 of 5 - 52,420  ( -4.9%)

Levelling out at a perfectly fine number. This seems to be one of Liefeld’s more successful recent projects.

43. FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN
03/06  F.N. Spider-Man #5  - 59,900  (-23.9%)
03/06  F.N. Spider-Man #6  - 58,853  ( -1.7%)
04/06  F.N. Spider-Man #7  - 55,381  ( -5.9%)
05/06  F.N. Spider-Man #8  - 53,910  ( -2.7%)
06/06  F.N. Spider-Man #9  - 50,177  ( -6.9%)
07/06  F.N. Spider-Man #10 - 48,902  ( -2.5%)
08/06  F.N. Spider-Man #11 - 50,995  ( +4.3%)
09/06  F.N. Spider-Man #12 - 48,063  ( -5.7%)
10/06  F.N. Spider-Man #13 - 46,293  ( -3.7%)
11/06  F.N. Spider-Man #14 - 43,476  ( -6.1%)
12/06  F.N. Spider-Man #15 - 42,147  ( -3.1%)
01/07  F.N. Spider-Man #16 - 41,832  ( -0.7%)
02/07  F.N. Spider-Man #17 - 52,794  (+26.2%)
03/07  F.N. Spider-Man #18 - 50,665  ( -4.2%)
                             6 mnth  ( +5.4%)
                             1 year  (-15.4%)

Another Spider-Man book; see the comments for SENSATIONAL above.

44. ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR
03/04  Ult. Fantastic Four #4  - 106,873
03/05  Ult. Fantastic Four #16 -  73,987
=====
03/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #28 -  67,480  ( -0.7%)
04/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #29 -  67,554  ( +0.1%)
05/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #30 - 103,837  (+53.7%)
06/06  ---
07/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #31 -  84,460  (-18.7%)
08/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #32 -  80,730  ( -4.4%)
08/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #33 -  65,191  (-19.2%)
09/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #34 -  63,447  ( -2.7%)
10/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #35 -  61,270  ( -3.4%)
11/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #36 -  57,779  ( -5.7%)
12/06  Ult. Fantastic Four #37 -  55,047  ( -4.7%)
01/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #38 -  52,859  ( -4.0%)
02/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #39 -  52,104  ( -1.4%)
03/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #40 -  50,488  ( -3.1%)
                                  6 mnth  (-20.4%)
                                  1 year  (-25.2%)
                                  2 year  (-31.8%)
                                  3 year  (-52.8%)

In clearly visible decline, and the six-month comparison is now getting alarming.

45. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL
11/06  Punisher War Journal #1 - 102,727
12/06  --
01/07  Punisher War Journal #2 -  96,112  ( -6.4%)
01/07  Punisher War Journal #3 -  70,143  (-27.0%)
02/07  Punisher War Journal #4 -  52,961  (-24.5%)
03/07  Punisher War Journal #5 -  50,190  ( -5.2%)

Still finding its level now that the initial CIVIL WAR crossover is over, although upcoming issues will complicate matters by tying in with the death of Captain America. These numbers are reasonably promising.

46. BLACK PANTHER
03/01  Black Panther #30 - 19,506
03/02  Black Panther #42 - 19,216
03/03  Black Panther #55 - 17,149
03/05  Black Panther #2  - 47,533
=====
03/06  Black Panther #14 - 28,809  ( +10.6%)
04/06  Black Panther #15 - 28,361  (  -1.6%)
05/06  Black Panther #16 - 28,091  (  -1.0%)
06/06  Black Panther #17 - 27,993  (  -0.3%)
07/06  Black Panther #18 - 69,912  (+149.7%)
08/06  Black Panther #19 - 28,372  ( -59.4%)
09/06  Black Panther #20 - 26,585  (  -6.3%)
10/06  Black Panther #21 - 34,257  ( +28.9%)
11/06  Black Panther #22 - 47,556  ( +38.8%)
12/06  Black Panther #23 - 54,762  ( +15.2%)
01/07  Black Panther #24 - 59,971  (  +9.5%)
02/07  Black Panther #25 - 56,479  (  -5.8%)
03/07  Black Panther #26 - 48,717  ( -13.7%)
                           6 mnth  ( +83.2%)
                           1 year  ( +69.1%)
                           2 year  (  +2.5%)
                           3 year  (   --- )
                           4 year  (+184.1%)

Dropping back now that CIVIL WAR is over, but still way up on previous sales. The connection with FANTASTIC FOUR may be helping. It’s too early to say whether BLACK PANTHER has experienced a long-term benefit from the crossover, but the signs do look promising.

47. SPIDER-MAN: REIGN
12/06  Reign #1 of 4 - 46,827
01/07  Reign #2 of 4 - 65,409  (+39.7%)
02/07  Reign #3 of 4 - 46,050  (-29.6%)
03/07  Reign #4 of 4 - 48,298  ( +4.9%)

Very unusual sales for this book, which has seen actual growth on issues #2 and #4. Issue #2 also picks up 8,621 extra sales this month thanks to a second printing. An impressive performance for a miniseries set outside continuity.

48. GHOST RIDER
07/06  Ghost Rider #1 - 98,826  (+77.1%)
08/06  Ghost Rider #2 - 61,793  (-37.5%)
09/06  Ghost Rider #3 - 54,029  (-12.6%)
10/06  Ghost Rider #4 - 50,925  ( -5.7%)
11/06  Ghost Rider #5 - 47,929  ( -5.9%)
12/06  Ghost Rider #6 - 46,673  ( -2.6%)
01/07  Ghost Rider #7 - 43,557  ( -6.7%)
02/07  Ghost Rider #8 - 48,736  (+11.9%)
03/07  Ghost Rider #9 - 48,041  ( -1.4%)
                        6 mnth  (-11.1%)

Another CIVIL WAR straggler, two months into a tenuously-related crossover arc.

49. INCREDIBLE HULK
03/01  Incredible Hulk #26  - 32,305
03/02  Incredible Hulk #38  - 42,108
03/03  Incredible Hulk #51  - 56,220
03/04  Incredible Hulk #68  - 46,138
03/05  Incredible Hulk #79  - 43,508
=====
03/06  Incredible Hulk #93  - 47,437  (-11.6%)
04/06  Incredible Hulk #94  - 47,966  ( +1.1%)
05/06  Incredible Hulk #95  - 49,089  ( +2.3%)
06/06  ---
07/06  Incredible Hulk #96  - 49,209  ( +0.2%)
08/06  Incredible Hulk #97  - 48,893  ( -0.6%)
09/06  Incredible Hulk #98  - 52,987  ( +8.4%)
10/06  Incredible Hulk #99  - 47,878  ( -9.6%)
11/06  Incredible Hulk #100 - 84,169  (+75.8%)
12/06  Incredible Hulk #101 - 47,927  (-43.1%)
01/07  Incredible Hulk #102 - 46,965  ( -2.0%)
02/07  Incredible Hulk #103 - 46,690  ( -0.6%)
03/07  Incredible Hulk #104 - 47,823  ( +2.4%)
                              6 mnth  ( -9.7%)
                              1 year  ( +0.8%)
                              2 year  ( +9.9%)
                              3 year  ( +3.7%)
                              4 year  (-14.9%)

Still hovering around the 47K mark, HULK has held its audience well during the lengthy “Planet HulK” arc. This bodes well for the upcoming “World War Hulk” event.

50. DAREDEVIL
03/01  Daredevil #18 - 59,332
03/02  Daredevil #31 - 48,299
03/03  ---
03/04  Daredevil #58 - 54,400
03/05  Daredevil #71 - 49,715
=====
03/06  Daredevil #83 - 46,804  (-11.8%)
04/06  Daredevil #84 - 47,123  ( +0.7%)
05/06  Daredevil #85 - 47,899  ( +1.6%)
06/06  Daredevil #86 - 48,280  ( +0.8%)
07/06  Daredevil #87 - 51,989  ( +7.7%)
08/06  Daredevil #88 - 50,554  ( -2.8%)
09/06  Daredevil #89 - 55,481  ( +9.7%)
10/06  Daredevil #90 - 50,500  ( -9.0%)
11/06  Daredevil #91 - 49,335  ( -2.3%)
12/06  Daredevil #92 - 48,035  ( -2.6%)
01/07  Daredevil #93 - 47,124  ( -1.9%)
02/07  Daredevil #94 - 46,773  ( -0.7%)
03/07  Daredevil #95 - 46,455  ( -0.7%)
                       6 mnth  (-16.3%)
                       1 year  ( -0.7%)
                       2 year  ( -6.6%)
                       3 year  (-14.6%)
                       4 year  (  --- )

Very slow decline. The six month comparison is misleading, because issue #89 was a one-off spike attributable to a variant cover.

52. X-23: TARGET X
03/05  X-23 #4 of 6     - 54,750
=====
12/06  Target X #1 of 6 - 58,125
01/07  Target X #2 of 6 - 44,000  (-24.3%)
02/07  Target X #3 of 6 - 42,132  ( -4.2%)
03/07  Target X #4 of 6 - 41,858  ( -0.7%)
                          2 year  (-23.5%)

Levelling out well for a miniseries. It’s not as popular as the original X-23 miniseries two years ago, but that aside, it’s doing just fine.

53. MS MARVEL
03/06  Ms Marvel #1  - 73,407
04/06  Ms Marvel #2  - 46,204  (-37.1%)
05/06  Ms Marvel #3  - 43,048  ( -6.8%)
06/06  Ms Marvel #4  - 40,627  ( -5.6%)
07/06  Ms Marvel #5  - 38,874  ( -4.3%)
08/06  Ms Marvel #6  - 68,330  (+75.8%)
09/06  Ms Marvel #7  - 64,973  ( -4.9%)
10/06  Ms Marvel #8  - 62,893  ( -3.2%)
11/06  Ms Marvel #9  - 37,881  (-39.8%)
12/06  Ms Marvel #10 - 34,350  ( -9.3%)
01/07  Ms Marvel #11 - 32,298  ( -6.0%)
02/07  Ms Marvel #12 - 30,763  ( -4.8%)
03/07  Ms Marvel #13 - 40,836  (+32.7%)
                       6 mnth  (-37.1%)
                       1 year  (-44.4%)

Hmm. This is an Initiative book, solicited with the dreaded “Classified Information” blurb. The interesting thing here is that MS MARVEL finished its official CIVIL WAR tie-in several months ago and then crashed back to its previous level, resuming its ongoing decline as if nothing had happened. Now it’s gone back up again, presumably thanks to the Initiative.

The question is, does this suggest that retailers see the Initiative as a short-term event rather than something with a longer-term effect on sales? It seems unlikely for a book like THUNDERBOLTS, which has been transformed almost beyond recognition at the same time. But with MS MARVEL, the retailers certainly seem to be ordering for a crossover. Depending on how you read it, that’s arguably not an encouraging sign for Marvel. This is a phenomenon to look out for over the next few months.

54. GHOST RIDER: TRAIL OF TEARS
02/07  Trail of Tears #1 of 6 - 49,260
03/07  Trail of Tears #2 of 6 - 40,200  (-18.4%)

Normal second issue drop.

57. X-FACTOR
03/06  X-Factor #4  - 48,183  ( -0.3%)
03/06  X-Factor #5  - 46,490  ( -3.5%)
04/06  X-Factor #6  - 45,220  ( -2.7%)
05/06  X-Factor #7  - 44,315  ( -2.0%)
06/06  X-Factor #8  - 76,150  (+71.8%)
07/06  X-Factor #9  - 68,799  ( -9.7%)
08/06  X-Factor #10 - 44,603  (-35.2%)
09/06  X-Factor #11 - 43,431  ( -2.6%)
10/06  X-Factor #12 - 42,909  ( -1.2%)
11/06  X-Factor #13 - 42,844  ( -0.2%)
12/06  X-Factor #14 - 40,208  ( -6.2%)
01/07  X-Factor #15 - 38,693  ( -3.8%)
02/07  X-Factor #16 - 38,240  ( -1.2%)
03/07  X-Factor #17 - 38,067  ( -0.4%)
                      6 mnth  (-12.4%)
                      1 year  (-21.0%)

Slow but steady decline.

58. NEW X-MEN
03/04  New Mutants #10 - 34,841
03/05  New X-Men #11   - 35,549
=====
03/06  New X-Men #24   - 42,044  ( +1.4%)
04/06  New X-Men #25   - 40,176  ( -4.4%)
05/06  New X-Men #26   - 40,073  ( -0.3%)
06/06  New X-Men #27   - 39,785  ( -0.7%)
07/06  New X-Men #28   - 39,771  ( -0.0%)
08/06  New X-Men #29   - 40,303  ( +1.3%)
09/06  New X-Men #30   - 39,658  ( -1.6%)
10/06  New X-Men #31   - 39,175  ( -1.2%)
11/06  New X-Men #32   - 37,919  ( -3.2%)
12/06  New X-Men #33   - 38,076  ( +0.4%)
01/07  New X-Men #34   - 37,272  ( -2.1%)
02/07  New X-Men #35   - 37,142  ( -0.3%)
03/07  New X-Men #36   - 37,004  ( -0.4%)
                         6 mnth  ( -6.7%)
                         1 year  (-12.0%)
                         2 year  ( +4.1%)
                         3 year  ( +6.2%)

Remarkably solid over the last few months, although the general trend still seems to be down.

60. SILENT WAR
01/07  Silent War #1 of 6 - 44,079
02/07  Silent War #2 of 6 - 37,899  (-14.0%)
03/07  Silent War #3 of 6 - 36,151  ( -4.6%)

Standard miniseries numbers.

61. NEWUNIVERSAL
12/06  newuniversal #1 - 43,163
01/07  newuniversal #2 - 49,565  (+14.8%)
02/07  newuniversal #3 - 36,535  (-26.3%)
03/07  newuniversal #4 - 34,743  ( -4.9%)

Levelling out quite acceptably.

63. ULTIMATE VISION
11/06  Ultimate Vision #0 of 5 - 40,004
12/06  Ultimate Vision #1 of 5 - 53,069  (+32.7%)
01/07  Ultimate Vision #2 of 5 - 40,288  (-24.1%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Ultimate Vision #3 of 5 - 33,455  (-17.0%)

Not good. That’s a big drop for the third issue of a miniseries. And overall, this is the most apathetic reaction to an Ultimate book since Ron Zimmerman and Duncan Fegredo’s ULTIMATE ADVENTURES – which was so far removed from the rest of the imprint that it arguably doesn’t count. Taken together with the faltering sales on the Ultimate imprint as a whole, and the adequate but unspectacular performance of ULTIMATE POWER, this points to a malaise in the Ultimate imprint, at least so far as its direct market audience is concerned.

64. PUNISHER  [Max]
03/02  Punisher #10 - 49,918
03/03  Punisher #23 - 42,006
03/04  Punisher #4  - 47,096
03/05  Punisher #18 - 38,348
=====
03/06  Punisher #31 - 34,505  ( +0.6%)
04/06  Punisher #32 - 34,076  ( -1.2%)
05/06  Punisher #33 - 34,480  ( +1.2%)
06/06  Punisher #34 - 34,161  ( -0.9%)
07/06  Punisher #35 - 34,116  ( -0.1%)
08/06  Punisher #36 - 34,227  ( +0.3%)
09/06  Punisher #37 - 34,250  ( +0.1%)
09/06  Punisher #38 - 33,839  ( -1.2%)
10/06  Punisher #39 - 33,962  ( +0.4%)
11/06  Punisher #40 - 33,579  ( -1.1%)
11/06  Punisher #41 - 33,164  ( -1.2%)
12/06  Punisher #42 - 33,003  ( -0.5%)
01/07  Punisher #43 - 33,023  ( +0.0%)
02/07  Punisher #44 - 32,951  ( -0.2%)
03/07  Punisher #45 - 33,245  ( +0.9%)
                      6 mnth  ( -1.8%)
                      1 year  ( -3.7%)
                      2 year  (-13.3%)
                      3 year  (-29.4%)

Solid as ever.

69. FANTASTIC FOUR: THE END
11/06  The End #1 of 6 - 54,213
11/06  The End #2 of 6 - 38,928  (-28.2%)
12/06  The End #3 of 6 - 36,744  ( -5.6%)
01/07  The End #4 of 6 - 34,169  ( -7.0%)
02/07  The End #5 of 6 - 33,325  ( -2.5%)
03/07  The End #6 of 6 - 32,295  ( -3.1%)

A decent performance for this out-of-continuity miniseries.

73. ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER  [DBPro]
10/06  Anita Blake #1 of 12 - 53,277
11/06  Anita Blake #2 of 12 - 39,450  (-26.0%)
12/06  Anita Blake #3 of 12 - 36,091  ( -8.5%)
01/07  Anita Blake #4 of 12 - 32,363  (-10.3%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Anita Blake #5 of 12 - 31,136  ( -3.8%)

DBPro’s biggest hit continues to hold up quite nicely. For a twelve-issue miniseries, declines like this are nothing to worry about – especially considering that DBPro books sell mainly through other channels.

74. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT
03/06  Finch/Sacasa        -  4,146  ( -30.3%)
04/06  Way/Coipel          -  3,309  ( -20.2%)
05/06  ---
06/06  Millar/McNiven      -  7,668  (+131.7%)
06/06  Gaiman/Larroca      -  5,449  ( -28.9%)
07/06  Kirkman/Land        -  3,963  ( -27.3%)
08/06  Brubaker/Tan        -  3,580  (  -9.7%)
09/06  Lee/Kirby           -  6,313  ( +76.3%)
10/06  Onslaught Reborn    -  4,557  ( -27.8%)
11/06  Bendis/Bagley       -  5,869  ( +28.8%)
12/06  ---
01/07  Ghost Rider         -  7,902  ( +34.6%)
01/07  Dark Tower          - 18,922  (+139.5%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Civil War Aftermath - 31,072  ( +64.2%)
                             6 mnth  (+392.2%)
                             1 year  (+649.4%)

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT’s shift in focus away from creators and onto events really seems to be paying dividends in sales terms. Of course, the CIVIL WAR tie-in was always going to help, but look back to last June, and you’ll see that an issue based around the creative team of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven sold fewer than 8,000 copies in the direct market. (Reportedly, the book does quite well in magazine racks.) In contrast, over the last few months, it’s been on a roll.

75. EXILES
03/02  Exiles #11 - 37,446
03/03  Exiles #23 - 36,380
03/04  Exiles #44 - 37,575
03/05  Exiles #60 - 42,898
=====
03/06  Exiles #78 - 33,506  ( +1.5%)
04/06  Exiles #79 - 34,119  ( +1.8%)
05/06  Exiles #80 - 34,039  ( -0.2%)
05/06  Exiles #81 - 33,908  ( -0.4%)
06/06  Exiles #82 - 33,342  ( -1.7%)
06/06  Exiles #83 - 33,143  ( -0.6%)
07/06  Exiles #84 - 32,866  ( -0.8%)
08/06  Exiles #85 - 33,978  ( +3.4%)
09/06  Exiles #86 - 33,080  ( -2.6%)
10/06  Exiles #87 - 31,946  ( -3.4%)
11/06  Exiles #88 - 30,928  ( -3.2%)
12/06  Exiles #89 - 36,880  (+19.2%)
01/07  Exiles #90 - 31,595  (-14.3%)
02/07  Exiles #91 - 31,712  ( +0.4%)
03/07  Exiles #92 - 30,296  ( -4.5%)
                    6 mnth  ( -8.4%)
                    1 year  ( -9.6%)
                    2 year  (-29.4%)
                    3 year  (-19.4%)
                    4 year  (-16.7%)

A slight dip, but still within the book’s normal range.

78. SQUADRON SUPREME: HYPERION VS NIGHTHAWK
01/07  Hyperion/N'hawk #1 of 4 - 33,922
02/07  Hyperion/N'hawk #2 of 4 - 29,366  (-13.4%)
03/07  Hyperion/N'hawk #3 of 4 - 27,482  ( -6.4%)

Normal miniseries numbers.

79. CABLE & DEADPOOL
03/04  Cable & Deadpool #1  - 47,130
03/05  Cable & Deadpool #13 - 25,551
=====
03/06  Cable & Deadpool #26 - 25,584  ( +11.6%)
04/06  Cable & Deadpool #27 - 26,153  (  +2.2%)
05/06  Cable & Deadpool #28 - 25,665  (  -1.9%)
06/06  Cable & Deadpool #29 - 25,368  (  -1.2%)
07/06  Cable & Deadpool #30 - 59,333  (+133.9%)
08/06  Cable & Deadpool #31 - 59,804  (  +0.8%)
09/06  Cable & Deadpool #32 - 60,177  (  +0.6%)
10/06  Cable & Deadpool #33 - 30,741  ( -48.9%)
11/06  Cable & Deadpool #34 - 29,144  (  -5.2%)
12/06  Cable & Deadpool #35 - 27,785  (  -4.7%)
01/07  Cable & Deadpool #36 - 26,803  (  -3.5%)
02/07  Cable & Deadpool #37 - 26,588  (  -0.8%)
03/07  Cable & Deadpool #38 - 26,258  (  -1.2%)
                              6 mnth  ( -56.4%)
                              1 year  (  +2.6%)
                              2 year  (  +2.8%)
                              3 year  ( -44.3%)

In slight decline recently, but overall, CABLE & DEADPOOL has been a very solid performer over the last couple of years.

86. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
09/06  First Class #1 of 8 - 39,859
10/06  First Class #2 of 8 - 33,688  (-15.5%)
11/06  First Class #3 of 8 - 30,805  ( -8.6%)
12/06  First Class #4 of 8 - 28,455  ( -7.6%)
01/07  First Class #5 of 8 - 26,607  ( -6.5%)
02/07  First Class #6 of 8 - 25,125  ( -5.6%)
03/07  First Class #7 of 8 - 24,028  ( -4.4%)
                             6 mnth  (-39.7%)

Standard miniseries declines. An ongoing title is scheduled, almost immediately upon the miniseries concluding. That decision is usually justified on the grounds that the book is doing well with the audience for Marvel Adventures books. On that basis, it’ll be interesting to see how retailers treat the ongoing title. Thus far, they certainly seem to subscribe to the view that it’s got wider direct market appeal than its siblings.

89. HEROES FOR HIRE
08/06  Heroes for Hire #1 - 84,006
09/06  Heroes for Hire #2 - 66,949  (-20.3%)
10/06  Heroes for Hire #3 - 60,770  ( -9.2%)
11/06  Heroes for Hire #4 - 38,070  (-37.4%)
12/06  Heroes for Hire #5 - 31,318  (-17.7%)
01/07  Heroes for Hire #6 - 27,513  (-12.1%)
02/07  Heroes for Hire #7 - 24,476  (-11.0%)
03/07  Heroes for Hire #8 - 22,563  ( -7.8%)
                            6 mnth  (-66.3%)

Levelling out slightly, but surely it must be too little too late.

100. PUNISHER PRESENTS BARRACUDA MAX [Max]
02/07  Barracuda #1 of 5 - 23,886
03/07  Barracuda #2 of 5 - 20,969  (-12.2%)

Standard second issue drop.

101. AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES II
11/06  Avengers: EMH II #1 of 8 - 35,032
11/06  Avengers: EMH II #2 of 8 - 31,871  ( -9.0%)
12/06  Avengers: EMH II #3 of 8 - 27,015  (-15.2%)
12/06  Avengers: EMH II #4 of 8 - 25,622  ( -5.2%)
01/07  Avengers: EMH II #5 of 8 - 22,409  (-12.5%)
02/07  Avengers: EMH II #6 of 8 - 21,873  ( -2.4%)
03/07  Avengers: EMH II #7 of 8 - 20,511  ( -6.2%)

Bit steep for a miniseries decline, but not too bad.

102. AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL
03/01  Spider-Girl #32        - 23,735
03/02  Spider-Girl #45        - 23,065
03/03  Spider-Girl #58        - 23,776
03/04  Spider-Girl #71        - 20,709
03/05  Spider-Girl #84        - 20,050
=====
03/06  Spider-Girl #96        - 16,739  (  -0.2%)
04/06  Spider-Girl #97        - 17,508  (  +4.6%)
05/06  Spider-Girl #98        - 17,738  (  +1.3%)
06/06  Spider-Girl #99        - 17,915  (  +1.0%)
07/06  Spider-Girl #100       - 22,691  ( +26.7%)
08/06  ----
09/06  ----
10/06  Amazing Spider-Girl #1 - 47,304  (+108.5%)
11/06  Amazing Spider-Girl #2 - 28,135  ( -40.5%)
12/06  Amazing Spider-Girl #3 - 25,645  (  -8.9%)
01/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #4 - 23,113  (  -9.9%)
02/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #5 - 21,391  (  -7.5%)
03/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #6 - 20,478  (  -4.3%)
                                6 mnth  (   --- )
                                1 year  ( +22.3%)
                                2 year  (  +2.1%)
                                3 year  (  -1.1%)
                                4 year  ( -13.9%)

This book has now come full circle; it’s back where it was a couple of years ago, and there’s no real sign of it levelling out before it returns to pre-relaunch levels.

107. BULLET POINTS
11/06  Bullet Points #1 of 5 - 33,503
12/06  Bullet Points #2 of 5 - 25,184  (-24.8%)
01/07  Bullet Points #3 of 5 - 21,721  (-13.8%)
02/07  Bullet Points #4 of 5 - 20,559  ( -5.3%)
03/07  Bullet Points #5 of 5 - 20,100  ( -2.2%)

Standard miniseries numbers.

108. THUNDERBOLTS PRESENTS ZEMO: BORN BETTER
02/07  Zemo #1 of 4 - 22,680
03/07  Zemo #2 of 4 - 20,076  (-11.5%)

A relatively modest second issue drop.

109. IRON MAN: HYPERVELOCITY
01/07  Hypervelocity #1 of 6 - 28,630
02/07  Hypervelocity #2 of 6 - 22,522  (-21.3%)
03/07  Hypervelocity #3 of 6 - 20,020  (-11.1%)

Again, this is fairly standard for a miniseries.

113. BLADE
03/02  Blade #1 - 35,120
=====
09/06  Blade #1 - 37,394
10/06  Blade #2 - 27,170  ( -27.3%)
11/06  Blade #3 - 23,144  ( -14.8%)
12/06  Blade #4 - 21,043  (  -9.1%)
01/07  Blade #5 - 42,513  (+102.0%)
02/07  Blade #6 - 19,087  ( -55.1%)
03/07  Blade #7 - 18,426  (  -3.5%)

The decline is levelling out somewhat, but at this stage, it’s hard to see the book surviving the year.

123. CRIMINAL  [Icon]
10/06  Criminal #1 - 25,978
11/06  Criminal #2 - 21,115  (-18.7%)
12/06  Criminal #3 - 17,702  (-16.2%)
01/07  Criminal #4 - 16,827  ( -4.9%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Criminal #5 - 16,389  ( -2.6%)

Levelling out, and doing just fine for a creator-owned crime book.

124. IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN
10/06  Irredeemable Ant-Man #1 - 29,499
11/06  Irredeemable Ant-Man #2 - 23,191  (-21.4%)
12/06  Irredeemable Ant-Man #3 - 19,580  (-15.6%)
01/07  Irredeemable Ant-Man #4 - 17,864  ( -8.8%)
02/07  Irredeemable Ant-Man #5 - 16,900  ( -5.4%)
03/07  Irredeemable Ant-Man #6 - 16,220  ( -4.0%)

The lowest-selling Marvel Universe title, and surely not long for this world either.

126. JOHN ROMITA JR 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
03/07  30th Anniversary Special - 16,099

Self-explanatory, really, and a very respectable performance.

129. RUNAWAYS SAGA
03/07  Runaways Saga - 15,069

A recap book with a brief framing sequence, designed to bring new readers up to date before Joss Whedon comes aboard. It’s almost the comic book equivalent of a clip show, although with slightly nobler intentions. The parent title regularly sells around 25K, so this is quite a good number.

145. WISDOM [Max]
11/06  Wisdom #1 of 6 - 20,021
12/06  --
01/07  Wisdom #2 of 6 - 14,855  (-25.8%)
02/07  Wisdom #3 of 6 - 12,400  (-16.5%)
03/07  Wisdom #4 of 6 - 11,503  ( -7.2%)


148. WONDER MAN
12/06  Wonder Man #1 of 5 - 22,282
01/07  Wonder Man #2 of 5 - 15,645  (-29.8%)
02/07  Wonder Man #3 of 5 - 12,009  (-23.2%)
03/07  Wonder Man #4 of 5 - 10,964  ( -8.7%)

Two disastrously underperforming minis. We’ll look discreetly away.

180. MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS  [All ages]
05/06  M.A. Avengers #1  - 13,891
06/06  M.A. Avengers #2  -  9,359  (-32.7%)
07/06  M.A. Avengers #3  -  9,006  ( -3.8%)
08/06  M.A. Avengers #4  -  8,610  ( -4.4%)
09/06  M.A. Avengers #5  -  7,994  ( -7.2%)
10/06  M.A. Avengers #6  -  7,879  ( -1.4%)
11/06  M.A. Avengers #7  -  7,642  ( -3.0%)
12/06  M.A. Avengers #8  -  7,512  ( -1.7%)
01/07  M.A. Avengers #9  -  7,315  ( -2.6%)
02/07  M.A. Avengers #10 -  7,053  ( -3.6%)
03/07  M.A. Avengers #11 -  7,068  ( +0.2%)
                           6 mnth  (-11.6%)

As I say every month, the Marvel Adventures imprint is primarily aimed at audiences outside the direct market, so its performance on this chart doesn’t really matter a great deal.

184. MAGICIAN: APPRENTICE  [DBPro]
10/06  Apprentice #1-2 of 12 - 1,892
11/06  Apprentice #3   of 12 - 4,595  (+142.9%)
12/06  Apprentice #4   of 12 - 7,266  ( +58.1%)
01/07  Apprentice #5   of 12 - 7,206  (  -0.8%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Apprentice #6   of 12 - 6,818  (  -5.4%)

Much the same could be said for DBPro. Their line seems to be dropping back a little after the initial surge of interest that followed their hook-up with Marvel, but it’s all a little academic – DBPro were never exactly counting on their modest DM sales.

186. POWER PACK  [All ages]
04/06  Avengers #1 of 4   - 7,857
05/06  Avengers #2 of 4   - 6,613  (-15.8%)
06/06  Avengers #3 of 4   - 6,137  ( -7.2%)
07/06  Avengers #4 of 4   - 5,849  ( -4.7%)
08/06  ---
09/06  ---
10/06  ---
11/06  Spider-Man #1 of 4 - 7,897  (+35.0%)
12/06  Spider-Man #2 of 4 - 6,350  (-19.6%)
01/07  Spider-Man #3 of 4 - 5,880  ( -7.4%)
02/07  Spider-Man #4 of 4 - 5,605  ( -4.7%)
03/07  Hulk #1 of 4       - 6,697  (+19.5%)

As one Power Pack team-up mini ends, another begins, this time with the Hulk. To all intents and purposes, this seems to have become a regular title. Obviously these books are selling mainly outside the direct market, but they’re performing quite consistently inside it too.

191. FRANKLIN RICHARDS, SON OF A GENIUS
07/06  Super Summer Spectacular - 8,324
08/06  ---
09/06  ---
10/06  ---
11/06  Happy Franksgiving       - 8,067  ( -3.1%)
12/06  ---
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  March Madness            - 6,416  (-20.5%)

A bit of a drop from recent Franklin Richards one-shots.

192. MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN  [All ages]
03/05  M.A. Spider-Man #1  - 14,351
=====
03/06  M.A. Spider-Man #13 -  5,899  ( -3.1%)
04/06  M.A. Spider-Man #14 -  5,970  ( +1.2%)
05/06  M.A. Spider-Man #15 -  6,165  ( +3.3%)
06/06  M.A. Spider-Man #16 -  6,114  ( -0.8%)
07/06  M.A. Spider-Man #17 -  6,133  ( +0.3%)
08/06  M.A. Spider-Man #18 -  6,220  ( +1.4%)
09/06  M.A. Spider-Man #19 -  6,057  ( -2.6%)
10/06  M.A. Spider-Man #20 -  6,131  ( +1.2%)
11/06  M.A. Spider-Man #21 -  6,529  ( +6.5%)
12/06  M.A. Spider-Man #22 -  6,396  ( -2.0%)
01/07  M.A. Spider-Man #23 -  6,271  ( -2.0%)
02/07  M.A. Spider-Man #24 -  6,678  ( +6.5%)
03/07  M.A. Spider-Man #25 -  6,408  ( -4.0%)
                             6 mnth  ( +5.8%)
                             1 year  ( +8.6%)
                             2 year  (-55.3%)


194. SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE  [All ages]
03/05  MJ: Homecoming #1 of 4  - 12,707
=====
03/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #4  -  7,672  ( +0.3%)
04/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #5  -  7,165  ( -6.6%)
05/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #6  -  7,069  ( -1.3%)
06/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #7  -  6,834  ( -3.3%)
07/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #8  -  6,769  ( -1.0%)
08/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #9  -  6,719  ( -0.7%)
09/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #10 -  6,623  ( -1.4%)
10/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #11 -  6,586  ( -0.6%)
11/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #12 -  6,520  ( -1.0%)
12/06  S-M Loves Mary Jane #13 -  6,311  ( -3.2%)
01/07  S-M Loves Mary Jane #14 -  6,329  ( +0.3%)
02/07  S-M Loves Mary Jane #15 -  6,121  ( -3.3%)
03/07  S-M Loves Mary Jane #16 -  6,279  ( +2.6%)
                                 6 mnth  ( -5.2%)
                                 1 year  (-18.2%)
                                 2 year  (-50.6%)

More all ages books, primarily selling elsewhere, but with a small but solid base in the direct market.

204. ORSON SCOTT CARD'S WYRMS  [DBPro]
02/07  Wyrms #1 of 6 - 6,246
03/07  Wyrms #2 of 6 - 5,401  (-13.5%)

A reasonable second issue drop.

208. JACK KIRBY'S GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS  [Icon]
07/06  Bounty Hunters #1 - 13,514
08/06  Bounty Hunters #2 -  9,301  (-31.2%)
09/06  ---
10/06  Bounty Hunters #3 -  7,716  (-17.0%)
11/06  ---
12/06  ---
01/07  Bounty Hunters #4 -  6,010  (-22.1%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Bounty Hunters #5 -  5,047  (-16.0%)
                           6 mnth  (-34.6%)

Unlike the books surrounding it, it’s hard to imagine why JACK KIRBY’S GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS would be performing much better outside the direct market. These are very bad sales.

216. MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR  [All ages]
03/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #10 - 4,663  ( -1.0%)
04/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #11 - 4,526  ( -2.9%)
05/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #12 - 4,836  ( +6.8%)
06/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #13 - 4,752  ( -1.7%)
07/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #14 - 4,668  ( -1.8%)
08/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #15 - 4,569  ( -2.1%)
09/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #16 - 4,687  ( +2.6%)
10/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #17 - 4,557  ( -2.8%)
11/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #18 - 4,614  ( +1.3%)
12/06  M.A. Fantastic Four #19 - 4,533  ( -1.8%)
01/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #20 - 4,459  ( -1.6%)
02/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #21 - 4,508  ( +1.1%)
03/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #22 - 4,588  ( +1.8%)
                                6 mnth  ( -2.1%)
                                1 year  ( -1.6%)

Another steady performance from an all-ages book.

224. PTOLUS: CITY BY THE SPIRE  [DBPro]
10/06  Ptolus: CBTS #1 of 6 -   1,873
11/05  Ptolus: CBTS #2 of 6 - < 3,170  (  ?.?%)
12/06  Ptolus: CBTS #3 of 6 -   5,796  ( +?.?%)
01/07  Ptolus: CBTS #4 of 6 -   4,379  (-24.4%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Ptolus: CBTS #5 of 6 -   4,258  ( -2.8%)


226. RED PROPHET: TALES OF ALVIN MAKER  [DBPro]
10/06  Alvin Maker #1-2 of 12 -   1,617
11/06  Alvin Maker #3   of 12 - < 3,170  (  ?.?%)
12/06  Alvin Maker #4   of 12 -   5,034  ( +?.?%)
01/07  Alvin Maker #5   of 12 -   4,480  (-11.0%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Alvin Maker #6   of 12 -   4,009  (-10.5%)

Two more delayed DBPro books.

Skip months
===========

CIVIL WAR
05/06  Civil War #1 of 7 - 361,516
06/06  Civil War #2 of 7 - 340,879  ( -5.7%)
07/06  Civil War #3 of 7 - 335,655  ( -1.5%)
08/06  ---
09/06  Civil War #4 of 7 - 291,024  (-13.3%)
10/06  ---
11/06  Civil War #5 of 7 - 283,883  ( -2.5%)
12/06  ---
01/07  Civil War #6 of 7 - 263,860  ( -7.1%)
02/07  Civil War #7 of 7 - 272,713  ( +3.4%)

Still racking up the re-orders. If you're keeping track, it's another 1,344 of issue #1, 1,352 of issue #2, 2,415 of issue #4, 2,560 of issue #5, 4,596 of issue #6 and 6,778 of last month's issue #7.

ASTONISHING X-MEN
03/05  Astonishing X-Men #9  - 132,295
=====
03/06  ---
04/06  Astonishing X-Men #14 - 124,129  (-16.3%)
05/06  ---
06/06  Astonishing X-Men #15 - 119,991  ( -3.3%)
07/06  ---
08/06  Astonishing X-Men #16 - 121,897  ( +1.6%)
09/06  Astonishing X-Men #17 - 124,026  ( +1.7%)
10/06  ---
11/06  Astonishing X-Men #18 - 118,285  ( -4.6%)
12/06  Astonishing X-Men #19 - 124,033  ( +4.9%)
01/07  ---
02/07  Astonishing X-Men #20 - 119,736  ( -3.5%)
03/07  ---

Erratic schedule.

ULTIMATES
03/02  Ultimates #3    - 102,956
03/03  Ultimates #9    - 105,448
03/04  Ultimates #13   - 101,329
03/05  Ultimates 2 #4  - 105,255
=====
03/06  Ultimates 2 #10 -  94,900  ( +0.4%)
04/06  ---
05/06  ---
06/06  Ultimates 2 #11 -  96,751  ( +2.0%)
07/06  ---
08/06  ---
09/06  Ultimates 2 #12 -  99,538  ( +2.9%)
10/06  ---
11/06  ---
12/06  ---
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  ---

Hopelessly late.

NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI
12/06  Illuminati #1 of 5 - 106,381
01/07  ---
02/07  Illuminati #2 of 5 -  92,881  (-12.7%)
03/07  ---

Bimonthly.

IRON MAN
03/01  Iron Man #40 - 36,822
03/02  Iron Man #52 - 37,508
03/03  Iron Man #66 - 33,445
03/04  Iron Man #78 - 29,680
03/05  ---
=====
03/06  Iron Man #6  - 40,264  ( -11.0%)
04/06  Iron Man #7  - 49,404  ( +22.7%)
05/06  Iron Man #8  - 38,860  ( -21.3%)
06/06  Iron Man #9  - 37,650  (  -3.1%)
07/06  Iron Man #10 - 38,102  (  +1.2%)
08/06  Iron Man #11 - 37,279  (  -2.2%)
09/06  Iron Man #12 - 36,278  (  -2.7%)
10/06  ---
11/06  Iron Man #13 - 76,800  (+111.7%)
12/06  Iron Man #14 - 73,388  (  -4.4%)
01/07  ---
02/07  Iron Man #15 - 62,409  ( -15.0%)
03/07  ---

Issue #15 picks up re-orders of 1,747. Issue #16 is late, because the first print run was pulped. The official explanation is that the pages were stapled in the wrong order, although copies that made it to the newsstands don't seem to display that error.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST
03/04  Iron Fist #1          - 34,207
=====
11/06  Immortal Iron Fist #1 - 60,079
12/06  Immortal Iron Fist #2 - 40,617  (-32.4%)
01/07  ---
02/07  Immortal Iron Fist #3 - 35,654  (-12.2%)
03/07  ---

Issue #2 adds another 1,352 in sales. The book is running late.

NEW EXCALIBUR
03/06  New Excalibur #5  - 43,523  ( -3.4%)
04/06  New Excalibur #6  - 40,687  ( -6.5%)
05/06  New Excalibur #7  - 38,744  ( -4.8%)
06/06  New Excalibur #8  - 37,428  ( -3.4%)
07/06  New Excalibur #9  - 36,466  ( -2.6%)
08/06  New Excalibur #10 - 36,108  ( -1.0%)
09/06  New Excalibur #11 - 34,104  ( -5.6%)
10/06  New Excalibur #12 - 33,082  ( -3.0%)
11/06  New Excalibur #13 - 32,173  ( -2.7%)
12/06  New Excalibur #14 - 31,318  ( -2.7%)
01/07  New Excalibur #15 - 30,827  ( -1.6%)
02/07  New Excalibur #16 - 30,356  ( -1.5%)
02/07  New Excalibur #17 - 30,073  ( -0.9%)
03/07  ---

Late, but only because it slipped from the last week of March to the first week of April.

SHE-HULK
03/04  She-Hulk #1  - 34,499
03/05  ---
=====
03/06  She-Hulk #6  - 26,631  (  -2.0%)
04/06  ---
05/06  She-Hulk #7  - 26,561  (  -0.3%)
05/06  She-Hulk #8  - 58,053  (+118.6%)
06/06  ---
07/06  She-Hulk #9  - 29,902  ( -48.5%)
08/06  She-Hulk #10 - 28,555  (  -4.5%)
08/06  She-Hulk #11 - 27,393  (  -4.1%)
09/06  She-Hulk #12 - 26,448  (  -3.4%)
10/06  ---
11/06  She-Hulk #13 - 26,267  (  -0.7%)
12/06  She-Hulk #14 - 24,552  (  -6.5%)
01/07  She-Hulk #15 - 27,600  ( +12.4%)
02/07  She-Hulk #16 - 27,961  (  +1.3%)
03/07  ---

Late, but again, only because it slipped to the first week of April.

SPIDER-MAN FAMILY
02/07  Spider-Man Family #1 - 25,225
03/07  ---

Bimonthly.

RUNAWAYS
03/04  Runaways #13 - 19,459
03/05  Runaways #2  - 30,096
=====
03/06  Runaways #14 - 24,536  ( +0.9%)
04/06  Runaways #15 - 24,046  ( -2.0%)
05/06  Runaways #16 - 23,842  ( -0.8%)
06/06  Runaways #17 - 23,654  ( -0.8%)
07/06  Runaways #18 - 24,678  ( +4.3%)
08/06  Runaways #19 - 25,042  ( +1.5%)
09/06  Runaways #20 - 23,561  ( -5.9%)
10/06  Runaways #21 - 25,553  ( +8.5%)
11/06  Runaways #22 - 25,908  ( +1.4%)
12/06  ---
01/07  Runaways #23 - 25,346  ( -2.2%)
02/07  Runaways #24 - 25,216  ( -0.5%)
03/07  ---

On a one-month hiatus before Joss Whedon takes over. RUNAWAYS SAGA fills the gap in the schedule.

POWERS  [Icon]
03/01  Powers #10 - 23,387
03/02  Powers #19 - 27,112
03/03  Powers #29 - 27,062
03/04  Powers #37 - 25,028
03/05  ---
=====
03/06  Powers #17 - 24,139  ( -3.1%)
04/06  ---
05/06  Powers #18 - 23,617  ( -2.2%)
06/06  ---
07/06  Powers #19 - 23,156  ( -1.9%)
08/06  ---
09/06  ---
10/06  Powers #20 - 22,943  ( -0.9%)
11/06  Powers #21 - 22,134  ( -3.5%)
12/06  ---
01/07  Powers #22 - 22,018  ( -0.5%)
02/07  Powers #23 - 21,939  ( -0.4%)
03/07  ---

Late. Issue #24 was solicited for March.

OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
03/05  Age of Apocalypse - 37,056
=====
03/06  A to Z #3  of 12  - 21,681  ( -0.7%)
04/06  A to Z #4  of 12  - 21,531  ( -0.7%)
05/06  A to Z #5  of 12  - 21,331  ( -0.9%)
06/06  A to Z #6  of 12  - 20,731  ( -2.8%)
07/06  A to Z #7  of 12  - 20,124  ( -2.9%)
08/06  A to Z #8  of 12  - 19,926  ( -1.0%)
09/06  A to Z #9  of 12  - 18,966  ( -4.8%)
10/06  A to Z #10 of 12  - 18,767  ( -1.0%)
11/06  A to Z #11 of 12  - 18,285  ( -2.6%)
12/06  A to Z #12 of 12  - 21,183  (+15.8%)
01/07  Update #1 of 4    - 17,182  (-18.9%)
02/07  ---
03/07  ---

Skip month. Bear in mind that although the regular title didn't ship in February or March, those months did see the release of CIVIL WAR: BATTLE DAMAGE REPORT and the 1990s theme Handbook, both of which I've classified as belonging to separate series. You could certainly argue that they belong here.

LEGION OF MONSTERS
02/07  Werewolf by Night - 21,773
03/07  ---

Late.

WHITE TIGER
11/06  White Tiger #1 of 6 - 24,663
12/06  White Tiger #2 of 6 - 19,042  (-22.3%)
01/07  White Tiger #3 of 6 - 15,986  (-16.0%)
02/07  White Tiger #4 of 6 - 14,554  ( -9.0%)
03/07  ---

Late.

KABUKI  [Icon]
03/06  ---
04/06  ---
05/06  ---
06/06  ---
07/06  ---
08/06  Kabuki #7 - 10,798  ( -4.9%)
09/06  ---
10/06  ---
11/06  ---
12/06  ---
01/07  Kabuki #8 -  9,961  ( -7.8%)
02/07  ---
03/07  ---
04/07  ---

Late.

6 month comparisons
===================

+392.2% - Marvel Spotlight
+234.4% - Captain America
+ 94.7% - Thunderbolts
+ 83.2% - Black Panther
+ 19.5% - Moon Knight
+ 12.0% - Amazing Spider-Man
+  5.8% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
+  5.4% - Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
+  3.1% - Sensational Spider-Man
-  1.8% - Punisher
-  2.1% - Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four
-  5.2% - Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
-  6.7% - New X-Men
-  8.4% - X-Men
-  8.4% - Exiles
-  8.5% - Ultimate X-Men
-  8.7% - Uncanny X-Men
-  9.7% - Incredible Hulk
- 11.1% - Ghost Rider
- 11.6% - Marvel Adventures Avengers
- 11.7% - Wolverine
- 12.4% - X-Factor
- 12.6% - New Avengers
- 16.3% - Daredevil
- 16.9% - Fantastic Four
- 20.4% - Ultimate Fantastic Four
- 26.0% - Wolverine: Origins
- 34.6% - Jack Kirby's Galactic Bounty Hunters
- 37.1% - Ms Marvel
- 38.9% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 39.7% - X-Men: First Class
- 56.4% - Cable & Deadpool
- 66.3% - Heroes for Hire


1 year comparisons
==================

+649.4% - Marvel Spotlight
+549.7% - Captain America
+129.1% - Thunderbolts
+ 69.1% - Black Panther
+ 36.1% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 22.7% - Wolverine
+ 22.3% - Spider-Girl
+  8.6% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
+  4.1% - Sensational Spider-Man
+  3.3% - Uncanny X-Men
+  2.6% - Cable & Deadpool
+  0.8% - Incredible Hulk
-  0.7% - Daredevil
-  1.6% - Ultimate Spider-Man
-  1.6% - Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four
-  2.7% - New Avengers
-  3.7% - Punisher
-  5.4% - X-Men
-  7.3% - Fantastic Four
-  9.6% - Exiles
- 12.0% - New X-Men
- 13.4% - Ultimate X-Men
- 15.4% - Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
- 18.2% - Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
- 21.0% - X-Factor
- 25.2% - Ultimate Fantastic Four
- 44.4% - Ms Marvel


2 year comparisons
==================

+522.7% - Captain America
+111.0% - Thunderbolts
+ 78.8% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 58.3% - Fantastic Four
+  9.9% - Incredible Hulk
+  4.1% - New X-Men
+  2.8% - Cable & Deadpool
+  2.5% - Black Panther
+  2.1% - Spider-Girl
-  5.0% - Uncanny X-Men
-  6.3% - Sensational Spider-Man
-  6.6% - Daredevil
- 10.1% - Wolverine
- 10.5% - X-Men
- 13.3% - Punisher
- 14.3% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 23.0% - New Avengers
- 23.5% - X-23: Target X
- 24.8% - Ultimate X-Men
- 29.4% - Exiles
- 31.8% - Ultimate Fantastic Four
- 50.6% - Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
- 55.3% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man


3 year comparisons
==================

+641.7% - Captain America
+115.2% - New Avengers
+ 64.7% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 47.5% - Fantastic Four
+ 36.5% - Wolverine
+  6.2% - New X-Men
+  3.7% - Incredible Hulk
-  1.1% - Spider-Girl
-  5.1% - Uncanny X-Men
- 14.6% - Daredevil
- 19.4% - Exiles
- 21.7% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 29.4% - Punisher
- 35.0% - Ultimate X-Men
- 35.9% - X-Men
- 44.3% - Cable & Deadpool
- 52.8% - Ultimate Fantastic Four


4 year comparisons
==================

+466.6% - Captain America
+184.1% - Black Panther
+147.0% - Thunderbolts
+102.0% - New Avengers
+ 53.3% - Wolverine
+ 42.8% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 38.8% - Fantastic Four
-  4.0% - Uncanny X-Men
- 13.9% - Spider-Girl
- 14.9% - Hulk
- 16.7% - Exiles
- 21.1% - X-Men
- 29.6% - Ultimate X-Men
- 35.3% - Ultimate Spider-Man

26 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for the always terrific recap.

    I try to keep up with comic news (and I do a dang good job of it), but I definately missed what the “Classified Information” blurb you refer to is.

    Anyone got any info?

    Regards-

  2. Marvel solicited a great many titles with no information about the book other than “classified information,” making retailers order (to an extent) blindly for that month.

  3. Got news for you, Paul. If DC dies, the entire comics industry will go down with it, so keep cheering for DC’s demise.

  4. These will all be down when the events… if the events ever end. They kind of just stamp some event title on everything.

  5. Is it really fair to put the numbers of Wonderman and Wisdom on the same level. The former is a better known character and the latter is a MAX book. If you were to gauge each books success relative to those facts, shouldn’t you gauge their lack of success as well? Either Wonderman is doing TERRIBLE or Wisdom is just doing sub-par.

  6. I wouldn’t exactly call X-Men’s 0.7% loss “in decline.”

    Isn’t that more in the “stabilizing” or “Finding its level” catagory?

  7. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. The INITIATIVE is seen as a continuation of CIVIL WAR by MOST fans and retailers. This is ONE of the reasons (the other reason being, that the first 6 issues of his run all have variant covers) why sales on Ellis’s T-bolts are still high. Speaki ng ONLY for the comic store I work at, I can tell you that many of our customers consider the INITIATIVE as a continuation of CW.

  8. Anyone else find it kind of funny that DC is being criticized for actually being a company more diversified and better suited to the long-term market?

    “As I say every month, the Marvel Adventures imprint is primarily aimed at audiences outside the direct market, so its performance on this chart doesn’t really matter a great deal.”

    Shouldn’t we say it’s not the only think to look at but it DOES matter. I’m sure the combined costs from the different markets are put together to determine whether a comic is profitable and worth continuing, if not it’s done. That said, you’re spot on about the Jack Kirby book not having the same crossover appeal in the news stand or bookstore markets and I don’t see why it won’t be quickly put down.

  9. “I wouldn’t exactly call X-Men’s 0.7% loss “in decline.”

    Isn’t that more in the “stabilizing” or “Finding its level” catagory?”

    See also: X-Factor.

    But whatever. I’m just happy my boys Carey and PAD aren’t stuck in the event-up no event-down cycle like every other super hero comic.

  10. “I wouldn’t exactly call X-Men’s 0.7% loss “in decline.””

    In the context of what’s gone before, it’s a continuation of an existing downward trend, and I wouldn’t read it as a sign of levelling out.

  11. “Except they did. ”

    Yeah, this does merit some explanation. When I wrote that line, what I had in mind was the reports I’d seen from people who’d gone down to Borders and couldn’t see anything wrong with the copies on sale. But re-reading it, I’ve phrased it very badly. It should say something like “don’t all seem to…” So fair point, yes.

  12. One item of note: Barnes & Noble is carrying “Dark Tower” at its newsstands, and from the memo they sent out to the stores, it seems these copies are non-returnable and possibly from the direct market. They implemented this when many customers asked for the comic, about three weeks after the Midnight Madness. So those reorders for #1 might be from B&N.

  13. ‘Ed Brubaker and Billy Tan remain significantly up on the sales of the previous creative team”

    Can somebody explain how 83,000 is “significantly up” on 79,000? Paul, UNCANNY 472-474 were by your own admission a completely forgettable fill-in storyline co-written by Tony Bedard and Chris Claremont, disrupted by the heart troubles of the now-commercially-unviable Claremont and finished in a hurry. If the much-ballyhooed new team of industry superstars Brubaker and Tan is already back down to this level, something’s gone wrong.

  14. We had a blast at my store fielding calls from Barnes & Noble and Border’s those first few weeks. My favorite, oft repeated, question from flustered callers: “What’s the ISBN for the Stephen King graphic novel?”

  15. As Leigh points out, the trend on Uncanny indicates it’ll actually fall below the last Claremont/Bedard issues in 2-3 months. Now Marvel does have its next event at the ready, but it’s definitely a sign that the X doesn’t captivate people anymore the way it used to. (ditto for the Spider, look at those flailing mid-level books!)

    Interestingly, the Avengers franchise currently seems to rule Marvel. Something I always dreamed of. Yet thanks to the handling of said franchise, I’m basically at my nadir of interest in the Avengers series (both of them, the existence of which directly contradicts everything Tom Brevoort used to rail against back in the days of Busiek and Perez), Iron Man, and Thor. Talk about being careful what you wish for! But at least Captain America is highly enjoyable, even if he’s “dead”.

    (I’ll be incredibly surprised if we don’t see his floating brain or something like it pop up as a cliffhanger in one of the coming months. I just hope it’ll become monthly again instead of quarterly! It’s torture! Which is fitting, considering the involvement of Zola, Faustus and the Skull :) )

    It’s nice to see them doing good financially, but it sucks for me personally since it won’t make them change direction, and I don’t like their current direction. But as long as they provide me with Essentials and cool minis on the side like the Jeff Parker ones, I’m good!

  16. Peter, I’m with you. I’m pleased as punch to see the Avengers as the topd dogs at Marvel, but I’ve got next to no interest in how the titles are being run nowadays. and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who’s noticed how fickle/schizophrenic/two-faced Brevoort is being.

  17. I on the other hand, am digging the Avengers now more than ever. And I’m a fan of the old school stuff. The old New Avengers were up and down, but the new New and Mighty dichotomy is really interesting.

    Great job as always, Paul. :)

Comments are closed.