by Paul O’Brien
For the second month running, things are fairly quiet at Marvel. The biggest item on their schedule is the continuing WORLD WAR HULK event, and the X-books are also seeing gains from their “Endangered Species” crossover. The solitary new ongoing title is a revived MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS, and there’s a clutch of new miniseries, including CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE CHOSEN and X-MEN: EMPEROR VULCAN.

But Marvel also had a bad month in terms of getting books on the shelves. Nine ongoing titles failed to show, including books like MIGHTY AVENGERS, FANTASTIC FOUR, THUNDERBOLTS and two of the Spider-Man books. And that’s before you get onto the high-profile minis – the much-promoted HALO: UPRISING also failed to get its second issue onto the shelves. Throw in the fact that DARK TOWER finished its run in August and, well, the company has had better months.

The result is that Marvel still took first place in the North American direct market, but they beat DC by only 43% to 37% in unit share, and 38% to 35% in dollars. That’s the smallest margin all year.

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.

1.  WORLD WAR HULK
05/07  Prologue               - 111,153
06/07  World War Hulk #1 of 5 - 204,823  (+84.3%)
07/07  World War Hulk #2 of 5 - 165,402  (-19.2%)
08/07  World War Hulk #3 of 5 - 156,526  ( -5.4%)
09/07  World War Hulk #4 of 5 - 148,610  ( -5.1%)

The big event miniseries is still delivering impressive sales, and takes the top spot for a second month. The second printing of issue #1 shifts a further 10,955 copies, while re-orders add 2,307 to issue #2’s total. As usual, those numbers are included in the totals above.

The final issue has been rescheduled to mid-November, so expect a gap at the top of the charts next month.

2.  AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
09/01  Amazing Spider-Man #35  -  83,559
09/02  Amazing Spider-Man #45  -  98,817
09/03  Amazing Spider-Man #58  -  92,294
09/04  Amazing Spider-Man #512 -  87,236
09/05  Amazing Spider-Man #524 -  71,065
=====
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 - 155,980 (  +7.3%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Amazing Spider-Man #540 - 119,662 ( -23.3%)
06/07  Amazing Spider-Man #541 - 108,284 (  -9.5%)
07/07  Amazing Spider-Man #542 - 105,715 (  -2.4%)
08/07  Amazing Spider-Man #543 - 106,485 (  +0.7%)
09/07  Amazing Spider-Man #544 - 146,215 ( +37.3%)
                                  6 mnth (  -6.3%)
                                  1 year ( +18.9%)
                                  2 year (+105.7%)
                                  3 year ( +67.6%)
                                  4 year ( +58.4%)

A big jump for the first part of “One More Day.” Part of that can be attributed to the variant cover, but it’s still an impressive jump.

So it’s a success, right? Well, yes and no. “One More Day” was conceived as a weekly storyline, but now it’s slipped so far off schedule that it’s effectively become a monthly. So instead of three regular Spider-Man titles per month, Marvel have only got one. Yes, AMAZING is up by 40K – but FRIENDLY and SENSATIONAL are missing altogether, and they normally do somewhere over 90K combined.

Last month, Marvel shipped 203,326 Spider-Man comics, across the three titles. This month, two of them sold zero, so the total sales were only 146,215. If you look at it that way, they’re actually down by over 57K, or 28.1%. And it’ll be the same next month, because part three of “One More Day” has just been pushed back to November. All this begs the question of whether Joe Quesada is worth waiting for – at least financially.

Then again, whether by accident or design, this could work out well. THOR disappeared for far longer than originally planned, but it only helped to boost interest in his relaunch. Choking the supply of Spider-Man comics for a few months could help the new thrice-monthly AMAZING when it hits the shelves. Time will tell.

4.  NEW AVENGERS
09/01  Avengers #46     -  60,722
09/02  Avengers #58     -  54,765
09/03  ---
09/04  Avengers #502    -  93,105
09/05  New Avengers #10 - 143,014
=====
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%)
04/07  New Avengers #29 - 125,378  (  +4.9%)
05/07  New Avengers #30 - 126,425  (  +0.8%)
06/07  New Avengers #31 - 160,911  ( +27.3%)
07/07  New Avengers #32 - 122,991  ( -23.6%)
08/07  New Avengers #33 - 117,906  (  -4.1%)
09/07  New Avengers #34 - 112,815  (  -4.3%)
                           6 mnth  (  -5.6%)
                           1 year  ( -17.5%)
                           2 year  ( -21.1%)
                           3 year  ( +21.2%)

Hmm. Issue #31, you might recall, was solicited as “The most important last page of any Marvel comic this year!”, and sales duly shot through the roof. They haven’t stayed that way, and NEW AVENGERS has now shed 10K in the last two months – even though the book is continuing the Skrull storyline that issue #31 kicked off. That’s a slightly worrying sign.

5.  THOR
09/01  Thor #41 -  38,142
09/02  Thor #54 -  37,690
09/03  Thor #68 -  32,354
09/04  Thor #84 -  37,342
=====
07/07  Thor #1  - 202,798
08/07  Thor #2  - 122,951  ( -39.4%)
09/07  Thor #3  - 109,964  ( -10.6%)
                   3 year  (+194.5%)
                   4 year  (+239.9%)

Levelling out very quickly. Issue #1 picks up another 9,698 sales, while issue #2 adds 14,342 to its total. Taking that into account, the drop for issue #3 is very modest, which bodes well. There’s also a variant cover this month, but that’s been true of all three issues.

7.  INCREDIBLE HULK
09/01  Incredible Hulk #32  -  32,601
09/02  Incredible Hulk #45  -  51,002
09/03  Incredible Hulk #60  -  58,584
09/04  ---
09/05  Incredible Hulk #86  -  52,992
=====
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%)
04/07  Incredible Hulk #105 -  53,256  ( +11.4%)
05/07  Incredible Hulk #106 - 119,735  (+124.8%)
06/07  Incredible Hulk #107 - 115,912  (  -3.2%)
07/07  Incredible Hulk #108 - 107,714  (  -7.1%)
08/07  Incredible Hulk #109 - 104,322  (  -3.1%)
09/07  Incredible Hulk #110 -  96,835  (  -7.2%)
                               6 mnth  (+102.5%)
                               1 year  ( +82.8%)
                               2 year  ( +82.7%)
                               3 year  (   --- )
                               4 year  ( +65.3%)

Dropping back faster than I would have expected, given that the WORLD WAR HULK event is still in full swing. But with the main story appearing in the miniseries, INCREDIBLE HULK has become a B-title for the duration of the crossover, and that might explain the drop-off.

Issue #111 has been pushed back to November, presumably because it can’t come out before WORLD WAR HULK #5.

9.  UNCANNY X-MEN
09/01  Uncanny X-Men #398 - 112,744
09/02  Uncanny X-Men #412 -  85,261
09/03  Uncanny X-Men #430 -  94,165
09/04  Uncanny X-Men #448 -  94,708
09/05  Uncanny X-Men #464 -  85,885
=====
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%)
04/07  Uncanny X-Men #485 -  81,764  (-0.3%)
05/07  Uncanny X-Men #486 -  81,965  (+0.2%)
06/07  Uncanny X-Men #487 -  81,481  (-0.6%)
07/07  Uncanny X-Men #488 -  86,747  (+6.5%)
08/07  Uncanny X-Men #489 -  88,068  (+1.5%)
09/07  Uncanny X-Men #490 -  87,592  (-0.5%)
                             6 mnth  (+6.8%)
                             1 year  (-2.5%)
                             2 year  (+2.0%)
                             3 year  (-7.5%)
                             4 year  (-7.0%)


10. X-MEN
09/01  New X-Men #118 - 118,542
09/02  New X-Men #132 -  99,001
09/03  New X-Men #146 - 105,573
09/04  X-Men #162     -  89,878
09/05  X-Men #175     -  76,555
=====
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%)
04/07  X-Men #198     -  74,841  (  -0.5%)
05/07  X-Men #199     -  75,996  (  +1.5%)
06/07  X-Men #200     - 156,787  (+106.3%)
07/07  X-Men #201     -  86,278  ( -45.0%)
08/07  X-Men #202     -  86,521  (  +0.3%)
09/07  X-Men #203     -  85,652  (  -1.0%)
                         6 mnth  ( +13.9%)
                         1 year  (  +4.4%)
                         2 year  ( +11.9%)
                         3 year  (  -4.7%)
                         4 year  ( -18.9%)

Both core X-Men titles continue to see a sales boost from the “Endangered Species” back-up strips. That’s a promising sign for the upcoming “Messiah Complex” crossover.

16. CAPTAIN AMERICA
09/01  Captain America #47 -  35,410
09/02  Captain America #6  -  63,011
09/03  Captain America #18 -  42,711
09/04  Captain America #31 -  37,128
09/05  Captain America #10 -  52,609
=====
09/06  Captain America #21 -  49,050  (  +3.6%)
09/06  Captain America #22 -  88,276  ( +80.0%)
10/06  Captain America #23 -  81,323  (  -7.9%)
11/06  Captain America #24 -  82,348  (  +1.3%)
12/06  ---
01/07  ---
02/07  ---
03/07  Captain America #25 - 344,270  (+318.1%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Captain America #26 - 129,365  ( -62.4%)
06/07  Captain America #27 -  99,108  ( -23.4%)
07/07  Captain America #28 -  89,721  (  -9.5%)
08/07  Captain America #29 -  83,781  (  -6.6%)
09/07  Captain America #30 -  79,554  (  -5.0%)
                              6 mnth  ( -76.9%)
                              1 year  ( +62.2%)
                              2 year  ( +51.2%)
                              3 year  (+114.3%)
                              4 year  ( +86.3%)

Still dropping back towards its normal range after the spike caused by Steve Rogers’ highly publicised death. There’s no sign of the book levelling out just yet, but it’s still 30K up on pre-CIVIL WAR sales, which makes the storyline a success in my book.

45,74. DAREDEVIL
09/01  Daredevil #25  - 51,537
09/02  Daredevil #37  - 52,027
09/03  Daredevil #51  - 59,636
09/04  Daredevil #65  - 56,547
09/05  Daredevil #77  - 45,945
=====
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%)
04/07  Daredevil #96  - 46,198  ( -0.6%)
05/07  Daredevil #97  - 47,200  ( +2.2%)
06/07  Daredevil #98  - 46,816  ( -0.8%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Daredevil #99  - 47,386  ( +1.2%)
09/07  Daredevil #100 - 78,143  (+64.9%)
                        6 mnth  (+68.2%)
                        1 year  (+40.8%)
                        2 year  (+70.1%)
                        3 year  (+38.2%)
                        4 year  (+31.0%)

In a typically confusing move, Diamond have listed the wraparound cover separately at number 74, with sales of 31,166. The “regular” book is at number 45, selling 46,977 – as it happens, roughly the normal number. Anniversary issues always get a boost, so chances are we’ll be back in the usual 46-47K range next month.

18. WOLVERINE
09/01  Wolverine #168 -  70,909
09/02  Wolverine #181 -  69,503
09/03  Wolverine #5   -  81,728
09/04  Wolverine #19  -  65,046
09/05  Wolverine #32  -  89,026
=====
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  -  97,111  ( -2.5%)
04/07  Wolverine #53  -  98,441  ( +1.4%)
05/07  Wolverine #54  -  96,082  ( -2.4%)
06/07  ---
07/07  Wolverine #55  - 130,707  (+36.0%)
08/07  Wolverine #56  -  73,368  (-43.9%)
09/07  Wolverine #57  -  74,588  ( +1.7%)
                         6 mnth  (-23.2%)
                         1 year  (-30.9%)
                         2 year  (-16.2%)
                         3 year  (+14.7%)
                         4 year  ( -8.7%)

Last month was a fill-in issue, while this is the start of a new storyline. I was expecting a bigger climb than that, but apparently this is just the standard sales for WOLVERINE when it isn’t in a crossover, or doing a heavily promoted storyline by Jeph Loeb.

19. AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE
04/07  Initiative #1 - 127,798
05/07  Initiative #2 - 103,189  (-19.3%)
06/07  Initiative #3 -  92,339  (-10.5%)
07/07  Initiative #4 -  94,773  ( +2.6%)
08/07  Initiative #5 -  86,536  ( -8.7%)
09/07  Initiative #6 -  74,184  (-14.3%)

Okay, this is getting worrying. This book is not holding its sales at all. In fairness, issues #4-5 were a WORLD WAR HULK crossover, so some drop is to be expected. But the series is nowhere levelling out at this stage. I suspect a combination of factors – firstly, the Initiative books are losing their lustre generally, and secondly, readers are figuring out that this isn’t really a third Avengers book at all.

22,28. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CHOSEN
09/07  Chosen #1 of 6 - 67,527
09/07  Chosen #2 of 6 - 59,776  (-11.5%)

The first two issues of a miniseries written by novelist David Morrell, the creator of Rambo. It’s out of continuity, as Marvel have made perfectly clear, but there’s enough interest in the Captain right now to deliver a solid number.

23,24. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
09/01  Ult. Spider-Man #13  -  79,891
09/02  Ult. Spider-Man #27  -  94,056
09/03  Ult. Spider-Man #46  - 105,409
09/04  Ult. Spider-Man #65  -  94,174
09/05  Ult. Spider-Man #82  -  75,756
=====
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%)
04/07  Ult. Spider-Man #108 -  72,713  ( -0.1%)
05/07  Ult. Spider-Man #109 -  72,478  ( -0.3%)
06/07  Ult. Spider-Man #110 -  73,646  ( +1.6%)
07/07  Ult. Spider-Man #111 -  75,487  ( +2.5%)
08/07  Ult. Spider-Man #112 -  76,523  ( +1.4%)
09/07  Ult. Spider-Man #113 -  67,476  (-11.8%)
09/07  Ult. Spider-Man #114 -  66,682  ( -1.2%)
                               6 mnth  ( -8.4%)
                               1 year  (-44.1%)
                               2 year  (-12.0%)
                               3 year  (-29.2%)
                               4 year  (-36.7%)

Well, that’s just weird. With two issues this month, there’s a whacking drop from August. It’s the same storyline as last month, so that can’t be anything to do with it. One possibility is that the drop really happened last month, with the first part of the story, but it was cancelled out by issue #112’s variant cover. Either way, this is an unexpected fall.

26. FRONT LINE
09/06  Civil War #6  of 11    - 108,436  ( -2.7%)
10/06  Civil War #7  of 11    - 106,588  ( -1.7%)
11/06  Civil War #8  of 11    - 100,869  ( -5.4%)
12/06  Civil War #9  of 11    -  97,948  ( -2.9%)
01/07  Civil War #10 of 11    -  99,795  ( +1.9%)
02/07  Civil War #11 of 11    -  89,163  (-10.7%)
03/07  ---
04/07  ---
05/07  ---
06/07  World War Hulk #1 of 6 -  84,386  ( -5.4%)
07/07  World War Hulk #2 of 6 -  76,140  ( -9.8%)
08/07  World War Hulk #3 of 6 -  69,104  ( -9.2%)
09/07  World War Hulk #4 of 6 -  62,546  ( -9.5%)
                                 6 mnth  (  --- )
                                 1 year  (-42.3%)

Dropping quite significantly as the storyline goes on. I’m not sure the FRONT LINE format really lends itself to this particular crossover, though.

27. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
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%)
04/07  Origins #13 -  70,963  ( -5.1%)
05/07  Origins #14 -  68,953  ( -2.8%)
06/07  Origins #15 -  65,558  ( -4.9%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Origins #16 -  69,781  ( +6.4%)
09/07  Origins #17 -  62,235  (-10.8%)
                      6 mnth  (-16.7%)
                      1 year  (-38.4%)

The month on month drop is exaggerated, as there was a variant cover in August. But the downward trend is still clearly evident.

29. 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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Ultimate Power #5 of 9 -  62,784  ( -1.6%)
06/07  ---
07/07  Ultimate Power #6 of 9 -  61,361  ( -2.3%)
08/07  ---
09/07  Ultimate Power #7 of 9 -  57,998  ( -5.5%)
                                 6 mnth  ( -9.1%)

The delays may be starting to take their toll on this book. These aren’t bad numbers, but they’re not event numbers, and I strongly suspect that Marvel had much bigger aspirations for ULTIMATE POWER.

33. ULTIMATE X-MEN
09/01  Ultimate X-Men #10 -  99,862
09/02  Ultimate X-Men #22 -  92,199
09/03  Ultimate X-Men #37 - 108,612
09/04  Ultimate X-Men #51 -  94,965
09/05  Ultimate X-Men #63 -  74,760
=====
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%)
04/07  Ultimate X-Men #81 -  62,926  ( -0.2%)
05/07  Ultimate X-Men #82 -  62,063  ( -1.4%)
06/07  Ultimate X-Men #83 -  59,677  ( -3.8%)
07/07  Ultimate X-Men #84 -  59,929  ( +0.4%)
08/07  Ultimate X-Men #85 -  57,660  ( -3.8%)
09/07  Ultimate X-Men #86 -  55,346  ( -4.0%)
                             6 mnth  (-12.2%)
                             1 year  (-19.6%)
                             2 year  (-26.0%)
                             3 year  (-41.7%)
                             4 year  (-49.0%)

Another book with a glaringly obvious downward trend.

34. X-FACTOR
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%)
04/07  X-Factor #18 - 37,851  ( -0.6%)
05/07  X-Factor #19 - 37,898  ( +0.1%)
06/07  X-Factor #20 - 37,105  ( -2.1%)
07/07  X-Factor #21 - 50,227  (+35.4%)
08/07  X-Factor #22 - 52,627  ( +4.8%)
09/07  X-Factor #23 - 53,311  ( +1.3%)
                      6 mnth  (+40.0%)
                      1 year  (+22.7%)


35. NEW X-MEN
09/03  New Mutants #4 - 41,448
09/04  New X-Men #5   - 48,526
09/05  New X-Men #18  - 43,286
=====
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%)
04/07  New X-Men #37  - 37,935  ( +2.5%)
05/07  New X-Men #38  - 38,915  ( +2.6%)
06/07  New X-Men #39  - 39,258  ( +0.9%)
07/07  New X-Men #40  - 49,515  (+26.1%)
08/07  New X-Men #41  - 52,950  ( +6.9%)
09/07  New X-Men #42  - 52,730  ( -0.4%)
                        6 mnth  (+42.5%)
                        1 year  (+33.0%)
                        2 year  (+21.8%)
                        3 year  ( +8.7%)
                        4 year  (+27.2%)

The second-tier X-books are still seeing big sales gains from the “Endangered Species” crossover back-up strips. Hopefully, they’ve been able to capitalise on those extra readers by impressing with their lead strips. At the very least, the stunt has given them a legitimate chance.

38. X-MEN: EMPEROR VULCAN
09/07  Emperor Vulcan #1 of 5 - 48,990

This is the sequel to the twelve-issue “Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire” storyline which Ed Brubaker wrote in UNCANNY X-MEN. Strictly speaking, it’s really a Starjammers miniseries, but it’s connected closely enough to justify the X-Men tag. This is an okay start for an X-related miniseries these days, but Marvel might well have hoped for better considering that over 80,000 readers of UNCANNY have been following this storyline for a year.

41. WORLD WAR HULK: GAMMA CORPS
07/07  Gamma Corps #1 of 4 - 65,718
08/07  Gamma Corps #2 of 4 - 54,497  (-17.1%)
09/07  Gamma Corps #3 of 4 - 47,543  (-12.8%)

Dropping off rather fast, but it’s still doing fine for a miniseries about fairly obscure characters.

42. MOON KNIGHT
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%)
04/07  Moon Knight #9  -  69,196  (-10.6%)
05/07  Moon Knight #10 -  56,734  (-18.0%)
06/07  Moon Knight #11 -  58,313  ( +2.8%)
07/07  ---
08/07  ---
09/07  Moon Knight #12 -  47,521  (-18.5%)
                          6 mnth  (-38.6%)
                          1 year  (-26.6%)

Sales on this book are wavering all over the place, but overall, it’s dropping. This is the final chapter of a six-issue storyline, slinking out two months late. The schedule is now so screwed up that the next arc is an Initiative crossover. After a strong start in the direct market, MOON KNIGHT seems to be faltering.

43. PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL
11/06  War Journal #1  - 102,727
12/06  --
01/07  War Journal #2  -  96,112  ( -6.4%)
01/07  War Journal #3  -  70,143  (-27.0%)
02/07  War Journal #4  -  52,961  (-24.5%)
03/07  War Journal #5  -  50,190  ( -5.2%)
04/07  War Journal #6  -  53,498  ( +6.6%)
05/07  War Journal #7  -  75,360  (+40.9%)
06/07  War Journal #8  -  61,376  (-18.6%)
07/07  War Journal #9  -  56,854  ( -7.4%)
08/07  War Journal #10 -  51,303  ( -9.8%)
09/07  War Journal #11 -  47,220  ( -8.0%)
                          6 mnth  ( -5.9%)

Another book where sales are noticeably falling off, perhaps as readers figure out that its link to the death of Captain America was decidedly peripheral. In fact, though, it’s back where it was in the spring before the stunts set in, so I wouldn’t worry too much, as long as it starts to level out in the next couple of months.

46. IRON MAN
09/01  Iron Man #46 - 36,501
09/02  Iron Man #59 - 36,134
09/03  Iron Man #72 - 30,438
09/04  Iron Man #88 - 32,932
09/05  ---
=====
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 - 72,394  (  -1.4%)
03/07  ---
04/07  Iron Man #16 - 59,470  ( -17.9%)
05/07  Iron Man #17 - 63,328  (  +6.5%)
06/07  Iron Man #18 - 56,474  ( -10.8%)
06/07  Iron Man #19 - 83,801  ( +48.4%)
07/07  Iron Man #20 - 72,831  ( -13.1%)
08/07  Iron Man #21 - 49,548  ( -32.0%)
09/07  Iron Man #22 - 46,691  (  -5.8%)
                      6 mnth  (   --- )
                      1 year  ( +28.7%)
                      2 year  (   --- )
                      3 year  ( +41.8%)
                      4 year  ( +53.4%)

Another book returning to normal after the WORLD WAR HULK crossover, and resuming its regular decline. IRON MAN is still 10K up on pre-CIVIL WAR sales.

47. ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR
09/04  Ult. Fantastic Four #11 - 87,620
09/05  Ult. Fantastic Four #23 - 71,494
=====
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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #41 - 49,916  ( -1.1%)
05/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #42 - 52,840  ( +5.9%)
06/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #43 - 51,453  ( -2.6%)
07/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #44 - 50,796  ( -1.3%)
08/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #45 - 48,779  ( -4.0%)
09/07  Ult. Fantastic Four #46 - 46,647  ( -4.4%)
                                 6 mnth  ( -7.6%)
                                 1 year  (-26.5%)
                                 2 year  (-34.8%)
                                 3 year  (-46.8%)

Back in decline, unfortunately.

50. SUB-MARINER
06/07  Sub-Mariner #1 of 6 - 57,902
07/07  Sub-Mariner #2 of 6 - 45,728  (-21.0%)
08/07  Sub-Mariner #3 of 6 - 42,491  ( -7.1%)
09/07  Sub-Mariner #4 of 6 - 40,130  ( -5.6%)

A fairly standard miniseries decline. Considering that it’s the Sub-Mariner, I’d say this is still doing well.

51. HEROES FOR HIRE
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%)
04/07  Heroes for Hire #9  - 21,444  (  -5.0%)
05/07  Heroes for Hire #10 - 20,503  (  -4.4%)
06/07  Heroes for Hire #11 - 47,808  (+133.2%)
07/07  Heroes for Hire #12 - 41,229  ( -13.8%)
08/07  ---
09/07  Heroes for Hire #13 - 40,086  (  -2.8%)
                             6 mnth  ( +77.7%)
                             1 year  ( -40.1%)

WORLD WAR HULK crossover, running a month behind. Marvel haven’t solicited the book for December or January, so it seems to have been silently cancelled with issue #15.

52. NEW WARRIORS
06/07  New Warriors #1 - 56,809
07/07  New Warriors #2 - 45,820  (-19.3%)
08/07  New Warriors #3 - 42,660  ( -6.9%)
09/07  New Warriors #4 - 39,998  ( -6.2%)

Dropping a little too quickly for the fourth issue, I’d say. This needs to start levelling out.

53. NEW AVENGERS / TRANSFORMERS
07/07  N.Av./T'formers #1 of 4 - 60,565
08/07  N.Av./T'formers #2 of 4 - 44,977  (-25.7%)
09/07  N.Av./T'formers #3 of 4 - 38,749  (-13.8%)

Crashing.

54. MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS
09/07  Marvel Comics Presents #1 - 38,337

Not a good start for the relaunched anthology. To be fair, it’s been years since the direct market supported a superhero anthology, and this one doesn’t even have the benefit of a big name lead character, so I’m not sure what more Marvel could really have expected from it. But a 38K start is not very good. This is roughly where BLADE launched a year ago, hardly a promising omen.

55. GHOST RIDER
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%)
04/07  Ghost Rider #10 - 43,986  ( -8.4%)
05/07  Ghost Rider #11 - 43,626  ( -0.8%)
06/07  Ghost Rider #12 - 71,348  (+63.5%)
07/07  Ghost Rider #13 - 64,092  (-10.2%)
08/07  Ghost Rider #14 - 41,121  (-35.8%)
09/07  Ghost Rider #15 - 38,220  ( -7.1%)
                         6 mnth  (-20.4%)
                         1 year  (-29.3%)

Once again, these are steep drops for a series that’s been going this long. The book might simply be finding its level again after the WORLD WAR HULK crossover in June and July, though, and that certainly exaggerates the drops over the last few months. But the trend is a bit worrying here.

60. NOVA
04/07  Nova #1 - 42,917  (+21.9%)
05/07  Nova #2 - 44,532  ( +3.8%)
06/07  Nova #3 - 45,004  ( +1.1%)
07/07  Nova #4 - 40,173  (-10.7%)
08/07  Nova #5 - 39,543  ( -1.6%)
09/07  Nova #6 - 36,978  ( -6.5%)

A downward correction as the “Annihilation: Conquest” crossover continues.

64. IMMORTAL IRON FIST
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  ---
04/07  Immortal Iron Fist #4 - 37,159  ( +4.2%)
05/07  Immortal Iron Fist #5 - 36,856  ( -0.8%)
06/07  Immortal Iron Fist #6 - 36,731  ( -0.3%)
07/07  Immortal Iron Fist #7 - 35,842  ( -2.4%)
08/07  Immortal Iron Fist #8 - 35,449  ( -1.1%)
09/07  Immortal Iron Fist #9 - 34,282  ( -3.3%)
                               6 mnth  ( -7.7%)

IRON FIST continues to sell solidly, defying all expectations. It’s been years since he was able to sustain his own series for any length of time, so credit has to be given to the creative team (and, to some extent, to the exposure the character has got from NEW AVENGERS).

66. THE ORDER
07/07  The Order #1 - 57,264
08/07  The Order #2 - 40,274  (-30.0%)
09/07  The Order #3 - 33,936  (-15.7%)

Levelling out, but it really needs to settle down quickly.

69. IMMORTAL IRON FIST ANNUAL
09/07  Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1 - 32,423

Virtually the same as the monthly title. That’s a loyal audience for you.

70. MS MARVEL
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%)
04/07  Ms Marvel #14 - 42,877  ( +5.0%)
05/07  Ms Marvel #15 - 42,849  ( -0.0%)
06/07  Ms Marvel #16 - 40,048  ( -6.5%)
07/07  Ms Marvel #17 - 38,003  ( -5.1%)
08/07  Ms Marvel #18 - 34,818  ( -8.4%)
09/07  Ms Marvel #19 - 32,371  ( -7.0%)
                       6 mnth  (-20.7%)
                       1 year  (-50.2%)

Steep drops over the last few months mean that the book is now back where it was in the spring, before the Initiative banner appeared on its cover. Perhaps it will now level out, but the trend is a definite worry.

76. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
09/04  Daredevil 2004   - 22,781
09/05  Alt. Universes   - 18,680
=====
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  ---
04/07  Spider-Man: BIB  - 23,510  ( +36.8%)
05/07  Update #2 of 4   - 16,633  ( -29.3%)
05/07  Anita Blake      - 20,936  ( +25.9%)
06/07  Mystic Arcana    - 15,669  ( -25.2%)
06/07  Mighty Avengers  - 22,312  ( +42.4%)
07/07  Update #3 of 4   - 15,600  ( -30.1%)
08/07  World War Hulk   - 41,583  (+166.6%)
09/07  Marvel Zombies   - 30,895  ( -25.7%)
                          6 mnth  ( +31.4%)
                          1 year  ( +62.9%)
                          2 year  ( +65.4%)
                          3 year  ( +35.6%)

Despite the title, this is really a broader magic-and-horror themed issue. Which is interesting, because they did “Horror” in October 2005, and it sold 16K. Sticking the MARVEL ZOMBIES name on the cover has doubled sales for what’s essentially a very similar product.

77. PENANCE: RELENTLESS
09/07  Relentless #1 of 5 - 30,454

Parent title THUNDERBOLTS normally sells around 52K, so this is a rather disappointing debut for Penance’s solo series. This might be an interesting test of how well the repackaging of Speedball has worked, particularly given that the relaunched THUNDERBOLTS is a hit. Mind you, it’s not as though Speedball was selling many comics before he was revamped either.

78. PUNISHER MAX ANNUAL
09/07  Punisher Max Annual #1 - 30,351

Perfectly respectable sales for this one-shot. The monthly sells in the mid-30K range.

79. ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - WRAITH
07/07  Wraith #1 of 4 - 37,241
08/07  Wraith #2 of 4 - 33,155  (-11.0%)
09/07  Wraith #3 of 4 - 29,844  (-10.0%)

81. ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - STAR LORD
07/07  Star Lord #1 of 4 - 35,833
08/07  Star Lord #2 of 4 - 32,001  (-10.7%)
09/07  Star Lord #3 of 4 - 29,447  ( -8.0%)

82. ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - QUASAR
07/07  Quasar #1 of 4 - 37,048
08/07  Quasar #2 of 4 - 32,801  (-11.5%)
09/07  Quasar #3 of 4 - 29,396  (-10.4%)

The three ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST books continue to move in lockstep. They’re not holding up brilliantly – the original ANNIHILATION minis were mostly in the mid-30K range at this point. But on the other hand, without the crossover, none of these characters would be able to carry a miniseries at all, so the brand clearly has some real value.

86. SPIDER-MAN & RED SONJA
08/07  Spider-Man/Sonja #1 of 5 - 36,780
09/07  Spider-Man/Sonja #2 of 5 - 28,764  (-21.8%)

Standard second-issue drop for a miniseries.

87. EXILES
09/01  Exiles #4  - 44,444
09/02  Exiles #17 - 38,833
09/03  Exiles #34 - 40,934
09/04  Exiles #52 - 36,245
09/05  Exiles #69 - 43,794
=====
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%)
04/07  Exiles #93 - 30,697  ( +1.3%)
05/07  Exiles #94 - 30,735  ( +0.1%)
06/07  Exiles #95 - 30,612  ( -0.4%)
07/07  Exiles #96 - 30,245  ( -1.2%)
08/07  Exiles #97 - 29,092  ( -3.8%)
09/07  Exiles #98 - 28,308  ( -2.7%)
                    6 mnth  ( -6.6%)
                    1 year  (-14.4%)
                    2 year  (-35.4%)
                    3 year  (-21.9%)
                    4 year  (-30.8%)

Relaunched as NEW EXILES after issue #100.

89. SHE-HULK
09/04  She-Hulk #7  - 25,303
09/05  ---
=====
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  ---
04/07  She-Hulk #17 - 27,669  ( -1.0%)
05/07  She-Hulk #18 - 41,800  (+51.4%)
06/07  She-Hulk #19 - 26,127  (-37.5%)
07/07  ---
08/07  She-Hulk #20 - 25,582  ( -2.1%)
09/07  She-Hulk #21 - 27,221  ( +6.4%)
                      6 mnth  ( -1.6%)
                      1 year  ( +2.9%)
                      2 year  (  --- )
                      3 year  ( +7.6%)

A surprising sales jump for Dan Slott’s final issue. Perhaps some people actually took the solicitation seriously when it promised the solution to all Marvel’s continuity problems.

91. NEW EXCALIBUR
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  ---
04/07  New Excalibur #18 - 29,617  ( -1.5%)
04/07  New Excalibur #19 - 29,014  ( -2.0%)
05/07  New Excalibur #20 - 28,796  ( -0.8%)
06/07  ---
07/07  New Excalibur #21 - 28,930  ( +0.5%)
08/07  New Excalibur #22 - 27,683  ( -4.3%)
09/07  New Excalibur #23 - 26,979  ( -2.5%)
                           6 mnth  ( -8.9%)
                           1 year  (-20.9%)

Cancelled with issue #24. Paul Cornell had previously been announced as the new writer, but the closing editorial on the final issue makes no mention of a relaunch.

92. IRON MAN: ENTER THE MANDARIN
09/07  Enter the Mandarin #1 of 6 - 26,912

Another of Joe Casey’s miniseries revisiting Silver Age continuity. This isn’t an especially good start, to be honest. By way of comparison, AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES II launched with 35K last November.

93. CABLE & DEADPOOL
09/04  Cable & Deadpool #7  - 30,325
09/05  Cable & Deadpool #19 - 25,298
=====
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%)
04/07  Cable & Deadpool #39 - 26,110  ( -0.6%)
05/07  Cable & Deadpool #40 - 26,120  ( +0.0%)
06/07  Cable & Deadpool #41 - 27,431  ( +5.0%)
06/07  Cable & Deadpool #42 - 27,203  ( -0.8%)
07/07  Cable & Deadpool #43 - 26,341  ( -3.2%)
08/07  Cable & Deadpool #44 - 25,944  ( -1.5%)
09/07  Cable & Deadpool #45 - 26,009  ( +0.3%)
                              6 mnth  ( -0.9%)
                              1 year  (-56.8%)
                              2 year  ( +2.8%)
                              3 year  (-14.2%)

Still holding level.

113. 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%)
04/07  First Class #8 of 8 - 23,420  ( -2.5%)
05/07  First Class Special - 23,556  ( +0.6%)
06/07  First Class #1      - 26,370  (+11.9%)
07/07  First Class #2      - 22,269  (-15.6%)
08/07  First Class #3      - 20,495  ( -8.0%)
09/07  First Class #4      - 19,088  ( -6.9%)
                             6 mnth  (-20.6%)
                             1 year  (-52.1%)

Yet to find its level, but the usual disclaimer applies to FIRST CLASS. This book is selling in part to the all-ages market, and so its direct market sales aren’t anywhere near as important as they are for some other books.

116. AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL
09/01  Spider-GIrl #38         - 24,010
09/02  Spider-Girl #51         - 24,932
09/03  Spider-Girl #64         - 22,442
09/04  Spider-Girl #78         - 22,076
09/05  Spider-Girl #90         - 18,344
=====
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%)
04/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #7  - 20,093  (  -1.9%)
05/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #8  - 19,574  (  -2.6%)
06/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #9  - 19,142  (  -2.2%)
07/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #10 - 19,094  (  -0.3%)
08/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #11 - 18,725  (  -1.9%)
09/07  Amazing Spider-Girl #12 - 18,676  (  -0.3%)
                                 6 mnth  (  -8.8%)
                                 1 year  (   --- )
                                 2 year  (  +1.8%)
                                 3 year  ( -15.4%)
                                 4 year  ( -16.8%)

Things seem to be levelling out at last, although only now that the book is back where it was before the relaunch.

118. SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
08/07  Survival #1 of 4 - 25,336
09/07  Survival #2 of 4 - 17,993  (-29.0%)

I’ll keep making this point until somebody gives me a persuasive answer: if this stuff is so popular, why does it sell so badly? Is there some massive audience for T&A outside the direct market?

125. IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN
10/06  Ant-Man #1  - 29,499
11/06  Ant-Man #2  - 23,191  ( -21.4%)
12/06  Ant-Man #3  - 19,580  ( -15.6%)
01/07  Ant-Man #4  - 17,864  (  -8.8%)
02/07  Ant-Man #5  - 16,900  (  -5.4%)
03/07  Ant-Man #6  - 16,220  (  -4.0%)
04/07  Ant-Man #7  - 15,737  (  -3.0%)
05/07  Ant-Man #8  - 15,592  (  -0.9%)
06/07  Ant-Man #9  - 15,506  (  -0.6%)
07/07  Ant-Man #10 - 33,529  (+116.2%)
08/07  Ant-Man #11 - 16,016  ( -52.2%)
09/07  Ant-Man #12 - 15,987  (  -0.2%)
                     6 mnth  (  -1.4%)

Axed.

127. LONERS
04/07  Loners #1 of 6 - 24,377
05/07  Loners #2 of 6 - 18,901  (-22.5%)
06/07  Loners #3 of 6 - 17,351  ( -8.2%)
07/07  Loners #4 of 6 - 15,650  ( -9.8%)
08/07  ---
09/07  Loners #4 of 6 - 15,561  ( -0.6%)

Virtually level, which is good.

128. AVENGERS CLASSIC
06/07  Avengers Classic #1 - 29,319
07/07  Avengers Classic #2 - 20,954  (-28.5%)
08/07  Avengers Classic #3 - 18,817  (-10.2%)
09/07  Avengers Classic #4 - 15,392  (-18.2%)

Bleeding. It’s still slightly above the bimonthly SPIDER-MAN FAMILY, but both are trailing way behind the other ongoing Marvel Universe titles. Even as a part-reprint book, AVENGERS CLASSIC surely can’t last for long at this rate.

131. SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP: MODOK's 11
07/07  MODOK's 11 #1 of 5 - 22,612
08/07  MODOK's 11 #2 of 5 - 17,355  (-23.2%)
09/07  MODOK's 11 #3 of 5 - 14,819  (-14.6%)

Not much interest here.

132. 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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Criminal #6 - 15,720  ( -4.1%)
06/07  Criminal #7 - 15,214  ( -3.2%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Criminal #8 - 15,169  ( -0.3%)
09/07  Criminal #9 - 14,768  ( -2.6%)
                     6 mnth  ( -9.9%)

Holding fairly level over the last few months, and I’m sure CRIMINAL should perform well in trade paperback form.

134. FANTASTIC FIVE
07/07  Fantastic Five #1 of 5 - 21,264
07/07  Fantastic Five #2 of 5 - 18,775  (-11.7%)
08/07  Fantastic Five #3 of 5 - 16,293  (-13.2%)
08/07  Fantastic Five #4 of 5 - 15,546  ( -4.6%)
09/07  Fantastic Five #5 of 5 - 14,621  ( -6.0%)

Not bad, considering that it’s a spin-off from the low-selling SPIDER-GIRL.

136. TERROR, INC.
08/07  Terror Inc. #1 of 5 - 18,025
09/07  Terror Inc. #2 of 5 - 14,496  (-19.6%)

Standard second issue drop, but this is evidently going to be another low-selling Max miniseries.

139. DAREDEVIL: BATTLIN' JACK MURDOCK
06/07  Battlin' Jack #1 of 4 - 22,139
07/07  Battlin' Jack #2 of 4 - 17,359  (-21.6%)
08/07  Battlin' Jack #3 of 4 - 15,192  (-12.5%)
09/07  Battlin' Jack #4 of 4 - 13,901  ( -8.5%)

144. 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  ---
04/07  White Tiger #5 of 6 - 13,621  ( -6.4%)
05/07  ---
06/07  ---
07/07  ---
08/07  ---
09/07  White Tiger #6 of 6 - 12,439  ( -8.7%)

Two underperforming miniseries wrap up.

152. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT
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%)
04/07  Spider-Man          - 13,210  ( -57.5%)
05/07  Fantastic Four      -  8,261  ( -37.5%)
06/07  Captain America     - 31,483  (+281.1%)
07/07  ---
08/07  World War Hulk      - 22,534  ( -28.4%)
08/07  Halo                -  9,782  ( -56.6%)
09/07  Thor                - 11,300  ( +15.5%)
                             6 mnth  ( -63.6%)
                             1 year  ( +79.0%)

THOR – more popular than HALO, apparently.

153. CIVIL WAR CHRONICLES
07/07  Civil War Chronicles #1 - 18,449
08/07  Civil War Chronicles #2 - 12,953  (-29.8%)
09/07  Civil War Chronicles #3 - 11,094  (-14.4%)

Still doing remarkably well. After all, these stories aren’t that old.

155. SPIDER-MAN FAIRY TALES
05/07  Fairy Tales #1 of 4 - 17,362
06/07  Fairy Tales #2 of 4 - 13,845  (-20.3%)
07/07  Fairy Tales #3 of 4 - 12,173  (-12.1%)
08/07  ---
09/07  Fairy Tales #4 of 4 - 10,925  (-10.3%)

An oddball project, and I’m still not quite sure where these books are selling.

From here on, we’re into the all ages books, the Dabel Bros stragglers, and the Marvel Illustrated titles. You know the deal by now: these books sell largely outside the direct market, and their sales on the Diamond chart don’t matter hugely.

195. MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS  [All ages]
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%)
04/07  M.A. Avengers #12 - 7,092  ( +0.3%)
05/07  M.A. Avengers #13 - 7,251  ( +2.2%)
06/07  M.A. Avengers #14 - 7,293  ( +0.6%)
07/07  ---
08/07  M.A. Avengers #15 - 6,950  ( -4.7%)
09/07  M.A. Avengers #16 - 6,870  ( -1.2%)
                           6 mnth ( -2.8%)
                           1 year (-14.1%)


198. MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN  [All ages]
09/05  M.A. Spider-Man #7  - 7,199
=====
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%)
04/07  M.A. Spider-Man #26 - 6,478  ( +1.1%)
05/07  M.A. Spider-Man #27 - 6,818  ( +5.2%)
06/07  M.A. Spider-Man #28 - 7,006  ( +2.8%)
07/07  M.A. Spider-Man #29 - 7,071  ( +0.9%)
08/07  M.A. Spider-Man #30 - 6,573  ( -7.0%)
09/07  M.A. Spider-Man #31 - 6,723  ( +2.3%)
                            6 mnth  ( +4.9%)
                            1 year  (+11.0%)
                            2 year  ( -6.6%)


201. FRANKLIN RICHARDS  [All ages]
11/06  Happy Franksgiving - 8,067  ( -3.1%)
03/07  March Madness      - 6,416  (-20.5%)
06/07  World Be Warned    - 7,293  (+13.7%)
09/07  Monster Mash       - 6,480  (-11.1%)


211. MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK [All ages]
07/07  M.A. Hulk #1 - 11,394
08/07  M.A. Hulk #2 -  7,142  (-37.3%)
09/07  M.A. Hulk #3 -  5,790  (-18.9%)


212. LAST OF THE MOHICANS [Marvel Illustrated]
05/07  Last o/Mohicans #1 of 6 - 11,498
06/07  Last o/Mohicans #2 of 6 -  7,786  (-32.3%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Last o/Mohicans #3 of 6 -  6,896  (-11.4%)
08/07  Last o/Mohicans #4 of 6 -  6,319  ( -8.4%)
09/07  Last o/Mohicans #5 of 6 -  5,679  (-10.1%)


214. MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN  [All ages]
05/07  M.A. Iron Man #1 - 11,922
06/07  M.A. Iron Man #2 -  7,050  (-40.9%)
07/07  M.A. Iron Man #3 -  6,543  ( -7.2%)
08/07  M.A. Iron Man #4 -  5,911  ( -9.7%)
09/07  M.A. Iron Man #5 -  5,562  ( -5.9%)


216. POWER PACK
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%)
04/07  Hulk #2 of 4           - 5,944  (-11.2%)
05/07  Hulk #3 of 4           - 5,593  ( -5.9%)
06/07  Hulk #4 of 4           - 5,443  ( -2.7%)
07/07  Fantastic Four #1 of 4 - 6,577  (+20.8%)
08/07  Fantastic Four #2 of 4 - 5,749  (-12.6%)
09/07  Fantastic Four #3 of 4 - 5,400  ( -6.1%)
                               6 mnth  (-19.4%)


218. MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR  [All ages]
09/05  M.A. Fantastic Four #4  - 6,064
=====
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%)
04/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #23 - 4,604  ( +0.3%)
05/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #24 - 4,807  ( +4.4%)
06/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #25 - 4,972  ( +3.4%)
07/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #26 - 5,370  ( +8.0%)
08/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #27 - 4,641  (-13.6%)
09/07  M.A. Fantastic Four #28 - 5,194  (+11.9%)
                                6 mnth  (+13.2%)
                                1 year  (+10.8%)
                                2 year  (-14.4%)


227. TREASURE ISLAND [Marvel Illustrated]
06/07  Treasure Island #1 of 6 - 8,224
07/07  Treasure Island #2 of 6 - 6,351  (-22.8%)
08/07  Treasure Island #3 of 6 - 5,534  (-12.9%)
09/07  Treasure Island #4 of 6 - 4,908  (-11.3%)


231. MAN IN THE IRON MASK  [Marvel Illustrated]
07/07  Iron Mask #1 of 6 - 7,188
08/07  Iron Mask #2 of 6 - 5,526  (-23.1%)
09/07  Iron Mask #3 of 6 - 4,687  (-15.2%)

And rounding off the chart…

240. JACK KIRBY'S GALACTIC BOUNTY HUNTERS  [Icon]
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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  ---
06/07  ---
07/07  ---
08/07  ---
09/07  Bounty Hunters #6 -  4,203  (-16.7%)

Final issue. We’ll draw a discreet veil over this.

Skip months and re-orders
=========================

ASTONISHING X-MEN
09/04  Astonishing X-Men #5  - 131,552
09/05  ---
=====
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  ---
04/07  ---
05/07  Astonishing X-Men #21 - 120,495  ( +0.6%)
06/07  ---
07/07  ---
08/07  Astonishing X-Men #22 - 117,321  ( -2.6%)
09/07  ---

Late. The next issue is due out in November.

MIGHTY AVENGERS
03/07  Mighty Avengers #1 - 156,400
04/07  Mighty Avengers #2 - 124,209  (-20.6%)
05/07  Mighty Avengers #3 - 115,440  ( -7.1%)
06/07  ---
07/07  Mighty Avengers #4 - 107,768  ( -6.6%)
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

Late. Issue #5 shipped in October, but issue #6 has been pushed back to December. This is a problem, because it’s meant to be in a co-ordinated crossover storyline with NEW AVENGERS.

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  ---
04/07  ---
05/07  Illuminati #3 of 5 -  92,821  ( -0.0%)
06/07  ---
07/07  ---
08/07  Illuminati #4 of 5 -  88,114  ( -5.1%)
09/07  ---

Late again. The final issue is currently expected in November.

FANTASTIC FOUR
09/01  Fantastic Four #47  - 49,778
09/02  Fantastic Four #61  - 55,040
09/03  Fantastic Four #504 - 53,885
09/04  Fantastic Four #518 - 48,939
09/05  Fantastic Four #531 - 49,745
=====
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 - 85,677  ( +8.7%)
04/07  Fantastic Four #545 - 77,576  ( -9.5%)
05/07  Fantastic Four #546 - 72,182  ( -7.0%)
06/07  Fantastic Four #547 - 69,610  ( -3.6%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Fantastic Four #548 - 65,695  ( -5.6%)
08/07  Fantastic Four #549 - 61,770  ( -6.0%)
09/07  ---

Shipped in October.

HALO: UPRISING
08/07  Uprising #1 of 4 - 67,555
09/07  ---

The good news is that issue #1 picks up re-orders of 10,565. The bad news is that issue #2 has just been rescheduled for mid-November. Comics fandom may put up with this sort of thing, but the real world may not. Marvel got it right with DARK TOWER, which reliably shipped on time, but it looks like they may be about to blow it with this one.

THUNDERBOLTS
09/01  Thunderbolts #56     - 32,360
09/02  Thunderbolts #71     - 27,897
09/03  ---
09/04  ---
09/05  New Thunderbolts #12 - 25,912
=====
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%)
04/07  Thunderbolts #113    - 65,092  (  +6.0%)
05/07  Thunderbolts #114    - 66,309  (  +1.9%)
06/07  Thunderbolts #115    - 64,876  (  -2.2%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Thunderbolts #116    - 52,503  ( -19.1%)
09/07  ---

Late. July was a planned skip month, so it’s not quite as bad as it looks.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN
09/04  Marvel Knights S-M #6  - 71,492
09/05  Marvel Knights S-M #18 - 47,654
=====
09/06  Sensational S-M #30    - 54,467  ( -1.7%)
10/06  Sensational S-M #31    - 51,587  ( -5.3%)
11/06  Sensational S-M #32    - 50,222  ( -2.6%)
12/06  Sensational S-M #33    - 48,443  ( -3.5%)
01/07  Sensational S-M #34    - 47,008  ( -3.0%)
02/07  Sensational S-M #35    - 69,543  (+47.9%)
03/07  Sensational S-M #36    - 58,559  (-15.8%)
04/07  Sensational S-M #37    - 57,528  ( -1.8%)
05/07  ---
06/07  Sensational S-M #38    - 57,091  ( -0.8%)
07/07  Sensational S-M #39    - 55,346  ( -3.1%)
08/07  Sensational S-M #40    - 52,180  ( -5.7%)
09/07  ---

Cancelled with issue #41, which is presently due on 7 November.

BLACK PANTHER
09/05  Black Panther #8  - 40,494
=====
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 - 51,385  ( -9.0%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Black Panther #27 - 52,552  ( +2.3%)
06/07  Black Panther #28 - 61,808  (+17.6%)
07/07  Black Panther #29 - 55,027  (-11.0%)
08/07  Black Panther #30 - 48,478  (-11.9%)
09/07  ---

Delayed to late October.

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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  ---
06/07  ---
07/07  Onslaught Reborn #4 of 5 - 45,946  (-12.4%)
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

Delayed to mid-November.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN
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 - 62,278  (+48.9%)
03/07  F.N. Spider-Man #18 - 50,665  (-18.6%)
04/07  F.N. Spider-Man #19 - 50,307  ( -0.7%)
05/07  F.N. Spider-Man #20 - 49,908  ( -0.8%)
06/07  F.N. Spider-Man #21 - 47,915  ( -4.0%)
07/07  F.N. Spider-Man #22 - 46,465  ( -3.0%)
08/07  F.N. Spider-Man #23 - 44,661  ( -3.9%)
09/07  ---

Cancelled with issue #24, which shipped in early October.

RUNAWAYS
09/03  Runaways #6  - 20,035
09/04  Runaways #18 - 18,614
09/05  Runaways #8  - 26,954
=====
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  ---
04/07  Runaways #25 - 56,250  (+123.1%)
05/07  Runaways #26 - 46,134  ( -18.0%)
06/07  ---
07/07  Runaways #27 - 41,254  ( -10.6%)
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

Late. The missing issue shipped in October, but heaven knows what the delay is here.

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER  [DBPro]
10/06  Guilty Pls. #1 of 12 - 53,277
11/06  Guilty Pls. #2 of 12 - 39,450  (-26.0%)
12/06  Guilty Pls. #3 of 12 - 36,091  ( -8.5%)
01/07  Guilty Pls. #4 of 12 - 32,363  (-10.3%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Guilty Pls. #5 of 12 - 31,136  ( -3.8%)
04/07  Guilty Pls. #6 of 12 - 30,759  ( -1.2%)
05/07  ---
06/07  ---
07/07  First Death #1 of 2  - 38,631  (+25.6%)
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

FIRST DEATH #2 is due out at the end of October, while GUILTY PLEASURES has been pushed back to January.

PUNISHER  [Max]
09/01  Punisher #4  - 67,465
09/02  Punisher #17 - 47,880
09/03  Punisher #32 - 37,240
09/04  Punisher #11 - 44,038
09/05  Punisher #25 - 37,149
=====
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%)
04/07  Punisher #46 - 33,427  ( +0.5%)
05/07  Punisher #47 - 33,892  ( +1.4%)
06/07  Punisher #48 - 33,804  ( -0.3%)
07/07  Punisher #49 - 34,317  ( +1.5%)
08/07  Punisher #50 - 36,457  ( +6.2%)
09/07  ---

Slipped into October.

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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  ---
06/07  Ultimate Vision #4 of 5 - 29,844  (-10.8%)
07/07  ---
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

The final issue is currently due in mid-November, if anyone still cares.

MYSTIC ARCANA
06/07  Magik         - 26,976
07/07  Black Knight  - 20,928  (-22.4%)
08/07  Scarlet Witch - 23,481  (+12.2%)
09/07  ---

The final issue, with Nico from the Runaways, has been pushed back to November.

POWERS  [Icon]
09/01  ---
09/02  Powers #25 - 27,500
09/03  ---
09/04  Powers #4  - 33,046
09/05  ---
=====
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  ---
04/07  Powers #24 - 20,960  ( -4.5%)
05/07  ---
06/07  ---
07/07  ---
08/07  Powers #25 - 21,349  ( +1.9%)
09/07  ---

Slipped into October. Didn’t they say something about a monthly schedule?

SPIDER-MAN FAMILY
02/07  Spider-Man Family #1 - 30,516
03/07  ---
04/07  Spider-Man Family #2 - 20,679  (-32.2%)
05/07  ---
06/07  Spider-Man Family #3 - 16,853  (-18.5%)
07/07  ---
08/07  Spider-Man Family #4 - 14,253  (-15.4%)
09/07  ---

Bimonthly.

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

World of its own. Issue #9 has been pushed back multiple times, and it’s currently due in November.

HEDGE KNIGHT 2: SWORN SWORD  [DBPro]
06/07  Sworn Sword #1 of 6 - 12,011
07/07  Sworn Sword #2 of 6 -  8,763  (-27.0%)
08/07  Sworn Sword #3 of 6 -  7,658  (-12.6%)
09/07  ---

Delayed to December. There’s obviously something going on with the Dabel Bros stragglers. Look…

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%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Apprentice #7   of 12 - 6,193  (  -9.2%)
06/07  Apprentice #8   of 12 - 5,941  (  -4.1%)
07/07  Apprentice #9   of 12 - 5,454  (  -8.2%)
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

Delayed to October.

ORSON SCOTT CARD'S WYRMS  [DBPro]
02/07  Wyrms #1 of 6 - 6,246
03/07  Wyrms #2 of 6 - 5,401  (-13.5%)
04/07  Wyrms #3 of 6 - 4,902  ( -9.2%)
05/07  Wyrms #4 of 6 - 4,567  ( -6.8%)
06/07  Wyrms #5 of 6 - 4,209  ( -7.8%)
07/07  ---
08/07  ---
09/07  ---

Delayed to November.

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  (+<96.0%)
12/06  Alvin Maker #4   of 12 -   5,034  (+>58.8%)
01/07  Alvin Maker #5   of 12 -   4,480  ( -11.0%)
02/07  ---
03/07  Alvin Maker #6   of 12 -   4,009  ( -10.5%)
04/07  ---
05/07  Alvin Maker #7   of 12 -   3,678  (  -8.3%)
06/07  Alvin Maker #8   of 12 -   3,441  (  -6.4%)
07/07  Alvin Maker #9   of 12 -   3,184  (  -7.5%)
08/07  Alvin Maker #10  of 12 -   3,048  (  -4.3%)
09/07  ---

Delayed to December. Get the feeling that production’s been on hiatus with some of these books?

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

+102.5% - Incredible Hulk
+ 77.7% - Heroes For Hire
+ 68.2% - Daredevil
+ 42.5% - New X-Men
+ 40.0% - X-Factor
+ 31.4% - Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
+ 13.9% - X-Men
+ 13.2% - Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four
+  6.8% - Uncanny X-Men
+  4.9% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-  0.9% - Cable & Deadpool
-  1.4% - Irredeemable Ant-Man
-  1.6% - She-Hulk
-  2.8% - Marvel Adventures Avengers
-  5.6% - New Avengers
-  5.9% - Punisher War Journal
-  6.3% - Amazing Spider-Man
-  6.6% - Exiles
-  7.6% - Ultimate Fantastic Four
-  7.7% - Immortal Iron Fist
-  8.4% - Ultimate Spider-Man
-  8.8% - Amazing Spider-Girl
-  8.9% - New Excalibur
-  9.1% - Ultimate Power
-  9.9% - Criminal
- 12.2% - Ultimate X-Men
- 16.7% - Wolverine: Origins
- 19.4% - Power Pack
- 20.4% - Ghost Rider
- 20.6% - X-Men: First Class
- 20.7% - Ms Marvel
- 23.2% - Wolverine
- 38.6% - Moon Knight
- 63.6% - Marvel Spotlight
- 76.9% - Captain America


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

+ 82.8% - Incredible Hulk
+ 79.0% - Marvel Spotlight
+ 62.9% - Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
+ 62.2% - Captain America
+ 40.8% - Daredevil
+ 33.0% - New X-Men
+ 28.7% - Iron Man
+ 22.7% - X-Factor
+ 18.9% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 11.0% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
+ 10.8% - Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four
+  4.4% - X-Men
+  2.9% - She-Hulk
-  2.5% - Uncanny X-Men
- 14.1% - Marvel Adventures Avengers
- 14.4% - Exiles
- 17.5% - New Avengers
- 19.6% - Ultimate X-Men
- 20.9% - New Excalibur
- 26.5% - Ultimate Fantastic Four
- 26.6% - Moon Knight
- 29.3% - Ghost Rider
- 30.9% - Wolverine
- 38.4% - Wolverine: Origins
- 40.1% - Heroes For Hire
- 42.3% - Front Line
- 44.1% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 50.2% - Ms Marvel
- 52.1% - X-Men: First Class
- 56.8% - Cable & Deadpool


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

+105.7% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 82.7% - Incredible Hulk
+ 70.1% - Daredevil
+ 65.4% - Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
+ 51.2% - Captain America
+ 21.8% - New X-Men
+ 11.9% - X-Men
+  2.8% - Cable & Deadpool
+  2.0% - Uncanny X-Men
+  1.8% - Amazing Spider-Girl
-  6.6% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
- 12.0% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 14.4% - Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four
- 16.2% - Wolverine
- 21.1% - New Avengers
- 26.0% - Ultimate X-Men
- 34.8% - Ultimate Fantastic Four
- 35.4% - Exiles


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

+194.5% - Thor
+114.3% - Captain America
+ 67.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 41.8% - Iron Man
+ 38.2% - Daredevil
+ 35.6% - Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
+ 21.2% - New Avengers
+ 14.7% - Wolverine
+  8.7% - New X-Men
+  7.6% - She-Hulk
-  4.7% - X-Men
-  7.5% - Uncanny X-Men
- 14.2% - Cable & Deadpool
- 15.4% - Amazing Spider-Girl
- 21.9% - Exiles
- 29.2% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 41.7% - Ultimate X-Men
- 46.8% - Ultimate Fantastic Four


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

+239.9% - Thor
+ 86.3% - Captain America
+ 65.3% - Incredible Hulk
+ 58.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
+ 53.4% - Iron Man
+ 31.0% - Daredevil
+ 27.2% - New X-Men
-  7.0% - Uncanny X-Men
-  8.7% - Wolverine
- 16.8% - Amazing Spider-Girl
- 18.9% - X-Men
- 30.8% - Exiles
- 36.7% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 49.0% - Ultimate X-Men

1 COMMENT

  1. actually, bendis has confirmed that the final issue of illuminati isnt coming out untill mighty avengers 6 ships. so, more like january than november.

  2. “Is there some massive audience for T&A outside the direct market?”

    PLAYBOY seems to think so.

    I don’t think that was your point, but I can’t really tell what your point was.

  3. Well, I wouldn’t exactly call PLAYBOY pornography. The image of a naked women (or naked man), per se does not = PORNOGRAPHY.

    Maybe when they are posing with snakes and speading legs and licking things ir does equal porno. THe playboy pictorials I have seen most recently (and I’m not an expert) are just tacky photoshopped cheesecake.

  4. There’s a very big audience everywhere for images of sexy young women. That’s a given. In fact there may be nothing more powerful on EARTH than the image of a sexy young woman, hence entire societies banning it all together.

    However there is also an overabundance of images of sexy young women everywhere in American Society, so buying HEROES FOR HIRE just because it had sexy young women (being molested by tentacles) really didn’t have much pull with that market.

    Moral: if you can get it for free on the internet, you need to look at your P&L very carefully.

  5. Yes, and I think that’s closer to the point. In the present market, it’s almost nonsensical to talk of SHANNA – heavily sexualised non-nude drawings of a woman in a non-erotic adventure story – as being in any way parallel to PLAYBOY, let alone harder pornography. It doesn’t even get into the ballpark.

    And yet if you disregard that element – what’s left? What’s the point of these books? They don’t sell very well, they don’t get critical acclaim, and if anything they’re perceived as tacky. So why do they exist? That’s what really interests me – the fact that these comics continue to get commissioned, even though it’s difficult to see any logical reason for publishing them.

  6. According to the Bendis Tapes, there’s a boatload of stuff being held up by MIghty Avengers 6. Maybe Heroes For Hire is One of them? It’s a stretch, but…

  7. Points of T&A books IMO:
    – crowding out the competition. The T&A buyer might as well buy a Marvel T&A book. It makes it harder for others to compete next to Marvel and the established T&A books like Tarot; it enables brand loyalty.
    – It’s available cash. Basically, if it works, there’s no reason not to get some of that T&A dollar. No matter how small the core T&A audience or how much profit above zero.
    – They like it. Frathouse mentality isn’t just a nice description, it also means people will approve and be in favour of some things regardless of their value in hard numbers.
    – Shit meet wall. There’s an awful lot of wild experimentation (in a very narrow kind of way) going on at the big 2, this is just more of the same. Sure, it’s unlikely SHANNA vX will be the next Watchmen, but as long as the experiment is profitable, it’s worth a try.
    – what Matthew Craig said.

  8. I somehow doubt Runaways or Hedge Knight are among those, though, John, and those are the only two I really care about.

    Meantime, Paul, I don’t think T&A books are all that popular, inside and outside the direct market. I think they keep getting made because the people making them get naughty little thrills from doing so. In other words, Shanna books make somebody at Marvel hard.

  9. My theory on why Marvel keeps putting out T&A books is because the editors and creators think most comic fans are horney guys who can’t get a date with a girl.

  10. > According to the Bendis Tapes, there’s a boatload of stuff being held up by MIghty Avengers 6. Maybe Heroes For Hire is One of them? It’s a stretch, but…

    Doubt it. HfH 15 will apparently have multiple pencillers (Leonard Kirk says he’s doing *part* of it on his blog), and the fill-in record in general is getting worse as it nears a conclusion. That is not a sign of a title being held up by external factors.

  11. “Heroes for Hire has 40,000 copies bought and it got canceled?”

    It’s a WORLD WAR HULK crossover arc. Sales will almost certainly go right back to previous levels afterwards.

  12. so, if I can roughly guesstimate it right is that Joe Quesada will have cost Marvel some $150 k in revenue in 2 months (100k less sold Spiderman comics in 2 months) with the lateness of his personal Spiderman project.

  13. I’ve got to see, for anniversary issues of things like Daredevil, a boost actually does make sense, and isn’t just collector’s mentality. I picked it up because I like DD stories, but Brubaker’s run wasn’t quite clicking with me, and the selection of artists sounded great, and indeed produced a very good single issue.

  14. >>08/07 Daredevil #99 – 47,386 ( +1.2%)
    09/07 Daredevil #100 – 78,143 (+64.9%)

    Wow, that’s a pretty big jump for an anniversary bump.

    >>HALO: UPRISING
    The bad news is that issue #2 has just been rescheduled for mid-November. Comics fandom may put up with this sort of thing, but the real world may not.

    Amen to that. Can’t drop the ball on a licensed property, Marvel!

  15. There was mention of Heroes for Hire in the solicit for “Aftersmash,” the WWH epilogue, so I figure the book might be relaunch in a new form.

  16. “so, if I can roughly guesstimate it right is that Joe Quesada will have cost Marvel some $150 k in revenue in 2 months”

    More important is the revenue retailers have lost.

  17. Prior to One More Day, the Spiderman books moved 203,000 units, at $3.00 a pop for $609k. Amazing shipped 146 units at $4.00 each for $584k. Marvel left $25k on the table with this stunt. That also means that the One More Day issues need to ship monthly to maintain this level. The $4 price point is the major reason I’m not picking this up. Failed hype, massive decompression, and illogical storylines are the others.

    I’ve got to say that all of the $4.00 books are doing poorly, like the Max series and Marvel Comics Presents. I’m chopping books off of my pull list because they aren’t delivering quality for my $3. Why on earth would I try stuff out at $4 per book?

    And Paul, thanks for doing this. I’ve been reading your column for a couple of years now, and it is the thing I look forward to reading most every month. Thanks for your time and effort and I hope you keep at it. You do an awesome job every month.

  18. Daredevil #100 had *3* covers available, a 50/50 variant split regular cover, and the wraparound cover, which was orderable separately.

    I know that there *is* a market for T&A comics, but do we need 3 of the same exact book (Sheena, Shanna, and Jungle Girl) at the same time? I’ll bet that if two of these didn’t exist, the third one would have higher sales. In my store, Jungle Girl is the one that gets more sales (so far), but Dynamite screwed stores over by shipping #0 and #1 on the same day, and doing “match-to” orders for #2 and #3, instead of soliciting them like normal.

  19. Love reading these each month, thanks as always. When was the last time Marvel were late on that many books? You would hazard a guess that DC had less late books that month instead which should be a wake-up call to Marvel.

    [Marvel Comics Presents]”To be fair, it’s been years since the direct market supported a superhero anthology, and this one doesn’t even have the benefit of a big name lead character, so I’m not sure what more Marvel could really have expected from it.”

    You could argue that Immonen and perhaps Guggenheim would have been big enough names to warrant higher sales, plus they featured a Spider-Man and Thing stories in there, both of whom are fan-favourite characters. However, I agree that it looks like it will struggle especially with the higher price but we know there should be at least 12 issues of it.

  20. >>>HALO: UPRISING
    The bad news is that issue #2 has just been rescheduled for mid-November. Comics fandom may put up with this sort of thing, but the real world may not.

    >Amen to that. Can’t drop the ball on a licensed property, Marvel!

    The real world audience in this case are gamers though and they are used to delays that would make even the worst among Marvel and DC’s writers and artists blush. (OK, probably not comparable in any way.)

  21. > Micah, what do you think of the occasional $3.50 book DC and others have put out? Is it a price point you can live with?

    It wasn’t too long ago that the main books were $2.25 & $2.50. I think that was just last year. I’m definitely a fan of the tier system. But for unproven material with writers and artists you might not have heard of, $3.00 is too much. There was a Thor mini that came out a couple of years ago that was $3.50 (the predecessor to the Silver Surfer 4-issue mini that came out this year at $3.99). The art was awesome, no ads. That’d be what I’d look for in an over-priced book. But the $2.99 price point is what is killing books like the Thing by Slott, hurting sales on Heroes for Hire, She-Hulk and Ant-Man, and causing highly fluctuating sales on regular books (which spurs on event-style crossovers).

    There are books that I’d pay more than $3 for, easy. Planetary when it was coming out, Fables, Jack of Fables, Astonishing X-Men, Ultimates. Top talent though, with great stories (everyone is going to have their own personal list). But my tolerance for casual pick-ups is at an all-time high. I wait for reviews, and then more reviews, and then hope my LCS has it in stock the following week or two. Marvel and DC need to find out whatever it takes to get books at $2 again (that’s why I’m buying Fell and Casanova). Imagine a kid new to the hobby looking at a book for $3.00. 15 books a month vs. a new, hyped video game? Halo 3 is going to win every month.

  22. With the T&A comic books, I know many collector’s that JUST by or have a specific collection for just female character books, from any company big or small press. They don’t care what the story is, just as long as they’re sexy babes as the main character. A lot of Vampiralla collectors buy like this.