As expected, although still shockingly, Rocket Raccoon #1 by Skottie Young was the #1 comics periodical for July, according to Diamond’s just released stats. As reported earlier, RR #1 sold some 300,000 copies—100,000 of them through a single order from bulk seller Loot Crate. Even so, 200,000 copies is a high water mark for a character viewed as a minor oddity a few months ago. As usual, and perhaps comfortingly, Batman #33 took the second spot, but Harley Quinn #8 was also in the top 10, another sign of the audience diversity that is beginning to take hold.
Marvel won the month with a 35.09% dollar market share and a 38.39% unit market share to DC’s 28.18% dollar share and 31.32% unit share. Archie edged out Boom for #7, perhaps due to the death of Archie orders.
The month was up sharply in month to month and year to year, but July was a five Wednesday month so the stats aren’t that significant. 2014 is still generally flat against 2013, but that was a huge year for sales so the industry is still in a pretty good place.
The Walking Dead’s newest trade, Volume 21: All Out War Part 2, led graphic novels, with the new Avatar the Last Airbender YA gn from Dark Horse and even Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds also making an appearance.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
| PUBLISHER | DOLLAR
SHARE |
UNIT
SHARE |
| MARVEL COMICS | 35.09% | 38.39% |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 28.18% | 31.32% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 9.25% | 9.82% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 5.21% | 4.11% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 5.02% | 3.80% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 2.18% | 2.16% |
| ARCHIE COMICS | 2.04% | 1.88% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 1.76% | 1.78% |
| EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS | 1.05% | 0.24% |
| ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.05% | 0.87% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 9.18% | 5.62% |
NEW TITLES SHIPPED
| PUBLISHER | COMICS SHIPPED | GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED | MAGAZINES SHIPPED | TOTAL
SHIPPED |
| MARVEL COMICS | 93 | 36 | 0 | 129 |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 97 | 31 | 0 | 128 |
| IMAGE COMICS | 66 | 17 | 0 | 83 |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 48 | 31 | 0 | 79 |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 39 | 29 | 0 | 68 |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 40 | 4 | 0 | 44 |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 29 | 4 | 0 | 33 |
| ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT | 14 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| ARCHIE COMICS | 15 | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 89 | 151 | 39 | 279 |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| JULY 2014 VS. JUNE 2014 | ||
| COMICS | 32.22% | 29.25% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 21.04% | 24.64% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 28.66% | 28.88% |
| JULY 2014 VS. JULY 2013 | ||
| COMICS | 19.23% | 14.73% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 4.84% | 4.59% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 14.52% | 13.87% |
| YEAR-TO-DATE 2014 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2013 | ||
| COMICS | 1.76% | -3.16% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 3.25% | 5.27% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 2.22% | -2.51% |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | ROCKET RACCOON #1 | $3.99 | MAY140797-M | MAR |
| 2 | BATMAN #33 | $4.99 | MAY140230-M | DC |
| 3 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4 | $3.99 | MAY140762-M | MAR |
| 4 | ORIGINAL SIN #5 | $3.99 | MAY140764-M | MAR |
| 5 | SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1 | $3.99 | MAY140807-M | MAR |
| 6 | ORIGINAL SIN #6 | $3.99 | MAY140768-M | MAR |
| 7 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #32 | $3.99 | MAY140173-M | DC |
| 8 | GRAYSON #1 | $2.99 | MAY140156-M | DC |
| 9 | THE LEGENDARY STAR-LORD #1 | $3.99 | MAY140804-M | MAR |
| 10 | HARLEY QUINN #8 | $2.99 | MAY140245-M | DC |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 21: ALL-OUT WAR PART 2 (MR) | $14.99 | MAY140652 | IMA |
| 2 | AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER VOL. 8: RIFT PART 2 TP | $10.99 | MAR140061 | DAR |
| 3 | DEADLY CLASS VOLUME 1: REAGAN YOUTH TP (MR) | $9.99 | MAY140626 | IMA |
| 4 | SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR) | $9.99 | AUG120491 | IMA |
| 5 | BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY: SECONDS GN | $25.00 | APR140949 | RAN |
| 6 | DEADPOOL VOLUME 5: THE WEDDING OF DEADPOOL TP | $15.99 | APR140772 | MAR |
| 7 | SAGA VOLUME 3 TP (MR) | $14.99 | JAN140556 | IMA |
| 8 | STAR WARS: THE LUCAS DRAFT TP | $19.99 | MAR140021 | DAR |
| 9 | BATMAN VOLUME 1: THE COURT OF OWLS TP | $16.99 | DEC120323 | DC |
| 10 | LAZARUS VOLUME 2: LIFT TP (MR) | $14.99 | FEB140527 | IMA |
TOP 10 BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 44 SC | $29.95 | APR141239-M | GEM |
| 2 | THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 44 HC | $35.00 | APR141240-M | GEM |
| 3 | STAR WARS: GOODNIGHT, DARTH VADER HC | $14.95 | MAY141838 | CHR |
| 4 | THE SAKAI PROJECT: 30 YEARS OF USAGI YOJIMBO HC | $29.99 | MAR140071 | DAR |
| 5 | WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S THE JEDI DOTH RETURN HC | $14.95 | APR141583 | RAN |
| 6 | MIKE MIGNOLA’S HELLBOY ARTIST’S EDITION | $95.00 | MAR140463 | IDW |
| 7 | STERANKO’S NICK FURY, AGENT OF SHIELD ARTIST’S EDITION | $112.50 | FEB140330 | IDW |
| 8 | GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AN ORIGIN STORY YR HC | $12.99 | APR141554 | HAC |
| 9 | FRANK MILLER: THE ART OF SIN CITY TP | $25.00 | FEB140012 | DAR |
| 10 | THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL ANNUAL VOLUME 1 SC | $14.95 | MAY141833 | SAN |
TOP 10 TOYS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | ARKHAM ASYLUM: THE JOKER/HARLEY QUINN/BATMAN/
THE SCARECROW ACTION FIGURE 4-PACK |
MAR140312 | DC |
| 2 | MARVEL SELECT: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER:
THE FALCON ACTION FIGURE |
DEC131823 | DST |
| 3 | POWER RANGERS LEGACY DRAGONZORD | FEB142135 | BAN |
| 4 | DC COMICS: BATGIRL “NEW 52” ARTFX+ STATUE | DEC131932 | KOT |
| 5 | DC COMICS SUPER VILLAINS: ARMORED LEX LUTHOR DELUXE FIGURE | JAN140403 | DC |
| 6 | MARVEL: SPIDER-WOMAN BISHOUJO STATUE | DEC131933 | KOT |
| 7 | DC COMICS: NEW 52 POWERGIRL & HUNTRESS ACTION FIGURE 2-PACK | FEB140305 | DC |
| 8 | DC COMICS: NEW 52 EARTH-2 WONDER WOMAN ACTION FIGURE | JAN140396 | DC |
| 9 | TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURLES MINI-FIGURES SERIES 1 | MAY142311 | BEA |
| 10 | DC COMICS COVER GIRLS: POISON IVY STATUE | JAN140397 | DC |
If DC can follow through with things like Batgirl and Gotham Academy and push their line outwards, I think they will be in much better shape.
Seconds was #5 despite being $25 (other than Walking Dead, the other three were $10 or $11). Pretty good haul, there.
Interesting to see Archie Comics net 2% of the market. I guess Archie dying combined with all those zombies is starting to affect sales in a positive way.
Last July was five weeks, too, so this was a straight beat. The biggest factor I believe wasn’t Loot Crate or the new Walking Dead: it’s in that New Releases chart. Diamond hasn’t put out this many new comics and GNs since they started reporting these statistics a year ago. My preliminary report:
http://blog.comichron.com/2014/08/july-2014-comics-market-dollar-orders.html
Congratulations to Rocket Raccoon for being #1 and sold some thousands of copies through a single bulk order. That’s a huge. Thanks for sharing this information.
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/29357.html
BookScan data for July. (Mostly bookstores.)
1 NARUTO VOL. 66
2 SECONDS: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC
3 ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 1
4 ATTACK ON TITAN: NO REGRETS VOL. 1
5 SECONDS: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC (B&N EXCLUSIVE ED.)
That B&N edition was part of their Get Pop Cultured month. He signed at NYC/Union Square in early August, so expect that edition to appear again in August.
Aside from manga and Seconds, everything else on that list appears to be backlist.
Phenomenal sales for ROCKET RACCOON. Didn’t see that coming. I’d love to know if any of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Bill Mantlo. Because that would be a cool thing to do.
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