By Paul O’Brien

December saw Marvel gearing up for the next event season, with the prologues to both SIEGE and FALL OF HULKS. The other major new release was CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD. That aside, it’s pretty quiet in terms of new titles. This is standard on the eve of a major crossover, since Marvel’s usual policy is to launch new books out of the big events.

While DC continued to top the direct market charts with BLACKEST NIGHT, Marvel regained a commanding lead in overall market share, leading DC by 49% to 30% in units, and 46% to 27% in dollars.

And since it’s the first column of the new year, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves that these numbers represent direct market sales through Diamond in North America. Total sales will be higher, because comics are also exported abroad, sold through other channels in North America, and repackaged for trade paperbacks and foreign licensing. And some books will do particularly well outside the direct market. Remember, also, that these numbers represent sales to comics stores – not all these copies were necessarily sold on to readers.

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

3.  CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN
12/04  ---
12/05  Captain America #13  -  44,945
12/06  ---
12/07  Captain America #33  -  78,279
=====
12/08  Captain America #45  -  71,186  (  -5.7%)
01/09  Captain America #46  -  73,184  (  +2.8%)
02/09  Captain America #47  -  62,850  ( -14.1%)
03/09  Captain America #48  -  62,108  (  -1.2%)
04/09  Captain America #49  -  63,874  (  +2.8%)
05/09  Captain America #50  -  72,708  ( +13.8%)
06/09  Captain America #600 - 123,152  ( +69.4%)
07/09  Captain America #601 -  87,844  ( -28.7%)
07/09  Reborn #1 of 6       - 197,565  (+124.9%)
08/09  Reborn #2 of 6       - 125,366  ( -36.5%)
09/09  Reborn #3 of 6       - 108,331  ( -13.6%)
10/09  ---
11/09  Reborn #4 of 6       -  96,571  ( -10.9%)
12/09  Reborn #5 of 6       -  91,790  (  -5.0%)
                               6 mnth  ( -25.5%)
                               1 year  ( +28.9%)
                               2 year  ( +17.3%)
                               3 year  (   --- )
                               4 year  (+104.2%)
                               5 year  (   --- )

4.  CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN
12/09  Who Will Wield The Shield - 80,771

WHO WILL WIELD… is an epilogue to REBORN, but in a curious scheduling snafu, it came out before that miniseries actually finished. While artist Bryan Hitch has taken some flak over this, the book has only slipped a month behind schedule. It’s hardly another ULTIMATES, and if they hadn’t extended REBORN to six issues at the last minute, everything would have gone fine. As so often with these one-shots, it looks as though they’d probably have sold more copies by caling it REBORN #7, but such is life.

Meanwhile, REBORN continues to hold up well, selling far above the usual range for CAPTAIN AMERICA. This issue has two variant covers, one with a 1:25 incentive ratio.

7.  NEW AVENGERS
12/04  New Avengers #1  - 240,724
12/05  New Avengers #14 - 124,300
12/06  New Avengers #26 - 122,670
12/07  New Avengers #37 - 105,545
=====
12/08  New Avengers #47 -  95,703  ( -3.8%)
12/08  New Avengers #48 -  95,688  ( -0.0%)
01/09  New Avengers #49 -  94,291  ( -1.5%)
02/09  New Avengers #50 - 106,831  (+13.3%)
03/09  New Avengers #51 -  95,340  (-10.8%)
04/09  New Avengers #52 -  93,975  ( -1.4%)
05/09  New Avengers #53 -  94,367  ( +0.4%)
06/09  New Avengers #54 -  93,878  ( -0.5%)
07/09  New Avengers #55 -  84,745  ( -9.7%)
08/09  New Avengers #56 -  89,996  ( +6.2%)
09/09  New Avengers #57 -  85,598  ( -4.9%)
10/09  New Avengers #58 -  76,656  (-10.4%)
11/09  New Avengers #59 -  74,379  ( -3.0%)
12/09  New Avengers #60 -  72,790  ( -2.1%)
                           6 mnth  (-22.5%)
                           1 year  (-23.9%)
                           2 year  (-31.0%)
                           3 year  (-40.7%)
                           4 year  (-41.4%)
                           5 year  (-69.8%)

9.  DARK AVENGERS
01/09  Dark Avengers #1  - 139,239
02/09  Dark Avengers #2  - 102,277  (-26.5%)
03/09  Dark Avengers #3  - 101,978  ( -0.3%)
04/09  Dark Avengers #4  -  99,694  ( -2.2%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Dark Avengers #5  -  95,746  ( -4.0%)
06/09  Dark Avengers #6  -  93,634  ( -2.2%)
07/09  Dark Avengers #7  -  94,189  ( +0.6%)
08/09  Dark Avengers #8  -  94,191  ( +0.0%)
09/09  Dark Avengers #9  -  79,729  (-15.4%)
10/09  Dark Avengers #10 -  75,618  ( -5.2%)
11/09  Dark Avengers #11 -  72,225  ( -4.5%)
12/09  Dark Avengers #12 -  69,799  ( -3.4%)
                            6 mnth  (-25.5%)

Both titles are officially cancelled in April, the last month of SIEGE, along with MIGHTY AVENGERS and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. Obviously this is heading towards a retooling of the Avengers line. NEW AVENGERS is the successor title to the original AVENGERS series, and presumably it’ll be back in May with a new number #1. DARK AVENGERS is more obviously linked to the “Dark Reign” storyline, and it’s hard to see how it can continue in any recognisable form beyond May – but I wouldn’t be shocked to see some sort of replacement title, given the sales.

Both books are drifting down right now, but with SIEGE next month and a relaunch in the spring, that’s no real concern.

12.  SIEGE: CABAL
12/09  Cabal - 68,855

This is the prologue issue for SIEGE, and it has three variant covers, with incentives of 1:50, 1:75 and 1:200.

There’s been some talk that SIEGE doesn’t have the buzz of DC’s BLACKEST NIGHT event – time will tell on that score. Arguably the closest comparison to this book ought to be WORLD WAR HULK: PROLOGUE, but you can’t really generalise with books like this. For what it’s worth, that book sold 111K, but it did so in May 2007, when the event book mania was at its height, and you needed to sell over 100K just to make the top 10. Different time.

13,14. UNCANNY X-MEN
12/04  Uncanny X-Men #453 -  89,952
12/05  Uncanny X-Men #467 -  81,282
12/06  Uncanny X-Men #481 -  85,995
12/07  Uncanny X-Men #493 - 102,114
=====
12/08  Uncanny X-Men #505 -  82,271  ( +5.8%)
01/09  ---
02/09  Uncanny X-Men #506 -  71,684  (-12.9%)
03/09  Uncanny X-Men #507 -  77,957  ( +8.8%)
04/09  Uncanny X-Men #508 -  76,442  ( -1.9%)
04/09  Uncanny X-Men #509 -  69,185  ( -9.5%)
05/09  Uncanny X-Men #510 -  75,139  ( +8.6%)
06/09  Uncanny X-Men #511 -  71,148  ( -5.3%)
06/09  Uncanny X-Men #512 -  76,283  ( +7.2%)
07/09  Uncanny X-Men #513 -  87,582  (+14.8%)
08/09  Uncanny X-Men #514 -  90,316  ( +3.1%)
09/09  Uncanny X-Men #515 -  73,585  (-18.5%)
10/09  Uncanny X-Men #516 -  73,916  ( +0.4%)
11/09  Uncanny X-Men #517 -  69,557  ( -5.9%)
12/09  Uncanny X-Men #518 -  68,572  ( -1.4%)
12/09  Uncanny X-Men #519 -  67,043  ( -2.2%)
                             6 mnth  (-12.1%)
                             1 year  (-18.5%)
                             2 year  (-34.3%)
                             3 year  (-22.0%)
                             4 year  (-17.5%)
                             5 year  (-25.5%)

The “Nation X” branding across the X-Men titles doesn’t seem to be making much difference to sales one way or the other. But there’s the “Second Coming” crossover due in the spring, which is a rather bigger deal.

16,22,23. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
12/04  Amazing Spider-Man #515 -  82,840
12/05  Amazing Spider-Man #527 -  79,261
12/06  ---
12/07  Amazing Spider-Man #545 - 124,481
=====
12/08  Amazing Spider-Man #579 -  69,784  ( +4.8%)
12/08  Amazing Spider-Man #580 -  62,979  ( -9.8%)
12/08  Amazing Spider-Man #581 -  68,905  ( +9.4%)
01/09  Amazing Spider-Man #582 -  59,932  (-13.0%)
01/09  Amazing Spider-Man #583 - 525,050 (+776.1%)
01/09  Amazing Spider-Man #584 -  63,754  (-87.9%)
02/09  Amazing Spider-Man #585 -  60,286  ( -5.4%)
02/09  Amazing Spider-Man #586 -  59,521  ( -1.3%)
02/09  Amazing Spider-Man #587 -  60,118  ( +1.0%)
03/09  Amazing Spider-Man #588 -  61,334  ( +2.0%)
03/09  Amazing Spider-Man #589 -  58,832  ( -4.1%)
04/09  Amazing Spider-Man #590 -  66,415  (+12.9%)
04/09  Amazing Spider-Man #591 -  60,508  ( -8.9%)
04/09  Amazing Spider-Man #592 -  65,940  ( +9.0%)
05/09  Amazing Spider-Man #593 -  58,363  (-11.5%)
05/09  Amazing Spider-Man #594 -  58,464  ( +0.2%)
05/09  Amazing Spider-Man #595 -  71,837  (+22.9%)
06/09  Amazing Spider-Man #596 -  63,525  (-11.6%)
06/09  Amazing Spider-Man #597 -  61,646  ( -3.0%)
06/09  Amazing Spider-Man #598 -  61,585  ( -0.0%)
07/09  Amazing Spider-Man #599 -  72,412  (+17.6%)
07/09  Amazing Spider-Man #600 - 116,857  (+61.4%)
08/09  Amazing Spider-Man #601 -  74,279  (-36.4%)
08/09  Amazing Spider-Man #602 -  71,532  ( -3.7%)
08/09  Amazing Spider-Man #603 -  71,051  ( -0.7%)
09/09  Amazing Spider-Man #604 -  63,435  (-10.7%)
09/09  Amazing Spider-Man #605 -  62,831  ( -1.0%)
09/09  Amazing Spider-Man #606 -  70,177  (+11.7%)
09/09  Amazing Spider-Man #607 -  62,570  (-10.8%)
10/09  Amazing Spider-Man #608 -  72,035  (+15.1%)
10/09  Amazing Spider-Man #609 -  61,176  (-15.1%)
11/09  Amazing Spider-Man #610 -  61,170  ( -0.0%)
11/09  Amazing Spider-Man #611 -  64,514  ( +5.5%)
11/09  Amazing Spider-Man #612 -  68,459  ( +6.1%)
11/09  Amazing Spider-Man #613 -  64,499  ( -5.8%)
12/09  Amazing Spider-Man #614 -  59,696  ( -7.4%)
12/09  Amazing Spider-Man #615 -  63,738  ( +6.8%)
12/09  Amazing Spider-Man #616 -  58,856  ( -7.7%)
                                  6 mnth  ( -4.4%)
                                  1 year  (-15.7%)
                                  2 year  (-52.7%)
                                  3 year  (  --- )
                                  4 year  (-25.7%)
                                  5 year  (-29.0%)

Issue #615 has a variant cover, as if you couldn’t guess. Otherwise, sales seem to be at the lower end of the range this month. But cast an eye back over the last year and you’ll see that it’s fluctuated down to this level before.

17,35.  FALL OF THE HULKS
12/09  Alpha - 62,785
12/09  Gamma - 46,883

This is curious. These are prologue issues to next month’s FALL OF THE HULKS crossover, both with the same variant cover programmes. I’m surprised to see such a difference between the two issues, especially since GAMMA has the big-name creative team of Jeph Loeb and John Romita Jr attached. GAMMA was part of the last shipment of December, though, so it’s possible this is another case of a distribution screw-up leading to some sales slipping into the next month.

18,25. THOR
12/04  ---
12/05  ---
12/06  ---
12/07  Thor #5   - 101,551
=====
12/08  Thor #12  -  73,784  (  -6.2%)
01/09  ---
02/09  Thor #600 -  96,718  ( +31.1%)
03/09  ---
04/09  Thor #601 -  82,742  ( -14.5%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Thor #602 -  69,568  ( -15.3%)
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  Thor #603 -  65,265  (  -6.2%)
10/09  ---
11/09  Finale    -  53,566  ( -17.9%)
12/09  Thor #604 -  61,608  ( +15.0%)
12/09  Thor #605 -  55,242  ( -10.3%)
                    6 mnth  ( -20.6%)
                    1 year  ( -25.1%)
                    2 year  ( -45.6%)
                    3 year  (   --- )
                    4 year  (   --- )
                    5 year  (   --- )

With J Michael Straczynski’s run over, THOR starts to catch up on its schedule under the new creative team of Kieron Gillen and Billy Tan. Obviously there’s some urgency here, because THOR is a key title for the SIEGE crossover.

Issue #604 has a 1:15 variant cover. Marvel have also cut the price back to $2.99, presumably on the basis that Gillen isn’t expected to have the same drawing power as a star writer like Straczynski. To be honest, sales hold up surprisingly well here, bearing in mind that the book was falling sharply during the last few issues of Straczynski’s run. Needless to say, a SIEGE tie-in is imminent.

19. NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL
12/09  New Avengers Annual #3 - 61,435

20. DARK AVENGERS ANNUAL
12/09  Dark Avengers Annual #1 - 60,524

A couple of one-shots written by Brian Bendis. The DARK AVENGERS one was solicited as a major story (“this very important chapter”), but in practice retailers seem to have just ordered them in tandem.

24. ASTONISHING X-MEN
12/04  Astonishing X-Men #7  - 134,103
12/05  ---
12/06  Astonishing X-Men #19 - 124,033
12/07  ---
=====
12/08  ---
01/09  Astonishing X-Men #28 -  72,610  (-16.3%)
02/09  ---
03/09  ---
04/09  Astonishing X-Men #29 -  67,774  ( -6.7%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Astonishing X-Men #30 -  64,608  ( -4.7%)
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  ---
10/09  Astonishing X-Men #31 -  67,064  ( +3.8%)
11/09  Astonishing X-Men #32 -  62,154  ( -7.3%)
12/09  Astonishing X-Men #33 -  57,592  ( -7.3%)
                                6 mnth  (-10.9%)
                                1 year  (  --- )
                                2 year  (  --- )
                                3 year  (-53.6%)
                                4 year  (  --- )
                                5 year  (-57.1%)

Not quite as bad as it looks. Issue #31 had three covers, issue #32 had two, and issue #33 just has a single cover. So it isn’t really dropping as quickly as these figures suggest. Nonetheless, ASTONISHING is clearly not the A-list title it used to be.

26. HULK
12/08  Hulk #9  - 87,786  ( -3.3%)
01/09  ---
02/09  Hulk #10 - 77,217  (-12.0%)
03/09  ---
04/09  Hulk #11 - 82,726  ( +7.1%)
05/09  Hulk #12 - 73,105  (-11.6%)
06/09  ---
07/09  ---
08/09  Hulk #13 - 71,369  ( -2.4%)
08/09  Hulk #14 - 77,455  ( +8.5%)
09/09  Hulk #15 - 58,667  (-24.3%)
10/09  Hulk #16 - 56,811  ( -3.2%)
11/09  Hulk #17 - 52,653  ( -7.3%)
12/09  Hulk #18 - 53,222  ( +1.1%)
                  6 mnth  (  --- )
                  1 year  (-39.4%)

This is a prologue to FALL OF THE HULKS. But the slight sales increase is probably because this issue has three covers, and last month there were only two.

28. X-FORCE
12/08  X-Force #10 - 58,801  ( +2.7%)
01/09  X-Force #11 - 51,817  (-11.9%)
02/09  X-Force #12 - 51,449  ( -0.7%)
03/09  X-Force #13 - 51,797  ( +0.7%)
04/09  X-Force #14 - 62,674  (+21.0%)
05/09  X-Force #15 - 58,340  ( -6.9%)
06/09  X-Force #16 - 58,818  ( +0.8%)
07/09  X-Force #17 - 61,104  ( +3.9%)
08/09  X-Force #18 - 56,421  ( -7.7%)
09/09  X-Force #19 - 49,817  (-11.7%)
10/09  X-Force #20 - 48,921  ( -1.8%)
11/09  X-Force #21 - 53,967  (+10.3%)
12/09  X-Force #22 - 51,859  ( -3.9%)
                     6 mnth  (-11.8%)
                     1 year  (-11.8%)

Continuing the Necrosha crossover which started last month. There’s a small increase from the book’s regular sales, although the crossover issues have variant covers, which will also be a factor.

29,30. X-MEN LEGACY
12/04  New X-Men #150    - 110,591
12/05  X-Men #165        -  86,633
12/06  X-Men #194        -  78,114
12/07  X-Men #206        -  97,871
=====
12/08  X-Men Legacy #219 -  60,587  ( -4.6%)
01/09  X-Men Legacy #220 -  59,286  ( -2.1%)
02/09  X-Men Legacy #221 -  56,517  ( -4.7%)
03/09  X-Men Legacy #222 -  55,606  ( -1.6%)
04/09  X-Men Legacy #223 -  71,935  (+29.4%)
05/09  X-Men Legacy #224 -  54,008  (-24.9%)
06/09  X-Men Legacy #225 -  58,374  ( +8.1%)
07/09  X-Men Legacy #226 -  59,298  ( +1.6%)
08/09  X-Men Legacy #227 -  63,316  ( +6.8%)
09/09  ---
10/09  X-Men Legacy #228 -  52,855  (-16.5%)
11/09  X-Men Legacy #229 -  50,789  ( -3.9%)
12/09  X-Men Legacy #230 -  49,776  ( -2.0%)
12/09  X-Men Legacy #231 -  50,929  ( +2.3%)
                            6 mnth  (-12.8%)
                            1 year  (-15.9%)
                            2 year  (-48.0%)
                            3 year  (-34.8%)
                            4 year  (-41.2%)
                            5 year  (-53.9%)

Beginning a Necrosha tie-in arc, and getting a modest sales boost for it.

32. MIGHTY AVENGERS
12/07  Mighty Avengers #6  - 90,709
=====
12/08  Mighty Avengers #20 - 86,085  ( -1.3%)
01/09  ---
02/09  Mighty Avengers #21 - 76,247  (-11.4%)
02/09  Mighty Avengers #22 - 72,865  ( -4.4%)
03/09  Mighty Avengers #23 - 71,333  ( -2.1%)
04/09  Mighty Avengers #24 - 68,231  ( -4.3%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Mighty Avengers #25 - 65,010  ( -4.7%)
06/09  Mighty Avengers #26 - 63,178  ( -2.8%)
07/09  Mighty Avengers #27 - 64,680  ( +2.4%)
08/09  Mighty Avengers #28 - 61,323  ( -5.2%)
09/09  Mighty Avengers #29 - 54,476  (-11.2%)
10/09  Mighty Avengers #30 - 52,708  ( -3.2%)
11/09  Mighty Avengers #31 - 49,480  ( -6.1%)
12/09  Mighty Avengers #32 - 48,662  ( -1.7%)
                             6 mnth  (-23.0%)
                             1 year  (-43.5%)
                             2 year  (-46.4%)

Axed in April after SIEGE, as part of the Avengers relaunch.

33. DARK WOLVERINE
12/04  Wolverine #23      -  80,678
12/05  Wolverine #37      -  70,716
12/06  Wolverine #49      -  78,807
12/07  Wolverine #60      -  63,194
=====
12/08  Wolverine #70      -  98,915  ( +5.3%)
01/09  ---
02/09  ---
03/09  Wolverine #71      -  91,229  ( -7.8%)
04/09  ---
05/09  Wolverine #72      -  91,333  ( +0.1%)
05/09  Wolverine #73      -  83,324  ( -8.8%)
06/09  Wolverine #74      -  66,186  (-20.6%)
06/09  Dark Wolverine #75 -  80,780  (+22.0%)
07/09  Dark Wolverine #76 -  74,017  ( -8.4%)
08/09  Dark Wolverine #77 -  68,593  ( -7.3%)
09/09  Dark Wolverine #78 -  60,702  (-11.5%)
10/09  Dark Wolverine #79 -  60,076  ( -1.0%)
11/09  Dark Wolverine #80 -  52,394  (-12.8%)
12/09  Dark Wolverine #81 -  48,102  ( -8.2%)
                             6 mnth  (-40.5%)
                             1 year  (-51.4%)
                             2 year  (-23.9%)
                             3 year  (-39.0%)
                             4 year  (-32.0%)
                             5 year  (-40.4%)

The drop is exaggerated because the November issue had a variant cover, but nonetheless sales are clearly dropping fast. Chances are it’s the same thing we saw with INCREDIBLE HERCULES, which inherited the sales of a much stronger title, and spent a long time finding its level.

34. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN
12/04  Iron Man #2             - 53,292
12/05  ---
12/06  Iron Man #14            - 73,388
12/07  Iron Man #24            - 28,834
=====
12/08  Invincible Iron Man #8  - 56,708  (+14.9%)
01/09  Invincible Iron Man #9  - 52,364  ( -7.7%)
02/09  Invincible Iron Man #10 - 56,381  ( +7.7%)
03/09  Invincible Iron Man #11 - 52,165  ( -7.5%)
04/09  Invincible Iron Man #12 - 51,774  ( -0.7%)
05/09  Invincible Iron Man #13 - 51,311  ( -0.9%)
06/09  Invincible Iron Man #14 - 53,229  ( +3.7%)
07/09  Invincible Iron Man #15 - 50,554  ( -5.0%)
08/09  Invincible Iron Man #16 - 53,782  ( +6.4%)
09/09  Invincible Iron Man #17 - 47,182  (-12.3%)
09/09  Invincible Iron Man #18 - 48,039  ( +1.8%)
10/09  Invincible Iron Man #19 - 47,178  ( -1.8%)
11/09  Invincible Iron Man #20 - 61,667  (+30.7%)
12/09  Invincible Iron Man #21 - 47,330  (-23.2%)
                                 6 mnth  (-11.1%)
                                 1 year  (-16.5%)
                                 2 year  (+64.1%)
                                 3 year  (-35.5%)
                                 4 year  (  --- )
                                 5 year  (-11.2%)

Issue #20 picks up re-orders of 6,507, which are added in above. That issue also had three covers, compared to two this month, so again the drop is exaggerated. Ignore last month’s blip and ales are holding very steady.

36. DEADPOOL
12/08  Deadpool #5  - 46,856  ( -5.5%)
01/09  Deadpool #6  - 46,549  ( -0.7%)
02/09  Deadpool #7  - 44,082  ( -5.3%)
03/09  Deadpool #8  - 53,109  (+20.5%)
04/09  Deadpool #9  - 54,556  ( +2.7%)
05/09  Deadpool #10 - 56,123  ( +2.9%)
06/09  Deadpool #11 - 55,343  ( -1.4%)
07/09  Deadpool #12 - 58,807  ( +6.3%)
08/09  Deadpool #13 - 55,442  ( -5.7%)
08/09  Deadpool #14 - 50,263  ( -9.3%)
09/09  Deadpool #15 - 50,479  ( +0.4%)
10/09  Deadpool #16 - 46,288  ( -8.3%)
11/09  Deadpool #17 - 46,765  ( +1.0%)
12/09  Deadpool #18 - 45,914  ( -1.8%)
                      6 mnth  (-17.0%)
                      1 year  ( -2.0%)

Holding steady.

37. ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN
12/04  Ult. Spider-Man #70  -  88,960
12/05  Ult. Spider-Man #88  -  72,984
12/06  Ult. Spider-Man #103 -  76,251
12/07  Ult. Spider-Man #117 -  60,361
=====
12/08  Ult. Spider-Man #129 -  51,071  (  -2.1%)
01/09  Ult. Spider-Man #130 -  49,637  (  -2.8%)
02/09  Ult. Spider-Man #131 -  49,565  (  -0.1%)
03/09  ---
04/09  ---
05/09  Ult. Spider-Man #132 -  50,144  (  +1.2%)
06/09  Ult. Spider-Man #133 -  57,364  ( +14.4%)06/09  USM: Requiem #1 of 2 -  44,988  ( -21.6%)
07/09  USM: Requiem #2 of 2 -  41,374  (  -8.0%)
08/09  U.C. Spider-Man #1   -  86,008  (+107.9%)
09/09  U.C. Spider-Man #2   -  57,477  ( -33.2%)
10/09  U.C. Spider-Man #3   -  52,813  (  -8.1%)
11/09  U.C. Spider-Man #4   -  49,106  (  -7.0%)
12/09  U.C. Spider-Man #5   -  45,849  (  -6.6%)
                               6 mnth  (  +1.9%)
                               1 year  ( -10.2%)
                               2 year  ( -24.0%)
                               3 year  ( -39.9%)
                               4 year  ( -37.2%)
                               5 year  ( -48.5%)

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN drops decisively below the level of the previous series, after only five issues. We’ve seen a number of relaunches lately where Marvel have simply renumbered a title, and it hasn’t made much difference to sales beyond the first month – EXILES, for example. ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN could be part of that pattern, but the fact that it’s still dropping at this rate five issues in makes me wonder whether the relaunch has actually done some damage to the book, either because the poorly-received ULTIMATUM event drove people away, or because readers simply viewed it as a jumping-off point.

39. INCREDIBLE HULK
12/04  ---
12/05  Incredible Hulk #90  -  36,924
12/06  Incredible Hulk #101 -  47,927
12/07  Incredible Hulk #112 -  77,119
12/08  Hulk #9              -  87,786
=====
07/09  Incredible Hulk #600 -  92,343
08/09  Incredible Hulk #601 -  64,120  (-30.6%)
09/09  Incredible Hulk #602 -  51,582  (-19.6%)
10/09  Incredible Hulk #603 -  49,126  ( -4.8%)
11/09  Incredible Hulk #604 -  40,652  (-17.2%)
12/09  Incredible Hulk #605 -  43,964  ( +8.1%)
                               6 mnth  (  --- )
                               1 year  (-49.9%)
                               2 year  (-43.0%)
                               3 year  ( -8.3%)
                               4 year  (+19.1%)
                               5 year  (  --- )

This has a 70th Anniversary variant cover, hence the spike.

41. X-FORCE ANNUAL
12/09  X-Force Annual #1 - 43,113

43. DARK X-MEN
11/09  Dark X-Men #1 of 5 - 50,167
12/09  Dark X-Men #2 of 5 - 42,207  (-15.9%)

44. NATION X
12/09  Nation X #1 of 4 - 41,796

46. X-NECROSHA: THE GATHERING
12/09  Gathering - 40,766

An assortment of X-book spin-off projects. X-FORCE ANNUAL has a lead story by Robert Kirkman and Jason Pearson, plus a back-up strip which is part of the Necrosha crossover. (And has Deadpool in it. What doesn’t?) X-FORCE is usually in the high 40K range, so this isn’t bad at all.

DARK X-MEN is holding up pretty well with its second issue. NATION X is another of the X-books’ anthology titles. The last was X-MEN: MANIFEST DESTINY, which launched in September 2008 with 49K, dropping to around 30K by the end of its run. This book seems to be coming in a little lower.

THE GATHERING is part of the Necrosha tie-in, and it’s basically an anthology showing how Selene recruited her hangers-on. It comes in reasonably close to X-FORCE, the lead title for the crossover.

49. DAREDEVIL
12/04  Daredevil #55  - 53,660
12/05  Daredevil #68  - 50,491
12/06  Daredevil #92  - 48,035
12/07  Daredevil #103 - 43,874
=====
12/08  Daredevil #114 - 44,351  ( +7.6%)
01/09  Daredevil #115 - 40,214  ( -9.3%)
02/09  ---
03/09  Daredevil #116 - 41,261  ( +2.6%)
03/09  Daredevil #117 - 41,046  ( -0.5%)
04/09  Daredevil #118 - 44,982  ( +9.6%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Daredevil #119 - 41,403  ( -8.0%)
07/09  ---
08/09  Daredevil #500 - 73,486  (+77.5%)
09/09  ---
10/09  Daredevil #501 - 45,181  (-38.5%)
11/09  Daredevil #502 - 40,354  (-10.7%)
12/09  Daredevil #503 - 38,680  ( -4.1%)
                        6 mnth  ( -6.6%)
                        1 year  (-12.8%)
                        2 year  (-11.8%)
                        3 year  (-19.5%)
                        4 year  (-23.4%)
                        5 year  (-27.9%)

Still finding its level under the new creative team.

50. FANTASTIC FOUR
12/04  Fantastic Four #521 - 47,634
12/05  Fantastic Four #533 - 46,751
12/06  Fantastic Four #541 - 84,895
12/07  Fantastic Four #552 - 51,320
=====
12/08  Fantastic Four #562 - 54,062  (-11.9%)
01/09  Fantastic Four #563 - 52,747  ( -2.4%)
02/09  Fantastic Four #564 - 49,520  ( -6.1%)
03/09  Fantastic Four #565 - 48,378  ( -2.3%)
04/09  ---
05/09  Fantastic Four #566 - 46,653  ( -3.6%)
06/09  Fantastic Four #567 - 46,225  ( -0.9%)
07/09  Fantastic Four #568 - 45,828  ( -0.9%)
07/09  Fantastic Four #569 - 44,710  ( -2.4%)
08/09  Fantastic Four #570 - 62,401  (+39.6%)
09/09  Fantastic Four #571 - 47,468  (-23.4%)
10/09  Fantastic Four #572 - 41,939  (-11.6%)
11/09  Fantastic Four #573 - 39,433  ( -6.0%)
12/09  Fantastic Four #574 - 38,431  ( -2.5%)
                             6 mnth  (-16.9%)
                             1 year  (-28.9%)
                             2 year  (-25.1%)
                             3 year  (-54.7%)
                             4 year  (-17.8%)
                             5 year  (-19.3%)

This has a 1:44 variant, compared to a 1:18 variant on the previous issue, so the underlying trend is probably a little steeper than this makes it look.

52. DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH
07/09  Merc With A Mouth #1 - 59,628
08/09  Merc With A Mouth #2 - 51,147  (-14.2%)
09/09  Merc With A Mouth #3 - 43,855  (-14.3%)
10/09  Merc With A Mouth #4 - 40,154  ( -8.4%)
11/09  Merc With A Mouth #5 - 37,781  ( -5.9%)
12/09  Merc With A Mouth #6 - 37,051  ( -1.9%)

Seems to be levelling out. Deadpool does indeed seem to be sustaining three monthly titles with respectable sales, although I still have my doubts about the wisdom of flooding the market with even more Deadpool comics. There surely has to be a limit, and it seems Marvel are determined to find it.

53. X-FACTOR
12/05  X-Factor #2   - 52,705
12/06  X-Factor #14  - 40,208
12/07  X-Factor #26  - 74,699
=====
12/08  X-Factor #38  - 34,425  ( -3.7%)
01/09  X-Factor #39  - 32,796  ( -4.7%)
02/09  X-Factor #40  - 31,943  ( -2.6%)
03/09  X-Factor #41  - 31,888  ( -0.2%)
04/09  X-Factor #42  - 32,000  ( +0.4%)
05/09  X-Factor #43  - 31,543  ( -1.4%)
06/09  X-Factor #44  - 31,552  ( +0.0%)
06/09  X-Factor #45  - 31,109  ( -1.4%)
07/09  X-Factor #46  - 31,213  ( +0.3%)
08/09  X-Factor #47  - 33,052  ( +5.9%)
09/09  X-Factor #48  - 30,305  ( -8.3%)
09/09  X-Factor #49  - 29,934  ( -1.2%)
10/09  X-Factor #50  - 30,138  ( +0.7%)
11/09  ---
12/09  X-Factor #200 - 36,577  (+21.4%)
                       6 mnth  (+17.6%)
                       1 year  ( +6.3%)
                       2 year  (-51.0%)
                       3 year  ( -9.0%)
                       4 year  (-30.6%)

The latest book to resume its original numbering. This issue also has two variant covers contributing to its sales, so I’d expect it to return to previous numbers fairly quickly.

54. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
12/06  Origins #9  - 84,733
12/07  Origins #20 - 53,548
=====
12/08  Origins #31 - 45,043  (-10.6%)
01/09  Origins #32 - 44,697  ( -0.8%)
02/09  Origins #33 - 44,935  ( +0.5%)
03/09  Origins #34 - 45,579  ( +1.4%)
04/09  Origins #35 - 44,976  ( -1.3%)
05/09  Origins #36 - 45,451  ( +1.1%)
06/09  Origins #37 - 44,930  ( -1.1%)
07/09  Origins #38 - 47,211  ( +5.1%)
08/09  Origins #39 - 44,968  ( -4.8%)
09/09  Origins #40 - 42,724  ( -5.0%)
10/09  Origins #41 - 39,453  ( -7.7%)
11/09  Origins #42 - 37,903  ( -3.9%)
12/09  Origins #43 - 36,528  ( -3.6%)
                     6 mnth  (-18.7%)
                     1 year  (-18.9%)
                     2 year  (-31.8%)
                     3 year  (-56.9%)

Still drifting down, but the book is now in the home stretch for its multi-year storyline, and is clearly going to finish off at a respectable level.

55. DEADPOOL TEAM-UP
10/09  Deadpool #900         - 51,337
11/09  Deadpool Team-Up #899 - 39,584  (-22.9%)
12/09  Deadpool Team-Up #898 - 36,308  ( -8.3%)

The third monthly Deadpool title is still levelling out, but by the standards of recent Marvel Universe launches, it’s doing pretty well.

57. MARVELS PROJECT
08/09  Marvels Project #1 of 8 - 89,062
09/09  Marvels Project #2 of 8 - 47,744  (-46.4%)
10/09  Marvels Project #3 of 8 - 39,313  (-17.7%)
11/09  ---
12/09  Marvels Project #4 of 8 - 34,775  (-11.5%)

I’d say that’s on the steep side, halfway through the run.

59. WOLVERINE: WEAPON X
04/09  Weapon X #1 - 97,896
05/09  Weapon X #2 - 59,192  (-39.5%)
06/09  Weapon X #3 - 51,076  (-13.7%)
07/09  ---
08/09  Weapon X #4 - 49,284  ( -3.5%)
09/09  Weapon X #5 - 40,975  (-16.9%)
10/09  Weapon X #6 - 38,446  ( -6.2%)
11/09  Weapon X #7 - 36,108  ( -6.1%)
12/09  Weapon X #8 - 33,470  ( -7.3%)
                     6 mnth  (-34.5%)

Much as I like this book, the numbers aren’t looking too great. As I’ve said before, the repackaging of WOLVERINE as DARK WOLVERINE, a Daken series, appears to have backfired quite badly so far as Wolverine himself is concerned. Since WOLVERINE no longer exists, his biggest selling title is now ORIGINS, which isn’t even in the top 50. Considering that the character has been a top 10 mainstay for years, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that something has gone very badly wrong here.

62. AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE
12/07  Initiative #8  - 58,126
=====
12/08  Initiative #19 - 52,558  (-14.1%)
12/08  Initiative #20 - 51,230  ( -2.5%)
01/09  Initiative #21 - 47,734  ( -6.8%)
02/09  Initiative #22 - 46,932  ( -1.7%)
03/09  ---
04/09  Initiative #23 - 45,146  ( -3.8%)
05/09  Initiative #24 - 42,510  ( -5.8%)
06/09  Initiative #25 - 40,101  ( -5.7%)
07/09  Initiative #26 - 38,215  ( -4.7%)
08/09  Initiative #27 - 39,014  ( +2.1%)
09/09  Initiative #28 - 33,855  (-13.2%)
10/09  Initiative #29 - 31,412  ( -7.2%)
11/09  Initiative #30 - 28,688  ( -8.7%)
12/09  Initiative #31 - 32,291  (+12.6%)
                        6 mnth  (-19.5%)
                        1 year  (-38.6%)
                        2 year  (-44.4%)

This is an early Siege tie-in, and it picks up the expected crossover boost. That said, the rate of decline on INTIATIVE is such that the book is still down on September. However, like the other Avengers titles, the book is due for a relaunch in the spring.

63. NEW MUTANTS
05/09  New Mutants #1 - 60,972
06/09  New Mutants #2 - 43,230  (-29.1%)
07/09  New Mutants #3 - 42,961  ( -0.6%)
08/09  New Mutants #4 - 38,558  (-10.2%)
09/09  New Mutants #5 - 31,502  (-18.3%)
10/09  New Mutants #6 - 34,967  (+11.0%)
11/09  New Mutants #7 - 33,328  ( -4.7%)
12/09  New Mutants #8 - 32,240  ( -3.3%)
                        6 mnth  (-25.4%)

This is the concluding part of a three-issue “Necrosha” tie-in, hence the boost relative to issue #5.

67,77. DARK TOWER
12/07  ---
=====
12/08  Treachery #4 of 6       - 53,735  ( -7.8%)
01/09  Treachery #5 of 6       - 50,683  ( -5.7%)
02/09  Treachery #6 of 6       - 48,127  ( -5.0%)
03/09  ---
04/09  Sorcerer #1             - 39,210  (-18.5%)
05/09  Fall of Gilead #1 of 6  - 43,580  (+11.1%)
06/09  Fall of Gilead #2 of 6  - 39,978  ( -8.3%)
07/09  Fall of Gilead #3 of 6  - 36,982  ( -7.5%)
08/09  Fall of Gilead #4 of 6  - 35,607  ( -3.7%)
09/09  Fall of Gilead #5 of 6  - 34,522  ( -3.0%)
10/09  ---
11/09  Fall of Gilead #6 of 6  - 32,531  ( -5.8%)
12/09  Jericho Hill #1 of 5    - 30,756  ( -5.5%)
12/09  Jericho Hill #2 of 5    - 28,350  ( -7.8%)
                                 6 mnth  (-29.1%)
                                 1 year  (-47.2%)
                                 2 year  (  --- )

The first two issues of the latest DARK TOWER mini. From the look of this, retailers are just treating it as a continuing series. There’s no longer even a token bump for the first issue of each arc.

68. SECRET WARRIORS
02/09  Secret Warriors #1  - 62,764
03/09  Secret Warriors #2  - 48,086  (-23.4%)
04/09  Secret Warriors #3  - 50,126  ( +4.2%)
05/09  Secret Warriors #4  - 42,781  (-14.7%)
06/09  Secret Warriors #5  - 40,849  ( -4.5%)
07/09  Secret Warriors #6  - 41,749  ( +2.2%)
08/09  Secret Warriors #7  - 38,990  ( -6.6%)
09/09  Secret Warriors #8  - 33,893  (-13.1%)
10/09  Secret Warriors #9  - 36,385  ( +7.4%)
11/09  Secret Warriors #10 - 31,567  (-13.2%)
12/09  Secret Warriors #11 - 30,748  ( -2.6%)
                             6 mnth  (-24.7%)

If you leave issue #9’s spike out of account, this is actually levelling out nicely enough.

70. THUNDERBOLTS
12/04  New Thunderbolts #3  - 32,720
12/05  New Thunderbolts #16 - 25,084
12/06  Thunderbolts #109    - 27,300
12/07  ---
=====
12/08  Thunderbolts #127    - 36,378  ( +5.0%)
01/09  Thunderbolts #128    - 45,745  (+25.7%)
02/09  Thunderbolts #129    - 45,401  ( -0.7%)
03/09  Thunderbolts #130    - 52,264  (+15.1%)
04/09  Thunderbolts #131    - 49,155  ( -5.9%)
05/09  Thunderbolts #132    - 43,911  (-10.7%)
06/09  Thunderbolts #133    - 39,479  (-10.1%)
07/09  Thunderbolts #134    - 40,885  ( +3.6%)
08/09  ---
09/09  Thunderbolts #135    - 39,961  ( -2.3%)
09/09  Thunderbolts #136    - 34,031  (-14.8%)
10/09  Thunderbolts #137    - 32,409  ( -4.8%)
11/09  Thunderbolts #138    - 31,238  ( -3.6%)
12/09  Thunderbolts #139    - 29,957  ( -4.1%)
                              6 mnth  (-24.1%)
                              1 year  (-17.7%)
                              2 year  (  --- )
                              3 year  ( +9.7%)
                              4 year  (+19.4%)
                              5 year  ( -8.4%)

Orders are dropping, but since the book is closely tied to “Dark Reign”, it must be headed for a relaunch or at least a new direction in the spring.

71. SPIDER-WOMAN
09/09  Spider-Woman #1 - 50,344
10/09  Spider-Woman #2 - 37,255  (-26.0%)
11/09  Spider-Woman #3 - 32,437  (-12.9%)
12/09  Spider-Woman #4 - 29,755  ( -8.3%)

Levelling out somewhat.

73. ULTIMATE COMICS ARMOR WARS
09/09  U.C. Armor Wars #1 of 4 - 51,035
10/09  U.C. Armor Wars #2 of 4 - 34,141  (-33.1%)
11/09  ---
12/09  U.C. Armor Wars #3 of 4 - 29,439  (-13.8%)

These are pretty big drops for a miniseries, and again, it tends to suggest that the Ultimate imprint remains troubled despite its recent relaunch.

74. WEB OF SPIDER-MAN
10/09  Web of Spider-Man #1 - 58,412
11/09  Web of Spider-Man #2 - 32,093  (-45.1%)
12/09  Web of Spider-Man #3 - 29,368  ( -8.5%)

A more reasonable drop this month, but still miles adrift of the main Spider-Man book.

75. CABLE
12/08  Cable #9  - 34,527  ( -7.5%)
01/09  Cable #10 - 33,319  ( -3.5%)
02/09  Cable #11 - 31,817  ( -4.5%)
03/09  Cable #12 - 32,407  ( +1.9%)
04/09  Cable #13 - 47,638  (+47.0%)
05/09  Cable #14 - 52,245  ( +9.7%)
06/09  Cable #15 - 49,912  ( -4.5%)
07/09  Cable #16 - 39,646  (-20.6%)
08/09  Cable #17 - 39,424  ( -0.6%)
09/09  Cable #18 - 33,958  (-13.9%)
10/09  Cable #19 - 31,009  ( -8.7%)
11/09  Cable #20 - 29,245  ( -5.7%)
12/09  Cable #21 - 29,094  ( -0.5%)
                   6 mnth  (-41.7%)
                   1 year  (-15.7%)

Cancelled with issue #25.

82,85,86,98,102. WHAT IF...?
12/09  Astonishing X-Men      - 25,060
12/09  Secret Invasion        - 24,966
12/09  World War Hulk         - 24,582
12/09  Spider-Man: House of M - 22,287
12/09  Daredevil vs Elektra   - 21,411

The annual selection of WHAT IF one-shots, all selling roughly the same.

84. PUNISHER
12/06  ---
12/07  War Journal #14 - 38,471
=====
12/08  War Journal #26 - 22,423  ( -25.2%)
01/09  Punisher #1     - 49,222  (+119.5%)
02/09  Punisher #2     - 40,928  ( -16.9%)
03/09  Punisher #3     - 37,570  (  -8.2%)
04/09  Punisher #4     - 36,995  (  -1.5%)
05/09  Punisher #5     - 35,621  (  -3.7%)
06/09  Punisher #6     - 32,982  (  -7.4%)
07/09  Punisher #7     - 31,227  (  -5.3%)
08/09  Punisher #8     - 33,057  (  +5.9%)
09/09  Punisher #9     - 28,424  ( -14.1%)
10/09  Punisher #10    - 27,167  (  -4.4%)
11/09  Punisher #11    - 24,900  (  -8.3%)
12/09  Punisher #12    - 24,985  (  +0.3%)
                         6 mnth  ( -24.2%)
                         1 year  ( +11.4%)
                         2 year  ( +35.1%)

A tiny increase, but at least it’s not dropping. There’s no obvious reason for the change, so presumably the “Franken-Castle” storyline has attracted some curiosity.

87. THE STAND
12/08  Captain Trips #4 of 5  - 49,211  (-10.6%)
01/09  Captain Trips #5 of 5  - 46,702  ( -5.1%)
02/09  ---
03/09  Nightmares #1 of 5     - 47,473  ( +1.7%)
04/09  Nightmares #2 of 5     - 38,909  (-18.0%)
05/09  Nightmares #3 of 5     - 36,364  ( -6.5%)
06/09  ---
07/09  Nightmares #4 of 5     - 34,292  ( -5.7%)
08/09  Nightmares #5 of 5     - 31,506  ( -8.1%)10/09  Soul Survivors #1 of 5 - 27,725  (-12.0%)
11/09  Soul Survivors #2 of 5 - 25,600  ( -7.7%)
12/09  Soul Survivors #3 of 5 - 24,308  ( -5.0%)
                                6 mnth  (  --- )
                                1 year  (-50.6%)

Orders to continue to drop on both Stephen King adaptations – but of course, these are the sorts of projects which you’d expect to do unusually well outside the direct market.

90. INCREDIBLE HERCULES
12/08  Hercules #124 - 36,855  ( +3.0%)
01/09  Hercules #125 - 31,888  (-13.5%)
02/09  Hercules #126 - 31,000  ( -2.8%)
03/09  Hercules #127 - 31,890  ( +2.9%)
04/09  Hercules #128 - 33,739  ( +5.8%)
05/09  Hercules #129 - 28,995  (-14.1%)
06/09  Hercules #130 - 27,872  ( -3.9%)
07/09  Hercules #131 - 29,188  ( +4.7%)
08/09  Hercules #132 - 32,680  (+12.0%)
08/09  Hercules #133 - 27,491  (-15.9%)
09/09  Hercules #134 - 25,380  ( -7.7%)
09/09  Hercules #135 - 26,344  ( +3.8%)
10/09  Hercules #136 - 26,447  ( -0.4%)
10/09  Hercules #137 - 23,463  (-11.3%)
11/09  Hercules #138 - 25,116  ( +7.0%)
12/09  Hercules #139 - 23,591  ( -6.1%)
                       6 mnth  (-15.4%)
                       1 year  (-36.0%)

That’s actually up slightly from issue #137. Some sort of relaunch seems to be in the offing for the spring, a strategy which has worked in the past for well-reviewed titles.

92. PUNISHERMAX  [Max]
12/04  Punisher #15     - 40,357
12/05  Punisher #28     - 35,535
12/06  Punisher #42     - 33,003
12/07  Punisher #53     - 31,772
=====
12/08  Punisher #65     - 23,881  ( -3.2%)
01/09  Frank Castle #66 - 22,806  ( -4.5%)
02/09  Frank Castle #67 - 22,267  ( -2.4%)
03/09  Frank Castle #68 - 22,255  ( -0.0%)
04/09  Frank Castle #69 - 21,843  ( -1.9%)
05/09  Frank Castle #70 - 21,864  ( +0.1%)
06/09  Frank Castle #71 - 21,319  ( -2.5%)
07/09  Frank Castle #72 - 21,049  ( -1.3%)
08/09  Frank Castle #73 - 20,375  ( -3.2%)
09/09  Frank Castle #74 - 20,259  ( -0.6%)
10/09  Frank Castle #75 - 22,210  ( +9.6%)
11/09  PunisherMax #1   - 29,119  (+31.1%)
12/09  PunisherMax #2   - 23,110  (-20.4%)
                          6 mnth  ( +8.4%)
                          1 year  ( -3.2%)
                          2 year  (-27.3%)
                          3 year  (-30.0%)
                          4 year  (-35.0%)
                          5 year  (-42.7%)

We’re already more or less back at previous sales levels, something which seems to be an increasing problem with arbitrary renumberings. Bluntly, my feeling is that Marvel have squandered this gimmick on too many relaunches that amounted to nothing more than a change of creative team, and now it doesn’t work any more. That said, if this HAD simply been PUNISHER #77, it wouldn’t be a bad number.

93. PSYLOCKE
11/09  Psylocke #1 of 4 - 26,144
12/09  Psylocke #2 of 4 - 23,018  (-12.0%)

An off-the-radar X-Men miniseries.

96. MS MARVEL
12/06  Ms Marvel #10 - 34,350
12/07  Ms Marvel #22 - 25,450
=====
12/08  Ms Marvel #34 - 29,770  (+24.1%)
01/09  Ms Marvel #35 - 26,824  (-10.0%)
02/09  Ms Marvel #36 - 25,864  ( -3.6%)
03/09  Ms Marvel #37 - 25,053  ( -3.1%)
04/09  Ms Marvel #38 - 27,535  (+10.0%)
05/09  Ms Marvel #39 - 24,757  (-10.1%)
06/09  Ms Marvel #40 - 25,216  ( +1.9%)
07/09  Ms Marvel #41 - 27,187  ( +7.8%)
07/09  Ms Marvel #42 - 25,103  ( -7.7%)
08/09  Ms Marvel #43 - 28,261  (+12.6%)
08/09  Ms Marvel #44 - 25,550  ( -9.6%)
09/09  Ms Marvel #45 - 30,528  (+19.5%)
10/09  Ms Marvel #46 - 25,717  (-15.8%)
11/09  Ms Marvel #47 - 22,937  (-10.8%)
12/09  Ms Marvel #48 - 22,527  ( -1.8%)
                       6 mnth  (-10.7%)
                       1 year  (-24.3%)
                       2 year  (-11.5%)
                       3 year  (-34.4%)

Cancelled with issue #50.

97. SPIDER-MAN AND THE SECRET WARS
12/09  Secret Wars #1 of 4 - 22,397

An all-ages miniseries. As usual, playing that down and stressing the Marvel Universe angle seems to result in higher direct market sales. (What it does in other channels, who can tell.)

99. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
12/08  Guardians o/Galaxy #8  - 31,564  ( +3.4%)
01/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #9  - 28,502  ( -9.7%)
02/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #10 - 27,648  ( -3.0%)
03/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #11 - 27,415  ( -0.8%)
03/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #12 - 26,764  ( -2.4%)
04/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #13 - 27,107  ( +1.3%)
05/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #14 - 27,130  ( +0.1%)
06/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #15 - 26,808  ( -1.2%)
07/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #16 - 26,605  ( -0.8%)
08/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #17 - 27,893  ( +4.8%)
09/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #18 - 24,896  (-10.7%)
10/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #19 - 23,597  ( -5.2%)
11/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #20 - 22,965  ( -2.7%)
12/09  Guardians o/Galaxy #21 - 22,271  ( -3.0%)
                                6 mnth  (-16.9%)
                                1 year  (-29.4%)

100. NOVA
12/07  Nova #9 -  30,469
=====
12/08  Nova #20 - 29,405  ( +3.9%)
01/09  Nova #21 - 25,647  (-12.8%)
02/09  Nova #22 - 25,065  ( -2.3%)
03/09  Nova #23 - 26,413  ( +5.4%)
04/09  Nova #24 - 26,240  ( -0.7%)
05/09  Nova #25 - 26,172  ( -0.3%)
06/09  Nova #26 - 28,107  ( +7.4%)
07/09  Nova #27 - 25,677  ( -8.6%)
08/09  Nova #28 - 27,038  ( +5.3%)
09/09  Nova #29 - 23,924  (-11.5%)
10/09  Nova #30 - 22,845  ( -4.5%)
11/09  Nova #31 - 22,928  ( +0.4%)
12/09  Nova #32 - 22,202  ( -3.2%)
                  6 mnth  (-21.0%)
                  1 year  (-24.5%)
                  2 year  (-27.1%)

The two cosmic titles, currently in the “Realm of Kings” crossover, which follows on more or less directly from “War of Kings.” This makes it hard to figure out a baseline sales level for the titles, but there’s clearly a steady core audience for the cosmic stories.

101. VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT
12/06  ---
12/07  ---
=====
12/08  Moon Knight #25 - 23,283  ( -2.8%)
01/09  Moon Knight #26 - 21,796  ( -6.4%)
02/09  Moon Knight #27 - 21,413  ( -1.8%)
03/09  Moon Knight #28 - 20,866  ( -2.6%)
04/09  Moon Knight #29 - 22,689  ( +8.7%)
05/09  Moon Knight #30 - 19,693  (-13.2%)
06/09  ---
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  Moon Knight #1  - 35,706  (+81.3%)
10/09  Moon Knight #2  - 26,493  (-25.8%)
11/09  Moon Knight #3  - 23,359  (-11.8%)
12/09  Moon Knight #4  - 21,482  ( -8.0%)
                         6 mnth  (  --- )
                         1 year  ( -7.7%)
                         2 year  (  --- )
                         3 year  (  --- )

Another relaunch that doesn’t seem to have produced a lasting sales increase.

104. REALM OF KINGS: INHUMANS
11/09  Inhumans #1 of 5 - 24,213
12/09  Inhumans #2 of 5 - 21,242  (-12.3%)

107. BLACK WIDOW: DEADLY ORIGIN
11/09  Deadly Origin #1 of 4 - 29,352
12/09  Deadly Origin #2 of 4 - 20,925  (-28.7%)

109. REALM OF KINGS: IMPERIAL GUARD
11/09  Imperial Guard #1 of 5 - 23,450
12/09  Imperial Guard #2 of 5 - 20,647  (-12.0%)

The two REALM OF KINGS tie-in miniseries are moving more or less in unison, as you’d expect. They’re also within spitting distance of NOVA and GUARDIANS, which goes to show what a loyal audience the cosmic books have. Also in here, the Black Widow origin miniseries, with a hefty second issue drop.

111. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS ANTI-VENOM
09/09  Anti-Venom #1 of 3 - 32,128
10/09  Anti-Venom #2 of 3 - 23,870  (-25.7%)
11/09  ---
12/09  Anti-Venom #3 of 3 - 20,364  (-14.7%)

Drifting off the radar.

112,135. IRON MAN VS WHIPLASH
12/09  Whiplash #1 of 4 - 20,126
12/09  Whiplash #2 of 4 - 15,494  (-23.0%)

Whiplash is the villain in the second Iron Man movie, hence this miniseries. It’s not doing especially great numbers in the direct market, but of course the point here is to have the collected edition ready in time for the movie to come out.

114. WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK
12/09  Under the Boardwalk - 19,271

This month’s obligatory Wolverine one-shot.

115,117. X-MEN FOREVER
06/09  X-Men Forever #1  - 36,213
06/09  X-Men Forever #2  - 31,767  (-12.3%)
07/09  X-Men Forever #3  - 28,651  ( -9.8%)
07/09  X-Men Forever #4  - 28,645  ( -0.0%)
08/09  X-Men Forever #5  - 27,825  ( -2.9%)
08/09  X-Men Forever #6  - 24,875  (-10.6%)
09/09  X-Men Forever #7  - 24,115  ( -3.1%)
09/09  X-Men Forever #8  - 23,174  ( -3.9%)
10/09  X-Men Forever #9  - 21,926  ( -5.4%)
10/09  X-Men Forever #10 - 22,287  ( +1.6%)
11/09  X-Men Forever #11 - 20,130  ( -9.7%)
11/09  X-Men Forever #12 - 19,541  ( -2.9%)
12/09  X-Men Forever #13 - 18,870  ( -3.4%)
12/09  X-Men Forever #14 - 18,376  ( -2.6%)
                           6 mnth  (-42.2%)

Still drifting down. But Marvel are evidently happy with these numbers, given that X-FACTOR FOREVER and NEW MUTANTS FOREVER miniseries have been commissioned.

116. DARK AVENGERS: ARES
10/09  Ares #1 of 3 - 25,995
11/09  Ares #2 of 3 - 20,256  (-22.1%)
12/09  Ares #3 of 3 - 18,597  ( -8.2%)

Standard behaviour for a miniseries. Not particularly high sales, but that’s probably a reflection of coming at the tail end of the Dark Reign period.

118. SPIDER-MAN CLONE SAGA
09/09  Clone Saga #1 of 6 - 27,697
10/09  Clone Saga #2 of 6 - 21,473  (-22.5%)
11/09  Clone Saga #3 of 6 - 19,478  ( -9.3%)
12/09  Clone Saga #4 of 6 - 18,324  ( -5.9%)

For an out-of-continuity miniseries revisiting a rather divisive 1990s storyline, I’d have to say this is doing better than I predicted.

119. STRANGE
11/09  Strange #1 of 4 - 23,362
12/09  Strange #2 of 4 - 18,005  (-22.9%)

This looks to have got lost in the shuffle somewhat. Of course, Dr Strange has always struggled to support his own title even at the best of times.

120. BLACK PANTHER
12/05  Black Panther #11 - 29,327
12/06  Black Panther #23 - 54,762
12/07  Black Panther #33 - 25,906
=====
12/08  ---
01/09  ---
02/09  Black Panther #1  - 52,991  (+57.6%)
03/09  Black Panther #2  - 33,755  (-36.3%)
04/09  Black Panther #3  - 33,356  ( -1.2%)
05/09  Black Panther #4  - 30,984  ( -7.1%)
06/09  Black Panther #5  - 29,762  ( -3.9%)
07/09  Black Panther #6  - 29,727  ( -0.1%)
08/09  Black Panther #7  - 27,619  ( -7.1%)
09/09  Black Panther #8  - 23,020  (-16.7%)
10/09  Black Panther #9  - 20,346  (-11.6%)
11/09  Black Panther #10 - 19,147  ( -5.9%)
12/09  Black Panther #11 - 17,989  ( -6.0%)
                           6 mnth  (-29.6%)
                           1 year  (  --- )
                           2 year  (-30.6%)
                           3 year  (-67.2%)
                           4 year  (-38.7%)

Plainly, not looking good. We’ve now dropped below the orders of the previous volume, which bottomed out at 19,459 in July 2008. The series is going on hiatus shortly, to be replaced by a miniseries called DOOMWAR.

122. WAR MACHINE
12/08  War Machine #1  - 54,396
01/09  War Machine #2  - 39,835  (-26.8%)
02/09  War Machine #3  - 33,818  (-15.1%)
03/09  War Machine #4  - 32,693  ( -3.3%)
04/09  War Machine #5  - 34,254  ( +4.8%)
05/09  War Machine #6  - 27,703  (-19.1%)
06/09  War Machine #7  - 28,757  ( +3.8%)
07/09  ---
08/09  War Machine #8  - 23,961  (-16.7%)
09/09  War Machine #9  - 23,589  ( -1.6%)
10/09  War Machine #10 - 20,207  (-14.3%)
11/09  War Machine #11 - 18,545  ( -8.2%)
12/09  War Machine #12 - 17,572  ( -5.2%)
                         6 mnth  (-38.9%)
                         1 yearr (-67.7%)

Axed.

123. POWERS [Icon]
12/04  Powers #7  - 30,687
12/05  Powers #15 - 25,633
12/06  ---
12/07  ---
=====
11/09  Powers #1  - 20,146
12/09  Powers #2  - 17,181  (-14.7%)
                    6 mnth  (  --- )
                    1 year  (  --- )
                    2 year  (  --- )
                    3 year  (  --- )
                    4 year  (-33.0%)
                    5 year  (-44.0%)

A fairly small second-issue drop, which suggests there’s still a reasonably loyal audience for this book despite the hiatus.

127. SPIDER-MAN NOIR: EYES WITHOUT A FACE
12/09  Eyes Without a Face #1 of 4 - 16,447

130. X-MEN NOIR: MARK OF CAIN
12/09  Mark of Cain #1 of 4 - 16,043

The two latest NOIR miniseries enter right next to one another. It’s in roughly the same range as the last two – PUNISHER NOIR, which launched with 18K, and LUKE CAGE NOIR, at 15K.

132. MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ
12/08  Wizard of Oz #1 of 8   - 25,116
01/09  Wizard of Oz #2 of 8   - 17,608  (-29.9%)
02/09  Wizard of Oz #3 of 8   - 15,668  (-11.0%)
03/09  Wizard of Oz #4 of 8   - 16,159  ( +3.1%)
04/09
Wizard of Oz #5 of 8   - 16,110  ( -0.3%)
05/09  Wizard of Oz #6 of 8   - 15,774  ( -2.1%)
06/09  Wizard of Oz #7 of 8   - 15,473  ( -1.9%)
07/09  Wizard of Oz #8 of 8   - 15,487  ( +0.1%)
08/09  ---
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  Marvelous Land #1 of 8 - 25,338  (+63.6%)
12/09  Marvelous Land #2 of 8 - 15,783  (-37.7%)
                                6 mnth  ( +0.1%)
                                1 year  (-37.2%)

Straight back to the sales of the previous series – but that’s pretty good for a project like this.

140. GHOST RIDERS: HEAVENS ON FIRE
08/09  Heavens on Fire #1 of 6 - 21,944
09/09  Heavens on Fire #2 of 6 - 18,262  (-16.8%)
10/09  Heavens on Fire #3 of 6 - 16,879  ( -7.6%)
11/09  Heavens on Fire #4 of 6 - 16,193  ( -4.1%)
12/09  Heavens on Fire #5 of 6 - 15,128  ( -6.6%)

Standard miniseries behaviour.

141. S.W.O.R.D.
11/09  S.W.O.R.D. #1 - 21,988
12/09  S.W.O.R.D. #2 - 15,113  (-31.3%)

143. DOCTOR VOODOO, AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL
10/09  Dr Voodoo #1 - 23,328
11/09  Dr Voodoo #2 - 16,681  (-28.5%)
12/09  Dr Voodoo #3 - 14,769  (-11.5%)

Two new launches, both insta-cancelled with issue #5. A shame.

144. CRIMINAL  [Icon]
12/06  Criminal #3 - 17,702
12/07  ---
12/08  Criminal #7 - 14,703
=====
10/09  Sinners #1 of 5 - 20,580
11/09  Sinners #2 of 5 - 15,628  (-24.1%)
12/09  Sinners #3 of 5 - 14,624  ( -6.4%)

Levelling out nicely, and the book seems to be holding onto its core audience.

146. DEATHLOK
11/09  Deathlok #1 of 7 - 20,855
12/09  Deathlok #2 of 7 - 14,059  (-32.6%)

A steep drop, but to be honest, it’s not doing badly for an out-of-continuity Marvel Knights miniseries.

147,166. BLACK WIDOW & THE MARVEL GIRLS
12/09  Marvel Girls #1 of 4 - 13,873
12/09  Marvel Girls #2 of 4 - 12,087  (-12.9%)

Another miniseries designed to get some Black Widow collections out in time for the next Iron Man movie. This is an all-ages title, so by the standards of those books it’s doing just fine. As is often the case, shipping the first two issues close together results in a smaller second issue drop. (But it’s often balanced out by a bigger drop in the next month.)

148. TORCH
09/09  Torch #1 of 8 - 26,921
10/09  Torch #2 of 8 - 18,115  (-32.7%)
11/09  Torch #3 of 8 - 15,209  (-16.0%)
12/09  Torch #4 of 8 - 13,782  ( -9.4%)

This is losing readers quite fast, considering that it’s a Marvel Universe miniseries with some fairly well-known creators attached. There just doesn’t seem to be much interest in the character.

149. HULK: WINTER GUARD
12/09  Winter Guard - 13,611

Random one-shot, backed up with a Peter David HULK reprint. The orders are much as we’ve come to expect for one-off Marvel Universe projects without much promotion behind them.

151. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THEATER OF WAR
12/09  Prisoners of Duty - 13,511

Yet another flashback story.

160. PUNISHER NOIR
08/09  Punisher Noir #1 of 4 - 18,315
09/09  Punisher Noir #2 of 4 - 15,466  (-15.6%)
10/09  Punisher Noir #3 of 4 - 13,609  (-12.0%)
11/09  ---
12/09  Punisher Noir #4 of 4 - 12,603  (-27.9%)

Slipping slightly off schedule. Sales are standard for the Noir imprint.

170. X-BABIES
10/09  X-Babies #1 of 4 - 18,383
11/09  X-Babies #2 of 4 - 12,429  (-32.4%)
12/09  X-Babies #3 of 4 - 11,184  (-10.0%)

Weird miniseries featuring the Star Comics characters, presumably to promote the collected editions of their original 1980s comics. The orders are modest, but again, the product is so niche that I can’t honestly say they’re bad.

172. IRON MAN: REQUIEM
12/09  Requiem - 11,008

A couple of reprints with a new framing sequence. Orders are perfectly fine for that sort of thing.

176. HALO: BLOOD LINE
12/09  Blood Line #1 of 5 - 10,551

Video game adaptation. These projects notoriously sell much better through other channels.

177. ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER
12/06  Glt. Pleasures #3 of 12 - 36,091
12/07  ---
=====
12/08  Laughing Corpse #3 of 5 - 15,665  ( -8.9%)
01/09  Laughing Corpse #4 of 5 - 14,422  ( -7.9%)
02/09  Laughing Corpse #5 of 5 - 14,095  ( -2.3%)
03/09  ---
04/09  Necromancer #1 of 5     - 15,308  ( +8.6%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Necromancer #2 of 5     - 12,907  (-15.7%)
07/09  Necromancer #3 of 5     - 12,143  ( -5.9%)
08/09  Necromancer #4 of 5     - 11,597  ( -4.5%)
09/09  Necromancer #5 of 5     - 11,142  ( -3.9%)
10/09  Executioner #1 of 5     - 11,205  ( +0.6%)
11/09  ---
12/09  Executioner #2 of 5     - 10,454  ( -6.7%)
                                 6 mnth  (-19.0%)
                                 1 year  (-33.3%)
                                 2 year  (  --- )
                                 3 year  (-71.0%)

Still drifting slowly down. Again, this book is an obvious candidate for sales outside the direct market.

178. SPIDER-MAN 1602
10/09  Spider-Man 1602 #1 of 5 - 18,273
11/09  Spider-Man 1602 #2 of 5 - 12,802  (-29.9%)
12/09  Spider-Man 1602 #3 of 5 - 10,392  (-18.8%)

Spiralling down the charts. Surely the end of the line for the 1602 franchise?

185. UNCANNY X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
12/06  First Class #4 of 8 - 28,455
12/07  First Class #7      - 16,195
=====
12/08  ---
01/09  ---
02/09  Finals #1 of 4      - 15,736  (+18.6%)
03/09  Finals #2 of 4      - 11,533  (-26.7%)
04/09  Finals #3 of 4      - 10,870  ( -5.7%)
05/09  Finals #4 of 4      - 10,579  ( -2.7%)
06/09  Giant-Size Special  - 12,614  (+19.2%)
07/09  Uncanny #1 of 8     - 18,363  (+45.6%)
08/09  Uncanny #2 of 8     - 12,978  (-29.3%)
09/09  Uncanny #3 of 8     - 11,954  ( -7.9%)
10/09  Uncanny #4 of 8     - 11,260  ( -5.8%)
11/09  Uncanny #5 of 8     - 10,589  ( -6.0%)
12/09  Uncanny #6 of 8     - 10,021  ( -5.4%)
                             6 mnth  (-20.6%)
                             1 year  (  --- )
                             2 year  (-38.1%)
                             3 year  (-64.8%)

Marvel haven’t solicited anything for March, so apparently the franchise comes to an end after this miniseries. No doubt it’ll be back in some form when the First Class movie comes around.

205. NOMAD: GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD
09/09  Nomad #1 of 4 - 18,069
10/09  Nomad #2 of 4 - 10,296  (-43.0%)
11/09  Nomad #3 of 4 -  8,772  (-14.8%)
12/09  Nomad #4 of 4 -  8,031  ( -8.4%)

Pretty awful sales. However, the series lives on as a back-up in CAPTAIN AMERICA.

220. ENDERS GAME: COMMAND SCHOOL
09/09  Command School #1 of 5 - 9,840
10/09  Command School #2 of 5 - 8,428  (-14.3%)
11/09  Command School #3 of 5 - 7,735  ( -8.2%)
12/09  Command School #4 of 5 - 7,129  ( -7.8%)

222. ENDERS GAME: WAR OF GIFTS
12/09  War of Gifts - 6,995

229. DR VOODOO: ORIGIN OF JERICHO DRUMM
12/09  Origin - 6,743

232. ENDERS SHADOW: COMMAND SCHOOL
09/09  Command School #1 of 5 - 8,972
10/09  Command School #2 of 5 - 7,547  (-15.9%)
11/09  Command School #3 of 5 - 6,938  ( -8.1%)
12/09  Command School #4 of 5 - 6,628  ( -4.5%)

The ENDERS books cluster together as usual. In amongst them, we have a Brother Voodoo reprint – obviously something Marvel decided on when they had higher hopes for his solo series.

275. STARR THE SLAYER [Max]
09/09  Starr the Slayer #1 of 4 - 9,744
10/09  Starr the Slayer #2 of 4 - 6,535  (-32.9%)
11/09  Starr the Slayer #3 of 4 - 5,235  (-19.9%)
12/09  Starr the Slayer #4 of 4 - 4,832  ( -7.7%)

Max titles don’t seem to sell that well in the direct market, except for PUNISHER. It’s possible, of course, that they’re doing better elsewhere – but the fact that the March solicitations see the imprint back to just Punisher comics suggests otherwise.

281. MARVEL 70TH ANNIVERSARY FRAME ART
12/09  70th Frame Art - 4,411

A collection of the 70th Frame variant cover art.

282. MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN  [All ages]
12/05  M.A. Spider-Man #10 - 6,391
12/06  M.A. Spider-Man #22 - 6,396
12/07  M.A. Spider-Man #34 - 6,115
=====
12/08  M.A. Spider-Man #46 - 4,851  ( -3.0%)
01/09  M.A. Spider-Man #47 - 4,592  ( -5.3%)
02/09  M.A. Spider-Man #48 - 4,622  ( +0.7%)
03/09  M.A. Spider-Man #49 - 4,640  ( +0.4%)
04/09  M.A. Spider-Man #50 - 4,780  ( +3.0%)
05/09  M.A. Spider-Man #51 - 4,557  ( -4.7%)
06/09  M.A. Spider-Man #52 - 4,612  ( +1.2%)
07/09  M.A. Spider-Man #53 - 5,710  (+23.8%)
08/09  M.A. Spider-Man #54 - 5,684  ( -0.5%)
09/09  M.A. Spider-Man #55 - 5,668  ( -0.3%)
10/09  M.A. Spider-Man #56 - 4,579  (-19.2%)
11/09  M.A. Spider-Man #57 - 4,501  ( -1.7%)
12/09  M.A. Spider-Man #58 - 4,352  ( -3.3%)
                            6 mnth  ( -5.6%)
                            1 year  (-10.3%)
                            2 year  (-28.8%)
                            3 year  (-32.0%)
                            4 year  (-31.9%)

Relaunching in April with a fresh issue #1. As you might have gathered, I’m a bit sceptical about whether this device still works in the direct market, but we shall see. And besides, the MARVEL ADVENTURES books are aimed at a wider audience – maybe it’s still more effective with those customers.

285. MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD
09/09  Super Hero Squad #1 of 4 - 6,760
10/09  Super Hero Squad #2 of 4 - 4,496  (-33.5%)
11/09  Super Hero Squad #3 of 4 - 4,384  ( -2.5%)
12/09  Super Hero Squad #4 of 4 - 4,132  ( -5.7%)

Pretty solid after that initial drop.

295. OFFICIAL INDEX TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
01/09  Index #1  - 9,852
02/09  Index #2  - 7,278  (-26.1%)
03/09  Index #3  - 6,331  (-13.0%)
04/09  Index #4  - 5,517  (-12.9%)
05/09  Index #5  - 4,913  (-10.9%)
06/09  Index #6  - 4,743  ( -3.5%)
07/09  Index #7  - 4,518  ( -4.7%)
08/09  Index #8  - 4,263  ( -5.6%)
09/09  Index #9  - 4,144  ( -2.8%)
10/09  Index #10 - 3,980  ( -4.0%)
11/09  Index #11 - 3,739  ( -6.1%)
12/09  Index #12 - 3,689  ( -1.3%)
                  6 mnth  (-22.2%)

Ends with issue #14, which would be roughly when their coverage of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN reaches the present day. So it’s always possible this could be a relaunch.

Number 299 is last month’s DARK REIGN: THE LIST – PUNISHER, with re-orders of 3,459. That brings its total to 40,250.

And three Marvel titles missed the top 300 altogether: the Soleil reprints KOOKABURRA K #2 and SPIN ANGELS #5, and MARVEL AVENTURES SUPER HEROES #18.

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

+17.6% - X-Factor
+ 8.4% - PunisherMax
+ 1.9% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
+ 0.1% - Marvelous Land of Oz
- 4.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 5.6% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
- 6.6% - Daredevil
-10.7% - Ms Marvel
-10.9% - Astonishing X-Men
-11.1% - Iron Man
-11.8% - X-Force
-12.1% - Uncanny X-Men
-12.8% - X-Men Legacy
-15.4% - Incredible Hercules
-16.9% - Fantastic Four
-16.9% - Guardians of the Galaxy
-17.0% - Deadpool
-18.7% - Wolverine: Origins
-19.0% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-19.5% - Avengers: The Initiative
-20.6% - Thor
-20.6% - X-Men First Class
-21.0% - Nova
-22.2% - Official Index to the Marvel Universe
-22.5% - New Avengers
-23.0% - Mighty Avengers
-24.1% - Thunderbolts
-24.2% - Punisher
-24.7% - Secret Warriors
-25.4% - New Mutants
-25.5% - Captain America / Reborn
-25.5% - Dark Avengers
-29.1% - Dark Tower
-29.6% - Black Panther
-34.5% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-38.9% - War Machine
-40.5% - Dark Wolverine
-41.7% - Cable
-42.2% - X-Men Forever

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

+28.9% - Captain America: Reborn
+11.4% - Punisher
+ 6.3% - X-Factor
- 2.0% - Deadpool
- 3.2% - PunisherMax
- 7.7% - Moon Knight
-10.2% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-10.3% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-11.8% - X-Force
-12.8% - Daredevil
-15.7% - Amazing Spider-Man
-15.7% - Cable
-15.9% - X-Men Legacy
-16.5% - Invincible Iron Man
-17.7% - Thunderbolts
-18.5% - Uncanny X-Men
-18.9% - Wolverine: Origins
-23.9% - New Avengers
-24.3% - Ms Marvel
-24.5% - Nova
-25.1% - Thor
-28.9% - Fantastic Four
-29.4% - Guardians of the Galaxy
-33.3% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-36.0% - Incredible Hercules
-37.2% - Marvelous Land of Oz
-38.6% - Avengers: The Initiative
-39.4% - Hulk
-43.5% - Mighty Avengers
-47.2% - Dark Tower
-49.9% - Incredible Hulk
-50.6% - The Stand
-51.4% - Dark Wolverine
-67.7% - War Machine

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

+64.1% - Invincible Iron Man
+35.1% - Punisher
+17.3% - Captain America / Reborn
-11.5% - Ms Marvel
-11.8% - Daredevil
-23.9% - Dark Wolverine
-24.0% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-25.1% - Fantastic Four
-27.1% - Nova
-27.3% - PunisherMax
-28.8% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-30.6% - Black Panther
-31.0% - New Avengers
-31.8% - Wolverine: Origins
-34.3% - Uncanny X-Men
-38.1% - X-Men: First Class
-43.0% - Incredible Hulk
-44.4% - Avengers: The Initiative
-45.6% - Thor
-46.4% - Mighty Avengers
-48.0% - X-Men Legacy
-51.0% - X-Factor
-52.7% - Amazing Spider-Man

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

+ 9.7% - Thunderbolts
- 8.3% - Incredible Hulk
- 9.0% - X-Factor
-19.5% - Daredevil
-22.0% - Uncanny X-Men
-30.0% - PunisherMax
-32.0% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-34.4% - Ms Marvel
-34.8% - X-Men Legacy
-35.5% - Invincible Iron Man
-39.0% - Dark Wolverine
-39.9% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-40.7% - New Avengers
-53.6% - Astonishing X-Men
-54.7% - Fantastic Four
-56.9% - Wolverine: Origins
-64.8% - X-Men: First Class
-67.2% - Black Panther
-71.0% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter

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

+104.2% - Captain America: Reborn
+ 19.4% - Thunderbolts
+ 19.1% - Incredible Hulk
- 17.5% - Uncanny X-Men
- 17.8% - Fantastic Four
- 23.4% - Daredevil
- 25.7% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 30.6% - X-Factor
- 31.9% - Marvel Adventures Spider-man
- 32.0% - Dark Wolverine
- 33.0% - Powers
- 35.0% - PunisherMax
- 37.2% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 38.7% - Black Panther
- 41.2% - X-Men Legacy
- 41.4% - New Avengers

5 year comparisons
==================

- 8.4% - Thunderbolts
-11.2% - Invincible Iron Man
-19.3% - Fantastic Four
-25.5% - Uncanny X-Men
-27.9% - Daredevil
-29.0% - Amazing Spider-Man
-40.4% - Dark Wolverine
-42.7% - PunisherMax
-44.0% - Powers
-48.5% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-53.9% - X-Men Legacy
-57.1% - Astonishing X-Men
-69.8% - New Avengers