ICv2 posted their sales for July yesterday, but bucking a recent trend, periodical sales were down while GN sales were up a bit, mostly because so many Scott Pilgrim books were sold. Nut graph: “The over-all picture was one of weakness, however, as the increase in graphic novel sales was insufficient to outweigh weak comic sales; over-all sales were down 9% in July.”

Links:

Dollar Trends

Top 300 Comics Actual–July 2010

Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual–July 2010.

Only one comic, the new X-men relaunch by Victor Gischler and Paco Medina, broke six figures in sales, as the top 20 shows:

140,332 X-Men #1

94,684 Brightest Day #6

88,020 Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #4

87,410 Avengers #3

85,804 Batman and Robin #13

84,164 Green Lantern #56

83,397 New Avengers #2

77,796 Brightest Day #5

76,398 Batman #701

72,293 Secret Avengers #3

68,271 Amazing Spider-Man #238

67,035 Green Lantern Corps #50

66,723 Uncanny X-Men #526

65,863 X-Men Second Coming #2

64,832 Flash #4

61,827 Batman Odyssey #1

61,680 X-Force #28

60,368 Justice League of America #47

56,031 Amazing Spider-Man #637

56,011 Amazing Spider-Man #636

54,911 Shadowland #1

54,506 Superman #701

53,373 Thor #612

53,313 X-Men Legacy #238

Is this the price increase finally coming home to roost? The effect of event-driven sales and marketing? The aging audience? PICK YOUR POISON. ICV2 notes — and we do too — that Marvel’s Shadowland event debuted to modest numbers — maybe Daredevil is not strong enough for his own event?

Over in the book charts, Scott Pilgrim and BLACKEST NIGHT drove tons of sales, showing that top creators on stories they want to tell still attract readers. Maybe.

After unleashing a deluge of new titles in May, DC Comics’ lineup of major periodicals was fairly restrained in June. There were oversized “milestone” issues of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the latest Green Arrow relaunch and, following up on a 2008 event, a second wave of Joker’s Asylum one-shots. Average and overall unit sales were slightly down from May as a result, but overall dollar sales still went up, so it wasn’t a bad month by any stretch.

At Vertigo and WildStorm, it was business as usual, meaning June was another steady month for Vertigo — and a predictably dire one for WildStorm, given that neither of their two flagship titles Astro City and Ex Machina came out. Average WildStorm sales were down to fewer than 6,140 units; the actual number we don’t know, because three of WildStorm’s new comic books failed to make the Top 300 chart in June.

See below for the details, and please consider the small print at the end of the column. 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.

—–

2 - BATMAN
06/2005: Batman #641 --  67,208 [70,748]
06/2006: Batman #654 --  76,525 [78,671]
06/2007: --
06/2008: --
-------------------------------
06/2009: Batman #687 --  96,913 (+ 8.7%)
07/2009: Batman #688 --  83,040 (-14.3%)
08/2009: Batman #689 --  78,392 (- 5.6%)
09/2009: Batman #690 --  77,001 (- 1.8%)
10/2009: Batman #691 --  71,431 (- 7.2%)
10/2009: Batman #692 --  70,322 (- 1.6%)
11/2009: Batman #693 --  68,983 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Batman #694 --  65,908 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Batman #695 --  63,467 (- 3.7%)
02/2010: Batman #696 --  61,290 (- 3.4%)
03/2010: Batman #697 --  61,157 (- 0.2%)
04/2010: Batman #698 --  60,934 (- 0.4%)
05/2010: Batman #699 --  62,377 (+ 2.4%)
06/2010: Batman #700 -- 104,755 (+67.9%)
----------------
6 months: +58.9%
1 year  : + 8.1%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : +55.9%

Writer Grant Morrison returned to Batman for the oversized milestone issue, with stories drawn by high-ticket artists Andy Kubert, Frank Quitely and David Finch, as well as a tie-in with the popular “Return of Bruce Wayne” crossover and 1:25 and 1:75 variant-cover editions to provide an additional incentive for retailers to boost their orders. Still, all those extra incentives notwithstanding, a sales increase of 40,000 units is impressive.

—–

4 - BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE
05/2010: Batman: TRoBW #1 of 6 -- 108,534          [114,447]
05/2010: Batman: TRoBW #2 of 6 --  93,606 (-13.8%) [ 99,361]
06/2010: Batman: TRoBW #3 of 6 --  92,140 (- 1.6%)

The event miniseries by Grant Morrison is finding its level quickly. Also, the two May issues sold another 12,000 copies between them in June, so it appears retailers are very pleased with the reception.

There was a 1:25 variant edition, as usual.

—–

5 - GREEN LANTERN
06/2005: Green Lantern #2   -- 117,816 [120,636]
06/2006: --
06/2007: --
06/2008: Green Lantern #32  --  64,839
--------------------------------------
06/2009: Green Lantern #42  --  84,131 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern #43  -- 109,426 (+30.1%) [117,314]
07/2009: Green Lantern #44  -- 105,063 (- 4.0%) [109,599]
08/2009: Green Lantern #45  -- 102,431 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Green Lantern #46  -- 103,666 (+ 1.2%)
10/2009: Green Lantern #47  -- 101,349 (- 2.2%)
11/2009: Green Lantern #48  -- 100,371 (- 1.0%)
12/2009: Green Lantern #49  --  97,285 (- 3.1%)
01/2010: Green Lantern #50  -- 106,444 (+ 9.4%)
02/2010: Green Lantern #51  --  95,509 (-10.3%)
03/2010: Green Lantern #52  --  97,369 (+ 2.0%)
04/2010: Green Lantern #53  -- 100,356 (+ 3.1%)
05/2010: Green Lantern #54  --  88,292 (-12.0%)
06/2010: Green Lantern #55  --  85,930 (- 2.7%)
-----------------
6 months: - 11.7%
1 year  : +  2.1%
2 years : + 32.5%
5 years : - 27.1%

Green Lantern sales remain at a much higher level than prior to the “Blackest Night” crossover issues.

Also, a correction: Contrary to what I said last month, there continue to be variant-cover editions for both this title and Green Lantern Corps – only the solicitation copy stopped mentioning them after the April issues, for some reason. My apologies for the confusion.

—–

6/7 - BRIGHTEST DAY
04/2010: Brightest Day #0  -- 129,446
05/2010: Brightest Day #1  -- 103,326 (-20.2%)
05/2010: Brightest Day #2  --  90,245 (-12.7%)
06/2010: Brightest Day #3  --  85,815 (- 4.9%)
06/2010: Brightest Day #4  --  81,384 (- 5.2%)

The twice-monthly event maxiseries hasn’t quite found its level, but keeps performing very well. There were 1:25 variants for both June issues, as usual.

Meanwhile “Brightest Day” is also getting a pretty good track record as an umbrella for assorted other DC books. Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Arrow, Justice League of America, Birds of Prey, The Flash and Titans were all promoted as tie-in books in June. A lot of those titles have other things going for them, but it’s still worth noting that all of them are doing well, for the time being.

—–

11 - THE FLASH
06/2005: Flash #223      --  48,013 [ 49,583]
06/2006: Flash: FMA #1   -- 120,404 [126,741]
06/2007: Flash: FMA #13  --  96,075 [101,982]
06/2008: Flash #241      --  30,810
-----------------------------------
06/2009: Rebirth #3 of 5 --  83,086 (-  3.6%)
07/2009: --
08/2009: Rebirth #4 of 5 --  78,107 (-  6.0%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: --
11/2009: Rebirth #5 of 6 --  73,875 (-  5.4%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: --
02/2010: Rebirth #6 of 6 --  70,824 (-  4.1%)
03/2010: --
04/2010: Flash #1        -- 100,903 (+ 42.5%)
05/2010: Flash #2        --  76,560 (- 24.1%)
06/2010: Flash #3        --  68,804 (- 10.1%)
-----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : - 17.2%
2 years : +123.3%
5 years : + 43.3%

Still finding its level, and still doing very well for a Flash series. There was a 1:10 variant, as usual.

—–

12 - SUPERMAN
06/2005: Superman #218 --  61,515
06/2006: Superman #653 --  69,079
06/2007: Superman #663 --  53,384
06/2008: Superman #677 --  54,634
---------------------------------
06/2009: Superman #689 --  40,366 (-  3.1%)
07/2009: Superman #690 --  39,472 (-  2.2%)
08/2009: Superman #691 --  39,106 (-  0.9%)
09/2009: Superman #692 --  37,695 (-  3.6%)
10/2009: Superman #693 --  35,395 (-  6.1%)
11/2009: Superman #694 --  34,430 (-  2.7%)
12/2009: Superman #695 --  32,482 (-  5.7%)
01/2010: Superman #696 --  31,940 (-  1.7%)
02/2010: Superman #697 --  31,504 (-  1.4%)
03/2010: Superman #698 --  33,336 (+  5.8%)
04/2010: Superman #699 --  33,183 (-  0.5%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Superman #700 --  67,571 (+103.6%)
-----------------
6 months: +108.0%
1 year  : + 67.4%
2 years : + 23.7%
5 years : +  9.9%

For a transitional issue with an epilogue to the James Robinson run, a prologue to the J. Michael Straczynski run and a filler piece, this is a lovely sales increase, certainly. The million-dollar question, though, is how much of it is purely due to the big, round number, and where issue #701, where Straczynski’s story begins in earnest, will pick up from that.

There were 1:25 and 1:75 variant editions.

—–

13 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS
06/2006: Green Lantern Corps #1  -- 76,686
06/2007: Green Lantern Corps #13 -- 32,792
06/2008: Green Lantern Corps #25 -- 47,399
------------------------------------------
06/2009: Green Lantern Corps #37 -- 63,574 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern Corps #38 -- 82,415 (+29.6%)
08/2009: Green Lantern Corps #39 -- 84,241 (+ 2.2%)
09/2009: Green Lantern Corps #40 -- 83,112 (- 1.3%)
10/2009: Green Lantern Corps #41 -- 81,377 (- 2.1%)
11/2009: Green Lantern Corps #42 -- 80,391 (- 1.2%)
12/2009: Green Lantern Corps #43 -- 77,774 (- 3.3%)
01/2010: Green Lantern Corps #44 -- 76,458 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Green Lantern Corps #45 -- 75,404 (- 1.4%)
03/2010: Green Lantern Corps #46 -- 76,720 (+ 1.8%)
04/2010: Green Lantern Corps #47 -- 72,163 (- 5.9%)
05/2010: Green Lantern Corps #48 -- 68,826 (- 4.6%)
06/2010: Green Lantern Corps #49 -- 66,652 (- 3.2%)
----------------
6 months: -14.3%
1 year  : + 4.8%
2 years : +40.6%

Sales keep dropping in the wake of “Blackest Night,” but remain at an astronomic level by the book’s usual standards. And again, contrary to what I said last month, there continue to be variant-cover editions for Green Lantern Corps; DC just stopped mentioning them in their solicitations after issue #47.

—–

15 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
06/2005: JLA #115           --  95,375
06/2007: Justice League #10 -- 129,265
06/2008: Justice League #22 --  85,013
--------------------------------------
06/2009: Justice League #34 --  61,115 (- 4.3%)
07/2009: Justice League #35 --  58,915 (- 3.6%)
08/2009: Justice League #36 --  57,549 (- 2.3%)
09/2009: Justice League #37 --  55,478 (- 3.6%)
10/2009: Justice League #38 --  61,012 (+10.0%)
11/2009: Justice League #39 --  89,376 (+46.5%)
12/2009: Justice League #40 --  68,672 (-23.2%)
01/2010: Justice League #41 --  62,262 (- 9.3%)
02/2010: Justice League #42 --  57,522 (- 7.6%)
03/2010: Justice League #43 --  56,461 (- 1.9%)
04/2010: Justice League #44 --  62,342 (+10.4%)
05/2010: Justice League #45 --  62,465 (+ 0.2%)
06/2010: Justice League #46 --  62,754 (+ 0.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.6%
1 year  : + 2.7%
2 years : -26.2%
5 years : -34.2%

Sales are holding level for the third month in a row, thanks to the “Brightest Day” tie-in and the start of a Justice League/Justice Society crossover. Again, DC stopped mentioning the variant-cover editions in the solicitations after the April issue, but they exist for both #45 and #46.

—–

22 - GREEN ARROW
06/2005: Green Arrow #51  -- 31,346
06/2006: Green Arrow #63  -- 37,803
06/2007: Green Arrow #75  -- 35,022
06/2008: Arrow/Canary #9  -- 30,330
-----------------------------------
06/2009: Arrow/Canary #21 -- 20,807 (-  3.0%)
07/2009: Arrow&Canary #22 -- 20,571 (-  1.1%)
08/2009: Arrow&Canary #23 -- 19,452 (-  5.4%)
09/2009: Arrow&Canary #24 -- 18,780 (-  3.5%)
10/2009: Arrow&Canary #25 -- 18,013 (-  4.1%)
11/2009: Arrow&Canary #26 -- 17,384 (-  3.5%)
12/2009: Arrow&Canary #27 -- 16,904 (-  2.8%)
01/2010: Arrow&Canary #28 -- 16,482 (-  2.5%)
02/2010: Arrow&Canary #29 -- 16,600 (+  0.7%)
02/2010: Black Arrow #30  -- 42,014 (+153.1%)
03/2010: Green Arrow #31  -- 28,486 (- 32.2%)
04/2010: Green Arrow #32  -- 29,137 (+  2.3%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Green Arrow #1   -- 54,400 (+ 86.7%)
-----------------
6 months: +221.8%
1 year  : +161.5%
2 years : + 79.4%
5 years : + 73.6%

The creative team remains the same, but the relaunch adds 25,000 units to the book’s sales. Say what you want about Cry for Justice and Rise of Arsenal, but they – along with “Brightest Day” – clearly succeeded in getting a lot of Green Arrow #1 out there. Compared with other recent relaunches of this type, these are great numbers.

There was a 1:25 variant.

—–

24 - WONDER WOMAN
06/2005: Wonder Woman #217 --  30,022 [ 31,687]
06/2006: Wonder Woman #1   -- 132,580 [139,562]
06/2007: Wonder Woman #10  --  54,472
06/2008: Wonder Woman #21  --  37,086
-------------------------------------
06/2009: Wonder Woman #33  --  32,755 (-  0.9%)
07/2009: Wonder Woman #34  --  30,131 (-  8.0%)
08/2009: Wonder Woman #35  --  29,657 (-  1.6%)
09/2009: Wonder Woman #36  --  28,806 (-  2.9%)
10/2009: Wonder Woman #37  --  26,972 (-  6.4%)
11/2009: Wonder Woman #38  --  26,265 (-  2.6%)
12/2009: Wonder Woman #39  --  26,152 (-  0.4%)
01/2010: Wonder Woman #40  --  25,156 (-  3.8%)
02/2010: Wonder Woman #41  --  25,354 (+  0.8%)
03/2010: Wonder Woman #42  --  25,240 (-  0.5%)
04/2010: Wonder Woman #43  --  25,369 (+  0.5%)
05/2010: Wonder Woman #44  --  25,443 (+  0.3%)
06/2010: Wonder Woman #600 --  53,525 (+110.4%)
-----------------
6 months: +104.7%
1 year  : + 63.4%
2 years : + 44.3%
5 years : + 78.3%

Another $ 4.99 “milestone” issue, similar to Superman #700. The stories in this one include the end of the Gail Simone run, the start of the J. Michael Straczynski run and a few filler pieces. And sales were helped by a 1:25 variant and a 1:75 variant.

Again, that’s a great increase, but we’ll have to wait for the July chart to gauge retailers’ faith in J. Michael Straczynski’s ability to sell a lot of Wonder Woman comics.

—–

32 - DETECTIVE COMICS
06/2005: Detective Comics #807 --  38,497
06/2006: Detective Comics #820 --  65,988
06/2007: Detective Comics #833 --  54,104
06/2008: Detective Comics #845 --  48,920
-----------------------------------------
06/2009: Detective Comics #854 --  72,808 (-30.1%) [79,573]
07/2009: Detective Comics #855 --  61,205 (-15.9%)
08/2009: Detective Comics #856 --  58,859 (- 3.8%)
09/2009: Detective Comics #857 --  57,063 (- 3.1%)
10/2009: Detective Comics #858 --  58,599 (+ 2.7%)
11/2009: Detective Comics #859 --  54,392 (- 7.2%)
12/2009: Detective Comics #860 --  52,295 (- 3.9%)
01/2010: Detective Comics #861 --  45,937 (-12.2%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Detective Comics #862 --  44,687 (- 2.7%)
03/2010: Detective Comics #863 --  43,119 (- 3.5%)
04/2010: Detective Comics #864 --  42,436 (- 1.6%)
05/2010: Detective Comics #865 --  41,501 (- 2.2%)
06/2010: Detective Comics #866 --  46,178 (+11.3%)
-----------------
6 months: - 11.7%
1 year  : - 36.6%
2 years : -  5.6%
5 years : + 20.0%

There was a 1:75 variant-cover edition, hence the sales increase. The June issue was another fill-in one-shot. The preview copy, released back in March, still asked people to “come back next month for the return of The Question and Batwoman,” but shortly after it turned out that neither of the two Greg Rucka-written features would return.

—–

36 - BIRDS OF PREY
06/2005: Birds of Prey #83  -- 38,067
06/2006: Birds of Prey #95  -- 33,954
06/2007: Birds of Prey #107 -- 28,632
06/2008: Birds of Prey #119 -- 21,593
-------------------------------------
05/2010: Birds of Prey #1   -- 50,428 (+135.4%)
06/2010: Birds of Prey #2   -- 44,064 (- 12.6%)
-----------------
2 years : +103.1%
5 years : + 15.8%

That’s a small second-issue drop for an ongoing series, especially considering that issue #1 was promoted with a variant-cover edition and #2 wasn’t. Great sales.

—–

37/39 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST
05/2010: Generation Lost #1  of 13 -- 50,784
05/2010: Generation Lost #2  of 13 -- 44,711 (-12.0%)
06/2010: Generation Lost #3  of 13 -- 43,278 (- 3.2%)
06/2010: Generation Lost #4  of 13 -- 41,702 (- 3.6%) 

This twice-monthly maxiseries also keeps doing well. Starting with issue #4, Generation Lost has been available as an official digital release on the same day the print versions come out. Given that retailers didn’t know that yet when they placed their initial orders for these and the next couple of issues, though, any potential effects on the sales of the direct-market edition are unlikely to appear on the chart for another few months.

As usual, both issues were promoted with 1:25 variants.

—–

43 - THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
06/2005: Legion of SH #7      -- 39,155
06/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #19 -- 43,918
06/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #31 -- 30,385
06/2008: --
---------------------------------------
05/2010: LoSH #1              -- 44,415 (+98.9%) [50,106]
06/2010: LoSH #2              -- 39,102 (-12.0%)
-----------------
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -  0.1%

Mark down another new ongoing title with an encouragingly small second-issue drop. Also, issue #1 made the chart again in June with an estimated 5,691 additional units. Like the previous issue, Legion #2 was promoted with a 1:10 variant.

The numbers above suggest that retailers did not overestimate demand for the May debuts of Birds of Prey, Generation Lost and Legion of Super-Heroes. Which may also have contributed in the strong Green Arrow debut sales in June — and would be good news for the overall strength of the DC Universe brand.

—–

46/48 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
06/2005: JSA #74              -- 51,609
06/2006: JSA #86              -- 50,338
06/2007: --
06/2008: Justice Society #16 --  77,328
---------------------------------------
06/2009: Justice Society #28 --  52,673 (-  6.1%)
07/2009: Justice Society #29 --  51,375 (-  2.5%)
08/2009: Justice Society #30 --  49,416 (-  3.8%)
09/2009: Justice Society #31 --  47,436 (-  4.0%)
10/2009: Justice Society #32 --  44,885 (-  5.4%)
11/2009: Justice Society #33 --  43,218 (-  3.7%)
12/2009: Justice Society #34 --  41,734 (-  3.4%)
01/2010: Justice Society #35 --  39,934 (-  4.3%)
02/2010: Justice Society #36 --  39,060 (-  2.2%)
03/2010: Justice Society #37 --  37,381 (-  4.3%)
04/2010: Justice Society #38 --  36,648 (-  2.0%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Justice Society #39 --  36,630 (-  0.1%)
06/2010: Justice Society #40 --  36,008 (-  1.7%)
----------------
6 months: -13.0%
1 year  : -31.1%
2 years : -53.0%
5 years : -29.6%

Sales are starting to bottom out after the long slide that started with the previous creative team’s departure.

But it’s a moot point, of course. As DC recently announced, issue #40 is writer Bill Willingham’s final issue. For the next couple of months, the book basically turns into a Justice League of America annex, until a new regular creative team takes over in October.

——

49 - RED ROBIN
06/2005: Robin #139    -- 29,645
06/2006: Robin #151    -- 38,921
06/2007: Robin #163    -- 26,284
06/2008: --
--------------------------------
06/2009: Red Robin #1  -- 64,261 (+102.8%) [71,925]
07/2009: Red Robin #2  -- 51,593 (- 19.7%) [54,544]
08/2009: Red Robin #3  -- 50,329 (-  2.5%)
09/2009: Red Robin #4  -- 47,945 (-  4.7%)
10/2009: Red Robin #5  -- 44,776 (-  6.6%)
11/2009: Red Robin #6  -- 42,409 (-  5.3%)
12/2009: Red Robin #7  -- 39,528 (-  6.8%)
01/2010: Red Robin #8  -- 37,869 (-  4.2%)
02/2010: Red Robin #9  -- 36,466 (-  3.7%)
03/2010: Red Robin #10 -- 36,708 (+  0.7%)
04/2010: Red Robin #11 -- 36,205 (-  1.4%)
05/2010: Red Robin #12 -- 36,273 (+  0.2%)
06/2010: Red Robin #13 -- 35,917 (-  1.0%)
-----------------
6 months: -  9.1%
1 year  : - 44.1%
2 years :   n.a.
5 years : + 21.2%

Fabian Nicieza takes over as the new writer, with no noticeable effect on sales. Given that the numbers were stabilizing during the last three issues of the Christopher Yost run, that’s probably a good sign.

—–

51 - BATMAN BEYOND
06/2010: Batman Beyond #1 of 6 -- 35,113

Another Batman spin-off, because lord knows DC doesn’t have enough of those yet. But the numbers are surprisingly good, actually.

There was a 1:25 variant.

—–

52 - ACTION COMICS
06/2005: Action Comics #828 -- 43,000
06/2006: Action Comics #840 -- 61,786 [63,676]
06/2007: --
06/2008: Action Comics #866 -- 50,158 [53,198]
-------------------------------------
06/2009: Action Comics #878 -- 40,011 (- 4.2%)
07/2009: Action Comics #879 -- 38,324 (- 4.2%)
08/2009: Action Comics #880 -- 37,588 (- 1.9%)
09/2009: Action Comics #881 -- 36,183 (- 3.7%)
10/2009: Action Comics #882 -- 34,754 (- 4.0%)
11/2009: Action Comics #883 -- 33,386 (- 3.9%)
12/2009: Action Comics #884 -- 31,873 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Action Comics #885 -- 30,678 (- 3.8%)
02/2010: Action Comics #886 -- 29,845 (- 2.7%)
03/2010: Action Comics #887 -- 29,460 (- 1.3%)
04/2010: Action Comics #888 -- 29,536 (+ 0.3%)
04/2010: Action Comics #889 -- 29,106 (- 1.5%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Action Comics #890 -- 34,744 (+19.4%)
----------------
6 months: + 9.0%
1 year  : -13.2%
2 years : -30.7%
5 years : -19.2%

Paul Cornell and Pete Woods took over as the new creative team in June, starting another storyline that doesn’t have Superman in it. Thanks to DC’s frequently unreliable preview information, though, the numbers are unlikely to fully reflect retailers’ expectations from the material yet.

For one thing, there was another last-minute creator switch; when Action Comics #890 was solicited, Marc Guggenheim was supposed to be the new series writer. Also, the initial advertising copy once again neglected to mention that there was a variant-cover edition.

So it may take a couple of months for the numbers to catch up.

—–

55 - ADVENTURE COMICS
08/2009: Adventure Comics #1  -- 56,706 (+72.6%)
09/2009: Adventure Comics #2  -- 47,296 (-15.9%)
10/2009: Adventure Comics #3  -- 44,431 (- 6.1%)
11/2009: Adventure Comics #4  -- 85,145 (+91.6%)
12/2009: Adventure Comics #5  -- 59,876 (-29.7%)
01/2010: Adventure Comics #6  -- 42,514 (-29.0%)
02/2010: Adventure Comics #7  -- 53,721 (+26.4%)
03/2010: Adventure Comics #8  -- 39,351 (-26.8%)
03/2010: Adventure Comics #9  -- 37,515 (- 4.7%)
04/2010: Adventure Comics #10 -- 37,573 (+ 0.2%)
05/2010: Adventure Comics #11 -- 34,794 (- 7.4%)
06/2010: Adventure Comics #12 -- 34,663 (- 0.4%)
-----------------
6 months: - 42.1%

The new creative team of Paul Levitz and Kevin Sharpe manages to arrest the sales decline, at least. They had help from a 1:25 variant-cover edition, as opposed to the 1:10 one for issue #11.

—–

57 - RED HOOD: LOST DAYS
06/2010: Red Hood: Lost Days #1 of 6 -- 34,197

Another Batman spin-off, “exploring the lost days of this misunderstood character.” There was a 1:25 variant.

—–

59 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN ANNUAL
06/2010: Superman/Batman Annual #4 -- 33,240

This one-shot, another Paul Levitz-written story, ties in with Batman Beyond, with very similar sales. Notably, the book outsells Superman/Batman proper, which also happens to be written by Levitz currently. Maybe the Batman Beyond character makes the difference.

—–

60 - TITANS
06/2008: Titans #3      -- 54,512
---------------------------------
06/2009: Titans #14     -- 32,321 (- 5.9%)
07/2009: Titans #15     -- 46,189 (+42.9%)
08/2009: Titans #16     -- 31,408 (-32.0%)
09/2009: Titans #17     -- 30,154 (- 4.0%)
10/2009: Titans #18     -- 28,215 (- 6.4%)
11/2009: Titans #19     -- 27,099 (- 4.0%)
12/2009: Titans #20     -- 25,887 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Titans #21     -- 24,924 (- 3.7%)
02/2010: Titans #22     -- 24,489 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: Titans #23     -- 24,260 (- 0.9%)
04/2010: --
05/2010: VfH Special #1 -- 31,718 (+30.7%)
06/2010: Titans #24     -- 33,079 (+ 4.3%)
----------------
6 months: +27.8%
1 year  : + 2.4%
2 years : -39.3%

Surprisingly enough, the book actually outsells May’s Villains for Hire Special by the same creative team, despite the lack of a variant edition. Unless there’s some other retailer incentive involved that I’m missing, this looks like a sign of recovery for Titans, at long last.

—–

62 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN
06/2005: Superman/Batman #20 -- 114,099
06/2006: Superman/Batman #27 --  95,717
06/2007: Superman/Batman #36 --  65,866
06/2007: Superman/Batman #37 --  72,635
06/2008: Superman/Batman #49 --  52,579
---------------------------------------
06/2009: Superman/Batman #61 --  38,228 (- 3.3%)
07/2009: Superman/Batman #62 --  38,412 (+ 0.5%)
08/2009: Superman/Batman #63 --  37,467 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Superman/Batman #64 --  36,332 (- 3.0%)
10/2009: Superman/Batman #65 --  34,585 (- 4.8%)
11/2009: Superman/Batman #66 --  52,143 (+50.8%)
12/2009: Superman/Batman #67 --  49,650 (- 4.8%)
01/2010: Superman/Batman #68 --  33,869 (-31.8%)
02/2010: Superman/Batman #69 --  33,224 (- 1.9%)
03/2010: Superman/Batman #70 --  32,196 (- 3.1%)
04/2010: Superman/Batman #71 --  31,714 (- 1.5%)
05/2010: Superman/Batman #72 --  32,047 (+ 1.1%)
06/2010: Superman/Batman #73 --  31,425 (- 1.9%)
----------------
6 months: -36.7%
1 year  : -17.8%
2 years : -40.2%
5 years : -72.5%

The book seems to be settling into a slow decline.

—–

63 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL
03/2010: JL: RoA #1 of 4 -- 36,020
04/2010: JL: RoA #2 of 4 -- 32,000 (-11.2%)
05/2010: JL: RoA #3 of 4 -- 31,246 (- 2.4%)
06/2010: JL: RoA #4 of 4 -- 30,753 (- 1.6%)

Perfectly solid sales for a Green Arrow spin-off.

—–

66 - ZATANNA
05/2010: Zatanna #1  -- 33,691
06/2010: Zatanna #2  -- 29,564 (-12.3%)

Once more, this is a surprisingly small second-issue drop for an ongoing title. Like for the debut issue, there was a 1:10 variant.

—–

68 - DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES
05/2010: DCU Legacies #1  of 10 -- 34,429
06/2010: DCU Legacies #2  of 10 -- 29,286 (-14.9%)

That’s a decent second-issue drop for a maxiseries. There was a 1:25 variant edition, same as for issue #1.

—–

69/80/90/91 - JOKER'S ASYLUM
07/2008: The Joker #1    -- 38,948
07/2008: The Penguin #1  -- 33,469
07/2008: Poison Ivy #1   -- 32,628
07/2008: Scarecrow #1    -- 31,406
07/2008: Two-Face #1     -- 30,335
----------------------------------
06/2010: Harley Quinn #1 -- 29,081
06/2010: The Riddler #1  -- 25,413
06/2010: Mad Hatter #1   -- 24,101
06/2010: Killer Croc #1  -- 22,919
06/2010: Clayface #1     -- 21,806

The second wave of Joker’s Asylum one-shots sells summarily below the first one. Given the number of Batman books already out there, this is hardly surprising.

—–

70 - BATGIRL
06/2005: Batgirl #65     -- 26,796
----------------------------------
08/2009: Batgirl #1      -- 51,724 (+149.3%)
09/2009: Batgirl #2      -- 40,626 (- 21.5%)
10/2009: Batgirl #3      -- 37,011 (-  8.9%)
11/2009: Batgirl #4      -- 34,697 (-  6.3%)
12/2009: Batgirl #5      -- 32,482 (-  6.4%)
01/2010: Batgirl #6      -- 30,403 (-  6.4%)
02/2010: Batgirl #7      -- 29,524 (-  2.9%)
03/2010: Batgirl #8      -- 30,886 (+  4.6%)
04/2010: Batgirl #9      -- 29,445 (-  4.7%)
05/2010: Batgirl #10     -- 28,641 (-  2.7%)
06/2010: Batgirl #11     -- 28,563 (-  0.3%)
----------------
6 months: -12.1%
5 years : + 6.6%

Batgirl seems to have found its level, for the time being.

—–

71 - SUPERGIRL
06/2006: --
06/2007: Supergirl #18 --  50,279
06/2008: Supergirl #30 --  29,553
---------------------------------
06/2009: Supergirl #42 --  32,705 (- 2.2%)
07/2009: Supergirl #43 --  32,849 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Supergirl #44 --  33,819 (+ 3.0%)
09/2009: Supergirl #45 --  32,240 (- 4.7%)
10/2009: Supergirl #46 --  30,377 (- 5.8%)
11/2009: Supergirl #47 --  29,159 (- 4.0%)
12/2009: Supergirl #48 --  28,176 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: Supergirl #49 --  27,728 (- 1.6%)
02/2010: Supergirl #50 --  33,338 (+20.2%)
03/2010: Supergirl #51 --  29,845 (-10.5%)
04/2010: Supergirl #52 --  29,490 (- 1.2%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Supergirl #53 --  28,317 (- 4.0%)
----------------
6 months: + 0.5%
1 year  : -13.4%
2 years : - 4.2%

Sales continue to drop back to pre-#50 levels.

—–

77 - AMERICAN VAMPIRE (Vertigo)
03/2010: American Vampire #1  -- 33,762          [36,831]
04/2010: American Vampire #2  -- 26,770 (-20.7%)
05/2010: American Vampire #3  -- 26,510 (- 1.0%)
06/2010: American Vampire #4  -- 25,977 (- 2.0%)

To date, American Vampire is performing very well. After issue #5, though, Stephen King will no longer write the backup feature.

—–

78 - GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
06/2009: GC Sirens #1  -- 52,439
07/2009: GC Sirens #2  -- 39,518 (-24.6%)
08/2009: GC Sirens #3  -- 36,772 (- 7.0%)
09/2009: GC Sirens #4  -- 34,405 (- 6.4%)
10/2009: GC Sirens #5  -- 33,015 (- 4.0%)
11/2009: GC Sirens #6  -- 30,990 (- 6.1%)
12/2009: GC Sirens #7  -- 29,709 (- 4.1%)
01/2010: GC Sirens #8  -- 28,254 (- 4.9%)
02/2010: GC Sirens #9  -- 27,172 (- 3.8%)
03/2010: GC Sirens #10 -- 26,550 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: GC Sirens #11 -- 26,359 (- 0.7%)
05/2010: GC Sirens #12 -- 26,029 (- 1.3%)
06/2010: GC Sirens #13 -- 25,867 (- 0.6%)
-----------------
6 months: - 12.9%
1 year  : - 50.7%

82 - BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM
06/2009: Batman: SoG #1  -- 57,650
07/2009: Batman: SoG #2  -- 44,240 (-23.3%)
08/2009: Batman: SoG #3  -- 40,353 (- 8.8%)
09/2009: Batman: SoG #4  -- 37,888 (- 6.1%)
10/2009: Batman: SoG #5  -- 34,533 (- 8.9%)
11/2009: Batman: SoG #6  -- 32,303 (- 6.5%)
12/2009: Batman: SoG #7  -- 30,290 (- 6.2%)
01/2010: Batman: SoG #8  -- 28,313 (- 6.5%)
02/2010: Batman: SoG #9  -- 27,023 (- 4.6%)
03/2010: Batman: SoG #10 -- 26,396 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: Batman: SoG #11 -- 25,925 (- 1.8%)
05/2010: Batman: SoG #12 -- 25,446 (- 1.9%)
06/2010: Batman: SoG #13 -- 25,205 (- 1.0%)
----------------
6 months: -16.8%
1 year  : -56.3%

The two tertiary Batman books written by Paul Dini continue selling back to back. But contrary to what DC claims in its advertisements, Gotham City Sirens actually hasn’t been written by Dini since issue #11, of course. Instead, Tony Bedard, whose name first appeared in the solicitation copy for #16, is writing the book. So if the change has any effect on sales, it’s unlikely to be reflected yet.

Speaking of the solicitations, Gotham City Sirens is missing from the latest batch. The book hasn’t officially been canceled, as far as I’m aware, so it may just be on a skip month in October. On the other hand, the decline over the first 12 months has been rather stiff, so it wouldn’t be a total surprise to learn that it’s axed.

—–

84 - TEEN TITANS
06/2005: Teen Titans #25 -- 70,542 [72,721]
06/2006: --
06/2007: Teen Titans #48 -- 60,786
06/2008: Teen Titans #60 -- 45,036
----------------------------------
06/2009: Teen Titans #72 -- 32,512 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: Teen Titans #73 -- 30,990 (- 4.7%)
08/2009: Teen Titans #74 -- 30,380 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: Teen Titans #75 -- 32,808 (+ 8.0%)
10/2009: Teen Titans #76 -- 29,166 (-11.1%)
11/2009: Teen Titans #77 -- 46,239 (+58.5%)
12/2009: Teen Titans #78 -- 43,400 (- 6.1%)
01/2010: Teen Titans #79 -- 27,790 (-36.0%)
02/2010: Teen Titans #80 -- 26,537 (- 4.5%)
03/2010: Teen Titans #81 -- 25,758 (- 2.9%)
04/2010: Teen Titans #82 -- 25,303 (- 1.8%)
05/2010: Teen Titans #83 -- 24,960 (- 1.4%)
06/2010: Teen Titans #84 -- 24,593 (- 1.5%)
----------------
6 months: -43.3%
1 year  : -24.4%
2 years : -45.4%
5 years : -65.1%

At long last, Teen Titans has settled into a slow standard decline. It’s been quite a free-fall.

—–

85 - JSA ALL-STARS
12/2009: JSA All-Stars #1  -- 42,493
01/2010: JSA All-Stars #2  -- 32,601 (-23.3%)
02/2010: JSA All-Stars #3  -- 29,666 (- 9.0%)
03/2010: JSA All-Stars #4  -- 28,526 (- 3.8%)
04/2010: JSA All-Stars #5  -- 26,581 (- 6.8%)
05/2010: JSA All-Stars #6  -- 25,306 (- 4.8%)
06/2010: JSA All-Stars #7  -- 24,436 (- 3.4%)
----------------
6 months: -42.5%

The Justice Society spin-off is finding its level.

—–

94 - SECRET SIX
06/2006: --
-------------------------------------
06/2009: Secret Six #10     -- 24,272 (-10.5%)
07/2009: Secret Six #11     -- 24,357 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Secret Six #12     -- 24,161 (- 0.8%)
09/2009: Secret Six #13     -- 23,919 (- 1.0%)
10/2009: Secret Six #14     -- 23,345 (- 2.4%)
11/2009: Secret Six #15     -- 23,190 (- 0.7%)
12/2009: Secret Six #16     -- 22,638 (- 2.4%)
01/2010: Secret Six #17     -- 38,515 (+70.1%)
02/2010: Secret Six #18     -- 37,876 (- 1.7%)
03/2010: Secret Six #19     -- 23,181 (-38.8%)
04/2010: Secret Six #20     -- 22,695 (- 2.1%)
05/2010: Secret Six #21     -- 22,334 (- 1.6%)
06/2010: Secret Six #22     -- 21,941 (- 1.8%)
----------------
6 months: - 3.1%
1 year  : - 9.6%

Standard attrition. These numbers haven’t been great, but they’re comparatively stable.

—–

99 - POWER GIRL
06/2009: Power Girl #2  -- 36,756 (-22.3%)
07/2009: Power Girl #3  -- 35,163 (- 4.3%)
08/2009: Power Girl #4  -- 32,140 (- 8.6%)
09/2009: Power Girl #5  -- 29,497 (- 8.2%)
10/2009: Power Girl #6  -- 27,060 (- 8.3%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Power Girl #7  -- 22,533 (-16.7%)
01/2010: Power Girl #8  -- 21,760 (- 3.4%)
02/2010: Power Girl #9  -- 20,900 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: Power Girl #10 -- 20,801 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: Power Girl #11 -- 20,675 (- 0.6%)
05/2010: Power Girl #12 -- 20,681 (+ 0.0%)
06/2010: Power Girl #13 -- 20,583 (- 0.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.7%
1 year  : -44.0%

Power Girl sales are holding level with the first issue by the new creative team. Good news, certainly.

—–

102 - BOOSTER GOLD
06/2008: Booster Gold #10 -- 34,435
-----------------------------------
06/2009: Booster Gold #21 -- 23,222 (+  3.0%)
07/2009: Booster Gold #22 -- 22,414 (-  3.5%)
08/2009: Booster Gold #23 -- 22,108 (-  1.4%)
09/2009: Booster Gold #24 -- 21,731 (-  1.7%)
10/2009: Booster Gold #25 -- 21,597 (-  0.6%)
11/2009: Booster Gold #26 -- 57,122 (+164.5%)
12/2009: Booster Gold #27 -- 40,256 (- 29.5%)
01/2010: Booster Gold #28 -- 21,967 (- 45.4%)
02/2010: Booster Gold #29 -- 21,020 (-  4.3%)
03/2010: Booster Gold #30 -- 20,187 (-  4.0%)
04/2010: Booster Gold #31 -- 19,818 (-  1.8%)
05/2010: Booster Gold #32 -- 20,343 (+  2.7%)
06/2010: Booster Gold #33 -- 19,895 (-  2.2%)
----------------
6 months: -50.6%
1 year  : -14.3%
2 years : -42.2%

Sales are back in decline after last month’s upward twitch for the new creative team.

—–

104 - FABLES (Vertigo)
06/2005: Fables #38 -- 24,813
06/2006: Fables #50 -- 26,210
06/2007: Fables #62 -- 25,726
06/2008: --
-----------------------------
06/2009: Fables #85 -- 23,439 (-0.8%)
07/2009: Fables #86 -- 22,447 (-4.2%)
08/2009: Fables #87 -- 21,876 (-2.5%)
09/2009: Fables #88 -- 21,508 (-1.7%)
10/2009: Fables #89 -- 21,118 (-1.8%)
11/2009: Fables #90 -- 20,882 (-1.1%)
12/2009: Fables #91 -- 20,450 (-2.1%)
01/2010: Fables #92 -- 20,180 (-1.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Fables #93 -- 20,003 (-0.9%)
04/2010: Fables #94 -- 19,965 (-0.2%)
05/2010: Fables #95 -- 19,932 (-0.2%)
06/2010: Fables #96 -- 19,842 (-0.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 3.0%
1 year  : -15.4%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -20.0%

Rock-solid numbers again over the last three months, after a relatively rough year.

—–

107 - I, ZOMBIE
05/2010: I, Zombie #1  -- 33,025
06/2010: I, Zombie #2  -- 18,620 (-43.6%)

The debut issue was promoted through a $ 1.00 cover price and a 1:10 variant, so the huge drop-off was to be expected. If it finds its level quickly, I, Zombie could still end up as one of Vertigo’s top-selling ongoing comic-book series.

—–

109 - THE OUTSIDERS
06/2005: Outsiders #25 -- 52,187 [55,884]
06/2006: Outsiders #37 -- 44,109
06/2007: Outsiders #48 -- 32,966
06/2008: Batsiders #8  -- 34,640
--------------------------------
06/2009: Outsiders #19 -- 27,485 (+  5.7%)
07/2009: Outsiders #20 -- 24,323 (- 11.5%)
08/2009: Outsiders #21 -- 23,856 (-  1.9%)
09/2009: Outsiders #22 -- 22,775 (-  4.5%)
10/2009: Outsiders #23 -- 21,413 (-  6.0%)
11/2009: Outsiders #24 -- 50,918 (+137.8%) [55,704]
12/2009: Outsiders #25 -- 37,847 (- 25.7%)
01/2010: Outsiders #26 -- 22,626 (- 40.2%)
02/2010: Outsiders #27 -- 21,167 (-  6.5%)
03/2010: Outsiders #28 -- 19,632 (-  7.3%)
04/2010: Outsiders #29 -- 19,094 (-  2.7%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Outsiders #30 -- 18,045 (-  5.5%)
----------------
6 months: -52.3%
1 year  : -34.4%
2 years : -47.9%
5 years : -65.4%

Once again, more than a thousand units have evaporated from one month to the next. The Outsiders is missing from the October solicitations, so maybe someone pulled the emergency brake.

—–

118 - JOE THE BARBARIAN (Vertigo)
01/2010: Joe the Barbarian #1 of 8 -- 25,543          [29,712]
02/2010: Joe the Barbarian #2 of 8 -- 17,512 (-31.4%)
03/2010: Joe the Barbarian #3 of 8 -- 17,672 (+ 0.9%)
04/2010: Joe the Barbarian #4 of 8 -- 17,102 (- 3.2%)
05/2010: Joe the Barbarian #5 of 8 -- 16,725 (- 2.2%)
06/2010: Joe the Barbarian #6 of 8 -- 16,219 (- 3.0%)

Grant Morrison’s latest Vertigo effort continues to perform decently enough, if not spectacularly.

—–

119 - DOC SAVAGE
04/2010: Doc Savage #1   -- 24,539
05/2010: Doc Savage #2   -- 19,073 (-22.3%)
06/2010: Doc Savage #3   -- 16,153 (-15.3%)

That’s a steep third-issue drop. Doc Savage #3 was promoted with a 1:10 variant, like the two previous issues.

—–

128 - BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL
06/2007: Batman Confidential #6  -- 33,480
06/2008: Batman Confidential #18 -- 24,881
------------------------------------------
06/2009: Batman Confidential #30 -- 18,443 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Batman Confidential #31 -- 19,225 (+ 4.2%)
08/2009: Batman Confidential #32 -- 18,545 (- 3.5%)
09/2009: Batman Confidential #33 -- 18,140 (- 2.2%)
10/2009: Batman Confidential #34 -- 17,097 (- 5.8%)
10/2009: Batman Confidential #35 -- 16,724 (- 2.2%)
11/2009: Batman Confidential #36 -- 16,664 (- 0.4%)
11/2009: Batman Confidential #37 -- 16,355 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Batman Confidential #38 -- 16,132 (- 1.4%)
12/2009: Batman Confidential #39 -- 15,906 (- 1.4%)
01/2010: Batman Confidential #40 -- 17,241 (+ 8.4%)
02/2010: Batman Confidential #41 -- 16,856 (- 2.2%)
03/2010: Batman Confidential #42 -- 16,652 (- 1.2%)
04/2010: Batman Confidential #43 -- 16,449 (- 1.2%)
05/2010: Batman Confidential #44 -- 15,279 (- 7.1%)
06/2010: Batman Confidential #45 -- 15,070 (- 1.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 5.9%
1 year  : -18.3%
2 years : -39.4%

Back in its usual decline.

—–

137 - JONAH HEX
06/2006: Jonah Hex #8  -- 21,006
06/2007: Jonah Hex #20 -- 16,150
06/2008: Jonah Hex #32 -- 12,969
--------------------------------
06/2009: Jonah Hex #44 -- 11,592 (- 0.1%)
07/2009: Jonah Hex #45 -- 12,588 (+ 8.6%)
08/2009: Jonah Hex #46 -- 12,466 (- 1.0%)
09/2009: Jonah Hex #47 -- 12,231 (- 1.9%)
10/2009: Jonah Hex #48 -- 11,281 (- 7.8%)
11/2009: Jonah Hex #49 -- 11,146 (- 1.2%)
12/2009: Jonah Hex #50 -- 15,131 (+35.8%)
01/2010: Jonah Hex #51 -- 11,184 (-26.1%)
02/2010: Jonah Hex #52 -- 11,213 (+ 0.3%)
03/2010: Jonah Hex #53 -- 11,565 (+ 3.1%)
04/2010: Jonah Hex #54 -- 11,306 (- 2.2%)
05/2010: Jonah Hex #55 -- 11,327 (+ 0.2%)
06/2010: Jonah Hex #56 -- 13,441 (+18.7%)
----------------
6 months: -11.2%
1 year  : +16.0%
2 years : + 3.6%

A variant-cover edition — once again not mentioned in the solicitation copy — probably explains the bulk of the sales increase in June. Since Jonah Hex numbers were already edging upwards over the last few months, though, some of it may be genuine.

—–

138 - THE UNWRITTEN (Vertigo)
06/2009: The Unwritten #2  -- 16,290 (-39.5%)
07/2009: The Unwritten #3  -- 17,028 (+ 4.5%)
08/2009: The Unwritten #4  -- 16,336 (- 4.1%)
09/2009: The Unwritten #5  -- 16,011 (- 2.0%)
10/2009: The Unwritten #6  -- 15,314 (- 4.4%)
11/2009: The Unwritten #7  -- 14,763 (- 3.6%)
12/2009: The Unwritten #8  -- 14,257 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: The Unwritten #9  -- 13,792 (- 3.3%)
02/2010: The Unwritten #10 -- 13,644 (- 1.1%)
03/2010: The Unwritten #11 -- 13,630 (- 0.1%)
04/2010: The Unwritten #12 -- 13,507 (- 0.9%)
05/2010: The Unwritten #13 -- 13,467 (- 0.3%)
06/2010: The Unwritten #14 -- 13,396 (- 0.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.0%
1 year  : -17.8%

Another Vertigo title with rock-solid numbers.

—–

141 - THE SPIRIT
06/2007: The Spirit #7  -- 22,621
06/2008: The Spirit #18 -- 13,257
---------------------------------
06/2009: The Spirit #29 --  8,273 (-  0.7%)
06/2009: The Spirit #30 --  8,103 (-  2.1%)
07/2009: The Spirit #31 --  7,882 (-  2.7%)
08/2009: The Spirit #32 --  7,670 (-  2.7%)
---------------------------------
04/2010: The Spirit #1  -- 19,849 (+158.8%)
05/2010: The Spirit #2  -- 14,274 (- 28.1%)
06/2010: The Spirit #3  -- 13,030 (-  8.7%)
-----------------
1 year  : + 58.2%
2 years : -  1.7%

So far, the relaunch of The Spirit looks as successful as DC could have realistically hoped for, under the circumstances.

——

153 - DOOM PATROL
06/2010: Doom Patrol #13 -- 15,290
----------------------------------
08/2009: Doom Patrol #1  -- 28,267
09/2009: Doom Patrol #2  -- 22,001 (- 22.2%)
10/2009: Doom Patrol #3  -- 20,036 (-  8.9%)
11/2009: Doom Patrol #4  -- 53,748 (+168.3%)
12/2009: Doom Patrol #5  -- 35,348 (- 34.2%)
01/2010: Doom Patrol #6  -- 17,117 (- 51.6%)
02/2010: Doom Patrol #7  -- 15,689 (-  8.3%)
03/2010: Doom Patrol #8  -- 14,197 (-  9.5%)
04/2010: Doom Patrol #9  -- 13,126 (-  7.5%)
05/2010: Doom Patrol #10 -- 12,334 (-  6.0%)
06/2010: Doom Patrol #11 -- 11,857 (-  3.9%)
----------------
6 months: -66.5%
5 years : -22.5%

160 - R.E.B.E.L.S.
06/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #5  -- 12,909 (-  4.2%)
07/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #6  -- 12,349 (-  4.3%)
08/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #7  -- 11,682 (-  5.4%)
09/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #8  -- 11,347 (-  2.9%)
10/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #9  -- 11,284 (-  0.6%)
11/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #10 -- 51,100 (+352.9%)
12/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #11 -- 31,489 (- 38.4%)
01/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #12 -- 12,428 (- 60.5%)
02/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #13 -- 11,836 (-  4.8%)
03/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #14 -- 11,362 (-  4.0%)
04/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #15 -- 11,271 (-  0.8%)
05/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #16 -- 11,120 (-  1.3%)
06/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #17 -- 11,048 (-  0.7%)
-----------------
6 months: - 64.9%
1 year  : - 14.4%

The Doom Patrol drops are getting smaller, finally, while R.E.B.E.L.S. numbers are stabilizing around 11K.

The October solicitations suggest that neither of the two books has been canceled yet, but given how erratic DC’s decisions have been over the last few years, that doesn’t have to mean anything — see the truncated Magog and The Great Ten, for instance.

—–

167 - TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM (WildStorm)
06/2005: Tom Strong #33 -- 11,956
---------------------------------
06/2010: RoD #1 of 6    -- 10,552
-----------------
5 years : - 11.7%

Tom Strong has seen better times, as the five-year comparison shows. Back then, the book was already well into its post-Alan Moore phase. Also, Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom #1 was promoted with a 1:10 variant edition, so its sales are quite unimpressive overall.

—–

172 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
06/2005: Hellblazer #209 -- 15,149
06/2006: Hellblazer #221 -- 13,973
06/2007: Hellblazer #233 -- 13,201
06/2008: Hellblazer #245 -- 11,897
----------------------------------
06/2009: Hellblazer #256 -- 10,898 (-0.4%)
07/2009: Hellblazer #257 -- 10,762 (-1.3%)
08/2009: Hellblazer #258 -- 10,665 (-0.9%)
09/2009: Hellblazer #259 -- 10,813 (+1.4%)
10/2009: Hellblazer #260 -- 10,767 (-0.4%)
11/2009: Hellblazer #261 -- 10,553 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Hellblazer #262 -- 10,334 (-2.1%)
01/2010: Hellblazer #263 -- 10,179 (-1.5%)
02/2010: Hellblazer #264 -- 10,025 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Hellblazer #265 -- 10,295 (+2.7%)
04/2010: Hellblazer #266 -- 10,256 (-0.4%)
05/2010: Hellblazer #267 -- 10,155 (-1.0%)
06/2010: Hellblazer #268 -- 10,221 (+0.7%)
----------------
6 months: - 1.1%
1 year  : - 6.2%
2 years : -14.1%
5 years : -32.5%

Peter Milligan’s Hellblazer has been selling within 700 units for a year. The book is back to being one of DC’s most steady performers.

—–

180 - AZRAEL
10/2009: Azrael #1  -- 35,311 (- 1.7%)
11/2009: Azrael #2  -- 21,392 (-39.4%)
12/2009: Azrael #3  -- 17,757 (-17.0%)
01/2010: Azrael #4  -- 14,703 (-17.2%)
02/2010: Azrael #5  -- 12,856 (-12.6%)
03/2010: Azrael #6  -- 11,825 (- 8.0%)
04/2010: Azrael #7  -- 11,080 (- 6.3%)
05/2010: Azrael #8  -- 10,228 (- 7.7%)
06/2010: Azrael #9  --  9,802 (- 4.2%)
----------------
6 months: -44.8%

Sales are finding their level, but that’s not much of a silver lining, at this stage. The October issue is set to conclude a four-part storyline; quite possibly, that could be it for Azrael.

—–

183 - SWEET TOOTH (Vertigo)
09/2009: Sweet Tooth #1  -- 18,657
10/2009: Sweet Tooth #2  -- 11,315 (-39.4%)
11/2009: Sweet Tooth #3  -- 10,363 (- 8.4%)
12/2009: Sweet Tooth #4  --  9,817 (- 5.3%)
01/2010: Sweet Tooth #5  --  9,787 (- 0.3%)
02/2010: Sweet Tooth #6  --  9,740 (- 0.5%)
03/2010: Sweet Tooth #7  --  9,718 (- 0.2%)
04/2010: Sweet Tooth #8  --  9,612 (- 1.1%)
05/2010: Sweet Tooth #9  --  9,654 (+ 0.4%)
06/2010: Sweet Tooth #10 --  9,570 (- 0.9%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.5%

184 - DAYTRIPPER (Vertigo)
12/2009: Daytripper #1  of 10 -- 12,010
01/2009: Daytripper #2  of 10 --  9,846 (-18.0%)
02/2009: Daytripper #3  of 10 --  9,577 (- 2.7%)
03/2009: Daytripper #4  of 10 --  9,872 (+ 3.1%)
04/2009: Daytripper #5  of 10 --  9,703 (- 1.7%)
05/2009: Daytripper #6  of 10 --  9,574 (- 1.3%)
06/2009: Daytripper #7  of 10 --  9,333 (- 2.5%)
----------------
6 months: -22.3%

Two solid mid-tier Vertigo books.

For Daytripper, the usual second-issue drop aside, sales have remained within 600 units; for Sweet Tooth, the numbers have been within 300 copies over the last half-year.

—–

193 - HOUSE OF MYSTERY (Vertigo)
06/2008: House of Mystery #2  -- 19,485
---------------------------------------
06/2009: House of Mystery #14 -- 12,039 (-16.2%)
07/2009: House of Mystery #15 -- 11,809 (- 1.9%)
08/2009: House of Mystery #16 -- 11,572 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: House of Mystery #17 -- 11,142 (- 3.7%)
10/2009: House of Mystery #18 -- 10,922 (- 2.0%)
11/2009: House of Mystery #19 -- 10,478 (- 4.1%)
12/2009: House of Mystery #20 -- 10,175 (- 2.9%)
01/2010: House of Mystery #21 --  9,888 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: House of Mystery #22 --  9,401 (- 4.9%)
03/2010: House of Mystery #23 --  9,350 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: House of Mystery #24 --  9,168 (- 2.0%)
05/2010: House of Mystery #25 --  9,253 (+ 0.9%)
06/2010: House of Mystery #26 --  8,742 (- 5.5%)
----------------
6 months: -14.1%
1 year  : -27.4%
2 years : -55.1%

House of Mystery keeps slipping down the charts.

—–

199 - TINY TITANS (Johnny DC)
06/2008: Tiny Titans #5  -- 10,909
----------------------------------
06/2009: Tiny Titans #17 --  8,640 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Tiny Titans #18 --  8,576 (- 0.7%)
08/2009: Tiny Titans #19 --  8,432 (- 1.7%)
09/2009: Tiny Titans #20 --  8,435 (+ 0.0%)
10/2009: Tiny Titans #21 --  8,259 (- 2.1%)
11/2009: Tiny Titans #22 --  8,100 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Tiny Titans #23 --  8,017 (- 1.0%)
01/2010: Tiny Titans #24 --  7,844 (- 2.2%)
02/2010: Tiny Titans #25 --  8,566 (+ 9.2%)
03/2010: Tiny Titans #26 --  7,878 (- 8.0%)
04/2010: Tiny Titans #27 --  8,224 (+ 4.4%)
05/2010: Tiny Titans #28 --  7,959 (- 3.2%)
06/2010: Tiny Titans #29 --  8,195 (+ 3.0%)
----------------
6 months: + 2.2%
1 year  : - 5.2%
2 years : -24.9%

A Johnny DC title.

—–

201 - FRINGE: TALES FROM THE FRINGE (WildStorm)
09/2008: Fringe #1 of 6 -- 15,929
01/2009: Fringe #2 of 6 --  8,239 (-48.3%)
03/2009: Fringe #3 of 6 --  7,426 (- 9.9%)
04/2009: Fringe #4 of 6 --  6,899 (- 7.1%)
05/2009: Fringe #5 of 6 --  6,744 (- 2.3%)
06/2009: Fringe #6 of 6 --  6,646 (- 1.5%)
---------------------------------
06/2010: Tales #1 of 6  --  8,099 (+21.9%)
----------------
1 year  : +21.9%

Another WildStorm miniseries based on the TV show. Reportedly, the Fringe comics are doing well in DC’s recently launched digital store, though nobody seems to have a solid idea what that means or how reliable the information is yet. It would certainly seem to make sense to the extent that you’d expect casual browsers of the digital library to select titles they’re familiar with from other media, but that’s neither here nor there.

—–

203 - MADAME XANADU (Vertigo)
06/2008: Madame Xanadu #1  -- 22,073
------------------------------------
06/2009: Madame Xanadu #12 --  9,949 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Madame Xanadu #13 -- 10,009 (+ 0.6%)
08/2009: Madame Xanadu #14 --  9,873 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Madame Xanadu #15 --  9,733 (- 1.4%)
10/2009: Madame Xanadu #16 --  9,283 (- 4.6%)
11/2009: Madame Xanadu #17 --  8,856 (- 4.6%)
12/2009: Madame Xanadu #18 --  8,686 (- 1.9%)
01/2010: Madame Xanadu #19 --  8,439 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: Madame Xanadu #20 --  8,285 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: Madame Xanadu #21 --  8,191 (- 1.1%)
04/2010: Madame Xanadu #22 --  8,158 (- 0.4%)
05/2010: Madame Xanadu #23 --  8,028 (- 1.6%)
06/2010: Madame Xanadu #24 --  7,979 (- 0.6%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.1%
1 year  : -19.8%
2 years : -63.9%

Madame Xanadu has found its level around the 8,000-unit mark. If the rumors of its cancellation are true, it’s unlikely to be due to sales alone, judging from these numbers.

—–

209 - WARLORD
06/2006: Warlord #5 --  16,070
------------------------------
06/2009: Warlord #3  -- 12,283 (- 8.3%)
07/2009: Warlord #4  -- 11,445 (- 6.8%)
08/2009: Warlord #5  -- 10,790 (- 5.7%)
09/2009: Warlord #6  -- 10,331 (- 4.3%)
10/2009: Warlord #7  --  9,892 (- 4.3%)
11/2009: Warlord #8  --  9,547 (- 3.5%)
12/2009: Warlord #9  --  9,102 (- 4.7%)
01/2010: Warlord #10 --  8,807 (- 3.2%)
02/2010: Warlord #11 --  8,532 (- 3.1%)
03/2010: Warlord #12 --  8,430 (- 1.2%)
04/2010: Warlord #13 --  8,130 (- 3.6%)
05/2010: Warlord #14 --  7,915 (- 2.7%)
06/2010: Warlord #15 --  7,755 (- 2.0%)
----------------
6 months: -14.8%
1 year  : -36.9%

Canceled with issue #16.

—–

214 - NORTHLANDERS (Vertigo)
06/2008: --
-----------------------------------
06/2009: Northlanders #18 --  8,877 (- 3.9%)
07/2009: Northlanders #19 --  8,722 (- 1.8%)
08/2009: --
09/2009: Northlanders #20 --  8,786 (+ 0.7%)
10/2009: Northlanders #21 --  8,360 (- 4.9%)
11/2009: Northlanders #22 --  8,136 (- 2.7%)
12/2009: Northlanders #23 --  8,069 (- 0.8%)
01/2010: Northlanders #24 --  7,935 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Northlanders #25 --  7,807 (- 1.6%)
03/2010: Northlanders #26 --  7,824 (+ 0.2%)
04/2010: Northlanders #27 --  7,683 (- 1.8%)
05/2010: Northlanders #28 --  7,630 (- 0.7%)
06/2010: Northlanders #29 --  7,498 (- 1.7%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.1%
1 year  : -15.5%
2 years :  n.a.

Continuing a very slow decline.

—–

216 - THE AUTHORITY (WildStorm)
06/2005: Revolution #9  of 12 -- 19,329
06/2007: --
---------------------------------------
06/2009: The Authority v4 #11 --  9,204 (- 3.4%)
07/2009: The Authority v4 #12 --  8,918 (- 3.1%)
08/2009: The Authority v4 #13 --  8,648 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: The Authority v4 #14 --  8,394 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: The Authority v4 #15 --  8,174 (- 2.6%)
11/2009: The Authority v4 #16 --  8,066 (- 1.3%)
12/2009: The Authority v4 #17 --  7,829 (- 2.9%)
01/2010: The Authority v4 #18 --  7,952 (+ 1.6%)
02/2010: The Authority v4 #19 --  7,943 (- 0.1%)
03/2010: The Authority v4 #20 --  7,781 (- 2.0%)
04/2010: The Authority v4 #21 --  7,563 (- 2.8%)
05/2010: The Authority v4 #22 --  7,295 (- 3.5%)
06/2010: The Authority v4 #23 --  7,226 (- 1.0%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.7%
1 year  : -21.5%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -62.6%

Business as usual. To be fair, sales of both The Authority and Wildcats have been perfectly steady for the last six months.

—–

225 - MAGOG
09/2009: Magog #1  -- 26,352
10/2009: Magog #2  -- 16,193 (-38.6%)
11/2009: Magog #3  -- 12,915 (-20.2%)
12/2009: Magog #4  -- 10,700 (-17.2%)
01/2010: Magog #5  --  9,215 (-13.9%)
02/2010: Magog #6  --  8,548 (- 7.2%)
03/2010: Magog #7  --  8,119 (- 5.0%)
04/2010: Magog #8  --  7,743 (- 4.6%)
05/2010: Magog #9  --  7,264 (- 6.2%)
06/2010: Magog #10 --  6,749 (- 7.1%)
----------------
6 months: -36.9%

Canceled with issue #12.

—–

227 - SUPERNATURAL: BEGINNING'S END (WildStorm)
05/2007: Origins #1         -- 21,128
06/2007: Origins #2         -- 15,955 (-24.5%)
07/2007: Origins #3         -- 14,812 (- 7.2%)
08/2007: Origins #4         -- 13,915 (- 6.1%)
09/2007: Origins #5         -- 13,034 (- 6.3%)
10/2007: Origins #6         -- 12,350 (- 5.5%)
-------------------------------------
04/2008: Rising Son #1 of 6 -- 16,013 (+29.7%)
05/2008: Rising Son #2 of 6 -- 11,846 (-26.0%)
06/2008: Rising Son #3 of 6 -- 11,276 (- 4.8%)
07/2008: Rising Son #4 of 6 -- 10,676 (- 5.3%)
08/2008: Rising Son #5 of 6 -- 10,110 (- 5.3%)
09/2008: Rising Son #6 of 6 --  9,590 (- 5.1%)
-------------------------------------
01/2010: End #1 of 6        --  9,251 (- 3.5%)
02/2010: End #2 of 6        --  6,922 (-25.2%)
03/2010: End #3 of 6        --  6,764 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: End #4 of 6        --  6,420 (- 5.1%)
05/2010: End #5 of 6        --  6,403 (- 0.3%)
06/2010: End #6 of 6        --  6,711 (+ 4.8%)
----------------
2 years : -40.5%

The conclusion of another TV adaptation.

—–

231 - DMZ (Vertigo)
06/2006: DMZ #8  -- 14,999
06/2007: DMZ #20 -- 12,704
06/2008: DMZ #32 --  9,760
--------------------------
06/2009: DMZ #42 --  7,927 (-1.7%)
07/2009: DMZ #43 --  7,806 (-1.5%)
08/2009: DMZ #44 --  7,654 (-2.0%)
09/2009: DMZ #45 --  7,589 (-0.9%)
10/2009: DMZ #46 --  7,399 (-2.5%)
11/2009: DMZ #47 --  7,187 (-2.9%)
12/2009: DMZ #48 --  6,977 (-2.9%)
01/2010: DMZ #49 --  6,872 (-1.5%)
02/2010: DMZ #50 --  7,262 (+5.7%)
03/2010: DMZ #51 --  6,840 (-5.8%)
04/2010: DMZ #52 --  6,826 (-0.2%)
05/2010: DMZ #53 --  6,759 (-1.0%)
06/2010: DMZ #54 --  6,661 (-1.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.5%
1 year  : -16.0%
2 years : -31.8%

DMZ keeps sticking to the 6-7K area. The book will reach its natural conclusion in the not-too-distant future.

—–

235 - THE AUTHORITY: THE LOST YEAR (WildStorm)
10/2006: The Authority v3 #1     -- 58,136
03/2007: The Authority v3 #2     -- 39,886
------------------------------------------
11/2009: The Lost Year #3  of 12 --  8,988 (-77.5%)
12/2009: The Lost Year #4  of 12 --  7,999 (-11.0%)
01/2010: The Lost Year #5  of 12 --  7,541 (- 5.7%)
02/2010: The Lost Year #6  of 12 --  7,184 (- 4.7%)
03/2010: The Lost Year #7  of 12 --  6,942 (- 3.4%)
04/2010: The Lost Year #8  of 12 --  6,712 (- 3.3%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: The Lost Year #9  of 12 --  6,558 (- 2.3%)
----------------
6 months: -18.0%

Bottoming out in time for the home stretch.

—–

238/256/268 - WHAT'S NEXT REPRINT SPECIALS
05/2010: Jonah Hex #1       -- 8,463
05/2010: Hellblazer #1      -- 7,089
05/2010: Scalped #1         -- 6,438
05/2010: Action Comics #858 -- 6,438
05/2010: The Authority #1   -- 5,792
06/2010: Flash: Rebirth #1  -- 6,400
06/2010: Detect Comics #854 -- 5,775
06/2010: Astro City #1      -- 5,304
06/2010: Fables #6          -- 5,264
06/2010: Jack of Fables #1  -- 4,629

Another bunch of $ 1.00 reprints. Judging from these numbers, the program has pretty much run its course. If a company like DC can’t sell 5,000 copies of a $ 1.00 reprint comic, it’s time to look for other avenues of promotion, at least for a while.

—–

241 - DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS (WildStorm)
04/2010: Gods and Monsters #1 of 8 -- 10,203
05/2010: Gods and Monsters #2 of 8 --  6,671 (-34.6%)
06/2010: Gods and Monsters #3 of 8 --  6,295 (- 5.6%)

This revamp of an old WildStorm Universe concept is finding its level quickly now.

—–

242 - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Johnny DC)
06/2005: Batman Strikes! #10   -- 10,048
06/2006: Batman Strikes! #22   --  8,104
06/2007: Batman Strikes! #34   --  7,115
06/2008: Batman Strikes! #46   --  7,118
----------------------------------------
06/2009: Brave & Bold #6       --  7,614 (-  4.8%)
07/2009: Brave & Bold #7       --  7,441 (-  2.3%)
08/2009: Brave & Bold #8       --  7,153 (-  3.9%)
09/2009: Brave & Bold #9       --  7,064 (-  1.2%)
10/2009: Brave & Bold #10      --  6,646 (-  5.9%)
11/2009: Brave & Bold #11      --  6,438 (-  3.1%)
12/2009: Brave & Bold #12      --  6,342 (-  1.5%)
01/2010: Brave & Bold #13      --  6,129 (-  3.4%)
02/2010: Brave & Bold #14      --  6,084 (-  0.7%)
03/2010: Brave & Bold #15      --  6,208 (+  2.0%)
04/2010: Brave & Bold #16      --  6,506 (+  4.8%)
05/2010: Brave & Bold #17      --  6,103 (-  6.2%)
06/2010: Brave & Bold #18      --  6,270 (+  2.7%)
----------------
6 months: - 1.1%
1 year  : -17.7%
2 years : -11.9%
5 years : -37.6%

Another Johnny DC book.

—–

244 - GEARS OF WAR (WildStorm)
06/2009: --
07/2009: GoW #8  --  9,368 (- 5.9%)
07/2009: GoW #9  --  9,009 (- 3.8%)
08/2009: --
09/2009: --
10/2009: --
11/2009: GoW #10 --  8,066 (-10.5%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: GoW #11 --  7,157 (-11.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: --
04/2010: --
05/2010: --
06/2010: GoW #12 --  6,165 (-13.9%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  :  n.a.

A videogame adaptation from WildStorm. Sales are dreadful, obviously.

—–

246 - WILDCATS (WildStorm)
06/2007: --
----------------------------------
06/2009: World's End #12 --  7,863 (- 3.7%)
07/2009: World's End #13 --  7,609 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: World's End #14 --  7,417 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: World's End #15 --  7,178 (- 3.2%)
10/2009: World's End #16 --  6,883 (- 4.1%)
11/2009: World's End #17 --  6,691 (- 2.8%)
12/2009: World's End #18 --  6,487 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: World's End #19 --  6,791 (+ 4.7%)
02/2010: World's End #20 --  6,669 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: World's End #21 --  6,491 (- 2.7%)
04/2010: World's End #22 --  6,367 (- 1.9%)
05/2010: World's End #23 --  6,185 (- 2.9%)
06/2010: World's End #24 --  6,051 (- 2.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.7%
1 year  : -23.1%
2 years :  n.a.

Another WildStorm Universe title that seems to be settling down around 6K.

—–

249 - THE GREAT TEN
11/2009: The Great Ten #1  of 10 -- 13,159
12/2009: The Great Ten #2  of 10 --  8,760 (-33.4%)
01/2010: The Great Ten #3  of 10 --  7,458 (-14.9%)
02/2010: The Great Ten #4  of 10 --  6,812 (- 8.7%)
03/2010: The Great Ten #5  of 10 --  6,555 (- 3.8%)
04/2010: The Great Ten #6  of 10 --  6,301 (- 3.9%)
05/2010: The Great Ten #7  of 10 --  6,112 (- 3.0%)
06/2010: The Great Ten #8  of 10 --  5,998 (- 1.9%)
----------------
6 months: -31.5%

Canceled with issue #9.

—–

250 - NEMESIS: THE IMPOSTORS
05/2009: FCA: Escape #1 of 6 -- 28,668
06/2009: FCA: Escape #2 of 6 -- 20,576 (-29.2%)
07/2009: FCA: Escape #3 of 6 -- 15,294 (-25.7%)
08/2009: FCA: Escape #4 of 6 -- 12,950 (-15.3%)
09/2009: FCA: Escape #5 of 6 -- 11,613 (-10.3%)
10/2009: FCA: Escape #6 of 6 -- 10,519 (- 9.4%)
--------------------------------------
03/2010: Impostors #1 of 4   --  9,005 (-14.4%)
04/2010: Impostors #2 of 4   --  7,291 (-19.0%)
05/2010: Impostors #3 of 4   --  6,252 (-14.3%)
06/2010: Impostors #4 of 4   --  5,919 (- 5.3%)
----------------
1 year  : -71.2%

A DC Universe miniseries that doesn’t “count,” doesn’t have any popular characters in its favor and wasn’t promoted, with predictable results.

—–

252 - GREEK STREET (Vertigo)
07/2009: Greek Street #1  -- 20,422
08/2009: Greek Street #2  -- 11,996 (-41.3%)
09/2009: Greek Street #3  -- 10,628 (-11.4%)
10/2009: Greek Street #4  --  9,246 (-13.0%)
11/2009: Greek Street #5  --  8,610 (- 6.9%)
12/2009: Greek Street #6  --  7,802 (- 9.4%)
01/2010: Greek Street #7  --  7,335 (- 6.0%)
02/2010: Greek Street #8  --  6,872 (- 6.3%)
03/2010: Greek Street #9  --  6,603 (- 3.9%)
04/2010: Greek Street #10 --  6,324 (- 4.2%)
05/2010: Greek Street #11 --  6,128 (- 3.1%)
06/2010: Greek Street #12 --  5,905 (- 3.6%)
----------------
6 months: -24.3%

Canceled with issue #16.

—–

254 - HUMAN TARGET
02/2010: Human Target #1 of 6 -- 13,690
03/2010: Human Target #2 of 6 --  8,403 (-38.6%)
04/2010: Human Target #3 of 6 --  6,857 (-18.4%)
05/2010: Human Target #4 of 6 --  6,222 (- 9.3%)
06/2010: Human Target #5 of 6 --  5,838 (- 6.2%)

A TV-show tie-in, tanking badly.

—–

262 - DEMO (Vertigo)
11/2003: Demo #1  of 12      -- 4,529
12/2003: Demo #2  of 12      -- 3,115 (-31.2%)
01/2004: Demo #3  of 12      -- 3,170 (+ 1.8%)
02/2004: Demo #4  of 12      -- 3,220 (+ 1.6%)
03/2004: Demo #5  of 12      -- 3,301 (+ 2.5%)
05/2004: Demo #6  of 12      -- 3,514 (+ 6.5%)
06/2004: Demo #7  of 12      -- 3,882 (+10.5%)
07/2004: Demo #8  of 12      -- 3,803 (- 2.0%)
08/2004: Demo #9  of 12      -- 3,976 (+ 4.6%)
10/2004: Demo #10 of 12      -- 4,260 (+ 7.1%)
10/2004: Demo #11 of 12      -- 4,344 (+ 2.0%)
12/2004: Demo #12 of 12      -- 4,628 (+ 6.5%)
-------------------------------------
02/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #1 of 6 -- 8,317
03/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #2 of 6 -- 6,573 (-21.0%)
04/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #3 of 6 -- 6,010 (- 8.6%)
05/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #4 of 6 -- 5,818 (- 3.2%)
06/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #5 of 6 -- 5,612 (- 3.5%)

The black-&-white miniseries looks like it’s going to finish ahead of the previous volume back from 2004. Given that Demo was published by AiT/Planet Lar back then, that’s hardly a ringing endorsement.

—–

266 - UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Vertigo)
06/2009: Unknown Soldier #9  --  7,586 (- 1.6%)
07/2009: Unknown Soldier #10 --  7,256 (- 4.4%)
08/2009: Unknown Soldier #11 --  7,070 (- 2.6%)
09/2009: Unknown Soldier #12 --  6,865 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: Unknown Soldier #13 --  6,636 (- 3.3%)
11/2009: Unknown Soldier #14 --  6,359 (- 4.2%)
12/2009: Unknown Soldier #15 --  6,134 (- 3.5%)
01/2010: Unknown Soldier #16 --  5,848 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: Unknown Soldier #17 --  5,701 (- 2.5%)
03/2010: Unknown Soldier #18 --  5,611 (- 1.6%)
04/2010: Unknown Soldier #19 --  5,542 (- 1.2%)
05/2010: Unknown Soldier #20 --  5,466 (- 1.4%)
06/2010: Unknown Soldier #21 --  5,371 (- 1.7%)
----------------
6 months: -12.4%
1 year  : -29.2%

Canceled with issue #24.

—–

281 - GEN13 (WildStorm)
06/2007: Gen13 #9  -- 18,644
06/2008: --
----------------------------
06/2009: Gen13 #30 --  6,880 (- 5.9%)
07/2009: --
08/2009: Gen13 #31 --  6,544 (- 4.9%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: Gen13 #32 --  6,044 (- 7.6%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Gen13 #33 --  5,718 (- 5.4%)
01/2010: --
02/2010: Gen13 #34 --  5,412 (- 5.4%)
03/2010: --
04/2010: Gen13 #35 --  5,257 (- 2.9%)
05/2010: --
06/2010: Gen13 #36 --  5,124 (- 2.5%)
----------------
6 months: -10.4%
1 year  : -25.5%
2 years :  n.a.

Another long-running WildStorm Universe book, stumbling on well below the radar.

—–

283 - THE SHIELD
08/2009: RC: Shield #1  -- 19,088
09/2009: The Shield #1  -- 16,997 (-11.0%)
10/2009: The Shield #2  -- 10,401 (-38.8%)
11/2009: The Shield #3  --  8,546 (-17.8%)
12/2009: The Shield #4  --  7,316 (-14.4%)
01/2010: The Shield #5  --  6,444 (-11.9%)
02/2010: The Shield #6  --  6,010 (- 6.7%)
03/2010: The Shield #7  --  5,568 (- 7.4%)
04/2010: The Shield #8  --  5,288 (- 5.0%)
05/2010: The Shield #9  --  5,201 (- 1.7%)
06/2010: The Shield #10 --  5,082 (- 2.3%)
----------------
6 months: -30.5%

Canceled. The Web also ended with issue #10 in June, but didn’t make the Top 300 chart.

—–

287 - AIR (Vertigo)
06/2009: Air #10 --  6,954 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Air #11 --  6,793 (- 2.3%)
08/2009: Air #12 --  6,589 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: Air #13 --  6,476 (- 1.7%)
10/2009: Air #14 --  6,156 (- 4.9%)
11/2009: Air #15 --  5,921 (- 3.8%)
12/2009: Air #16 --  5,733 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: Air #17 --  5,573 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: Air #18 --  5,352 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: Air #19 --  5,268 (- 1.6%)
04/2010: Air #20 --  5,184 (- 1.6%)
05/2010: Air #21 --  5,104 (- 1.5%)
06/2010: Air #22 --  4,973 (- 2.6%)
----------------
6 months: -13.3%
1 year  : -28.5%

Canceled with issue #24.

—–

289 - SUPER FRIENDS (Johnny DC)
06/2008: Super Friends #4  --  8,038
------------------------------------
06/2009: Super Friends #16 --  5,548 (+ 0.6%)
07/2009: Super Friends #17 --  5,368 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: Super Friends #18 --  5,291 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Super Friends #19 --  5,045 (- 4.7%)
10/2009: Super Friends #20 --  5,026 (- 0.4%)
11/2009: Super Friends #21 --  4,879 (- 2.9%)
12/2009: Super Friends #22 --  4,837 (- 0.9%)
01/2010: Super Friends #23 --  4,538 (- 6.2%)
02/2010: Super Friends #24 --  4,644 (+ 2.3%)
03/2010: Super Friends #25 --  4,678 (+ 0.7%)
04/2010: Super Friends #26 --  4,955 (+ 5.9%)
05/2010: Super Friends #27 --  4,688 (- 5.4%)
06/2010: Super Friends #28 --  4,885 (+ 4.2%)
----------------
6 months: + 1.0%
1 year  : -12.0%
2 years : -39.2%

Johnny DC.

—–

293 - CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2: GHOST (WildStorm)
11/2009: CoD:MW2: Ghost #1 of 6 -- 11,936
12/2009: CoD:MW2: Ghost #2 of 6 --  5,214 (-56.3%)
01/2010: --
02/2010: CoD:MW2: Ghost #3 of 6 --  4,938 (- 5.3%)
03/2010: CoD:MW2: Ghost #4 of 6 --  5,026 (+ 1.8%)
04/2010: --
05/2010: --
06/2010: CoD:MW2: Ghost #5 of 6 --  4,806 (- 4.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.8%

295 - RESIDENT EVIL (WildStorm)
06/2009: --
07/2009: --
08/2009: --
09/2009: --
10/2009: --
11/2009: Resident Evil #3 of 6 --  6,508 (-37.2%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: --
02/2010: --
03/2010: Resident Evil #4 of 6 --  5,074 (-22.0%)
04/2010: --
05/2010: --
06/2010: Resident Evil #5 of 6 --  4,782 (- 5.8%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  :  n.a.

Another couple of game adaptations from WildStorm.

In addition to the DC Universe title The Web, the WildStorm books Sparta, U.S.A. #4, Garrison #3 and Free Realms #10 also missed the chart in June. As always, I’m assuming they sold as many units as the No. 300 title on the chart for the purposes of the average periodical numbers below. The actual numbers are likely to be lower than that.

—–

REORDERS:
251: 5,913 -- Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1
257: 5,755 -- Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2
260: 5,691 -- Legion of Super-Heroes #1

—–

6-MONTH COMPARISONS
+221.8%: Green Arrow
+108.0%: Superman
+104.7%: Wonder Woman
+ 58.9%: Batman
+ 58.2%: Spirit
+ 27.8%: Titans
+  9.0%: Action Comics
+ 2.2%: Tiny Titans
+  1.0%: Super Friends
+  0.5%: Supergirl
-  1.1%: Batman: Brave & Bold
-  1.1%: Hellblazer
-  2.5%: Sweet Tooth
-  3.0%: Fables
-  3.1%: Secret Six
-  4.5%: DMZ
-  5.9%: Batman Confidential
-  6.0%: Unwritten
-  6.7%: Wildcats
-  7.1%: Northlanders
-  7.7%: Authority
-  7.8%: Modern Warfare
-  8.1%: Madame Xanadu
-  8.6%: JLA
-  8.7%: Power Girl
-  9.1%: Red Robin
- 10.4%: Gen13
- 11.2%: Jonah Hex
- 11.7%: Detective Comics
- 11.7%: Green Lantern
- 12.1%: Batgirl
- 12.4%: Unknown Soldier
- 12.9%: GC Sirens
- 13.0%: JSA
- 13.3%: Air
- 14.1%: House of Mystery
- 14.3%: GL Corps
- 14.8%: Warlord
- 16.8%: Batman: SoG
- 18.0%: Authority: Lost Year
- 22.3%: Daytripper
- 24.3%: Greek Street
- 30.5%: Shield
- 31.5%: Great Ten
- 36.7%: Superman/Batman
- 36.9%: Magog
- 42.1%: Adventure Comics
- 42.5%: JSA All-Stars
- 43.3%: Teen Titans
- 44.8%: Azrael
- 50.6%: Booster Gold
- 52.3%: Outsiders
- 64.9%: REBELS
- 66.5%: Doom Patrol

—–

1-YEAR COMPARISONS
+161.5%: Green Arrow
+ 67.4%: Superman
+ 63.4%: Wonder Woman
+ 58.2%: Spirit
+ 21.9%: Fringe
+ 16.0%: Jonah Hex
+  8.1%: Batman
+  4.8%: GL Corps
+  2.7%: JLA
+  2.4%: Titans
+  2.1%: Green Lantern
-  5.2%: Tiny Titans
-  6.2%: Hellblazer
-  9.6%: Secret Six
- 12.0%: Super Friends
- 13.2%: Action Comics
- 13.4%: Supergirl
- 14.3%: Booster Gold
- 14.4%: REBELS
- 15.4%: Fables
- 15.5%: Northlanders
- 16.0%: DMZ
- 17.2%: Flash
- 17.7%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 17.8%: Superman/Batman
- 17.8%: Unwritten
- 18.3%: Batman Confidential
- 19.8%: Madame Xanadu
- 21.5%: Authority
- 23.1%: Wildcats
- 24.4%: Teen Titans
- 25.5%: Gen13
- 27.4%: House of Mystery
- 28.5%: Air
- 29.2%: Unknown Soldier
- 31.1%: JSA
- 34.4%: Outsiders
- 36.6%: Detective Comics
- 36.9%: Warlord
- 44.0%: Power Girl
- 44.1%: Red Robin
- 50.7%: GC Sirens
- 56.3%: Batman: SoG
- 71.2%: Nemesis

—–

2-YEAR COMPARISONS
+123.3%: Flash
+103.1%: Birds of Prey
+ 79.4%: Green Arrow
+ 44.3%: Wonder Woman
+ 40.6%: GL Corps
+ 32.5%: Green Lantern
+ 23.7%: Superman
+  3.6%: Jonah Hex
-  1.7%: Spirit
-  4.2%: Supergirl
-  5.6%: Detective Comics
- 11.9%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 14.1%: Hellblazer
- 24.9%: Tiny Titans
- 26.2%: JLA
- 30.7%: Action Comics
- 31.8%: DMZ
- 39.2%: Super Friends
- 39.3%: Titans
- 39.4%: Batman Confidential
- 40.2%: Superman/Batman
- 40.5%: Supernatural
- 42.2%: Booster Gold
- 45.4%: Teen Titans
- 47.9%: Outsiders
- 53.0%: JSA
- 55.1%: House of Mystery
- 63.9%: Madame Xanadu

—–

5-YEAR COMPARISONS
+ 78.3%: Wonder Woman
+ 73.6%: Green Arrow
+ 55.9%: Batman
+ 43.3%: Flash
+ 21.2%: Red Robin
+ 20.0%: Detective Comics
+ 15.8%: Birds of Prey
+  9.9%: Superman
+  6.6%: Batgirl
-  0.1%: Legion
- 11.7%: Tom Strong
- 19.2%: Action Comics
- 20.0%: Fables
- 22.5%: Doom Patrol
- 27.1%: Green Lantern
- 29.6%: JSA
- 32.5%: Hellblazer
- 34.2%: JLA
- 37.6%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 62.6%: Authority
- 65.1%: Teen Titans
- 65.4%: Outsiders
- 72.5%: Superman/Batman

—–

Average Periodical Sales
(not counting reprints, reorders shipping after the initial month of release, Johnny DC titles and magazines)

DC COMICS
06/2005: 32,001
06/2006: 42,339
06/2007: 34,017
06/2008: 27,367
---------------
06/2009: 25,880 (+ 6.1%)**
07/2009: 30,905 (+19.4%)**
08/2009: 29,977 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: 28,493 (- 5.0%)**
10/2009: 27,525 (- 4.4%)**
11/2009: 28,913 (+ 5.1%)**
12/2009: 25,904 (-10.4%)**
01/2010: 25,657 (- 1.0%)**
02/2010: 26,199 (+ 2.1%)**
03/2010: 23,299 (-11.1%)**
04/2010: 23,740 (+ 1.9%)**
05/2010: 27,181 (+14.5%)**
06/2010: 25,313 (- 6.9%)**
----------------
6 months: - 2.3%
1 year  : - 2.2%
2 years : - 7.5%
5 years : -20.9%

DC UNIVERSE
06/2005: 39,888
06/2006: 53,274
06/2007: 47,986
06/2008: 35,800
---------------
06/2009: 36,329 (+ 9.6%)
07/2009: 41,218 (+13.9%)
08/2009: 37,300 (- 9.5%)
09/2009: 36,725 (- 1.5%)**
10/2009: 34,795 (- 5.3%)
11/2009: 38,488 (+10.6%)
12/2009: 35,473 (- 7.8%)**
01/2010: 33,698 (- 5.0%)
02/2010: 35,895 (+ 6.5%)
03/2010: 32,375 (- 9.8%)
04/2010: 32,859 (+ 1.5%)
05/2010: 36,533 (+11.2%)
06/2010: 33,891 (- 7.2%)**
----------------
6 months: - 4.5%
1 year  : - 6.7%
2 years : - 5.3%
5 years : -15.0%

VERTIGO
06/2005: 14,165
06/2006: 14,965
06/2007: 12,732
06/2008: 10,491
---------------
06/2009: 11,166 (-13.6%)
07/2009: 11,055 (- 1.0%)**
08/2009: 11,369 (+ 2.8%)
09/2009: 11,345 (- 0.2%)
10/2009: 10,551 (- 7.0%)
11/2009: 11,036 (+ 4.6%)
12/2009: 10,583 (- 4.1%)
01/2010: 11,267 (+ 6.5%)
02/2010:  9,256 (-17.9%)
03/2010: 11,394 (+23.1%)
04/2010: 10,815 (- 5.1%)
05/2010: 11,756 (+ 8.7%)
06/2010: 10,995 (- 6.5%
----------------
6 months: + 3.9%
1 year  : - 1.5%
2 years : + 4.8%
5 years : -22.4%

WILDSTORM
06/2005: 19,059
06/2006: 15,056
06/2007: 12,272
06/2008:  9,806
---------------
06/2009:  8,805 (+ 2.6%)**
07/2009:  8,519 (- 3.3%)**
08/2009:  7,977 (- 6.4%)
09/2009:  8,280 (+ 3.8%)**
10/2009:  9,769 (+18.0%)**
11/2009:  7,111 (-27.2%)**
12/2009:  7,260 (+ 2.1%)**
01/2010:  6,532 (-10.0%)**
02/2010:  5,692 (-12.9%)**
03/2010:  7,691 (+35.1%)**
04/2010:  5,923 (-23.0%)**
05/2010:  6,808 (+14.9%)**
06/2010:  6,140 (- 9.8%)**
----------------
6 months: -15.4%
1 year  : -30.3%
2 years : -37.4%
5 years : -67.8%

—–
Disclaimers, et cetera

The numbers above are estimates for comic-book sales in the North American direct market, as calculated by ICv2.com according to the chart and index information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors.

ICv2.com’s estimates are somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate. Since it’s a “month-to-month” column, the comments, unless otherwise noted, are on the most recent month.

Bear in mind that the figures measure sales to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass-market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Re-orders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book’s initial calendar month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month.

If additional copies of an issue did appear on the chart after a book’s initial calendar month of release, you can see the total number of copies sold in parenthesis behind those issues (e.g. “[36,599]“). Should more than one issue have shipped in a month which is relevant for one of the long-term comparisons, the average between them will be used.

Titles released under the Johnny DC imprint and magazines, such as Mad, mostly sell through channels other than the direct market, so direct-market sales don’t tell us much about their performance. For most Vertigo and some WildStorm titles, collection sales tend to be a significant factor, so the numbers for those books should be taken with a grain of salt as well. To learn (a little) more about Vertigo’s collection sales, go right here.

** Two asterisks after a given month in the average charts mean that one or more periodical release did not make the Top 300 chart in that month. In those cases, it’s assumed that said releases sold as many units as the No. 300 comic on the chart for that month for the purposes of the chart, although its actual sales are likely to be less than that.

For a more lyrical approach to discussing sales figures that covers all the essentials in a more condensed, less tedious fashion, finally, go right here.
—–
Marc-Oliver Frisch writes about comics at his weblog and at Comicgate. You can also follow him on Twitter.

It’s a month of relaunches and new titles, as the “Heroic Age” branding continues. June saw the relaunch of NEW AVENGERS, and debut issues of AVENGERS PRIME, AVENGERS ACADEMY, HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD and YOUNG ALLIES. Elsewhere, the X-books continue the “Second Coming” crossover, Spider-Man begins the long-trailed “Grim Hunt” story, and the Hulk titles are caught up in “World War Hulks”.

As usual, Marvel had the largest share of the direct market, beating DC by 43% to 35% in units, and 38% to 31% in dollars.

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

1.  NEW AVENGERS
06/05  New Avengers #6  - 161,575
06/06  New Avengers #20 - 134,278
06/07  New Avengers #31 - 160,911
06/08  New Avengers #42 - 108,495
=====
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%)
01/10  New Avengers #61 -  78,202  ( +7.4%)
02/10  New Avengers #62 -  76,405  ( -2.3%)
03/10  New Avengers #63 -  76,145  ( -0.3%)
04/10  New Avengers #64 -  75,430  ( -0.9%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Finale           -  82,152  ( +8.9%)
06/10  New Avengers #1  - 129,084  (+67.8%)
                           6 mnth  (+57.1%)
                           1 year  (+37.5%)
                           2 year  (+19.0%)
                           3 year  (-19.8%)
                           4 year  ( -3.9%)
                           5 year  (-20.1%)

It’s a good month for the Avengers titles, with four of them in the top 10. Over the last few months, I’ve observed several times that the device of relaunching a title from issue #1 doesn’t seem to be all that effective any more – and we’ll see some examples of that later on. But NEW AVENGERS looks to be an exception – perhaps because its relaunch actually did coincide with the end of a multi-year storyline and the beginning of a fresh start for the book. It’s also got three variant covers.

To put this in perspective, the original NEW AVENGERS #1 in December 2004 had estimated orders of 278,797 in its first month. But a straight renumbering in a weaker market was never going to match that, and these are the highest sales for NEW AVENGERS since the first half of 2007.

May’s FINALE one-shot picks up re-orders of 5,234, which are included above. Incidentally, it’s an unusually high-selling month at the bottom end of the chart. In May, it only took 3,069 orders to make the top 300. In June, it was 4,528. Presumably that means that fewer re-orders will have sold well enough to make the chart.

3. AVENGERS
05/10  Avengers #1 - 163,867
06/10  Avengers #2 -  98,788  (-39.7%)

The second-issue drop will be magnified by the fact that this issue has far fewer covers – three compared to eight, in fact. Allowing for that, things are looking pretty healthy here.

8. SECRET AVENGERS
05/10  Secret Avengers #1 - 106,750
06/10  Secret Avengers #2 -  77,933  (-27.0%)

Down from four covers to three, with slightly scaled back incentives, and so the second issue drop is pretty modest. When even the Avengers’ C-title is making the top ten, the franchise is doing well.

9.  UNCANNY X-MEN
06/05  Uncanny X-Men #461 - 91,221
06/06  Uncanny X-Men #474 - 78,140
06/07  Uncanny X-Men #487 - 81,481
06/08  Uncanny X-Men #499 - 81,100
=====
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%)
01/10  Uncanny X-Men #520 - 65,758  ( -1.9%)
02/10  Uncanny X-Men #521 - 67,049  ( +2.0%)
03/10  Uncanny X-Men #522 - 67,996  ( +1.4%)
04/10  Uncanny X-Men #523 - 78,999  (+16.2%)
05/10  Uncanny X-Men #524 - 77,056  ( -2.5%)
06/10  Uncanny X-Men #525 - 76,068  ( -1.3%)
                            6 mnth  (+13.5%)
                            1 year  ( +6.9%)
                            2 year  ( -6.2%)
                            3 year  ( -6.6%)
                            4 year  ( -2.7%)
                            5 year  (-16.6%)

Month three of the “Second Coming” crossover, running through UNCANNY X-MEN, X-MEN LEGACY, X-FORCE and NEW MUTANTS. The sales boost remains solid.

10. AVENGERS PRIME
06/10  Avengers Prime #1 of 5 - 69,433

A miniseries focussing on Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, and the fourth Avengers title in this month’s top ten. This issue has a 1:25 variant, but that’s pretty modest compared to the other Avengers titles, which makes this a strong showing.

14. X-MEN LEGACY
06/05  X-Men #171        -  80,307
06/06  X-Men #187        -  95,487
06/07  X-Men #200        - 136,672
06/08  X-Men Legacy #213 -  71,893
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Men Legacy #232 -  49,200  ( -3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Legacy #233 -  51,344  ( +4.4%)
03/10  X-Men Legacy #234 -  48,217  ( -6.1%)
04/10  X-Men Legacy #235 -  65,302  (+35.4%)
05/10  X-Men Legacy #236 -  69,731  ( +6.8%)
06/10  X-Men Legacy #237 -  65,578  ( -6.0%)
                            6 mnth  (+28.8%)
                            1 year  (+12.3%)
                            2 year  ( -8.8%)
                            3 year  (-52.0%)
                            4 year  (-31.3%)
                            5 year  (-18.3%)

Another “Second Coming” tie-in. Issue #236 picks up re-orders of 4,881.

16,17,21. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
06/05  Amazing Spider-Man #521 -  74,117
06/06  Amazing Spider-Man #533 - 112,982
06/07  Amazing Spider-Man #541 - 108,284
06/08  Amazing Spider-Man #563 -  70,792
=====
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%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #617 -  76,730  (+30.4%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #618 -  61,969  (-19.2%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #619 -  56,837  ( -8.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #620 -  59,860  ( +5.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #621 -  55,350  ( -7.5%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #622 -  53,929  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #623 -  66,064  (+22.5%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #624 -  60,213  ( -8.9%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #625 -  54,179  (-10.0%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #626 -  53,868  ( -0.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #627 -  54,206  ( +0.6%)
04/10  Amazing Spider-Man #628 -  57,797  ( +6.6%)
04/10  Amazing Spider-Man #629 -  53,560  ( -7.3%)
05/10  Amazing Spider-Man #630 -  57,969  ( +8.2%)
05/10  Amazing Spider-Man #631 -  57,239  ( -1.3%)
05/10  Amazing Spider-Man #632 -  56,723  ( -0.9%)
06/10  Amazing Spider-Man #633 -  57,670  ( +1.7%)
06/10  Amazing Spider-Man #634 -  61,736  ( +7.1%)
06/10  Amazing Spider-Man #635 -  56,146  ( -9.1%)
                                  6 mnth  ( -4.6%)
                                  1 year  ( -8.8%)
                                  2 year  (-20.7%)
                                  3 year  (-48.1%)
                                  4 year  (-50.3%)
                                  5 year  (-24.2%)

Issue #633 is a Heroic Age variant. Issue #634 is the first part of “Grim Hunt”, a storyline which the book has been building to for months. All the “Grim Hunt” issues have a 50-50 variant cover, and issue #634 also has a third cover by Joe Quinones.

Overall, sales continue to hover in the familiar territory. Marvel have announced another format shift for October, moving to a twice-monthly schedule.

18,25. CAPTAIN AMERICA
06/05  Captain America #7   -  47,160
06/06  Captain America #19  -  47,315
06/07  Captain America #27  -  99,108
06/08  Captain America #39 -   79,387
=====
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%)
01/10  Reborn #6 of 6       -  84,844  (  -7.6%)
01/10  Captain America #602 -  63,948  ( -24.6%)
02/10  Captain America #603 -  63,568  (  -0.6%)
03/10  Captain America #604 -  56,962  ( -10.4%)
04/10  Captain America #605 -  59,051  (  +3.7%)
05/10  ---
06/10  Captain America #606 -  57,443  (  -2.7%)
06/10  Captain America #607 -  52,989  (  -7.8%)
                               6 mnth  ( -42.3%)
                               1 year  ( -57.0%)
                               2 year  ( +33.3%)
                               3 year  ( -46.5%)
                               4 year  ( +12.0%)
                               5 year  ( +12.4%)

No variant cover this month, hence the steeper than normal drop. It’s taken the better part of four years, but the book seems to be heading back to the sort of sales levels it was experiencing before the death of Steve Rogers.

19. ASTONISHING X-MEN
06/05  ---
06/06  Astonishing X-Men #15 - 119,991
06/07  ---
06/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  ---
04/10  ---
05/10  ---
06/10  Astonishing X-Men #34 -  57,363  ( -0.4%)
                                6 mnth  ( -0.4%)
                                1 year  (-11.2%)
                                2 year  (  --- )
                                3 year  (  --- )
                                4 year  (-52.2%)
                                5 year  (  --- )

More evidence that lengthy delays don’t seem to have an immediate impact on sales.

20. THOR
06/05  ---
06/06  ---
06/07  ---
06/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Thor #606 - 55,353  (  +0.2%)
02/10  Thor #607 - 66,973  ( +21.0%)
03/10  Thor #608 - 62,012  (  -7.4%)
04/10  Thor #609 - 64,522  (  +4.0%)
05/10  Thor #610 - 61,779  (  -4.3%)
06/10  Thor #611 - 56,443  (  -8.6%)
                   6 mnth  (  +2.2%)
                   1 year  (  -1.9%)
                   2 year  (   --- )
                   3 year  (   --- )
                   4 year  (   --- )
                   5 year  (   --- )

Better than it looks. Issue #610 had a variant cover, and issues #607-609 were SIEGE tie-ins, so effectively THOR is just returning to previous levels. Also, this issue was originally supposed to be the first issue for the new creative team of Matt Fraction and Pascual Ferry, before their debut was pushed back to issue #615. You might think that ran the risk of painting these as filler issues, but there’s no sign of that.

23. NEW MUTANTS
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%)
01/10  New Mutants #9  - 30,572  ( -5.2%)
02/10  New Mutants #10 - 30,807  ( +0.8%)
03/10  New Mutants #11 - 36,629  (+18.9%)
04/10  New Mutants #12 - 49,591  (+35.4%)
05/10  New Mutants #13 - 54,169  ( +9.2%)
06/10  New Mutants #14 - 53,926  ( -0.4%)
                         6 mnth  (+67.3%)
                         1 year  (+24.7%)

Another “Second Coming” tie-in. As the lowest-selling of the four core titles, NEW MUTANTS is seeing the biggest gains. Issue #13 picks up re-orders of 4,586.

26. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN
06/05  ---
06/06  Iron Man #9             - 37,650
06/07  Iron Man #19            - 75,096
06/08  Invincible Iron Man #2  - 69,021
=====
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 - 49,986  (-18.9%)
01/10  Invincible Iron Man #22 - 49,130  ( -1.7%)
02/10  Invincible Iron Man #23 - 50,027  ( +1.8%)
03/10  Invincible Iron Man #24 - 49,239  ( -1.6%)
04/10  Invincible Iron Man #25 - 73,694  (+49.7%)
05/10  Invincible Iron Man #26 - 53,625  (-27.2%)
06/10  Invincible Iron Man #27 - 52,268  ( -2.5%)
                                 6 mnth  ( +4.6%)
                                 1 year  ( -1.8%)
                                 2 year  (-24.3%)
                                 3 year  (-30.4%)
                                 4 year  (+38.8%)
                                 5 year  (  --- )

Settling back to its usual level – the sales surge in April does indeed seem to have been a blip coinciding with the movie release. As usual, there’s a variant cover on this one.

27. NEMESIS [Icon]
03/10  Nemesis #1 of 4 - 62,031
04/10  ---
05/10  ---
06/10  Nemesis #2 of 4 - 51,586  (-16.8%)

A reassuringly modest second-issue drop.

28,30. ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS
08/09  U.C. Avengers #1        - 99,701
09/09  U.C. Avengers #2        - 68,597  (-31.2%)
10/09  U.C. Avengers #3        - 62,716  ( -8.6%)
11/09  U.C. Avengers #4        - 59,023  ( -5.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  U.C. Avengers #5        - 58,098  ( -1.6%)
04/10  U.C. Avengers #6        - 53,438  ( -8.0%)
04/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #1 of 6 - 64,811  (+21.3%)
05/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #2 of 6 - 52,939  (-18.3%)
06/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #3 of 6 - 50,797  ( -4.0%)
06/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #4 of 6 - 49,606  ( -2.3%)
                                 6 mnth  (  --- )

Five issues in three months is at least getting the book back on schedule. Taking a fresh issue #1 for the second story arc hasn’t really helped sales, but it’s done no harm either – it looks like the number will level out in the upper 40K range.

29. HULK
06/08  Hulk #4  - 90,600
=====
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%)
01/10  Hulk #19 - 56,738  ( +6.6%)
02/10  Hulk #20 - 51,962  ( -8.4%)
03/10  Hulk #21 - 50,785  ( -2.3%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Hulk #22 - 49,618  ( -2.3%)
06/10  Hulk #23 - 50,724  ( +2.2%)
                  6 mnth  ( -4.7%)
                  1 year  (  --- )
                  2 year  (-44.0%)

31. INCREDIBLE HULK
06/05  Incredible Hulk #82  -  43,248
06/06  ---
06/07  Incredible Hulk #107 - 106,931
06/08  Hulk #4              -  90,600
=====
06/09  ---
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%)
01/10  Incredible Hulk #606 -  48,197  ( +9.6%)
02/10  Incredible Hulk #607 -  45,870  ( -4.8%)
03/10  Incredible Hulk #608 -  47,148  ( +2.8%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Incredible Hulk #609 -  46,670  ( -1.0%)
06/10  Incredible Hulk #610 -  46,461  ( -0.4%)
                               6 mnth  ( +5.7%)
                               1 year  (  --- )
                               2 year  (-48.7%)
                               3 year  (-56.6%)
                               4 year  (  --- )
                               5 year  ( +7.4%)

The two Hulk titles are both tied up in the “World War Hulks” crossover at the moment. Sales remain steady for both of them.

33. AVENGERS ACADEMY
06/07  Initiative #3       - 92,339
06/08  Initiative #14      - 62,236
=====
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%)
01/10  Initiative #32      - 36,127  (+11.9%)
02/10  Initiative #33      - 39,968  (+10.6%)
03/10  Initiative #34      - 38,616  ( -3.4%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Initiative #35      - 38,158  ( -1.2%)
06/10  Avengers Academy #1 - 45,890  (+20.3%)
                             6 mnth  (+42.1%)
                             1 year  (+14.4%)
                             2 year  (-26.3%)
                             3 year  (-50.3%)

AVENGERS ACADEMY isn’t a direct relaunch of AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. But it occupies much the same place in the line, and I’m treating here as a continuation. This issue has two variant covers (plus the “Heroic Age” branding, for whatever that’s worth), so at first glance you might expect to see a bigger increase.

However, INITIATIVE closed with a SIEGE tie-in arc, and picked up sales in a big way in the months leading up to that. It bottomed out at 29K in November 2009. If we take that as a measure of INITIATIVE’s baseline sales, then a 46K debut for the replacement title is quite promising.

34. ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS
05/10  Xenogenesis #1 of 5 - 55,428
06/10  Xenogenesis #2 of 5 - 44,953  (-18.9%)

A fairly small drop, bearing in mind that issue #1 had the benefit of a variant cover.

35. ULTIMATE COMICS X
02/10  Ultimate Comics X #1 - 64,113
03/10  ---
04/10  Ultimate Comics X #2 - 47,996  (-25.2%)
05/10  ---
06/10  Ultimate Comics X #3 - 44,568  ( -7.1%)

Levelling out, but hardly spectacular numbers.

38. DARK WOLVERINE
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%)
01/10  Dark Wolverine #82 - 54,838  (+14.0%)
02/10  Dark Wolverine #83 - 53,958  ( -1.6%)
03/10  Dark Wolverine #84 - 49,469  ( -8.3%)
04/10  Dark Wolverine #85 - 47,527  ( -3.9%)
05/10  Dark Wolverine #86 - 46,315  ( -2.6%)
06/10  Dark Wolverine #87 - 43,087  ( -7.0%)
                            6 mnth  (-10.4%)
                            1 year  (-46.7%)

No variant cover this month, so the drop isn’t too bad. The series relaunches in September as DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE; in the interests of common sense, I’m treating it as a new series that started with DARK WOLVERINE #75, and I’ve moved the sales history from earlier years over to WOLVERINE: WEAPON X.

40. X-FACTOR
06/06  X-Factor #8   - 59,131
06/07  X-Factor #20  - 37,105
06/08  X-Factor #32  - 45,104
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Factor #201 - 29,732  (-18.7%)
02/10  X-Factor #202 - 30,981  ( +4.2%)
03/10  X-Factor #203 - 28,924  ( -6.6%)
04/10  X-Factor #204 - 40,534  (+40.1%)
05/10  X-Factor #205 - 41,745  ( +3.0%)
06/10  X-Factor #206 - 40,981  ( -1.8%)
                       6 mnth  (+12.0%)
                       1 year  (+29.9%)
                       2 year  ( -9.1%)
                       3 year  (+10.4%)
                       4 year  (-30.7%)

The third month of a “Second Coming” tie-in arc, selling far above the title’s normal level.

41. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN ANNUAL
06/10  Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 - 39,877

The first Marvel comic to be released digitally on the same day that it appeared in stores – but it’s difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from an annual, since it’s pure guesswork what it would have sold normally. It’s 12,000 below the parent title, which isn’t particularly surprising one way or the other.

42. ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN
06/05  Ult. Spider-Man #78  -  79,420
06/06  Ult. Spider-Man #96  -  73,472
06/07  Ult. Spider-Man #110 -  73,646
06/08  Ult. Spider-Man #123 -  57,187
=====
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%)
01/10  U.C. Spider-Man #6   -  43,622  (  -4.9%)
02/10  U.C. Spider-Man #7   -  42,176  (  -3.3%)
03/10  U.C. Spider-Man #8   -  40,967  (  -2.9%)
04/10  U.C. Spider-Man #9   -  39,955  (  -2.5%)
05/10  U.C. Spider-Man #10  -  39,690  (  -0.7%)
06/10  U.C. Spider-Man #11  -  39,149  (  -1.4%)
                               6 mnth  ( -14.6%)
                               1 year  ( -31.8%)
                               2 year  ( -31.5%)
                               3 year  ( -46.8%)
                               4 year  ( -46.7%)
                               5 year  ( -50.7%)

The series seems to have found its level again following last year’s not-desperately-successful relaunch.

44. DEADPOOL
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Deadpool #19 - 44,580  ( -2.9%)
02/10  Deadpool #20 - 43,347  ( -2.8%)
03/10  Deadpool #21 - 42,062  ( -3.0%)
04/10  Deadpool #22 - 43,061  ( +2.4%)
05/10  Deadpool #23 - 42,761  ( -0.7%)
06/10  Deadpool #24 - 38,663  ( -9.6%)
                      6 mnth  (-15.8%)
                      1 year  (-30.1%)

No variant cover this month, so the drop is exaggerated.

45. S.H.I.E.L.D.
04/10  S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 44,543
05/10  ---
06/10  S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 - 37,595  (-15.6%)

Considering that issue #1 had two variants, and issue #2 only had one, that’s a pretty modest drop. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t an obviously commercial title, but thus far it’s doing well.

47. FANTASTIC FOUR
06/05  Fantastic Four #528 - 55,937
06/06  Fantastic Four #538 - 78,147
06/07  Fantastic Four #547 - 69,610
06/08  Fantastic Four #558 - 61,003
=====
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%)
01/10  Fantastic Four #575 - 41,284  ( +7.4%)
02/10  Fantastic Four #576 - 37,526  ( -9.1%)
03/10  Fantastic Four #577 - 35,791  ( -4.6%)
04/10  Fantastic Four #578 - 37,940  ( +6.0%)
05/10  Fantastic Four #579 - 38,415  ( +1.3%)
06/10  Fantastic Four #580 - 36,582  ( -4.8%)
                             6 mnth  ( -4.8%)
                             1 year  (-20.9%)
                             2 year  (-40.0%)
                             3 year  (-47.4%)
                             4 year  (-53.2%)
                             5 year  (-34.6%)

No variant this month. The closest comparison is issue #577, which actually sold slightly lower, so the base sales seem to be fairly solid.

53. DAREDEVIL
06/05  Daredevil #74  - 48,175
06/06  Daredevil #86  - 48,280
06/07  Daredevil #98  - 46,816
06/08  Daredevil #108 - 39,557
=====
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%)
01/10  Daredevil #504 - 37,135  ( -4.0%)
02/10  Daredevil #505 - 38,693  ( +4.2%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Daredevil #506 - 37,467  ( -3.2%)
05/10  ---
06/10  Daredevil #507 - 34,744  ( -7.3%)
                        6 mnth  (-10.2%)
                        1 year  (-16.1%)
                        2 year  (-12.2%)
                        3 year  (-25.8%)
                        4 year  (-28.0%)
                        5 year  (-27.9%)

No variant this month. The SHADOWLAND crossover – which is basically an expanded DAREDEVIL plotline – begins in July.

54. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
06/06  Origins #3  - 116,058
06/07  Origins #15 -  65,558
06/08  Origins #26 -  48,059
=====
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%)
01/10  Origins #44 -  35,154  ( -3.8%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Origins #45 -  37,055  ( +5.4%)
03/10  Origins #46 -  34,004  ( -8.2%)
04/10  Origins #47 -  36,075  ( +6.1%)
05/10  Origins #48 -  35,999  ( -0.2%)
06/10  Origins #49 -  34,695  ( -3.6%)
                      6 mnth  ( -5.0%)
                      1 year  (-22.8%)
                      2 year  (-27.8%)
                      3 year  (-47.1%)
                      4 year  (-70.1%)

Cancelled next issue, with a new Wolverine B-title set to replace it in the autumn.

56. THANOS IMPERATIVE
05/10  Ignition                  - 29,716
06/10  Thanos Imperative #1 of 6 - 34,285 (+13.4%)

A reassuring increase from the prologue issue.

58. X-MEN: HELLBOUND
05/10  Hellbound #1 of 3 - 33,345
06/10  Hellbound #2 of 3 - 33,691  (+1.0%)

Well, that’s unusual. This is a “Second Coming” tie-in miniseries (albeit a fairly peripheral one) – I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that issue #1 picked up reorders that just missed the top 300.

61. THUNDERBOLTS
06/05  New Thunderbolts #9 - 27,300
06/06  Thunderbolts #103   - 48,058
06/07  Thunderbolts #115   - 64,876
06/08  Thunderbolts #121   - 37,693
=====
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%)
01/10  Thunderbolts #140   - 28,644  ( -4.4%)
02/10  Thunderbolts #141   - 33,948  (+18.5%)
03/10  Thunderbolts #142   - 34,132  ( +0.5%)
04/10  Thunderbolts #143   - 35,656  ( +4.5%)
05/10  Thunderbolts #144   - 33,276  ( -6.7%)
06/10  Thunderbolts #145   - 31,999  ( -3.8%)
                             6 mnth  ( +6.8%)
                             1 year  (-18.9%)
                             2 year  (-15.1%)
                             3 year  (-50.7%)
                             4 year  (-33.4%)
                             5 year  (+17.2%)

Hmm. The new direction, which began with issue #144, doesn’t seem to have had much impact on sales, one way or the other. There’s a slight increase from six months ago (i.e., just before the SIEGE tie-in issues started), but nothing enormous.

64. 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%)
01/10  Merc With A Mouth #7  - 40,568  ( +9.5%)
02/10  Merc With A Mouth #8  - 34,281  (-15.5%)
03/10  Merc With A Mouth #9  - 33,405  ( -2.6%)
04/10  Merc With A Mouth #10 - 33,803  ( +1.2%)
05/10  Merc With A Mouth #11 - 30,677  ( -9.2%)
06/10  Merc With A Mouth #12 - 30,572  ( -0.3%)
                               6 mnth  (-17.5%)

Cancelled with issue #13. Which is starting to look like a rather odd decision, since the book is outselling DEADPOOL CORPS by about 4,000, and DEADPOOL TEAM-UP by 7,000.

65. WOLVERINE: WEAPON X
06/05  Wolverine #29 - 79,951
06/06  Wolverine #43 - 97,807
06/07  ---
06/08  Wolverine #66 - 98,026
=====
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%)
01/10  Weapon X #9   - 31,678  ( -5.4%)
02/10  Weapon X #10  - 30,132  ( -4.9%)
03/10  Weapon X #11  - 29,799  ( -1.1%)
04/10  Weapon X #12  - 30,050  ( +0.8%)
05/10  Weapon X #13  - 29,773  ( -0.9%)
06/10  Weapon X #14  - 30,035  ( +0.9%)
                       6 mnth  (-10.3%)
                       1 year  (-41.2%)
                       2 year  (-69.4%)
                       3 year  (  --- )
                       4 year  (-69.3%)
                       5 year  (-62.4%)

Seems to have bottomed out over the last few months, but Marvel will be hoping for much better when the series relaunches as WOLVERINE in September. It seems to be tacitly conceded that this launch has backfired badly.

67,74. DEADPOOL: WADE WILSON'S WAR
06/10  Wade Wilson's War #1 of 4 - 29,406
06/10  Wade Wilson's War #2 of 4 - 26,466 (-10.0%)

More Deadpool! And, well, this mini is outselling two of his monthly titles, so that’s not bad.

72. SECRET WARRIORS
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%)
01/10  Secret Warriors #12 - 29,894  ( -2.8%)
02/10  Secret Warriors #13 - 30,843  ( +3.2%)
03/10  Secret Warriors #14 - 28,580  ( -7.3%)
04/10  Secret Warriors #15 - 29,669  ( +3.8%)
05/10  Secret Warriors #16 - 29,340  ( -1.1%)
06/10  Secret Warriors #17 - 28,017  ( -4.5%)
                             6 mnth  ( -8.9%)
                             1 year  (-31.4%)

Extremely solid over the last few months, when you bear in mind that issues #15-16 had variant covers.

73. HAWKEYE AND MOCKINGBIRD
06/10  Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1 - 27,552 

Two variant covers on this. Not a brilliant start for a new Marvel Universe title, but there’s a bit of leeway here, if it levels out quickly.

75. DEADPOOL CORPS
03/10  Prelude #1 of 5   - 37,011
03/10  Prelude #2 of 5   - 32,024  (-13.5%)
03/10  Prelude #3 of 5   - 31,065  ( -3.0%)
03/10  Prelude #4 of 5   - 30,254  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Prelude #5 of 5   - 29,037  ( -4.0%)
04/10  Deadpool Corps #1 - 39,466  (+35.9%)
05/10  Deadpool Corps #2 - 28,236  (-28.5%)
06/10  Deadpool Corps #3 - 26,251  ( -7.0%)

I’d have hoped for a slightly smaller drop by the third issue. More to the point, though, this series is effectively the replacement for DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH – which sells 4,000 higher, and is fairly steady. This is looking like it might have been a mistake.

76. DOOMWAR
06/05  Black Panther #5  - 37,401
06/06  Black Panther #17 - 27,993
06/07  Black Panther #28 - 61,808
06/08  Black Panther #37 - 19,989
=====
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%)
01/10  Black Panther #12 - 17,881  (  -1.0%)
02/10  Doomwar #1 of 6   - 43,241  (+141.8%)
03/10  Doomwar #2 of 6   - 30,555  ( -29.3%)
04/10  Doomwar #3 of 6   - 27,859  (  -8.9%)
05/10  Doomwar #4 of 6   - 28,307  (  +1.6%)
06/10  Doomwar #5 of 6   - 26,041  (  -8.0%)
                           6 mnth  ( +44.8%)
                           1 year  ( -12.5%)
                           2 year  ( +30.3%)
                           3 year  ( -57.9%)
                           4 year  (  -7.0%)
                           5 year  ( -30.4%)

Fairly standard miniseries behaviour. BLACK PANTHER is one of those properties that Marvel just won’t give up on – a new mini, KLAWS OF THE PANTHER, begins in October.

81. AGE OF HEROES
05/10  Age of Heroes #1 of 4 - 33,573
06/10  Age of Heroes #2 of 4 - 25,354  (-24.5%)

Issue #1 had a variant cover, so the drop is exaggerated. Not a bad number for a Marvel Universe anthology title.

83. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS BLACK CAT
06/10  Black Cat #1 of 4 - 24,951

The Spider-Man minis are heading in the right direction. JACKPOT launched with 18K, AMERICAN SON with 20K, and now BLACK CAT starts at 25K. Okay, yes, this issue has a J Scott Campbell variant cover, but the Black Cat is also a higher profile character, which is bound to play a part.

87. DARK TOWER: GUNSLINGER - JOURNEY BEGINS
06/07  Gunslinger Born #5 of 7 - 132,090
06/08  Long Road Home #4 of 5  -  79,270
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Jericho Hill #3 of 5    -  27,215  ( -4.0%)
03/10  Jericho Hill #4 of 5
04/10  Jericho Hill #5 of 5    -  25,896  ( -4.8%)
05/10  Gunslinger #1 of 5      -  26,275  ( +1.5%)
06/10  Gunslinger #2 of 5      -  24,024  ( -8.6%)
                                  6 mnth  (-15.3%)
                                  1 year  (-39.9%)
                                  2 year  (-69.7%)
                                  3 year  (-81.8%)

Monthly sales just keep dropping, but presumably the collected editions are doing better.

89. 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%)
01/10  Deadpool Team-Up #897 - 32,671  (-10.0%)
02/10  Deadpool Team-Up #896 - 30,119  ( -7.8%)
03/10  Deadpool Team-Up #895 - 28,573  ( -5.1%)
04/10  Deadpool Team-Up #894 - 28,835  ( +0.9%)
05/10  Deadpool Team-Up #893 - 26,578  ( -7.8%)
06/10  Deadpool Team-Up #892 - 23,697  (-10.8%)
                               6 mnth  (-34.7%)

The lowest-selling Deadpool title, by a fair margin.

90. IRON MAN LEGACY
04/10  Iron Man Legacy #1 - 48,956
05/10  Iron Man Legacy #2 - 29,175  (-40.4%)
06/10  Iron Man Legacy #3 - 23,340  (-20.0%)

Yikes. This doesn’t look too healthy. But then again, LEGACY is a story set in past continuity, which probably had its first issues sales massively inflated by the movie release; it’s possible that we’re seeing a huge initial downward correction and that the book will settle down after that. You never know.

92,105. FRANKEN-CASTLE
06/07  War Journal #8     - 61,376
06/08  War Journal #20    - 27,288
=====
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%)
01/10  Punisher #13       - 23,734  ( -5.0%)
02/10  Punisher #14       - 23,455  ( -1.8%)
03/10  Punisher #15       - 22,285  ( -5.0%)
04/10  Punisher #16       - 23,047  ( +3.4%)
05/10  ---
06/10  Franken-Castle #17 - 22,378  ( -2.9%)
06/10  Franken-Castle #18 - 19,605  (-12.4%)
                            6 mnth  (-21.5%)
                            1 year  (-40.6%)
                            2 year  (-28.2%)
                            3 year  (-68.1%)

Yes, PUNISHER is renamed to reflect the fact that he’s now Frankenstein. The storyline actually ends with issue #21, and there’s no solicitation for issue #22 in October. But in the circumstances, I wouldn’t rule out yet another relaunch.

The reprint book FRANKEN-CASTLE: BIRTH OF THE MONSTER had estimated orders of 4,796, charting at number 294.

93. PUNISHERMAX  [Max]
06/05  Punisher #22     - 37,811
06/06  Punisher #34     - 34,161
06/07  Punisher #48     - 33,804
06/08  Punisher #58     - 29,802
=====
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%)
01/10  PunisherMax #3   - 22,887  ( -1.0%)
02/10  PunisherMax #4   - 22,472  ( -1.8%)
03/10  PunisherMax #5   - 22,435  ( -0.2%)
04/10  PunisherMax #6   - 22,246  ( -0.8%)
05/10  PunisherMax #7   - 22,198  ( -0.2%)
06/10  PunisherMax #8   - 22,053  ( -0.7%)
                          6 mnth  ( -4.6%)
                          1 year  ( +3.4%)
                          2 year  (-26.0%)
                          3 year  (-34.8%)
                          4 year  (-35.4%)
                          5 year  (-41.7%)

Still slightly up from the book’s previous incarnation, and selling as solidly as ever.

97. YOUNG ALLIES
06/10  Young Allies #1 - 20,858

That’s lower than last month’s ATLAS #1. And ATLAS is being cancelled with issue #5. So, it’s not looking too promising.

98. THE STAND
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Soul Survivors #4 of 5 - 22,804  ( -6.2%)
03/10  Soul Survivors #5 of 5 - 22,294  ( -2.2%)
04/10  ---
05/10  ---
06/10  Hardcases #1 of 5      - 20,802  ( -6.7%)
                                6 mnth  (-14.4%)
                                1 year  (  --- )

The first issue of the new arc doesn’t even get a token increase. Of course, as with DARK TOWER, this series ought to be doing a lot of its business in collections.

100. MARVEL ZOMBIES 5
04/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #1 of 5 - 26,318
04/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #2 of 5 - 26,319  ( -1.8%)
05/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #3 of 5 - 22,894  (-13.0%)
06/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #4 of 5 - 20,141  (-12.0%)

This looks to be a case where the usual initial drop has been spread over the course of the series thanks to variant covers.

103. BLACK WIDOW
04/10  Black Widow #1 - 32,807
05/10  Black Widow #2 - 23,384  (-28.7%)
06/10  Black Widow #3 - 19,892  (-14.9%)

Well… both the previous issues had variant covers, so the drop is exaggerated. Nonetheless, 20K by issue #3 isn’t too promising.

106. VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT
06/06  Moon Knight #3  - 69,446
06/07  Moon Knight #11 - 58,313
06/08  Moon Knight #19 - 25,820
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Moon Knight #5  - 19,733  ( -8.1%)
03/10  Moon Knight #6  - 19,094  ( -3.2%)
04/10  Moon Knight #7  - 20,718  ( +8.5%)
05/10  Moon Knight #8  - 20,597  ( -0.6%)
06/10  Moon Knight #9  - 18,695  ( -9.2%)
                         6 mnth  (-13.0%)
                         1 year  (  --- )
                         2 year  (-27.6%)
                         3 year  (-67.9%)
                         4 year  (-73.1%)

Another book with no variant cover this month, so the drop isn’t quite as bad as it looks – and it’s only a couple of hundred below the last variant-free issue in March. The series is going on hiatus to be replaced by a SHADOWLAND tie-in miniseries.

108. AVENGERS: THE ORIGIN
04/10  Origin #1 of 5 - 24,457
05/10  Origin #2 of 5 - 22,108  ( -9.6%)
06/10  Origin #3 of 5 - 18,463  (-16.5%)

Not doing too badly for a miniseries set during the Silver Age.

110. 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%)
01/10  Web of Spider-Man #4 - 24,424  (-16.8%)
02/10  Web of Spider-Man #5 - 24,296  ( -0.5%)
03/10  Web of Spider-Man #6 - 21,574  (-11.2%)
04/10  Web of Spider-Man #7 - 19,533  ( -9.5%)
05/10  Web of Spider-Man #8 - 19,623  ( +4.6%)
06/10  Web of Spider-Man #9 - 17,581  (-10.4%)

Cancelled with issue #12.

112. PRINCE OF POWER
06/08  Hercules #118           - 52,975
=====
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%)
01/10  Hercules #140           - 23,244  ( -1.5%)
02/10  Hercules #141           - 24,539  ( +5.6%)
03/10  Fall/Avenger #1 of 2    - 23,036  ( -6.1%)
04/10  Fall/Avenger #2 of 2    - 20,215  (-12.2%)
05/10  Prince of Power #1 of 4 - 20,373  ( +0.8%)
06/10  Prince of Power #2 of 4 - 17,068  (-16.2%)
                                 6 mnth  (-27.7%)
                                 1 year  (-38.8%)
                                 2 year  (-67.8%)

Not too bad for the second issue of a miniseries. Following this mini, the next step for Hercules appears to be another mini, CHAOS WAR.

113,145,150,154,168. HERALDS
06/10  Heralds #1 of 5 - 16,476
06/10  Heralds #2 of 5 - 12,832  (-22.1%)
06/10  Heralds #3 of 5 - 12,132  ( -5.5%)
06/10  Heralds #4 of 5 - 11,694  ( -3.6%)
06/10  Heralds #5 of 5 - 10,394  (-11.1%)

A weekly miniseries which seems to have gone largely unnoticed.

114. DEATH OF DRACULA
06/10  Death of Dracula - 16,464

This is the prologue to “Curse of the Mutants”, the storyline which launches the new X-MEN series in July. X-MEN is being hyped to the hills. Now, you’d expect the prologue to come in some way behind the main title. And the solicitations could perhaps have hammered the book’s significant a bit harder. But even allowing for those factors, this is hardly a ringing endorsement from the retailers.

117. HERCULES: TWILIGHT OF A GOD
06/10  Twilight of a God #1 of 4 - 16,302

A sequel to Bob Layton’s 1980s stories about Hercules in the future. Sales are about what I’d expect from that sort of mini.

120. AGENTS OF ATLAS
06/09  Agents of Atlas #6  - 22,579  (-10.4%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #7  - 23,217  ( +2.8%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #8  - 20,540  (-11.5%)
08/09  Agents of Atlas #9  - 20,828  ( +1.4%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #10 - 17,877  (-14.2%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #11 - 17,529  ( -1.9%)
10/09  X-Men vs #1 of 2    - 32,743  (+86.8%)
11/09  X-Men vs #2 of 2    - 25,222  (-23.0%)
12/09  ---
01/10  Avengers vs #1 of 4 - 21,777  (-13.7%)
02/10  Avengers vs #2 of 4 - 17,998  (-17.4%)
03/10  Avengers vs #3 of 4 - 16,482  ( -8.4%)
04/10  Avengers vs #4 of 4 - 14,900  ( -9.6%)
05/10  Atlas #1            - 22,756  (+52.7%)
06/10  Atlas #2            - 16,130  (-29.1%)
                             6 mnth  (  --- )
                             1 year  (-28.6%)

Cancelled with issue #5.

122,129,130. 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%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #15  - 17,665  ( -3.9%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #16  - 17,290  ( -2.1%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #17  - 17,873  ( +3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #18  - 16,464  ( -7.9%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #19  - 16,183  ( -1.7%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #20  - 15,990  ( -1.2%)
04/10  X-Men Forever #21  - 15,530  ( -2.9%)
04/10  X-Men Forever #22  - 15,305  ( -1.4%)
05/10  X-Men Forever #23  - 15,045  ( -1.7%)
05/10  X-Men Forever #24  - 14,940  ( -0.7%)
06/10  Giant-Size #1      - 15,039  ( +0.7%)
06/10  X-Men Forever 2 #1 - 16,094  ( +7.0%)
06/10  X-Men Forever 2 #2 - 14,933  ( -7.2%)
                            6 mnth  (-18.7%)
                            1 year  (-58.8%)

Chris Claremont’s alternate-reality X-Men series enters its second year with a renumbering – one which has little discernible effect on sales. Still, it’s undeniably consistent.

124. POWERS [Icon]
11/09  Powers #1 - 20,146
12/09  Powers #2 - 17,181  (-14.7%)
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  Powers #3 - 16,768  ( -2.4%)
04/10  Powers #4 - 16,463  ( -1.8%)
05/10  ---
06/10  Powers #5 - 16,019  ( -2.7%)
                   6 mnth  ( -6.8%)

Looking fairly solid.

126. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS AMERICAN SON
05/10  American Son #1 of 4 - 20,375
06/10  American Son #2 of 4 - 15,450  (-24.2%)

Issue #1 had a variant cover, so the drop is exaggerated. It’s still not a great number for a Spider-Man miniseries picking up on a fairly major plot thread.

131. STEPHEN KING'S N. THE COMIC SERIES
03/10  N #1 of 4 - 21,092
04/10  N #2 of 4 - 17,299  (-18.0%)
05/10  N #3 of 4 - 15,470  (-10.6%)
06/10  N #4 of 4 - 14,927  ( -3.5%)

These are reprints from Marvel’s digital service, and the series should also do better than average in collected editions. Allowing for all that, these are pretty good numbers.

132. X-CAMPUS
06/10  X-Campus #1 of 4 - 14,867

A translated reprint of an Italian series that came out a few years ago, loosely based on the X-Men. Actually, this isn’t a bad number at all, where Euro reprints are concerned.

133. CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
04/10  Flags #1 of 4 - 20,274
05/10  Flags #2 of 4 - 15,480  (-23.6%)
06/10  Flags #3 of 4 - 14,264  ( -7.9%)

Standard miniseries behaviour.

134. WOMEN OF MARVEL ONE-SHOTS
03/10  X-23     - 27,328
03/10  She-Hulk - 15,583
03/10  Sif      - 18,092
04/10  Firestar - 13,462
05/10  Dazzler  - 16,320
05/10  Rescue   - 15,711
06/10  Namora   - 14,079

With a couple of exceptions, there’s little variation in the sales of these one-shots – even though the characters come from titles ranging from UNCANNY X-MEN down to ATLAS, with a similarly wide range of sales.

135. SPIDER-GIRL
05/10  Spider-Girl #1 of 4 - 17,025
06/10  Spider-Girl #2 of 4 - 13,775  (-19.1%)

With the Spider-Girl name being reassigned to Arana, it looks like this miniseries really is the end for the MC-2 version of the character.

136. IRON MAN: KISS AND KILL
06/10  Kiss and Kill - 13,528

Random one-shot, selling in the expected quantities.

140. NEW AVENGERS: LUKE CAGE
04/10  Luke Cage #1 of 3 - 16,836
05/10  Luke Cage #2 of 3 - 14,878  (-11.6%)
06/10  Luke Cage #3 of 3 - 13,187  (-11.4%)

Considering the strength of the Avengers franchise at the moment, I really am surprised this didn’t do a bit better.

149. MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ
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%)
01/10  Marvelous Land #3 of 8 - 14,216  (-10.0%)
02/10  Marvelous Land #4 of 8 - 13,364  ( -6.0%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Marvelous Land #5 of 8 - 12,922  ( -3.3%)
05/10  Marvelous Land #6 of 8 - 12,366  ( -4.3%)
06/10  Marvelous Land #7 of 8 - 12,200  ( -1.3%)
                                6 mnth  (-22.7%)
                                1 year  (-21.2%)

Levelling out nicely as the series goes on.

152. X-FACTOR FOREVER
03/10  X-Factor Forever #1 of 5 - 18,550
04/10  X-Factor Forever #2 of 5 - 14,608  (-21.3%)
05/10  X-Factor Forever #3 of 5 - 12,794  (-12.4%)
06/10  X-Factor Forever #4 of 5 - 11,937  ( -6.7%)

Perfectly normal behaviour for a miniseries.

155. 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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Torch #5 of 8 - 12,211  (-11.4%)
03/10  Torch #6 of 8 - 11,896  ( -2.6%)
04/10  Torch #7 of 8 - 11,477  ( -3.5%)
05/10  ---
06/10  Torch #8 of 8 - 11,513  ( +0.3%)

There’s no apparent reason for the slight uptick on the final issue; conceivably a few people became more interested when they realised the series was leading into an Invaders reunion.

156,220,222,255. MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS
06/10  Deadpool #1             - 11,379
06/10  Amazing Spider-Man #546 -  6,936
06/10  New X-Men #114          -  6,757
06/10  Daredevil #26           -  5,782

This month’s one-dollar reprints.

157. PETER PARKER
03/10  Peter Parker #1 - 18,963
04/10  Peter Parker #2 - 14,647  (-22.8%)
05/10  Peter Parker #3 - 12,514  (-14.6%)
06/10  Peter Parker #4 - 11,335  ( -9.4%)

162. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE 1940S NEWSPAPER STRIP
06/10  1940s Newspaper Strip #1 of 3 - 10,913

Reprints from the digital comics service, so the total audience (and revenue stream) ought to be bigger.

170. SPIDER-MAN: FEVER
04/10  Fever #1 of 3 - 15,111
05/10  Fever #2 of 3 - 11,665  (-22.8%)
06/10  Fever #3 of 3 - 10,329  (-11.5%)

Basically a Brendan McCarthy vehicle, and that’s something of a niche market.

175. DARKSTAR AND THE WINTER GUARD
06/10  Darkstar/Winter Guard #1 of 3 - 10,101

177. RAWHIDE KID
06/10  Rawhide Kid #1 of 4 - 9,993

181. SPIDER-HAM 25TH ANNIVERSAY SPECIAL
06/10  Spider-Ham - 9,760

We’re well into completist territory here.

189. ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER
06/08  Guilty Pls. #12 of 12   - 19,866
=====
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%)
01/10  Executioner #3 of 5     -  9,958  ( -4.7%)
02/10  Executioner #4 of 5     -  9,626  ( -3.3%)
03/10  Executioner #5 of 5     -  9,454  ( -1.8%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Circus o/Damned #1 of 5 -  9,484  ( +0.3%)
06/10  Circus o/Damned #2 of 5 -  9,060  ( -4.5%)
                                 6 mnth  (-13.3%)
                                 1 year  (-29.8%)
                                 2 year  (-54.4%)

Still slowly dropping – but then, ANITA BLAKE was always something of anomaly among Marvel’s novel adaptations, by virtue of selling significant quantities in the direct market. It may simply have come into line with other similar titles.

192. IRON MAN NOIR
04/10  Iron Man Noir #1 of 4 - 10,904
05/10  Iron Man Noir #2 of 4 -  9,268  (-15.0%)
06/10  Iron Man Noir #3 of 4 -  8,913  ( -3.8%)

This looks like it might be the end for the “Noir” books, although DEADPOOL PULP sounds like something of a spiritual successor.

195. AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT
06/10  Avengers Spotlight   -  8,595 

A promotional magazine; this is at the higher end of the range for SPOTLIGHT books.

204,219. DRACULA
06/10  Dracula #1 of 4 - 7,960
06/10  Dracula #2 of 4 - 7,139  (-10.3%)

Reprints, so the sales are basically fine.

217. SPIDER-MAN  [Marvel Adventures]
06/05  M.A. Spider-Man #4  - 8,878
06/06  M.A. Spider-Man #16 - 6,114
06/07  M.A. Spider-Man #28 - 7,006
06/08  M.A. Spider-Man #40 - 5,954
=====
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%)
01/10  M.A. Spider-Man #59 - 4,315  (  -0.9%)
02/10  M.A. Spider-Man #60 - 4,212  (  -2.4%)
03/10  M.A. Spider-Man #61 - 4,200  (  -2.8%)
04/10  Spider-Man #1       - 9,770  (+132.6%)
05/10  Spider-Man #2       - 7,709  ( -21.1%)
06/10  Spider-Man #3       - 7,200  (  -6.6%)
                            6 mnth  ( +65.4%)
                            1 year  ( +56.1%)
                            2 year  ( +20.9%)
                            3 year  (  +2.8%)
                            4 year  ( +17.8%)
                            5 year  ( -18.9%)

This relaunch looks to have been a success – sales are settling down to a level several thousand ahead of the book’s established range.

233. ORSON SCOTT CARD'S ENDER IN EXILE
06/10  Ender in Exile #1 of 5 - 6,568

236,280. SKY DOLL: SPACE SHIP [Soleil]
06/10  Space Ship #1 of 2 - 6,528
06/10  Space Ship #2 of 2 - 5,133  (-21.4%)

243. PET AVENGERS UNLEASHED
06/09  Pet Avengers #2 of 4 - 12,317  (-30.2%)
07/09  Pet Avengers #3 of 4 - 11,739  ( -4.7%)
08/09  Pet Avengers #4 of 4 - 11,340  ( -3.4%)
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  ---
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Tails o/Pet Avengers -  8,214  (-27.6%)
03/10  Unleashed #1 of 4    -  8,554  ( +4.1%)
04/10  Unleashed #2 of 4    -  6,767  (-20.9%)
05/10  Unleashed #3 of 4    -  6,339  ( -6.3%)
06/10  Unleashed #4 of 4    -  6,166  ( -2.7%)
                              6 mnth  (  --- )
                              1 year  (-49.9%)

247. 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%)
01/10  Super Hero Squad #1      - 9,709  (+135.0%)
02/10  Super Hero Squad #2      - 5,691  ( -41.4%)
03/10  Super Hero Squad #3      - 5,399  (  -5.1%)
04/10  Super Hero Squad #4      - 5,822  (  +7.8%)
05/10  Super Hero Squad #5      - 5,639  (  -3.1%)
06/10  Super Hero Squad #6      - 6,029  (  +6.9%)
                                 6 mnth  ( +45.9%)

261. SUPER HEROES  [Marvel Adventures]
06/09  M.A. Super Heroes #12 - 3,508  ( +1.0%)
07/09  M.A. Super Heroes #13 - 4,439  (+26.5%)
08/09  M.A. Super Heroes #14 - 4,355  ( -1.9%)
09/09  M.A. Super Heroes #15 - 4,268  ( -2.0%)
10/09  M.A. Super Heroes #16 - 3,250  (-23.9%)
11/09  M.A. Super Heroes #17 - 3,308  ( +1.8%)
12/09  M.A. Super Heroes #18 - ?,???  (  ??? )
01/10  M.A. Super Heroes #19 - 3,103  (  ??? )
02/10  M.A. Super Heroes #20 - 3,008  ( -3.1%)
03/10  M.A. Super Heroes #21 - ?,???  (  ??? )
04/10  Super Heroes #1       - 8,107  (  ??? )
05/10  Super Heroes #2       - 6,360  (-21.5%)
06/10  Super Heroes #3       - 5,678  (-10.7%)
                              6 mnth  (  ??? )
                              1 year  (+61.9%)

And another successful relaunch. The missing numbers, if you’re wondering, are months when the book didn’t make the top 300.

267. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
02/10  A to Z Update #1 of 5 -  5,406
03/10  Deadpool Corps        - 21,900  (+305.1%)
04/10  Iron Manual Mark 3 #1 -  9,456  ( -56.8%)
05/10  Avengers Assemble #1  - 15,113  ( +59.8%)
06/10  A to Z Update #2 of 5 -  5,312  ( -64.9%)

There’s a massive gulf between the themed and non-themed issues.

271. PHILP K DICK'S ELECTRIC ANT
04/10  Electric Ant #1 of 5 - 8,869
05/10  Electric Ant #2 of 5 - 6,181  (-30.3%)
06/10  Electric Ant #3 of 5 - 5,238  (-15.3%)

Another online reprint.

277. THOR AND THE WARRIORS FOUR
04/10  Thor/Warriors Four #1 of 4 - 6,861
05/10  Thor/Warriors Four #2 of 4 - 5,651 (-17.6%)
06/10  Thor/Warriors Four #3 of 4 - 5,190 ( -8.2%)

284. HER-OES
04/10  Her-Oes #1 - 7,464
05/10  Her-Oes #2 - 5,871  (-21.3%)
06/10  Her-Oes #3 - 5,021  (-14.5%)

Both doing fine, by the standards of Marvel’s all ages books. These titles presumably don’t depend on the direct market anyway.

Several titles missed the chart – OFFICIAL INDEX: AVENGERS #2, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY #2, IRON MAN: EXTREMIS DIRECTOR’S CUT #2-4, and the Icon book DREAM LOGIC #1. Bear in mind, this really was an exceptional month, with 4,528 needed to make the charts – the INDEX hasn’t been beating that number since July 2009, but this is the first time it’s failed to chart.

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

+67.3% - New Mutants
+65.4% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+57.1% - New Avengers
+45.9% - Super Hero Squad
+44.8% - Doomwar [Black Panther]
+42.1% - Avengers Academy [Initiative]
+28.8% - X-Men Legacy
+13.5% - Uncanny X-Men
+12.0% - X-Factor
+ 6.8% - Thunderbolts
+ 5.7% - Incredible Hulk
+ 4.6% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 2.2% - Thor
- 0.4% - Astonishing X-Men
- 4.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 4.6% - PunisherMax
- 4.7% - Hulk
- 4.8% - Fantastic Four
- 5.0% - Wolverine Origins
- 6.8% - Powers
- 8.9% - Secret Warriors
-10.2% - Daredevil
-10.3% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-10.4% - Dark Wolverine
-13.0% - Moon Knight
-13.3% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-14.4% - Stand
-14.6% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-15.3% - Dark Tower
-15.8% - Deadpool
-17.5% - Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth
-18.7% - X-Men Forever
-21.5% - Franken-Castle [Punisher]
-22.7% - Marvelous Land of Oz
-27.7% - Prince of Power [Hercules]
-34.7% - Deadpool Team-Up
-42.3% - Captain America

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

+61.9% - Super Heroes [Marvel Adventures]
+56.1% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+37.5% - New Avengers
+29.9% - X-Factor
+24.7% - New Mutants
+14.4% - Avengers Academy [Initiative]
+12.3% - X-Men Legacy
+ 6.9% - Uncanny X-Men
+ 3.4% - PunisherMax
- 1.8% - Invincible Iron Man
- 1.9% - Thor
- 8.8% - Amazing Spider-Man
-11.2% - Astonishing X-Men
-12.5% - Doomwar [Black Panther]
-16.1% - Daredevil
-18.9% - Thunderbolts
-20.9% - Fantastic Four
-21.2% - Marvelous Land of Oz
-22.8% - Wolverine Origins
-28.6% - Atlas
-29.8% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-30.1% - Deadpool
-31.4% - Secret Warriors
-31.8% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-38.8% - Prince of Power [Hercules]
-39.9% - Dark Tower
-40.6% - Franken-Castle [Punisher]
-41.2% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-46.7% - Dark Wolverine
-49.9% - Pet Avengers
-57.0% - Captain America
-58.8% - X-Men Forever

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

+33.3% - Captain America
+30.3% - Doomwar [Black Panther]
+20.9% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+19.0% - New Avengers
- 6.2% - Uncanny X-Men
- 8.8% - X-Men Legacy
- 9.1% - X-Factor
-12.2% - Daredevil
-15.1% - Thunderbolts
-20.7% - Amazing Spider-Man
-24.3% - Invincible Iron Man
-26.0% - PunisherMax
-26.3% - Avengers Academy [Initiative]
-27.6% - Moon Knight
-27.8% - Wolverine Origins
-28.2% - Franken-Castle [Punisher]
-31.5% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-40.0% - Fantastic Four
-44.0% - Hulk
-48.7% - Incredible Hulk
-54.4% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-67.8% - Prince of Power [Hercules]
-69.4% - Wolverine: Weapon X [Wolverine]
-69.7% - Dark Tower

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

+10.4% - X-Factor
+ 2.8% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
- 6.6% - Uncanny X-Men
-19.8% - New Avengers
-25.8% - Daredevil
-30.4% - Invincible Iron Man
-34.8% - PunisherMax
-46.5% - Captain America
-46.8% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-47.1% - Wolverine Origins
-47.4% - Fantastic Four
-48.1% - Amazing Spider-Man
-50.3% - Avengers Academy [Initiative]
-50.7% - Thunderbolts
-52.0% - X-Men Legacy
-56.6% - Incredible Hulk
-57.9% - Doomwar [Black Panther]
-68.1% - Franken-Castle [Punisher]
-67.9% - Moon Knight
-81.8% - Dark Tower

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

+38.8% - Iron Man
+17.8% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+12.0% - Captain America
- 2.7% - Uncanny X-Men
- 3.9% - New Avengers
- 7.0% - Doomwar [Black Panther]
-28.0% - Daredevil
-30.7% - X-Factor
-31.3% - X-Men Legacy
-33.4% - Thunderbolts
-35.4% - PunisherMax
-46.7% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-50.3% - Amazing Spider-Man
-52.2% - Astonishing X-Men
-53.2% - Fantastic Four
-69.3% - Wolverine: Weapon X [Wolverine]
-70.1% - Wolverine Origins
-73.1% - Moon Knight

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

+17.2% - Thunderbolts
+12.4% - Captain America
+ 7.4% - Incredible Hulk
-16.6% - Uncanny X-Men
-18.3% - X-Men Legacy
-18.9% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
-20.1% - New Avengers
-24.2% - Amazing Spider-Man
-27.9% - Daredevil
-30.4% - Doomwar [Black Panther]
-34.6% - Fantastic Four
-41.7% - PunisherMax
-50.7% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-62.4% - Wolverine: Weapon X [Wolverine]

Buffy may be on a break, but that doesn’t mean that a Joss Whedon book isn’t the top selling “indie” comic this month as Serenity takes the top spot. Further down the list we have lots of Red Sonja comics, a Goon spin-off by Eric Powell, and yet more adaptations of movies and TV shows.

Dark Horse had a 3.53% unit share and a 5.30% dollar share, Image had a 3.38% unit share and a 3.88% dollar share, and IDW had a 3.07% unit share and a 3.67% dollar share.

I’ve listed every “indie” title in the top 200, every title from Image, Darkhorse, and IDW (ie. “the front of Previews”), and a selection of others.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which are estimates, and can be found here.

50. Serenity (Dark Horse)

06/2010: Serenity Float Out one shot - 35,266

Buffy may not have shipped this month, but that doesn’t mean a Joss Whedon series doesn’t get the top indie slot. The last series ended in May 2008 with sales of 52,428.

79. The Walking Dead (Image)

06/2005: The Walking Dead #20 - 16,915
06/2006: The Walking Dead #28 - 20,118
06/2007: The Walking Dead #38 - 22,193
06/2008: -
06/2009: The Walking Dead #62 - 23,910

=====
07/2009: The Walking Dead #63 - 24,001 (+0.3%)
08/2009: The Walking Dead #64 - 24,393 (+1.6%)
09/2009: The Walking Dead #65 - 24,892 (+2.0%)
10/2009: The Walking Dead #66 - 24,944 (+0.2%)
11/2009: The Walking Dead #67 - 24,666 (-1.1%)
12/2009: The Walking Dead #68 - 24,230 (-1.8%)
01/2010: The Walking Dead #69 - 23,695 (-2.2)
02/2010: The Walking Dead #70 - 23,999 (+1.3%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: The Walking Dead #71 - 24,567 (+2.4%)
05/2010: The Walking Dead #72 - 25,182 (+2.5%)
06/2010: The Walking Dead #73 - 25,645 (+1.8%)
                               6 month (+5.8%)
                               1 year (+7.3%)
                               2 year (n.a.)
                               3 year (+15.6%)
                               4 year (+27.5%)
                               5 year (+51.6%)

It climbs ever higher.

88. Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet (Dynamite)

03/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #1 - 54,122
03/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #2 - 32,866 (-39.3%) [36,004]
04/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #3 - 29,552 (-17.9%)
05/2010: Kevin Smith's Green Hornet #4 - 26,292 (-11.0%)
06/2010: Kevin Smith's Green Hornet #5 - 23,841 (-9.3%)

There’re still at least six covers here, so the drops are very big for this point.

96. The Boys (Dynamite)

06/2007: The Boys #8 - 30,639
06/2008: The Boys #19 - 27,576
06/2009: The Boys #31 - 25,460

=====
07/2009: The Boys #32 - 25,231 (-0.8%)
08/2009: The Boys #33 - 24,684 (-2.1%)
09/2009: The Boys #34 - 24,502 (-0.7%)
10/2009: The Boys #35 - 24,841 (+1.4%)
11/2009: The Boys #36 - 23,471 (-5.5%)
12/2009: The Boys #37 - 24,025 (+2.4%)
01/2010: The Boys #38 - 22,203 (-7.6%)
02/2010: The Boys #39 - 21,905 (-1.3%)
03/2010: The Boys #40 - 22,022 (+0.5%)
04/2010: The Boys #41 - 21,552 (-2.1%)
05/2010: The Boys #42 - 21,479 (-0.3%)
06/2010: The Boys #43 - 21,390 (-0.4%)
                               6 month (-11,0%)
                               1 year (-16.0%)
                               2 year (-22.4%)
                               3 year (-30.2%)

Holding steady again. There’s another spinoff miniseries coming up.

101. Star Wars Legacy (Dark Horse)

06/2006: Star Wars Legacy #1 - 34,758
06/2007: Star Wars Legacy #13 - 32,149
06/2008: Star Wars Legacy #25 - 29,548
06/2009: Star Wars Legacy #37 - 23,704

=====
07/2009: Star Wars Legacy #38 - 23,162 (-2.3%)
08/2009: Star Wars Legacy #39 - 22,888 (-1.2%)
09/2009: Star Wars Legacy #40 - 22,555 (-1.5%)
10/2009: Star Wars Legacy #41 - 22,109 (-2.0%)
11/2009: Star Wars Legacy #42 - 21,659 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Star Wars Legacy #43 - 20,983 (-3.1%)
01/2010: Star Wars Legacy #44 - 20,341 (-3.1%)
02/2010: Star Wars Legacy #45 - 20,100 (-1.2%)
03/2010: Star Wars Legacy #46 - 19,790 (-1.5%)
04/2010: Star Wars Legacy #47 - 20,022 (+1.2%)
05/2010: Star Wars Legacy #48 - 19,954 (-0.3%)
06/2010: Star Wars Legacy #49 - 19,911 (-0.2%)
                               6 month (-5.1%)
                               1 year (-16.0%)
                               2 year (-32.6%)
                               3 year (-38.1%)
                               4 year (-42.7%)

The final storyarc has been very steady.

111. Angel (IDW)

06/2005: The Curse #2 14,657
06/2006: Spotlight: Wesley - 9,673
06/2007: -
06/2008: After the Fall #8 - 47,888
06/2009: Angel #22 - 27,496

=====
07/2009: Angel: After the Fall – Epilogue #23 - 24,003 (-12.7%)
08/2009: Angel #24 - 22,795 (-5.0%)
09/2009: Angel #25 - 23,815 (+4.5%)
10/2009: Angel #26 - 22,886 (-3.9%)
11/2009: Angel #27 - 20,731 (-9.4%)
12/2009: Angel #28 - 21,301 (+2.7%)
12/2009: Angel Annual #1 - 16,616 (-22.0%)
01/2010: Angel #29 - 20,280 (+22.5%)
02/2010: Angel #30 - 11,044 [19,394] (-4.4%)
03/2010: Angel #31 - 18,538 (-4.4%)
04/2010: Angel #32 - 17,942 (-3.2%)
05/2010: Angel #33 - 17,521 (-2.3%)
06/2010: Angel #34 - 17,467 (-0.3%)
                               6 month (-18.0%)
                               1 year (-36.5%)
                               2 year (-63.5%)
                               3 year (n.a.)
                               4 year (+80.6)
                               5 year (+19.2)

Another book that’s quite stable this month.

115. Conan the Cimmerian (Dark Horse)

06/2005: Conan #18 - 36,323
06/2006: Conan #29 - 32,049
06/2007: Conan #41 - 24,720
06/2008: -
06/2009: The Cimmerian #11 - 20,041

=====
07/2009: The Cimmerian #12 - 19,268 (-3.9%)
08/2009: The Cimmerian #13 - 18,881 (-2.0%)
09/2009: The Cimmerian #14 - 18,643 (-1.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: The Cimmerian #15 - 18,293 (-1.9%)
11/2009: The Cimmerian #16 - 17,778 (-2.8%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Weight of Crown One Shot - 17,571 (-1.2%)
01/2010: The Cimmerian #17 - 17,356 (-1.2%)
02/2010: The Cimmerian #18 - 17,074 (-1.6%)
03/2010: The Cimmerian #19 - 18,131 (+6.2%)
04/2010: The Cimmerian #20 - 16,393 (-9.6%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: The Cimmerian #21 - 16,421 (+0.2%)
                6 month (n.a.)
                1 year (-18.1%)
                2 year (n.a.)
                3 year (-33.6%)
                4 year (-48.8%)
                5 year (-54.8%)

Conan is running a few months late. I’m not sure why there was the increase here, though there was a Cary Nord cover this month.

116. Kevin Smith's Kato (Dynamite)
05/2010: Kevin Smith's Kato #1 – 19,720
06/2010: Kevin Smith's Kato #2 - 16,361 (-17.0%)

Smaller drop than I expected. I guess all these Green Hornet comics are going to sell fairly well.

121. Star Wars Invasion (Dark Horse)

07/2009: Invasion #1 (of 5) - 24,548
08/2009: Invasion #2 (of 5) - 21,004 (-14.4%)
09/2009: Invasion #3 (of 5) - 19,798 (-5.7%)
10/2009: Invasion #0 - 19,714 (-0.4%)
10/2009: Invasion #4 - 19,138 (-2.9%)
11/2009: Invasion #5 - 18,315 (-4.3%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Star Wars Invasion: Rescues #1 - 17,911(-2.2%)
06/2010: Star Wars Invasion: Rescues #2 - 16,098 (-10.1%)

That’s a good second issue drop, not a good drop for what is basically issue 7 of the series though.

123. Star Wars Dark Times (Dark Horse)

06/2008: Dark Times #12 - 23,888
06/2009: -

=====
07/2009: -
08/2009: Blue Harvest #0 - 18,601 (-3.4%)
08/2009: Dark Times #14 Blue Harvest pt 2 (of 5) – 18,477 (-0.7%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: Dark Times #15 - 17,485 (-5.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: Dark Times #16 - 17,173 (-1.8%)
05/2010:  -
06/2010: Dark Times #17 - 16,041 (-6.6%)
                6 months (n.a.)
                1 year (n.a.)
                2 year (-32.8%)

Final issue.

125, 127. Invincible (Image)

06/2005: Invincible #24 - 11,818
06/2006: Invincible #33 - 12,940
06/2007: Invincible #42 - 15,955
06/2008: Invincible #50 - 16,731
06/2009: Invincible #63 - 15,226

=====
07/2009: Invincible #64 - 15,535 (+2.0%)
08/2009: Invincible #65 - 15,621 (+0.6%)
09/2009: Invincible #66 - 15,931 (+2.0%)
10/2009: Invincible #67 - 15,831 (-0.6%)
11/2009: Invincible #68 - 15,542 (-1.8%)
12/2009: Invincible #69 - 15,161 (-2.5%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Invincible #70 - 14,953 (-1.4%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Invincible Returns #1 - 19,933 (+33.3%)
04/2010: Invincible #71 - 18,996 (-4.7%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Invincible #72 - 15,689 (-17.4%)
06/2010: Invincible #73 - 15,340 (-2.2%)
                6 month (+1.2%)
                1 year (+0.7%)
                2 year (-8.3%)
                3 year (-3.9%)
                4 year (+18.5%)
                5 year (+29.8%)

Two issues this month as it tries to get back on schedule. I really expected this series to keep more of the sales from the huge bump a few months back.

139. Chew (Image)

06/2009: Chew #1 - 5,248 [13,517]

=====
07/2009: Chew #2 - 6,735 (-24.6%)
08/2009: Chew #3 - 13,762 (+104.3%)
09/2009: Chew #4 - 12,294 (-10.7%)
10/2009: Chew #5 - 13,498 (+9.8%)
11/2009: Chew #6 - 13,139 (-2.7%)
12/2009: Chew #7 - 12,902 (-1.8%)
01/2010: Chew #8 - 12,727 (-1.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Chew #9 - 12,866 (+1.1%)
04/2010: Chew #10 - 13,335 (+3.6%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Chew #11 - 13,204  (-1.0%)
                6 month (+2.3%)
                1 year (-2.3%)

Small decrease for the beginning of the third arc. The trade of the second arc is the second best selling graphic novel of the month, selling 6,549 copies. Meanwhile, sales of volume one have reached 16,019 copies.

142, 179, 202. Red Sonja (Dynamite)

06/2005: Red Sonja #1 - 80,603
06/2006: Red Sonja #11 - 31,176
06/2007: Red Sonja #23 - 20,641
06/2008: Red Sonja #34 - 15,307
06/2009: Red Sonja #45 - 12,030

=====
07/2009: Red Sonja #46 - 11,993 (-0.3%)
08/2009: Red Sonja #47 - 11,709 (-2.4%)
09/2009: Red Sonja #48 - 11,815 (+0.9%)
10/2009: Red Sonja #49 - 11,487 (-2.8%)
10/2009:
11/2009:
12/2009: -
01/2010:
02/2010:
03/2010:
04/2010:
05/2010: -
06/2010: Red Sonja #50 - 13,017 (+13.3%)
06/2010: Red Sonja Annual #3 - 8,098 (-37.8%)
                6 month (n.a.)
                1 year (-32.7%)
                2 year (-47.1%)
                3 year (-60.8%)
                4 year (-74.0%)
                5 year (-90.0%)

10/2009: Queen Sonja #1 - 13,849
11/2009: Queen Sonja #2 - 12,024 (-13.2%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Queen Sonja #3 - 10,768 (-10.4%)
02/2010: Queen Sonja #4 - 10,766 (-0.0%)
03/2010: Queen Sonja #5 - 10,393 (-3.5%)
04/2010: Queen Sonja #6 - 9,800 (-5.7%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Queen Sonja #7 - 9,879 (+0.8%)

Red Sonja 50? Yeah, I’m a bit confused by that showing up now too. Apparently Dynamite are going to be continuing that series as well as Queen Sonja, plus other miniseries. Does the market really need that many Red Sonja titles? I can’t imagine it can support them all.

143. BPRD (Dark Horse)

06/2006: Universal Machine #3 - 16,040
06/2007: Garden of Souls #4 - 15,858
06/2008: War on Frongs #1 - 16,799
06/2009: War on Frogs #3 (of 4) - 13,828

=====
07/2009: 1947 #1 (of 5) - 15,845 (+14.6%)
08/2009: 1947 #2 (of 5) - 14,893 (-6.0%)
09/2009: 1947 #3 (of 5) - 14,810 (-0.6%)
10/2009: 1947 #4 (of 5) - 14,505 (-2.0%)
11/2009: 1947 #5 (of 5) - 13,977 (-3.6%)
12/2009: War on Frogs #4 (of 4) - 12,904 (-7.7%)
01/2010: King of Fear #1 - 14,081 (+9.1%)
02/2010: King of Fear #2 - 13,123 (-6.8%)
03/2010: King of Fear #3 - 12,874 (-1.9%)
04/2010: King of Fear #4 - 12,480 (-3.1%)
05/2010: King of Fear #5 - 12,519 (+0.3%)
06/2010: Abe Sapien Abysmal Plain #1 - 13,010 (+3.9%)
                               6 month (+0.8%)
                               1 year (-5.9%)
                               2 year (-22.6%)
                               3 year (-18.0%)
                               4 year (-18.9%)

I wasn’t sure if I should compare these to the previous Abe Sapien series (15,193 for a one shot last October), but as BPRD is on a skip month I thought it better to include it here.

Volume 10 of Hellboy has first month sales of 5,776.

144. GI Joe (IDW)

06/2006: America’s Elite #12 (Devil’s Due) - 17,777
06/2007: America’s Elite #24 (Devil’s Due) - 15,073
06/2008: -
06/2009: GI Joe #6 - 20,809

=====
07/2009: GI Joe #7 – 20,319 (-2.4%)
08/2009: GI Joe #8 – 18,750 (-7.7%)
09/2009: GI Joe #9 – 17,436 (-7.0%)
10/2009: GI Joe #10 – 16,264 (-6.7%)
11/2009: GI Joe #11 – 15,527 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #12 – 14,824 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #13 – 15,759 (+6.3%)
01/2010: GI Joe #14 – 14,030 (-11.0%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: GI Joe #15 – 13,607 (-3.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe #16 – 13,288 (-2.3%)
04/2010: GI Joe #17 – 13,129 (-1.2%)
05/2010: GI Joe #18 – 12,776 (-2.7%)
06/2010: GI Joe #19 – 12,849 (+0.6%)
6 month (-18.5%)
1 year (-38.3%)
2 year (n.a.)
3 year (-14.8%)
4 year (-27.7%)

Slight increase.

146. Irredeemable (Boom)

06/2009: Irredeemable #3 - 12,838

=====
07/2009: Irredeemable #4 - 13,623 (+6.1%)
08/2009: Irredeemable #5 - ??? (???)
09/2009: Irredeemable #6 - 14,128 (+3.7%)
10/2009: Irredeemable #7 - 14,282 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Irredeemable #8 - 13,688 (-4.2%)
12/2009: Irredeemable #9 - 13,515 (-1.3%)
01/2010: Irredeemable #10 - 13,106 (-3.0%)
02/2010: Irredeemable #11 - 12,912 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Irredeemable #12 - 13,058 (+1.1%)
04/2010: Irredeemable Special #1 - 12,411 (-5.0%)
05/2010: Irredeemable #13 - 12,784 (+3.0)
06/2010: Irredeemable #14 - 12,608 (-1.4%)
                               6 month (-6.7%)
                               1 year (-1.8%)

Drops a little. Volume three of the collections has first month sales of 3,493.

147. Transformers Ongoing (IDW)

06/2009: All Hail Megatron #12 - 12,124

=====
07/2009: All Hail Megatron #13 - 11,892 (-1.9%)
08/2009: All Hail Megatron #14 - 11,736 (-1.3%)
09/2009: All Hail Megatron #15 - 11,634 (-0.9%)
10/2009: All Hail Megatron #16 - 11,281 (-3.0%)
11/2009: Transformers Ongoing #1 - 15,220 (+34.9%)
12/2009: Transformers Ongoing #2 - 12,516 (-17.8%)
01/2010: Transformers Ongoing #3 - 12,609 (+0.7%)
02/2010: Transformers Ongoing #4 - 12,221 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Transformers Ongoing #5 - 11,994 (-1.9%)
04/2010: Transformers Ongoing #6 - 12,171 (+1.5%)
05/2010: Transformers Ongoing #7 - 11,932 (-2.0%)
06/2010: Transformers Ongoing #8 - 12,360 (+3.6%)
                               6 month (-1.3%)
                               1 year (+1.9%)

Bouncing up and down like the Megatron series.

148, 158, 164, 169. Predators (Dark Horse)

06/2010: Predators #1 - 12,283
06/2010: Predators #2 - 11,237 (-8.5%)
06/2010: Predators #3 - 10,811 (-3.8%)
06/2010: Predators #4 - 10,390 (-3.9%)

Weekly prequel to the movie. The Aliens vs. Predator series is running late.

151. Spike (IDW)

06/2007: Shadow Puppets 1 - 7,834
06/2008: -
06/2009: -

=====

06/2010: Spike The Devil You Know #1 - 12,057

                               3 year (+53.9%)

The Spike After the Fall miniseries ended with sales of about 30,000 a few years ago. Interest in this franchise has really dropped off since then.

159. Incorruptible (Boom)

12/2009: Incorruptible #1 - 15,710
01/2010: Incorruptible #2 - 12,635 (-19.6%)
02/2010: Incorruptible #3 - 11,860 (-6.1%)
03/2010: Incorruptible #4 - 11,749 (-0.9%)
04/2010: Incorruptible #5 - 3,642 [11,542] (-1.8%)
05/2010: Incorruptible #6 - 11,517 (-0.2%)
06/2010: Incorruptible #7 - 11,091 (-3.7%)

                               6 month (-29.4%)

Standard drop.

161, 187. Mouse Guard (Archaia)

06/2010: Legends of the Guard #1 - 10,918
06/2010: Legends of the Guard #2 - 9,113 (-16.5%)

Spin off anthology featuring stories by various writers.

163. Buzzard (Dark Horse)

06/2010: Buzzard #1 - 10,888

Spinoff from The Goon, written and drawn by Eric Powell.

165. Kato Origins (Dynamite)

04/2010: Origins Way of the Ninja #1 - 13,172
05/2010: -
06/2010: Origins Way of the Ninja #2 - 10,668 (-19.0%)

Average drop.

171. Green Hornet Parallel Lives (Dynamite)

06/2010: Parallel Lives #1 - 10,322

This one is apparently based on the movie continuity.

173. Crossed (Avatar)

06/2009: -

=====
07/2009: Crossed #6 (of 9) - 13,382 (+9.3%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: Crossed #7 - 14,238 (+6.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Crossed #8 - 12,757 (-10.4%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Crossed #9 - 12,374 (-3.0%)
04/2010: Crossed Family Values #1 - 10,704 (-13.5%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Crossed Family Values #2 - 10,165 (-5.0%)
                6 month (-20.3%)

That’s a good second issue drop.

174. GI Joe Cobra II (IDW)

06/2009: GI Joe Cobra #4 - 16,739 (-6.4%)

=====
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #1 - 12,062 (-27.9%)
02/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #2 - 11,121 (-7.8%)
03/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #3 - 10,562 (-5.0%)
04/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #4 - 10,384 (-1.7%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #5 - 10,136 (-2.4%)
                6 month (n.a.)
                1 year (-39.9%)

First issue as an ongoing.

176, 194. Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)

06/2006: Grimm Fairy Tales #6 - 5,234
06/2007: Grimm Fairy Tales #15 - 7,158
06/2008: Grimm Fairy Tales #27 - 9,667
06/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #39 - 10,099

=====
07/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #40 - 9,616 (-4.8%)
08/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #41 - 10,600 (+10.2%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #42 - 9,070 (-14.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #43 - 10,246 (+13.0%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #44 - 8,824 (-13.9%)
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #45 - 8,916 (+1.0%)
04/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #46 - 8,694 (-2.5%)
05/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales Annual Las Vegas - 8,462 (-2.7%)
06/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #47 - 8,721 (+3.2%)
06/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #48 - 10,011 (+14.8%)
                               6 month (-2.3)
                               1 year (-0.9)
                               2 year (+3.6)
                               3 year (+39.9%)
                               4 year (+91.3%)

Two issues this month. Zenescope really seem to have upped their output this year.

178. Project Superpowers (Dynamite)

06/2008: Project Superpowers #4 (of 7) - 33,124
06/2009: Chapter Two #0 - 31,828

=====
07/2009: Chapter Two #1 - 22,282 (-30.0%)
08/2009: Chapter Two #2 - 17,377 (-22.0%)
09/2009: Chapter Two #3 - 15,717 (-9.6%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Chapter Two #4 - 14,980 (-3.2%)
12/2009: Chapter Two #5 - 12,794 (-14.6%)
01/2010: Chapter Two #6 - 11,923 (-6.8%)
02/2010: Chapter Two #7 - 21,688 (+81.9%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Chapter Two #8 - 10,724 (-50.6%)
05/2010: Chapter Two #9 - 10,132 (-5.5%)
06/2010: Chapter Two #10 - 9,892 (-2.4%)
                               6 month (-22.7%)
                               1 year (-68.9%)
                               2 year (-70.1%)

Ends with issue 12.

182. Turf (Image)

04/2010: Turf #1 - 14,033
05/2010: -
06/2010: Turf #2 - 9,668  (-31.1%)

Issue one apparently sold out of its initial print run of 20,000 copies (though that would have included high sales in the UK not included here), so this drop off seems a bit on the steep side.

185. Terry Moore’s Echo (Abstract)

07/2009: Echo #13 - 10,783 (-2.8%)
08/2009: Echo #14 - 10,663 (-1.1%)
09/2009: Echo #15 - 10,529 (-1.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Echo #16 - 10,234 (-2.8)
12/2009: Echo #17 - 10,282 (+0.5%)
01/2010: Echo #18 - 10,137 (-1.4%)
01/2010: Echo #19 - 4,978 [9,787] (-3.5%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Echo #20 - 9,378 (-4.2%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Echo #21 - 6,611 (-29.5%)
06/2010: Echo #22 - 9,277 (+40.3%)

The missing copies from last month failed to chart.

186. Hack Slash (Image)

06/2007: Hack Slash #2 (Devil’s Due) - 6,081
06/2008: Hack Slash #12 (Devil’s Due) - 6,135
06/2009: Hack Slash #23 (Devil’s Due) - 6,022

=====
07/2009: -
08/2009: Hack Slash #24 - 5,069 (-15.8%)
08/2009: Hack Slash #25 - 5,326 (+5.1%)
09/2009: Hack Slash #26 - 5,400 (+1.4%)
10/2009: Hack Slash #27 - 6,005 (+11.2%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Hack Slash #28 - 6,260  (+4.2%)
01/2010: Hack Slash #29 - 5,935 (-5.2%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Hack Slash #30 - 5,647  (-4.9%)
04/2010: Hack Slash #31 - 5,566 (-1.4%)
04/2010: Hack Slash #32 - 5,344  (-4.0%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Hack Slash My First Maniac #1 - 9,270 (+66.5%)

                6 month (+48.1%)
                1 year (+53.9%)
                2 year (+51.1%)
                3 year (+52.4%)

Hack Slash has been pretty stable over the last few years, and the move to Image has an immediate affect. It’ll be interesting to see if it manages to hold onto these sales or if they drop down to previous levels.

188. Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island (Avatar)

02/2010: Captain Swing #1 - 10,167
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: -
06/2010: Captain Swing #2 - 9,063 (-10.9%)

Warren Ellis comic that is running late. Shipping books this randomly can’t help readers to come back for the next issue.

190. Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Neverland (Zenescope)

03/2010: Neverland #1 - 10,401
04/2010: Neverland #2 - 7,961 (-23.5%)
05/2010: -
06/ 2010: Neverland #3 - 9,006 (+13.1%)

More interest than expected or just a really hot cover?

191. Jurassic Park (IDW)

06/2010: Jurassic Park Redemption #1 - 8,941

IDW are also releasing this (and lots, if not all, of their other comics) digitally, so must be hoping to attract fans of the movie. Features a cover by Frank Miller.

196. GI Joe Hearts and Minds (IDW)

05/2010: Hearts and Minds #1 - 11,039
06/2010: Hearts and Minds #2 - 8,592 (-22.2%)

Standard second issue drop.

197. Transformers Ironhide (IDW)

05/2010: Ironhide #1 - 9,019
06/2010: Ironhide #2 - 8,546 (-5.2%)

Tiny second issue drop, a good sign.

198. Magdalena (Image)

04/2010: Magdalena #1 - 10,648
05/2010: -
06/2010: Magdalena #2 - 8,327 (-21.8%)

Standard second issue drop.

200. Velocity (Image)

06/2010: Velocity #1 - 8,172

The winner of one of the previous Pilot Seasons finally gets a miniseries.

205. GI Joe Operation Hiss (IDW)

02/2010: Operation Hiss #1 - 10,140
03/2010: Operation Hiss #2 - 8,818 (-13.0%)
04/2010: Operation Hiss #3 - 8,581 (-2.7%)
05/2010: Operation Hiss #4 - 8,118 (-5.4%)
06/2010: Operation Hiss #5 - 7,947 (-2.1%)

Movie sequel.

206, 207. Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

06/2005: Sonic #151 - 8,258
06/2006: Sonic #163 - 7,469
06/2007: Sonic #176 - 7,082
06/2008: Sonic #189 - 7,074
06/2009: Sonic #201 - 8,001

=====
07/2009: Sonic #202 - 8,193 (+2.4%)
08/2009: Sonic #203 - 8,166 (-0.3%)
09/2009: Sonic #204 - 8,171 (0%)
10/2009: Sonic #205 - 8,263 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Sonic #206 - 8,353 (+1.1%)
12/2009: Sonic #207 - 8,198 (-1.9%)
01/2010: Sonic #208 - 8,006 (-2.3%)
02/2010: Sonic #209 - 7,819 (-2.3%)
03/2010: Sonic #210 - 7,925 (+1.4%)
03/2010: Sonic #211 - 7,786 (-1.8%)
04/2010: Sonic #212 - 7,973 (+2.4%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Sonic #213 - 7,893 (-1.0%)
06/2010: Sonic #214 - 7,936 (+0.5%)

                6 month (-3.2%)
                1 year (-0.8%)
                2 year (+12.2%)
                3 year (+12.1%)
                4 year (+6.3%)
                5 year (-3.9%)

Two issues this month with sales staying fairly stable.

211. Angel Barbary Coast (IDW)

04/2010: Barbary Coast #1 - 8,335
05/2010: Barbary Coast #2 - 7,844 (-5.9%)
06/2010: Barbary Coast #3 - 7,741 (-1.3%)

Small drop.

212. Yours Truly Jack the Ripper (IDW)

06/2010: Yours Truly Jack the Ripper #1 - 7,730

Adaptation of a Robert Bloch story.

218. Transformers Nefarious (IDW)

03/2010: Nefarious #1 - 8,810
04/2010: Nefarious #2 - 8,002 (-9.2%)
05/2010: Nefarious #3 - 7,354 (-8.1%)
06/2010: Nefarious #4 - 7,194 (-2.2%)

Standard drop.

221. Star Trek McCoy (IDW)

04/2010: McCoy #1 - 7,292
05/2010: McCoy #2 - 6,450 (-11.5%)
06/2010: McCoy #3 - 6,800 (+5.4%)

More interest in this one than retailers first thought. It’s written and drawn by John Byrne.

223. Star Trek Burden of Knowledge (IDW)

06/2010: Star Trek Burden of Knowledge  #1 - 6,757

Based on the original Star Trek characters.

224. Doctor Who Ongoing (IDW)

07/2009: Doctor Who #1 - 10,949
08/2009: Doctor Who #2 - 8,908 (-18.6%)
09/2009: Doctor Who #3 - 8,711 (-2.2%)
10/2009: Doctor Who #4 - 8,354 (-4.1%)
11/2009: Doctor Who #5 - 7,958 (-4.7%)
12/2009: Doctor Who #6 - 7,448 (-6.4%)
01/2010: Doctor Who #7 - 7,239 (-2.8%)
02/2010: Doctor Who #8 - 7,014 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Doctor Who #9 - 6,991 (-0.3%)
04/2010: Doctor Who #10 - 6,784 (-3.0%)
05/2010: Doctor Who #11 - 6,743 (-0.6%)
06/2010: Doctor Who #12 - 6,754 (+0.2%)

I can’t figure out any reason for this slight increase.

228. Chronicles of Wormwood (Avatar)

06/2007: Chronicles of Wormwood #4 - 7,796
06/2008: -
06/2009: -

10/2009: Last Battle #1 - 8,526
11/2009: Last Battle #2 - 7,433 (-12.8%)
12/2010: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Last Battle #3 - 6,925 (-6.8%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: -
06/2010: Last Battle #4 - 6,700 (-3.2%)

            3 year (-14.1%)

I am really just confused at how Avatar releases their books.

229. Red Sonja Wrath of the Gods (Dynamite)

02/2010: Wrath of the Gods #1 - 8,941
03/2010: Wrath of the Gods #2 - 8,155 (-8.8%)
04/2010: Wrath of the Gods #3 - 7,626 (-6.5%)
05/2010: Wrath of the Gods #4 - 7,150 (-6.2%)
06/2010: Wrath of the Gods #5 - 6,695 (-6.4%)

The fourth Red Sonja title this month.

230. Solomon Kane (Dark Horse)

01/2010: Deaths Black Riders #1 - 8,266 (-16.0%)
02/2010: Deaths Black Riders #2 - 7,320 (-11.4%)
03/2010: Deaths Black Riders #3 - 6,899 (-5.8%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: -
06/2010: Deaths Black Riders #4 - 6,663 (-3.4%)

Running late.

234. Angelus (Image)

12/2009: Angelus #1 - 9,781
01/2010: -
02/2010: Angelus #2 - 7,277 (-25.6%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Angelus #3 - 6,933 (-4.7%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Angelus #4 - 6,565 (-5.3%)

Leading in to some big Top Cow event.

237. Ghostbusters (IDW)

10/2009: Displaced Aggression #1 - 8,756
10/2009: Displaced Aggression #2 - 7,113 (-18.8%)
11/2009: Displaced Aggression #3 - 6,674 (-6.2%)
12/2009: Ghostbusters Past Present Future - 6,868 (+2.9%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Ghostbusters Holiday Special Tainted Love - 5,817 (-15.3%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: -
06/2010: Ghostbusters Holiday Special Convolution #1 - 6,407 (+10.1%)

They go to a comic convention. Has art by Josh Howard who does Dead@17.

240. Darkwing Duck (Boom!)

06/2010: Darkwing Duck #1 - 6,300

Around upper middle of Boom’s recent Disney lauches.

263. Savage Dragon (Image)

06/2006: Savage Dragon #127 - 6,880
06/2007: -
06/2008: -
06/2009: Savage Dragon #149 - 6,060

=====
07/2009: Savage Dragon #150 - 6,619 (+9.2%)
08/2009: Savage Dragon #151 - 6,034 (-8.8%)
09/2009: Savage Dragon #152 - 5,993 (-0.7%)
10/2009: Savage Dragon #153 - 6,571 (+9.6%)
11/2009: Savage Dragon #154 - 5,885 (-10.4%)
12/2009: Savage Dragon #155 - 5,736 (-2.5%)
01/2010: Savage Dragon #156 - 6,152 (+7.3%)
02/2010: Savage Dragon #157 - 5,617 (-8.7%)
03/2010: Savage Dragon #158 - 5,578 (-0.7%)
04/2010: Savage Dragon #159 - 5,359 (-3.9%)
05/2010: Savage Dragon #160 - 5,411 (+1.0%)
06/2010: Savage Dragon #161 - 5,544 (+2.5%)
                              6 month (-3.3%)
                              1 year (-8.5%)
                              2 year (n.a.)
                              3 year (n.a.)
                              4 year (-19.4%)

Features Daredevil (the public domain one).

264. Battlefields (Dynamite)

06/2009: -

=====
07/2009: Tankies #3 - 6,834 (-3.0%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: Happy Valley #1 - 7,193 (+5.3%)
01/2010: Happy Valley #2 - 6,038 (-16.1%)
02/2010: Happy Valley #3 - 5,840 (-3.3%)
03/2010: Battlefields #4 - 5,805 (-0.6%)
04/2010: Battlefields #5 - 5,582 (-3.8%)
05/2010: Battlefields #6 - 5,444 (-2.4%)
06/2010: Battlefields #7 - 5,484 (+0.7%)
                              6 months (-23.8%)
                              1 year (n.a.)

Tiny increase for the first part of a new story. I can’t imagine why Dynamite thought it would be a good idea to number this as a continuing series.

265, 275. Sam & Twitch (Image)

06/2005: Casefiles #18 - 5,372
06/2006: -
06/2007: -
06/2008: -
06/2009: -

=====
05/2010: Sam & Twitch: Writer #1 - 7,667
05/2010: Sam & Twitch: Writer #2 - 6,775 (-11.6%)
06/2010: Sam & Twitch: Writer #3 - 5,427 (-19.9%)
06/2010: Sam & Twitch: Writer #4 - 5,206 (-4.1%)

Two issues as the biweekly miniseries draws to a conclusion

270. Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? (Image)

05/2010: Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? #1 - 6,534
06/2010: Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? #2 - 5,253 (-19.6%)

Rob Zombie comic.

274. Dust Wars (Image)

06/2010: Dust Wars #1 - 5,212

Spinoff of a strategy RPG of some kind.

276. Robert E. Howard’s Hawks of Outremer (Boom!)

06/2010: Hawks of Outremer #1 - 5,199

Four issue miniseries.

278. Archie (Archie)

06/2006: Archie #567 - 2,893
06/2007: Archie #576 - 2,830
06/2008: Archie #586 - 2,774
06/2009: -
=====

07/2009: -
08/2009: Archie #600 - 54,170 [58,408] (+2,178.9%)
09/2009: Archie #601 - 37,871 (-35.2%)
10/2009: Archie #602 - 28,211 (-25.5%)
11/2009: Archie #603 - 25,799 (-8.5%)
12/2009: Archie #604 - 25,058 (-2.9%)
01/2010: Archie #605 - 24,803 (-1.0%)
02/2010: Archie #606 - 15,127 (-39.0%)
03/2010: Archie #607 - 5,013 (-66.9%)
04/2010: Archie #608 - 5,224 (+4.2%)
05/2010: Archie #609 - 4,848 (-7.2%)
06/2010: Archie #610 - 5,180 (+6.8%)
                              6 month (-%)
                              1 year (+79.4%)
                              2 year (n.a.)
                              3 year (+86.7%)
                              4 year (+83.0%)
                              5 year (+79.1%)

First part of The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E. a spy story considerably more action oriented than most Archie comics. Written by Tom DeFalco.

279. Amory Wars (Boom)

06/2007: Amory Wars #1 (Image) - 10,669
06/2008: Amory Wars II #1 (Image) - 9,402
06/2009: -

=====
05/2010: Keeping Secrets of Earth 3 #1 - 6,909
06/2010: Keeping Secrets of Earth 3 #2 - 5,178 (-25.1%)
                1 year (n.a.)
                2 year (-44.9%)
                3 year (-51.5%)

Comics based on Coheed and Cambria’s music. Cowritten by Peter David.

282. Cowboy Ninja Viking (Image)

10/2009: Cowboy Ninja Viking #1 - 8,380
11/2009: Cowboy Ninja Viking #2 - 6,394 (-23.7%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #3 - 6,062 (-5.2%)
02/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #4 - 5,651 (-6.8%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #5 - 3,928 (-30.5%)
05/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #6 - 5,100 (+29.8%)

Last month’s missing issues fail to chart, but sales overall are down.

288. Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark (Image)

06/2010:  Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark #1 - 4,932

One shot by the artists of Invincible and the Astounding Wolf-Man, so I thought it would have done a bit better. It did sell out and went to a second printing.

291. Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

06/2005: Usagi Yojimbo #85 - 6,432
06/2006: Usagi Yojimbo #94 - 4,308
06/2007: -
06/2008: -
06/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #121 - 5,171

=====
07/2009: -
08/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #122 - 5,077 (-1.8%)
09/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #123 - 5,051 (-0.5%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #124 - 4,992 (-1.2%)
12/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #125 – 4,980 (-0.2%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #126 - 4,909 (-1.4%)
03/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #127 - 4,893 (-0.3%)
04/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #128 - 4,855 (-0.8%)
05/2010: -
06/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #129 - 4,863 (+0.2%)
                6 month (-2.3%)
                1 year (-6.0%)
                2 year (n.a.)
                3 year (n.a.)
                4 year (+12.9%)
                5 year (-24.4%)

Fairly stable.

296. Dragon Age (IDW)

03/2010: Dragon Age #1 - 4,987
04/2010: -
05/2010: -
06/2010: Dragon Age #2 - 4,760 (-4.6%)

Video game spinoff produced by EA Comics.

300. Last Unicorn (IDW)

04/2010: Last Unicorn #1 - 5,366
05/2010: -
06/2010: Last Unicorn #2 - 4,528 (-15.6%)

Adaptation of the novel.

==========

Yeah, there's some formatting errors. I don't get them either.

Just a reminder, all numbers on this chart are estimates for comics sold by Diamond to the direct market. They include reorders that shipped in the same month. Books shipping in the first week of a month will have more time for reorders to appear than ones shipping in the last week of the month, when reorders will slip to the following month. These numbers don’t include sales through Diamond UK. They are low.

Matthew Murray really likes (vegetarian) cooking and zines and comics. Now if only he could somehow combine them.

DMZ, Northlanders and Scalped, though performing only marginally better than the doomed books on a monthly basis, are all several years into their runs. While there’s been attrition on the monthly level, it appears they all enjoy a fairly robust life in collections: though it’s over four years old, the first volume of DMZ appears to be outselling all of the newer trades from the canceled books, both in comic shops and on Amazon. One could argue this is an unfair fight, since these surviving books have had longer to find an audience, and if you gave them time, they would flourish. But none of the surviving books ever had sales as low as Air, Greek Street or Unknown Soldier, and there is little to no precedent for a book suddenly finding a new audience a year or more after it debuts.

Whatever the current state of affairs, we know you chart lovers will love this one!

DC Comics’ periodical business had one of its better months in May, thanks to a host of new launches that were received well by retailers. The new arrivals include the DC Universe titles Brightest Day, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, Justice League: Generation Lost and Birds of Prey, as well as Vertigo’s I, Zombie, among others. Average Vertigo sales continued to stabilize in May, thanks to a reinvigorated lineup, while DC’s WildStorm imprint, once again, depended on long-running creator-owned series Astro City and Ex Machina to remind people that it still exists, with average periodical sales of below 7,000.

See below for the details, and please consider the small print at the end of the column. Thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2.com for the permission to use their figures. An overview of ICv2.com’s estimates can be found here.

—–

3/6 - BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE
05/2010: Batman: TRoBW #1 of 6 -- 108,534
05/2010: Batman: TRoBW #2 of 6 --  93,606 (-13.8%)

Grant Morrison’s gimmicky cross-time quest miniseries is being ordered as the minor juggernaut you’d expect. On the one hand, Return of Bruce Wayne is part of the culmination of Morrison’s five-year plan for the franchise; on the other hand, the structure of the story — which is spread over three series and relies heavily on comics that came out years ago — seems as fractured and anticlimactic as that of “Batman R.I.P.” a couple of years back. Retailers have ordered accordingly: plentifully, but with caution.

Both issues came with 1:25 variant-cover editions, issue #1 also had a rarer 1:200 variant.

—–

5/7 - BRIGHTEST DAY
04/2010: Brightest Day #0  -- 129,446
05/2010: Brightest Day #1  -- 103,326 (-20.2%)
05/2010: Brightest Day #2  --  90,245 (-12.7%)

The 26-issue twice-monthly post-event series co-written by Geoff Johns kicked off for good in May. In addition to a 1:50 variant edition for issue #1 and a 1:25 one for #2, DC also offered retailers the option to buy one $ 8.00 bag of 50 Green Lantern plastic rings for every 25 copies ordered of Brightest Day #1.

Even considering the  promotions, these are great numbers, though. At this stage, it’s still possible that retailers are caught in the glow of post-Blackest Night euphoria, of course, but we’ll find out whether they were able to sell their stock soon enough.

—–

8 - GREEN LANTERN
05/2005: GL: Rebirth #6     -- 114,354
05/2005: Green Lantern #1   -- 168,353 [180,483]
05/2006: Green Lantern #11  --  78,926
05/2007: Green Lantern #19  --  62,439
05/2007: Green Lantern #20  --  60,556
05/2008: Green Lantern #31  --  65,874
--------------------------------------
05/2009: Green Lantern #41  --  81,491 (+ 6.3%)
06/2009: Green Lantern #42  --  84,131 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern #43  -- 109,426 (+30.1%) [117,314]
07/2009: Green Lantern #44  -- 105,063 (- 4.0%) [109,599]
08/2009: Green Lantern #45  -- 102,431 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Green Lantern #46  -- 103,666 (+ 1.2%)
10/2009: Green Lantern #47  -- 101,349 (- 2.2%)
11/2009: Green Lantern #48  -- 100,371 (- 1.0%)
12/2009: Green Lantern #49  --  97,285 (- 3.1%)
01/2010: Green Lantern #50  -- 106,444 (+ 9.4%)
02/2010: Green Lantern #51  --  95,509 (-10.3%)
03/2010: Green Lantern #52  --  97,369 (+ 2.0%)
04/2010: Green Lantern #53  -- 100,356 (+ 3.1%)
05/2010: Green Lantern #54  --  88,292 (-12.0%)
-----------------
6 months: - 12.0%
1 year  : +  8.4%
2 years : + 34.0%
5 years : - 37.5%

The May issue was a “Brightest Day” tie-in, as well as the first issue in over a year that wasn’t promoted by a variant edition. The numbers drop a bit, not surprisingly, but Green Lantern remains DC’s commercial flagship title.

—–

9 - BATMAN AND ROBIN
06/2009: Batman and Robin #1  -- 168,604          [184,826]
07/2009: Batman and Robin #2  -- 117,986 (-30.2%) [129,086]
08/2009: Batman and Robin #3  -- 110,594 (- 6.3%)
09/2009: Batman and Robin #4  -- 106,925 (- 3.3%)
10/2009: Batman and Robin #5  -- 101,607 (- 5.0%)
11/2009: Batman and Robin #6  --  95,690 (- 5.8%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: Batman and Robin #7  --  87,780 (- 8.3%)
02/2010: Batman and Robin #8  --  87,302 (- 0.6%)
02/2010: Batman and Robin #9  --  84,562 (- 3.1%)
03/2010: Batman and Robin #10 --  85,292 (+ 0.9%)
04/2010: Batman and Robin #11 --  84,006 (- 1.5%)
05/2010: Batman and Robin #12 --  84,843 (+ 1.0%)
-----------------
6 months: - 11.3%

Sales remain rock-solid around the 85K mark for the fourth issue in a row. There was a 1:25 variant, as usual.

—–

12 - THE FLASH
05/2005: Flash #222      --  47,528
05/2007: Flash: FMA #12  --  47,809
05/2008: Flash #240      --  31,944
-----------------------------------
05/2009: Rebirth #2 of 5 --  86,183 (- 15.9%)
06/2009: Rebirth #3 of 5 --  83,086 (-  3.6%)
07/2009: --
08/2009: Rebirth #4 of 5 --  78,107 (-  6.0%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: --
11/2009: Rebirth #5 of 6 --  73,875 (-  5.4%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: --
02/2010: Rebirth #6 of 6 --  70,824 (-  4.1%)
03/2010: --
04/2010: Flash #1        -- 100,903 (+ 42.5%)
05/2010: Flash #2        --  76,560 (- 24.1%)
-----------------
6 months: +  3.6%
1 year  : - 11.2%
2 years : +139.7%
5 years : + 61.1%

That’s an average drop at first glance, but let’s not forget that The Flash #1 came with 1:25 and 1:100 variants, as well as one of those plastic-ring promotions. The 1:10 variant-cover edition scheme for issue #2 is relatively tame in comparison, so this is actually an encouraging sign for the title.

—–

14 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS
05/2007: Green Lantern Corps #12 -- 33,267
05/2008: Green Lantern Corps #24 -- 46,948
------------------------------------------
05/2009: Green Lantern Corps #36 -- 61,591 (+ 4.8%)
06/2009: Green Lantern Corps #37 -- 63,574 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern Corps #38 -- 82,415 (+29.6%)
08/2009: Green Lantern Corps #39 -- 84,241 (+ 2.2%)
09/2009: Green Lantern Corps #40 -- 83,112 (- 1.3%)
10/2009: Green Lantern Corps #41 -- 81,377 (- 2.1%)
11/2009: Green Lantern Corps #42 -- 80,391 (- 1.2%)
12/2009: Green Lantern Corps #43 -- 77,774 (- 3.3%)
01/2010: Green Lantern Corps #44 -- 76,458 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Green Lantern Corps #45 -- 75,404 (- 1.4%)
03/2010: Green Lantern Corps #46 -- 76,720 (+ 1.8%)
04/2010: Green Lantern Corps #47 -- 72,163 (- 5.9%)
05/2010: Green Lantern Corps #48 -- 68,826 (- 4.6%)
----------------
6 months: -14.4%
1 year  : +11.8%
2 years : +46.6%

Like the mother title, Green Lantern Corps tied in with “Brightest Day” but wasn’t promoted with a variant edition in May, for the first time in ages, so this is a fairly smooth drop.

—–

17 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
05/2005: JLA #114           --  63,934
05/2007: Justice League #9  -- 129,285
05/2008: Justice League #21 --  90,035
--------------------------------------
05/2009: Justice League #33 --  63,867 (- 3.3%)
06/2009: Justice League #34 --  61,115 (- 4.3%)
07/2009: Justice League #35 --  58,915 (- 3.6%)
08/2009: Justice League #36 --  57,549 (- 2.3%)
09/2009: Justice League #37 --  55,478 (- 3.6%)
10/2009: Justice League #38 --  61,012 (+10.0%)
11/2009: Justice League #39 --  89,376 (+46.5%)
12/2009: Justice League #40 --  68,672 (-23.2%)
01/2010: Justice League #41 --  62,262 (- 9.3%)
02/2010: Justice League #42 --  57,522 (- 7.6%)
03/2010: Justice League #43 --  56,461 (- 1.9%)
04/2010: Justice League #44 --  62,342 (+10.4%)
05/2010: Justice League #45 --  62,465 (+ 0.2%)
----------------
6 months: -30.1%
1 year  : - 2.2%
2 years : -30.6%
5 years : - 2.3%

Contrary to what the advertising text in Previews says, Justice League #45 was also promoted by a variant edition, just like the previous issue. Still, the fact that it’s holding level for the second month of a crossover with Justice Society (or the prologue, technically) suggests that retailers were pleased with the initial reaction.

—–

18 - BATMAN
05/2005: Batman #640 --  66,640 [ 71,120]
05/2006: Batman #653 --  77,257 [ 78,435]
05/2007: Batman #665 --  80,122
05/2008: Batman #676 -- 105,039 [122,877]
-------------------------------
05/2009: BfC #3 of 3 --  89,170 (+ 0.1%)
06/2009: Batman #687 --  96,913 (+ 8.7%)
07/2009: Batman #688 --  83,040 (-14.3%)
08/2009: Batman #689 --  78,392 (- 5.6%)
09/2009: Batman #690 --  77,001 (- 1.8%)
10/2009: Batman #691 --  71,431 (- 7.2%)
10/2009: Batman #692 --  70,322 (- 1.6%)
11/2009: Batman #693 --  68,983 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Batman #694 --  65,908 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Batman #695 --  63,467 (- 3.7%)
02/2010: Batman #696 --  61,290 (- 3.4%)
03/2010: Batman #697 --  61,157 (- 0.2%)
04/2010: Batman #698 --  60,934 (- 0.4%)
05/2010: Batman #699 --  62,377 (+ 2.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 9.6%
1 year  : -30.1%
2 years : -40.6%
5 years : - 6.4%

Batman sales turn around in time for issue #700, which starts a three-part run by Grant Morrison.

—–

29/38 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST
05/2010: Generation Lost #1 of 13 -- 50,784
05/2010: Generation Lost #2 of 13 -- 44,711 (-12.0%)

The biweekly maxiseries by Judd Winick and Keith Giffen debuts with solid numbers, considering it stars a bunch of C-list characters. The “Brightest Day” tie-in and the 1:50 (issue #1) and 1:25 (#2) variants probably helped.

Notably, Justice League: Generation Lost is the first comic book by an American major publisher that’s offered digitally on the same day as the print version comes out — starting, somewhat improbably, with issue #4, no doubt because that makes sense in the strange and wonderful parallel universe that comics publishers, retailers, distributors and fans have created for themselves.

But I digress. It’ll be very interesting to watch if there’s any effect at all on the direct-market numbers.

—–

30 - BIRDS OF PREY
05/2005: Birds of Prey #82  -- 29,855
05/2006: Birds of Prey #94  -- 34,905
05/2007: Birds of Prey #106 -- 28,363
05/2008: Birds of Prey #118 -- 21,941
-------------------------------------
05/2010: Birds of Prey #1   -- 50,428 (+135.4%)
-----------------
2 years : +129.8%
5 years : + 68.9%

The new debut issue is by the same writer/artist team that took over the title with Birds of Prey #56 almost exactly seven years ago, but thanks to a relaunch, a “Brightest Day” tie-in, a 1:25 variant-cover edition and the higher profile of both writer Gail Simone and artist Ed Benes, sales almost double this time.

Ultimately, what matters is where the numbers will be half a year down the road, but this is a very promising start. Retailers have a lot of goodwill for this book by these creators, it appears.

—–

33/37/40/42 - SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN
05/2009: WoNK #3  of 12 -- 42,153 (- 6.1%)
06/2009: WoNK #4  of 12 -- 41,620 (- 1.3%)
07/2009: WoNK #5  of 12 -- 39,939 (- 4.0%)
08/2009: WoNK #6  of 12 -- 39,218 (- 1.8%)
09/2009: WoNK #7  of 12 -- 37,697 (- 3.9%)
10/2009: WoNK #8  of 12 -- 36,672 (- 2.7%)
11/2009: WoNK #9  of 12 -- 35,286 (- 3.8%)
12/2009: WoNK #10 of 12 -- 33,868 (- 4.0%)
01/2010: WoNK #11 of 12 -- 32,728 (- 3.4%)
02/2010: WoNK #12 of 12 -- 32,407 (- 1.0%)
03/2010: LSoNK #1 of 3  -- 38,202 (+17.9%)
04/2010: LSoNK #2 of 3  -- 35,886 (- 6.1%)
04/2010: LSoNK #3 of 3  -- 34,553 (- 3.7%)
05/2010: WotS #0        -- ?
05/2010: WotS #1 of 4   -- 48,357 (+40.0%)
05/2010: WotS #2 of 4   -- 44,828 (- 7.3%)
05/2010: WotS #3 of 4   -- 43,056 (- 4.0%)
06/2010: WotS #4 of 4   -- 42,436 (- 1.4%)
-----------------
6 months: + 26.6%
1 year  : +  6.0%

The weekly War of the Supermen miniseries sees a nice little increase.

Given the baffling “Free Comic Book Day” promotion, the 1:25 variants for all four issues and the fact that it’s the payoff for more than a year’s worth of Superman storylines across a whole bunch of titles, though, “a nice little increase” isn’t terribly impressive.

Again: Whoever selected this, of all things, as the book DC should be promoting on “Free Comic Book Day” needs to be tarred and feathered.

—–

39 - THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
05/2005: LoSH #6              -- 40,970
05/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #18 -- 45,520
05/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #30 -- 30,767
05/2008: LoSH #42             -- 27,940
---------------------------------------
05/2010: LoSH #1              -- 44,415 (+98.9%)
-----------------
2 years : + 59.0%
5 years : +  8.4%

Veteran comics writer and former DC head Paul Levitz and newcomer artist Yildiray Cinar turn in the fifth or sixth Legion of Super-Heroes relaunch of the last ten years, helped in relatively restrained fashion by a 1:10 variant.

For the sake of comparison, Mark Waid and Barry Kitson’s debut issue sold an estimated 50,691 copies back in December 2004, and Jim Shooter and Francis Manapul’s Legion #37 shifted an estimated 45,803 units three years later.

It doesn’t look like retailers expect a great change of temperature in the market, when it comes to this title.

—–

44 - DETECTIVE COMICS
05/2005: Detective Comics #806 --  38,838
05/2006: Detective Comics #819 --  65,800
05/2007: Detective Comics #832 --  51,727
05/2008: Detective Comics #844 --  48,394
-----------------------------------------
05/2009: --
06/2009: Detective Comics #854 --  72,808 (-30.1%) [79,573]
07/2009: Detective Comics #855 --  61,205 (-15.9%)
08/2009: Detective Comics #856 --  58,859 (- 3.8%)
09/2009: Detective Comics #857 --  57,063 (- 3.1%)
10/2009: Detective Comics #858 --  58,599 (+ 2.7%)
11/2009: Detective Comics #859 --  54,392 (- 7.2%)
12/2009: Detective Comics #860 --  52,295 (- 3.9%)
01/2010: Detective Comics #861 --  45,937 (-12.2%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Detective Comics #862 --  44,687 (- 2.7%)
03/2010: Detective Comics #863 --  43,119 (- 3.5%)
04/2010: Detective Comics #864 --  42,436 (- 1.6%)
05/2010: Detective Comics #865 --  41,501 (- 2.2%)
-----------------
6 months: - 23.7%
1 year  :   n.a.
2 years : - 14.2%
5 years : +  6.9%

Business as usual. Retailers were able to place orders for this issue before it was made known that writer Greg Rucka and artist J. H. Williams III had departed for good, so these numbers may not yet reflect that reality.

——

51 - RED ROBIN
05/2005: Robin #138    -- 29,935
05/2006: Robin #150    -- 41,417
05/2007: Robin #162    -- 26,801
05/2008: Robin #174    -- 26,209
--------------------------------
06/2009: Red Robin #1  -- 64,261 (+102.8%) [71,925]
07/2009: Red Robin #2  -- 51,593 (- 19.7%) [54,544]
08/2009: Red Robin #3  -- 50,329 (-  2.5%)
09/2009: Red Robin #4  -- 47,945 (-  4.7%)
10/2009: Red Robin #5  -- 44,776 (-  6.6%)
11/2009: Red Robin #6  -- 42,409 (-  5.3%)
12/2009: Red Robin #7  -- 39,528 (-  6.8%)
01/2010: Red Robin #8  -- 37,869 (-  4.2%)
02/2010: Red Robin #9  -- 36,466 (-  3.7%)
03/2010: Red Robin #10 -- 36,708 (+  0.7%)
04/2010: Red Robin #11 -- 36,205 (-  1.4%)
05/2010: Red Robin #12 -- 36,273 (+  0.2%)
-----------------
6 months: - 14.5%
1 year  : - 43.6%
2 years : + 38.4%
5 years : + 21.2%

Writer Christopher Yost completes his story with rock-solid numbers. Red Robin sales are still about 10,000 units ahead of its predecessor Robin.

—–

54 - ADVENTURE COMICS
08/2009: Adventure Comics #1  -- 56,706 (+72.6%)
09/2009: Adventure Comics #2  -- 47,296 (-15.9%)
10/2009: Adventure Comics #3  -- 44,431 (- 6.1%)
11/2009: Adventure Comics #4  -- 85,145 (+91.6%)
12/2009: Adventure Comics #5  -- 59,876 (-29.7%)
01/2010: Adventure Comics #6  -- 42,514 (-29.0%)
02/2010: Adventure Comics #7  -- 53,721 (+26.4%)
03/2010: Adventure Comics #8  -- 39,351 (-26.8%)
03/2010: Adventure Comics #9  -- 37,515 (- 4.7%)
04/2010: Adventure Comics #10 -- 37,573 (+ 0.2%)
05/2010: Adventure Comics #11 -- 34,794 (- 7.4%)
-----------------
6 months: - 59.1%

The May issue is a fill-in, more or less, before new writer Paul Levitz takes over with #12. It doesn’t seem to have mattered to the numbers either way. There was a 1:10 variant.

—–

55 - DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES
05/2010: DCU Legacies #1  of 10 -- 34,429

The premise: Writer Len Wein and a bunch of high-ticket artists including Joe Kubert retell the revised history of the DC Universe in period stories, starting with one set in World War II starring Dr. Fate and the Spectre.

Sales are about as good as can be expected for this type of thing, I’d say. There was a 1:25 variant edition.

—–

56 - ZATANNA
05/2010: Zatanna #1 -- 33,691

Paul Dini finally gets his Zatanna series off the ground, a project that’s been mentioned for ages. Considering there’s no big-event tie-in and the solicitation copy describes the villain as “a crime boss who dominates the criminal underworld with the dark powers of the magical underworld,” every copy sold is an achievement. An estimated 33,691 of them mean that retailers are being very generous and hopeful about Zatanna in an already crowded market.

There was a 1:10 variant edition.

—–

60 - I, ZOMBIE
05/2010: I, Zombie #1  -- 33,025

Vertigo’s latest promotional $ 1.00 debut issue gets I, Zombie (“iZombie“?) a fantastic start. The Mike Allred art probably helped to convince retailers, but it’s still rather surprising that the book blows the previous $ 1.00 debuts Joe the Barbarian #1 (25,543 copies) and The Unwritten #1 (26,915) out of the water commercially.

Are zombies still that much of a draw in 2010?

—–

61 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN
05/2005: --
05/2006: Superman/Batman #25 -- 103,702 [110,845]
05/2006: Superman/Batman #26 -- 118,821 [130,077]
05/2007: Superman/Batman #35 --  68,160
05/2008: Superman/Batman #48 --  52,845
---------------------------------------
05/2009: Superman/Batman #60 --  39,531 (- 1.6%)
06/2009: Superman/Batman #61 --  38,228 (- 3.3%)
07/2009: Superman/Batman #62 --  38,412 (+ 0.5%)
08/2009: Superman/Batman #63 --  37,467 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Superman/Batman #64 --  36,332 (- 3.0%)
10/2009: Superman/Batman #65 --  34,585 (- 4.8%)
11/2009: Superman/Batman #66 --  52,143 (+50.8%)
12/2009: Superman/Batman #67 --  49,650 (- 4.8%)
01/2010: Superman/Batman #68 --  33,869 (-31.8%)
02/2010: Superman/Batman #69 --  33,224 (- 1.9%)
03/2010: Superman/Batman #70 --  32,196 (- 3.1%)
04/2010: Superman/Batman #71 --  31,714 (- 1.5%)
05/2010: Superman/Batman #72 --  32,047 (+ 1.1%)
----------------
6 months: -38.5%
1 year  : -18.9%
2 years : -39.4%
5 years :  n.a.

A new storyline by Paul Levitz and Jerry Ordway brings a minuscule increase.

—–

62 - TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL
05/2008: Titans #2      -- 57,358
---------------------------------
05/2009: Titans #13     -- 34,343 (- 4.6%)
06/2009: Titans #14     -- 32,321 (- 5.9%)
07/2009: Titans #15     -- 46,189 (+42.9%)
08/2009: Titans #16     -- 31,408 (-32.0%)
09/2009: Titans #17     -- 30,154 (- 4.0%)
10/2009: Titans #18     -- 28,215 (- 6.4%)
11/2009: Titans #19     -- 27,099 (- 4.0%)
12/2009: Titans #20     -- 25,887 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Titans #21     -- 24,924 (- 3.7%)
02/2010: Titans #22     -- 24,489 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: Titans #23     -- 24,260 (- 0.9%)
04/2010: --
05/2010: VfH Special #1 -- 31,718 (+30.7%)
----------------
6 months: +17.1%
1 year  : - 7.6%
2 years : -44.7%

Titans returns with a regular creative team, a new direction, a one-shot special to kick things off and a 1:25 variant. It’s accompanied by some very mild enthusiasm from retailers, judging from these sales.

—–

64 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL
03/2010: JL: RoA #1 of 4 -- 36,020
04/2010: JL: RoA #2 of 4 -- 32,000 (-11.2%)
05/2010: JL: RoA #3 of 4 -- 31,246 (- 2.4%)

This one’s bottoming out quickly, boding perhaps well for the new Green Arrow book it serves as a lead-in to.

—–

65 - FIRST WAVE
11/2009: B/DS Special #1    -- 32,636
-------------------------------------
03/2010: First Wave #1 of 6 -- 38,365
04/2010: --
05/2010: First Wave #2 of 6 -- 30,705 (-20.0%)

This, on the other hand, is a pretty stiff drop for a miniseries. As with issue #1, there was a 1:10 variant-cover edition.

—–

71 - BATGIRL
05/2005: Batgirl #64     -- 28,049
----------------------------------
08/2009: Batgirl #1      -- 51,724 (+149.3%)
09/2009: Batgirl #2      -- 40,626 (- 21.5%)
10/2009: Batgirl #3      -- 37,011 (-  8.9%)
11/2009: Batgirl #4      -- 34,697 (-  6.3%)
12/2009: Batgirl #5      -- 32,482 (-  6.4%)
01/2010: Batgirl #6      -- 30,403 (-  6.4%)
02/2010: Batgirl #7      -- 29,524 (-  2.9%)
03/2010: Batgirl #8      -- 30,886 (+  4.6%)
04/2010: Batgirl #9      -- 29,445 (-  4.7%)
05/2010: Batgirl #10     -- 28,641 (-  2.7%)
----------------
6 months: -17.5%
5 years : + 2.1%

Slipping down the charts, slowly but surely.

—–

77 - AMERICAN VAMPIRE (Vertigo)
03/2010: American Vampire #1  -- 33,762          [36,831]
04/2010: American Vampire #2  -- 26,770 (-20.7%)
05/2010: American Vampire #3  -- 26,510 (- 1.0%)

The numbers are bottoming out quickly, and issue #1 sold an additional 3,069 copies in May — good signs, certainly. The litmus test comes with issue #6 and on, when co-writer Stephen King is gone. There was a 1:25 variant, as usual.

—–

80 - GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
06/2009: GC Sirens #1       -- 52,439
07/2009: GC Sirens #2       -- 39,518 (-24.6%)
08/2009: GC Sirens #3       -- 36,772 (- 7.0%)
09/2009: GC Sirens #4       -- 34,405 (- 6.4%)
10/2009: GC Sirens #5       -- 33,015 (- 4.0%)
11/2009: GC Sirens #6       -- 30,990 (- 6.1%)
12/2009: GC Sirens #7       -- 29,709 (- 4.1%)
01/2010: GC Sirens #8       -- 28,254 (- 4.9%)
02/2010: GC Sirens #9       -- 27,172 (- 3.8%)
03/2010: GC Sirens #10      -- 26,550 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: GC Sirens #11      -- 26,359 (- 0.7%)
05/2010: GC Sirens #12      -- 26,029 (- 1.3%)
-----------------
6 months: - 16.0%

81 - BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM
06/2009: Batman: SoG #1  -- 57,650
07/2009: Batman: SoG #2  -- 44,240 (-23.3%)
08/2009: Batman: SoG #3  -- 40,353 (- 8.8%)
09/2009: Batman: SoG #4  -- 37,888 (- 6.1%)
10/2009: Batman: SoG #5  -- 34,533 (- 8.9%)
11/2009: Batman: SoG #6  -- 32,303 (- 6.5%)
12/2009: Batman: SoG #7  -- 30,290 (- 6.2%)
01/2010: Batman: SoG #8  -- 28,313 (- 6.5%)
02/2010: Batman: SoG #9  -- 27,023 (- 4.6%)
03/2010: Batman: SoG #10 -- 26,396 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: Batman: SoG #11 -- 25,925 (- 1.8%)
05/2010: Batman: SoG #12 -- 25,446 (- 1.9%)
----------------
6 months: -21.2%

Standard attrition for the two Paul Dini vehicles.

—–

82 - WONDER WOMAN
05/2005: Wonder Woman #216 --  31,601
05/2007: Wonder Woman #9   --  58,561
05/2008: Wonder Woman #20  --  38,116
-------------------------------------
05/2009: Wonder Woman #32  --  33,065 (+ 3.8%)
06/2009: Wonder Woman #33  --  32,755 (- 0.9%)
07/2009: Wonder Woman #34  --  30,131 (- 8.0%)
08/2009: Wonder Woman #35  --  29,657 (- 1.6%)
09/2009: Wonder Woman #36  --  28,806 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: Wonder Woman #37  --  26,972 (- 6.4%)
11/2009: Wonder Woman #38  --  26,265 (- 2.6%)
12/2009: Wonder Woman #39  --  26,152 (- 0.4%)
01/2010: Wonder Woman #40  --  25,156 (- 3.8%)
02/2010: Wonder Woman #41  --  25,354 (+ 0.8%)
03/2010: Wonder Woman #42  --  25,240 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: Wonder Woman #43  --  25,369 (+ 0.5%)
05/2010: Wonder Woman #44  --  25,443 (+ 0.3%)
----------------
6 months: - 3.1%
1 year  : -23.1%
2 years : -33.3%
5 years : -19.5%

Retailers are holding their breath for new J. Michael Straczynski, for the fourth month in a row.

—–

83 - JSA ALL-STARS
12/2009: JSA All-Stars #1  -- 42,493
01/2010: JSA All-Stars #2  -- 32,601 (-23.3%)
02/2010: JSA All-Stars #3  -- 29,666 (- 9.0%)
03/2010: JSA All-Stars #4  -- 28,526 (- 3.8%)
04/2010: JSA All-Stars #5  -- 26,581 (- 6.8%)
05/2010: JSA All-Stars #6  -- 25,306 (- 4.8%)

Every new 5% drop makes it more questionable whether anybody was really looking for a Justice Society spin-off.

—–

85 - TEEN TITANS
05/2005: Teen Titans #24 -- 69,046
05/2006: Teen Titans #35 -- 72,954
05/2006: Teen Titans #36 -- 71,486
05/2007: Teen Titans #46 -- 61,478
05/2007: Teen Titans #47 -- 63,673
05/2008: Teen Titans #59 -- 46,306
----------------------------------
05/2009: Teen Titans #71 -- 34,110 (- 3.7%)
06/2009: Teen Titans #72 -- 32,512 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: Teen Titans #73 -- 30,990 (- 4.7%)
08/2009: Teen Titans #74 -- 30,380 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: Teen Titans #75 -- 32,808 (+ 8.0%)
10/2009: Teen Titans #76 -- 29,166 (-11.1%)
11/2009: Teen Titans #77 -- 46,239 (+58.5%)
12/2009: Teen Titans #78 -- 43,400 (- 6.1%)
01/2010: Teen Titans #79 -- 27,790 (-36.0%)
02/2010: Teen Titans #80 -- 26,537 (- 4.5%)
03/2010: Teen Titans #81 -- 25,758 (- 2.9%)
04/2010: Teen Titans #82 -- 25,303 (- 1.8%)
05/2010: Teen Titans #83 -- 24,960 (- 1.4%)
----------------
6 months: -46.0%
1 year  : -26.8%
2 years : -46.1%
5 years : -63.9%

90 - SECRET SIX
05/2006: Secret Six #1 of 6 -- 54,961 [57,425]
-------------------------------------
05/2009: Secret Six #9      -- 27,116 (+11.4%)
06/2009: Secret Six #10     -- 24,272 (-10.5%)
07/2009: Secret Six #11     -- 24,357 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Secret Six #12     -- 24,161 (- 0.8%)
09/2009: Secret Six #13     -- 23,919 (- 1.0%)
10/2009: Secret Six #14     -- 23,345 (- 2.4%)
11/2009: Secret Six #15     -- 23,190 (- 0.7%)
12/2009: Secret Six #16     -- 22,638 (- 2.4%)
01/2010: Secret Six #17     -- 38,515 (+70.1%)
02/2010: Secret Six #18     -- 37,876 (- 1.7%)
03/2010: Secret Six #19     -- 23,181 (-38.8%)
04/2010: Secret Six #20     -- 22,695 (- 2.1%)
05/2010: Secret Six #21     -- 22,334 (- 1.6%)
----------------
6 months: - 3.7%
1 year  : -17.6%

Standard attrition for Teen Titans and Secret Six.

The former launches a backup strip drawn by Ted Naifeh, which doesn’t seem to have affected sales.

—–

94 - THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
05/2007: --
05/2008: The Brave and the Bold #13 -- 35,814
---------------------------------------------
05/2009: The Brave and the Bold #23 -- 22,312 (- 5.1%)
06/2009: The Brave and the Bold #24 -- 21,272 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: The Brave and the Bold #25 -- 21,234 (- 0.2%)
08/2009: The Brave and the Bold #26 -- 20,154 (- 5.1%)
09/2009: The Brave and the Bold #27 -- 26,904 (+33.5%)
10/2009: The Brave and the Bold #28 -- 23,176 (-13.9%)
11/2009: The Brave and the Bold #29 -- 21,287 (- 8.2%)
12/2009: The Brave and the Bold #30 -- 20,932 (- 1.7%)
01/2010: The Brave and the Bold #31 -- 21,406 (+ 2.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: The Brave and the Bold #32 -- 20,466 (- 4.4%)
04/2010: The Brave and the Bold #33 -- 21,528 (+ 5.2%)
05/2010: The Brave and the Bold #34 -- 21,758 (+ 1.1%)
----------------
6 months: + 2.2%
1 year  : - 2.5%
2 years : -39.3%

The book continues a small climb.

—–

96 - POWER GIRL
05/2009: Power Girl #1  -- 47,322
06/2009: Power Girl #2  -- 36,756 (-22.3%)
07/2009: Power Girl #3  -- 35,163 (- 4.3%)
08/2009: Power Girl #4  -- 32,140 (- 8.6%)
09/2009: Power Girl #5  -- 29,497 (- 8.2%)
10/2009: Power Girl #6  -- 27,060 (- 8.3%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Power Girl #7  -- 22,533 (-16.7%)
01/2010: Power Girl #8  -- 21,760 (- 3.4%)
02/2010: Power Girl #9  -- 20,900 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: Power Girl #10 -- 20,801 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: Power Girl #11 -- 20,675 (- 0.6%)
05/2010: Power Girl #12 -- 20,681 (+ 0.0%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.

The initial creative team end their run with decent, stable numbers. Given how closely Power Girl is identified with them and that sales are far from spectacular, I’m not sure it makes a lot of sense to keep the book going.

—–

100 - BOOSTER GOLD
05/2008: Booster Gold #9  -- 35,030
-----------------------------------
05/2009: Booster Gold #20 -- 22,549 (-  2.8%)
06/2009: Booster Gold #21 -- 23,222 (+  3.0%)
07/2009: Booster Gold #22 -- 22,414 (-  3.5%)
08/2009: Booster Gold #23 -- 22,108 (-  1.4%)
09/2009: Booster Gold #24 -- 21,731 (-  1.7%)
10/2009: Booster Gold #25 -- 21,597 (-  0.6%)
11/2009: Booster Gold #26 -- 57,122 (+164.5%)
12/2009: Booster Gold #27 -- 40,256 (- 29.5%)
01/2010: Booster Gold #28 -- 21,967 (- 45.4%)
02/2010: Booster Gold #29 -- 21,020 (-  4.3%)
03/2010: Booster Gold #30 -- 20,187 (-  4.0%)
04/2010: Booster Gold #31 -- 19,818 (-  1.8%)
05/2010: Booster Gold #32 -- 20,343 (+  2.7%)
----------------
6 months: -64.4%
1 year  : - 9.8%
2 years : -41.9%

In the case of Booster Gold, which saw the arrival of a new creative team in May, the extension made more sense, because the new writers have a long history with the character. As you can see, though, retailers were only slightly convinced it makes much of a difference.

—–

104 - FABLES (Vertigo)
05/2005: Fables #37 -- 24,477
05/2006: Fables #49 -- 24,444
05/2007: Fables #61 -- 26,056
05/2008: Fables #73 -- 23,785
-----------------------------
05/2009: Fables #84 -- 23,634 (+0.0%)
06/2009: Fables #85 -- 23,439 (-0.8%)
07/2009: Fables #86 -- 22,447 (-4.2%)
08/2009: Fables #87 -- 21,876 (-2.5%)
09/2009: Fables #88 -- 21,508 (-1.7%)
10/2009: Fables #89 -- 21,118 (-1.8%)
11/2009: Fables #90 -- 20,882 (-1.1%)
12/2009: Fables #91 -- 20,450 (-2.1%)
01/2010: Fables #92 -- 20,180 (-1.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Fables #93 -- 20,003 (-0.9%)
04/2010: Fables #94 -- 19,965 (-0.2%)
05/2010: Fables #95 -- 19,932 (-0.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.6%
1 year  : -15.7%
2 years : -16.2%
5 years : -18.6%

Fables sticks to its 20K orbit.

—–

107 - DOC SAVAGE
04/2010: Doc Savage #1   -- 24,539
05/2010: Doc Savage #2   -- 19,073 (-22.3%)

An average second-issue drop for a miniseries. Both issues have 1:10 variants.

—–

114 - JOE THE BARBARIAN (Vertigo)
01/2010: Joe the Barbarian #1 of 8 -- 25,543          [29,712]
02/2010: Joe the Barbarian #2 of 8 -- 17,512 (-31.4%)
03/2010: Joe the Barbarian #3 of 8 -- 17,672 (+ 0.9%)
04/2010: Joe the Barbarian #4 of 8 -- 17,102 (- 3.2%)
05/2010: Joe the Barbarian #5 of 8 -- 16,725 (- 2.2%)

Rock-solid sales.

—–

120 - BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL
05/2007: --
05/2008: Batman Confidential #17 -- 25,017
------------------------------------------
05/2009: Batman Confidential #29 -- 18,867 (- 3.4%)
06/2009: Batman Confidential #30 -- 18,443 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Batman Confidential #31 -- 19,225 (+ 4.2%)
08/2009: Batman Confidential #32 -- 18,545 (- 3.5%)
09/2009: Batman Confidential #33 -- 18,140 (- 2.2%)
10/2009: Batman Confidential #34 -- 17,097 (- 5.8%)
10/2009: Batman Confidential #35 -- 16,724 (- 2.2%)
11/2009: Batman Confidential #36 -- 16,664 (- 0.4%)
11/2009: Batman Confidential #37 -- 16,355 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Batman Confidential #38 -- 16,132 (- 1.4%)
12/2009: Batman Confidential #39 -- 15,906 (- 1.4%)
01/2010: Batman Confidential #40 -- 17,241 (+ 8.4%)
02/2010: Batman Confidential #41 -- 16,856 (- 2.2%)
03/2010: Batman Confidential #42 -- 16,652 (- 1.2%)
04/2010: Batman Confidential #43 -- 16,449 (- 1.2%)
05/2010: Batman Confidential #44 -- 15,279 (- 7.1%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.5%
1 year  : -19.0%
2 years : -38.9%

Writer/artist Sam Kieth moved on in April, and so did the increase he brought to Batman Confidential. The new arc is a sequel to last year’s Batman and Superman vs. Vampires and Werewolves miniseries, evidently, with the same creative team now pitching Batman against zombies. (For real, this paragraph.)

That mini had estimated sales between 28,000 and 17,000, so it doesn’t look like anybody was particularly screaming for a follow-up.

—–

126 - THE SPIRIT
05/2007: The Spirit #6  -- 23,708
05/2008: The Spirit #17 -- 14,057
---------------------------------
05/2009: The Spirit #28 --  8,329 (-  5.2%)
06/2009: The Spirit #29 --  8,273 (-  0.7%)
06/2009: The Spirit #30 --  8,103 (-  2.1%)
07/2009: The Spirit #31 --  7,882 (-  2.7%)
08/2009: The Spirit #32 --  7,670 (-  2.7%)
---------------------------------
04/2010: The Spirit #1  -- 19,849 (+158.8%)
05/2010: The Spirit #2  -- 14,274 (- 28.1%)
-----------------
1 year  : + 71.4%
2 years : +  1.5%

This drop is on the steep side.

Then again, there was no variant edition for the second issue here, and The Spirit remains surprisingly far ahead of its previous incarnation, so let’s wait and see.

—–

130 - THE UNWRITTEN (Vertigo)
05/2009: The Unwritten #1  -- 26,915          [31,081]
06/2009: The Unwritten #2  -- 16,290 (-39.5%)
07/2009: The Unwritten #3  -- 17,028 (+ 4.5%)
08/2009: The Unwritten #4  -- 16,336 (- 4.1%)
09/2009: The Unwritten #5  -- 16,011 (- 2.0%)
10/2009: The Unwritten #6  -- 15,314 (- 4.4%)
11/2009: The Unwritten #7  -- 14,763 (- 3.6%)
12/2009: The Unwritten #8  -- 14,257 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: The Unwritten #9  -- 13,792 (- 3.3%)
02/2010: The Unwritten #10 -- 13,644 (- 1.1%)
03/2010: The Unwritten #11 -- 13,630 (- 0.1%)
04/2010: The Unwritten #12 -- 13,507 (- 0.9%)
05/2010: The Unwritten #13 -- 13,467 (- 0.3%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.8%
1 year  : -50.0%

A year down the road from its promotional $ 1.00 debut issue, The Unwritten continues its rock-solid performance. The last five months’ worth of issues have all sold within 350 copies of each other.

—–

133 - ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE (WildStorm)
06/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #1 of 4 -- 32,690
07/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #2 of 4 -- 29,721
08/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #3 of 4 -- 28,152
10/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #4 of 4 -- 27,367
-----------------------------------------------
11/2006: The Dark Age/Book 2 #1 of 4 -- 26,993
02/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #2 of 4 -- 23,412
04/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #3 of 4 -- 22,727
09/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #4 of 4 -- 19,764
-----------------------------------------------
05/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #1 of 4 -- 18,281 (- 7.5%)
06/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #2 of 4 -- 16,405 (-10.3%)
07/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #3 of 4 -- 15,291 (- 6.8%)
08/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #4 of 4 -- 14,684 (- 4.0%)
09/2009: Astra Special #1 of 2       -- 14,627 (- 0.4%)
10/2009: Astra Special #2 of 2       -- 13,847 (- 5.3%)
----------------------------------------------
01/2010: The Dark Age/Book 4 #1 of 4 -- 13,664 (- 1.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: The Dark Age/Book 4 #2 of 4 -- 13,118 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: The Dark Age/Book 4 #3 of 4 -- 12,630 (- 3.7%)
04/2010: --
05/2010: The Dark Age/Book 4 #4 of 4 -- 12,900 (+ 2.1%)
----------------
1 year  : -29.4%

Despite the higher cover price of $ 4.99, the Astro City: The Dark Age finale saw a tiny little sales increase.

It’s hard to tell, given the overall market situation, the brutal decline of the WildStorm brand over the last few years, the price increase from $ 2.99 to $ 3.99 halfway through and the delays between the individual chapters, but it looks like the 16-part The Dark Age — which took the creators five years to produce — may have driven away quite a few readers from Astro City.

The return to shorter stories doesn’t look like the worst idea, all things considered, although it’s still going to be an uphill climb — see the numbers for last year’s unrelated Astra Special miniseries.

Astro City is still WildStorm’s top-selling series, of course, particularly when the final issue of Ex Machina is out.

——

140 - DOOM PATROL
05/2005: Doom Patrol #12 -- 15,747
----------------------------------
08/2009: Doom Patrol #1  -- 28,267
09/2009: Doom Patrol #2  -- 22,001 (- 22.2%)
10/2009: Doom Patrol #3  -- 20,036 (-  8.9%)
11/2009: Doom Patrol #4  -- 53,748 (+168.3%)
12/2009: Doom Patrol #5  -- 35,348 (- 34.2%)
01/2010: Doom Patrol #6  -- 17,117 (- 51.6%)
02/2010: Doom Patrol #7  -- 15,689 (-  8.3%)
03/2010: Doom Patrol #8  -- 14,197 (-  9.5%)
04/2010: Doom Patrol #9  -- 13,126 (-  7.5%)
05/2010: Doom Patrol #10 -- 12,334 (-  6.0%)
----------------
6 months: -77.1%
5 years : -21.7%

The numbers remain in free-fall.

—–

141 - EX MACHINA (WildStorm)
05/2005: Ex Machina #11 -- 21,885
05/2006: Ex Machina #20 -- 20,589
05/2007: Ex Machina #28 -- 18,164
05/2008: --
---------------------------------
05/2009: Ex Machina #42 -- 13,403 (- 0.9%)
06/2009: Ex Machina #43 -- 13,204 (- 1.5%)
07/2009: --
08/2009: Ex Machina #44 -- 12,796 (- 3.1%)
09/2009: Ex Machina #45 -- 12,832 (+ 0.3%)
10/2009: Ex Machina #46 -- 12,538 (- 2.3%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Ex Machina #47 -- 12,192 (- 2.8%)
01/2010: --
02/2010: --
03/2010: Ex Machina #48 -- 12,093 (- 0.8%)
04/2010: --
05/2010: Ex Machina #49 -- 11,994 (- 0.8%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : -10.5%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -45.2%

One issue to go. My magical crystal ball says it will be a while before there’s another creator-owned WildStorm series that concludes its run above 10K.

—–

146 - JONAH HEX
05/2006: Jonah Hex #7  -- 21,910
05/2007: Jonah Hex #19 -- 16,473
05/2008: Jonah Hex #31 -- 13,140
--------------------------------
05/2009: Jonah Hex #43 -- 11,606 (+ 0.5%)
06/2009: Jonah Hex #44 -- 11,592 (- 0.1%)
07/2009: Jonah Hex #45 -- 12,588 (+ 8.6%)
08/2009: Jonah Hex #46 -- 12,466 (- 1.0%)
09/2009: Jonah Hex #47 -- 12,231 (- 1.9%)
10/2009: Jonah Hex #48 -- 11,281 (- 7.8%)
11/2009: Jonah Hex #49 -- 11,146 (- 1.2%)
12/2009: Jonah Hex #50 -- 15,131 (+35.8%)
01/2010: Jonah Hex #51 -- 11,184 (-26.1%)
02/2010: Jonah Hex #52 -- 11,213 (+ 0.3%)
03/2010: Jonah Hex #53 -- 11,565 (+ 3.1%)
04/2010: Jonah Hex #54 -- 11,306 (- 2.2%)
05/2010: Jonah Hex #55 -- 11,327 (+ 0.2%)
----------------
6 months: + 1.6%
1 year  : - 2.4%
2 years : -13.8%

147 - R.E.B.E.L.S.
05/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #4  -- 13,468 (-  6.7%)
06/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #5  -- 12,909 (-  4.2%)
07/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #6  -- 12,349 (-  4.3%)
08/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #7  -- 11,682 (-  5.4%)
09/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #8  -- 11,347 (-  2.9%)
10/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #9  -- 11,284 (-  0.6%)
11/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #10 -- 51,100 (+352.9%)
12/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #11 -- 31,489 (- 38.4%)
01/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #12 -- 12,428 (- 60.5%)
02/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #13 -- 11,836 (-  4.8%)
03/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #14 -- 11,362 (-  4.0%)
04/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #15 -- 11,271 (-  0.8%)
05/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #16 -- 11,120 (-  1.3%)
-----------------
6 months: - 78.2%
1 year  : - 17.4%

Two low-selling yet stable DC Universe titles.

—–

154 - AZRAEL
05/2009: Death's Dark Knight #3 of 3 -- 35,916 (- 1.4%)
06/2009: --
07/2009: --
08/2009: --
09/2009: --
10/2009: Azrael #1                   -- 35,311 (- 1.7%)
11/2009: Azrael #2                   -- 21,392 (-39.4%)
12/2009: Azrael #3                   -- 17,757 (-17.0%)
01/2010: Azrael #4                   -- 14,703 (-17.2%)
02/2010: Azrael #5                   -- 12,856 (-12.6%)
03/2010: Azrael #6                   -- 11,825 (- 8.0%)
04/2010: Azrael #7                   -- 11,080 (- 6.3%)
05/2010: Azrael #8                   -- 10,228 (- 7.7%)
----------------
6 months: -52.2%
1 year  : -71.5%

A low-selling and not stable DC Universe title. This one’s about to be axed, surely.

—–

155 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
05/2005: Hellblazer #208 -- 15,420
05/2006: Hellblazer #220 -- 14,161
05/2007: Hellblazer #232 -- 13,164
05/2008: Hellblazer #244 -- 11,826
----------------------------------
05/2009: Hellblazer #255 -- 10,937 (-1.1%)
06/2009: Hellblazer #256 -- 10,898 (-0.4%)
07/2009: Hellblazer #257 -- 10,762 (-1.3%)
08/2009: Hellblazer #258 -- 10,665 (-0.9%)
09/2009: Hellblazer #259 -- 10,813 (+1.4%)
10/2009: Hellblazer #260 -- 10,767 (-0.4%)
11/2009: Hellblazer #261 -- 10,553 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Hellblazer #262 -- 10,334 (-2.1%)
01/2010: Hellblazer #263 -- 10,179 (-1.5%)
02/2010: Hellblazer #264 -- 10,025 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Hellblazer #265 -- 10,295 (+2.7%)
04/2010: Hellblazer #266 -- 10,256 (-0.4%)
05/2010: Hellblazer #267 -- 10,155 (-1.0%)
----------------
6 months: - 3.8%
1 year  : - 7.2%
2 years : -14.1%
5 years : -34.1%

159 - SWEET TOOTH (Vertigo)
09/2009: Sweet Tooth #1  -- 18,657
10/2009: Sweet Tooth #2  -- 11,315 (-39.4%)
11/2009: Sweet Tooth #3  -- 10,363 (- 8.4%)
12/2009: Sweet Tooth #4  --  9,817 (- 5.3%)
01/2010: Sweet Tooth #5  --  9,787 (- 0.3%)
02/2010: Sweet Tooth #6  --  9,740 (- 0.5%)
03/2010: Sweet Tooth #7  --  9,718 (- 0.2%)
04/2010: Sweet Tooth #8  --  9,612 (- 1.1%)
05/2010: Sweet Tooth #9  --  9,654 (+ 0.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.8%

160 - DAYTRIPPER (Vertigo)
12/2009: Daytripper #1  of 10 -- 12,010
01/2009: Daytripper #2  of 10 --  9,846 (-18.0%)
02/2009: Daytripper #3  of 10 --  9,577 (- 2.7%)
03/2009: Daytripper #4  of 10 --  9,872 (+ 3.1%)
04/2009: Daytripper #5  of 10 --  9,703 (- 1.7%)
05/2009: Daytripper #6  of 10 --  9,574 (- 1.3%)

A bunch of Vertigo books with rock-solid figures.

—–

161 - GOD OF WAR (WildStorm)
03/2010: God of War #1 of 6 -- 9,842
04/2010: --
05/2010: God of War #2 of 6 -- 9,501 (-3.5%)

Not a bad second-issue drop.

—–

165 - HOUSE OF MYSTERY (Vertigo)
05/2008: House of Mystery #1  -- 27,492
---------------------------------------
05/2009: House of Mystery #13 -- 14,358 (+13.6%)
06/2009: House of Mystery #14 -- 12,039 (-16.2%)
07/2009: House of Mystery #15 -- 11,809 (- 1.9%)
08/2009: House of Mystery #16 -- 11,572 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: House of Mystery #17 -- 11,142 (- 3.7%)
10/2009: House of Mystery #18 -- 10,922 (- 2.0%)
11/2009: House of Mystery #19 -- 10,478 (- 4.1%)
12/2009: House of Mystery #20 -- 10,175 (- 2.9%)
01/2010: House of Mystery #21 --  9,888 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: House of Mystery #22 --  9,401 (- 4.9%)
03/2010: House of Mystery #23 --  9,350 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: House of Mystery #24 --  9,168 (- 2.0%)
05/2010: House of Mystery #25 --  9,253 (+ 0.9%)
----------------
6 months: -11.7%
1 year  : -35.6%

The marginal increase is presumably thanks to the contributions by Bill Willingham and Paul Levitz.

—–

171/196/212/230 - WHAT'S NEXT REPRINT SPECIALS
05/2010: Jonah Hex #1       -- 8,463
05/2010: Hellblazer #1      -- 7,089
05/2010: Scalped #1         -- 6,438
05/2010: Action Comics #858 -- 6,438
05/2010: The Authority #1   -- 5,792

More $ 1.00 reprints. Retailers seem to be seizing the opportunity to stock up on cheap, introductory Jonah Hex comics, just in case the film doesn’t suck.

Also, there seems to be a lot of faith in Scalped and Hellblazer.

—–

178 - MADAME XANADU (Vertigo)
05/2009: Madame Xanadu #11 -- 10,179 (+ 5.3%)
06/2009: Madame Xanadu #12 --  9,949 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Madame Xanadu #13 -- 10,009 (+ 0.6%)
08/2009: Madame Xanadu #14 --  9,873 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Madame Xanadu #15 --  9,733 (- 1.4%)
10/2009: Madame Xanadu #16 --  9,283 (- 4.6%)
11/2009: Madame Xanadu #17 --  8,856 (- 4.6%)
12/2009: Madame Xanadu #18 --  8,686 (- 1.9%)
01/2010: Madame Xanadu #19 --  8,439 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: Madame Xanadu #20 --  8,285 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: Madame Xanadu #21 --  8,191 (- 1.1%)
04/2010: Madame Xanadu #22 --  8,158 (- 0.4%)
05/2010: Madame Xanadu #23 --  8,028 (- 1.6%)
----------------
6 months: - 9.4%
1 year  : -21.1%

Standard attrition.

—–

179 - TINY TITANS (Johnny DC)
05/2008: Tiny Titans #4  -- 10,369
----------------------------------
05/2009: Tiny Titans #16 --  8,844 (- 3.9%)
06/2009: Tiny Titans #17 --  8,640 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Tiny Titans #18 --  8,576 (- 0.7%)
08/2009: Tiny Titans #19 --  8,432 (- 1.7%)
09/2009: Tiny Titans #20 --  8,435 (+ 0.0%)
10/2009: Tiny Titans #21 --  8,259 (- 2.1%)
11/2009: Tiny Titans #22 --  8,100 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Tiny Titans #23 --  8,017 (- 1.0%)
01/2010: Tiny Titans #24 --  7,844 (- 2.2%)
02/2010: Tiny Titans #25 --  8,566 (+ 9.2%)
03/2010: Tiny Titans #26 --  7,878 (- 8.0%)
04/2010: Tiny Titans #27 --  8,224 (+ 4.4%)
05/2010: Tiny Titans #28 --  7,959 (- 3.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 1.7%
1 year  : -10.0%
2 years : -23.2%

A Johnny DC book. See small print.

—–

180 - WARLORD
05/2009: Warlord #2  -- 13,390 (-23.7%)
06/2009: Warlord #3  -- 12,283 (- 8.3%)
07/2009: Warlord #4  -- 11,445 (- 6.8%)
08/2009: Warlord #5  -- 10,790 (- 5.7%)
09/2009: Warlord #6  -- 10,331 (- 4.3%)
10/2009: Warlord #7  --  9,892 (- 4.3%)
11/2009: Warlord #8  --  9,547 (- 3.5%)
12/2009: Warlord #9  --  9,102 (- 4.7%)
01/2010: Warlord #10 --  8,807 (- 3.2%)
02/2010: Warlord #11 --  8,532 (- 3.1%)
03/2010: Warlord #12 --  8,430 (- 1.2%)
04/2010: Warlord #13 --  8,130 (- 3.6%)
05/2010: Warlord #14 --  7,915 (- 2.7%)
----------------
6 months: -17.1%
1 year  : -40.9%

Canceled with issue #18.

—–

188 - NORTHLANDERS (Vertigo)
05/2008: Northlanders #6  -- 12,009
-----------------------------------
05/2009: Northlanders #17 --  9,239 (- 0.9%)
06/2009: Northlanders #18 --  8,877 (- 3.9%)
07/2009: Northlanders #19 --  8,722 (- 1.8%)
08/2009: --
09/2009: Northlanders #20 --  8,786 (+ 0.7%)
10/2009: Northlanders #21 --  8,360 (- 4.9%)
11/2009: Northlanders #22 --  8,136 (- 2.7%)
12/2009: Northlanders #23 --  8,069 (- 0.8%)
01/2010: Northlanders #24 --  7,935 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Northlanders #25 --  7,807 (- 1.6%)
03/2010: Northlanders #26 --  7,824 (+ 0.2%)
04/2010: Northlanders #27 --  7,683 (- 1.8%)
05/2010: Northlanders #28 --  7,630 (- 0.7%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.2%
1 year  : -17.4%
2 years : -36.5%

Northlanders sales have stabilized over the last six months.

—–

192 - THE AUTHORITY (WildStorm)
05/2005: Revolution #8  of 12 -- 19,446
05/2007: --
---------------------------------------
05/2009: The Authority v4 #10 --  9,531 (- 2.2%)
06/2009: The Authority v4 #11 --  9,204 (- 3.4%)
07/2009: The Authority v4 #12 --  8,918 (- 3.1%)
08/2009: The Authority v4 #13 --  8,648 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: The Authority v4 #14 --  8,394 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: The Authority v4 #15 --  8,174 (- 2.6%)
11/2009: The Authority v4 #16 --  8,066 (- 1.3%)
12/2009: The Authority v4 #17 --  7,829 (- 2.9%)
01/2010: The Authority v4 #18 --  7,952 (+ 1.6%)
02/2010: The Authority v4 #19 --  7,943 (- 0.1%)
03/2010: The Authority v4 #20 --  7,781 (- 2.0%)
04/2010: The Authority v4 #21 --  7,563 (- 2.8%)
05/2010: The Authority v4 #22 --  7,295 (- 3.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 9.6%
1 year  : -23.5%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -62.5%

The best-selling WildStorm Universe title. Why is this line still around, again?

—–

193 - MAGOG
09/2009: Magog #1  -- 26,352
10/2009: Magog #2  -- 16,193 (-38.6%)
11/2009: Magog #3  -- 12,915 (-20.2%)
12/2009: Magog #4  -- 10,700 (-17.2%)
01/2010: Magog #5  --  9,215 (-13.9%)
02/2010: Magog #6  --  8,548 (- 7.2%)
03/2010: Magog #7  --  8,119 (- 5.0%)
04/2010: Magog #8  --  7,743 (- 4.6%)
05/2010: Magog #9  --  7,264 (- 6.2%)
----------------
6 months: -43.8%

Canceled with issue #12, which was initially meant to be the second chapter of a 5-part arc.

—–

197 - THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS SPECIAL
05/2010: TMC Special #1  --  7,017

This is a $ 4.99 special one-shot starring the Red Circle characters, of The Shield and The Web fame — see below. Compared to those books, The Mighty Crusaders sales are astonishingly good.

—–

203 - DMZ (Vertigo)
05/2006: DMZ #7  -- 15,026
05/2007: DMZ #19 -- 13,116
05/2008: DMZ #31 --  9,911
--------------------------
05/2009: --
06/2009: DMZ #42 --  7,927 (-1.7%)
07/2009: DMZ #43 --  7,806 (-1.5%)
08/2009: DMZ #44 --  7,654 (-2.0%)
09/2009: DMZ #45 --  7,589 (-0.9%)
10/2009: DMZ #46 --  7,399 (-2.5%)
11/2009: DMZ #47 --  7,187 (-2.9%)
12/2009: DMZ #48 --  6,977 (-2.9%)
01/2010: DMZ #49 --  6,872 (-1.5%)
02/2010: DMZ #50 --  7,262 (+5.7%)
03/2010: DMZ #51 --  6,840 (-5.8%)
04/2010: DMZ #52 --  6,826 (-0.2%)
05/2010: DMZ #53 --  6,759 (-1.0%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.0%
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years : -31.8%

Stabilizing in the 7-8K area.

—–

205 - DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS (WildStorm)
04/2010: Gods and Monsters #1 of 8 -- 10,203
05/2010: Gods and Monsters #2 of 8 --  6,671 (-34.6%)

Issue #1 was promoted with a 1:10 variant edition, but this is still a terrible second-issue drop for an 8-part mini.

This is probably the kind of thing WildStorm should have done a lot sooner with their WildStorm Universe line, but I suspect it’s just too little, too late. They could be producing the best comics in the world right now, and nobody would notice.

—–

206 - SCALPED (Vertigo)
05/2007: Scalped #5  --  9,022
05/2008: Scalped #17 --  6,927
------------------------------
05/2009: --
06/2009: Scalped #29 --  7,078 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Scalped #30 --  7,059 (- 0.3%)
08/2009: Scalped #31 --  6,916 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: Scalped #32 --  6,905 (- 0.2%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Scalped #33 --  6,752 (- 2.2%)
01/2010: --
02/2010: Scalped #34 --  6,731 (- 0.3%)
02/2010: Scalped #35 --  6,443 (- 4.3%)
03/2010: Scalped #36 --  6,648 (+ 3.2%)
04/2010: Scalped #37 --  6,584 (- 1.0%)
05/2010: Scalped #38 --  6,632 (+ 0.7%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years : - 4.3%

Scalped keeps doing what it’s been doing for, oh, more than two years now: hanging in there with frighteningly low sales, at a fiercely consistent level.

Even May’s $ 1.00 reprint of Scalped #1 sold right in the same area with estimated sales of 6,438. Just incredible.

—–

214 - SUPERNATURAL: BEGINNING'S END (WildStorm)
05/2007: Origins #1         -- 21,128
06/2007: Origins #2         -- 15,955 (-24.5%)
07/2007: Origins #3         -- 14,812 (- 7.2%)
08/2007: Origins #4         -- 13,915 (- 6.1%)
09/2007: Origins #5         -- 13,034 (- 6.3%)
10/2007: Origins #6         -- 12,350 (- 5.5%)
-------------------------------------
04/2008: Rising Son #1 of 6 -- 16,013 (+29.7%)
05/2008: Rising Son #2 of 6 -- 11,846 (-26.0%)
06/2008: Rising Son #3 of 6 -- 11,276 (- 4.8%)
07/2008: Rising Son #4 of 6 -- 10,676 (- 5.3%)
08/2008: Rising Son #5 of 6 -- 10,110 (- 5.3%)
09/2008: Rising Son #6 of 6 --  9,590 (- 5.1%)
-------------------------------------
01/2010: Beginning's End #1 --  9,251 (- 3.5%)
02/2010: Beginning's End #2 --  6,922 (-25.2%)
03/2010: Beginning's End #3 --  6,764 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: Beginning's End #4 --  6,420 (- 5.1%)
05/2010: Beginning's End #5 --  6,403 (- 0.3%)
----------------
2 years : -46.0%

Stabilizing. It’s a six-issue miniseries, by the way.

—–

219 - NEMESIS: THE IMPOSTORS
05/2009: FCA: Escape #1 of 6 -- 28,668
06/2009: FCA: Escape #2 of 6 -- 20,576 (-29.2%)
07/2009: FCA: Escape #3 of 6 -- 15,294 (-25.7%)
08/2009: FCA: Escape #4 of 6 -- 12,950 (-15.3%)
09/2009: FCA: Escape #5 of 6 -- 11,613 (-10.3%)
10/2009: FCA: Escape #6 of 6 -- 10,519 (- 9.4%)
--------------------------------------
03/2010: Impostors #1 of 4   --  9,005 (-14.4%)
04/2010: Impostors #2 of 4   --  7,291 (-19.0%)
05/2010: Impostors #3 of 4   --  6,252 (-14.3%)
----------------
1 year  : -78.2%

220 - HUMAN TARGET
02/2010: Human Target #1 of 6 -- 13,690
03/2010: Human Target #2 of 6 --  8,403 (-38.6%)
04/2010: Human Target #3 of 6 --  6,857 (-18.4%)
05/2010: Human Target #4 of 6 --  6,222 (- 9.3%)

Two DC Universe miniseries that are utter disasters commercially.

—–

222 - WILDCATS (WildStorm)
05/2006: Nemesis #9 of 9 -- 14,123
05/2007: --
----------------------------------
05/2009: World's End #11 --  8,165 (- 3.5%)
06/2009: World's End #12 --  7,863 (- 3.7%)
07/2009: World's End #13 --  7,609 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: World's End #14 --  7,417 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: World's End #15 --  7,178 (- 3.2%)
10/2009: World's End #16 --  6,883 (- 4.1%)
11/2009: World's End #17 --  6,691 (- 2.8%)
12/2009: World's End #18 --  6,487 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: World's End #19 --  6,791 (+ 4.7%)
02/2010: World's End #20 --  6,669 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: World's End #21 --  6,491 (- 2.7%)
04/2010: World's End #22 --  6,367 (- 1.9%)
05/2010: World's End #23 --  6,185 (- 2.9%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.6%
1 year  : -24.3%
2 years :  n.a.

Another former flagship of the WildStorm Universe line.

—–

225 - GREEK STREET (Vertigo)
07/2009: Greek Street #1  -- 20,422
08/2009: Greek Street #2  -- 11,996 (-41.3%)
09/2009: Greek Street #3  -- 10,628 (-11.4%)
10/2009: Greek Street #4  --  9,246 (-13.0%)
11/2009: Greek Street #5  --  8,610 (- 6.9%)
12/2009: Greek Street #6  --  7,802 (- 9.4%)
01/2010: Greek Street #7  --  7,335 (- 6.0%)
02/2010: Greek Street #8  --  6,872 (- 6.3%)
03/2010: Greek Street #9  --  6,603 (- 3.9%)
04/2010: Greek Street #10 --  6,324 (- 4.2%)
05/2010: Greek Street #11 --  6,128 (- 3.1%)
----------------
6 months: -28.8%

Canceled.

—–

226 - THE GREAT TEN
11/2009: The Great Ten #1  of 10 -- 13,159
12/2009: The Great Ten #2  of 10 --  8,760 (-33.4%)
01/2010: The Great Ten #3  of 10 --  7,458 (-14.9%)
02/2010: The Great Ten #4  of 10 --  6,812 (- 8.7%)
03/2010: The Great Ten #5  of 10 --  6,555 (- 3.8%)
04/2010: The Great Ten #6  of 10 --  6,301 (- 3.9%)
05/2010: The Great Ten #7  of 10 --  6,112 (- 3.0%)

Canceled with issue #9, spectacularly.

—–

227 - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Johnny DC)
05/2005: Batman Strikes! #9    -- 10,376
05/2006: Batman Strikes! #21   --  8,467
05/2007: Batman Strikes! #33   --  7,235
05/2008: Batman Strikes! #45   --  6,611
----------------------------------------
05/2009: Brave & Bold #5       --  7,994 (-  4.6%)
06/2009: Brave & Bold #6       --  7,614 (-  4.8%)
07/2009: Brave & Bold #7       --  7,441 (-  2.3%)
08/2009: Brave & Bold #8       --  7,153 (-  3.9%)
09/2009: Brave & Bold #9       --  7,064 (-  1.2%)
10/2009: Brave & Bold #10      --  6,646 (-  5.9%)
11/2009: Brave & Bold #11      --  6,438 (-  3.1%)
12/2009: Brave & Bold #12      --  6,342 (-  1.5%)
01/2010: Brave & Bold #13      --  6,129 (-  3.4%)
02/2010: Brave & Bold #14      --  6,084 (-  0.7%)
03/2010: Brave & Bold #15      --  6,208 (+  2.0%)
04/2010: Brave & Bold #16      --  6,506 (+  4.8%)
05/2010: Brave & Bold #17      --  6,103 (-  6.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 5.2%
1 year  : -23.7%
2 years : - 7.7%
5 years : - 4.1%

Another Johnny DC book.

—–

232 - DEMO (Vertigo)
11/2003: Demo #1  of 12      -- 4,529
12/2003: Demo #2  of 12      -- 3,115 (-31.2%)
01/2004: Demo #3  of 12      -- 3,170 (+ 1.8%)
02/2004: Demo #4  of 12      -- 3,220 (+ 1.6%)
03/2004: Demo #5  of 12      -- 3,301 (+ 2.5%)
05/2004: Demo #6  of 12      -- 3,514 (+ 6.5%)
06/2004: Demo #7  of 12      -- 3,882 (+10.5%)
07/2004: Demo #8  of 12      -- 3,803 (- 2.0%)
08/2004: Demo #9  of 12      -- 3,976 (+ 4.6%)
10/2004: Demo #10 of 12      -- 4,260 (+ 7.1%)
10/2004: Demo #11 of 12      -- 4,344 (+ 2.0%)
12/2004: Demo #12 of 12      -- 4,628 (+ 6.5%)
-------------------------------------
02/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #1 of 6 -- 8,317
03/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #2 of 6 -- 6,573 (-21.0%)
04/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #3 of 6 -- 6,010 (- 8.6%)
05/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #4 of 6 -- 5,818 (- 3.2%)

Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan’s black & white mini is bottoming out fairly quickly now.

—–

240 - UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Vertigo)
05/2009: Unknown Soldier #8  --  7,705 (-10.7%)
06/2009: Unknown Soldier #9  --  7,586 (- 1.6%)
07/2009: Unknown Soldier #10 --  7,256 (- 4.4%)
08/2009: Unknown Soldier #11 --  7,070 (- 2.6%)
09/2009: Unknown Soldier #12 --  6,865 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: Unknown Soldier #13 --  6,636 (- 3.3%)
11/2009: Unknown Soldier #14 --  6,359 (- 4.2%)
12/2009: Unknown Soldier #15 --  6,134 (- 3.5%)
01/2010: Unknown Soldier #16 --  5,848 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: Unknown Soldier #17 --  5,701 (- 2.5%)
03/2010: Unknown Soldier #18 --  5,611 (- 1.6%)
04/2010: Unknown Soldier #19 --  5,542 (- 1.2%)
05/2010: Unknown Soldier #20 --  5,466 (- 1.4%)
----------------
6 months: -14.0%
1 year  : -29.1%

Standard attrition.

—–

248 - THE SHIELD
08/2009: RC: Shield #1  -- 19,088
09/2009: The Shield #1  -- 16,997 (-11.0%)
10/2009: The Shield #2  -- 10,401 (-38.8%)
11/2009: The Shield #3  --  8,546 (-17.8%)
12/2009: The Shield #4  --  7,316 (-14.4%)
01/2010: The Shield #5  --  6,444 (-11.9%)
02/2010: The Shield #6  --  6,010 (- 6.7%)
03/2010: The Shield #7  --  5,568 (- 7.4%)
04/2010: The Shield #8  --  5,288 (- 5.0%)
05/2010: The Shield #9  --  5,201 (- 1.7%)
----------------
6 months: -39.1%

Canceled with issue #10.

—–

251 - AIR (Vertigo)
05/2009: Air #9  --  7,115 (- 1.4%)
06/2009: Air #10 --  6,954 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Air #11 --  6,793 (- 2.3%)
08/2009: Air #12 --  6,589 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: Air #13 --  6,476 (- 1.7%)
10/2009: Air #14 --  6,156 (- 4.9%)
11/2009: Air #15 --  5,921 (- 3.8%)
12/2009: Air #16 --  5,733 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: Air #17 --  5,573 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: Air #18 --  5,352 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: Air #19 --  5,268 (- 1.6%)
04/2010: Air #20 --  5,184 (- 1.6%)
05/2010: Air #21 --  5,104 (- 1.5%)
----------------
6 months: -13.8%
1 year  : -28.3%

Canceled with issue #24.

—–

260 - SUPER FRIENDS (Johnny DC)
05/2008: Super Friends #3  --  8,037
------------------------------------
05/2009: Super Friends #15 --  5,513 (- 4.8%)
06/2009: Super Friends #16 --  5,548 (+ 0.6%)
07/2009: Super Friends #17 --  5,368 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: Super Friends #18 --  5,291 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Super Friends #19 --  5,045 (- 4.7%)
10/2009: Super Friends #20 --  5,026 (- 0.4%)
11/2009: Super Friends #21 --  4,879 (- 2.9%)
12/2009: Super Friends #22 --  4,837 (- 0.9%)
01/2010: Super Friends #23 --  4,538 (- 6.2%)
02/2010: Super Friends #24 --  4,644 (+ 2.3%)
03/2010: Super Friends #25 --  4,678 (+ 0.7%)
04/2010: Super Friends #26 --  4,955 (+ 5.9%)
05/2010: Super Friends #27 --  4,688 (- 5.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 3.9%
1 year  : -15.0%
2 years : -41.7%

Johnny DC.

—–

262 - THE WEB
08/2009: RC: Web #1  -- 19,535
09/2009: The Web #1  -- 15,507 (-20.6%)
10/2009: The Web #2  --  9,421 (-39.3%)
11/2009: The Web #3  --  7,631 (-19.0%)
12/2009: The Web #4  --  6,653 (-12.8%)
01/2010: The Web #5  --  5,809 (-12.7%)
02/2010: The Web #6  --  5,276 (- 9.2%)
03/2010: The Web #7  --  4,981 (- 5.6%)
04/2010: The Web #8  --  4,763 (- 4.4%)
05/2010: The Web #9  --  4,640 (- 2.6%)
----------------
6 months: -39.2%

Canceled with issue #10.

—–

267 - SPARTA, U.S.A. (WildStorm)
03/2010: Sparta, U.S.A. #1 of 6 -- 8,214
04/2010: Sparta, U.S.A. #2 of 6 -- 5,194 (-36.8%)
05/2010: Sparta, U.S.A. #3 of 6 -- 4,425 (-14.8%)

This is what creator-owned series by established names tend to perform like at WildStorm, these days.

—–

272 - BILLY BATSON & THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM (Johnny DC)
05/2009: --
06/2009: Billy Batson #5  --  7,869 (- 7.1%)
07/2009: Billy Batson #6  --  6,771 (-14.0%)
08/2009: Billy Batson #7  --  6,382 (- 5.8%)
09/2009: Billy Batson #8  --  5,858 (- 8.2%)
10/2009: Billy Batson #9  --  5,388 (- 8.0%)
11/2009: Billy Batson #10 --  4,993 (- 7.3%)
12/2009: Billy Batson #11 --  4,795 (- 4.0%)
01/2010: Billy Batson #12 --  4,371 (- 8.8%)
02/2010: Billy Batson #13 --  4,316 (- 1.3%)
03/2010: Billy Batson #14 --  4,227 (- 2.1%)
04/2010: Billy Batson #15 --  4,236 (+ 0.2%)
05/2010: Billy Batson #16 --  4,125 (- 2.6%)
----------------
6 months: -17.4%
1 year  :  n.a.

276 - SCOOBY DOO (Johnny DC)
05/2005: Scooby Doo #96  -- 4,718
05/2006: Scooby Doo #108 -- 4,496
05/2007: Scooby Doo #120 -- 4,343
05/2008: Scooby Doo #132 -- 4,309
---------------------------------
05/2009: Scooby Doo #144 -- 4,062 (-11.9%)
06/2009: Scooby Doo #145 -- 4,093 (+ 0.8%)
07/2009: Scooby Doo #146 -- 4,110 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Scooby Doo #147 -- 4,111 (+ 0.0%)
09/2009: Scooby Doo #148 -- 4,103 (- 0.2%)
10/2009: Scooby Doo #149 -- 4,005 (- 2.4%)
11/2009: Scooby Doo #150 -- 4,044 (+ 1.0%)
12/2009: Scooby Doo #151 -- 3,906 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: Scooby Doo #152 -- 3,724 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: Scooby Doo #153 -- 3,780 (+ 1.5%)
03/2010: Scooby Doo #154 -- 3,846 (+ 1.8%)
04/2010: Scooby Doo #155 -- 3,836 (- 0.3%)
05/2010: Scooby Doo #156 -- 3,857 (+ 0.6%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.6%
1 year  : - 5.1%
2 years : -10.5%
5 years : -18.3%

Johnny DC.

—–

291 - GARRISON (WildStorm)
04/2010: Garrison #1  -- 4,936
05/2010: Garrison #2  -- 3,252 (-34.1%)

294 - DANTE'S INFERNO (WildStorm)
12/2009: Dante's Inferno #1 of 6 -- 5,431
01/2010: Dante's Inferno #2 of 6 -- 3,808 (-29.9%)
02/2010: Dante's Inferno #3 of 6 -- 3,557 (- 6.6%)
03/2010: Dante's Inferno #4 of 6 -- ?
04/2010: Dante's Inferno #5 of 6 -- 3,495
05/2010: Dante's Inferno #6 of 6 -- 3,197 (- 8.5%)

Garrison is another creator-owned series, Dante’s Inferno a game adaptation. Another WildStorm book, Free Realms, again missed the Top 300 chart with its ninth issue, for the ninth time in a row. For the purpose of the average sales charts below, as always, I’m assuming it sold as many units as the lowest-selling book on the chart, although the real number is probably much lower.

—–

6-MONTH COMPARISONS
+ 17.1%: Titans
+  3.6%: Flash
+  2.2%: Brave & Bold
+  1.6%: Jonah Hex
-  1.7%: Tiny Titans
-  3.1%: Wonder Woman
-  3.7%: Secret Six
-  3.8%: Hellblazer
-  3.9%: Super Friends
-  4.6%: Fables
-  4.6%: Scooby-Doo
-  5.2%: Batman: Brave & Bold
-  6.0%: DMZ
-  6.2%: Northlanders
-  6.8%: Sweet Tooth
-  7.5%: Batman Confidential
-  7.6%: Wildcats
-  8.8%: Unwritten
-  9.4%: Madame Xanadu
-  9.6%: Authority
-  9.6%: Batman
- 11.3%: Batman and Robin
- 11.7%: House of Mystery
- 12.0%: Green Lantern
- 13.8%: Air
- 14.0%: Unknown Soldier
- 14.4%: GL Corps
- 14.5%: Red Robin
- 16.0%: GC Sirens
- 17.1%: Warlord
- 17.4%: Billy Batson
- 17.5%: Batgirl
- 21.2%: Batman: SoG
- 23.7%: Detective Comics
- 28.8%: Greek Street
- 30.1%: JLA
- 38.5%: Superman/Batman
- 39.1%: Shield
- 39.2%: Web
- 43.8%: Magog
- 46.0%: Teen Titans
- 52.2%: Azrael
- 59.1%: Adventure Comics
- 64.4%: Booster Gold
- 77.1%: Doom Patrol
- 78.2%: REBELS

—–

1-YEAR COMPARISONS
+ 71.4%: Spirit
+ 11.8%: GL Corps
+  8.4%: Green Lantern
-  2.2%: JLA
-  2.4%: Jonah Hex
-  2.5%: Brave & Bold
-  5.1%: Scooby-Doo
-  7.2%: Hellblazer
-  7.6%: Titans
-  9.8%: Booster Gold
- 10.0%: Tiny Titans
- 10.5%: Ex Machina
- 11.2%: Flash
- 15.0%: Super Friends
- 15.7%: Fables
- 17.4%: Northlanders
- 17.4%: REBELS
- 17.6%: Secret Six
- 18.9%: Superman/Batman
- 19.0%: Batman Confidential
- 21.1%: Madame Xanadu
- 23.1%: Wonder Woman
- 23.5%: Authority
- 23.7%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 24.3%: Wildcats
- 26.8%: Teen Titans
- 28.3%: Air
- 29.1%: Unknown Soldier
- 29.4%: Astro City
- 30.1%: Batman
- 35.6%: House of Mystery
- 40.9%: Warlord
- 43.6%: Red Robin
- 50.0%: Unwritten
- 71.5%: Azrael

—–

2-YEAR COMPARISONS
+139.7%: Flash
+129.8%: Birds of Prey
+ 59.0%: Legion
+ 38.4%: Red Robin
+ 34.0%: Green Lantern
+ 46.6%: GL Corps
+  1.5%: Spirit
-  4.3%: Scalped
-  7.7%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 10.5%: Scooby-Doo
- 13.8%: Jonah Hex
- 14.1%: Hellblazer
- 14.2%: Detective Comics
- 16.2%: Fables
- 23.2%: Tiny Titans
- 30.6%: JLA
- 31.8%: DMZ
- 33.3%: Wonder Woman
- 36.5%: Northlanders
- 38.9%: Batman Confidential
- 39.3%: Brave & Bold
- 39.4%: Superman/Batman
- 40.6%: Batman
- 41.7%: Super Friends
- 41.9%: Booster Gold
- 44.7%: Titans
- 46.0%: Supernatural
- 46.1%: Teen Titans

—–

5-YEAR COMPARISONS
+ 68.9%: Birds of Prey
+ 61.1%: Flash
+ 21.2%: Red Robin
+  8.4%: Legion
+  6.9%: Detective Comics
+  2.1%: Batgirl
-  2.3%: JLA
-  4.1%: Batman: Brave & Bold
-  6.4%: Batman
- 18.3%: Scooby-Doo
- 18.6%: Fables
- 19.5%: Wonder Woman
- 21.7%: Doom Patrol
- 34.1%: Hellblazer
- 37.5%: Green Lantern
- 45.2%: Ex Machina
- 62.5%: Authority
- 63.9%: Teen Titans

—–

Average Periodical Sales
(not counting reprints, reorders shipping after the initial month of release, Johnny DC titles and magazines)

DC COMICS
05/2005: 34,801
05/2006: 44,554
05/2007: 35,656
05/2008: 27,075
---------------
05/2009: 24,386 (-10.9%)
06/2009: 25,880 (+ 6.1%)**
07/2009: 30,905 (+19.4%)**
08/2009: 29,977 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: 28,493 (- 5.0%)**
10/2009: 27,525 (- 4.4%)**
11/2009: 28,913 (+ 5.1%)**
12/2009: 25,904 (-10.4%)**
01/2010: 25,657 (- 1.0%)**
02/2010: 26,199 (+ 2.1%)**
03/2010: 23,299 (-11.1%)**
04/2010: 23,740 (+ 1.9%)**
05/2010: 27,181 (+14.5%)**
----------------
6 months: - 6.0%
1 year  : +11.5%
2 years : + 0.4%
5 years : -21.9%

DC UNIVERSE
05/2005: 43,505
05/2006: 59,505
05/2007: 49,161
05/2008: 35,230
---------------
05/2009: 33,163 (-13.1%)
06/2009: 36,329 (+ 9.6%)
07/2009: 41,218 (+13.9%)
08/2009: 37,300 (- 9.5%)
09/2009: 36,725 (- 1.5%)**
10/2009: 34,795 (- 5.3%)
11/2009: 38,488 (+10.6%)
12/2009: 35,473 (- 7.8%)**
01/2010: 33,698 (- 5.0%)
02/2010: 35,895 (+ 6.5%)
03/2010: 32,375 (- 9.8%)
04/2010: 32,859 (+ 1.5%)
05/2010: 36,533 (+11.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 5.1%
1 year  : +10.2%
2 years : + 3.7%
5 years : -16.0%

VERTIGO
05/2005: 14,520
05/2006: 15,266
05/2007: 12,256
05/2008: 10,418
---------------
05/2009: 12,918 (+20.0%)
06/2009: 11,166 (-13.6%)
07/2009: 11,055 (- 1.0%)**
08/2009: 11,369 (+ 2.8%)
09/2009: 11,345 (- 0.2%)
10/2009: 10,551 (- 7.0%)
11/2009: 11,036 (+ 4.6%)
12/2009: 10,583 (- 4.1%)
01/2010: 11,267 (+ 6.5%)
02/2010:  9,256 (-17.9%)
03/2010: 11,394 (+23.1%)
04/2010: 10,815 (- 5.1%)
05/2010: 11,756 (+ 8.7%)
----------------
6 months: + 6.5%
1 year  : - 9.0%
2 years : +12.8%
5 years : -19.0%

WILDSTORM
05/2005: 13,593
05/2006: 12,737
05/2007: 14,260
05/2008:  9,812
---------------
05/2009:  8,579 (+ 3.7%)
06/2009:  8,805 (+ 2.6%)**
07/2009:  8,519 (- 3.3%)**
08/2009:  7,977 (- 6.4%)
09/2009:  8,280 (+ 3.8%)**
10/2009:  9,769 (+18.0%)**
11/2009:  7,111 (-27.2%)**
12/2009:  7,260 (+ 2.1%)**
01/2010:  6,532 (-10.0%)**
02/2010:  5,692 (-12.9%)**
03/2010:  7,691 (+35.1%)**
04/2010:  5,923 (-23.0%)**
05/2010:  6,808 (+14.9%)**
----------------
6 months: - 4.2%
1 year  : -20.6%
2 years : -30.6%
5 years : -49.9%

—–
Disclaimers, et cetera

The numbers above are estimates for comic-book sales in the North American direct market, as calculated by ICv2.com according to the chart and index information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors.

ICv2.com’s estimates are somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate. Since it’s a “month-to-month” column, the comments, unless otherwise noted, are on the most recent month.

Bear in mind that the figures measure sales to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass-market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Re-orders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book’s initial calendar month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month.

If additional copies of an issue did appear on the chart after a book’s initial calendar month of release, you can see the total number of copies sold in parenthesis behind those issues (e.g. “[36,599]“). Should more than one issue have shipped in a month which is relevant for one of the long-term comparisons, the average between them will be used.

Titles released under the Johnny DC imprint and magazines, such as Mad, mostly sell through channels other than the direct market, so direct-market sales don’t tell us much about their performance. For most Vertigo and some WildStorm titles, collection sales tend to be a significant factor, so the numbers for those books should be taken with a grain of salt as well. To learn (a little) more about Vertigo’s collection sales, go right here.

** Two asterisks after a given month in the average charts mean that one or more periodical release did not make the Top 300 chart in that month. In those cases, it’s assumed that said releases sold as many units as the No. 300 comic on the chart for that month for the purposes of the chart, although its actual sales are likely to be less than that.

For a more lyrical approach to discussing sales figures that covers all the essentials in a more condensed, less tedious fashion, finally, go right here.
—–
Marc-Oliver Frisch writes about comics at his weblog and at Comicgate. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Buffy returned to its usual position of top selling “indie” book this month, but its the last issue before it goes on hiatus for a few months.

“Hellboy in Mexico Or, A Drunken Blur” was technically the highest selling number one of the month, though I’m not sure if they bothered putting a number on it. Below that you have “Kevin Smith’s Kato” from Dynamite (plus another Green Hornet title further down the charts), “Star Wars Invasion: Rescue” from Dark Horse, and “Mysteary Society” from IDW as the top new launches.

Dark horse had a 3.16% unit share and a 4.45% dollar share, Image had a 3.14% unit share and a 4.26% dollar share, while IDW had a 2.95% unit share and a 3.79% dollar share.

I’ve listed every “indie” title in the top 200, every title from Image, Darkhorse, and IDW (ie. “the front of Previews”), and a selection of others.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which are estimates, and can be found here

36.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse)
 
05/2007: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3 - 106,634
05/2008: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14 - 82,069
05/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25 - 58,740
 
=====
06/2009: BTVS Tales of the Vampires one shot- 45,568 (-22.4)
07/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #26 - 55,393 (+21.6%)
08/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27 - 53,403 (-3.6%)
09/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28 - 52,303 (-2.1%)
10/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #29 - 50,236 (-4.0%)
11/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30 - 49,155 (-2.2%)
12/2009: BTVS Willow One Shot - 45,136 (-8.2%)
01/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31 - 47,013 (+4.2%)
02/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32 - 47,975 (+2.0)
03/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #33 - 46,568 (-2.9%)
04/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #34 - 45,909 (-1.4%)
05/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #35 - 45,446(-1.1%)
                                6 month (-7.5%)
                                1 year (-22.6%)
                                2 year (-44.6%)
                                3 year (-57.4%)

 
After this issue Buffy is taking a break until September when Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty return to write the finale of season eight (to be followed by season nine of course). Considering they knew this was coming, I’m pretty surprised that this large a break is necessary. There’s at least one one shot in there somewhere, but it still surprises me.

78. Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet (Dynamite)
 
03/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #1 - 54,122
03/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #2 - 32,866 (-39.3%) [36,004]
04/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #3 - 29,552 (-17.9%)
05/2010: Kevin Smith's Green Hornet #4 - 26,292 (-11.0%)

 
Another big drop this month, but there are still six covers here, which is inflating the number somewhat.

84.  The Walking Dead (Image)
 
04/2008: The Walking Dead #49 - 23,102
05/2009: The Walking Dead #61 - 23,902
 
=====
06/2009: The Walking Dead #62 - 23,910 (0%)
07/2009: The Walking Dead #63 - 24,001 (+0.3%)
08/2009: The Walking Dead #64 - 24,393 (+1.6%)
09/2009: The Walking Dead #65 - 24,892 (+2.0%)
10/2009: The Walking Dead #66 - 24,944 (+0.2%)
11/2009: The Walking Dead #67 - 24,666 (-1.1%)
12/2009: The Walking Dead #68 - 24,230 (-1.8%)
01/2010: The Walking Dead #69 - 23,695 (-2.2)
02/2010: The Walking Dead #70 - 23,999 (+1.3%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: The Walking Dead #71 - 24,567 (+2.4%)
05/2010: The Walking Dead #72 - 25,182 (+2.5%)
                                6 month (+2.1%)
                                1 year (+5.4%)
                                2 year (+9.0%)

 
Highest numbers yet for this series. It looks like it’ll be the best selling non Marvel/DC title next month. Meanwhile the volume 5 hardcover is the number four best selling trade this month selling 3,878 copies. (Volume one in trade paperback sells another 2,303, bringing it’s total to something insane.)

89. Hellboy (Dark Horse)

05/2007: Darkness Calls #1 (of 5) - 32,321
05/2008: -
05/2009: -
 
=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: The Wild Hunt #5 (of 8 ) - 20,375 (-6.3%)
09/2009: The Wild Hunt #6 (of 8 ) - 20,146 (-1.1)
10/2009: The Wild Hunt #7 (of 8 ) - 19,414 (-3.6%)
11/2009: The Wild Hunt #8 (of 8 ) - 18,942 (-2.4%)
12/2009: Bride of Hell One Shot - 20,761 (+9.6%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Hellboy in Mexico Or, A Drunken Blur - 22,569 (+8.7%)
                                6 month (+19.1%)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (-30.2%)

 
Sales are up over the latter half of the last series and the previous one shot, but still down from a couple of years ago.

95. The Boys (Dynamite)
 
05/2007: The Boys #7 - 31,616
05/2008: The Boys #18 - 27,951
05/2009: The Boys #30 - 28,365
 
=====
06/2009: The Boys #31 - 25,460 (-10.0%)
07/2009: The Boys #32 - 25,231 (-0.8%)
08/2009: The Boys #33 - 24,684 (-2.1%)
09/2009: The Boys #34 - 24,502 (-0.7%)
10/2009: The Boys #35 - 24,841 (+1.4%)
11/2009: The Boys #36 - 23,471 (-5.5%)
12/2009: The Boys #37 - 24,025 (+2.4%)
01/2010: The Boys #38 - 22,203 (-7.6%)
02/2010: The Boys #39 - 21,905 (-1.3%)
03/2010: The Boys #40 - 22,022 (+0.5%)
04/2010: The Boys #41 - 21,552 (-2.1%)
05/2010: The Boys #42 - 21,479 (-0.3%)
                                6 month (-8.5%)
                                1 year (-24.3%)
                                2 year (-23.2%)
                                3 year (-32.1%)

 
Stable this month, I’m curious as to whether Darick Robertson going off the title will have any major effect on sales.

102. Haunt (Image)
 
10/2009: Haunt #1 - 50,078
11/2009: Haunt #2 - 28,254 (-43.6%)
12/2009: Haunt #3 - 28,390 (+0.5%)
01/2010: Haunt #4 - 26,420 (-6.9%)
02/2010: Haunt #5 - 22,454 (-15.0%)
03/2010: Haunt #6 - 20,489 (-8.8%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Haunt #7 - 20,005 (-2.4%)
                                6 month (-29.2%)

That’s a pretty standard drop, so it looks like Haunt is finding its level, and its quite a good one! Meanwhile Image United has disappeared due to Todd McFarlane not drawing his bits.

103. Star Wars Legacy (Dark Horse)
 
05/2007: Star Wars Legacy #11 - 33,138
05/2008: Star Wars Legacy #23 - 30,355
05/2009: Star Wars Legacy #36 - 24,166
 
=====
06/2009: Star Wars Legacy #37 - 23,704 (-1.9%)
07/2009: Star Wars Legacy #38 - 23,162 (-2.3%)
08/2009: Star Wars Legacy #39 - 22,888 (-1.2%)
09/2009: Star Wars Legacy #40 - 22,555 (-1.5%)
10/2009: Star Wars Legacy #41 - 22,109 (-2.0%)
11/2009: Star Wars Legacy #42 - 21,659 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Star Wars Legacy #43 - 20,983 (-3.1%)
01/2010: Star Wars Legacy #44 - 20,341 (-3.1%)
02/2010: Star Wars Legacy #45 - 20,100 (-1.2%)
03/2010: Star Wars Legacy #46 - 19,790 (-1.5%)
04/2010: Star Wars Legacy #47 - 20,022 (+1.2%)
05/2010: Star Wars Legacy #48 - 19,954 (-0.3%)
                                6 month (-7.8%)
                                1 year (-17.4%)
                                2 year (-34.3%)
                                3 year (-39.8%)

 
Quite stable with only two issues left.

105. Kevin Smith's Kato (Dynamite)
05/2010: Kevin Smith's Kato #1 – 19,720

Another Green Hornet title. Despite his name being there, Kevin Smith doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this.

108. Spawn (Image)

05/2006: Spawn #156 - 27,017
05/2007: Spawn #167 - 24,277
05/2008: Spawn #178 - 20,046
05/2009: -
 
=====
06/2009: Spawn #192 - 19,796 (0%)
07/2009: Spawn #193 - 20,293 (+2.5%)
07/2009: Spawn #194 - 18,916 (-6.8%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: Spawn #195 - 18,475 (-2.3%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Spawn #196 - 18,893 (+2.3)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Spawn #197 - 18,361 (-2.8%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (-8.4%)
                                3 year (-24.4%)
                                4 year (-32.0%)

Incredibly behind schedule.

109. Star Wars Invasion (Dark Horse)
 
07/2009: Invasion #1 (of 5) - 24,548
08/2009: Invasion #2 (of 5) - 21,004 (-14.4%)
09/2009: Invasion #3 (of 5) - 19,798 (-5.7%)
10/2009: Invasion #0 - 19,714 (-0.4%)
10/2009: Invasion #4 - 19,138 (-2.9%)
11/2009: Invasion #5 - 18,315 (-4.3%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Star Wars Invasion: Rescue #1 - 17,911(-2.2%)

 
Judging from the upcoming solicitations it looks like Dark Horse has decided for series of miniseries for their Star Wars titles. It hasn’t really helped here.

111. Mystery Society (IDW)
 
05/2010: Mystery Society #1 - 17,630 

 
New series from Steve Niles, with Ashley Wood doing covers and involved somehow or other. I’m not sure how many covers it has.

112. Angel (IDW)
 
05/2006: Illyria one shot - 11,805
05/2007: -
05/2008: After the Fall #8 - 45,430
05/2009: Angel #21 - 28,633
 
=====
06/2009: Angel #22 - 27,496 (-4.0%)
07/2009: Angel: After the Fall – Epilogue #23 - 24,003 (-12.7%)
08/2009: Angel #24 - 22,795 (-5.0%)
09/2009: Angel #25 - 23,815 (+4.5%)
10/2009: Angel #26 - 22,886 (-3.9%)
11/2009: Angel #27 - 20,731 (-9.4%)
12/2009: Angel #28 - 21,301 (+2.7%)
12/2009: Angel Annual #1 - 16,616 (-22.0%)
01/2010: Angel #29 - 20,280 (+22.5%)
02/2010: Angel #30 - 11,044 [19,394] (-4.4%)
03/2010: Angel #31 - 18,538 (-4.4%)
04/2010: Angel #32 - 17,942 (-3.2%)
05/2010: Angel #33 - 17,521 (-2.3%)
                                6 month (-15.5%)
                                1 year (-38.8%)
                                2 year (-61.4%)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (+48.4)

Standard drop.
 

117. Green Hornet Strikes (Dynamite)
 
01/2010: Green Hornet Strikes #1 - 15,626 

 
More Green Hornet.

128. Green Hornet Year One (Dynamite)
 
03/2010: Green Hornet Year One #1 - 21,330
04/2010: Green Hornet Year One #2 - 16,355 (-23.3%)
05/2010: Green Hornet Year One #3 - 13,954 (-14.7%)

 
This is kind of insane.

132. The Guild (Dark Horse)
 
03/2010: The Guild #1 - 15,292
04/2010: The Guild #2 - 12,642 (-17.3%)
05/2010: The Guild #3 - 12,972 (+2.6%)

 
And up with the final issue! I’m sure Dark Horse wishes this was longer than three issues, but if the creators want to do more I’m sure Dark Horse will be happy to publish them.

135. Irredeemable (Boom)
 
05/2009: Irredeemable #2 - 9,962 (-24.6%)
 
=====
06/2009: Irredeemable #3 - 12,838 (+28.9%)
07/2009: Irredeemable #4 - 13,623 (+6.1%)
08/2009: Irredeemable #5 - ??? (???)
09/2009: Irredeemable #6 - 14,128 (+3.7%)
10/2009: Irredeemable #7 - 14,282 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Irredeemable #8 - 13,688 (-4.2%)
12/2009: Irredeemable #9 - 13,515 (-1.3%)
01/2010: Irredeemable #10 - 13,106 (-3.0%)
02/2010: Irredeemable #11 - 12,912 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Irredeemable #12 - 13,058 (+1.1%)
04/2010: Irredeemable Special #1 - 12,411 (-5.0%)
05/2010: Irredeemable #13 - 12,784 (+3.0)
                                6 month (-6.6%)
                                1 year (+28.3%)

 
Up from the special, but down slightly from the last normal issue. Still doing quite well overall though.

136. GI Joe (IDW)
 
04/2005: GI Joe #43 (Devil’s Due) - 21,038
05/2006: America’s Elite #11 (Devil’s Due) - 18,148
05/2007: America’s Elite #23 (Devil’s Due) - 15,039
05/2008: America’s Elite #35 (Devil’s Due) - 16,298
05/2009: GI Joe #5 - 21,968
 
=====
06/2009: GI Joe #6 - 20,809 (-5.3%)
07/2009: GI Joe #7 - 20,319 (-2.4%)
08/2009: GI Joe #8 - 18,750 (-7.7%)
09/2009: GI Joe #9 - 17,436 (-7.0%)
10/2009: GI Joe #10 - 16,264 (-6.7%)
11/2009: GI Joe #11 - 15,527 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #12 - 14,824 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #13 - 15,759 (+6.3%)
01/2010: GI Joe #14 - 14,030 (-11.0%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: GI Joe #15 - 13,607 (-3.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe #16 - 13,288 (-2.3%)
04/2010: GI Joe #17 - 13,129 (-1.2%)
05/2010: GI Joe #18 - 12,776 (-2.7%)
                                6 month (-17.7%)
                                1 year (-41.8%)
                                2 year (-21.6%)
                                3 year (-15.0%)
                                4 year (-29.6%)
                                5 year (-39.3%)

 
Standard drop.

137. BPRD (Dark Horse)
 
05/2006: Universal Machine #2 (of 5) - 16,510
05/2007: Garden of Souls #3 (of 5) - 15,968
05/2008: 1946 #5 (of 5) - 15,941
05/2009: Black Goddess #5 (of 5) - 14,357
 
=====
06/2009: War on Frogs #3 (of 4) - 13,828 (-3.7%)
07/2009: 1947 #1 (of 5) - 15,845 (+14.6%)
08/2009: 1947 #2 (of 5) - 14,893 (-6.0%)
09/2009: 1947 #3 (of 5) - 14,810 (-0.6%)
10/2009: 1947 #4 (of 5) - 14,505 (-2.0%)
11/2009: 1947 #5 (of 5) - 13,977 (-3.6%)
12/2009: War on Frogs #4 (of 4) - 12,904 (-7.7%)
01/2010: King of Fear #1 - 14,081 (+9.1%)
02/2010: King of Fear #2 - 13,123 (-6.8%)
03/2010: King of Fear #3 - 12,874 (-1.9%)
04/2010: King of Fear #4 - 12,480 (-3.1%)
05/2010: King of Fear #5 - 12,519 (+0.3%)
                                6 month (-10.4%)
                                1 year (-12.8%)
                                2 year (-21.5%)
                                3 year (-21.6%)
                                4 year (-24.2%)

 
The final issue of the long, multi-year story line sees a small increase. There’s a break for a couple of months and we get an Abe Sapien miniseries instead.

142. Transformers Ongoing (IDW)
 
05/2009: All Hail Megatron #11 - 12,292
 
=====
06/2009: All Hail Megatron #12 - 12,124 (-1.4%)
07/2009: All Hail Megatron #13 - 11,892 (-1.9%)
08/2009: All Hail Megatron #14 - 11,736 (-1.3%)
09/2009: All Hail Megatron #15 - 11,634 (-0.9%)
10/2009: All Hail Megatron #16 - 11,281 (-3.0%)
11/2009: Transformers Ongoing #1 - 15,220 (+34.9%)
12/2009: Transformers Ongoing #2 - 12,516 (-17.8%)
01/2010: Transformers Ongoing #3 - 12,609 (+0.7%)
02/2010: Transformers Ongoing #4 - 12,221 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Transformers Ongoing #5 - 11,994 (-1.9%)
04/2010: Transformers Ongoing #6 - 12,171 (+1.5%)
05/2010: Transformers Ongoing #7 - 11,932 (-2.0%)
                                6 month (-21.6%)
                                1 year (-2.9%)

 
Below where the Megatron series was at this point.

145. Incorruptible (Boom)
 
12/2009: Incorruptible #1 - 15,710
01/2010: Incorruptible #2 - 12,635 (-19.6%)
02/2010: Incorruptible #3 - 11,860 (-6.1%)
03/2010: Incorruptible #4 - 11,749 (-0.9%)
04/2010: Incorruptible #5 - 3,642 [11,542] (-1.8%)
05/2010: Incorruptible #6 - 11,517 (-0.2%) 

 
Another 7,900 of issue 5 show up at number 181, and the drop is so small it is could actually an increase as those 7,900 would include any reorders of issue 5 sent out in May as well. The collection of the first arc is the number 11 best selling trade this month selling 3,202 copies.
 

149. Aliens vs. Predator (Dark Horse)
 
01/2010: Three World War #1 - 15,218
02/2010: Three World War #2 - 11,875 (-22.0%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Three World War #3 - 11,498 (-3.2%)
05/2010: Three World War #4 - 11,112 (-3.4%)

 
Standard drop.

150. GI Joe Hearts and Minds (IDW)
 
05/2010: Hearts and Minds #1 - 11,039 

 
Written by Max Brooks, the writer of World War Z.

151. Fathom Blue Descent (Aspen)
 
05/2010: Blue Descent #0 - 10,731 

 
I’ll save the puns for when there are more issues out.

152. GI Joe Origins (IDW)
 
05/2009: -
 
=====
06/2009: GI Joe Origins #4 - 18,378 (-0.8%)
07/2009: GI Joe Origins #5 - 17,822 (-3.0%)
08/2009: GI Joe Origins #6 - 15,898 (-10.8%)
09/2009: GI Joe Origins #7 - 14,753 (-7.2%)
10/2009: GI Joe Origins #8 - 14,961 (+1.4%)
11/2009: GI Joe Origins #9 - 12,955 (-13.4%)
12/2009: GI Joe Origins #10 - 12,295 (-5.1%)
01/2010: GI Joe Origins #11 - 11,726 (-4.6%)
02/2010: GI Joe Origins #12 - 12,312 (+5.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe Origins #13 - 11,043 (-10.3%)
04/2010: GI Joe Origins #14 - 10,811 (-2.1%)
05/2010: GI Joe Origins #15 - 10,650 (-1.5%)
                                6 month (-17.8%)
                                1 year (n.a.)

 
Fairly standard drop.

153. Witchblade (Image)
 
05/2005: Witchblade #85 - 15,980
05/2006: Witchblade #98 - 14,192
05/2007: Witchblade #106 - 14,774
05/2008: -
05/2009: Witchblade #127 - 15,065
 
=====
05/2009: Annual 2009 - 12,154 (-19.3%)
06/2009: Witchblade Darkness Angelus Blood on the Sands - 10,106 (-16.9%)
07/2009: Witchblade #128 - 13,427 (+32.9%)
08/2009: Witchblade #129 - 13,324 (-0.8%)
09/2009: Witchblade #130 - 15,387 (+15.5%)
10/2009: Witchblade #131 - 20,999 (+36.5%)
11/2009: Witchblade #132 - 13,207 (-37.1%)
12/2009: Witchblade #133 - 12,811 (-3.0%)
01/2010: Witchblade #134 - 12,416 (-3.1%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Witchblade #135 - 11,935 (-3.9%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Witchblade #136 - 10,649 (-10.8%)
                                6 month (-19.4%)
                                1 year (-29.3%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (-27.9%)
                                4 year (-25.0%)

Fairly big drop for no apparent reason. I’m guessing they didn’t get delivered on time.

156. Project Superpowers (Dynamite)
 
05/2008: Project Superpowers #3 (of 7) - 36,884
05/2009: -
 
=====
06/2009: Chapter Two #0 - 31,828
07/2009: Chapter Two #1 - 22,282 (-30.0%)
08/2009: Chapter Two #2 - 17,377 (-22.0%)
09/2009: Chapter Two #3 - 15,717 (-9.6%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Chapter Two #4 - 14,980 (-3.2%)
12/2009: Chapter Two #5 - 12,794 (-14.6%)
01/2010: Chapter Two #6 - 11,923 (-6.8%)
02/2010: Chapter Two #7 - 21,688 (+81.9%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Chapter Two #8 - 10,724 (-50.6%)
05/2010: Chapter Two #9 - 10,132 (-5.5%)
                                6 month (-32.4)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (-72.5%)

 
Overshipping random issues appears to have absolutely no effect.

167. Transformers Ironhide (IDW)
 
05/2010: Ironhide #1 - 9,019 

 
Robots hitting stuff.

168. Darkness Darkchylde Witchblade (Image)
 
05/2010: Kingdom of Pain oneshot - 8,927 

 
Scantily clad females hit each other.

172. Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)

05/2007: Grimm Fairy Tales #14 - 6,298
05/2008:
05/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #38 - 9,077
 
=====
06/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #39 - 10,099 (+11.3%)
07/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #40 - 9,616 (-4.8%)
08/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #41 - 10,600 (+10.2%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #42 - 9,070 (-14.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #43 - 10,246 (+13.0%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #44 - 8,824 (-13.9%)
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #45 - 8,916 (+1.0%)
04/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #46 - 8,694 (-2.5%)
05/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales Annual Las Vegas - 8,462 (-2.7%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-6.8%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (+34.3%)

 
Scantily clad females doing something. It says something about the industry that when I googled this to try and find some information about it almost every link on the first page were to illegal downloads of the comic.
 

173. Grimm Fairy Tales Inferno (Zenescope)
 
05/2010: Inferno #1 - 8,170 

 
Ditto.

174. Creepy Comics (Dark Horse)
 
07/2009: Creepy #1 - 13,669
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: Creepy Comics #2 - 9,248 (-32.3%)
12/2009: -
01/2009: -
02/2009: -
03/2009: -
04/2009: -
05/2010: Creepy Comics #3 - 8,165 (-11.7%)

 
Apparently this is supposed to be quarterly.

175. Tarot Witch of the Black Rose (Broadsword)
 
05/2005: Tarot #32 - 10,442
05/2006: Tarot #38 - 9,557
05/2007: Tarot #44 - 9,398
05/2008: Tarot #50 - 10,074
05/2009: Tarot #56 - 8,693
 
=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: Tarot #57 - 8,705 (+0.1%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: Tarot #58 - 8,502 (-2.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Tarot #59 - 8,356 (-1.7%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Tarot #60 - 8,241 (-1.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Tarot #61 - 8,096 (-1.8%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Tarot #62 - 8,131 (+0.4%)
                                6 month (-2.7%)
                                1 year (-6.5%)
                                2 year (-19.3%)
                                3 year (-13.5%)
                                4 year (-14.9%)
                                5 year (-22.1%)

Scantily clad females hit each other part two.
 

176. GI Joe Operation Hiss (IDW)
 
02/2010: Operation Hiss #1 - 10,140
03/2010: Operation Hiss #2 - 8,818 (-13.0%)
04/2010: Operation Hiss #3 - 8,581 (-2.7%)
05/2010: Operation Hiss #4 - 8,118 (-5.4%) 

 
Movie sequel.

177. Transformers Last Stand of the Wreckers (IDW)
 
01/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 - 8,862
02/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 – 5,744 (-35.2%)
03/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #3 – 7,855 (+36.8%)
04/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #4 - 8,133 (+3.5%)
05/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #5 - 8,105 (-0.3%) 

 
Tiny drop this month for a very successful miniseries overall. Can anyone tell me why the numbers stayed so steady?

182. Angel Barbary Coast (IDW)
 
04/2010: Barbary Coast #1 - 8,335
05/2010: Barbary Coast #2 - 7,844 (-5.9%) 

 
Very small drop off here as well. It has been getting better reviews than the main book.

185. Pilot Season (Image)
 
05/2008: Twilight Guardian - 5,959 
05/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Declassified - 7,672
11/2009: -
12/2009: Murderer #1 - 8,454 (+10.2%)
01/2010: Demonic #1 - 8,353 (-1.2%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Stealth #1 - 7,676 (-8.1%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (+28.8%)

I forgot these were coming out/thought I’d missed them on the charts. Newest vaguely named one shot from Robert Kirkman and Top Cow. Of the four previous winners of the last two Pilot Seasons a grand total of one four issue mini series has come out. I’m not sure if anything will come from these at all.

186, 202. Sam & Twitch (Image)

05/2005: Casefiles #16 - 5,684

=====
05/2010: Sam & Twitch: Writer #1 - 7,667
05/2010: Sam & Twitch: Writer #2 - 6,775 (-11.6%)
 
                                5 year (+19.2%)

Four issue mini shipping biweekly.

187. The Sword (Image)
 
05/2008: The Sword #8 - 9,229
05/2009: The Sword #17 - 8,081
 
=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: The Sword #18 - 8,165 (+1.0%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: The Sword #19 - 8,116 (-0.6%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: The Sword #20 - 7,887 (-2.8%)
01/2010: The Sword #21 - 7,522 (-4.6%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: The Sword #22 – 7,294 (-3.0%)
03/2010: The Sword #23 - 7,115 (-2.5%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: The Sword #24 - 7,631(+7.3%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-5.6%)
                                2 year (-17.3%)

Final, extra large, issue costing $4.99. I wonder who those people that buy the final issue without reading all the previous ones are.

189. Terminator (Dark Horse)
 
03/2010: Terminator #1 - 10,601
04/2010: Terminator #2 - 8,101 (-23.6%)
05/2010: Terminator #3 - 7,520 (-7.2%)

Final issue. There’s at least one more miniseries coming.

190. Transformers Nefarious (IDW)
 
03/2010: Nefarious #1 - 8,810
04/2010: Nefarious #2 - 8,002 (-9.2%)
05/2010: Nefarious #3 - 7,354 (-8.1%)

Not the best drop.

191. The Black Terror (Dynamite)
 
05/2009: The Black Terror #4 - 16,058
 
=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: The Black Terror #5 - 12,048 (-25.0)
12/2009: The Black Terror #6 - 9,545 (-20.8%)
01/2010: The Black Terror #7 - 8,705 (-8.8%)
02/2010: The Black Terror #8 - 7,991 (-8.2%)
03/2010: The Black Terror #9 – 7,668 (-4.0%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: The Black Terror #10 - 7,352 (-4.1%)
                                6 month (-39.0%)
                                1 year (-54.2%)

 
Not that terrible a drop compared to earlier.

194. Simpsons Comics (Bongo)
 
05/2005: Simpsons Comics #106 - 11,909
05/2006: Simpsons Comics #118 - 10,700
05/2007: Simpsons Comics #130 - 9,478
05/2008: Simpsons Comics #142 - 9,045
05/2009: Simpsons Comics #154 - 7,546
 
=====
06/2009: Simpsons Comics #155 - 8,011 (+6.2%)
07/2009: Simpsons Comics #156 - 7,774 (-3.0%)
08/2009: Simpsons Comics #157 - 7,565 (-2.7%)
09/2009: Simpsons Comics #158 - 7,782 (+2.9%)
10/2009: Simpsons Comics #159 - 7,645 (-1.8%)
11/2009: Simpsons Comics #160 - 7,618 (-0.4%)
12/2009: Simpsons Comics #161 - 7,414 (-2.7%)
01/2010: Simpsons Comics #162 - 7,227 (-2.5%)
02/2010: Simpsons Comics #163 - 7,507 (+3.9%)
03/2010: Simpsons Comics #164 - 7,351 (-2.1%)
04/2010: Simpsons Comics #165 - 7,228 (-1.7%)
05/2010: Simpsons Comics #166 - 7,161 (-0.9%)
                                6 month (-6.0%)
                                1 year (-5.1%)
                                2 year (-20.8%)
                                3 year (-24.4%)
                                4 year (-33.1%)
                                5 year (-40.0%)

Fairly stable. Sells well over seas.

195. Red Sonja Wrath of the Gods (Dynamite)
 
02/2010: Wrath of the Gods #1 - 8,941
03/2010: Wrath of the Gods #2 - 8,155 (-8.8%)
04/2010: Wrath of the Gods #3 - 7,626 (-6.5%)
05/2010: Wrath of the Gods #4 - 7,150 (-6.2%)

 
The regular series didn’t ship this month.

199. Choker (Image)
 
02/2010: Choker #1 - 8,735
03/2010: Choker #2 - 7,160 (-18.0%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Choker #3 - 6,945 (-3.0%) 

Fairly standard drop.
 

200. Amory Wars (Boom)
 
05/2010: Keeping Secrets of Earth 3 #1 - 6,909 

 
Comic by the guy from Coheed and Cambria. Just try and understand the wikipedia page about this stuff.

204. Doctor Who Ongoing (IDW)
 
07/2009: Doctor Who #1 - 10,949
08/2009: Doctor Who #2 - 8,908 (-18.6%)
09/2009: Doctor Who #3 - 8,711 (-2.2%)
10/2009: Doctor Who #4 - 8,354 (-4.1%)
11/2009: Doctor Who #5 - 7,958 (-4.7%)
12/2009: Doctor Who #6 - 7,448 (-6.4%)
01/2010: Doctor Who #7 - 7,239 (-2.8%)
02/2010: Doctor Who #8 - 7,014 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Doctor Who #9 - 6,991 (-0.3%)
04/2010: Doctor Who #10 - 6,784 (-3.0%)
05/2010: Doctor Who #11 - 6,743 (-0.6%)

 
Small drop this month.

207. Terry Moore’s Echo (Abstract)
 
05/2008: Echo #3 - 14,210
05/2009: Echo #12 - 11,093
 
=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: Echo #13 - 10,783 (-2.8%)
08/2009: Echo #14 - 10,663 (-1.1%)
09/2009: Echo #15 - 10,529 (-1.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Echo #16 - 10,234 (-2.8)
12/2009: Echo #17 - 10,282 (+0.5%)
01/2010: Echo #18 - 10,137 (-1.4%)
01/2010: Echo #19 - 4,978 [9,787] (-3.5%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Echo #20 - 9,378 (-4.2%)
04/2010: -
05/2010: Echo #21 - 6,611 (-29.5%)

Presumably copies got delayed somewhere.

208. Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? (Image)

05/2010: Whatever Happened to Baron Von Shock? #1 - 6,534

Rob Zombie comic.

211. Star Trek McCoy (IDW)

04/2010: McCoy #1 - 7,292
05/2010: McCoy #2 - 6,450 (-11.5%)

That’s a pretty good second issue drop.

217. Shadowhawk (Image)
05/2005: Shadowhawk #1 - 9,416
=====
05/2010: Shadowhawk #1 - 6,345

5 year (-32.6%)

How many Shadowhawk #1’s have there been?

224. Astounding Wolf-Man (Image)
05/2008: Wolf-Man #6 - 9,086
05/2009: Wolf-Man #16 - 7,721
=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: Wolf-Man #17 - 7,724 (0.0%)
08/2009: Wolf-Man #18 - 7,411 (-4.0%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Wolf-Man #19 - 7,271 (-1.9%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Wolf-Man #20 - 6,897 (-5.1%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Wolf-Man #21 - 6,565 (-4.8%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Wolf-Man #22 - 6,239 (-5.0%)
05/2010: Wolf-Man #23 - 6,160 (-1.3%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-20.2%)
                                2 year (-32.2%)

Only one issue left.

237. Broken Trinity (Image)

02/2010: Pandora’s Box #1 - 6,698
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Pandora's Box #2 - 5,628 (-16.0%)

A smaller than average second issue drop considering the fairly large gap between issues.

238. Star Trek Captain's Log Harriman (IDW)

05/2010: Harriman #1 - 5,610

One shot.

242. Darkstalkers (Udon)

02/2010: Night Warriors #1 - 5,941
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Night Warriors #2 - 5,445 (-8.3%)

That’s a good second issue drop.

243. Battlefields (Dynamite)

05/2009: Tankies #2 - 7,043

=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: Tankies #3 - 6,834 (-3.0%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: Happy Valley #1 - 7,193 (+5.3%)
01/2010: Happy Valley #2 - 6,038 (-16.1%)
02/2010: Happy Valley #3 - 5,840 (-3.3%)
03/2010: Battlefields #4 - 5,805 (-0.6%)
04/2010: Battlefields #5 - 5,582 (-3.8%)
05/2010: Battlefields #6 - 5,444 (-2.4%)
                                6 months (n.a.)
                                1 year (-22.7%)

End of the second story.

244. Savage Dragon (Image)

05/2006: Savage Dragon #126 - 6,891
05/2007: -
05/2008: -
05/2009: Savage Dragon #148 - 6,051

=====
06/2009: Savage Dragon #149 - 6,060 (+0.2%)
07/2009: Savage Dragon #150 - 6,619 (+9.2%)
08/2009: Savage Dragon #151 - 6,034 (-8.8%)
09/2009: Savage Dragon #152 - 5,993 (-0.7%)
10/2009: Savage Dragon #153 - 6,571 (+9.6%)
11/2009: Savage Dragon #154 - 5,885 (-10.4%)
12/2009: Savage Dragon #155 - 5,736 (-2.5%)
01/2010: Savage Dragon #156 - 6,152 (+7.3%)
02/2010: Savage Dragon #157 - 5,617 (-8.7%)
03/2010: Savage Dragon #158 - 5,578 (-0.7%)
04/2010: Savage Dragon #159 - 5,359 (-3.9%)
05/2010: Savage Dragon #160 - 5,411 (+1.0%)
                                6 month (-8.0%)
                                1 year (-10.6%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (-21.5%)

Dragon War conclusion.

253. Star Trek (IDW)

02/2010: Movie Adaptation #1 - 6,436
03/2010: Movie Adaptation #2 - 5,622 (-12.6%)
04/2010: Movie Adaptation #3 - 5,256 (-6.5%)
05/2010: Movie Adaptation #4 - 4,993 (-5.0%)

Still confusing me by its existence.

256. Archie (Archie)

05/2005: Archie #557 - 2,739
05/2006: -
05/2007: -
05/2008: -
05/2009: Archie #597 - 2,563
=====

06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: Archie #600 - 54,170 [58,408] (+2,178.9%)
09/2009: Archie #601 - 37,871 (-35.2%)
10/2009: Archie #602 - 28,211 (-25.5%)
11/2009: Archie #603 - 25,799 (-8.5%)
12/2009: Archie #604 - 25,058 (-2.9%)
01/2010: Archie #605 - 24,803 (-1.0%)
02/2010: Archie #606 - 15,127 (-39.0%)
03/2010: Archie #607 - 5,013 (-66.9%)
04/2010: Archie #608 - 5,224 (+4.2%)
05/2010: Archie #609 - 4,848  (-7.2%)
                                6 month (-81.2%)
                                1 year (+89.2%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (n.a.)
                                5 year (+77.0%)

Looks like the $2.99 price point is here to stay. Interesting that they waited until after their big storyline to up the price.

258. Wolfskin (Avatar)

05/2006: Wolfskin #1 - 9,804

=====
04/2010: Hundredth Dream #1 - 5,322
05/2010: Hundredth Dream #2 - 4,788 (-10.0%)

                                4 year (-51.2%)

Warren Ellis writes barbarians.

265. Bram Stoker's Death Ship (IDW)

05/2010: Death Ship #1 - 4,452

I think this is some sort of Dracula comic. The solicitations say it’s and “untold tale” so it doesn’t actually seem to be an adaptation of anything.

268. Muppet Show (Boom!)

05/2009: -

=====
06/2009: Muppet Show #3 (of 4) - 7,210 (+9.9%)
07/2009: Muppet Show #4 (of 4) - 6,273 (-13.0%)
07/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #1 (of 4) - 7,027 (+12.0%)
08/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #2 (of 4) - 5,952 (-15.3%)
09/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #3 (of 4) - 5,444 (-8.5%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #4 (of 4) - 4,822 (-11.4)
12/2009: Muppet Show #0 - 6,120 (+26.9%)
01/2010: Muppet Show #1 - 6,155 (+0.6%)
02/2010: Muppet Show #2 - 4,965 (-19.3%)
03/2010: Muppet Show #3 - 4,557 (-8.2%)
04/2010: Muppet Show #4 - 4,320 (-5.2%)
05/2010: Muppet Show #5 - 4,316 (-0.0%)
                                6 month (-10.5%)
                                1 year (n.a.)

Stable. Now the best selling of Boom’s Disney comics in the direct market. This one’s not drawn by Langrige. I can’t seem to track down the information to say if it was solicited that way.

269. Incredibles (Boom!)

05/2009: Family Matters #2 (of 4) - 8,041

=====
06/2009: Family Matters #3 (of 4) - 8,169 (+1.6%)
07/2009: Family Matters #4 (of 4) - 8,199 (+0.4%)
08/2009: Incredibles #0 - 9,407 (+14.7%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Incredibles #1 - 9,471 (+0.7%)
11/2009: Incredibles #2 - 7,383 (-22.0%)
12/2010: Incredibles #3 - 6,849 (-7.2%)
01/2010: Incredibles #4 - 6,149 (-10.2%)
02/2010: Incredibles #5 - 5,502 (-10.5%)
03/2010: Incredibles #6 - 5,230 (-4.9%)
03/2010: Incredibles #7 - 4,025 (-23.0%)
04/2010: Incredibles #8 - 4,582 (+13.8%)
05/2010: Incredibles #9 - 4,288 (-6.4%)
                                6 month (-41.9%)
                                1 year (-46.7%)

Bigger than average drop percentage wise, the raw numbers aren’t as bad.

271. 7 Pyschopaths (Boom)

05/2010: 7 Psychopaths #1 - 4,163

World War II comic drawn by Sean Phillips.

277. Atomic Robo (Red 5)

05/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #1 - 4,234

=====
06/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #2 - 4,533 (+7.1%)
07/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #3 - 4,210 (-7.1%)
08/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #4 - 4,241 (+0.7%)
09/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #5 - 4,225 (-0.4%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #1 - 4,372 (+3.5%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #2 - 4,093 (-6.4%)
05/2010: Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #3 - 3,840 (-6.2%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-9.3%)

Not the best drop percentage wise, but the actual number drop isn’t that bad.

278. Fraggle Rock (Archaia)

04/2010: Fraggle Rock #1 - 6,571
05/2010: Fraggle Rock #2 - 3,779 (-42.5%) 

Bigger than normal second issue drop. Some copies might have shipped late.

279. Kill Shakespeare (IDW)

04/2010: Kill Shakespeare #1 - 5,447
05/2010: Kill Shakespeare #2 - 3,703 (-32.0%)

Fairly average second issue drop.

281. Uncle Scrooge (Boom)

05/2005: Uncle Scrooge #342 (Gemstone) - 5,078
05/2006: Uncle Scrooge #354 (Gemstone) - 4,875
05/2007: Uncle Scrooge #366 (Gemstone) – 4,311
05/2008: Uncle Scrooge #375 (Gemstone) - 4,329
05/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Uncle Scrooge #384 - 5,835
11/2009: Uncle Scrooge #385 - 5,232 (-10.3%)
12/2009: Uncle Scrooge #386 - 4,946 (-5.5%)
01/2010: Uncle Scrooge #387 - 4,604 (-6.9%)
02/2010: Uncle Scrooge #388 - 4,311 (-6.3%)
03/2010: Uncle Scrooge #389 - 3,906 (-9.4%)
04/2010: Uncle Scrooge #390 - 3,747 (-4.1%)
05/2010: Uncle Scrooge #391 - 3,677 (-1.9%)
                                6 months (-29.7%)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (-15.1%)
                                3 year (-14.7%)
                                4 year (-24.6%)
                                5 year (-27.6%)

I’m not sure how useful the multi year comparisons are, as the Gemstone editions cost over twice as much but weren’t available on newsstands.

282. Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories (Boom)

05/2005: Comics and Stories #657 (Gemstone) - 3,965
05/2006: Comics and Stories #669 (Gemstone) - 3,755
05/2007: Comics and Stories #681 (Gemstone) - 3,662
05/2008: Comics and Stories #690 (Gemstone) - 3,942
05/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Comics and Stories #699 - 6,679
11/2009: Comics and Stories #700 - 5,634 (-15.6%)
12/2009: Comics and Stories #701 - 4,885 (-13.3%)
01/2010: Comics and Stories #702 - 4,567 (-6.5%)
02/2010: Comics and Stories #703 - 4,233 (-7.3%)
03/2010: Comics and Stories #704 - 3,917 (-7.5%)
04/2010: Comics and Stories #705 - 3,497 (-10.7%)
05/2010: Comics and Stories #706 - 3,655 (+4.5%)
                                6 months (n.a.)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (-7.3%)
                                3 year (-0.2%)
                                4 year (-2.7%)
                                5 year (-7.8%)

Ditto.

284. Chimichanga (Exploding Albatross)

12/2009: Chimichanga #1 - 9,111
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: -
05/2010: Chimichanga #2 - 3,608 (-60.4%)

I’m guessing a bunch of copies got lost somewhere.

286, 289. Muppet Show Fairy Tales (Boom!)

05/2009: Robin Hood #1 (of 4) - 4,793

=====
06/2009: -
07/2009: Robin Hood #2 (of 4) - 5,646 (-17.8%)
08/2009: Robin Hood #3 (of 4) - 5,647 (+0%)
09/2009: Robin Hood #4 (of 4) - 5,612 (-0.6%)
09/2009: Peter Pan #1 - 6,356 (+13.3%)
10/2009: Peter Pan #2 - 5,199 (-18.2%)
11/2009: Peter Pan #3 - 4,762 (-8.4%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Peter Pan #4 - 4,235 (-11.1%)
02/2010: King Arthur #1 - 4,248 (+0.3%)
02/2010: King Arthur #2 - 3,684 (-13.3%)
03/2010: King Arthur #3 - ????
04/2010: -
05/2010: King Arthur #4 - 3,308 (???)
05/2010: Snow White #1 - 3,521 (+6.4%)
                                6 month (-26.1%)
                                1 year (-26.5%)

Slight increase for the new number one, but there are definitely diminishing returns here.

287. James Patterson's Witch & Wizard (IDW)

05/2010: Battle for Shadowland #1 - 3,481

Surprisingly this doesn’t seem to be an adaptation, but an original spin-off.

288. Light (Image)

04/2010: Light #1 - 5,100
05/2010: Light #2 - 3,323 (-34.8%)

Five issue series with art by Brett Weldele doing the art.

292. Tank Girl

05/2008: Visions of Booga #1 (IDW) - 6,713
05/2009: -

=====
11/2009: Skid Marks #1 (Titan) - 4,902
12/2009: Nuggets (Image) - 5,803 (+18.4%)
01/2010: Skid Marks #2 (Titan) - 3,805 (-34.4%)
02/2010: Skid Marks #3 (Titan) - 3,253 (-14.5%)
03/2010: Royal Escape #1 (IDW) - 3,957 (+21.6%)
04/2010: Dirty Helmets (Image) - 4,303 (+8.7%)
04/2010: Royal Escape #2 (IDW) - 3,387 (-21.3%)
05/2010: Royal Escape #3 (IDW) - 3,227 (-4.7%)
                                6 month (-34.2%)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (-51.9%)

Just the one comic this month.

293. Wall-E (Boom)

11/2009: Wall-E #0 - 7,410
12/2009: Wall-E #1 - 5,946 (-20.0%)
01/2010: Wall-E #2 - 4,581 (-23.0%)
02/2010: Wall-E #3 - 4,175 (-8.9%)
03/2010: Wall-E #4 - 3,736 (-10.5%)
04/2010: Wall-E #5 - 3,328 (-10.9%)
05/2010: Wall-E #6 - 3,214 (-3.4%)

Standard drop.

295. Zombies vs. Robots Aventure (IDW)

02/2010: ZVR: Aventure #1 - 2,390
03/2010: ZVR: Aventure #2 - ????
04/2010: ZVR: Aventure #3 - 3,276 (???)
05/2010: ZVR: Aventure #4 - 3,152 (-3.8%)

Standard drop.

296. Orc Stain (Image)

01/2010: Orc Stain #1 - 4,476
02/2010: -
03/2010: Orc Stain #2 - ????
04/2010: -
05/2010: Orc Stain #3 - 3,151 (???)

King City might never make the chart, but I’m glad to see Orc Stain back on here (even if I haven’t managed to find a copy of this issue yet). It sees like it’s going to run until issue twelve or so at least. More people should be reading those two books.

297. Cold Space (Boom!)

04/2010: Cold Space #1 - 5,431
05/2010: Cold Space #2 - 3,138 (-42.2%)

Co-written (and starring) Samuel L. Jackson.

299. Donald Duck and Friends (Boom)

05/2005: Donald Duck and Friends #328 (Gemstone) - 4,545
05/2006: Donald Duck and Friends #340 (Gemstone) - 4,504

=====
11/2009: Donald Duck and Friends #347 - 5,462
12/2009: Donald Duck and Friends #348 - 4,571 (-16.3%)
01/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #349 - 4,502 (-1.5%)
01/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #350 - 3,924 (-12.8%)
02/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #351 - 3,801 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #352 - ????
04/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #353 - 3,107
05/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #354 - 3,074 (-1.1%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (-3.2%)
                                5 year (-3.2%)

The multiyear comparisons are more accurate here as the Gemstone editions cost about the same. Lowest non-Marvel/DC book this month.

==========
Just a reminder, all numbers on this chart are estimates for comics sold by Diamond to the direct market. They include reorders that shipped in the same month. Books shipping in the first week of a month will have more time for reorders to appear than ones shipping in the last week of the month, when reorders will slip to the following month. These numbers don’t include sales through Diamond UK. They are low.

Matthew Murray really likes (vegetarian) cooking and zines and comics. Now if only he could somehow combine them.

by Paul O’Brien

A busy month, as SIEGE wraps up, and the Heroic Age books begin, including the debut issues of both AVENGERS and SECRET AVENGERS. The “World War Hulks” crossover begins, “Second Coming” continues in the X-books, and the new ASTONISHING miniseries ship their first issues.

Once again, Marvel had the largest share of the North American direct market, beating DC by 46% to 35% in terms of units, and 41% to 31% in dollars.

For the benefit of any new readers, bear in mind the following disclaimers. These are estimates of orders placed by stores in the North American direct market. They don’t include sales on newsstands, or to other countries (such as the UK). And most of this material will be repackaged in collected editions or made available online, so there will be further sales in other formats. On the other hand, we don’t know whether the retailers managed to sell everything they ordered. With books that have been around a while, the retailers presumably have a fairly good idea of how many copies they can sell; with new launches, there’s a bit more guesswork involved.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the numbers. Thanks as always to MIlton Griepp and Icv2 for permission to use these figures.

1.  AVENGERS
05/10  Avengers #1 - 163,867

The Avengers line gets a reshuffle to tie in with Marvel’s new “Heroic Age” direction. While you could certainly make a case for doing it differently, for the purposes of comparing with earlier years, I’m taking the line that NEW AVENGERS has been renumbered from issue #1; AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE has been relaunched as AVENGERS ACADEMY; and AVENGERS and SECRET AVENGERS are simply new titles, replacing DARK AVENGERS and MIGHTY AVENGERS.

As we’ve come to expect with major launches, the issue has a horde of variant covers. In addition to the regular John Romita Jr cover, there’s a 1:15 “Heroic Age” cover by Greg Land, a 1:25 Marko Djurdjevic cover, a 1:75 Captain America cover (recycling the art from the “I Am An Avenger” promotional adverts, and we’ll be seeing those for months to come on the Avengers titles), a gatefold variant of that last cover, a John Romita Sr cover, a blank cover, and something called a “Premiere” cover. So eight covers in total, three of them with incentives.

Even so, 164K is a good number. It’s significantly more than SIEGE #1, for example. But perhaps a better comparison is the launch of DARK AVENGERS in January 2009, which had seven covers, higher incentive ratios, and estimated sales of 118,579. This is clearly a step up from that. So far, so good.

2.  SIEGE
01/10  Siege #1 of 4 - 120,888
02/10  Siege #2 of 4 - 118,283  (-2.2%)
03/10  Siege #3 of 4 - 113,071  (-4.4%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Siege #4 of 4 - 113,752  (+0.6%)

The sales for the first issue of SIEGE may not have been spectacular, but the series has remained remarkably steady since then.

This final issue sees a small uptick in sales, which is unusual. (The increase is trivial, but the point is that you’d normally expect sales to go down over the life of a miniseries.) One factor will be the range of variants – issue #3 had five covers, including 1:25, 1:100 and 1:200 incentives. Issue #4 also has five, but the incentive ratios were 1:25, 1:100, 1:175 and 1:250. Presumably that was just enough to cancel out the usual drop.

4.  SECRET AVENGERS
05/10  Secret Avengers #1 - 106,750

That’s a very good start for what’s presumably the Avengers’ C-title, behind AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS. This one has a mere four covers, with incentives of 1:15, 1:25 and 1:75. The Avengers titles had been tailing off a bit over the last year, but this relaunch may well have reinvigorated them. The acid test, of course, is how well the sales hold up beyond the first couple of months.

10. UNCANNY X-MEN
05/05  Uncanny X-Men #459 - 83,547
05/06  Uncanny X-Men #473 - 79,335
05/07  Uncanny X-Men #486 - 81,965
05/08  Uncanny X-Men #498 - 82,090
=====
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%)
01/10  Uncanny X-Men #520 - 65,758  ( -1.9%)
02/10  Uncanny X-Men #521 - 67,049  ( +2.0%)
03/10  Uncanny X-Men #522 - 67,996  ( +1.4%)
04/10  Uncanny X-Men #523 - 78,999  (+16.2%)
05/10  Uncanny X-Men #524 - 77,056  ( -2.5%)
                            6 mnth  (+10.8%)
                            1 year  ( +2.6%)
                            2 year  ( -6.1%)
                            3 year  ( -6.0%)
                            4 year  ( -2.9%)
                            5 year  ( -7.8%)

This is the second month of the “Second Coming” crossover, running through UNCANNY, X-MEN LEGACY, NEW MUTANTS and X-FORCE. And the signs are good. Across the board, the April issues are picking up reorders. Here, issue #523 sold a further 4,909 in May, bringing the total to almost 79,000.

That means that initial sales are actually up for the second month of this crossover. There are also variant covers on these books, but those are consistent from month to month, so they shouldn’t make a difference.

Admittedly, UNCANNY was selling in these quantities roughly a year ago without the benefit of crossovers. Similar points could be made about most of the other titles. (NEW MUTANTS is a special case, because its sales lag so far behind the other books, and it’s only a year old.) Nonetheless, the reorder activity shows some interest in this story – and if it hadn’t been for those re-orders, UNCANNY would be showing a sales increase for the fourth month in a row.

X-MEN: SECOND COMING #1, which carried the first chapter of the crossover and came out in March, also picks up reorders of 6,990, bringing the total to 73,003.

11. NEW AVENGERS
05/05  ---
05/06  New Avengers #19 - 123,318
05/07  New Avengers #30 - 126,425
05/08  New Avengers #41 - 109,185
=====
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%)
01/10  New Avengers #61 -  78,202  ( +7.4%)
02/10  New Avengers #62 -  76,405  ( -2.3%)
03/10  New Avengers #63 -  76,145  ( -0.3%)
04/10  New Avengers #64 -  75,430  ( -0.9%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Finale           -  76,918  ( +2.0%)
                           6 mnth  ( +3.4%)
                           1 year  (-18.5%)
                           2 year  (-30.0%)
                           3 year  (-39.2%)
                           4 year  (-37.6%)
                           5 year  (  --- )

Basically issue #65, and the retailers have ordered it accordingly. It’s an epilogue, wrapping up some of the outstanding plot threads. Needless to say, we can expect a significant jump next month when the title relaunches from issue #1. (And while I’m generally sceptical about the current value of that particular marketing device, NEW AVENGERS should be an exception – partly because it really has closed the book on a multi-year storyline, and partly because of the sheer volume of promotion.)

13. DARK AVENGERS
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%)
01/10  Dark Avengers #13 -  76,002  ( +8.9%)
02/10  Dark Avengers #14 -  76,639  ( +0.8%)
03/10  Dark Avengers #15 -  72,254  ( -5.7%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Dark Avengers #16 -  71,509  ( -1.0%)
                            6 mnth  ( -1.0%)
                            1 year  (  --- )

The final issue, delayed because it has to tie in with the end of SIEGE. DARK AVENGERS has been losing readers over the course of the year, but still wraps up its run with eminently acceptable sales.

15. X-MEN LEGACY
05/05  X-Men #170        -  81,048
05/06  X-Men #186        -  79,536
05/07  X-Men #199        -  75,996
05/08  X-Men Legacy #212 -  74,033
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Men Legacy #232 -  49,200  ( -3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Legacy #233 -  51,344  ( +4.4%)
03/10  X-Men Legacy #234 -  48,217  ( -6.1%)
04/10  X-Men Legacy #235 -  65,302  (+35.4%)
05/10  X-Men Legacy #236 -  64,850  ( -0.7%)
                            6 mnth  (+27.7%)
                            1 year  (+20.1%)
                            2 year  (-12.4%)
                            3 year  (-14.7%)
                            4 year  (-18.5%)
                            5 year  (-20.0%)

16. X-FORCE
05/08  X-Force #4  - 80,175
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Force #23 - 50,848  ( -1.9%)
02/10  X-Force #24 - 49,790  ( -2.1%)
03/10  X-Force #25 - 49,910  ( +0.2%)
04/10  X-Force #26 - 67,512  (+35.3%)
05/10  X-Force #27 - 62,509  ( -7.4%)
                     6 mnth  (+15.8%)
                     1 year  ( +7.1%)
                     2 year  (-22.0%)

Two more “Second Coming” titles. LEGACY picks up orders of 4,653 on issue #235, while X-FORCE adds 5,312 to the orders on issue #26. The latter title is heading for a relaunch after the crossover.

19.  THOR
05/08  Thor #9   - 87,101
=====
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%)
01/10  Thor #606 - 55,353  ( +0.2%)
02/10  Thor #607 - 66,973  (+21.0%)
03/10  Thor #608 - 62,012  ( -7.4%)
04/10  Thor #609 - 64,522  ( +4.0%)
05/10  Thor #610 - 61,779  ( -4.3%)
                   6 mnth  (+15.3%)
                   1 year  (  --- )
                   2 year  (-29.1%)

This issue has a 1:15 “Heroic Age” variant, but then there was a 1:15 variant on the April issue as well. It’s not officially a SIEGE crossover, but it was solicited (correctly) as an epilogue, which probably explains why it’s held on to much of the crossover increase.

20. SENTRY: FALLEN SUN
05/10  Fallen Sun - 60,883

The funeral of the Sentry, and another SIEGE epilogue. Not a bad number at all – it’s about 10,000 short of parent title DARK AVENGERS, without the benefit of a variant cover.

21,22,23. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
05/05  Amazing Spider-Man #520 -  76,143
05/06  Amazing Spider-Man #532 -  95,544
05/07  Amazing Spider-Man #540 - 119,662
05/08  Amazing Spider-Man #560 -  74,012
=====
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%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #617 -  76,730  (+30.4%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #618 -  61,969  (-19.2%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #619 -  56,837  ( -8.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #620 -  59,860  ( +5.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #621 -  55,350  ( -7.5%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #622 -  53,929  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #623 -  66,064  (+22.5%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #624 -  60,213  ( -8.9%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #625 -  54,179  (-10.0%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #626 -  53,868  ( -0.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #627 -  54,206  ( +0.6%)
04/10  Amazing Spider-Man #628 -  57,797  ( +6.6%)
04/10  Amazing Spider-Man #629 -  53,560  ( -7.3%)
05/10  Amazing Spider-Man #630 -  57,969  ( +8.2%)
05/10  Amazing Spider-Man #631 -  57,239  ( -1.3%)
05/10  Amazing Spider-Man #632 -  56,723  ( -0.9%)
                                  6 mnth  (-12.1%)
                                  1 year  ( -2.8%)
                                  2 year  (-23.4%)
                                  3 year  (-52.6%)
                                  4 year  (-40.6%)
                                  5 year  (-25.5%)

Variant covers on all three issues this month, which presumably explains why sales remain in the upper 50K range. The next couple of months should be interesting, as they’ll feature the “Grim Hunt” storyline, which has had months of build, followed by Joe Quesada’s “O.M.I.T.” arc picking at the wedding scab.

24. ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN/WOLVERINE
05/10  Spider-Man/Wolverine #1 of 5 - 56,518

25. ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS
05/10  Xenogenesis #1 of 5 - 55,428

The “Astonishing” books are being promoted as self-contained, accessible minis featuring major Marvel characters without getting hung up on continuity. The fact that they’ve placed so close together is interesting, given that they have different creative teams, different characters (except for Wolverine, who’s in both) and no story connection. Presumably retailers do indeed see some value in the “Astonishing” brand.

XENOGENESIS is basically a continuation of Warren Ellis’s ASTONISHING X-MEN run – except that the previous arc isn’t finished yet, having become mired in yet more delays. In effect, if not in form, Marvel are now shipping that series out of sequence.

Both issues have foilogram variants, and both will be getting “Director’s Cut” editions in September.

26. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN
05/05  ---
05/06  Iron Man #8             -  38,860
05/07  Iron Man #17            -  63,328
05/08  Invincible Iron Man #1  - 105,864
=====
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 -  49,986  (-18.9%)
01/10  Invincible Iron Man #22 -  49,130  ( -1.7%)
02/10  Invincible Iron Man #23 -  50,027  ( +1.8%)
03/10  Invincible Iron Man #24 -  49,239  ( -1.6%)
04/10  Invincible Iron Man #25 -  73,694  (+49.7%)
05/10  Invincible Iron Man #26 -  53,625  (-27.2%)
                                  6 mnth  (-13.0%)
                                  1 year  ( +4.5%)
                                  2 year  (-49.3%)
                                  3 year  (-15.3%)
                                  4 year  (+38.0%)
                                  5 year  (  --- )

Dropping back to more familiar sales levels now that the movie release (and its accompanying variant covers) is behind us.

27. ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES
05/05  Ultimates 2 #6        - 102,026
05/06  ---
05/07  Ultimates 2 #13       - 105,745
05/08  ---
05/09  ---
=====
03/10  New Ultimates #1 of 5 -  71,279
04/10  ---
05/10  New Ultimates #2 of 5 -  53,323  (-25.2%)
                                6 mnth  (  --- )
                                1 year  (  --- )
                                2 year  (  --- )
                                3 year  (-49.6%)
                                4 year  (  --- )
                                5 year  (-47.7%)

28. ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS
08/09  U.C. Avengers #1        - 99,701
09/09  U.C. Avengers #2        - 68,597  (-31.2%)
10/09  U.C. Avengers #3        - 62,716  ( -8.6%)
11/09  U.C. Avengers #4        - 59,023  ( -5.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  U.C. Avengers #5        - 58,098  ( -1.6%)
04/10  U.C. Avengers #6        - 53,438  ( -8.0%)
04/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #1 of 6 - 64,811  (+21.3%)
05/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #2 of 6 - 52,939  (-18.3%)
                                 6 mnth  (-10.3%)

More worrying signs for the Ultimate imprint. ULTIMATES 3 wrapped up with sales at 86,851 in September 2008, so the new title has opened lower and dropped further. In fairness, the first issue had two variant covers, so the underlying drop will be more modest than it looks.

Similarly, ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2 had two variant covers for its first issue, which makes the second issue drop relatively modest. But any benefit from the renumbering has more or less worn off already.

31. HULK
05/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Hulk #19 - 56,738  ( +6.6%)
02/10  Hulk #20 - 51,962  ( -8.4%)
03/10  Hulk #21 - 50,785  ( -2.3%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Hulk #22 - 49,618  ( -2.3%)
                  6 mnth  ( -5.8%)
                  1 year  (-32.1%)
                  2 year  (  --- )

Beginning the “World War Hulks” crossover, although since “Fall of the Hulks” has only just finished in the previous issue, there’s not much difference to be seen. The solicitations indicate new creative teams and new directions for the Hulk titles in September.

32. 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%)
01/10  New Mutants #9  - 30,572  ( -5.2%)
02/10  New Mutants #10 - 30,807  ( +0.8%)
03/10  New Mutants #11 - 36,629  (+18.9%)
04/10  New Mutants #12 - 49,591  (+35.4%)
05/10  New Mutants #13 - 49,583  ( -0.0%)
                         6 mnth  (+48.8%)
                         1 year  (-18.7%)

The fourth “Second Coming” title picks up a whopping 6,807 in re-orders, which tends to support my speculation last month that retailers had under-ordered it. Mind you, it still remains 28,000 short of UNCANNY X-MEN, which means that a full third of UNCANNY’s readers aren’t buying the whole crossover, even though it’s an old-school “part 6 of 14″ serial. Strange, that.

34. INCREDIBLE HULK
05/05  Incredible Hulk #81  -  43,822
05/06  Incredible Hulk #95  -  46,571
05/07  Incredible Hulk #106 - 110,192
05/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Incredible Hulk #606 -  48,197  ( +9.6%)
02/10  Incredible Hulk #607 -  45,870  ( -4.8%)
03/10  Incredible Hulk #608 -  47,148  ( +2.8%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Incredible Hulk #609 -  46,670  ( -1.0%)
                               6 mnth  (+14.8%)
                               1 year  (  --- )
                               2 year  (  --- )
                               3 year  (-57.6%)
                               4 year  ( +0.2%)
                               5 year  ( +6.5%)

See comments above for HULK, basically.

35. DARK WOLVERINE
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%)
01/10  Dark Wolverine #82 - 54,838  (+14.0%)
02/10  Dark Wolverine #83 - 53,958  ( -1.6%)
03/10  Dark Wolverine #84 - 49,469  ( -8.3%)
04/10  Dark Wolverine #85 - 47,527  ( -3.9%)
05/10  Dark Wolverine #86 - 46,315  ( -2.6%)
                            6 mnth  (-11.6%)
                            1 year  (-49.3%)

This is the second month of a crossover with WOLVERINE: ORIGINS. There’s a “Heroic Age” variant cover (but there was one on the previous issue too). The book is relaunching in September as DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE, while WOLVERINE: WEAPON X is relaunching as just plain WOLVERINE. Reflecting the reality, I’ve moved the sales for prior years over to WEAPON X, which is the real continuation of Wolverine’s solo title.

S.H.I.E.L.D.
04/10  S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 44,543
05/10  ---

This is on a bimonthly schedule, but issue #1 picks up healthy reorders of 6,513 – included above, as always.

41. DEADPOOL
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Deadpool #19 - 44,580  ( -2.9%)
02/10  Deadpool #20 - 43,347  ( -2.8%)
03/10  Deadpool #21 - 42,062  ( -3.0%)
04/10  Deadpool #22 - 43,061  ( +2.4%)
05/10  Deadpool #23 - 42,761  ( -0.7%)
                      6 mnth  ( -8.6%)
                      1 year  (-23.8%)

Hovering at a steady level over the last few months. There’s a variant cover on this issue, but the same applied last month.

43. X-FACTOR
05/06  X-Factor #7   - 44,315
05/07  X-Factor #19  - 37,898
05/08  X-Factor #31  - 48,231
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Factor #201 - 29,732  (-18.7%)
02/10  X-Factor #202 - 30,981  ( +4.2%)
03/10  X-Factor #203 - 28,924  ( -6.6%)
04/10  X-Factor #204 - 40,534  (+40.1%)
05/10  X-Factor #205 - 41,745  ( +3.0%)
                       6 mnth  (  --- )
                       1 year  (+32.3%)
                       2 year  (-13.4%)
                       3 year  (+10.2%)
                       4 year  ( -5.8%)

X-FACTOR isn’t part of “Second Coming” proper, but its tie-in arc is still generating remarkable sales increases. Issue #204 picks up reorders of 3,961.

45. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL
05/10  Annual #37 - 41,388

Only about 16K behind the parent title – not bad at all for an annual, and particularly not for a story billed as taking place during the Silver Age.

46. SIEGE: EMBEDDED
01/10  Siege: Embedded #1 of 4 - 55,482
02/10  Siege: Embedded #2 of 4 - 46,003  (-17.1%)
03/10  Siege: Embedded #3 of 4 - 43,455  ( -5.5%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Siege: Embedded #4 of 4 - 40,054  ( -7.8%)

A pretty solid performance for SIEGE’s B-miniseries.

47. ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN
05/05  Ult. Spider-Man #77  - 81,034
05/06  Ult. Spider-Man #95  - 73,564
05/07  Ult. Spider-Man #109 - 72,478
05/08  Ult. Spider-Man #122 - 55,759
=====
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%)
01/10  U.C. Spider-Man #6   - 43,622  (  -4.9%)
02/10  U.C. Spider-Man #7   - 42,176  (  -3.3%)
03/10  U.C. Spider-Man #8   - 40,967  (  -2.9%)
04/10  U.C. Spider-Man #9   - 39,955  (  -2.5%)
05/10  U.C. Spider-Man #10  - 39,690  (  -0.7%)
                              6 mnth  ( -19.2%)
                              1 year  ( -20.8%)
                              2 year  ( -28.8%)
                              3 year  ( -45.2%)
                              4 year  ( -46.0%)
                              5 year  ( -51.0%)

Seems to be levelling out, at least, but sales remain substantially down following the relaunch.

48. WOLVERINE ONE-SHOTS
05/09  ---
06/09  Revolver            - 21,425  (  -8.0%)
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  ---
12/09  Under the Boardwalk - 19,271  ( -10.4%)
01/10  Wendigo             - 17,476  (  -9.3%)
02/10  Savage              - 18,396  (  +5.3%)
03/10  Mr X                - 17,947  (  -2.4%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Wolverine #900      - 38,990  (+117.3%)

Interesting. This is basically a Wolverine anthology. Initially I assumed that the joke of publishing DEADPOOL #900 must have gone over someone’s head. But as it turns out, this $5 book has sold far better than the usual Wolverine one-shot – comfortably better, in fact, than either of Wolverine’s regular titles. That’s unexpected.

49. FANTASTIC FOUR
05/05  Fantastic Four #527 - 67,433
05/06  ---
05/07  Fantastic Four #546 - 72,182
05/08  Fantastic Four #557 - 62,736
=====
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%)
01/10  Fantastic Four #575 - 41,284  ( +7.4%)
02/10  Fantastic Four #576 - 37,526  ( -9.1%)
03/10  Fantastic Four #577 - 35,791  ( -4.6%)
04/10  Fantastic Four #578 - 37,940  ( +6.0%)
05/10  Fantastic Four #579 - 38,415  ( +1.3%)
                             6 mnth  ( -2.6%)
                             1 year  (-17.7%)
                             2 year  (-38.8%)
                             3 year  (-46.8%)
                             4 year  (  --- )
                             5 year  (-43.0%)

Variant cover, but the same applied last month. This may be settling down.

50. AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE
05/07  Initiative #2  - 103,189
05/08  Initiative #13 -  56,818
=====
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%)
01/10  Initiative #32 -  36,127  (+11.9%)
02/10  Initiative #33 -  39,968  (+10.6%)
03/10  Initiative #34 -  38,616  ( -3.4%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Initiative #35 -  38,158  ( -1.2%)
                         6 mnth  (+33.0%)
                         1 year  (-10.2%)
                         2 year  (-32.8%)
                         3 year  (-63.0%)

Final issue, with AVENGERS ACADEMY replacing it in June. It’s also a SIEGE tie-in, and continues to benefit from that.

52. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
05/06  Origins #2  - 131,522
05/07  Origins #14 -  68,953
05/08  Origins #25 -  52,907
=====
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%)
01/10  Origins #44 -  35,154  ( -3.8%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Origins #45 -  37,055  ( +5.4%)
03/10  Origins #46 -  34,004  ( -8.2%)
04/10  Origins #47 -  36,075  ( +6.1%)
05/10  Origins #48 -  35,999  ( -0.2%)
                      6 mnth  ( -5.0%)
                      1 year  (-20.8%)
                      2 year  (-32.0%)
                      3 year  (-47.8%)
                      4 year  (-72.6%)

The second month of the crossover with DARK WOLVERINE, which doesn’t seem to be having a huge impact – sales continue to hover around the level they’ve had all year. The book ends with issue #50, having completed its multi-year story.

53. X-MEN: BLIND SCIENCE
05/10  Blind Science - 35,483

A Second Coming tie-in one-shot, featuring the X-Club. Considering the sales levels we’ve seen on recent X-Men spin-offs like the PIXIE miniseries (see below), this looks like another sign of the popularity of the crossover.

57. AGE OF HEROES
05/10  Age of Heroes #1 of 4 - 33,573

An anthology title catching up on miscellaneous Marvel characters in the post-Dark Reign universe. Considering that this features stories about characters from two recently-cancelled titles (Dr Voodoo and MI-13), it’s a very solid number.

58. X-MEN: HELLBOUND
05/10  Hellbound #1 of 3 - 33,345

Another “Second Coming” tie-in miniseries, and again, it’s doing much better than your typical X-Men spin-off these days.

59. THUNDERBOLTS
05/05  New Thunderbolts #8 - 27,769
05/06  Thunderbolts #102   - 23,741
05/07  Thunderbolts #114   - 66,309
05/08  Thunderbolts #120   - 38,330
=====
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%)
01/10  Thunderbolts #140   - 28,644  ( -4.4%)
02/10  Thunderbolts #141   - 33,948  (+18.5%)
03/10  Thunderbolts #142   - 34,132  ( +0.5%)
04/10  Thunderbolts #143   - 35,656  ( +4.5%)
05/10  Thunderbolts #144   - 33,276  ( -6.7%)
                             6 mnth  ( +6.5%)
                             1 year  (-24.2%)
                             2 year  (-13.2%)
                             3 year  (-49.8%)
                             4 year  (+40.2%)
                             5 year  (+19.8%)

Hmm. This is the first issue of the new direction, complete with a Heroic Age variant cover. Granted, the last three issues were SIEGE tie-ins, and the April issue had a variant of its own, but I have to admit I was expecting a bigger increase.

63. 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%)
01/10  Marvels Project #5 of 8 - 31,644  ( -9.0%)
02/10  Marvels Project #6 of 8 - 30,108  ( -4.9%)
03/10  Marvels Project #7 of 8 - 28,129  ( -6.6%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Marvels Project #8 of 8 - 31,345  (+11.4%)

This issue has two variant covers, which presumably explains the unusual sales increase on the last issue of a mini.

66. 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%)
01/10  Merc With A Mouth #7  - 40,568  ( +9.5%)
02/10  Merc With A Mouth #8  - 34,281  (-15.5%)
03/10  Merc With A Mouth #9  - 33,405  ( -2.6%)
04/10  Merc With A Mouth #10 - 33,803  ( +1.2%)
05/10  Merc With A Mouth #11 - 30,677  ( -9.2%)
                               6 mnth  (-18.8%)

Cancelled with issue #13, with DEADPOOL CORPS effectively replacing it on the schedule. Except DEADPOOL CORPS is already below this pointÉ

67. WOLVERINE: WEAPON X
05/05  Wolverine #28 - 80,961
05/06  Wolverine #42 - 93,558
05/07  Wolverine #54 - 96,082
05/08  Wolverine #65 - 62,451
=====
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%)
01/10  Weapon X #9   - 31,678  ( -5.4%)
02/10  Weapon X #10  - 30,132  ( -4.9%)
03/10  Weapon X #11  - 29,799  ( -1.1%)
04/10  Weapon X #12  - 30,050  ( +0.8%)
05/10  Weapon X #13  - 29,773  ( -0.9%)
                       6 mnth  (-17.5%)
                       1 year  (-49.7%)
                       2 year  (-52.3%)
                       3 year  (-69.0%)
                       4 year  (-68.2%)
                       5 year  (-63.2%)

Relaunching in September as just plain WOLVERINE. As I’ve said before, Marvel’s big idea was presumably to turn WOLVERINE into a Daken title, and launch this book as the new regular Wolverine title. But it hasn’t worked, with sales rapidly crashing to levels we haven’t seen on the lead Wolverine title in years. Some people blame the price point. Me, I think the bigger factor is that there was very little appetite for a third monthly Wolverine book, which is how WEAPON X was initially promoted. (And incidentally, the experience of this book makes me very intrigued to see what happens with the upcoming X-MEN #1.)

So the relaunch in September has a lot of work to do, if it’s going to reverse the damage. Which might be why it’s shipping with five variant coversÉ

68. THANOS IMPERATIVE
05/10  Ignition - 29,716

The prologue to a mini starting next month. It replaces GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and NOVA, both of which had dropped to 21K towards the end of their runs, so it’s a decent number.

69. SECRET WARRIORS
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%)
01/10  Secret Warriors #12 - 29,894  ( -2.8%)
02/10  Secret Warriors #13 - 30,843  ( +3.2%)
03/10  Secret Warriors #14 - 28,580  ( -7.3%)
04/10  Secret Warriors #15 - 29,669  ( +3.8%)
05/10  Secret Warriors #16 - 29,340  ( -1.1%)
                             6 mnth  ( -7.1%)
                             1 year  (-31.4%)

Variant cover, but that’s not unusual. Sales seem to have steadied over the last five months or so.

70. IRON MAN LEGACY
04/10  Iron Man Legacy #1 - 48,956
05/10  Iron Man Legacy #2 - 29,175  (-40.4%)

A huge second issue drop, but then the launch issue had the benefit of four covers plus the publicity of the IRON MAN 2 movie release – and we saw what a huge spike that created for INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. So it was always going to be a sharp fall.

72. DOOMWAR
05/05  Black Panther #4  - 40,804
05/06  Black Panther #16 - 28,091
05/07  Black Panther #27 - 52,552
05/08  Black Panther #36 - 20,841
=====
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%)
01/10  Black Panther #12 - 17,881  (  -1.0%)
02/10  Doomwar #1 of 6   - 43,241  (+141.8%)
03/10  Doomwar #2 of 6   - 30,555  ( -29.3%)
04/10  Doomwar #3 of 6   - 27,859  (  -8.9%)
05/10  Doomwar #4 of 6   - 28,307  (  +1.6%)
                           6 mnth  ( +47.8%)
                           1 year  (  -8.6%)
                           2 year  ( +35.8%)
                           3 year  ( -46.1%)
                           4 year  (  +0.8%)
                           5 year  ( -30.6%)

Marvel haven’t solicited anything beyond the end of this miniseries, so it looks like this may be it for BLACK PANTHER. Which is slightly surprising, because sales have increased substantially with this miniseries – admittedly with the help of a horde of guest stars, but that’s not usually a big deal in sales terms any more. The slight increase this month is probably due to the Heroic Age variant cover, though.

73. DEADPOOL CORPS
03/10  Prelude #1 of 5   - 37,011
03/10  Prelude #2 of 5   - 32,024  (-13.5%)
03/10  Prelude #3 of 5   - 31,065  ( -3.0%)
03/10  Prelude #4 of 5   - 30,254  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Prelude #5 of 5   - 29,037  ( -4.0%)
04/10  Deadpool Corps #1 - 39,466  (+35.9%)
05/10  Deadpool Corps #2 - 28,236  (-28.5%)

Already below the sales of DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH, which isn’t encouraging. The first issue had a variant cover, and this one doesn’t, so the second issue drop isn’t as steep as it looks.

74. FALL OF THE HULKS: THE SAVAGE SHE-HULKS
03/10  Savage She-Hulks #1 of 3 - 33,290
04/10  Savage She-Hulks #2 of 3 - 27,421  (-17.6%)
05/10  Savage She-Hulks #3 of 3 - 27,809  ( +1.4%)

Another slight increase which is probably attributable to a Heroic Age variant cover – there was no variant on issue #2.

75. ULTIMATE COMICS ENEMY
01/10  Enemy #1 of 4 - 38,880
02/10  Enemy #2 of 4 - 29,820  (-23.3%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Enemy #3 of 4 - 28,829  ( -3.3%)
05/10  Enemy #4 of 4 - 27,612  ( -4.2%)

Fairly steady after the initial drop.

76. 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%)
01/10  Deadpool Team-Up #897 - 32,671  (-10.0%)
02/10  Deadpool Team-Up #896 - 30,119  ( -7.8%)
03/10  Deadpool Team-Up #895 - 28,573  ( -5.1%)
04/10  Deadpool Team-Up #894 - 28,835  ( +0.9%)
05/10  Deadpool Team-Up #893 - 26,578  ( -7.8%)
                               6 mnth  (-32.9%)

This has a variant cover (as did the previous issue), so the underlying sales still seem to be dropping.

79. DARK TOWER: GUNSLINGER - JOURNEY BEGINS
05/07  Gunslinger Born #4 of 7 - 131,753
05/08  Long Road Home #3 of 5  -  87,631
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Jericho Hill #3 of 5    -  27,215  ( -4.0%)
02/10  Jericho Hill #4 of 5    -  26,336  ( -3.2%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Jericho Hill #5 of 5    -  25,896  ( -1.7%)
05/10  Gunslinger #1 of 5      -  26,275  ( +1.5%)
                                  6 mnth  (-19.2%)
                                  1 year  (-39.7%)
                                  2 year  (-69.7%)
                                  3 year  (-80.1%)

A very token sales bump for the first issue of a new arc.

86. BLACK WIDOW
04/10  Black Widow #1 - 32,807
05/10  Black Widow #2 - 23,384  (-28.7%)

Issue #1 had four covers, issue #2 has three, so the second issue drop will be slightly exaggerated.

87. MARVEL ZOMBIES 5
04/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #1 of 5 - 26,318
04/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #2 of 5 - 26,319  ( -1.8%)
05/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #3 of 5 - 22,894  (-13.0%)

The magic of variant covers brings us a delayed second issue drop – which is actually quite a modest one.

88. ATLAS
05/09  Agents of Atlas #4  - 25,377  (-14.7%)
05/09  Agents of Atlas #5  - 25,207  ( -0.7%)
06/09  Agents of Atlas #6  - 22,579  (-10.4%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #7  - 23,217  ( +2.8%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #8  - 20,540  (-11.5%)
08/09  Agents of Atlas #9  - 20,828  ( +1.4%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #10 - 17,877  (-14.2%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #11 - 17,529  ( -1.9%)
10/09  X-Men vs #1 of 2    - 32,743  (+86.8%)
11/09  X-Men vs #2 of 2    - 25,222  (-23.0%)
12/09  ---
01/10  Avengers vs #1 of 4 - 21,777  (-13.7%)
02/10  Avengers vs #2 of 4 - 17,998  (-17.4%)
03/10  Avengers vs #3 of 4 - 16,482  ( -8.4%)
04/10  Avengers vs #4 of 4 - 14,900  ( -9.6%)
05/10  Atlas #1            - 22,756  (+52.7%)
                             6 mnth  ( -9.8%)
                             1 year  (-10.3%)

AGENTS OF ATLAS relaunches as just plain ATLAS. Unfortunately, sales pick up more or less at the level that the previous title had reached by issue #6, and that’s with the benefit of two variant covers. But as I’ve pointed out over the last few months, arbitrary renumbering no longer seem to be a very effective way of boosting sales.

91. PUNISHERMAX  [Max]
05/05  Punisher #21     - 37,998
05/06  Punisher #33     - 34,480
05/07  Punisher #47     - 33,892
05/08  Punisher #57     - 30,528
=====
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%)
01/10  PunisherMax #3   - 22,887  ( -1.0%)
02/10  PunisherMax #4   - 22,472  ( -1.8%)
03/10  PunisherMax #5   - 22,435  ( -0.2%)
04/10  PunisherMax #6   - 22,246  ( -0.8%)
05/10  PunisherMax #7   - 22,198  ( -0.2%)
                          6 mnth  (-23.8%)
                          1 year  ( +1.5%)
                          2 year  (-27.3%)
                          3 year  (-34.5%)
                          4 year  (-35.6%)
                          5 year  (-41.6%)

Holding steady.

92. ENTER THE HEROIC AGE
05/10  Enter the Heroic Age - 22,139

Trailer stories for five new titles – again, a decent number for that sort of book.

93. AVENGERS: THE ORIGIN
04/10  Origin #1 of 5 - 24,457
05/10  Origin #2 of 5 - 22,108  (-9.6%)

A Heroic Age variant cover will have blunted the second issue drop, but this isn’t at all bad for a story set in the Silver Age.

97. VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT
05/06  Moon Knight #2  - 75,333
05/07  Moon Knight #10 - 56,734
05/08  Moon Knight #18 - 26,626
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Moon Knight #5  - 19,733  ( -8.1%)
03/10  Moon Knight #6  - 19,094  ( -3.2%)
04/10  Moon Knight #7  - 20,718  ( +8.5%)
05/10  Moon Knight #8  - 20,597  ( -0.6%)
                         6 mnth  (-11.8%)
                         1 year  ( +4.5%)
                         2 year  (-22.6%)
                         3 year  (-63.7%)
                         4 year  (-72.7%)

Heroic Age variant cover. (There was an Iron Man variant last month.) Moon Knight should get some extra publicity from his inclusion in SECRET AVENGERS, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into sales on a solo title.

98. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS AMERICAN SON
05/10  American Son #1 of 4 - 20,375

Well, the JACKPOT mini launched with 18K, so this is an improvement. It does have a variant cover, though.

99. PRINCE OF POWER
05/08  Hercules #117           - 53,008
=====
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%)
01/10  Hercules #140           - 23,244  ( -1.5%)
02/10  Hercules #141           - 24,539  ( +5.6%)
03/10  Fall/Avenger #1 of 2    - 23,036  ( -6.1%)
04/10  Fall/Avenger #2 of 2    - 20,215  (-12.2%)
05/10  Prince of Power #1 of 4 - 20,373  ( +0.8%)
                                 6 mnth  (-18.9%)
                                 1 year  (-29.7%)
                                 2 year  (-61.6%)

This is an Amadeus Cho miniseries, but it’s effectively HERCULES continuing in the absence of its lead characters. And retailers have more or less ordered it accordingly.

101. X-MEN ORIGINS
05/09  ---
06/09  Gambit       - 28,023  (-18.4%)
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  Iceman       - 19,004  (-32.2%)
12/09  --
01/10  Cyclops      - 19,049  ( +0.2%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Nightcrawler - 19,818  ( +4.0%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Emma Frost   - 20,093  ( +1.4%)

These one-shots now seem to have settled down to the 20K range.

106. 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%)
01/10  Web of Spider-Man #4 - 24,424  (-16.8%)
02/10  Web of Spider-Man #5 - 24,296  ( -0.5%)
03/10  Web of Spider-Man #6 - 21,574  (-11.2%)
04/10  Web of Spider-Man #7 - 19,533  ( -9.5%)
05/10  Web of Spider-Man #8 - 19,623  ( +4.6%)
                              6 mnth  (-38.9%)

Cancelled with issue #12.

110. DAREDEVIL: CAGE MATCH
05/10  Cage Match - 17,711

A one-shot replacing the regular title this month, and coming in with almost half the sales.

113. SPIDER-GIRL
05/10  Spectacular Spider-Girl #1 of 4 - 17,025

Officially the final Spider-Girl miniseries, although she’s had last-minute reprieves before.

115,116. WOMEN OF MARVEL ONE-SHOTS
03/10  X-23     - 27,328
03/10  She-Hulk - 15,583
03/10  Sif      - 18,092
04/10  Firestar - 13,462
05/10  Dazzler  - 16,320
05/10  Rescue   - 15,711

Two more one-shots, and it looks like these books will typically be placing in the 15K range. Dazzler is in the X-Men (not that she gets much dialogue), so this is also an example of how the Second Coming tie-ins are outperforming the typical X-Men spin-offs.

118. CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
04/10  Flags #1 of 4 - 20,274
05/10  Flags #2 of 4 - 15,480  (-23.6%)

A miniseries set in World War II; not bad for a story that’s out of present day continuity.

119. STEPHEN KING'S N. THE COMIC SERIES
03/10  N #1 of 4 - 21,092
04/10  N #2 of 4 - 17,299  (-18.0%)
05/10  N #3 of 4 - 15,470  (-10.6%)

Digital comics reprint, and doing quite respectably by that standard. And as a Stephen King project, it should presumably do better than average in book format.

121. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
05/05  Teams 2005            - 22,564
05/06  A to Z #5 of 12       - 21,331
05/07  Update #2 of 4        - 16,633
05/08  Iron Manual           - 18,294
=====
02/10  A to Z Update #1 of 5 -  5,406
03/10  Deadpool Corps        - 21,900  (+305.1%)
04/10  Iron Manual Mark 3 #1 -  9,456  ( -56.8%)
05/10  Avengers Assemble #1  - 15,113  ( +59.8%)
                               6 mnth  (   --- )
                               1 year  (   --- )
                               2 year  ( -17.4%)
                               3 year  (  -9.1%)
                               4 year  ( -29.2%)
                               5 year  ( -33.0%)

The usual fluctuation according to subject matter.

122,123. 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%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #15 - 17,665  ( -3.9%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #16 - 17,290  ( -2.1%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #17 - 17,873  ( +3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #18 - 16,464  ( -7.9%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #19 - 16,183  ( -1.7%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #20 - 15,990  ( -1.2%)
04/10  X-Men Forever #21 - 15,530  ( -2.9%)
04/10  X-Men Forever #22 - 15,305  ( -1.4%)
05/10  X-Men Forever #23 - 15,045  ( -1.7%)
05/10  X-Men Forever #24 - 14,940  ( -0.7%)
                           6 mnth  (-23.5%)

Slow attrition continues. The book is relaunched in June as X-MEN FOREVER 2, kicking off a second year – and, to be fair, a new storyline. Whether renumbering will have a lasting effect on sales remains to be seen.

124. NEW AVENGERS: LUKE CAGE
04/10  Luke Cage #1 of 3 - 16,836
05/10  Luke Cage #2 of 3 - 14,878  (-11.6%)

Completely falling through the cracks, despite the current popularity of the Avengers franchise.

125. REALM OF KINGS: SON OF HULK
05/09  ---
06/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #11 - 28,633  ( +4.8%)
06/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #12 - 35,920  (+25.4%)
07/09  Son of Hulk #13        - 29,195  (-18.7%)
08/09  Son of Hulk #14        - 27,171  ( -6.9%)
09/09  Son of Hulk #15        - 22,722  (-16.4%)
10/09  Son of Hulk #16        - 20,504  ( -9.8%)
11/09  Son of Hulk #17        - 19,097  ( -6.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Son of Hulk #1 of 4    - 24,010  (+25.7%)
03/10  Son of Hulk #2 of 4    - 17,195  (-28.4%)
04/10  Son of Hulk #3 of 4    - 15,284  (-11.4%)
05/10  Son of Hulk #4 of 4    - 14,312  ( -6.4%)
                                6 mnth  (-25.1%)
                                1 year  (  --- )

And so much for the Son of Hulk – though it looks like he’s being folded back into the cast of INCREDIBLE HULK when the new creative team take over.

127,129. IRON MAN 2: PUBLIC IDENTITY
04/10  Public Identity #1 of 3 - 16,921
05/10  Public Identity #2 of 3 - 14,030  (-17.1%)
05/10  Public Identity #3 of 3 - 13,645  ( -2.7%)

Movie tie-in. The real market for something like this is in the bookstores.

131. ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS
05/10  Origins of Marvel Comics #1 - 13,274

A collection of very short origin recaps. Not quite sure who’s the intended audience for this, at least as a full-price comic – unless it’s generating material for re-use elsewhere.

134. X-FACTOR FOREVER
03/10  X-Factor Forever #1 of 5 - 18,550
04/10  X-Factor Forever #2 of 5 - 14,608  (-21.3%)
05/10  X-Factor Forever #3 of 5 - 12,794  (-12.4%)

Only a couple of thousand behind the parent title.

138. PETER PARKER
03/10  Peter Parker #1 - 18,963
04/10  Peter Parker #2 - 14,647  (-22.8%)
05/10  Peter Parker #3 - 12,514  (-14.6%)

Digital reprints, and not doing too badly.

139. MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ
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%)
01/10  Marvelous Land #3 of 8 - 14,216  (-10.0%)
02/10  Marvelous Land #4 of 8 - 13,364  ( -6.0%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Marvelous Land #5 of 8 - 12,922  ( -3.3%)
05/10  Marvelous Land #6 of 8 - 12,366  ( -4.3%)
                                6 mnth  (-51.2%)
                                1 year  (-21.6%)

Holding up very nicely, and doing far better than usual for a Marvel novel adaptation.

143. SPIDER-MAN: FEVER
04/10  Fever #1 of 3 - 15,111
05/10  Fever #2 of 3 - 11,665  (-22.8%)

The selling point here is really that it’s a showcase for Brendan McCarthy, and that’s perhaps a niche audience.

144. MANY LOVES OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
05/10  Many Loves (one-shot) - 11,522

“Three all new tales of Spider-Man’s greatest loves.” One for the completists, I suspect.

148. WEAPON X NOIR
05/10  Weapon X Noir #1 - 11,119

Surely the end of this imprint has to be nigh.

157,239,245,250.  MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS
05/10  Marvel Zombies #1  - 10,084
05/10  Alias #1           -  5,497
05/10  1602 #1            -  5,312
05/10  Agents of Atlas #1 -  5,136

More low-price reprints.

158. X-MEN: PIXIE STRIKES BACK
02/10  Pixie #1 of 4 - 14,167
03/10  Pixie #2 of 4 - 11,839  (-16.4%)
04/10  Pixie #3 of 4 - 10,276  (-13.2%)
05/10  Pixie #4 of 4 -  9,746  ( -5.2%)

A largely unnoticed X-Men spin-off.

162. ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER
05/07  ---
05/08  Guilty Pls. #11 of 12   - 20,627
=====
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%)
01/10  Executioner #3 of 5     -  9,958  ( -4.7%)
02/10  Executioner #4 of 5     -  9,626  ( -3.3%)
03/10  Executioner #5 of 5     -  9,454  ( -1.8%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Circus o/Damned #1 of 5 -  9,484  ( +0.3%)
                                 6 mnth  (  --- )
                                 1 year  (  --- )
                                 2 year  (-54.0%)

Once again, only a very token increase for the start of the new arc.

163. IRON MAN NOIR
04/10  Iron Man Noir #1 of 4 - 10,904
05/10  Iron Man Noir #2 of 4 -  9,268  (-15.0%)

At least it’s a modest drop for the second issue.

165. GIRL COMICS
03/10  Girl Comics #1 of 3 - 13,491
04/10  ---
05/10  Girl Comics #2 of 3 -  9,263  (-31.3%)

No great surprises here. There’s a limited market for these oddball anthologies.

166. GALACTA: DAUGHTER OF GALACTUS
05/10  Galacta - 9,243

More digital reprints (though I believe there was some original material in there too).

169. HALO: BLOOD LINE
12/09  Blood Line #1 of 5 - 10,551
01/10  Blood Line #2 of 5 -  9,172  (-13.1%)
02/10  Blood Line #3 of 5 -  8,793  ( -4.1%)
03/10  Blood Line #4 of 5 -  8,683  ( -1.3%)
04/10  ---
05/10  Blood Line #5 of 5 -  8,510  ( -2.0%)

Gaming comics are said to do very well outside the direct market, so this number doesn’t particularly matter.

170. DEATHLOK
11/09  Deathlok #1 of 7 - 20,855
12/09  Deathlok #2 of 7 - 14,059  (-32.6%)
01/10  Deathlok #3 of 7 - 11,670  (-17.0%)
02/10  Deathlok #4 of 7 - 10,185  (-12.7%)
03/10  Deathlok #5 of 7 -  9,387  ( -7.8%)
04/10  Deathlok #6 of 7 -  8,895  ( -5.2%)
05/10  Deathlok #7 of 7 -  8,506  ( -4.4%)
                          6 mnth  (-59.2%)

A Marvel Knights miniseries which dropped off the radar fairly quickly.

183.  HEROIC AGE PREVIEWS
05/10  Bundle of 25 - 7,787

This month’s obligatory promotional item.

184. SPIDER-MAN  [Marvel Adventures]
05/05  M.A. Spider-Man #3  - 9,110
05/06  M.A. Spider-Man #15 - 6,165
05/07  M.A. Spider-Man #27 - 6,818
05/08  M.A. Spider-Man #39 - 5,816
=====
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%)
01/10  M.A. Spider-Man #59 - 4,315  (  -0.9%)
02/10  M.A. Spider-Man #60 - 4,212  (  -2.4%)
03/10  M.A. Spider-Man #61 - 4,200  (  -2.8%)
04/10  Spider-Man #1       - 9,770  (+132.6%)
05/10  Spider-Man #2       - 7,709  ( -21.1%)
                            6 mnth  ( +71.3%)
                            1 year  ( +69.2%)
                            2 year  ( +32.5%)
                            3 year  ( +13.1%)
                            4 year  ( +25.0%)
                            5 year  ( -15.4%)

216. SUPER HEROES  [Marvel Adventures]
05/09  M.A. Super Heroes #11 - 3,474  ( -6.1%)
06/09  M.A. Super Heroes #12 - 3,508  ( +1.0%)
07/09  M.A. Super Heroes #13 - 4,439  (+26.5%)
08/09  M.A. Super Heroes #14 - 4,355  ( -1.9%)
09/09  M.A. Super Heroes #15 - 4,268  ( -2.0%)
10/09  M.A. Super Heroes #16 - 3,250  (-23.9%)
11/09  M.A. Super Heroes #17 - 3,308  ( +1.8%)
12/09  M.A. Super Heroes #18 - ?,???  (  ??? )
01/10  M.A. Super Heroes #19 - 3,103  (  ??? )
02/10  M.A. Super Heroes #20 - 3,008  ( -3.1%)
03/10  M.A. Super Heroes #21 - ?,???  (  ??? )
04/10  Super Heroes #1       - 8,107  (  ??? )
05/10  Super Heroes #2       - 6,360  (-21.5%)
                              6 mnth  (+92.3%)
                              1 year  (+83.1%)

So far, so good – both titles are still seeing a significant increase from the relaunch.

218. PET AVENGERS UNLEASHED
05/09  Pet Avengers #1 of 4 - 17,638
06/09  Pet Avengers #2 of 4 - 12,317  (-30.2%)
07/09  Pet Avengers #3 of 4 - 11,739  ( -4.7%)
08/09  Pet Avengers #4 of 4 - 11,340  ( -3.4%)
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  ---
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Tails o/Pet Avengers -  8,214  (-27.6%)
03/10  Unleashed #1 of 4    -  8,554  ( +4.1%)
04/10  Unleashed #2 of 4    -  6,767  (-20.9%)
05/10  Unleashed #3 of 4    -  6,339  ( -6.3%)
                              6 mnth  (  --- )
                              1 year  (-64.1%)

Relatively steady this month. If you judge this by the standards of Marvel’s all-ages titles, then it’s doing fine.

223. PHILP K DICK'S ELECTRIC ANT
04/10  Electric Ant #1 of 5 - 8,869
05/10  Electric Ant #2 of 5 - 6,181  (-30.3%)

Issue #1 had a variant cover, which ought to exaggerate the drop. Of course, we’re now deep into the comics whose natural home is the collected edition.

231. HER-OES
04/10  Her-Oes #1 - 7,464
05/10  Her-Oes #2 - 5,871  (-21.3%)

235. THOR AND THE WARRIORS FOUR
04/10  Thor/Warriors Four #1 of 4 - 6,861
05/10  Thor/Warriors Four #2 of 4 - 5,651 (-17.6%)

236. 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%)
01/10  Super Hero Squad #1      - 9,709  (+135.0%)
02/10  Super Hero Squad #2      - 5,691  ( -41.4%)
03/10  Super Hero Squad #3      - 5,399  (  -5.1%)
04/10  Super Hero Squad #4      - 5,822  (  +7.8%)
05/10  Super Hero Squad #5      - 5,639  (  -3.1%)
                                 6 mnth  ( -16.7%)

All ages comics, selling in the established range.

252. OFFICIAL INDEX TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
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%)
01/10  Index #13   - 3,248  (-12.0%)
02/10  Index #14   - 3,161  ( -2.7%)
03/10  ---
04/10  ---
05/10  Avengers #1 - 4,997  (+58.1%)
                    6 mnth  (+33.6%)
                    1 year  ( +1.7%)

As you’d expect, an increase for the start of a new run beginning three different titles (AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA and IRON MAN).

257. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
05/10  Sense and Sensibility #1 of 5 - 4,809

Adaptation of the classic novel, again selling in the established range for these things.

266. IRON MAN: EXTREMIS DIRECTOR'S CUT
05/10  Extremis #1 of 6 - 4,440

An odd one, this – a six-issue reprint of the entire “Extremis” storyline that opened Warren Ellis’ run on IRON MAN. The first two issues were both supposed to ship in May, but issue #2 somehow managed to come out late. So at least it recaptures the spirit of reading the original release.

285. TALES OF THE DRAGON GUARD  [Soleil]
02/10  Tales of the Dragon Guard #1 - 5,405
03/10  Tales of the Dragon Guard #2 - ?,???
04/10  ---
05/10  Tales of the Dragon Guard #3 - 3,582

Typical enough for the Soleil books.

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

+92.3% - Super Heroes [Marvel Adventures]
+71.3% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+48.8% - New Mutants
+47.8% - Doomwar / Black Panther
+33.6% - Official Marvel Index
+33.0% - Avengers: The Initiative
+27.7% - X-Men Legacy
+15.8% - X-Force
+15.3% - Thor
+14.8% - Incredible Hulk
+10.8% - Uncanny X-Men
+ 6.5% - Thunderbolts
+ 3.4% - New Avengers
- 2.6% - Fantastic Four
- 1.0% - Dark Avengers
- 5.0% - Wolverine: Origins
- 5.8% - Hulk
- 7.1% - Secret Warriors
- 8.6% - Deadpool
- 9.8% - Atlas
-10.3% - Ultimate Comics Avengers
-11.6% - Dark Wolverine
-11.8% - Moon Knight
-12.1% - Amazing Spider-Man
-13.0% - Invincible Iron Man
-16.7% - Super Hero Squad
-17.5% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-18.8% - Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth
-18.9% - Prince of Power / Hercules
-19.2% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-19.2% - Dark Tower
-23.5% - X-Men Forever
-23.8% - PunisherMax
-25.1% - Son of Hulk
-32.9% - Deadpool Team-Up
-38.9% - Web of Spider-Man
-51.2% - Marvelous Land of Oz
-59.2% - Deathlok

1 year comparison
=================

+83.1% - Super Heroes [Marvel Adventures]
+69.2% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+32.3% - X-Factor
+20.1% - X-Men Legacy
+ 7.1% - X-Force
+ 4.5% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 4.5% - Moon Knight
+ 2.6% - Uncanny X-Men
+ 1.5% - PunisherMax
- 2.8% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 8.6% - Doomwar / Black Panther
-10.2% - Avengers: The Initiative
-10.3% - Atlas
-17.7% - Fantastic Four
-18.5% - New Avengers
-18.7% - New Mutants
-20.8% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-20.8% - Wolverine: Origins
-21.6% - Marvelous Land of Oz
-23.8% - Deadpool
-24.2% - Thunderbolts
-29.7% - Prince of Power / Hercules
-31.4% - Secret Warriors
-32.1% - Hulk
-39.7% - Dark Tower
-49.3% - Dark Wolverine
-49.7% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-64.1% - Pet Avengers

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

+35.8% - Doomwar / Black Panther
+32.5% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
- 6.1% - Uncanny X-Men
-12.4% - X-Men Legacy
-13.2% - Thunderbolts
-13.4% - X-Factor
-17.4% - Official Handbook
-22.0% - X-Force
-22.6% - Moon Knight
-23.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
-27.3% - PunisherMax
-28.8% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-29.1% - Thor
-30.0% - New Avengers
-32.0% - Wolverine: Origins
-32.8% - Avengers: The Initiative
-38.8% - Fantastic Four
-49.3% - Invincible Iron Man
-52.3% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-54.0% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-61.6% - Prince of Power / Hercules
-69.7% - Dark Tower

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

+13.1% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+10.2% - X-Factor
- 6.0% - Uncanny X-Men
- 9.1% - Official Handbook
-14.7% - X-Men Legacy
-15.3% - Invincible Iron Man
-34.5% - PunisherMax
-39.2% - New Avengers
-45.2% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-46.1% - Doomwar / Black Panther
-46.8% - Fantastic Four
-47.8% - Wolverine: Origins
-49.6% - New Ultimates
-49.8% - Thunderbolts
-52.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
-57.6% - Incredible Hulk
-63.0% - Avengers: The Initiative
-63.7% - Moon Knight
-69.0% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-80.1% - Dark Tower

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

+40.2% - Thunderbolts
+38.0% - Invincible Iron Man
+25.0% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
+ 0.8% - Doomwar / Black Panther
+ 0.2% - Incredible Hulk
- 2.9% - Uncanny X-Men
- 5.8% - X-Factor
-18.5% - X-Men Legacy
-29.2% - Official Handbook
-35.6% - PunisherMax
-37.6% - New Avengers
-40.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
-46.0% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-68.2% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-72.6% - Wolverine: Origins
-72.7% - Moon Knight

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

+19.8% - Thunderbolts
+ 6.5% - Incredible Hulk
- 7.8% - Uncanny X-Men
-15.4% - Spider-Man [Marvel Adventures]
-20.0% - X-Men Legacy
-25.5% - Amazing Spider-Man
-30.6% - Doomwar / Black Panther
-33.0% - Official Handbook
-41.6% - PunisherMax
-43.0% - Fantastic Four
-47.7% - New Ultimates
-51.0% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-63.2% - Weapon X

163,867 Avengers #1
113,752 Siege #4
108,534 Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #1
106,750 Secret Avengers #1
103,326 Brightest Day #1 (*)
93,606 Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #2
90,245 Brightest Day #2 (*)
88,292 Green Lantern #54
84,843 Batman and Robin #12
77,056 Uncanny X-Men #524
76,918 New Avengers Finale #1
76,560 Flash #2
71,509 Dark Avengers #16
68,826 Green Lantern Corps #48
64,850 X-Men Legacy #236
62,509 X-Force #27
62,465 Justice League of America #45
62,377 Batman #699
61,779 Thor #610 Epilogue
60,883 Sentry: Fallen Sun
57,969 Amazing Spider-Man #630
57,239 Amazing Spider-Man #631
56,723 Amazing Spider-Man #632
56,518 Astonishing Spider-Man Wolverine #1
55,428 Astonishing X-Men: Xenogenesis #1

Complete charts:
Dollar Trends — May 2010
Top 300 Comics Actual–May 2010.
Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual–May 2010

Graphic novel sales continue to erode, even as the “WATCHMEN Effect” has run its course. The reasons for the fall aren’t entirely clear. Manga softening? No big movie tie-ins for a while? Something else?

by Marc-Oliver Frisch

Thanks to the strong debuts of Brightest Day and The Flash, DC Comics’ April numbers remained rock-solid after the conclusion of Blackest Night. The two new titles took the two top spots in the Top 300 chart, while Green Lantern, Batman and Robin and Green Lantern Corps also placed in the Top 10. Compared to Marvel, the publisher was still a distant second in terms of market share, however, and DC’s average and total sales have seen better days.

At WildStorm, average comic-book sales fell below the 6K mark for the second time in the imprint’s history. This wasn’t unexpected, given that neither of WildStorm’s two top-selling series, Astro City and Ex Machina, came out in April. At Vertigo, meanwhile, average sales appear to be solidifying around 10K again, thanks to a range of books that are selling well for a change.

See below for the details, and please consider the small print at the end of the column. 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 - BRIGHTEST DAY
04/2010: Brightest Day #0  -- 129,446

Geoff Johns and friends launch a biweekly 27-part series that serves as an umbrella title for the DC Universe line for the next year.

In terms of the numbers, Brightest Day #0 picks up where the last couple of issues of Blackest Night left off, but of course, it had some help. There was a 1:50 variant-cover edition, which isn’t unusual. Perhaps more significantly, retailers were able to buy 50 promotional plastic rings for every 25 copies ordered of Brightest Day #0.

As we know from those Blackest Night tie-in books from last November, this particular stunt can motivate retailers to order quite a few copies more than they realistically expect to sell, so we shall see where the numbers stand a few months down the road.

CORRECTION, June 12, 2010: The plastic-ring promotion applies to May’s Brightest Day #1, not to Brightest Day #0.
—–

2 - THE FLASH
04/2005: Flash #221     --   46,471 [47,704]
04/2007: Flash: FMA #11 --   46,963
04/2008: Flash #239      --  33,741
-----------------------------------
04/2009: Rebirth #1 of 5 -- 102,429 (+286.6%) [111,515]
05/2009: Rebirth #2 of 5 --  86,183 (- 15.9%)
06/2009: Rebirth #3 of 5 --  83,086 (-  3.6%)
07/2009: --
08/2009: Rebirth #4 of 5 --  78,107 (-  6.0%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: --
11/2009: Rebirth #5 of 6 --  73,875 (-  5.4%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: --
02/2010: Rebirth #6 of 6 --  70,824 (-  4.1%)
03/2010: --
04/2010: Flash #1        -- 100,903 (+ 42.5%)
-----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : -  1.5%
2 years : +199.1%
5 years : +117.1%

Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul relaunch The Flash one more time.

The fact that sales are almost up there with The Flash: Rebirth #1 would seem to be a good sign, but again, thanks to a number of “retailer incentives,” it’s not quite that simple. For one thing, there were 1:25 and 1:100 variant editions. For another, retailers were able to get sets of plastic rings for every 10 copies ordered. Which, again, may have boosted the numbers a bit. And the book was billed as a Brightest Day tie-in, which probably also helped.

The litmus test for The Flash will be whether sales can be kept from entering a free-fall over the next year, which is where the two previous relaunches from 2006 and 2007 failed.

—–

3 - GREEN LANTERN
04/2005: Rebirth #5 of 6    -- 115,006 [116,652]
04/2006: --
04/2007: --
04/2008: Green Lantern #30  --  65,347
--------------------------------------
04/2009: Green Lantern #39  --  79,792 (+15.8%) [ 84,784]
04/2009: Green Lantern #40  --  76,665 (- 3.9%) [ 84,705]
05/2009: Green Lantern #41  --  81,491 (+ 6.3%)
06/2009: Green Lantern #42  --  84,131 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern #43  -- 109,426 (+30.1%) [117,314]
07/2009: Green Lantern #44  -- 105,063 (- 4.0%) [109,599]
08/2009: Green Lantern #45  -- 102,431 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Green Lantern #46  -- 103,666 (+ 1.2%)
10/2009: Green Lantern #47  -- 101,349 (- 2.2%)
11/2009: Green Lantern #48  -- 100,371 (- 1.0%)
12/2009: Green Lantern #49  --  97,285 (- 3.1%)
01/2010: Green Lantern #50  -- 106,444 (+ 9.4%)
02/2010: Green Lantern #51  --  95,509 (-10.3%)
03/2010: Green Lantern #52  --  97,369 (+ 2.0%)
04/2010: Green Lantern #53  -- 100,356 (+ 3.1%)
-----------------
6 months: -  1.0%
1 year  : + 25.8%
2 years : + 53.6%
5 years : - 12.7%

The third Geoff Johns-written top-seller in April also profited from a 1:25 variant, a Brightest Day tie-in and a scheme involving plastic rings.

We’ll find out whether the figure is a realistic reflection of what retailers expected to be able to sell soon enough.

—–

4 - BATMAN AND ROBIN
06/2009: Batman and Robin #1  -- 168,604          [184,826]
07/2009: Batman and Robin #2  -- 117,986 (-30.2%) [129,086]
08/2009: Batman and Robin #3  -- 110,594 (- 6.3%)
09/2009: Batman and Robin #4  -- 106,925 (- 3.3%)
10/2009: Batman and Robin #5  -- 101,607 (- 5.0%)
11/2009: Batman and Robin #6  --  95,690 (- 5.8%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: Batman and Robin #7  --  87,780 (- 8.3%)
02/2010: Batman and Robin #8  --  87,302 (- 0.6%)
02/2010: Batman and Robin #9  --  84,562 (- 3.1%)
03/2010: Batman and Robin #10 --  85,292 (+ 0.9%)
04/2010: Batman and Robin #11 --  84,006 (- 1.5%)
-----------------
6 months: - 17.3%

The Batman franchise is in flux currently, so retailers may adjust their orders any moment, depending on what’s going on. There was a 1:25 variant, as usual.

—–

8 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS
04/2007: Green Lantern Corps #11 -- 33,506
04/2008: Green Lantern Corps #23 -- 46,780
------------------------------------------
04/2009: Green Lantern Corps #35 -- 58,769 (+ 8.5%)
05/2009: Green Lantern Corps #36 -- 61,591 (+ 4.8%)
06/2009: Green Lantern Corps #37 -- 63,574 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern Corps #38 -- 82,415 (+29.6%)
08/2009: Green Lantern Corps #39 -- 84,241 (+ 2.2%)
09/2009: Green Lantern Corps #40 -- 83,112 (- 1.3%)
10/2009: Green Lantern Corps #41 -- 81,377 (- 2.1%)
11/2009: Green Lantern Corps #42 -- 80,391 (- 1.2%)
12/2009: Green Lantern Corps #43 -- 77,774 (- 3.3%)
01/2010: Green Lantern Corps #44 -- 76,458 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Green Lantern Corps #45 -- 75,404 (- 1.4%)
03/2010: Green Lantern Corps #46 -- 76,720 (+ 1.8%)
04/2010: Green Lantern Corps #47 -- 72,163 (- 5.9%)
----------------
6 months: -11.3%
1 year  : +22.8%
2 years : +54.3%

Another Brightest Day tie-in, promoted, as usual, with a 1:25 variant.

—–

11 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
04/2005: JLA #113           --  64,002
04/2007: Justice League #7  -- 154,984
04/2008: Justice League #20 --  85,807
--------------------------------------
04/2009: Justice League #32 --  66,021 (- 4.0%)
05/2009: Justice League #33 --  63,867 (- 3.3%)
06/2009: Justice League #34 --  61,115 (- 4.3%)
07/2009: Justice League #35 --  58,915 (- 3.6%)
08/2009: Justice League #36 --  57,549 (- 2.3%)
09/2009: Justice League #37 --  55,478 (- 3.6%)
10/2009: Justice League #38 --  61,012 (+10.0%)
11/2009: Justice League #39 --  89,376 (+46.5%)
12/2009: Justice League #40 --  68,672 (-23.2%)
01/2010: Justice League #41 --  62,262 (- 9.3%)
02/2010: Justice League #42 --  57,522 (- 7.6%)
03/2010: Justice League #43 --  56,461 (- 1.9%)
04/2010: Justice League #44 --  62,342 (+10.4%)
----------------
6 months: + 2.2%
1 year  : - 5.6%
2 years : -27.4%
5 years : - 2.6%

The fourth and final Brightest Day tie-in for April. The crossover brings a decent increase.

—–

13 - BATMAN
04/2005: Batman #639 --  62,344
04/2006: Batman #652 --  72,889 [82,438]
04/2007: --
04/2008: Batman #675 --  71,138
-------------------------------
04/2009: BfC #2 of 3 --  89,120 (- 2.7%)
05/2009: BfC #3 of 3 --  89,170 (+ 0.1%)
06/2009: Batman #687 --  96,913 (+ 8.7%)
07/2009: Batman #688 --  83,040 (-14.3%)
08/2009: Batman #689 --  78,392 (- 5.6%)
09/2009: Batman #690 --  77,001 (- 1.8%)
10/2009: Batman #691 --  71,431 (- 7.2%)
10/2009: Batman #692 --  70,322 (- 1.6%)
11/2009: Batman #693 --  68,983 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Batman #694 --  65,908 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Batman #695 --  63,467 (- 3.7%)
02/2010: Batman #696 --  61,290 (- 3.4%)
03/2010: Batman #697 --  61,157 (- 0.2%)
04/2010: Batman #698 --  60,934 (- 0.4%)
----------------
6 months: -14.0%
1 year  : -31.6%
2 years : -14.3%
5 years : - 2.3%

Holding level in anticipation of issue #700, evidently.

—–

32 - SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN
09/2009: Superman: Secret Origin #1 of 6 -- 54,630
10/2009: Superman: Secret Origin #2 of 6 -- 46,840 (-14.3%)
11/2009: Superman: Secret Origin #3 of 6 -- 45,029 (- 3.9%)
12/2009: --
01/2010: Superman: Secret Origin #4 of 6 -- 43,863 (- 2.6%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: --
04/2010: Superman: Secret Origin #5 of 6 -- 42,638 (- 2.8%)
----------------
6 months: - 9.0%

The Geoff Johns/Gary Frank vehicle keeps holding up well, despite the delays. On the other hand, it’s two top-flight creators on a major character, of course, and the sales are deeply unimpressive for that. There was a 1:10 variant.

—–

33 - DETECTIVE COMICS
04/2005: Detective Comics #805 --  39,077
04/2006: Detective Comics #818 --  60,440 [68,189]
04/2007: Detective Comics #831 --  56,284
04/2008: Detective Comics #843 --  48,431
-----------------------------------------
04/2009: Detective Comics #853 -- 104,107 (+83.8%)
05/2009: --
06/2009: Detective Comics #854 --  72,808 (-30.1%) [79,573]
07/2009: Detective Comics #855 --  61,205 (-15.9%)
08/2009: Detective Comics #856 --  58,859 (- 3.8%)
09/2009: Detective Comics #857 --  57,063 (- 3.1%)
10/2009: Detective Comics #858 --  58,599 (+ 2.7%)
11/2009: Detective Comics #859 --  54,392 (- 7.2%)
12/2009: Detective Comics #860 --  52,295 (- 3.9%)
01/2010: Detective Comics #861 --  45,937 (-12.2%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Detective Comics #862 --  44,687 (- 2.7%)
03/2010: Detective Comics #863 --  43,119 (- 3.5%)
04/2010: Detective Comics #864 --  42,436 (- 1.6%)
-----------------
6 months: - 27.6%
1 year  : - 59.2%
2 years : - 12.4%
5 years : +  8.6%

As of the April issue, Greg Rucka’s “Batwoman” feature in Detective Comics is history. The sales seem to be finding their level regardless; of course, when issue #864 was solicited, it was said to be the first chapter in a two-month break for Rucka’s “Batwoman,” so if there’s any fallout, it may be yet to come.

—–

41 - ADVENTURE COMICS
08/2009: Adventure Comics #1  -- 56,706 (+72.6%)
09/2009: Adventure Comics #2  -- 47,296 (-15.9%)
10/2009: Adventure Comics #3  -- 44,431 (- 6.1%)
11/2009: Adventure Comics #4  -- 85,145 (+91.6%)
12/2009: Adventure Comics #5  -- 59,876 (-29.7%)
01/2010: Adventure Comics #6  -- 42,514 (-29.0%)
02/2010: Adventure Comics #7  -- 53,721 (+26.4%)
03/2010: Adventure Comics #8  -- 39,351 (-26.8%)
03/2010: Adventure Comics #9  -- 37,515 (- 4.7%)
04/2010: Adventure Comics #10 -- 37,573 (+ 0.2%)
-----------------
6 months: - 15.4%

The continued crossover with the Superman books is keeping the numbers steady. There was a 1:10 variant, as usual.

—–

43 - FLASH SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS 2010
03/2010: Flash SFaO 2010 -- 37,339

This one-shot is doing better than The Flash proper was a couple years back. On the other hand, it’s written by Geoff Johns and name-checks Blackest Night in the advertising copy, so the figures are maybe a wee bit underwhelming compared with The Flash #1. Let’s file it under “moderate success.”

—–

45 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
04/2005: JSA #72             --  43,472
04/2006: JSA #84             --  53,245
04/2007: Justice Society #5  --  98,069 [102,275]
04/2008: Justice Society #14 --  80,507
---------------------------------------
04/2009: Justice Society #25 --  65,713 (+  0.8%)
04/2009: Justice Society #26 --  81,200 (+ 23.6%)
05/2009: Justice Society #27 --  56,102 (- 30.9%)
06/2009: Justice Society #28 --  52,673 (-  6.1%)
07/2009: Justice Society #29 --  51,375 (-  2.5%)
08/2009: Justice Society #30 --  49,416 (-  3.8%)
09/2009: Justice Society #31 --  47,436 (-  4.0%)
10/2009: Justice Society #32 --  44,885 (-  5.4%)
11/2009: Justice Society #33 --  43,218 (-  3.7%)
12/2009: Justice Society #34 --  41,734 (-  3.4%)
01/2010: Justice Society #35 --  39,934 (-  4.3%)
02/2010: Justice Society #36 --  39,060 (-  2.2%)
03/2010: Justice Society #37 --  37,381 (-  4.3%)
04/2010: Justice Society #38 --  36,648 (-  2.0%)
----------------
6 months: -18.4%
1 year  : -50.1%
2 years : -54.5%
5 years : -15.7%

Possibly finding its level?

——

47 - RED ROBIN
04/2005: Robin #137    -- 30,798
04/2006: Robin #149    -- 37,173
04/2007: Robin #161    -- 27,180
04/2008: Robin #173    -- 26,357
--------------------------------
06/2009: Red Robin #1  -- 64,261 (+102.8%) [71,925]
07/2009: Red Robin #2  -- 51,593 (- 19.7%) [54,544]
08/2009: Red Robin #3  -- 50,329 (-  2.5%)
09/2009: Red Robin #4  -- 47,945 (-  4.7%)
10/2009: Red Robin #5  -- 44,776 (-  6.6%)
11/2009: Red Robin #6  -- 42,409 (-  5.3%)
12/2009: Red Robin #7  -- 39,528 (-  6.8%)
01/2010: Red Robin #8  -- 37,869 (-  4.2%)
02/2010: Red Robin #9  -- 36,466 (-  3.7%)
03/2010: Red Robin #10 -- 36,708 (+  0.7%)
04/2010: Red Robin #11 -- 36,205 (-  1.4%)
-----------------
6 months: - 19.1%
1 year  :   n.a.
2 years : + 37.4%
5 years : + 17.6%

It appears Red Robin is settling into an orbit around 36K. A new creative team is waiting around the corner.

—–

49/52 - SUPERMAN: LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON
04/2009: WoNK #2  of 12 -- 44,880 (-10.3%)
05/2009: WoNK #3  of 12 -- 42,153 (- 6.1%)
06/2009: WoNK #4  of 12 -- 41,620 (- 1.3%)
07/2009: WoNK #5  of 12 -- 39,939 (- 4.0%)
08/2009: WoNK #6  of 12 -- 39,218 (- 1.8%)
09/2009: WoNK #7  of 12 -- 37,697 (- 3.9%)
10/2009: WoNK #8  of 12 -- 36,672 (- 2.7%)
11/2009: WoNK #9  of 12 -- 35,286 (- 3.8%)
12/2009: WoNK #10 of 12 -- 33,868 (- 4.0%)
01/2010: WoNK #11 of 12 -- 32,728 (- 3.4%)
02/2010: WoNK #12 of 12 -- 32,407 (- 1.0%)
03/2010: LSoNK #1 of 3  -- 38,202 (+17.9%)
04/2010: LSoNK #2 of 3  -- 35,886 (- 6.1%)
04/2010: LSoNK #3 of 3  -- 34,553 (- 3.7%)
-----------------
6 months: -  4.0%
1 year  : - 21.5%

First stage of pre-Straczynski deck-clearing complete. Next up: The Free Comic Book Day issue and the weekly four-parter War of the Supermen.

There were 1:25 variants for both issues, as usual.

—–

54 - SUPERMAN
04/2005: Superman #215 -- 112,593 [116,198]
04/2006: Superman #651 --  73,355
04/2007: Superman #661 --  55,738
04/2008: Superman #675 --  54,855
---------------------------------
04/2009: Superman #687 --  43,041 (- 4.3%)
05/2009: Superman #688 --  41,642 (- 3.3%)
06/2009: Superman #689 --  40,366 (- 3.1%)
07/2009: Superman #690 --  39,472 (- 2.2%)
08/2009: Superman #691 --  39,106 (- 0.9%)
09/2009: Superman #692 --  37,695 (- 3.6%)
10/2009: Superman #693 --  35,395 (- 6.1%)
11/2009: Superman #694 --  34,430 (- 2.7%)
12/2009: Superman #695 --  32,482 (- 5.7%)
01/2010: Superman #696 --  31,940 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Superman #697 --  31,504 (- 1.4%)
03/2010: Superman #698 --  33,336 (+ 5.8%)
04/2010: Superman #699 --  33,183 (- 0.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.3%
1 year  : -22.9%
2 years : -39.5%
5 years : -70.5%

With issue #700 around the corner, the numbers are holding level.

—–

57 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL
03/2010: JL: RoA #1 of 4 -- 36,020
04/2010: JL: RoA #2 of 4 -- 32,000 (-11.2%)

The most ridiculed comic-book series in recent history sees a very moderate second-issue drop — particularly since issue #1 had a 1:25 variant.

—–

58 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN
04/2005: Superman/Batman #18 -- 115,305
04/2005: Superman/Batman #19 -- 114,258 [150,464]
04/2006: --
04/2007: Superman/Batman #33 --  74,807
04/2008: Superman/Batman #47 --  52,557
---------------------------------------
04/2009: Superman/Batman #57 --  41,743 (- 1.7%)
04/2009: Superman/Batman #58 --  41,000 (- 1.8%)
04/2009: Superman/Batman #59 --  40,182 (- 2.0%)
05/2009: Superman/Batman #60 --  39,531 (- 1.6%)
06/2009: Superman/Batman #61 --  38,228 (- 3.3%)
07/2009: Superman/Batman #62 --  38,412 (+ 0.5%)
08/2009: Superman/Batman #63 --  37,467 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Superman/Batman #64 --  36,332 (- 3.0%)
10/2009: Superman/Batman #65 --  34,585 (- 4.8%)
11/2009: Superman/Batman #66 --  52,143 (+50.8%)
12/2009: Superman/Batman #67 --  49,650 (- 4.8%)
01/2010: Superman/Batman #68 --  33,869 (-31.8%)
02/2010: Superman/Batman #69 --  33,224 (- 1.9%)
03/2010: Superman/Batman #70 --  32,196 (- 3.1%)
04/2010: Superman/Batman #71 --  31,714 (- 1.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.3%
1 year  : -22.6%
2 years : -39.7%
5 years : -72.4%

The not-quite Joe Casey arc that’s memorable for reminding us that a lot of Marvel and DC comics are made like sausage is made concludes.

—–

62/66 - ACTION COMICS
04/2005: Action Comics #826 -- 54,769 [58,294]
04/2006: --
04/2007: Action Comics #848 -- 62,216
04/2008: Action Comics #863 -- 56,882
04/2008: Action Comics #864 -- 48,438
-------------------------------------
04/2009: Action Comics #876 -- 43,368 (- 7.9%)
05/2009: Action Comics #877 -- 41,772 (- 3.7%)
06/2009: Action Comics #878 -- 40,011 (- 4.2%)
07/2009: Action Comics #879 -- 38,324 (- 4.2%)
08/2009: Action Comics #880 -- 37,588 (- 1.9%)
09/2009: Action Comics #881 -- 36,183 (- 3.7%)
10/2009: Action Comics #882 -- 34,754 (- 4.0%)
11/2009: Action Comics #883 -- 33,386 (- 3.9%)
12/2009: Action Comics #884 -- 31,873 (- 4.5%)
01/2010: Action Comics #885 -- 30,678 (- 3.8%)
02/2010: Action Comics #886 -- 29,845 (- 2.7%)
03/2010: Action Comics #887 -- 29,460 (- 1.3%)
04/2010: Action Comics #888 -- 29,536 (+ 0.3%)
04/2010: Action Comics #889 -- 29,106 (- 1.5%)
----------------
6 months: -15.6%
1 year  : -32.4%
2 years : -44.3%
5 years : -46.5%

A creative makeover is coming up.

—–

63 - SUPERGIRL
04/2006: --
04/2007: Supergirl #16 --  51,641
04/2008: Supergirl #28 --  31,379
---------------------------------
04/2009: Supergirl #40 --  34,080 (+ 1.1%)
05/2009: Supergirl #41 --  33,441 (- 1.9%)
06/2009: Supergirl #42 --  32,705 (- 2.2%)
07/2009: Supergirl #43 --  32,849 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Supergirl #44 --  33,819 (+ 3.0%)
09/2009: Supergirl #45 --  32,240 (- 4.7%)
10/2009: Supergirl #46 --  30,377 (- 5.8%)
11/2009: Supergirl #47 --  29,159 (- 4.0%)
12/2009: Supergirl #48 --  28,176 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: Supergirl #49 --  27,728 (- 1.6%)
02/2010: Supergirl #50 --  33,338 (+20.2%)
03/2010: Supergirl #51 --  29,845 (-10.5%)
04/2010: Supergirl #52 --  29,490 (- 1.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.9%
1 year  : -13.5%
2 years : - 6.0%

The crossover with Adventure Comics and the Superman titles doesn’t leave much of an impression on the numbers.

—–

64 - BATGIRL
04/2005: Batgirl #63     -- 28,123
----------------------------------
08/2009: Batgirl #1      -- 51,724 (+149.3%)
09/2009: Batgirl #2      -- 40,626 (- 21.5%)
10/2009: Batgirl #3      -- 37,011 (-  8.9%)
11/2009: Batgirl #4      -- 34,697 (-  6.3%)
12/2009: Batgirl #5      -- 32,482 (-  6.4%)
01/2010: Batgirl #6      -- 30,403 (-  6.4%)
02/2010: Batgirl #7      -- 29,524 (-  2.9%)
03/2010: Batgirl #8      -- 30,886 (+  4.6%)
04/2010: Batgirl #9      -- 29,445 (-  4.7%)
----------------
6 months: -20.4%
5 years : + 4.7%

The numbers return to status quo after the crossover with Red Robin.

—–

65 - GREEN ARROW
04/2005: Green Arrow #49  -- 31,403
04/2006: Green Arrow #61  -- 35,993 [40,621]
04/2007: Green Arrow #73  -- 30,652
04/2008: Arrow/Canary #7  -- 32,033
-----------------------------------
04/2009: Arrow/Canary #19 -- 21,933 (-  3.4%)
05/2009: Arrow/Canary #20 -- 21,445 (-  2.2%)
06/2009: Arrow/Canary #21 -- 20,807 (-  3.0%)
07/2009: Arrow&Canary #22 -- 20,571 (-  1.1%)
08/2009: Arrow&Canary #23 -- 19,452 (-  5.4%)
09/2009: Arrow&Canary #24 -- 18,780 (-  3.5%)
10/2009: Arrow&Canary #25 -- 18,013 (-  4.1%)
11/2009: Arrow&Canary #26 -- 17,384 (-  3.5%)
12/2009: Arrow&Canary #27 -- 16,904 (-  2.8%)
01/2010: Arrow&Canary #28 -- 16,482 (-  2.5%)
02/2010: Arrow&Canary #29 -- 16,600 (+  0.7%)
02/2010: Black Arrow #30  -- 42,014 (+153.1%)
03/2010: Green Arrow #31  -- 28,486 (- 32.2%)
04/2010: Green Arrow #32  -- 29,137 (+  2.3%)
----------------
6 months: +61.8%
1 year  : +32.9%
2 years : - 9.0%
5 years : - 7.2%

The “Rise and Fall” shenanigans has resulted in quite a bit of interest in Green Arrow — from retailers, at any rate.

—–

72 - AMERICAN VAMPIRE (Vertigo)
03/2010: American Vampire #1  -- 33,762
04/2010: American Vampire #2  -- 26,770 (-20.7%)

That’s an average second-issue drop, but at this level, that won’t hurt American Vampire. Seems like Vertigo has found itself a new flagship title — as long as Stephen King sticks around, anyway.

Also, there was a 1:25 variant that probably helped the numbers.

—–

73 - JSA ALL-STARS
12/2009: JSA All-Stars #1  -- 42,493
01/2010: JSA All-Stars #2  -- 32,601 (-23.3%)
02/2010: JSA All-Stars #3  -- 29,666 (- 9.0%)
03/2010: JSA All-Stars #4  -- 28,526 (- 3.8%)
04/2010: JSA All-Stars #5  -- 26,581 (- 6.8%)

That’s not an encouraging drop, at this stage.

—–

74 - GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
04/2005: Birds of Prey #81  -- 29,832
04/2006: Birds of Prey #93  -- 34,404
04/2007: Birds of Prey #105 -- 28,328
04/2008: Birds of Prey #117 -- 22,181
-------------------------------------
06/2009: GC Sirens #1       -- 52,439
07/2009: GC Sirens #2       -- 39,518 (-24.6%)
08/2009: GC Sirens #3       -- 36,772 (- 7.0%)
09/2009: GC Sirens #4       -- 34,405 (- 6.4%)
10/2009: GC Sirens #5       -- 33,015 (- 4.0%)
11/2009: GC Sirens #6       -- 30,990 (- 6.1%)
12/2009: GC Sirens #7       -- 29,709 (- 4.1%)
01/2010: GC Sirens #8       -- 28,254 (- 4.9%)
02/2010: GC Sirens #9       -- 27,172 (- 3.8%)
03/2010: GC Sirens #10      -- 26,550 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: GC Sirens #11      -- 26,359 (- 0.7%)
-----------------
6 months: - 20.2%
2 years : + 18.8%
5 years : - 11.6%

76 - BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM
06/2009: Batman: SoG #1  -- 57,650
07/2009: Batman: SoG #2  -- 44,240 (-23.3%)
08/2009: Batman: SoG #3  -- 40,353 (- 8.8%)
09/2009: Batman: SoG #4  -- 37,888 (- 6.1%)
10/2009: Batman: SoG #5  -- 34,533 (- 8.9%)
11/2009: Batman: SoG #6  -- 32,303 (- 6.5%)
12/2009: Batman: SoG #7  -- 30,290 (- 6.2%)
01/2010: Batman: SoG #8  -- 28,313 (- 6.5%)
02/2010: Batman: SoG #9  -- 27,023 (- 4.6%)
03/2010: Batman: SoG #10 -- 26,396 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: Batman: SoG #11 -- 25,925 (- 1.8%)
----------------
6 months: -24.9%

The two Paul Dini books keep selling back to back, suggesting there’s a great deal of completist inertia involved.

—–

78 - WONDER WOMAN
04/2005: Wonder Woman #215 --  28,977 [30,436]
04/2007: Wonder Woman #7   --  60,168
04/2007: Wonder Woman #8   --  58,772
04/2008: Wonder Woman #19  --  39,489
-------------------------------------
04/2009: Wonder Woman #31  --  31,857 (- 4.5%)
05/2009: Wonder Woman #32  --  33,065 (+ 3.8%)
06/2009: Wonder Woman #33  --  32,755 (- 0.9%)
07/2009: Wonder Woman #34  --  30,131 (- 8.0%)
08/2009: Wonder Woman #35  --  29,657 (- 1.6%)
09/2009: Wonder Woman #36  --  28,806 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: Wonder Woman #37  --  26,972 (- 6.4%)
11/2009: Wonder Woman #38  --  26,265 (- 2.6%)
12/2009: Wonder Woman #39  --  26,152 (- 0.4%)
01/2010: Wonder Woman #40  --  25,156 (- 3.8%)
02/2010: Wonder Woman #41  --  25,354 (+ 0.8%)
03/2010: Wonder Woman #42  --  25,240 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: Wonder Woman #43  --  25,369 (+ 0.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 5.9%
1 year  : -20.4%
2 years : -35.8%
5 years : -12.5%

Virtually no change for the home stretch of the Gail Simone run.

—–

79 - TEEN TITANS
04/2005: Teen Titans #23 -- 66,802 [68,675]
04/2006: Teen Titans #34 -- 82,503 [90,051]
04/2007: Teen Titans #45 -- 61,051
04/2008: Teen Titans #58 -- 47,357
----------------------------------
04/2009: Teen Titans #69 -- 35,375 (+ 0.8%)
04/2009: Teen Titans #70 -- 35,412 (+ 0.1%)
05/2009: Teen Titans #71 -- 34,110 (- 3.7%)
06/2009: Teen Titans #72 -- 32,512 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: Teen Titans #73 -- 30,990 (- 4.7%)
08/2009: Teen Titans #74 -- 30,380 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: Teen Titans #75 -- 32,808 (+ 8.0%)
10/2009: Teen Titans #76 -- 29,166 (-11.1%)
11/2009: Teen Titans #77 -- 46,239 (+58.5%)
12/2009: Teen Titans #78 -- 43,400 (- 6.1%)
01/2010: Teen Titans #79 -- 27,790 (-36.0%)
02/2010: Teen Titans #80 -- 26,537 (- 4.5%)
03/2010: Teen Titans #81 -- 25,758 (- 2.9%)
04/2010: Teen Titans #82 -- 25,303 (- 1.8%)
----------------
6 months: -13.3%
1 year  : -28.5%
2 years : -46.6%
5 years : -62.1%

Sales are finding their level.

—–

82 - DOC SAVAGE
11/2009: B/DS Special #1 -- 32,636
----------------------------------
04/2010: Doc Savage #1   -- 24,539

That’s about as good a debut number as anyone could have reasonably expected for this pulp remake, I’d say. There was a 1:10 variant.

—–

85 - SECRET SIX
04/2009: Secret Six #8      -- 24,338 (- 0.1%)
05/2009: Secret Six #9      -- 27,116 (+11.4%)
06/2009: Secret Six #10     -- 24,272 (-10.5%)
07/2009: Secret Six #11     -- 24,357 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Secret Six #12     -- 24,161 (- 0.8%)
09/2009: Secret Six #13     -- 23,919 (- 1.0%)
10/2009: Secret Six #14     -- 23,345 (- 2.4%)
11/2009: Secret Six #15     -- 23,190 (- 0.7%)
12/2009: Secret Six #16     -- 22,638 (- 2.4%)
01/2010: Secret Six #17     -- 38,515 (+70.1%)
02/2010: Secret Six #18     -- 37,876 (- 1.7%)
03/2010: Secret Six #19     -- 23,181 (-38.8%)
04/2010: Secret Six #20     -- 22,695 (- 2.1%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.8%
1 year  : - 6.8%

Business as usual. Secret Six sales remain solid overall.

—–

89 - THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
04/2007: The Brave and the Bold #3  -- 59,211
04/2008: The Brave and the Bold #12 -- 37,739
---------------------------------------------
04/2009: --
05/2009: The Brave and the Bold #23 -- 22,312 (- 5.1%)
06/2009: The Brave and the Bold #24 -- 21,272 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: The Brave and the Bold #25 -- 21,234 (- 0.2%)
08/2009: The Brave and the Bold #26 -- 20,154 (- 5.1%)
09/2009: The Brave and the Bold #27 -- 26,904 (+33.5%)
10/2009: The Brave and the Bold #28 -- 23,176 (-13.9%)
11/2009: The Brave and the Bold #29 -- 21,287 (- 8.2%)
12/2009: The Brave and the Bold #30 -- 20,932 (- 1.7%)
01/2010: The Brave and the Bold #31 -- 21,406 (+ 2.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: The Brave and the Bold #32 -- 20,466 (- 4.4%)
04/2010: The Brave and the Bold #33 -- 21,528 (+ 5.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.1%
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years : -43.0%

It’s not going down without a fight, at least.

—–

91 - POWER GIRL
05/2009: Power Girl #1  -- 47,322
06/2009: Power Girl #2  -- 36,756 (-22.3%)
07/2009: Power Girl #3  -- 35,163 (- 4.3%)
08/2009: Power Girl #4  -- 32,140 (- 8.6%)
09/2009: Power Girl #5  -- 29,497 (- 8.2%)
10/2009: Power Girl #6  -- 27,060 (- 8.3%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Power Girl #7  -- 22,533 (-16.7%)
01/2010: Power Girl #8  -- 21,760 (- 3.4%)
02/2010: Power Girl #9  -- 20,900 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: Power Girl #10 -- 20,801 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: Power Girl #11 -- 20,675 (- 0.6%)
----------------
6 months: -23.6%

Holding level, but the current creative team is about to quit.

—–

95 - FABLES (Vertigo)
04/2005: Fables #36 -- 24,975
04/2006: Fables #48 -- 24,476
04/2007: Fables #60 -- 26,048
04/2008: Fables #72 -- 23,853
-----------------------------
04/2009: Fables #83 -- 23,630 (+5.3%)
05/2009: Fables #84 -- 23,634 (+0.0%)
06/2009: Fables #85 -- 23,439 (-0.8%)
07/2009: Fables #86 -- 22,447 (-4.2%)
08/2009: Fables #87 -- 21,876 (-2.5%)
09/2009: Fables #88 -- 21,508 (-1.7%)
10/2009: Fables #89 -- 21,118 (-1.8%)
11/2009: Fables #90 -- 20,882 (-1.1%)
12/2009: Fables #91 -- 20,450 (-2.1%)
01/2010: Fables #92 -- 20,180 (-1.3%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Fables #93 -- 20,003 (-0.9%)
04/2010: Fables #94 -- 19,965 (-0.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 5.5%
1 year  : -15.5%
2 years : -16.3%
5 years : -20.1%

Sales are stabilizing again around 20K, evidently.

—–

97 - THE SPIRIT
04/2007: The Spirit #5  -- 23,887
04/2008: The Spirit #16 -- 14,697
---------------------------------
04/2009: The Spirit #27 --  8,785 (-  6.6%)
05/2009: The Spirit #28 --  8,329 (-  5.2%)
06/2009: The Spirit #29 --  8,273 (-  0.7%)
06/2009: The Spirit #30 --  8,103 (-  2.1%)
07/2009: The Spirit #31 --  7,882 (-  2.7%)
08/2009: The Spirit #32 --  7,670 (-  2.7%)
---------------------------------
04/2010: The Spirit #1  -- 19,849 (+158.8%)
-----------------
1 year  : +125.9%
2 years : + 35.1%

Given that it’s only been eight months since the previous Spirit series was axed, that’s a great number. There was a 1:10 variant.

—–

98 - BOOSTER GOLD
04/2008: Booster Gold #8  -- 35,982
-----------------------------------
04/2009: Booster Gold #19 -- 23,203 (-  2.3%)
05/2009: Booster Gold #20 -- 22,549 (-  2.8%)
06/2009: Booster Gold #21 -- 23,222 (+  3.0%)
07/2009: Booster Gold #22 -- 22,414 (-  3.5%)
08/2009: Booster Gold #23 -- 22,108 (-  1.4%)
09/2009: Booster Gold #24 -- 21,731 (-  1.7%)
10/2009: Booster Gold #25 -- 21,597 (-  0.6%)
11/2009: Booster Gold #26 -- 57,122 (+164.5%)
12/2009: Booster Gold #27 -- 40,256 (- 29.5%)
01/2010: Booster Gold #28 -- 21,967 (- 45.4%)
02/2010: Booster Gold #29 -- 21,020 (-  4.3%)
03/2010: Booster Gold #30 -- 20,187 (-  4.0%)
04/2010: Booster Gold #31 -- 19,818 (-  1.8%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.2%
1 year  : -14.6%
2 years : -44.9%

The arrival of a new creative team is imminent.

—–

100 - THE OUTSIDERS
04/2005: --
04/2006: Outsiders #35 -- 45,774
04/2007: --
04/2008: Batsiders #6  -- 36,551
--------------------------------
04/2009: Outsiders #17 -- 27,171 (-  2.9%)
05/2009: Outsiders #18 -- 25,995 (-  4.3%)
06/2009: Outsiders #19 -- 27,485 (+  5.7%)
07/2009: Outsiders #20 -- 24,323 (- 11.5%)
08/2009: Outsiders #21 -- 23,856 (-  1.9%)
09/2009: Outsiders #22 -- 22,775 (-  4.5%)
10/2009: Outsiders #23 -- 21,413 (-  6.0%)
11/2009: Outsiders #24 -- 50,918 (+137.8%) [55,704]
12/2009: Outsiders #25 -- 37,847 (- 25.7%)
01/2010: Outsiders #26 -- 22,626 (- 40.2%)
02/2010: Outsiders #27 -- 21,167 (-  6.5%)
03/2010: Outsiders #28 -- 19,632 (-  7.3%)
04/2010: Outsiders #29 -- 19,094 (-  2.7%)
----------------
6 months: -10.8%
1 year  : -29.7%
2 years : -47.8%
5 years :  n.a.

The Outsiders continues to not be the focus of great enthusiasm among the comics people.

—–

106 - BLACKEST NIGHT DIRECTOR'S CUT
04/2010: BN Director's Cut -- 17,299

Not bad for a glorified reprint.

—–

119 - JOE THE BARBARIAN (Vertigo)
01/2010: Joe the Barbarian #1 of 8 -- 25,543          [29,712]
02/2010: Joe the Barbarian #2 of 8 -- 17,512 (-31.4%)
03/2010: Joe the Barbarian #3 of 8 -- 17,672 (+ 0.9%)
04/2010: Joe the Barbarian #4 of 8 -- 17,102 (- 3.2%)

Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy’s story about a British boy hallucinating as he struggles to reach his diabetes medicine keeps up a rock-solid performance.

—–

112 - BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL
04/2007: Batman Confidential #5  -- 36,219
04/2008: Batman Confidential #16 -- 24,038
------------------------------------------
04/2009: Batman Confidential #28 -- 19,540 (- 2.0%)
05/2009: Batman Confidential #29 -- 18,867 (- 3.4%)
06/2009: Batman Confidential #30 -- 18,443 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Batman Confidential #31 -- 19,225 (+ 4.2%)
08/2009: Batman Confidential #32 -- 18,545 (- 3.5%)
09/2009: Batman Confidential #33 -- 18,140 (- 2.2%)
10/2009: Batman Confidential #34 -- 17,097 (- 5.8%)
10/2009: Batman Confidential #35 -- 16,724 (- 2.2%)
11/2009: Batman Confidential #36 -- 16,664 (- 0.4%)
11/2009: Batman Confidential #37 -- 16,355 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Batman Confidential #38 -- 16,132 (- 1.4%)
12/2009: Batman Confidential #39 -- 15,906 (- 1.4%)
01/2010: Batman Confidential #40 -- 17,241 (+ 8.4%)
02/2010: Batman Confidential #41 -- 16,856 (- 2.2%)
03/2010: Batman Confidential #42 -- 16,652 (- 1.2%)
04/2010: Batman Confidential #43 -- 16,449 (- 1.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.7%
1 year  : -15.9%
2 years : -31.6%

The April issue was the conclusion of the Sam Kieth arc, which stabilized the book’s sales. It’s probably a temporary respite, though.

—–

119 - CINDERELLA: FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE (Vertigo)
11/2009: Cinderella #1 of 6 -- 20,337
12/2009: Cinderella #2 of 6 -- 16,598 (-18.4%)
01/2010: Cinderella #3 of 6 -- 15,827 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: Cinderella #4 of 6 -- 15,421 (- 2.6%)
03/2010: Cinderella #5 of 6 -- 15,285 (- 0.9%)
04/2010: Cinderella #6 of 6 -- 14,956 (- 2.2%)

The Fables spinoff comes to a close with perfectly good numbers.

—–

125 - THE UNWRITTEN (Vertigo)
05/2009: The Unwritten #1  -- 26,915          [31,081]
06/2009: The Unwritten #2  -- 16,290 (-39.5%)
07/2009: The Unwritten #3  -- 17,028 (+ 4.5%)
08/2009: The Unwritten #4  -- 16,336 (- 4.1%)
09/2009: The Unwritten #5  -- 16,011 (- 2.0%)
10/2009: The Unwritten #6  -- 15,314 (- 4.4%)
11/2009: The Unwritten #7  -- 14,763 (- 3.6%)
12/2009: The Unwritten #8  -- 14,257 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: The Unwritten #9  -- 13,792 (- 3.3%)
02/2010: The Unwritten #10 -- 13,644 (- 1.1%)
03/2010: The Unwritten #11 -- 13,630 (- 0.1%)
04/2010: The Unwritten #12 -- 13,507 (- 0.9%)
----------------
6 months: -11.8%

Solid numbers.

——

130 - DOOM PATROL
04/2005: Doom Patrol #11 -- 16,247
----------------------------------
08/2009: Doom Patrol #1  -- 28,267
09/2009: Doom Patrol #2  -- 22,001 (- 22.2%)
10/2009: Doom Patrol #3  -- 20,036 (-  8.9%)
11/2009: Doom Patrol #4  -- 53,748 (+168.3%)
12/2009: Doom Patrol #5  -- 35,348 (- 34.2%)
01/2010: Doom Patrol #6  -- 17,117 (- 51.6%)
02/2010: Doom Patrol #7  -- 15,689 (-  8.3%)
03/2010: Doom Patrol #8  -- 14,197 (-  9.5%)
04/2010: Doom Patrol #9  -- 13,126 (-  7.5%)
----------------
6 months: -34.5%
5 years : -19.2%

Not solid numbers.

—–

138/159/184/185/240 - WHAT'S NEXT REPRINTS
04/2010: Batman and Robin #1 -- 11,761
04/2010: Green Lantern #29   --  9,937
04/2010: The Losers #1       --  7,879
04/2010: Ex Machina #1       --  7,863
04/2010: Human Target #1     --  5,280

A new wave of $ 1.00 reprints. Retailers seem confident in the material, possibly to promote recent collections of titles like The Losers and Human Target.

—–

141 - JACK OF FABLES (Vertigo)
04/2007: Jack of Fables #9  -- 20,273
04/2008: Jack of Fables #22 -- 16,305
-------------------------------------
04/2009: Jack of Fables #33 -- 19,242 (+41.5%)
05/2009: Jack of Fables #34 -- 19,420 (+ 0.9%)
06/2009: Jack of Fables #35 -- 19,571 (+ 0.8%)
07/2009: Jack of Fables #36 -- 15,256 (-22.1%)
08/2009: Jack of Fables #37 -- 14,508 (- 4.9%)
09/2009: Jack of Fables #38 -- 13,790 (- 5.0%)
10/2009: Jack of Fables #39 -- 13,161 (- 4.6%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Jack of Fables #40 -- 12,970 (- 1.5%)
12/2009: Jack of Fables #41 -- 12,559 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: Jack of Fables #42 -- 11,966 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: --
03/2010: Jack of Fables #43 -- 11,878 (- 0.7%)
03/2010: Jack of Fables #44 -- 11,472 (- 3.4%)
04/2010: Jack of Fables #45 -- 11,324 (- 1.3%)
----------------
6 months: -14.0%
1 year  : -41.2%
2 years : -30.6%

The secondary Fables book continues a slow decline.

—–

142 - JONAH HEX
04/2006: Jonah Hex #6  -- 22,763
04/2007: Jonah Hex #18 -- 16,880
04/2008: Jonah Hex #30 -- 13,253
--------------------------------
04/2009: Jonah Hex #42 -- 11,551 (- 0.1%)
05/2009: Jonah Hex #43 -- 11,606 (+ 0.5%)
06/2009: Jonah Hex #44 -- 11,592 (- 0.1%)
07/2009: Jonah Hex #45 -- 12,588 (+ 8.6%)
08/2009: Jonah Hex #46 -- 12,466 (- 1.0%)
09/2009: Jonah Hex #47 -- 12,231 (- 1.9%)
10/2009: Jonah Hex #48 -- 11,281 (- 7.8%)
11/2009: Jonah Hex #49 -- 11,146 (- 1.2%)
12/2009: Jonah Hex #50 -- 15,131 (+35.8%)
01/2010: Jonah Hex #51 -- 11,184 (-26.1%)
02/2010: Jonah Hex #52 -- 11,213 (+ 0.3%)
03/2010: Jonah Hex #53 -- 11,565 (+ 3.1%)
04/2010: Jonah Hex #54 -- 11,306 (- 2.2%)
----------------
6 months: + 0.2%
1 year  : - 2.1%
2 years : -14.7%

143 - R.E.B.E.L.S.
04/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #3  -- 14,442 (- 10.4%)
05/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #4  -- 13,468 (-  6.7%)
06/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #5  -- 12,909 (-  4.2%)
07/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #6  -- 12,349 (-  4.3%)
08/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #7  -- 11,682 (-  5.4%)
09/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #8  -- 11,347 (-  2.9%)
10/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #9  -- 11,284 (-  0.6%)
11/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #10 -- 51,100 (+352.9%)
12/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #11 -- 31,489 (- 38.4%)
01/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #12 -- 12,428 (- 60.5%)
02/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #13 -- 11,836 (-  4.8%)
03/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #14 -- 11,362 (-  4.0%)
04/2010: R.E.B.E.L.S. #15 -- 11,271 (-  0.8%)
-----------------
6 months: -  0.1%
1 year  : - 22.0%

Two low-selling DC Universe titles with rock-solid numbers over the last six months.

—–

144 - AZRAEL
04/2009: Death's Dark Knight #2 of 3 -- 36,432 (- 8.9%)
05/2009: Death's Dark Knight #3 of 3 -- 35,916 (- 1.4%)
06/2009: --
07/2009: --
08/2009: --
09/2009: --
10/2009: Azrael #1                   -- 35,311 (- 1.7%)
11/2009: Azrael #2                   -- 21,392 (-39.4%)
12/2009: Azrael #3                   -- 17,757 (-17.0%)
01/2010: Azrael #4                   -- 14,703 (-17.2%)
02/2010: Azrael #5                   -- 12,856 (-12.6%)
03/2010: Azrael #6                   -- 11,825 (- 8.0%)
04/2010: Azrael #7                   -- 11,080 (- 6.3%)
----------------
6 months: -68.6%
1 year  : -69.6%

A low-selling DC Universe title with abysmal numbers over the last six months.

—–

157 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
04/2005: Hellblazer #207 -- 15,368
04/2006: Hellblazer #219 -- 14,206
04/2007: Hellblazer #231 -- 13,142
04/2008: Hellblazer #243 -- 11,958
----------------------------------
04/2009: Hellblazer #254 -- 11,053 (-0.7%)
05/2009: Hellblazer #255 -- 10,937 (-1.1%)
06/2009: Hellblazer #256 -- 10,898 (-0.4%)
07/2009: Hellblazer #257 -- 10,762 (-1.3%)
08/2009: Hellblazer #258 -- 10,665 (-0.9%)
09/2009: Hellblazer #259 -- 10,813 (+1.4%)
10/2009: Hellblazer #260 -- 10,767 (-0.4%)
11/2009: Hellblazer #261 -- 10,553 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Hellblazer #262 -- 10,334 (-2.1%)
01/2010: Hellblazer #263 -- 10,179 (-1.5%)
02/2010: Hellblazer #264 -- 10,025 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Hellblazer #265 -- 10,295 (+2.7%)
04/2010: Hellblazer #266 -- 10,256 (-0.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.8%
1 year  : - 0.7%
2 years : -14.2%
5 years : -33.3%

The two-parter with art by Simon Bisley concludes.

—–

158 - DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS (WildStorm)
04/2010: Gods and Monsters #1 of 8 -- 10,203

This Brian Wood revamp of the late-1990s WildStorm Universe property is a bit of an oddity — it’s Wood’s first published major work for hire since his run on Marvel’s Generation X (as part of the Warren Ellis-led “Counter X” revamp) ten years ago, and it’s not quite clear yet whether the paperback collections will be as much of a factor here as they are for Wood’s Vertigo work.

Retailers seem to be going for the middle ground between recent WildStorm Universe books and Wood’s own stuff, from the looks of it, which probably makes sense. Don’t be surprised if they correct their orders up or down in the next few months, though. Oh, and it’s the top-selling WildStorm book in April.

There was a 1:10 variant.

—–

162 - DAYTRIPPER (Vertigo)
12/2009: Daytripper #1  of 10 -- 12,010
01/2009: Daytripper #2  of 10 --  9,846 (-18.0%)
02/2009: Daytripper #3  of 10 --  9,577 (- 2.7%)
03/2009: Daytripper #4  of 10 --  9,872 (+ 3.1%)
04/2009: Daytripper #5  of 10 --  9,703 (- 1.7%)

163 - SWEET TOOTH (Vertigo)
09/2009: Sweet Tooth #1  -- 18,657
10/2009: Sweet Tooth #2  -- 11,315 (-39.4%)
11/2009: Sweet Tooth #3  -- 10,363 (- 8.4%)
12/2009: Sweet Tooth #4  --  9,817 (- 5.3%)
01/2010: Sweet Tooth #5  --  9,787 (- 0.3%)
02/2010: Sweet Tooth #6  --  9,740 (- 0.5%)
03/2010: Sweet Tooth #7  --  9,718 (- 0.2%)
04/2010: Sweet Tooth #8  --  9,612 (- 1.1%)
----------------
6 months: -15.1%

166 - HOUSE OF MYSTERY (Vertigo)
04/2009: House of Mystery #12 -- 12,636 (- 1.2%)
05/2009: House of Mystery #13 -- 14,358 (+13.6%)
06/2009: House of Mystery #14 -- 12,039 (-16.2%)
07/2009: House of Mystery #15 -- 11,809 (- 1.9%)
08/2009: House of Mystery #16 -- 11,572 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: House of Mystery #17 -- 11,142 (- 3.7%)
10/2009: House of Mystery #18 -- 10,922 (- 2.0%)
11/2009: House of Mystery #19 -- 10,478 (- 4.1%)
12/2009: House of Mystery #20 -- 10,175 (- 2.9%)
01/2010: House of Mystery #21 --  9,888 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: House of Mystery #22 --  9,401 (- 4.9%)
03/2010: House of Mystery #23 --  9,350 (- 0.5%)
04/2010: House of Mystery #24 --  9,168 (- 2.0%)
----------------
6 months: -16.1%
1 year  : -27.5%

Three Vertigo books that seem to be settling down in the 9,000-unit area.

—–

174 - TINY TITANS (Johnny DC)
04/2008: Tiny Titans #3  -- 11,197
----------------------------------
04/2009: Tiny Titans #15 --  9,207 (+ 5.4%)
05/2009: Tiny Titans #16 --  8,844 (- 3.9%)
06/2009: Tiny Titans #17 --  8,640 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Tiny Titans #18 --  8,576 (- 0.7%)
08/2009: Tiny Titans #19 --  8,432 (- 1.7%)
09/2009: Tiny Titans #20 --  8,435 (+ 0.0%)
10/2009: Tiny Titans #21 --  8,259 (- 2.1%)
11/2009: Tiny Titans #22 --  8,100 (- 1.9%)
12/2009: Tiny Titans #23 --  8,017 (- 1.0%)
01/2010: Tiny Titans #24 --  7,844 (- 2.2%)
02/2010: Tiny Titans #25 --  8,566 (+ 9.2%)
03/2010: Tiny Titans #26 --  7,878 (- 8.0%)
04/2010: Tiny Titans #27 --  8,224 (+ 4.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 0.4%
1 year  : -10.7%
2 years : -26.6%

A Johnny DC book, see small print.

—–

175 - MADAME XANADU (Vertigo)
04/2009: Madame Xanadu #10 --  9,664 (- 1.4%)
05/2009: Madame Xanadu #11 -- 10,179 (+ 5.3%)
06/2009: Madame Xanadu #12 --  9,949 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Madame Xanadu #13 -- 10,009 (+ 0.6%)
08/2009: Madame Xanadu #14 --  9,873 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Madame Xanadu #15 --  9,733 (- 1.4%)
10/2009: Madame Xanadu #16 --  9,283 (- 4.6%)
11/2009: Madame Xanadu #17 --  8,856 (- 4.6%)
12/2009: Madame Xanadu #18 --  8,686 (- 1.9%)
01/2010: Madame Xanadu #19 --  8,439 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: Madame Xanadu #20 --  8,285 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: Madame Xanadu #21 --  8,191 (- 1.1%)
04/2010: Madame Xanadu #22 --  8,158 (- 0.4%)
----------------
6 months: -12.1%
1 year  : -15.6%

Finding its level, looks like.

—–

177 - WARLORD
04/2009: Warlord #1  -- 17,540
05/2009: Warlord #2  -- 13,390 (-23.7%)
06/2009: Warlord #3  -- 12,283 (- 8.3%)
07/2009: Warlord #4  -- 11,445 (- 6.8%)
08/2009: Warlord #5  -- 10,790 (- 5.7%)
09/2009: Warlord #6  -- 10,331 (- 4.3%)
10/2009: Warlord #7  --  9,892 (- 4.3%)
11/2009: Warlord #8  --  9,547 (- 3.5%)
12/2009: Warlord #9  --  9,102 (- 4.7%)
01/2010: Warlord #10 --  8,807 (- 3.2%)
02/2010: Warlord #11 --  8,532 (- 3.1%)
03/2010: Warlord #12 --  8,430 (- 1.2%)
04/2010: Warlord #13 --  8,130 (- 3.6%)
----------------
6 months: -17.8%

Canceled with issue #18.

—–

186 - MAGOG
09/2009: Magog #1  -- 26,352
10/2009: Magog #2  -- 16,193 (-38.6%)
11/2009: Magog #3  -- 12,915 (-20.2%)
12/2009: Magog #4  -- 10,700 (-17.2%)
01/2010: Magog #5  --  9,215 (-13.9%)
02/2010: Magog #6  --  8,548 (- 7.2%)
03/2010: Magog #7  --  8,119 (- 5.0%)
04/2010: Magog #8  --  7,743 (- 4.6%)
----------------
6 months: -52.2%

Another hastily aborted DC Universe book: Issue #11 was meant to be the start of a five-part arc, but then they went and pulled the plug with #12 instead.

—–

187 - NORTHLANDERS (Vertigo)
04/2008: Northlanders #5  -- 12,278
-----------------------------------
04/2009: Northlanders #16 --  9,323 (- 1.3%)
05/2009: Northlanders #17 --  9,239 (- 0.9%)
06/2009: Northlanders #18 --  8,877 (- 3.9%)
07/2009: Northlanders #19 --  8,722 (- 1.8%)
08/2009: --
09/2009: Northlanders #20 --  8,786 (+ 0.7%)
10/2009: Northlanders #21 --  8,360 (- 4.9%)
11/2009: Northlanders #22 --  8,136 (- 2.7%)
12/2009: Northlanders #23 --  8,069 (- 0.8%)
01/2010: Northlanders #24 --  7,935 (- 1.7%)
02/2010: Northlanders #25 --  7,807 (- 1.6%)
03/2010: Northlanders #26 --  7,824 (+ 0.2%)
04/2010: Northlanders #27 --  7,683 (- 1.8%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.1%
1 year  : -17.6%
2 years : -37.4%

Business as usual.

—–

189 - THE AUTHORITY (WildStorm)
04/2005: Revolution #7  of 12 -- 19,582
04/2007: --
04/2008: --
---------------------------------------
04/2009: The Authority v4 #9  --  9,748 (- 2.4%)
05/2009: The Authority v4 #10 --  9,531 (- 2.2%)
06/2009: The Authority v4 #11 --  9,204 (- 3.4%)
07/2009: The Authority v4 #12 --  8,918 (- 3.1%)
08/2009: The Authority v4 #13 --  8,648 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: The Authority v4 #14 --  8,394 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: The Authority v4 #15 --  8,174 (- 2.6%)
11/2009: The Authority v4 #16 --  8,066 (- 1.3%)
12/2009: The Authority v4 #17 --  7,829 (- 2.9%)
01/2010: The Authority v4 #18 --  7,952 (+ 1.6%)
02/2010: The Authority v4 #19 --  7,943 (- 0.1%)
03/2010: The Authority v4 #20 --  7,781 (- 2.0%)
04/2010: The Authority v4 #21 --  7,563 (- 2.8%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.5%
1 year  : -22.4%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -61.4%

Slowly declining, as usual.

—–

193 - NEMESIS: THE IMPOSTORS
05/2009: FCA: Escape #1 of 6 -- 28,668
06/2009: FCA: Escape #2 of 6 -- 20,576 (-29.2%)
07/2009: FCA: Escape #3 of 6 -- 15,294 (-25.7%)
08/2009: FCA: Escape #4 of 6 -- 12,950 (-15.3%)
09/2009: FCA: Escape #5 of 6 -- 11,613 (-10.3%)
10/2009: FCA: Escape #6 of 6 -- 10,519 (- 9.4%)
--------------------------------------
03/2010: Impostors #1 of 4   --  9,005 (-14.4%)
04/2010: Impostors #2 of 4   --  7,291 (-19.0%)
----------------
6 months: -30.7%

198 - HUMAN TARGET
04/2005: Human Target #21     --  7,313
---------------------------------------
02/2010: Human Target #1 of 6 -- 13,690
03/2010: Human Target #2 of 6 --  8,403 (-38.6%)
04/2010: Human Target #3 of 6 --  6,857 (-18.4%)
----------------
5 years : - 6.2%

Two DC Universe miniseries with terrible numbers.

—–

199 - DMZ (Vertigo)
04/2006: DMZ #6  -- 15,212
04/2007: DMZ #18 -- 13,120
04/2008: DMZ #30 -- 10,038
--------------------------
04/2009: DMZ #41 --  8,061 (-1.3%)
05/2009: --
06/2009: DMZ #42 --  7,927 (-1.7%)
07/2009: DMZ #43 --  7,806 (-1.5%)
08/2009: DMZ #44 --  7,654 (-2.0%)
09/2009: DMZ #45 --  7,589 (-0.9%)
10/2009: DMZ #46 --  7,399 (-2.5%)
11/2009: DMZ #47 --  7,187 (-2.9%)
12/2009: DMZ #48 --  6,977 (-2.9%)
01/2010: DMZ #49 --  6,872 (-1.5%)
02/2010: DMZ #50 --  7,262 (+5.7%)
03/2010: DMZ #51 --  6,840 (-5.8%)
04/2010: DMZ #52 --  6,826 (-0.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.7%
1 year  : -15.3%
2 years : -32.0%

Virtually no change in April.

—–

203 - THE AUTHORITY: THE LOST YEAR (WildStorm)
10/2006: The Authority v3 #1     -- 58,136
03/2007: The Authority v3 #2     -- 39,886
------------------------------------------
11/2009: The Lost Year #3  of 12 --  8,988 (-77.5%)
12/2009: The Lost Year #4  of 12 --  7,999 (-11.0%)
01/2010: The Lost Year #5  of 12 --  7,541 (- 5.7%)
02/2010: The Lost Year #6  of 12 --  7,184 (- 4.7%)
03/2010: The Lost Year #7  of 12 --  6,942 (- 3.4%)
04/2010: The Lost Year #8  of 12 --  6,712 (- 3.3%)

The Authority book that Grant Morrison no longer writes keeps slipping down the chart.

—–

205 - SCALPED (Vertigo)
04/2007: Scalped #4  --  9,163
04/2008: Scalped #16 --  7,071
------------------------------
04/2009: Scalped #27 --  6,950 (+ 1.2%)
04/2009: Scalped #28 --  6,860 (- 1.3%)
05/2009: --
06/2009: Scalped #29 --  7,078 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Scalped #30 --  7,059 (- 0.3%)
08/2009: Scalped #31 --  6,916 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: Scalped #32 --  6,905 (- 0.2%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Scalped #33 --  6,752 (- 2.2%)
01/2010: --
02/2010: Scalped #34 --  6,731 (- 0.3%)
02/2010: Scalped #35 --  6,443 (- 4.3%)
03/2010: Scalped #36 --  6,648 (+ 3.2%)
04/2010: Scalped #37 --  6,584 (- 1.0%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.7%
1 year  : - 4.7%
2 years : - 6.9%

Solid sales overall.

—–

207 - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Johnny DC)
04/2005: Batman Strikes! #8    -- 10,368
04/2006: Batman Strikes! #20   --  8,331
04/2007: Batman Strikes! #32   --  7,294
04/2008: Batman Strikes! #44   --  7,541
----------------------------------------
04/2009: Brave & Bold #4       --  8,381 (+  2.4%)
05/2009: Brave & Bold #5       --  7,994 (-  4.6%)
06/2009: Brave & Bold #6       --  7,614 (-  4.8%)
07/2009: Brave & Bold #7       --  7,441 (-  2.3%)
08/2009: Brave & Bold #8       --  7,153 (-  3.9%)
09/2009: Brave & Bold #9       --  7,064 (-  1.2%)
10/2009: Brave & Bold #10      --  6,646 (-  5.9%)
11/2009: Brave & Bold #11      --  6,438 (-  3.1%)
12/2009: Brave & Bold #12      --  6,342 (-  1.5%)
01/2010: Brave & Bold #13      --  6,129 (-  3.4%)
02/2010: Brave & Bold #14      --  6,084 (-  0.7%)
03/2010: Brave & Bold #15      --  6,208 (+  2.0%)
04/2010: Brave & Bold #16      --  6,506 (+  4.8%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.1%
1 year  : -22.4%
2 years : -13.7%
5 years : -37.3%

A Johnny DC book.

—–

209 - SUPERNATURAL: BEGINNING'S END (WildStorm)
05/2007: Origins #1         -- 21,128
06/2007: Origins #2         -- 15,955 (-24.5%)
07/2007: Origins #3         -- 14,812 (- 7.2%)
08/2007: Origins #4         -- 13,915 (- 6.1%)
09/2007: Origins #5         -- 13,034 (- 6.3%)
10/2007: Origins #6         -- 12,350 (- 5.5%)
-------------------------------------
04/2008: Rising Son #1 of 6 -- 16,013 (+29.7%)
05/2008: Rising Son #2 of 6 -- 11,846 (-26.0%)
06/2008: Rising Son #3 of 6 -- 11,276 (- 4.8%)
07/2008: Rising Son #4 of 6 -- 10,676 (- 5.3%)
08/2008: Rising Son #5 of 6 -- 10,110 (- 5.3%)
09/2008: Rising Son #6 of 6 --  9,590 (- 5.1%)
-------------------------------------
01/2010: Beginning's End #1 --  9,251 (- 3.5%)
02/2010: Beginning's End #2 --  6,922 (-25.2%)
03/2010: Beginning's End #3 --  6,764 (- 2.3%)
04/2010: Beginning's End #4 --  6,420 (- 5.1%)
----------------
2 years : -59.9%

211 - WILDCATS (WildStorm)
04/2006: Nemesis #8 of 9 -- 14,410
04/2007: --
----------------------------------
04/2009: World's End #10 --  8,460 (- 3.4%)
05/2009: World's End #11 --  8,165 (- 3.5%)
06/2009: World's End #12 --  7,863 (- 3.7%)
07/2009: World's End #13 --  7,609 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: World's End #14 --  7,417 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: World's End #15 --  7,178 (- 3.2%)
10/2009: World's End #16 --  6,883 (- 4.1%)
11/2009: World's End #17 --  6,691 (- 2.8%)
12/2009: World's End #18 --  6,487 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: World's End #19 --  6,791 (+ 4.7%)
02/2010: World's End #20 --  6,669 (- 1.8%)
03/2010: World's End #21 --  6,491 (- 2.7%)
04/2010: World's End #22 --  6,367 (- 1.9%)
----------------
6 months: - 7.5%
1 year  : -24.7%
2 years :  n.a.

Two WildStorm books with desolate numbers.

—–

213 - GREEK STREET (Vertigo)
07/2009: Greek Street #1  -- 20,422
08/2009: Greek Street #2  -- 11,996 (-41.3%)
09/2009: Greek Street #3  -- 10,628 (-11.4%)
10/2009: Greek Street #4  --  9,246 (-13.0%)
11/2009: Greek Street #5  --  8,610 (- 6.9%)
12/2009: Greek Street #6  --  7,802 (- 9.4%)
01/2010: Greek Street #7  --  7,335 (- 6.0%)
02/2010: Greek Street #8  --  6,872 (- 6.3%)
03/2010: Greek Street #9  --  6,603 (- 3.9%)
04/2010: Greek Street #10 --  6,324 (- 4.2%)
----------------
6 months: -31.6%

A Vertigo book with desolate numbers.

—–

214 - THE GREAT TEN
11/2009: The Great Ten #1  of 10 -- 13,159
12/2009: The Great Ten #2  of 10 --  8,760 (-33.4%)
01/2010: The Great Ten #3  of 10 --  7,458 (-14.9%)
02/2010: The Great Ten #4  of 10 --  6,812 (- 8.7%)
03/2010: The Great Ten #5  of 10 --  6,555 (- 3.8%)
04/2010: The Great Ten #6  of 10 --  6,301 (- 3.9%)

Canceled with issue #9.

No, I’m not kidding.

—–

219 - VICTORIAN UNDEAD (WildStorm)
11/2009: Victorian Undead #1 of 6 -- 11,422
12/2009: Victorian Undead #2 of 6 --  7,430 (-35.0%)
01/2010: Victorian Undead #3 of 6 --  6,663 (-10.3%)
02/2010: Victorian Undead #4 of 6 --  6,365 (- 4.5%)
03/2010: Victorian Undead #5 of 6 --  6,285 (- 1.3%)
04/2010: Victorian Undead #6 of 6 --  6,102 (- 2.9%)

One of the most successful creator-owned WildStorm books of late concludes.

No, I’m not kidding.

—–

221 - DEMO (Vertigo)
11/2003: Demo #1  of 12      -- 4,529
12/2003: Demo #2  of 12      -- 3,115 (-31.2%)
01/2004: Demo #3  of 12      -- 3,170 (+ 1.8%)
02/2004: Demo #4  of 12      -- 3,220 (+ 1.6%)
03/2004: Demo #5  of 12      -- 3,301 (+ 2.5%)
05/2004: Demo #6  of 12      -- 3,514 (+ 6.5%)
06/2004: Demo #7  of 12      -- 3,882 (+10.5%)
07/2004: Demo #8  of 12      -- 3,803 (- 2.0%)
08/2004: Demo #9  of 12      -- 3,976 (+ 4.6%)
10/2004: Demo #10 of 12      -- 4,260 (+ 7.1%)
10/2004: Demo #11 of 12      -- 4,344 (+ 2.0%)
12/2004: Demo #12 of 12      -- 4,628 (+ 6.5%)
-------------------------------------
02/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #1 of 6 -- 8,317
03/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #2 of 6 -- 6,573 (-21.0%)
04/2010: Demo Vol. 2 #3 of 6 -- 6,010 (- 8.6%)

Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan’s black-&-white miniseries sees a fairly harsh third-issue drop.

—–

230 - UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Vertigo)
04/2009: Unknown Soldier #7  --  8,631 (+ 5.6%)
05/2009: Unknown Soldier #8  --  7,705 (-10.7%)
06/2009: Unknown Soldier #9  --  7,586 (- 1.6%)
07/2009: Unknown Soldier #10 --  7,256 (- 4.4%)
08/2009: Unknown Soldier #11 --  7,070 (- 2.6%)
09/2009: Unknown Soldier #12 --  6,865 (- 2.9%)
10/2009: Unknown Soldier #13 --  6,636 (- 3.3%)
11/2009: Unknown Soldier #14 --  6,359 (- 4.2%)
12/2009: Unknown Soldier #15 --  6,134 (- 3.5%)
01/2010: Unknown Soldier #16 --  5,848 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: Unknown Soldier #17 --  5,701 (- 2.5%)
03/2010: Unknown Soldier #18 --  5,611 (- 1.6%)
04/2010: Unknown Soldier #19 --  5,542 (- 1.2%)
----------------
6 months: -16.5%
1 year  : -35.8%

Unknown Soldier is finding its level, but there probably isn’t a lot of rope left.

—–

239 - THE SHIELD
08/2009: RC: Shield #1  -- 19,088
09/2009: The Shield #1  -- 16,997 (-11.0%)
10/2009: The Shield #2  -- 10,401 (-38.8%)
11/2009: The Shield #3  --  8,546 (-17.8%)
12/2009: The Shield #4  --  7,316 (-14.4%)
01/2010: The Shield #5  --  6,444 (-11.9%)
02/2010: The Shield #6  --  6,010 (- 6.7%)
03/2010: The Shield #7  --  5,568 (- 7.4%)
04/2010: The Shield #8  --  5,288 (- 5.0%)
----------------
6 months: -49.2%

Canceled with issue #10.

—–

241 - GEN13 (WildStorm)
04/2007: Gen13 #7  -- 20,555
04/2008: Gen13 #19 -- 11,887
----------------------------
02/2009: Gen13 #27 --  7,929 (- 4.9%)
03/2009: Gen13 #28 --  7,593 (- 4.2%)
04/2009: Gen13 #29 --  7,313 (- 3.7%)
05/2009: --
06/2009: Gen13 #30 --  6,880 (- 5.9%)
07/2009: --
08/2009: Gen13 #31 --  6,544 (- 4.9%)
09/2009: --
10/2009: Gen13 #32 --  6,044 (- 7.6%)
11/2009: --
12/2009: Gen13 #33 --  5,718 (- 5.4%)
01/2010: --
02/2010: Gen13 #34 --  5,412 (- 5.4%)
03/2010: --
04/2010: Gen13 #35 --  5,257 (- 2.9%)
----------------
6 months: -13.0%
1 year  : -33.7%
2 years : -55.8%

245 - SPARTA, U.S.A. (WildStorm)
03/2010: Sparta, U.S.A. #1 of 6 -- 8,214
04/2010: Sparta, U.S.A. #2 of 6 -- 5,194 (-36.8%)

Two more WildStorm books with numbers well below 6K.

—–

246 - AIR (Vertigo)
04/2009: Air #8  --  7,216 (-29.9%)
05/2009: Air #9  --  7,115 (- 1.4%)
06/2009: Air #10 --  6,954 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Air #11 --  6,793 (- 2.3%)
08/2009: Air #12 --  6,589 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: Air #13 --  6,476 (- 1.7%)
10/2009: Air #14 --  6,156 (- 4.9%)
11/2009: Air #15 --  5,921 (- 3.8%)
12/2009: Air #16 --  5,733 (- 3.2%)
01/2010: Air #17 --  5,573 (- 2.8%)
02/2010: Air #18 --  5,352 (- 4.0%)
03/2010: Air #19 --  5,268 (- 1.6%)
04/2010: Air #20 --  5,184 (- 1.6%)
----------------
6 months: -15.8%
1 year  : -28.2%

Canceled with issue #24.

—–

249 - SUPER FRIENDS (Johnny DC)
04/2008: Super Friends #2  --  8,935
------------------------------------
04/2009: Super Friends #14 --  5,792 (+ 7.5%)
05/2009: Super Friends #15 --  5,513 (- 4.8%)
06/2009: Super Friends #16 --  5,548 (+ 0.6%)
07/2009: Super Friends #17 --  5,368 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: Super Friends #18 --  5,291 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Super Friends #19 --  5,045 (- 4.7%)
10/2009: Super Friends #20 --  5,026 (- 0.4%)
11/2009: Super Friends #21 --  4,879 (- 2.9%)
12/2009: Super Friends #22 --  4,837 (- 0.9%)
01/2010: Super Friends #23 --  4,538 (- 6.2%)
02/2010: Super Friends #24 --  4,644 (+ 2.3%)
03/2010: Super Friends #25 --  4,678 (+ 0.7%)
04/2010: Super Friends #26 --  4,955 (+ 5.9%)
----------------
6 months: - 1.4%
1 year  : -14.5%
2 years : -44.5%

A Johnny DC title.

—–

250 - GARRISON (WildStorm)
04/2010: Garrison #1  -- 4,936

The figure speaks for itself.

—–

254 - THE WEB
08/2009: RC: Web #1  -- 19,535
09/2009: The Web #1  -- 15,507 (-20.6%)
10/2009: The Web #2  --  9,421 (-39.3%)
11/2009: The Web #3  --  7,631 (-19.0%)
12/2009: The Web #4  --  6,653 (-12.8%)
01/2010: The Web #5  --  5,809 (-12.7%)
02/2010: The Web #6  --  5,276 (- 9.2%)
03/2010: The Web #7  --  4,981 (- 5.6%)
04/2010: The Web #8  --  4,763 (- 4.4%)
----------------
6 months: -49.4%

Canceled with issue #10.

—–

261 - BILLY BATSON & THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM (Johnny DC)
04/2009: Billy Batson #4  --  8,470 (-14.0%)
05/2009: --
06/2009: Billy Batson #5  --  7,869 (- 7.1%)
07/2009: Billy Batson #6  --  6,771 (-14.0%)
08/2009: Billy Batson #7  --  6,382 (- 5.8%)
09/2009: Billy Batson #8  --  5,858 (- 8.2%)
10/2009: Billy Batson #9  --  5,388 (- 8.0%)
11/2009: Billy Batson #10 --  4,993 (- 7.3%)
12/2009: Billy Batson #11 --  4,795 (- 4.0%)
01/2010: Billy Batson #12 --  4,371 (- 8.8%)
02/2010: Billy Batson #13 --  4,316 (- 1.3%)
03/2010: Billy Batson #14 --  4,227 (- 2.1%)
04/2010: Billy Batson #15 --  4,236 (+ 0.2%)
----------------
6 months: -21.4%
1 year  : -50.0%

270 - SCOOBY DOO (Johnny DC)
04/2005: Scooby Doo #95  -- 4,800
04/2006: Scooby Doo #107 -- 4,359
04/2007: Scooby Doo #119 -- 4,373
04/2008: Scooby Doo #131 -- 4,403
---------------------------------
04/2009: Scooby Doo #143 -- 4,610 (+19.3%)
05/2009: Scooby Doo #144 -- 4,062 (-11.9%)
06/2009: Scooby Doo #145 -- 4,093 (+ 0.8%)
07/2009: Scooby Doo #146 -- 4,110 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Scooby Doo #147 -- 4,111 (+ 0.0%)
09/2009: Scooby Doo #148 -- 4,103 (- 0.2%)
10/2009: Scooby Doo #149 -- 4,005 (- 2.4%)
11/2009: Scooby Doo #150 -- 4,044 (+ 1.0%)
12/2009: Scooby Doo #151 -- 3,906 (- 3.4%)
01/2010: Scooby Doo #152 -- 3,724 (- 4.7%)
02/2010: Scooby Doo #153 -- 3,780 (+ 1.5%)
03/2010: Scooby Doo #154 -- 3,846 (+ 1.8%)
04/2010: Scooby Doo #155 -- 3,836 (- 0.3%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.2%
1 year  : -16.8%
2 years : -12.9%
5 years : -20.1%

Two more Johnny DC books.

—–

278 - DANTE'S INFERNO (WildStorm)
12/2009: Dante's Inferno #1 of 6 -- 5,431
01/2010: Dante's Inferno #2 of 6 -- 3,808 (-29.9%)
02/2010: Dante's Inferno #3 of 6 -- 3,557 (- 6.6%)
03/2010: --
04/2010: Dante's Inferno #4 of 6 -- 3,495 (- 1.7%)

Another game adaptation from WildStorm. Free Realms, also from WildStorm, once again missed the Top 300 chart with issue #8, so I’m presuming it moved 2,900 copies for the purposes of the averages below, which is what the No. 300 title sold.

—–

6-MONTH COMPARISONS
+ 61.8%: Green Arrow
+  2.2%: JLA
+  0.2%: Jonah Hex
-  0.1%: REBELS
-  0.4%: Tiny Titans
-  1.0%: Green Lantern
-  1.4%: Super Friends
-  2.1%: Batman: Brave & Bold
-  2.7%: Batman Confidential
-  2.8%: Secret Six
-  2.9%: Supergirl
-  4.0%: Superman: LSoNK
-  4.2%: Scooby-Doo
-  4.7%: Scalped
-  4.8%: Hellblazer
-  5.5%: Fables
-  5.9%: Wonder Woman
-  6.3%: Superman
-  7.1%: Brave & Bold
-  7.5%: Authority
-  7.5%: Wildcats
-  7.7%: DMZ
-  8.1%: Northlanders
-  8.2%: Booster Gold
-  8.3%: Superman/Batman
-  9.0%: Superman: Secret Origin
- 10.8%: Outsiders
- 11.3%: GL Corps
- 11.8%: Unwritten
- 12.1%: Madame Xanadu
- 13.0%: Gen13
- 13.3%: Teen Titans
- 14.0%: Batman
- 14.0%: Jack of Fables
- 15.1%: Sweet Tooth
- 15.4%: Adventure Comics
- 15.6%: Action Comics
- 15.8%: Air
- 16.1%: House of Mystery
- 16.5%: Unknown Soldier
- 17.3%: Batman and Robin
- 17.8%: Warlord
- 18.4%: JSA
- 19.1%: Red Robin
- 20.2%: GC Sirens
- 20.4%: Batgirl
- 21.4%: Billy Batson
- 23.6%: Power Girl
- 24.9%: Batman: SoG
- 27.6%: Detective Comics
- 30.7%: Nemesis: Impostors
- 31.6%: Greek Street
- 34.5%: Doom Patrol
- 49.2%: Shield
- 49.4%: Web
- 52.2%: Magog
- 68.6%: Azrael

—–

1-YEAR COMPARISONS
+125.9%: Spirit
+ 32.9%: Green Arrow
+ 25.8%: Green Lantern
+ 22.8%: GL Corps
-  0.7%: Hellblazer
-  1.5%: Flash
-  2.1%: Jonah Hex
-  4.7%: Scalped
-  5.6%: JLA
-  6.8%: Secret Six
- 10.7%: Tiny Titans
- 13.5%: Supergirl
- 14.5%: Super Friends
- 14.6%: Booster Gold
- 15.3%: DMZ
- 15.5%: Fables
- 15.6%: Madame Xanadu
- 15.9%: Batman Confidential
- 16.8%: Scooby-Doo
- 17.6%: Northlanders
- 20.4%: Wonder Woman
- 21.5%: Superman: LSoNK
- 22.0%: REBELS
- 22.4%: Authority
- 22.4%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 22.6%: Superman/Batman
- 22.9%: Superman
- 24.7%: World's End
- 27.5%: House of Mystery
- 28.2%: Air
- 28.5%: Teen Titans
- 29.7%: Outsiders
- 31.6%: Batman
- 32.4%: Action Comics
- 33.7%: Gen13
- 35.8%: Unknown Soldier
- 41.2%: Jack of Fables
- 50.0%: Billy Batson
- 50.1%: JSA
- 59.2%: Detective Comics
- 69.6%: Azrael

—–

2-YEAR COMPARISONS
+199.1%: Flash
+ 54.3%: GL Corps
+ 53.6%: Green Lantern
+ 37.4%: Red Robin
+ 35.1%: Spirit
+ 18.8%: GC Sirens
-  6.0%: Supergirl
-  6.9%: Scalped
-  9.0%: Green Arrow
- 12.4%: Detective Comics
- 12.9%: Scooby-Doo
- 13.7%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 14.2%: Hellblazer
- 14.3%: Batman
- 14.7%: Jonah Hex
- 16.3%: Fables
- 26.6%: Tiny Titans
- 27.4%: JLA
- 30.6%: Jack of Fables
- 31.6%: Batman Confidential
- 32.0%: DMZ
- 35.8%: Wonder Woman
- 37.4%: Northlanders
- 39.5%: Superman
- 39.7%: Superman/Batman
- 43.0%: Brave & Bold
- 44.3%: Action Comics
- 44.5%: Super Friends
- 44.9%: Booster Gold
- 46.6%: Teen Titans
- 47.8%: Outsiders
- 54.5%: JSA
- 55.8%: Gen13
- 59.9%: Supernatural

—–

5-YEAR COMPARISONS
+117.1%: Flash
+ 17.6%: Red Robin
+  8.6%: Detective Comics
+  4.7%: Batgirl
-  2.3%: Batman
-  2.6%: JLA
-  6.2%: Human Target
-  7.2%: Green Arrow
- 11.6%: GC Sirens
- 12.5%: Wonder Woman
- 12.7%: Green Lantern
- 15.7%: JSA
- 19.2%: Doom Patrol
- 20.1%: Fables
- 20.1%: Scooby-Doo
- 33.3%: Hellblazer
- 37.3%: Batman: Brave & Bold
- 46.5%: Action Comics
- 61.4%: Authority
- 62.1%: Teen Titans
- 70.5%: Superman
- 72.4%: Superman/Batman

—–

Average Periodical Sales
(not counting reprints, reorders shipping after the initial month of release, Johnny DC titles and magazines)

DC COMICS
04/2005: 30,053
04/2006: 33,566
04/2007: 39,134
04/2008: 28,051
---------------
04/2009: 27,373 (+25.6%)**
05/2009: 24,386 (-10.9%)
06/2009: 25,880 (+ 6.1%)**
07/2009: 30,905 (+19.4%)**
08/2009: 29,977 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: 28,493 (- 5.0%)**
10/2009: 27,525 (- 4.4%)**
11/2009: 28,913 (+ 5.1%)**
12/2009: 25,904 (-10.4%)**
01/2010: 25,657 (- 1.0%)**
02/2010: 26,199 (+ 2.1%)**
03/2010: 23,299 (-11.1%)**
04/2010: 23,740 (+ 1.9%)**
----------------
6 months: -13.8%
1 year  : -13.3%
2 years : -15.4%
5 years : -21.0%

DC UNIVERSE
04/2005: 39,140
04/2006: 45,129
04/2007: 52,768
04/2008: 35,452
---------------
04/2009: 38,150 (+21.8%)
05/2009: 33,163 (-13.1%)
06/2009: 36,329 (+ 9.6%)
07/2009: 41,218 (+13.9%)
08/2009: 37,300 (- 9.5%)
09/2009: 36,725 (- 1.5%)**
10/2009: 34,795 (- 5.3%)
11/2009: 38,488 (+10.6%)
12/2009: 35,473 (- 7.8%)**
01/2010: 33,698 (- 5.0%)
02/2010: 35,895 (+ 6.5%)
03/2010: 32,375 (- 9.8%)
04/2010: 32,859 (+ 1.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 5.6%
1 year  : -13.9%
2 years : - 7.3%
5 years : -16.1%

VERTIGO
04/2005: 13,050
04/2006: 15,473
04/2007: 12,105
04/2008: 10,550
---------------
04/2009: 10,767 (+ 5.8%)
05/2009: 12,918 (+20.0%)
06/2009: 11,166 (-13.6%)
07/2009: 11,055 (- 1.0%)**
08/2009: 11,369 (+ 2.8%)
09/2009: 11,345 (- 0.2%)
10/2009: 10,551 (- 7.0%)
11/2009: 11,036 (+ 4.6%)
12/2009: 10,583 (- 4.1%)
01/2010: 11,267 (+ 6.5%)
02/2010:  9,256 (-17.9%)
03/2010: 11,394 (+23.1%)
04/2010: 10,815 (- 5.1%)
----------------
6 months: + 2.5%
1 year  : + 0.5%
2 years : + 2.5%
5 years : -17.1%

WILDSTORM
04/2005: 12,846
04/2006: 16,036
04/2007: 13,609
04/2008: 12,156
---------------
04/2009:  8,277 (- 7.6%)**
05/2009:  8,579 (+ 3.7%)
06/2009:  8,805 (+ 2.6%)**
07/2009:  8,519 (- 3.3%)**
08/2009:  7,977 (- 6.4%)
09/2009:  8,280 (+ 3.8%)**
10/2009:  9,769 (+18.0%)**
11/2009:  7,111 (-27.2%)**
12/2009:  7,260 (+ 2.1%)**
01/2010:  6,532 (-10.0%)**
02/2010:  5,692 (-12.9%)**
03/2010:  7,691 (+35.1%)**
04/2010:  5,923 (-23.0%)**
----------------
6 months: -39.4%
1 year  : -28.4%
2 years : -51.3%
5 years : -53.9%

—–
Disclaimers, et cetera

The numbers above are estimates for comic-book sales in the North American direct market, as calculated by ICv2.com according to the chart and index information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors.

ICv2.com’s estimates are somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate. Since it’s a “month-to-month” column, the comments, unless otherwise noted, are on the most recent month.

Bear in mind that the figures measure sales to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass-market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Re-orders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book’s initial calendar month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month.

If additional copies of an issue did appear on the chart after a book’s initial calendar month of release, you can see the total number of copies sold in parenthesis behind those issues (e.g. “[36,599]“). Should more than one issue have shipped in a month which is relevant for one of the long-term comparisons, the average between them will be used.

Titles released under the Johnny DC imprint and magazines, such as Mad, mostly sell through channels other than the direct market, so direct-market sales don’t tell us much about their performance. For most Vertigo and some WildStorm titles, collection sales tend to be a significant factor, so the numbers for those books should be taken with a grain of salt as well. To learn (a little) more about Vertigo’s collection sales, go right here.

** Two asterisks after a given month in the average charts mean that one or more periodical release did not make the Top 300 chart in that month. In those cases, it’s assumed that said releases sold as many units as the No. 300 comic on the chart for that month for the purposes of the chart, although its actual sales are likely to be less than that.

For a more lyrical approach to discussing sales figures that covers all the essentials in a more condensed, less tedious fashion, finally, go right here.
—–
Marc-Oliver Frisch writes about comics at his weblog and at Comicgate. You can also follow him on Twitter.

The top “indie” book on the charts this month is a $1 issue of The Walking Dead #1. However, none of the other Image $1 books have charted either this month or last, so I’m not sure how accurate this numbers is.

Invincible Returns was the best selling non-reprint #1 of the month, and led to a substantial increase for the regular issue of Invincible as well. While Turf #1, also from Image, was the highest launch of the month.

Image had a 4.26% unit share, and a 3.96% dollar share, Dark Horse had a 3.82% unit share and a 4.88% dollar share, IDW had a 3.41% unit share and a 3.92% dollar share. Dynamite fell to a 2.38% unit share and a 2.33% dollar share.

I’ve listed every “indie” title in the top 200, every title from Image, Darkhorse, and IDW, and a selection of others.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which can be found here.

15. Image Firsts (Image)

03/2010: Walking Dead #1 - 24,333 [83,485]
04/2010: -

The chart says this sells another 59,152 copies this month, however not a single one of the other Image Firsts titles have made the chart in the last two months, so I’m not sure how accurate this number is.

27. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse)

04/2007: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2 - 96,409
04/2008: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #13 - 83,580
04/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #24 - 60,916 

=====
05/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25 - 58,740 (-3.6%)
06/2009: BTVS Tales of the Vampires one shot- 45,568 (-22.4)
07/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #26 - 55,393 (+21.6%)
08/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27 - 53,403 (-3.6%)
09/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28 - 52,303 (-2.1%)
10/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #29 - 50,236 (-4.0%)
11/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30 - 49,155 (-2.2%)
12/2009: BTVS Willow One Shot - 45,136 (-8.2%)
01/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31 - 47,013 (+4.2%)
02/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32 - 47,975 (+2.0)
03/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #33 - 46,568 (-2.9%)
04/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #34 - 45,909 (-1.4%)
				6 month (-8.6%)
				1 year (-24.6%)
				2 year (-45.1%)
				3 year (-52.4%)

Standard drop, the reveal of the “big bad” hasn’t made any real difference.

61. Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet (Dynamite)

03/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #1 - 54,122
03/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #2 - 32,866 (-39.3%) [36,004]
04/2010: Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet #3 - 29,552 (-17.9%)

It only drops one place on the chart this month, but the numbers show a larger drop. There are also 9 covers, while issue 2 _only_ had 8. Meanwhile issue two shows up at number 290 on the chart with reorders of 3,138.

81. The Walking Dead (Image)

04/2005: The Walking Dead #17 - 15,617
04/2006: -
04/2007: The Walking Dead #37 - 21,737
04/2008: The Walking Dead #48 - 22,465
04/2009: The Walking Dead #60 - 23,585

=====
05/2009: The Walking Dead #61 - 23,902 (+1.3%)
06/2009: The Walking Dead #62 - 23,910 (0%)
07/2009: The Walking Dead #63 - 24,001 (+0.3%)
08/2009: The Walking Dead #64 - 24,393 (+1.6%)
09/2009: The Walking Dead #65 - 24,892 (+2.0%)
10/2009: The Walking Dead #66 - 24,944 (+0.2%)
11/2009: The Walking Dead #67 - 24,666 (-1.1%)
12/2009: The Walking Dead #68 - 24,230 (-1.8%)
01/2010: The Walking Dead #69 - 23,695 (-2.2)
02/2010: The Walking Dead #70 - 23,999 (+1.3%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: The Walking Dead #71 - 24,567 (+2.4%)
				6 month (-1.5%)
				1 year (+4.2%)
				2 year (+9.4%)
				3 year (+13.0%)
				4 year (n.a.)
				5 year (+57.3%)

Standard (for this title at least) climb.

88. The Boys (Dynamite)

04/2008: The Boys #17 - 28,057
04/2009: The Boys #29 - 26,033

=====
05/2009: The Boys #30 - 28,365 (+9.0%)
06/2009: The Boys #31 - 25,460 (-10.0%)
07/2009: The Boys #32 - 25,231 (-0.8%)
08/2009: The Boys #33 - 24,684 (-2.1%)
09/2009: The Boys #34 - 24,502 (-0.7%)
10/2009: The Boys #35 - 24,841 (+1.4%)
11/2009: The Boys #36 - 23,471 (-5.5%)
12/2009: The Boys #37 - 24,025 (+2.4%)
01/2010: The Boys #38 - 22,203 (-7.6%)
02/2010: The Boys #39 - 21,905 (-1.3%)
03/2010: The Boys #40 - 22,022 (+0.5%)
04/2010: The Boys #41 - 21,552 (-2.1%)
				6 month (-13.2%)
				1 year (-17.2%)
				2 year (-23.2%)

Standard drop.

94. Star Wars Legacy (Dark Horse)

04/2008: Star Wars Legacy #22 - 30,205
04/2009: Star Wars Legacy #35 - 24,552

=====
05/2009: Star Wars Legacy #36 - 24,166 (-1.6%)
06/2009: Star Wars Legacy #37 - 23,704 (-1.9%)
07/2009: Star Wars Legacy #38 - 23,162 (-2.3%)
08/2009: Star Wars Legacy #39 - 22,888 (-1.2%)
09/2009: Star Wars Legacy #40 - 22,555 (-1.5%)
10/2009: Star Wars Legacy #41 - 22,109 (-2.0%)
11/2009: Star Wars Legacy #42 - 21,659 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Star Wars Legacy #43 - 20,983 (-3.1%)
01/2010: Star Wars Legacy #44 - 20,341 (-3.1%)
02/2010: Star Wars Legacy #45 - 20,100 (-1.2%)
03/2010: Star Wars Legacy #46 - 19,790 (-1.5%)
04/2010: Star Wars Legacy #47 - 20,022 (+1.2%)
				6 month (-9.4%)
				1 year (-18.5%)
				2 year (-33.7%)

Looks like there’s a bit more interest in the final storyline than expected.

96, 101. Invincible (Image)

04/2005: Invincible #22 - 9,963
04/2006: Invincible #31 - 12,056
04/2007: Invincible #40 - 13,244
04/2008: -
04/2009: Invincible #61 - 15,678

=====
05/2009: Invincible #62 - 15,113 (-3.6%)
06/2009: Invincible #63 - 15,226 (+0.7%)
07/2009: Invincible #64 - 15,535 (+2.0%)
08/2009: Invincible #65 - 15,621 (+0.6%)
09/2009: Invincible #66 - 15,931 (+2.0%)
10/2009: Invincible #67 - 15,831 (-0.6%)
11/2009: Invincible #68 - 15,542 (-1.8%)
12/2009: Invincible #69 - 15,161 (-2.5%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Invincible #70 - 14,953 (-1.4%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Invincible Returns #1 - 19,933 (+33.3%)
04/2010: Invincible #71 - 18,996 (-4.7%)
				6 month (+20.0%)
				1 year (+21.1%)
				2 year (n.a.)
				3 year (+43.4%)
				4 year (+57.6%)
				5 year (+90.7%)

Returns is running pretty late, and was supposed to be out in February. It cost $3.99 so its increase is impressive despite the four different covers. I believe issue 71 only had the one cover.

102. Star Wars Purge (Dark Horse)

11/2009: Star Wars Purge – Seconds to Die - 20,371
12/2009: -
01/2009: -
02/2009: -
03/2009: -
04/2010: Star Wars Purge – Hidden Blade - 18,545 (-9.0%)

Third in a series of Darth Vader one shots.

104. Angel (IDW)

04/2006: Old Friends #5 - 12,785
04/2007: -
04/2008: After the Fall #6 - 46,645
04/2009: Angel #20 - 30,308

=====
05/2009: Angel #21 - 28,633 (-5.5%)
06/2009: Angel #22 - 27,496 (-4.0%)
07/2009: Angel: After the Fall – Epilogue #23 - 24,003 (-12.7%)
08/2009: Angel #24 - 22,795 (-5.0%)
09/2009: Angel #25 - 23,815 (+4.5%)
10/2009: Angel #26 - 22,886 (-3.9%)
11/2009: Angel #27 - 20,731 (-9.4%)
12/2009: Angel #28 - 21,301 (+2.7%)
12/2009: Angel Annual #1 - 16,616 (-22.0%)
01/2010: Angel #29 - 20,280 (+22.5%)
02/2010: Angel #30 - 11,044 [19,394] (-4.4%)
03/2010: Angel #31 - 18,538 (-4.4%)
04/2010: Angel #32 - 17,942 (-3.2%)
				6 month (-21.6%)
				1 year (-40.1%)
				2 year (-61.5%)
				3 year (n.a.)
				4 year (+40.3%)

Standard drop.

107. Star Wars Dark Times (Dark Horse)

04/2008: Dark Times #10 - 21,989
04/2009: Dark Times #13 Blue Harvest pt 1 (of 5) - 19,256

=====
05/2009: -
06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: Blue Harvest #0 - 18,601 (-3.4%)
08/2009: Dark Times #14 Blue Harvest pt 2 (of 5) – 18,477 (-0.7%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: Dark Times #15 - 17,485 (-5.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: Dark Times #16 - 17,173 (-1.8%)
				6 months (n.a.)
				1 year (-10.1%)
				2 year (-21.9%)

This arc ends with #17, and I kind of doubt the series will be coming back after that.

113. Conan the Cimmerian (Dark Horse)

04/2005: Conan #15 - 38,086
04/2006: Conan #27 - 21,327
04/2007: Conan #39 - 25,103
04/2008: -
04/2009: The Cimmerian #10 - 20,419

=====
05/2009: -
06/2009: The Cimmerian #11 - 20,041 (-1.9%)
07/2009: The Cimmerian #12 - 19,268 (-3.9%)
08/2009: The Cimmerian #13 - 18,881 (-2.0%)
09/2009: The Cimmerian #14 - 18,643 (-1.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: The Cimmerian #15 - 18,293 (-1.9%)
11/2009: The Cimmerian #16 - 17,778 (-2.8%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Weight of Crown One Shot - 17,571 (-1.2%)
01/2010: The Cimmerian #17 - 17,356 (-1.2%)
02/2010: The Cimmerian #18 - 17,074 (-1.6%)
03/2010: The Cimmerian #19 - 18,131 (+6.2%)
04/2010: The Cimmerian #20 - 16,393 (-9.6%)
				6 month (n.a.)
				1 year (-19.7%)
				2 year (n.a.)
				3 year (-34.7%)
				4 year (-23.1%)
				5 year (-57.0%)

About where we’d be without the variant cover last month.

114. Green Hornet Year One (Dynamite)

03/2010: Green Hornet Year One #1 - 21,330
04/2010: Green Hornet Year One #2 - 16,355 (-23.3%)

Issue one had eight covers, this one only has four, so that’s actually a pretty good drop for a second issue.

124. Turf (Image)

04/2010: Turf #1 - 14,033

There are four covers here, and according to an interview with the writer the first printing of 20,000 copies sold out at the distributor level. That would however include sales to the UK, which I think would be quite strong as the writer, Jonathan Ross, is quite well known there.

127. Chew (Image)

06/2009: Chew #1 - 5,248 [13,517]
07/2009: Chew #2 - 6,735 (-24.6%)
08/2009: Chew #3 - 13,762 (+104.3%)
09/2009: Chew #4 - 12,294 (-10.7%)
10/2009: Chew #5 - 13,498 (+9.8%)
11/2009: Chew #6 - 13,139 (-2.7%)
12/2009: Chew #7 - 12,902 (-1.8%)
01/2010: Chew #8 - 12,727 (-1.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Chew #9 - 12,866 (+1.1%)
04/2010: Chew #10 - 13,335 (+3.6%)
				6 month (-1.2%)

Up again! A new story arc starts next issue, so I predict another rise in sales. Meanwhile sales of the first trade paperback have slowed down, with only 836 being sold this month, which brings the total to 13,514. There was also a $1 reprint of issue one, but that hasn’t shown up on the chart for some reason.

128. Kato Origins (Dynamite)

04/2010: Origins of the Ninja #1 - 13,172

Four covers, and I’m a little surprised this Green Hornet spin off did so well.

129. GI Joe (IDW)

04/2005: GI Joe #42 (Devil’s Due) - 20,860
04/2006: America’s Elite #10 (Devil’s Due) - 17,982
04/2007: America’s Elite #22 (Devil’s Due) - 15,332
04/2008: America’s Elite #34 (Devil’s Due) - 16,049
04/2009: GI Joe #4 - 22,735 (-0.7%)

=====
05/2009: GI Joe #5 - 21,968 (-3.4%)
06/2009: GI Joe #6 - 20,809 (-5.3%)
07/2009: GI Joe #7 - 20,319 (-2.4%)
08/2009: GI Joe #8 - 18,750 (-7.7%)
09/2009: GI Joe #9 - 17,436 (-7.0%)
10/2009: GI Joe #10 - 16,264 (-6.7%)
11/2009: GI Joe #11 - 15,527 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #12 - 14,824 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #13 - 15,759 (+6.3%)
01/2010: GI Joe #14 - 14,030 (-11.0%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: GI Joe #15 - 13,607 (-3.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe #16 - 13,288 (-2.3%)
04/2010: GI Joe #17 - 13,129 (-1.2%)
				6 month (-19.3%)
				1 year (-42.2%)
				2 year (-18.2%)
				3 year (-14.4%)
				4 year (-27.0%)
				5 year (-37.1%)

Standard drop.

132. The Guild (Dark Horse)

03/2010: The Guild #1 - 15,292
04/2010: The Guild #2 - 12,642 (-17.3%)

Fairly decent second issue drop.

133. BPRD (Dark Horse)

04/2006: Universal Machine #1 (of 5) - 17,238
04/2007: Garden of Souls #2 (of 5) - 16,176
04/2008: 1946 #4 (of 5) - 16,056
04/2009: Black Goddess #4 (of 5) - 14,543

=====
05/2009: Black Goddess #5 (of 5) - 14,357 (-1.3%)
06/2009: War on Frogs #3 (of 4) - 13,828 (-3.7%)
07/2009: 1947 #1 (of 5) - 15,845 (+14.6%)
08/2009: 1947 #2 (of 5) - 14,893 (-6.0%)
09/2009: 1947 #3 (of 5) - 14,810 (-0.6%)
10/2009: 1947 #4 (of 5) - 14,505 (-2.0%)
11/2009: 1947 #5 (of 5) - 13,977 (-3.6%)
12/2009: War on Frogs #4 (of 4) - 12,904 (-7.7%)
01/2010: King of Fear #1 - 14,081 (+9.1%)
02/2010: King of Fear #2 - 13,123 (-6.8%)
03/2010: King of Fear #3 - 12,874 (-1.9%)
04/2010: King of Fear #4 - 12,480 (-3.1%)
				6 month (-14.0%)
				1 year (-14.2%)
				2 year (-22.2%)
				3 year (-22.8%)
				4 year (-27.6%)

Standard drop. Volume 12, collecting the War on Frogs one shots, has first month sales of 3,791.

134. Irredeemable (Boom)

04/2009: Irredeemable #1 - 13,218

=====
05/2009: Irredeemable #2 - 9,962 (-24.6%)
06/2009: Irredeemable #3 - 12,838 (+28.9%)
07/2009: Irredeemable #4 - 13,623 (+6.1%)
08/2009: Irredeemable #5 - ??? (???)
09/2009: Irredeemable #6 - 14,128 (+3.7%)
10/2009: Irredeemable #7 - 14,282 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Irredeemable #8 - 13,688 (-4.2%)
12/2009: Irredeemable #9 - 13,515 (-1.3%)
01/2010: Irredeemable #10 - 13,106 (-3.0%)
02/2010: Irredeemable #11 - 12,912 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Irredeemable #12 - 13,058 (+1.1%)
04/2010: Irredeemable Special #1 - 12,411 (-5.0%)
				6 month (-13.1%)
				1 year (-6.1%)

Pretty close to the regular sales.

136. Transformers Ongoing (IDW)

04/2009: All Hail Megatron #10 - 12,183

=====
05/2009: All Hail Megatron #11 - 12,292 (+0.9%)
06/2009: All Hail Megatron #12 - 12,124 (-1.4%)
07/2009: All Hail Megatron #13 - 11,892 (-1.9%)
08/2009: All Hail Megatron #14 - 11,736 (-1.3%)
09/2009: All Hail Megatron #15 - 11,634 (-0.9%)
10/2009: All Hail Megatron #16 - 11,281 (-3.0%)
11/2009: Transformers Ongoing #1 - 15,220 (+34.9%)
12/2009: Transformers Ongoing #2 - 12,516 (-17.8%)
01/2010: Transformers Ongoing #3 - 12,609 (+0.7%)
02/2010: Transformers Ongoing #4 - 12,221 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Transformers Ongoing #5 - 11,994 (-1.9%)
04/2010: Transformers Ongoing #6 - 12,171 (+1.5%)
				6 month (+7.9%)
				1 year (-0.0%)

This looks like it’s going to fluctuate up and down on a monthly basis as the Megatron series did.

139. Aliens vs. Predator (Dark Horse)

01/2010: Three World War #1 - 15,218
02/2010: Three World War #2 - 11,875 (-22.0%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Three World War #2 - 11,498 (-3.2%)

Settled down pretty quickly.

149. GI Joe Origins (IDW)

04/2009: GI Joe Origins #3 - 18,530

=====
05/2009: -
06/2009: GI Joe Origins #4 - 18,378 (-0.8%)
07/2009: GI Joe Origins #5 - 17,822 (-3.0%)
08/2009: GI Joe Origins #6 - 15,898 (-10.8%)
09/2009: GI Joe Origins #7 - 14,753 (-7.2%)
10/2009: GI Joe Origins #8 - 14,961 (+1.4%)
11/2009: GI Joe Origins #9 - 12,955 (-13.4%)
12/2009 : GI Joe Origins #10 - 12,295 (-5.1%)
01/2010: GI Joe Origins #11 - 11,726 (-4.6%)
02/2010: GI Joe Origins #12 - 12,312 (+5.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe Origins #13 - 11,043 (-10.3%)
04/2010: GI Joe Origins #14 - 10,811 (-2.1%)
				6 month (-27.7%)
				1 year (-41.6%)

Standard drop.

150. Project Superpowers (Dynamite)

04/2008: Project Superpowers #2 (of 7) - 41,623
04/2009: - 

=====
06/2009: Chapter Two #0 - 31,828
07/2009: Chapter Two #1 - 22,282 (-30.0%)
08/2009: Chapter Two #2 - 17,377 (-22.0%)
09/2009: Chapter Two #3 - 15,717 (-9.6%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Chapter Two #4 - 14,980 (-3.2%)
12/2009: Chapter Two #5 - 12,794 (-14.6%)
01/2010: Chapter Two #6 - 11,923 (-6.8%)
02/2010: Chapter Two #7 - 21,688 (+81.9%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Chapter Two #8 - 10,724 (-50.6%)
				6 month (n.a.)
				1 year (n.a.)
				2 year (-74.2%)

Issue seven was overshipped to retailers. It hasn’t helped sales.

151. Crossed (Avatar)

05/2009: Crossed #5 (of 9) - 12,246 (+4.6%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Crossed #6 (of 9) - 13,382 (+9.3%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: Crossed #7 - 14,238 (+6.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Crossed #8 - 12,757 (-10.4%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Crossed #9 - 12,374 (-3.0%)
04/2010: Crossed Family Values #1 - 10,704 (-13.5%)
				6 month (-24.8%)

The David Lapham written spinoff sells below the Garth Ennis series, but pretty well for an Avatar series. The collection of Ennis’ series has first month sales of 3,265.

152. Magdalena (Image)

04/2010: Magdalena #1 - 10,648

A Top Cow series. Ssupposedly there is a film about this character coming out later this year.

155. GI Joe Cobra II (IDW)

04/2009: GI Joe Cobra #2 - 18,685 

=====
05/2009: GI Joe Cobra #3 - 17,881 (-4.3)
06/2009: GI Joe Cobra #4 - 16,739 (-6.4%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #1 - 12,062 (-27.9%)
02/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #2 - 11,121 (-7.8%)
03/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #3 - 10,562 (-5.0%)
04/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #4 - 10,384 (-1.7%)
				6 month (n.a.)
				1 year (-44.4%)

Now an ongoing series.

160. Queen Sonja (Dynamite)

04/2006: Red Sonja #9 - 32,334
04/2007: Red Sonja #21 - 20,690
04/2008: Red Sonja #32 - 15,864
04/2009: Red Sonja #43 - 12,318

=====
05/2009: Red Sonja #44 - 12,099 (-1.8%)
06/2009: Red Sonja #45 - 12,030 (-0.6%)
07/2009: Red Sonja #46 - 11,993 (-0.3%)
08/2009: Red Sonja #47 - 11,709 (-2.4%)
09/2009: Red Sonja #48 - 11,815 (+0.9%)
10/2009: Red Sonja #49 - 11,487 (-2.8%)
10/2009: Queen Sonja #1 - 13,849 (+20.6%)
11/2009: Queen Sonja #2 - 12,024 (-13.2%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Queen Sonja #3 - 10,768 (-10.4%)
02/2010: Queen Sonja #4 - 10,766 (-0.0%)
03/2010: Queen Sonja #5 - 10,393 (-3.5%)
04/2010: Queen Sonja #6 - 9,800 (-5.7%)
				6 month (-29.2%)
				1 year (-20.4%)
				2 year (-38.2%)
				3 year (-52.6%)
				4 year (-69.7%)

Bigger than usual drop.

165. Mass Effect Redemption (Dark Horse)

01/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #1 - 8,337
02/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #2 - 7,164 (-14.7%)
03/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #3 - 9,645 (+34.6%)
04/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #4 - 9,437 (-2.2%)

Video game adaptation.

169. Transformers Spotlight (IDW)

04/2010: Prowl #1 - 8,839

170. Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)

04/2006: Grimm Fairy Tales #5 - 5,299
04/2007: -
04/2008: Grimm Fairy Tales #26 - 9,404
04/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #37 - 9,272 

=====
05/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #38 - 9,077 (-2.1%)
06/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #39 - 10,099 (+11.3%)
07/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #40 - 9,616 (-4.8%)
08/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #41 - 10,600 (+10.2%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #42 - 9,070 (-14.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #43 - 10,246 (+13.0%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #44 - 8,824 (-13.9%)
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #45 - 8,916 (+1.0%)
04/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #4 - 8,694 (-2.5%)
				6 month (-4.1%)
				1 year (-6.2%)
				2 year (n.a.)
				3 year (-7.6%)
				4 year (+64.1%)

A $1 reprint of issue 5 also makes the charts at position 215, selling 6,265 copies.

171. GI Joe Operation Hiss (IDW)

02/2010: Operation Hiss #1 - 10,140
03/2010: Operation Hiss #2 - 8,818 (-13.0%)
04/2010: Operation Hiss #3 - 8,581 (-2.7%)

Movie sequel.

172. Angel Barbary Coast (IDW)

04/2010: Barbary Coast #1 - 8,335

Appears to be an original story and not an adaptation of TV episode.

176. Transformers Last Stand of the Wreckers (IDW)

01/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 - 8,862
02/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 – 5,744 (-35.2%)
03/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #3 – 7,855 (+36.8%)
04/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #4 - 8,133 (+3.5%)

Edit: Another increase! Issue’s 3 and 4 both had two covers at a 50/50 split, so there seems to be a genuine interest in this series.

179. Terminator (Dark Horse)

03/2010: Terminator #1 - 10,601
04/2010: Terminator #2 - 8,101 (-23.6%)

Not much interest here it seems.

180. Transformers Nefarious (IDW)

03/2010: Nefarious #1 - 8,810
04/2010: Nefarious #2 - 8,002 (-9.2%)

181. Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

04/2005: Sonic #148 - 8,011
04/2006: Sonic #161 - 7,471
04/2007: Sonic #174 - 6,962
04/2008: Sonic #187 - 7,021
04/2009: Sonic #199 - 7,533

=====
05/2009: Sonic #200 - 8,953 (+18.9%)
06/2009: Sonic #201 - 8,001 (-10.6%)
07/2009: Sonic #202 - 8,193 (+2.4%)
08/2009: Sonic #203 - 8,166 (-0.3%)
09/2009: Sonic #204 - 8,171 (0%)
10/2009: Sonic #205 - 8,263 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Sonic #206 - 8,353 (+1.1%)
12/2009: Sonic #207 - 8,198 (-1.9%)
01/2010: Sonic #208 - 8,006 (-2.3%)
02/2010: Sonic #209 - 7,819 (-2.3%)
03/2010: Sonic #210 - 7,925 (+1.4%)
03/2010: Sonic #211 - 7,786 (-1.8%)
04/2010: Sonic #212 - 7,973 (+2.4%)
				6 month (-3.5%)
				1 year (+5.8%)
				2 year (+13.6%)
				3 year (+14.5%)
				4 year (+6.7%)
				5 year (-0.5%)

Now $2.99, which is a little surprising considering that just over a year ago all the Archie comics cost $2.25, and sales on this (and Archie) have been going up in the direct market. However over in newsstands the BPA numbers for July – December of last year (which only show the company as a whole and not individual titles) have dropped slightly.

182. Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Neverland (Zenescope)

03/2010: Neverland #1 - 10,401
04/2010: Neverland #2 - 7,961 (-23.5%)

183. Lone Ranger (Dynamite)

04/2008: Lone Ranger #11 - 15,074
04/2009: -

=====
05/2009: -
06/2009: -
07/2009: Lone Ranger #17 - 10,462 (+4.1%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: Lone Ranger #18 - 9,771 (-6.6%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Lone Ranger #19 - 9,519 (-2.6%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Lone Ranger #20 - 8,306 (-12.7%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Lone Ranger #21 - 7,960 (-4.2%)

A smaller drop than last month, but the overall drop in the last twelve issues isn’t pretty.

188. Red Sonja Wrath of the Gods (Dynamite)

02/2010: Wrath of the Gods #1 - 8,941
03/2010: Wrath of the Gods #2 - 8,155 (-8.8%)
04/2010: Wrath of the Gods #3 - 7,626 (-6.5%)

191. Darkness (Image)

04/2008: Darkness #3 - 16,077
04/2009: -

=====
05/2009: Darkness #77 - 10,114 (-10.2%)
06/2009: Witchblade Darkness Angelus Blood on the Sands - 10,106 (0%)
07/2009: Darkness #78 - 10,417 (+3.1%)
08/2009: Darkness #79 - 13,260 (+27.3%)
09/2009: Darkness #80 - 14,045 (+5.9%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Darkness #81 - 9,419 (-32.9%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Darkness #82 - 8,848 (-6.0%)
01/2010: Shadows and Flame One Shot - 6,924 (-21.7%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Darkness #83 - 7,834 (+13.1%)
04/2010: Darkness #84 - 7,366 (-6.0%)
				6 month (n.a.)
				1 year (n.a.)
				2 year (-54.2%)

Percentage-wise that isn’t a very healthy drop, numbers wise it’s not that terrible.

192. Star Trek McCoy (IDW)

04/2010: McCoy #1 - 7,292

Written and drawn by John Byrne.

194. Simpsons Comics (Bongo)

04/2005: Simpsons Comics #105 - 12,026
04/2006: Simpsons Comics #117 - 10,744
04/2007: Simpsons Comics #129 - 9,197
04/2008: Simpsons Comics #141 - 9,056
04/2009: Simpsons Comics #153 - 7,611

=====
05/2009: Simpsons Comics #154 - 7,546 (-0.9%)
06/2009: Simpsons Comics #155 - 8,011 (+6.2%)
07/2009: Simpsons Comics #156 - 7,774 (-3.0%)
08/2009: Simpsons Comics #157 - 7,565 (-2.7%)
09/2009: Simpsons Comics #158 - 7,782 (+2.9%)
10/2009: Simpsons Comics #159 - 7,645 (-1.8%)
11/2009: Simpsons Comics #160 - 7,618 (-0.4%)
12/2009: Simpsons Comics #161 - 7,414 (-2.7%)
01/2010: Simpsons Comics #162 - 7,227 (-2.5%)
02/2010: Simpsons Comics #163 - 7,507 (+3.9%)
03/2010: Simpsons Comics #164 - 7,351 (-2.1%)
04/2010 : Simpsons Comics #165 - 7,228 (-1.7%)
				6 month (-5.5%)
				1 year (-5.0%)
				2 year (-20.2%)
				3 year (-21.4%)
				4 year (-32.7%)
				5 year (-39.9%)

Standard drop, this is a big seller in other markets.

195. Soulfire (Aspen)

05/2009: Soulfire #9 - 11,649
06/2009: -
07/2009: Soulfire #10 - 11,448 (-1.7%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: Soulfire Volume Two #0 - 8,042 (-30.0%)
10/2009: Soulfire Volume Two #1 - 8,639 (+7.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Soulfire Volume Two #2 - 7,711 (-10.7%)
03/2010: Soulfire Volume Two #3 - 6,928 (-10.2%)
04/2010: Soulfire Volume Two #4 - 7,197 (+3.9%)
				6 month (-16.7%)

Not sure why this increase has happened.

196. Angelus (Image)

12/2009: Angelus #1 - 9,781
01/2010: -
02/2010: Angelus #2 - 7,277 (-25.6%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Angelus #3 - 6,933 (-4.7%)

Standard drop.

200. Locke & Key (IDW)

04/2008: Locke & Key #3 - 7,505
04/2009: Head Games #4 - 9,302

=====
05/2009: Head Games #5 - 9,137 (-1.8%)
06/2009: Head Games #6 - 8,889 (-2.7%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: Crown of Shadows #1 - 9,952 (+12.0%)
12/2009: Crown of Shadows #2 - 7,707 (-22.6%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Crown of Shadows #3 - 3,690 [7,550] (-2.0%)
03/2010: Crown of Shadows #4 - 7,010 (-7.2%)
04/2010: Crown of Shadows #5 - 6,818 (-2.7%)
					6 month (n.a.)
					1 year (-26.7%)
					2 year (-9.2%)

Standard drop.

201. Doctor Who Ongoing (IDW)

07/2009: Doctor Who #1 - 10,949
08/2009: Doctor Who #2 - 8,908 (-18.6%)
09/2009: Doctor Who #3 - 8,711 (-2.2%)
10/2009: Doctor Who #4 - 8,354 (-4.1%)
11/2009: Doctor Who #5 - 7,958 (-4.7%)
12/2009: Doctor Who #6 - 7,448 (-6.4%)
01/2010: Doctor Who #7 - 7,239 (-2.8%)
02/2010: Doctor Who #8 - 7,014 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Doctor Who #9 - 6,991 (-0.3%)
04/2010: Doctor Who #10 - 6,784 (-3.0%)

Standard drop.

204. Angel Hole in the World (IDW)

12/2009: Hole in the World #1 - 9,748
01/2010: Hole in the World #2 - 9,133 (-6.3%)
02/2010: Hole in the World #3 - 8,179 (-10.4%)
03/2010: Hole in the World #4 - 7,485 (-8.5%)
04/2010: Hole in the World #5 - 6,658 (-11.0%)

Adaptation of a TV episode.

206. Fraggle Rock (Archaia)

04/2010: Fraggle Rock #1 - 6,571

Dance your cares away! Same weird size as Mouse Guard.

216. Astounding Wolf-Man (Image)

04/2009: Wolf-Man #14 – 7,837

=====
04/2009: Wolf-Man #15 - 7,455 (-4.9%)
05/2009: Wolf-Man #16 - 7,721 (+3.6%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Wolf-Man #17 - 7,724 (0.0%)
08/2009: Wolf-Man #18 - 7,411 (-4.0%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Wolf-Man #19 - 7,271 (-1.9%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Wolf-Man #20 - 6,897 (-5.1%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Wolf-Man #21 - 6,565 (-4.8%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Wolf-Man #22 - 6,239 (-5.0%)
				6 month (-14.2%)
				1 year (-20.4%)

I’m surprised to see percentage drops this big with just two issues left.

227. Battlefields (Dynamite)

04/2009: Tankies #1 - 8,156

=====
05/2009: Tankies #2 - 7,043 (-13.6%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Tankies #3 - 6,834 (-3.0%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: Happy Valley #1 - 7,193 (+5.3%)
01/2010: Happy Valley #2 - 6,038  (-16.1%)
02/2010: Happy Valley #3 - 5,840 (-3.3%)
03/2010: Battlefields #4 - 5,805 (-0.6%)
04/2010: Battlefields #5 - 5,582 (-3.8%)
					6 months (n.a.)
					1 year (-31.6%)

This round of Garth Ennis war comics isn’t doing as well as the first.

232. Kill Shakespeare (IDW)

04/2010: Kill Shakespeare #1 - 5,447

Co-created by one of the Nelly Furtado’s tour managers!

233. Cold Space (Boom!)

04/2010: Cold Space #1 - 5,431

Co-written by Samuel L. Jackson.

234. Last Unicorn (IDW)

04/2010: Last Unicorn #1 - 5,366

Based on the novel, not the animated movie.

235. Savage Dragon (Image)

04/2005: Savage Dragon #121 - 8,236
04/2006: Savage Dragon #125 - 6,990
04/2007: -
04/2008: -
04/2009: Savage Dragon #147 - 6,058 

=====
05/2009: Savage Dragon #148 - 6,051 (-0.1%)
06/2009: Savage Dragon #149 - 6,060 (+0.2%)
07/2009: Savage Dragon #150 - 6,619 (+9.2%)
08/2009: Savage Dragon #151 - 6,034 (-8.8%)
09/2009: Savage Dragon #152 - 5,993 (-0.7%)
10/2009: Savage Dragon #153 - 6,571 (+9.6%)
11/2009: Savage Dragon #154 - 5,885 (-10.4%)
12/2009: Savage Dragon #155 - 5,736 (-2.5%)
01/2010: Savage Dragon #156 - 6,152 (+7.3%)
02/2010: Savage Dragon #157 - 5,617 (-8.7%)
03/2010: Savage Dragon #158 - 5,578 (-0.7%)
04/2010: Savage Dragon #159 - 5,359 (-3.9%)
				6 month (-18.4%)
				1 year (-11.5%)
				2 year (n.a.)
				3 year (n.a.)
				4 year (-23.3%)
				5 year (-34.9%)

Standard drop.

237. Wolfskin (Avatar)

04/2007: Wolfskin #3 (of 3) - 6,523
04/2008: -
04/2009: -

=====
04/2010: Hundredth Dream #1 - 5,322
				3 year (-18.4%)

Warren Ellis writes barbarians.

238. Stumptown (Oni)

11/2009: Stumptown #1 - 6,629
12/2009: -
01/2010: Stumptown #2 - 5,942 (-10.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: -
04/2010: Stumptown #3 - 5,299 (-10.8%)

Not a very good drop for the third issue of this Greg Rucka series. Hopefully it’ll start coming out more timely now that Rucka’s stopped doing work for DC.

242. Star Trek (IDW)

02/2010: Movie Adaptation #1 - 6,436
03/2010: Movie Adaptation #2 - 5,622 (-12.6%)
04/2010: Movie Adaptation #3 - 5,256 (-6.5%)

243. Archie (Archie)

04/2005: Archie #556 - 2,737
04/2006: Archie #565 - 2,631
04/2007: Archie #574 - 2,685
04/2008: -
04/2009: - 

=====
05/2009: Archie #597 - 2,563
06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: Archie #600 - 54,170 [58,408] (+2,178.9%)
09/2009: Archie #601 - 37,871 (-35.2%)
10/2009: Archie #602 - 28,211 (-25.5%)
11/2009: Archie #603 - 25,799 (-8.5%)
12/2009: Archie #604 - 25,058 (-2.9%)
01/2010: Archie #605 - 24,803 (-1.0%)
02/2010: Archie #606 - 15,127 (-39.0%)
03/2010: Archie #607 - 5,013 (-66.9%)
04/2010: Archie #608 - 5,224 (+4.2%)
				6 month (-81.5%)
				1 year (n.a.)
				2 year (n.a.)
				3 year (+94.6%)
				4 year (+98.6%)
				5 year (+90.9%)

This also now costs $2.99. This is part one of a Josie and the Pussycats crossover.

247. Light (Image)

04/2010: Light #1 - 5,100

Another series set in Oregon (after Stumptown)!

252. Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

04/2006: Usagi Yojimbo #93 - 5,897
04/2007: Usagi Yojimbo #102 - 5,949
04/2008: Usagi Yojimbo #111 - 5,627
04/2009: -

=====
05/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #120 - 5,160 (+0.4%)
06/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #121 - 5,171 (+0.2%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #122 - 5,077 (-1.8%)
09/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #123 - 5,051 (-0.5%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #124 - 4,992 (-1.2%)
12/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #125 – 4,980 (-0.2%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #126 - 4,909 (-1.4%)
03/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #127 - 4,893 (-0.3%)
04/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #128 - 4,855 (-0.8%)
				6 month (n.a.)
				1 year (n.a.)
				2 year (-13.7%)
				3 year (-18.4%)
				4 year (-17.7%)

Pretty stable.

257. Incredibles (Boom)

04/2009: -

=====
05/2009: Family Matters #2 (of 4) - 8,041 (-28.5%)
06/2009: Family Matters #3 (of 4) - 8,169 (+1.6%)
07/2009: Family Matters #4 (of 4) - 8,199 (+0.4%)
08/2009: Incredibles #0 - 9,407 (+14.7%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Incredibles #1 - 9,471 (+0.7%)
11/2009: Incredibles #2 - 7,383 (-22.0%)
12/2010: Incredibles #3 - 6,849 (-7.2%)
01/2010: Incredibles #4 - 6,149 (-10.2%)
02/2010: Incredibles #5 - 5,502 (-10.5%)
03/2010: Incredibles #6 - 5,230 (-4.9%)
03/2010: Incredibles #7 - 4,025 (-23.0%)
04/2010: Incredibles #8 - 4,582 (+13.8%)
				6 month (-51.6%)
				1 year (n.a.)

Sales of #7 were underreported, presumably some of them shipped in the first week of April.

259. Muppet Show (Boom)

04/2009: Muppet Show #2 (of 4) - 6,563

=====
05/2009: -
06/2009: Muppet Show #3 (of 4) - 7,210 (+9.9%)
07/2009: Muppet Show #4 (of 4) - 6,273 (-13.0%)
07/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #1 (of 4) - 7,027 (+12.0%)
08/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #2 (of 4) - 5,952 (-15.3%)
09/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #3 (of 4) - 5,444 (-8.5%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #4 (of 4) - 4,822 (-11.4)
12/2009: Muppet Show #0 - 6,120 (+26.9%)
01/2010: Muppet Show #1 - 6,155 (+0.6%)
02/2010: Muppet Show #2 - 4,965 (-19.3%)
03/2010: Muppet Show #3 - 4,557 (-8.2%)
04/2010: Muppet Show #4 - 4,320 (-5.2%)
					6 month (n.a.)
					1 year (-34.2%)

The Boom Disney titles are available in other markets.

260, 284. Tank Girl

11/2009: Skid Marks #1 (Titan) - 4,902
12/2009: Nuggets (Image) - 5,803 (+18.4%) 01/2010: Skid Marks #2 (Titan) - 3,805 (-34.4%)
02/2010: Skid Marks #3 (Titan) - 3,253 (-14.5%)
03/2010: Royal Escape #1 (IDW) - 3,957 (+21.6%)
04/2010: Dirty Helmets (Image) - 4,303 (+8.7%)
04/2010: Royal Escape #2 (IDW) - 3,387 (-21.3%)

An Image one shot, and an issue of the IDW mini series this month.

263. Mice Templar (Image)

04/2008: Mice Templar #4 - 10,201
04/2009: -

=====
07/2009: Destiny #1 - 7,833
08/2009: Destiny #2 - 6,501 (-17.0%)
09/2009: Destiny #3 - 5,971 (-8.2%)
10/2009: Destiny #4 - 5,283 (-11.5%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Destiny #5 - 4,890 (-7.4%)
01/2010: Destiny #6 - 4,498 (-8.0%)
02/2010: Destiny #7 - 4,336 (-3.6%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Destiny #8 - 4,211 (-2.9%)
				6 months (-20.3%)
				1 year (n.a.)
				2 year (-58.7%)

Standard drop.

265. Fall Out Toy Works (Image)

09/2009: Fall Out Toy Works #1 - 10,159
10/2009: -
11/2009: Fall Out Toy Works #2 - 5,339 (-47.4%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Fall Out Toy Works #3 - 4,492 (-15.7%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Fall Out Toy Works #4 - 4,161 (-7.4%)

Another comic vaguely related to a band (in this case Fall Out Boy).

266. Atomic Robo (Red 5)

05/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #1 - 4,234
06/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #2 - 4,533 (+7.1%)
07/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #3 - 4,210 (-7.1%)
08/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #4 - 4,241 (+0.7%)
09/2009: Shadow from Beyond Time #5 - 4,225 (-0.4%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #1 - 4,372 (+3.5%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #2 - 4,093 (-6.4%)

That’s a good second issue drop, though presumably readers know if they’re interested by this point.

268. Cowboy Ninja Viking (Image)

10/2009: Cowboy Ninja Viking #1 - 8,380
11/2009: Cowboy Ninja Viking #2 - 6,394 (-23.7%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #3 - 6,062 (-5.2%)
02/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #4 - 5,651 (-6.8%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Cowboy Ninja Viking #5 - 3,928 (-30.5%)

Presumably copies got lost somewhere.

271. Uncle Scrooge (Boom)

04/2005: Uncle Scrooge #341 (Gemstone) - 4,956
04/2006: Uncle Scrooge #353 (Gemstone) - 4,614
04/2007: Uncle Scrooge #365 (Gemstone) – 4,413
04/2008: Uncle Scrooge #374 (Gemstone) - 4,325
04/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Uncle Scrooge #384 - 5,835
11/2009: Uncle Scrooge #385 - 5,232 (-10.3%)
12/2009: Uncle Scrooge #386 - 4,946 (-5.5%)
01/2010: Uncle Scrooge #387 - 4,604 (-6.9%)
02/2010: Uncle Scrooge #388 - 4,311 (-6.3%)
03/2010: Uncle Scrooge #389 - 3,906 (-9.4%)
04/2010: Uncle Scrooge #390 - 3,747 (-4.1%)
					6 months (-35.8%)
					1 year (n.a.)
					2 year (-13.4%)
					3 year (-15.1%)
					4 year (-18.8%)
					5 year (-24.4%)

272. Incorruptible (Boom)

12/2009: Incorruptible #1 - 15,710
01/2010: Incorruptible #2 - 12,635 (-19.6%)
02/2010: Incorruptible #3 - 11,860 (-6.1%)
03/2010: Incorruptible #4 - 11,749 (-0.9%)
04/2010: Incorruptible #5 - 3,642 (-69.0%)

Distribution issues, most copies shipped in May.

274, 280, 281, 282. A-Team Shotgun Wedding (IDW)

03/2010: Shotgun Wedding #1 - 6,442
03/2010: Shotgun Wedding #2 - 4,458 (-30.8%)
04/2010: Shotgun Wedding #3 – 3,614 (-18.9%)
04/2010: Shotgun Wedding #4 - 3,394 (-6.1%)

A-Team War Stories (IDW)

03/2010: BA #1 - 4,374
03/2010: Hannibal #1 - 4,215 (-3.6%)
04/2010: Murdock #1 – 3,412 (-19.1%)
04/2010: Face #1 - 3,392 (-5.9%)

I wonder if these would have sold better if IDW had shipped each miniseries entirely within one month.

275. Hellcyon (Dark Horse)

04/2010: Hellcyon #1 - 3,613

Miniseries by one of the artists on Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics.

277. Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories (Boom)

04/2005: Comics and Stories #656 (Gemstone) - 4,021
04/2006: Comics and Stories #668 (Gemstone) - 3,768
04/2007: Comics and Stories #680 (Gemstone) - 3,636
04/2008: Comics and Stories #689 - 4,162
04/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Comics and Stories #699 - 6,679
11/2009: Comics and Stories #700 - 5,634 (-15.6%)
12/2009: Comics and Stories #701 - 4,885 (-13.3%)
01/2010: Comics and Stories #702 - 4,567 (-6.5%)
02/2010: Comics and Stories #703 - 4,233 (-7.3%)
03/2010: Comics and Stories #704 - 3,917 (-7.5%)
04/2010: Comics and Stories #705 - 3,497 (-10.7%)
					6 months (n.a.)
					1 year (n.a.)
					2 year (-16.0%)
					3 year (-3.8%)
					4 year (-7.2%)
					5 year (-13.0%)

285. Toy Story (Boom)

06/2009: Mysterious Stranger #1 - 6,204
07/2009: Mysterious Stranger #2 - 5,397 (-13.0%)
07/2009: Mysterious Stranger #3 - 5,158 (-4.4%)
08/2009: Mysterious Stranger #4 - 4,892 (-5.2%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: Toy Story #0 - 5,052 (+3.3%)
01/2009: -
02/2010: Toy Story #1 - 4,858 (-3.8%)
03/2010: Toy Story #2 - 3,804 (-21.7%)
04/2010: Toy Story #3 - 3,382 (-11.1%)

286. Wall-E (Boom)

11/2009: Wall-E #0 - 7,410
12/2009: Wall-E #1 - 5,946 (-20.0%)
01/2010: Wall-E #2 - 4,581 (-23.0%)
02/2010: Wall-E #3 - 4,175 (-8.9%)
03/2010: Wall-E #4 - 3,736 (-10.5%)
04/2010: Wall-E #5 - 3,328 (-10.9%)

287. Zombies vs. Robots Aventure (IDW)

02/2010: ZVR: Aventure #1 - 2,390
03/2010: ZVR: Aventure #2 - ????
04/2010: ZVR: Aventure #3 - 3,276

Yes, that is how it’s spelt.

288. Elephantmen (Dark Horse)

04/2008: War Toys #3 (of 3) - 5,414
04/2009: Elephantmen #18 - 4,085

=====
05/2009: Elephantmen #19 - 3,942 (-3.5%)
06/2009: Elephantmen #20 - 3,845 (-2.5%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: Elephantmen #21 - ????
10/2009: Elephantmen #22 - 3,478
11/2009: -
12/2009: Elephantmen #23 - 3,461 (-0.5%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Elephantmen #24 - ????
04/2010: Elephantmen #25 - 3,152
				6 month (-9.4%)
				1 year (-22.8%)
				2 year (-41.8%)

The difficulty of including low selling titles.

289. Cars (Boom)

04/2009: Rookie #1 (of 4) - 6,951

=====
05/2009: Rookie #2 (of 4) - 5,007 (-28.0%)
06/2009: Rookie #3 (of 4) - 4,898 (-2.2%)
07/2009: Rookie #4 (of 4) - 4,876 (-0.4%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: Radiator Springs #1 - 5,696 (+16.8%)
10/2009: Radiator Springs #2 - 4,886 (-14.2%)
11/2009: Radiator Springs #3 - 4,447 (9.0%)
12/2009: Radiator Springs #4 - 4,020 (-9.6%)
01/2010: Cars #0 - 4,704 (+17.0%)
02/2010: Cars #1 - 4,547 (-3.3%)
03/2010: Cars #2 - ????
03/2010: Cars #3 - ????
04/2010: Cars #4 - 3,146
			6 month (-35.6%)
			1 year (-54.7%)

291. Donald Duck and Friends (Boom)

04/2005: Donald Duck and Friends #327 (Gemstone) - 4,645
04/2006: Donald Duck and Friends #339 (Gemstone) - 4,570

=====
11/2009: Donald Duck and Friends #347 - 5,462
12/2009: Donald Duck and Friends #348 - 4,571 (-16.3%)
01/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #349 - 4,502 (-1.5%)
01/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #350 - 3,924 (-12.8%)
02/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #351 - 3,801 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #352 - ????
04/2010: Donald Duck and Friends #353 - 3,107
				6 month (n.a.)
				1 year (n.a.)
				2 year (n.a.)
				3 year (n.a.)
				4 year (-32.0%)
				5 year (-33.1%)

292. Hate (Fantagraphics)

04/2005: Hate Annual #5 - 3,859
04/2006: -
04/2007: -
04/2008: -
04/2009: -

====
04/2010: Hate Annual #8 - 3,082
				5 year (-20.1%)

It costs $4.95.

294. The Tick (New England Comics)

04/2006: Tick Days of Drama #5 - 3,105
04/2007: -
04/2008: -
04/2009: -

=====
11/2009: Tick New Series #1 - 4,196
12/2009: -
01/2009: -
02/2010: Tick New Series #2 - 3,157 (-24.8%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Tick New Series #3 - 3,039 (-3.7%)
				4 year (-2.1%)

This also costs $4.95.

296. God Complex (Image)

12/2009: God Complex #1 - 6,463
01/2010: God Complex #2 - 4,201 (-35.0%)
02/2010: God Complex #3 - 3,748 (-10.8%)
03/2010: God Complex #4 - ????
04/2010: God Complex #5 - 3,022

Seven issue series.

297. Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker (Image)

06/2009: Berserker #1 - 8,825
07/2009: -
08/2009: Berserker #2 - 5,225 (-40.1%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Berserker #3 - 4,423 (-15.3%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Berserker #4 - 3,757 (-15.1%)
03/2010: -
04/2010: Berserker #5 - 3,018 (-19.7%)

298. Pilgrim (IDW)

04/2010: Pilgrim #1 - 2,932

Drawn by Mike Grell.

299. Dead @ 17 (Image)

05/2005: Revolution #4 (of 4) (Viper) - 3,460
04/2006: -
04/2007: -
04/2008: -
04/2009: -

=====
05/2009: -
06/2009: Afterbirth #1 - 5,586
07/2009: Afterbirth #2 - 4,258 (-23.7%)
08/2009: Afterbirth #3 - 3,934 (-7.6%)
09/2009: Afterbirth #4 - ????
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Witch Queen #1 - ????
04/2010: Witch Queen #2 - 2,922
				5 year (-15.5%)

I believe this is the second last miniseries.

300. Devil (Dark Horse)

02/2010: Devil #1 - 5,165
03/2010: Devil #2 - ????
04/2010: Devil #3 - 2,900

Created by Madhouse Studios and Torajiro Kishi in Japan for Dark Horse.

==========
Just a reminder, all numbers on this chart are estimates for comics sold by Diamond to the direct market. They include reorders that shipped in the same month. Books shipping in the first week of a month will have more time for reorders to appear than ones shipping in the last week of the month, when reorders will slip to the following month. These numbers don’t include sales through Diamond UK. They are low.

Matthew Murray really likes (vegetarian) cooking and zines and comics. Now if only he could somehow combine them.

Crossover season continues! SIEGE #4 slipped into May, but that didn’t stop a bunch of tie-in books from shipping, including the final issues of several Avengers titles before the line gets revamped. HULK and INCREDIBLE HULK didn’t ship either, but there’s still some WORLD WAR HULK books on this list. And the X-books kick off their major crossover, “Second Coming.”

April also saw the release of the Iron Man movie, complete with the launch of a second monthly Iron Man title. And we’ve got the first issues of new DEADPOOL CORPS, S.H.I.E.L.D. and BLACK WIDOW, as well as a bunch of miniseries.

As usual, Marvel had the largest share of the direct market, beating DC by 45% to 33% in units, and 39% to 30% in dollars.

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

Normally I’d start with Marvel’s top selling book of the month. First, though, SIEGE itself. Issue #4, originally scheduled for 21 April, slipped into May. But issue #3 did scrape the bottom end of the charts, making number 293 with re-orders of 3,073. That brings its totals to…

SIEGE
01/10  Siege #1 of 4 - 120,888
02/10  Siege #2 of 4 - 118,283  (-2.2%)
03/10  Siege #3 of 4 - 113,071  (-4.4%)
04/10  ---

Once again, it’s worth noting that, although the first issue sales were on the low side, subsequent issues have held up relatively well – though SIEGE remains some way distant of previous event books. Of course, it can fairly be pointed out that sales are down across the board from a couple of years ago, so that SIEGE would have been bucking the trends if it had matched its predecessors in sales.

5.  NEW AVENGERS
04/05  New Avengers #5  - 162,412
04/06  New Avengers #18 - 121,550
04/07  New Avengers #29 - 125,378
04/08  New Avengers #40 - 110,470
=====
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%)
01/10  New Avengers #61 -  78,202  ( +7.4%)
02/10  New Avengers #62 -  76,405  ( -2.3%)
03/10  New Avengers #63 -  76,145  ( -0.3%)
04/10  New Avengers #64 -  75,430  ( -0.9%)
                           6 mnth  ( -1.6%)
                           1 year  (-19.7%)
                           2 year  (-31.7%)
                           3 year  (-39.8%)
                           4 year  (-37.9%)
                           5 year  (-53.6%)

With SIEGE itself running late, Marvel’s biggest selling title for April is one of its tie-ins. This is technically the final issue of NEW AVENGERS, though it actually continues into May’s NEW AVENGERS: FINALE one-shot, and the series is set for a relaunch in June.

6.  UNCANNY X-MEN
04/05  Uncanny X-Men #458 -  85,299
04/06  Uncanny X-Men #472 -  79,157
04/07  Uncanny X-Men #485 -  81,764
04/08  Uncanny X-Men #497 -  93,369
=====
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%)
01/10  Uncanny X-Men #520 -  65,758  ( -1.9%)
02/10  Uncanny X-Men #521 -  67,049  ( +2.0%)
03/10  Uncanny X-Men #522 -  67,996  ( +1.4%)
04/10  Uncanny X-Men #523 -  74,090  ( +9.0%)
                             6 mnth  ( +0.2%)
                             1 year  ( -3.0%)
                             2 year  (-20.6%)
                             3 year  ( -9.4%)
                             4 year  ( -6.4%)
                             5 year  (-13.1%)

For the X-books, April begins the three-month “Second Coming” crossover. The core titles are UNCANNY X-MEN, X-MEN LEGACY, X-FORCE and NEW MUTANTS, with some other tie-ins on the fringes (most notably an arc in X-FACTOR).

UNCANNY usually has a variant cover. This issue has two – one by David Finch, and one “Iron Man by Design” variant, which is the April theme. To be honest, that would normally be enough to account for the 9% sales increase in itself.

As already discussed in relation to SIEGE, sales are down across the board over the last couple of years, so comparisons with earlier years have to be seen with that in mind. With that caveat in mind, though, “Second Coming” is the third part of a trilogy which started with “Messiah Complex” in late 2007. UNCANNY X-MEN #492, which began that crossover, posted a 20% sales increase for an estimated 102,511 copies. So this crossover does seem to be having less effect on sales than its predecessors.

That said, it’s been fairly common of late for the top-selling titles to see relatively little gain from a crossover. We’ve seen it with the Avengers books during SIEGE, for example, and the pattern may be repeating here.

7.  INVINCIBLE IRON MAN
04/05  Iron Man #3             - 51,390
04/06  Iron Man #7             - 49,404
04/07  Iron Man #16            - 59,470
04/08  Iron Man #28            - 35,754
=====
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 - 49,986  ( -18.9%)
01/10  Invincible Iron Man #22 - 49,130  (  -1.7%)
02/10  Invincible Iron Man #23 - 50,027  (  +1.8%)
03/10  Invincible Iron Man #24 - 49,239  (  -1.6%)
04/10  Invincible Iron Man #25 - 73,694  ( +49.7%)
                                 6 mnth  ( +56.2%)
                                 1 year  ( +42.9%)
                                 2 year  (+106.1%)
                                 3 year  ( +23.9%)
                                 4 year  ( +49.2%)
                                 5 year  ( +44.0%)

There’s a huge spike for this issue, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it’s an anniversary issue (though a relatively minor one). Secondly, April saw the release of the second Iron man movie. Thirdly, this is a double-sized book. Fourthly, there’s a slew of variant covers on this thing – 50/50 covers by regular artist Salvador Larroca, a foilogram variant by Ryan Meinerding, a movie variant, and an “Iron Man by Design” variant. And fifthly, though I doubt it’s much of a factor, the issue unveils a new armour design.

Even with all those factors in its favour, the sales jump is enormous. I’d say the major factor is the movie, combined with a successful effort to push this issue as a viable tie-in product.

9,20. ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS
08/09  U.C. Avengers #1   - 99,701
09/09  U.C. Avengers #2   - 68,597  (-31.2%)
10/09  U.C. Avengers #3   - 62,716  ( -8.6%)
11/09  U.C. Avengers #4   - 59,023  ( -5.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  U.C. Avengers #5   - 58,098  ( -1.6%)
04/10  U.C. Avengers #6   - 53,438  ( -8.0%)
04/10  U.C. Avengers 2 #1 - 64,811  (+21.3%)
                            6 mnth  ( +3.3%)

The relaunch of the Ultimate imprint hasn’t been a resounding success so far. Whether or not in response to that, Marvel have tinkered with the format of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS, which will now be a series of minis rather than an ongoing title. So we have two issues this month – the delayed ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #6, and the first issue of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2.

This device has shown diminishing returns on books like DARK TOWER and ANITA BLAKE. What tends to happen is that the first issue shows a spike, but the overall trend remains downwards. Perhaps it will be different with a major superhero title.

This issue does show a significant spike. But then it also has two variant covers, which would have boosted numbers anyway. We should see over the next few months whether the renumbering has a lasting effect on sales.

10. THOR
04/05  ---
04/06  ---
04/07  ---
04/08  Thor #8   - 91,981
=====
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%)
01/10  Thor #606 - 55,353  ( +0.2%)
02/10  Thor #607 - 66,973  (+21.0%)
03/10  Thor #608 - 62,012  ( -7.4%)
04/10  Thor #609 - 64,522  ( +4.0%)
                   6 mnth  (  --- )
                   1 year  (-22.0%)
                   2 year  (-29.9%)
                   3 year  (  --- )
                   4 year  (  --- )
                   5 year  (  --- )

The third part of THOR’s SIEGE tie-in arc. This issue also has a variant cover, hence the variation from last month.

12. X-FORCE
04/08  X-Force #3  - 85,750
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Force #23 - 50,848  ( -1.9%)
02/10  X-Force #24 - 49,790  ( -2.1%)
03/10  X-Force #25 - 49,910  ( +0.2%)
04/10  X-Force #26 - 62,200  (+24.6%)
                     6 mnth  (+27.1%)
                     1 year  ( -0.8%)
                     2 year  (-27.5%)

Part of the “Second Coming” tie-in, and this does indeed show a significant sales increase – comparable, in fact, to the spike this time last year for the “Messiah War” crossover.

But again, there’s a slight caveat here. First of all, X-FORCE is coming straight off another crossover, “Necrosha-X”, which only finished in March. And second, this issue has three variant covers, compared with only one variant last month – so of course sales are up.

Interestingly, it remains 15,000 adrift of UNCANNY X-MEN. I’ve always found that fascinating. Who are these people who want to buy every fourth chapter of “Second Coming”? If they’re such completists that they’re buying issues of UNCANNY containing a story they apparently don’t want to read, why aren’t they completist enough to buy the other parts of the story? Mystifies me…

14. X-MEN LEGACY
04/05  X-Men #169        -  82,793
04/06  X-Men #185        -  78,815
04/07  X-Men #198        -  74,841
04/08  X-Men Legacy #210 -  77,441
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Men Legacy #232 -  49,200  ( -3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Legacy #233 -  51,344  ( +4.4%)
03/10  X-Men Legacy #234 -  48,217  ( -6.1%)
04/10  X-Men Legacy #235 -  60,649  (+25.8%)
                            6 mnth  (+14.7%)
                            1 year  (-15.7%)
                            2 year  (-21.7%)
                            3 year  (-19.0%)
                            4 year  (-23.0%)
                            5 year  (-26.7%)

More “Second Coming”, and again, there’s a substantial spike here. For those of you keeping track, issues #231-233 were a “Necrosha” tie-in arc, the March issue was just a plain old regular story, and this is the start of another crossover arc. As with the other participating titles, there’s a David Finch variant cover, as well as an “Iron Man by Design” variant.

The jump for last April’s issue was due to a bunch of variant covers, but a better comparison may be issue #227, a “Utopia” tie-in which also featured a “70th frame” variant. This month’s issue comes in slightly behind that.

16. CAPTAIN AMERICA
04/05  Captain America #5   -  46,010
04/06  Captain America #17  -  45,541
04/07  ---
04/08  Captain America #37  -  80,635
=====
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%)
01/10  Reborn #6 of 6       -  84,844  (  -7.6%)
01/10  Captain America #602 -  63,948  ( -24.6%)
02/10  Captain America #603 -  63,568  (  -0.6%)
03/10  Captain America #604 -  56,962  ( -10.4%)
04/10  Captain America #605 -  59,051  (  +3.7%)
                               6 mnth  (   --- )
                               1 year  (  -7.6%)
                               2 year  ( -26.8%)
                               3 year  (   --- )
                               4 year  ( +29.7%)
                               5 year  ( +28.3%)

The small increase is likely due to the Iron Man By Design variant. (There was no variant in March, though there was in February.)

17,19. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
04/05  Amazing Spider-Man #519 -  78,535
04/06  Amazing Spider-Man #531 -  86,884
04/07  ---
04/08  Amazing Spider-Man #557 -  77,057
=====
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%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #617 -  76,730  (+30.4%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #618 -  61,969  (-19.2%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #619 -  56,837  ( -8.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #620 -  59,860  ( +5.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #621 -  55,350  ( -7.5%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #622 -  53,929  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #623 -  66,064  (+22.5%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #624 -  60,213  ( -8.9%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #625 -  54,179  (-10.0%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #626 -  53,868  ( -0.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #627 -  54,206  ( +0.6%)
04/10  Amazing Spider-Man #628 -  57,797  ( +6.6%)
04/10  Amazing Spider-Man #629 -  53,560  ( -7.3%)
                                  6 mnth  (-12.4%)
                                  1 year  (-11.5%)
                                  2 year  (-30.5%)
                                  3 year  (  --- )
                                  4 year  (-38.4%)
                                  5 year  (-31.8%)

Note for nitpickers: The year-on-year comparison is based on the lowest of the three April 2009 issues, because it’s the most representative – the others had variant covers.

Issue #630 slipped into the first week of May, so there’s just two issues this month. Issue #628 has an Iron Man by Design variant; issue #629 is just a regular issue. Sales have been hovering around this range for the last couple of months.

18,21,24,28,29. SIEGE: FALLEN
04/10  Captain America - 59,051
04/10  Spider-Man      - 51,840
04/10  Loki            - 48,072
04/10  Secret Warriors - 44,153
04/10  Young Avengers  - 43,886

A bunch of SIEGE tie-ins which were initially solicited with the dreaded “Classified”, not even announcing the creators (other than cover artist Marko Djurdjevic). More information was revealed later, but it’s probably safe to say that these sales are largely a reflection of the popularity of the characters – with the caveat that the LOKI one-shot was obviously more likely to be central to the plot, and should presumably have benefitted from that.

22. MIGHTY AVENGERS
04/07  Mighty Avengers #2  - 124,209
04/08  Mighty Avengers #12 -  97,239
=====
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%)
01/10  Mighty Avengers #33 -  46,899  ( -3.6%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Mighty Avengers #34 -  49,855  ( +6.3%)
03/10  Mighty Avengers #35 -  51,085  ( +2.5%)
04/10  Mighty Avengers #36 -  50,252  ( -1.6%)
                              6 mnth  ( -4.7%)
                              1 year  (-26.4%)
                              2 year  (-48.3%)
                              3 year  (-59.5%)

Final issue. This isn’t really being relaunched so much as replaced on the schedule by a different Avengers title.

For those of you who might be interested, for the purposes of these columns, I’m planning to treat NEW AVENGERS as continuing into NEW AVENGERS; and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE as continuing into AVENGERS ACADEMY. As for DARK AVENGERS and MIGHTY AVENGERS, while they’re being replaced on the schedule by SECRET AVENGERS and just-plain-AVENGERS, I don’t think the links are close enough to justify treating them as the same title. (Neither of the new titles, for example, can sensibly be described as a continuation of DARK AVENGERS.)

23. IRON MAN: LEGACY
04/10  Iron Man: Legacy #1 - 48,956

This is a new ongoing Iron Man series with stories set in past continuity. The name is presumably inspired by Mike Carey’s X-MEN LEGACY, though that book isn’t actually set in the past, it’s just packed solid with flashbacks. This book seems to be more of an UNTOLD TALES OF IRON MAN.

The first issue has 50/50 covers plus a Ryan Meinerding variant, plus a movie variant. Take all that together with the movie release, and the first issue sales will have been helped substantially.

25. ULTIMATE COMICS X
02/10  Ultimate Comics X #1 - 64,113
03/10  ---
04/10  Ultimate Comics X #2 - 47,996  (-25.2%)

Issue #1 had multiple variant covers, so the second issue drop here is actually quite modest. Not bad at all.

26. DARK WOLVERINE
04/05  Wolverine #27      - 101,228
04/06  Wolverine #41      -  70,965
04/07  Wolverine #53      -  98,441
04/08  Wolverine #64      -  64,871
=====
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%)
01/10  Dark Wolverine #82 -  54,838  (+14.0%)
02/10  Dark Wolverine #83 -  53,958  ( -1.6%)
03/10  Dark Wolverine #84 -  49,469  ( -8.3%)
04/10  Dark Wolverine #85 -  47,527  ( -3.9%)
                             6 mnth  (-20.9%)
                             1 year  (  --- )
                             2 year  (-26.7%)
                             3 year  (-51.7%)
                             4 year  (-33.0%)
                             5 year  (-53.0%)

Pay attention, now, because this is complicated. Issues #82-84 were SIEGE tie-ins. Issue #85, on the other hand, is part one of “The Reckoning”, which is a crossover with the lower-selling WOLVERINE: ORIGINS. Some sales drop is therefore to be expected. As against that, this issue also has a variant cover (unlike March), which ought to send sales back up. Take all these factors into account and… well, who knows, really?

Incidentally, while DARK WOLVERINE seems to be locked on crossover mode at the moment – after this arc, it goes on to a crossover with FRANKEN-CASTLE – “The Reckoning” is one of those rare stories which probably should be a crossover for creative reasons. It’s the conclusion of the Romulus storyline from WOLVERINE: ORIGINS, a story which actually is important for both Wolverine and Daken, and therefore has a fair claim to appear in both their titles.

30. DEADPOOL
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Deadpool #19 - 44,580  ( -2.9%)
02/10  Deadpool #20 - 43,347  ( -2.8%)
03/10  Deadpool #21 - 42,062  ( -3.0%)
04/10  Deadpool #22 - 43,061  ( +2.4%)
                      6 mnth  ( -7.0%)
                      1 year  (-21.1%)

There’s an “Iron Man by Design” variant on this issue, explaining the slight increase. The underlying trend is likely to be unchanged.

NEMESIS [Icon]
03/10  Nemesis #1 of 4 - 62,031
04/10  ---

The second issue was solicited for 7 April, but didn’t come out. Nonetheless, issue #1 picks up hefty reorders of 8,299. As usual, they’re included in the numbers above.

31. 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%)
01/10  New Mutants #9  - 30,572  ( -5.2%)
02/10  New Mutants #10 - 30,807  ( +0.8%)
03/10  New Mutants #11 - 36,629  (+18.9%)
04/10  New Mutants #12 - 42,784  (+16.8%)
                         6 mnth  (+22.4%)

NEW MUTANTS is the fourth core title in “Second Coming”, and so it was always going to see a big sales increase. That increase is slightly obscured by the fact that the March issue was a peripheral SIEGE tie-in, with a sales boost of its own. The better comparison is with issues #9-10, and the jump is plainly huge.

That said, it remains some 20,000 below LEGACY and X-FORCE, and 32,000 below UNCANNY. Now, in recent years, Marvel have tended to structure their crossovers so that each title tells its own separate story, with the core events covered in a single miniseries. It’s worth pointing out that “Second Coming” isn’t like that – it’s an old school crossover where a single story is serialised through four different titles. So on these figures, almost half the people who bought UNCANNY X-MEN aren’t getting the whole story. That seems incredible, and I can’t help feeling that this must have been slightly underordered.

34. WORLD WAR HULKS
04/10  World War Hulks #1 - 41,398

An anthology one-shot following on from the “Fall of the Hulk” crossover.

35. ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN
04/05  Ult. Spider-Man #75  -  83,940
04/06  Ult. Spider-Man #93  -  72,831
04/07  Ult. Spider-Man #108 -  72,713
04/08  Ult. Spider-Man #121 -  56,633
=====
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%)
01/10  U.C. Spider-Man #6   -  43,622  (  -4.9%)
02/10  U.C. Spider-Man #7   -  42,176  (  -3.3%)
03/10  U.C. Spider-Man #8   -  40,967  (  -2.9%)
04/10  U.C. Spider-Man #9   -  39,955  (  -2.5%)
                               6 mnth  ( -24.3%)
                               1 year  (   --- )
                               2 year  ( -29.4%)
                               3 year  ( -45.1%)
                               4 year  ( -45.1%)
                               5 year  ( -52.4%)

This has settled into a steady decline.

36. DEADPOOL CORPS
03/10  Prelude #1 of 5   - 37,011
03/10  Prelude #2 of 5   - 32,024  (-13.5%)
03/10  Prelude #3 of 5   - 31,065  ( -3.0%)
03/10  Prelude #4 of 5   - 30,254  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Prelude #5 of 5   - 29,037  ( -4.0%)
04/10  Deadpool Corps #1 - 39,466  (+35.9%)

The first issue of a new series, following last month’s five-issue weekly mini. Effectively this is replacing DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH, though there are a few issues of overlap. It’s an okay start, though D:MWAM managed almost 60K with its debut issue a year ago. There’s a variant cover by Rob Liefeld (officially the “second printing”, continuing the gimmick of using Deadpool to parody variant covers).

37. CABLE
04/08  Cable #2             - 59,877
=====
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%)
01/10  Cable #22            - 28,414  ( -2.3%)
02/10  Cable #23            - 28,890  ( +1.7%)
03/10  Cable #24            - 30,132  ( +4.3%)
04/10  Deadpool & Cable #25 - 38,242  (+26.9%)
                              6 mnth  (+23.3%)
                              1 year  (-19.7%)
                              2 year  (-36.1%)

Cancelled. Actually, this series effectively ended with issue #24 – this is a one-shot prequel tacked onto the end as something of a joke. It’s also a sort of epilogue to CABLE & DEADPOOL, which mutated into a Deadpool team-up book rather than getting a proper ending. It’s got a Rob Liefeld variant cover.

38. S.H.I.E.L.D.
04/10  S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 38,030

A new Jonathan Hickman series reimagining S.H.I.E.L.D. as the latest incarnation of something closer to the Illuminati. It’s the sort of book which is traditionally a tough sale for Marvel, so the first issue sales are quite decent, albeit boosted by a variant cover and a black-and-white variant of the issue itself.

39. FANTASTIC FOUR
04/05  Fantastic Four #525 - 45,561
04/06  Fantastic Four #537 - 62,940
04/07  Fantastic Four #545 - 74,700
04/08  Fantastic Four #556 - 65,013
=====
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%)
01/10  Fantastic Four #575 - 41,284  ( +7.4%)
02/10  Fantastic Four #576 - 37,526  ( -9.1%)
03/10  Fantastic Four #577 - 35,791  ( -4.6%)
04/10  Fantastic Four #578 - 37,940  ( +6.0%)
                             6 mnth  ( -9.5%)
                             1 year  (  --- )
                             2 year  (-41.6%)
                             3 year  (-49.2%)
                             4 year  (-39.7%)
                             5 year  (-16.7%)

Another “Iron Man by Design” variant.

40,51. HULKED OUT HEROES
04/10  Hulked Out Heroes #1 of 2 - 37,665
04/10  Hulked Out Heroes #2 of 2 - 35,065  (-6.9%)

The book originally solicited as “H.O.H.”, though including the cover art kind of gave the game away. Issue #1 has a variant cover by Ed McGuinness, so the second issue drop is remarkably small.

42. DAREDEVIL
04/05  Daredevil #72  - 48,803
04/06  Daredevil #84  - 47,123
04/07  Daredevil #96  - 46,198
04/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Daredevil #504 - 37,135  ( -4.0%)
02/10  Daredevil #505 - 38,693  ( +4.2%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Daredevil #506 - 37,467  ( -3.2%)
                        6 mnth  (-17.1%)
                        1 year  (-16.7%)
                        2 year  (  --- )
                        3 year  (-19.3%)
                        4 year  (-20.5%)
                        5 year  (-23.2%)

This has an “Iron Man by Design” variant, but then the previous issue had a Deadpool variant cover. The drop probably reflects the book’s underlying trend.

44. FALL OF THE HULKS: RED HULK
01/10  Red Hulk #1 of 4 - 42,482
02/10  Red Hulk #2 of 4 - 39,259  (-7.6%)
03/10  Red Hulk #3 of 4 - 38,535  (-1.8%)
04/10  Red Hulk #4 of 4 - 36,917  (-4.2%)

A crossover tie-in mini which has held up pretty well over its run.

46. X-FACTOR
04/06  X-Factor #6   - 45,220
04/07  X-Factor #18  - 37,851
04/08  X-Factor #30  - 51,447
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Factor #201 - 29,732  (-18.7%)
02/10  X-Factor #202 - 30,981  ( +4.2%)
03/10  X-Factor #203 - 28,924  ( -6.6%)
04/10  X-Factor #204 - 36,573  (+26.4%)
                       6 mnth  (+21.4%)
                       1 year  (+14.3%)
                       2 year  (-28.9%)
                       3 year  ( -2.7%)
                       4 year  (-19.1%)

This is a “Second Coming: Revelations” book, which basically means it’s a tie-in that doesn’t form part of the core serial. It’s also got an “Iron Man by Design” variant. Naturally, the sales bounce accordingly.

48. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
04/06  Origins #1  - 150,283
04/07  Origins #13 -  70,963
04/08  Origins #24 -  49,299
=====
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%)
01/10  Origins #44 -  35,154  ( -3.8%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Origins #45 -  37,055  ( +5.4%)
03/10  Origins #46 -  34,004  ( -8.2%)
04/10  Origins #47 -  36,075  ( +6.1%)
                      6 mnth  ( -8.6%)
                      1 year  (-19.8%)
                      2 year  (-26.8%)
                      3 year  (-49.0%)
                      4 year  (-76.0%)

Beginning a two-month crossover with the higher-selling DARK WOLVERINE. There’s also an “Iron Man by Design” variant. I’m slightly surprised the sales didn’t increase by more than this. The series ends in issue #50 following the completion of its multi-year storyline.

50. THUNDERBOLTS
04/05  New Thunderbolts #7 - 28,722
04/06  Thunderbolts #101   - 24,170
04/07  Thunderbolts #113   - 65,092
04/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Thunderbolts #140   - 28,644  ( -4.4%)
02/10  Thunderbolts #141   - 33,948  (+18.5%)
03/10  Thunderbolts #142   - 34,132  ( +0.5%)
04/10  Thunderbolts #143   - 35,656  ( +4.5%)
                             6 mnth  (+10.0%)
                             1 year  (-27.5%)
                             2 year  (  --- )
                             3 year  (-45.2%)
                             4 year  (+47.5%)
                             5 year  (+24.1%)

Continuing a SIEGE tie-in arc, and it’s also got a variant cover by Greg Horn. Since the book was tied closely to “Dark Reign”, this is effectively the final issue of the book’s current format, with a completely new direction starting next month.

51. 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%)
01/10  Merc With A Mouth #7  - 40,568  ( +9.5%)
02/10  Merc With A Mouth #8  - 34,281  (-15.5%)
03/10  Merc With A Mouth #9  - 33,405  ( -2.6%)
04/10  Merc With A Mouth #10 - 33,803  ( +1.2%)
                               6 mnth  (-15.8%)

Another “Iron Man by Design” variant. The book ends with issue #13, effectively replaced by DEADPOOL CORPS.

55. BLACK WIDOW
11/09  Deadly Origin #1 of 4 - 29,352
12/09  Deadly Origin #2 of 4 - 20,925  ( -28.7%)
01/10  Deadly Origin #3 of 4 - 16,644  ( -20.5%)
02/10  Deadly Origin #4 of 4 - 15,724  (  -5.5%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Black Widow #1        - 32,807  (+108.6%)

She’s in the Iron Man movie, and so Marvel have decided to have a shot at launching an ongoing BLACK WIDOW series. She hasn’t had a regular title (as opposed to a miniseries) since 1971, when she briefly co-headlined AMAZING ADVENTURES alongside the Inhumans. To be honest, I struggle to imagine the Black Widow sustaining an ongoing series even in a healthier market, but hey, you never know until you try.

This issue has three variant covers, it ties in with a movie launch, and it was on the front cover of MARVEL PREVIEWS. And with all that, it’s only slightly ahead of the first issue of the DEADLY ORIGIN mini from last winter, which tailed off pretty quickly.

56. CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHO WON'T WIELD THE SHIELD
04/10  Who Won't Wield The Shield - 32,477

Basically a comedy anthology. Given the wholly uninformative solicitation (which basically told you that it was a Deadpool one-shot and not much else), it’s actually quite a good number.

59. WOLVERINE: WEAPON X
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%)
01/10  Weapon X #9  - 31,678  ( -5.4%)
02/10  Weapon X #10 - 30,132  ( -4.9%)
03/10  Weapon X #11 - 29,799  ( -1.1%)
04/10  Weapon X #12 - 30,050  ( +0.8%)
                      6 mnth  (-21.8%)

Stabilising at last. The book is effectively relaunching in September as a new WOLVERINE series.

60. SECRET WARRIORS
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%)
01/10  Secret Warriors #12 - 29,894  ( -2.8%)
02/10  Secret Warriors #13 - 30,843  ( +3.2%)
03/10  Secret Warriors #14 - 28,580  ( -7.3%)
04/10  Secret Warriors #15 - 29,669  ( +3.8%)
                             6 mnth  (-18.5%)
                             1 year  (-40.8%)

Another “Iron Man by Design” variant.

67. 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%)
01/10  Deadpool Team-Up #897 - 32,671  (-10.0%)
02/10  Deadpool Team-Up #896 - 30,119  ( -7.8%)
03/10  Deadpool Team-Up #895 - 28,573  ( -5.1%)
04/10  Deadpool Team-Up #894 - 28,835  ( +0.9%)
                               6 mnth  (-43.8%)

And another.

68. ULTIMATE COMICS ENEMY
01/10  Enemy #1 of 4 - 38,880
02/10  Enemy #2 of 4 - 29,820  (-23.3%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Enemy #3 of 4 - 28,829  ( -3.3%)

Levelling out quickly after the initial drop.

69. DOOMWAR
04/05  Black Panther #3  - 44,925
04/06  Black Panther #15 - 28,361
04/07  ---
04/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Black Panther #12 - 17,881  (  -1.0%)
02/10  Doomwar #1 of 6   - 43,241  (+141.8%)
03/10  Doomwar #2 of 6   - 30,555  ( -29.3%)
04/10  Doomwar #3 of 6   - 27,859  (  -8.9%)
                           6 mnth  ( +36.9%)
                           1 year  ( -16.5%)
                           2 year  (   --- )
                           3 year  (   --- )
                           4 year  (  -1.2%)
                           5 year  ( -38.0%)

Still comfortably up from regular BLACK PANTHER numbers. Nonetheless, the series ends in June, and there’s no sign of anything on the solicitations for July, so the end of the road may be approaching.

70. FALL OF THE HULKS: THE SAVAGE SHE-HULKS
03/10  Savage She-Hulks #1 of 3 - 33,290
04/10  Savage She-Hulks #2 of 3 - 27,421  (-17.6%)

Quite a modest drop off, considering the first issue had a variant cover.

75. MARVEL ZOMBIES 5
04/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #1 of 5 - 26,798
04/10  Marvel Zombies 5 #2 of 5 - 26,318  (-1.8%)

Unusually, there’s a variant cover on issue #2, but not issue #1. The MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN series from last September wound up at 28,770, so we’re picking up slightly below that point.

77. DARK TOWER: BATTLE OF JERICHO HILL
04/07  Gunslinger Born #3 of 7 - 149,168
04/08  Long Road Home #2 of 5  - 103,029
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Jericho Hill #3 of 5    -  27,215  ( -4.0%)
02/10  Jericho Hill #4 of 5    -  26,336  ( -3.2%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Jericho Hill #5 of 5    -  25,896  ( -1.7%)
                                  6 mnth  (  --- )
                                  1 year  (-34.0%)
                                  2 year  (-74.9%)
                                  3 year  (-82.6%)

Still drifting slowly down.

80. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
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%)
01/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #22 - 21,623  ( -3.0%)
02/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #23 - 22,807  ( +5.5%)
03/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #24 - 21,643  ( -5.1%)
04/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #25 - 24,568  (+13.5%)
                                6 mnth  ( +4.1%)
                                1 year  ( -9.4%)

GUARDIANS and NOVA both end this month, though they’re leading into a Thanos miniseries. This issue also has an “Iron man by Design” variant.

83. AVENGERS: THE ORIGIN
04/10  Origin #1 of 5 - 24,457

Another re-telling by Joe Casey of an old Silver Age. There’s a fairly narrow audience for these projects in the current market, and these numbers are about what I’d have expected.

84. PUNISHER
04/07  War Journal #6  - 53,498
04/08  War Journal #18 - 29,565
=====
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%)
01/10  Punisher #13    - 23,734  ( -5.0%)
02/10  Punisher #14    - 23,455  ( -1.8%)
03/10  Punisher #15    - 22,285  ( -5.0%)
04/10  Punisher #16    - 23,047  ( +3.4%)
                         6 mnth  (-15.2%)
                         1 year  (-37.7%)
                         2 year  (-22.0%)
                         3 year  (-56.9%)

This is the Marvel Universe version, not the Max book. The issue has an “Iron Man by Design” variant.

86. NOVA
04/07  Nova #1  - 42,917
04/08  Nova #12 - 28,185  ( +0.1%)
=====
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%)
01/10  Nova #33 - 21,841  ( -1.6%)
02/10  Nova #34 - 23,014  ( +5.4%)
03/10  Nova #35 - 21,407  ( -7.0%)
04/10  Nova #36 - 22,365  ( +4.5%)
                  6 mnth  ( -2.1%)
                  1 year  (-14.8%)
                  2 year  (-20.6%)
                  3 year  (-47.9%)

Final issue: see above under GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. As with that book, there’s an “Iron Man by Design” variant cover.

87. PUNISHERMAX  [Max]
04/05  Punisher #19     - 38,753
04/06  Punisher #32     - 34,076
04/07  Punisher #46     - 33,427
04/08  Punisher #56     - 30,796
=====
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%)
01/10  PunisherMax #3   - 22,887  ( -1.0%)
02/10  PunisherMax #4   - 22,472  ( -1.8%)
03/10  PunisherMax #5   - 22,435  ( -0.2%)
04/10  PunisherMax #6   - 22,246  ( -0.8%)
                          6 mnth  ( +0.2%)
                          1 year  ( +1.8%)
                          2 year  (-27.8%)
                          3 year  (-33.4%)
                          4 year  (-34.7%)
                          5 year  (-42.6%)

Seems to be levelling out slightly ahead of pre-relaunch sales. I’d attribute that more to the strength of the incoming creative team than to the renumbering.

90. VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT
04/06  Moon Knight #1  - 103,670
04/07  Moon Knight #9  -  69,196
04/08  Moon Knight #17 -  27,808
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Moon Knight #5  -  19,733  ( -8.1%)
03/10  Moon Knight #6  -  19,094  ( -3.2%)
04/10  Moon Knight #7  -  20,718  ( +8.5%)
                          6 mnth  (-21.8%)
                          1 year  ( -8.7%)
                          2 year  (-25.5%)
                          3 year  (-70.1%)
                          4 year  (-80.0%)

Another “Iron Man by Design” variant. It’ll be interesting to see whether MOON KNIGHT gets any spillover benefit from the character’s inclusion in SECRET DEFENDERS, though to be honest, the history of Ms Marvel and Spider-Woman tends to point against it.

92. CAPTAIN AMERICA / BLACK PANTHER
04/10  Flags of our Fathers #1 of 4 - 20,274

A miniseries about the first meeting between Captain America and the Black Panther (well, a previous one) during World War II. Stories set in the past are always a tough sell, and parent title BLACK PANTHER dropped below this point in recent months, so the numbers are pretty good compared to what you could reasonably have expected.

93. INCREDIBLE HERCULES
04/08  Hercules #116        - 44,575
=====
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%)
01/10  Hercules #140        - 23,244  ( -1.5%)
02/10  Hercules #141        - 24,539  ( +5.6%)
03/10  Fall/Avenger #1 of 2 - 23,036  ( -6.1%)
04/10  Fall/Avenger #2 of 2 - 20,215  (-12.2%)
                              6 mnth  (-13.8%)
                              1 year  (-40.1%)
                              2 year  (-54.6%)

Following this, we’ve got a PRINCE OF POWER miniseries starring supporting character Amadeus Cho, all presumably leading to a HERCULES relaunch later in the year.

99. 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%)
01/10  Web of Spider-Man #4 - 24,424  (-16.8%)
02/10  Web of Spider-Man #5 - 24,296  ( -0.5%)
03/10  Web of Spider-Man #6 - 21,574  (-11.2%)
04/10  Web of Spider-Man #7 - 19,533  ( -9.5%)
                              6 mnth  (-66.6%)

Mmmm. I remain unconvinced that Spider-Man is capable of supporting spin-off titles at the moment.

103,126. WOMEN OF MARVEL ONE-SHOTS
03/10  X-23     - 27,328
03/10  She-Hulk - 15,583
04/10  Sif      - 18,092
04/10  Firestar - 13,462

These books seem to be mostly hovering in the teens (X-23, who’s about to get her own series, being an understandable exception). The variation is probably just a reflection of the popularity of the parent book.

106. STEPHEN KING'S N. THE COMIC SERIES
03/10  N #1 of 4 - 21,092
04/10  N #2 of 4 - 17,299  (-18.0%)

This is a reprint from Marvel’s online service, and by those standards the sales aren’t too bad at all.

109. IRON MAN 2: PUBLIC IDENTITY
04/10  Public Identity #1 of 3 - 16,921

I believe this is the series originally solicited as IRON MAN 1.5, and it’s a story bridging the gap between the two Iron Man movies. I’m slightly surprised that it didn’t do a little better in the month of the movie’s release, but then it’s not really aimed primarily at the direct market readership. (Presumably the idea is to have the collected edition on the shelves when the DVD comes out.)

110. NEW AVENGERS: LUKE CAGE
04/10  Luke Cage #1 of 3 - 16,836

Good lord. The days when a top-selling title could guarantee sales for a spin-off mini are clearly long behind us.

Or to be more accurate: as a general rule, there seem to be far fewer completists out there willing to buy all the spin-offs of a major franchise. Marvel have managed to build a family of titles around the Avengers, but they did that by promoting them all as equally important. Books that are clearly labelled as spin-offs – such as this, the lesser Spider-Man titles and X-Men solo minis – are increasingly tailing in miles behind their parent titles.

On the other hand, Marvel might well point out that this is probably going to sell more than a miniseries with an obscure lead character (and that they already publish some of those anyway). In other words, just because they don’t sell like they used to, it doesn’t follow that Marvel could easily replace them on the schedule with something more successful.

111. POWERS [Icon]
11/09  Powers #1 - 20,146
12/09  Powers #2 - 17,181  (-14.7%)
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  Powers #3 - 16,768  ( -2.4%)
04/10  Powers #4 - 16,463  ( -1.8%)

Levelling out quite quickly after the most recent relaunch.

115,116. 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%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #15 - 17,665  ( -3.9%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #16 - 17,290  ( -2.1%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #17 - 17,873  ( +3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #18 - 16,464  ( -7.9%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #19 - 16,183  ( -1.7%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #20 - 15,990  ( -1.2%)
04/10  X-Men Forever #21 - 15,530  ( -2.9%)
04/10  X-Men Forever #22 - 15,305  ( -1.4%)
                           6 mnth  (-30.2%)

Drifting slowly down, but Marvel evidently have realistic expectations for Claremont’s alternate-reality/nostalgia series, as it’s been renewed for another year. They’re renumbering it from #1 to kick off the second year, and I’ll be interested to see whether that makes any difference beyond the first couple of issues.

117. REALM OF KINGS: SON OF HULK
04/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #10 - 27,317  ( +0.7%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #11 - 28,633  ( +4.8%)
06/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #12 - 35,920  (+25.4%)
07/09  Son of Hulk #13        - 29,195  (-18.7%)
08/09  Son of Hulk #14        - 27,171  ( -6.9%)
09/09  Son of Hulk #15        - 22,722  (-16.4%)
10/09  Son of Hulk #16        - 20,504  ( -9.8%)
11/09  Son of Hulk #17        - 19,097  ( -6.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Son of Hulk #1 of 4    - 24,010  (+25.7%)
03/10  Son of Hulk #2 of 4    - 17,195  (-28.4%)
04/10  Son of Hulk #3 of 4    - 15,284  (-11.4%)
                                6 mnth  (-25.5%)
                                1 year  (-44.0%)

Some way distant from the other cosmic titles. I doubt we’ll be hearing much more of this.

118. SPIDER-MAN: FEVER
04/10  Fever #1 of 3 - 15,111

Despite the title, Brendan McCarthy’s miniseries is really more of a homage to Steve Ditko’s Dr Strange stories. Given that Spider-Man can’t seem to support spin-off titles at the moment, and that McCarthy’s art is something of an acquired taste, the sales are probably about what Marvel were expecting from the book.

120. AGENTS OF ATLAS
04/09  Agents of Atlas #3  - 29,748  (+11.1%)
05/09  Agents of Atlas #4  - 25,377  (-14.7%)
05/09  Agents of Atlas #5  - 25,207  ( -0.7%)
06/09  Agents of Atlas #6  - 22,579  (-10.4%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #7  - 23,217  ( +2.8%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #8  - 20,540  (-11.5%)
08/09  Agents of Atlas #9  - 20,828  ( +1.4%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #10 - 17,877  (-14.2%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #11 - 17,529  ( -1.9%)
10/09  X-Men vs #1 of 2    - 32,743  (+86.8%)
11/09  X-Men vs #2 of 2    - 25,222  (-23.0%)
12/09  ---
01/10  Avengers vs #1 of 4 - 21,777  (-13.7%)
02/10  Avengers vs #2 of 4 - 17,998  (-17.4%)
03/10  Avengers vs #3 of 4 - 16,482  ( -8.4%)
04/10  Avengers vs #4 of 4 - 14,900  ( -9.6%)
                             6 mnth  (-54.5%)
                             1 year  (-49.9%)

Relaunched next month as another ongoing title, this time just called ATLAS. Sales have tailed off quite noticeably over the course of this mini.

121. PETER PARKER
03/10  Peter Parker #1 - 18,963
04/10  Peter Parker #2 - 14,647  (-22.8%)

Reprints of the Spider-Man digital comics, so the sales here don’t tell the whole story.

122. X-FACTOR FOREVER
03/10  X-Factor Forever #1 of 5 - 18,550
04/10  X-Factor Forever #2 of 5 - 14,608  (-21.3%)

Louise Simonson’s sequel to her 1980s X-FACTOR run is actually doing slightly better than I would have predicted – by which I mean, it’s pretty close to its thematic parent title X-MEN FOREVER.

123. X-MEN FOREVER ANNUAL
04/10  X-Men Forever Annual #1 - 14,281

Again, very close to the parent title. There’s a small but solid audience for these books.

131. MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ
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%)
01/10  Marvelous Land #3 of 8 - 14,216  (-10.0%)
02/10  Marvelous Land #4 of 8 - 13,364  ( -6.0%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Marvelous Land #5 of 8 - 12,922  ( -3.3%)
                                6 mnth  (  --- )
                                1 year  (-19.8%)

Standard miniseries behaviour.

135,145,146,147. MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS
04/10  Wolverine #66   - 12,181
04/10  New Avengers #1 - 10,958
04/10  Civil War #1    - 10,912

More budget reprints.

137. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS JACKPOT
01/10  Jackpot #1 of 3 - 18,014  (-11.5%)
02/10  Jackpot #2 of 3 - 13,697  (-24.0%)
03/10  ---
04/10  Jackpot #3 of 3 - 11,830  (-13.6%)

Another example of the point that Marvel’s top books can no longer be relied on to support spin-off titles. Despite this, however, even more Spider-Man spin-offs are scheduled for future months. That surprises me, but presumably Marvel are prepared to live with numbers like this.

140. 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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Torch #5 of 8 - 12,211  (-11.4%)
03/10  Torch #6 of 8 - 11,896  ( -2.6%)
04/10  Torch #7 of 8 - 11,477  ( -3.5%)
                       6 mnth  (-36.6%)

Levelling out. Fairly standard miniseries behaviour.

148. IRON MAN NOIR
04/10  Iron Man Noir #1 of 4 - 10,904

Hmm. The recent Spider-Man and X-Men NOIR minis launched at around 16K and dropped to 10K. Iron Man is launching at 10K, so this isn’t going to be pretty by the end of the run. Surely we’re approaching the end of the road for this imprint?

153. SPIDER-MAN: ORIGIN OF THE HUNTER
04/10  Origin of the Hunter - 10,580

This is a reprint of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #15 and #34 with a new framing sequence. The sales aren’t bad for something like that.

154. SAVAGE AXE OF ARES
04/10  Savage Axe of Ares - 10,492

Another of Marvel’s black and white anthology titles. Considering that Ares isn’t a character with a huge personal following, I’d say this was pretty reasonable.

156. X-MEN: PIXIE STRIKES BACK
02/10  Pixie #1 of 4 - 14,167
03/10  Pixie #2 of 4 - 11,839  (-16.4%)
04/10  Pixie #3 of 4 - 10,276  (-13.2%)

“Major titles don’t support spin-offs any more”, example umpteen.

161. SPIDER-MAN  [Marvel Adventures]
04/05  M.A. Spider-Man #2  - 10,305
04/06  M.A. Spider-Man #14 -  5,970
04/07  M.A. Spider-Man #26 -  6,478
04/08  M.A. Spider-Man #38 -  5,833
=====
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%)
01/10  M.A. Spider-Man #59 -  4,315  (  -0.9%)
02/10  M.A. Spider-Man #60 -  4,212  (  -2.4%)
03/10  M.A. Spider-Man #61 -  4,200  (  -2.8%)
04/10  Spider-Man #1       -  9,770  (+132.6%)
                             6 mnth  (+113.4%)
                             1 year  (+104.4%)
                             2 year  ( +67.5%)
                             3 year  ( +50.8%)
                             4 year  ( +63.7%)
                             5 year  (  -5.2%)

The relaunch of MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN kicks sales back up to more or less the launch of the previous series in 2005. That’s not a bad result, although we’ll have to wait and see how long the effect lasts.

164. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
02/10  A to Z Update #1 of 5 -  5,406
03/10  Deadpool Corps        - 21,900  (+305.1%)
04/10  Iron Manual Mark 3 #1 -  9,456  ( -56.8%)

Iron Man is, apparently, a lot less interesting than Deadpool.

167. DEATHLOK
11/09  Deathlok #1 of 7 - 20,855
12/09  Deathlok #2 of 7 - 14,059  (-32.6%)
01/10  Deathlok #3 of 7 - 11,670  (-17.0%)
02/10  Deathlok #4 of 7 - 10,185  (-12.7%)
03/10  Deathlok #5 of 7 -  9,387  ( -7.8%)
04/10  Deathlok #6 of 7 -  8,895  ( -5.2%)

Still losing sales as it nears the end of its run.

168. PHILP K DICK'S ELECTRIC ANT
04/10  Electric Ant #1 of 4 - 8,869

Not really a product targeted primarily at the direct market, I suspect.

178. SUPER HEROES  [Marvel Adventures]
04/09  M.A. Super Heroes #10 - 3,699  (  -0.5%)
05/09  M.A. Super Heroes #11 - 3,474  (  -6.1%)
06/09  M.A. Super Heroes #12 - 3,508  (  +1.0%)
07/09  M.A. Super Heroes #13 - 4,439  ( +26.5%)
08/09  M.A. Super Heroes #14 - 4,355  (  -1.9%)
09/09  M.A. Super Heroes #15 - 4,268  (  -2.0%)
10/09  M.A. Super Heroes #16 - 3,250  ( -23.9%)
11/09  M.A. Super Heroes #17 - 3,308  (  +1.8%)
12/09  M.A. Super Heroes #18 - ?,???  (   ??? )
01/10  M.A. Super Heroes #19 - 3,103  (   ??? )
02/10  M.A. Super Heroes #20 - 3,008  (  -3.1%)
03/10  M.A. Super Heroes #21 - ?,???  (   ??? )
04/10  Super Heroes #1       - 8,107  (   ??? )
                              6 mnth  (+149.4%)
                              1 year  (+119.2%)

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPERHEROES has been hovering around the bottom end of the top 300 lately, and actually missed the charts last month (selling fewer than 3,704 copies). This issue also has a variant cover by Todd Nauck, so its sales boost from the relaunch might be slightly exaggerated compared to SPIDER-MAN.

190. MARVEL HER-OES
04/10  Marvel Her-Oes #1 - 7,464

Female superheroes in high school dramedy. Um. You know, I really can’t get past that awful title. But it’s not a bad number by the standards of Marvel’s all-ages books.

197. THOR AND THE WARRIORS FOUR
04/10  Thor/Warriors Four #1 of 4 - 6,861

The Warriors Four being Power Pack – it’s another Gurihiru miniseries. Again, not bad for an all-ages book.

202. PET AVENGERS UNLEASHED
05/09  Pet Avengers #1 of 4 - 17,638
06/09  Pet Avengers #2 of 4 - 12,317  (-30.2%)
07/09  Pet Avengers #3 of 4 - 11,739  ( -4.7%)
08/09  Pet Avengers #4 of 4 - 11,340  ( -3.4%)
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  ---
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Tails o/Pet Avengers -  8,214  (-27.6%)
03/10  Unleashed #1 of 4    -  8,554  ( +4.1%)
04/10  Unleashed #2 of 4    -  6,767  (-20.9%)

Some way distant of the sales on the original series, but still not bad if you’re judging it as an all-ages title rather than a regular Marvel Universe book.

217. ENDER'S GAME: LEAGUE WAR
04/10  League War - 6,195

About what we’ve come to expect from the novel adaptations.

Number 220 is SPIDER-MAN: GRIM HUNT – KRAVEN SAGA, a promotional item being sold to retailers in bundles of 25. It sold an estimated 6,069 bundles.

223. 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%)
01/10  Super Hero Squad #1      - 9,709  (+135.0%)
02/10  Super Hero Squad #2      - 5,691  ( -41.4%)
03/10  Super Hero Squad #3      - 5,399  (  -5.1%)
04/10  Super Hero Squad #4      - 5,822  (  +7.8%)
                                 6 mnth  ( +29.5%)

A slight uptick. We’ll see next month whether it’s an anomaly.

255. HUSK [Soleil]
04/10  Husk #1 of 2 - 4,610

We’re used to the Soleil books selling in this territory. Bear in mind that it’s a six dollar book.

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

+149.4% - Super Heroes (Marvel Adventures)
+113.4% - Spider-Man (Marvel Adventures)
+ 56.2% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 36.9% - Doomwar/Black Panther
+ 29.5% - Super Hero Squad
+ 27.1% - X-Force
+ 23.3% - Cable
+ 22.4% - New Mutants
+ 21.4% - X-Factor
+ 14.7% - X-Men Legacy
+ 10.0% - Thunderbolts
+  4.1% - Guardians of the Galaxy
+  3.3% - Ultimate Comics Avengers
+  0.2% - Uncanny X-Men
+  0.2% - PunisherMax
-  1.6% - New Avengers
-  2.1% - Nova
-  4.7% - Mighty Avengers
-  7.0% - Deadpool
-  8.6% - Wolverine Origins
-  9.5% - Fantastic Four
- 12.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 13.8% - Hercules
- 15.2% - Punisher
- 15.8% - Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth
- 17.1% - Daredevil
- 18.5% - Secret Warriors
- 20.9% - Dark Wolverine
- 21.8% - Weapon X
- 21.8% - Moon Knight
- 24.3% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 25.5% - Son of Hulk
- 30.2% - X-Men Forever
- 36.6% - Torch
- 43.8% - Deadpool Team-Up
- 54.5% - Agents of Atlas
- 66.6% - Web of Spider-Man

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

+119.2% - Super Heroes (Marvel Adventures)
+104.4% - Spider-Man (Marvel Adventures)
+ 42.9% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 14.3% - X-Factor
+  1.8% - PunisherMax
-  0.8% - X-Force
-  3.0% - Uncanny X-Men
-  7.6% - Captain America
-  8.7% - Moon Knight
-  9.4% - Guardians of the Galaxy
- 11.5% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 14.8% - Nova
- 15.7% - X-Men Legacy
- 16.5% - Doomwar / Black Panther
- 16.7% - Daredevil
- 19.7% - New Avengers
- 19.7% - Cable
- 19.8% - Wolverine Origins
- 19.8% - Marvelous Land of Oz
- 21.1% - Deadpool
- 22.0% - Thor
- 26.4% - Mighty Avengers
- 27.5% - Thunderbolts
- 34.0% - Dark Tower
- 37.7% - Punisher
- 40.1% - Hercules
- 40.8% - Secret Warriors
- 44.0% - Son of Hulk
- 49.9% - Agents of Atlas

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

+106.1% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 67.5% - Spider-Man (Marvel Adventures)
- 20.6% - Uncanny X-Men
- 20.6% - Nova
- 21.7% - X-Men Legacy
- 22.0% - Punisher
- 25.5% - Moon Knight
- 26.7% - Dark Wolverine / Wolverine
- 26.8% - Captain America
- 26.8% - Wolverine Origins
- 27.5% - X-Force
- 27.8% - PunisherMax
- 28.9% - X-Factor
- 29.4% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 29.9% - Thor
- 30.5% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 31.7% - New Avengers
- 36.1% - Cable
- 41.6% - Fantastic Four
- 48.3% - Mighty Avengers
- 54.6% - Hercules
- 74.9% - Dark Tower

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

+ 50.8% - Spider-Man (Marvel Adventures)
+ 23.9% - Invincible Iron Man
-  2.7% - X-Factor
-  9.4% - Uncanny X-Men
- 19.0% - X-Men Legacy
- 19.3% - Daredevil
- 33.4% - PunisherMax
- 39.8% - New Avengers
- 45.1% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 45.2% - Thunderbolts
- 47.9% - Nova
- 49.0% - Wolverine Origins
- 49.2% - Fantastic Four
- 51.7% - Dark Wolverine / Wolverine
- 56.9% - Punisher
- 59.5% - Mighty Avengers
- 70.1% - Moon Knight
- 82.6% - Dark Tower

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

+ 63.7% - Spider-Man (Marvel Adventures)
+ 49.2% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 47.5% - Thunderbolts
+ 29.7% - Captain America
-  1.2% - Doomwar / Black Panther
-  6.4% - Uncanny X-Men
- 19.1% - X-Factor
- 20.5% - Daredevil
- 23.0% - X-Men Legacy
- 33.0% - Dark Wolverine / Wolverine
- 34.7% - PunisherMax
- 37.9% - New Avengers
- 38.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 39.7% - Fantastic Four
- 45.1% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 76.0% - Wolverine Origins
- 80.0% - Moon Knight

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

+ 44.0% - Invincible Iron Man
+ 28.3% - Captain America
+ 24.1% - Thunderbolts
-  5.2% - Spider-Man (Marvel Adventures)
- 13.1% - Uncanny X-Men
- 16.7% - Fantastic Four
- 23.2% - Daredevil
- 26.7% - X-Men Legacy
- 31.8% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 38.0% - Doomwar / Black Panther
- 42.6% - PunisherMax
- 52.4% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 53.0% - Dark Wolverine / Wolverine
- 53.6% - New Avengers

Dynamite grabs the top indie comic spot this month with the first issue of their adaptation of Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet script. However, issue 2 sees a fairly large drop, and people seem unsure if the market can support the five Green Hornet titles Dynamite plans on launching.

Elsewhere on the chart Green Hornet Year One written by Matt Wagner is the second biggest indie launch of the month, The Guild and Terminator are Dark Horse’s newest launches, and Zenescope shipped a lot of books.

IDW had a 3.61% market share, and 4.02% dollar share, Dark Horse had 3.33% market share and 4.76% dollar share (gotta love those trade paperback sales), Dynamite had 3.08% market share and 3.40% dollar share, and Image had 3.01% market share and 3.22% dollar share.

I’ve listed every indie title in the top 225, every Dark Horse, Image, and IDW title in the top 300, and a selection of other titles.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which can be found here.

20, 60. Kevin Smith Green Hornet (Dynamite)
03/2010: Kevin Smith Green Hornet #1 - 54,122
03/2010: Kevin Smith Green Hornet #2 - 32,866 (-39.3%)

Woah, this did way better than I expected. Issue one was the number 11 book by dollar rank thanks to its $3.99 price. However, that drop for issue two is quite high, and with there soon to be five Green Hornet books on the stands I wonder what the numbers on some of them will be like.

33. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse) 
03/2007: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 - 109,919
03/2008: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #12 - 88,930
03/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #23 - 64,108

=====
04/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #24 - 60,916 (-5.0%)
05/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25 - 58,740 (-3.6%)
06/2009: BTVS Tales of the Vampires one shot- 45,568 (-22.4)
07/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #26 - 55,393 (+21.6%)
08/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27 - 53,403 (-3.6%)
09/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28 - 52,303 (-2.1%)
10/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #29 - 50,236 (-4.0%)
11/2009: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #30 - 49,155 (-2.2%)
12/2009: BTVS Willow One Shot - 45,136 (-8.2%)
01/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31 - 47,013 (+4.2%)
02/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32 - 47,975 (+2.0)
03/2010: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #33 - 46,568 (-2.9%)
                                6 month (-11.0%)
                                1 year (-27.4%)
                                2 year (-47.6%)
                                3 year (-57.6%)

Standard drop. Volume six of the collections has first month sales of 7,029, down slightly from the previous volume. The sales for issue #1 above are first month only.

87. Image Firsts (Image)
03/2010: Walking Dead #1 - 24,333

First of a series of $1 Image #1s. It sells at the same level as recent issues.

94. The Boys (Dynamite)
03/2008: The Boys #16 - 27,886
03/2009: The Boys #28 - 26,328

=====
04/2009: The Boys #29 - 26,033 (-1.1%)
05/2009: The Boys #30 - 28,365 (+9.0%)
06/2009: The Boys #31 - 25,460 (-10.0%)
07/2009: The Boys #32 - 25,231 (-0.8%)
08/2009: The Boys #33 - 24,684 (-2.1%)
09/2009: The Boys #34 - 24,502 (-0.7%)
10/2009: The Boys #35 - 24,841 (+1.4%)
11/2009: The Boys #36 - 23,471 (-5.5%)
12/2009: The Boys #37 - 24,025 (+2.4%)
01/2010: The Boys #38 - 22,203 (-7.6%)
02/2010: The Boys #39 - 21,905 (-1.3%)
03/2010: The Boys #40 - 22,022 (+0.5%)
                                6 month (-10.1%)
                                1 year (-16.4%)
                                2 year (-21.0%)

The newest trade, collecting up to issue 38, came out this month with sales of 6,640.

99. Green Hornet Year One (Dynamite)

03/2010: Green Hornet Year One #1 - 21,330

The second of many Green Hornet titles Dynamite is launching. This one is written by Matt Wagner.

102. Haunt (Image)

10/2009: Haunt #1 - 50,078
11/2009: Haunt #2 - 28,254 (-43.6%)
12/2009: Haunt #3 - 28,390 (+0.5%)
01/2010: Haunt #4 - 26,420 (-6.9%)
02/2010: Haunt #5 - 22,454 (-15.0%)
03/2010: Haunt #6 - 20,489 (-8.8%)

Initial interest seems to be disappearing, meanwhile volume one sells 3,895 copies.

107. Star Wars Legacy (Dark Horse)

03/2007: Star Wars Legacy #9 - 33,084
03/2008: Star Wars Legacy #21 - 30,228
03/2009: Star Wars Legacy #34 - 25,304

=====
04/2009: Star Wars Legacy #35 - 24,552 (-3.0%)
05/2009: Star Wars Legacy #36 - 24,166 (-1.6%)
06/2009: Star Wars Legacy #37 - 23,704 (-1.9%)
07/2009: Star Wars Legacy #38 - 23,162 (-2.3%)
08/2009: Star Wars Legacy #39 - 22,888 (-1.2%)
09/2009: Star Wars Legacy #40 - 22,555 (-1.5%)
10/2009: Star Wars Legacy #41 - 22,109 (-2.0%)
11/2009: Star Wars Legacy #42 - 21,659 (-2.0%)
12/2009: Star Wars Legacy #43 - 20,983 (-3.1%)
01/2010: Star Wars Legacy #44 - 20,341 (-3.1%)
02/2010: Star Wars Legacy #45 - 20,100 (-1.2%)
03/2010: Star Wars Legacy #46 - 19,790 (-1.5%)
                                6 month (-12.3%)
                                1 year (-21.8%)
                                2 year (-34.5%)
                                3 year (-40.2%)

I was correct last month; the solicitations for July say issue 50 say is the final issue.

113. Spawn (Image)

03/2005: Spawn #144 - 28,170
03/2006: Spawn #154 - 26,966
03/2007: Spawn #165 - 24,519
03/2008: Spawn #176 - 21,104
03/2009: Spawn #190 - 21,548

=====
04/2009: Spawn #191 - 19,805 (-8.1%)
05/2009: -
06/2009: Spawn #192 - 19,796 (0%)
07/2009: Spawn #193 - 20,293 (+2.5%)
07/2009: Spawn #194 - 18,916 (-6.8%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: Spawn #195 - 18,475 (-2.3%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Spawn #196 - 18,893 (+2.3)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-12.3%)
                                2 year (-10.5%)
                                3 year (-22.9%)
                                4 year (-29.9%)
                                5 year (-32.9%)

Was it the Rob Liefled art that led to this increase? Possibly. In related news Image United is incredibly late, reportedly in part due to McFarlane being really late with his contributions. Issue three is now scheduled for May.

115, 198. Angel (IDW)

03/2006: Old Friends #4 - 13,479
03/2007: Auld Lang Syne #5 - 6,351
03/2008: After the Fall #5 - 49,558
03/2009: Angel #19 - 31,767

=====
04/2009: Angel #20 - 30,308 (-4.6%)
05/2009: Angel #21 - 28,633 (-5.5%)
06/2009: Angel #22 - 27,496 (-4.0%)
07/2009: Angel: After the Fall – Epilogue #23 - 24,003 (-12.7%)
08/2009: Angel #24 - 22,795 (-5.0%)
09/2009: Angel #25 - 23,815 (+4.5%)
10/2009: Angel #26 - 22,886 (-3.9%)
11/2009: Angel #27 - 20,731 (-9.4%)
12/2009: Angel #28 - 21,301 (+2.7%)
12/2009: Angel Annual #1 - 16,616 (-22.0%)
01/2010: Angel #29 - 20,280 (+22.5%)
02/2010: Angel #30 - 11,044 [19,394] (-4.4%)
03/2010: Angel #31 - 18,538 (-4.4%)
                                6 month (-22.2%)
                                1 year (-41.6%)
                                2 year (-62.6%)
                                3 year (+191.9%)
                                4 year (+37.5%)

8,350 copies of #30 show up this month, and while the drops here aren’t looking too good, they’re still way up on before the relaunch.

117. Conan the Cimmerian (Dark Horse)

03/2005: Conan #14 - 38,180
03/2006: Conan #26 - 31,573
03/2007: Conan #38 - 25,236
03/2008: -
03/2009: The Cimmerian #9 - 20,555

=====
04/2009: The Cimmerian #10 - 20,419 (-0.7%)
05/2009: -
06/2009: The Cimmerian #11 - 20,041 (-1.9%)
07/2009: The Cimmerian #12 - 19,268 (-3.9%)
08/2009: The Cimmerian #13 - 18,881 (-2.0%)
09/2009: The Cimmerian #14 - 18,643 (-1.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: The Cimmerian #15 - 18,293 (-1.9%)
11/2009: The Cimmerian #16 - 17,778 (-2.8%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Weight of Crown One Shot - 17,571 (-1.2%)
01/2010: The Cimmerian #17 - 17,356 (-1.2%)
02/2010: The Cimmerian #18 - 17,074 (-1.6%)
03/2010: The Cimmerian #19 - 18,131 (+6.2%)
                                6 month (-2.7%)
                                1 year (-11.2%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (-28.2%)
                                4 year (-42.6%)
                                5 year (-52.5%)

An alternative cover explains the increase. This series is ending at issue 25 to be relaunched as the 12 part Road of Kings series written by Roy Thomas.

129. The Guild (Dark Horse)

03/2010: The Guild #1 - 15,292

A spinoff of the internet series of the same name, written by its star and creator Felicia Day and drawn by Jim Rugg. You may have noticed that the most common price point of comics in the top 300 is now $3.99, Dark Horse is one of the few publishers using the $3.50 price (like they do on this title).

136, 139. GI Joe (IDW)

03/2005: GI Joe #41 (Devil’s Due) - 20,570
03/2006: America’s Elite #9 (Devil’s Due) - 18,017
03/2007: -
03/2008: America’s Elite # (Devil’s Due) - 14,402
03/2009: GI Joe #3 - 22,902

=====
04/2009: GI Joe #4 - 22,735 (-0.7%)
05/2009: GI Joe #5 - 21,968 (-3.4%)
06/2009: GI Joe #6 - 20,809 (-5.3%)
07/2009: GI Joe #7 - 20,319 (-2.4%)
08/2009: GI Joe #8 - 18,750 (-7.7%)
09/2009: GI Joe #9 - 17,436 (-7.0%)
10/2009: GI Joe #10 - 16,264 (-6.7%)
11/2009: GI Joe #11 - 15,527 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #12 - 14,824 (-4.5%)
12/2009: GI Joe #13 - 15,759 (+6.3%)
01/2010: GI Joe #14 - 14,030 (-11.0%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: GI Joe #15 - 13,607 (-3.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe #16 - 13,288 (-2.3%)
                                6 month (-23.8%)
                                1 year (-42.0%)
                                2 year (-7.7%)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (-26.2%)
                                5 year (-35.4%)

Two issues this month to catch up, standard drop for both.

141. Irredeemable (Boom)

04/2009: Irredeemable #1 - 13,218
05/2009: Irredeemable #2 - 9,962 (-24.6%)
06/2009: Irredeemable #3 - 12,838 (+28.9%)
07/2009: Irredeemable #4 - 13,623 (+6.1%)
08/2009: Irredeemable #5 - ??? (???)
09/2009: Irredeemable #6 - 14,128 (+3.7%)
10/2009: Irredeemable #7 - 14,282 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Irredeemable #8 - 13,688 (-4.2%)
12/2009: Irredeemable #9 - 13,515 (-1.3%)
01/2010: Irredeemable #10 - 13,106 (-3.0%)
02/2010: Irredeemable #11 - 12,912 (-1.5%)
03/2010: Irredeemable #12 - 13,058 (+1.1%)
                                6 month (-7.6%)

At the end of its first year Irredeemable is doing very well, selling just below where it was when it launched. Will year two bring more increases?

142. BPRD (Dark Horse)

03/2005: The Dead #5 - 14,746
03/2006: -
03/2007: Garden of Souls #1 - 16,598
03/2008: 1946 #3 - 16,246
03/2009: Black Goddess #3 (of 5) - 15,045

=====
04/2009: Black Goddess #4 (of 5) - 14,543 (-3.3%)
05/2009: Black Goddess #5 (of 5) - 14,357 (-1.3%)
06/2009: War on Frogs #3 (of 4) - 13,828 (-3.7%)
07/2009: 1947 #1 (of 5) - 15,845 (+14.6%)
08/2009: 1947 #2 (of 5) - 14,893 (-6.0%)
09/2009: 1947 #3 (of 5) - 14,810 (-0.6%)
10/2009: 1947 #4 (of 5) - 14,505 (-2.0%)
11/2009: 1947 #5 (of 5) - 13,977 (-3.6%)
12/2009: War on Frogs #4 (of 4) - 12,904 (-7.7%)
01/2010: King of Fear #1 - 14,081 (+9.1%)
02/2010: King of Fear #2 - 13,123 (-6.8%)
03/2010: King of Fear #3 - 12,874 (-1.9%)
                                6 month (-13.1%)
                                1 year (-14.4%)
                                2 year (-20.8%)
                                3 year (-22.4)
                                4 year (n.a.)
                                5 year (-12.7%)

There’s a standard drop this month, but I’m still wondering where two thousand readers went between the last miniseries and this one.

143. Chew (Image)

06/2009: Chew #1 - 5,248 [13,517]
07/2009: Chew #2 - 6,735 (-24.6%)
08/2009: Chew #3 - 13,762 (+104.3%)
09/2009: Chew #4 - 12,294 (-10.7%)
10/2009: Chew #5 - 13,498 (+9.8%)
11/2009: Chew #6 - 13,139 (-2.7%)
12/2009: Chew #7 - 12,902 (-1.8%)
01/2010: Chew #8 - 12,727 (-1.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Chew #9 - 12,866 (+1.1%)
                                6 month (+4.7%)

The other big indie hit form last year sees sales increase again. Meanwhile, sales on volume one have reached 12,678, after selling another 2,155 copies this month.

147. Crossed (Avatar)

03/2009: Crossed #4 (of 9) - 11,710

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Crossed #5 (of 9) - 12,246 (+4.6%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Crossed #6 (of 9) - 13,382 (+9.3%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: Crossed #7 - 14,238 (+6.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Crossed #8 - 12,757 (-10.4%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Crossed #9 - 12,374 (-3.0%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (+5.7%)

The final issue of this Garth Ennis series cost $4.99. There’s going to be a spinoff of some sort written by David Lapham.

150. Transformers Ongoing (IDW)

03/2009: All Hail Megatron #8 - 11,731

=====
03/2009: All Hail Megatron #9 - 11,479 (-2.1%)
04/2009: All Hail Megatron #10 - 12,183 (+6.1%)
05/2009: All Hail Megatron #11 - 12,292 (+0.9%)
06/2009: All Hail Megatron #12 - 12,124 (-1.4%)
07/2009: All Hail Megatron #13 - 11,892 (-1.9%)
08/2009: All Hail Megatron #14 - 11,736 (-1.3%)
09/2009: All Hail Megatron #15 - 11,634 (-0.9%)
10/2009: All Hail Megatron #16 - 11,281 (-3.0%)
11/2009: Transformers Ongoing #1 - 15,220 (+34.9%)
12/2009: Transformers Ongoing #2 - 12,516 (-17.8%)
01/2010: Transformers Ongoing #3 - 12,609 (+0.7%)
02/2010: Transformers Ongoing #4 - 12,221 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Transformers Ongoing #5 - 11,994 (-1.9%)
                                6 month (+3.1%)
                                1 year (+2.2%)

Standard drop.

151. Witchblade (Image)

03/2006: Witchblade #96 - 14,505
03/2007: Witchblade #104 - 14,208
03/2008: Witchblade #116 - 21,095
03/2009: Witchblade #125 - 17,206

=====
04/2009: Witchblade #126 - 14,039 (-18.4%)
05/2009: Witchblade #127 - 15,065 (+7.3%)
05/2009: Annual 2009 - 12,154 (-19.3%)
06/2009: Witchblade Darkness Angelus Blood on the Sands - 10,106 (-16.9%)
07/2009: Witchblade #128 - 13,427 (+32.9%)
08/2009: Witchblade #129 - 13,324 (-0.8%)
09/2009: Witchblade #130 - 15,387 (+15.5%)
10/2009: Witchblade #131 - 20,999 (+36.5%)
11/2009: Witchblade #132 - 13,207 (-37.1%)
12/2009: Witchblade #133 - 12,811 (-3.0%)
01/2010: Witchblade #134 - 12,416 (-3.1%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Witchblade #135 - 11,935 (-3.9%)
6 month (-22.4%)
                                1 year (-30.6%)
                                2 year (-43.4%)
                                3 year (-16.0%)
                                4 year (-17.7%)

Standard drop.

156. Incorruptible (Boom)

12/2009: Incorruptible #1 - 15,710
01/2010: Incorruptible #2 - 12,635 (-19.6%)
02/2010: Incorruptible #3 - 11,860 (-6.1%)
03/2010: Incorruptible #4 - 11,749 (-0.9%)

A smaller than average drop this month. Incorruptible is doing very well and is just over one thousand behind its parent title.

161. GI Joe Origins (IDW)

03/2009: GI Joe Origins #2 - 18,361

=====
04/2009: GI Joe Origins #3 - 18,530 (+0.9%)
05/2009: -
06/2009: GI Joe Origins #4 - 18,378 (-0.8%)
07/2009: GI Joe Origins #5 - 17,822 (-3.0%)
08/2009: GI Joe Origins #6 - 15,898 (-10.8%)
09/2009: GI Joe Origins #7 - 14,753 (-7.2%)
10/2009: GI Joe Origins #8 - 14,961 (+1.4%)
11/2009: GI Joe Origins #9 - 12,955 (-13.4%)
12/2009: GI Joe Origins #10 - 12,295 (-5.1%)
01/2010: GI Joe Origins #11 - 11,726 (-4.6%)
02/2010: GI Joe Origins #12 - 12,312 (+5.0%)
03/2010: GI Joe Origins #13 - 11,043 (-10.3%)
                                6 month (-25.1%)
                                1 year (-39.9%)

Back to normal after last month’s jump for the Ben Templesmith Baroness issue.

163. Supergod (Avatar)

11/2009: Supergod #1 - 14,245
12/2009: Supergod #2 - 11,398 (-20.0%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Supergod #3 - 10,695 (-6.2%)

Do Warren Ellis projects ever come out on time?

164. Terminator (Dark Horse)

03/2010: Terminator #1 - 10,601

Written by Zach Whedon, it launches well below some of Dark Horses other recent movie based comics.

165. GI Joe Cobra II (IDW)

03/2009: GI Joe Cobra #1 - 19,433

=====
04/2009: GI Joe Cobra #2 - 18,685 (-3.9%)
05/2009: GI Joe Cobra #3 - 17,881 (-4.3)
06/2009: GI Joe Cobra #4 - 16,739 (-6.4%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #1 - 12,062 (-27.9%)
02/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #2 - 11,121 (-7.8%)
03/2010: GI Joe Cobra II #3 - 10,562 (-5.0%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-45.6%)

167. GFT Presents Neverland (Zenescope)

03/2010: Neverland #1 - 10,401

GFT stands for “Grimm Fairy Tales”.

168. Queen Sonja (Dynamite)

03/2006: Red Sonja #8 - 34,700
03/2007: Red Sonja #20 - 21,275
03/2008: Red Sonja #31 - 16,543
03/2009: Red Sonja #42 - 12,508

=====
04/2009: Red Sonja #43 - 12,318 (-1.5%)
05/2009: Red Sonja #44 - 12,099 (-1.8%)
06/2009: Red Sonja #45 - 12,030 (-0.6%)
07/2009: Red Sonja #46 - 11,993 (-0.3%)
08/2009: Red Sonja #47 - 11,709 (-2.4%)
09/2009: Red Sonja #48 - 11,815 (+0.9%)
10/2009: Red Sonja #49 - 11,487 (-2.8%)
10/2009: Queen Sonja #1 - 13,849 (+20.6%)
11/2009: Queen Sonja #2 - 12,024 (-13.2%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Queen Sonja #3 - 10,768 (-10.4%)
02/2010: Queen Sonja #4 - 10,766 (-0.0%)
03/2010: Queen Sonja #5 - 10,393 (-3.5%)
                                6 month (-12.0%)
                                1 year (-16.9%)
                                2 year (-37.2%)
                                3 year (-51.1%)
                                4 year (-70.0%)

Standard drop. I wonder if they’ll relaunch at issue 25 too.

170, 177. Escape from Wonderland (Zenescope)

07/2009: Escape from Wonderland #0 - 10,805
08/2009: Escape from Wonderland #1 - 11,530 (+6.7%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Escape from Wonderland #2 - 10,108 (-12.3%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Escape from Wonderland #3 - 10,628 (+5.1%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Escape from Wonderland #4 - 9,664 (-9.1%)
03/2010: Escape from Wonderland #5 - 10,193 (+5.5%)
03/2010: Escape from Wonderland #6 - 9,769 (-4.2%)

Two issues this month. Zenescope did that with a number of their titles in March.

172. Angel Special (IDW)

03/2010: Angel: Lorne - 10,110

A one shot by John Byrne costing $7.99. It was number 82 on the dollar charts.

179. Mass Effect Redemption (Dark Horse)

01/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #1 - 8,337
02/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #2 - 7,164 (-14.7%)
03/2010: Mass Effect Redemption #3 - 9,645 (+34.6%)

That’s a huge increase, not sure what’s going on here. This is a video game tie-in.

180. Cyberforce Hunter Killer (Image)

01/2006: Cyberforce #1 - 27,489
01/2007: Hunter Killer #12 - 16,824
03/2008: -
03/2009: -

=====
07/2009: Cyberforce Hunter Killer #1 (of 5) - 19,694
08/2009: -
09/2009: Cyberforce Hunter Killer #2 (of 5) -11,254 (-42.9%)
08/2009: -
11/2009: Cyberforce Hunter Killer #3 - 10,533 (-6.4%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Cyberforce Hunter Killer #4 - 10,082 (-4.3%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Cyberforce Hunter Killer #5 - 9,464 (-6.1%)
                                6 month (-15.9%)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (43.7%)
                                4 year (-65.6%)

Final issue.

183. Terry Moore’s Echo (Abstract)

02/2009: Echo #10 - 3,325 [11,253]

=====
03/2009: -
04/2009: Echo #11 - 11,293 (+0.4%)
05/2009: Echo #12 - 11,093 (-1.8%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Echo #13 - 10,783 (-2.8%)
08/2009: Echo #14 - 10,663 (-1.1%)
09/2009: Echo #15 - 10,529 (-1.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Echo #16 - 10,234 (-2.8)
12/2009: Echo #17 - 10,282 (+0.5%)
01/2010: Echo #18 - 10,137 (-1.4%)
01/2010: Echo #19 - 4,978 [9,787] (-3.5%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Echo #20 - 9,378 (-4.2%)

Slightly larger than usual drop.

187, 188. Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)

03/2006: Grimm Fairy Tales #4 - 5,410
03/2007: Grimm Fairy Tales #13 - 6,190
03/2008: Grimm Fairy Tales #25 - 9,732
03/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #36 - 9,198

=====
04/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #37 - 9,272 (+0.8%)
05/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #38 - 9,077 (-2.1%)
06/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #39 - 10,099 (+11.3%)
07/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #40 - 9,616 (-4.8%)
08/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #41 - 10,600 (+10.2%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #42 - 9,070 (-14.4%)
11/2009: -
12/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #43 - 10,246 (+13.0%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #44 - 8,824 (-13.9%)
03/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #45 - 8,916 (+1.0%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-3.1%)
                                2 year (-8.4%)
                                3 year (+44.0%)
                                4 year (+64.8%)

Another double shipping book. I guess issue 45 had a hotter cover.

189. GI Joe Operation Hiss (IDW)

02/2010: Operation Hiss #1 - 10,140
03/2010: Operation Hiss #2 - 8,818 (-13.0%)

Movie sequel.

191. Transformers Nefarious (IDW)

03/2010: Nefarious #1 - 8,810

Ditto.

193. Fathom (Aspen)

03/2005: Fathom #0 - 28,553
03/2006: Fathom #7 - 17,228
03/2007: Kiani #1 - 14,972
03/2008: -
03/2009: Fathom #6 - 10,301

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Fathom #7 - 9,748 (-5.4%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Fathom #8 - 9,349 (-4.1%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: Fathom #9 - 9,342 (-0%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: Fathom #10 - 8,602 (-7.9%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-16.5%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (-42.5%)
                                4 year (-50.1%)
                                5 year (-69.9%)

194. Transformers Bumblebee (IDW)

12/2009: Transformers Bumblebee #1 – 10,205
01/2010: Transformers Bumblebee #2 - 9,021 (-11.6%)
02/2010: Transformers Bumblebee #3 - 8,537 (-5.4%)
03/2010: Transformers Bumblebee #4 - 8,601 (+0.7%)

Slight increase.

199. Rasl (Cartoon Books)

04/2009: Rasl #4 - 10,002
05/2009: -
06/2009: -
07/2009: Rasl #5 - 9,866 (-1.7%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: Rasl #6 - 8,844 (-10.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Rasl #7 - 8,301 (-6.1%)

Hopefully the start of a more reliable shipping schedule.

202. Red Sonja (Dynamite)

02/2010: Wrath of the Gods #1 - 8,941
03/2010: Wrath of the Gods #2 - 8,155

204. Tarot Witch of the Black Rose (Broadsword)

03/2005: Tarot #31 - 10,261
03/2006: Tarot #37 - 9,815
03/2007: Tarot #43 - 9,314
03/2008: Tarot #49 - 9,282
03/2009: Tarot #55 - 8,568

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Tarot #56 - 8,693 (+1.5%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Tarot #57 - 8,705 (+0.1%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: Tarot #58 - 8,502 (-2.3%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Tarot #59 - 8,356 (-1.7%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Tarot #60 - 8,241 (-1.4%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Tarot #61 - 8,096 (-1.8%)
                        6 month (-4.8%)
                        1 year (-5.5%)
                        2 year (-12.7%)
                        3 year (-13.1%)
                        4 year (-17.5%)
                        5 year (-21.1%)

206, 212. Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

03/2005: Sonic #147 - 7,875
03/2006: Sonic # 160 - 7,588
03/2007: Sonic #173 - 6,907
03/2008: Sonic #186 - 6,880
03/2009: Sonic #198 - 7,237

=====
04/2009: Sonic #199 - 7,533 (+4.1%)
05/2009: Sonic #200 - 8,953 (+18.9%)
06/2009: Sonic #201 - 8,001 (-10.6%)
07/2009: Sonic #202 - 8,193 (+2.4%)
08/2009: Sonic #203 - 8,166 (-0.3%)
09/2009: Sonic #204 - 8,171 (0%)
10/2009: Sonic #205 - 8,263 (+1.1%)
11/2009: Sonic #206 - 8,353 (+1.1%)
12/2009: Sonic #207 - 8,198 (-1.9%)
01/2010: Sonic #208 - 8,006 (-2.3%)
02/2010: Sonic #209 - 7,819 (-2.3%)
03/2010: Sonic #210 - 7,925 (+1.4%)
03/2010: Sonic #211 - 7,786 (-1.8%)
                                6 month (-4.7%)
                                1 year (+7.6%)
                                2 year (+13.2%)
                                3 year (+12.7%)
                                4 year (+2.6%)
                                5 year (-1.1%)

Two issues this month.

207. Executive Assistant Iris (Aspen)

03/2009: Executive Assistant Iris #0 - 7,022
04/2009: -
05/2009: -
06/2009: Executive Assistant Iris #1 - 10,726 (+52.7%)
07/2009: Executive Assistant Iris #2 - 7,868 (-26.6%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: Executive Assistant Iris #3 - 7,938 (+0.9%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2009: -
02/2009: -
03/2010: Executive Assistant Iris #4 - 7,885 (-0.7%)

Surprisingly the massive gap didn’t have any affect at all. Also, this is not a porn comic as I originally thought.

209. Transformers Last Stand of the Wreckers (IDW)

01/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #1 - 8,862
02/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #2 – 5,744 (-35.2%)
03/2010: Last Stand of the Wreckers #3 – 7,855 (+36.8%)

Appears to have suffered from the same “falling off the back of a truck” problem as Angel last month.

210. Darkness (Image)

03/2005: Darkness #19 - 15,105
03/2006: -
03/2007: -
03/2008: -
03/2009: Darkness #76 - 11,257

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Darkness #77 - 10,114 (-10.2%)
06/2009: Witchblade Darkness Angelus Blood on the Sands - 10,106 (0%)
07/2009: Darkness #78 - 10,417 (+3.1%)
08/2009: Darkness #79 - 13,260 (+27.3%)
09/2009: Darkness #80 - 14,045 (+5.9%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Darkness #81 - 9,419 (-32.9%)
12/2009: -
01/2010: Darkness #82 - 8,848 (-6.0%)
01/2010: Shadows and Flame One Shot - 6,924 (-21.7%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Darkness #83 - 7,834 (+13.1%)
                                6 month (-44.2%)
                                1 year (-30.4%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (n.a.)
                                5 year (-48.1%)

Up over the oneshot, but overall sales continue to fall.

214. The Black Terror (Dynamite)

03/2009: The Black Terror #3 - 17,928

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: The Black Terror #4 - 16,058 (-10.4%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: The Black Terror #5 - 12,048 (-25.0)
12/2009: The Black Terror #6 - 9,545 (-20.8%)
01/2010: The Black Terror #7 - 8,705 (-8.8%)
02/2010: The Black Terror #8 - 7,991 (-8.2%)
03/2010: The Black Terror #9 - 7,668 (-4.0%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (-57.2%)

The drops have finally gotten smaller.

215. Talisman Road of Trials (Random House/Del Rey)

10/2009: Talisman Road of Trials #0 - 13,410
11/2009: Talisman Road of Trials #1 - 10,752 (-19.8%)
12/2009: Talisman Road of Trials #2 - 8,755 (-18.6%)
01/2010: Talisman Road of Trials #3 - 8,221 (-6.1%)
02/2010: Talisman Road of Trials #4 - 7,336 (-10.7%)
03/2010: Talisman Road of Trials #5 - 7,497 (+2.2%)

Stephen King adaptation.

216. Angel Hole in the World (IDW)

12/2009: Hole in the World #1 - 9,748
01/2010: Hole in the World #2 - 9,133 (-6.3%)
02/2010: Hole in the World #3 - 8,179 (-10.4%)
03/2010: Hole in the World #4 - 7,485 (-8.5%)

Adaptation of an episode of the TV show.

217. Simpsons Comics (Bongo)

03/2005: Simpsons Comics #102 - 12,163
03/2006: Simpsons Comics #116 - 10,862
03/2007: Simpsons Comics #128 - 9,555
03/2008: Simpsons Comics #149 - 9,139
03/2009: Simpsons Comics #152 - 7,669 

=====
04/2009: Simpsons Comics #153 - 7,611 (-0.8%)
05/2009: Simpsons Comics #154 - 7,546 (-0.9%)
06/2009: Simpsons Comics #155 - 8,011 (+6.2%)
07/2009: Simpsons Comics #156 - 7,774 (-3.0%)
08/2009: Simpsons Comics #157 - 7,565 (-2.7%)
09/2009: Simpsons Comics #158 - 7,782 (+2.9%)
10/2009: Simpsons Comics #159 - 7,645 (-1.8%)
11/2009: Simpsons Comics #160 - 7,618 (-0.4%)
12/2009: Simpsons Comics #161 - 7,414 (-2.7%)
01/2010: Simpsons Comics #162 - 7,227 (-2.5%)
02/2010: Simpsons Comics #163 - 7,507 (+3.9%)
03/2010: Simpsons Comics #164 - 7,351 (-2.1%)
                                6 month (-5.5%)
                                1 year (-4.1%)
                                2 year (-19.6%)
                                3 year (-23.1%)
                                4 year (-32.3%)
                                5 year (-39.6%)

Retains a little of last month’s increase.

218, 221. The Sword (Image)

03/2008: The Sword #6 - 9,302
03/2009: -

=====
04/2009: The Sword #16 - 8,231 (+2.2%)
05/2009: The Sword #17 - 8,081 (-1.8%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: The Sword #18 - 8,165 (+1.0%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: The Sword #19 - 8,116 (-0.6%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: The Sword #20 - 7,887 (-2.8%)
01/2010: The Sword #21 - 7,522 (-4.6%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: The Sword #22 – 7,294 (-3.0%)
03/2010: The Sword #23 - 7,115 (-2.5%)
                                6 month (-12.3%)
                                1 year (-23.5%)

Two issues this month, and those drops are a bit larger than I would have expected considering #24 is the final issue.

220. Choker (Image)

02/2010: Choker #1 - 8,735
03/2010: Choker #2 - 7,160 (-18.0%)

Ben Templesmith project.

222, 294. Locke & Key (IDW)

03/2008: Locke & Key #2 - 6,124
03/2009: Head Games #3 - 9,354 (-1.4%)

=====
04/2009: Head Games #4 - 9,302 (-0.6%)
05/2009: Head Games #5 - 9,137 (-1.8%)
06/2009: Head Games #6 - 8,889 (-2.7%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: Crown of Shadows #1 - 9,952 (+12.0%)
12/2009: Crown of Shadows #2 - 7,707 (-22.6%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Crown of Shadows #3 - 3,690 [7,550] (-2.0%)
03/2010: Crown of Shadows #4 - 7,010 (-7.2%)
                                        6 month (n.a.)
                                        1 year (-25.1%)
                                        2 year (+14.5%)

3,860 copes of #3 show up this month.

223. Doctor Who Ongoing (IDW)

07/2009: Doctor Who #1 - 10,949
08/2009: Doctor Who #2 - 8,908 (-18.6%)
09/2009: Doctor Who #3 - 8,711 (-2.2%)
10/2009: Doctor Who #4 - 8,354 (-4.1%)
11/2009: Doctor Who #5 - 7,958 (-4.7%)
12/2009: Doctor Who #6 - 7,448 (-6.4%)
01/2010: Doctor Who #7 - 7,239 (-2.8%)
02/2010: Doctor Who #8 - 7,014 (-3.1%)
03/2010: Doctor Who #9 - 6,991 (-0.3%)

Apparently quite a few of these end up being grey market imports to the UK

225. Soulfire (Aspen)

10/2009: Soulfire Volume Two #1 - 8,639
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: Soulfire Volume Two #2 - 7,711 (-10.7%)
03/2010: Soulfire Volume Two #3 - 6,928 (-10.2%)

226. Solomon Kane (Dark Horse)

01/2010: Deaths Black Riders #1 - 8,266 (-16.0%)
02/2010: Deaths Black Riders #2 - 7,320 (-11.4%)
03/2010: Deaths Black Riders #3 - 6,899 (-5.8%)

228. Groo (Dark Horse)

10/2009: Hogs of Horder #1 - 9,188
11/2009: -
12/2009: Hogs of Horder #2 - 7,787 (-15.2%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Hogs of Horder #3 - 7,186 (-7.7%)
03/2010: Hogs of Horder #4 - 6,865 (-4.5%)

Final issue.

239, 281. A-Team Shotgun Wedding (IDW)

03/2010: Shotgun Wedding #1 - 6,442
03/2010: Shotgun Wedding #2 - 4,458 (-30.8%)

IDW has been shipping A-Team comics weekly for March and April.

249. Battlefields (Dynamite)

03/2009: Dear Billy #3 - 6,870

=====
04/2009: Tankies #1 - 8,156 (+18.7%)
05/2009: Tankies #2 - 7,043 (-13.6%)
06/2009: -
07/2009: Tankies #3 - 6,834 (-3.0%)
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: Happy Valley #1 - 7,193 (+5.3%)
01/2010: Happy Valley #2 - 6,038  (-16.1%)
02/2010: Happy Valley #3 - 5,840 (-3.3%)
03/2010: Battlefields #4 - 5,805 (-0.6%)
                                        6 months (n.a.)
                                        1 year (-15.5%)

Part one of a new story (Firefly). I think Dynamite’s decision not to renumber with a new issue one is strange.

252. Conan: The Frazetta Cover Series (Dark Horse)

06/2009: The Frazetta Cover Series #3 (of  - 7,939
07/2009: -
08/2009: -
09/2009: -
10/2009: -
11/2009: -
12/2009: -
01/2010: -
02/2010: -
03/2010: The Frazetta Cover Series #4 - 5,653 (-28.8%)

This issue costs $6.99, and is listed as “Conan Legacy Frazetta Cover” on the ICV2 list. The series exists to reprint Frazetta’s Conan covers over various Conan comics.

254. Star Trek (IDW)

02/2010: Movie Adaptation #1 - 6,436
03/2010: Movie Adaptation #2 - 5,622 (-12.6%)

I’m not sure why this is coming out now.

257. Savage Dragon (Image)

03/2006: Savage Dragon #126 - 6,778
03/2007: -
03/2008: Savage Dragon #135 - 6,658
03/2009: -

=====
04/2009: Savage Dragon #146 - 6,149 (-75.4%)
04/2009: Savage Dragon #147 - 6,058 (-1.5%)
05/2009: Savage Dragon #148 - 6,051 (-0.1%)
06/2009: Savage Dragon #149 - 6,060 (+0.2%)
07/2009: Savage Dragon #150 - 6,619 (+9.2%)
08/2009: Savage Dragon #151 - 6,034 (-8.8%)
09/2009: Savage Dragon #152 - 5,993 (-0.7%)
10/2009: Savage Dragon #153 - 6,571 (+9.6%)
11/2009: Savage Dragon #154 - 5,885 (-10.4%)
12/2009: Savage Dragon #155 - 5,736 (-2.5%)
01/2010: Savage Dragon #156 - 6,152 (+7.3%)
02/2010: Savage Dragon #157 -5,617 (-8.7%)
03/2010: Savage Dragon #158 - 5,578 (-0.7%)
                                6 month (-6.9%)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (-16.2%)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (-17.7%)

261. Star Trek TNG Ghosts (IDW)

11/2009: Ghosts #1 - 6,918
12/2009: -
01/2010: Ghosts #2 - 3,155 (-54.4%)
01/2010: Ghosts #3 - 5,777 (+83.1%)
02/2010: Ghosts #4 - 5,614 (-2.8%)
03/2010: Ghosts #5 - 5,356 (-4.6%)

263. Star Trek DS9 Fools Gold (IDW)

12/2009: Fools Gold #1 - 6,623
01/2010: Fools Gold #2 -5,909 (-10.8%)
02/2010: Fools Gold #3 - 5,378 (-9.0%)
03/2010: Fools Gold #4 - 5,263 (-2.1%)

269. Archie (Archie)

03/2005: Archie #555 - 2,607
03/2006: -
03/2007: -
03/2008: -
03/2009: -

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Archie #597 - 2,563
06/2009: -
07/2009: -
08/2009: Archie #600 - 54,170 [58,408] (+2,178.9%)
09/2009: Archie #601 - 37,871 (-35.2%)
10/2009: Archie #602 - 28,211 (-25.5%)
11/2009: Archie #603 - 25,799 (-8.5%)
12/2009: Archie #604 - 25,058 (-2.9%)
01/2010: Archie #605 - 24,803 (-1.0%)
02/2010: Archie #606 - 15,127 (-39.0%)
03/2010: Archie #607 - 5,013 (-66.9%)
                                6 month (-86.8%)
                                1 year (n.a.)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (n.a.)
                                5 year (+92.3%)

This issue features the pop group School Gyrls. The collection of the Archie gets married storyline has first month sales of 3,552.

270. Dragon Age (IDW)

03/2010: Dragon Age #1 - 4,987

The second video game based series (after Army of Two) released by EA Comics and IDW. This one is written by Orson Scott Card.

273. Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

03/2005: Usagi Yojimbo #82 - 6,476
03/2006: Usagi Yojimbo #92 - 5,836
03/2007: Usagi Yojimbo #101 - 5,836
03/2008: Usagi Yojimbo #111 - 5,590
03/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #119 - 5,142

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #120 - 5,160 (+0.4%)
06/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #121 - 5,171 (+0.2%)
07/2009: -
08/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #122 - 5,077 (-1.8%)
09/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #123 - 5,051 (-0.5%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #124 - 4,992 (-1.2%)
12/2009: Usagi Yojimbo #125 – 4,980 (-0.2%)
01/2010: -
02/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #126 - 4,909 (-1.4%)
03/2010: Usagi Yojimbo #127 - 4,893 (-0.3%)
                                6 month (-3.1%)
                                1 year (-4.8%)
                                2 year (-12.5%)
                                3 year (-16.2%)
                                4 year (-16.2%)
                                5 year (-24.4%)

Fairly solid.

278. Muppet Show (Boom)

03/2009: Muppet Show #1 (of 4) - 7,272

=====
04/2009: Muppet Show #2 (of 4) - 6,563 (-10.0%)
05/2009: -
06/2009: Muppet Show #3 (of 4) - 7,210 (+9.9%)
07/2009: Muppet Show #4 (of 4) - 6,273 (-13.0%)
07/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #1 (of 4) - 7,027 (+12.0%)
08/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #2 (of 4) - 5,952 (-15.3%)
09/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #3 (of 4) - 5,444 (-8.5%)
10/2009: -
11/2009: Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson #4 (of 4) - 4,822 (-11.4)
12/2009: Muppet Show #0 - 6,120 (+26.9%)
01/2010: Muppet Show #1 - 6,155 (+0.6%)
02/2010: Muppet Show #2 - 4,965 (-19.3%)
03/2010: Muppet Show #3 - 4,557 (-8.2%)
                                        6 month (-16.3%)
                                        1 year (-37.3%)

Interest seems to be disappearing here, but these are available through other channels.

283, 286. A-Team War Stories (IDW)

03/2010: BA #1 - 4,374
03/2010: Hannibal #1 - 4,215 (-3.6%)

265, 288. Incredibles (Boom)

03/2005: The Incredibles (Dark Horse) #4 (of 4) - 11,684
03/2006: -
03/2007: -
03/2008: -
03/2009: Family Matters #1 (of 4) - 11,252

=====
04/2009: -
05/2009: Family Matters #2 (of 4) - 8,041 (-28.5%)
06/2009: Family Matters #3 (of 4) - 8,169 (+1.6%)
07/2009: Family Matters #4 (of 4) - 8,199 (+0.4%)
08/2009: Incredibles #0 - 9,407 (+14.7%)
09/2009: -
10/2009: Incredibles #1 - 9,471 (+0.7%)
11/2009: Incredibles #2 - 7,383 (-22.0%)
12/2010: Incredibles #3 - 6,849 (-7.2%)
01/2010: Incredibles #4 - 6,149 (-10.2%)
02/2010: Incredibles #5 - 5,502 (-10.5%)
03/2010: Incredibles #6 - 5,230 (-4.9%)
03/2010: Incredibles #7 - 4,025 (-23.0%)
                                6 month (n.a.)
                                1 year (64.2%)
                                2 year (n.a.)
                                3 year (n.a.)
                                4 year (n.a.)
                                5 year (-65.6%)

Two issues this month. These are not for sale outside of North America, though they are available on newsstands.

289. Ghoul (IDW)

11/2009: Ghoul #1 - 7,000
12/2009: -
01/2010: Ghoul #2 - 4,672 (-33.3%)
02/2010: -
03/2010: Ghoul #3 - 4,007 (-14.2%)

Written by Steve Niles and drawn by Bernie Wrightson.

290. Tank Girl

11/2009: Skid Marks #1 (Titan) - 4,902
12/2009: Nuggets (Image) - 5,803 (+18.4%)
01/2010: Skid Marks #2 (Titan) - 3,805 (-34.4%)
02/2010: Skid Marks #3 (Titan) - 3,253 (-14.5%)
03/2010: Royal Escape (IDW) - 3,957 (+21.6%)

I think this has to be a record for being published by the most different publishers in a short period of time.

291. Ghost Projekt (Oni)

03/2010: Ghost Projekt #1 - 3,955

Drawn by Steve Rolston.

292. Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories (Boom)
03/2005: Comics and Stories #655 (Gemstone) - 4,07203/2006: Comics and Stories #667 (Gemstone) - 3,74203/2007: Comics and Stories #679 (Gemstone) - 3,68703/2008: -03/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Comics and Stories #699 - 6,679
11/2009: Comics and Stories #700 - 5,634 (-15.6%)
12/2009: Comics and Stories #701 - 4,885 (-13.3%)
01/2010: Comics and Stories #702 - 4,567 (-6.5%)
02/2010: Comics and Stories #703 - 4,233 (-7.3%)
03/2010: Comics and Stories #704 - 3,917 (-7.5%)
                                        6 months (n.a.)
                                        1 year (n.a.)
                                        2 year (n.a.)
                                        3 year (+6.2%)
                                        4 year (+4.7%)
                                        5 year (-3.8%)

The Gemstone editions cost over twice what the Boom ones sell for, but the recent issues are available outside the direct market.

293. Uncle Scrooge (Boom)

03/2005: Uncle Scrooge #340 (Gemstone) - 4,879
03/2006: Uncle Scrooge #352 (Gemstone) - 4,663
03/2007: Uncle Scrooge #364 (Gemstone) – 4,435
03/2008: -03/2009: -

=====
10/2009: Uncle Scrooge #384 - 5,835
11/2009: Uncle Scrooge #385 - 5,232 (-10.3%)
12/2009: Uncle Scrooge #386 - 4,946 (-5.5%)
01/2010: Uncle Scrooge #387 - 4,604 (-6.9%)
02/2010: Uncle Scrooge #388 - 4,311 (-6.3%)
03/2010: Uncle Scrooge #389 - 3,906 (-9.4%)
                                        6 months (n.a.)
                                        1 year (n.a.)
                                        2 year (n.a.)
                                        3 year (-11.9%)
                                        4 year (-16.2%)
                                        5 year (-19.9%)

Ditto.

296. Shuddertown (Image)

03/2010: Shuddertown #1 - 3,836

297. Fade to Black (Image)

03/2010: Fade to Black #1 - 3,833

This is interesting, as two Image series I hadn’t heard of and lacking “name” creators sell almost the exact same amount.

298. Toy Story (Boom)

02/2010: Toy Story #1 - 4,858
03/2010: Toy Story #2 - 3,804 (-2.2%)

299. Wall-E (Boom)

11/2009: Wall-E #0 - 7,410
12/2009: Wall-E #1 - 5,946 (-20.0%)
01/2010: Wall-E #2 - 4,581 (-23.0%)
02/2010: Wall-E #3 - 4,175 (-8.9%)
03/2010: Wall-E #4 - 3,736 (-10.5%)

300. Wizards of Mickey (Boom)
02/2010: Wizards of Mickey #1 - 5,055
03/2010: Wizards of Mickey #2 - 3,704 (-26.7%)

The lowest selling comic on this month’s chart. Those last three are available through channels other than the direct market.

==========
Just a reminder, all numbers on this chart are estimates for comics sold by Diamond to the direct market. They include reorders that shipped in the same month. Books shipping in the first week of a month will have more time for reorders to appear than ones shipping in the last week of the month, when reorders will slip to the following month. These numbers don’t include sales through Diamond UK.

Matthew Murray really likes (vegetarian) cooking, zines, and comic books. Now if only he could somehow combine them.

It’s still the event season at Marvel, with SIEGE and FALL OF THE HULKS in full sway, “X-Necrosha” wrapping up, and the “Second Coming” crossover just beginning. March also saw the latest stage in the relaunch of the Ultimate imprint, namely the return of ULTIMATES, and the start of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s NEMESIS. Oh, and if you feel there’s still a dearth of Deadpool comics out there, look out for all five issues of the PRELUDE TO DEADPOOL CORPS miniseries, setting up a new Deadpool title to start in April.

Needless to say, Marvel had the largest share of the North American direct market yet again. This time they beat DC by 47% to 30% in unit share, and 42% to 27% in dollars.

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

2.  SIEGE
01/10  Siege #1 of 4 - 120,888
02/10  Siege #2 of 4 - 115,210  (-4.7%)
03/10  Siege #3 of 4 - 113,071  (-1.9%)

Curiouser and curiouser. SIEGE launched with first issue sales that were widely considered disappointing for a major event book. But last month, sales held steady. That’s extremely unusual, and led me to theorise that perhaps Diamond had knocked some of the orders off issue #1 because of a limited returnability offer.

This month, issue #1 picks up another 12,402 sales thanks to the belated release of the Director’s Cut edition, while issue #2 picks up 6,781 in reorders. Those numbers are added in above. Even with those reorders, the third-issue drop is tiny. Without them, it’s actually a climb.

One possible factor is that SIEGE #3 has a Deadpool variant cover, on top of all the variants used in the previous month. Another possibility, though, is that retailers were simply too conservative in ordering issue #1 and we’re seeing a belated correction.

6.  NEW AVENGERS
03/05  New Avengers #4  - 155,113
03/06  New Avengers #17 - 121,098
03/07  New Avengers #28 - 119,514
03/08  New Avengers #39 - 103,046
=====
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%)
01/10  New Avengers #61 -  78,202  ( +7.4%)
02/10  New Avengers #62 -  76,405  ( -2.3%)
03/10  New Avengers #63 -  76,145  ( -0.3%)
                           6 mnth  (-11.0%)
                           1 year  (-20.1%)
                           2 year  (-26.1%)
                           3 year  (-36.3%)
                           4 year  (-37.1%)
                           5 year  (-50.9%)

7.  DARK AVENGERS
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%)
01/10  Dark Avengers #13 -  76,002  ( +8.9%)
02/10  Dark Avengers #14 -  76,639  ( +0.8%)
03/10  Dark Avengers #15 -  72,254  ( -5.7%)
                            6 mnth  ( -9.4%)
                            1 year  (-29.1%)

Both books are continuing SIEGE crossover arcs which began in January. Both are seeing some gains from the event, but nothing to cancel out the drops earlier the year. In itself, this isn’t particularly unusual; we’ve seen in the past that the Avengers titles seem to see the least benefit from major crossovers, presumably because most crossover readers are buying them already.

Both books end after the crossover; NEW AVENGERS is being relaunched from issue #1, while DARK AVENGERS is replaced by a new Avengers title.

8.  ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES
03/05  Ultimates 2 #4        - 105,255
03/06  Ultimates 2 #10       -  94,900
03/07  ---
03/08  ---
03/09  ---
=====
03/10  U.C. New Ultimates #1 -  71,279
                                6 mnth  (  --- )
                                1 year  (  --- )
                                2 year  (  --- )
                                3 year  (  --- )
                                4 year  (-24.9%)
                                5 year  (-32.3%)

The relaunch of the Ultimate imprint has not been conspicuously successful thus far, and the return of ULTIMATES continues the pattern. Yes, it’s a top ten book – but it’s way below the levels we’ve previously associated with the title.

The last series, ULTIMATES 3, ended in September 2008 with sales at 86,851. The new book comes in over 15K below that figure. That’s with the benefit of a relaunch and two variant covers, so we can probably expect a hefty drop in April. It’s not looking good, frankly.

And yes, this book really is officially called ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES. How bad must the other suggestions have been?

While we’re on the subject, we may as well mention…

ULTIMATE COMICS X
02/10  Ultimate Comics X #1 - 64,113
03/10  ---

…which didn’t come out in March, but which did manage to rack up 4,954 in re-orders to chart at number 272. Those sales are included above.

9. UNCANNY X-MEN
03/05  Uncanny X-Men #457 -  86,365
03/06  Uncanny X-Men #471 -  78,286
03/07  Uncanny X-Men #484 -  82,043
03/08  Uncanny X-Men #496 -  89,054
=====
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%)
01/10  Uncanny X-Men #520 -  65,758  ( -1.9%)
02/10  Uncanny X-Men #521 -  67,049  ( +2.0%)
03/10  Uncanny X-Men #522 -  67,996  ( +1.4%)
                             6 mnth  ( -7.6%)
                             1 year  (-12.8%)
                             2 year  (-23.6%)
                             3 year  (-17.1%)
                             4 year  (-13.1%)
                             5 year  (-21.3%)

This is an extra-size issue with the return of Kitty Pryde. It’s also got a 1:25 variant cover by Mark Brooks, a slightly higher incentive than last month’s 1:15 Deadpool variant. All that probably combines to explain the slight increase. Next month sees the start of the “Second Coming” crossover, which is likely to boost sales further – although since UNCANNY is already the top-selling book and the continuity lynchpin of the X-books, it’ll probably see less benefit than the other participants.

10,14,18,19,21. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
03/05  Amazing Spider-Man #518 -  77,025
03/06  Amazing Spider-Man #530 -  89,874
03/07  Amazing Spider-Man #539 - 137,730
03/08  Amazing Spider-Man #554 -  81,072
=====
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%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #617 -  76,730  (+30.4%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #618 -  61,969  (-19.2%)
01/10  Amazing Spider-Man #619 -  56,837  ( -8.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #620 -  59,860  ( +5.3%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #621 -  55,350  ( -7.5%)
02/10  Amazing Spider-Man #622 -  53,929  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #623 -  66,064  (+22.5%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #624 -  60,213  ( -8.9%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #625 -  54,179  (-10.0%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #626 -  53,868  ( -0.6%)
03/10  Amazing Spider-Man #627 -  54,206  ( +0.6%)
                                  6 mnth  (-13.4%)
                                  1 year  (-11.6%)
                                  2 year  (-33.1%)
                                  3 year  (-60.6%)
                                  4 year  (-39.7%)
                                  5 year  (-29.6%)

Yes, Marvel solicited five issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN for March. Issue #623 has two variant covers, hence the bounce; issue #624 has one. The others are just regular old issues, so it seems that AMAZING is now hovering at around the 53-54K mark in the absence of gimmicks.

11. X-MEN: SECOND COMING
03/10  Second Coming #1 of 2 - 66,013

The first chapter of the spring X-Men crossover, which will run between UNCANNY X-MEN, X-MEN LEGACY, NEW MUTANTS and X-FORCE. Sales basically match UNCANNY, the top seller of the bunch.

12. THOR
03/05  ---
03/06  ---
03/07  ---
03/08  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Thor #606 - 55,353  ( +0.2%)
02/10  Thor #607 - 66,973  (+21.0%)
03/10  Thor #608 - 62,012  ( -7.4%)
                   6 mnth  ( -5.0%)
                   1 year  (  --- )
                   2 year  (  --- )
                   3 year  (  --- )
                   4 year  (  --- )
                   5 year  (  --- )

The second month of a SIEGE tie-in arc. And yes, this really is the first time THOR has shipped in March since 2004.

15. ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS
08/09  U.C. Avengers #1 - 99,701
09/09  U.C. Avengers #2 - 68,597  (-31.2%)
10/09  U.C. Avengers #3 - 62,716  ( -8.6%)
11/09  U.C. Avengers #4 - 59,023  ( -5.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  U.C. Avengers #5 - 58,098  ( -1.6%)
                          6 mnth  (-15.3%)

Marvel have retroactively decided to make this a series of minis, so issue #7 is now going to be ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #1. This format doesn’t seem to do wonders for the Stephen King books any more, but we’ll see how it turns out on a superhero title.

On the bright side, sales hold up well for the this issue despite the lengthy delay.

16. CAPTAIN AMERICA
03/05  Captain America #4   -  46,654
03/06  Captain America #16  -  44,717
03/07  Captain America #25  - 290,514
03/08  Captain America #36  -  81,378
=====
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%)
01/10  Reborn #6 of 6       -  84,844  (  -7.6%)
01/10  Captain America #602 -  63,948  ( -24.6%)
02/10  Captain America #603 -  63,568  (  -0.6%)
03/10  Captain America #604 -  56,962  ( -10.4%)
                               6 mnth  ( -47.4%)
                               1 year  (  -8.3%)
                               2 year  ( -30.0%)
                               3 year  ( -80.4%)
                               4 year  ( +27.4%)
                               5 year  ( +22.1%)

Returning to business-as-usual-numbers, but the book is still substantially up from four or five years ago. It’s worth noting that this issue doesn’t have a variant cover, while issue #603 did, so the month-to-month drop is exaggerated.

22. NEMESIS [Icon]
03/10  Nemesis #1 of 4 - 53,732

The new creator-owned series from Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. KICK-ASS #1 sold around 48K in its first month, February 2008, so this is noticeably up.

23,27. MIGHTY AVENGERS
03/07  Mighty Avengers #1  - 156,400
03/08  Mighty Avengers #11 -  82,253
=====
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%)
01/10  Mighty Avengers #33 -  46,899  ( -3.6%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Mighty Avengers #34 -  49,855  ( +6.3%)
03/10  Mighty Avengers #35 -  51,085  ( +2.5%)
                              6 mnth  ( -6.2%)
                              1 year  (-28.4%)
                              2 year  (-37.9%)
                              3 year  (-67.3%)

Part two of a SIEGE tie-in, delivering modest but hardly spectacular sales gains. The series ends with the next issue.

24. HULK
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%)
01/10  Hulk #19 - 56,738  ( +6.6%)
02/10  Hulk #20 - 51,962  ( -8.4%)
03/10  Hulk #21 - 50,785  ( -2.3%)
                  6 mnth  (-13.4%)
                  1 year  (  --- )

Continuing the “Fall of the Hulks” crossover. The benefit seems to be wearing off.

26. X-FORCE
03/08  X-Force #2  - 81,714
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Force #23 - 50,848  ( -1.9%)
02/10  X-Force #24 - 49,790  ( -2.1%)
03/10  X-Force #25 - 49,910  ( +0.2%)
                     6 mnth  ( +0.2%)
                     1 year  ( -3.6%)
                     2 year  (-38.9%)

This is the final part of the “Necrosha-X” crossover, though it’s more of an X-FORCE storyline with a couple of other books doing their own thing on the periphery. The effect has basically been to keep sales hovering around the 50K mark instead of dropping further. Next month begins the “Second Coming” tie-in, which is bound to boost sales, after which the series is being rebooted in the autumn as NEW X-FORCE.

29. DARK WOLVERINE
03/05  Wolverine #26      - 105,984
03/06  Wolverine #40      -  75,557
03/07  Wolverine #52      -  95,276
03/08  Wolverine #63      -  64,475
=====
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%)
01/10  Dark Wolverine #82 -  54,838  (+14.0%)
02/10  Dark Wolverine #83 -  53,958  ( -1.6%)
03/10  Dark Wolverine #84 -  49,469  ( -8.3%)
                             6 mnth  (-18.5%)
                             1 year  (-45.8%)
                             2 year  (-23.3%)
                             3 year  (-48.1%)
                             4 year  (-34.5%)
                             5 year  (-53.3%)

Once again, this issue continues a SIEGE crossover arc, and the benefit seems to have worn off already. After the crossover, the book is being relaunched as DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE, while the (unjustly) floundering WOLVERINE: WEAPON X title is being relaunched as just plain WOLVERINE. For the moment, this title is behaving similarly to INCREDIBLE HERCULES in the same circumstances – it’s inherited a more popular character’s audience, and it’s losing it steadily over time.

33. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN
03/05  ---
03/06  Iron Man #6             - 40,264
03/07  ---
03/08  Iron Man #27            - 36,011
=====
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 - 49,986  (-18.9%)
01/10  Invincible Iron Man #22 - 49,130  ( -1.7%)
02/10  Invincible Iron Man #23 - 50,027  ( +1.8%)
03/10  Invincible Iron Man #24 - 49,239  ( -1.6%)
                                 6 mnth  ( +2.5%)
                                 1 year  ( -5.6%)
                                 2 year  (+36.7%)
                                 3 year  (  --- )
                                 4 year  (+22.3%)
                                 5 year  (  --- )

Incredibly steady sales. Last month’s slight blip is presumably attributable to its Deadpool variant, which means that Iron Man is clinging rigidly to the 49K mark.

31. X-MEN LEGACY
03/05  X-Men #168        - 83,979
03/06  X-Men #184        - 78,000
03/07  X-Men #197        - 75,184
03/08  X-Men Legacy #209 - 82,243
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Men Legacy #232 - 49,200  ( -3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Legacy #233 - 51,344  ( +4.4%)
03/10  X-Men Legacy #234 - 48,217  ( -6.1%)
                           6 mnth  (  --- )
                           1 year  (-13.3%)
                           2 year  (-41.4%)
                           3 year  (-35.9%)
                           4 year  (-38.2%)
                           5 year  (-42.6%)

This is a transition issue between the “Necrosha-X” and “Second Coming” crossovers, so the drop is not unexpected.

32. INCREDIBLE HULK
03/05  Incredible Hulk #79  - 43,508
03/06  Incredible Hulk #93  - 43,691
03/07  Incredible Hulk #104 - 47,823
03/08  ---
03/09  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  Incredible Hulk #606 - 48,197  ( +9.6%)
02/10  Incredible Hulk #607 - 45,870  ( -4.8%)
03/10  Incredible Hulk #608 - 47,148  ( +2.8%)
                              6 mnth  ( -8.6%)
                              1 year  (  --- )
                              2 year  (  --- )
                              3 year  ( -1.4%)
                              4 year  ( +7.9%)
                              5 year  ( +8.4%)

Continuing the “Fall of the Hulks” crossover, and this book does seem to be getting some lasting benefit from the event. The increase from last month is presumably due to the Frank Cho variant cover.

35. SIEGE: EMBEDDED
01/10  Siege: Embedded #1 of 4 - 55,482
02/10  Siege: Embedded #2 of 4 - 46,003  (-17.1%)
03/10  Siege: Embedded #3 of 4 - 43,455  ( -5.5%)

Standard miniseries behaviour.

37. DEADPOOL
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Deadpool #19 - 44,580  ( -2.9%)
02/10  Deadpool #20 - 43,347  ( -2.8%)
03/10  Deadpool #21 - 42,062  ( -3.0%)
                      6 mnth  (-16.7%)
                      1 year  (-20.8%)

Drifting slowly down, but still with very healthy sales.

38. ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN
03/05  Ult. Spider-Man #73  - 84,943
03/06  Ult. Spider-Man #92  - 72,269
03/07  Ult. Spider-Man #106 - 73,832
03/08  Ult. Spider-Man #120 - 57,728
=====
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%)
01/10  U.C. Spider-Man #6   - 43,622  (  -4.9%)
02/10  U.C. Spider-Man #7   - 42,176  (  -3.3%)
03/10  U.C. Spider-Man #8   - 40,967  (  -2.9%)
                              6 mnth  ( -28.7%)
                              1 year  (   --- )
                              2 year  ( -29.0%)
                              3 year  ( -44.5%)
                              4 year  ( -43.3%)
                              5 year  ( -51.2%)

Another recent relaunch from the Ultimate imprint which isn’t looking altogether healthy.

40. AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE
03/08  Initiative #10 - 54,422
=====
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%)
01/10  Initiative #32 - 36,127  (+11.9%)
02/10  Initiative #33 - 39,968  (+10.6%)
03/10  Initiative #34 - 38,616  ( -3.4%)
                        6 mnth  (+14.1%)
                        1 year  (  --- )
                        2 year  (-29.0%)

Continuing a SIEGE crossover arc. The series ends with issue #35, to be relaunched as AVENGERS ACADEMY.

41. FALL OF THE HULKS: RED HULK
01/10  Red Hulk #1 of 4 - 42,482
02/10  Red Hulk #2 of 4 - 39,259  (-7.6%)
03/10  Red Hulk #3 of 4 - 38,535  (-1.8%)

About 10-12K behind the parent titles, which isn’t too bad.

46,54. WOLVERINE: ORIGINS
03/07  Origins #12 - 74,750
03/08  Origins #23 - 49,633
=====
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%)
01/10  Origins #44 - 35,154  ( -3.8%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Origins #45 - 37,055  ( +5.4%)
03/10  Origins #46 - 34,004  ( -8.2%)
                     6 mnth  (-20.4%)
                     1 year  (-25.4%)
                     2 year  (-31.5%)
                     3 year  (-54.5%)

Cancelled with issue #50, when it reaches the end of its multi-year storyline. The numbers are drifting down, but they’ll still be perfectly acceptable by the end of the run.

47,62,63,66,72. PRELUDE TO DEADPOOL CORPS
03/10  Prelude #1 of 5 - 37,011
03/10  Prelude #2 of 5 - 32,024  (-13.5%)
03/10  Prelude #3 of 5 - 31,065  ( -3.0%)
03/10  Prelude #4 of 5 - 30,254  ( -2.6%)
03/10  Prelude #5 of 5 - 29,037  ( -4.0%)

A five issue weekly miniseries, leading into next month’s new team book starring, um, five Deadpools. It’s effectively replacing DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH on the schedules, although in typical fashion Marvel are allowing them to overlap for a couple of months. Issue #1 has the benefit of a variant cover. Since D:MWAM sells in the 30K range, Marvel will presumably be expecting a jump upwards for next month’s launch.

49. 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%)
01/10  New Mutants #9  - 30,572  ( -5.2%)
02/10  New Mutants #10 - 30,807  ( +0.8%)
03/10  New Mutants #11 - 36,629  (+18.9%)
                         6 mnth  (+16.3%)

This is a one-off SIEGE tie-in issue, hence the bounce. Next month begins a “Second Coming” tie-in arc, so it might well rise further.

51. FANTASTIC FOUR
03/05  Fantastic Four #524 - 46,660
03/06  Fantastic Four #536 - 57,945
03/07  Fantastic Four #544 - 73,880
03/08  Fantastic Four #555 - 67,416
=====
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%)
01/10  Fantastic Four #575 - 41,284  ( +7.4%)
02/10  Fantastic Four #576 - 37,526  ( -9.1%)
03/10  Fantastic Four #577 - 35,791  ( -4.6%)
                             6 mnth  (-24.6%)
                             1 year  (-26.0%)
                             2 year  (-46.9%)
                             3 year  (-51.6%)
                             4 year  (-38.2%)
                             5 year  (-23.3%)

Still drifting downwards under the new creative team. These aren’t very good numbers by the standards of recent years. But then the book doesn’t have big name creators working on it any more, so up to a point, that’s to be expected.

52. THUNDERBOLTS
03/05  New Thunderbolts #6 - 29,103
03/06  Thunderbolts #100   - 26,798
03/07  Thunderbolts #112   - 61,395
03/08  Thunderbolts #119   - 40,173
=====
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%)
01/10  Thunderbolts #140   - 28,644  ( -4.4%)
02/10  Thunderbolts #141   - 33,948  (+18.5%)
03/10  Thunderbolts #142   - 34,132  ( +0.5%)
                             6 mnth  ( +0.3%)
                             1 year  (-34.7%)
                             2 year  (-15.0%)
                             3 year  (-44.4%)
                             4 year  (+27.4%)
                             5 year  (+17.3%)

Continuing the SIEGE tie-in arc, which is delivering modest gains, but still only takes the title back to where it was six months ago. The book gets a new direction with issue #144.

56. 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%)
01/10  Dark X-Men #3 of 5 - 37,873  (-10.3%)
02/10  Dark X-Men #4 of 5 - 35,007  ( -7.6%)
03/10  Dark X-Men #5 of 5 - 33,742  ( -3.6%)

Not bad at all, considering the general burnout that seems to afflict many Dark Reign and X-Men side projects.

57. 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%)
01/10  Merc With A Mouth #7 - 40,568  ( +9.5%)
02/10  Merc With A Mouth #8 - 34,281  (-15.5%)
03/10  Merc With A Mouth #9 - 33,405  ( -2.6%)
                              6 mnth  (-23.8%)

Cancelled with issue #13, effectively to be replaced by DEADPOOL CORPS. Sales remain on a downhill trend.

59. FALL OF THE HULKS: THE SAVAGE SHE-HULKS
03/10  Savage She-Hulks #1 of 3 - 33,290

Another peripheral “Fall of the Hulks” miniseries, coming in quite some way behind the RED HULK mini. This also has the benefit of a Women of Marvel variant cover.

65. DOOMWAR
03/05  Black Panther #2  - 47,533
03/06  Black Panther #14 - 28,809
03/07  Black Panther #26 - 48,717
03/08  Black Panther #35 - 21,332
=====
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%)
01/10  Black Panther #12 - 17,881  (  -1.0%)
02/10  Doomwar #1 of 6   - 43,241  (+141.8%)
03/10  Doomwar #2 of 6   - 30,555  ( -29.3%)
                           6 mnth  ( +32.7%)
                           1 year  (  -9.5%)
                           2 year  ( +43.2%)
                           3 year  ( -37.3%)
                           4 year  (  +6.1%)
                           5 year  ( -35.7%)

The DOOMWAR miniseries is unquestionably delivering significantly better sales than the regular BLACK PANTHER book – though again, we’re still only at the level that the regular title was achieving shortly after its launch a year ago.

67. CABLE
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%)
01/10  Cable #22 - 28,414  ( -2.3%)
02/10  Cable #23 - 28,890  ( +1.7%)
03/10  Cable #24 - 30,132  ( +4.3%)
                   6 mnth  (-11.3%)
                   1 year  ( -5.3%)

Billed as a “Second Coming” prelude, which probably accounts for the rise. This is effectively the last issue of the series; issue #25, billed as DEADPOOL & CABLE #25, is a flashback story that officially ends the series.

69. 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%)
01/10  Weapon X #9  - 31,678  ( -5.4%)
02/10  Weapon X #10 - 30,132  ( -4.9%)
03/10  Weapon X #11 - 29,799  ( -1.1%)
                      6 mnth  (-27.3%)

Still sliding, though at least it seems to be levelling out. The book is being relaunched in the autumn as just plain WOLVERINE, as Marvel seem to have recognised that something’s gone badly wrong here.

71. NATION X
12/09  Nation X #1 of 4 - 41,796
01/10  Nation X #2 of 4 - 33,596  (-19.6%)
02/10  Nation X #3 of 4 - 30,670  ( -8.7%)
03/10  Nation X #4 of 4 - 29,224  ( -4.7%)

Roughly similar numbers to the previous X-anthology, MANIFEST DESTINY, from late 2008.

73. X-FACTOR
03/06  X-Factor #5   - 46,490
03/07  X-Factor #17  - 38,067
03/08  X-Factor #29  - 54,832
=====
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%)
01/10  X-Factor #201 - 29,732  (-18.7%)
02/10  X-Factor #202 - 30,981  ( +4.2%)
03/10  X-Factor #203 - 28,924  ( -6.6%)
                       6 mnth  ( -4.6%)
                       1 year  ( -9.3%)
                       2 year  (-47.2%)
                       3 year  (-24.0%)
                       4 year  (-37.8%)

Back to normal sales after a renumbering stunt and a variant cover. Next issue begins a “Second Coming” tie-in arc, which is bound to boost sales.

74. SECRET WARRIORS
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%)
01/10  Secret Warriors #12 - 29,894  ( -2.8%)
02/10  Secret Warriors #13 - 30,843  ( +3.2%)
03/10  Secret Warriors #14 - 28,580  ( -7.3%)
                             6 mnth  (-15.7%)
                             1 year  (-40.6%)

No variant cover this month, so the month-to-month drop is misleading. Overall, while sales are still dropping, the decline is now fairly slow. SECRET WARRIORS is a finite series which is apparently schedueld to finish its story somewhere around issue #28 – from the look of it, it should be more than comfortable for that sort of run.

75. 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%)
01/10  Deadpool Team-Up #897 - 32,671  (-10.0%)
02/10  Deadpool Team-Up #896 - 30,119  ( -7.8%)
03/10  Deadpool Team-Up #895 - 28,573  ( -5.1%)

Drops of 5% a month on issue #6 are usually a bad sign.

78. 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%)
01/10  Marvels Project #5 of 8 - 31,644  ( -9.0%)
02/10  Marvels Project #6 of 8 - 30,108  ( -4.9%)
03/10  Marvels Project #7 of 8 - 28,129  ( -6.6%)

Still shedding readers, but then the Golden Age has always been a niche subject.

79. X-MEN: HOPE
03/10  Hope - 27,818

This is a reprint of the back-up strips from PSYLOCKE #1, DARK X-MEN #1, X-MEN LEGACY #230 and X-FORCE #22, which were basically intended to introduce the character of Hope Summers to people who weren’t reading CABLE. Nothing of any great significance transpires therein.

However, the original solicitation didn’t mention that this was a reprint book – in fact, it billed the content as “four thrilling, untold tales.” While readers who already owned the stories would probably have recognised them from the plot description, others may well have been given the impression that this was original material.

Marvel subsequently altered the solicitation to make clear that it was a reprint book, and one would like to think that the original omission was an oversight. Still, 28K for a reprint of some unimportant back-up strips is awfully high, and you have to wonder whether confusion played a part in that. After all, this book outsold PSYLOCKE #1.

80,128. WOMEN OF MARVEL ONE-SHOTS
03/10  X-23     - 27,328
03/10  She-Hulk - 15,583

The first in a torrent of one-shots starring female characters, as part of Women of Marvel Year. The SHE-HULK book is actually a celebration of the character’s 30th anniversary. It contains two original stories and what seems to be a randomly chosen John Byrne reprint. (As in, it’s not a complete story.)

84. 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%)
01/10  Spider-Woman #5 - 27,716  ( -6.9%)
02/10  Spider-Woman #6 - 26,134  ( -5.7%)
03/10  Spider-Woman #7 - 25,437  ( -2.7%)
                         6 mnth  (-49.5%)

Cancelled.

86. HULK: LET BATTLE BEGIN
03/10  Let Battle Begin - 25,237

As near as I can see, this is just a random Hulk one-shot priced at $4. I say “as near as I can see” because MARVEL PREVIEWS had this listed under “Fall of the Hulks”, so one might assume it was somehow connected. But it doesn’t seem to be.

90. INCREDIBLE HERCULES
03/08  Hercules #115          - 49,336
=====
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%)
01/10  Hercules #140          - 23,244  ( -1.5%)
02/10  Hercules #141          - 24,539  ( +5.6%)
03/10  Fall o/Avenger #1 of 2 - 23,036  ( -6.1%)
                                6 mnth  (-12.6%)
                                1 year  (-27.8%)
                                2 year  (-53.3%)

It seems a reasonable assumption that this is a transitional series along the way to a HERCULES relaunch in a few months time. That’s certainly how it’s been ordered – numbers remain virtually unchanged.

91. PUNISHERMAX  [Max]
03/05  Punisher #18     - 38,348
03/06  Punisher #31     - 34,505
03/07  Punisher #45     - 33,245
03/08  Punisher #55     - 31,276

=====
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%)
01/10  PunisherMax #3   - 22,887  ( -1.0%)
02/10  PunisherMax #4   - 22,472  ( -1.8%)
03/10  PunisherMax #5   - 22,435  ( -0.2%)
                          6 mnth  (+10.7%)
                          1 year  ( +0.8%)
                          2 year  (-28.3%)
                          3 year  (-32.5%)
                          4 year  (-35.0%)
                          5 year  (-41.5%)

Levelling out very quickly. Sales are slightly up from the previous run, but I suspect that’s more to do with the creative team than the renumbering.

92. THE STAND
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%)
09/09  ---
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Soul Survivors #4 of 5 - 22,804  ( -6.2%)
03/10  Soul Survivors #5 of 5 - 22,294  ( -2.2%)
                                6 mnth  (  --- )
                                1 year  (-53.0%)

Continuing to shed readers, but you’d figure that the direct market isn’t the only target for Stephen King adaptations, and that the collected editions ought to be more important.

93. PUNISHER
03/07  War Journal #5  - 50,190
03/08  War Journal #17 - 31,227
=====
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%)
01/10  Punisher #13    - 23,734  ( -5.0%)
02/10  Punisher #14    - 23,455  ( -1.8%)
03/10  Punisher #15    - 22,285  ( -5.0%)
                         6 mnth  (-21.6%)
                         1 year  (-40.7%)
                         2 year  (-28.6%)
                         3 year  (-55.6%)

The, um, radical new direction for the character so far doesn’t seem to have much impact on sales one way or the other.

95. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
03/05  Age of Apocalypse     - 37,056
03/06  A to Z #3 of 12       - 21,681
03/07  ---
03/08  Atlas #2 of 2         - 10,893
03/09  ---
=====
02/10  A to Z Update #1 of 5 -  5,406
03/10  Deadpool Corps        - 21,900  (+305.1%)
                               6 mnth  (   --- )
                               1 year  (   --- )
                               2 year  (+101.0%)
                               3 year  (   --- )
                               4 year  (  +1.0%)
                               5 year  ( -40.9%)

Well, that’s interesting. The sales on last month’s A TO Z issue were unexpectedly low, but this month’s themed book sees the HANDBOOK catapult back up the chats. There’s always been a degree of variation with the HANDBOOK depending on the subject matter, but not quite to this extent.

96. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
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%)
01/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #22 - 21,623  ( -3.0%)
02/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #23 - 22,807  ( +5.5%)
03/10  Guardians o/Galaxy #24 - 21,643  ( -5.1%)
                                6 mnth  (-13.1%)
                                1 year  (-21.1%)

97. 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%)
01/10  Web of Spider-Man #4 - 24,424  (-16.8%)
02/10  Web of Spider-Man #5 - 24,296  ( -0.5%)
03/10  Web of Spider-Man #6 - 21,574  (-11.2%)

98. NOVA
03/08  Nova #11 - 28,162
=====
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%)
01/10  Nova #33 - 21,841  ( -1.6%)
02/10  Nova #34 - 23,014  ( +5.4%)
03/10  Nova #35 - 21,407  ( -7.0%)
                  6 mnth  (-10.5%)
                  1 year  (-19.0%)
                  2 year  (-24.0%)

Two cosmic titles, both ending in April. Sandwiched between them, we have WEB OF SPIDER-MAN, which still shows no sign of levelling out. Is the market really going to support spin-off Spider-Man titles?

100. STEPHEN KING'S N. THE COMIC SERIES
03/10  N #1 of 4 - 21,092

This is the printed version of an online comic which came out in late 2008. In that context, the sales are pretty good.

106. X-MEN ORIGINS
03/09  ---
04/09  Wolverine    - 34,359  (+49.4%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Gambit       - 28,023  (-18.4%)
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  Iceman       - 19,004  (-32.2%)
12/09  --
01/10  Cyclops      - 19,049  ( +0.2%)
02/10  ---
03/10  Nightcrawler - 19,818  ( +4.0%)

A slight increase this month, but that probably reflects the popularity of character. MARVEL PREVIEWS also billed this issue as a “Second Coming” prelude – but at time of writing, the relevance escapes me.

110. VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT
03/07  Moon Knight #8  - 77,390
03/08  Moon Knight #16 - 29,546
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Moon Knight #5  - 19,733  ( -8.1%)
03/10  Moon Knight #6  - 19,094  ( -3.2%)
                         6 mnth  (-46.5%)
                         1 year  ( -8.5%)
                         2 year  (-35.4%)
                         3 year  (-75.3%)

Still dropping, and now below the sales of the previous volume. It’s levelling out a bit, but hardly steady.

111. CLOAK & DAGGER
03/10  One-shot - 18,998

More or less a random Cloak & Dagger one-shot, though it does serve the purpose of getting them out of the X-Men. Actually not a bad number considering that the book didn’t get much promotion.

112. PETER PARKER
03/10  Peter Parker #1 - 18,963

A reprint book featuring the online Spider-Man comics. Again, not bad for that sort of product.

114. X-FACTOR FOREVER
03/10  X-Factor Forever #1 of 5 - 18,550

X-MEN FOREVER spawns a franchise. This comes in about 3,000 ahead of the “parent” title, which is pretty decent.

116. REALM OF KINGS: INHUMANS
11/09  Inhumans #1 of 5 - 24,213
12/09  Inhumans #2 of 5 - 21,242  (-12.3%)
01/10  Inhumans #3 of 5 - 19,872  ( -6.4%)
02/10  Inhumans #4 of 5 - 19,118  ( -3.8%)
03/10  Inhumans #5 of 5 - 18,187  ( -4.9%)

118. WOLVERINE ONE-SHOTS
03/09  ---
04/09  Anniversary         - 23,276  (+10.9%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Revolver            - 21,425  ( -8.0%)
07/09  ---
08/09  ---
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  ---
12/09  Under the Boardwalk - 19,271  (-10.4%)
01/10  Wendigo             - 17,476  ( -9.3%)
02/10  Savage              - 18,396  ( +5.3%)
03/10  Mr X                - 17,947  ( -2.4%)

120. 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%)
01/10  Imperial Guard #3 of 5 - 18,949  ( -8.2%)
02/10  Imperial Guard #4 of 5 - 17,939  ( -5.3%)
03/10  Imperial Guard #5 of 5 - 17,267  ( -3.7%)

121. REALM OF KINGS: SON OF HULK
03/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #9  - 27,137  ( -5.7%)
04/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #10 - 27,317  ( +0.7%)
05/09  ---
06/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #11 - 28,633  ( +4.8%)
06/09  Skaar, Son of Hulk #12 - 35,920  (+25.4%)
07/09  Son of Hulk #13        - 29,195  (-18.7%)
08/09  Son of Hulk #14        - 27,171  ( -6.9%)
09/09  Son of Hulk #15        - 22,722  (-16.4%)
10/09  Son of Hulk #16        - 20,504  ( -9.8%)
11/09  Son of Hulk #17        - 19,097  ( -6.9%)
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Son of Hulk #1 of 4    - 24,010  (+25.7%)
03/10  Son of Hulk #2 of 4    - 17,195  (-28.4%)
                                6 mnth  (-24.3%)
                                1 year  (-36.6%)

The three REALM OF KINGS minis cluster together. In between them, this month’s WOLVERINE one-shot remains in the 17-19K range which seems to have become their established territory.

122. POWERS [Icon]
03/05  ---
03/06  Powers #17 - 24,139
03/07  ---
03/08  Powers #28 - 19,256
03/09  ---
=====
11/09  Powers #1  - 20,146
12/09  Powers #2  - 17,181  (-14.7%)
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  Powers #3  - 16,768  ( -2.4%)
                    6 mnth  (  --- )
                    1 year  (  --- )
                    2 year  (-12.9%)
                    3 year  (  --- )
                    4 year  (-30.5%)
                    5 year  (  --- )

Levelling out pretty quickly after its most recent relaunch.

124. AGENTS OF ATLAS
03/09  Agents of Atlas #2  - 26,783  (-22.3%)
04/09  Agents of Atlas #3  - 29,748  (+11.1%)
05/09  Agents of Atlas #4  - 25,377  (-14.7%)
05/09  Agents of Atlas #5  - 25,207  ( -0.7%)
06/09  Agents of Atlas #6  - 22,579  (-10.4%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #7  - 23,217  ( +2.8%)
07/09  Agents of Atlas #8  - 20,540  (-11.5%)
08/09  Agents of Atlas #9  - 20,828  ( +1.4%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #10 - 17,877  (-14.2%)
09/09  Agents of Atlas #11 - 17,529  ( -1.9%)
10/09  X-Men vs #1 of 2    - 32,743  (+86.8%)
11/09  X-Men vs #2 of 2    - 25,222  (-23.0%)
12/09  ---
01/10  Avengers vs #1 of 4 - 21,777  (-13.7%)
02/10  Avengers vs #2 of 4 - 17,998  (-17.4%)
03/10  Avengers vs #3 of 4 - 16,482  ( -8.4%)
                             6 mnth  ( -7.8%)
                             1 year  (-38.5%)

This miniseries isn’t holding up quite so well as the last one. Nonetheless, a relaunch as just plain ATLAS is around the corner, as Marvel maintains its commendable commitment to this well-reviewed book.

125,127. 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%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #15 - 17,665  ( -3.9%)
01/10  X-Men Forever #16 - 17,290  ( -2.1%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #17 - 17,873  ( +3.4%)
02/10  X-Men Forever #18 - 16,464  ( -7.9%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #19 - 16,183  ( -1.7%)
03/10  X-Men Forever #20 - 15,990  ( -1.2%)
                           6 mnth  (-31.0%)

Drifting slowly down, but Marvel are happy enough with these numbers to launch spin-offs and give the book a second year.

126. PUNISHER MAX: BUTTERFLY
03/10  Butterfly - 16,164

About 6K behind the parent title, which isn’t bad at all for these random one-shots.

131,132,149,166,205. MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS
03/10  Captain America #1 - 15,140
03/10  Thor #1            - 14,554
03/10  Wizard of Oz #1    - 12,032
03/10  Punisher Max #1    - 10,478
03/10  Inv. Iron Man #1   -  8,062

These are all $1 reprints, except for INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1, which was made available as a bundle of 25 with a $10 price tag, for use as a giveaway.

133. CRIMINAL  [Icon]
03/07  Criminal #5     - 16,389
03/08  ---
03/09  ---
=====
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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Sinners #4 of 5 - 14,569  ( -0.4%)
03/10  Sinners #5 of 5 - 14,292  ( -1.9%)
                         6 mnth  (  --- )
                         1 year  (  --- )
                         2 year  (  --- )
                         3 year  (-12.8%)

Solid. It’s barely budged over the final three issues.

137. TWELVE: SPEARHEAD
03/10  Spearhead - 13,543

This is a one-shot spin-off from the TWELVE series, currently on hiatus. That book had settled down to steady sales of 29K, so this is quite some way distant.

138. GIRL COMICS
03/10  Girl Comics #1 of 3 - 13,491

Anthology title by female creators. The closest comparison here is the STRANGE TALES miniseries from last year, which featured the long-awaited Peter Bagge “Incorrigible Hulk” strip and launched in September 2009 at 16,266. With that as a benchmark, this is quite a good number.

144. SPIDER-MAN AND THE SECRET WARS
12/09  Secret Wars #1 of 4 - 22,397
01/10  Secret Wars #2 of 4 - 15,353  (-31.5%)
02/10  Secret Wars #3 of 4 - 13,561  (-11.7%)
03/10  Secret Wars #4 of 4 - 12,637  ( -6.8%)

A good performance for an all-ages title.

152. 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%)
01/10  ---
02/10  Torch #5 of 8 - 12,211  (-11.4%)
03/10  Torch #6 of 8 - 11,896  ( -2.6%)
                       6 mnth  (-55.8%)

Still sliding, as the appeal of second-tier Golden Age characters seems to remain limited.

154. X-MEN: PIXIE STRIKES BACK
02/10  Pixie #1 of 4 - 14,167
03/10  Pixie #2 of 4 - 11,839  (-16.4%)

This is very low for an X-related miniseries.

160. 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%)
01/10  S.W.O.R.D. #3 - 13,271  (-12.2%)
02/10  S.W.O.R.D. #4 - 11,778  (-11.3%)
03/10  S.W.O.R.D. #5 - 11,259  ( -4.4%)

Axed.

162. SPIDER-MAN NOIR: EYES WITHOUT A FACE
03/09  Spider-Man Noir #4 of 4 - 24,720  ( -3.4%)
=====
12/09  Eyes w/o Face #1 of 4   - 16,447  (-33.5%)
01/10  Eyes w/o Face #2 of 4   - 13,239  (-19.5%)
02/10  Eyes w/o Face #3 of 4   - 11,379  (-14.0%)
03/10  Eyes w/o Face #4 of 4   - 10,756  ( -5.5%)
                                 6 mnth  (  --- )
                                 1 year  (-56.5%)

171. MYSTIC HANDS OF DR STRANGE
03/10  Mystic Hands of Dr Strange #1 - 10,148

173. X-MEN NOIR: MARK OF CAIN
03/09  X-Men Noir #4 of 4   - 25,861  ( -4.4%)
=====
12/09  Mark of Cain #1 of 4 - 16,043  (-38.0%)
01/10  Mark of Cain #2 of 4 - 13,399  (-16.5%)
02/10  Mark of Cain #3 of 4 - 10,564  (-21.2%)
03/10  Mark of Cain #4 of 4 - 10,070  ( -4.7%)
                              6 mnth  (  --- )
                              1 year  (-61.1%)

The Noir books are both way down compared to their original runs. In between them, MYSTIC HANDS OF DOCTOR STRANGE is another 70s retro black and white magazine. Bearing in mind that the recent STRANGE miniseries launched at 23K and finished at 14K, the commercial appeal of this format seems to be limited.

175,185. BREAKING INTO COMICS THE MARVEL WAY!
03/10  Breaking Into #1 of 2 - 9,871
03/10  Breaking Into #2 of 2 - 9,129  (-7.5%)

Despite the title, this isn’t a how-to book so much as a new-talent anthology. From the look of it, it’s selling mainly to completists. On the plus side, if any of these new artists turns out to be the next Jim Lee, then your copy of BREAKING INTO COMICS THE MARVEL WAY! #2 could be worth a fortune one day.

181. ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER
03/07  Glty. Pleasures #5 of 12 - 31,136
03/08  Glty. Pleasures #9 of 12 - 26,324
=====
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%)
01/10  Executioner #3 of 5      -  9,958  ( -4.7%)
02/10  Executioner #4 of 5      -  9,626  ( -3.3%)
03/10  Executioner #5 of 5      -  9,454  ( -1.8%)
                                  6 mnth  (-15.1%)
                                  1 year  (  --- )
                                  2 year  (-64.1%)
                                  3 year  (-69.6%)

Levelling out a bit by the end of this series, but that happened at the end of NECROMANCER as well.

182. DEATHLOK
11/09  Deathlok #1 of 7 - 20,855
12/09  Deathlok #2 of 7 - 14,059  (-32.6%)
01/10  Deathlok #3 of 7 - 11,670  (-17.0%)
02/10  Deathlok #4 of 7 - 10,185  (-12.7%)
03/10  Deathlok #5 of 7 -  9,387  ( -7.8%)

With two issues still to go, this is going to be low by the end. The drops are relatively steep for a miniseries, too.

190. MARVEL BOY: THE URANIAN
01/10  Uranian #1 of 3 - 14,258
02/10  Uranian #2 of 3 -  9,981  (-30.0%)
03/10  Uranian #3 of 3 -  8,817  (-11.7%)

Low numbers, but Marvel would never have expected wonders from an AGENTS OF ATLAS spin-off.

192. HALO: BLOOD LINE
12/09  Blood Line #1 of 5 - 10,551
01/10  Blood Line #2 of 5 -  9,172  (-13.1%)
02/10  Blood Line #3 of 5 -  8,793  ( -4.1%)
03/10  Blood Line #4 of 5 -  8,683  ( -1.3%)

Video game adaptation, and those reportedly sell most of their copies outside the direct market.

195. PET AVENGERS
05/09  Pet Avengers #1 of 4 - 17,638
06/09  Pet Avengers #2 of 4 - 12,317  (-30.2%)
07/09  Pet Avengers #3 of 4 - 11,739  ( -4.7%)
08/09  Pet Avengers #4 of 4 - 11,340  ( -3.4%)
09/09  ---
10/09  ---
11/09  ---
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  Tails o/Pet Avengers -  8,214  (-27.6%)
03/10  Unleashed #1 of 4    -  8,554  ( +4.1%)

The first PET AVENGERS miniseries ended up at 11K, so starting off at 8,500 isn’t too promising. That said, it depends on who Marvel see as the target audience here – this is an all-ages title, and by those standards it’s still doing quite well.

241. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT
03/06  Finch/Aguirre-Sacasa -  4,146
03/07  Civil War Aftermath  - 31,072
03/08  L Hamilton/G Martin  -  4,656
=====
03/09  Wolverine            -  6,670  (+9.8%)
04/09  ---
05/09  New Mutants          -  4,661  (-30.1%)
06/09  Captain America      -  6,733  (+44.5%)
07/09  ---
08/09  Summer Events        -  5,999  (-10.9%)
09/09  Marvel Zombies       -  5,546  ( -7.6%)
10/09  Deadpool             -  7,284  (+31.3%)
11/09  ---
12/09  ---
01/10  ---
02/10  ---
03/10  Iron Man 2           -  6,373  (-12.5%)
                              6 mnth  (+14.9%)
                              1 year  ( -4.5%)
                              2 year  (+36.9%)
                              3 year  (-79.5%)
                              4 year  (+53.7%)

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT seems to have settled down to a 5-7K range.

259. 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%)
01/10  Super Hero Squad #1      - 9,709  (+135.0%)
02/10  Super Hero Squad #2      - 5,691  ( -41.4%)
03/10  Super Hero Squad #3      - 5,399  (  -5.1%)
                                 6 mnth  ( -20.1%)

That’s still above most issues of the recent miniseries, so it’s doing fine so far. Again, this is an all-ages book, and it’s based on a TV show, so direct sales shouldn’t be the key issue anyway.

277. WOMEN OF MARVEL: CELEBRATING SEVEN DECADES
03/10  WoM: C7D - 4,656

This is a ten dollar magazine featuring reprints and some new features. The economics are completely different for that sort of product, so Marvel will probably be entirely happy with these sales.

287. MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN  [All ages]
03/05  M.A. Spider-Man #1  - 14,351
03/06  M.A. Spider-Man #13 -  5,899
03/07  M.A. Spider-Man #25 -  6,408
03/08  M.A. Spider-Man #37 -  5,877
=====
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%)
01/10  M.A. Spider-Man #59 -  4,315  ( -0.9%)
02/10  M.A. Spider-Man #60 -  4,212  ( -2.4%)
03/10  M.A. Spider-Man #61 -  4,200  ( -2.8%)
                             6 mnth  (-25.9%)
                             1 year  ( -9.5%)
                             2 year  (-28.5%)
                             3 year  (-34.5%)
                             4 year  (-28.8%)
                             5 year  (-70.7%)

Relaunches next month as just plain SPIDER-MAN.

Three Marvel books failed to make the top 300 in March: MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #21, DAFFODIL #3 and KOOKABURRA K #3. All three sold fewer than 3,704 copies, a benchmark none of them would have been expected to reach based on their track record.

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

+32.7% - Doomwar/Black Panther
+16.3% - New Mutants
+14.9% - Marvel Spotlight
+14.1% - Avengers: The Initiative
+10.7% - PunisherMax
+ 2.5% - Iron Man
+ 0.3% - Thunderbolts
+ 0.2% - X-Force
- 4.6% - X-Factor
- 5.0% - Thor
- 6.2% - Mighty Avengers
- 7.6% - Uncanny X-Men
- 7.8% - Agents of Atlas
- 8.6% - Incredible Hulk
- 9.4% - Dark Avengers
-10.5% - Nova
-11.0% - New Avengers
-11.3% - Cable
-12.6% - Hercules
-13.1% - Guardians of the Galaxy
-13.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
-13.4% - Hulk
-15.1% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-15.3% - Ultimate Comics Avengers
-15.7% - Secret Warriors
-16.7% - Deadpool
-18.5% - Dark Wolverine
-20.1% - Super Hero Squad
-20.4% - Wolverine: Origins
-21.6% - Punisher (MU)
-23.8% - Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth
-24.3% - Son of Hulk
-24.6% - Fantastic Four
-25.9% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-27.3% - Wolverine: Weapon X
-28.7% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-31.0% - X-Men Forever
-46.5% - Moon Knight
-47.4% - Captain America
-49.5% - Spider-Woman
-55.8% - Torch

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

+ 0.8% - PunisherMax
- 3.6% - X-Force
- 4.5% - Marvel Spotlight
- 5.3% - Cable
- 5.6% - Iron Man
- 8.3% - Captain America
- 8.5% - Moon Knight
- 9.3% - X-Factor
- 9.5% - Doomwar/Black Panther
- 9.5% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-11.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
-12.8% - Uncanny X-Men
-13.3% - X-Men Legacy
-19.0% - Nova
-20.1% - New Avengers
-20.8% - Deadpool
-21.1% - Guardians of the Galaxy
-25.4% - Wolverine: Origins
-26.0% - Fantastic Four
-27.8% - Hercules
-28.4% - Mighty Avengers
-29.1% - Dark Avengers
-34.7% - Thunderbolts
-36.6% - Son of Hulk
-38.5% - Agents of Atlas
-40.6% - Secret Warriors
-40.7% - Punisher (MU)
-45.8% - Dark Wolverine
-53.0% - Stand
-56.5% - Spider-Man Noir
-61.1% - X-Men Noir

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

+101.0% - Official Handbook
+ 43.2% - Doomwar/Black Panther
+ 36.9% - Marvel Spotlight
+ 36.7% - Iron Man
- 12.9% - Powers
- 15.0% - Thunderbolts
- 23.3% - Dark Wolverine
- 23.6% - Uncanny X-Men
- 24.0% - Nova
- 26.1% - New Avengers
- 28.3% - PunisherMax
- 28.5% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
- 28.6% - Punisher (MU)
- 29.0% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
- 29.0% - Avengers: The Initiative
- 30.0% - Captain America
- 31.5% - Wolverine: Origins
- 33.1% - Amazing Spider-Man
- 35.4% - Moon Knight
- 37.9% - Mighty Avengers
- 38.9% - X-Force
- 41.4% - X-Men Legacy
- 46.9% - Fantastic Four
- 47.2% - X-Factor
- 53.3% - Hercules
- 64.1% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter

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

- 1.4% - Incredible Hulk
-12.8% - Criminal
-17.1% - Uncanny X-Men
-24.0% - X-Factor
-32.5% - PunisherMax
-34.5% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-35.9% - X-Men Legacy
-36.3% - New Avengers
-37.3% - Doomwar/Black Panther
-44.4% - Thunderbolts
-44.5% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-48.1% - Dark Wolverine
-51.6% - Fantastic Four
-54.5% - Wolverine: Origins
-55.6% - Punisher
-60.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
-67.3% - Mighty Avengers
-69.6% - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter
-75.3% - Moon Knight
-79.5% - Marvel Spotlight
-80.4% - Captain America

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

+53.7% - Marvel Spotlight
+27.4% - Captain America
+27.4% - Thunderbolts
+22.3% - Iron Man
+ 7.9% - Incredible Hulk
+ 6.1% - Doomwar/Black Panther
+ 1.0% - Official Handbook
-13.1% - Uncanny X-Men
-24.9% - Ultimate Comics New Ultimates
-28.8% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man
-30.5% - Powers
-34.5% - Dark Wolverine
-35.0% - PunisherMax
-37.1% - New Avengers
-37.8% - X-Factor
-38.2% - X-Men Legacy
-38.2% - Fantastic Four
-39.7% - Amazing Spider-Man
-43.3% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man

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

+22.1% - Captain America
+17.3% - Thunderbolts
+ 8.4% - Incredible Hulk
-21.3% - Uncanny X-Men
-23.3% - Fantastic Four
-29.6% - Amazing Spider-Man
-32.3% - Ultimate Comics New Ultimates
-35.7% - Doomwar/Black Panther
-40.9% - Official Handbook
-41.5% - PunisherMax
-42.6% - X-Men Legacy
-50.9% - New Avengers
-51.2% - Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
-53.3% - Dark Wolverine
-70.7% - Marvel Adventures Spider-Man