by Marc-Oliver Frisch

DC Comics are increasingly struggling to keep up with Marvel in terms of market share and chart domination. The good news is that DC’s average sales recovered somewhat in February, thanks to a strong debut of new team-up title The Brave and the Bold, and to a bunch of high-selling titles returning to the shelves after being absent for various reasons in January. However, for the first time in two years, the publisher failed to break the 100K barrier with any of its releases — in fact, Justice League of America and the elusive All Star Batman are now the only DC titles which haven’t dropped below that marker, and DC doesn’t seem to have any obvious new 100K+ sellers lined up for the next several months. Additionally, the problem of late-shipping titles persists. Justice League of America #6, Teen Titans #44 and Superman Confidential #4 are the most prominent books that didn’t reach stores despite being marked for a February release.

DC’s Vertigo and WildStorm sub-labels also continue to look less than healthy, in terms of monthly sales. Due to the failure of Vertigo’s Fables to ship in February, the imprint’s average numbers dropped to their lowest point yet since Diamond started to release information on actual sales in March 2003. WildStorm, in the meantime, appears to be all over the place. The recent revamp of their WildStorm Universe line begins to look more and more half-hearted, suffering from mediocre sales, two missing flagship titles and high-profile creators jumping ship after their initial arcs, while the whole lot of their new ongoing horror film adaptations has just been canceled. In other words, everything’s looking a little bit bleak for DC at the moment. See below for the details.

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.

—–

7 - JUSTICE
02/2006: Justice #4  of 12 -- 110,488 (- 2.5%) [125,006]
03/2006: --
04/2006: Justice #5  of 12 -- 110,157 (- 0.3%) [126,706]
05/2006: --
06/2006: Justice #6  of 12 -- 110,188 (+ 0.0%)
07/2006: --
08/2006: Justice #7  of 12 -- 106,866 (- 3.0%) [108,821]
09/2006: --
10/2006: Justice #8  of 12 -- 103,829 (- 2.8%)
11/2006: --
12/2006: Justice #9  of 12 --  98,887 (- 4.8%)
01/2007: --
02/2007: Justice #10 of 12 --  94,960 (- 4.0%)
----------------
6 months: -11.1%
1 year  : -14.1%

For the first time since January 2005, DC failed to sell in excess of 100,000 units with any of its direct market releases in February, with not much on the horizon to replace the publisher’s lapsed 100K+ sales juggernauts.

But Justice is not to blame for that, of course. There’s been a noticeable decline over the last six months, but for a bi-monthly twelve-issue series completely detached from current continuity, the book is still doing perfectly well.

—–

8/9/10/11 - 52
05/2006: 52 Week 1  -- 140,971          [143,611]
05/2006: 52 Week 2  -- 128,393 (- 8.9%) [130,704]
05/2006: 52 Week 3  -- 123,982 (- 3.4%) [126,913]
05/2006: 52 Week 4  -- 121,440 (- 2.1%) [125,297]
06/2006: 52 Week 5  -- 111,895 (- 7.9%) 
06/2006: 52 Week 6  -- 110,028 (- 1.7%) [111,732]
06/2006: 52 Week 7  -- 110,188 (+ 0.2%) [112,618]
06/2006: 52 Week 8  -- 105,107 (- 4.6%) [108,775]
07/2006: 52 Week 9  -- 102,142 (- 2.8%)
07/2006: 52 Week 10 -- 100,779 (- 1.3%)
07/2006: 52 Week 11 -- 122,016 (+21.1%) [123,724]
07/2006: 52 Week 12 --  98,667 (-19.1%) [102,362]
08/2006: 52 Week 13 -- 119,507 (+21.1%)
08/2006: 52 Week 14 -- 118,259 (- 1.4%)
08/2006: 52 Week 15 -- 119,411 (+ 1.0%)
08/2006: 52 Week 16 -- 117,472 (- 1.6%) [118,624]
08/2006: 52 Week 17 -- 116,637 (- 0.7%) [118,775]
09/2006: 52 Week 18 -- 111,830 (- 4.1%)
09/2006: 52 Week 19 -- 111,611 (- 0.2%)
09/2006: 52 Week 20 -- 111,099 (- 0.5%)
09/2006: 52 Week 21 -- 110,350 (- 0.7%) [111,986]
10/2006: 52 Week 22 -- 108,624 (- 1.6%)
10/2006: 52 Week 23 -- 107,962 (- 0.6%)
10/2006: 52 Week 24 -- 107,413 (- 0.5%)
10/2006: 52 Week 25 -- 106,332 (- 1.0%)
11/2006: 52 Week 26 -- 104,614 (- 1.6%)
11/2006: 52 Week 27 -- 104,265 (- 0.3%)
11/2006: 52 Week 28 -- 103,529 (- 0.7%)
11/2006: 52 Week 29 -- 102,699 (- 0.8%)
11/2006: 52 Week 30 -- 102,576 (- 0.1%)
12/2006: 52 Week 31 -- 100,596 (- 1.9%)
12/2006: 52 Week 32 --  99,634 (- 1.0%)
12/2006: 52 Week 33 --  99,441 (- 0.2%)
12/2006: 52 Week 34 --  98,379 (- 1.1%)
01/2007: 52 Week 35 -- 105,095 (+ 6.8%)
01/2007: 52 Week 36 --  96,815 (- 7.9%)
01/2007: 52 Week 37 --  96,612 (- 0.2%)
01/2007: 52 Week 38 --  95,945 (- 6.9%)
01/2007: 52 Week 39 --  94,865 (- 1.1%) [ 96,545]
02/2007: 52 Week 40 --  94,694 (- 0.2%)
02/2007: 52 Week 41 --  94,486 (- 0.2%)
02/2007: 52 Week 42 --  94,220 (- 0.3%)
02/2007: 52 Week 43 --  93,505 (- 0.8%)
----------------
6 months: -20.3%

The book is in a slow decline, but nothing to be worried about. Correction regarding last month’s column: Week 35 didn’t ship with a variant cover edition — it was solicited with one, but the variant edition was later canceled. Given that it was a 1-in-10 variant, it might still explain the sales increase, however, even if it never shipped.

—–

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
02/2007: The Brave and the Bold #1  -- 92,091

That’s a perfectly good debut performance. The book, written by Mark Waid and drawn by George Pérez, teams up two random DC characters every month. This type of series doesn’t tend to do very well — Marvel have tried to relaunch their own version three times since the mid-nineties — so I presume the success largely rests on the creators’ sales draw, in this case. There also was a variant cover edition, but that goes without saying these days.

—–

15 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
02/2004: JSA #58             --  44,756
02/2005: JSA #70             --  42,864
---------------------------------------
02/2006: JSA #82             --  54,234 (+  8.3%)
03/2006: JSA #83             --  51,991 (-  4.1%) [ 58,624]
04/2006: JSA #84             --  53,245 (+  2.4%)
05/2006: JSA #85             --  52,620 (-  1.2%)
06/2006: JSA #86             --  50,338 (-  4.3%)
07/2006: JSA #87             --  49,583 (-  1.5%)
08/2006: --
09/2006: --
10/2006: --
11/2006: --
12/2006: Justice Society #1  -- 102,990 (+107.7%) [108,140]
01/2007: Justice Society #2  --  86,180 (- 16.3%) [ 92,459]
02/2007: Justice Society #3  --  84,356 (-  2.1%)
-----------------
6 months:   n.a.
1 year  :  +55.5%
2 years :  +96.8%

Sales are bottoming out very quickly and both previous issues made the chart again in February (#2 sold another 6,279 units, #1 another 1,888), suggesting that retailers have a lot of confidence in the book’s performance. As with the two previous issues, there was a 1-in-10 variant cover edition.

—–

16 - BATMAN
02/2004: Batman #624 --  84,081
02/2005: Batman #637 --  58,034          [ 60,246]
-------------------------------
02/2006: Batman #650 --  66,447 (+ 6.5%) [ 74,355]
03/2006: Batman #651 --  69,805 (+ 5.1%) [ 79,616]
04/2006: Batman #652 --  72,889 (+ 4.4%) [ 82,438]
05/2006: Batman #653 --  77,257 (+ 6.0%) [ 78,435]
06/2006: Batman #654 --  76,525 (- 1.0%) [ 78,671]
07/2006: Batman #655 -- 113,567 (+48.4%) [123,903]
08/2006: Batman #656 --  95,982 (-15.5%) [ 99,024]
09/2006: Batman #657 --  91,357 (- 4.8%) [ 96,127]
10/2006: --
11/2006: Batman #658 --  94,349 (+ 3.3%)
11/2006: Batman #659 --  90,651 (- 3.9%)
12/2006: Batman #660 --  76,967 (-15.1%)
12/2006: Batman #661 --  75,512 (- 1.9%)
01/2007: Batman #662 --  72,499 (- 4.0%)
02/2007: Batman #663 --  83,167 (+14.7%)
----------------
6 months: -13.4%
1 year  : +25.2%
2 years : +43.3%

High-profile regular writer Grant Morrison returned to the book in February, following a four-issue stint by a fill-in creative team. While sales have recovered somewhat, they’re not quite where they used to be. Of course, popular regular artist Andy Kubert won’t be back until issue #664, so we won’t know for sure whether the filler issues hurt the book until next month.

—–

21 - WONDER WOMAN
02/2004: Wonder Woman #201 --  29,210
02/2005: Wonder Woman #213 --  24,728
-------------------------------------
02/2006: Wonder Woman #226 --  45,682 (+  7.1%)
03/2006: --
04/2006: --
05/2006: --
06/2006: Wonder Woman #1   -- 132,580 (+190.2%) [139,562]
07/2006: --
08/2006: Wonder Woman #2   --  84,618 (- 36.2%) [ 87,276]
09/2006: --
10/2006: --
11/2006: Wonder Woman #3   --  76,998 (-  9.0%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: --
02/2007: Wonder Woman #4   --  69,860 (-  9.3%)
-----------------
6 months: - 17.4%
1 year  : + 52.9%
2 years : +182.5%

Although the final issue of the book’s initial storyline remains to be released, Wonder Woman is moving on to greener pastures: Issue #5 is a one-shot story leading into an upcoming miniseries, while #6 is the start of the second arc, by a new creative team. It’s a controversial decision, and it’s not hard to see why. While the book finally seems to be on track now logistically (two new issues were released in March), the notion of leaving an arc unfinished in favor of getting back on schedule was, until a few months ago, pretty much unthinkable in this day and age.

Now, on one side of the debate, you have the people who argue that it doesn’t matter how long it takes for an issue to be released as long as it’s good. And on the other side, you’ve got the folks who prefer their comics to come out when the publisher said they would. The ideal solution, of course, would be for publishers to not solicit material until it can be reasonably expected to come out on time and still be quality work, but for some reason, that doesn’t quite seem to work, in many cases.

Be that as it may, the relaunch hasn’t been particularly well-received so far, and not just because of the delays, so it doesn’t come as a great surprise that sales are still dropping at an unhealthy rate. It’s unlikely that subsequent issues by lower-profile creative teams will immediately fix that, but considering that the numbers are still considerably ahead of the book’s previous incarnation despite the crash, some degree of damage control may yet be worthwhile.

—–

23 - ACTION COMICS
02/2004: Action Comics #812 -- 51,466          [70,458]
02/2005: Action Comics #824 -- 37,432
-------------------------------------
02/2006: Action Comics #836 -- 51,722 (+25.8%) [55,331]
03/2006: Action Comics #837 -- 55,816 (+ 7.9%) [69,652]
04/2006: --
05/2006: Action Comics #838 -- 62,702 (+12.3%)
05/2006: Action Comics #839 -- 61,898 (- 1.3%) [64,278]
06/2006: Action Comics #840 -- 61,786 (- 0.2%) [63,676]
07/2006: Action Comics #841 -- 58,657 (- 5.1%)
08/2006: Action Comics #842 -- 57,964 (- 1.2%)
09/2006: Action Comics #843 -- 56,084 (- 3.2%)
10/2006: Action Comics #844 -- 78,869 (+40.6%) [88,290]
11/2006: Action Comics #845 -- 66,742 (-15.4%) [68,728]
12/2006: --
01/2007: --
02/2007: Action Comics #846 -- 64,554 (- 3.3%)
----------------
6 months: +11.4%
1 year  : +24.8%
2 years : +72.5%

Speaking of damage control, Action Comics #846 was the third part of a six-issue storyline which now won’t be continued until June’s issue #851. Issues #847 to 850, you guessed it, will now contain fill-in stories, in order to give artist Adam Kubert enough time to finish the remaining three issues of his arc. It’s not quite as drastic as in the case of Wonder Woman, but still a departure from what the audience has come to expect.

The book’s sales continue to be decent but underwhelming, meanwhile, given the high-profile creative team.

—–

26 - ACTION COMICS ANNUAL
02/2007: Action Comics Annual #10 -- 62,774

The reason why the book shipped ten years after issue #9 isn’t because it was late (although it was — it was meant to be out in January), but because Annuals were out of fashion until recently.

The story by the regular Action Comics writers and the 1-in-10 variant cover edition serve to explain why it sold so closely to the mother title.

—–

27 - GREEN LANTERN
02/2004: Green Lantern #174 --  29,403
02/2005: GL: Rebirth #4     -- 108,077          [121,581]
--------------------------------------
02/2006: Green Lantern #8   --  89,252 (+ 5.4%)
02/2006: Green Lantern #9   --  86,554 (- 3.0%) [ 89,974]
03/2006: Green Lantern #10  --  79,745 (- 7.9%) [ 87,143]
04/2006: --
05/2006: Green Lantern #11  --  78,926 (- 1.0%)
06/2006: --
07/2006: Green Lantern #12  --  80,292 (+ 1.7%)
08/2006: --
09/2006: Green Lantern #13  --  78,101 (- 2.7%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Green Lantern #14  --  72,894 (- 6.7%)
11/2006: Green Lantern #15  --  70,148 (- 3.8%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: Green Lantern #16  --  66,105 (- 5.8%)
02/2007: Green Lantern #17  --  62,018 (- 6.2%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : -30.5% 
2 years : -42.6%

For the first time in almost a year, DC managed to ship two subsequent issues of Green Lantern in two subsequent months, and issue #18 followed in March. While the book is on schedule again, however, the numbers are still dwindling down way too fast for comfort.

—–

31 - SUPERMAN
02/2004: Superman #202 --  50,449           [ 66,640]
02/2005: Superman #213 -- 101,258
---------------------------------
02/2006: Superman #226 --  63,982 (+  3.6%)
03/2006: Superman #650 --  65,603 (+  2.5%) [ 77,783]
04/2006: Superman #651 --  73,355 (+ 11.8%)
05/2006: Superman #652 --  70,458 (-  4.0%)
06/2006: Superman #653 --  69,079 (-  2.0%)
07/2006: Superman #654 --  69,526 (+  0.7%)
08/2006: Superman #655 --  66,976 (-  3.7%)
09/2006: Superman #656 --  64,288 (-  4.0%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Superman #657 --  62,327 (-  3.1%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: Superman #658 --  60,682 (-  2.6%)
02/2007: Superman #659 --  58,258 (-  4.0%)
----------------
6 months: -13.0%
1 year  : - 9.0%
2 years : -42.5%

Another title subject to the publisher’s revised policy regarding delays: While the content originally slated to appear in issue #659 apparently wasn’t ready, the issue itself still made it out — albeit two months late — with a makeshift story. Similarly, the stories originally solicited to appear in issues #661 and #662 have been pushed back to #662 and #663, respectively, leaving issues #660 and #661 with fill-in stories.

To be fair, the modifications to Superman‘s schedule are a lot less jarring than in the other cases; for one thing, the fill-ins are all by the regular writer, for another, they happen in-between arcs, and not in the middle of them.

For the book’s sales, the same can be said as for the numbers of the other Superman titles, meanwhile — they’re decent, but underwhelming, given the creators.

—–

33 - DETECTIVE COMICS
02/2004: Detective Comics #791 -- 34,995
02/2005: Detective Comics #803 -- 40,014
----------------------------------------
02/2006: Detective Comics #816 -- 35,410 (- 0.5%)
03/2006: Detective Comics #817 -- 62,245 (+75.8%) [70,241]
04/2006: Detective Comics #818 -- 60,440 (- 2.9%) [68,189]
05/2006: Detective Comics #819 -- 65,800 (+ 8.9%)
06/2006: Detective Comics #820 -- 65,988 (+ 0.3%)
07/2006: Detective Comics #821 -- 67,345 (+ 2.1%)
08/2006: Detective Comics #822 -- 66,372 (- 1.5%)
09/2006: Detective Comics #823 -- 64,215 (- 3.3%)
10/2006: Detective Comics #824 -- 62,431 (- 2.8%)
11/2006: Detective Comics #825 -- 58,940 (- 5.6%)
12/2006: Detective Comics #826 -- 59,657 (+ 1.2%)
12/2006: Detective Comics #827 -- 55,031 (- 7.8%)
01/2007: --
02/2007: Detective Comics #828 -- 55,206 (+ 0.3%)
----------------
6 months: -16.8%
1 year  : +55.9%
2 years : +38.0%

Writer Paul Dini’s tenure has been fairly well-received, and the numbers seem to reflect that. They’re still considerably up on the level immediately prior to last March’s “One Year Later” stunt, which makes Detective Comics an exception in DC’s lineup.

Another correction: The reason why Detective Comics didn’t ship in January wasn’t because it was late, as I claimed last month. Rather, Detective Comics #827 actually came out a week early and appeared back on the December chart as a result.

—–

34 - SUPERGIRL
02/2006: Supergirl #4  -- 104,734 (+ 4.8%)
02/2006: Supergirl #5  -- 103,108 (- 1.0%) [104,930]
03/2006: --
04/2006: --
05/2006: Supergirl #6  -- 102,860 (- 0.2%)
06/2006: --
07/2006: Supergirl #7  --  85,175 (-17.2%)
07/2006: Supergirl #8  --  76,942 (- 9.7%)
08/2006: Supergirl #9  --  74,252 (- 3.5%)
09/2006: Supergirl #10 --  67,358 (- 9.3%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Supergirl #11 --  62,544 (- 7.2%)
12/2006: Supergirl #12 --  59,819 (- 4.4%)
12/2006: Supergirl #13 --  56,648 (- 5.3%)
01/2007: --
02/2007: Supergirl #14 --  52,977 (- 6.5%)
----------------
6 months: -28.7%
1 year  : -49.0%

Sales keep declining way too fast. The one-year comparison speaks volumes.

—–

40 - FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE
02/2004: Flash #207     --  41,982           [ 46,626]
02/2005: Flash #219     --  44,071           [ 46,188]  
----------------------------------
06/2006: Flash: FMA #1  -- 120,404 (+196.8%) [126,741]
07/2006: Flash: FMA #2  --  77,487 (- 35.6%) [ 82,501]
08/2006: Flash: FMA #3  --  70,633 (-  8.9%) [ 72,067]
09/2006: Flash: FMA #4  --  66,663 (-  5.6%)
10/2006: Flash: FMA #5  --  61,576 (-  7.6%)
11/2006: Flash: FMA #6  --  56,789 (-  7.8%)
12/2006: Flash: FMA #7  --  53,600 (-  5.6%)
01/2007: Flash: FMA #8  --  50,967 (-  4.9%)
02/2007: Flash: FMA #9  --  47,214 (-  7.4%)
----------------
6 months: -33.2%
1 year  :   n.a.
2 years : + 7.1%

Issue #9 was the debut of new writer Marc Guggenheim. The decline accelerates again, suggesting that retailers don’t have much confidence in the creative change. The numbers are now back in the upper range of what the book’s previous incarnation used to shift.

—–

46 - BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL
12/2006: Batman Confidential #1  -- 61,119
01/2007: Batman Confidential #2  -- 47,451 (-22.4%)
02/2007: Batman Confidential #3  -- 41,109 (-13.4%)

A steep third-issue drop.

—–

51 - SUPERMAN AND BATMAN VS. ALIENS AND PREDATORS
01/2007: S&B vs. A&P #1 of 2 -- 40,889
02/2007: S&B vs. A&P #2 of 2 -- 36,119 (-11.7%)

That’s a decent drop for this sort of thing. Perfectly good numbers.

—–

52 - SHAZAM: THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL
02/2007: SHAZAM: Monster Society #1 of 4 -- 35,970

Writer and artist Jeff Smith’s revamp of the Golden-Age Captain Marvel character yields respectable numbers, especially for an expensive cardboard-cover series.

—–

54 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS
02/2006: --
03/2006: GLC: Recharge #5 of 5   -- 60,123 (+ 0.3%)
04/2006: --
05/2006: --
06/2006: Green Lantern Corps #1  -- 76,686 (+27.6%)
07/2006: Green Lantern Corps #2  -- 56,886 (-25.8%)
08/2006: Green Lantern Corps #3  -- 51,485 (- 9.5%)
09/2006: Green Lantern Corps #4  -- 46,619 (- 9.5%)
10/2006: Green Lantern Corps #5  -- 43,546 (- 6.6%)
11/2006: Green Lantern Corps #6  -- 41,089 (- 5.6%)
12/2006: Green Lantern Corps #7  -- 38,737 (- 5.7%)
01/2007: Green Lantern Corps #8  -- 36,924 (- 4.7%)
02/2007: Green Lantern Corps #9  -- 34,897 (- 5.5%)
----------------
6 months: -32.2%
1 year  :   n.a.

Still dropping at an unhealthy rate.

—–

55 - TRIALS OF SHAZAM
08/2006: Trials of SHAZAM #1  of 12 -- 50,621          [53,471]
09/2006: Trials of SHAZAM #2  of 12 -- 41,156 (-18.7%) [43,853]
10/2006: Trials of SHAZAM #3  of 12 -- 38,395 (- 6.7%)
11/2006: --
12/2006: Trials of SHAZAM #4  of 12 -- 38,029 (- 1.0%)
01/2007: --
02/2007: Trials of SHAZAM #5  of 12 -- 34,614 (- 9.0%)
----------------
6 months: -31.6%

A hefty drop. Not a good sign.

—–

59 - ION
04/2006: Ion #1  of 12 -- 66,453          [74,727]
05/2006: Ion #2  of 12 -- 55,532 (-16.4%) [57,415]
06/2006: Ion #3  of 12 -- 51,739 (- 6.8%)
07/2006: Ion #4  of 12 -- 49,981 (- 3.4%)
08/2006: Ion #5  of 12 -- 45,764 (- 8.4%)
09/2006: Ion #6  of 12 -- 41,832 (- 8.6%)
10/2006: Ion #7  of 12 -- 38,795 (- 7.3%)
11/2006: Ion #8  of 12 -- 36,541 (- 5.8%)
12/2006: Ion #9  of 12 -- 35,566 (- 2.7%)
01/2007: Ion #10 of 12 -- 33,719 (- 5.2%)
02/2007: Ion #11 of 12 -- 33,042 (- 2.0%)
----------------
6 months: -27.8%

Bottoming out again.

—–

60 - OUTSIDERS
02/2004: Outsiders #9  -- 43,428
02/2005: Outsiders #20 -- 39,051
02/2005: Outsiders #21 -- 40,032          [42,077]
--------------------------------
02/2006: Outsiders #33 -- 43,270 (- 1.7%)
03/2006: Outsiders #34 -- 47,286 (+ 9.3%) [51,527]
04/2006: Outsiders #35 -- 45,774 (- 3.2%)
05/2006: Outsiders #36 -- 45,705 (- 0.2%)
06/2006: Outsiders #37 -- 44,109 (- 3.5%)
07/2006: Outsiders #38 -- 41,974 (- 4.8%)
08/2006: Outsiders #39 -- 40,524 (- 3.5%)
09/2006: Outsiders #40 -- 38,626 (- 4.7%)
10/2006: Outsiders #41 -- 36,672 (- 5.1%)
11/2006: Outsiders #42 -- 35,598 (- 2.9%)
12/2006: Outsiders #43 -- 34,243 (- 3.8%)
01/2007: Outsiders #44 -- 34,437 (+ 0.6%)
02/2007: Outsiders #45 -- 32,976 (- 4.2%)
----------------
6 months: -18.6%
1 year  : -23.8%
2 years : -16.6%

The book resumes its brisk decline.

—–

62 - NIGHTWING
02/2004: Nightwing #90  -- 28,688
02/2005: Nightwing #103 -- 36,921
02/2005: Nightwing #104 -- 36,411
---------------------------------
02/2006: Nightwing #117 -- 35,489 (+ 1.1%)
03/2006: Nightwing #118 -- 42,525 (+19.8%) [51,775]
04/2006: Nightwing #119 -- 46,336 (+ 9.0%)
05/2006: Nightwing #120 -- 46,076 (- 0.6%)
06/2006: Nightwing #121 -- 44,974 (- 2.4%)
07/2006: Nightwing #122 -- 42,542 (- 5.4%)
08/2006: Nightwing #123 -- 40,111 (- 5.7%)
09/2006: Nightwing #124 -- 38,251 (- 4.6%)
10/2006: Nightwing #125 -- 38,470 (+ 0.6%)
11/2006: Nightwing #126 -- 36,145 (- 6.0%)
12/2006: Nightwing #127 -- 34,889 (- 3.5%)
01/2007: Nightwing #128 -- 33,930 (- 2.8%)
02/2007: Nightwing #129 -- 32,651 (- 3.8%)
----------------
6 months: -18.6%
1 year  : - 8.0%
2 years : -11.0%

Declining.

—–

64 - GREEN ARROW
02/2004: Green Arrow #35 -- 35,507
02/2005: Green Arrow #47 -- 31,553
----------------------------------
02/2006: Green Arrow #59 -- 31,250 (+ 0.8%)
03/2006: Green Arrow #60 -- 37,946 (+21.4%) [43,045]
04/2006: Green Arrow #61 -- 35,993 (- 5.2%) [40,621]
05/2006: Green Arrow #62 -- 39,185 (+ 8.9%)
06/2006: Green Arrow #63 -- 37,803 (- 3.5%)
07/2006: Green Arrow #64 -- 36,148 (- 4.4%)
08/2006: Green Arrow #65 -- 35,705 (- 1.2%)
09/2006: Green Arrow #66 -- 33,793 (- 5.4%)
10/2006: Green Arrow #67 -- 32,583 (- 3.6%)
11/2006: Green Arrow #68 -- 32,135 (- 1.4%)
12/2006: Green Arrow #69 -- 32,234 (+ 0.3%)
01/2007: Green Arrow #70 -- 31,798 (- 1.4%)
02/2007: Green Arrow #71 -- 31,470 (- 1.0%)
----------------
6 months: -11.9%
1 year  : + 0.7%
2 years : - 0.3%

Standard attrition. The book is canceled with issue #75, but given that it’s been one of the publisher’s most stable performers around the 30K mark, the decision was likely made of choice, rather than out of necessity.

—–

65 - SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
02/2004: Legion #30           -- 25,014
02/2005: Legion of SH #3      -- 39,951           [44,824]
---------------------------------------
02/2006: Legion of SH #14     -- 32,513 (-  0.7%)
02/2006: Legion of SH #15     -- 31,649 (-  2.7%)
03/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #16 -- 47,426 (+ 49.9%) [54,788]
04/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #17 -- 44,827 (-  5.5%) [47,724]
05/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #18 -- 45,520 (+  1.6%)
06/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #19 -- 43,918 (-  3.5%)
07/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #20 -- 41,679 (-  5.1%)
08/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #21 -- 39,852 (-  4.4%)
09/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #22 -- 36,735 (-  7.8%)
10/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #23 -- 41,554 (+ 13.1%)
11/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #24 -- 33,985 (- 18.2%)
12/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #25 -- 33,288 (-  2.1%)
01/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #26 -- 32,342 (-  2.8%)
02/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #27 -- 31,387 (-  3.0%)
----------------
6 months: -21.2%
1 year  : - 2.2%
2 years : -21.4%

Declining. The current creative team leaves with issue #30.

—–

70 - BIRDS OF PREY
02/2004: Birds of Prey #64  -- 29,731
02/2005: Birds of Prey #79  -- 29,510
-------------------------------------
02/2006: Birds of Prey #91  -- 29,835 (- 2.1%)
03/2006: Birds of Prey #92  -- 36,808 (+23.4%)
04/2006: Birds of Prey #93  -- 34,404 (- 6.5%)
05/2006: Birds of Prey #94  -- 34,905 (+ 1.5%)
06/2006: Birds of Prey #95  -- 33,954 (- 2.7%)
07/2006: Birds of Prey #96  -- 32,219 (- 5.1%)
08/2006: Birds of Prey #97  -- 31,578 (- 2.0%)
09/2006: Birds of Prey #98  -- 32,715 (+ 3.6%)
10/2006: Birds of Prey #99  -- 30,385 (- 7.1%)
11/2006: Birds of Prey #100 -- 34,607 (+13.9%)
12/2006: Birds of Prey #101 -- 29,825 (-13.8%)
01/2007: Birds of Prey #102 -- 29,043 (- 2.6%)
02/2007: Birds of Prey #103 -- 28,327 (- 2.5%)
----------------
6 months: -10.3%
1 year  : - 5.1%
2 years : - 4.0%

Declining, slowly but steadily.

—–

71 - ROBIN
02/2004: Robin #123 -- 26,494
02/2005: Robin #135 -- 32,331
-----------------------------
02/2006: Robin #147 -- 32,120 (+ 8.9%)
03/2006: Robin #148 -- 36,717 (+14.3%) [42,442]
04/2006: Robin #149 -- 37,173 (+ 1.2%)
05/2006: Robin #150 -- 41,417 (+11.4%)
06/2006: Robin #151 -- 38,921 (- 6.0%)
07/2006: Robin #152 -- 37,466 (- 3.7%)
08/2006: Robin #153 -- 36,608 (- 2.3%)
09/2006: Robin #154 -- 34,387 (- 6.1%)
10/2006: Robin #155 -- 32,951 (- 4.2%)
11/2006: Robin #156 -- 31,682 (- 3.9%)
12/2006: Robin #157 -- 30,556 (- 3.6%)
01/2007: Robin #158 -- 29,464 (- 3.6%)
02/2007: Robin #159 -- 28,210 (- 4.3%)
----------------
6 months: -22.9%
1 year  : -12.2%
2 years : -12.8%

Declining.

—–

76 - THE SPIRIT
11/2006: Batman/The Spirit -- 35,541          [39,666]
12/2006: The Spirit #1     -- 34,558 (- 2.8%)
01/2007: The Spirit #2     -- 27,245 (-21.2%)
02/2007: The Spirit #3     -- 25,516 (- 6.4%)

Leveling out relatively quickly, it seems.

—–

77 - Y: THE LAST MAN (Vertigo)
02/2004: Y: The Last Man #19 -- 26,208
02/2005: Y: The Last Man #31 -- 25,825
--------------------------------------
02/2006: Y: The Last Man #42 -- 25,775 (-0.6%)
03/2006: Y: The Last Man #43 -- 25,877 (+0.4%)
04/2006: Y: The Last Man #44 -- 25,985 (+0.4%)
05/2006: Y: The Last Man #45 -- 25,866 (-0.5%)
06/2006: Y: The Last Man #46 -- 25,881 (+0.1%)
07/2006: Y: The Last Man #47 -- 25,791 (-0.4%)
08/2006: Y: The Last Man #48 -- 25,829 (+0.2%)
09/2006: Y: The Last Man #49 -- 25,690 (-0.5%)
10/2006: Y: The Last Man #50 -- 26,802 (+4.3%)
11/2006: Y: The Last Man #51 -- 25,606 (-4.5%)
12/2006: Y: The Last Man #52 -- 25,422 (-0.7%)
01/2007: Y: The Last Man #53 -- 25,375 (-0.2%)
02/2007: Y: The Last Man #54 -- 25,374 (-0.0%)
---------------
6 months: -1.8%
1 year  : -1.6%
2 years : -1.8%

Rock-solid sales, as always.

—–

81 - THE MIDNIGHTER (WildStorm)
11/2006: The Midnighter #1  -- 39,796
12/2006: The Midnighter #2  -- 30,464 (-23.5%)
01/2007: The Midnighter #3  -- 27,564 (- 9.5%)
02/2007: The Midnighter #4  -- 24,792 (-10.1%)

That’s a very hefty drop, despite the existence of a 1-in-10 variant cover edition. Starting with issue #5, there will be no more variant cover editions, which is likely to put another dent in the book’s sales. And with issue #6, it seems writer Garth Ennis is jumping ship, which probably won’t do the numbers any great favors, either. The future doesn’t look too bright.

Then again, the same can be said for the rest of WildStorm’s lineup. The imprint’s supposed sales flagship, Wildcats, missed another shipping date in March (artist and WildStorm executive editor Jim Lee even suggested that the book would be out sooner than that at one point) and is currently scheduled for the last week of May. The second flagship title, The Authority, meanwhile, is now officially “on hiatus” after its second issue finally came out in March.

Further, in addition to Ennis’ apparent departure from The Midnighter, it also appears that writer Grant Morrison’s last issue of The Authority will be #4, and it seems artist and series creator Whilce Portacio is already gone from the pages of Wetworks, with writer Mike Carey soon to follow. (That’s a lot of “it seems” and “it appears” because none of that has been confirmed by DC Comics, by the way — it’s just guesswork, largely based on information from solicitations and from reported comments by creators.)

Third, and perhaps most significantly, WildStorm suffer from mediocre sales. With Wildcats, The Authority and The Boys, they’ve had a few hits recently, but they’re unable to capitalize on that, because two out of those three titles never ship, while the third was jettisoned because of content issues, and is being continued at another publisher in June. And the cancellation of WildStorm’s entire line of ongoing horror film adaptations comes not long after the last failed initiative, the similarly aborted bunch of fantasy and science fiction titles. As if all that weren’t bad enough, formerly stable WildStorm performers like Ex Machina and Astro City appear to be losing steam, in terms of monthly sales.

—–

84 - ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE (WildStorm)
02/2004: --
02/2005: --
----------------------------------------------
06/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #1 of 4 -- 32,690 (+ 5.6%)
07/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #2 of 4 -- 29,721 (- 9.1%)
08/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #3 of 4 -- 28,152 (- 5.3%)
09/2005: --
10/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #4 of 4 -- 27,367 (- 2.8%)
----------------------------------------------
11/2006: The Dark Age/Book 2 #1 of 4 -- 26,993 (- 1.4%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: --
02/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #2 of 4 -- 23,412 (-13.3%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years :  n.a.

Case in point. This isn’t a horrible second-issue drop, but it’s a considerable step down for Astro City, as the comparison with the previous limited series shows.

—–

86 - MARTIAN MANHUNTER
08/2006: Martian Manhunter #1 of 8 -- 41,263
09/2006: Martian Manhunter #2 of 8 -- 32,624 (-20.9%)
10/2006: Martian Manhunter #3 of 8 -- 29,286 (-10.2%)
11/2006: Martian Manhunter #4 of 8 -- 27,390 (- 6.5%)
12/2006: Martian Manhunter #5 of 8 -- 25,522 (- 6.8%)
01/2007: Martian Manhunter #6 of 8 -- 24,128 (- 5.5%)
02/2007: Martian Manhunter #7 of 8 -- 22,854 (- 5.3%)
----------------
6 months: -44.6%

Declining.

—–

87 - JSA: CLASSIFIED
02/2006: JSA: Classified #8  -- 39,656 (- 7.5%)
02/2006: JSA: Classified #9  -- 39,104 (- 1.4%)
03/2006: JSA: Classified #10 -- 41,332 (+ 5.7%)
04/2006: JSA: Classified #11 -- 37,815 (- 8.5%)
05/2006: JSA: Classified #12 -- 37,446 (- 1.0%)
06/2006: JSA: Classified #13 -- 36,066 (- 3.7%)
07/2006: JSA: Classified #14 -- 33,832 (- 6.2%)
08/2006: JSA: Classified #15 -- 32,308 (- 4.5%)
08/2006: JSA: Classified #16 -- 32,173 (- 0.4%)
09/2006: JSA: Classified #17 -- 30,340 (- 5.7%)
10/2006: JSA: Classified #18 -- 26,783 (-11.7%)
11/2006: JSA: Classified #19 -- 25,663 (- 4.2%)
12/2006: JSA: Classified #20 -- 24,722 (- 3.7%)
01/2007: JSA: Classified #21 -- 24,476 (- 1.0%)
01/2007: JSA: Classified #22 -- 23,830 (- 2.6%)
02/2007: JSA: Classified #23 -- 22,730 (- 4.6%)
----------------
6 months: -29.5%
1 year  : -42.3%

Declining.

—–

90/95 - THE HELMET OF FATE
01/2007: HoF: Detective Chimp #1     -- 25,338
01/2007: HoF: Ibis the Invincible #1 -- 24,113 (-4.8%)
02/2007: HoF: Sargon the Sorcerer #1 -- 22,430 (-7.0%)
02/2007: HoF: Black Alice #1         -- 21,956 (-2.1%)

These one-shots continue to do nicely, given the little-known protagonists. The book they’re meant to pave the way for, meanwhile, the ongoing Doctor Fate title initially solicited for an April launch, has been canceled by DC, reportedly to be resolicited at a later date.

—–

91 - GEN13 (WildStorm)
10/2006: Gen13 #1  -- 47,535
11/2006: Gen13 #2  -- 33,494 (-29.5%)
12/2006: Gen13 #3  -- 30,233 (- 9.7%)
01/2007: Gen13 #4  -- 27,615 (- 8.7%)
02/2007: Gen13 #5  -- 22,422 (-18.8%)

This was the first issue without a variant cover edition, and the numbers drop accordingly. If Gen13 bottoms out quickly now, in fairness, it could still be doing perfectly well for a WildStorm title.

—–

92/94 - JLA: CLASSIFIED
02/2005: JLA: Classified #4  -- 53,606
--------------------------------------
02/2006: JLA: Classified #17 -- 38,014 (- 3.4%)
03/2006: JLA: Classified #18 -- 35,873 (- 5.6%)
03/2006: JLA: Classified #19 -- 35,300 (- 1.6%)
04/2006: JLA: Classified #20 -- 34,039 (- 3.6%)
05/2006: JLA: Classified #21 -- 33,800 (- 0.7%)
06/2006: JLA: Classified #22 -- 34,023 (+ 0.7%)
06/2006: JLA: Classified #23 -- 33,564 (- 1.4%)
07/2006: JLA: Classified #24 -- 31,697 (- 5.6%)
07/2006: JLA: Classified #25 -- 30,709 (- 3.1%)
08/2006: JLA: Classified #26 -- 27,816 (- 9.4%)
09/2006: JLA: Classified #27 -- 27,754 (- 0.2%)
10/2006: JLA: Classified #28 -- 26,003 (- 6.3%)
11/2006: JLA: Classified #29 -- 24,785 (- 4.7%)
12/2006: JLA: Classified #30 -- 23,644 (- 4.6%)
01/2007: JLA: Classified #31 -- 22,939 (- 3.0%)
01/2007: JLA: Classified #32 -- 23,091 (+ 0.7%)
01/2007: JLA: Classified #33 -- 22,504 (- 2.5%)
02/2007: JLA: Classified #34 -- 22,347 (- 0.7%)
02/2007: JLA: Classified #35 -- 21,998 (- 1.6%)
----------------
6 months: -20.3%
1 year  : -41.7%
2 years : -59.0%

The decline is slowing down.

—–

98 - SHADOWPACT
05/2006: Shadowpact #1  -- 50,279
06/2006: Shadowpact #2  -- 39,969 (-20.5%)
07/2006: Shadowpact #3  -- 36,341 (- 9.1%)
08/2006: Shadowpact #4  -- 33,383 (- 8.1%)
09/2006: Shadowpact #5  -- 29,983 (-10.2%)
09/2006: Shadowpact #6  -- 27,276 (- 9.0%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Shadowpact #7  -- 25,701 (- 5.8%)
12/2006: Shadowpact #8  -- 23,898 (- 7.0%)
01/2007: Shadowpact #9  -- 22,866 (- 4.3%)
02/2007: Shadowpact #10 -- 21,823 (- 4.6%)
----------------
6 months: -34.6%

Declining.

—–

103 - MYSTERY IN SPACE
09/2006: Mystery in Space #1 of 8 -- 46,610
10/2006: Mystery in Space #2 of 8 -- 28,781 (-38.3%)
11/2006: Mystery in Space #3 of 8 -- 25,804 (-10.3%)
12/2006: Mystery in Space #4 of 8 -- 23,575 (- 8.6%)
01/2007: Mystery in Space #5 of 8 -- 21,612 (- 8.3%)
02/2007: Mystery in Space #6 of 8 -- 21,000 (- 2.8%)

Bottoming out.

—–

105 - CATWOMAN
02/2004: Catwoman #28 -- 23,955
02/2005: Catwoman #40 -- 23,103
-------------------------------
02/2006: Catwoman #52 -- 21,954 (- 3.2%)
03/2006: Catwoman #53 -- 28,473 (+29.7%) [34,428]
04/2006: Catwoman #54 -- 28,922 (+ 1.6%)
05/2006: Catwoman #55 -- 30,184 (+ 4.4%)
06/2006: Catwoman #56 -- 28,942 (- 4.1%)
07/2006: Catwoman #57 -- 27,302 (- 5.7%)
08/2006: Catwoman #58 -- 26,568 (- 1.0%)
09/2006: Catwoman #59 -- 25,324 (- 4.7%)
10/2006: Catwoman #60 -- 24,117 (- 4.8%)
11/2006: Catwoman #61 -- 23,182 (- 3.9%)
12/2006: Catwoman #62 -- 22,305 (- 3.8%)
01/2007: Catwoman #63 -- 21,597 (- 3.2%)
02/2007: Catwoman #64 -- 20,767 (- 3.8%)
----------------
6 months: -21.8%
1 year  : - 5.4%
2 years : -10.1%

Declining.

—–

107 - CHECKMATE
04/2006: Checkmate #1  -- 49,156          [55,375]
05/2006: Checkmate #2  -- 41,773 (-15.5%)
06/2006: Checkmate #3  -- 37,551 (-10.1%)
07/2006: Checkmate #4  -- 34,661 (- 7.7%)
08/2006: Checkmate #5  -- 31,252 (- 9.8%)
09/2006: Checkmate #6  -- 28,887 (- 7.6%)
10/2006: Checkmate #7  -- 26,302 (- 9.0%)
11/2006: Checkmate #8  -- 24,899 (- 5.3%)
12/2006: Checkmate #9  -- 23,436 (- 5.9%)
01/2007: Checkmate #10 -- 22,032 (- 6.0%)
02/2007: Checkmate #11 -- 20,659 (- 6.2%)
----------------
6 months: -33.9%

Awful numbers.

—–

110 - JACK OF FABLES (Vertigo)
07/2006: Jack of Fables #1  -- 27,097
08/2006: Jack of Fables #2  -- 23,554 (-13.1%)
09/2006: Jack of Fables #3  -- 22,373 (- 5.0%)
10/2006: Jack of Fables #4  -- 21,614 (- 3.4%)
11/2006: Jack of Fables #5  -- 21,191 (- 2.0%)
12/2006: Jack of Fables #6  -- 20,950 (- 1.1%)
01/2007: Jack of Fables #7  -- 20,314 (- 3.0%)
02/2007: Jack of Fables #8  -- 20,060 (- 1.3%)
----------------
6 months: -14.8%

Standard attrition.

—–

113 - THE ALL-NEW ATOM
07/2006: The All-New Atom #1  -- 49,969
08/2006: The All-New Atom #2  -- 38,239 (-23.5%)
09/2006: The All-New Atom #3  -- 33,254 (-13.0%)
10/2006: The All-New Atom #4  -- 28,450 (-14.5%)
11/2006: The All-New Atom #5  -- 25,569 (-10.1%)
12/2006: The All-New Atom #6  -- 22,852 (-10.6%)
01/2007: The All-New Atom #7  -- 20,996 (- 8.1%)
02/2007: The All-New Atom #8  -- 19,004 (- 9.5%)
----------------
6 months: -50.3%

Another abysmal drop.

—–

114 - OMAC
07/2006: OMAC #1 of 8 -- 54,092
08/2006: OMAC #2 of 8 -- 42,011 (-22.3%)
09/2006: OMAC #3 of 8 -- 32,578 (-22.5%)
10/2006: OMAC #4 of 8 -- 26,745 (-17.9%)
11/2006: OMAC #5 of 8 -- 23,691 (-11.4%)
12/2006: OMAC #6 of 8 -- 21,705 (- 8.4%)
01/2007: OMAC #7 of 8 -- 19,966 (- 8.0%)
02/2007: OMAC #8 of 8 -- 18,871 (- 5.5%)
----------------
6 months: -55.1%

The less said of these numbers, the better.

—–

116 - BLUE BEETLE
03/2006: Blue Beetle #1  -- 50,678          [69,752]
04/2006: Blue Beetle #2  -- 43,770 (-13.6%) [50,190]
05/2006: Blue Beetle #3  -- 41,711 (- 4.7%)
06/2006: Blue Beetle #4  -- 38,622 (- 7.4%)
07/2006: Blue Beetle #5  -- 35,490 (- 8.1%)
08/2006: Blue Beetle #6  -- 33,181 (- 6.5%)
09/2006: Blue Beetle #7  -- 29,079 (-12.4%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Blue Beetle #8  -- 25,861 (-11.1%)
11/2006: Blue Beetle #9  -- 23,785 (- 8.0%)
12/2006: Blue Beetle #10 -- 21,358 (-10.2%)
01/2007: Blue Beetle #11 -- 19,865 (- 7.0%)
02/2007: Blue Beetle #12 -- 18,555 (- 6.6%)
----------------
6 months: -44.1%

A horrible performance.

—–

117 - TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
10/2006: Tales of the Unexpected #1 of 8 -- 35,486
11/2006: Tales of the Unexpected #2 of 8 -- 24,219 (-31.8%)
12/2006: Tales of the Unexpected #3 of 8 -- 21,166 (-12.6%)
01/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #4 of 8 -- 19,872 (- 6.1%)
02/2007: Tales of the Unexpected #5 of 8 -- 18,355 (- 7.6%)

That’s a hefty drop-off, but not a bad sales level for this type of thing.

—–

118 - AQUAMAN: SWORD OF ATLANTIS
02/2004: Aquaman #15      -- 24,753
02/2005: Aquaman #27      -- 19,459
-----------------------------------
02/2006: Aquaman #39      -- 18,326 (+  0.0%)
03/2006: Aquaman: SoA #40 -- 37,611 (+105.2%) -- [46,401]
04/2006: Aquaman: SoA #41 -- 37,567 (-  0.1%)
05/2006: Aquaman: SoA #42 -- 32,610 (- 13.2%)
06/2006: --
07/2006: Aquaman: SoA #43 -- 30,584 (-  6.2%)
08/2006: --
09/2006: Aquaman: SoA #44 -- 28,001 (-  8.5%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Aquaman: SoA #45 -- 23,540 (- 15.9%)
11/2006: Aquaman: SoA #46 -- 21,974 (-  6.7%)
12/2006: Aquaman: SoA #47 -- 21,197 (-  3.5%)
01/2007: Aquaman: SoA #48 -- 19,459 (-  8.2%)
02/2007: Aquaman: SoA #49 -- 17,939 (-  7.8%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : - 2.1%
2 years : - 7.8%

Writer Kurt Busiek’s final issue takes the book’s sales slightly below those from a year ago. While that doesn’t seem so bad at first glance, Aquaman‘s performance during the Busiek run tells a different story, of course — after a spectacular boost with “One Year Later,” the book went into a sharp decline that has yet to let up. It’s doubtful whether the new creative team will be able to make much of a difference, given their lack of a following in the direct market.

—–

119 - JONAH HEX
02/2006: Jonah Hex #4  -- 23,569 (- 4.5%)
03/2006: Jonah Hex #5  -- 23,496 (- 0.3%)
04/2006: Jonah Hex #6  -- 22,763 (- 3.1%)
05/2006: Jonah Hex #7  -- 21,910 (- 3.8%)
06/2006: Jonah Hex #8  -- 21,006 (- 4.1%)
07/2006: Jonah Hex #9  -- 20,385 (- 3.0%)
08/2006: Jonah Hex #10 -- 19,772 (- 3.0%)
09/2006: Jonah Hex #11 -- 18,957 (- 4.1%)
10/2006: Jonah Hex #12 -- 18,299 (- 3.5%)
11/2006: Jonah Hex #13 -- 18,747 (+ 2.5%)
12/2006: Jonah Hex #14 -- 18,295 (- 2.4%)
01/2007: Jonah Hex #15 -- 17,987 (- 1.7%)
02/2007: Jonah Hex #16 -- 17,490 (- 2.8%)
----------------
6 months: -11.5%
1 year  : -25.8%

Declining, slowly but surely.

—–

120 - MANHUNTER
02/2005: Manhunter #7  -- 14,096
--------------------------------
02/2006: Manhunter #19 -- 12,970 (- 1.8%)
03/2006: Manhunter #20 -- 16,090 (+24.1%)
04/2006: Manhunter #21 -- 14,950 (- 7.1%)
05/2006: Manhunter #22 -- 15,668 (+ 4.8%)
06/2006: Manhunter #23 -- 15,542 (- 0.8%)
07/2006: Manhunter #24 -- 14,650 (- 5.7%)
08/2006: Manhunter #25 -- 15,175 (+ 3.6%)
09/2006: --
10/2006: --
11/2006: --
12/2006: Manhunter #26 -- 23,767 (+56.6%)
01/2007: Manhunter #27 -- 17,842 (-24.9%)
02/2007: Manhunter #28 -- 17,182 (- 3.4%)
----------------
6 months: +13.2%
1 year  : +32.5%
2 years : +21.9%

Dropping back towards its usual level.

—–

122 - HAWKGIRL
02/2004: Hawkman #25  -- 36,146
02/2005: Hawkman #37  -- 19,929
-------------------------------
02/2006: Hawkman #49  -- 25,031 (+ 3.2%)
03/2006: Hawkgirl #50 -- 34,728 (+38.7%) [38,135]
04/2006: Hawkgirl #51 -- 30,657 (-11.7%)
05/2006: Hawkgirl #52 -- 29,898 (- 2.5%)
06/2006: Hawkgirl #53 -- 27,786 (- 7.1%)
07/2006: Hawkgirl #54 -- 25,201 (- 9.3%)
08/2006: Hawkgirl #55 -- 23,880 (- 5.2%)
09/2006: Hawkgirl #56 -- 21,560 (- 9.7%)
10/2006: Hawkgirl #57 -- 19,909 (- 7.7%)
11/2006: Hawkgirl #58 -- 18,634 (- 6.4%)
12/2006: Hawkgirl #59 -- 18,141 (- 2.7%)
01/2007: Hawkgirl #60 -- 17,893 (- 1.4%)
02/2007: Hawkgirl #61 -- 16,575 (- 7.4%)
----------------
6 months: -30.6%
1 year  : -33.8%
2 years : -16.8%

Back in a sharp decline.

—–

123 - WETWORKS (WildStorm)
09/2006: Wetworks #1  -- 43,824
10/2006: Wetworks #2  -- 28,181 (-35.7%)
11/2006: Wetworks #3  -- 24,493 (-13.1%)
12/2006: Wetworks #4  -- 23,267 (- 5.0%)
01/2007: Wetworks #5  -- 18,313 (-21.3%)
02/2007: Wetworks #6  -- 16,359 (-10.7%)

The horrible drop-off continues. Artist Whilce Portacio appears to have left the book.

—–

124 - STORMWATCH: PHD (WildStorm)
02/2004: Coup d'Etat: SW #2    -- 27,822
----------------------------------------
11/2006: StormWatch: PHD #1    -- 29,975
12/2006: StormWatch: PHD #2    -- 21,605 (-27.9%)
01/2007: StormWatch: PHD #3    -- 18,371 (-15.0%)
02/2007: StormWatch: PHD #4    -- 15,893 (-13.5%)

It’s not really leveling out.

—–

129 - FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN
02/2005: Firestorm #10     -- 20,149
------------------------------------
02/2006: Firestorm #22     -- 21,104 (- 6.2%)
03/2006: Firestorm: NM #23 -- 25,109 (+19.0%)
04/2006: Firestorm: NM #24 -- 23,704 (- 5.6%)
05/2006: Firestorm: NM #25 -- 23,301 (- 1.7%)
06/2006: Firestorm: NM #26 -- 21,833 (- 6.3%)
07/2006: Firestorm: NM #27 -- 19,772 (- 9.4%)
08/2006: Firestorm: NM #28 -- 18,716 (- 5.3%)
09/2006: Firestorm: NM #29 -- 17,449 (- 6.8%)
10/2006: Firestorm: NM #30 -- 16,494 (- 5.5%)
11/2006: Firestorm: NM #31 -- 16,068 (- 2.6%)
12/2006: Firestorm: NM #32 -- 15,255 (- 5.1%)
01/2006: --
12/2006: Firestorm: NM #33 -- 14,571 (- 4.5%)
----------------
6 months: -22.2%
1 year  : -31.0%
2 years : -27.7%

The arrival of new writer Dwayne McDuffie doesn’t make a difference to the book’s sales. Canceled with issue #35.

—–

131 - CONNOR HAWKE: DRAGON'S BLOOD
11/2006: Connor Hawke #1 of 6 -- 23,191
12/2006: Connor Hawke #2 of 6 -- 18,195 (-21.5%)
01/2007: Connor Hawke #3 of 6 -- 16,175 (-11.1%)
02/2007: Connor Hawke #4 of 6 -- 14,413 (-10.9%)

Horrible drops for a limited series.

—–

137 - DMZ (Vertigo)
02/2006: DMZ #4  -- 14,778 (+ 1.9%)
03/2006: DMZ #5  -- 14,952 (+ 1.2%)
04/2006: DMZ #6  -- 15,212 (+ 1.7%)
05/2006: DMZ #7  -- 15,026 (- 1.2%)
06/2006: DMZ #8  -- 14,999 (- 0.2%)
07/2006: DMZ #9  -- 14,786 (- 1.4%)
08/2006: DMZ #10 -- 14,704 (- 0.6%)
09/2006: DMZ #11 -- 14,562 (- 1.0%)
10/2006: DMZ #12 -- 14,640 (+ 0.5%)
11/2006: DMZ #13 -- 14,228 (- 2.8%)
12/2006: DMZ #14 -- 13,731 (- 3.5%)
01/2007: DMZ #15 -- 13,340 (- 2.9%)
02/2007: DMZ #16 -- 13,199 (- 1.1%)
----------------
6 months: -10.2%
1 year  : -10.7%

Standard attrition.

—–

138 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
02/2004: Hellblazer #193 -- 15,000
02/2005: Hellblazer #205 -- 15,158
----------------------------------
02/2006: Hellblazer #217 -- 14,306 (- 2.0%)
03/2006: Hellblazer #218 -- 14,129 (- 1.2%)
04/2006: Hellblazer #219 -- 14,206 (+ 0.6%)
05/2006: Hellblazer #220 -- 14,161 (- 0.3%)
06/2006: Hellblazer #221 -- 13,973 (- 1.3%)
07/2006: Hellblazer #222 -- 13,912 (- 0.4%)
08/2006: Hellblazer #223 -- 13,956 (+ 0.3%)
09/2006: Hellblazer #224 -- 13,704 (- 1.8%)
10/2006: Hellblazer #225 -- 13,629 (- 0.6%)
11/2006: Hellblazer #226 -- 13,388 (- 1.8%)
12/2006: Hellblazer #227 -- 13,231 (- 1.2%)
01/2007: Hellblazer #228 -- 12,956 (- 2.1%)
02/2007: Hellblazer #229 -- 13,032 (+ 0.6%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.6%
1 year  : - 8.9%
2 years : -14.0%

Sticking to the 13K area.

—–

140 - 100 BULLETS (Vertigo)
02/2004: --
02/2005: 100 Bullets #58 -- 14,926
----------------------------------
02/2006: 100 Bullets #69 -- 13,708 (- 1.2%)
03/2006: 100 Bullets #70 -- 13,591 (- 0.9%)
04/2006: 100 Bullets #71 -- 13,514 (- 0.6%)
05/2006: 100 Bullets #72 -- 13,489 (- 0.2%)
06/2006: 100 Bullets #73 -- 13,407 (- 0.6%)
07/2006: 100 Bullets #74 -- 13,265 (- 1.1%)
08/2006: 100 Bullets #75 -- 13,322 (+ 0.4%)
09/2006: 100 Bullets #76 -- 13,082 (- 1.8%)
10/2006: 100 Bullets #77 -- 13,054 (- 0.2%)
11/2006: 100 Bullets #78 -- 12,954 (- 0.8%)
12/2006: 100 Bullets #79 -- 12,907 (- 0.4%)
01/2007: 100 Bullets #80 -- 12,651 (- 2.0%)
02/2007: 100 Bullets #81 -- 12,458 (- 1.5%)
----------------
6 months: - 6.5%
1 year  : - 9.1%
2 years : -16.5%

Standard attrition.

—–

142 - WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY (WildStorm)
12/2006: Welcome to Tranquility #1  -- 24,352
01/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #2  -- 15,087 (-38.1%)
02/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #3  -- 12,334 (-18.3%)

Not an encouraging third-issue drop.

—–

147 - SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE: SLEEP OF REASON (Vertigo)
12/2006: Sleep of Reason #1 of 5 -- 17,472
01/2007: Sleep of Reason #2 of 5 -- 12,687 (-27.4%)
02/2007: Sleep of Reason #3 of 5 -- 11,618 (- 8.4%)

Leveling out.

—–

148 - LOVELESS (Vertigo)
02/2006: Loveless #4  -- 16,765 (+ 3.0%)
03/2006: Loveless #5  -- 16,704 (- 0.4%)
04/2006: Loveless #6  -- 16,823 (+ 0.7%)
05/2006: Loveless #7  -- 15,961 (- 5.1%)
06/2006: Loveless #8  -- 14,915 (- 6.6%)
07/2006: Loveless #9  -- 14,434 (- 3.2%)
08/2006: Loveless #10 -- 13,860 (- 4.0%)
09/2006: Loveless #11 -- 13,256 (- 4.4%)
10/2006: Loveless #12 -- 12,617 (- 4.8%)
11/2006: Loveless #13 -- 11,945 (- 5.3%)
12/2006: Loveless #14 -- 11,476 (- 3.9%)
01/2007: --
02/2007: Loveless #15 -- 11,103 (- 3.3%)
----------------
6 months: -19.9%
1 year  : -33.8%

Slowly declining.

—–

151 - OMEGA MEN
10/2006: Omega Men #1 of 6 -- 23,536
11/2006: Omega Men #2 of 6 -- 17,379 (-26.2%)
12/2006: Omega Men #3 of 6 -- 14,046 (-19.2%)
01/2007: Omega Men #4 of 6 -- 12,144 (-13.5%)
02/2007: Omega Men #5 of 6 -- 10,554 (-13.1%)

Dropping out of sight.

—–

153 - EX MACHINA: INSIDE THE MACHINE (WildStorm)
02/2007: EM: Inside the Machine, Vol. 1 -- 10,213

This isn’t a comic, but, according to the solicitation copy, a “behind-the-scenes” book with all kinds of extras you’d normally expect as bonus material in a paperback collection. Not a bad number by any stretch for this sort of thing.

—–

154 - SCALPED (Vertigo)
01/2007: Scalped #1  -- 13,644
02/2007: Scalped #2  -- 10,005 (-26.7%)

A steep drop, but not unexpected.

—–

160 - AMERICAN VIRGIN (Vertigo)
03/2006: American Virgin #1  -- 19,455
04/2006: American Virgin #2  -- 15,780 (-18.9%)
05/2006: American Virgin #3  -- 14,764 (- 6.4%)
06/2006: American Virgin #4  -- 14,081 (- 4.6%)
07/2006: American Virgin #5  -- 13,265 (- 5.8%)
08/2006: American Virgin #6  -- 12,487 (- 5.9%)
09/2006: American Virgin #7  -- 11,767 (- 5.8%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: American Virgin #8  -- 11,275 (- 4.2%)
11/2006: American Virgin #9  -- 10,567 (- 6.3%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: American Virgin #10 -- 10,331 (- 2.2%)
01/2007: American Virgin #11 --  9,628 (- 6.8%)
02/2007: American Virgin #12 --  9,215 (- 4.3%)
----------------
6 months: -52.6%

Declining.

—–

161 - TEEN TITANS GO (Johnny DC)
02/2004: Teen Titans Go #4  -- 16,085
02/2005: Teen Titans Go #16 -- 13,980
-------------------------------------
02/2006: Teen Titans Go #28 -- 11,568 (- 0.4%)
03/2006: Teen Titans Go #29 -- 11,260 (- 2.7%)
04/2006: Teen Titans Go #30 -- 11,225 (- 0.3%)
05/2006: Teen Titans Go #31 -- 11,140 (- 0.8%)
06/2006: Teen Titans Go #32 -- 10,736 (- 3.6%)
07/2006: Teen Titans Go #33 -- 10,516 (- 2.1%)
08/2006: Teen Titans Go #34 -- 10,328 (- 1.8%)
09/2006: Teen Titans Go #35 --  9,940 (- 3.8%)
10/2006: Teen Titans Go #36 -- 10,214 (+ 2.8%)
11/2006: Teen Titans Go #37 --  9,642 (- 5.6%)
12/2006: Teen Titans Go #38 --  9,529 (- 1.2%)
01/2007: Teen Titans Go #39 --  9,425 (- 1.1%)
02/2007: Teen Titans Go #40 --  9,132 (- 3.1%)
----------------
6 months: -11.6%
1 year  : -21.1%
2 years : -34.7%
162 - JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (Johnny DC)
02/2004: JL Adventures #28 -- 12,343
02/2005: JL Unlimited #6   -- 12,205
------------------------------------
02/2006: JL Unlimited #18  -- 10,206 (+ 0.1%)
03/2006: JL Unlimited #19  -- 10,534 (+ 3.2%)
04/2006: JL Unlimited #20  -- 10,620 (+ 0.8%)
05/2006: JL Unlimited #21  -- 10,430 (- 1.8%)
06/2006: JL Unlimited #22  -- 10,430 (  n.a.)
07/2006: JL Unlimited #23  -- 10,255 (- 1.7%)
08/2006: JL Unlimited #24  -- 10,117 (- 1.4%)
09/2006: JL Unlimited #25  --  9,985 (- 1.3%)
10/2006: JL Unlimited #26  --  9,696 (- 2.9%)
11/2006: JL Unlimited #27  --  9,690 (- 0.1%)
12/2006: JL Unlimited #28  --  9,713 (+ 0.2%)
01/2007: JL Unlimited #29 --   9,273 (- 4.5%)
02/2007: JL Unlimited #30 --   9,123 (- 1.6%)
----------------
6 months: - 9.8%
1 year  : -10.6%
2 years : -25.3%

Two Johnny DC titles. See disclaimers.

—–

164 - THE EXTERMINATORS (Vertigo)
02/2006: The Exterminators #2  -- 12,459 (-23.0%)
03/2006: The Exterminators #3  -- 11,678 (- 6.3%)
04/2006: The Exterminators #4  -- 11,342 (- 2.9%)
05/2006: The Exterminators #5  -- 10,978 (- 3.2%)
06/2006: The Exterminators #6  -- 11,004 (+ 0.2%)
07/2006: The Exterminators #7  -- 10,743 (- 2.4%)
08/2006: The Exterminators #8  -- 10,299 (- 4.1%)
09/2006: The Exterminators #9  -- 10,177 (- 1.2%)
10/2006: The Exterminators #10 --  9,970 (- 2.0%)
11/2006: The Exterminators #11 --  9,973 (+ 0.0%)
12/2006: The Exterminators #12 --  9,636 (- 3.4%)
01/2007: The Exterminators #13 --  9,447 (- 2.0%)
02/2007: The Exterminators #14 --  8,965 (- 5.1%)
----------------
6 months: -13.0%
1 year  : -28.0%

Declining.

—–

165 - FRIDAY THE 13TH (WildStorm)
12/2006: Friday the 13th #1  -- 15,801
01/2007: Friday the 13th #2  --  9,555 (-39.5%)
02/2007: Friday the 13th #3  --  8,965 (- 6.2%)

Canceled with issue #6.

—–

167 - RED MENACE (WildStorm)
11/2006: Red Menace #1 of 6 -- 21,389
12/2006: Red Menace #2 of 6 -- 14,501 (-32.2%)
01/2007: Red Menace #3 of 6 -- 10,295 (-29.0%)
02/2007: Red Menace #4 of 6 --  8,550 (-17.0%)

Abysmal numbers.

—–

168 - NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (WildStorm)
10/2006: Nightmare on Elm Street #1  -- 18,736
11/2006: Nightmare on Elm Street #2  -- 11,709 (-37.5%)
12/2006: Nightmare on Elm Street #3  -- 10,129 (-13.5%)
01/2007: Nightmare on Elm Street #4  --  9,019 (-11.0%)
02/2007: Nightmare on Elm Street #5  --  8,408 (- 6.8%)

Axed with issue #8.

—–

171 - DEADMAN (Vertigo)
08/2006: Deadman #1  -- 21,980
09/2006: Deadman #2  -- 15,494 (-29.5%)
10/2006: Deadman #3  -- 12,936 (-16.5%)
11/2006: Deadman #4  -- 11,294 (-12.7%)
12/2006: Deadman #5  -- 10,113 (-10.5%)
01/2007: Deadman #6  --  9,157 (- 9.5%)
02/2007: Deadman #7  --  8,342 (- 8.9%)
----------------
6 months: -62.1%

A horrible six-month drop-off, and sales are still declining too fast.

—–

174 - TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (WildStorm)
11/2006: Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1  -- 15,605
12/2006: Texas Chainsaw Massacre #2  --  9,706 (-37.8%)
01/2007: Texas Chainsaw Massacre #3  --  8,229 (-15.2%)
02/2007: Texas Chainsaw Massacre #4  --  7,651 (- 7.0%)

Canceled with issue #6.

—–

175 - TESTAMENT (Vertigo)
02/2006: Testament #3  -- 12,831 (- 5.1%)
03/2006: Testament #4  -- 13,074 (+ 1.9%)
04/2006: Testament #5  -- 12,770 (- 2.3%)
05/2006: Testament #6  -- 12,361 (- 3.2%)
06/2006: Testament #7  -- 11,770 (- 4.8%)
07/2006: Testament #8  -- 11,073 (- 5.9%)
08/2006: Testament #9  -- 10,462 (- 5.5%)
09/2006: Testament #10 --  9,629 (- 8.0%)
10/2006: Testament #11 --  9,059 (- 5.9%)
11/2006: Testament #12 --  8,690 (- 4.1%)
12/2006: Testament #13 --  8,320 (- 4.3%)
01/2007: Testament #14 --  7,960 (- 4.3%)
02/2007: Testament #15 --  7,618 (- 4.3%)
----------------
6 months: -27.2%
1 year  : -40.6%

Declining.

—–

176 - CROSSING MIDNIGHT (Vertigo)
11/2006: Crossing Midnight #1  -- 12,756
12/2006: Crossing Midnight #2  --  8,982 (-29.6%)
01/2007: Crossing Midnight #3  --  8,236 (- 8.3%)
02/2007: Crossing Midnight #4  --  7,568 (- 8.1%)

It’s not bottoming out yet, despite already being the lowest-selling ongoing Vertigo title.

—–

177 - THE OTHER SIDE (Vertigo)
10/2006: The Other Side #1 of 5 -- 12,336
11/2006: The Other Side #2 of 5 --  9,359 (-24.1%)
12/2006: The Other Side #3 of 5 --  8,436 (- 9.9%)
01/2007: The Other Side #4 of 5 --  7,989 (- 5.3%)
02/2007: The Other Side #5 of 5 --  7,510 (- 6.0%)

These haven’t been great numbers. But the book has garnered good reviews, and a collection is on the way, so maybe it’ll do better through other channels.

—–

178 - BATMAN STRIKES! (Johnny DC)
02/2004: Batman Adventures #11 -- 12,082
02/2005: Batman Strikes! #6    -- 11,102
----------------------------------------
02/2006: Batman Strikes! #18   --  8,626 (+ 5.6%)
03/2006: Batman Strikes! #19   --  8,244 (- 4.4%)
04/2006: Batman Strikes! #20   --  8,331 (+ 1.1%)
05/2006: Batman Strikes! #21   --  8,467 (+ 1.6%)
06/2006: Batman Strikes! #22   --  8,104 (- 4.3%)
07/2006: Batman Strikes! #23   --  8,154 (+ 0.6%)
08/2006: Batman Strikes! #24   --  8,139 (- 0.2%)
09/2006: Batman Strikes! #25   --  7,765 (- 4.6%)
10/2006: Batman Strikes! #26   --  7,560 (- 2.6%)
11/2006: Batman Strikes! #27   --  7,567 (+ 0.1%)
12/2006: Batman Strikes! #28   --  7,427 (- 1.9%)
01/2007: Batman Strikes! #29   --  7,330 (- 1.3%)
02/2007: Batman Strikes! #30   --  7,335 (+ 0.1%)
----------------
6 months: - 9.9%
1 year  : -15.0%
2 years : -33.9%

Johnny DC.

—–

191 - NINJA SCROLL (WildStorm)
09/2006: Ninja Scroll #1 -- 16,819
10/2006: --
11/2006: Ninja Scroll #2 -- 12,143 (-27.8%)
12/2006: Ninja Scroll #3 -- 10,468 (-13.8%)
12/2006: Ninja Scroll #4 --  7,781 (-25.7%)
01/2007: Ninja Scroll #5 --  6,895 (-11.4%)
02/2007: Ninja Scroll #6 --  6,371 (- 7.6%)

DC’s lowest-selling ongoing title, aside from the Johnny DC books.

199 - RUSH CITY
07/2006: Rush City #1 of 6 -- 13,083
08/2006: --
09/2006: Rush City #2 of 6 -- 11,867 (- 9.3%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Rush City #3 of 6 --  8,539 (-28.1%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: Rush City #4 of 6 --  6,873 (-19.5%)
02/2007: Rush City #5 of 6 --  6,055 (-11.9%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.

Not much interest in this one.

—–

216 - KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG (Johnny DC)
09/2006: Krypto the Superdog #1 of 6 -- 10,369
10/2006: Krypto the Superdog #2 of 6 --  7,023 (-32.3%)
11/2006: Krypto the Superdog #3 of 6 --  6,019 (-14.3%)
12/2006: Krypto the Superdog #4 of 6 --  5,519 (- 8.3%)
01/2007: Krypto the Superdog #5 of 6 --  4,966 (-10.0%)
02/2007: Krypto the Superdog #6 of 6 --  4,799 (- 3.4%)
229 - SCOOBY DOO (Johnny DC)
02/2004: Scooby Doo #81  -- 5,297
02/2005: Scooby Doo #93  -- 4,747
---------------------------------
02/2006: Scooby Doo #105 -- 4,326 (- 2.9%)
03/2006: Scooby Doo #106 -- 4,419 (+ 2.2%)
04/2006: Scooby Doo #107 -- 4,359 (- 1.4%)
05/2006: Scooby Doo #108 -- 4,496 (+ 3.1%)
06/2006: Scooby Doo #109 -- 4,423 (- 1.6%)
07/2006: Scooby Doo #110 -- 4,781 (+ 8.1%)
08/2006: Scooby Doo #111 -- 4,492 (- 6.1%)
09/2006: Scooby Doo #112 -- 4,385 (- 2.4%)
10/2006: Scooby Doo #113 -- 4,339 (- 1.1%)
11/2006: Scooby Doo #114 -- 4,387 (+ 1.1%)
12/2006: Scooby Doo #115 -- 4,364 (- 0.5%)
01/2007: Scooby Doo #116 -- 4,285 (- 1.8%)
02/2007: Scooby Doo #117 -- 4,275 (- 0.2%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.8%
1 year  : - 1.2%
2 years : - 9.9%
257 - LOONEY TUNES (Johnny DC)
02/2004: Looney Tunes #111 -- 3,220
02/2005: Looney Tunes #123 -- 2,838
-----------------------------------
02/2006: Looney Tunes #135 -- 2,631 (+ 1.2%)
03/2006: Looney Tunes #136 -- 2,792 (+ 6.1%)
04/2006: Looney Tunes #137 -- 2,558 (- 8.4%)
05/2006: Looney Tunes #138 -- 2,774 (+ 8.4%)
06/2006: Looney Tunes #139 -- 2,694 (- 2.9%)
07/2006: Looney Tunes #140 -- 2,680 (- 0.5%)
08/2006: Looney Tunes #141 -- 2,783 (+ 3.8%)
09/2006: Looney Tunes #142 -- 2,695 (- 3.2%)
10/2006: Looney Tunes #143 -- 2,741 (+ 1.7%)
11/2006: Looney Tunes #144 -- ?????
12/2006: Looney Tunes #145 -- 2,732
01/2007: Looney Tunes #146 -- 2,588 (- 5.3%)
02/2007: Looney Tunes #147 -- 2,553 (- 1.4%)
----------------
6 months: - 8.3%
1 year  : - 3.0%
2 years : -10.0%
281 - CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY (Johnny DC)
02/2004: Cartoon Cartoons #27 -- 2,371
02/2005: CN Block Party #6    -- 2,002
--------------------------------------
02/2006: CN Block Party #18   -- 1,728 (- 3.8%)
03/2006: CN Block Party #19   -- ?????
04/2006: CN Block Party #20   -- 2,055
05/2006: CN Block Party #21   -- ?????
06/2006: CN Block Party #22   -- 1,913
07/2006: CN Block Party #23   -- 1,976 (+ 3.3%)
08/2006: CN Block Party #24   -- 1,920 (- 2.8%)
09/2006: CN Block Party #25   -- 1,918 (- 0.1%)
10/2006: CN Block Party #26   -- 1,879 (- 2.0%)
11/2006: CN Block Party #27   -- ?????
12/2006: CN Block Party #28   -- 1,778
01/2007: CN Block Party #29   -- ?????
02/2007: CN Block Party #30   -- 1,697
----------------
6 months: -11.6%
1 year  : - 1.8%
2 years : -15.2%
288 - CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK (Johnny DC)
05/2006: CN Action Pack #1  -- ?????
06/2006: CN Action Pack #2  -- 1,844
07/2006: CN Action Pack #3  -- 1,908 (+3.5%)
08/2006: CN Action Pack #4  -- ?????
09/2006: CN Action Pack #5  -- 1,644
10/2006: CN Action Pack #6  -- 1,704 (+3.7%)
11/2006: CN Action Pack #7  -- ?????
12/2006: CN Action Pack #8  -- ?????
01/2007: CN Action Pack #9  -- ?????
02/2007: CN Action Pack #10 -- 1,564
----------------
6 months:  n.a.

And another bunch of Johnny DC books.

—–

RE-ORDERS:
195:  6,279 -- Justice Society of America #2
262:  2,270 -- Teen Titans #43
275:  1,888 -- Justice Society of America #1
282:  1,680 -- 52 Week 39
285:  1,622 -- The Boys #1
296:  1,464 -- Justice League of America #5

—–

Average Sales per Title
(not counting reprints, re-orders shipping after the initial month of release, Johnny DC titles and magazines)

DC COMICS
02/2004: 26,900
02/2005: 27,525
---------------
02/2006: 32,292 (- 2.2%)
03/2006: 36,077 (+11.7%)
04/2006: 33,566 (- 7.0%)
05/2006: 42,860 (+27.7%)
06/2006: 40,778 (- 4.9%)
07/2006: 39,915 (- 2.1%)
08/2006: 42,497 (+ 6.5%)
09/2006: 34,920 (-17.8%)
10/2006: 33,406 (- 4.3%)
11/2006: 34,906 (+ 4.5%)
12/2006: 34,418 (- 1.4%)
01/2007: 29,706 (-13.7%)
02/2007: 31,051 (+ 4.5%)
----------------
6 months: -26.9%
1 year  : - 3.8%
2 years : +12.8%
3 years : +15.4%
DC UNIVERSE
02/2004: 30,632
02/2005: 34,956
---------------
02/2006: 40,823 (+ 1.8%)
03/2006: 44,854 (+ 9.9%)
04/2006: 45,129 (+ 0.6%)
05/2006: 56,982 (+26.3%)
06/2006: 51,088 (-10.3%)
07/2006: 49,638 (- 2.8%)
08/2006: 54,382 (+10.0%)
09/2006: 46,329 (-14.8%)
10/2006: 42,581 (- 8.1%)
11/2006: 45,399 (+ 6.6%)
12/2006: 44,641 (- 1.7%)
01/2007: 38,302 (-14.2%)
02/2007: 39,976 (+ 4.4%)
----------------
6 months: -26.5%
1 year  : - 2.1%
2 years : +12.9%
3 years : +30.5%
VERTIGO
02/2004: 14,808
02/2005: 13,451
---------------
02/2006: 15,026 (- 0.1%)
03/2006: 15,812 (+ 5.2%)
04/2006: 15,473 (- 2.1%)
05/2006: 15,266 (- 1.3%)
06/2006: 14,965 (- 2.0%)
07/2006: 16,684 (+11.5%)
08/2006: 16,107 (- 3.5%)
09/2006: 15,399 (- 4.4%)
10/2006: 15,189 (- 1.4%)
11/2006: 13,773 (- 9.3%)
12/2006: 13,834 (+ 0.4%)
01/2007: 13,572 (- 1.9%)
02/2007: 11,855 (-12.7%)
----------------
6 months: -26.4%
1 year  : -21.1%
2 years : -11.9%
3 years : -19.9%
WILDSTORM
02/2004: 21,164
02/2005: 14,362
---------------
02/2006: 13,610 (-22.3%)
03/2006: 14,210 (+ 4.4%)
04/2006: 16,036 (+12.9%)
05/2006: 12,737 (-20.6%)
06/2006: 15,056 (+18.2%)
07/2006: 12,778 (-15.1%)
08/2006: 14,741 (+15.4%)
09/2006: 13,285 (- 9.9%)
10/2006: 25,747 (+93.8%)
11/2006: 18,987 (-26.3%)
12/2006: 17,288 (- 9.0%)
01/2007: 14,525 (-16.0%)
02/2007: 14,105 (- 2.9%)
----------------
6 months: - 4.3%
1 year  : + 3.6%
2 years : - 1.8%
3 years : -33.4%

—–

6-MONTH COMPARISONS
+ 13.2%: Manhunter
+ 11.4%: Action Comics
-  1.8%: Y: The Last Man
-  4.8%: Scooby-Doo
-  6.5%: 100 Bullets
-  6.6%: Hellblazer
-  8.3%: Looney Tunes
-  9.8%: Justice League Unlimited
-  9.9%: Batman Strikes!
- 10.2%: DMZ
- 10.3%: Birds of Prey
- 11.1%: Justice
- 11.5%: Jonah Hex
- 11.6%: Cartoon Network Block Party
- 11.6%: Teen Titans Go
- 11.9%: Green Arrow
- 13.0%: The Exterminators
- 13.0%: Superman
- 13.4%: Batman
- 14.8%: Jack of Fables
- 16.8%: Detective Comics
- 17.4%: Wonder Woman
- 18.6%: Nightwing
- 18.6%: Outsiders
- 19.9%: Loveless
- 20.3%: 52
- 20.3%: JLA: Classified
- 21.2%: Supergirl and the Legion
- 21.8%: Catwoman
- 22.2%: Firestorm
- 22.9%: Robin
- 27.2%: Testament
- 27.8%: Ion
- 28.7%: Supergirl
- 29.5%: JSA: Classified
- 30.6%: Hawkgirl
- 31.6%: Trials of SHAZAM
- 32.2%: Green Lantern Corps
- 33.2%: Flash
- 33.9%: Checkmate
- 34.6%: Shadowpact
- 44.1%: Blue Beetle
- 44.6%: Martian Manhunter
- 50.3%: The All-New Atom
- 52.6%: American Virgin
- 55.1%: OMAC
- 62.1%: Deadman

—–

1-YEAR COMPARISONS
+ 55.9%: Detective Comics
+ 55.5%: Justice Society of America
+ 52.9%: Wonder Woman
+ 32.5%: Manhunter
+ 25.2%: Batman
+ 24.8%: Action Comics
+  0.7%: Green Arrow
-  1.2%: Scooby-Doo
-  1.6%: Y: The Last Man
-  1.8%: Cartoon Network Block Party
-  2.1%: Aquaman
-  2.2%: Supergirl and the Legion
-  3.0%: Looney Tunes
-  5.1%: Birds of Prey
-  5.4%: Catwoman
-  8.0%: Nightwing
-  8.9%: Hellblazer
-  9.0%: Superman
-  9.1%: 100 Bullets
- 10.6%: Justice League Unlimited
- 10.7%: DMZ
- 12.2%: Robin
- 14.1%: Justice
- 15.0%: Batman Strikes!
- 21.1%: Teen Titans Go
- 23.8%: Outsiders
- 25.8%: Jonah Hex
- 28.0%: The Exterminators
- 30.5%: Green Lantern
- 31.0%: Firestorm
- 33.8%: Hawkgirl
- 33.8%: Loveless
- 40.6%: Testament
- 41.7%: JLA: Classified
- 42.3%: JSA: Classified
- 49.0%: Supergirl

—–

2-YEAR COMPARISONS
+182.5%: Wonder Woman
+ 96.8%: Justice Society of America
+ 72.5%: Action Comics
+ 43.3%: Batman
+ 38.0%: Detective Comics
+ 21.9%: Manhunter
+  7.1%: Flash
-  0.3%: Green Arrow
-  1.8%: Y: The Last Man
-  4.0%: Birds of Prey
-  7.8%: Aquaman
-  9.9%: Scooby-Doo
- 10.0%: Looney Tunes
- 10.1%: Catwoman
- 11.0%: Nightwing
- 12.8%: Robin
- 14.0%: Hellblazer
- 15.2%: Cartoon Network Block Party
- 16.5%: 100 Bullets
- 16.6%: Outsiders
- 16.8%: Hawkgirl
- 21.4%: Supergirl and the Legion
- 25.3%: Justice League Unlimited
- 27.7%: Firestorm
- 33.9%: Batman Strikes!
- 34.7%: Teen Titans Go
- 42.5%: Superman
- 42.6%: Green Lantern
- 59.0%: JLA: Classified

—–
OTHER PUBLISHERS

57 - STAR WARS: LEGACY (Dark Horse)
06/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #1 -- 34,758         [36,375]
07/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #2 -- 33,298 (-4.2%)
08/2006: --
09/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #3 -- 34,268 (+2.9%)
09/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #4 -- 34,362 (+0.3%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #5 -- 34,362 (   0%)
11/2006: Star Wars: Legacy #6 -- 33,003 (-4.0%)
12/2006: --
01/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #7 -- 34,249 (+3.8%)
02/2007: Star Wars: Legacy #8 -- 33,533 (-2.1%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.

Still doing perfectly well.

—–

75 - CONAN (Dark Horse)
02/2005: Conan #1  -- 51,416          [92,547]
02/2005: Conan #13 -- 38,645
----------------------------
02/2006: Conan #25 -- 31,675 (- 0.7%)
03/2006: Conan #26 -- 31,573 (- 0.3%)
04/2006: Conan #27 -- 31,710 (+ 0.4%)
05/2006: Conan #28 -- 31,675 (- 0.1%)
06/2006: Conan #29 -- 32,049 (+ 1.2%)
07/2006: Conan #30 -- 31,095 (- 3.0%)
08/2006: Conan #31 -- 30,887 (- 0.7%)
09/2006: Conan #32 -- 29,070 (- 5.9%)
10/2006: Conan #33 -- 29,137 (+ 0.2%)
11/2006: Conan #34 -- 28,144 (- 3.4%)
12/2006: Conan #35 -- 27,115 (- 3.7%)
01/2006: Conan #36 -- 26,245 (- 3.2%)
02/2006: Conan #37 -- 25,532 (- 2.7%)
----------------
6 months: -17.3%
1 year  : -19.4%
2 years : -33.9%

The last six months’ stiff decline is slowing down again.

—–

85 - STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC (Dark Horse)
02/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #2  -- 21,203 (-9.7%)
03/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #3  -- 21,346 (+0.7%)
04/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #4  -- 22,581 (+5.8%)
05/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #5  -- 23,223 (+2.8%)
06/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #6  -- 23,424 (+0.9%)
07/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #7  -- 23,531 (+0.5%)
08/2006: --
09/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #8  -- 24,374 (+3.6%)
10/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #9  -- 24,229 (-0.6%)
11/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #10 -- 24,021 (-0.9%)
12/2006: Star Wars: KotOR #11 -- 24,437 (+1.7%)
01/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #12 -- 24,940 (+2.1%)
01/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #13 -- 24,149 (-3.2%)
02/2007: Star Wars: KotOR #14 -- 23,395 (-3.1%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : +10.3%

The numbers are losing steam, but the book is still doing very well, overall.

—–

93 - RED SONJA (Dynamite)
02/2006: Red Sonja #5  -- 38,798 (- 7.3%)
02/2006: Red Sonja #6  -- 35,031 (- 9.7%)
03/2006: Red Sonja #7  -- 34,560 (- 1.5%)
03/2006: Red Sonja #8  -- 34,700 (+ 0.4%)
04/2006: Red Sonja #9  -- 32,334 (- 6.8%)
05/2006: Red Sonja #10 -- 32,479 (+ 0.5%)
06/2006: Red Sonja #11 -- 31,176 (- 4.0%)
07/2006: Red Sonja #12 -- 33,252 (+ 6.7%)
08/2006: Red Sonja #13 -- 28,996 (-12.8%)
09/2006: Red Sonja #14 -- 25,891 (-10.7%)
10/2006: Red Sonja #15 -- 25,303 (- 2.3%)
11/2006: Red Sonja #16 -- 25,644 (+ 1.4%)
12/2006: Red Sonja #17 -- 23,552 (- 8.2%)
01/2007: Red Sonja #18 -- 23,040 (- 2.2%)
02/2007: Red Sonja #19 -- 22,322 (- 3.1%)
----------------
6 months: -23.0%
1 year  : -42.5%

Settling into a slow decline, possibly. Cover count: eight.

—–

101 - THE WALKING DEAD (Image)
02/2004: --
02/2005: Walking Dead #15 -- 15,454 
-----------------------------------
02/2006: --
03/2006: Walking Dead #26 -- 19,385 (+ 0.3%)
03/2006: Walking Dead #27 -- 18,868 (- 2.7%)
04/2006: --
05/2006: --
06/2006: Walking Dead #28 -- 19,537 (+ 2.2%)
07/2006: Walking Dead #29 -- 20,385 (+ 4.3%)
08/2006: Walking Dead #30 -- 20,540 (+ 0.8%)
09/2006: Walking Dead #31 -- 21,368 (+ 4.0%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Walking Dead #32 -- 21,191 (- 0.8%)
12/2006: Walking Dead #33 -- 21,235 (+ 0.2%)
01/2007: Walking Dead #34 -- 21,184 (- 0.2%)
02/2007: Walking Dead #35 -- 21,391 (+ 1.0%)
-----------------
6 months: +  4.1%
1 year  :   n.a.
2 years : + 38.4%

The numbers are reaching new heights again, bringing the book closer to the Top 100 than ever before.

—–

106 - FELL (Image)
02/2006: --
03/2006: Fell #4 -- 18,917 (+16.7%)
04/2006: --
05/2006: Fell #5 -- 19,353 (+ 2.3%)
06/2006: --
07/2006: --
08/2006: Fell #6 -- 19,542 (+ 1.0%)
09/2006: --
10/2006: --
11/2006: --
12/2006: --
01/2007: --
02/2007: Fell #7 -- 20,667 (+ 5.8%)
----------------
6 months: + 5.8%

Another title whose sales keep increasing.

—–

127 - TRANSFORMERS: ESCALATION (IDW)
02/2006: Transformers: Infiltration #2 -- 35,828 (-21.2%)
03/2006: Transformers: Infiltration #3 -- 30,344 (-15.3%)
04/2006: Transformers: Infiltration #4 -- 28,835 (- 5.0%)
05/2006: Transformers: Infiltration #5 -- 27,264 (- 5.5%)
06/2006: --
07/2006: Transformers: Infiltration #6 -- 25,303 (- 7.2%)
08/2006: --
09/2006: --
10/2006: --
11/2006: Transformers: Escalation #1   -- 20,625 (-18.5%)
12/2006: Transformers: Escalation #2   -- 16,363 (-20.7%)
01/2007: Transformers: Escalation #3   -- 15,616 (- 4.6%)
02/2007: Transformers: Escalation #4   -- 14,737 (- 5.6%)
----------------
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : -58.9%

There’s a high-profile Transformers film coming up, so let’s see how the various comics are doing.

The line’s current flagship title isn’t doing all that well, it seems. Cover count: three.

—–

128 - G.I. JOE VS. TRANSFORMERS (DDP)
03/2006: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 3 #1 of 5 -- 26,561 (+ 9.5%)
04/2006: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 3 #2 of 5 -- 21,386 (-19.5%)
05/2006: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 3 #3 of 5 -- 20,612 (- 3.6%)
06/2006: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 3 #4 of 5 -- 18,772 (- 8.9%)
07/2006: --
08/2006: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 3 #5 of 5 -- 18,208 (- 3.0%)
09/2006: --
10/2006: --
11/2006: --
12/2006: --
01/2007: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 4 #1 of 2 -- 17,269 (- 5.6%)
02/2007: G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Vol. 4 #2 of 2 -- 14,654 (-15.1%)
----------------
6 months: -19.5%
1 year  : -44.8% 

Another Transformers book with less than inspiring sales. Cover count: two.

—–

136 - INVINCIBLE (Image)
02/2004: Invincible #8  --  6,323
02/2005: Invincible #20 --  9,541
---------------------------------
02/2006: Invincible #28 -- 12,147 (+ 3.2%)
03/2006: Invincible #29 -- 12,698 (+ 4.5%)
03/2006: Invincible #30 -- 12,300 (- 3.1%)
04/2006: Invincible #31 -- 12,056 (- 2.0%)
05/2006: --
06/2006: Invincible #32 -- 12,910 (+ 7.1%)
06/2006: Invincible #33 -- 12,940 (+ 0.2%)
07/2006: --
08/2006: Invincible #34 -- 13,610 (+ 5.2%)
09/2006: Invincible #35 -- 13,320 (- 2.1%)
10/2006: --
11/2006: Invincible #36 -- 13,473 (+ 1.2%)
12/2006: Invincible #37 -- 13,523 (+ 0.4%)
01/2007: Invincible #38 -- 13,470 (- 0.4%)
02/2007: Invincible #39 -- 13,298 (- 1.3%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.3%
1 year  : + 9.5%
2 years : +39.4%

Standard attrition.

—–

193 - TRANSFORMERS: GENERATIONS (IDW)
03/2006: Transformers: Generations #1  -- 24,104
04/2006: Transformers: Generations #2  -- 18,718 (-22.3%)
05/2006: Transformers: Generations #3  -- 13,844 (-26.0%) [15,436]
04/2006: Transformers: Generations #4  -- 12,986 (- 6.2%)
07/2006: Transformers: Generations #5  -- 11,141 (-14.2%)
08/2006: Transformers: Generations #6  -- 10,203 (- 8.4%)
09/2006: Transformers: Generations #7  --  9,455 (- 7.3%)
10/2006: Transformers: Generations #8  --  8,678 (- 8.2%)
11/2006: Transformers: Generations #9  --  7,803 (-10.1%)
12/2006: Transformers: Generations #10 --  7,150 (- 8.4%)
01/2007: --
02/2007: Transformers: Generations #11 --  6,337 (-11.4%)
----------------
6 months: -37.9%

This isn’t bad for a reprint book, but it’s been a horrible fall since the book’s launch, obviously.

—–

250 - TRANSFORMERS: PRIME DIRECTIVE MOVIE PREQUEL (IDW)
02/2007: Transformers: Movie Prequel #1 --  2,819

These are just the numbers for a variant cover edition, which for some reason shipped one week before the regular edition, which came out on March 7 and will register on next month’s chart.

Still, overall, the audience for the Transformers books appears to be tiny these days.

—–
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 traditionally known to be somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate.

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 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 the book’s initial 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 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 Vertigo and 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.

—–
Germany-based Marc-Oliver Frisch has a weblog and regularly contributes to German online magazine Comicgate.

1 COMMENT

  1. DC really seems to be in trouble.

    I think its VERY bizaare that they’d ax Green Arrow, one of the few books not torpedoed by OYL, and then cancel it. How well do they think Green Arrow is going to do? How big of a boost is the rumored marriage to Black Canary REALLY going to provide?

    With so many of their books seemingly struggling and in need of help, their priorities seem askew.

  2. I have a theory that DC will be fine so long as they never cancel inventive, quality books like Chase, Hourman, and Kyle Baker’s Plastic Man.

    Oh, sh*t.

  3. I’ve been a DC fan from the early 80’s. I love their universe and characters. But I’ve been dropping their books left and right.

    I can’t put my finger on it, but from insanely late books to Osiris’ bloody death to Power Girl’s chest on JLA#10, there’s just something ‘not right’ about them lately.

    I’ve been adjusting my buying habits to the trades. So far it’s paid off. I haven’t had to read the messes that are Captain Marvel, Green Lantern, Deadman, or Omega Men. Titles I would love to love. (I’ll get the Jeff Smith Shazam in TPB, of course)

    Supergirl is better handled in Legion (which I love) than she is in her own book. That ain’t right.

    I get a bigger kick out of reading Batman in a Showcase collection than I do Grant Morrison’s. That ain’t right either.

    I own almost every Superman family title since about 1984. I’m close to considering dropping the current books, due to their horrible pacing. Soooo not right.

    Event burnout has certainly occurred with me. Even the titles I do like (like Firestorm) are supposedly “leading up to something big…” but I don’t care. I want to. I just don’t.

    I want to buy more DC books. I really do.

  4. I would just get in trouble if I wrote this on the DC boards but I said this would be the result before a single one of these projects ever got on the stands. I said it before they were even solicited, just when they were announced it all sounded bad and now look, we are exactly where I said we would be.

    DC right now reminds me of a bird in a window. The bird can’t tell it’s efforts are futile, the staff at DC can they just refuse to acknowledge it. “Trial of Shazam” is a monstrously tragic mistake. The whole Lex Luthor as president was the worst Story line ever in my thirty years of collecting comics by any publisher. DC should have been better.

    DC seems to be under the impression that if they keep publishing their books as they wish to publish them right now the readers will be forced to buy what they what to put on the market rather than by publishing quality material with their properties in contemporary stories that meet market demand. I think it’s sad because I have dropped many titles too. (Everything written by Judd Winick whom I don’t think has one keystroke of talent and shouldn’t even have a job writing comics. )

    I am and always have been a fan of the DC characters and I would like to buy more titles but as this continues I will be buying less and it appears so will everyone else.

  5. Says Dixon64:

    “I think it’s sad because I have dropped many titles too. (Everything written by Judd Winick whom I don’t think has one keystroke of talent and shouldn’t even have a job writing comics. ) ”

    “Sad” is a great word for it. I was flipping through Previews just today, sighing about how I’d be dropping more books. My 2 1/2 year-old daughter asked me what was wrong. Even she sensed my unspoken sadness and desperation. True story.

    And Winnick is hit and miss with me. I actually liked the Batman/Jason Todd stuff he did (until Superboy’s punching was the explanation). But just looking at the image of Billy Batson with long white hair makes me throw up a little in my mouth.

    “Sad” is the perfect word for it.

  6. I complimented Paul on his dedication to the Marvel sales figures in that thread, and I’d like to extend the same warm thanks to you for this counterpart, Marc-Oliver. Nice one, squire: excellent read, month after month.

    I sympathise with the other posters. DC’s comics are seemingly falling apart, and although no-one wants them to, nothing they’re doing is stopping it.

    Here’s a horrible idea, and I’m appalled at myself for thinking of it: they should relaunch “Wonder Woman” as the comic of the 70s TV show, with Greg Land on art, and lots of dubious chloroforming and ‘harmless’ softcore fetish stuff with her lasso. Take the kind of tacky Golden Age approach that would cross-sell to guys too embarrassed to be Avatar Comics buyers, as well as finally making the comic feature the mainstream’s idea of Wonder Woman – a sexy but rather lame chick in skimpy satin being grappled by gangsters and Nazi dominatrixes. Let’s face it, no-one outside real comics fans has a clue about Wonder Woman beyond the TV show… they can identify basic facts about heroes like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men, but WW? Nothing…. despite the fact that her TV series significantly pre-dates those movies. But everyone remembers it and it lives on in healthy DVD sales.

    Sure, this would destroy the appeal to the female audience, but the female audience who are *actually stumping up cash for this product* is currently a maximum of 70,000, and most likely half that – which is nothing compared to the potential sales on a Playboy-lite comic explicitly photoreferencing a young Lynda Carter for the general enjoyment of men. Add in newsstand distribution like you get for all TV tie-in magazines, retro features, and lots of stuff downloaded off the internet. I predict sales galore.

    Nothing else has worked. Give up and give them what they want: something to perve over.

    It’s a dreadful idea in every respect except making money. Personally I enjoyed the first Jodi Picoult issue, and as an alternative I’d be quite happy if Eric Luke came back.

  7. This really does make depressing reading. I suppose you could argue that it’s not as bad as it looks because so many major titles are missing, but then that’s a double-edged sword – what’s the use of a high-selling comic that never comes out? Every month that it fails to ship, it’s selling zero.

  8. Batman
    “High-profile regular writer Grant Morrison returned to the book in February, following a four-issue stint by a fill-in creative team. While sales have recovered somewhat, they’re not quite where they used to be. ”

    Might be because of the unusual format of Batman 664, an entire prose story with a few illustrations.

    Trials of Shazam & Monster Society of Evil

    The hefty drop you noted is likely due to MSoE taking a bite out of the sales for ToS.

  9. “Might be because of the unusual format of Batman 664, an entire prose story with a few illustrations.”

    Unlikely, given that retailers have to order in advance and the solicitation copy made no mention of the experiment.

  10. ya your right Gil thats an awful idea about Wonder Woman. That would bring a lot of positive press their way huh?

    DC seems to do well in trades though. THe next event will probably bring in huge sales.

  11. It couldn’t be that, with a few exceptions, the DCU OYL has been Incredibly. Frelling. Boring.

    Nothing can happen in the books because of 52. Writers couldn’t do a proper in media res because they were either not allowed to give away spoilers, or because they couldn’t move on a storyline until the 52 team had decided what to do.

    90% of the DCU has been in a holding pattern the past year and it shows in the dark.

    And that’s what worries me about Countdown. Does this mean another year of writers sitting on their hands, not being able to do anything until it’s been verified that it jybes with Countdown?

    Frankly, it’s time for a new EIC (who doesn’t think he’s some sort of auteur ) and a genuinely fresh vision.

  12. Whew, I was one of the first snarky posters on this thread, but I think even I am being worn out by all the negativity. Let’s take a moment to remember some of the high-quality books DC is currenlty releasing.

    Busiek’s Aquaman was fun while it lasted, even if not a sales juggernaut. The Johns/Donner and Morrison Superman books are fantastic, when they are actually released. And perhaps leading the pack is Johns’ GL, as fresh and “back to basics” as I have seen that franchise since the O’Neil/Adams days. And of course, let’s not forget extra-DCU projects like Ex Machina and Y and Fables and Jack of Fables. I agree that DC has hit some sour notes of late with Supergirl, WW, Trials of Shazam, Flash, etc, and some snorefest notes with the new JLA. But it ain’t all bad, people!

  13. In response to Ian, Green Arrow carried a 50-60K readership for the better part of two years under Smith and Meltzer. It can do so again. The real goofs have been the Bart Allen fiasco and the Wonder Woman title. Shedding readers like that on a fresh set of issue numbers is really, really, really bad.

    GA has not capitalized on the massive endorsements from being the star of Identity Crisis, a major second tier character in the JLU cartoon series, and numerous appearances on Smallville. None of the extra publicity and hype has moved the title. I think DC is making a good call on re-thinking the title, although re-thinking the creative team might have been the better way ago when sales started shrinking two or three years ago.

  14. Man, this was a depressing read. It’s like being a Red Sox fan when their season sucks and it looks like they won’t be making the playoffs at all. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ bullpen are doing kick ass numbers and will win the World Series without a doubt. :(

    Re: John – Fables didn’t ship in Feb.

  15. Calling Bart Allen the Flash a “fiasco” is a severe understatement. Ever since Geoff Johns left the previous volume at #225, the quality of the Flash has gone downhill faster than I’ve ever seen a book fall in my two decades of comic reading.

    It wasn’t bad enough the Flash title kept going with a bunch of worthless one shot stories set in the past, not bad enough Wally West was uncerimonious ditched with barely an afterthought in an incomprehensible plotline, but no, they had to replace him with a crap whiny teen angsty character!

    What really depressed me is I LOVE Marc Guggenheim. He is, without a doubt in my mind, one of the best newcomers to hit the scene in quite some time. I’ve LOVED everything he’s done so far. However, I’ll never accept Bart as the Flash. MAYBE if Wally’d at least got a decent sendoff with Bart stepping up to fill his shoes, but the whole “I don’t wanna be Flash! WAH WAH WAH!” garbage lost all respect I had for the character.

    Just bring Wally back, PLEASE DC!

  16. “Whew, I was one of the first snarky posters on this thread, but I think even I am being worn out by all the negativity.”

    I hear you, Primate. There is still a lot of great stuff from DC. I personally can’t get enough of the Showcase editions. LOVE THEM. And I wish 52 could keep going. I think it’s great, and hope that Countdown can keep me interested.

    Here’s the thing: I pre-order my books, and if there’s a Showcase I want, plus 4 issues of 52 plus, say, a Justice Society TPB… With a pre-order discount that’s somewhere around 25 bucks. How many floppies does that equal? I have a budget. Something must go.

    So I weigh my options: Jonah Hex, where I get a complete story every issue, on-time and well executed? Or Batman, where the bloody cop beating scene on the cover doesn’t really go with the confusing half-story inside?

    It’s very frustrating. Even though it’s a downer, I think this is a good thread for all of us DC lovers to get those feelings out. Better to do it here, where it’s the main thrust of the article, than on a Newsarama thread about the Metal Men movie or something.

    And YouStayClassy: I totally forgot about the Flash. I wish I wanted to read that book, too. I have a long box full of Flash back issues. After the current first two issues I couldn’t get it off my pull list fast enough.

  17. YouStayClassy, have you read either of Guggenheim’s issues on Flash? The characterization you’re complaining about is gone. Bart had some issues, and worked through them. It took 6 issues, but he’s acting a lot more like Bart now. Or maybe Peter Parker. Either way, the “whiny teen angst” is a thing of the past.

  18. I read that Brave and the Bold debut issue – started out strong, but I was left at the end scratching my head trying to figure out what was going on.

    Hal Jordan beating Bruce Wayne at a game of craps? What has this world come to?

    ~

    Coat

  19. DC is definitely struggling. No doubt they’re trying to do something about their late-shipping titles because they’re noticing that lack of a book means no actual money coming in either, DUH! The downside is that they might piss off a chunk of their audience through the fill-in nature of the stories, giving the reader a good reason to go “to hell with this, I’ll buy the trade” or “I’d rather be buying a new Showcase”. Of course in both those cases, DC will get its money eventually too, but even so, it can’t be good in their own mindset to see all those books losing readers by the bucketload. I’ll be following the trend by cutting loose various books, because with the upcoming wedding and all, I need to be on a tighter budget. Time to trim the fat, and yes, DC has a bunch of trimmable books, sadly. There’s something perverse about comics though: it’s not just the quality of the book that matters to me, but also the attachment one feels to it. I’m more likely to drop Aquaman than JLA, even though Meltzer is a lesser writer than Tad Williams, because I just like the JLA better as a concept than Aquaman solo (I like Kurt Busiek writing Arthur the Barbarian, but then he himself abandoned the book in virtually no time, so…). Also: JLA has Black Canary :p

    Best book of this entire bunch was B&TB #1. I hope that series will be around for a good long while. If DC had more series like it and like The Spirit (instead of so much blood and gore all over the place), less people would be likely to abandon any given title, I think. I’m just not feeling the love anymore. But I *want* to feel it, and that’s the suckiest part.

  20. I dont know who thought it was a good idea to turn Legion into Supergirl & Friends but it isnt doing wonders for sales and the comic is a lot worse

  21. Too many titles.
    Too many missed deadlines.
    Too many multi-part stories.
    Too much gratuitous violence.
    Too many D’s in Power Girl’s bra size.
    Too much emphasis on overly detailed computer colouring.
    Too much to go on.

  22. It should be pointed out, though, that Marvel is coming off a crossover series that, despite it’s problems, was massively successful companywide. In many ways, DC has had to tread water while CIvil War played itself out. Now that that’s done, and with less- than- satisfactory results to most readers, the real story will be if Marvel can keep up their momentum. Don’t be surprised if a lot of those books being launched in the next month or two suffer the same fate as post-IC DC titles– big openings, followed by steep dropoffs.

    The real story here, I think, is the complete inability to launch new titles or relaunch existing ones successfully. Nearly every book is dropping significantly, month after month. What does this mean? Well, once again, I think we see that crossover series are a bad platform to launch and rework books. DC flooded the market with far too many titles, and overwhelmed the market because of it. A book like Blue Beetle or the Atom may get a little boost from the big crossover it follows, but ultimately such titles get lost in the shuffle.

    DC has done a very smart thing with Brave and the Bold– recruit a top creative team, give them enough time in the schedule to get ahead, and release the book after the hype has died down and readers are more likely to notice.

  23. Excellent article.

    I read lots of DC every month, but I have to admit… I could easly drop most of them and not care. There have been too many books published that are just okay.

    I hate to admit it, Marvel just has more better titles. Civil War was good, and the tie-ins were the best ever.

  24. I will now say what I said I would say at this moment:

    “I TOLD YA SO DC!!!!!”

    IC and OYL have been creative disasters that have not led to any noteworthy creative result for any particular character. Quite the opposite actually.

    And when you factor in the unnecessary sexualization and violence………..

    along with Dan Didio’s “ethnic agenda” (whereby any criticism of the writing of “new” characters can be dismissed as rascist rhetoric)………..

    …………..and the ‘glutting’ of the market with new comics with ‘new’ concepts in an atmosphere of decompression and sub-par execution…………..

    ………….. it is really not at all surprising that DC is failing in impress its audience.

    And I will add that not only is the story about a difficulty in launching new titles……… but it also about the failure of DC to maintain the success of clearly established heretofore successful titles!

    Why was Batgirl Cancelled?
    Why was Flash Cancelled and Wally West replaced with a whiner?
    Why replace a Green Arrow comic with a GA/Black Canary comic when the problem with Green Arrow has always been Judd Winnick? Why not replace Winick?
    Why remove Black Canary from Birds Of Prey when she was the life blood of that title…… on par with Oracle? (Notice that sales continue to drop since Dinah left?)
    Why…. in a market that everybody knows is unwelcoming to ‘new’ characters…. introduce a slew of them in Teen Titans and JLA?……… especially after unnecessarily killing off a slew of them in IC?
    Why…. if quality of storytelling is to have priority over ‘continuity’……. does DC continue to make ‘continuity’ the actual plot point of the stories…….i.e. Donna Troy, NW, Ion and the Monitor mess?
    Why not actually resolve plot points in the series that they actually arose in???? (For example…. how did the Trinity suddenly get along at the end of IC? Why does Batman suddenly forgive WW? Why does Superman?…. or does her?? Wasn’t IC supposed to define the pillars of the DCU?…. and if so…. why didn’t it?)
    Why benefit did DC gain by becoming more vague in the soliciting of their titles other than giving the impression that they themselves have no idea what they are doing?
    Why not hire editors that KNOW the characters they are to edit?
    Uhhhgg. The list goes on and on….

    The decline is not surprising in the slightest.

  25. Here’s an idea. Instead of “superstar” writers hire dedicated, solid writers inside the industry who know what they are doing. Instead of grim, gritty, and “realistic” stories let’s ones that are imaginative and inspiring. Instead of shocking deaths and replacing beloved characters, just try to have strong characterization and new ideas with the ones that people already know and love. Instead of rampant Photoshopping just have artists that solid storytellers (Eisner didn’t need Photoshop). Instead of neverending events and hype, just tell a great story and then let it end.

    I’m off pretty much everything at DC outside of All-Star Superman, one of the only books that seem to remember what comics are really about.

  26. It continues to sting that Geoff Johns left the Flash. Sales are already back under the level of Rogue War. I really wish he hadn’t stopped writing the adventures of Wally, because his GL isn’t as good as his Flash. I miss anticipating Flash stories, with thrilling rogue appearances.

    DiDio improved sales when he first came along, but right now the numbers are falling below the bar he himself set since the start of his tenure. I’m really curious whether they can turn it around without more pointless deaths. It seems clear that DC’s (lack of) direction is turning off more people than it’s attracting. I had high hopes when “Face The Face” and “Up, Up And Away” kicked off OYL, but they squandered all the potential, which lies squarely on the shoulders of editorial, as far as I’m concerned. They’re the ones meant to be guiding the ship, after all. Meanwhile, the creative geniuses at Marvel are about as boneheaded, but they still garner the sales necessary to stay the course. DC, not so much.

    If more comics were like ASS, as Sporks mentions, things would be great :)

  27. “It’s very frustrating. Even though it’s a downer, I think this is a good thread for all of us DC lovers to get those feelings out. Better to do it here, where it’s the main thrust of the article, than on a Newsarama thread about the Metal Men movie or something.”

    And I, in turn, agree with you, Vert. Better to let it out here, rather than spew it all over the net. I agree that the delays suck, and there have been some quality issues, and some really weird decisions about where franchises should go (Flash, Shazam). I guess I am just arguing that, for every misstep on DC’s part, there has been something correspondingly good.

    For example: This thread started before I read Meltzer’s JLoA #7, and that series is already looking up. Pacing was better, the Red Arrow scene was touching, frankly the Hall of Justice made me laugh with glee. Oh, and I also forgot to mention in my “silver lining” post…. as hit-and-miss as Morrison’s Batman has been, Dini’s Tec run is firing on all cylinders. This week’s iss had some good Harley Quinn development, and continued to make the new Ventriloquist a badass.

    All that said, I must admit I’m getting a bit burnt out on Winick, king of the decompressionists. His GL Kyle run was fantastic back in the day, but his GA moves sooooo sloooowly it makes Meltzer’s JLoA look positively speedy by comparison. Speedy…that there’s a pun, see? Heh.

  28. Ess, you nailed it exactly.
    Hey DC, readers are tired of the following:
    decapitations and dismemberments.
    overemphasis on detail and coloring. EVS and Moose should not be the house style.
    Guy Gardner on the cover of anything. It is not 1985.
    Get. It. Together.

  29. Yanno, I can take the constant doomsday prophesy (even though sales are only down slightly from last year, despite the fact that there aren’t any crossovers going on right now and several titles are shipping late),

    I can take the pointless “well IIIII don’t like this title so obviously no one else does either” (next person to insult a Supergirl title gets punched),

    I can take the “it’s just too DARK” (Wonder why nobody’s actually come up with any examples in OYL continuity, much less establish a pattern?),

    But damnit, taking potshots at Guy Gardner? That just pisses me off.

    (Seriously though, Green Lantern Corps is one of the best books DC is putting out right now. Absolutely worth reading, but with guys like Champagne and Gibbons at the helm you should be able to figure that out.)

  30. Ess put it perfectly, and succinctly.

    DiDio should be replaced by someone who can get talented creators to put out quality product on a reliable basis.

  31. I read this article every month, and as weird as it is to say, I feel it comforts me in knowing that, according to the sales numbers, that others are as dissappointed with DC’s direction as I am.

    Don’t get me wrong, I truely do want to read and like DC Comics, but some of the stories that are being made right now are making that extremely difficult. The books I didn’t end up dropping because I was angry at the direction, I dropped because I was bored by what they become.

    I think that not counting 52 and non-continuity stuff, I get maybe four DC Superhero comics, and I could easily drop two of those without losing sleep over them. I am saddened that Jonah Hex and The Spirit aren’t doing better, as with some Wildstorm titles, like Tranquility.

    If it wasn’t for 52, DC would have no real edge at all, which is probably why they’re following it up so quickly with Countdown. But personally, I doubt it will sell as well, because some people won’t want to commit to another weekly so soon, I’m one of them. Getting really sick of the Events.

    Anyway, if things don’t pick up soon, DC has some rough times ahead.

  32. Interesting factoid:

    There is no correlation between commercial success and actual quality.

    Another interesting factoid:

    Sales go up when there’s an event. Sales go down when there isn’t. And even with a currently event-less landscape, DC is still shipping only slightly less than what they were last year.

    Conclusion:

    The sky is not falling. DC will not fall apart at the seams because their sales are slightly down in an area that only encompasses, at best, half of their business.

    As an aside, I wonder when someone’s going to step up and give us a detailed look at the TPB market? I have a feeling that would be incredibly interesting.

  33. The problem is that the Diamond sales records for TPBs are impossible to use the same way as for periodicals, for two reasons :

    – For monthlies, you get the Top 300, which covers nearly everything that is published that month, even in very low quantities (the threshold is at around 2,000 copies in average). For TPBs, you get the Top 100, which barely covers half the month’s new launches.
    – For monthlies, there is very little reorder activity, and it is often negligible in comparison to the initial sales. For TPBs, reorders are the heart of the business : most of the back catalogue will get a small quantity of reorders each week, which, if added over years, will far outsell the initial sales.

    If you combine the two, you get what Brian Hibbs calls the “Watchmen effect” (which isn’t really true for Watchmen these years, but whatever) : consistent bestsellers will fail to appear in every month’s top 100 list (because they are overshadowed by initial launches of lots of new TPBs), and still manage to be in the year’s top 100 (or even top 50) overall bestsellers.

    (For more on this phenomenon, you can for exemple look here : http://www.newsarama.com/Tilting2_0/Tilting25.htm )

  34. “Here’s an idea. Instead of “superstar” writers hire dedicated, solid writers inside the industry who know what they are doing.”

    I’m all for that, Sporks, but where are those people?

    “Instead of grim, gritty, and “realistic” stories let’s ones that are imaginative and inspiring. Instead of shocking deaths and replacing beloved characters, just try to have strong characterization and new ideas with the ones that people already know and love. Instead of rampant Photoshopping just have artists that solid storytellers (Eisner didn’t need Photoshop). Instead of neverending events and hype, just tell a great story and then let it end.”

    This I agree with 100%.

  35. “along with Dan Didio’s “ethnic agenda” (whereby any criticism of the writing of “new” characters can be dismissed as rascist rhetoric)………..

    Shut up, at least they are trying for more than white characters. Havent you noticed the non-white portion of this country is about %30.

  36. “along with Dan Didio’s “ethnic agenda” (whereby any criticism of the writing of “new” characters can be dismissed as rascist rhetoric)………..

    Shut up, at least they are trying for more than white characters. Havent you noticed the non-white portion of this country is about %30.

    __________________________________________________

    Wow. You give new meaning to the phrase “missing the point!”

    My point was that regardless of the nobility of their intentions in diversifying the DCU, they have implicitly and tacitly suggested that any criticism of such “new” characters is grounded in racism….. as opposed to constructive criticism. The simple truth is that MOST fans IN FACT love the character and NOT the costume. Therefore, you can’t simply replace Wally West with Bart Allen….. or Ray Palmer with Ryan Choi….. or Ronnie Raymond with Jason Rusch…… without the consequence that many will simply choose NOT to tune in….. simply because the character is different.

    It is not about racism…. which the whole Flash debacle clearly illustrates. Both Wally West and Bart Allen are white. And most Flash fans are staying away from Bart. IMHO…. the whole Flash scenario is really opening DC’s eyes…. because it is the one title that they can look at (where the lead was not replaced by an “ethnic” character…. and the result was still poor sales….. thereby casting serious doubt on the contention that many fans are “racist. The Flash has been a disaster….. and it all biols down to the fact that Wally West is gone with no explanation and we are FORCED to accept someone else. It is not that Ryan Choi and Jason Rusch are poorly written characters per se….. it is simply the fact that the connection that the fanbase has to the previous characters is too strong and we are not ready to say good bye.

    DC’s wholesale “change” to their universe has been way too all-encompassing and haphazard….. affecting every hero in the DCU. And this has compunded the problem. Literally EVERYTHING that I liked about the DCU is different…… by either being a “new” character or the same character (but actually being more “boring” than before!). Honestly, I can’t think of a single DC Hero that became more exciting OYL. Again, other than Batman lightening up and the conceptual foundation of WW changing……. what good has come of OYL?

    Didio has recently once again promised that the best has yet to come. He said the same thing 2 years ago and then last years etc etc. We are still waiting. When Didio took over, the early signs were good that we would get some good changes. But the changes have been far to over-arching and more aimed at politics and agenda-setting than actually safeguarding the integrity of the core characters. DC has very little to be proud of in the last few years.

  37. I’m glad the majority of you feel the way I do. I’ve been a life long DC fan, but I have not been able to buy any of their books because of the extreme violence and death. DC was always more wholesome, more science fiction oriented than being gruesome. I look forward to the day when I can read new DC comics again. Until then, I’ll be in the past.

  38. Comics readers hate ultradetailed art, grim-and-gritty storytelling, and gory death scenes.

    It’s obvious: that’s why no one bought Infinite Crisis, Civil War, or the Ultimates.

    I lean more towards two explanations for the horrible sales performance DC’s turned in recently:

    1) No line-wide crossovers to compete with Civil War. The books that do resemble crossovers or are tied to them — JLofA, Brave and the Bold, Superman/Batman when it ships, and that awful and fan-repelling 52 — are all selling very well. The books whose sales are tanking are not just the gory, gritty comics. They are, in fact, the traditionalist comics, the nostalgia comics. Kurt Busiek’s books, for example, are treading water; The Spirit, a heavily-hyped book by an acclaimed, traditional and non-gory, non-gritty creator and featuring a legendary character, is selling around 25k.

    2) Horribly poor scheduling and even worse scheduling fixes, including a return to fill-ins. Fill-ins get books dropped from pull lists now by creator-chasing fans; relaunches that don’t ship for 6 months or don’t feature marquee characters fail. A Ted Kord Blue Beetle comic won’t sell any more than a Jamie Reyes Blue Beetle comic, unfortunately, and a Wildstorm relaunch that doesn’t happen and then can’t seem to get to issue #2…at which point the hot creators announce that they’re leaving with #4, not even a whole TPB of material….that relaunch is dead.

    It’s all quite sad to me, since I tend to like the old-school, self-contained comics. But the market simply doesn’t right now.

  39. “There are people who think the comic book industry is healthier than ever. Try to persuade them.”

    Well, the North American comics industry IS relatively healthy right now. But the same isn’t true for DC.

  40. Firstly, by any usual definition, I am a Marvel Zombie.

    Secondly, I did not buy Crisis and what have you.

    But I am buying Batman, All Star Superman, Fables, Jack of Fables, All Star Batman (should it ever come out), Wildcats (Ditto) and The Authority (same again). I dropped Wonder Woman over the utter stupidity of the lateness/fill in policy. I will wait for what I believe will be quality product (The Ultimates) or even when I just like the art (Wildcats/All Star Batman) or the creators have a good track record (The Authority) but when I drop a book because it has a new creative team for an arc (no mention that they are a fill in team in the solicitation and no mention the normal art team will be returning mid-bloody arc I have just dropped because I have no reason to believe I will enjoy it) only for the normal art team to return it severely erodes my patience. I am far less likely to actually go and buy any DC stuff on spec now, and do actively wish them harm in the marketplace.

    And Judd Winick is excellent on his own stuff. On his day he is the funniest writer in comics.

  41. As a comic fan that been primarily DC oriented for over a dozen years, I must echo the feelings of disappointment. Most of the OYL titles have been a waste of my time.

    But I liked Civil War. And the reason I liked it was that Marvel did something that right that DC used to excel at. They told a story that was about CHARACTERS – a story that reflected how a character we care for thinks and reacts to different situations. Civil War had more depth of character than I’d seen in a lot of Marvel titles in years.

    And DC, they’re giving me new characters that I don’t care about, and ignoring the ones I do. In a lot of cases, they’re doing it poorly, late, or not at all.

    My pull list has dropped to less than 5 titles a month. I’m not interested in buying titles anymore. I can wait for a trade to judge a story. Then I can read the whole thing in Barnes & Noble. If I think it isn’t worthwhile, I won’t buy it.

  42. I blame this on DC’s ignorance of its readership. DC thought it could exploit the new popularity of established characters (Atom, Blue Beetle) by creating new series filled with replacement characters. Identity Crisis made Ray Palmer interesting again–but DC kept him idle for 2 years and then gave his title (and powers, costume, job, hometown, everything) to a stranger. Countdown made Blue Beetle a sympathetic and tragic hero, yet they killed him and replaced him with a stranger. Why should we care about these strangers?

    In fact, the vast majority of all these new series are a bunch of replacement characters. Recycling the packaging has gotten old, and DC tried to force feed its readers more change than we can take at any given time. And has any of these changes grown from the stories? They all seem arbitrary to me.

    Maybe DC can’t hit 100k because they’ve glutted their own market. Some of these low-end titles must undoubtedly be stealing sales away from others. Could it be that those fence-straddling Green Arrow readers decided to give Secret Six a chance rather than pay for another disappointing issue of GA?

    I always saw the DCU as my favorite. But all the changes around 1994 drove me away. I quit until the “Original Universe” era brought me back with great titles like the JSA. Now, it’s 1994 all over again and I can’t find the characters I enjoy (at least not in their proper incarnation). So I’ve dropped everything from DC except JUSTICE and GREEN LANTERN. I am so very lost these days… (I’m buying lots of reprints instead of new DC issues.)

  43. Well I love what’s been coming out of DC in recent years. Blue Beetle is way fun, as is Atom. JSA, All Star Superman, Superman, Action, Green Lantern are all top drawer IMO. I love 52 and am eagerly awaiting Countdown.

  44. I’m also disappointed in the direction DC has gone since Infinite Crisis. Before this event, I was actually glad to see Supergirl “introduced” into continuity (again) as Superman’s cousin. The issues of Superman/Batman where she returned to Earth, and this time found by Batman, was a good twist to her origin story. But quickly I lost interest, especially after she got her own book. I thought the issues with Power Girl were far more interesting than the issues with Nightwing, Wonder Girl, Boomer, Outsiders & Power Boy. It’s really no wonder this book is tanking, and I just don’t see it doing any better than the previous Kara-Supergirl books. If it makes it to the same issue as the previous Kara book (1984), then I will really be surprized.

    DC has exploited not only the readers but the characters also. I was on board when the Multiverse collapsed in 1985-86, but was really disappointed by the re-launches then. I was always a fan of Wonder Woman, Batman, JLA, JSA, and a couple others, but the destruction of Earth-2, and the merging of origins (combining Golden Age with Modern Age), left a bad taste in my mouth. This is how I see this going now. These re-launches with a few well-known contributors wasn’t what DC had in mind, but they are letting them take total control and ruining characters that the fans have come to love over the years. The thing with characters that were spared after COIE, is that their origins were ruined (Donna Troy-Wonder Girl, Fury – Lyta Trevor are good examples). The changes of Fury being the original Fury’s daughter, Hippolyta becoming the Golden Age Wonder Woman, were not only bad ideas, but insults to readers, at least to me. They may have seemed good at the time, but due to COIE, we lost characters and groups (Infinity Inc, The Huntress, most E-2 characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, All Star-Squadron), and the make overs of having them on one earth not only hurt those books, but the premise of the characters as well.

    Which brings me to the current post-Crisis. I haven’t seen anything now that is going in any other direction, that it did in 1986. Hype for the reason of hype only (Batwoman-Lesbian, Black Canary – can’t decide if she wants to raise a child or join a League are examples), isn’t good enough a reason to try to bring new readers into the fold. If they are going to do a total re-launch, then start most books back at #1 (with execptions of Detective Comics & Action Comics), and give us a fresh view on already established characters. And don’t try to build on the hype of new characters or teams. Checkmate, Blue Beetle, the new Atom should not have their own books. I like the Spectre in a anthology series, but not in a solo book. Certain character groups such as Checkmate, Suicide Squad and others should appear in established books, and use them as protagonists in good stories, rather than try to stretch out good stories in a solo book, which will ultimately lead to cancellation.

    Just my thoughts.

  45. I wish I could be sad about this… but in truth, I’ve been pulling away from DC’s books now for about 5-6 years.

    When OYL came along, I made the decision that, as good a “jumping on” place as it was… it was just as good a “jumping off” point, and that’s what I did – dropping over 20 DC books in March-April 2006.

    I was tired of holding my nose and supporting books I really had no interest in anymore. And with a all my most favorite DC characters having been killed off and/or replaced, I just found I couldn’t find anything to read from DC.

    Conversely, I’ve redirected my money back into Marvel (after 1.5 decades of buying minimal titles from them) and other publishers. And I’ve found my comic reading to be much, MUCH more satisfying. I’ve even given characters I’d written off long ago a chance again (the X-Men and Daredevil). In many ways, I’m back where I was 25 years ago with regards to my buying.

    Like I said, that the gap is widening between Marvel & DC… well, that’s not a surprise to THIS reader. My own buying (and I spend between $60 and $90 a week) reflects this.

    What has surprised me though… is that I’m clearly not the only one who feels this way.

    Just my opinion.

    David

  46. Figures like this, across the board, are only natural at this point.
    2 years later, this is the gigantic pendulum Didio set motion swinging back right into his face after gathering enough momentum.

    Good luck stopping it.

    Because this goes way beyond crossover fatigue or event burn-out (at least how those terms where understood in the late 90s / 2000-2001).
    Marvel has been in universe-wide crossover mode for about 2 years and it seems to be working fine for them, sales-wise at least.

    This has more to do with the editorially catastrophic situation Didio has caused by diving-in head-first after 2-3 years of more-or-less impressive sales results.
    All this because of his overconfidence and lack of experience and understanding of the publishing world.

    1-Didio is completely disconnected from the market. He doesn’t care what fans of his characters/books want.

    As long as whatever is released and/or solicited any given week is confusing and seemingly “shocking” enough for him to make an “interesting” convention speech or Newsarama “interview” that will allow him to use his favorite catch-phrases:

    “big things coming,” “attract new fans,” “very exciting time,” “the clues are there,” “I can’t tell you,” “you’ll see” and “The Legion.”

    Tried, tired and trite is all I for one can say about this “one year later” (woops, make that 2)
    He couldn’t care less about what the editors and writers do as long as it allows for this kind of nonsense to be said of any given book.
    And since all this results in are book cancelations/relaunches and/or perpetual 180 degree turns, why should he indeed care about things such as editorial direction or character development.
    As long as convention buzz, internet speculation and fan debates (read in some cases generalized outrage or dislike) is going strong the book’s ll sell right??

    2-Other than the aforementioned pocketful of Comic Con regulars, DC no longer seems to be targeting any specific audience or demographic group.

    Are they for long time fans and comic readers now in their 30s and 40s? Are they for the 15-40 year old fans of the animated series / Hollywood movie versions of the franchises? Are they for a new generation of 15-25 year old with little or no previous contact with the comics?

    I dunno. Seems to be for everyone at once these days.

    It seems their books are now made for whoever is already buying that book at any given moment (read the last 2 months or so) and hopefully will keep on doing that for another two months or so.
    You can’t keep a reader-base like that, let alone build up on it.

    3-For years, writers and artists going back and forth between Marvel and DC used to be the norm. For the last two years, it’s been pretty clear that this is now a one-way exodus, away from DC, and towards Marvel.

    Especially where “big names” or new “up-and-coming-and-fast” talent is concerned. Even editors jump ship the minute they’ve proven they can do the impossible (keep a weekly comic on schedule and have it sell). Whackher, Brubaker, Loeb, Bianchi… When was the last time DC got a Bendis or Millar or Hitch from Marvel?

    Not only are they no longer competitive on the market, it seems they are also incapable of offering competitive work conditions to attract established talent.
    So DC is stuck with Winicks and Liebermans and Laphams and other new “talent” which are at best shots in the dark that might pay-off, at worst book and/or character killers. Or once-great but now “has-beens” like Wolfman.

    IMHO, it’s fair to say that unless Paul Dini can fix the DCU-wide editorial catastrophe that has led to and followed Infinite Crisis by giving the DCU some cohesion with Countdown and boost-up the sales of major titles by renewing the existing fans’ interest for ESTABLISHED franchises & characters, sales figures will only keep on dropping to the point where more than titles are in jeopardy.