By Kate Reynolds
[Edit note: It’s been a little while since we did the indie chart, but please welcome our new Writer, Kate Reynolds, whose site you can read here. It will be a little while before we get back to a regular schedule, but we’re on our way. ]
This month has some fun new comics added to the roster headed by George Perez’s Siren from Boom! Studios. Of course Image had its fair share of new titles, with Copperhead and Roche Limit having stellar debuts.
While Marvel had a title overload last month, in September DC had a special month with special and regular editions for the N52. All that means that there were only 105 indie titles charting in the top 300, which is still a bit down from last month’s 126.
Understandably, overall indie title sales were down at 1,315,225 compared to last month’s 1,766,686 for average sales of 12,52, a slight decrease from last month’s 14,021. Overall there 12 titles went up, 72 titles went down, with the rest made up primarily of new issues and a few specials.
UK and European sales from Diamond UK are not reported in this chart
Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which are estimates, and can be found here
13. The Walking Dead
4/1/2014 | Walking Dead #126 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 67,853 | |
4/1/2014 | Walking Dead #125 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 66,761 | |
5/1/2014 | Walking Dead #127 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 71,352 | |
6/1/2014 | Walking Dead #128 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 74,326 | |
7/1/2014 | Walking Dead #129 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 72,908 | |
8/1/2014 | Walking Dead #130 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 71,885 | |
9/1/2014 | Walking Dead #131 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 69,810 | (-2.95) |
A slight drop for the one of the strongest selling indie comics. Yet the numbers seem to be holding in the upper sixties/lower seventies for this popular book.
33. Saga (Image)
5/1/2014 | Saga #19 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 55,422 | (+4.3%) |
6/1/2014 | Saga #20 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 56,497 | (+1.9%) |
7/1/2014 | Saga #21 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 55,893 | (-1.1%) |
8/1/2014 | Saga #22 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 55,803 | (-0.2%) |
9/1/2014 | Saga #23 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 56,162 | (+.6%) |
We see a slight rise for Saga in the past month, but overall numbers for this latest storyarc have remained strong. I’m also reminded how badly I need to catch up on my reading…
61. Outcast (Image)
6/1/2014 | Outcast By Kirkman & Azaceta #1 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 71,788 | |
7/1/2014 | Outcast By Kirkman & Azaceta #2 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 55,126 | (-23.2%) |
8/1/2014 | Outcast By Kirkman & Azaceta #3 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 46,717 | (-15.2%) |
9/1/2014 | Outcast By Kirkman & Azaceta #4 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 45,401 | (-2.8%) |
While Kirkman’s new series isn’t seeing Walking Dead level numbers, it’s still a top-seller. September sees the sales number continue to level out for Outcast, which will undoubtedly continue to see high sales.
100. Wicked & Divine (Image)
6/1/2014 | Wicked & Divine #1 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 42,948 | — |
7/1/2014 | Wicked & Divine #2 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 27,962 | (-34.9%) |
8/1/2014 | Wicked & Divine #3 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 27,208 | (-2.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Wicked & Divine #4 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 25,668 | (-5.7%) |
With the first story-arc of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s divine story finished, it’s safe to say it is a hit. While Wicked & Divine is currently out-selling the last few issues of Gillen and McKelvie’s last project (Young Avengers) it might not be done leveling yet. We’ll have to wait for the second story-arc to call it.
101. East of West (Image)
3/1/2013 | East Of West #1 [*] | $3.50 | IMA | 49,518 | — |
4/1/2013 | East Of West #2 [*] | $3.50 | IMA | 41,838 | (-15.5%) |
6/1/2013 | East of West #3 | $3.50 | IMA | 39,441 | (-5.7%) |
7/1/2013 | East Of West #4 | $3.50 | IMA | 43,228 | (+9.6%) |
8/1/2013 | East Of West #5 | $3.50 | IMA | 36,345 | (-15.9%) |
9/1/2013 | East of West #6 | $3.50 | IMA | 33,381 | (-8.2%) |
11/1/2013 | East Of West #7 | $3.50 | IMA | 32,889 | (-1.4%) |
12/1/2013 | East Of West #8 | $3.50 | IMA | 31,059 | (-5.6%) |
1/1/2013 | East Of West #9 | $3.50 | IMA | 29,885 | (-3.8%) |
3/1/2013 | East Of West #10 | $3.50 | IMA | 28,853 | (-3.4%) |
4/1/2014 | East Of West #11 | $3.50 | IMA | 28,090 | (-2.6%) |
6/1/2014 | East Of West #12 | $3.50 | IMA | 27,056 | (-3.7%) |
7/1/2014 | East Of West #13 | $3.50 | IMA | 26,531 | (-1.9%) |
7/1/2014 | East Of West #14 | $3.50 | IMA | 26,361 | (-0.6%) |
9/1/2014 | East Of West #15 | $3.50 | IMA | 25,593 | (-2.9%) |
This science-fiction, Death fueled saga from Jonathan Hickman has seen a steady decrease in numbers since last year. As one of the 20,000 plus people that seems to have lost interest since the first issue I can’t say I wasn’t hoping for this.
103. George Perez’s Sirens (Boom!)
9/1/2014 | Sirens #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 24,900 |
George Perez’s brand new creator-owned series certainly made a splash this month. This was Boom! Studios best-selling title of September, and with rave reviews and a strong lady-centric sci-fi storyline, we can only hope this continues to be a breakout hit – though it would be normal to see decreases in the following months.
104. Low (Image)
7/1/2014 | Low #1 (Mr) [*] | $3.99 | IMA | 43,340 | — |
8/1/2014 | Low #2 (Mr) [*] | $3.50 | IMA | 28,426 | (-34.4%) |
9/1/2014 | Low #3 (Mr) [*] | $3.50 | IMA | 24,308 | (-14.5%) |
Normal third issue drop for Remender and Tocchini’s aquatic-based sci-fi fantasy adventure. Looks like Remender has yet another strong book in his hands.
105. Copperhead (Image)
9/1/2014 | Copperhead #1 | $3.50 | IMA | 24,272 | — |
The premiere issue of this sci-fi western sees strong sales, but we’ll have to wait a few issues to know how it’s truly going to do.
109. Roche Limit (Image)
9/1/2014 | Roche Limit #1 | $3.50 | IMA | 23,404 | — |
Image seems to be doing well with their science fiction themed titles, and Roche Limit is no stranger to that.
114. Southern Bastards (Image)
4/1/2014 | Southern Bastards #1 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 38,029 | |
5/1/2014 | Southern Bastards #2 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 25,811 | (-32.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Southern Bastards #3 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 21,313 | (-17.4%) |
9/1/2014 | Southern Bastards #4 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 22,317 | (+4.7%) |
Slight rise this month, which proves that this provocatively titled comic is leveling out nicely.
115. Trees (Image)
5/1/2014 | Trees #1 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 31,926 | — |
6/1/2014 | Trees #2 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 25,515 | (-20.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Trees #3 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 23,822 | (-6.6%) |
8/1/2014 | Trees #4 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 23,639 | (-0.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Trees #5 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 22,244 | (-5.9%) |
Apart from the initial sales drop between the first and second issue, Warren Ellis’s strange new story keeps performing strong.
129. Aliens Fire and Stone & Prometheus Fire and Stone (Dark Horse)
9/1/2013 | Aliens Fire And Stone #1 [*] | $3.50 | DAR | 19,878 |
9/1/2014 | Prometheus Fire And Stone #1 [*] | $3.50 | DAR | 19,468 |
Dark Horse is pulling out all the stops with their Fire and Stone event set in the Aliens universe, and the sales are backing up this endeavor. Considering how pleasantly surprised I was with both of the above issues, I predict that the sales remain strong until the event’s conclusion.
130. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic (IDW)
4/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #18 | $3.99 | IDW | 26,091 | (-2.2%) |
5/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #19 | $3.99 | IDW | 22,820 | (-12.5%) |
6/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #20 | $3.99 | IDW | 20,711 | (-9.2%) |
7/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #21 | $3.99 | IDW | 20,871 | (+0.8%) |
8/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #22 | $3.99 | IDW | 21,642 | (+3.7%) |
9/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #23 | $3.99 | IDW | 19,491 | (-9.9%) |
Despite a continued (yet small) drop in sales, the My Little Pony comic franchise reminds us that there is a strong and lucrative market in kids comics.
137. Velvet (Image)
10/1/2013 | Velvet #1 (Mr) [*] | $3.50 | IMA | 41,897 | — |
12/1/2013 | Velvet #2 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 25,549 | (-39.0%) |
1/1/2014 | Velvet #3 (Mr) [*] | $2.99 | IMA | 23,177 | (-9.3%) |
3/1/2014 | Velvet #4 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 21,412 | (-7.6%) |
5/1/2014 | Velvet #5 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 20,258 | (-5.4%) |
7/1/2014 | Velvet #6 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 18,775 | (-7.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Velvet #7 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 17,901 | (-4.7%) |
If Velvet follows the same sales trends as Brubaker’s previous Image series Fatale, we should expect to see Velvet settle down in the mid-teens for the next few issues.
140. Buffy TVS Season 10 (Dark Horse)
3/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 27,851 | (+36.6%) |
4/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 21,804 | (-21.7%) |
5/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 20,556 | (-5.7%) |
6/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #4 | $3.50 | DAR | 19,365 | (-5.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #5 | $3.50 | DAR | 18,827 | (-2.8%) |
8/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #6 | $3.50 | DAR | 18,121 | (-3.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Btvs Season 10 #7 | $3.50 | DAR | 17,701 | (-2.3%) |
While BTVS has always been a strong title for Dark Horse, Season 10 is seeing a large drop in numbers from previous seasons. The lowest copies that any single issues of BTVS Season 9 was 20,392, and BTVS Season 10 is already averaging lower than that. It could signal a declining interest in the BTVS universe, which has been off the air for over ten years.
141. MPH (Image)
5/1/2014 | Mph #1 | $2.99 | IMA | 35,632 | — |
6/1/2014 | Mph #2 | $2.99 | IMA | 21,937 | (-38.4%) |
9/1/2014 | Mph #3 | $2.99 | IMA | 16,881 | (-23.0%) |
This new edition to the Millarworld Universe appears to be losing sales with the same super-speed that the titular drug imbues its anti-heroes with. With only two more issues to go in the mini-series, I’m predicting sales drop out of the teens before it’s all over.
142. GI Joe (2014) (IDW)
2/1/2013 | Gi Joe #1 | $3.99 | IDW | 17,553 | — |
3/1/2013 | Gi Joe #2 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,979 | (-37.5%) |
4/1/2013 | Gi Joe #3 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,372 | (-5.5%) |
5/1/2013 | Gi Joe #4 | $3.99 | IDW | 9,881 | (-4.7%) |
6/1/2013 | G.I. Joe #5 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,866 | (+10.0%) |
7/1/2013 | Gi Joe #6 | $3.99 | IDW | 9106 | (-16.2%) |
8/1/2013 | Gi Joe #7 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,644 | (-5.1%) |
9/1/2013 | G.I. Joe #8 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,266 | (-4.4%) |
10/1/2013 | Gi Joe #9 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,099 | (-2.0%) |
11/1/2013 | Gi Joe #10 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,765 | (-4.1%) |
12/1/2013 | Gi Joe #11 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,395 | (-4.8%) |
12/1/2013 | Gi Joe #12 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,982 | (-5.6%) |
2/1/2014 | Gi Joe #13 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,740 | (-3.5%) |
3/1/2014 | Gi Joe #14 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,528 | (-3.1%) |
4/1/2014 | Gi Joe #15 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,375 | (-2.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Gi Joe (2014) #1 [*] | $3.99 | IDW | 16,848 |
The new G.I. Joe series looks to be starting with similar numbers to those of G.I. Joe Vol. 3. IDW is probably hoping that the new series won’t lose followers at a similar rate to the old, but it’s too early to tell.
144. My Little Pony Friends Forever (IDW)
1/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #1 | $3.99 | IDW | 23,370 | — |
2/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #2 | $3.99 | IDW | 20,676 | (-11.5%) |
3/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #3 | $3.99 | IDW | 20,038 | (-3.1%) |
4/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #4 | $3.99 | IDW | 20,149 | (+0.5%) |
5/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #5 | $3.99 | IDW | 19,312 | (-4.2%) |
6/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #6 | $3.99 | IDW | 18,132 | (-6.1%) |
7/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #7 | $3.99 | IDW | 19,850 | (+9.5%) |
8/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #8 | $3.99 | IDW | 17,444 | (-12%) |
9/1/2014 | My Little Pony Friends Forever #9 | $3.99 | IDW | 16,803 | (-3.7%) |
Like its sister series, MLP Friendship is Magic, Friends Forever took a small hit to sales last month. Still, both comics remain two of the top-sellers in the kids market with very respectable numbers.
145. God Hates Astronauts (Image)
9/1/2014 | God Hates Astronauts #1 Cvr A Browne (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 16,689 |
This new comic from Ryan Browne of The Manhattan Projects fame hits the range of numbers predictable for a cult-sensation. The number’s aren’t too high – then too many people would have heard of it – and not too low – still really popular among a certain crowd – for a solid ‘just right’ debut.
146. Lazarus (Image)
5/1/2013 | Lazarus #1 | $2.99 | IMA | 48,030 | — |
7/1/2013 | Lazarus #2 | $2.99 | IMA | 27143 | (-43.5%) |
8/1/2013 | Lazarus #3 | $2.99 | IMA | 24,961 | (-8.0%) |
10/1/2013 | Lazarus #4 | $2.99 | IMA | 23,701 | (-5.0%) |
12/1/2013 | Lazarus #5 | $2.99 | IMA | 22,695 | (-4.2%) |
2/1/2014 | Lazarus #6 | $2.99 | IMA | 21,198 | (-6.6%) |
3/1/2014 | Lazarus #7 | $2.99 | IMA | 20,150 | (-4.9%) |
4/1/2014 | Lazarus #8 | $2.99 | IMA | 19,826 | (-1.6%) |
7/1/2014 | Lazarus #9 | $2.99 | IMA | 19,066 | (-3.8%) |
8/1/2014 | Lazarus #10 | $3.50 | IMA | 18,051 | (-5.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Lazarus #11 | $3.50 | IMA | 16,531 | (-8.4%) |
While declining sales a normal for a comic settling into a routine, I can’t help but wonder if the world-building of the post-apocalyptic comic is bogging down the readers. Lazarus #11 began a new story arc, which readers don’t seem as keen on as previously. If anyone can pull it out, it’s Greg Rucka and Michael Lark.
149. Doctor Who 11th (Titan)
8/1/2014 | Doctor Who 11th #1 | $3.99 | TIT | 41,068 | |
9/1/2014 | Doctor Who 11th #2 | $3.99 | TIT | 15,947 | (-61.2%) |
A 60% drop between two issues is rather hard to ignore, and you have to wonder how if the move from IDW to Titan is everything the publishers hoped for. Rumor has it that the first issue sold out a 100k print run with a second run promised, so these numbers might not be representative of the entire picture.
152. Spread (Image)
7/1/2014 | Spread #1 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 21,150 | |
8/1/2014 | Spread #2 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 15,244 | (-27.9%) |
9/1/2014 | Spread #3 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 15,691 | (+2.9%) |
While others have noted the similarities between Spread and Saga, the comic has developed into its own over the first three issues with a slight raise in September.
159. Wayward (Image)
8/1/2014 | Wayward #1 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 29,240 | |
9/1/2014 | Wayward #2 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 15,053 | (-48.5%) |
This comic represents Jim Zub and Steve Cumming’s attempt at crafting a new slayer-esque book for a new generation – but aren’t clear as to whether they hit their mark.
160. Nailbiter (Image)
5/1/2014 | Nailbiter #1 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 22,746 | |
6/1/2014 | Nailbiter #2 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 15,193 | (-33.2%) |
7/1/2014 | Nailbiter #3 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 16,581 | (+9.1%) |
8/1/2014 | Nailbiter #4 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 14,706 | (-11.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Nailbiter #5 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 14,947 | (+1.6%) |
Nailbiter has had great reader retention from the beginning, and the slight increase this month speaks to the quality of this macabre serial-killer centered comic.
161. Deadly Class (Image)
1/1/2014 | Deadly Class #1 | $3.50 | IMA | 34,572 | — |
2/1/2014 | Deadly Class #2 | $3.50 | IMA | 21,159 | (-38.8%) |
3/1/2014 | Deadly Class #3 | $3.50 | IMA | 18,536 | (-12.4%) |
4/1/2014 | Deadly Class #4 | $3.50 | IMA | 17,855 | (-3.7%) |
5/1/2014 | Deadly Class #5 | $3.50 | IMA | 17,099 | (-4.2%) |
6/1/2014 | Deadly Class #6 | $3.50 | IMA | 16,305 | (-4.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Deadly Class #7 | $3.50 | IMA | 14,834 | (-9.0%) |
Some natural attrition at play, but Remender’s talent is still bringing all the boys to the comic shops.
163. Manifest Destiny (Image)
11/1/2013 | Manifest Destiny #1 | $2.99 | IMA | 17,371 | — |
12/1/2013 | Manifest Destiny #2 | $2.99 | IMA | 12,801 | (-26.3%) |
1/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #3 | $2.99 | IMA | 12,034 | (-6.0%) |
2/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #4 | $2.99 | IMA | 13,291 | (+10.4%) |
3/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #5 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,152 | (+6.5%) |
4/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #6 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,851 | (+4.9%) |
6/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #7 | $2.99 | IMA | 21,500 | (+44.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #8 | $2.99 | IMA | 15,060 | (-29.9%) |
8/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #9 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,672 | (-2.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Manifest Destiny #10 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,312 | (-2.4%) |
This title has had some strong ups and down since it’s release, but seems to be holding steady currently.
165. Invincible (Image)
1/1/2013 | Invincible #100 | $2.99 | IMA | 39,863 | (+189.0%) |
3/1/2013 | Invincible #101 | $2.99 | IMA | 15,540 | (-65.5%) |
4/1/2014 | Invincible #102 | $2.99 | IMA | 15,249 | (-1.9%) |
6/1/2013 | Invincible #103 | $2.99 | IMA | 15,072 | (-1.2%) |
7/1/2013 | Invincible #104 | $2.99 | IMA | 14733 | (-2.2%) |
9/1/2013 | Invincible #105 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,437 | (-2.0%) |
10/1/2013 | Invincible #106 | $2.99 | IMA | 13,961 | (-3.3%) |
12/1/2013 | Invincible #107 | $2.99 | IMA | 13,268 | (-5.0%) |
1/1/2014 | Invincible #108 | $2.99 | IMA | 12,844 | (-3.2%) |
3/1/2013 | Invincible #109 | $2.99 | IMA | 12,748 | (-0.7%) |
4/1/2014 | Invincible #110 | $2.99 | IMA | 12,557 | (-1.5%) |
5/1/2014 | Invincible #111 | $2.99 | IMA | 18,440 | (+46.8%) |
6/1/2014 | Invincible #112 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,413 | (-21.8%) |
8/1/2014 | Invincible #113 | $2.99 | IMA | 13,642 | (-5.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Invincible #114 | $2.99 | IMA | 13,921 | (+2.0%) |
Invincible is one of the steadiest comics I’ve ever seen. It goes up and down a bit each month, but never falls complete victim to the attrition that plagues many longtime ongoing comics.
168. Supreme Blue Rose (Image)
7/1/2014 | Supreme Blue Rose #1 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 26,100 | — |
8/1/2014 | Supreme Blue Rose #2 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 16,268 | (-37.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Supreme Blue Rose #3 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 13,603 | (-16.4%) |
With the direction of this comic still remaining murky, it makes sense that sales haven’t quite caught on in a similar fashion to Warren Ellis’s other Image comic Trees.Supreme Blue Rose might not be blooming, but it’s still healthy.
170. Big Trouble in Little China (Boom!)
6/1/2014 | Big Trouble In Little China #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 24,160 | — |
7/1/2014 | Big Trouble In Little China #2 | $3.99 | BOO | 14,838 | (-38.6%) |
8/1/2014 | Big Trouble In Little China #3 | $3.99 | BOO | 14,076 | (-5.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Big Trouble in Little China #4 | $3.99 | BOO | 13,370 | (-5.0%) |
Over thirty years after the movie gained cult status, Boom revisits the Big Trouble in Little China universe. It’s not doing too bad either, with typical minor attrition.
171. Dawn Vampirella (Dynamite)
9/1/2014 | Dawn Vampirella #1 | $3.99 | DE | 13,368 | — |
This bad girl mini-series from Joseph Micahel Lisner is the best selling Dynamite Entertainment title of September. We’ll have to wait to see if Lisner can keep up the excitement for the rest of the series.
176. Star Trek: City on the Edge of Forever (IDW)
6/1/2014 | Star Trek City O/T Edge Of Forever #1 [*] | $3.99 | IDW | 12,028 | |
7/1/2014 | Star Trek City O/T Edge Of Forever #2 [*] | $3.99 | IDW | 11,224 | (-6.7%) |
8/1/2014 | Star Trek City O/T Edge Of Forever #3 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,767 | (+4.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Star Trek City O/T Edge Of Forever #4 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,785 | (+0.1%) |
Solid as a the core of Trekkie fans.
178. Purgatori (Dynamite)
9/1/2014 | Purgatori #1 | $3.99 | DE | 11,718 | — |
This new ongoing from Dynamite opens to strong numbers.
180. Angel & Faith Season 10 (Dark Horse)
4/1/2014 | Angel And Faith Season 10 #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 17,820 | (+33.6%) |
5/1/2014 | Angel And Faith Season 10 #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 14,200 | (-20.3%) |
6/1/2014 | Angel And Faith Season 10 #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 13,029 | (-8.2%) |
7/1/2014 | Angel And Faith Season 10 #4 | $3.50 | DAR | 12,468 | (-4.3%) |
8/1/2014 | Angel And Faith Season 10 #5 | $3.50 | DAR | 11,957 | (-4.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Angel And Faith Season 10 #6 | $3.50 | DAR | 11,593 | (-3.5%) |
Tales from the Buffyverse keep declining, though Angel and Faith might find some equilibrium soon.
181. TMNT: Turtles in Time (IDW)
6/1/2014 | Tmnt Turtles In Time #1 | $3.99 | IDW | 13,840 | |
7/1/2014 | Tmnt Turtles In Time #2 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,334 | (-18.1%) |
8/1/2014 | Tmnt Turtles In Time #3 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,803 | (+4.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Tmnt Turtles In Time #4 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,526 | (-2.3%) |
This mini-series finishes out with strong numbers. I read a few issues, and the time-travel hijinks of the turtles did not fail to excite.
183. Red Sonja (Dynamite)
7/1/2013 | Red Sonja #1 | $3.99 | DE | 30,561 | — |
8/1/2013 | Red Sonja #2 | $3.99 | DE | 18,327 | (-40.0%) |
9/1/2013 | Red Sonja #3 | $3.99 | DE | 15,928 | (-13.1%) |
10/1/2013 | Red Sonja #4 | $3.99 | DE | 15,128 | (-5.0%) |
11/1/2013 | Red Sonja #5 | $3.99 | DE | 13,811 | (-8.7%) |
12/1/2013 | Red Sonja #6 | $3.99 | DE | 13,291 | (-3.7%) |
2/1/2014 | Red Sonja #7 | $3.99 | DE | 12,622 | (-5.0%) |
4/1/2014 | Red Sonja #8 | $3.99 | DE | 12,392 | (-1.8%) |
5/1/2014 | Red Sonja #9 | $3.99 | DE | 11,850 | (-4.4%) |
6/1/2014 | Red Sonja #10 | $3.99 | DE | 11,685 | (-1.4%) |
8/1/2014 | Red Sonja #11 | $3.99 | DE | 11,298 | (-3.4%) |
9/1/2014 | Red Sonja #12 | $3.99 | DE | 11,431 | (+1.3) |
A slight increase to Gail Simone’s take on the red-headed barbarian. I’m enjoying this quite a bit, so it’s nice to see others are enjoying it steadily as well.
185. Bob’s Burgers (Dynamite)
8/1/2014 | Bobs Burgers #1 | $3.99 | DE | 20,157 | |
9/1/2014 | Bobs Burgers #2 | $3.99 | DE | 11,030 | (-45.2%) |
Normal post-first-issue drop.
186. Groo vs. Conan (Dark Horse)
7/1/2014 | Groo Vs Conan #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 13,942 | |
8/1/2014 | Groo Vs Conan #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 11,465 | (-17.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Groo Vs Conan #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 10,949 | (-4.5%) |
I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around how this is a thing that happened, let alone that it’s selling solidly.
187. Transformers: Robots in Disguise (IDW)
4/1/2014 | Transformers Robots In Disguise #28 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,568 | (+1.7%) |
5/1/2014 | Transformers Robots In Disguise #29 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,615 | (-0.3%) |
6/1/2014 | Transformers Robots In Disguise #30 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,714 | (+1.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Transformers Robots In Disguise #31 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 8,706 | (-10.4%) |
8/1/2014 | Transformers Robots In Disguise #32 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,762 | (+12.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Transformers Robots In Disguise #33 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,815 | (+10.8%) |
Coming off the tail end of the Dawn of the Autobots storyline, the sales of Robots in Disguise have picked up quite a bit.
189. Chew (Image)
1/1/2014 | Chew #39 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 11,487 | (-4.8%) |
2/1/2014 | Chew #40 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 11,193 | (-2.6%) |
4/1/2014 | Chew #41 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 10,835 | (-3.2%) |
6/1/2014 | Chew #42 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 10,981 | (-1.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Chew #43 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 10,777 | (-1.9%) |
A bit of attrition this year without monthly issues to keep readers attention. Still in good shape overall.
191. Annihilator (Legendary)
9/1/2014 | Annihilator #1 | $3.99 | RAN | 10,345 | — |
Grant Morrison and Frazer Irving teamed up for a standard Morrison book, and as usual it sold well.
192. Alice Cooper (Dynamite)
9/1/2014 | Alice Cooper #1 | $3.99 | DE | 10,295 | — |
There’s a larger cross section of Alice Cooper and comics fans that only Dynamite Entertainment could have predicted.
194. Transformers Primacy (IDW)
8/1/2014 | Transformers Primacy #1 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,472 | |
9/1/2014 | Transformers Primacy #2 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,172 | (-2.9%) |
A very minor drop between the first two issues bodes well for this series.
197. Lumberjanes (Boom!)
4/1/2014 | Lumberjanes #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 13,129 | — |
5/1/2014 | Lumberjanes #2 | $3.99 | BOO | 9,904 | (-24.6%) |
6/1/2014 | Lumberjanes #3 | $3.99 | BOO | 9,150 | (-7.6%) |
7/1/2014 | Lumberjanes #4 | $3.99 | BOO | 9,988 | (+9.2%) |
9/1/2014 | Lumberjanes #5 | $3.99 | BOO | 10,099 | (+1.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Lumberjanes #6 | $3.99 | BOO | 10,029 | (-0.7%) |
With only a minor difference in sales this month, I’m hopeful that sales still have a bit to grow, but the numbers point towards stasis.
196. X-Files Season 10 (IDW)
3/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #10 | $3.99 | IDW | 12,252 | (-6.7%) |
4/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #11 | $3.99 | IDW | 13,210 | (+7.8%) |
5/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #12 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,773 | (-10.9%) |
6/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #13 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,497 | (-2.3%) |
7/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #14 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,850 | (-5.6%) |
8/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #15 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,581 | (-2.5%) |
9/1/2014 | X-Files Season 10 #16 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,067 | (-4.9%) |
While the comic won’t ever reach the number of viewers the TV show did, the X-Files are still going strong with minimal attrition.
199. Star Trek Ongoing (IDW)
4/1/2014 | Star Trek #32 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,801 | (+10.4%) |
5/1/2014 | Star Trek #33 | $3.99 | IDW | 9,729 | (-9.9%) |
6/1/2014 | Star Trek #34 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,216 | (+4.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Star Trek #35 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,089 | (-1.2%) |
8/1/2014 | Star Trek #36 | $3.99 | IDW | 10,017 | (-0.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Star Trek #37 | $3.99 | IDW | 9,893 | (-1.2%) |
201. Cowl (Image)
5/1/2014 | Cowl #1 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 20,851 | — |
6/1/2014 | Cowl #2 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 13,569 | (-34.9%) |
7/1/2014 | Cowl #3 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 11,604 | (-14.5%) |
8/1/2014 | Cowl #4 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 10,893 | (-6.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Cowl #5 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 9,852 | (-9.6%) |
Cowl is dropping steadily and it doesn’t look like it has hit its plateau quite yet.
203. Transformers: More than Meets the Eye (IDW)
5/1/2014 | Transformers More Than Meets Eye #28 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,667 | (+2.7%) |
6/1/2014 | Transformers More Than Meets Eye #29 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,543 | (-1.3%) |
7/1/2014 | Transformers More Than Meets Eye #30 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,395 | (-1.6%) |
8/1/2014 | Transformers More Than Meets Eye #31 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 10,063 | (+7.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Transformers More Than Meets Eye #32 Dawn O/T Autobots | $3.99 | IDW | 9,857 | (-2.0%) |
9/1/2014 | Transformers More Than Meets Eye #33 | $3.99 | IDW | 9,744 | (-1.1%) |
This Transformers title is in the same range as the other two, and doesn’t seem to be adjusting too much in either direction.
208. Wilds End (BOOM!)
9/1/2014 | Wilds End #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 9,165 | — |
This comic by Dan Abnett an I.N.J Culbard is strong for a Boom! Studios first issue. It’s no wonder as this “Winnie-The-Pooh” meets “The War of the Worlds” title charms.
209. Tomb Raider (Dark Horse)
2/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 18,486 | — |
3/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 13,636 | (-26.2%) |
4/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 12,133 | (-11.0%) |
5/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #4 | $3.50 | DAR | 11,300 | (-6.9%) |
6/1/2013 | Tomb Raider #5 | $3.50 | DAR | 10,536 | (-6.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #6 | $3.50 | DAR | 10,149 | (-3.7%) |
8/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #7 | $3.50 | DAR | 9,429 | (-7.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Tomb Raider #8 | $3.50 | DAR | 9,125 | (-3.2%) |
Even with the addition of Rihanna Pratchet to the writing team for issues seven and eight Tomb Raider didn’t seem a bump in the numbers. Number could always jump up as new information is leaked about the sequel to the 2013 Tomb Raider video game.
211. Oddly Normal (Image)
9/1/2014 | Oddly Normal #1 | $2.99 | IMA | 9,082 | — |
This young adult comic from Otis Frampton makes a decent start, but could quickly fall off the list if it takes a hit on the second issue. It’s a shame, as there aren’t too many comics targeted explicitly for that age group.
212. Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)
5/1/2014 | Sonic The Hedgehog #260 | $2.99 | ARC | 8,866 | (-6.6%) |
6/1/2014 | Sonic The Hedgehog #261 | $2.99 | ARC | 8,822 | (-0.5%) |
7/1/2014 | Sonic The Hedgehog #262 | $2.99 | ARC | 8,971 | (+1.7%) |
8/1/2014 | Sonic The Hedgehog #263 | $2.99 | ARC | 9,135 | (+1.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Sonic The Hedgehog #264 | $3.99 | ARC | 9,019 | (-1.3%) |
Until reading an article recently by Gamasutra’s Leigh Alexander, I had no idea how popular the spiky blue rodent was. Even in comics Sonic sells well, keeping impressive numbers after over two hundred issues.
214. Legenderry A Steampunk Adventure (Dynamite)
1/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #1 | $3.99 | DE | 27,174 | — |
2/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #2 | $3.99 | DE | 14,570 | (-46.4%) |
3/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #3 | $3.99 | DE | 12,218 | (-16.1%) |
6/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #4 | $3.99 | DE | 10,865 | (-11.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #5 | $3.99 | DE | 10,317 | (-5.0%) |
8/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #6 | $3.99 | DE | 9,441 | (-8.5%) |
9/1/2014 | Legenderry A Steampunk Adv #7 | $3.99 | DE | 8,906 | (-5.7%) |
Dynamite’s attempt to cash in on the steampunk phenomenon has done well, but may be beginning to slow down a bit as the newness wears off.
217. Godzilla Cataclysm (IDW)
8/1/2014 | Godzilla Cataclysm #1 | $3.99 | IDW | 11,868 | |
9/1/2014 | Godzilla Cataclysm #2 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,859 | (-25.4%) |
A normal dip for a second issue.
218. Conan the Avenger (Dark Horse)
4/1/2014 | Conan The Avenger #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 11,565 | (+7.7%) |
5/1/2014 | Conan The Avenger #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 9,946 | (-14.0%) |
6/1/2013 | Conan The Avenger #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 9,486 | (-4.6%) |
7/1/2014 | Conan The Avenger #4 | $3.50 | DAR | 9,182 | (-3.2%) |
8/1/2014 | Conan The Avenger #5 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,941 | (-2.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Conan The Avenger #6 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,820 | (-1.4%) |
As long as people yearn to experience the barbarian days, there will be a Conan comic to take them there. It’s suffering a standard slump, but still keeping on.
224. Satellite Sam (Image)
12/1/2013 | Satellite Sam #5 | $3.50 | IMA | 13,060 | (-11.0%) |
2/1/2014 | Satellite Sam #6 | $3.50 | IMA | 10,797 | (-17.3%) |
3/1/2014 | Satellite Sam #7 | $3.50 | IMA | 10,210 | (-5.4%) |
5/1/2014 | Satellite Sam #8 | $3.50 | IMA | 9,997 | (-2.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Satellite Sam #9 | $3.50 | IMA | 9,271 | (-7.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Satellite Sam #10 | $3.50 | IMA | 8,655 | (-6.5%) |
While Fraction’s audience for Satellite Sam doesn’t compare to Hawkeye or Sex Criminals, the readership seems to be settling down. Should probably hold steady between five and eight thousand.
225. Justice Inc. (Dynamite)
8/1/2014 | Justice Inc #1 | $3.99 | DE | 12,020 | |
9/1/2014 | Justice Inc #2 | $3.99 | DE | 8,651 | (-28.0%) |
This team-up with classic pulp heroes The Avenger, Doc Savage, and The Shadow has been a great combination for Dynamite, even with the usual second issue drop.
227. X-O Manowar (Valiant)
1/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #21 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,336 | (-6.1%) |
2/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #22 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,808 | (+5.1%) |
3/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #23 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,394 | (-4.2%) |
4/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #24 | $3.99 | VAL | 8,595 | (-8.5%) |
5/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #25 | $4.99 | VAL | 12,493 | (+45.4%) |
6/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #26 | $3.99 | VAL | 10,083 | (-19.3%) |
7/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #27 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,183 | (-8.9%) |
8/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #28 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,634 | (+4.9%) |
9/1/2014 | X-O Manowar #29 | $3.99 | VAL | 8,566 | (-11.1%) |
Valiant has done well with its revival of X-O Manowar. With a new story-arc beginning with issue 30, we may see a slight bump in sales next issue.
231. New Vampirella (Dynamite)
6/1/2014 | New Vampirella #1 | $3.99 | DE | 22,864 | |
7/1/2014 | New Vampirella #2 | $3.99 | DE | 9,445 | (-58.7%) |
8/1/2014 | New Vampirella #3 | $3.99 | DE | 8,732 | (-7.5%) |
9/1/2014 | New Vampirella #4 | $3.99 | DE | 8,287 | (-5.1%) |
The reboot with horror writer Nancy Collins taking the helm has seen a rise in Vampirella readership. Hopefully Collins (and Vampirella) can get hit a comfortable sales stasis in the next few issues to secure the continuity of the series.
232. Caliban (Avatar)
4/1/2014 | Caliban #1 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 13,196 | — |
5/1/2014 | Caliban #2 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 9,454 | (-28.4%) |
6/1/2014 | Caliban #3 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 9,506 | (+0.5%) |
7/1/2014 | Caliban #4 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 8,986 | (-5.5%) |
7/1/2014 | Caliban #5 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 8,300 | (-7.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Caliban #6 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 8,221 | (-1.0%) |
Garth Ennis plus a storyline reminiscent of Alien equals a strong following for Caliban that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast.
234. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (Bongo)
9/1/2010 | Treehouse of Horror #16 | BON | 8,705 | (-1.28%) | |
9/1/2011 | Treehouse of Horror #17 | BON | 7,671 | (-11.9%) | |
9/1/2012 | Treehouse of Horror #18 | BON | 7,746 | (+1.0%) | |
9/1/2013 | Treehouse of Horror #19 | BON | 8,003 | (+3.3%) | |
9/1/2014 | Treehouse Of Horror #20 | $4.99 | BON | 8,165 | (+2.0%) |
Even though this comic is only offered once a year, it always remains in demand, with several increases in the past few years.
237. BPRD Hell on Earth (Dark Horse)
5/1/2014 | Bprd Hell On Earth #119 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,306 | (-2.0%) |
6/1/2014 | Bprd Hell On Earth #120 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,127 | (-2.2%) |
7/2/2014 | Bprd Hell On Earth #121 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,092 | (-0.4%) |
8/1/2014 | Bprd Hell On Earth #122 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,004 | (-1.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Bprd Hell On Earth #123 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,762 | (-3.0%) |
Hellboy has been around 20 years, and Mike Mignola’s BPRD is still going steady.
240. GI Joe A Real American Hero (IDW)
3/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #200 | $5.99 | IDW | 11,780 | (+77.1%) |
4/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #201 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,294 | (-29.6%) |
5/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #202 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,781 | (-18.2%) |
6/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #203 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,791 | (+0.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #204 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,706 | (-1.3%) |
8/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #205 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,562 | (-2.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Gi Joe A Real American Hero #206 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,651 | (+16.6%) |
I have to be honest, GI Joe has never been my jam. However, I know so many people appreciate the rich and long history of the Joe’s, and it’s nice to see the comic in great shape.
241. The Woods (Boom!)
5/1/2014 | Woods #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 13,916 | — |
6/1/2014 | Woods #2 | $3.99 | BOO | 9,352 | (-32.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Woods #3 | $3.99 | BOO | 8,852 | (-5.3%) |
8/1/3014 | Woods #4 | $3.99 | BOO | 8,272 | (-6.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Woods #5 | $3.99 | BOO | 7,649 | (-7.5%) |
I remember this being advertised as something akin to Lord of the Flies. Maybe killing off characters can halt the attrition the Woods is facing?
242. Jim Henson’s Storyteller Witches (Boom!)
9/1/2014 | Jim Henson’s Storyteller Witches #1 | 3.99 | BOO | 7,645 |
I am of the generation whose ears perk up at the mere mention of Jim Henson’s name. It’s heartening to see his Storyteller continue on in comics with S.M. Vidauri at the wheel. Very strong debut from Boom! Studios as well.
244. Unity (Valiant)
11/1/2013 | Unity #1 | $3.99 | VAL | 60,003 | — |
12/1/2013 | Unity #2 | $3.99 | VAL | 18,845 | (-68.6%) |
1/1/2014 | Unity #3 | $3.99 | VAL | 13,277 | (-29.5%) |
2/1/2014 | Unity #4 | $3.99 | VAL | 10,644 | (-19.8%) |
3/1/2014 | Unity #5 | $3.99 | VAL | 12,268 | (+15.3%) |
4/1/2014 | Unity #6 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,351 | (-23.8%) |
5/1/2014 | Unity #7 | $3.99 | VAL | 8,653 | (-7.5%) |
6/1/2014 | Unity #8 | $3.99 | VAL | 9,442 | (+9.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Unity #9 | $3.99 | VAL | 8,485 | (-10.1%) |
8/1/2014 | Unity #10 | $3.99 | VAL | 8,491 | 0% |
9/1/2014 | Unity #11 | $3.99 | VAL | 7,602 | (-10.5%) |
Matt Kindt’s take on this team book from Valiant has been nothing short of well…valiant. Still, the book has received a few heavy drops in the past few months that are edging it closer into dangerous territory.
245. TMNT New Animated Adventures (IDW)
4/1/2014 | Tmnt New Animated Adventures #10 | $3.99 | IDW | 5,911 | (-1.6%) |
5/1/2014 | Tmnt New Animated Adventures #11 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,075 | (+2.8%) |
6/1/2014 | Tmnt New Animated Adventures #12 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,577 | (+24.7%) |
7/1/2014 | Tmnt New Animated Adventures #13 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,158 | (-5.5%) |
8/1/2014 | Tmnt New Animated Adventures #14 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,420 | (-10.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Tmnt New Animated Adventures #15 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,589 | (+18.2%) |
For a comic that has been out for over a year, it’s interesting that TMNT New Animated Adventures still has some large-ish many upswings and downswings. Kids are fickle fickle beasts.
247. Bee and Puppycat (Boom!)
5/1/2014 | Bee And Puppycat #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 12,204 | — |
6/1/2014 | Bee And Puppycat #2 | $3.99 | BOO | 7,557 | (-38.1%) |
8/1/2014 | Bee And Puppycat #3 | $3.99 | BOO | 8,031 | (+6.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Bee and Puppycat #4 | $3.99 | BOO | 7,556 | (-5.9%) |
With new Bee and Puppycat episodes recently released, you could expect to see a slight upswing in sales for the next two issues.
248. Strain: Night Eternal (Dark Horse)
8/1/2014 | Strain Night Eternal #1 [*] | $3.99 | DAR | 9,394 | |
9/1/2014 | Strain Night Eternal #2 | $3.99 | DAR | 7,540 | (-19.7%) |
The final chapter of Guillermo del Torro and Chuck Hogan’s Strain series is off to a decent start. The second issue drop could have been worse.
251. Shutter (Image)
4/1/2014 | Shutter #1 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 18,984 | |
5/1/2014 | Shutter #2 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 12,267 | (-35.4%) |
6/1/2014 | Shutter #3 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 9,887 | (-19.4%) |
7/1/2014 | Shutter #4 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 9,107 | (-7.9%) |
8/1/2014 | Shutter #5 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 8,140 | (-10.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Shutter #6 (Mr) | $3.50 | IMA | 7,499 | (-7.9%) |
Despite great art by Leila del Duca and a captivating narrative from Joe Keatinge, the numbers for Shutter appear to be steadily dropping rather than leveling out. It’s still in healthy territory now, but may face trouble if the steady drops continue.
253. Ex-Con (Dynamite)
9/1/2014 | Ex Con #1 [*] | $2.99 | DE | 7,447 |
Ex-Con is one of Dynamite’s more recent attempts to branch out into new creator owned titles. While it may not be the publisher’s top seller of the month, it’s a good debut for a new tile.
256. Elfquest Final Quest (Dark Horse)
10/1/2013 | Elfquest Final Quest Special One Shot | $3.50 | DAR | 9,680 | — |
1/1/2014 | Elfquest Final Quest #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 9,861 | (+1.9%) |
3/1/2014 | Elfquest Final Quest #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 8,390 | (-14.9%) |
5/1/2014 | Elfquest Final Quest #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,967 | (-5.0%) |
7/1/2014 | Elfquest Final Quest #4 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,622 | (-3.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Elfquest Final Quest #5 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,364 | (-3.4%) |
Overall there was only a 25% drop from the first to last issue of Richard and Wendy Pini’s tale. It’s amazing how strong a following Elfquest still has after decades.
257. The Shadow: Year One (Dynamite)
2/1/2013 | Shadow Year One #1 | $3.99 | DE | 19,310 | — |
4/1/2013 | Shadow Year One #2 | $3.99 | DE | 13,748 | (-28.9%) |
5/1/2013 | Shadow Year One #3 | $3.99 | DE | 13,035 | (-5.2%) |
7/1/2013 | Shadow Year One #4 | $3.99 | DE | 12352 | (-5.2%) |
9/1/2013 | Shadow Year One #5 | $3.99 | DE | 11,476 | (-7.1%) |
10/1/2013 | Shadow Year One #6 | $3.99 | DE | 10,351 | (-9.8%) |
1/1/2014 | Shadow Year One #7 | $3.99 | DE | 9,201 | (-11.1%) |
4/1/2014 | Shadow Year One #8 | $3.99 | DE | 8,230 | (-10.5%) |
5/1/2014 | Shadow Year One #9 | $3.99 | DE | 7,262 | (-11.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Shadow Year One #10 | $4.99 | DE | 7,333 | (+1.0%) |
Despite a few substantial drops, the last issue of this ten-part series ended on a high note.
259. Rachel Rising (Abstract Studios)
12/1/2013 | Rachel Rising #22 | $3.99 | ABS | 7,581 | (-2.7%) |
2/1/2014 | Rachel Rising #23 | $3.99 | ABS | 7,511 | (-.9%) |
— | — | — | — | — | |
4/1/2014 | Rachel Rising #25 | $3.99 | ABS | 7,378 | — |
6/1/2014 | Rachel Rising #26 | $3.99 | ABS | 7,260 | (-1.6%) |
8/1/2014 | Rachel Rising #27 | $3.99 | ABS | 7,319 | (+.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Rachel Rising #28 | $3.99 | ABS | 7,188 | (-1.8%) |
Over the past six months we’ve seen Terry Moore’s comic level out at respectable numbers.
260. Godzilla Rulers of the Earth 9IDW)
5/1/2014 | Godzilla Rulers Of The Earth #12 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,890 | (+14.1%) |
6/1/2014 | Godzilla Rulers Of The Earth #13 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,980 | (-11.5%) |
7/1/2014 | Godzilla Rulers Of The Earth #14 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,144 | (+2.3%) |
8/1/2014 | Godzilla Rulers Of The Earth #15 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,156 | (+0.2%) |
9/1/2014 | Godzilla Rulers Of The Earth #16 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,181 | (+0.3%) |
I’ve never understood the appeal of Godzilla, but the comic followers are fairly constant.
262. Sex (Image)
1/1/2014 | Sex #10 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 9,947 | (-7.1%) |
2/1/2014 | Sex #11 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 9,302 | (-6.5%) |
3/1/2014 | Sex #12 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 8,830 | (-5.1%) |
5/1/2014 | Sex #13 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 8,192 | (-7.2%) |
6/1/2014 | Sex #14 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 7,824 | (-4.5%) |
8/1/2014 | Sex #15 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 7,601 | (-2.9%) |
9/1/2014 | Sex #16 (Mr) | $2.99 | IMA | 7,167 | (-5.7%) |
There’s a joke to be made here somewhere, but I’ll hold back and just say that Sex has faced steady sales erosion this year.
263. Death Defying Dr. Mirage (Valiant)
9/1/2014 | Death Defying Dr Mirage #1 [*] | $3.99 | VAL | 7,154 |
Valiant brought Dr. Mirage back to life this month in new female form. It debuted with a few hundred less sales than Valiant’s more established series (Unity, X-O Manowar) but still a hearty start.
264. Abe Sapien (Dark Horse)
3/1/2014 | Abe Sapien #11 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,825 | (-2.1%) |
5/1/2014 | Abe Sapien #12 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,559 | (-3.4%) |
6/1/2014 | Abe Sapien #13 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,674 | (+1.5%) |
7/1/2014 | Abe Sapien #14 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,469 | (-2.7%) |
8/1/2014 | Abe Sapien #15 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,244 | (-3.0%) |
9/1/2014 | Abe Sapien #16 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,143 | (-1.4%) |
Abe Sapien may be able to fight Mignola monsters, but still can’t combat normal attrition.
265. Samurai Jack (IDW)
5/1/2014 | Samurai Jack #8 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,471 | (-5.8%) |
6/1/2014 | Samurai Jack #9 | $3.99 | IDW | 8,464 | (-0.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Samurai Jack #10 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,741 | (-20.4%) |
8/1/2014 | Samurai Jack #11 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,489 | (+11.1%) |
9/1/2014 | Samurai Jack #12 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,135 | (-4.7%) |
This title has picked up a bit after a large dip in July.
272. Squidder (IDW)
7/1/2014 | Squidder #1 [*] | $3.99 | IDW | 10,537 | |
8/1/2014 | Squidder #2 | $3.99 | IDW | 7,953 | (-24.5%) |
9/1/2014 | Squidder #3 | $3.99 | IDW | 6,979 | (-12.4%) |
Predictable third issue drop.
273. Delinquents (Valiant)
8/1/2014 | Delinquents #1 [*] | $3.99 | VAL | 12,912 | |
9/1/2014 | Delinquents #2 | $3.99 | VAL | 6,964 | (-46.1%) |
Rather large second issue drop. It will probably reach lower five thousands in upcoming months.
274. Uber (Avatar)
4/1/2014 | Uber #12 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,694 | (-0.5%) |
5/1/2014 | Uber #13 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,653 | (-0.5%) |
6/1/2014 | Uber #14 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,493 | (-2.1%) |
7/1/2014 | Uber #15 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,456 | (-0.5%) |
8/1/2014 | Uber #16 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,082 | (-5.0%) |
9/1/2014 | Uber #17 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 6,934 | (-2.1%) |
This gory alternate history comic was originally imaged as taking up to 60 issues to finish. Though it’s only suffering minor attrition, Kieron Gillen might want to wrap it up a bit sooner before sales truly begin to suffer.
275. Chaos (Dynamite)
5/1/2014 | Chaos #1 | $3.99 | DE | 19,537 | — |
6/1/2014 | Chaos #2 | $3.99 | DE | 10,399 | (-46.8%) |
7/1/2014 | Chaos #3 | $3.99 | DE | 8,097 | (-22.1%) |
8/1/2014 | Chaos #4 | $3.99 | DE | 7,657 | (-5.4%) |
9/1/2014 | Chaos #5 | $3.99 | DE | 6,907 | (-7.8%) |
There’s only one more issue in this event from Dynamite, and all things considered it’s had a good sales run.The final issue might see a slight bump as people scurry to read what finally happens.
276. Imperial (Image)
8/1/2014 | Imperial #1 | $2.99 | IMA | 13,889 | |
9/1/2014 | Imperial #2 | $2.99 | IMA | 6,887 | (-50.4%) |
A full fifty percent second issue drop does not bode well for this superhero comedy.
282. God is Dead (Avatar)
6/1/2014 | God Is Dead #15 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 8,262 | (-1.3%) |
7/1/2014 | God Is Dead #16 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 8,029 | (-2.8%) |
7/1/2014 | God Is Dead #17 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,759 | (-3.4%) |
8/1/2014 | God Is Dead #18 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 7,358 | (-5.2%) |
9/1/2014 | God Is Dead #19 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 6,857 | (-6.8%) |
9/1/2014 | God Is Dead #20 (Mr) | $3.99 | AVA | 6,667 | (-2.8%) |
I felt a bit blasphemous typing the title of this comic so many times. I’ll have to get used to it since it doesn’t look like God is Dead is going to make a drastic drop anytime soon.
278. Turok Dinosaur Hunter (Dynamite)
3/1/2014 | Turok Dinosaur Hunter #2 | $3.99 | DE | 11,296 | (-6.3%) |
4/1/2014 | Turok Dinosaur Hunter #3 | $3.99 | DE | 9,586 | (-15.1%) |
5/1/2014 | Turok Dinosaur Hunter #4 | $3.99 | DE | 8,426 | (-12.1%) |
6/1/2014 | Turok Dinosaur Hunter #5 | $3.99 | DE | 7,803 | (-7.4%) |
7/1/2014 | Turok Dinosaur Hunter #6 | $3.99 | DE | 7,352 | (-5.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Turok Dinosaur Hunter #7 | $3.99 | DE | 6,829 | (-7.1%) |
Looks like Turok is starting to level out. I expect to see it stay around the low six thousands for the next few months.
279. Rot and Ruin (IDW)
9/1/2014 | Rot & Ruin #1 [*] | $3.99 | IDW | 6,809 |
A decent start to the continuation of Jonathan’s Maberry’s Rot and Ruin novel series. Not as strong a start as Maberry’s other series V-Wars, but nothing to sneeze at.
280. Armor Hunters Bloodshot & Harbinger (Valiant)
7/1/2014 | Armor Hunters Bloodshot #1 | $3.99 | VAL | 7,334 | |
8/1/2014 | Armor Hunters Bloodshot #2 | $3.99 | VAL | 7,286 | (-0.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Armor Hunters Bloodshot #3 | $3.99 | VAL | 6,681 | (-8.3%) |
7/1/2014 | Armor Hunters Harbinger #1 | $3.99 | VAL | 7,518 | |
8/1/2014 | Armor Hunters Harbinger #2 | $3.99 | VAL | 7,043 | (-6.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Armor Hunters Harbinger #3 | $3.99 | VAL | 6,681 | (-5.1%) |
Both Armor Hunter series are showing strong sales for the first three issues with minimal drops.
283. Twilight Zone (Dynamite)
12/1/2013 | Twilight Zone #1 | $3.99 | DE | 21,723 | |
2/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #2 | $3.99 | DE | 11,537 | (-46.9%) |
3/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #3 | $3.99 | DE | 10,061 | (-12.8%) |
4/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #4 | $3.99 | DE | 9,014 | (-10.4%) |
5/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #5 | $3.99 | DE | 8,140 | (-9.7%) |
7/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #6 | $3.99 | DE | 7,528 | (-7.5%) |
7/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #7 | $3.99 | DE | 6,976 | (-7.3%) |
9/1/2014 | Twilight Zone #8 | $3.99 | DE | 6,633 | (-4.7%) |
This comic is starting to find its sales zone.
286. Sons of Anarchy (Boom!)
9/1/2013 | Sons of Anarchy #1 | $3.99 | BOO | 27,601 | — |
10/1/2013 | Sons Of Anarchy #2 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 14,688 | (-46.8%) |
11/1/2013 | Sons Of Anarchy #3 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 13,251 | (-9.8%) |
12/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #4 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 12,215 | (-7.8%) |
1/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #5 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 11,607 | (-5.0%) |
2/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #6 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 11,228 | (-3.3%) |
3/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #7 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 9,910 | (-11.7%) |
4/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #8 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 9,304 | (-6.1%) |
5/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #9 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 8,511 | (-8.5%) |
6/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #10 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 7,875 | (-7.7%) |
7/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #11 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 7,394 | (-5.9%) |
8/1/2014 | Sons Of Anarchy #12 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 6,955 | (-5.9%) |
9/1/2014 | Sons of Anarchy #13 (Mr) | $3.99 | BOO | 6,506 | (-6.5%) |
288. Baltimore Witch of Harju (Dark Horse)
7/1/2014 | Baltimore Witch Of Harju #1 | $3.50 | DAR | 7,271 | |
8/1/2014 | Baltimore Witch Of Harju #2 | $3.50 | DAR | 6,640 | (-8.7%) |
9/1/2014 | Baltimore Witch Of Harju #3 | $3.50 | DAR | 6,472 | (-2.5%) |
Minimal stat drops make for a successful new chapter in the Baltimore series.
290. Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)
5/1/2014 | Gft Grimm Fairy Tales #97 (Mr) | $2.99 | ZEN | 6,055 | (+2.1%) |
6/1/2014 | Gft Grimm Fairy Tales #98 (Mr) | $2.99 | ZEN | 5,828 | (-3.7%) |
7/1/2014 | Gft Grimm Fairy Tales #99 (Mr) | $2.99 | ZEN | 7,472 | (+28.2%) |
7/1/2014 | Gft Grimm Fairy Tales #100 (Mr) | $5.99 | ZEN | 11,722 | (+56.9%) |
8/1/2014 | Gft Grimm Fairy Tales #101 (Mr) | $2.99 | ZEN | 6,740 | (-42.5%) |
9/1/2014 | Gft Grimm Fairy Tales #102 A (Mr) | $2.99 | ZEN | 6,462 | (-4.1%) |
After picking up sales for the 100th issue, Grimm Fairy Tales settles back down into it’s average range.
291. Lola XOXO (Aspen)
4/1/2014 | Lola Xoxo #1 | $3.99 | ASP | 9,207 | — |
5/1/2014 | Lola Xoxo #2 | $3.99 | ASP | 5,105 | (-4.5%) |
— | — | — | — | — | — |
9/1/2014 | Lola Xoxo #4 | $3.99 | ASP | 6,451 | (+26.3%) |
This comic has picked up quite a bit since we last had statistics for it. The sexy vixen was sure to win over a few hearts though.
292. Usagi Yojimbo Senseo (Dark Horse)
8/1/2014 | Usagi Yojimbo Senso #1 | $3.99 | DAR | 7,633 | |
9/1/2014 | Usagi Yojimbo Senso #2 | $3.99 | DAR | 6,438 | (-15.7%) |
Typical second issue drop.
295. Spongebob Comics (United Plankton/Bongo)
10/1/2013 | Spongebob Comics #25 | $2.99 | UNI | 7,254 | (+4.1%) |
11/1/2013 | Spongebob Comics #26 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,741 | (-7.1%) |
12/1/2013 | Spongebob Comics #27 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,745 | (-0.1%) |
1/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #28 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,456 | (-4.3%) |
2/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #29 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,377 | (-1.2%) |
3/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #30 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,254 | (-1.9%) |
4/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #31 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,233 | (-0.3%) |
5/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #32 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,623 | (+6.3%) |
7/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #33 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,450 | (-2.6%) |
— | — | — | — | — | |
8/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #35 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,491 | (+0.6%) |
9/1/2014 | Spongebob Comics #36 | $2.99 | UNI | 6,405 | (-1.3%) |
It’s amazing to me that a cartoon popular when I was babysitting age continues to have incredibly stable comic sales.
297. Harbinger Omegas (Valiant)
8/1/2014 | Harbinger Omegas #1 | $3.99 | VAL | 8,316 | |
9/1/2014 | Harbinger Omegas #2 | $3.99 | VAL | 6,373 | (-23.3%) |
A healthy first drop that should see this title settling into an acceptable sales range.
298. Sidekick (Image)
8/1/2013 | Sidekick #1 | $2.99 | IMA | 27,832 | — |
9/1/2013 | Sidekick #2 | $2.99 | IMA | 14,533 | (-47.8%) |
10/1/2013 | Sidekick #3 | $2.99 | IMA | 11,371 | (-21.8%) |
11/1/2013 | Sidekick #4 | $2.99 | IMA | 9,976 | (-12.3%) |
2/1/2014 | Sidekick #5 | $2.99 | IMA | 8,943 | (-10.3%) |
4/1/2014 | Sidekick #6 | $2.99 | IMA | 8,192 | (-8.4%) |
7/1/2014 | Sidekick #7 | $2.99 | IMA | 6,900 | (-15.8%) |
9/1/2014 | Sidekick #8 | $3.99 | IMA | 6,320 | (-8.4%) |
Sidekick is the second Joe’s Comic title to be published by Image, but is having difficulties living up to its big brother’s (Ten Grande) legacy in terms of sales. It’s suffered over a 75% sales drop since the first issue and still hasn’t quite stabilized. Guess it’s true that nobody’s as interested in the sidekick.
299. Death Vigil (Image)
7/1/2014 | Death Vigil #1 | $3.99 | IMA | 12,832 | |
8/1/2014 | Death Vigil #2 | $3.99 | IMA | 7,003 | (-45.4%) |
9/1/2014 | Death Vigil #3 | $3.99 | IMA | 6,308 | (-9.9%) |
Death Vigil suffers an almost a negligent third month drop for this comic by Stjepan Sejic.
======
All figures on this chart are estimates for comics sold by Diamond to direct market retailers. They include reorders that shipped in the same month. Books shipping in the first week of a month will have more time for reorders to appear than ones shipping in the last week of the month, when reorders will slip to the following month.
Rooting for East of West’s sales to decrease? That’s incredibly rude.
Please just provide the numbers from now on. We can crunch them ourselves and reach our own conclusions. The accompanying commentary here isn’t just worthless, it’s embarrassing.
I can’t say I truly understand why you would indeed hope East of West lost sales? (I mean, everyone knows the ONLY comic book EVERYONE should hope loses sales and gets cancelled is Deadpool! Duh! ;) But, ok…
With that said, Art you’re being HORRIBLY rude. What is with rude comments here on ole’ Comics Beat from readers? it’s her FIRST Indie sales month post. Give her time to find her feet and get the ball rolling monthly. Geesh. Did you knock everything out of the park the first go-around in your life? I HIGHLY doubt it.
Thanks for the numbers! I for one can’t figure out WHY in the world Lazarus and Velvet aren’t selling better. I mean, story, no story, the art is better than half of everything else that’s being printed right now! Two extraordinarily gorgeous books (AND, from me, very well written as well.)
I can only speak for myself, but I waited for Vol 1 of both Lazarus and Velvet before diving in month-to-month, and I continue to do that for most Image titles. I want to see them get solicited for a second arc and also test them to see if they’re worth reading more than a few issues. Perhaps some of that is the case here, as many Image titles seem to get a bump in sales after their first trade comes out.
Forgot to add, I think it’s much easier to ‘trade-wait’ on these indie titles when there is no ongoing narrative as there is with a Marvel or DC universe. You see that when a lot of these trades do better than most DC/Marvel trades when they come out(East of West, for example), but chart lower month-to-month.
I believe Ex-Con was returnable. The shop I go to was advertising it as such. The numbers may be high if it was.
I checked, and the first issue of every ‘Creators Unleashed’ series is returnable so it can find its level easier.
I wondered who would be the first jerkwad to offer a snide put down about all the hard work that goes into this chart. And the winner is Art! Art, the Beat Paypal account is here or we have on angoing Patreon campaign at the top of the page.
These charts are time consuming labors of love, and as a first timer Kate is allowed to get the feel for the road. If you don’t want to read the commentary make your own charts!
BTW, Chris Rice says he may still do his last missing column.
Would definitely like to see some more in-depth analysis. To my mind, most of the Valiant titles are not doing well at all sales-wise and I wonder what the future is for that company.
Yes, welcome Kate!
Definitely express yourself here and thanks for the hard work. Art can always go CBR if he likes his content generic and soulless (complete with Mackeeper popup windows to enhance the experience) It’s a bummer when this column isn’t posted and its warmed over Marvel/DC mush every month. I’m glad to see it back though the scene itself is still tepid to many of us. They could use some insight so keep at it.
Nice debut, Kate. Appreciate all the work that goes into these.
Art – may all your fine dining taste like Taco Bell.
I used to do something similar to this and I know it takes a LONG time to put together. So I like the commentary on the sales charts. My only question is: Have sales gotten to the point where a book selling less that 10,000 can be considered good sales? Some of these number seem very worrying to me, to the point where I wonder how some licensed titles make a profit.
So glad Lumberjanes is holding steady! It’s the best new comic. Give it to any kids you know!
Great Job Kate!! Looking forward to next month…..
Btw, I’m one of those Godzilla followers….and I can’t explain the appeal either. It comes from deep down in the soul, and is just there!
@Heidi – Thanks for calling out Art! I doubt very highly any commentary he would offer would be much better than the comment he left here….
“Spongebob Comics: It’s amazing to me that a cartoon popular when I was babysitting age continues to have incredibly stable comic sales.”
Spongebob Comics is actually a great book. Goofy, oddball and plain delightful, with some great creators and a surprising degree of creative freedom. Highly recommended.
“To my mind, most of the Valiant titles are not doing well at all sales-wise and I wonder what the future is for that company.”
I was buying everything they were putting out for a while but I found the tone of most series to be depressing and the ones that weren’t (Archer & Armstrong, Quantum and Woody) didn’t appeal to me for various reasons. I’d be really interested to know what reasons why their sales have declined other than my reasons.
Welcome Kate, great to see someone covering the entire indie chart once again. :) Also your commentary is pretty amusing, I like a lil’ personal flair in addition to just the dry numbers. You seem a little more optimistic than previous authors who ran this chart, though I don’t think that’s a bad thing necessarily. The slightly altered formatting/lay-out is easy on the eyes too, thanks!
I bought a lot of Valiant during their re-debut! But I lost interested after a while with all the creative team changes (mostly artists.) They honestly seem to be running their company like Marvel, as if that were a great idea. Lots of events, creative teams changes all over the place, etc. It left me cold. Now they’re cancelling most of their ongoing titles, replacing them with new ones, so I’m not sure even they know where they’re going with things. Here’s hoping they stop “Making it The Marvel Way” and try to go their their own direction.
Hi Kate—welcome to the sales chart club! This was an excellent inaugural column.
Great column. I can’t imagine the time it takes to put something like this together. As always, haters gonna hate, etc, etc, etc, etc.
One thing I would like to see is the analysis with references to number of variant covers and ratio. Gotta be an impact there issue to issue, series to series.
I honestly would like MORE comments following each title. Give me anecdotes, rumors, friends opinions, who you saw in the comic shop picking up the book or if the author of this article has read any of the books, give us a short paragraph review. I’ve not read all the titles here, but find myself curious just by looking at the numbers, even a short review could help me pick up a book (or not).
I will also give a big thumbs up for Velvet and Lazarus, which are two of the best books on the stands right now.
Trees and Death Vigil are also two very enjoyable books, I’m reading.
I am *extremely* interested in Perez’s Sirens — but based on his past history with creator-owned books (and that BOOM comics are $4), I am trade-waiting something I would otherwise normally buy in a heartbeat.
How *is* Sirens (for those that checked it out?)
I’m sorry to see the numbers for Rachel Rising are not higher. I wonder if more people are trade-only for that.
I also have no problem with the commentary, in fact, I welcome it and I welcome Kate’s work.
This hit me in particular…
“211. Oddly Normal (Image)
9/1/2014 Oddly Normal #1 $2.99 IMA 9,082 –
This young adult comic from Otis Frampton makes a decent start, but could quickly fall off the list if it takes a hit on the second issue. It’s a shame, as there aren’t too many comics targeted explicitly for that age group.”
I know this problem ALL too well. I wish there was an answer or change in the market. But it is what it is. Often the all-ages genre is a labor of love.
Image is getting to the point with me where not only do I not buy the singles, I’m now not buying the trades because I know they’re going to come out with snazzy hardcovers (Fatale, Saga, Lazarus, Manhattan Projects) that are going to be over-sized with bonus materials. If it’s a big name creator (Brubaker, Rucka, Hickman, probably Reminder) you might as well wait. They nice hardcover will show up at some point…
thank you for this column Kate! :)
The problem with trade waiting is that if no one buys the single issues, there eventually won’t be any collected editions.
Jerkwad here.
My objection to Kate’s commentary really centers on her active lobbying for a book to fail. It tainted the rest for me. Too much spin and personal bias.
And I’m actually a supporter of your Patreon campaign. Not under the e-mail I use for comic correspondence, though.
“Image is getting to the point with me where not only do I not buy the singles, I’m now not buying the trades because I know they’re going to come out with snazzy hardcovers (Fatale, Saga, Lazarus, Manhattan Projects) that are going to be over-sized with bonus materials. If it’s a big name creator (Brubaker, Rucka, Hickman, probably Reminder) you might as well wait. They nice hardcover will show up at some point…”
With Fatale, there were bonuses in the single issues that were never in the trades or hardcovers. That was enough to keep me buying the single issues.
hello, Art, I apologize for the namecalling and thank you for your support.
That said, while I invite intelligent criticism of any and all material here at The Beat, it seemedunneccessarily dismissive of someone just getting started.
Lets have a group hug and look forward to getting caught up on this feature!
The Walking Dead is “one of the strongest selling indie comics????” That’s laughable. What other indie comics make regular appearances in the top 10? It’s the BEST selling indie comic.
Also, since I’m nitpicking, how on earth do you equate a first issue by as big a talent as Grant Morrison selling around 10,000 copies and barely making it into the top 200 with being a strong seller?
Do some folks really check out these charts just to look at the numbers? The idea that commentary on the sales numbers drew a complaint is HILARIOUS to me. Oh internet, don’t ever change.
That being said, I hate to hear that you’re rootin’ for East of West’s demise, but only because that means you didn’t dig it. Is it because it’s unnecessarily convoluted? (And I’m saying that as a fan, but it’s totally true.) Personally, I don’t buy a whole lot of titles a month, so I love books that kinda force me to read issues several times before my dumb ass gets it.
Also, Wild’s End deserves a lot more attention than it’s getting. It’s beautifully illustrated, and paced about as perfectly as a mini-series can be. I wish our comics market was more receptive to mini-series and anthologies, cause I think some folks just don’t even bother giving them a chance. If anybody skipped the series, it’s definitely worth flippin’ through once the trade is out and see if it’s your thing.
I was able to get the Turtles in Time mini digitally for .99c each! Very Happy :)
I haven’t look at sales in over a year, but it looks like the Image #1`s sales boom is over! I remember a year ago speculators were loading up on every new Image number 1 hoping they would be valuable like The Walking Dead! Other then that sales for not just indys,but DC and Marvel seem to be low across the board. I wonder how low sales will be by 2019? I predict Digital Comics will be the number one sellers by then.
Respectfully
“The Amazing Stam”
I will check in next year to give a new update. lol.
Great column, Kate. Although Outcast isn’t doing as well as Walking Dead (which has had years on it), I think it’s doing alright for the type of book it is, for those numbers. (I can’t find copies anywhere in my local store). I like a lot of Image books… but because they sell their trades so affordably, with such nice design, I kind of wait for the trade (like Sex Criminals). I also wonder about Valiant. I liked a lot of their stuff when they launched. I didn’t mind the art changes so much either, because the coloring made it all feel consistent. But the events lost me. I still love Archer & Armstrong and Harbinger and will stay with them until their end.
Sirens, btw, is like usual George Perez these days: super over-complicated, but beautiful as ever.
Re: Groo vs. Conan: “I’m honestly still trying to wrap my head around how this is a thing that happened, let alone that it’s selling solidly.”
This is something fans of Groo have wanted to see for decades — the ultimate Conan parody fighting the very thing it’s parodying.
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