Just like he usually does, Batman ruled the roost for comics and graphic novels sales in october, as Diamond revealed in their monthly sales charts, released today.
Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, and Danny Miki’s Batman #56 was the #1 comics periodical and Sean Gordon Murphy’s Batman: White Knight was the top graphic novel, proving Batman is still popular, even with his junk concealed. The Walking Dead anniversary specials and WDoner Woman Earth One Vol 2 also did well.
Marvel was still #1 in dollars and units though.
However, more to the point of our usual is glass half empty or half full analysis, comics sales finally crept into the black for the year, though by a mere 0.38%. Comics and GN remain down from 2017, but by under 5% in most cases – units are down between 5-6% for periodicals and the overall market. So it’s not a downward spiral after all. Comics may live.
October was a five week month so month to month, October 2018 is up quite a bit.
As usual John Jackson Miller gave us a preview of his column on the month:
Thanks to a five-week October and Walking Dead’s 15th anniversary, the comics market finally made up all the ground lost in the first quarter of 2018 to move into positive territory. Orders are up $1.6 million, or less than 1%, for the year — but it’s still the first positive Year-to-Date number since December 2016. In November we give that extra week back, but December ought to be an easy beat — so chances for a year ending positive remain better than even.
No blockbuster titles evident this month, but notably the entire Top 10 was priced at $3.99 or below. Perhaps as a consequence, comics units topped 8 million copies for the first time in more than a year. Comics unit sales overall lag behind 2017, but slates this year have been smaller to match — 200 fewer comic books have been published so far in 2018. Publishers appear to be ramping up a bit more, coming out of the recession; aided by its 15 “blind bag” editions of Walking Dead, Image had as many comics out as DC.
Some trends that I note just about every month: Marvel’s periodical sales were led by a bunch of Spider-titles, including Spider-Gwen and Venom, but no Marvel GN’s hit the top units list. Despite the popularity of the Venom movie, Marvel wasn’t able to cash in – at least on the Top 10. The Michelinie/McFarlane Spider-Man Omnibus did chart on the dollars list, though, which considering it retails for $100 is no surprise.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
|
PUBLISHER |
DOLLAR SHARE |
UNIT SHARE |
| MARVEL COMICS |
34.22% |
37.89% |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT |
30.48% |
32.99% |
| IMAGE COMICS |
12.62% |
12.64% |
| IDW PUBLISHING |
4.03% |
3.74% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS |
3.32% |
2.41% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT |
2.37% |
2.06% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS |
1.86% |
1.52% |
| VIZ MEDIA |
1.34% |
0.48% |
| TITAN COMICS |
0.87% |
0.57% |
| RANDOM HOUSE |
0.78% |
0.16% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 |
8.11% |
5.55% |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
|
|
DOLLARS |
UNITS |
|
OCTOBER 2018 VS. SEPTEMBER 2018 |
||
| COMICS |
11.93% |
11.51% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
3.28% |
-0.76% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
9.32% |
10.49% |
| TOYS |
19.04% |
22.50% |
|
OCTOBER 2018 VS. OCTOBER 2017 |
||
| COMICS |
9.66% |
5.33% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
5.30% |
14.38% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
8.38% |
5.95% |
| TOYS |
21.58% |
47.81% |
|
YEAR-TO-DATE 2018 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2017 |
||
| COMICS |
2.13% |
-5.56% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
-3.76% |
-4.45% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
0.38% |
-5.48% |
| TOYS |
-2.16% |
-1.15% |
NEW TITLES SHIPPED
|
PUBLISHER |
COMICS SHIPPED |
GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED |
MAGAZINES SHIPPED |
TOTAL SHIPPED |
| MARVEL COMICS |
95 |
41 |
0 |
136 |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT |
78 |
38 |
1 |
117 |
| IMAGE COMICS |
78 |
24 |
0 |
102 |
| IDW PUBLISHING |
34 |
16 |
0 |
50 |
| DARK HORSE COMICS |
23 |
20 |
0 |
43 |
| BOOM! STUDIOS |
26 |
14 |
0 |
40 |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT |
27 |
9 |
0 |
36 |
| VIZ MEDIA |
0 |
26 |
0 |
26 |
| TITAN COMICS |
12 |
12 |
1 |
25 |
| ARCHIE COMICS |
11 |
4 |
0 |
15 |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 |
142 |
236 |
36 |
414 |
| TOTAL |
526 |
440 |
38 |
1004 |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY UNITS SHIPPED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
BATMAN #56 |
$3.99 |
AUG180501-M | DC |
|
2 |
THE WALKING DEAD #1 15TH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION |
$2.99 |
JUL188116-M | IMA |
|
3 |
SPIDER-GEDDON #1 |
$3.99 |
AUG180842-M | MAR |
|
4 |
BATMAN #57 |
$3.99 |
AUG180503-M | DC |
|
5 |
SPIDER-GWEN: GHOST-SPIDER #1 |
$3.99 |
AUG180854-M | MAR |
|
6 |
HEROES IN CRISIS #2 |
$3.99 |
AUG180462-M | DC |
|
7 |
VENOM #7 |
$3.99 |
AUG180979-M | MAR |
|
8 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #10 |
$3.99 |
AUG180480-M | DC |
|
9 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7 |
$3.99 |
AUG180971-M | MAR |
|
10 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #8 |
$3.99 |
AUG180975-M | MAR |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
BATMAN #56 |
$3.99 |
AUG180501-M | DC |
|
2 |
SPIDER-GEDDON #1 |
$3.99 |
AUG180842-M | MAR |
|
3 |
VENOM #7 |
$3.99 |
AUG180979-M | MAR |
|
4 |
BATMAN #57 |
$3.99 |
AUG180503-M | DC |
|
5 |
VENOM ANNUAL #1 |
$4.99 |
AUG180977 | MAR |
|
6 |
SPIDER-GWEN: GHOST-SPIDER #1 |
$3.99 |
AUG180854-M | MAR |
|
7 |
HEROES IN CRISIS #2 |
$3.99 |
AUG180462-M | DC |
|
8 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7 |
$3.99 |
AUG180971-M | MAR |
|
9 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #8 |
$3.99 |
AUG180975-M | MAR |
|
10 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #10 |
$3.99 |
AUG180480-M | DC |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS BY UNITS SHIPPED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT TP |
$19.99 |
JUL180733 | DC |
|
2 |
WONDER WOMAN EARTH ONE VOLUME 2 HC |
$24.99 |
JUL180591 | DC |
|
3 |
MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES HC (MR) |
$16.99 |
JUL180133 | IMA |
|
4 |
BATMAN VOLUME 7: THE WEDDING TP |
$16.99 |
JUL180717 | DC |
|
5 |
GIDEON FALLS VOLUME 1: BLACK BARN TP (MR) |
$9.99 |
AUG180153-M | IMA |
|
6 |
ISOLA VOLUME 1 TP |
$9.99 |
JUL180153-M | IMA |
|
7 |
THE WICKED & THE DIVINE VOLUME 7 TP (MR) |
$17.99 |
AUG180194 | IMA |
|
8 |
DEATH OR GLORY VOLUME 1 TP (MR) |
$16.99 |
AUG180126-M | IMA |
|
9 |
AVENGERS BY JASON AARON VOLIME 1: FINAL HOST TP |
$17.99 |
JUL181176-M | MAR |
|
10 |
BATMAN & THE JUSTICE LEAGUE MANGA VOLUME 1 TP |
$12.99 |
JUN180436 | DC |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE VOLUME 2 HC |
$24.99 |
JUL180591 | DC |
|
2 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT TP |
$19.99 |
JUL180733 | DC |
|
3 |
MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES HC (MR) |
$16.99 |
JUL180133 | IMA |
|
4 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY MICHELINIE & MCFARLANE OMNIBUS HC |
$100.00 |
APR180851 | MAR |
|
5 |
THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM 15TH ANNV BOX SET |
$200.00 |
APR188923 | IMA |
|
6 |
BATMAN VOLUME 7: THE WEDDING TP |
$16.99 |
JUL180717 | DC |
|
7 |
THE WICKED & THE DIVINE VOLUME 7 TP (MR) |
$17.99 |
AUG180194 | IMA |
|
8 |
X-MEN: GRAND DESIGN: SECOND GENESIS TP |
$29.99 |
JUL181178 | MAR |
|
9 |
TOMB OF DRACULA OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 HC |
$100.00 |
APR180852 | MAR |
|
10 |
MARVELOCITY: THE MARVEL COMIC ART OF ALEX ROSS HC |
$50.00 |
JUL182072 | PAN |
TOP 10 BOOKS BY UNITS SHIPPED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
MEGA MAN: OFFICIAL COMPLETE WORKS TP |
$39.99 |
AUG182411 | UDO |
|
2 |
THE YEAR’S BEST DARK FANTASY & HORROR 2018 |
$19.95 |
FEB188260 | PRI |
|
3 |
SUPER MARIO ENCYCLOPEDIA HC |
$39.99 |
JUN180310 | DAR |
|
4 |
DARK SOULS II: DESIGN WORKS HC |
$49.99 |
AUG151751 | UDO |
|
5 |
OKAMI: OFFICIAL COMPLETE WORKS SC |
$39.99 |
MAY073783 | UDO |
|
6 |
BILL SIENKIEWICZ: MUTANTS & MOON KNIGHTS ARTIFACT EDITION HC |
$90.00 |
APR180447 | IDW |
|
7 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE NOVEL HC |
$24.95 |
JUL182219 | TTN |
|
8 |
LULU IS A RHINOCEROS |
$16.99 |
FEB188267 | WIC |
|
9 |
ART OF TROMA HC (MR) |
$34.99 |
JUL181247 | DE |
|
10 |
THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 135 |
$14.95 |
AUG182175 | SAN |
TOP 10 TOYS BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
OVERWATCH: MERCY 12-INCH STATUE | MAR188055 | BLI |
|
2 |
MARVEL GALLERY: AVENGERS INFINITY WAR: THOR PVC FIGURE | APR182164 | DST |
|
3 |
POP! MARVEL: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: COMIC ROCKET RACCOON CLASSIC VINYL FIGURE | APR188340 | FUN |
|
4 |
DC GALLERY: THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS PVC FIGURE | MAY182303 | DST |
|
5 |
POP! MARVEL: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: STAR-LORD CLASSIC HALLOWEEN COMIC FEST 2018 VINYL FIGURE | APR188339 | FUN |
|
6 |
DC DESIGNER SERIRES: TRINITY BY JASON FABOK STATUE | MAR180386 | DC |
|
7 |
MARVEL GALLERY: AVENGERS INFINITY WAR: BLACK WIDOW PVC FIGURE | APR182160 | DST |
|
8 |
MARVEL GALLERY: WOLVERINE COMIC PVC FIGURE | APR182171 | DST |
|
9 |
THE IRON GIANT DIECAST 1/12 SCALE ACTION FIGURE | JAN188313 | 100 |
|
10 |
VENOM LEGENDS 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES | JUL178802 | HAS |
TOP 10 GAMES BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
STARFINDER RPG: ALIEN ARCHIVE 2 HC | AUG183177 | PAI |
|
2 |
CREATURE CODEX HC | JUL183073 | PAI |
|
3 |
MARVEL HEROCLIX: SECRET WARS BOOSTER BRICK | JUN182958 | NEC |
|
4 |
PATHFINDER RPG ADVANCED RACE GUIDE POCKET EDITION | AUG183170 | PAI |
|
5 |
BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES: GOTHAM UNDER SIEGE GAME | JUN180756 | IDW |
|
6 |
PATHFINDER RPG: NPC CODEX POCKET EDITION | AUG183171 | PAI |
|
7 |
STARFINDER RPG: CORE RULEBOOK HC | JUN173371 | PAI |
|
8 |
PATHFINDER CAMPAIGN SETTING: SANDPOINT: LIGHT OF THE LOST COAST | AUG183172 | PAI |
|
9 |
STARFINDER ADVENTURE PATH: AGAINST THE AEON THRONE PART 3 | AUG183178 | PAI |
|
10 |
PATHFINDER FLIP-MAT: BASIC TERRAIN MULTI-PACK | JUN132387 | PAI |
My full analysis is at http://blog.comichron.com/2018/11/comics-sales-ahead-for-year-after-494.html. There’s a link there to a video with some additional thoughts.
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