Diamond: King Spawn and Department of Truth topped 2021 comics sales

It was a big year for Spawn and a huge year for James Tynion IV, according to sales charts covering 2021 comics sale just released by Diamond Comics.

Image Comics’ King Spawn #1, from Todd McFarlane, Sean Lewis, and Javier Fernandez, was the best-selling comic book of 2021.

Tynion and Martin Simmonds’s The Department of Truth Volume 1 was the best selling graphic novel through Diamond’s channels. But Tynion also had the #2 and #7 graphic novels, with the 1st and 3rd volumes of Something is Killing the Children from Boom.

Diamond’s charts include some Marvel titles, although the publisher switched to Penguin Random House in October. DC Comics are not included, but it’s a good bet that Tynion’s The Nice House on the Lake might have charted as well.

House of Slaughter #1 by Tynion and Tate Brombal, Chris Shehan, and Werther Dell’Edera was the second best selling comics periodical. It’s JTIV’s world we just read comics in it.

Although Image and Boom took the first four spots in the periodcal chart, it was Marvel for the remaining six, including  an array of splashy #1s, including two star Wars Titles, Venom and Moon Knight.

Among the other premier publishers, Kevin Eastman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #2, the second chapter of his future Turtles tale, was IDW Publishing’s top book for 2021 at #26; Dynamite Entertainment’s top book, Christopher Priest and Ergun Gunduz’s Vampirella #25, ranked #213; and Dark Horse Comics’ Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1, a prequel to Kevin Smith’s Netflix animated series, ranked #273.

As for graphic novels, Image had seven of the top ten. Surprise hit Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner’s Stray Dogs was #3 for the year. The success of the Invincible animated series was flected with Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley’s Invincible Compendium Volume 1 (#4) and Invincible Volume 1: Family Matters (#5).

And the Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Jacob Phillips’s ceative combo showed it was a hit factory with  Friend of the Devil (#8) and Destroy All Monsters (#10).

Among the premier publishers, Kieron Gillen and Jacen Burrows’ Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar was Marvel Comics’ top new graphic novel for the year at #17; Dynamite Entertainment’s The Boys Omnibus Volume 1, collecting the Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson series that was adapted into the acclaimed Amazon Prime television series, ranked #28 for the year; Dark Horse Comics’ Avatar: The Last Airbender—Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy ranked #40; and Godzilla: Natural Disasters from IDW Publishing charted at #255.

“2021 was a tremendously strong sales year for Diamond and the industry as a whole, and we’re looking forward to building on those successes in 2022,” said Tim Lenaghan, Chief Purchasing officer of Geppi Family Enterprises, the parent company of Diamond Comic Distributors, in a statement on the year’s sales.  “We’re incredibly pleased to congratulate Image, Todd, and all the creators involved with King Spawn on producing the number #1 book of 2021 as we celebrate Image’s 30th-Anniversary.  It’s great to see that Spawn is still ‘King’ after all these years!”
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY UNITS SOLD

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS BY UNITS SOLD

Diamond’s year end charts come on the heels of our own analysis of graphic novel sales to bookstores earlier today.