latest

by Dave Carter

Greetings, sales charts fans! It’s time once again to look at Image Comics’s sales figures.

Just a reminder that I’m not doing this as a permanent gig; just filling in until Heidi finds someone to take on the Image
month-to-month chart.

Please refer to July’s column for a preamble and explanation as to why sales standards for Image books are likely to be different than those for DC or Marvel.

Warning: The commentary below may contain reasoned analysis, speculation (unfounded and otherwise), opinion, and/or snark. Those looking for a more straightforward analysis are directed to John Jackson Miller’s excellent Comichron analysis, posted earlier this month over at Comichron!

Please consider the fine print at the end of the column. Thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2.com for the permission to use their figures. An overview of ICv2.com’s estimates can be found here.

(Note that the percentage comparisons are done with total orders including reorder activity, as opposed to initial orders.)


 

9 - THE WALKING DEAD ($2.99)
09/2005: --
09/2010: The Walking Dead #77  --  27,448 
09/2011: --
09/2012: The Walking Dead #102 --  53,337 
09/2013: The Walking Dead #114 --  70,440
-----------------------------------------
09/2014: The Walking Dead #131 --  69,810 (-  2.9%) 
10/2014: The Walking Dead #132 -- 326,334 (+367.5%) 
10/2014: The Walking Dead #133 --  69,561 (- 78.7%) 
11/2014: The Walking Dead #134 --  68,093 (-  2.1%) 
12/2014: The Walking Dead #135 --  67,361 (-  1.1%) 
01/2015: The Walking Dead #136 --  66,097 (-  1.9%) 
02/2015: The Walking Dead #137 --  65,620 (-  0.7%) 
03/2015: The Walking Dead #138 --  66,778 (+  1.8%)
03/2015: The Walking Dead #139 --  67,349 (+  0.9%)
04/2015: The Walking Dead #140 --  66,553 (-  1.2%)
05/2015: The Walking Dead #141 --  68,931 (+  3.6%)
06/2015: The Walking Dead #142 --  68,221 (-  1.0%) 
06/2015: The Walking Dead #143 --  67,989 (-  0.3%) 
07/2015: The Walking Dead #144 --  79,496 (+ 16.9%) 
08/2015: The Walking Dead #145 --  82,792 (+  4.1%) 
09/2015: The Walking Dead #146 --  69,006 (- 16.7%) 
-----------------
6 months: +  2.9%
1 year  : -  1.2%
2 years : -  2.0%
5 years : +151.4%
10 years:    n.a.

Takes a drop back to normal after last month’s start-of-a-story-arc boost. Still Image’s best selling comic by a country mile, and the only title in the top twenty with a $2.99 cover price.

23 - WE STAND ON GUARD ($2.99)
07/2015: We Stand On Guard #1 of 6 -- 78,690 
08/2015: We Stand On Guard #2 of 6 -- 51,848 (- 34.1%) 
09/2015: We Stand On Guard #3 of 6 -- 44,050 (- 15.0%)

A typical third issue drop. This will likely end its six issue run around 40K; and then there will be the collection sales…

33 - TOKYO GHOST ($2.99)
09/2015: Tokyo Ghost #1 -- 39,682

The new series from Remender, Murphy & Hollingsworth has a pretty good debut. But one need only look below to see other series that debuted this high but didn’t stay there for very long. Not that this is likely to be in the trouble zone anytime soon, but the creators will be hoping for a trajectory more like Bitch Planet and less like ODY-C.

110, 161 - SEX CRIMINALS ($3.50/$4.69)
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Sex Criminals #8  -- 23,938 (-  1.8%) 
11/2014: --
12/2014: Sex Criminals #9  -- 22,597 (-  5.6%) 
01/2015: Sex Criminals #10 -- 22,067 (-  2.3%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: --
04/2015: --
05/2015: --
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Sex Criminals #11 -- 35,234 (+ 82.5%) [40,283]
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Sex Criminals #12 -- 33,005 (- 18.1%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  :    n.a.

Combined sales for the regular and XXX variants, and the sales are well above the series’ previous sales level. Clearly this is a case where freely-orderable variants have a dividend.

Meanwhile issue #11 gets an additional 5,049 copies and lands at #300 on the Diamond chart.

76 - OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA ($2.99)
09/2014: Outcast #4  -- 45,401 (-  2.8%) 
10/2014: -- 
11/2014: Outcast #5  -- 39,967 (- 12.0%)
12/2014: Outcast #6  -- 36,354 (-  9.0%) 
01/2015: -- 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Outcast #7  -- 38,077 (+  4.7%)
04/2015: Outcast #8  -- 36,188 (-  5.0%)
05/2015: Outcast #9  -- 28,961 (- 20.0%)
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Outcast #10 -- 28,012 (-  3.3%) 
08/2015: Outcast #11 -- 27,087 (-  3.3%) 
09/2015: Outcast #12 -- 26,115 (-  3.6%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 31.4%
1 year  : - 42.5%

Standard attrition. It will be interesting to see what happens to Outcast when the television series comes out (likely sometime in 2016). Can lightning strike twice for a Kirkman comic?

78 - PLUTONA ($2.99)
09/2015: Plutona #1 of 5 -- 25,690

New series from Jeff Lemire, Emi Lenox & Jordie Bellaire. For comparison, Lemire’s last Vertigo series, Trillium (for which he also did the art), debuted at 31K. But Image economics are different than Vertigo economics…

102 - BITCH PLANET ($3.99)
12/2014: Bitch Planet #1  -- 42,912 
01/2015: Bitch Planet #2  -- 26,508 (- 38.2%) 
02/2015: Bitch Planet #3  -- 24,999 (-  5.7%) 
03/2015: -- 
04/2015: Bitch Planet #4  -- 21,569 (- 13.7%) 
05/2015: -- 
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Bitch Planet #5  -- 22,041 (+  2.2%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.

The long delay between issues #4 & #5 didn’t hurt sales. But too many big delays could see readers switch over to trade waiting…

106 - THE WICKED + THE DIVINE ($3.50)
09/2014: Wicked + Divine #4  -- 25,668 (-  5.7%) 
10/2014: Wicked + Divine #5  -- 25,424 (-  1.0%) 
11/2014: --
12/2014: Wicked + Divine #6  -- 22,159 (- 12.8%) 
01/2015: Wicked + Divine #7  -- 20,893 (-  5.7%) 
02/2015: Wicked + Divine #8  -- 20,515 (-  1.8%) 
03/2015: Wicked + Divine #9  -- 20,360 (-  0.8%)
04/2015: --
05/2015: Wicked + Divine #10 -- 20,562 (+  1.0%)
06/2015: Wicked + Divine #11 -- 20,579 (+  0.1%) 
07/2015: Wicked + Divine #12 -- 20,335 (-  1.2%) 
08/2015: Wicked + Divine #13 -- 20,161 (-  1.2%) 
09/2015: Wicked + Divine #13 -- 20,706 (+  2.7%) 
-----------------
6 months: +  1.7%
1 year  : - 19.3%

The poster child for sales equilibrium.

117 - NAMELESS ($2.99)
02/2015: Nameless #1 of 6 -- 43,785 
03/2015: Nameless #2 of 6 -- 27,364 (- 37.5%) 
04/2015: Nameless #3 of 6 -- 24,266 (- 11.3%) 
05/2015: -- 
06/2015: Nameless #4 of 6 -- 21,071 (- 11.8%) 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Nameless #5 of 6 -- 19,071 (- 10.8%)
-----------------
6 months: - 30.3%

118 - JUPITER'S CIRCLE ($3.50)
09/2013: Jupiter's Legacy #3 -- 43,766
--------------------------------------
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: -- 
11/2014: --
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Jupiter's Legacy #5 -- 29,055 (- 21.3%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: --
04/2015: Jupiter's Circle #1 -- 32,542 (+ 12.0%)
05/2015: Jupiter's Circle #2 -- 24,499 (- 24.7%)
06/2015: Jupiter's Circle #3 -- 21,287 (- 13.1%) 
07/2015: Jupiter's Circle #4 -- 19,522 (-  8.3%) 
08/2015: Jupiter's Circle #5 -- 18,889 (-  3.2%) 
09/2015: Jupiter's Circle #6 -- 18,732 (-  0.8%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : - 57.2%

Just a tiny drop for the final issue of the first JC series. Volume 2 starts up in November.

121 - THE FADE OUT ($3.50)
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Fade Out #2  -- 30,577 (- 11.2%) 
11/2014: Fade Out #3  -- 27,042 (- 11.6%)
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Fade Out #4  -- 23,902 (- 11.6%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: --
04/2015: Fade Out #5  -- 22,303 (-  6.7%)
05/2015: Fade Out #6  -- 20,678 (-  7.3%)
06/2015: Fade Out #7  -- 20,191 (-  2.4%) 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: Fade Out #8  -- 19,416 (-  3.9%) 
09/2015: Fade Out #9  -- 18,201 (-  6.2%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  :    n.a.

Still selling decently; the only mystery is if it levels out before it reaches its conclusion (with #12).

134 - THE BEAUTY ($3.50)
08/2015: The Beauty #1  -- 25,245
09/2015: The Beauty #1  -- 17,337 (- 31.3%)

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

A typical second issue drop.

138 - THE DYING AND THE DEAD ($3.50)
01/2015: Dying and the Dead #1  -- 32,612
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: --
04/2015: Dying and the Dead #2  -- 21,375 (- 34.5%)
05/2015: -- 
06/2015: --
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: --
09/2015: Dying and the Dead #3  -- 16,902 (- 20.9%)

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

That’s a huge gap between issues, and in the long run probably won’t be good for the health of single-issue sales.

139 - FASTER THAN LIGHT ($2.99)
09/2015: Faster Than Light #1 -- 16,711

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

New sci-fi series from Brian Haberlin.

132 - INJECTION ($2.99)
05/2015: Injection #1  -- 41,648 
06/2015: Injection #2  -- 23,484 (- 43.6%) 
07/2015: Injection #3  -- 19,754 (- 15.9%) 
08/2015: Injection #4  -- 17,113 (- 13.4%) 
09/2015: Injection #5  -- 16,020 (-  6.4%)

The drops are starting to slow, just an issue behind schedule…

141 - SPAWN ($2.99)
09/2005: Spawn #149      -- 26,787
09/2010: Spawn #199      -- 18,076 
09/2011: Spawn #211      -- 13.526 
09/2012: Spawn #223      -- 21,965  
09/2013: Spawn #235      -- 15,081 
----------------------------------
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Spawn #247      -- 12,023 (-  9.9%) 
11/2014: Spawn #248      -- 11,934 (-  0.7%) 
12/2014: Spawn #249      -- 12,121 (+  1.6%) 
01/2015: -- 
02/2015: Spawn #250      -- 60,357 (+398.0%)
03/2015: Resurrection #1 -- 29,787 (- 50.6%)
04/2015: Spawn #251      -- 17,443 (- 71.1%)
05/2015: Spawn #252      -- 15,904 (-  8.8%)
06/2015: Spawn #253      -- 15,993 (+  0.6%) 
07/2015: Spawn #254      -- 15,421 (-  3.6%) 
08/2015: Spawn #255      -- 15,717 (+  1.9%) 
09/2015: Spawn #256      -- 15,087 (-  4.0%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 49.4%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : +  0.0%
5 years : - 16.5%
10 years: - 43.7%

Image’s longest-running series is running almost exactly where it was five years ago.

147 - LAZARUS ($3.50)
09/2013: --
-------------------------------
09/2014: Lazarus #11 -- 16,531 (-  8.4%) 
10/2014: Lazarus #12 -- 16,838 (+  1.9%) 
11/2014: Lazarus #13 -- 16,094 (-  4.4%)
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Lazarus #14 -- 15,896 (-  1.2%) 
02/2015: Lazarus #15 -- 15,237 (-  4.1%) 
03/2015: --
04/2015: Lazarus #16 -- 15,138 (-  0.6%)
05/2015: --
06/2015: Lazarus #17 -- 14,980 (-  1.0%) 
07/2015: Lazarus #18 -- 14,563 (-  2.8%) 
08/2015: --
09/2015: Lazarus #19 -- 14,506 (-  0.4%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 12.2%
2 years :    n.a.

Looks like it has settled in to the 14K range, which should be good enough to keep it going as long as Rucka & Lark want.

155 - RAT QUEENS ($3.99)
09/2013: Rat Queens #1  -- 21,745
---------------------------------
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Rat Queens #8  -- 14,726 (+ 14.1%)  
11/2014: --
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Braga Spec #1  -- 15,017 (+  2.0%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Rat Queens #9  -- 14,425 (-  2.0%)
04/2015: Rat Queens #10 -- 14,228 (-  1.4%) 
05/2015: --
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: Rat Queens #11 -- 14,271 (+  0.3%) 
09/2015: Rat Queens #12 -- 13,615 (-  4.6%) 
-----------------
6 months: -  5.6%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : - 37.4%

A bit of a corrective dip this month following last month’s return, but nothing to be too concerned about.

168 - FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS ($3.99)
09/2015: From Under Mountains #1 -- 13,112

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

New fantasy series by Marian Churchland, Sloane Leong & Claire Gibson. Probably not the size debut they were hoping for.

160 - INVINCIBLE ($2.99)
09/2005: Invincible #26  -- 11,574
09/2010: -- 
09/2011: --
09/2012: Invincible #95  -- 14,088 
09/2013: Invincible #105 -- 14,437
----------------------------------
09/2014: Invincible #114 -- 13,921 (+  2.0%) 
10/2014: -- 
11/2014: Invincible #115 -- 13,277 (-  4.6%) 
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Invincible #116 -- 13,125 (-  1.1%) 
02/2015: Invincible #117 -- 12,627 (-  3.8%) 
03/2015: Invincible #118 -- ??????
04/2015: Invincible #119 -- 13,492
05/2015: Invincible #120 -- 13,191 (-  2.2%)
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Invincible #121 -- 13,075 (-  0.9%) 
08/2015: Invincible #122 -- 13,001 (-  0.6%) 
09/2015: Invincible #123 -- 12,758 (-  1.9%) 
-----------------
6 months:  ??????
1 year  : -  8.4%
2 years : - 11.6%
5 years :    n.a.
10 years: + 10.2%

Dips down below 13K, but still well within Invincible’s recent sales parameters.

171 - DEADLY CLASS ($3.50)
09/2014: Deadly Class #7  -- 14,834 (-  9.0%) 
10/2014: Deadly Class #8  -- 15,003 (+  1.1%) 
11/2014: Deadly Class #9  -- 14,148 (-  5.7%)
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Deadly Class #10 -- 13,552 (-  4.2%) 
02/2015: Deadly Class #11 -- 12,805 (-  5.5%) 
03/2015: --
04/2015: Deadly Class #12 -- 13,780 (+  7.6%)
05/2015: Deadly Class #13 -- 12,299 (- 10.7%)
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Deadly Class #14 -- 11,798 (-  4.1%) 
08/2015: Deadly Class #15 -- 11,779 (-  0.2%) 
09/2015: Deadly Class #16 -- 11,394 (-  3.3%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 23.2%

Resumes in December.

172 - HEAD LOPPER ($5.99)
09/2015: Head Lopper #1 of 4 -- 11,337

Oversize quarterly comic from Andrew MacLean.

183 - THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS: THE SUN BEYOND THE STARS ($3.50)
09/2012: Manhattan Projects #6  -- 17,981 
09/2013: Manhattan Projects #14 -- 16,881
-------------------------------
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Manhattan Projects #24 -- 12,693 (-  5.3%) 
11/2014: Manhattan Projects #25 -- 12,236 (-  4.6%) 
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: -- 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Sun Beyond Stars #1    -- 14,221 (+ 16.2%)
04/2015: --
05/2015: --
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Sun Beyond Stars #2    -- 11,844 (- 16.7%) 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Sun Beyond Stars #3    -- 10,936 (-  8.5%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 23.1%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : - 35.2%

The sporadic schedule can’t be helping.

184 - MANIFEST DESTINY ($2.99)
09/2014: Manifest Destiny #10 -- 14,312 (-  2.5%) 
10/2014: Manifest Destiny #11 -- 13,620 (-  4.8%) 
11/2014: --
12/2014: Manifest Destiny #12 -- 12,987 (-  4.6%) 
01/2015: -- 
02/2015: Manifest Destiny #13 -- 17,891 (+ 37.8%) 
03/2015: --
04/2015: Manifest Destiny #14 -- 11,716 (- 34.5%)
05/2015: --
06/2015: Manifest Destiny #15 -- 11,389 (-  2.8%) 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: Manifest Destiny #16 -- 10,986 (-  3.5%) 
09/2015: Manifest Destiny #17 -- 10,748 (-  2.2%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 24.9%

Standard attrition.

187 - PHONOGRAM: THE IMMATERIAL GIRL ($3.99)
08/2015: Immaterial Girl #1 of 6 -- 15,856 (+516.2%)
09/2015: Immaterial Girl #2 of 6 -- 10,615 (- 33.1%)

A standard second issue drop. Still way above sales of the previous two series.

204 - WOLF ($3.50)
07/2015: Wolf #1  -- 18,864  
08/2015: Wolf #2  -- 12,898 (- 31.6%)  
09/2015: Wolf #3  -- 10,305 (- 20.1%)

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

A bit larger than normal third issue percentage drop.

208 - ISLAND ($7.99)
07/2015: Island #1  -- 16,677  
08/2015: Island #2  -- 11,092 (- 33.5%)  
09/2015: Island #3  -- 10,083 (-  9.1%)

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

A typical third issue drop. This seems to be doing well for an oversized anthology comic. Nice to see Image playing around with different formats.

213 - ODY-C ($3.99)
11/2014: ODY-C #1  -- 52,155  
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: ODY-C #2  -- 23,448 (- 55.0%) 
02/2015: ODY-C #3  -- 18,509 (- 21.1%) 
03/2015: --
04/2015: ODY-C #4  -- 14,086 (- 23.9%)
05/2015: ODY-C #5  -- 12,557 (- 10.9%)
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: ODY-C #6  --  9,679 (- 22.9%) 
09/2015: ODY-C #7  --  8,882 (-  8.2%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.

Sales are finally starting to settle, but is it sustainable at this level? Trade sales will likely be an important factor.

233 - 8HOUSE ($2.99)
07/2015: #1 Arclight pt1  -- 16,335  
08/2015: #2 Arclight pt2  --  9,463 (- 42.1%)  
09/2015: #3 Kiem     pt1  --  8,245 (- 12.9%)

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

A typical third issue percentage drop.

229 - SAVIOR ($2.99)
04/2015: Savior #1 of 8 -- 26,870 
05/2015: Savior #2 of 8 -- 13,625 (- 49.3%)
06/2015: Savior #3 of 8 -- 11,312 (- 17.0%) 
07/2015: Savior #4 of 8 --  9,559 (- 15.5%) 
08/2015: Savior #5 of 8 --  8,440 (- 11.7%) 
09/2015: Savior #6 of 8 --  7,891 (-  6.5%)

231 - RUMBLE ($3.50)
12/2014: Rumble #1  -- 24,780 
01/2015: Rumble #2  -- 14,580 (- 41.2%) 
02/2015: Rumble #3  -- 12,192 (- 16.4%) 
03/2015: Rumble #4  -- 10,138 (- 16.8%)
04/2015: Rumble #5  --  9,458 (-  6.7%)
05/2015: --
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: Rumble #6  --  8,810 (-  6.9%) 
09/2015: Rumble #7  --  7,613 (- 13.6%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 27.7%

Sales for the second arc are not going terribly well.

236 - MYTHIC ($2.99)
05/2015: Mythic #1  -- 32,297 
06/2015: Mythic #2  -- 13,838 (- 57.2%) 
07/2015: Mythic #3  -- 10,197 (- 26.3%) 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Mythic #4  --  7,417 (- 27.3%)

The first issue that wasn’t returnable, and takes another big hit.

237 - SPREAD ($3.50)
09/2014: Spread #3  -- 15,691 (+  2.9%) 
10/2014: -- 
11/2014: Spread #4  -- 13.288 (- 15.3%)
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: Spread #5  -- 11,115 (- 16.4%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Spread #6  -- 10,203 (-  8.2%)
04/2015: Spread #7  -- 10,955 (+  7.4%)
05/2015: --
06/2015: Spread #8  --  8,388 (- 23.4%) 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: Spread #9  --  7,866 (-  6.2%) 
09/2015: Spread #10 --  7,372 (-  6.3%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 27.7%
1 year  : - 53.0%

240 - SOUTHERN CROSS ($2.99)
03/2015: Southern Cross #1  -- 29,658 
04/2015: Southern Cross #2  -- 12,777 (- 56.9%)
05/2015: Southern Cross #3  --  9,871 (- 22.7%)
06/2015: Southern Cross #4  --  8,484 (- 14.1%)
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Southern Cross #5  --  7,288 (- 14.1%)

Last issue of the first story arc. A $9.99 trade is scheduled for December.

258 - DARK CORRIDOR ($3.99)
08/2015: Dark Corridor #1  -- 13,222
09/2015: Dark Corridor #2  --  7,163 (- 45.8%)

Returnable, so the figures have been adjusted up 10% from what was reported by Diamond/ICv2. (For an explanation why this is done for returnable items, please see the fine print at the end of this post.)

A larger percentage than usual fall for the second issue.

243 - STARVE ($3.50)
06/2015: Starve #1  -- 24,847  
07/2015: Starve #2  -- 10,646 (- 57.2%)  
08/2015: Starve #3  --  8,379 (- 21.3%)  
09/2015: Starve #4  --  7,050 (- 15.9%)

Not really catching on.

245 - THEY'RE NOT LIKE US ($2.99)
12/2014: They're Not Like Us #1  -- 18,015          [24,920] 
01/2015: They're Not Like Us #2  -- 10,028 (- 59.8%) 
02/2015: They're Not Like Us #3  --  9,424 (-  6.0%) 
03/2015: They're Not Like Us #4  --  9,255 (-  1.8%)
04/2015: They're Not Like Us #5  --  8,903 (-  3.8%)
05/2015: They're Not Like Us #6  --  8,368 (-  6.0%)
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: They're Not Like Us #7  --  7,599 (-  9.2%) 
09/2015: They're Not Like Us #8  --  6,988 (-  8.0%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 24.5%

Started strong with reorders and everything, but has fizzled since.

247 - SONS OF THE DEVIL ($2.99)
05/2015: Sons of the Devil #1  -- 21,331 
06/2015: Sons of the Devil #2  -- 11,959 (- 43.9%) 
07/2015: Sons of the Devil #3  --  9,805 (- 18.0%) 
08/2015: Sons of the Devil #4  --  7,373 (- 24.8%) 
09/2015: Sons of the Devil #5  --  6,935 (-  5.9%)

The trade is labelled as Volume 1, but so far no further issues have been solicited.

248 - THE LEGACY OF LUTHER STRODE ($3.50)
04/2015: Legacy #1 -- 11,084
05/2015: --
06/2015: Legacy #2 --  7,601 (- 31.4%)
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Legacy #3 --  6,919 (-  9.0%)

Not sure if a more regular schedule would have led to better sales, but it certainly couldn’t have hurt.

251 - REVIVAL ($3.99)
09/2012: Revival #3  -- 13,943 
09/2013: Revival #14 -- 12,254 
------------------------------
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Revival #24 --  9,019 (-  4.3%) 
11/2014: Revival #25 --  9,535 (+  5.7%) 
12/2014: Revival #26 --  8,696 (-  8.8%)
01/2015: Revival #27 --  8,057 (-  7.3%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Revival #28 --  7,913 (-  1.8%)
04/2015: Revival #29 --  7,786 (-  1.6%)
05/2015: --
06/2015: Revival #30 --  7,545 (-  3.1%) 
07/2015: Revival #31 --  7,337 (-  2.8%) 
08/2015: Revival #32 --  7,019 (-  4.3%) 
09/2015: Revival #33 --  6,824 (-  2.8%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 13.8%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : - 51.1%

The start of a new story arc has been solicited to start in January, so this is still chugging along.

There are French editions of the collections which I’ve seen pop up on the Amazon.fr bestseller charts from time to time. I wonder how sales of its French-language editions compare to the English editions?

259 - THIEF OF THIEVES ($2.99)
08/2012: Thief of Thieves #7  -- 18,266 
08/2013: Thief of Thieves #16 -- 13,182 
---------------------------------------
08/2014: Thief of Thieves #23 --  9,069 (-  4.1%) 
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Thief of Thieves #24 --  8,731 (-  3.7%) 
11/2014: Thief of Thieves #25 --  8,336 (-  4.5%) 
12/2014: --
01/2015: Thief of Thieves #26 --  7,428 (- 10.9%) 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Thief of Thieves #27 --  7,099 (-  4.4%)
04/2015: --
05/2015: Thief of Thieves #28 --  7,186 (+  1.2%)
06/2015: Thief of Thieves #29 --  6,884 (-  4.2%) 
07/2015: -- 
08/2015: Thief of Thieves #30 --  6,642 (-  3.5%) 
09/2015: Thief of Thieves #31 --  6,499 (-  2.2%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 26.8%
2 years : - 49.6%

No further issues have been solicited, though IIRC there was the mention of a return at some point in the final issue. Could have stronger than usual trade or digital or foreign sales. Or heck, Kirkman likely has so much Walking Dead money that he could probably keep this operating at a loss for pretty much as long as he wants…

262 - INVISIBLE REPUBLIC ($2.99)
03/2015: Invisible Republic #1  -- 22,974 
04/2015: Invisible Republic #2  -- 15,586 (- 32.2%)
05/2015: Invisible Republic #3  --  8,359 (- 46.4%)
06/2015: Invisible Republic #4  --  7,836 (-  6.3%) 
07/2015: Invisible Republic #5  --  7,187 (-  8.3%) 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Invisible Republic #6  --  6,415 (- 10.7%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 72.1%

An inauspicious start to a new story arc.

271 - CASANOVA: ACEDIA ($3.99)
01/2015: Casanova: Acedia #1 of 4 -- 16,780 
02/2015: -- 
03/2015: Casanova: Acedia #2 of 4 -- 10,310 (- 38.6%) 
04/2015: -- 
05/2015: -- 
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Casanova: Acedia #3 of 4 --  7,865 (- 23.7%) 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Casanova: Acedia #4 of 4 --  6,117 (- 22.2%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 40.7%

Issues 2 & 3 were returnable.

275 - RASPUTIN ($3.50)
10/2014: Rasputin #1  -- 21,373  
11/2014: Rasputin #2  -- 11,693 (- 45.3%)
12/2014: Rasputin #3  --  9,775 (- 16.4%) 
01/2015: Rasputin #4  --  9,264 (-  5.2%) 
02/2015: Rasputin #5  --  8,723 (-  5.8%) 
03/2015: --
04/2015: --
05/2015: --
06/2015: Rasputin #6  --  8,017 (-  8.1%) 
07/2015: Rasputin #7  --  6,996 (- 12.7%) 
08/2015: Rasputin #8  --  6,618 (-  5.4%) 
09/2015: Rasputin #9  --  6,021 (-  9.0%) 
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.

281 - EMPTY ZONE ($3.50)
06/2015: Empty Zone #1  -- 12,877  
07/2015: Empty Zone #2  --  7,385 (- 42.6%)  
08/2015: Empty Zone #3  --  6,759 (-  8.5%)  
09/2015: Empty Zone #4  --  5,668 (- 16.1%)

284 - WITCHBLADE ($3.99)
09/2005: Witchblade #89  -- 15,519
09/2010: Witchblade #138 -- 10,521 
09/2011: Witchblade #148 --  8,461 
09/2012: Witchblade #160 --  8,202  
09/2013: Witchblade #169 --  7,271 
----------------------------------
09/2014: -- 
10/2014: Witchblade #178 --  ????? 
11/2014: Witchblade #179 --  6,041 
12/2014: -- 
01/2015: -- 
02/2015: Witchblade #180 --  5,985 (-  0.9%)
03/2015: Witchblade #181 --  5,964 (-  0.4%)
04/2015: Witchblade #182 --  ?????
05/2015: --
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Witchblade #183 --  5,974 
08/2015: -- 
09/2015: Witchblade #184 --  5,589 (-  3.5%) 
-----------------
6 months: -  6.3%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : - 23.1%
5 years : - 46.9%
10 years: - 64.0%

Penultimate issue for one of Image’s longest-running titles.

288 - DRIFTER ($3.50)
11/2014: Drifter #1  -- 20,887  
12/2014: Drifter #2  -- 10,443 (- 50.0%)
01/2015: Drifter #3  --  8,924 (- 14.5%) 
02/2015: Drifter #4  --  8,111 (-  9.1%) 
03/2015: Drifter #5  --  7,712 (-  4.9%) 
04/2015: --
05/2015: --
06/2015: --
07/2015: Drifter #6  --  6,741 (- 12.6%) 
08/2015: Drifter #7  --  5,984 (- 11.2%) 
09/2015: Drifter #8  --  5,459 (-  8.8%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 29.2%

293 - BLOODSTRIKE ($3.99)
07/2015: Bloodstrike #1  -- 10,554  
08/2015: --  
09/2015: Bloodstrike #2  --  5,302 (- 49.8%)

295 - POSTAL ($3.99)
02/2015: Postal #1  -- 13,967 
03/2015: Postal #2  --  8,464 (- 39.4%)
04/2015: Postal #3  --  7,031 (- 16.9%)
05/2015: Postal #4  --  6,296 (- 10.5%)
06/2015: -- 
07/2015: Postal #5  --  5,835 (-  7.3%) 
08/2015: Postal #6  --  5,380 (-  7.8%) 
09/2015: Postal #7  --  5,169 (-  3.9%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 26.5%

297 - THE THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR PRESENTS: BEYOND BELIEF ($3.50)
04/2015: Beyond Belief #1  -- 10,759  [19,417]
05/2015: --  
06/2015: --  
07/2015: --  
08/2015: --  
09/2015: Beyond Belief #2  --  5,147 (- 73.5%)

Image titles shipping but not making the Top 300 in August include: 68: Last Rights, Astronauts in Trouble, Death Vigil, Elephantmen, The Empty, The Fuse, IXth Generation, Mantle, Material, Mice Templar, Minimum Wage, Morning Glories, Oddly Normal, Poseidon IX, Reyn, Savage Dragon, Secret Identities, Sex, Shutter, Stray Bullets, Tales of Honor, Tech Jacket, Tithe.

Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean that any of them are in danger of being cancelled. As has been discussed in the past, there are many reasons that the creators of these books may desire to keep them going.

The Fine Print (Disclaimers, et cetera)

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

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

Bear in mind that the figures measure sales of physical comics to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass-market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Re-orders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book’s initial calendar month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month. Keep in mind that sales for some titles may include incentives to acquire variants and not every unit sold is necessarily even intended to be sold to a customer.

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

Titles which are returnable have their numbers artificially adjusted down by Diamond. To make up for that this column increases the reported numbers for those titles by 10%. Which is likely also wrong, but it’s a different and likely less wrong kind of wrong, and experience has shown that this leads to sales figures which are more consistent.

Image is not a normal comics publisher, and the typical metrics for sales success may not apply. For many 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.

Please keep in mind that raw sales numbers do not tell us about how profitable a book is for a publisher or for the creators.

Above all, do not allow sales numbers to dictate your purchasing and enjoyment of a particular comic. If you enjoy reading a comic series then go right on buying and reading that comic, no matter what the sales figures say.

Opinions expressed in this column are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, Heidi MacDonald or anyone at The Comics Beat, the Pacific Whale Watch Association, or my former neighbor’s dog Miles.

The author of this column does weekly snapshots of Amazon comic sales charts at http://yetanothercomicsblog.blogspot.com/ and tweets about comics and related subjects on Twitter at @davereadscomics (PM me there is you need to contact me).

As always, we welcome your comments and corrections below. Please try to keep things civilized.

5 COMMENTS

  1. I wonder if Image just has too many titles now, and that partially feeds into why a fair chunk of them are doing rather poorly. I think the top tier are definitely staying strong, and word of mouth is enough to support the mid-tier (including books like my beloved Deadly Class). Overall, I think it’s good that Image is taking chances on a lot of series, but at the same time I don’t think there’s enough of an audience for a lot of them. For instance, Ales Kot isn’t enough of a draw for me (and I hear similar things from other comic readers I know), which may speak to why both Wolf and Material are falling fast.

  2. @Christopher: I volunteered to to an Image chart in addition to the DC chart until Heidi finds a replacement to take over the full Indie chart.

    (Many months Image publishes a comparable number of titles to Marvel & DC, so it makes sense to me to give Image its own chart.)

  3. STARVE is such a mesmerizingly gorgeous book! I will be sad when/if it ends…

    All the 8house books have been quality if not outstanding stuff. The labeling is confusing, but beyond that, they are gorgeous books.

  4. I feel that Image has taken too many series and thrown them all out at once. Many of these books are really great but within four months another very similar type of book comes out and seems tocannibalize the audience or splits it.

    Maybe if they hold off on certain titles until another similar title has wound down and launch that they would find continued success vs two to three issues with then an extreme drop off there after. Also maybe forming a genre line for the books to help the branding and give them a better look at what they’re publishing.

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