Marvel was #1 again, but DC’s Justice League #1 and Dark Knight: Metal graphic novels led their categories in June sales charts just released by Diamond Comics. However, both units and dollars were down from May – which was buoyed by Spider-Man 800 and Action 1000 – and 2018 continues to lag about 3-4% in dollars behind 2017. However Q2 was up in double digits from the dismal Q1 2018, so thing are looking up a bit.
DC closed their gap with Marvel a bit from May, thanks to the big debut for Justice League #1 by Snyder and Cheung, but Marvel’s “fresh something” #1 books did well, inclduing Tony Stark, Deadpool and Thor.
The Magic Order #1, the first Mark Millar Netflix title (With art by Olivier Coipel) was the #2 periodical for the month, although it was fully returnable and sold at a deep discount, so numbers were downgraded by 10%.
Graphic novel sales continue to be far behind 2017, and the number of $125 omnibus/Absolut editions in the top dollar chart show that it’s a market for collectors, not readers.
Industry analyst John Jackson Miller supplied us with a preview of his report, which is going up at the same time as this.
June’s comic shop orders weren’t likely to turn the entire year positive, but they were enough to ensure that the second quarter was the first growth quarter, year-over-year, since the summer of 2016, during the heat of DC’s Rebirth launch. According to Comichron’s analysis of data released by Diamond Comic Distributors, retailers ordered $42.11 million in comic books, graphic novels, and magazines, bringing the quarterly total to $137 million, up a little over 1% over the same quarter in the previous year, and the highest dollar value seen since the fourth quarter of 2016. The sales estimates for each title will appear here Monday.
Even though June 2017 was a disappointment compared to June 2016 (again in the heat of the Rebirth event), it was still the second-best month of the year, and had a couple of legitimate hits in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 and Dark Days: The Forge #1. April and May of this year were headlined by two major anniversary issues, Action Comics #1000 and Amazing Spider-Man #800, each of which brought in about $4 million each; June 2018 lacked anything like that, and was down by — you guessed it — almost exactly $4 million. Justice League #1 was the top seller of the month. Sales comparisons were further affected by a smaller number of new comics releases: this June saw 30 fewer comics released, and IDW in particular had its smallest slate in several years, only 19 new comics.
Miller concludes that “As of midyear, the Direct Market’s trajectory remains more favorable than it’s been in a while: two more quarters of exactly the same size would result in the market being up for 2018, erasing the winter’s shortfall.” Which is…optimistic, but Batman #50 and a new Spider-Man title are expected to do well.
I’d counter that by saying that we’ve seen a spate of huge once in a lifetime anniversary issues and weddings and near-weddings, and these kinds of stunts are not solid growth.
Still, Marvel has definitely stabilized since last year’s tilt-a-whirl, and DC seems to have a lot of pep, and in the DM…that’s the way the game is played.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
|
PUBLISHER |
DOLLAR SHARE |
UNIT SHARE |
| MARVEL COMICS |
38.42% |
40.98% |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT |
30.54% |
33.73% |
| IMAGE COMICS |
10.46% |
11.48% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS |
3.23% |
2.10% |
| IDW PUBLISHING |
2.46% |
1.66% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT |
2.10% |
1.51% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS |
1.62% |
1.76% |
| VIZ MEDIA |
1.18% |
0.43% |
| ONI PRESS INC. |
1.09% |
0.83% |
| TITAN COMICS |
0.87% |
0.68% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 |
8.03% |
4.84% |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
|
DOLLARS |
UNITS |
|
|
JUNE 2018 VS. MAY 2018 |
||
| COMICS |
-16.71% |
-6.22% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
-7.44% |
-8.41% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
-14.13% |
-6.39% |
| TOYS |
1.03% |
4.22% |
|
JUNE 2018 VS. JUNE 2017 |
||
| COMICS |
-11.14% |
-8.93% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
-2.15% |
-14.24% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
-8.62% |
-9.35% |
| TOYS |
-11.53% |
17.66% |
|
YEAR-TO-DATE 2018 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2017 |
||
| COMICS |
-1.84% |
-9.65% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
-8.12% |
-11.22% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
-3.72% |
-9.77% |
| TOYS |
-11.98% |
-12.70% |
|
SECOND QUARTER 2018 VS. FIRST QUARTER 2018 |
||
| COMICS |
19.97% |
12.84% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
19.01% |
19.68% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
19.70% |
13.34% |
| TOYS |
-16.97% |
-7.55% |
|
SECOND QUARTER 2018 VS. SECOND QUARTER 2017 |
||
| COMICS |
3.01% |
-4.85% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS |
-3.41% |
-10.32% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN |
1.10% |
-5.28% |
| TOYS |
-14.46% |
-13.05% |
NEW TITLES SHIPPED
PUBLISHER |
COMICSSHIPPED |
GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED |
MAGAZINESSHIPPED |
TOTALSHIPPED |
| MARVEL COMICS |
87 |
33 |
0 |
120 |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT |
73 |
31 |
1 |
105 |
| IMAGE COMICS |
60 |
15 |
0 |
75 |
| IDW PUBLISHING |
19 |
18 |
0 |
37 |
| DARK HORSE COMICS |
20 |
15 |
0 |
35 |
| BOOM! STUDIOS |
23 |
10 |
0 |
33 |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT |
18 |
7 |
0 |
25 |
| TITAN COMICS |
17 |
5 |
1 |
23 |
| VIZ MEDIA |
0 |
20 |
0 |
20 |
| ONI PRESS |
7 |
10 |
0 |
17 |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 |
113 |
176 |
19 |
308 |
| TOTAL |
437 |
340 |
21 |
798 |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY UNITS SHIPPED
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 |
$3.99 |
APR180140-M | DC |
|
2 |
THE MAGIC ORDER #1 [*] (MR) |
$3.99 |
APR180455-M | IMA |
|
3 |
TONY STARK: IRON MAN #1 |
$4.99 |
APR180665-M | MAR |
|
4 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #801 |
$3.99 |
APR180766-M | MAR |
|
5 |
BATMAN #49 |
$2.99 |
APR180171-M | DC |
|
6 |
BATMAN #48 |
$2.99 |
APR180169-M | DC |
|
7 |
DEADPOOL #1 |
$4.99 |
APR180698-M | MAR |
|
8 |
THOR #1 |
$5.99 |
APR180649-M | MAR |
|
9 |
X-MEN GOLD #30 |
$4.99 |
APR180810-M | MAR |
|
10 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #2 |
$3.99 |
APR180143-M | DC |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 |
$3.99 |
APR180140-M | DC |
|
2 |
TONY STARK: IRON MAN #1 |
$4.99 |
APR180665-M | MAR |
|
3 |
DEADPOOL #1 |
$4.99 |
APR180698-M | MAR |
|
4 |
THOR #1 |
$5.99 |
APR180649-M | MAR |
|
5 |
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #801 |
$3.99 |
APR180766-M | MAR |
|
6 |
X-MEN GOLD #30 |
$4.99 |
APR180810-M | MAR |
|
7 |
THE IMMORTAL HULK #1 |
$4.99 |
APR180691-M | MAR |
|
8 |
BATMAN #49 |
$2.99 |
APR180171-M | DC |
|
9 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #2 |
$3.99 |
APR180143-M | DC |
|
10 |
VENOM #2 |
$3.99 |
APR180768-M | MAR |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS BY UNITS SHIPPED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL DELUXE EDITION HC |
$29.99 |
JAN180379 | DC |
|
2 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: DARK NIGHTS RISING HC |
$29.99 |
JAN180380 | DC |
|
3 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: THE RESISTANCE TP |
$24.99 |
JAN180381 | DC |
|
4 |
THANOS WINS TP |
$19.99 |
APR180867-M | MAR |
|
5 |
THE INFINITY GAUNTLET TP |
$24.99 |
JUL110745 | MAR |
|
6 |
SOUTHERN BASTARDS VOL. 4: GUT CHECK TP (MR) |
$16.99 |
NOV170835 | IMA |
|
7 |
NEIL GAIMAN: A STUDY IN EMERALD HC |
$17.99 |
FEB180021 | DAR |
|
8 |
THE FLASH VOL. 6: A COLD DAY IN HELL TP |
$16.99 |
MAR180343 | DC |
|
9 |
BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOL. 6 FALL OF THE BATMEN TP |
$19.99 |
MAR180334 | DC |
|
10 |
SUPER SONS OF TOMORROW TP |
$14.99 |
MAR180354 | DC |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL DELUXE EDITION HC |
$29.99 |
JAN180379 | DC |
|
2 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: DARK NIGHTS RISING HC |
$29.99 |
JAN180380 | DC |
|
3 |
INFINITE CRISIS OMNIBUS HC |
$150.00 |
JAN180406 | DC |
|
4 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: THE RESISTANCE TP |
$24.99 |
JAN180381 | DC |
|
5 |
THE INFINITY GAUNTLET TP |
$24.99 |
JUL110745 | MAR |
|
6 |
MILES MORALES: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN OMNIBUS HC |
$125.00 |
DEC170940 | MAR |
|
7 |
THANOS WINS CATES TP |
$19.99 |
APR180867-M | MAR |
|
8 |
WONDER WOMAN BY GEORGE PEREZ OMNIBUS VOL. 3 HC |
$99.99 |
DEC170399 | DC |
|
9 |
RUNAWAYS BY BRIAN K VAUGHAN & ADRIAN ALPHONA OMNIBUS HC |
$125.00 |
DEC170944 | MAR |
|
10 |
ABSOLUTE SANDMAN OVERTURE HC (MR) |
$125.00 |
NOV170387 | DC |
TOP 10 BOOKS BY UNITS SHIPPED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
LEGEND OF ZELDA ENCYCLOPEDIA HC |
$39.99 |
DEC170068 | DAR |
|
2 |
LEGEND OF ZELDA ENCYCLOPEDIA DELUXE EDITION HC |
$79.99 |
DEC170073 | DAR |
|
3 |
MARVEL SUPERHERO ADVENTURES: BUGGIN OUT SC |
$4.99 |
APR181653 | MAR |
|
4 |
THE SHADOW VOLUME 130 SC |
$14.95 |
MAR182184 | SAN |
|
5 |
THE ILLUSTRATED CALL OF CTHULHU HC |
$24.95 |
MAR181669 | FLE |
|
6 |
HELLBOY: INTO THE SILENT SEA STUDIO EDITION |
$50.00 |
MAR181670 | FLE |
|
7 |
WORLD OF READING: MEET ANT-MAN AND THE WASP SC |
$4.99 |
APR181654 | MAR |
|
8 |
NOCTURNALS ANNIVERSARY ART BOOK SC |
$14.99 |
APR181597 | HER |
|
9 |
PLANET OF THE APES ADULT COLORING BOOK SC |
$16.99 |
FEB181205 | BOO |
|
10 |
GROW UP ANT-MAN HC |
$12.99 |
APR181652 | MAR |
TOP 10 TOYS BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
ONE-12 COLLECTIVE: MARVEL SPIDER-MAN “BLACK COSTUME” FIGURE | FEB178708 | MEZ |
|
2 |
MARVEL SELECT: BLACK PANTHER MOVIE ACTION FIGURE | SEP172486 | DST |
|
3 |
MARVEL GALLERY: BLACK PANTHER MOVIE PVC FIGURE | DEC172278 | DST |
|
4 |
HARLEY QUINN: “WAITING FOR MY J MAN” STATUE | DEC168559 | MON |
|
5 |
MARVEL SELECT: DEADPOOL ACTION FIGURE | MAR101468 | DST |
|
6 |
DC COMICS REBIRTH: BATMAN ARTFX+ STATUE | NOV172822 | KOT |
|
7 |
POP! RICK & MORTY: PICKLE RICK “NO LIMBS” VINYL FIGURE | DEC178162 | FUN |
|
8 |
HARLEY QUINN: RED WHITE & BLACK STATUE BY JAE LEE | NOV170395 | DC |
|
9 |
MARVEL GALLERY: BLACK PANTHER MOVIE: KILLMONGER PVC FIGURE | JAN182376 | DST |
|
10 |
MARVEL SELECT: THOR RAGNAROK: GLADIATOR HULK ACTION FIGURE | JUL172803 | DST |
TOP 10 GAMES BY DOLLARS INVOICED
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
ITEM CODE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
REANIMATOR COLLECTIBLE BOARD GAME | DEC171511 | DE |
|
2 |
STRANGER THINGS: EGGO CARD GAME | NOV178197 | HAS |
|
3 |
MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: BATTLEBOND | APR182619 | WIZ |
|
4 |
YU-GI-OH! TCG: FLAMES OF DESTRUCTION SPECIAL EDITION | APR182566 | KON |
|
5 |
YU-GI-OH! TCG: FLAMES OF DESTRUCTION BOOSTER PACKS | MAR182721 | KON |
|
6 |
RICK AND MORTY: TOTAL RICKALL CARD GAME | APR188202 | PSI |
|
7 |
MUNCHKIN CCG: DESOLATION OF BLARG BOOSTER PACKS | FEB182814 | PSI |
|
8 |
DEADPOOL MONOPOLY | JUL178753 | HAS |
|
9 |
MOUSE GUARD ROLEPLAYING GAME HC BOXED SET (2ND EDITION) | FEB151158 | BOO |
|
10 |
YU-GI-OH! TCG: DARK SAVIORS BOOSTER PACKS | APR182565 | KON |
The post, with a link to our explanatory video, is here: http://blog.comichron.com/2018/07/june-sales-off-on-fewer-releases-but.html
I didn’t get into reports of a large external purchase of Magic Order #1, but if there is one we’ll be able to tell the size to a degree when the full figures are out. If it appears to be more than half the circulation (which should be obvious) it’ll earn the “Loot Crate dagger” in our charts, denoting the title sold more outside the Direct Market than in.
As to stunts and events and whether they’re growth, the charts are of course agnostic about that. Every month in comics for the last generation has had stunts and events, so stunts and events are literally what we’re measuring: how successful they are. What we saw in both April and May 2018 was that retailers were able to find $4 million extra in those months that had been on the sidelines, waiting for the RIGHT event.
The scope of the response says something, too, about the health of the market: in 2000, I would wager ACTION #1000 probably does half its 2018 numbers. The cash flow wasn’t there.
(But you’re certainly right to be cautious. That forward read was mostly looking downrange at the targets we’re up against in the second half of 2017, which are not that formidable. Last July looked like a January.)
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