Well, Rebirth has done what it was meant to do: set DC atop the sales charts. According to sales statistics released today by Diamond, in July DC led Marvel and all other publisher sin both units and dollars for the first time in three years. Justice League #1 was the best selling periodical of the month, and DC has 8 of the Top Ten comics. Image’s Monstress was the best selling graphic novel.
DC led with a 35.36% dollar share and a 40.96% unit share, with marvel just behind at a 34.20% dollar share and a 35.69% unit share. In comparisons, July was down from June — the biggest month in 20 years – and graphic novels were down a stunning 35% – doubtless due to the Killing Joke and Saga effects from June – but comparisons to 2015 are beginning to creep to parity. Getting sales to go in the right direction hasn’t been easy – it’s required a dedicated all hands on deck effort from DC – but at least sales aren’t continuing to idle.
Comichron’s John Jackson Miller notes that July 2016 is a four week month and July 2015 had five weeks, meaning not long ground is impressive:
That’s in dollar terms; DC, aided greatly by the $2.99 price on many of its titles — including market topper Justice League #1— led units by 40.96% to 35.69%. Orders for periodical comic books were up industry-wide by 4.32% this month over last July, a month that had one more shipping week. That week gave last July a 3% edge in overall dollar sales — but that missing week suggests this month’s $50.51 million order performance should’ve been off by quite a bit more. So the market did pretty well against a tougher comparative. Last month, as we reported, was the best month for orders in the Direct Market in at least 20 years.
DC leading in market share is an uncommon occurrence, but it happens more than you might think. The most recent DC lead was October 2013, following a 12-point lead in September 2013, “Villains Month.” It has happened 57 times since Diamond started reporting Final Sales Market Shares in August 1997 — reporting that began in part following the lobbying of DC, which generally did better in such shares than in those for preordered titles and which indeed led frequently in the years following that owing to its large jump on Marvel in the graphic novel department and the smaller number of titles being released in the period when Marvel came out of bankruptcy. (Marvel, by contrast, has led 170 different months. No other publisher has led any.)
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
| PUBLISHER | DOLLAR
SHARE |
UNIT
SHARE |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 35.36% | 40.96% |
| MARVEL COMICS | 34.20% | 35.69% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 8.15% | 7.56% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 4.49% | 3.00% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 2.83% | 1.98% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 2.05% | 1.68% |
| ARCHIE COMICS | 1.36% | 1.26% |
| VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC | 1.06% | 1.03% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.19% | 0.95% |
| ONI PRESS INC. | 1.14% | 0.84% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 8.18% | 5.06% |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| JULY 2016 VS. JUNE 2016 | ||
| COMICS | -8.15% | -3.24% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | -26.54% | -35.83% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -13.77% | -6.16% |
| JULY 2016 VS. JULY 2015 | ||
| COMICS | 4.32% | 12.01% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | -19.12% | -28.26% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -3.01% | 8.28% |
| YEAR-TO-DATE 2016 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 | ||
| COMICS | -2.59% | -5.39% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 2.42% | 0.26% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -1.08% | -4.94% |
NEW TITLES SHIPPED
| PUBLISHER | COMICS SHIPPED | GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED | MAGAZINES SHIPPED | TOTAL
SHIPPED |
| MARVEL COMICS | 97 | 33 | 0 | 130 |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 63 | 31 | 0 | 94 |
| IMAGE COMICS | 61 | 11 | 1 | 73 |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 37 | 13 | 0 | 50 |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 21 | 18 | 0 | 39 |
| BOOM ENTERTAINMENT | 21 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 19 | 7 | 0 | 26 |
| VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC | 11 | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| ONI PRESS INC. | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 102 | 144 | 23 | 269 |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160206-M | DC |
| 2 | JUSTICE LEAGUE REBIRTH #1 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160204-M | DC |
| 3 | BATMAN #2 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160234-M | DC |
| 4 | CIVIL WAR II #3 | $4.99 | APR160862-M | MAR |
| 5 | BATMAN #3 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160236-M | DC |
| 6 | NIGHTWING REBIRTH #1 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160216-M | DC |
| 7 | CIVIL WAR II #4 | $4.99 | MAY160747-M | MAR |
| 8 | NEW SUPER MAN #1 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160224-M | DC |
| 9 | NIGHTWING #1 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160218-M | DC |
| 10 | HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS REBIRTH #1 [*] | $2.99 | MAY160208-M | DC |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | MONSTRESS VOLUME 1 TP (MR) | $9.99 | APR160803-M | IMA |
| 2 | HARLEY QUINN’S GREATEST HITS TP | $9.99 | MAR168712 | DC |
| 3 | BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC | $17.99 | NOV070226 | DC |
| 4 | STAR WARS: OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN TP | $16.99 | APR161092 | MAR |
| 5 | HUCK TP | $14.99 | APR160798-M | IMA |
| 6 | SOUTHERN BASTARDS VOLUME 3: HOMECOMING TP (MR) | $14.99 | FEB160707 | IMA |
| 7 | SAGA VOLUME 6 TP (MR) | $14.99 | MAR160684 | IMA |
| 8 | BONE CODA 25TH ANNIVERSARY TP | $14.95 | MAY161334 | CAR |
| 9 | WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN VOLUME 1: BERZERKER TP | $16.99 | APR161078 | MAR |
| 10 | AGENTS OF SHIELD VOLUME 1: COULSON PROTOCOLS TP | $17.99 | APR161086 | MAR |
TOP 10 BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 46 SC | $29.95 | APR161667-M | GEM |
| 2 | THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 46 HC | $35.00 | APR161668-M | GEM |
| 3 | STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: I AM A PRINCESS | $4.99 | MAY162079 | RAN |
| 4 | STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: I AM A SITH | $4.99 | MAY162080 | RAN |
| 5 | ERIC POWELL COLORING BOOK VOLUME 1 SC | $10.99 | MAY161048 | ALB |
| 6 | DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: SUPERGIRL AT SUPER HERO HIGH HC | $13.99 | MAY162038 | RAN |
| 7 | DC COMICS COLORING BOOK SC | $15.99 | MAY162059 | POC |
| 8 | LITTLE GRUMPY CAT THAT WOULDN’T LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK | $4.99 | MAY162041 | RAN |
| 9 | BIG BIG OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 46 | $47.50 | MAY161536 | GEM |
| 10 | THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOLUME 46 HALL-OF-FAME EDITION SC | $29.95 | MAY161534 | GEM |
TOP 10 TOYS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK 3D: LINK NENDOROID | JUL158281 | GOO |
| 2 | MARVEL SELECT: CARNAGE ACTION FIGURE | NOV142179 | DST |
| 3 | X-MEN LEGENDS 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES | APR168678 | HAS |
| 4 | MARVEL SELECT: VENOM ACTION FIGURE | AUG121762 | DST |
| 5 | DC COMICS BLUELINE: SUPERMAN ACTION FIGURE | MAR160334 | DC |
| 6 | MOVIE REALIZATION STAR WARS: AKAZONAE ROYAL GUARD FIGURE | AUG158040 | BLU |
| 7 | THE X-FILES 2016 SELECT ACTION FIGURES | JAN162247 | DST |
| 8 | DC COMICS COVER GIRLS: POWER GIRL STATUE | OCT150298 | DC |
| 9 | METAL GEAR SOLID: SNIPER WOLF BISHOUJO STATUE | DEC152338 | KOT |
| 10 | MARVEL SELECT CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR: IRON MAN MK. 45 FIG. | JAN162254 | DST |
TOP 10 GAMES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | RISK: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION | OCT128267 | USA |
| 2 | MACHI KORO DELUXE EDITION CARD GAME | JUN152743 | IDW |
| 3 | MACHI KORO CARD GAME | MAY142831 | IDW |
| 4 | THE GAME CARD GAME | SEP152625 | IDW |
| 5 | RANDOM ENCOUNTER CARD GAME | FEB160459 | IDW |
| 6 | FINDING DORY: DON’T WAKE GAME | JUL158674 | BAN |
| 7 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: SHADOWS OVER INNISTRAD BOOSTERS | FEB162979 | WIZ |
| 8 | MUNCHKIN CTHULHU: KATIE COOK GUEST ARTIST EDITION | APR163153 | PSI |
| 9 | AWESOME KINGDOM: MINES AND LABYRINTHS BOARD GAME EXPANSION | MAR160508 | IDW |
| 10 | TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES HEROCLIX | JAN162805 | NEC |
Glad that Rebirth is working. Apparently fans wanted some return to the more iconic versions of the characters. I’m sure Marvel will be able to recover when it relaunches Squirrel Girl once again in a couple of months…
Marvel has made their comics unrecognizable. DC is making books that respect their iconic characters and look like a lot of fun! It’s like the flip side of the movies
Wow and to think 6 months ago Marvel was outselling DC by a 2-to-1 ratio. Quite the comeback for DC and quite the fall for Marvel. Take notes Marvel editors stay true to the character fundamentals that made your stable of characters popular in the first place and don’t antagonize and belittle your readership. You would they would have already learned that from DC’s failures with the DC You initiative but here’s hoping Marvel has a rebirth of their in the not too distant future.
But I thought the audience was crying out for diversity as in the marvels new books. At least that’s what you’d believe if you read this site
I’m glad the DC books are doing better but do these numbers factor in the returnability of the books? I think they’re fully returnable through issue #6. It’s easy to have high numbers when there’s zero risk for retailers to order a bazillion copies.
Every one of their relaunches has been a big boost for them, only to have the numbers die down to disappointing levels. The real test is in a few months.
At least they’re better quality than they were before.
Carter really so sick of the returnality augrument really show me a store that overordered to point they have any left over. They still have to pay for them upfront. 6 Months to have on shelf to return them most stores dont have that kind of capital to order zallions of copies even if returnable
Just because you’re sick of it doesn’t mean it’s not a valid point. I mean, the entire reason to offer returnability, whether it’s DC, Marvel, IDW, etc, is to get retailers to order more copies because there’s a higher chance of selling a book if it’s in stock than if it’s not. But, today, tomorrow, 3 months from now, or 6 months from now, some of those books will be returned. End of story.
I’m not trying to take the wind out of the sails of people who are rooting for DC to beat Marvel like it’s some validation of their comics-taste. This article is about the numbers. We can all agree that selling more comics is good for the industry.
Regardless, I do have some first-hand experience. Some books sold through. Others did not. Mileage will vary from store to store.
Going back to the early 80’s, I’ve always preferred Marvel to DC. I quit reading in the mid 90s and returned in the early 2000s mainly due to the Marvel movies re-igniting my interest. Even though I can’t stand the X-Men movie franchise anymore, the first movie reminded me how much I loved reading X-Men comics. I currently read ZERO Marvel titles. The characters (the ones who haven’t been replaced) are unrecognizable to me. A good example is in the recent Captain Marvel series when you have Puck acting like a fanboy over Carol Danvers. Other instances have the writers referencing things that readers are aware of but the characters in the comic probably wouldn’t be overly aware of (I remember a character talking to one of the X-Men saying something like DON’T YOU GUYS DIE ALL THE TIME?). It seems like editors say to writers “Oh you like this character and this character and this character and want to put the together on this team without any reason other than you think it’s cool to put Kitty Pryde/Iron Man/The Thing/Venom on the team? Sure!!”. Not to mention price and unending “events” to let writers use characters to tell THEIR stories instead of telling stories using those characters, killing off those characters and damaging the survivors are other reasons I don’t buy Marvel anymore. And while the art isn’t to my tastes on most of the books, I could probably deal with it if I liked the stories. I understand wanting to bring in new fans who may not like a Claremont X-Men, a Byrne Fantastic Four, Sal Buscema drawing Hulk, or anything else considered outdated but is it smart to lose those fans who have stayed loyal to the characters for decades? Do Brian Bendis fans stay with a book after he leaves it? Marvel has developed creator loyalty these days, not loyalty to their characters.
I have a brick & morter store. Let me clarify a few points.
The first 3 months of all Rebirth titles and variants are returnable except for the initial DC Universe Rebirth Special and reprints.
As titles like Batman pass beyond returnable issues, new series like Deathstroke and Suicide Squad are within the 3 month range. At our store we strongly supported this promotion, but didn’t have confidence to wildly over order the first couple of books. We’ve been burned too many times and this “relaunch/reboot” covered a massive amount of titles. By the third week our orders caught up with reality and we safely acquired larger amounts. Still have limited amounts of first prints on all issues except Flash Rebirth # and DC Universe Special.
I don’t know how long we will be floating DC this “loan”, but it’s well worth taking the plunge. Returnable books will be 100% returnable with strip covers and no percentage fees. Over-ordering now will increase my DC Diamond discount for months in the future.
On current FOC we are cautiously decreasing all issues that are not going to be returnable. Our July 2016 previews order also reflects this approach on titles that won’t be returnable. Three months in we now see titles like New Superman, Batgirl and a few others actually selling less than our average Marvel comic. The New 52 sales boost lasted a lot longer.
We can see returning 25-30% on some books. Our conversations with other stores shows similar ordering patterns. Stores were initially cautious, then over-ordered and quickly trimmed the fat. Some stores are offering over-stock at cost rather than wait months for the return window to open.
Over all customers like the rebirth, but some feel it is to little to late. Others have bought all rebirth titles across the board, but as we are now getting an average of 9 per week, they are getting more selective and dropping titles already. Once again, the New 52 boost had longer legs.
And a question to DC: For the second time since Rebirth started, August is a month with 5 Wednesdays. You don’t schedule Rebirth titles that 5th week. Rebirth has positive momentum, Why grind it to a halt by having a week with no product except Vertigo, Johnny DC, mini-series and late titles. When there is a month with an extra Wednesday, how about adjusting your shipping schedule and spread out the Rebirth titles over 5 weeks instead of 4. Why make customers wait 2 weeks between new Rebirth shipments?
Wow! Marvel had 30 extra comics and they were $1 more ($3.99) and still they didn’t even get dollar share.
Personally, I am enjoying a lot of the new DC Rebirth titles. Superman and Action with my pre-52 Clark and Lois is the highlight, as is Wally West in Titans. And its not just nostalgia, they have good creative teams.
Wonder Woman & Nightwing have been great too.
Aren’t many of these books #1 with 3-5 times the sales they will get in the long run? I am no partisan so I am happy if every publisher does well, but the rational part of me thinks it’s a bit soon to call success or market dominance. The same as it was when Marvel was “crushing” DC with the post Secret Wars relaunch, the sales of the first and second issues are always *very* inflated and make so that relaunching automatically give dominance for the first months. The same will probably be true of Marvel with their spring relaunch. And so on, and so on.
This doesn’t really show anything one way or the other.
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