Vault Comics announced today that the orders for Unnatural Order #1 from writer Christopher Yost and artist Val Rodrigues “dramatically outperformed on every level, exceeding 137,000 copies at the time of the issue’s final order cutoff,” making the title one of the best-selling new independent comics of 2023 and the last decade.
Last month, the publisher did something a little different than the traditional comic book sales model by making the first issue completely free to retailers. And with a $4.99 cover price, the book’s launch could lead to “a financial windfall for comic book retailers everywhere. The results are in, and Vault has established a completely new model for launching new titles in the comic book direct market.”
Yost said in a statement:
“I was stunned by the orders on Unnatural Order (pun intended!) I still can’t even wrap my head around it. I’m truly overwhelmed and honored by the support retailers have shown for the book, for me, Val, Dearbhla, Andworld, and all the team at Vault.
This is a story I’ve wanted to tell for a very long time and it’s one that I wanted to tell here, in comics. To see UO welcomed like this means the world to us.
To every comic book store out there, THANK YOU! For real, from the bottom of my heart. We couldn’t do this without you, and I’m excited to have you alongside us for the journey that is Unnatural Order. I can’t wait for you to see where we’re going.”
Vault CEO and Publisher Damian Wassel stated:
“Anyone who works in comics knows that new series live or die by their orders on #2, #3, and so on. The best way to get readers to show up in droves for a second issue is to make sure you got the first issue into as many hands as humanly possible. Traditionally, that’s not easy. You have to start with a great book from a great team. You have to market the heck out of it. You have to get retailers to rally around you. And, then you hope you get lucky.
“Well, we set out to do something wild with Unnatural Order #1. We decided to take a gamble and break that traditional model by making it free to retailers. Yes, we started with a great book, but then asked ourselves, how do we give retailers something to fight for, give ourselves a path to break through the noise, and turn that all into a huge reason for readers to show up for the book.
“The results have exceeded even our most optimistic thinking. The numbers are a little staggering. They blow Free Comic Book Day numbers out of the water. They set this series up to have one of the biggest readerships of any independent book in the market. It’s an incredible position to be in.
“Naturally, we couldn’t have pulled this off without the support of the incredible comic book retail community. So, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the retailers who helped make this happen. And, this is just the beginning.”
Unnatural Order #1 marks the return to comics of legendary writer and MCU screenwriter Yost, joined by artist Rodrigues, colorist Dearbhla Kelly, lettering house Andworld Design, and designer Tim Daniel.
Unnatural Order blends fantasy, science fiction, and high-stakes action. In ancient Britain an unstoppable evil known only as the Druid plunges the world into an age of horror, fire, and sacrifice. But there is one man even the Druid fears. A soldier from another time, who alone knows the Druid’s secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.
Unnatural Order#1 is on sale this October and features variant covers from Tula Lotay, Maria Wolf, and Joshua Hixson. Check out a preview below!
Wait, what? Free? How do the creators make any money on this, if it’s free? And how many copies will the retailers actually sell, right? Won’t that be the bottom line? Be interesting to see how future issues sell, please report on that too.
F=k e news. It’s like when some obscure pundit releases a book and it’s a NYT best seller despite the fact very, very few people actual read it.
“Traditionally, that’s not easy. You have to start with a great book from a great team. You have to market the heck out of it. ” RIght, that’s the key to manga’s success, numerous billboards and tv commercials. Or maybe the creator markets himself by being bosom buddies with of all the social media influencers.Everyone knows, after all readers read what is retweeted by influencers.
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