The April preliminary data is out, and it looks like a uniformly strong month, with roughly equal gains in comics and trades:
The market is on a pace to top $500 million for the year even if the next eight months were completely flat — that's how much ahead it already is. Last year's total was $475 million.
For your Free Comic Book Day and Iron Man news packages, I have updated the site with all Iron Man data on the main title since 1968:
And here is our piece (from last year) on the genesis of the FCBD event, including Joe Field's original column suggesting the idea:
John Jackson Miller
Curator, The Comics Chronicles • http://www.comichron.com
http://www.twitter.com/comichron
http://www.facebook.com/comichron
Curator, The Comics Chronicles • http://www.comichron.com
http://www.twitter.com/comichron
http://www.facebook.com/comichron
Replies
Press Release
Diamond Announces Top Products For April 2013
(BALTIMORE, MD) — (May 3, 2013) — A bank robbery committed by Bruce Wayne poses a mystery to Batman in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman #19 from DC Entertainment, the best-selling comic book to specialty retailers in April 2013, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.
Marvel Comics was April's leading publisher with a 37.95% market share in retail dollars and a 41.78% market share in units. DC Entertainment was second with a 25.98% share in dollars and a 27.72% share in units. April’s comics sales declined slightly from March by 4.95%, while graphic novels sales increased by 10.32%
Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye from Image Comics returns to the top of the sales charts for the first time since January as the best-selling graphic novel for April.
Based on Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's new fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us, DC Collectibles' new Injustice: Deathstroke Vs. Green Arrow Action Figure 2-Pack was the best-selling toy product to direct market retailers in April.
Featuring characters from Marvel Studios' new Iron Man 3 film, WizKids/NECA's Marvel HeroClix: Iron Man 3 Booster Packs were April's best-selling game product to direct market retailers.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
PUBLISHER
DOLLAR
SHARE
UNIT
SHARE
MARVEL COMICS
37.95%
41.78%
DC ENTERTAINMENT
25.98%
27.72%
IMAGE COMICS
9.04%
9.87%
IDW PUBLISHING
7.54%
5.59%
DARK HORSE COMICS
4.35%
4.09%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
2.98%
2.60%
BOOM! STUDIOS
1.92%
1.97%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
1.04%
1.11%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS
0.94%
0.19%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
0.80%
0.72%
OTHER NON-TOP 10
7.46%
4.37%
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
DOLLARS
UNITS
APRIL 2013 VS. MARCH 2013
COMICS
-4.95%
-5.73%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
10.32%
10.11%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
-0.56%
-4.56%
APRIL 2013 VS. APRIL 2012
COMICS
13.87%
11.71%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
14.83%
19.00%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
14.18%
12.29%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2013 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2012
COMICS
19.44%
16.85%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
15.85%
14.15%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
18.32%
16.64%
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
RANK
DESCRIPTION
PRICE
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
BATMAN #19
$3.99
FEB130151-M
DC
2
THANOS RISING #1
$3.99
FEB130488-M
MAR
3
JUPITER’S LEGACY #1 (MR) [*]
$2.99
FEB130379-M
IMA
4
AGE OF ULTRON #4
$3.99
FEB130474-M
MAR
5
JUSTICE LEAGUE #19
$3.99
FEB130121-M
DC
6
AGE OF ULTRON #5
$3.99
FEB130477-M
MAR
7
AGE OF ULTRON #6
$3.99
FEB130480-M
MAR
8
THE WALKING DEAD #109 (MR)
$2.99
FEB130472-M
IMA
9
BATMAN AND RED ROBIN #19
$2.99
FEB130150
DC
10
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #2
$3.99
FEB130512-M
MAR
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
RANK
DESCRIPTION
PRICE
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP
$14.99
NOV128157
IMA
2
THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS VOLUME 2 TP
$14.99
JAN130500
IMA
3
HAPPY TP (MR)
$12.99
FEB130420
IMA
4
SAGA VOLUME 1 TP
$9.99
AUG120491
IMA
5
PUNK ROCK JESUS TP (MR)
$16.99
JAN130330
DC
6
BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 1: FACES OF DEATH TP (N52)
$16.99
JAN130296
DC
7
BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 2: SCARE TACTICS HC (N52)
$29.99
DEC120324
DC
8
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC
$17.99
NOV070226
DC
9
SWAMP THING VOLUME 2: FAMILY TREE TP
$14.99
JAN130301
DC
10
HAWKEYE VOL. 1: MY LIFE AS A WEAPON TP
$16.99
DEC120744
MAR
TOP 10 TOYS
RANK
DESCRIPTION
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
INJUSTICE: DEATHSTROKE VS. GREEN ARROW 2-PACK
JAN130347
DC
2
MAGNETO ACTION STATUE
JUN121914
BOW
3
INJUSTICE: WONDER WOMAN VS. SOLOMON GRUNDY
2-PACK
JAN138219
DC
4
THE WALKING DEAD SERIES 3: BLOODY FIGURE 3-PACK
JAN130626
TMP
5
STAR TREK: KLINGON DISRUPTOR
JUL121719
DST
6
METAL GEAR RISING REVENGEANCE PLAY ARTS KAI: RAIDEN ACTION FIGURE
DEC121765
SQU
7
WE CAN BE HEROES: JUSTICE LEAGUE 7-PACK BOX SET
AUG120308
DC
8
AARDMAN BATMAN & ROBIN CLASSIC FIGURE 2-PACK
FEB130259
DC
9
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION -- ENTERPRISE-D SHIP
APR084696
DST
10
TOKIDOKI UNICORNO SERIES 2 MINI-FIGURES
NOV121757
TOK
TOP 10 GAMES
RANK
DESCRIPTION
ITEM CODE
VENDOR
1
MARVEL HEROCLIX: IRON MAN 3 MOVIE BOOSTER PACKS
JAN132018
NEC
2
MARVEL HEROCLIX: IRON MAN 3 MOVIE STARTER SET
JAN132019
NEC
3
ADVENTURE TIME MONOPOLY
FEB131928
USA
4
THE WALKING DEAD TV CARD GAME
NOV122033
CRY
5
MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: GATECRASH BOOSTERS
DEC121918
WIZ
6
MARVEL HEROCLIX: IRON MAN 3 MOVIE MINI GAME
JAN132021
NEC
7
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLUE
FEB131930
USA
8
WARHAMMER 40,000: RELIC BOARD GAME
OCT121997
FAN
9
TICKET TO RIDE
MAR043750
DAY
10
SMALL WORLD
FEB095181
DAY
How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.
Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.
Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.
Please note that comics marked with an asterisk have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.
Press Release
On the eve of historic ZERO YEAR storyline, Batman titles remain firmly planted atop comic book shop, bookstore and The New York Times bestseller lists
Burbank, CA May 3, 2013— The dark, evocative and dramatic Batman stories of critically-acclaimed writer Scott Snyder and superstar artist Greg Capullo continued to catapult the iconic vigilante to the top of the sales charts in comic shops and bookstores in the month of April, announced DC Entertainment, the largest English-language comic book publisher in the world. April 2013 saw BATMAN #19 and DETECTIVE COMICS #19 clock in as the top-selling periodicals in units and dollars, respectively, to comic shop retailers, according to the world’s largest comic book distributor, Diamond Comic Distributors.
Batman’s success in the bookstore market was also impressive, with the Dark Knight taking four of the top 20 graphic novels in dollars and units, according to Nielsen Bookscan – including BATMAN VOL. 2: THE CITY OF OWLS, BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS and BATMAN: NIGHT OF THE OWLS – all featuring the work of the unstoppable team of Snyder and Capullo.
“Greg and Scott know Batman. Their work on the character falls under ‘instant classic’ – edgy, cinematic and suspenseful. They get to the core of what fans look for in a Batman story, and the response has been amazing. The best part? They’re just getting started,” said Diane Nelson, DC Entertainment President. “At the same time, Batman as a character and icon continues to be one of our hottest sellers, whether it’s a digital title or game like INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, the epic anniversary issue that was DETECTIVE COMICS #19 or graphic novel collections of his adventures. If it’s Batman, it’s a success.”
BATMAN #19 was the first of a two-part tale spotlighting the New 52 debut of a key Batman rogue, the mysterious Clayface, and set the stage for BATMAN #21 – the beginning of the sure-to-be-historic BATMAN: YEAR ZERO storyline, a modern reinterpretation of Batman’s iconic origin, also by Snyder and Capullo. The storyline promises to give fans a unexpected look at how Bruce Wayne took his first steps toward becoming Batman.
As if pulling back the curtain on Batman’s formative days wasn’t enough in June, Snyder will be joining forces with DC Comics Co-Publisher and legendary comic book artist Jim Lee for SUPERMAN UNCHAINED, a new series featuring the hero’s classic supporting cast, villains and an all-new, all-powerful threat. Fans can get a glimpse of what’s to come in the series at their local comic shops tomorrow, as participating stores will be distributing copies of DC Comics’ Free Comic Book Day titles, which include the SUPERMAN LAST SON OF KRYPTON SPECIAL EDITION #1 (featuring a lead story by DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns) and the DC NATION SUPER SAMPLER #1, for our younger readers.
Batman’s presence was also felt in the accolades department, as BATMAN VOL. 2: CITY OF OWLS and DETECTIVE COMICS VOL. 2: SCARE TACTICS made The New York Times Hardcover Bestseller lists. Also on the list were the DC Comics titles EARTH 2 VOL. 1: THE GATHERING, and Vertigo titles AMERICAN VAMPIRE VOL. 5 and 100 BULLETS: THE DELUXE EDITION BOOK FOUR. Making their debuts on The New York Times’ Paperback Bestsellers lists are DC Comics titles SWAMP THING VOL. 2: FAMILY TREE and WORLDS’ FINEST VOL. 1: THE LOST DAUGHTERS OF EARTH 2, and Vertigo titles PUNK ROCK JESUS and THE UNWRITTEN VOL. 7: THE WOUND.
On the digital side, INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US dominated the sales chart in April, taking each spot of the top 15 selling titles. INJUSTICE is a true phenomenon, driving double digit sales percentage increases for the top 20 titles across all major distribution platforms: comiXology, Kindle Store, iBookstore and Nook Store. INJUSTICE print issues also continue to sell well, with each issue released to-date going back for additional printings.
Also in April, DC Entertainment launched a first-ever crowdfunding initiative for its We Can Be Heroes giving campaign. The crowdfunding initiative has already raised more than $120,000 by offering fun donation perks for fans, as well as once-in-a-lifetime experiences like hanging out with Geoff Johns at San Diego Comic-Con and a private hometown screening of MAN OF STEEL. For more information on We Can Be Heroes, visit www.WeCanBeHeroes.org
Press Release
Best,
John Jackson Miller
Curator, The Comics Chronicles • http://www.comichron.com
http://www.twitter.com/comichron
http://www.facebook.com/comichron