UPDATE: January 2013 Top 100 Comics & GN Sales Charts
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CREDIT: |
[Update 2: February 11 - Top 100 Comic Book and Graphic Novel charts (with sales indexes) added below. Sales analysis follows]:
TOP 100 COMIC BOOKS
Based on Total Unit Sales of Products Invoiced in January
2013
|
QTY RANK |
DOLLAR RANK |
INDEX |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
1 |
128.96 |
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
2 |
2 |
100.00 |
BATMAN #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
3 |
3 |
80.67 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
4 |
4 |
79.69 |
NEW AVENGERS #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
5 |
5 |
77.13 |
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #2 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
6 |
6 |
70.26 |
SAVAGE WOLVERINE #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
7 |
8 |
64.36 |
UNCANNY AVENGERS #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
8 |
7 |
63.25 |
DETECTIVE COMICS #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
9 |
9 |
63.16 |
AVENGERS #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
10 |
10 |
59.06 |
UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
11 |
11 |
56.94 |
AVENGERS #4 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
12 |
16 |
55.85 |
BATMAN AND ROBIN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
13 |
12 |
54.96 |
ALL NEW X-MEN #6 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
14 |
14 |
54.43 |
NEW AVENGERS #2 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
15 |
13 |
52.09 |
ALL NEW X-MEN #5 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
16 |
20 |
49.95 |
GREEN LANTERN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
17 |
21 |
49.66 |
BATGIRL #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
18 |
28 |
48.83 |
YOUNG AVENGERS #1 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
19 |
22 |
48.33 |
WALKING DEAD #106 (MR) |
$2.99 |
IMA |
|
20 |
24 |
47.73 |
NIGHTWING #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
21 |
30 |
43.67 |
TEEN TITANS #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
22 |
31 |
42.59 |
AQUAMAN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
23 |
18 |
41.01 |
CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
24 |
33 |
40.86 |
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
25 |
19 |
40.73 |
INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
26 |
17 |
40.19 |
ACTION COMICS #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
27 |
37 |
39.92 |
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
28 |
39 |
39.10 |
DEADPOOL #4 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
29 |
15 |
35.80 |
BATMAN AND ROBIN ANNUAL #1 |
$4.99 |
DC |
|
30 |
27 |
35.47 |
CABLE AND X-FORCE #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
31 |
25 |
34.88 |
IRON MAN #5 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
32 |
42 |
34.85 |
EARTH 2 #8 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
33 |
43 |
34.69 |
SUPERMAN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
34 |
45 |
34.64 |
FANTASTIC FOUR #3 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
35 |
26 |
34.59 |
THOR GOD OF THUNDER #4 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
36 |
44 |
34.50 |
BATMAN INCORPORATED #7 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
37 |
29 |
32.96 |
A PLUS X #4 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
38 |
47 |
31.27 |
SAGA #9 (MR) |
$2.99 |
IMA |
|
39 |
48 |
31.10 |
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
40 |
34 |
30.64 |
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #24 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
41 |
51 |
30.34 |
THUNDERBOLTS #3 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
42 |
49 |
30.22 |
FLASH #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
43 |
35 |
30.17 |
BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #6 (MR) |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
44 |
36 |
30.13 |
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #23 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
45 |
53 |
30.07 |
MORBIUS LIVING VAMPIRE #1 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
46 |
50 |
30.00 |
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
47 |
38 |
29.51 |
BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS #5 (MR) |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
48 |
40 |
28.99 |
BEFORE WATCHMEN DOLLAR BILL #1 (MR) |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
49 |
23 |
28.67 |
GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL #1 |
$4.99 |
DC |
|
50 |
55 |
28.17 |
FF #3 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
51 |
54 |
27.48 |
WONDER WOMAN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
52 |
41 |
27.32 |
INVINCIBLE #100 |
$3.99 |
IMA |
|
53 |
67 |
27.18 |
STAR WARS #1 |
$2.99 |
DAR |
|
54 |
62 |
26.36 |
AVENGERS ARENA #3 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
55 |
60 |
26.19 |
RED LANTERNS #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
56 |
63 |
25.82 |
X-MEN LEGACY #4 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
57 |
66 |
25.36 |
HAWKEYE #7 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
58 |
65 |
25.20 |
DEADPOOL KILLUSTRATED #1 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
59 |
32 |
25.13 |
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS ANNUAL #1 |
$4.99 |
DC |
|
60 |
68 |
24.74 |
DAREDEVIL #22 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
61 |
46 |
24.68 |
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #19 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
62 |
69 |
23.86 |
X-MEN LEGACY #5 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
63 |
71 |
23.37 |
BATWOMAN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
64 |
72 |
23.24 |
CATWOMAN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
65 |
74 |
22.11 |
SWAMP THING #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
66 |
52 |
21.26 |
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #11 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
67 |
77 |
21.18 |
TALON #4 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
68 |
80 |
20.83 |
WORLDS FINEST #8 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
69 |
79 |
20.80 |
SUPERGIRL #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
70 |
82 |
20.78 |
ANIMAL MAN #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
71 |
58 |
20.10 |
SECRET AVENGERS #36 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
72 |
57 |
20.09 |
THRESHOLD #1 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
73 |
59 |
19.90 |
AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #16 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
74 |
61 |
19.54 |
X-MEN #40 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
75 |
64 |
19.03 |
DAREDEVIL END OF DAYS #4 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
76 |
84 |
18.58 |
SUPERBOY #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
77 |
86 |
18.54 |
SUICIDE SQUAD #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
78 |
88 |
18.44 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
79 |
89 |
17.76 |
SCARLET SPIDER #13 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
80 |
70 |
17.55 |
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #20 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
81 |
73 |
17.24 |
ASTONISHING X-MEN #58 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
82 |
92 |
16.89 |
VENOM #29 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
83 |
94 |
16.82 |
VENOM #30 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
84 |
75 |
16.49 |
WOLVERINE MAX #3 (MR) |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
85 |
98 |
16.35 |
PUNISHER WAR ZONE #3 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
86 |
56 |
16.24 |
SUPERBOY ANNUAL #1 |
$4.99 |
DC |
|
87 |
76 |
16.09 |
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #21 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
88 |
99 |
15.91 |
BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #17 |
$2.99 |
DAR |
|
89 |
102 |
15.89 |
BIRDS OF PREY #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
90 |
103 |
15.76 |
PUNISHER WAR ZONE #4 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
91 |
105 |
15.67 |
WINTER SOLDIER #14 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
92 |
81 |
15.54 |
LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #4 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
93 |
108 |
15.43 |
X-FACTOR #250 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
94 |
107 |
15.35 |
GAMBIT #8 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
95 |
112 |
14.31 |
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #648 |
$2.99 |
MAR |
|
96 |
83 |
14.21 |
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US #1 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
97 |
78 |
13.98 |
ADVENTURE TIME #12 |
$3.99 |
BOO |
|
98 |
87 |
13.78 |
FIRST X-MEN #5 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
99 |
116 |
13.64 |
PHANTOM STRANGER #4 |
$2.99 |
DC |
|
100 |
115 |
13.63 |
GREEN ARROW #16 |
$2.99 |
DC |
TOP 100 GRAPHIC NOVELS
Based on Total Unit Sales of Products Invoiced in January 2013
|
QTY RANK |
DOLLAR RANK |
INDEX |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
3 |
6.48 |
FABLES TP VOL 18 CUBS IN TOYLAND (MR) |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
2 |
9 |
5.86 |
SAGA TP VOL 01 |
$9.99 |
IMA |
|
3 |
10 |
5.70 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 01 DAYS GONE BYE |
$9.99 |
IMA |
|
4 |
25 |
4.54 |
SILVER SURFER BY STAN LEE AND MOEBIUS #1 |
$7.99 |
MAR |
|
5 |
5 |
4.48 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 02 MILES BEHIND US (NEW PTG) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
6 |
4 |
4.06 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 02 THE VILLAINS JOURNEY |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
7 |
8 |
3.54 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 01 ORIGIN (N52) |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
8 |
15 |
3.25 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 03 SAFETY BEHIND BARS |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
9 |
18 |
3.19 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 17 SOMETHING TO FEAR (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
10 |
14 |
2.97 |
ANIMAL MAN TP VOL 02 ANIMAL VS MAN (N52) |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
11 |
13 |
2.95 |
INVINCIBLE TP VOL 17 WHATS HAPPENING |
$16.99 |
IMA |
|
12 |
22 |
2.36 |
NORTHLANDERS TP VOL 07 THE ICELANDIC TRILOGY (MR) |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
13 |
27 |
2.34 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 04 HEARTS DESIRE |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
14 |
12 |
2.32 |
WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 02 GUTS (N52) |
$22.99 |
DC |
|
15 |
29 |
2.27 |
WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 01 BLOOD (N52) |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
16 |
16 |
2.17 |
BATWOMAN HC VOL 02 TO DROWN THE WORLD (N52) |
$22.99 |
DC |
|
17 |
24 |
2.05 |
AVENGERS VS X-MEN TP CONSEQUENCES |
$17.99 |
MAR |
|
18 |
37 |
1.93 |
BATWOMAN TP VOL 01 HYDROLOGY (N52) |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
19 |
19 |
1.93 |
CARNAGE MINIMUM CARNAGE TP |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
20 |
38 |
1.86 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 05 BEST DEFENSE (NEW PTG) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
21 |
11 |
1.83 |
ONE TRICK RIP OFF DEEP CUTS HC |
$29.99 |
IMA |
|
22 |
44 |
1.64 |
STAR WARS BLOOD TIES TP VOL 02 BOBA FETT IS DEAD |
$14.99 |
DAR |
|
23 |
21 |
1.64 |
BATMAN HC VOL 01 THE COURT OF OWLS (N52) |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
24 |
55 |
1.59 |
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT GOLDEN DAWN TP |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
25 |
52 |
1.57 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 06 SORROWFUL LIFE (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
26 |
69 |
1.43 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 07 THE CALM BEFORE |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
27 |
1 |
1.37 |
GIL KANE AMAZING SPIDER MAN ARTIST ED HC (NET) |
$95.00 |
IDW |
|
28 |
58 |
1.37 |
WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS AFTERMATH TP |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
29 |
71 |
1.36 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 16 A LARGER WORLD (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
30 |
30 |
1.35 |
BOOKS OF MAGIC DELUXE EDITION HC (MR) |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
31 |
40 |
1.33 |
SHOWCASE PRESENTS WEIRD WAR TALES TP VOL 01 |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
32 |
57 |
1.32 |
ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 01 |
$14.99 |
BOO |
|
33 |
59 |
1.32 |
BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL ED HC |
$17.99 |
DC |
|
34 |
77 |
1.31 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 08 MADE TO SUFFER (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
35 |
31 |
1.31 |
DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER PREM HC MAN IN BLACK |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
36 |
79 |
1.28 |
BATMAN CHRONICLES TP VOL 11 |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
37 |
80 |
1.27 |
GREEN ARROW TP VOL 02 TRIPLE THREAT (N52) |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
38 |
34 |
1.24 |
SPIDER-MAN ENDS OF EARTH TP |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
39 |
84 |
1.23 |
MANHATTAN PROJECTS TP VOL 01 SCIENCE BAD |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
40 |
49 |
1.23 |
GLOBAL FREQUENCY TP (MR) |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
41 |
90 |
1.22 |
BATMAN THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS TP |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
42 |
36 |
1.21 |
FANTASTIC FOUR BY JONATHAN HICKMAN TP VOL 05 |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
43 |
62 |
1.16 |
BATMAN DARK KNIGHT RETURNS TP |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
44 |
131 |
1.13 |
HARBINGER (ONGOING) TP VOL 01 OMEGA RISING |
$9.99 |
VAL |
|
45 |
100 |
1.11 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 09 HERE WE REMAIN (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
46 |
83 |
1.11 |
CULLING RISE OF THE RAVAGERS TP (N52) |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
47 |
66 |
1.10 |
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES BY HICKMAN TP VOL 02 |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
48 |
65 |
1.10 |
OZ DOROTHY AND WIZARD IN OZ GN TP |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
49 |
41 |
1.10 |
BATMAN HUSH COMPLETE TP |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
50 |
103 |
1.10 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 10 WHAT WE BECOME |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
51 |
6 |
1.09 |
WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM TP VOL 02 (MR) |
$59.99 |
IMA |
|
52 |
68 |
1.08 |
SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING TP BOOK 03 (MR) |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
53 |
39 |
1.05 |
STAR WARS OMNIBUS INFINITIES TP |
$24.99 |
DAR |
|
54 |
28 |
1.04 |
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE BY BENDIS HC |
$34.99 |
MAR |
|
55 |
64 |
1.04 |
CONAN TP VOL 12 THRONE OF AQUILONIA |
$19.99 |
DAR |
|
56 |
45 |
1.04 |
ULT COMICS SPIDER-MAN BY BENDIS PREM HC VOL 03 |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
57 |
75 |
1.02 |
SECRET AVENGERS BY RICK REMENDER TP VOL 01 |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
58 |
110 |
1.01 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 11 FEAR THE HUNTERS (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
59 |
78 |
1.00 |
ALICE IN WONDERLAND TP (MR) |
$15.99 |
ZEN |
|
60 |
111 |
1.00 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 15 WE FIND OURSELVES (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
61 |
50 |
0.98 |
JLA TP VOL 03 |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
62 |
124 |
0.95 |
BLACK BUTLER TP VOL 12 |
$11.99 |
HAC |
|
63 |
81 |
0.95 |
SUPERMAN LAST SON OF KRYPTON TP |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
64 |
86 |
0.94 |
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN BY NICK SPENCER TP VOL 02 |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
65 |
88 |
0.93 |
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN TP ALPHA AND OMEGA |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
66 |
121 |
0.93 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 14 NO WAY OUT (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
67 |
92 |
0.93 |
SANDMAN TP VOL 01 PRELUDES & NOCTURNES NEW ED (MR) |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
68 |
60 |
0.93 |
X-WOMEN TP |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
69 |
122 |
0.92 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 13 TOO FAR GONE (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
70 |
26 |
0.91 |
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP VOL 01 TOMORROWS AVENGERS |
$39.99 |
MAR |
|
71 |
63 |
0.91 |
BATMAN THE LONG HALLOWEEN TP |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
72 |
125 |
0.90 |
CHEW TP VOL 06 SPACE CAKES (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
73 |
74 |
0.90 |
BATMAN EARTH ONE HC |
$22.99 |
DC |
|
74 |
93 |
0.90 |
MARVEL UNIVERSE END TP |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
75 |
94 |
0.89 |
DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER TP LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
76 |
127 |
0.88 |
WALKING DEAD TP VOL 12 LIFE AMONG THEM |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
77 |
97 |
0.88 |
DEFENDERS BY MATT FRACTION TP VOL 02 |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
78 |
102 |
0.87 |
WONDERLAND TP VOL 01 |
$15.99 |
ZEN |
|
79 |
98 |
0.87 |
ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 11 |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
80 |
106 |
0.85 |
WATCHMEN TP |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
81 |
134 |
0.84 |
DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL UNIVERSE TP |
$14.99 |
MAR |
|
82 |
136 |
0.84 |
BATMAN YEAR ONE DELUXE SC |
$14.99 |
DC |
|
83 |
147 |
0.84 |
GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES TP |
$12.99 |
DC |
|
84 |
67 |
0.84 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 01 ORIGIN (N52) |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
85 |
144 |
0.83 |
SONIC UNIVERSE TP VOL 04 JOURNEY TO THE EAST |
$11.99 |
ARC |
|
86 |
76 |
0.82 |
WOLVERINE SABRETOOTH REBORN PREM HC |
$24.99 |
MAR |
|
87 |
95 |
0.80 |
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION TP VOL 01 |
$19.99 |
IDW |
|
88 |
109 |
0.80 |
X-MEN BLANK GENERATION TP |
$19.99 |
MAR |
|
89 |
140 |
0.78 |
FATALE TP VOL 01 DEATH CHASES ME (MR) |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
90 |
154 |
0.78 |
REVIVAL TP VOL 01 YOU'RE AMONG FRIENDS |
$12.99 |
IMA |
|
91 |
116 |
0.77 |
ROBERT E HOWARDS SAVAGE SWORD TP VOL 01 |
$17.99 |
DAR |
|
92 |
73 |
0.77 |
CONAN HC VOL 13 QUEEN O/T BLACK COAST |
$24.99 |
DAR |
|
93 |
35 |
0.77 |
PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 06 1947-1948 |
$35.00 |
FAN |
|
94 |
32 |
0.77 |
SUPER STREET FIGHTER GN VOL 01 |
$34.95 |
UDO |
|
95 |
114 |
0.76 |
SIMPSONS COMICS SUPERNOVA TP |
$15.99 |
BON |
|
96 |
61 |
0.76 |
FEAR ITSELF TP FEARLESS |
$29.99 |
MAR |
|
97 |
42 |
0.75 |
WALKING DEAD HC VOL 02 (MR) |
$34.99 |
IMA |
|
98 |
119 |
0.75 |
SUPERMAN EARTH ONE HC VOL 01 |
$19.99 |
DC |
|
99 |
99 |
0.75 |
SUPERMAN EARTH ONE HC VOL 02 |
$22.99 |
DC |
|
100 |
118 |
0.74 |
DARK AVENGERS END IS BEGINNING TP |
$19.99 |
MAR |
[Update: Comichron.com has weighed in on the January sales figures, and they're even more impressive after some deeper analysis. Here's their story]:
January 2013 Comics Sales Beat December by Largest Margin in Decade
by John Jackson Miller
This is important, because the first thing we look at in moves of this scale is whether we're comparing a five-ship-week month to a four-ship-week month. But despite the calendar, January is a four shipping week month, just like January 2012 (which itself was a huge month for sales). That's because, as noted last month, possibly to adjust for Diamond taking Christmas week off, material that left its warehouses during the week after Christmas was counted as part of December, even though it had an on-sale date of January 2.
That was the first thing I looked at when I saw this change, but Dan Manser, Diamond's director of marketing, confirmed to me that "Jan. 2 items were invoiced in December, so they were part of December's numbers." The January figures are really for the for weeks that followed, and they beat December by more than a million dollars overall. Orders are estimated to have topped $41 million for the first time in any January since probably 1994 or 1995.
The aggregate changes:
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
|
|
DOLLARS |
UNITS |
|
JANUARY 2013 VS. DECEMBER 2012 |
||
|
COMICS |
-4.44% |
-3.34% |
|
GRAPHIC NOVELS |
21.64% |
16.63% |
|
TOTAL COMICS/GN |
3.01% |
-2.03% |
|
JANUARY 2013 VS. JANUARY 2012 |
||
|
COMICS |
22.32% |
19.86% |
|
GRAPHIC NOVELS |
37.89% |
30.73% |
|
TOTAL COMICS/GN |
27.16% |
20.65% |
Comics unit and dollar sales were slightly off December's totals, but walloped those of January 2012. The top title for the month was Marvel's Superior Spider-Man #1 — a title whose first printing is going for $10 on the aftermarket — and several other titles of recent Marvel vintage made the top 10. DC's relaunch titles were in the list, too:
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
2 |
BATMAN #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
3 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
4 |
NEW AVENGERS #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
5 |
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #2 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
6 |
SAVAGE WOLVERINE #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
7 |
UNCANNY AVENGERS #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
8 |
DETECTIVE COMICS #16 |
$3.99 |
DC |
|
9 |
AVENGERS #3 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
|
10 |
UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 |
$3.99 |
MAR |
The thing that made the difference in beating December overall, however, was the graphic novel and collected edition category. Fables Vol. 18 led the list, which was up nearly 22% over last month's GN sales, and an incredible 38% over last January's:
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS
|
RANK |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
VENDOR |
|
1 |
FABLES VOLUME 18: CUBS IN TOYLAND TP (MR) |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
2 |
SAGA VOLUME 1 TP |
$9.99 |
IMA |
|
3 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE |
$9.99 |
IMA |
|
4 |
SILVER SURFER BY STAN LEE AND MOEBIUS |
$7.99 |
MAR |
|
5 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
6 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 2: THE VILLAIN'S JOURNEY HC |
$24.99 |
DC |
|
7 |
JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 1: ORIGIN TP |
$16.99 |
DC |
|
8 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 3: SAFETY BEHIND BARS |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
9 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 17: SOMETHING TO FEAR |
$14.99 |
IMA |
|
10 |
ANIMAL MAN VOL. 2: ANIMAL VS. MAN TP |
$16.99 |
DC |
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How new is this? With January, we now have a full 10 years of Final Order data from Diamond, and we can see how past Januaries did. First, here's how they Overall Sales did versus the Januaries of the year before:
January 2004: $21.9 million, +4.29%
January 2005: $23.2 million, +6.39%
January 2006: $25.56 million, +9.7%
January 2007: $33.71 million, +31.89%
January 2008: $34.56 million, +2.52%
January 2009: $31.31 million, -9.4%
January 2010: $32.01 million, +2.23%
January 2011: $25.31 million, -20.91%
January 2012: $32.27 million, +27.47%
January 2013: $41.06 million, +27.16%
So we see that January beats always happened during the growth years of the mid-1990s, with the largest being in 2007, when Civil War #6 came out. Over the last two years, January sales have increased by more than $15 million.
Now, let's compare these figures with Decembers past:
December 2003 to January 2004: -23.69%
December 2004 to January 2005: -23.33%
December 2005 to January 2006: -19.19%
December 2006 to January 2007: +0.27%
December 2007 to January 2008: -3.68%
December 2008 to January 2009: -21.29%
December 2009 to January 2010: -10.27%
December 2010 to January 2011: -29.95%
December 2011 to January 2012: -6.73%
December 2012 to January 2013: +3.01%
So January beat December for the first time since that Civil War month — and the margin was the best in a decade.
If we look at just comic-book sales, excepting collected editions, we can see further back. Here's the estimated change within the Top 300 comics dollar sales from December to January from 1997 to present:
December 1996 to January 1997: -15.3%
December 1997 to January 1998: -27.7%
December 1998 to January 1999: -15.2%
December 1999 to January 2000: -18.5%
December 2000 to January 2001: -8.9%
December 2001 to January 2002: -3.6%
December 2002 to January 2003: -4.8%
December 2003 to January 2004: -19.9%
December 2004 to January 2005: -26.7%
December 2005 to January 2006: -17.0%
December 2006 to January 2007: -4.8%
December 2007 to January 2008: -7.0%
December 2008 to January 2009: -24.36%
December 2009 to January 2010: -13.96%
December 2010 to January 2011: -22.68%
December 2011 to January 2012: -6.73%
December 2012 to January 2013 (all comics): -4.44%
We won't know what the Top 300 portion will look like until next week, but I'm willing to bet that the Top 300 percentage comes in a little better than the overall percentage. It'll probably still be a drop, but it only has to go a little ways to beat the December 2001 to January 2002 change to become the best January for top-selling comics relative to the previous month since at least 1996.
The full estimates will be along next week. Find out about them right away by following the site on Twitter and Facebook.
End Comichron story. Original story: After finishing 2012 a robust 14.72% in Dollar sales and 11.58% in Unit sales over 2011, the comic book Direct Market faces a steep challenge in 2013 – can it continue to build on the sales growth trend essentially started with the September 2011 New 52 reboot into 2013?The early returns are looking promising. Diamond Comic Distributors released their initial January 2013 comic book sales data Friday morning, and overall Dollar sales are up a strong 27.16% over January 2012, and up 20.65% in overall Unit sales over the same month last year.
To put those gains in some perspective, January 2012 Dollar sales were up 27.47% in Dollar sales over January 2011, and 31.38% in Unit sales. So it appears the year-to-year growth trend is showing no major signs of slowing down.
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