Remembering November 18th, 1992

[Gatsby77]

My memory is that Batman sales were still counted as the "standard bearer" for DC even when that happened.

 

By 1993 at least, Diamond (thus, Previews) benchmarked monthly comic book sales as percentage of Batman sales for the month. Batman was a 100, even though it was rarely in the top 3 compared to Spawn or other Image or Valiant event books.

[seanfingh]

My memory is that Batman sales were still counted as the "standard bearer" for DC even when that happened.

 

By 1993 at least, Diamond (thus, Previews) benchmarked monthly comic book sales as percentage of Batman sales for the month. Batman was a 100, even though it was rarely in the top 3 compared to Spawn or other Image or Valiant event books.

 

I thought they used Uncanny for the benchmark.

[joecgcmaniac]

My memory is that Batman sales were still counted as the "standard bearer" for DC even when that happened.

 

By 1993 at least, Diamond (thus, Previews) benchmarked monthly comic book sales as percentage of Batman sales for the month. Batman was a 100, even though it was rarely in the top 3 compared to Spawn or other Image or Valiant event books.

 

I thought they used Uncanny for the benchmark.

 

Uncanny was the benchmark.

[awakeintheashes]

Personally after 20 years I think Batman has past him easily as DCs flag ship now. Just in sales alone Batman has been killing him for years now.

This does sound about right.

 

Sure does. Supes hasn't really offered much to today's readers or the previous generation's, IMO.

 

He's the BlackBerry of the comic world.

[Bosco685]

 

Death of Superman: 20 years later

 

The craziest of comic book times.

 

The Oklahoman featured the demand for the issue in an article on Nov. 20, 1992.

 

Planet Comics in Oklahoma City sold 2,200 copies of the issue, up from the 50 they usually ordered.

 

“The demand for this book has been outrageous,” co-owner Mike Kennedy said in the article, written by Nolan Clay. “We’ve got housewives, businessmen and grandmothers coming in. I’ve got secretaries being sent out by their bosses to get this. “Among the 80 fans in line outside the store Thursday were comics collectors ranging in age from 11 to 61.”

 

Kennedy rented a casket and draped it with a homemade red Superman cape for the festivities.

 

 

[whetteon]

Awesome picture! I recall being pissed that I didn't get a chance to buy one because by the time I was out of school, all those housewives and secretaries cleared them out. WTF man?

 

After reading that article it reminds me of the time Norman Rockefeller was told by the shoeshine boy about which stocks to buy. Definitely signaling a point of when to sell EVERYTHING and get the heck out. Need to remember that for the future.

 

PS. that late twenties early thirties something chick in the picture is now in her early to mid 50's.

[hoknes]

It was a tragic week for me. I had grown up with Superman as my idol. I was following the Doomsday storyline leading up to his death issue.

 

I was in a big car accident on a trip that week and was almost killed. When I came home I could not get a copy of #75 anywhere because of course it had sold out everywhere and I had never thought of reserving a file copy at a store as I just bought my comics off the stands every week.

 

A local shop got their weekly shipment late and he was able to sell all his bagged #75's at $75.00 each rather than cover price!!

[Reader's Copy]

I was in middle school at the time and the only LCS I liked was a very, very small building that was sort of a falling-down duplex with a used record store adjacent. They only had space for new books on the wall; if you wanted back issues, you'd have to ask for them and the clerk would go into the back room (closet, really) and bring up what you wanted. I stopped in for my usual Spidey stuff (didn't care about DC), and the clerk said "Hey, listen to this" and he played three recordings off of his answering machine of people asking for copies of #75. We laughed pretty hard at the guy who called and said something like "Hey, uh, I want that comic where the super guy dies. If you can get me like a hundred copies by tomorrow I can come get them."

 

I miss that store. The guy who ran it is literally the nicest person I've ever met. My favorite memory of the store is that they somehow had about 100 sets of the old Marvel FOOM posters (big reproductions in just a few colors of classic Marvel covers) that they would sell for $5 per set. I would absolutely go insane with happiness if I ever found a set again. The best bit about them is that I insisted they get hung up all over the dining room, of all places. My relatives thought I was nuts.

 

But yeah, Superman died. Didn't care.

 

I sure do miss that store, though. They tore that whole block down and built one of the five Rite-Aids we have in town on the spot.

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

One of the funnier summaries of the times.

 

[Bosco685]

I sure do miss that store, though. They tore that whole block down and built one of the five Rite-Aids we have in town on the spot.

 

Too many store stories like this, unfortunately.

 

[Bosco685]

A local shop got their weekly shipment late and he was able to sell all his bagged #75's at $75.00 each rather than cover price!!

 

 

Whoa!

[Reader's Copy]

I remember buying this:

 

 

and finding it incredibly amusing. Among in-universe articles and whatnot, they had quotes from celebrities about their reaction to Superman's death. I remember they had a quote from the actor John Goodman that was something like: "I've just been wandering around in a daze. It's so sad."

 

Good times, friends. Good times.

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

 

Implication = ......

[Prince Namor]

Hmmm.... That would be a Friday release according to DC's ad...

[Kevin76]

I only remember the 5th of November

[Bosco685]

East Coast release would be on a Wednesday, just like when Superman 75 came out on November 18th, 1992. To assume otherwise is just ignoring the reality of historic comic distribution. The impact of that day is amazing.

 

The comics market continued to expand at a record clip in 1992, with a major new publisher launch in Image. Early issues of Image comics were published through Malibu. November 1992 saw the single biggest sales day in comics history, with "The Death of Superman" helping comics shops bring in $30 million in a single day.

 

Diamond did not release aggregate market shares for the entire year; it would begin doing so in 1993.

 

— John Jackson Miller

[Bosco685]

Man, stores went crazy back then for this book.

 

Is There Life After Death For The Man Of Steel?

 

Memo to DC Comics: You were right. Death sells.

 

At The Bookie in East Hartford, you can't buy any of the recent Superman issues even though owner Harold Kinney more than doubled his regular order.

 

"I was too conservative," Kinney says.

 

Wayne Horgan, co-owner of Heroes and Hitters in Rocky Hill, was a little more reckless. When he learned that Superman was going to die in issue 75 of "Superman," he jacked up orders of the preceding issues through the roof.

 

Horgan usually orders about 20 or 30 of any Superman comic book. For the six issues featuring the plot line that culminates in Superman's death, Horgan ordered between 300 and 400.

 

Each sold out in a matter of hours.

[Bosco685]

This summary of that day is still amazing to comprehend, with a store blowing out 2,200 copies over their regular 50.

 

 

 

Death of Superman: 20 years later

 

The craziest of comic book times.

 

The Oklahoman featured the demand for the issue in an article on Nov. 20, 1992.

 

Planet Comics in Oklahoma City sold 2,200 copies of the issue, up from the 50 they usually ordered.

 

“The demand for this book has been outrageous,” co-owner Mike Kennedy said in the article, written by Nolan Clay. “We’ve got housewives, businessmen and grandmothers coming in. I’ve got secretaries being sent out by their bosses to get this. “Among the 80 fans in line outside the store Thursday were comics collectors ranging in age from 11 to 61.”

 

Kennedy rented a casket and draped it with a homemade red Superman cape for the festivities.

 

 

Looks like the author took a liking to the new fan of the day.

 

[whetteon]

This summary of that day is still amazing to comprehend, with a store blowing out 2,200 copies over their regular 50.

 

 

 

Death of Superman: 20 years later

 

The craziest of comic book times.

 

The Oklahoman featured the demand for the issue in an article on Nov. 20, 1992.

 

Planet Comics in Oklahoma City sold 2,200 copies of the issue, up from the 50 they usually ordered.

 

“The demand for this book has been outrageous,” co-owner Mike Kennedy said in the article, written by Nolan Clay. “We’ve got housewives, businessmen and grandmothers coming in. I’ve got secretaries being sent out by their bosses to get this. “Among the 80 fans in line outside the store Thursday were comics collectors ranging in age from 11 to 61.”

 

Kennedy rented a casket and draped it with a homemade red Superman cape for the festivities.

 

 

Looks like the author took a liking to the new fan of the day.

 

 

What's more interesting is the books still on the shelf. Obviously 2nd or 3rd printings of MOS #17 and #18 and Bloodshot #1.