Diamond's July Sales Report

[drice6900]

Hmmm... DC is moving up (took top 3!), Avengers #500 sold very well but Quesada is delaying #501 due to an underwhelming number of orders... good stuff:

 

 

JULY 2004 NUMBERS FROM DIAMOND

Diamond has released its Market Data for July based on actual orders. DC held the top spot for the month with Superman/Batman #11. The publisher also held the #2 and #3 spots with Superman #207 and Identity Crisis #2 - the first time in years since DC held the top three spots of the Top 10.

 

Marvel showed up at #4 with Astonishing X-Men #3, followed by Avengers #500 - the highest position that title has charted in years, thanks to the issue kicking off the highly publicized “Avengers Disassemble” arc.

 

In what could be seen as moves related to Top 10 jockeying, Marvel has announced a variant cover for Astonishing X-Men #4 (a 1:6 ratio variant – tied to retailers’ orders for regular editions, that is, retailers can order one variant cover for every six copies of the regular edition they order); as well as an extension in the Final Order Cutoff for Avengers #501 (in regards to which, Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada expressed concerns to retailers that the numbers ordered were lower than the company anticipated).

 

Likewise, it’s a safe bet that DC is smarting a little in regards to the delays affecting Superman/Batman. While issue #12 is tentatively slated to ship in August, issue #13 (the conclusion to the Mike Turner-illustrated “Supergirl from Krypton” arc) has been pushed back to October 13th, making September - when issue #14, starting the new arc with art by Carlos Pacheco was originally supposed to ship - like June for DC, another month without Superman/Batman on the charts. To date, DC has not announced any scheduling changes with issue #14, and a double ship of the series in October could be seen as a possibility. Regardless, the chances of DC claiming the top three slots for August are slim.

 

Moving along, the Top 25 titles for July were:

 

1) Superman/Batman #11

2) Superman #207

3) Identity Crisis #2

4) Astonishing X-Men #3

5) Avengers #500

6) Ultimate Spider-Man #62

7) Uncanny X-Men #446

8) Ultimate X-Men #49

9) X-Men #159

10) Ultimate Fantastic Four #9

11) Amazing Spider-Man #510

12) Marvel Knights Spider-Man #4

13) Batman #630

14) Wolverine #17

15) Teen Titans #13

16) JLA #101

17) JLA #102

18) Supreme Power #11

19) Excalibur #3

20) Venom vs. Carnage #1

21) New X-Men #3

22) Justice League Elite #1

23) Daredevil #62

24) Army of Darkness #1

25) Spectacular Spider-Man #17

[awe4one]

Also, it's the first month since Feb that monthly sales were down compared to the same month a year ago.

 

Jim

[Darthdiesel]

What I have not read/currently not reading from the Diamond TOP 25:

 

13) Batman #630

16) JLA #101

17) JLA #102

22) Justice League Elite #1

 

[Kevin Boyd]

It is interesting to note that for the first time in many months, July 2004 was not a better month for sales than it's counterpart in 2003. That may be because there werenot any major NEW titles (i.e. a #1) released in July 2004 that cracked the top 10. Many titles have apparantly seen a slight decrease in sales this month.

 

Moving along, the Top 25 titles for July were:

 

1) Superman/Batman #11

2) Superman #207

3) Identity Crisis #2

4) Astonishing X-Men #3

5) Avengers #500

 

Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is a juggernaut, but no one can beat the Jim Lee and Michael Turner on DC titles (even if Turner is late). Why he would ever go back to doing things like Soulfire is beyond me.

 

Avengers 500 placing so high is a coup for the Avengers, which hasn't been at the top in a long time. Too bad it is for such a profoundly NEGATIVE book as the Disassembled arc.

 

6) Ultimate Spider-Man #62

7) Uncanny X-Men #446

8) Ultimate X-Men #49

9) X-Men #159

10) Ultimate Fantastic Four #9

 

Two lines that are consistant, sales-wise. If you read Ultimate Spidey chances are you are also reading UFF and UXM. If you read Uncanny X-Men chances are you are also reading X-Men. Astonishing extends above and beyond to a larger group of readers that won't touch the other x-books.

 

11) Amazing Spider-Man #510

12) Marvel Knights Spider-Man #4

 

The two best Spider-Man books on the market attract similar numbers.

 

13) Batman #630

 

I can't explain this. This last arc was terrible. Must be Jim Lee residue.

 

14) Wolverine #17

 

Darick Robertson helps, but I think this is part of that x-book block.

 

15) Teen Titans #13

16) JLA #101

17) JLA #102

 

Titans is a surprise, and it's great to see it doing so well. Garney and Busiek are bringing new life to the JLA.

 

18) Supreme Power #11

 

Must be the nudity.

 

19) Excalibur #3

20) Venom vs. Carnage #1

21) New X-Men #3

 

Two more x-books. Venom vs. Carnage is a surprise, especially since it was pretty good. Venom has potential sales-wise, which goes to show that manga-izing him in his own title (thanks to Ben Herrera) is not a good idea.

 

22) Justice League Elite #1

 

A strong debut for a JLA spin-off.

 

23) Daredevil #62

 

Always consistant.

 

24) Army of Darkness #1

 

A major debut for Devil's Due Publishing and Dynamite Entertainment and DDP's best-selling book to date. Four (or was it five?) covers certainly helped boost sales. Evil Dead is a popular series, so it will be interesting to see if it will continue to sell well.

 

25) Spectacular Spider-Man #17

 

Benefits from the Avengers Dissassembled crossover (although how it ties in is very tenuous - Cap works with Spidey and thinks he should be an Avenger?). Spectacular remains the weakest Spider-Man book (excluding Marvel Age Spider-Man).

 

Overall July was a business as usual kind of month (aside from Avengers and Army of Darkness). So I'm not surprised that sales were not spectacular or amazing.

[awe4one]

1) Superman/Batman #11

2) Superman #207

3) Identity Crisis #2

4) Astonishing X-Men #3

5) Avengers #500

 

Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men is a juggernaut, but no one can beat the Jim Lee and Michael Turner on DC titles (even if Turner is late). Why he would ever go back to doing things like Soulfire is beyond me.

 

Avengers 500 placing so high is a coup for the Avengers, which hasn't been at the top in a long time. Too bad it is for such a profoundly NEGATIVE book as the Disassembled arc.

 

Let's put numbers to these...taken from ICV2.com....

 

1. SUPERMAN/BATMAN #11 143,712

2. SUPERMAN #207 138,984

 

If it wasn't for Lee and Turner, these titles would be selling half or lower than these numbers

 

3. IDENTITY CRISIS #2 (Of 7) 129,852

 

The most hyped series DC is currently pushing.

 

4. ASTONISHING X-MEN #3 129,362

 

Will be under 100,000 by #6. Still heavily speculated on if the copies on eBay are any indication.

 

5. AVENGERS #500 (#85) 105,617

 

The most hyped series Marvel is currently pushing. This is an event promotion for July.

 

6) Ultimate Spider-Man #62

7) Uncanny X-Men #446

8) Ultimate X-Men #49

9) X-Men #159

10) Ultimate Fantastic Four #9

 

Two lines that are consistant, sales-wise. If you read Ultimate Spidey chances are you are also reading UFF and UXM. If you read Uncanny X-Men chances are you are also reading X-Men. Astonishing extends above and beyond to a larger group of readers that won't touch the other x-books..

 

6. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #62 98,963

7 UNCANNY X-MEN #446 96,961

8. ULTIMATE X-MEN #49 93,572

9. X-MEN #159 93,164

10. ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #9 92,923

 

The Ultimate line is currently the crown jewel of Marvel. But like the X-Men line are continuely shedding readers monthly unless there's some type of event to hype.

 

11) Amazing Spider-Man #510

12) Marvel Knights Spider-Man #4

 

The two best Spider-Man books on the market attract similar numbers.

 

11. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #510 84,750

12. MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDER-MAN #4 75,508

 

The only reason ASM is this high is the hyping of the current storyline suggesting the return of Gwen. If it was a regular issue, the numbers would be in the mid-70s.

 

13) Batman #630

 

I can't explain this. This last arc was terrible. Must be Jim Lee residue.

 

13. BATMAN #630 69,026

 

You nailed it. This title has lost, almost immediately (1 to 2 issues in), the bounce that Lee gave it and is now selling near half what it was before. I expect the same downturn for DC's top two titles when Lee and Turner leave.

 

14) Wolverine #17

 

Darick Robertson helps, but I think this is part of that x-book block.

 

14. WOLVERINE #17 66,589

 

This title is now selling what it was prior to the reboot. Another example that reboots don't work. But Marvel is doing it again with the Avengers line. I personally believe that fandom is hip to Marvels' hype machine and any bump the Avengers may gain will be quickly lost after the speculators are done milking it.

 

15) Teen Titans #13

16) JLA #101

17) JLA #102

 

Titans is a surprise, and it's great to see it doing so well. Garney and Busiek are bringing new life to the JLA.

 

15. TEEN TITANS #13 65,658

16. JLA #101 64,615

17. JLA #102 63,249

 

Here there is hope...

 

DC is making storytelling a major selling factor with JLA. If only they could stress this over hype across their whole line. And that's the problem with today's market. DC, and especially Marvel, are confusing event driven stories with consistent storytelling.

 

18) Supreme Power #11

 

Must be the nudity.

 

18. SUPREME POWER #11 (MR) 63,007

 

Used to sell much better but delays have sunk it.

 

19) Excalibur #3

20) Venom vs. Carnage #1

21) New X-Men #3

 

Two more x-books. Venom vs. Carnage is a surprise, especially since it was pretty good. Venom has potential sales-wise, which goes to show that manga-izing him in his own title (thanks to Ben Herrera) is not a good idea.

 

19. EXCALIBUR #3 57,740

20. VENOM VS CARNAGE #1 (Of 4) 56,795

21. NEW X-MEN #3 55,304

 

Marvel cannot be happy with these numbers. Two Reloaded titles already under 60,000 and Venom debuting barely in the Top 20 doesn't bode well for where it'll be at #4.

 

22) Justice League Elite #1

 

A strong debut for a JLA spin-off.

 

22. JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #1 (Of 12) 53,847

 

Come-on...do you really believe DC is happy with these numbers?

 

23) Daredevil #62

 

Always consistant.

 

23. DAREDEVIL #62 52,936

 

Another title that slowly shedding readers. This used to be a Top 10, then a Top 20 book. I expect when Avengers Disassembled is done, Marvel will focus their attention on this character again and find some event to hype it.

 

24) Army of Darkness #1

 

A major debut for Devil's Due Publishing and Dynamite Entertainment and DDP's best-selling book to date. Four (or was it five?) covers certainly helped boost sales. Evil Dead is a popular series, so it will be interesting to see if it will continue to sell well.

 

24. ARMY O/DARKNESS ASHES 2 ASHES #1 (MR) 52,004

 

If it wasn't for the multiple cover gimmick, this title would be in the bottom 50.

 

25) Spectacular Spider-Man #17

 

Benefits from the Avengers Dissassembled crossover (although how it ties in is very tenuous - Cap works with Spidey and thinks he should be an Avenger?). Spectacular remains the weakest Spider-Man book (excluding Marvel Age Spider-Man).

 

25. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #17 51,335

 

This number is pathetic for a normal monthly Spidey book. Very sad.

 

Overall July was a business as usual kind of month (aside from Avengers and Army of Darkness). So I'm not surprised that sales were not spectacular or amazing.

 

Nope...during the best selling period for comics (Summer), comics continued to shed readers based on yearly forecasts. I personally believe the numbers have always been there but the monthly "events" have hidden the fact. Folks, I give monthly comics 3 years before one or the other of the Big-2 decide to fold up their tent and either change formats or radically realign their publishing strategy. They are nearing the point where monthly comics will not be financially sustainable. And despite all the euphoria of great comics sales and other such happy bull coming from their front offices directed at fandom, I'm sure these same faces turn grim when the monthly spreadsheets are circulated...

 

Event storytelling isn't working long term and they're almost out of credible events to recycle before it becomes obvious to fandom and solicits nothing more than a .

 

Jim

[rob_react]

23) Daredevil #62

 

Always consistant.

 

23. DAREDEVIL #62 52,936

 

Another title that slowly shedding readers. This used to be a Top 10, then a Top 20 book. I expect when Avengers Disassembled is done, Marvel will focus their attention on this character again and find some event to hype it.

 

40th anniversary.

[FFB]

Those order numbers are scary.

[Kevin Boyd]

Nope...during the best selling period for comics (Summer), comics continued to shed readers based on yearly forecasts. I personally believe the numbers have always been there but the monthly "events" have hidden the fact. Folks, I give monthly comics 3 years before one or the other of the Big-2 decide to fold up their tent and either change formats or radically realign their publishing strategy. They are nearing the point where monthly comics will not be financially sustainable. And despite all the euphoria of great comics sales and other such happy bull coming from their front offices directed at fandom, I'm sure these same faces turn grim when the monthly spreadsheets are circulated...

 

Event storytelling isn't working long term and they're almost out of credible events to recycle before it becomes obvious to fandom and solicits nothing more than a .

 

Well, fandom was certainly whipped into a frenzy last weekend in Chicago. Yikes!

 

I think it's been easy to predict the death of the new comics market, people have been doing it for 30 years now, as sales continue to plummet to new lows. But I agree, how low can they go until it's too low?

 

Sales were up over last year's books in previous months this summer, so I wouldn't count one month of status quo (a .2 variance from sales in 2003) as the beginning of the apocalypse.

 

DC seems content to continue as is for some time. Sure, JL Elite's numbers were only approx. 50K but so what? They've been debuting titles for less than that number for years, and they're willing to continue publishing titles that dip lower than 10K. AOL seems content to leave them alone because they are a valuable licensing tool.

 

Marvel on the other hand, needs that bottom line, and they seem to be going in circles... they tried less books, bigger creators and that didn't work too well... so now they are back to more books, lesser creators and cranking out a large volume of titles. So long as they keep publishing event books and number ones that float above their 18K cut off they'll keep pushing.

 

I look at a book like Daredevil, that sheds readers each issue and wonder, why are they leaving? Is it because there wasn't an event and the only thing floating it was speculators? Or are actual readers leaving because they are dissatisfied with a book that is critically acclaimed and considered one of the best written books published? Or are readers getting fed up of buying monthly installments of 4-6 part stories and deciding to get the final package (the tpb?).

 

Personally, I see more books arrive every week, and I'm certainly only buying a fraction of them, and I buy a fair number of books. It seems that for certain publishers, like Devil's Due, IDW, Image, Dark Horse... selling in the 5K - 45K range is financially viable.

 

For Marvel and DC, more of their revenue is coming from licensing, from high to low ticket items... particularly toys and statues.

 

Trade paperback revenues can also be a factor, as I, like a few others, choose to "wait for the trade" on certain items. But looking over the Top 50 Graphic novels, where the most units shipped of a specific trade is less than 10K, this simply cannot be as viable a revenue earner as hoped. The benefit though is that these items are usually reorderable and can continue to earn money years after their initial release.

[awe4one]

Well, fandom was certainly whipped into a frenzy last weekend in Chicago. Yikes!

 

Publishers will always be able to generate hype at conventions. They're speaking to the chior (fans) who think they are privy to insider info and are easily whipped into a frenzy. Marvel could announce a new Street Poet Ray or Terror Inc mini and the fanboys would soak it up....

 

I think it's been easy to predict the death of the new comics market, people have been doing it for 30 years now, as sales continue to plummet to new lows. But I agree, how low can they go until it's too low?

 

We're nearing that point now with Marvel...when a company uses the excuse of cancellation for a price increase, it's time to take a good long look at where they're at and how they arrived at this point. What is started is a vicious cycle that will only continue to feed on itself....

 

Sales were up over last year's books in previous months this summer, so I wouldn't count one month of status quo (a .2 variance from sales in 2003) as the beginning of the apocalypse.

 

But the numbers were always there. If it wasn't for Lee on Batman, 1601, JLA/Avengers and Ult FF, the slide would have revealed itself sooner.

 

DC seems content to continue as is for some time. Sure, JL Elite's numbers were only approx. 50K but so what? They've been debuting titles for less than that number for years, and they're willing to continue publishing titles that dip lower than 10K. AOL seems content to leave them alone because they are a valuable licensing tool.

 

Like any corporation, I'm sure AOL/Warner will get around to cutting underperforming branches. Not saying that DC will be targeted as a whole but I'm sure the bottom line will necessitate another "DC Implosion" with Vertigo a prime target.

 

Marvel on the other hand, needs that bottom line, and they seem to be going in circles... they tried less books, bigger creators and that didn't work too well... so now they are back to more books, lesser creators and cranking out a large volume of titles. So long as they keep publishing event books and number ones that float above their 18K cut off they'll keep pushing.

 

Marvel's current event strategy is starting to backfire. Reloaded hasn't boosted the numbers for regular titles nor helped the relaunched ones. Avengers Disassembled already has bad PR from fans who are sick of relaunches. Not to mention, the failed track record of previous relaunches.

 

Or are readers getting fed up of buying monthly installments of 4-6 part stories and deciding to get the final package (the tpb?).

 

I personally think this is a major factor.

 

For Marvel and DC, more of their revenue is coming from licensing, from high to low ticket items... particularly toys and statues.

 

True...but are we at a point where the characters have become such a fixture of our pop culture that their adventures in monthly comics are really necessary anymore?

 

I believe monthly comics are nearing the point of irrelevency in today's society and as a revenue stream for the Big-2. I don't have the answers and apparently neither do they but the current market reality will have to addressed sooner rather than later.

 

And what effect will this have on the back issue market? That's a whole other thread entirely.....

 

Jim

[delekkerste]

Jim,

 

Your last 2 posts are definitely the best I've read all year, by a wide margin. It really goes to show that there are "lies, damned lies and statistics". When, like a good research analyst, you look beyond taking the sales stats at face value, it's clear that the new issue market is not nearly as healthy as it may appear at first blush. There are a lot of temporary and one-time factors that are pumping up a lot of titles, as you point out, and while it may look benign on a month-to-month basis, looking out a few years, as one of those on the Boards who actually does go to the LCS every Wednesday, I really do see cause for worry.

 

CrossGen going under, Marvel's reshuffling and rebooting (would there be an "Avengers Disassembled" if sales of Thor, Iron Man, etc. weren't sucking so hard, and would we need to "reload" the X-Men if the top brass wasn't worried that their prize franchise wasn't on shaky ground?), DC's 2nd/3rd/4th print sketch/variant covers, Marvel's throwing all kinds of against the wall to see what sticks (did we really need to give Alpha Flight, X-Force and Cable/Deadpool another chance?), etc. - is this symptomatic of a vibrant new issue market? On the contrary, it's all evidence that the pie is shrinking in the long-term, everyone knows it and they're all trying to grab as much market share as they can.

 

What's wrong with this market? Why, as Kevin pointed out, are people abandoning titles like Daredevil, which most would consider to be pretty good? I think, first and foremost, comics are delivering less value than at any other time in their existence. I know some may disagree, but this extended cinematic storytelling style with a parsimonious amount of text is bad for the new issue market in so many different ways, encouraging some to "wait for the trade", but causing more and more people (myself included) to just say "f it, I've put up with this for the past several years but now I'm tired of this and I've had enough".

 

The current format of most Marvel books discourages new readers from jumping on until new story arcs, discourages impulse buying when you know you'll have to make 5 more impulse buys to get the whole story and, discourages established readers from buying when they know it'll only take 5 minutes to read the book and barely anything will happen in that issue anyway between all the space-wasting panels and paucity of text. Which might still be OK if comics were a buck a piece, but with more and more titles priced at $2.95 and higher (especially with Marvel launching a ton of fresh $2.99 books every month as part of their market share grab strategy), it's just no longer a good value proposition and, from what I can see, more and more long-time readers are voting with their pocketbooks.

 

I also think that, with so many titles being given the axe these days, people are leery of picking up titles that may not be around in a few months - that might explain why sales seem healthy for the Top 20 books (at least on the surface), as the dollars are flowing to those titles at the expense of those books perceived to be in trouble (thus causing those titles to be given the axe in a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy).

[Kevin Boyd]

Well, one of the things that came up repeatedly in Chicago (and not just at the Bendis panel) was that Marvel needs a real change in leadership before the company can move forward. There were a lot of rumors floating around about Joe Quesada's future with the company...

 

As much as I may like the guy personally, I do agree with those sentiments. New Marvel alienates more than anything, and we've definitely seen a slide since the Jemas/Quesada team became the Buckley/Quesada team. Marvel was arrogant and swaggering, like the school bully who is acting that way as a defense mechanism. With all of his talk of "young guns" this weekend, they really don't know what to do except shock and revamp and it's driving people away.

 

Marvel needs to Re-Assemble themselves back to traditional single-issue (put the soap-opera back into the background where it should be) story-telling. Forget all of these non-events like Dis-Assemble and Re-Load and return to the type of comics that built the House of Ideas.

[FFB]

Well, one of the things that came up repeatedly in Chicago (and not just at the Bendis panel) was that Marvel needs a real change in leadership before the company can move forward. There were a lot of rumors floating around about Joe Quesada's future with the company...

 

As much as I may like the guy personally, I do agree with those sentiments. New Marvel alienates more than anything, and we've definitely seen a slide since the Jemas/Quesada team became the Buckley/Quesada team. Marvel was arrogant and swaggering, like the school bully who is acting that way as a defense mechanism. With all of his talk of "young guns" this weekend, they really don't know what to do except shock and revamp and it's driving people away.

 

Marvel needs to Re-Assemble themselves back to traditional single-issue (put the soap-opera back into the background where it should be) story-telling. Forget all of these non-events like Dis-Assemble and Re-Load and return to the type of comics that built the House of Ideas.

 

But are people telling them this to their faces? Maybe they need to hear it over and over and over again in a nice, neat little package before it sinks in.

 

For what it's worth, I agree with what you guys are saying about the continuous story arcs. I've been reading some 1970s and early 80s Amazing Spider-Man recently, and the single or maybe two-part storylines are far better than the current method.

[awe4one]

Well, one of the things that came up repeatedly in Chicago (and not just at the Bendis panel) was that Marvel needs a real change in leadership before the company can move forward. There were a lot of rumors floating around about Joe Quesada's future with the company...

 

Personally I think the problem goes much deeper than a mere change in leadership. I'm increasingly convinced monthly 4-color comics are becoming obsolete in today's society. Technology has finally superceded 2-D comics in the minds of the public.

 

The best example I can think of is the advent of motion pictures. Would you spend a nickel for 5 minutes watching pretty photos flip in a Picture Calliope or spend a dime to watch a silent double feature with shorts at the local theater?

 

Spider-Man comics are static images and can be read in 10 minutes. Kids can take their money, rent the Spider-Man 2 videogame at the local Blockbuster and spend the entire weekend webbing through Manhattan. With an associated storyline to keep things interesting to boot. All in 3-D glory. Where do you think they will spend their money?

 

Jim

[Kevin Boyd]

Personally I think the problem goes much deeper than a mere change in leadership. I'm increasingly convinced monthly 4-color comics are becoming obsolete in today's society. Technology has finally superceded 2-D comics in the minds of the public.

 

The best example I can think of is the advent of motion pictures. Would you spend a nickel for 5 minutes watching pretty photos flip in a Picture Calliope or spend a dime to watch a silent double feature with shorts at the local theater?

 

Spider-Man comics are static images and can be read in 10 minutes. Kids can take their money, rent the Spider-Man 2 videogame at the local Blockbuster and spend the entire weekend webbing through Manhattan. With an associated storyline to keep things interesting to boot. All in 3-D glory. Where do you think they will spend their money?

 

Jim

 

Well Jim, I was almost agreeing with you until this point. Of course I disagree with these latest comments because I still spend money on comic books, as do a lot of other people in this forum. Comics are not videogames, they are not movies just as they are not books and not static art. They are something in-between. What's funny about your statements is that most videogame designers, movie producers, storyboard artists, etc. are comic book fans themselves.

 

And I do know kids that read comics and enjoy them, and they can still play their videogames and watch movies (when they are allowed to). It doesn't have to be an either or scenario. I agree quality is an issue, but quality is in the eye of the beholder. What you consider [!@#%^&^] may be Shakespeare for some 10-year old kid.

 

The problem with today's market is that it is aimed at older readers, who can afford to spend the money on comics. Kids aren't really a part of the equation any more when it comes to your standard comics. If sales go down it is not because kids aren't buying comics, it is because these older readers are deciding not to continue reading a specific book. It may be a budget thing (adding Identity Crisis to my pull list means I can't afford every book on my list so I have to drop Daredevil) or it may be a quantity thing (why should I shell out $18 for a story in Daredevil that I can buy in one collected edition for $15 in a couple of months?). Or it may be other factors (I want to go to San Diego so I can't afford to buy this month's issues, I'll catch up later) (why should I pay $3 for a new issue when I can buy it on sale as a back issue or at a convention for a $1 in a couple of months).

 

As for videogames, you make it sound like kids are allowed to play videogames 24/7... most kids do have some kind of parental guidance and kids are encouraged to read and use their imaginations, not just soak up and interact with images on a tv screen. Why were kids voraciously devouring Harry Potter books when they could play Harry Potter videogames and watch Harry Potter movies?

 

Why are young girls and tweens devouring manga in record numbers (so much so that Tokyopop has now surpassed Image comics for the dollar share in the marketplace)? They are in black and white and are about as expensive as a pocket book. They have Anime which they can watch, and there are often videogames based on the more popular strips that they can play, yet they still read these serialized manga trades. There must be something there that videogames and Anime can't provide.

 

If we were to extend this logic further, why bother to read books at all? It's static text, and most of the better fiction books get adapted into movies anyway, right?

[awe4one]

And I do know kids that read comics and enjoy them, and they can still play their videogames and watch movies (when they are allowed to). It doesn't have to be an either or scenario. I agree quality is an issue, but quality is in the eye of the beholder. What you consider [!@#%^&^] may be Shakespeare for some 10-year old kid.

 

Maybe...but I know very few kids who read comics on a consistent basis.

 

The problem with today's market is that it is aimed at older readers, who can afford to spend the money on comics. Kids aren't really a part of the equation any more when it comes to your standard comics. If sales go down it is not because kids aren't buying comics, it is because these older readers are deciding not to continue reading a specific book.

 

I agree...

 

As for videogames, you make it sound like kids are allowed to play videogames 24/7... most kids do have some kind of parental guidance and kids are encouraged to read and use their imaginations, not just soak up and interact with images on a tv screen.

 

Encouraged doesn't translate to doing. What I was trying to emphasize was kids, if they are looking for a suoperhero fix, can get much more entertainment from videogames or cartoons for that matter than spending 10 minutes reading an incomplete tale.

 

Why were kids voraciously devouring Harry Potter books when they could play Harry Potter videogames and watch Harry Potter movies?

 

Because they are single books that come out every two years and apparently are addicting. They don't have to search out and read a title each month and hope to get a complete story in 4-6 months.

 

Why are young girls and tweens devouring manga in record numbers (so much so that Tokyopop has now surpassed Image comics for the dollar share in the marketplace)? They are in black and white and are about as expensive as a pocket book. They have Anime which they can watch, and there are often videogames based on the more popular strips that they can play, yet they still read these serialized manga trades. There must be something there that videogames and Anime can't provide.

 

Very good question that I've also pondered. The only answer I've come up with is superhero are considered passe while Manga is considered the opposite. Regardless, outperforming Image doesn't a healthy market make....

 

If we were to extend this logic further, why bother to read books at all? It's static text, and most of the better fiction books get adapted into movies anyway, right?

 

Right...readership across all periodicals are down...way down. It's not a comics only phenomenom.

 

Jim

[CompleteRunComics]

15) Teen Titans #13

16) JLA #101

17) JLA #102

 

Titans is a surprise, and it's great to see it doing so well. Garney and Busiek are bringing new life to the JLA.

 

I don't think people realize how strong the Teen Titans book is. I was surprised to find it ranks 10th or 11th as an on-going series and averages about 17th in the top 100 every month. At the end of the month we have almost as many orders for the Titans as Uncanny X-Men.

 

25) Spectacular Spider-Man #17

 

Benefits from the Avengers Dissassembled crossover (although how it ties in is very tenuous - Cap works with Spidey and thinks he should be an Avenger?). Spectacular remains the weakest Spider-Man book (excluding Marvel Age Spider-Man).

 

This is another one that surprises folks, myself included. Top 20 book 7 out of the last 12 months. It just sort of sneaks up on you.

 

 

CRC

[Kevin Boyd]

Because they are single books that come out every two years and apparently are addicting. They don't have to search out and read a title each month and hope to get a complete story in 4-6 months.

 

Except that they don't have to search out and read a title each month and hope to get a complete story. They can pick up a complete story trade paperback collection every 4-6 months. Chances are that's all that they will have access to anyway, since they can only buy comics at comics stores and they can buy collected editions (spottily I might add) at their local bookstore.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for single issue stories, but if it's a question of value then a single comic book, any comic book whether it's part of a larger story or a self-contained issue, is rarely going to be much more than a few minutes pleasure.

 

If anything it's a question of mobility, accessibility and convenience. Kids must first know about comics and want to look at them, then they must rely on a parent to get them to a comic shop (unless they are fortunate enough to live in a neigbourhood that has a shop). Chances are that most kids will go thru most of their formative years without ever encountering a comic book. If they go to the mall bookstore they might get exposed to a trade paperback, but they would have to be directed to that part of the store.

 

On the other hand, Blockbusters are all over the place.

[CompleteRunComics]

23. DAREDEVIL #62 52,936

 

Another title that slowly shedding readers. This used to be a Top 10, then a Top 20 book. I expect when Avengers Disassembled is done, Marvel will focus their attention on this character again and find some event to hype it.

 

 

 

Daredevil monthly ranking

 

July 23 (2004)

Aug 14 (2003)

Sept 20 (2003)

Oct 30 (2003)

Nov 20 (2003)

Dec 27 (2003)

Jan 19 (2004)

Feb 22 (2004)

Mar 23 (2004)

Apr 28 (2004)

May 24 (2004)

June 25 (2004)

 

Past year average rank 22.9

 

Pretty consistent the past year and a pretty good rank for DD considering the barrage of new #1's, mini/maxie series every month and DD movie having come and gone.

 

 

CRC

[CompleteRunComics]

Folks, I give monthly comics 3 years before one or the other of the Big-2 decide to fold up their tent and either change formats or radically realign their publishing strategy.

 

 

I had a target date of 2008 as the year we see the start of the changes and 2010 as the year these major changes become the norm.

 

 

CRC

[Kevin Boyd]

Last night I was watching the documentary on the DUEL Special Edition and one of the things that was discussed was the influence of the "Big Three" networks on American television (DUEL was made for ABC as a TV movie of the week and is Steven Spielberg's first "movie"). At that time a 14 percent market share was the kiss of death, while now it's the mark of a highly rated show in a marketplace with hundreds of shows aired at any given time.

 

Today at lunch I was reading the Comics Journal and it was mentioned the Drawn & Quarterly's LOUIS RIEL graphic novel had sold 11, 000 copies making it a strong selling book. Sure it's a much larger commitment to sell 11,000 of a $25 graphic novel than a $3 comic... but maybe in today's fragmented marketplace, where everyone is competing for the same dollars, 52K copies of Daredevil sold to the direct market is truly a success story. It sucks compared to 200K sold per month in 1974, but it's directly proportional to the amount of competing entertainment available to today's consumer as opposed to a consumer 30 years ago.

 

There's approx. 100-200 comics published every week. We don't all buy the same thing. Most comics sell a minimum of 1-5 copies at any given location. Of course the "big" books sell more copies, but if I'm a consumer looking over a rack with over 100 titles on it each week, I have to prioritize or I'm going to go broke REAL quickly. If I can only buy 5 titles, I have to decide which five of the 100 are worth my time and hard-earned cash.

 

If I am a fan of a particular character, like Spider-Man, and all of the Spider-Man books ship the same week, then Daredevil might get excluded. If my local retailer sees that he has sold less copies of Daredevil than the month before then he cuts his orders again when he orders from the latest Previews. X-Men fans are particularly devoted... with more x-books being published they are less likely to buy OTHER comics outside of the x-line.

 

So maybe, Marvel and DC are like NBC/CBS/ABC... they are still the big dogs in the industry, but they have to settle for smaller market shares on their individual books and adjust in order to survive.

 

I'd be interested in knowing how many people read the latest issue of any given periodical? Sure, you see them all over the place at every magazine stand, but those copies are returnable... how many of them actually sell? Maybe 100,000 copies is all that Maxim magazine sells per month, even though 500,000 or 1Mill get printed?

 

K