October was all about Dark Nights: Metal in an interesting month that saw some positive signs as released by Diamond Comic Distributors. Marvel Comics was October’s top publisher with a 36.38% dollar share (up 1.59) and a 38.63% unit share (up 0.50). DC Entertainment was second with a 30.58% dollar share (up 0.37) and a 35.48% unit share (down 1.20). In third was Image Comics with an 11.46% dollar share (up 1.91) and a 9.84% unit share (up 1.03). In fourth was IDW Publishing with a 4.33% dollar share (up 0.03) and a 3.31% unit share (down 0.36), followed by Dark Horse Comics with a 2.82% dollar share (up 0.38) and a 1.74% unit share (down 0.03).

Comic dollar sales improved while unit shares dropped compared to the previous month, the exact opposite of last month’s report. Dollars and unit shares are sharply down compared to the same time last year. Graphic novels saw an increase in both dollars and units compared to the last month and dollars are up compared to last year while units are down. Overall, total comics and graphic novels are up compared to the previous month while units are down and totals are down for both compared to the previous year. The previous year saw some major launches at the same time as well as a top comic boosted due to sales for “geek boxes.”

DC Entertainment had seven titles in the top ten. Marvel Comics had three titles in the top ten. Among the premier publishers, Image Comics’ The Walking Dead #172 ranked #22 for the month, IDW Publishing’s Star Wars Adventures #3 ranked #104, and Dark Horse Comics’ Neil Gaiman’s American Gods: Shadows #8 ranked #122.

The Walking Dead: Here’s Negan, a hardcover collection of the comic strip by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn originally published in Image Comics’ IMAGE+ magazine, was October’s best-selling graphic novel and one of Image Comics’ six titles in the top ten. DC Entertainment had three titles in the top ten. Marvel Comics’ Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel ranked #8 for the month.

Dark Horse Comics’ Overwatch Anthology Volume 1, a collection of background materials on the characters from the best-selling video game, was the best-selling book of October. In total, Dark Horse Comics had four titles in the top ten including The Art of Overwatch at #3, the Serenity: Everything’s Shiny Adult Coloring Book at #4, and The Art of Overwatch Limited Edition at #6. BOOM! Studio’s Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Adult Coloring Book ranked #2. IDW Publishing had two titles in the top ten: The Art of the Pulps: An Illustrated History at #7 and The Princess Bride: As You Wish: Memorable Quotes to Color at #8.

Good Smile’s Overwatch: Tracer “Classic Skin” Nendoroid, a figure based on one of the most popular characters from Blizzard’s Overwatch video game, was October’s best-selling toy product. DC Collectibles had six products in the top ten: the Batman Animated Series: Batcave Playset with Alfred Action Figure at #2; the DCTV The Flash: The Flash Season 3 Action Figure at #5; the Bat-Signal Prop, inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, ranked #6; the Justice League Movie: Wonder Woman Statue ranked #7; the DC Icons: Batman Rebirth Action Figure ranked #9; and the Batman Black & White: Harley Quinn by Amanda Conner Statue ranked #10. Diamond Select Toys also had two titles among the top the: the Marvel Select: Spider-Man Homecoming: Spider-Man Action Figure ranked #3 and the Marvel Select: Netflix Daredevil Action Figure ranked #4. Finally, Funko’s POP! Marvel Heroes: Emma Frost Diamond Form Vinyl Figure, a PREVIEWS Exclusive figure released in conjunction with Halloween Comic Fest, ranked #8.

Cryptozoic Entertainment’s Rick and Morty: Total Rickall Card Game was October’s best-selling game product. Also in the top ten, IDW Games’ Atari: Centipede Board Game, based on the classic 1980s video game, ranked #7 for the month.

 

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER	DOLLAR SHARE	UNIT SHARE
MARVEL COMICS	36.38%	38.63%
DC ENTERTAINMENT	30.58%	35.48%
IMAGE COMICS	11.46%	9.84%
IDW PUBLISHING	4.33%	3.31%
DARK HORSE COMICS	2.82%	1.74%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	1.99%	1.96%
BOOM! STUDIOS	1.96%	1.81%
ONI PRESS INC.	1.08%	0.76%
TITAN COMICS	1.02%	0.85%
ARCHIE COMICS	0.68%	0.57%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	7.70%	5.05%

 COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

	DOLLARS	UNITS
OCTOBER 2017 VS. SEPTEMBER 2017
COMICS	2.84%	-1.10%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	9.60%	0.08%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	4.74%	-1.02%
TOYS	-3.64%	-7.22%
OCTOBER 2017 VS. OCTOBER 2016
COMICS	-15.74%	-21.05%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	2.37%	-8.02%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	-11.12%	-20.27%
TOYS	-16.10%	-12.91%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2017 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2016
COMICS	-9.93%	-7.89%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	-10.55%	-12.76%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	-10.12%	-8.27%
TOYS	-11.82%	-17.78%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER	COMICS SHIPPED	GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED	MAGAZINES SHIPPED	TOTAL SHIPPED
MARVEL COMICS	81	41	0	122
DC ENTERTAINMENT	79	39	1	119
IMAGE COMICS	67	22	0	89
IDW PUBLISHING	41	36	0	77
BOOM! STUDIOS	29	7	0	36
DARK HORSE COMICS	15	18	0	33
TITAN COMICS	21	8	3	32
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	24	6	0	30
ONI PRESS	12	4	0	16
ARCHIE COMICS	11	4	0	15
OTHER NON-TOP 10	104	160	24	288

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	DARK NIGHTS: METAL #3	$3.99	JUL170304-M	DC
2	THE MIGHTY THOR #700	$5.99	AUG170848-M	MAR
3	AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #789	$3.99	AUG170779-M	MAR
4	BATMAN #32	$2.99	AUG170197-M	DC
5	BATMAN #33	$2.99	AUG170199-M	DC
6	THE DESPICABLE DEADPOOL #287	$3.99	AUG170830-M	MAR
7	BATMAN: THE DROWNED #1	$3.99	JUL170311-M	DC
8	BATMAN: THE DAWNBREAKER #1	$3.99	JUL170310-M	DC
9	BATMAN: THE MERCILESS #1	$3.99	JUL170312-M	DC
10	BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT #1	$3.99	AUG170269-M	DC

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	THE WALKING DEAD: HERE’S NEGAN HC (MR)	$19.99	JUL170766-M	IMA
2	BATMAN/THE FLASH: THE BUTTON DELUXE EDITION HC	$19.99	JUN170380-M	DC
3	SEVEN TO ETERNITY VOLUME 2 TP (MR)	$16.99	AUG170728	IMA
4	RAT QUEENS VOLUME 4: HIGH FANTASIES TP (MR)	$14.99	AUG170704	IMA
5	SUPER SONS VOLUME 1: WHEN I GROW UP TP	$12.99	JUL170465	DC
6	I HATE FAIRYLAND VOLUME 3: GOOD GIRL TP (MR)	$16.99	AUG170669	IMA
7	REDNECK TP VOL 01 DEEP IN THE HEART (MR)	$16.99	AUG170579-M	IMA
8	STAR WARS: THE SCREAMING CITADEL TP	$17.99	JUL171215	MAR
9	BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 3: LEAGUE TP	$19.99	JUL170458	DC
10	LOW VOL. 4: OUTER ASPECTS OF INNER ATTITUDES TP (MR)	$16.99	JUN170763	IMA

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	OVERWATCH ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 1 HC	$19.99	JUN170080	DAR
2	JIM HENSON’S LABYRINTH ADULT COLORING BOOK TP	$16.99	JUN171331	BOO
3	ART OF OVERWATCH HC	$49.99	JUN170078	DAR
4	SERENITY: EVERYTHING’S SHINY ADULT COLORING BOOK TP	$14.99	JUN170101	DAR
5	WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S THE FORCE DOTH AWAKEN HC	$14.95	AUG172376	RAN
6	ART OF OVERWATCH LIMITED EDITION HC	$100.00	JUN170079	DAR
7	ART OF THE PULPS: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY HC	$49.99	MAY170545	IDW
8	THE PRINCESS BRIDE: AS YOU WISH MEMORABLE QUOTES TO COLOR TP	$16.99	JUN170544	IDW
9	THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 122 SC	$14.95	JUL172465	SAN
10	DECONSTRUCTING THE INCAL HC	$24.95	AUG171792	HUM

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	OVERWATCH: TRACER “CLASSIC SKIN” NENDOROID	JAN178091	GOO
2	BATMAN ANIMATED: BATCAVE PLAYSET WITH ALFRED FIGURE	APR170463	DC
3	MARVEL SELECT: SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING ACTION FIGURE	FEB172613	DST
4	MARVEL SELECT: NETFLIX DAREDEVIL ACTION FIGURE	MAY172531	DST
5	DCTV THE FLASH: THE FLASH SEASON 3 ACTION FIGURE	AUG170365	DC
6	BAT SIGNAL PROP	MAY170373	DC
7	JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE: WONDER WOMAN STATUE	APR170460	DC
8	POP! MARVEL EMMA FROST DIAMOND FORM VINYL FIGURE	JUL170020	FUN
9	DC ICONS: BATMAN REBIRTH ACTION FIGURE	MAY170378	DC
10	BATMAN BLACK & WHITE: HARLEY QUINN BY AMANDA CONNER STATUE	APR170470	DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK	DESCRIPTION	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	RICK AND MORTY: TOTAL RICKALL CARD GAME	AUG168447	CRY
2	MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: IXALAN BOOSTER PACKS	JUN173398	WIZ
3	SCOTT PILGRIM’S PRECIOUS LITTLE CARD GAME	JUN173385	REN
4	MARVEL HEROCLIX: THOR RAGNAROK MOVIE EXPANSION	JUN173414	NEC
5	PATHFINDER BATTLES: MAZE OF DEATH BOOSTER BRICK	JUN173415	NEC
6	YU-GI-OH! TCG: LEGENDARY DRAGON DECKS	AUG173192	KON
7	ATARI: CENTIPEDE GAME	AUG170531	IDW
8	MARVEL DICE MASTERS: X-MEN FIRST CLASS	FEB173226	NEC
9	DUNGEONS & DRAGONS RPG: TOMB OF ANNIHILATION HC	AUG173217	WIZ
10	MAGIC THE GATGHERING TCG: IXALAN BUNDLE PACK	JUN173399	WIZ