Sales
Like in any industry, comic books and their companies listen most to one thing and that’s your money! What does your money tell them? What does it tell us as fans? What series do people say they adore but can’t seem to catch a break and what books to people hate that sell out? What are the trends? What looks good? What looks rough?
All these questions and more will be answered here, every month in ‘By The Numbers’ by comic writers, editors and fans, Glenn Matchett and Ray Goldfield.
Glenn Matchett is a comic writer and editor. He’s worked in the industry for many years but grew up reading comics. He’s had work published with various small press publishers and has is own comic now available on Comixology in Sparks: The Way I Was from Yellow Bear Comics! In a few days Glenn is free from the worst run of Spider-Man ever, he cries tears of joy daily.
Ray Goldfield is a fan of comic books for going on 25 years, starting with the death of Superman. He is a writer and editor and has released his first novel. Ray also does a weekly roundup of DC comic reviews for website Geekdad and they’re brilliantly entertaining. Is hoping that all those that sent refusals/legal warnings and such have all left and now will finally get Batspoiler this year.
We also have a new Patreon where you can get a new weekly webcomic linked to our podcast for only $1 a month! Sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/rabbittstewcomics?l=it
No more cover images until WordPress stops being useless in its new format outside the top book. Sorry for the wall of text! We promise laughs in place of images!
Glenn: It’s a slow month in terms of Sales for September but in actuality that means we can get a better idea of where everything ‘really’ stands more or less. Let’s get rolling!
Top seller is the fourth part of the War Of The Bounty Hunters series which sells over 149k. This event continues to be doing gangbuster numbers and may be the best selling Marvel event since Secret Wars finished which is astounding when you think about it. We’ll see if Marvel can resist the temptation to go to the well all too often on this but I think the Star Wars property isn’t quite under their purview as much as other things. Still for now this whole thing has been a great success.
Ray: This is a pretty solid jump from past issues, maybe as retailers got the word that this is just act one. Star Wars events could get old fast, but I’m guessing that Charles Soule’s trilogy will keep the brand strong. The upcoming sequels could actually blow modern Marvel events out of the water sales-wise.
Glenn: Next on the list is the penultimate issue of the current Amazing Spider-Man run in issue 73 which sells over 138.8k and the final issue also charts in the top ten this month with sales over 122.2k at 4. So the good news first, it’s finally over and these sales are good. Finally after a lot of jiggery pokery, Marvel has finally gotten the book back to where it was at the height of sales under Dan Slott (minus his big stories and stuff like 700, etc). Marvel have been pushing this conclusion HARD and that’s likely why we have a good number. Now the finale selling a little less is interesting and is likely cause not as many people wanted to pay the inflated price for this run. The last three years has been an odd one sales wise for Amazing with retailers seeming mostly confused. Still, we finally have some decent numbers as the thing is finishing out. Next month is the start of the Beyond status quo and the return of Ben Reilly to the title role. We’ll see how things shake out. I’m just glad I don’t ever have to think about this run again.
Ray: I think the final issues of Slott’s run sold more than double these numbers, right? Really speaks volumes, as does the fact that the jumbo-sized final issue actually sold less than the issue before it. It’s an increase, sure, but not exactly a vote of confidence in the run. We’re all just so happy it’s over!
Glenn: End of Slott’s run sold a lot more, yeah. It’s hard to compare since that was three years ago but yeah it says it all. At 3 on the list is the first issue of Inferno, the next (and final?) part of Hickman’s X-Men saga which sells over 135.6k. Not as earth shattering as the two mini’s that started the run or the launch of his X-Men run so retailers seem to be just treating this as an inflated issue of his X-Men stuff. Still once again, this whole era has done gangbusters for the X-Men brand. We’ll see how things shake out after he leaves for now (forever?)
Ray: Hickman was the real selling point of this run, and I suspect him leaving it will hurt it quite a bit and we’ll see the line as a whole decline. This is a good 60K above any other X-book this month, which really drives that home. Solid numbers, in line with an event, but it’ll be over before Marvel knows it. Maybe they should have just let him stick to the plan?
Glenn: Next on the charts is Batman which is now in full Fear State mode and its causes a slight uptick in sales again with issue 112 selling 116k at 5 and 113 selling 114k at 6. Nothing completely crazy but Batman is a dependable book that only gets a little bit of juice from these event stories anyway. The book is by far still the healthiest in DC’s catalogue by a fair margin.
Ray: It’ll be interesting to see if Williamson’s run can keep this momentum going or if retailers will assume (correctly or incorrectly) that this is just a short-term fill-in run. Either way, fantastic numbers and DC is likely still crying over Tynion’s upcoming departure.
Glenn: At 7 we have the launch of Dark Ages which is where Marvel went to writer Tom Taylor and went ‘make us an Injustice, why not?’ It sells over 111.4k which is excellent for an out of continuity mini. Taylor’s been building himself a solid name and people seem to enjoy his little pocket universe stuff and this concept is right in his wheel house. I would expect his next elseworld mini with medieval takes on DC character will do very well indeed too in the next few months,.
Ray: This book was delayed well over a year, which makes this even more impressive. It was solicited pre-pandemic and then just disappeared from the schedule. I wonder if the time off actually helped instead of hurt – Tom Taylor’s star has risen a lot since then, as have the number of jokes confusing him with Tom King!
Glenn: At 8 is this month’s symbiote title, Extreme Carnage: Toxin which sells over 110.8. The property is still hot and people are here for it until daddy Venom is back. Nothing more to say really.
Ray: This is a bizarre one, because this is a massive increase – almost 100% from past one-shots in this event. It actually sells 40K more than the conclusion of the event down at #31 and 50K more than the Agony one-shot at #46. Toxin is slightly more well-known than Agony, but not to a significant degree. Variant covers? Speculation over Toxin appearing in Venom 3? Who knows!
Glenn: We have the finale for IDW’s prestige mini ‘TMNT: The Last Ronin’ at 9 which has a dark take on the future of the turtles by some of its original creators. It launched well and ends very well selling over 97k. That’s a brilliant number by any measure but very good for IDW who may consider doing similar alternative takes like this in the future but I’m thinking this is a lightning in a bottle situation. Now it goes off to collection heaven.
Ray: One more issue to go on this one, actually – not that we know when it’ll come out. But this is a fantastic showing and probably the best moment for the Turtles since they crossed over with the Bats.
Glenn: Finally at 10 we have Ultimate Comics Fallout 4 which…wait…its 2011 again! I can go outside! No it’s still 2021 sadly but this is the fascimilie edition to celebrate 10 years of Miles Morales which sells over 92.5k which is insanely good for a reprint (at full price!!!!). Since his debut Miles has been brought to the main Marvel universe and been in countless comics, books, games, cartoons and the star of an Oscar winning film. He seems to have crafted his own legacy as one of Marvel’s most popular characters to the point that (again) a reprint of his original appearance for retailers to order in impressive numbers. This is all literally free money for Marvel which is insane.
Ray: The announcement of Spider-Verse 2 details and the release of Miles’ first graphic novel no doubt helped here. Marvel has always been fantastic at getting people to buy their old comics again, but this is especially impressive.
BRZRKR seems to have firmly entrenched itself as the #1 creator-owned book on the market, selling 90K for its fifth issue at #11. Stunning. The power of Keanu!
Glenn: All it takes to have a successful indie comic is to have the endorsement/involvement of a Hollywood A-lister, indie creators take note!
Ray: Daredevil is also shooting up the charts, likely due to retailers ordering heavily to prepare for Devil’s Reign. The latest issue sells 83K at #12, almost double what the book was selling six months ago. It’s great to see quality being rewarded.
Glenn: It’s likely due to both Devil’s Reign and the quality driving sales. I call it the Snyder on Detective effect.
Ray: A fantastic debut for the new Lemire/Sorrentino joint, Primordial at #13, selling 81K. This sci-fi thriller might be less nightmarish than Gideon Falls, but they’ve got us covered next year on that front! More evidence that Lemire has become a dominant brand in himself, and more on that later.
Glenn: Retailers likely have a lot of faith in this team too. They’ll see how Gideon Falls sells in collections and hope that fans there will want to check out the team’s next creative venture.
Ray: After the latest issue of Joker, we’ve got the launch of the latest mini-Marvel event in Death of Doctor Strange. It sells 75K, a solid number for a character who hasn’t sustained an ongoing in a while. Death sells! But we’ll see how the tie-ins do in coming months.
The second issue of King Spawn sells 75K at #16, down over 80% from its first issue sales. But what’s interesting is that it sells only 58 copies more than the month’s issue of Spawn. Maybe retailers are just going to order these identically from now on? Makes as much sense as anything else – Spawn fans will want all Spawn books.
Glenn: I still say that’s a pretty solid number all things considered. Spawn seems to have a very loyal fanbase which isn’t insignificant in today’s market.
Ray: It looks like Marvel sales went up quite a bit this month overall, with titles like Miles Morales: Spider-Man and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra all selling in the 70K range up around 30K each.
Glenn: Aphra could be because of War and I think Miles got some variants cause of the anniversary so that likely explains it.
Ray: The latest installment of Demon Days – Cursed Web – lands at #20 selling 72K. This one didn’t have a character in the title, but I think these books are mostly selling on the strength of Peach Momoko’s brand and so they’ll all sell in roughly the same area. Something weird is definitely going on with this month’s Marvel sales, because how else would Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land #1 sell 72K at #21? This is a character with no real momentum behind him, who hasn’t had a solo title in years, and isn’t really tying into any other book. Maybe doubled sales to promote it?
Glenn: Must have because these sales otherwise make no sense. Even then, half of these sales seems high for a character who’s never had any sales pull.
Ray: Nice jump for Conan the Barbarian #25 at #24, selling 68K. This is more than double the usual sales, but I’m guessing that’s because this was an oversized issue with several bonus stories from top creators.
Glenn: Its a numeral of 25 too (duh) which also usually sees a bump too.
Ray: It’s mostly ongoing titles here in the 60K range, with I Am Batman #1 selling 62K at #32 – pretty even from the #0 issue last month. This isn’t going to sell anywhere near the level of the main Batman title, but if it can maintain the sales of side Bat-books like Nightwing, it’ll be fine long-term. Remember, even Batwing lasted over two years in the New 52. Bats sell. Speaking of Bats, Batman ’89 settles down at #33 with sales of 61K. This is a modest decrease from the first issue, and proves that this title likely has long-term legs. If they can get the creative team for a second run, DC will definitely want to keep this one going.
Glenn: All solid numbers which probably means…more bat books to come.
Ray: Pretty steep drop for The Trial of Magneto at #34, selling 58K. Maybe there are too many Marvel events going on at the same time? Or maybe everyone, like me, knows he’s innocent and the whole thing is a damned frame-up!
Glenn: I think running this alongside Inferno was a mistake as both are kinda ‘event’ mini’s from the same line. One will inevitably suffer and this one doesn’t have Hickman.
Ray: Chris Priest did an amazing job of elevating Deathstroke to a headliner a few years back, and it seems to have stuck. His new solo series Deathstroke Inc debuts at #35 with sales of 58K. Strong showing for a villain-led title and it’s another win in Williamson’s DC roster.
Glenn: Williamson has a decent pull himself and him and Porter are now a legendary Flash team so that was sure to get some interest.
Ray: 57K in sales for both Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth this month at #37/38. This is five Tynion books in the top forty for those keeping track!
Glenn: Next month its going to be Tynion’s month in regards to sales. After over a decade or so of work at DC he’s exploded and is doing the work of his career to boot and people are noticing.
Ray: The final issue of Sinister War limps to the finish line at #42 with sales of 55K, barely a third of the sales of the main title. Woof.
Glenn: No one cared, no one was made to care. Let’s see how Superior Four, the Devil’s Reign tie-in does in a few months so we can gage it against this but I’m gonna bet a LOT better.
Ray: At #44 we’ve got the launch of Harley Quinn: The Eat Bang Kill Tour selling 55K. This is a spin-off from the animated series, written by indie creator Tee Franklin, and I think the sales were probably a bit depressed by the fact that it was released digitally on the DC Universe platform first.
Glenn: I think its still a very good number considering it’s a tie-in to an adult cartoon with a more finite audience than normal, especially with digital first. I would say that surely this indicates that a more general book starring Harley and Ivy as a proper couple would do better…right?
Ray: 52K in sales for Mazebook by Jeff Lemire seems fantastic. It’s way above Dark Horse’s usual level, and better than we usually see for Lemire’s offbeat work that he draws himself. Add in the fact that this is a challenging story about grief and mental illness, and it’s yet more evidence that Lemire is up there with Tynion as the guy in comics whose name just means money.
Glenn: Yeah Lemire is a known quantity in of himself. Obviously this will sell like gangbusters and probably win a lot of awards when its finished but this is a great start for Dark Horse.
Ray: Star Wars is hot right now. How hot? Well, we just got 50K in sales for a one-shot starring Boushh at #50. Yes, Boushh! Remember Boushh! That fan-favorite! Either way, this is what it looks like when an event is big enough to lift all boats.
Glenn: Somehow Boushh returned…to decent sales! Astounding really. I could see Marvel trying to get Soule to stay on the property long term as his direction has definitely lifted the line as a whole.
Ray: This issue of Batman Secret Files, focusing on Miracle Molly, is the first written by Tynion. It does a lot better than previous ones, selling 47K at #55, but I think this anthology format still keeps sales down compared to Tynion’s other books.
Glenn: Most likely, these are seen as just throwaway add on’s it seems. Most of these new characters are very cool/interesting however so there is more than a little interest to be sure.
Ray: We rarely see Titan books up this high – if ever – but they actually manage to get a big creator-owned hit this month with the female-centric noir series Gun Honey. It lands at #58 with sales of 45K, which is more in line with a mid-level Image debut. Definitely impressive, and it shows that the company has been slowly building their brand for years.
Glenn: Excellent news for Titan who rarely dip their toe into creator owned. It seems like they got a property which resonated and all it takes is one.
Ray: Rorschach #12 wraps up that run with 45K in sales at #59, as this book goes off to hardcover-land where it’ll live forever and hang out with Vision, Mister Miracle, and the rest.
Glenn: This was a very deep and involved political thriller so I’m not surprised. King’s work seems to have its own set audience and a lot of people prefer his work in one reading. This was a fantastic read though that I hope everyone reads eventually.
Ray: The Gillen/Ribic Eternals series is taking a few months off to let Ribic get ahead, so we’re getting a few one-shots. The first, Thanos Rises, sells 42K at #62, no doubt boosted above the regular series by the name on the cover. The problem is, he barely appears in the issue – but people only find that out after they buy it!
The short run of Way of X comes to a close with the one-shot X-Men: Onslaught Revelation, which sells 38K at #69. Around the level of the main series, I think, and I think there’s probably a base level that any X-men book will get ordered at. The franchise has some die-hard fans.
Still great numbers for the second issue of Cullen Bunn’s The Last Book You’ll Ever Read at #75. 34K for a second issue from Vault? Fantastic, and more proof the company is growing faster than any other besides Boom right now.
Glenn: Great news for Bunn too who seems to have largely been disregarded by the big two for reasons unknown. It seems to be their loss as he ventures into properties he gets to own himself.
Ray: Superman: Son of Kal-El has a pretty sharp third-issue drop to #77 with sales of 34K. Odd, given how much hype the book got pre-release – but I think those sales are about to shoot back up in a big way.
Glenn: I would wager so.
Ray: At #79 we have the launch of Suicide Squad: King Shark with sales of 33K. This is a digital-first book, being released biweekly on Comixology, but it also has Tim Seeley on board and the fan favorite character from James Gunn’s movie. Not bad for a Suicide Squad spin-off – but King Shark is no Jeff, the rightful king of all sharks.
Another solid debut for a Boom title with Maw launching at #82. This is a hardcore horror title without any established creators, and it still manages to sell just under 33K. This is a pretty good example of just how solid Boom’s brand is right now.
Glenn: As we keep saying, Boom’s name alone is starting to have a standard bottom amount of sales attached which is great news for them as they can seem like an appealing choice for any creator looking to publish their work and get it noticed.
Ray: Dynamite has a pretty good hit as well in Army of Darkness 1979, a time-traveling horror-comedy. Its sales of 32K are well above where this franchise usually lands, but this one has Rodney Barnes of Killadelphia fame – he’s also taking over James Bond the following month, so we’ll see how that does.
Glenn: Way more than the franchise usually does. Random happenstance or Barnes? Like you say, we’ll find out next month.
Ray: The out-of-continuity Titans series Titans United lands at #89, selling 31K. This is meant to be an evergreen series featuring the characters from the live-action drama on HBO Max, but given how rough the franchise has been in recent years and the fact that this was originally solicited as a graphic novel, I don’t think it attracted much attention.
Glenn: Could have done worse given all the things you mentioned. The TV show I didn’t rate much but seems to have a loyal audience that likely helped here.
Ray: The Green Lantern annual actually sells 2K more than the main book this month at #90, coming in at 31K. This is probably because this was the Jessica Cruz focused issue that explained how she became a Sinestro Corps member. The character has a genuinely huge fanbase from mass media stuff.
It’s down here near the last of the top 100, but it’s really impressive how Ed Piskor’s Red Room manages to stay this high. The fourth issue of the disturbing dark web thriller sells just over 30k at #94, probably the only time the company has landed in the top 100 in recent memory.
Glenn: Again…it only takes one book.
Ray: An Aquaman solo title is always a hard sell in and of itself, so a spin-off? Even more so. But that hasn’t stopped DC from creating quite a few. The first issue of Black Manta lands down at #102 with sales of 29K, which is honestly the best you could expect despite the presence of Bitter Root co-creator Chuck Brown. But this will apparently tie heavily into the upcoming Aquamen series, so look for reorders.
Glenn: Manta is a relatively iconic villain who’s had appearances in a billion dollar movie, several cartoons and had a main role in Snyder’s Justice League as part of the Legion Of Doom so I thought this might have done better. Then again, villain books always struggle unless you’re a certain jolly fellow from Gotham. This seems like it will have more significance than retailers assumed so yeah, reorders and a decent selling collection seem likely here.
A lot of DC mid tier books around here like Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad and Action all selling around 29-28k. That seems to be the level for the line as a whole without any juice added to spice the titles up sales wise. DC seem happy enough but the days of the New 52 success wave are long gone for better or worse.
It’s a DC evergreen and a Vertigo classic but Fables never really sold that much in singles back in the day. The franchise returns with Batman Vs. Bigby and after all this time on ice, I would say most fans are collection waiting. Still having the mere wiff of Batman is enough for it to launch at 110 with sales of 27k which isn’t bad for a crossover mini of this nature.
Ray: I would kind of expect anything Bat-related to sell better. It’s been a long time since new Fables, so we’ll see if it holds well – and if any of the other Fables spin-offs happen given Willingham’s recent statements.
Glenn: I had forgot about that Ray and now I’m sad. Why do you do this to me?
Vampiverse which sees multiple versions of Vampira (no really) meet each other launches from Dynamite at 115 selling over 26.4k. That’s very good for a series which is frankly…a little bit of fun and nonsense. I would credit the trend Spider-Verse seems to have started here more than anything.
Ray: Hey, it worked for Sonjaversal. They’re doing their thing
Glenn: Second issue of Superman 78 sells 26k at 118, a good bit less than its Batman counterpart but not a million miles away from the main Action book. It’s a pretty small drop which I expected, all Super books seem to have the same level, a point echoed that Tom King’s Supergirl mini sells the same units and is listed one spot higher at 117.
Ray: Yeah, this is a really good hold. I suspect that both this and Tom King’s Supergirl are being treated as prestige titles that will sell really well in collections.
Glenn: The second issue of Darkhawk also see’s a pretty small drop to 120 selling over 25.6 which I think is very, very good given the character hasn’t had much of a profile in forever. I think here we have the brand of Kyle Higgins and his success with similar stuff like Radiant Black and Power Rangers to thank. If they can keep him around, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marvel gets him to do another mini starring the character similar to how the success of the initial Symbiote Spider-Man mini has launched several more.
Ray: That Kyle Higgins and his ordinary people getting magical artifacts from space!
Glenn: Ablaze continues to do well while kindly working away in the corner with no one noticing. Their latest English translation is He Who Fights Monsters, a WW2 offering with the selling point of being drawn by Something Is Killing The Children’s Werther Dell’edera is good enough for sales over 25.1k at 122. We talk a lot about the rise and success of Boom and Vault but Ablaze’s strategy seems to be working for them, this is a great number for a translation comic.
Ray: Yeah, they’ve been a real surprise and they got lucky – or smart – enough to pick up the rights to an old comic of a future legend.
Glenn: Speaking of Vault, their continued streak of horror hits continues with 123’s Deadbox from Mark Russell which sells 24.3k. Much like Boom, the company is starting to earn faith on company brand alone and horror is right now the second best property to have a good name for. A lot going for Vault.
Ray: Russell has also been building a real brand for himself as a satirist and his books generally sell in the same level, but this is one of his first forays into horror. It’s not on the level of last month’s Bunn debut, but it’s another big win for Vault.
Glenn: Even Kelly Sue Deconnick couldn’t really set sales of Aquaman afire so a debut of 24k at 124 is no surprise for new offering from the character: Aquaman Becoming. This does star Jackson Hyde as opposed to Arthur Curry but it doesn’t seem to have made a significant difference sales wise. Its fine for what it is, no surprises.
Ray: This is a decent debut for a Jackson Hyde solo series but below what I’d expect for a regular Aquaman title, which means DC was likely hoping for the latter but retailers knew what this was.
Glenn: I kind of forgot Last Annihilation was a thing but the Wakanda tie-in one shot sells 23.8k at 126 which is pretty in line for the dedicated Marvel cosmic fanbase. As usual the slightly higher price point for one shots (4.99) hasn’t made much of a difference so Marvel will keep doing them.
Ray: It really wasn’t a thing? Just a Guardians of the Galaxy arc with a few small tie-ins. I think this basically did the numbers of a Black Panther regular issue, since there isn’t one at the moment.
Glenn: 23k for the Suicide Squad annual at 129, only 5k less than the main issue this month which is probably about right for annuals in this market for a mid tier selling property.
Very good sales for the second issue of Boom’s Eat The Rich at 134 selling over 22k. This would be considered a hit at Image so ditto here.
Considering how prestigious a property Sandman is and that Joe Hill is a bestselling author, I would have thought both parts of the Locke & Key/Sandman crossover would have done better. The second part sells 22k at 135. This will obviously do much better in various versions of collections for many decades to come anyway but still…perhaps if Gaiman’s name had been on the cover too it would have helped?
Ray: This had a really long wait between issues and even switched from IDW to DC, so I imagine retailers were more than a little confused. Plus it’s the end of an ongoing story in Locke and Key. I imagine it’ll be included in future collections of that series.
Glenn: An odd looking superhero title, Frontiersman launches from Image with sales over 21.9k at 136. This is better than average for a non-big two superhero launch outside the big two and since I don’t recognize either name, something about the concept must have caught retailers eyes.
Ray: Original superheroes as a whole are a rough area for Image, unless it’s Spawn-related or Radiant Black-related. This was probably about as good as could be expected.
Glenn: Next launch is from Dark Horse comics in the form of Last Flight Out from Marc Guggenheim sells over 21.7k at 139. This is again is higher than usual from the company. It could be the concept interested retailers and in an otherwise relatively quiet month, they decided to take a chance.
Ray: Guggenheim also has a decent brand as a long-time TV writer. I think a lot of people expect this to be picked up for an adaptation soon and may have wanted to get in on the ground floor.
Glenn: Right below that at 140 is another Red Sonja title which I believe in this instance is written by Mirka Andolfo. It sells over 20.5k which is slightly below the fourth issue of the Palmiotti/Connor Invincible Red Sonja. Maybe a bit higher than usual for a Sonja book but that’s probably on Andolfo’s name and her maybe contributing a variant or 12. The property has its set level and has lived there for years.
Ray: Dynamite really didn’t hype this one at all, which makes me think Andolfo was only loosely involved.
Glenn: There’s a zero issue for Star Trek: Mirror War, a mini event for that franchise from IDW. It sells over 20.3k at 141. On the high end of IDW’s usual Star Trek numbers but nothing earth (or space) shattering.
A lot of second issues around this level but nothing too noteworthy until we get our next launch at 154 in the form of The Search For Hu at 154 selling over 18.7k. This is a new Steve Orlando comic so that’s probably why its on the high end for Aftershock, it’s a good debut for them and will probably have a decent life as long as he wants to do it.
Ray: Orlando’s quietly been building a brand with Aftershock for a while, co-writing a couple of graphic novels as well. It seems to be paying off.
Glenn: Last Annihilation pops up with a Wiccan and Hulking one shot at 158 selling over 18.1k. This is lower given that I would consider these characters somewhat popular. I just think the cosmic side of Marvel is a little more niche so maybe that Wakanda one shot did better than I thought.
Ray: Disappointing, but these two haven’t had a solo title for a long time and Empyre bombed hard, so retailers seem to have ordered cautiously. Meanwhile, over at DC – “Hey, CNN, Superman’s gay.”
Glenn: Kind of all steady/business as usual continuations and/or unsurprising second issue drops. The next Vaders Castle mini sells over 16.7k at 168. That’s pretty much what I would expect from a Star Wars mini from IDW this weather. I’d say this will do well in collections, the first one must have sold well enough to get this the green light after all.
Ray: This is apparently the last in the Vader’s Castle series. I know the IDW Marvel Action line is over, but we’ll see how the Star Wars line continues.
Glenn: Next we have Boom’s latest Firefly offering in ‘River Run’ selling over 14.4k at 178. This franchise much like Red Sonja has a small but set/loyal audience. It’ll never get any bigger but it’ll also never get any smaller most likely so its nice for Boom to have a steady performer in the background like this.
The Stranger Things comics don’t sell as well in singles as they did when Dark Horse got the property but the show has been off the air for a while and its not ‘fresh’ and ‘new’ anymore. The latest adventure ‘Tomb Of Ybwen’ sells over 13.7k at 184 which could be worse and I would say the collections on these do very well.
Decent launch from Behemoth’s Nine stones at 185 selling over 13.5k. Strong launch from a relatively small publisher, especially with creatives I don’t recognize.
Ray: Behemoth is one of many publishers that’s scraping for a small slice of the market, and they seem to be pulling ahead of many of the competitors.
Glenn: More reorders for Jabba’s Bounty Hunter one shot as it sells over 13.3k additional copies at 188. People love their creepy lizard.
Telepath’s from AWA I might have thought would have done much better given it has a dynamite team of JMS and Steve Epting but it only manages over 13.1k at 191.
I think the publisher’s roll out and the chances people seem to take on some of them being part of a shared universe being 50/50 has confused a lot of retailers and readers. We’ll see how long they can continue with an oddball strategy.
Ray: Yeah, this one actually looked like part of the Resistance-verse but wasn’t. The upcoming dark vigilante comedy Knighted is! Retailers and audiences have no idea what’s going on.
Glenn: Reorders for Image’s latest horror hit, Me You Love In The Dark which moves over 13k more copies at 192. This is excellent news for the comic that seems to star comic artist Jenn St-Onge.
Die’s final issue gets no bump and the series ends with sales over 12.4k at 197. This was a dense comic and did some really interesting things with the comic genre in general so wasn’t easy to dive into and most may just have collection waited. It’s a stunning series however and I hope it becomes an evergreen in collection heaven.
Ray: Yeah, no one was picking this up at random and the series didn’t go on long enough that its finale would be an event. But it’s a masterpiece and destined to be an evergreen hit.
Glenn: Vault has another horror offering from Peter Milligan this time in Human Remains at 198 selling over 12.4k. I’m surprised that this didn’t do better given Vault’s hot streak right now and that Milligan is a verly well known name.
Ray: Milligan’s always been sort of an odd case in that he’s never had a hit that kicked him into the A-list. Shade the Changing Man and X-Statix were probably the closest, but he’s always been a bit of an oddball who never broke out.
This is also Aftershock’s second biopic book, after Shadow Doctor, so it’s new territory for them and more of an experiment that would lead to cautious orders.
Glenn: Not much interest in Ka-Zar Marvel tales at 199 selling over 12.4k but again…this is hardly a fan favorite and at 7.99 for pre-existing material I’m sure no one is too disappointed.
Some TMNT: The Last Ronin first issue reorders for IDW at 201 with another 11.9 plus copies sold. People love their favorite heroes living in horrible future’s where their miserable.
Ray: TMNT: The Last Ronin is really the biggest hit IDW and the Turtles have had in ages. The second issue charts again at #221 with sales of just over 10K.
Glenn: 209 sees Almost American from Aftershock which sells over 11.3k. This is from 90’s creator Ron Marz doing an ‘The Americans’ type thriller. This is much more what I would expect from Aftershock sales wise.
Ray: The big two are still dealing with pandemic-related delays. The RWBY/Justice League crossover was released digitally in early 2020, but the print edition was halted at #5 for over a year. The sixth issue comes out this month at #222 with sales of 10K and likely some very confused retailers. Not terrible for a crossover with a fairly obscure web animation series.
The month’s Hellboy/BPRD one-shot, 1957 Family Ties, lands at #229 with sales of 9.4K. This is where the Mignolaverse lives now.
Just three spots after that with sales of 9.2K we’ve got the latest Godzilla Rivals issue – Vs. Mothra. Mothra is one of the most popular rival monsters, but this is still a 7.99 one-shot that doesn’t tie into anything else.
Glenn: This does seem to be the level for Godzilla books and if they’re getting 7.99 for bigger (some might say…monster) editions they might just purely go that route.
Ray: A pretty big drop to #245 where we find the Transformers Halloween Special selling 8.4K. Do they tell each other scary stories about damage to paint jobs or leaky oil?
Glenn: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Ray: A very odd case at #247 as we get 8.2K in sales for The Darkhold: Alpha – which is supposed to come out in October. Probably due to printing issues, but this should be added to next month’s numbers for the event launch.
Glenn: Seems like some people got it early. Likely a mistake with all the shipping/paper confusion going on at the moment but I didn’t know about it until now so it seems to have remained safe from spoilers and the such.
Ray: Source Point enters the chat at #255 with the new horror series The Unborn, which sells 7.9K. This is well above their usual level, so they may have a hit on their hands.
Terry Blas’ Reptil miniseries ends its run at 3257 with sales of 7.8K, one of the lowest sales for a Marvel book in some time. But Blas’ career is taking off in the OGN market at the same time, so this seems like another Runaways situation where Marvel doesn’t know how to sell something.
Glenn: It was such a random series to announce though. This is a character that hasn’t been seen much in like a decade. I wonder if Marvel published it just to maybe get the favour of someone whose star was on the rise? Reptil and his fellow Avenger’s Academy fellows are unlikely to be seen again apart from supporting roles and the odd nostalgia rollout ala the Slingers from here on.
Ray: Image gets another 7.5K in sales for Echolands #1 via the Raw Cut edition at #260, so that book from Williams III and Blackmun seems to be a hit.
Glenn: Absolutely and like we said it’ll likely do even better when it gets a nice big collection to really show off the art.
Ray: Aftershock’s prison ghost story 10 Years to Death lands at #265, selling 7.1K. This oversized one-shot sold well below Aftershock’s usual level, and they have other one-shots coming, so I don’t know if this strategy will pay off for them.
Glenn: Likely trying something different to try to stand out a little but yeah, doesn’;t seem like a sound investment.
Ray: Moon Knight #2 gets almost 7K in reorders this month at #266, so the interest in this book does seem to be genuine.
Also 6.7K in reorders for Eat the Rich #1, so Boom has to be really happy with this.
Mad Cave’s horror sci-fi book Bountiful Garden, featuring art by friend of the columnists Kelly Williams, lands at #273 with sales of 6.5K. This is well above Mad Cave’s usual level and it’s brilliant, so keep an eye out for this one.
Glenn: Really glad for Kelly who you’ve had the pleasure of working with even! He’s insanely talented and I hope he gets some big projects in the future.
Ray: Black Mask somehow manages to get 6K in reorders for White, the new spinoff of Black, down at #281. Surprising, but this is the closest thing the company has to a flagship franchise.
Glenn: I think much like Black this was a Kickstarter first so all these sales are on top of the people who funded that to get the book so that’s interesting to remember too.
Ray: Two more Behemoth launches, the genre-hopping Turbo Kid: Apple’s Lost Adventure and the dystopian African thriller Nobody’s Child, sell pretty close together at #288 and #290 in the upper 5K range. These aren’t breakouts, but they show Behemoth continuing to rise quickly.
Glenn: We’ll put them on the growth chart and see if they can maybe be the next Vault/Boom situation.
Ray: 5.4K in reorders for the first issue of Ed Piskor’s Red Room, in a month that seems to be rewarding established hits with bonus sales.
Glenn: It’s a relatively quiet month so retailers had extras money to order books that they heard their customers talk up most likely.
Ray: Chu #8, obviously a cult hit, sells just under 5K and is our lucky #300 book. This isn’t getting most of its sales in singles, I’m sure.
Glenn: The previous series is one of Image’s big sellers in collections so the majority of the fandom are likely picking it up there.
Ray: Heading out of the top 300 and into dark and dangerous territory…
Glenn: Scarier than the Bone Orchard down here.
Ray: There’s another random Trailer Park Boys one-shot at #302, subtitled “Bagged and Boarded” and selling 4.9K. I’m glad these guys are keeping busy.
Glenn: The very definition of a niche audience.
Ray: Scout’s noir supernatural gang thriller Night of the Cadillacs lands at #314. selling 4.2K. This company continues to struggle to make it into the top 300.
Jeremy Haun’s The Beauty was abruptly cancelled before its final issues and now has wrapped up with a one-shot over a year later. It wasn’t a high seller before the issues, but this final issue lands at #315 with sales of 4.2K, which makes me wonder if a lot of retailers were scared off.
Glenn: There seemed to be a lot of controversy with some debate if this would be finished. That combined with the delay likely put a lot of people off.
Ray: Cold Dead War, a new zombie thriller from Heavy Metal, sells 4.1K at #317. This company has made a big push with some top creators, but it doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent here in the US. I know they’re a big brand abroad.
Same for Taarna: Elements from the company down at #322 selling 4K.
3.5K in reorders for The Last Book You’ll Ever read at #33, so even better than expected.
Glenn: Great news for the Bunn clone army
Ray: More Scout down here with Dancing with the Dragon at 335 and Shepherd: Path of Souls at #340, both in the 3K range.
And this is where we get Zenoscope books like Wonderland Annual: Reign of Madness and Robyn Hood: Swarm in the lower 3K range. Glenn, strike up the band!
Glenn: I hope both Madness and Swarm are sexy ladies.
Ray: Dark Horse has a really low-selling one-shot, Children of the Plague, at #349, selling just 3.1K. It seems like no matter the company, one-shots struggle.
Glenn: Done in one’s just aren’t the trend anymore and are probably seen as something people can pick up later on the cheap if its something they might be interested in.
Ray: Karl Kesel has a new series out from Scout, Impossible Jones. He’s a big name, but it didn’t help this superhero comedy pastiche do more than just under 3K
Glenn: Kesel has worked on some of the biggest properties in comics for a very long time but he’s not a name many might immediately recognize. Plus like we say often, indie superhero books, even one with a skew are always a hard sell.
Ray: Action Lab is going through some rough waters right now, but they still show up on the charts with the first issue of The Citizen at #353, selling 2.8K.
And a big jump down to #378 and #379 when we find two oddball Scout one-shots, The Corset and Mullet Cop. Both sell 1.9K due to their higher price tags, but both are worth searching out.
Ahoy is really struggling hard right now, and the latest volume of their Edgar Allan Poe anthology launches at #382 with only 1.8K. They’ve also seemingly stopped putting their new comics on Comixology, so who knows what’s going on there.
Glenn: Hopefully not another Action Lab situation.
Ray: The sure to be tasteful Batvark: Coronavirus from Aardvark-Vanaheim lands at #395 selling 1.6K. I don’t think anything else needs to be said there.
It’s mostly reorders all the way down until we get to #454, where we wrap things up with 597 copies of Barbaric #1. That book only released a few issues before ending its first arc and going on hiatus, but it does seem to have some real staying power.
Things pick up in a big way in October, as we have launches from DC including two huge anthologies including Wonder Woman’s 80th anniversary. We’ve also got a new Long Halloween one-shot, the return of the Batman who Laughs in a Fortnite one-shot, and the return of Hill House with a sequel to Basketful of Heads. And a whole lot more!
Marvel launches their newest event in The Darkhold, as well as a new era of Spider-man (we’re in the future. It’s beautiful here). We’ve also seen the finale of Immortal Hulk, but a lot of these books were held back by printer delays.
Over at Image, we see the launch of the next Rick Remender book, A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance. However, most of their launches were delayed at the last minute. So DC may be primed to dominate this month.
Glenn: We also have the House Of Slaughter from Boom which seems to be a monster in more ways than one. That looks like it could easily be number 1 with a bullet next month as Tynion continues to ride an unreal hot streak. I doubt anything else next month will come close.
Ray: What will rise? What will fall? Find out next month on…by the numbers!
Liked what you read? Let us know here along with any questions or go seek us out on Twitter @glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield
