Author Archives: glennmatchett

By The Numbers: July 2019

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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 6 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! He is dreading returning to work after paternity leave and wonders how many escape plans he can come up with

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.  Upon viewing the trailer for the live action adaption of Cats, Ray wishes he hadn’t wondered if there will be a more terrifying looking film than IT this year.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn: Welcome ladies and gentleman, boys and girls to the circus that has become the top 500 sales hosted by your favorite co-ringmasters Glenn and Ray! Well June sales seemed to take on a more interesting turn than expected…for a few reasons we’ll get to. For those keeping track of the overall action, Marvel once again dominated the market share but that isn’t hard to do when you put out more comics than your next two biggest competitors combined and work to make a farce of sales chart. Ignore the clowns, Disney sent them.

Image result for black cat 1

Why is it a farce? Well look no further than the number 1 selling book of the month, Black Cat which apparently sold over 255.7k which means a title starring a Spider-Man supporting character with a mid tier creative team outsold (among everything else) the start of mega hoopla event War Of The Realms. Now of course, surprises do happen, DCeased took us by surprise last month and Felicia has been prominently featured in Amazing lately. It had a ton of variants and J. Scott Campbell’s covers are a draw and him drawing Black Cat even more so. If sales were say 150k I could believe all that…at a stretch but it selling this much reeks of something very rotten in Denmark. Overshipping is not a new thing for Marvel with them reportedly doubling orders for Mark Waid’s Invisible Woman mini that’s coming up so who knows what this actually sold on demand. If there is shenanigans at play then what do we believe from the companies numbers. Given what some of their comics are selling its alarming to think those numbers might be inflated and its a real shame for books like Immortal Hulk that logically could be doing as well as it is out of quality alone but this number here puts a question mark over everything. Taking it as face value, even a 75% drop would see the book still among Marvel’s stronger performers so we’ll see if reality hits over the next few months or not.
Ray: I have a lot to say about this one, starting with the apparent actual explanation for the sales of Black Cat #1. There was a WalMart exclusive variant cover distributed en masse to the massive chain, in an attempt to get buzz for this otherwise forgettable comic. That likely explains close to 200K of these sales, and it also makes everything about this number suspect. Here’s the thing – as long as these numbers are retailer orders and not actual sales, they’re only going to give us part of the picture. But that becomes even sketchier when one company decides to start aggressively gaming the system. Disney has more money than God. Marvel Comics is a tiny little ant of a subdivision for them, and nothing they do is going to really take a bite out of the company’s bottom line. So they essentially just decided to print 200K extra of a comic and ship it out, then claim the top spot on the charts this month. That means absolutely nothing. It’s not a real number. It’s the equivalent of those ridiculous LootCrate orders we used to get when something like Bravest Warriors would sell 500K. It doesn’t reflect demand. No one ordered 255K of Black Cat comics, Marvel just decided to send them out and the printing costs don’t matter to Disney. The winner? Marvel’s fragile ego. The loser? A whole lot of trees.
Glenn: Oh no! Not Groot!
Next up at 2 is the second of DCCeased which shows last month wasn’t a fluke. It loses about 90k in sales but still over 152.4k is some Metal level success that’s hard to ignore. Again this is likely due partly to the awesome (and now somewhat controversial) variants the title is doing but I think the concept has hooked people and Tom Taylor is gaining some momentum as a creator after working tiredlessly for a few years on high quality work. He could be our new Dan Slott, a creator who did highly thought of work but never had a big sales success until one of the big two gave him a chance at a major property. Which will be first to bite (forgive the pun)? Marvel has definitely noticed the success here as we’re getting the return of Marvel Zombies soon and its hard to make fun of them for that given this book is a take on that concept in the first place but still…
Ray: DCeased seems more like a branded take on World War Z than anything else, given that it’s more about a true Zombie plague rather than the more tongue-in-cheek approach of Marvel Zombies. But with the end of Walking Dead, it seems zombie mania is as high as ever. This is the biggest hit of Taylor’s career by a long shot, and given how much good stuff he’s done for DC lately and how poorly Marvel promoted his recent runs, it seems likely he’ll be heading over to DC town soon.
Glenn: Huge sales at 3 for Silver Surfer: Black the new mini by Marvel MVP Donny Cates which sells over 129.4k which is huge for Silver Surfer and a mini at that. Now, again how straight up do we take these sales? Its hard to say since Cates is definitely Marvel’s hottest writer right now and I’d even argue this book may turn out to be under ordered given its stealth linked to Cates mega successful Venom run. This is on the surface a big win I’m willing to take at face value.
Ray: It’s definitely odd given that Cates’ Guardians of the Galaxy hasn’t been the hit his Venom has. As we know now, this is essentially a crossover between the two books, so I expect it to be a big hit for the entire mini and Tradd Moore’s loyal fanbase won’t hurt. I think it’ll still have a steep drop for the second issue, but it should finish its run above 50K – which given how the Silver Surfer run by Slott and Allred struggled, that’s amazing.
Glenn: The final issue of the news headline gathering Batman: Damned finally hits with sales over 115.4k at 4 which I would call a win. The series had some speed bumps in scheduling and erm…content but its been a strong performer. It’ll do well in collections for forever too and in 10 years when we get the Batwang edition DC can buy that farm they’ve had their eyes on for a while.
Ray: This performed almost exactly like Dark Knight III and Doomsday Clock. Black Label is a huge winner for DC so far and they certainly seem to be going all in on it with some exceptional creative teams.
Glenn: Batman Who Laughs Mini continues to perform with sales over 98.5k at 5, this series not only has an extra issue to it but the characters influence will be a big part of the upcoming new Batman/Superman title. Not much more to say than we have been saying for a few months in that the Batman Who Laughs=$$$ apart from DC just today announcing more prestige Dark Multiverse one shots featuring evil versions of their most major characters based on major stories of years past. Over Two Years later and Metal is still paying huge dividends for DC.
Ray: This isn’t a Black Label book, but it might as well be – much darker than the usual DC fare, top creative team, and selling like a monster. The Batman Who Laughs essentially seems to be becoming the new face of DC at this point, even if he’s not the actual big bad behind Year of the Villain.
Glenn: Can’t wait for the kid friendly spin off.
At 6 is a palate cleanser issue of Amazing Spider-Man with issue 24 with Hunted finally over (huzzah) giving it sales over 89.6k but again the oddness of the sales trends on the title continue as the epilogue to Hunted sells over 74k at 12. Yo-yo sales (especially between issues) could indicate sales shenanigans or people not really knowing what to do about the book and given this current run, either option is just as likely.
Ray: The real test for this book will be after the inflated sales for #25 next month, as the title settles into a rut of Superior Foes-based spinoff arcs. That’s where we’ll likely see attrition set in for real.
Image result for amazing spider man 24 2019
Glenn: At 7 is Immortal Hulk which continues its new streak of being a title that has become one of the strongest performers not only from Marvel but the market in general. The title sells over 88k this month and there seems to be indicating the run might be coming to a close based on recent solicitations, we’ll see if a risk filled relaunch will result.
Ray: Now this is a book where the inflated sales are clearly for real. The sales were good to start, but they’ve only gone up. Ewing says he has about fifty issues total planned, so this should eventually be Marvel’s #1 ongoing if they don’t screw it up like they did Spider-Gwen’s momentum.
Glenn: At 8 is the 1000% under ordered Walking Dead which is turns out the penultimate issue of the series. Solits made this sound like a big enough deal to get retailers to up their orders 85.7k which is huge but given the issues events and that it is indeed the second to last issue we’re going to see big reorders here. Next month, its hard to know what the final issue will sell because at time of ordering, retailers had no idea it was the last issue. Even though its the final issue next month expect very successful reorders for the last batch of issues until maybe towards the close of the year.
Ray: I think we might wind up seeing these last two issues of Walking Dead on the charts for a very long time, like we did with DC Rebirth and Doomsday Clock. It’ll also be interesting to see what becomes the #1 Image book with this and Saga both gone for now. (Spawn doesn’t count)
Glenn: My bet is on Die or Gideon Falls or the new book by Snyder/Soule
Glenn: At 9 and 10 is Batman which seems to have stabelized at around 80k, not the sales juggernaut it was but still pulling its weight for sure. Issue 75, the start of King’s final chapter on the main book will likely push it back up to the high 90’s at least and it could stay around 90k until he leaves with 85. When Batman/Catwoman launches I’m expecting it to sell around this number with the fate of the main title unclear while we await word of a creative team.
Ray: The increase from #73 to #74 is interesting, and probably shows some real momentum for City of Bane.
Glenn: Usually I bow out at this point but I have to talk a bit about Superman: Year One at 11 because while it delivered a respectable over 80.1k is sales one would have thought more from the creative team of Frank Miller and John Romita JR. Now, the line of Black Label was in an unclear place when this was due to be ordered. Titles were getting cancelled or delayed or not mentioned. The line seems to have gained renewed vigor with the announcement of Joe Hill’s line of books, some work from Lemire and a laughable amount of Batman related content. Still, I think given Miller’s last solo writing work for DC was All Star Batman, retailers may be even more wary about this book. It’ll likely settle quick and maybe pick up reorders but given the iffy reviews, I don’t think this will be the winner it could have been 20 years ago or more.
Ray: I think a big chunk of the sales drop is also that this just isn’t Batman. It’s another Superman origin only a few years after the last one, and Miller’s name is a draw but not as big of one without Batman. Either way, for an $8 comic that’s an oversized origin recap, this is still a great number and another win for Black Label. Not sure if the quality level of this and Batman: Damned really present the face they want for the line, though. 
Glenn: The vision is more Batman!
Ray: At #13 we have the launch of Event Leviathan, the Bendis/Maleev event comic, selling 74K. That’s a big increase from last month’s prelude issue, about 100%, but this also doesn’t feel like much of an event. It’s a rather talky mystery with no tie-ins and little reflection in other books. I think the strongest comparison is to DC’s last cerebral mini-event, Heroes in Crisis – but Bendis just isn’t as hot a writer at the moment as King is.
Glenn: Its fine as a side event but I don’t think that’s what was expected of it, they even put it in the name! I think Bendis is carrying over his event fatigue from Marvel and not many were interested in this one. It’ll do okay for the rest of the run but be quickly forgotten.
Image result for event leviathan #1
Ray: War of the Realms limps to the finish line with its last two issues at #14/15 selling 68K for the finale and 66K for the penultimate issue. That’s just above the second issue of Savage Avengers, to put it into perspective. What went wrong here will be a mystery for some time to come – this was set up to be the perfect crowd-pleasing Marvel event – but ultimately it’s probably down to retailers just being very suspicious of Marvel mega-events after the last two. Smaller sub-line events seem to be what the market wants now. On to Carnage.
Glenn: A bit of an embarrassment for sure and something that Jason Aaron doesn’t deserve. Will Marvel learn their lesson here? I’d wager not.
Ray: Spawn continues to climb up the charts as it builds to a #300 issue with top creators on board, as #298 lands in the 19th spot this month with sales of 58K. Is Spawn relevant again? God help us all.
Glenn: With the big number, 90’s nostalgia at an all time high and Snyder/Capullo its likely that Spawn 300 will bring the title back to one of the strongest sellers in that month. It could ride of that momentum for a year or maybe more before going back to the level its been at for years, it may be a dated property but people still have a lot of passion for it.
Ray: Justice League has a small increase for its 25th issue, landing at #20 and selling 57K – 5K above the next issue. I would have expected a bit more, but this title is very steady so the increases tend to be smaller. It’ll increase when the Justice-Doom War kicks off. This is also where we see regular suspects like Detective Comics, Uncanny X-Men, Venom, Superman, Fantastic Four, GOTG, Green Lantern, Thor, Action Comics, Star Wars, Catwoman, Flash, and Symbiote Spider-Man between 20 and 40 on the charts and selling between 55K and 40K.
Glenn: I still think Justice League is underperforming but we’ll see if Year Of The Villain helps any. Its clear Symbiote Spider-Man is a big hit and Marvel has already announced a one shot to tie in to Absolute Carnage.
Ray: A very strong landing for Incredible Hulk: Last Call at #21, selling 55K. The success here is probably two-fold – the return of the creative team of David and Keown brought in old-school fans, and retailers wanted to cash in on the success of Immortal Hulk and Hulk’s recent high-profile role in Endgame.
Glenn: Def a hot time for a Hulk book, hopefully Marvel doesn’t poison the well with an onslought of Hulk or Hulk related titles like they did the last time the character got a sales spike with Loeb/McGuiness.
Ray: At #25 is Spider-Man Annual #1, selling just under 50K. This is notable because this is an annual for a title that doesn’t exist, and it’s actually a Spider-Ham issue. Spider-Ham just sold 50K copies thanks to Jason Latour and his movie.
Glenn: Branding also helps here but it probably would have sold around 30k if it had just been called Spider-Ham so that still would have been a win. It was a lot of fun to boot.
Ray: A much stronger than usual arrival for Star Wars: Age of Republic – Darth Vader at #26, selling 48K. That’s over 10K above the sales of the Luke Skywalker issue this same month, down at #48.
Glenn: People love their breathing impaired sith lords.
Ray: The Guardians of the Galaxy annual sells 46K at #30, which is actually about 5K above the main series for a one-shot anthology catching up on the cosmic heroes who didn’t join the new roster. That’s highly unusual, especially since Donny Cates only wrote a framing segment for the issue.
The True Believers one-shots do really well this month, a Spider-man lineup to tie-in with Far From Home. The top-seller is an Amazing Spider-Man #1 reprint at #40, which tops 40K in sales. Lots more of these to come.
Chris Claremont, Larry Hama, and Sam Keith united to do a Wolverine one-shot titled Wolverine: Exit Wounds and it had a healthy debut at #42, selling 39K. I think there’s some hunger for a traditional Wolverine comic.
Glenn: A solid performance for what is most likely a ‘found in a drawer’ comic. We’ve got a few one shots coming up in the next few months with old school creators at the helm, we’ll see how they do.
Ray: Spider-Man: Life Story is officially a hit for Marvel, with the fourth issue gaining about 1K in sales from last month to land at #45, selling 38K. The steady growth here has been excellent and this looks a lot like an evergreen book.
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This is where we see a lot of the solid mid-level performers like Daredevil, Thanos, Conan the Barbarian, Shazam, Deadpool, Wonder Woman, Justice League Dark, and Captain Marvel, selling in the 35K to 30K range. These books have all had their attrition already for the most part and are in a healthy spot.
A book we’ve never seen in the top 100 has a very strong debut as it transitions to a new company – Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo lands at #61 selling 29K, one of the best non-Marvel debuts IDW has had in a long time. Usagi has always been a book with a very loyal cult audience, so it’s great to see the title find a bigger audience.
Glenn: IDW has made the most of some newly acquired properties and have increased eyes on a few cult favorites, good for them.
Ray: Another wave of popular mid-level ongoings and miniseries here, including Young Justice, the Spider-Man spin-offs (Friendly Neighborhood, Miles Morales, Superior), Major X, Dead Man Logan, Harley Quinn, and Teen Titans all settle down here, selling in the 25K range.
The next really notable book is War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1, selling 24K at #75. No, you’re not confused – that’s 24K of reorders for Greg Pak’s all-Asian superhero team. A spinoff series is coming post-War of the Realms, so this seems like one tie-in that has real legs and interest.
Glenn: Marvel are trying to hit different demographics and they’re likely willing to taking a loss on monthlies if they get something that does better elsewhere like Ms. Marvel out of it but like you say, this is a promising start.
Ray: Ralph Macchio’s latest Marvel evergreen one-shot, Spider-Man: Reptilian Rage, sells 23K at #80. Someone’s buying these, so they’ll probably keep digging them up from drawers.
Glenn: I bet it would have sold better had Mysterio been the villain but they likely had to work with what they had.
Ray: At #86 is a new Valiant series, Psi-Lords by Fred Van Lente, selling 22K. A healthy debut for a series largely starring original characters – Valiant continues to grow slowly but surely.
The next True Believers is at #87, the very timely Spider-Man vs. Mysterio selling 22K. Not the last one paralleling the movie. It’s just above the very last issue of X-Men: Grand Design, but that one’s not meant for singles. And six spots below is the True Believers for Spider-Man vs. Morbius, selling 21K. That one will not be a movie tie-in unless the weird Jared Leto movie happens.
It’s mostly low-ranking Star Wars books like Galaxy’s Edge and Doctor Aphra, War of the Realms tie-ins, and long-running books hanging in here like Supergirl, Black Panther, and Deathstroke  as we head out of the top 100, with 101 books crossing the 20K mark this month. The last book to jump over that line is Criminal #3, selling 20.2K.
As we exit the top 100, the next True Believers issue is at #104 – Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, selling 19.9K. That’s almost 70K in Spider-Ham copies sold this month.
Glenn: People want to know, where’s the beef…er pork.

Ray: The top Image debut of the month is Sonata #1, from Brian Haberlin and David Hine, selling 19.3K. That’s a really strong debut for an Image book without any household names, and it seems to have gotten a lot of good buzz for the first issue.

Glenn: A very strong start here, it seems Image is getting some faith for people to check out books by lesser known creators more and more.

Next True Believers is Spider-Man vs Hulk, another solid performer at 111 selling over 18.6k which could be as a result of how hot Hulk is and that its from the McFarlane era.

Brilliant reorders for Batman: Last Knight On Earth at 114 selling another just over 18k additional copies this month. Definitely no doubt this one is going to be a strong performer.

Ray: That’s another incredible number for a reorder, and brings the title close to what we saw for books like Damned. It was a fifth-week book with only a few other titles, so I wonder if there was some glitch with the orders.

Glenn: Really good debut for Transformers/Ghostbusters which gets sales over 17.5k on launch at 118. Usually these properties barely sell 10k or at the lower end. I guess people were in on this double nostalgia fest. We’re seeing a new team up with the Turtles and Power Rangers hope for similar success towards the end of the year.

Ray: IDW: We’ll cross over anything! These properties both do have some lingering fan support despite the issues with the movies, so this seems like it’s hitting its core audience.

Glenn: Another True Believers doing well at 122 with new Spider-Man which is the first appearance of the Black Costume which is good enough for sales over 16.5k. Likely some residual Venom/Symbiote Spider-Man love here.

Another new Image debut at 124 in Ride Burning Desire which sells 16.5 which is another great performance, especially since this is only a mini. This is a sequel to a comic from long ago from the team behind the bizarre but enjoyable Plastic and Adam Hughes. Image may not be delivering many six figure debuts anymore but they’re putting out a lot of surprising winners.

Ray: Yeah, I’m a bit surprised this did so well – it’s been a long time since the last issue came out. But this is also pretty accessible and has a similar vibe to Criminal, plus Hughes being even tangentially attached helps.

Glenn: We have another new Red Sonja book in the form of prequel series Birth Of The She Devil at 125 selling over 16.5k which is top notch for a Sonja book. Perhaps the critical acclaim the Russell book got is benefiting the character overall?

Ray: Yeah, Russell seems to have elevated the character a bit and other titles are reaping the benefit. Dynamite, killing a golden goose with spinoffs? Never! (GIVE US MORE NANCY DREW!)

Glenn: Over 15.2k for another Spider-Man True Believer issue, the secret of the new costume at 15.2k and this is still strong for old material. This might be the best True Believers month across the board and again it’ll be a mix of the Spidey movie and how hot Venom is. No Venom to claim responsibility for the Wedding Of Aunt May and Doc Ock True Believers at 139 which sells over 14.5k. This is from one of the most infamously silly Spider-Man stories of all time but it doesn’t seem to matter this month. I’m actually surprised it outsold the Spidey goes to London True Believer issue at 142 selling over 14.3k since this issue has a link to the movie since it partly takes place in London also. Still, they all sold well and its free money for Marvel.

Image result for True Believers Spider-Man Wedding Aunt May and Doc Ock

Another new Image Book in Thumbs at 145 were it looks at a world were technology obsessed youth are militarized. Given that I don’t recognize either creator the debut of over 14k is still really good indicating that again, Image seems to be developing a base line of trust with retailers.

Ray: They’ve done several other recent Image minis that all sold in this level, so retailers likely know how to order for books by them.

Glenn: The infamous Spider-Armour gets its own True Believers at 152 selling over 13.2k. Still great for old material…especially old material that isn’t that fondly remembered.

Ray: Can’t wait for True Believers: Sins Past in a few years.

Glenn: This months Hellboy related one shot places at 158 with over 12.4k which is a little better than the franchises usual range but nothing to call home about. Stable as always.

Good reorders for Symbiote Spider-Man at 160 selling another 12.2k+ for the first issue. We’ll definitely be seeing more from this concept one way or another.

Ray: It seems to be reorder month! We always see a lot of them, but rarely this high.

Glenn: Giving fans of steampunk their fix is Lady Mechanika: Sangre selling over 11.8k at 162. This is another property that seems to have a small but very loyal audience. Steampunk is still popular and this book is specifically tailored towards that genre so its filling a demand and doing well out of doing so.

Ray: This shows up every few months and we’re always puzzled by it.

Glenn: Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers seems to be a one shot concluding a big story for the property which sells over 11.4k at 163. Considering this is priced at 7.99 that’s a very good number for this nostalgia filled BOOM property.

Ray: Yeah, the Power Rangers line is getting a shake-up with Marguerite Bennett leaving, Ryan Parrot jumping to the main title from GGPR, and Sina Grace taking over the spinoff. It’s still Boom’s biggest hit franchise.

Glenn: At 169 is another way Marvel makes money off old material in the form of the Howard The Duck facsimile edition which sells over 10.9k. Just all bonus money even if its at the low end but hey…its Howard The Duck, what more do you want?

I don’t know what Rick and Morty presents Mr. Meeseeks is but it sells over 10.4k at 176 and will likely do much better than that elsewhere to book. I’m not cool enough to know anything about this but I know it seems to be helping keeping the lights on at Oni.

Ray: Well, it did. Now it’ll keep the lights on at the new Lion Forge/Oni combo company!

Glenn: Okay enough drop for Angel issue 2 which loses about 6k to land at 180 selling over 10.1k. Its a good bit behind Buffy in terms of sales but its still 3k ahead of where it was at Dark Horse. I still think the property isn’t in the best place for a spin off right now in this new universe BOOM has created and sales maybe reflect that but if it stays here and does well in trades it’ll be fine.

Ray: The upcoming event will probably boost this a lot, but it feels like Boom hasn’t really articulated how this Angel is different from the last.

Glenn: Still the best selling Archie title by a fair margin in its third issue is Sabrina The Teenage Witch at 181 selling over 10k. If this doesn’t warrant a full ongoing by this creative team, I don’t know what does, its not like Archie can do without the money.

Ray: They’d probably be happy to have more, but the question is if KT would be available. She’s a very in demand author doing all the things!

Image result for sabrina the teenage witch 3 2019

Glenn: Such as being a guest on the now classic 200th episode of Rabbit Stew! #shamelessplug

At 184 is more old Spider-Man material, this time in the form of the 7.99 Marvel Tales format which sells over 9.8k. Money, money, money, money.

Humanoid (?!?!?!?!) launches Ignited at 190 selling over 9k. It has Mark Waid’s name on it which doubtfully helped, that’s really good for what I assume is a relatively or brand new company, good for them.

Ray: That’s a solid debut for a new universe, definitely driven by Waid’s name and the FCBD preview. The model here seems to be that they pair an established creator with a newcomer co-writer for each title. Next up is Strangelands top-lined by Mags Visaggio.

Glenn: Start of a new Bettie Page mini series where she travels the multi-verse (no seriously) in Unbound starts off at 194 selling over 8.6k. I can’t wait for Crisis Of Infinite Betty’s.

Ray: That’ll come after Bettie Page vs. Zombie Tramp.

Glenn: Two cult properties collide in Crow/Hack/Slash at 199 selling over 8.1k. I would say the small but loyal Hack/Slash fanbase is provising most of the interest here. The Crow is a franchise that’s been through the ringer and its selling within Hack/Slash’s usual level.

Ray: Hack/Slash doing a bunch of crossovers lately, which shows its strength as a cult property.

Glenn: We get the final issue of Silencer at 200 selling over 8.1k. Well wasn’t it nice we all pretended these books would be a thing instead of combining DC’s most popular villain and hero into one character? Let us all move on and never speak of it again…until the Terrifics ends.

Ray: Yeah, that’s the last of the original character books. They’ll never be seen again until The Batman Who Laughs kills them all in a single panel or something.

The cult favorite Image comic The Weatherman, set in a world where Earth has been destroyed and the culprit doesn’t remember doing it, returns for its second volume with 8.1K in sales at #201. Not a bad return, given that it’s not a true #1.
More high-level reorders here, as Thanos #1 and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #1 both sell about 7.8-7.7K at #205 and #208 respectively.
It’s a while before we get another #1, but it’s a decently healthy debut for Canto #1 at #208, as the odd dark fantasy from IDW sells 6.3K. That’s a bit stronger than most Black Crown titles, and it follows in the footsteps of sleeper hits like Road of Bones and Ghost Tree which also just had the IDW brand.
At #220 is the debut of Jughead: Time Police from Archie, selling 6.2K for the revival of the cult series. Now, this is by fast-rising creator Sina Grace and has gotten great reviews…but it’s also a revival of a bizarre 90s series that almost no one remembers. A good series that won’t likely get a second go unlike the Sabrina reboot.
Glenn: Wacky Archie books seem to perform all around this level so the company seems to know what to expect. If nothing else it can always be used as material for a new hit TV show spin off at some point.
Ray: Bizarre crossovers are Dynamite’s bread and butter, and it doesn’t get weirder than Warlord of Mars Attacks, which crosses over the heroic fantasy of John Carter of Mars with the violent sci-fi satire of Mars Attacks. It debuts with 6.1K at #224, which makes sense given that neither of these properties have sold much in the past – even when Mars Attacks had the brilliant Kyle Starks run recently.
I’m a little surprised that Donny Cates’ Redneck is only selling 5.8K at #230 for its 21st issue. This one doesn’t seem to have caught on as much in singles as his other work, although I imagine it does very well in trades.
Glenn: That is odd. Since Cates is so integral to Marvel at the moment maybe his profile there is making everything he does elsewhere seem secondary? Def should be a trade hit.
Ray: 5.5K in reorders for Savage Avengers #1 at #237. The high sales last issue seem to be partly genuine, as these characters all have a solid audience.
Chris Sebela has a new Aftershock crime thriller, Trust Fall, debuting at #239 with sales of 5.4.K. This is in line with Aftershock titles typically, and Sebela has always been a bit of a cult creator.
5.1K in reorders for Naomi #5, as this fast-rising series continues to build momentum before it goes on break after the July issue.
Two Disney debuts from Dark Horse sell almost identically, two copies apart at 4.7K. We have the launch of the third Frozen minseries to build to the new movie at #252, followed by Cecil Ceastellucci’s reinvention of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs right below it. Castellucci is doing the same for The Little Mermaid in October, so the company is likely happy with the sales here and in the bookstore market based on that.
Glenn: Graphic novels of Disney classics will always have a solid performance outside the direct market, even if they ship them in by the crate to the theme parks.
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Ray: Skyward #14 sells 4.2K at #265, the same week the series unexpectedly ended with the next issue. It’s fallen a lot from its early days, but these sales aren’t too low and the odds are this was just a story decision to end it here.
4K in reorders for Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6 at #270, so the best Spider-man title may be picking up a bit of momentum.
Lots of reorders down here already, with 3.9K in reorders for Spawn #297 at #272 and Superman: Leviathan Rising Special at #274, and New Agents of Atlas #2 at #276.
A second cover of White Widow #2 sells 3.8K at #277, which puts that weird sexy-lady comic to over 12K in sales. And then a third cover at #299 puts it at over 15K combined! What the hell?
Glenn: Stupid sexy Widow.
Ray: At #285 is the debut of Trout: Hollowest Knock from Troy Nixey, which sells 3.4K. This is a cult property that returns with a new series from the creator occasionally, and it sells to a similar audience as the Mignola books but at a lower level.
Glenn: Never heard of it so I’ll take your word for it.
Ray: Cave Pictures Publishing has a decent debut at #289 as No Ones #1 from author Jim Krueger sells 3.3K. This is a dark superhero story about a team of famous heroes who accidentally erase themselves from continuity, and a nice performance for a new company.
Glenn: That’s a good premise and of course Krueger will still have sales pull from the Earth X/Justice days. This one could be a sleeper.
Ray: We talked a little earlier about how Black Crown seems to aggressively depress sales as a brand, and that’s definitely the case for the debut of Marilyn Manor. How this First Daughter dark comedy from Mags Visaggio could only muster 3.3K at #292 is puzzling.
Glenn: For a creator on the rise, for sure. Not sure why Crown and Burger books have so many problems gaining momentum in the direct market but here we are.
Ray: An odd debut from Ahoy Comics as they launch a one-shot titled Steel Cage, which sells 3.2K at #294. This had three short stories and we were supposed to vote on which got its on series – but they just announced that due to “voting irregularities”, they would be greenlighting all three as series.
Glenn: I blame Florida.
Ray: Just missing the top 300 at #301 is the dark Scout Comics race-and-religion satire Crucified, about an assassin hired to kill the returned Jesus. It sells 3K and somehow manages not to be pre-cancelled like Second Coming was.
Glenn:  Odd to have two Jesus/resurrection comics so close to each other. Likely coincidence.
Ray: #303 brings the regular Street Fighter one-shot from Udon Entertainment. This one focuses on Necro and Effie and sells 3K. I don’t even know who Necro and Effie are. Where’s Blanka?
Glenn: Them kids and their fancy new Street Fighters
Next debut is from Source Point in the form of Samurai Grandpa which sells over 2.8k at 313. This is about an old man Samurai as the title suggests who is looking to rescue his granddaughter from enemies old and new. Sounds fun but Source Point have a ceiling for anything.
Ray: This used to be an Alterna comic before things fell apart over there, so I think this is actually a bit better than it would have done there. Source Point only puts out a few comics a month, but they’re consistently rising.
Glenn: The ever so clever parody titled Dead Sonja is the latest book by Keenspot to try to riff on a somewhat popular property selling over 2.7k at 314. I wonder how many stores ordered this thinking it was a genuine Dynamite spin off.
Ray: At a cost of $6.66, no less. There’s companies with worse leanings, of course, but Keenspot may be the most bizarre comic on the market.
Glenn: At 315 we get some random reorders for Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four so this is likely just stock dumpage. Its over 2.7k for the record.
V Wars: God Of Death is a one shot which is a return of a previous series by the same writer which is to promote the comic in time for an apparent TV show adaption. Never heard of this and sales of over 2.7k at 318 leaves me to believe not many others have either. Could be a collectors item if the TV show is a hit!
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Action Lab releases new title Banjax which sells over 2.7k. It seems like a superhero book in a market drowning in them so sales here are as expected.
Next new book of the month, Category Zero from Scout debuts at 320 selling over 2.6k. This seems like another Scout comic with a decent premise but has limited market potential because of the companies size at the moment.
Ray: Banjax and Category Zero are both R-rated superhero pastiches, with one being very similar to The Boys meets The Punisher and the other being a darker take on X-men. Modest numbers for mostly forgettable concepts.
Glenn: The Valiant Handbook 2019 edition sells over 2.6k at 322. The core fans of this universe will likely know everything in here so this is a book of text for anyone wanted to do their research before diving in. This is likely only for completest who buy everything the company puts out.
Black Mask reminds us its still alive by putting out another new book in Lab Raider at 323 selling 2.6k. The once promising company seems to be in its final days and the sales of anything it releases will reflect that.
Ray: This animal-rights extremist book does not seem to have any post-apocalyptic couriers in it, sadly.
Glenn: More stock dumping from Marvel at 329 for Boba Fett: Age Of Rebellion for over 2.4k at 329.
Soulfire is an Aspen book at 334 it sells about as well as you’d expect with over 2.4k copies in June.
Carson Of Venus Warlord Of Mars sounds like a puzzling title from American Mythology which sells over 2.1k at 344. A google tells me this is a crossover between Carson Napier (Venus) and John Carter. The latter seems to be very popular for tie ins this month. I’d say any sales here are for die hard Carter fans.
Speaking of Venus, we get a Princess Of Venus title from American Mythology too which sells over 2k at 348. Its a spin off character from our Carson of Venus friend above so yeah…can’t expect miracles.
Ray: American Mythology does a lot of public domain books like this, but this is the first crossover that I know of. This might be a crossover with Dynamite as well, unless both companies can put out books with the same character. 
Glenn: Stitched Terror is a new horror comic by Pat Shand selling over 2k at 350 which is priced at 5.99. It also comes with 50 copies of 50 shades of torture varients or something…ew…just ew to all the things. A second issue sells over 1.7k at 363, it is also priced at 5.99 for…reasons?
Ray: I believe this is an Avatar book? Ultraviolence is their brand, mostly.
Glenn: I can’t believe Aang would do this to us.
At 352 is Archie and friends Beach party which sells over 2k also. This is more old school Archie stuff so the sales don’t really matter here or there.
Ray: Archie’s got this line of books which essentially packages the original stories from the digests into a smaller package without all the retro stuff. It’s a different form of reprints, so these sales are probably fine.
Glenn: At 362 is At The End Of Your Tether, a new 3 issue mini from Lion Forge with a premise that doesn’t exactly set the world of fire. As you could have expected it sells over 1.8k.
Ray: This was an oversized experimental mystery book with a near-unknown creative team for a company with serious sales issues, so I’m not surprised. Shame – it’s actually VERY good.
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Glenn: A new Casper book at 364 sells over 1.7k which is about right for material featuring the friendly ghost.
Boogily Heads which apparently POPS but non property specific and all goth get their own comic at 365 selling over 1.7k. Since I’m unfamiliar with the toy line I expect this is all that could be expected.
The no doubt super tasteful one shot from Aardvark press at 366 selling over 1.7k isn’t even worth my energy typing out the name of.
Legendary movie director John Carpenter lends his name to a comic sci-fi Nuclear Attack at 370 selling over 1.6k. I’m surprised this didn’t do better as not only does it have Carpenter’s name but both the creative team of Joe Harris and Cat Staggs are well known. Maybe the company Storm King (whom I’ve never heard of) doesn’t have a great distribution model.
Ray: It’s odd that John Carpenter would choose this tiny company to launch his books. Especially since he apparently has good ties with much bigger companies now, like his upcoming DC special.
Glenn: Another low selling Black Mask debut in Militia at 373 selling over 1.6k. See comments for Lab Raider but you know…worse.
Ray: This is actually from a small-press company titled Blackbox, not Black Mask. The source article got it wrong – and it’s especially amusing that this alt-right comic got attributed to far-left company Black Mask.
Glenn: Its fake news!
Both a 0 issue and 1 for Gargantuan which sell over 1.6k and 1.5k at 374 and 377 respectfully. Again, I’ve not heard of the company (Amigo) so they might just be happy to be here. It also comes with a price tag of yesteryear of 2.99 for the zero issue so good for them on that.
At 183 is a political ‘satire’ comic ‘starring’ Alexandria Ocasio Cortez which sells over 1.4k from Devil’s Due. Its that time in the charts where we start looking for the cyanide pills.
Ray: This is a reprint of said “Satire” comic. I think this is the “DC is suing us and we need money for legal bills” reprint.
Glenn: $10 for a Bettie Page Unbound ‘black bag’ cover at 390 selling over 1.3.k.  Jeez.
More Marvel stock with Age Of Rebellion Han Solo at 391 ‘selling’ over 1.3k
Rock and Roll biographies does an issue starring Testament which is a *checks notes* Bay Area Thrash metal band. It sells over 1.2k at 395 so take that for what you will.
Ray: I’ve never even heard of Testament.
Glenn: I doubt Testament have heard of Testament.
Scout comics continues their ‘Binge’ line where they release on issue and then do a collection of the rest (including said first issue) at 397 selling over 1.2k. This is an example of how to kill your first issue buzz, by telling people they have to wait for the rest and then pay for the same thing again. Results as expected.
Ray: “Princess Revolution” is a manga-style fantasy comic for Scout. I probably would have picked up the second issue based on the first, but I’m not sure about the trade. It’s an experiment that seems more about saving money on printing costs than anything. 
Glenn: Oh absolutely but why release any single issues at all? Why not go straight to trade? Its an odd business practice.
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Ray: Amid a sea of reorders, including for recent middling comic events Infinity Wars and Heroes in Crisis, there’s a Rocky and Bullwinkle anthology titled “As Seen on TV” from American Mythology, selling 1.2K at #401. Into the depths we go…
There’s 1.1K in reorders for something called “Rogue & Gambit #1″ from Marvel. I don’t think this is the recent Mr. and Mrs. X series from Kelly Thompson. Does anyone know what this even is?
Glenn: It is a Kelly Thompson book by that name, some sort of precursor book? I don’t remember it…
Ray: 1.1K in reorders for Ghost Tree #1, a rare IDW book amid a sea of Marvel reorders, at #410. This is the third month in a row this has appeared on the charts, making this the first real buzz-worthy hit IDW has had from their creator-owned line in a while. I think Canto might follow suit.
Glenn: Locke and Key will be returning soon too. It’ll be interesting to see how well it does with the Netflix show on the way.
Ray: It’s almost entirely Marvel reorders down here until we get to #429, where Amped #1 from Red Giant Entertainment lands. This $9.99 variant cover of this new title featuring disabled teens given superpowers sells just over 1K – but the regular $3.99 comic doesn’t land on the charts. Also, this is the White Widow variant, which means the cover doesn’t feature the main characters, but the sexy lady from the same company. Hold me, Glenn.
Glenn: Why do we do this again?! Whose bright idea was this? Oh yeah, it was mine…shut up.
Ray: At #435 is the second printing of the Amazing Spider-Man #252 facsimile edition, selling just over 1K. This is a reprint of a reprint. We’re through the looking glass.
At #439 is the launch of Lady Death Merciless Onslaught, the latest relaunch for the 90s bad girl character, selling exactly 999 copies. It’s a rare original in a sea of reorders.
It’s almost entirely random issue reorders down here, including titles like Moon Knight #189, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #6, Detective Comics #1004, and Captain America #697, all in the 900-copies range.
It’s almost entirely Marvel reorders all the way down until we get to #484, where we have 837 reorders of Ghost Tree #2, more evidence that this is a legitimate hit for IDW. The third issue, for the record, is up at #268 selling 4K. The series is already over with #4, but this should be a great seller in trade.
#485 brings the Cavewoman: Pandemonium one-shot, selling 828 copies for its assortment of covers of…creative poses.
Glenn: I’m not even going to Google
Ray: Virtually nothing but Marvel reorders all the way down, but we close out with a different reorder – 788 copies of Road of Bones #1 for IDW at #500, indicating another slow but steady hit for the Russian cannibal thriller.
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Glenn: New Rabbitt Stew superstar Grigory would approve!
Ray: Looking ahead to July, it’s a pretty big month for DC as Sean Murphy returns to DC with Batman: Curse of the White Knight, Young Animal returns with two new titles, and the Walmart stories are reprinted in new volumes – meaning new Batman and Superman titles by Bendis and King. We’ve also got the big #75 issues for Batman, Wonder Woman, and Flash and #50 for Aquaman, and the launch of the Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane series by Fraction and Rucka.
Meanwhile, over at Marvel it’s the calm before the Carnage, as Marvel still has a bunch of launches including a Marvels Epilogue with an original story by Busiek and Ross, and and the likely top two comics of the month – the new Jonathan Hickman X-men series House of X and Powers of X. There’s also new series for Loki, a recap of the history of the Marvel Universe by Waid and Rodriguez, Valkyrie by Aaron and Ewing, an epilogue to War of the Realms, a prequel to Absolute Carnage by Cullen Bunn, and too many new miniseries and one-shots to count.
Image, meanwhile, has some big launches, including a new series by Jason Aaron and Dennis Hallum, a new Cullen Bunn horror comic, titles from Justin Jordan and Mark Millar, and the finale of Paper Girls. The biggest x-factor of the month, though, may come from Dark Horse as they launch a Black Hammer/Justice League crossover that could be their biggest hit in a long time.
Glenn: Final issue of Walking Dead too but no one knew that at the time but still, it’ll definitely make an impact.
Ray: What will rise? What will fall? Find out next month on…By the Numbers!
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Liked what you read? Have any questions or suggestions? Let us know here or on Twitter @glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield.

By The Numbers: May 2019

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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! He used to remember a time when he wasn’t tired but that seems so long ago.

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.  When asked his view on the Game Of Thrones finale, Ray simply yelled ‘I like dragons!’ over and over in a similar manner to Hodor saying Hodor.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn: Hello again folks and welcome to the top 500 for May 2019! This month saw a lot of surprises with some detrimental to Marvel, benefiting DC, so-so for most and depressing for the rest! Come join us once more as we crown the new Batman Blockbuster by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo number one with a bull…

Wait…
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In a surprising upset, the number one with a bullet this month is the Elseworld zombie story DCeased written by Tom Taylor which launches at 242.3k which is an astonishingly good number. A mix of zombies still having somewhat of a moment, Taylor having some serious momentum right now, a lot of hype and some lovely variants seems to have been a formula for success. This seems to have struck a surprising cord, the same way Marvel Zombies did over a decade previous. Already we’re getting additional content to the previously scheduled 6 issue mini presumably due to the success. Taylor is a writer who has done some great work and elevated Injustice beyond ‘just’ a video game tie in to a critical and commercial success. With Tom King leaving Batman is it time for one of the big two to give him a shot at the big time? I think these sales would indicate so. Since this mini is so short, I wouldn’t imagine it dropping too badly over its period but this is a brilliant start regardless.
Ray: This is probably one of the most surprising upsets in recent sales chart history – not just DCeased winning the month, but the margin by which it won. This is a monster (pun intended) debut, and I think the covers have a lot to do with it. This is the first time in a while I can remember the variant covers feeling like an actual event rather than just a money grab. We’ll have to see how the future issues do, but the variants are continuing and I could see this being a dominant force for the entire run.
Glenn: Next is the all powerful Doomsday Clock which still sells a bundle at 2 with sales over 117.4, there’s no surprises here. I would say that there will be reorders given the contents of the issue but at this point with regards to Doomsday Clock, that’s an inevitability here.
Ray: Nothing stops this comic, not even bigger and bigger delays. The reorders continue to rack up too. DC’s strategy of doing mini-events without much of a buy-in in the form of tie-ins is really paying dividends so far – although that may be about to end, a little further down.
Glenn: Finally claiming the bronze prize this month is Last Knight On Earth selling over 113.2k which is a great number don’t get me wrong but with the amount of hype, the creative and this being Snyder and Capullo’s last solo Batman story I expect something closer to what DCeased got this month. I think with all that in mind this is a big surprise. Now, this could be because of price point but the most likely explanation is the Black Label association. Retailers are still waiting for the conclusion of Batman: Damned and there’s been a lot of messing about with the line. Given all that, the Black Label line might be more of a detriment. I have little doubt we’ll see some serious reorders but quick stability. I mean this will be a success, no question as it’ll be a nice collection that’ll be in print that will sell till the end of time but I expected more out of the gate by two of the hottest creators in comics.
Ray: Yeah, I think the format and the controversy over Batman: Damned drove sales down a lot. I also don’t think there were any variant covers here, so that’s a big difference-maker between it and DCeased. But this is very similar in numbers to Damned and White Knight, so I think retailers ordered what they knew it could do. Expect lots of long-term reorders here. I believe this is a bimonthly three-issue series, so it should hold very well for the duration.
Glenn: A strong debut at Marvel with Savage Avenger’s which sees a debut launching at 4 with sales over 111.7k which is an impressive debut. The Avenger’s brand isn’t what it once was so I think the success here is all down to A) how hot Venom is right now and B) the inclusion of Conan. I think we’ll see this one settle to about the 45k range swiftly from here due to it not really being a Venom book but that’ll still give it some legs.
Ray: Yeah, this is a weird comic but it feels like it’s an intersection of multiple Marvel events and hot characters under one cover. This is a very good debut, but I don’t think it’s sustainable. It’ll play out similar to the second-tier Avengers books used to, but with a Venom boost.
Glenn: Venom without Cates though can be hit and miss though as we’ve seen. An interesting one to watch.
At 5 is the Batman Who Laughs which continues its selling ways. This month it racks up over 108.6 which is an increase on last issue. There is nothing but winning here and the character will be around to sell other books for a good time to come.
Ray: Laughing all the way to the bank!
Glenn: At 6 is the continually baffling Amazing Spider-Man which sees one of its random sales boosts with sales on issue 21 selling over 92.5 but issue 22 charting at 10 selling over 78.1. Why is this happening every month? Whose to say and its hard to really judge where the title is at the moment with that in mind. On paper it is still one of Marvel’s strongest sellers but the vast swing in shifts every month is an oddity.
Ray: Marvel’s scheduling games aside, this book has been in flux for a while with an event and then an anniversary coming up. But after that, it sinks into a Superior Foes sequel arc and we should see the truth of the numbers a little more. The last .HU issue is down at #22 selling 52K, so there’s definitely an interest gap here.
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Glenn: After Hulking up last month in sales, Immortal Hulk places at 7 this month with 87.4k as one of Marvel’s best regarded books sees some sales boost off that quality. At 13 the following issue sells over 75.9k which is a decline but still an amazing achievement by the title since at those numbers its barely being outsold by Marvel’s mega hyped War Of The Realms. Quality and critical acclaim does sell occasionally, who knew?
Ray: Whatever numbers are the actual interest level, I think it’s clear that Immortal Hulk has caught fire with Marvel fans in a way no book since Venom did. Like Venom, it has a horror twist on a popular character. But unlike that book, it doesn’t have a powerhouse name writer like Cates. Ewing has been a workmanlike writer for Marvel for a long time and many of his books struggled sales-wise, so I’m really happy to see this book catch fire.
Glenn: At 8 and 9 is top ten tenant Batman were Tom King’s run continues is slowwwwwww decline in sales. We see sales here of over 83.5k and 82.7k. We’re just spinning wheels until the big jump for 75 but then 10 issues later, King’s run is wrapping up to make way for a new 12 issue Batman/Catwoman mini and a new creative team. This is an interesting gamble by DC comics in an attempt to seemingly have their cake and eat it too. Will this gamble pay off? We’ll find out here early next year.
Ray: Batman is bulletproof in sales, with largely forgotten runs like David Lapham’s City of Crime or Tony Daniel’s pre-New 52 arcs staying rock-solid despite mixed reception. The core book should maintain that without King, and I’d be shocked if Batman/Catwoman ever dipped below 50K – probably 70K – especially with the reveal of the villain’s identity. 
Glenn: ANDREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Ray: More bad news for Marvel mega-event War of the Realms, as it lands its third and fourth issues at #11 and #14, selling 77K and 73K respectively. Those are acceptable numbers for any comic, but not a much-hyped line-wide crossover with years of buildup. Given that this is only a three-month event, there’s no chance for leveling out or boosting sales. This is largely turning out to be a mess for Marvel, and they’ll need that sweet, sweet Carnage money soon.
Glenn: The much more out of nowhere non event DCeased has already slaughtered this and this one had a lot more hype and expectation behind it. Marvel is still recovering from a mix of too many large middling to poor events.
Ray: War of the Realms sandwiches Heroes in Crisis #9 this month, which ends its run at #12 with sales of 77K. This controversial stand-alone event leveled out quickly after a disappointing start, holding well for almost a year. This is another example of how these limited-scope events are paying off for DC.
Glenn: This one was an oddity. I’m still not sure if it was a sales success or not. If you go by what it originally was presented on then yes, it did very well. Hyped as a very important point in the DCU, then not so much. Still, it sold solidly and we’ll see if fans who read this will check out the stuff rolling out of it in a few months.
Ray: Venom #14 lands at #15 this month, selling 66K. This is the second part of the Cullen Bunn tie-in event, and is up 14K from last month. Retailers are obviously correcting because Venom will sell no matter who’s writing it.
Some good news for War of the Realms, as it has a top-selling tie-in at #17. War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas sells just under 65K, but this is subject to Marvel math. They doubled orders for retailers to give this book – which is making a strong push into the Asian market with guest-starring superheroes from China and Japan – a chance and already greenlit a follow-up miniseries.
Glenn: Agents Of Atlas is one of those properties Marvel digs up to give another go now and then. They’re not as abrasive with it as they were with say the Inhumans but they obviously see a lot here in getting them a new market of readers potentially.
Ray: The new Star Wars miniseries tying in with the Disney theme park attraction, Galaxy’s Edge, debuts with 60K at #19. This is above average for generic tie-in minis for the franchise, so I’m guessing the Disney hook boosted sales. Marvel might have also upped orders for handing out at the park.
Glenn: People actually excited to actually have a hardcore Star Wars experience might have helped too. There may have been crates of this stuff delivered to the park for free handouts to guests too.
Ray: This is where we see top-selling regular titles including Detective Comics (which is selling about 65K now and seems to have a permanent boost from the 1K issue), Justice League, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. There’s 25 comics selling above 50K this month, which seems above average.
Symbiote Spider-Man, after its excellent debut last month, finds a normal level at #23 selling 52K. That’s well above every Spider-Man book beyond the flagship, so I think we can safely say this is a real hit.
Glenn: This is a good 20k above the rest of the secondary Spidey books. We’ll call this ‘the Venom effect’.
Ray: Batman and the Outsiders, from Bryan Hill and Dexter Soy, launches at #24 with sales of 51K. This is a pretty good debut for a comic that spins out of a Detective arc from almost a year ago. It’s definitely more of a good debut for an Outsiders book than a Batman book, though, and we’ll see how it sustains itself in the coming months.
Glenn: This one lost momentum cause of the delay I think and retailers aren’t seemingly treating it like a proper Batman book. Given who is actually in it though you are right, this is a solid start. It’ll need to land fast though.
Walking Dead #191 is down at #27, selling 48K. Without getting spoilery, retailers massively under-ordered here and expect huge reorders for it next month alongside massive orders for #192.
Glenn: Indeed, it just shows how confident and steady the franchise is though that they don’t have to make a big deal of these things. They know it’ll come around back to them.
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Ray: The next tier down, selling in the 47K to 40K range, includes hits like Superman, Thor, The Green Lantern, Guardians of the Galaxy, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, Flash, and Star Wars, along with the Boba Fett issue of Star Wars: Age of Rebellion. That sells about 6K higher than the Han Solo issue, interestingly – that’s down at 35K. Jabba the Hutt’s solo issue is at 32K, and Lando’s at 28K.
Glenn: This is Fett’s first comic he’s starred in since Marvel got the licence whereas Han has had a mini starring his older and younger selves. Maybe the novelty of seeing the mega popular bounty hunter in his own comic made the difference?
Ray: At #31 is the Detective Comics Annual, which brings back iconic Batman: Year Two villain The Reaper. It sells 44K, which is a pretty big gap from the main series but still a strong number. That makes me think that the numbering is playing a big role in the sales of the main book.
An odd entry is Star Wars #108 at # 40, selling 40K. This is a final oversized issue of the original Star Wars series from decades ago, written by Matt Rosenberg. For a retro curiosity at $5.99, this is a very good number and in line with the regular debuts for Star Wars titles. This confirms that you could probably sell a Star Wars: Rancor’s Day Out miniseries and it would crack 40K.
Glenn: A big win considering what this is and the pricing of it, I totally want to see that mini now too. Make it happen Marvel!
Ray: At #42 is Batman/TMNT III #1, as James Tynion IV returns to close out his trilogy and TMNT creator Kevin Eastman jumps on for a surprise art assist. The sales of 38K are much lower than I would have expected, so I put that up to the disappointing second arc that Tynion didn’t fully write.
Glenn: The novelty has worn off for sure but its still decent enough. The collections must be doing well enough to warrant a third plus the original has an animated movie adaption now.
Ray: Life Story basically stays rock-solid for its third issue, selling 37K at #46, which is less than a 1K decrease from the second issue. I think we can safely say this is a prestige comic that’s going to hold very well.
Glenn: Well deserved too.
Ray: Unexpected good news for another comic as Naomi leaps up the charts, landing at #47 this month for its penultimate issue with sales of 36K. It barely cracked the top 100 when it debuted, but it’s been picking up reorders ever since. Now it’s even outselling flagship title Young Justice, down at #65 with sales just under 30K.
Glenn: The character is catching on as promises about her past being revealed are being made. We’ll definitely see more of her without question with this renewed momentum.
Ray: The sales charts giveth to Bendis, and they taketh away. At #56 is the oversized 9.99 one-shot Superman: Leviathan Rising, which sells only 32K. For a $10 anthology, this wouldn’t be terrible – but it’s a prelude issue to next month’s big event with Bendis and Maleev. Even if it doubles the sales of this comic for that debut, that’s only 65K – not at all what we want to see out of an event comic.
Glenn: Very tepid response for sure. This could be a result of how zero issues are sometimes treated (big win or meh results) or Bendis bringing his past of recent dubious Marvel events with him. We’ll see how this thing does for real next month.
Ray: We’re finally starting to see some traction for the best Spider-Man book, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It gains 4K this month to chart at #63, selling 30K. This book is quickly gaining strong critical reviews, so I expect the upward trend to continue.
Glenn: This issue got a lot of critical acclaim particularly so might get some reorders too.
Ray: Amid a sea of normal-selling Marvel and DC titles, we have a big hit for Valiant. The latest future-set mini-event, Fallen World, charts at #70 with sales of 27K. Valiant’s decision to keep their line small and only put out strong titles has paid dividends.
More proof that Immortal Hulk is the hottest book at the moment – the second issue shows up again at #73, selling a massive 27K in reorders. This kind of reorder is unprecedented unless we’re talking an event comic or a huge anniversary. Whatever’s going on with this book, Marvel’s got to be thrilled here.
Glenn: This is not even a recent issue and its doing better than most new books. This has caught some serious momentum for sure. I just hope Marvel don’t push their luck with it.
Ray: The final cycle of Ed Piskor’s experimental X-Men comic, Grand Design, lands at #74 with sales of 26.9K. This is a pretty good number for a $6 book, but this title is only a month away from being an evergreen collection that will likely sell millions as it distills fifty years of continuity into six issues.
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At #78 is another disappointing War of the Realms tie-in, as Spider-Man and the League of Realms #1 sells 26K. Just a very muted number for an underperforming event and a tie-in that didn’t get much hype.
Glenn: Very low for a book with Spider-Man’s name in the title. I guess this just shows how indifferent War Of The Realms is being treated, not even a Spider-Man tie in can get a win.
Ray: Dark Horse’s top book on the charts this month is Stranger Things: Six, the second Jody Houser miniseries expanding the world of the megahit Netflix series. This one sells 25K at #82, less than half of what the previous miniseries did. That’s probably owing to the fact that this one doesn’t feature any of the show characters.
Glenn: Still decent for a TV show tie in and a good result for Dark Horse but after some initial hype this is probably one for the hardcore audience only that want to devour every scrap of Stranger Things lore they can.
Ray: War of the Realms had a trio of “Strikeforce” one-shots, showing where the various heroes went after they split up into squads. The top-selling one is Dennis Hopeless’ War Avengers at #83, selling 25K, followed by Bryan Hill’s Dark Elf Realm at #92, selling 23K, and Tom Taylor’s Land of Giants selling 22K at #94. So many of these tie-ins were mostly ignored by retailers, despite some strong work from top creators.
Glenn :A series of one shots will always be treated like a throwaway in some sense.
Ray: A tie-in that was barely marketed as a tie-in, Giant Man #1 debuts at #97 selling 22K. This team-up showing Scott Lang and three other giant-sized heroes infiltrating the Frost Giants didn’t have the “War of the Realms” branding in front of it, but it barely differed in sales from those that did.
Glenn: I wonder if it would have been better if it was more obvious that this is the same character that starred in a multi-billion dollar movie not too long ago. A lot of ‘well it would have done better if…’ in this case it seems.

Ray: At #102 is the Catwoman Annual, selling just under 22K. That’s just over half of the sales of the parent title, which is at #43 this month. So clearly retailers didn’t get the memo on this one.

Glenn: The title has lost some momentum and Joelle Jones isn’t writing it full time, I wouldn’t expect to see it last too much longer after the surefire hit that will be Batman/Catwoman launches in January.

Some War Of The Realms tie-ins out of the top 100 already with Journey Into Mystery selling over 20.9k and Atlas dropping release month to 108 selling over 20.3k for its second issue. When Marvel did Secret Wars (the Hickman one) they replaced a lot of their line with tie-ins as opposed to asking people to buy the regular books plus the tie-ins, it seems the latter strategy they’ve employed in the last few events are really hurting them.

At 107 is Red Sonja/Vampirella/Betty and Veronica and no you’ve not entered the Twilight Zone. The sales of over 20.3k are good considering this is such a bananas concept. The publishers must be happy as we’re getting a Sonja/Vampironica ongoing coming in August so there you go…
Ray: Dynamite has the weirdest business model, largely seeming to be driven by novelty crossovers and variant covers – with a few books of shockingly high quality mixed in. Whatever keeps the doors open, but this is definitely their most bizarre entry yet. Should we be looking for Vampironica vs. Vampirella next?
Glenn: Another War Of The Realms tie-in out of the top 100 with the Punisher offering selling over 19.9k at 110. It only loses about 7k on the first issue which isn’t too shabby all things considered. Punisher has never been a character that has been able to support much in terms of multiple books/tie-ins so this is probably what we would see regardless of what the larger story was.
A prompt stabilization for Ascender which only loses about 4 for its second issue selling over 19.8k at 111. I think this is a significant increase over where the previous series Descender finished so the relaunch/new direction has worked a treat. Once again Lemire delivers a solid hit for Image .
Ray: We’ll have to see where it settles down in, say, six months but the parent book was shockingly steady over its long run. Royal City aside, Lemire’s books seem to have a very high floor above 10K.
Glenn: Another soft drop for another War Of The Realms tie-in at 115 for War Scrolls selling over 19,2. This is a pretty solid drop on the surface but as we said this month, this tie-in has series architect and Marvel superstar Jason Aaron writing a story and was pushed heavily as a ‘must read’. Nobody took notice to either of these things.
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Shipping two issues this month, Giant Man’s second issue is at 122 selling over 18.1k. I wouldn’t bet on a new book pal Scott following this.
Ray: This wasn’t technically a Scott book – it stars the new Indian-American Giant Man as the title character, but he’s part of an ensemble with Scott and two other giant dudes. Either way, this one barely marketed itself as a tie-in, not that it would have helped much.
Glenn: Ah, that makes more sense…Why did they do this one again?
Huge drop for Marvel Team Up which sells over 17.5k for its second issue landing it at 128 on the charts. It seems retailers are treating this as a secondary Ms. Marvel book which it pretty much is. Given that Kamala’s main book does uber business outside the direct market, this book might find life there also. The rotating creative teams will give this book a hard time creating an anchor though so we’ll have to see if it can stick around, all things considered if it stays around here then things could be worse.
Ray: Anthologies, especially those with rotating creative teams, are a very hard sell. I think this might be a Black Panther situation, where a hit character can’t necessarily command a spin-off.
Glenn: Right below that is Rob Liefield vehicle, Major X which is bottling up mid 90’s comics and selling it with a new character. It sells over 17.3k at 129 which isn’t great considering that Liefield used to be one ‘the’ guys in the industry. This character is not the second coming of Deadpool and will likely show up in an event in a few years to be killed off.
Ray: These are reorders! God help us all, this book is a hit. Look forward to Corporal X next year, starring Deadpool and Stryfe’s clone baby or something.
Glenn: So they are, you only get the real pro analysis here at By The Numbers you know.
Really strong launch for Excellence, a new magic focused book from Image. Writer Kharey Rhandolf has some name recognition but I still think the launch of over 17.3k in sales at 130 is really impressive. We’ll see how it settles out next month but this could be another strong addition to Image’s line.
Ray: Brandon Thomas is a creator whose star has been rising quickly, definitely more so than when he released his last Image book, Horizon. This got a lot of advance hype, too. 
Glenn: A launch for Buffy spin off Angel this month with sales of over 16.1k at 132. This is a good bit below where sales of Buffy usually are but still a strong number for Boom. The series is currently finding an identity in its pages but if it can do that and stabelize around here that would be a great number, the character at Dark Horse was doing barely 10k when his series was tailing off over there.
Ray: There’s a crossover with Buffy (which skipped a month) in September, so that should definitely help to sync that title up with this one. Either way, well above where this franchise was. 
Glenn: At 147 is a very respectable 14.7+k for a True Believers offering featuring Spider-Girl 1 which is a reprint of the What If issue debuting May ‘Mayday’ Parker. With Spider-Verse being a critical and commercial hit, this could be the perfect time for a character that has always had a cult following to really get some momentum.
Ray: I’m kind of surprised Mayday hasn’t gotten a revival yet, honestly. She’s Spider-Woman now, and there’s no title with that brand at the moment. “The Amazing Spider-Woman #1” could be a good idea.
Glenn: At 149 is another True Believers which is a part of the classic Kraven’s Last Hunt which sells over 14.1k. Not surprising since the story is so well regarded and Amazing is doing a pastiche to it at the moment. A very poor pastiche but one none the less.
Another True Believers at 155 in Silver Surfer: Rude Awakening selling over 13.1k. Pretty good considering its harder to define classic Surfer stories outside his original appearances.
Ray: I think retailers ordered heavily on this one in advance of extra interest in Silver Surfer next month. Expect a top ten debut for Silver Surfer: Black.
Glenn: Two more True Believers at 160 and 162 focusing on Darth Maul and the…Ewoks selling over 12.2k and 12k respectively. The Maul sales are impressive since his mini isn’t that old, the Ewoks is for fans of curt little furry things I guess. It should be noted that everything from here got outsold by cheap furry muppets, make of that what you will.
Ray: I still can’t believe the Ewoks cartoon was a thing.
Glenn: Lots of True Believers here, it seems retailers order these cheap comics in and around the same level unless they’re something significant. Iron Fist/Misty Knight sells over 11.9k for their offering at 164
Another new Image offering at 165 selling over 11.9k in the form of Gogor. Pretty average debut from someone who has a rep like Ken Garing but isn’t a huge superstar. I think Ray was a big fan of his previous series Planetoid so this one will likely be a critical darling that does well in collections and such.
Ray: This is a massive improvement over how Planetoid did, I believe, and the writer/artist making his return seems to have made a splash. A creator without a big name landing above 10K for a debut is pretty good, and I think the excellent critical response will keep this one building momentum.
Glenn: At 167 is another True Believers in Invaders 1 selling over 11.7k. Which Invaders 1 you ask? Who knows.
Another one of the True Believers, Origin Of Mantis sells over 11.5k at 170. I think at this point, they ran out of ideas for this odd month of Spider-Man, cosmic, Star Wars and The Invaders for some reason.
Second issue of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish’s Sabrina sells over 11.4k at 173 which is pretty good for Archie stuff and a mini which takes a different tone to the tv show to boot. This one might have had legs.
Ray: This is Archie’s top book by almost a 2-1 margin this month, which shows real interest in either Sabrina, KT, or both. Her sales pull is growing, and Marvel would be wise to make the most of it – before someone else does.

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Glenn: TMNT creator, Kevin Eastmen releases a full version of his comic within a comic Radically Ronin Ragdolls which places 175 with sales over 11.2k which I thinks great considering that its a gag comic that is an off shoot of another book.

Ray: A gag tying into a new comic he’s doing – which this outsold by a two-to-one margin. Are we going to get a media empire for the Ragdolls now?
Glenn: Pretty standard second issue drop for the super naughty Faithless if you’re not counting the nudy covers. It lands at 178 selling over 11.1k, pretty strong number a Boom book, especially one that is diving head first into material they don’t usually put out.
Ray: This is probably down to Azzarello’s draw as a creator. He’s one of the biggest creators they’ve had in their stable in a while.
Glenn: Standard franchise fare for this month’s Hellboy offering, the one shot Hellboy vs Lobster Johnston: Ring Of Death sells over 10.9k at 183.
A good bit lower than the rest of the True Believers, the one looking at the Wedding Of Rick Jones selling over 10.4k at 185 likely is placed here because Rick hasn’t played a massive part in comics in a while and is completely absent in the MCU…or any Hulk movie or TV show for that matter.
Dog Days Of Summer, the latest in DC’s regular anthologies sells over 10.k at 186 which is solid enough since its priced at 9.99 and has an odd ‘core hook’ to the anthology. These seem to perform well enough for DC to keep them rolling.
Ray: This is among the lower-selling of the recent anthologies, above the New Talent Showcases but below most of the seasonal ones. The animals didn’t have as much pull as the main heroes, I guess, even though the talent is top-tier.
Glenn: It does seem that retailers are ordering based on theme rather than names which is interesting. I suppose with antholigies since there’s so many teams, big names sometimes aren’t enough to make a sale where a simple ‘this is a horror book’ or whatnot would be easier to convey to a potential consumer.
I’m surprised True Believers Iron Fist/Coleen Wing didn’t do better since they’re the main characters in the Iron Fist Netflix show of yesteryear…or maybe that’s why it didn’t do well? It sells over 10.1k at 188 either way.
A facsimile edition of Defenders Marvel Edition 1 sells over 9.9k at 191. Not great but its 4.99 for old material in a new format and its a B or C list property so its all relative.
I don’t even know what Luke Cage Power Man: Pirana could be but its another True Believer offering this month. It sells over 9.5k at 197 which indicates I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what it is.
Right below it is more expensive reprints at 198, the facsimile edition of Incredible Hulk 181, I would have thought this one might have done better due to its importance (first appearance of Wolverine) but again its a comic Marvel have earned their money back on 100 times over already so the sales of over 9.4k is bonus funds.
There are more True Believers below 200 but most of them are reprints of recent comics or minor properties. Its crazy how many of these Marvel actually puts out.
Ray: Marvel is REALLY good at selling us new versions of old comics
Glenn: Selling about 2k less than the main book, the Sonic The Hedgehog annual sells over 9k at 204. Given that it’s priced at 9.99, I’d say that’s a better result than the usual annuals in comparison to what the main title sells.
Ray: IDW’s slowly building a line of Sonic books, and it seems to be going pretty well. Definitely better than their creator-owned business at the moment (More on that, Lay-tor).
Next up is another pair of True Believers issues at #205/206 – the first issue of the recent Rebel Jail issue in Star Wars, and the first issue of the classic Power Pack series. Both sell about 9K, towards the lower end.
The $7.99 reprint Marvel Tales: Avengers sells 8.7K at #212, making the third format this month by which Marvel sells us old comics.
Glenn: Not counting collections where there’s essentials, trades, classics, epics, omnis, hardcovers…
Ray: At #213 is the most bizarre entry of the month, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force” – an anthology special from Devil’s Due focusing on fictionalized versions of some controversial new politicians as superheroes. Devil’s Due promoted this heavily, and they managed an incredibly strong debut for the company with 8.6K – which they’ll likely spend in court, since they were hit with a cease-and-desist from DC over a cover using the Wonder Woman costume, and proceeded to double down by issuing a second DC-themed cover.
Glenn: There’s so much stupidity here my brain hurts.
Ray: 8.3K in reorders for Naomi #4 as Bendis, Walker, and Campbell’s original superhero continues to pick up momentum. It won’t stop here as it looks like she’s going to play a role in Bendis’ next big project.
Glenn: If that is the case then these original issues will have even more reorders as a result.
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Ray: 7.8K in additional copies of Faithless #2 for the “Erotica” variant, further emphasizing that this is definitely a major hit for Boom and Azz.
Terry Moore’s first big crossover comic, Five Years (bringing together characters from multiple creator-owned works) has a strong debut at #230, selling 7.6K. This is much higher than we normally see for his work.
Glenn: Retailers treated this like Moore’s own Avenger’s, I know his fans will be happy to see it.
Ray: The new Vault fantasy comic She Said Destroy has a strong debut for the company at #233, but this is a returnable first issue which likely inflated the numbers to an impressive 7.3K.
Glenn: DC and Marvel are doing a few returnable’s in the coming months, we’ll have to see if its a worthwhile gamble if it means retailers invest more in the books when they have that security in place.
Ray: 7.2K in sales for the facsimile edition of Alpha Flight #1 at #235, so Marvel’s reprint month keeps on going. There’s a facsimile edition of the 50th issue of the original Marvel Star Wars nine spots below.
Thew new miniseries My Little Pony: Spirit of the Forest sells just under 7K at #236, pretty consistent for a side book for one of IDW’s frequent flyer franchises.
IDW and Dynamite both release $4.99 specials for two of their ongoing series at #249/240. Elvira Mistress of Darkness Spring Special sells 6.7K, followed immediately by Star Wars Adventures: Flight of the Falcon selling 6.6K. Elvira > Star Wars? Okay then.
Glenn:I think these Star Wars Adventures make their money elsewhere, Elvira makes her money…somewhere?
Ray: At #245 is the debut of the new Kevin Eastman miniseries Drawing Blood: Spilled Ink from his self-titled comic book company. This is the book that Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls spun out of, but this oddball comic noir about a character based on Eastman only manages 6.3K. Hope he wasn’t expecting this to bail him out with some loansharks, or we should look for a Ragdolls cartoon series.
Glenn: Loansharks: The latest series from Kevin Eastman, you heard it here first.
Ray: Another $7.99 reprint, Marvel Tales: Iron Man sells 6.3K at #247.
#250 brings us this month’s issue of Zombie Tramp, selling 6.2K. Zombie Tramp, official mascot of By the Numbers!
Glenn: Our little Tramp has done well for herself, when we started this, she was lucky to crack top 300.
Ray: IDW releases a pair of classic Marvel all-ages Spider-man stories under their new Marvel Action banner, with the two-shot selling 6.2K at #251. Even other companies are getting in the business of selling us old Marvel books in new formats!
A pair of new Aftershock titles – 70s set music crime thriller Killer Groove at #255, selling 6.1K, and conspiracy thriller Descendent at #259 selling 6K – are in this area, basically business as usual for a company that struggles to build momentum even as they increase their content and attract top talent.
Selling just under 6K at #261 is the new horror comic from Paul Maybury, Last Stop on the Red Line. This was an odd, surreal comic that didn’t get much advance hype, which probably led to it getting lost in the shuffle.
At #269 is a spinoff of the popular cartoon Samurai Jack from IDW. Samurai Jack: Lost World sells 5.6K, about typical for a cult cartoon spin-off.
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The Soviet Union-set horror story Road of Bones from IDW sells 5.4K at #273. That’s a big stronger than most of IDW’s creator-owned efforts, especially in the Black Crown line. This one seems to be picking up a bit of buzz for writer Rich Douek.
Another Beasts of Burden one-shot, The Presence of Others, sells 5.3K from Dark Horse at #278. This is one of those consistent properties where retailers know exactly how much to order.
Some slight good news for War of the Realms as the second issue picks up 5.2K in reorders at #280 – just under the second issue of Major X. Marvel’s decision to make this a tight three-month event may stop any serious bleeding, but it’ll also keep it from building any real momentum.
Glenn: Steady but unremarkable from here on out and doubtful to keep popping up months and years later like Metal did and Doomsday Clock does.
Ray: A new variant cover of Immortal Hulk #1 sells 4.9K for the fifth printing at #287, as this monster of a book keeps on charging forward.
Glenn: Heh, monster. I see what you did there.
Ray: As we get to the end of the top 300, we start seeing some seriously bizarre books. Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose makes an appearance with 4.6K in copies for its “Mourning After” variant at #293.
Then there’s the Street Fighter 2019 Pinup Special at #294, selling 4.5K. Stupid sexy Blanka?
Glenn: You leave my green honey alone!
Ray: A special variant cover of Rick and Morty #1 to celebrate their 50th issue sells 4.4K at #296, a this reprint-heavy month charges on – it’s two spots above a facsimile edition of Amazing Spider-Man #252.
#303 brings us a new miniseries for one of Dark Horse’s mainstay cult heroes, Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Conjurers. It sells 4K, which is about where past miniseries were doing.
#309 has a new series from Antarctic Comics, the originally titled “Horror Comics“, which sells 3.8K. It’s no doubt the first in a franchise featuring original titles like “Superhero Comic” and “Book about Things”.
Glenn: I love Book About Things, now lets get back to counting with numbers.
A new Goosebumps series, Horrors Of The Witch House sells over 3.6k at 316. Given how massive and enduring the franchise is, I doubt it needs the business in the direct market. It’ll be interesting to see how Stine’s upcoming original non weird Man Thing project delivers in the coming months.
Ray: Like all of IDW’s all-ages books, Goosebumps makes its money elsewhere.
Glenn: Another Sonic book at 318 selling over 3.5k priced at 5.99. It seems IDW are making the most of this franchise.
New Lumberjanes at 325 selling over 3.4k priced at 7.99, I would say most of the core audience have moved on to read the books another way and aren’t picking them at their LCS.
Ray: Boom seems to do these $7.99 one-shots for all their popular books at least once a year. This one had Seanan McGuire on board, but it didn’t really help – at least in the single issue market.
Glenn: Gears Of War: Hivebusters is a typical video game tie in performer selling over 3.4k at 327
New Zenescope book, Dragonsblood sells over 3.4k at 330. Probably about what you would expect from the company when they offer books outside of their ‘Grimm’ line. I wonder if its about a sexy dragon lady and/or a lame Game Of Thrones? *google* looks to be both!
Odd sounding but seemingly well reviewed Black Crown offering, Eve Stranger sells over 3.3k at 333, that’s a lot of 3’s! Black Crown is a very specific brand and there’s no big names here with the book having a very quirky feel so…yeah this is what you get.
Ray: Black Crown actually seems to do worse than other IDW creator-owned books for some reason. I think we’ll see the line folded soon.
Glenn: Vampblade Season 4 (????) gets an issue 1 at 334 selling over 3.3k. No clue what this is but if its 4 seasons in, then it must have a loyal fanbase and retailers probably know what to expect from it.
Low sales for Clue: Candlestick which might suffer from the poor quality of the last mini IDW offered using the franchise even though this is a new take. It sells over 3.3k at 337
This is also by the VERY niche cartoonist Dash Shaw, known for his surreal stylings. Unlike the previous Clue book, this wasn’t aimed for mainstream audiences.
Glenn: At 343 is the beginning of the second volume of Spencer and Locke, a gritty crime drama from Action Labs which basically asks the question of ‘what if peak Frank Miller wrote Calvin and Hobbes?’ I read the first trade and greatly enjoyed it. It sells over 3.2k which isn’t too shabby for an unknown creative team from a small press publisher.  This is an example of a diamond out there that needs more attention. It also has a second issue at 395 selling over 2.3k which is a lot to lose down here but pretty standard for an Action Lab book most people have likely never heard of.
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Ray: The first volume seemed to get real traction in collections, so this is a franchise with room for growth.
Glenn: Right below that 344 is part of the nonsense that quality books like Spencer and Locke have to deal with, The Donald Who Laughs a parody that somehow sells over 3.2k because haha we’re laughing at how awful this whole thing is! I can’t wait for Captain Brexit (no you can’t have that idea Keenspot)
Ray: I would say to look out for War of the Donalds in several months, but I don’t know if War of the Realms even gets a Keenspot parody.
Glenn: Another new offering at 345 which is Wailing Blade from Comixtribe (?!?!?!) which sells over 3.1k. This is some sort of fantasy tale that was a Kickstarter success so much like those books, these sales are just a bonus. Its a pretty good result considering this is extra money from the direct market from a small press company with unknown creators.
Ray: This was by the writer of Road of Bones, Rich Douek, so it looks like he’s having a good month in indieland.
Glenn: A new volume of Fathom debuts at 349 selling over 3.1k to those that are die hard fans of the franchise and the rest of the Aspen universe. This will never get bigger or likely smaller, it just is.
A spin off of the Zombie Tramp universe book, Danger Dolls in Danger Dolls Presents Amalgama lives selling over 3.1k at 350 along with a second issue at 387 selling over 2.5k  If Zombie Tramp is the companies Batman then this is the Robin title only some of the main books fans will check out. A loss of 500 sales at this level could mean life or death.
The completely bananas sounding Metalshark Bro debuts at 354 selling over 3.1k. Its an odd world down here, there’s even rock star sharks here.
Ray: Metalshark Bro is one of the first of Scout’s new “Binge!” line, where they release a first issue and then a $12 trade of the whole series, so sales are mostly irrelevant to this single issue.
Glenn: The Rejected Unwilling One Shot is a comic written by my friend Stan Konpka, this is the second book about a creepy figure known only as Mr. Teeth. I don’t think the first one got a diamond release so glad he managed to pull it off here with sales over 3k at 357. As Joe Hill once told me, you got to start somewhere…unless you’re the son of JJ Abrams of course.
Ray: This is much improved from the sales of the first one, I believe, so this indie horror franchise seems to be picking up steam. The art was different this time and the controversial subject matter might get people talking.
Glenn: At 364 is Trump Space Force selling over 2.8k. This head movie makes my eyes rain.
Some reorders for the first issue of Symbiote Spider-Man at 369 which gets over 2.7 additional sales. Nothing wild but it shows some momentum. Marvel is already doing a one shot spin off tying into Absolute Carnage in September.
A new mini from Black Mask at 372 which sells over 2.7k is Nobody Is In Control which is where the company basically lives when it has no one of real note involved.
Ray: I wonder if there are any couriers in this one.
Glenn: Hellwitch Hellbourne is yes you guessed it…a sexy demon lady with gigantic bosoms. This is another Kickstarter project. It sells over 2.6k at 375 if anyone is bothered.
Ray: This was previously a backup in Ahoy’s less-popular launch comic High Heaven. It doesn’t seem to have helped the first-issue sales.

Glenn: Hashtag: Danger is a new comedy book from Ahoy Comics that seems to be partially a comic parody of the Fantastic Four. It sells 2.6k at 376 so people seem to have missed out on this clearly hilarious joke.

Jungle Comics from Antartic Press at 384 sells over 2.5k. This seems to be a clear rip of Ka-Zar and Shanna with the main characters even having a sabretooth tiger at hand. Nobody is particularly bothered about the real Ka-Zar so I doubt many will be interested in the new Coke version.

Ray: Antarctic’s whole brand seems to be sexier versions of other companies’ properties.

Glenn: At 391 is the Secret Life Of Pets getting its own comic tie in. I’m surprised this didn’t do better than over  2.4k since its a popular enough kids franchise. This is clearly meant for elsewhere.

Ray: Titan’s odd business model extends here, as this is only a two-issue miniseries for the pets and the trade is already out.

Glenn: Many a reorder or continuations of low selling books from small publishers until we get to Underdog & Pals at 416 selling over 2k. Poor Underdog, someone needs to take him to see a vet stat.

Ray:  Valiant picks up almost 2K more in sales for the first issue of Ninja-K as part of their dollar debuts line, at #418. Good sales, but odd as the comic its showing off is already over and is about to be relaunched by a new creative team.

At #422 selling 1.9K is the debut of the new Alterna series Mighty Mascots, about cereal mascots brought to life by a mad scientist. I guess this is what happens after you blow up your relationships with much of your talent.
Selling 1.8K from Source Point Press is Twiztid: Haunted High-Ons – Darkness Rises at #428. A supernatural horror comedy about ghost-fighting rappers, it’s about what you’d expect. It’s really weird down here.
Glenn: Super weird, even Scooby Doo never fought a rapping ghost…I think.
Ray: The new supernatural Zorro series Zorro: Sacrilege debuts with just under 1.8K from American Mythology at #431, which is about in line from this publisher’s eclectic output.
1.7K in reorders for Stranger Things #1 at #433, just in time for the launch of the sequel series.
An odd entry for Source Point Press at #437 as Sham! sells 1.7K. This is a comic that takes old golden-age art pages and redubs them with bizarre off-color dialogue. Clearly a niche book, and I don’t know how I feel about it using Jack Kirby art…
Glenn: #Awkward
Ray: Naomi #1 and #3 both pick up 1.7K in reorders at #438/439. This comic keeps picking up steam – just in time to end?
Glenn: She’ll be back, just a matter of where and when.
Ray: 1.7K in orders for something called Cerebus Woman at #440. I’m sure this is a totally tasteful comic with no offensive content.
Glenn: Ugh, look at my eye twitching.
Ray: It’s almost all reorders down here, but apparently that Vampblade comic sold an additional 1.5K at #454 for a sexy variant cover. Vampblade, taking over the industry.
The dark fantasy series Battlecats returns after a long hiatus from Mad Cave Studios at #474, selling a muted 1.3K. This is the definition of a niche book and the publisher is just beginning to release titles that get buzz, so this is probably fine for the creative team.
Some bizarre comics making their debut here, including the oddly titled “All-Time Comics Zerosis Deathscape“, which sells 1,280 copies from Floating World Comics at #479.
Glenn: Floating who now?
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Ray: At #480 and selling 1,276 copies is Floppy Cop from Source Point Press. It’s a cop drama about a cop without a spine. This is a real comic released in the year of our Avengers Endgame 2019.
I don’t even know what Afterburn: Crossfire is, but it sells 1,272 copies at #482.
As part of their strange brand of comics based on old comics, American Mythology releases Laurel and Hardy #1 to sales of 1,206 copies at #492.
Action Lab relaunches one of their more niche comics, Voracious: Appetite for Destruction at #495, selling 1,194 copies.
Wrapping things up at #500 is reorders of True Believers: Thanos Rising, selling 1,129 copies. It’s worth noting this is actually far higher than the bottom of most recent sales charts. Probably due to the number of reorders.
Glenn: A reason to end on a nice note for a change! Let us thank Tom Taylor and his DC zombies for no reason apart from ’cause we can’.
Ray: Looking ahead to June, DC has two heavy-duty launches as Event Leviathan from Bendis and Maleev keeps them in the event game. However, it’ll likely be dwarfed in sales by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr’s Superman: Year One, if the sales of his last work for DC is any indication. We’ll also be seeing the sales on Batman ramp up as the main storyline builds towards #75. Justice League also hits #25 and begins the Year of the Villain storyline.
Marvel hits us with the final five dozen or so War of the Realms tie-ins as that event wraps up, but the biggest launch of the month will likely be Donny Cates and Tradd Moore’s Silver Surfer: Black. We’ve also got a new Black Cat “ongoing”, a Hulk one-shot from the creative team of Peter David and Dale Keown, and a Spider-Ham annual from Jason Latour and David LaFuente.
Image brings us the return of the cult series The Ride, and the launch of David Hine and Brian Haberlin’s new fantasy series Sonata.
What will rise? What will fall? Find out next month on…By the Numbers!
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Liked what you read? Let us know here or on Twitter @glenn_matchett & @raygoldfield

By The Numbers: April 2019

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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 several 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! After only getting a 2 day break in between By The Numbers articles, Glenn has gone mad and started attacking random doors with an axe.

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. After only getting a 2 day break in between By The Numbers articles, Ray has gone mad and delayed getting his weekly comics by one hour.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn: Well Ray that’s another article in the bag. Now we can retreat to our private island where we can…what? They’re out already? What madness is this?!!?!?!

Fine! I’m about to become a father of 2, who needs sleep?

Ray: The comic companies are trying to drive us insane! Us and only us! Well, it’s not like you have anything going on right now, right? Nice, calm times.

Glenn: So its April’s turn for sales and while Marvel got a huge market share (double over the next biggest company, DC comics) they had also double the about of comics (Marvel released 106 while DC released 52). The amount of comics coming from Marvel is bridging on insanity and something may have to give though and here it might just be happening…
Ray: Yeah, the market share thing doesn’t even feel like a competition at this point with the amount of content Marvel is putting out. It just makes DC’s win last month more impressive.
Glenn: So predictably the newest Marvel big line wide event War Of The Realms took the top spot at 1 with sales over 187,8k which is the big main event of Jason Aaron’s long running and critically/commercially successful Thor run. This is of course a very impressive number, while I might have thought it would be good for over 200k its not a million miles off. Its a great start BUT the second issue also charted this month 12 (yes 12) selling over 70.7k which is well over half. I had thought that this event after a series of big mis fires on behalf of Marvel in the last few years would have legs and a lot of potential. 70k is very good in this market but not for a comic like this that has a lot of hype, a lot of focus and Marvel’s biggest name writer at the helm. It seems the company has still to fully recover from the Secret Empire debacle. I think Marvel is fortunate this event is only lasting a brief time because of the rapid fire schedule. This is a serious problem that needs addressed yesterday.
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Ray: This is about where I would have expected War of the Realms to debut, spinning out of a popular long-term run. I’ve said on Rabbitt Stew (dong!) that this event reminded me the most of Blackest Night, in that it’s one character’s status quo going global. The first issue numbers are good. The second, disastrous. Secret Empire did an enormous amount of damage, but I think it goes deeper than that. Marvel burned retailers badly on every event following Secret Wars, and the larger the event the more skeptical retailers are. This is far from the only bad news this event brings Marvel this month.
Glenn: A big surprise at 2 is Symbiote Spider-Man, the mini series that goes back to the 80’s where Peter had the alien costume. It seems that Venom popularity is even benefiting Marvel’s most iconic character so we can assume that Absolute Carnage in a few months will put War Of The Realms to shame. Sales over 165.8k are amazing for a retro series by a respectable creative team that deliver but don’t usually attract these numbers. I can definitely foresee Marvel trying to capitalize on the success of this series. Even if by issue 6 this thing is selling like 30k that’ll still be a big win.
Ray: Spider-Man + Venom = $$$$. At this point, Venom is giving Spider-Man a run for his money as Marvel’s most bankable hero, and yeah, Absolute Carnage should be a juggernaut. This mini would have been better if it had the Symbiote trying to convince Spider-Man to eat brains, though.
Glenn: At 3 is the Batman Who Laughs who continues his selling ways with over 103.6k worth of chuckles. What else can be said? 3 issues in a character not even 2 years old is beating a heavily hyped Marvel story that’s been 8 years in the making. No wonder he’s going to be showing up in Batman/Superman and everywhere DC can probably stuff him.
At 4 we have the usual highest selling ongoing in the market with Batm….wait what? *refresh* Erm…*refresh* its….its Immortal Hulk? Shooting up the charts in shocking and near unprecedented fashion, Immortal Hulk sells over 90.3k for…now real reason. The series has been a critical darling and apparently value of early issues are through the roof. Is this finally leading to a spike in sales due to *gasps* quality alone?! It may be a blip but its certainty an odd wrinkle this morning.
Ray: That’s a 37K jump from last month. I do think this comic has real buzz – it’s finally the hit Al Ewing’s deserved for some time – but this isn’t natural growth. Something went on here, and I expect we’ll see it in the 60-65K range next month. Never trust Marvel sales bumps.
Glenn: We return to the nice comforting land of familiarity with 5 and 6 with Batman with issues 69 selling higher than 68 at over 88.6k and 87.1k respectfully. The series continues to very slowly lose steam but it seems that most were wanting to see the conclusion to the Knightmare arc. I think the latest arc was an interesting experiment that wasn’t to everyone’s taste and with the interruption for the Price felt it went on longer than it did. The series will doubtfully rebound soon, especially with King hyping issue 75 like no tomorrow.
Ray: I think we’re likely to see a slow climb per issue as we get to the next big anniversary issue, especially with the way King is hyping the massive status quo change there.
Glenn: At 7 we have the first issue of a new Thanos mini series to capitalize on a certain record breaking movie you may have heard of. Capitilize it does with sales over 81.3k. Its not surprise as Thanos is red hot right now and this series will like perform very well during its duration, this is a big get for newcomer Tini Howard who Marvel seem to be putting a lot of faith in very quickly.
Ray: Obviously, sales on Marvel #1s are suspect when it comes to staying power, but I think Thanos is hot enough right now that it should hold well in the 40K range by the end of the mini. Tini Howard is rising fast and this should get her an ongoing gig sooner rather than later, especially since she just signed an exclusive.
Glenn: Amazing Spider-Man needs a writer, wait, what?
At 8 is the latest issue of Heroes In Crisis which continues to sell despite upsetting everyone and their mother. This issue sells over 79.5k which is an increase on previous issues likely to the fact that it promised answers (which it did give). I’m expecting a boost next month and then nobody to speak of this ever again.
Ray: The most impressive thing about DC’s lineup right now is how many of their books – especially event comics – lock down at a place in the charts and don’t budge. Marvel would kill for this sort of stability.
Glenn: Ninth spot in the top ten is another Web Of Venom one shot Cult Of Carnage which sells over 77.7k and this is interesting for a few reasons. Neither Donny Cates or Ryan Stegman are anywhere near this one and its actually a kinda sequel to a Carnage mini from YEARS ago. The Venom brand is so strong at the moment though that it still performed brilliantly. Further evidence that Absolute Carnage be the event Marvel may actually get a big return on.
Ray: Venom’s name on a book alone seems to guarantee massive sales right now, because this is much higher than the title it spins out of could dream of.
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Glenn: Final spot is the 20th issue of Amazing Spider-Man which sells over 76.9k which outpaces the previous issue which is just outside the top 10 at 11 with sales over 74k. The Hunted storyline has brought some stability to what is usually Marvel’s top book even though it is objectively eye bleedingly awful.
Ray: It feels like the “event” has stabilized this title’s numbers just a bit, and it’s going from this event to the 25th issue reveal. I suspect it’ll hold or increase for a bit – and then crash hard when the multiple events end. 
Glenn: Unless it just goes on like that with faux events never stopping. Tis the Marvel way.
Ray: A nice bump for Detective Comics, coming off the #1000 issue, as it lands two issues selling 66K and 61K at #13 and #14. The anniversary and the Arkham Knight mystery are enough to make it DC’s #2 ongoing, kicking it above Justice League.
Most of the top 25 is taken up by favorite standards including Justice League, Avengers, Venom, Fantastic Four, The Green Lantern, Superman, and Uncanny X-Men. We also get two issues of the Amazing Spider-Man .HU issues, which sell around 52K at #19/20. Clearly retailers don’t see these as part of the main book, just middling tie-ins.
Glenn: Not bad for Spidey spin offs, pretty standard but yeah its very much one of those ‘they’re saying its part of the story but the retailers don’t care none’ cases.
Ray: Venom #13 at #18 sells 51K, which is down 10K from the previous month. This is a War of the Realms tie-in – but it also doesn’t have Donny Cates on board. Cates > giant event comics. It is known.
At #26 comes a whopping 45K in reorders for Detective Comics #1000. The biggest hit in recent memory gets even bigger, and I wouldn’t expect it to disappear from the charts any time soon.
Glenn: No wonder the competition is putting out a 1000th unearned comic of their own. Cause its the number that sells you see, not the legacy.
Ray: Rob Liefeld’s return to Marvel Comics in Major X comes in at #28, selling 43K. This oh-so-90s comic sells a second issue sans Liefeld art at #63 with 28K, about what I’d expect for a second-tier X-spinoff.
Glenn: Liefield isn’t the draw he used to be but its steady enough. I don’t think Major X will be giving Deadpool a sleepless night anytime soon.
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Ray: In their second month, the 18K gap between Spider-Man: City at War and Spider-Man: Life Story narrows to only 5K as Life Story continues to pick up momentum. With them selling 43K and 38K at #29 and #36 respectively, I think we can say these are both hits.
Glenn: Agreed, life story could continue to pick up sales with the acclaim its getting, like a shorter Mr. Miracle.
Ray: Thor basically stays flat from last month, selling 40K at #34 despite being a Loki-centric War of the Realms tie-in. More evidence that this event just isn’t lifting any boats.
Glenn: Yeah, you’d think if any book would be lifted up it would be this one…but no. Oddness.
Ray: At #35 we have the debut of Marvel Team-Up starring Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man, selling just under 40K. This is a decent debut given how Kamala’s regular title sells, but with this comic being an anthology and switching its co-lead and creative team after three issues, I can see this one struggling.
Glenn: I don’t think this will last too long. Without a regular creative team it won’t find its footing. We’ll see if it gets past 12 issues…or even that.
Ray: Now comes a sea of ongoing hit titles, including Flash, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Conan the Barbarian, Daredevil, Deadpool, Justice League Dark, and some Star Wars titles, all settling in the 40K to 32K range. This is the solid middle of the list, but that solid middle gets higher on the list every month. We’re not even at the top 50 and we’re looking at 30K.
Glenn: I really thought War Of The Realms would mess up how the chart broke down…turns out not so much.
Ray: No real bump for the start of Greg Pak’s Age of Rebellion anthology in the Star Wars line, as Princess Leia’s one-shot sells 33K at #45, followed by an Age of Rebellion special selling 29K at #58 and the Grand Moff Tarkin one shot at #65 selling 27K. Carrie Fisher > Peter Cushing.
Glenn: Carrie Fisher>EVERYTHING
Ray: There’s two more Star Wars miniseries launching around this place, with Jody Houser’s Tie Fighter series launching at #54 with sales of 30K, and Galaxy’s Edge by Ethan Sacks selling about 800 copies fewer at #57. We might be reaching Star Wars comic glut. Too much of a good thing from Marvel? Nooooooo, never.
Glenn: The tie fighter one is an odd one. I mean, so many great iconic characters to make comics about and they give one to a nameless tie fighter. It is honestly like they’re testing how far they can push the line.
Ray: We start seeing more War of the Realms tie-ins at this level, with the highest-selling miniseries being War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men at #51, selling just under 32K. This is by the same writer as the main Uncanny title – but sells about 16K less. That’s not good at all.
At #55 selling 30K is the War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery miniseries written by podcast superstars the McElroy brothers. This offbeat road trip comedy seems to be getting the best reviews of any tie-in, so watch for some reorders here. 
#66 brings us War of the Realms: Punisher, which sells 26K. That’s about 4K above the sales of the main Punisher title, so this new direction might have some promise. Duggan’s spin-off Punisher Kill Krew in a few months might improve the character’s fortunes – especially since he seems to be playing a big role in the event.
Glenn: Oh here they are, I wondered. Not great, not dire and certainty just more kaffufle that means Marvel puts out more comics. People are going to be in this for Aaron’s penultimate story I’d say, there’s not going to be much interest in what people only loosely associated to the main story will be getting up to.
Ray: This is where the three newest Spider-spin-offs land, with Miles Morales selling 28K at #61, followed by Superior at #71 and Friendly Neighborhood at #72 both selling 26K. Sustainable numbers, but expect those reorders to come rolling in for Friendly as the buzz continues to grow.
The Magnificent Ms. Marvel basically stays flat from last month’s launch, selling 26K at #73. That’s unheard of for a Marvel book, but I think retailers were just treating it like a continuation of the Wilson run. Whether that was smart, we’ll see in coming months.
For a third straight month, Buffy the Vampire Slayer basically stays flat, selling 24K at #78. That’s less than a 1K drop from the previous issue, so I think we can safely say this is a long-term hit.
At #79 is a very poor debut for War of the Realms: War Scrolls, the anthology miniseries. Clearly these anthologies have been tainted ever since Sally Floyd yelled at Captain America about MySpace, but this has a new Jason Aaron story. The fact that it can’t get above 24K in its first month is shocking.
Glenn: This is downright baffling since it has Aaron’s name on it. It seems that Marvel just can’t get interest in anthologies no matter what. What was that 1000 issue they’re doing going to be again? I forget.
Ray: Don’t worry about Marvel #1000 being an anthology. It’ll sell one copy each of its million covers. 
A great debut at #83 for Ascender, the top Image debut of the month. This spin-off of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s Descender came into its launch with great reviews and a loyal fanbase from the previous volume, so its sales of 23K are likely to be very solid long-term.
Glenn: This is a genius move, its a relaunch but a new series at the same time. This will continue to be one of Image’s top performers.
Ray: Marvel continues selling us comics we already own at #87, as a reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #252 – the debut of the black costume – sells 23K. Clearly, anything Venom is red-hot right now.
The ridiculous yo-yoing of some titles continues as Supergirl loses almost half its sales, going from 32K last month to 19K this month and landing at #94. Puzzling, but order patterns are getting weirder every month.
Glenn: That’s weird for Supergirl, I don’t get it at all. Perhaps retailers don’t like odd numbers as much?
Ray: A nice jump in sales for Naomi, as the Bendis/Walker/Campbell original superhero tale gains over 5K in sales to sell 19K at #97. Picking up steam before its hiatus, maybe?
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Glenn: I think the issue was hyped as having answers so probably additional interest due to that.
Ray: #100 brings us a new Valiant debut, as long-standing cult heroine Punk Mambo – the closest thing the universe has to a John Constantine – gets her first solo series under the pen of horror master Cullen Bunn. It sells 18.7K, a fine debut for aValiant spin-off.

Glenn: That is very good, Bunn might not be a top sales draw but he seems to be high in demand, he’s working at a lot of different places at the moment

Avengers: Edge Of Infinity is the latest movie cash in written by Ralph Macchio selling over 18.k which is slightly better for these things. Retailers were hoping to get a small piece of all that money floating through cinemas worldwide.
Ray: The fact that Marvel keeps Ralph Macchio on hand specifically to write these and only these will never fail to amuse me.
Glenn: Another example of that is the first of this months True Believers, Avengers: Thanos vs Marvel Universe which is at 105 selling over 18.2k This is a very good number for a reprint and retailers will definitely want a cheap option for anyone looking for more Thanos following Endgame.
Ray: This is a little higher than most of the True Believers specials get, so the Endgame tie-in probably did help. Overall, I think people knew these wouldn’t have any real implication for the movie so retailers ordered moderately.
Glenn: New IDW offering, Marvel Adventures Black Panther which sells over 16.3k at 115 which is really good for the company, especially since this is a comic not really aimed for direct market. However, the comic has already hit some delays and there definitely seems to be some scheduling problems with the Marvel Adventures line IDW was putting out. Not sure what’s happening here but they’ll need to get whatever it is under control because these comics are for more casual fans who aren’t willing to wait months and months for their favorite comic unlike lunatics like us.
Ray: Kyle Baker was supposed to be the writer and artist on this, and he was only the writer by the time it came out, and he’s off as writer after one arc. The creative flux on all these titles has been really bad, but I don’t think kids will care.
Glenn: The naughty nude book from BOOM, Faithless is capitalizing on all the Batman Damned controversy by giving writer Brian Azzarello a new adult orientated comic which sells over 16.3k at 117 on its first issue. This is a great number for BOOM, especially since this is not their usual market. Retailers probably ordered on the leftover hype from the watercooler talk Batwang generated, we’ll see if it lasts.
Ray: About 28K is unprecedented for a non-Whedonverse/Power Rangers book at Boom. I put a lot of this down to Brian Azzarello’s name, given how bizarre the book was and how little people knew about it coming in. It’s definitely an experiment that paid off for them. 
Glenn: 2 more True Believers at 121 and 124 selling over 15.6k and 14.6k. I’m surprised the one actually titled ‘Endgame’ didn’t sell more but the ones that actually have Thanos name in them seem to be more desirable. Its not surprising since this is the hottest the character has likely ever been.
A True Believers Star Wars which reprints the final issue of the last Marvel run at 126 sells over 14.5k. There’s an issue coming out soon which is a continuation of this original run so retailers probably wanted to have this in stock in case there was anyone that wanted to catch up. Very good sales for something that really now has no real relevancy apart from that.
More True Believers at 129 and 134, Avengers related things selling over 14k and 13.2k respectively. The second one of these is Avengers Forever which deals with time travel so I thought that might have got more attention for…spoilery reasons but then when retailers had to order these they didn’t know.
At 135 is another Star Wars True Believers reprinting the first issue of Kieran Gillans run I think which is good for sales over 13.1k which is pretty good considering this is not that old of a comic.
About a 9k fall for the second issue of Dial H For Hero which sells over 12.8k at 138, not great at all but given the property I don’t expect DC could have expected much more.
Ray: All the Wonder Comics books besides Young Justice are miniseries, so I don’t think the attrition on any of them will be too bad by the end of the run. They’ll rotate concepts in and out to see what works.
Glenn: Fairlady a new fantasy related comic from Image has a decent debut at 139 selling over 12.7k which is a strong start for an Image book with no named creators.
Ray: This is essentially a hybrid between Fables, Saga, and Sherlock Holmes, so I think the genre mashup was enough to get a lot of people interested in Fairlady.
Glenn: Another decent debut for Star Trek Year Five, which tells the tale of the original casts final year of their five year mission. Its a niche one but still an intereresting one for Trek fans which is good for sales over 12.6k at 140. I hope it explains how they got those awful uniforms in the original movie.
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Ray: That’s a pretty big jump from standard IDW Star Trek comics, probably due to the “in continuity” vibe of this series. Happy for Lanzing, Kelly, and Houser, who are all involved.
Glenn: Faithless shows up again at 142 selling over 12.5k for a nude varient cover. This is usually much better than these things usually do. All together Faithless sold about 28k which is brilliant for a new BOOM title. More nudity for all?
More True Believer at 144 and 146 selling over 12.4 and 12.2k a piece. When they’re this close at this number we’re starting to get into the territory where retailers didn’t want to pass up having cheap comics on stock but didn’t know how many to order.
A new mini for the Dark Horse American Gods adaption selling over 12k which is around where it was before so retailers are just treating this as a direct continuation. This is something built for the bookstore market.
A new Marvel Tales starring the man of the month Thanos which sells over 11.8 at 154 but unlike the True Believers this is 7.99. Even when its uber expensive old comics, people want more Thanos in their lives.
At 157 is Jughead Hunger vs Vampironica, kay. It sells over 11.6 which I’d say is good for something this ludicrous. Its certainty in line with the majority of where Archie’s random ‘out there’ books have been lately.
Ray: Apparently the first issue was a Vampironica issue that retconned everything about the original series, which…seems about right.
Glenn: Section Zero at 169 is a reprint of a successful Kickstarter project from Karl Kesel in monthly form selling over 10.2k. Given that it already had a successful funding campaign and lots of people got it that way this is a pretty good number for those that maybe missed it the first time round.
Ray: Kieron Gillen said that unless you’re a “name” author, 10K is the launch most Image books are shooting for. Given that this burned some of its demand already, that seems like a pretty damn good debut for Kesel and Grummett.
Glenn: At 172 is continuing reorders for the first issue of that Batman Who Laughs who sells over 10.1k additional copies. This book just won’t quit.
A fall to sales over 9.7k for Assassination Nation which places at 174 this month. Still pretty good for a niche creative team for a niche concept. I’d still call this a win.
I could have sworn we had a Xena number one not too long ago but apparently there’s another one at 180 selling over 9.3k. Pretty decent for a property that’s the definition of cult.
Ray: This time it’s Vita Ayala replacing Meredith Finch on the title, and I think this take on Xena has a little more buzz. The property’s been defunct a really long time, though.
Glenn: Just realized we’re below the 10k range and not even out of the top 200. Sad times.
Fancy 3D Mighty Thor sells over 8.k at 191. Yet more ways for Marvel to sell us old comics (7.99 for one issue!!!!!!). This is very much a gimmick and has been treated as a such. Marvel will try to probably do more of these because its a high mark up on old material and hey, its one more comic for them to put out.
At 198 is Bronze Age Boogie which sells over 7.8k from Ahoy Comics. Why does it feel like we’re below 300 already? What’s going on? Is that a bird?
Ray: This is a pretty strong debut for Ahoy with a weird book about time travelers vs. martians. Much like last wave, one of their premieres does much better than the other – and more on that lay-tor.
Glenn: The weird way this month is going at a rapid race continues at 200 with White Widow which sells over 7,7k. Red Giants Comics will be thrilled but I assume most retailers thought this was some sort of Black Widow related thing? The cover which has a sexy spider lady (?!?!?!??!!) doing a pose that Regan from the Exorcist would be proud of usually doesn’t sell this high so yeah…either we’re all going mad or they thought it was a Silk/Spider-Man/Black Widow hybrid or something I guess
Ray: Yeah, my guess is the latest manifestation of Sexy Lady Comics benefited a lot from the name. What will happen first, White Widow vs. Zombie Tramp or a phone call from Disney legal?

The ongoing anthology “Jim Henson’s Storyteller” launches a new volume focused on Sirens at #201, selling 7.5K. This has been one of Boom’s longest-running cult projects, each volume focusing on a different mythological creature.
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At #203 is Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter, the latest supernatural thriller from Aftershock, selling 7.2K. That’s roughly what we see from most mid-level Aftershock books – I think this one benefited from having familiar public domain characters attached.
Glenn: It has a certain League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen appeal in that case for sure.
Ray: Down at #214 is the Rat Queen Swamp Romp special, selling 6.3K. This is mostly notable for being new writer Ryan Ferrier’s debut on the troubled cult title, a rare case of a creator-owned book switching writers.
At #214 is Dick Tracy Forever, the Michael Avon Oeming relaunch of the classic private eye series selling 6.3K. I think this one might have been hurt a bit by coming so soon after the fantastic Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive.
Glenn: For sure because even though Oeming has been out of Marvel for nearly two decades, his recent spotlight at DC should have caught more attention. Will likely do fine in collections and plus…its Dick Tracy so it’ll always have a certain limit of how well it can do.
Ray: 6.1K in reorders for Naomi #1 at #220, as Bendis and Walker’s original series begins to pick up steam.
Glenn: The big reveals are hitting now so there will  be some interest from people that have been hooked as more is known about the character.
Ray: KISS: The End, the latest supernatural take on the classic rock band, sells 6K at #221, proving this will probably not be the end of bizarre KISS comics.
Glenn: It’ll nevah be ovah Ahn Ahnderson!
Ray: A pair of oddball indie books, the horror pawn-shop thriller Electric Black from Scout and the supernatural dream-police adventure Queen of Bad Dreams, sell basically identically at 227/228, selling eight copies apart at 5.7K.
Glenn: Likely just ordered on their concept alone and the similarity in sales is coincidence.
Ray: Lots more reorders, as the second issue of Immortal Hulk gets just under 5.7K at #230 and the second issue of Naomi gets 5.3K at #236.
Oh my God! They killed Rocko! You bastards! At least, I assume so, because Rocko’s Modern Afterlife sells 5.4K at #235. This is a weird cult comic, but it has its fans among 90s kids.
Glenn: This was always one of the odder Cartoon Network offerings so this is for hardcore fans only. I wouldn’t say the company could have expected better.
Ray: Even more reorders as Naomi #3, Return of Wolverine #1, and Doomsday Clock #1 (for roughly the tenth time) get about 5.1K in reorders.
Glenn: Around 2 years later and Doomsday Clock 1 is still selling. This will definitely be a worthy addition to DC’s library when it eventually finishes around the time Tom Holland plays Iron Man in a crazy stunt casting move.
Ray: Another Pixar mini, Incredibles 2: Secret Identities, sells 5K for Dark Horse at #248. Like I said with Frozen, these short three-part minis are likely designed to do swift business as mini-trades in bookstores.
Another new Aftershock comic, Orphan Age from the creator of Moth and Whisper, does just under 4.9K at #251. I continue to be puzzled by Aftershock’s business model, but this comic set in a world where all adults died suddenly seemed to get good reviews.
The beautifully drawn indie comic Ghost tree by Bobby Curnow and Simon Gane debuts at #253, selling 4.8K. IDW still has trouble selling creator-owned books, but look for this one to be a cult hit.
Glenn: IDW seem to do well in collections better than in singles. People will always find quality work eventually.
Ray: A lot more reorders around here, including Die #1 (which is coming for Doomsday Clock in sheer persistence), Shazam #1, Immortal Hulk #12 and #14, and Doomsday Clock #2 all selling around the 4.5K and 4K range, as this odd month continues.
A pair of IDW oversized one-shots sell around this level, with the Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Special selling 4.5K at #259 and the Star Trek Waypoint special selling 4.3K at #266. These are clearly for die-hard fans.
Glenn: The new Ghostbusters movie to come doesn’t seem to be increasing interest in the comics…yet anyway. A new mini or ongoing launching around the time of the film might get some juice.
Ray: 4.2K in orders for the Monster-Sized Chilling Adventures of Sabrina one-shot at #269, making it easy for readers to catch up with a series that will never continue.
Glenn: I missed this one! To eBay!
Ray: The cult Berger Book She Could Fly returns with volume 2, The Lost Pilot, at #270 selling 4.1K. I think this is close to where the original left off, so retailers clearly ordered it as a continuation of the series.
We see Immortal Hulk again, with reorders of #15 (272), #11 (288), and the entire rest of the series getting about 4K to 3.5K in reorders as we exit the top 300. Something is clearly going on with this series, and retailers are ordering accordingly. Great to see a quality series get this push.
Glenn: Marvel haven’t missed this either, the first arc are getting new special editions in the coming months which they haven’t done except for Vision and Marvels. Not bad company to be in.
Ray: The final Curse Words special, Spring Has Sprung, sells 4K at #273 as it reveals the truth of Wizord and Ruby Stitch’s split. This cult series is wrapping up soon and I think all these issues will get a second life in collections.
The Real Ghostbusters special celebrating the property’s 35th anniversary sells 4K at #274, standard for the line. The Extreme Ghostbusters special is down at #282, selling 3.8K
It’s a new Sexy Lady Comic at #278, as good ol’ Zenoscope sells 3.9K for Oz: Heart of Magic #1. Glenn, strike up the Rachel Bloom!
Danger Girl: Dangerous Visions 3D, which is a 3D reprinting of the first issue of J. Scott Campbell’s cult series, sells 3.9K at #279. Because it’s 1995, apparently.
Glenn: They saw Marvel doing 3D comic and thought they best get in on that.
Ray: Some real buzz for an Aftershock title, as Tim Seeley’s Dark Red sells an additional 3.8K for its first issue at #281. Maybe there is room for more than one redneck vampire title?

Glenn: Always room for quality vampires.
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Ray: It’s time for Zenoscope’s second Sexy Lady Comic of the month, this time with more horror! Hellchild: Blood Money sells 3.7K at #289, and that playlist is getting kind of thin…
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call is the low comic on the totem pole for this anniversary event, which surprises not many people, I bet. Its special sells 3.5K at #295.
Glenn: This version of the franchise will never recover from the deserved or undeserved toxic hate it got.
Ray: The Butch Guice-drawn IDW noir thriller Amber Blake sells 3.5K at #296, a pretty miserable debut likely not helped by its oversized magazine-style format.
Glenn: When even After Death struggled due to its unique printing, its surprising that people are still trying it. I get wanting to do something different but I don’t think the direct market is the place for that at the moment sadly.
Ray: It’s almost all reorders as we exit the top 300, with issues of Doomsday Clock sharing space with The Life and Death of Toyo Harad and Heroes in Crisis.
At #309 is the latest Disney miniseries from IDW, Tangled: Hair and Now, selling 3.2K. This is a collection of short stories tying in with the animated series, meaning it’s mainly geared towards young kids and 30-something Jewish nerds from New Jersey. *waves flag*
Glenn: Covering the Ray demographic is important for survival in this current market.
Ray: Udon Comics is always a consistent presence on the lower half of the charts, and they show up again with Street Fighter: Wrestlepalooza at #321, selling 3K.
Glenn: I am almost tempted to Google this to see what the story is with this comic. Almost.
Ray: More reorders of the second and third issues of Die selling around the 3K/#320 mark, indicating consistent long-term interest for this title.
2.8K in reorders for the first issue of Spider-Man: Life Story #1 at #327. I might have expected a bit more, but this feels like it’ll be a slow burn that keeps showing up.
The next notable book is Planet of the Nerds #1 at #333, selling just under 2.6K. This is less than a third of Ahoy Comics’ other launch this month, and Paul Constant’s pop culture satire about time-displaced jocks doesn’t seem to be getting much buzz.
Glenn: The thing is that we’re now living in the Planet of the Nerds so the concept doesn’t seem that far-fetched.
Ray: At #339 is the second issue of Astro Hustle, selling 2.5K as we shuffle it off under the bed next to Border Town. Anyway, moving on…
Glenn: There’s less room under there every month. How is Horace, the By The Numbers Monster supposed to stretch out?!
Ray: A mix of reorders and low-selling creator-owned books for a while, including another cover of White Widow adding 2.4K in sales to that book at #347. I think we’ll be seeing poor unfortunate heroines breaking their backs on the covers for a long time…
Maybe the oddest book Action Lab has put out in a while, the R-rated talking animals thriller set in Feudal Japan, Cold Blood Samurai, debuts at #353 selling 2.3K. We may be reaching peak comics, Glenn.
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Glenn: What a time to be alive.
Ray: The semi-obscure video game comic Obey Me has its official #1 debut at #354, selling 2.3K, but this debut is likely blunted a bit by the fact that it had a full-priced #0 issue last month. That’s almost Marvel numbering!
2.2K in additional sales for the oversized Shredder in Hell #1 Director’s Cut issue at #358, showing some real interest for this mini-event as the comic builds to #100.
Amid a sea of reorders and low-selling ongoings, we get the debut of ersatz X-men ripoff Achilles Inc. from Source Point Press. It sells 2.1K at #363, not getting much buzz due to its derivative concept and unlikable lead – who is essentially a union-buster for superheroes.
American Mythology gives us Moon Maid #1, selling 2.1K. This is not a spin-off of Moon Girl, it is an Edgar Rice Burroughs property.
Glenn: It does sell about the level a Moon Girl spin-off would do to be fair.
Ray: Valiant gets about 2K in reorders for $1 reprints of X-O Manowar and Divinity’s first issues, an effective way to get the word out at #369/#370.
The Lion Forge European translation of Stiletto: Officer Down sells just over 2K at #371, but this and all other Lion Forge comics are obviously in flux due to the upcoming merger with Oni.
It’s mostly Marvel reorders around these parts, but Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion picks up another 1.7K in reorders. The TV series can’t be hurting those sales.
Blood Realm, the dark fantasy series from Alterna, returns with a second volume at #390, selling 1.6K.
Not really a comic, but “Ditko Monsters” a collection of the legendary creator’s most unique and bizarre creations, gets reprinted in an IDW sketchbook this month and picks up 1.6K in sales. Not bad for a $9.99 collection of obscure art.
Glenn: Odd to see on this chart and not the collections but yes…this is fine for what it is. Similar IDW stuff like the artist editions are very much a specialty item.
Ray: Marking our way out of the top #400, it’s 1.5K in reorders for Darth Vader: Dark Visions #1.
It’s odd enough that there’s an ongoing Bettie Page comic from Dynamite, but now there’s a collection of her pinup covers at #403, selling 1.5K.
Glenn: Who wants this stuff?! I know not many people apparently but still.
Ray: The oversized one-shot Giantkillers, which was teased in a zero issue last year, sells 1.4K at #407. Bart Sears has been working on this one for a while, but it didn’t seem to really garner any buzz for its new fantasy mythology.
Remnants of a better time, it’s 1.4K in reorders for Amazing Spider-Man #800 at #408. Lassie come home…
Glenn: We can only hope for a fate akin to Old Yeller.
Ray: Aftershock’s first stand-alone softcover OGN, Replacer, lands at #411 with sales of just under 1.4K. I’ll be honest – I did not know this was coming out. It got little hype, wasn’t listed as a standard comic, and came and went with few reviews despite the strong creative team of Zac Thompson and Arjuna Susini. I think they missed the boat on this one.
Glenn: Another odd entry on the singles chart. This does seem like one that should have done better on paper. Reorders and time will perhaps be its friend?
Ray: American Mythology has a pair of debuts at #424/#426 selling 1.2K, as Zorro and Rocky and Bullwinkle both launch new books. This company mainly seems to fill its lineup with public domain and licensed properties no other company wants.
Glenn: They clearly missed an opportunity to team the three up and get even more sales!
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Ray: I think this is a reorder of a reorder! Immortal Hulk #1 shows up again at #441, picking up 1.1K. This is much less than the other issues, but this one has appeared many times before.
A very odd entry, as the Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons box set sells just under 1.1K at #447. This is a $29.99 box set somehow classified as a single issue. That Rick and Morty, always breaking rules!
Glenn: Good lord. This seems like it should be in the collectables and/or other merchandise section. This seems to me like something to be sold in book stores/board game stores and toy stores.
Ray: Antarctic Press has Houdini: Master Detective at #451, selling just over 1K as this oddball one-shot comes and goes. Pretty standard for a company with no real identity at the moment.
Glenn: Just wait until he hears that Droopy already called the name.
Ray: As we head into the three-digit range, it’s almost all reorders and low-selling creator-owned titles, but this month’s low bar allows some surprises to sneak in. There’s Johnny the Homicidal Maniac #3 from Amaze Ink comics, an indie publisher we never see on the charts, at #472 selling 896 copies. The first issue also sells 760 copies at #491.
#476 brings us Cavewoman: Lost, selling 866 copies. The latest installment of “sexy lady comic with 10,000 covers” knows what it’s going for.
Apparently 813 copies of Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Comics were reordered this month at #483, for those who really felt they missed out on that work of timeless comic brilliance.
It’s April, so it’s that time again – Weed Magic Vol. 3 returns to sell 741 copies at #493 with a cover price of $4.20. Bliss on Tap needs to commit and only print 420 copies next year.
It’s reorders and reprints all the way down after that, and wrapping us up at #500 is the $1 reprint of Paper Girls #1 from Image Firsts, selling 702 copies. So ends another bizarre month down in the depths.
Glenn: Well we thought War Of The Realms might make things interesting but seemingly not so much. Year Of the Villain and Absolute Carnage to the rescue!
Ray: Looking ahead, we assumed Marvel had these few months wrapped up with War of the Realms, but that may not be the case. DC may have a good shot at a great showing this month thanks to the likely #1 book – Last Knight on Earth from Snyder and Capullo. There’ll also be the conclusion of Heroes in Crisis, more Batman Who Laughs and Doomsday Clock, and the launch of Event Leviathan with an oversized one-shot, plus Tom Taylor’s horror miniseries DCeased, a new Batman/TMNT miniseries, and the much-delayed Batman and the Outsiders series.
Marvel has a cavalcade of War of the Realms tie-ins that are looking a lot less exciting to them than they did last month, but they also have the launch of Savage Avengers and the oversized Star Wars #108 continuation of the original series.
It’s like the smaller companies know there’s too much going on from the big two to compete, but look for new Image series from cult creators Brandon Thomas and Ken Garing, and the launch of Angel from Boom, expanding their new Whedonverse line.
What will rise? What will fall? How big a spanking will Last Knight give everything else? Find out next month on…By the Numbers!
Liked What You Read? Let Us Know Here Or On Twitter @Glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield.
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By The Numbers: March 2019

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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 6 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! After watching Avengers: Endgame and The Battle Of Winterfell in the span of two days, he is not emotionally okay.

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.  After watching all of She-Ra: Princesses Of Power in one day and having to wait for more, he is not emotionally okay.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn: So this year so far has been verly quiet and for the most part, March 2019 is the same but this time there’s a good reason. In March of this year, DC published the 1000th issue of their second longest going comic, Detective Comics which everyone wanted to steer clear of. That means of another month of largely the stronger standard titles managing to pull a higher number than usual but there is clearly only one game in town this month.

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So yeah, Detective Comics 1000 was the highest selling comic and its not a shock. With the historical significance, a murderers row of talent and enough variants to drown someone in if it hadn’t been then then there would have been something seriously wrong. With all of that taken into account, DC pulls in sales of over 525k and that’s pretty much what I expected. This is about the same number that Action Comics managed last year and its a big thing for DC to manage that, on a comic that cost $10 to boot. A lot of champagne will be uncorked no doubt and it’ll be some years until another comic reaches this number (without cheating like Deadpool did once upon a time) so it puts Action and Detective in rarefied air which is worth more than any unit number could convey.
Ray: We finally see some excitement atop the charts this month! Yeah, there’s no surprise that Detective Comics #1000 utterly dominates. Even though this comic was essentially an oversized Batman anthology, there’s no question that these anniversaries get a ton of interest for DC. These are numbers you just don’t see anymore. Now they only have to wait *checks* forty years to hit #2000!
Glenn: Back in the land of normal comics that don’t have 80 years of build, the spin off to the mega successful Batman Who Laughs starring a new evil Batman in the Grim Knight also does brilliant numbers selling over 133.6k at 2 this month. This is a comic that actually outsells some of the main mini which is crazy to think about because spin offs from mini’s rarely do any business at all. Of course this has top creators involved but this concept first seen in Metal just seems to keep on giving. Its no shock that DC has not only extended the Batman Who Laughs mini by another issue but is heavily involving him in a new version of the Secret Six later this year.
Ray: Yeah, this number is actually in line with the second issue of the series, which is amazing. I’d be surprised if Batisher doesn’t escape this miniseries now, because he’s a fan-favorite villain too. And DC is hopefully going to get the most they can out of the Batman who Laughs without overusing him and losing the impact.
Glenn: It took me a moment to figure out Batisher, me brain no longer work good.
At third is the much delayed Doomsday Clock which is so great that we all seem to be willing to let it come out at its own pace if the sales of over 120k is any indication. We have only 3 issues to go now and its safe to say this one will end up in the six figure mark quite safely as it concludes, despite what some detractors might say about it, it seems Doomsday Clock has been a massive success. Sure we would like it a lot quicker but hey got to keep the spirit of the original alive right?
Ray: Doomsday Clock’s delays are getting worse and worse, but it doesn’t seem to matter. These are essentially staying flat from issue to issue, even with two to three months between issues. Very similar to what we saw with Dark Knight III.
Glenn: More Batman at 4 and 5 with the newest issues of Tom King’s best selling run selling over 84.4k for issue 67 and 83.1 for issue 66. Why 67 sold marginally more could mean that this is what Batman’s base level is (which is stellar and nothing is close to it on a regular basis) or extra people checking out the sequel to the ridiculously brilliant Batman/Elmer Fudd by King and Lee Weeks. Either way, Batman may have slowed down but there’s still no concerns.
Ray: This is probably the low end of what Batman’s going to sell in the coming months, as the Knightmares arc is about to end and the war with Bane will be ramping up. Expect big sales for Batman #75 in July, well over 100K as King takes Batman’s life to the woodshed again.
Glenn: He only hurts him because he loves him.
The remarkably steady Heroes In Crisis sells over 78.5k for its 7th issue at spot 6. Despite some serious fan backlash over the contents (some of which has gone so far to threaten death on writer to Tom King which is beyond stupid and disgusting) the series has performed steadily sales wise. Its perhaps not the mega blockbuster DC wanted but its been a strong steady performer. I would say the upcoming DCeased will deliver similar numbers.
Ray: Heroes in Crisis has set the internet on fire like nothing since Hydra Cap, but unlike that offensive disaster of a miniseries, Heroes in Crisis has leveled out pretty well. It’s not the sales hit they were hoping for, but it’s a modest success. The less we say about those ignorant chodes who threatened King, the better.
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Glenn: I have no clue what a chode is, sounds tasty.
While DC sweeps the top 6, Marvel finally nudges into the top ten with the ever reliable Amazing Spider-Man at spots 7 and 8 with issues 17 and 18 selling over 78.k and 74.4k respectively. Its the start of the much hyped mini Spidey event ‘Hunted’ and the sales as usual for the book are their modern day pattern if very good but unspectacular. Weighed against the sales of Dan Slott’s major Spidey stories, Hunted falls short but Amazing continues to be Marvel’s default ongoing in lieu of any new launches or events. Next month we have the start of War Of The Realms which is going to play havoc on the charts most likely so we’ll see how Amazing settles then.
Ray: It’s definitely the calm before the storm for Marvel, as War of the Realms descends next month to likely win the next three months of sales. These are decent sales for Hunted, but not much above what ASM was slowly sinking to. This isn’t an event, and the sales of the first .HU issue (#18, 52.9K) bear that out. Retailers aren’t treating the villains one-shots like the main series even with the branding.
Glenn: The 18.HU issue could be an indicator of how Black Cat launches in the coming months, that wouldn’t be a bad launch for her ‘ongoing’ but it would have to level out swiftly.
Big surprise at 9 with Spider-Man: City At War which is tying into the very wel received video game from last year selling over 72.2k. For years we’ve been talking about how video game tie-ins don’t sell but here we are. Even the super popular Arkham games didn’t ever deliver a performance like this. I’m not expecting it to hold next month but its something that goes against trends in the right way which is always a positive thing.
Ray: This is a highly impressive number for City at War, and I suspect there might have been some targeted ordering for video game stores. This is a great debut and sets it up to be a success over the course of a run. A huge win for Dennis Hallum – no wonder he found hope.
Glenn: Last in the top ten is DC’s second highest selling regular ongoing in Justice League which starts a new story in issue 20 which warrants sales of over 64.6k while the previous issue is at 12 with sales 57.7k. Its a lot lower than when Geoff Johns is on the book and much lower than what you would expect from a Snyder book but as the run gains momentum and seems to be becoming the main fixture of how the next big chapter in DC (Year Of The Villain) gets started it’ll do fine. It could be doing a lot better and on paper it should be but it’ll likely rebound to better numbers now and again much like Batman does.
Ray: The increase for the new storyline is for Snyder’s return for the big 6th Dimension story which sets up Year of the Villain, so it seems this book does fluctuate a bit with the stories. This is going to be the centerpiece title of the next year of stories, so expect numbers to slowly go up.
Glenn: Its interesting that in the top ten with not much else happening (again War Of The Realms is coming) that basically Marvel vs DC’s battle at the top is becoming Spider-Man vs Batman with the former pulling out the win. Of the top ten, four feature Batman (the other 3 books DC has in the top ten meanwhile still has him in a prominent and/or leading role) and the other 3 spots are Spider-Man titles. Again its no surprise the onslaught of Batman titles or books featuring the character prominently are slowing down and we’re getting so damn many Spider-Man books. Its not an easy market for anyone and the big two are hedging their bets on the two character that always deliver…for the moment anyway. Batman’s held his spot as a top performer for DC for over a decade where Spider-Man pops in an out. Will things change? Time will tell…

Ray:  Batman is bulletproof like no character we’ve ever seen, and Spider-man is close but no cigar. I think the most impressive thing this month is how DC won the month in overall market share, unheard of and largely due to the success of one comic – despite Marvel releasing about 25 more books. 

At #13 is a bizarre entry, as the Incredible Hulk #181 fascimile edition sells #56K to land just outside the top ten. This is essentially a $3.99 True Believers edition with a fancier cover, so that’s a lot of free money for Marvel. Question is, why did this do so well? There weren’t any Hulk or Wolverine movies out in March.
Glenn:  I think its a case of the comics significance driving up orders. A lot of people know the value on this one and its one of Marvels most frequently reprinted so retailers likely ordered it on its pedigree alone.
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Ray:  At #14 selling 54K is Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History, the latest spin-off from Donny Cates’ hit new antihero. Focusing on Frank visiting his family in time and telling them weird stories that retcon him into Marvel history, it’s an odd comic – but the character’s buzz is enough to make it a big hit. I guess retailers are betting Donny Cates isn’t all CGR has going for him, but we’ll see in coming months.
Glenn: This is very fast for a character who’s caught on to be thrust out on his own (DC waited nearly a year on the Batman Who Laughs) so this is interesting. The character definitely has legs on first impression but when people realize Cates isn’t involved here I expect sales to drop swiftly. Hopefully Marvel don’t overplay it too rapidly.
Ray: A book that might have been under-ordered is Spider-Man: Life Story at #15. Selling 54K, this Zdarsky/Bagley alternate universe that ages Spider-Man in real time has gotten some of the best reviews for a Marvel Comic in years. That it was outsold by City at War surprises me, but I think this one will wind up doing a lot better as a collected edition. It feels like a Marvel classic in the making.
Glenn: I feel that this one is going to fly under the radar and like Vision is going to be one that is looked back on as a potential modern classic. I definitely think we’ll see reorders and some fast stabilization here.
Ray: Amid the regular suspects that make up the top-tier books in the 60K to 40K range – including Venom, Fantastic Four, Uncanny X-Men, Avengers, Superman, The Green Lantern, Thor, and Guardians of the Galaxy – there’s a few surprising sales jumps. Immortal Hulk ships two issues this month, with the first selling 45K at #27 and the second selling 53K at #17. This is a book that’s been building momentum for a while, but this is unexpected and doesn’t have an obvious explanation.
Glenn: A well received run picking up steam sales wise? Its a crazy idea but it happens.
Ray: A very good sign for Daredevil is its jump from #2 last month to #3 this month, increasing a full 16K in sales to sell 51K at #19. This might have been a case of retailers missing the boat on how much Zdarsky would lift this title.
Glenn:  Hope so, we’ll see how we go next month.
Ray: The latest Vader miniseries, the anthology Dark Visions, lands at #26 with sales of 46K. The mini after this has already been announced, so it seems like Marvel’s just going to keep Vader in miniseries as long as he sells. This is far from a great number, but not low enough to change that strategy.
Glenn: We are now a long way away from the height of sales that the original Marvel Vader series had. Since a rotating series of mini’s probably fits the character more, this is likely just the world Marvel will have to accept. I would wager anything Vader related does well in collections, he’s still the saga’s best known and most popular villain
Ray: A strange DC bump goes to Harley Quinn, which sold 36K last month and 43K this month at #28. Similar results for Catwoman, which gains 10K in sales to land at #29 with sales of 43K. No events in either of these books, so I’m wondering if it could be a bounce for Women’s History Month?
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Glenn:  Good spot, we’ll see next month.
Ray: Walking Dead continues to slide, selling 43K at #30, but the next big event apparently hit in #191 and went back for reorders, so look for some movement from this book in May.
Conan the Barbarian basically holds flat from last month, gaining a few hundred copies to land at #35 with sales of #39K. That puts it around the level of Flash, Shazam, and the main Star Wars book at the moment, so I think we can safely call that a hit for Marvel.
Gail Simone’s Domino relaunches with a miniseries branded “Hotshots” and gets a hefty first-issue bump in the process. It sells just under 35K at #43, more than a 100% jump from the last regular issue. Retailers ordered this like a first issue, which is unexpected. It’ll likely assume standard sales next month, but it’s given this quality book a second life.
Oddly, Wonder Woman loses all of the 10K bump it got last month, with its two issues this month selling 35K and 33K at #42 and #47. There’s a lot of odd math games this month. Again, and this time it’s not just Marvel playing!
Young Justice also stays pretty solid, losing only 2K with its third issue to sell 35K at #46. Not exactly what DC was hoping for, I’m sure, but it’s a lot more consistent than any Titans-branded books have been in years.
Another dramatic jump in sales, this time for Invaders which sold 19K last month and 33K this month at #49. A quality book that deserves more sales, but this is just weird.
Glenn: In a month with not much going on, perhaps retailers decided to mess with us. Yes I’m saying a group of hundreds of retailers across America are purposely trying to mess with me and Ray using their ordering power to do so.
Ray: #51 brings us the third Conan series, this one minus Conan! Belit, Queen of the Black Coast launches with 33K in sales, not bad for a supporting character who’s never appeared in Marvel Comics before. She was mentioned in Avengers: No Road Home, which might have helped these sales.
Glenn:  We’ll see how this one settles out but given Marvels went all in very quickly with 3 Conan/Conan related books, 33k is still very good. Dark Horse hasn’t seen Conan sales like this in years and it seems it was worth the properties time moving house.
Ray: Supergirl is the next beneficiary of this month’s strange yo-yo sales, as it goes from just under 20K sales last month to over 32K this month at #52. Again, this is mid-storyline with no real event, so it’s inexplicable – but I’m always happy to see Supergirl sell better.
Worth noting that three recently-launched side Spider-books have all settled down around the same number, with Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Superior Spider-Man, and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man all selling between 30K and 29K of their fourth issues at #56, #61, and #62 respectively. Respectable numbers, but none are really catching fire yet. Watch FNSM for coming events to get reorders, though.
The last two Age of Republic one-shots land this month, with General Grievous selling 30K at #60 and Padme Amidala selling 26K at #71. Evil droids > Natalie Portman. Noted, comic market, noted.
Glenn:  Cool lightsaber dude>Skywalker twins mom is probably more accurate.
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Ray: We also get the final two Age of X-Man launches, as Bishop-centric Prisoner X lands at #63 with sales of 29K and free-love Apocalypse and the X-Tracts pulls just under 28K at #66. Pretty standard for a mini-event that really hasn’t caught on.
#67 brings the one-shot Uncanny X-Men: Winter’s End selling 27K. This is really a case of good branding, because this isn’t an Uncanny X-Men book at all – it’s an oversized epilogue to Sina Grace’s Iceman book, which typically sold under 10K. Clever, Marvel.
Glenn: Got to respect the ingenuity.
Ray: Some characters just don’t sell well in singles. Ms. Marvel isn’t quite Squirrel Girl or Moon Girl levels, but the debut sales of The Magnificent Marvel – 27.7K at #68 – are far from inspiring for Saladin Ahmed’s debut issue. This is just a fraction of the overall sales, but it’s still a surprise given that this is a major creative team shift.
Glenn: Maybe because G. Willow Wilson is so closely associated with the character some were wary? Kamala is a big hit outside the direct market as you indicate but now she’s going to be written by others exclusively, it’ll be interesting how she fares. Will it just be the initial Wilson stories that people keep going back to or is the character strong enough to endure?
Ray: Buffy the Vampire Slayer stays rock-solid once again, gaining another 1K in sales to land at #76 with 25K sales. This will likely keep going up with the arrival of Angel and next issue’s big twist.
Glenn: I’m thinking an upswing for issue 4 and certainty some reorders for those that couldn’t see the blunt hammer hints indicating what was coming.
Ray: Speaking of iconic girl-power heroes, a good debut for Archie with the launch of Kelly Thompson’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Archie books usually struggle in singles, so 25K at #78 is impressive and likely down to Thompson’s fast-rising star power. I’m just sad this is only a miniseries, and Archie probably will be too. Sabrina Meets Nancy Drew when?
Glenn: It could always get extended, its happened before.
Ray: Amid a lot of mid-level books for DC and Marvel, there’s a hit for Valiant mixed in. The Life and Death of Toyo Harada is a miniseries tying up the story of one of Valiant’s biggest characters and bringing back original Valiant relaunch creator Joshua Dysart. Sales of 23K at #84 indicates Valiant’s expecting more buzz here than the usual.
#88 brings the Marvel miniseries Meet the Skrulls, a pastiche of The Americans, Vision, and Secret Invasion designed to tie in with the release of Captain Marvel. With no real hype behind it, it only manages just under 22K in sales.
Glenn: The solicitation gave me a big King Vision vibe which I’m sure wasn’t an accident. It doesn’t seem that many took the bait, a mini featuring a villainous alien race with no connection to any main book was always going to be a hard sell.
Ray: Another disappointing debut for the last book in the first wave of Wonder Comics, as Dial H for Hero sells 21.8K at #89. This line has been of excellent quality, but with limited name recognition for the other books they’ve run into sales issues. We’ll see what Bendis and Co. has cooking for the second wave once the miniseries end.
Glenn: I didn’t expect Young Animal to get another go so anything is possible, clearly that line was selling enough somewhere for DC to give it another go and I think this line is delivering similar if not better results and has a better mass market appeal.
Ray: IDW relaunches the Transformers franchise with a new creative team at #90, selling 21.7K. Decent numbers for an IDW licensed property, but the days when this franchise was IDW’s dominant one are long gone.
A solid Image debut for the post-apocalyptic thriller Little Bird, which manages to sell 19.8K at #94. This book didn’t have any name creators attached, but Image put a lot of promotional hype on it – enough to make it the third-highest seller of the month for them.
Glenn: The creative team are probably thrilled, there’s been a lot of surprises from Image like this recently so good for them.
Ray: #100 brings us the one-shot Firefly: Bad Company, which sells 19K as it expands on the backstory of a major Firefly supporting character. Not bad for a $7.99 comic as the main series takes a month off in between arcs.
Glenn: Much like the swap for Conan seems to have done the franchise the world of good unit wise, Firefly and Buffy/Angel seem to have given the franchises a bit of a boost and delivered brilliant results from BOOM. 
Although its performing how a seemingly random mini performs and usually wouldn’t be worth of note the mere existence of the Black Order mini at 111 selling over 17.3k makes a ton more sense after Endgame. People looking for Thanos related stuff will pick this up in trade so even though its not one that will be noted in any way it may earn its keep that way.
Ray: This mini really seems to have come and gone without notice, especially considering how little a role the Black Order played in Endgame.
Glenn: The MARVELS annotated mini’s second issue delivers sales over 16.4k which is brilliant for something priced at 7.99 that has been in easy to get collections for years and years. Marvel are the masters of making money off stuff they have already made money on.
Light hearted murderfest Assassin Nation from Kyle Starks and Erica Henderson debuts from Image at 119 with sales over 15.7 which is a respectable launch that I’d expect from creators who certainty have their fanbases, This type of hyper violent comedy drama has its own niche which can pay off if done well and this one seems to have hit a cord.
Ray: Neither Kyle Starks nor Erica Henderson really has much sales pull in the direct market, so this is a pretty great debut. The second top Image debut of the month, impressive for a comic that didn’t seem to get much hype.
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Glenn: Mark Millar’s newest Image offering, Shakey Bounty Hunter has its second issue this month selling over 15.1k at 122 which is about half of the issue 1 sales. There seems to be a new odd trend with Millar’s latest Image books where on paper given the artists he can have they should sell more than they are. I’m not sure if its the market or people trade waiting for his stuff or waiting for the inevitable adaption or a mix of all 3. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good sales for an Image book but Bianchi’s name alone used to pull in like sales of 50-70k minimum. I may be overthinking it.
Ray: It’s been a while since Bianchi did interiors too, so they might not have the sales pull of many Millar creators anymore.
Glenn: Marvel Rising, the all ages comic based on the cartoon based on DC’s Super Hero Girls debuts a new comic at 125 with sales over 15k which is very good for this sort of thing. I do think comics like this should be cheaper for parents and/or younger readers but for direct market sales thats very good. This comic of course will do its main business elsewhere much like Ms. Marvels main series and other things.
Ray: Marvel Rising as a whole doesn’t seem to have quite captured the media attention of DC Super Hero Girls either. Of course, the latter just rebooted, so that fight is wide open again.
Glenn: The good news for controversial DC mini series Female Furies at 130 is that it only loses 13k in its 2nd issue but the bad news is that it didn’t have the initial numbers to take that hit and its now selling over 13.5k. DC was hoping to ride off the mega successful Mr. Miracle here but this one will likely be shuffled into the corner hoping people don’t talk about it much.
Only a slight drop for Hit-Girl season 2 2nd issue, only losing about 2k of sales at 134 with sales over 13.3k. The murderous little girl has seen better days sales wise but a fast stabilization is always a positive, maybe Smith’s involvement in Detective 1k helped?
Another one finding its level quickly is the new take on Red Sonja which lands at 135 selling over 13.2k. This is a good 5k or so better than most Red Sonja books so I think Dynamite can safely call this a win.
Greg Pak’s Ronin Island launches from BOOM this month selling over 13.1k at 138. This is another solid performance from a good book and its likely due to Pak’s name but I am getting some serious Avatar (not the one getting its ass kicked by Avenger’s Endgame) vibes so since that series has a verly decent fanbase, this one could be a sleeper hit in singles and collections.
Ray: Pak’s really been riding a hot streak recently between Firefly and his Marvel work. It seems to have translated to his creator-owned work – which it didn’t for his equally brilliant Mech Cadet Yu last year. A good sign for Boom.
Glenn: Its the return of the Goon from Albatross Press selling 147 at 12.k. This is a long running character with his own set audience so retailers likely know what to expect out of it, they know its not going to deliver them any big returns after all this time.
Ray: That’s well above the level I’ve seen Albatross Funnybooks get before, so The Goon clearly has some loyal fans left from its Dark Horse days. There’s a crossover with wizard-pug comedy Grumble coming soon.
Glenn: A new creator owned series by G. Willow Wilson at 149 selling over 12k from Dark Horse in the form of Invisible Kingdom is a bit of an under performer. Certainty Wilson could arguably be one of the most important creators of the 21st century due to her work on Ms. Marvel and she is now doing work for DC as well. However she hasn’t had a creator owned series since the long ago Vertigo series Air so like retailers may not know how to treat Ms. Marvel without Wilson they may not know how to treat Wilson without Ms. Marvel. Dark Horse these days are a mixed bad however with most of their top creators only managing to do around these numbers anyway.
Ray: This is a little above what we usually see Berger Books do, so the one-two creative punch of Wilson and Ward helped. Most of these titles seem aimed at the bookstore market, though.
Glenn: To emphasize my point, at 151 is the latest Black Hammer mini, Black Hammer 45 by mad scientist creator Jeff Lemire which sells over 11.5k which is perfectly in line with the rest of the line pretty much. Dark Horse must be thrilled with these so far due how many of these we’re getting. Watch for Justice League/Black Hammer to overperform in a few months and get a whole set of new eyes on this brilliant universe.
Ray: At this point, I think retailers are largely ordering Black Hammer books very consistently, almost never dropping their orders and giving spin-offs the same rope as the main series. Expect it to keep going up as the line gains buzz and the adaptation nears.
Glenn: At 154 is Rick and Morty Presents Jerry which sells over 11.4k. The franchise is definitely one that seems to be keeping the lights on at Oni due to its very passionate fan base. I do not for the record know who Jerry is.
Ray: It’s not quite a mop and it’s not quite a puppet.
Glenn: A multi year delay seems to have not been kind to Image creator owned series Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark who bring the series back with a 7.99 one shot this month at 154 selling over 11.3k. The fans likely have moved on and are willing now to wait for a collection I’d say.
Ray: I don’t know that the title was selling much higher before its long hiatus – Lazarus was always critically acclaimed, but its slow pace didn’t lend itself to single-issue sales.
Glenn: At 156 is the Spider-Man: Far From Home Prelude which sells over 11.1k to those that needed reminded what happened in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Ray: 11.1K suckers!!!!
Glenn: Reorders for Captain Marvel 1 keep happening and its nearly the same amount as last month with over 10.7k at 161 which is great for the character who’s had a rough few years comic wise.
More retro Marvel comics to celebrate an anniversary of some sort in the form of Ziggy Pig Silly Seal at 164 selling over 10.2k which I think makes this the lowest selling of the bunch but when its a comic called Ziggy Pig Silly Seal I think you can take what you can get, especially if you’re charging 4.99 for it.
Ray: Shockingly, no one wanted a continuation of a random weird subplot from an issue of the current Deadpool run about homicidal pigs.
Glenn: New Aftershock title Dark Red debuts at 177 selling over 8.6k which is pretty standard for their launches. Again this is despite the involvement in a top talent in Tim Seeley, the Aftershock mystery continues.
Ray: This is not the redneck vampire comic you are looking for. *waves hand* Bad time to debut this concept, and Aftershock’s struggles continue.
Glenn: Although it had a respectable launch last month, DC/Vertigo’s High Level has crashed in its second issue with sales over 8.1k at 183, don’t get attached to this one folks.

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Ray: A new Dungeons and Dragons miniseries, “A Darkened Wish“, launches from IDW at #191 with 7.6K. This is one of IDW’s most durable franchises, but never a top seller. 

Speaking of IDW, an odd entry at #192 as they debut their comic spin-off of the Netflix original GLOW from Tini Howard, selling 7.6K. This is a show where much of the appeal is the acting, chemistry, and fight choreography – none of which are things that will translate to the comic, so I’m not surprised it struggled.
Glenn: In terms of Netflix shows I’d consider GLOW to have a very niche cult fanbase that I don’t see extending to have interest in other media. I can see it for Stranger Things for sure (and we have) but not GLOW…you should all watch the show though, its great.
Ray: 7.4K in reorders for Guardians of the Galaxy #1 at #195. Given all the reorders this month, I can’t be sure which volume of GOTG this was.
Glenn: Lets go with the very first version for lolz.
Ray: 7.2K in sales for the latest Marvel Super Hero Adventures one-shot, “Spider-Sense of Adventure” at #199. This is essentially a monthly series of short kid-friendly storied (with brilliant newspaper comic parodies by Ty Templeton), but by renumbering it every month it never loses sales.
Glenn: Its genius!
Ray: Marvel continues selling us the same comics at higher prices with Marvel Tales: Thor, a $7.99 collection of classic Thor stories which sells 7.2K at #200.
After a lot of low-selling indie books at this level, we get a new debut with Dynamite’s The Six Million Dollar Man #1, which sells 5.9K at #216. This had Marvel creator Christopher Hastings (Gwenpool, Secret Agent Deadpool) on board, but the character isn’t particularly relevant to current readers. This is typical “Dynamite throws a license at no one in particular” numbers.
Glenn: The franchise is wellllll beyond its best years which weren’t that great to begin with. Besides people have mined this idea to death but with different names so there’s plenty of better tales with a similar premise out there.
Ray: #222 brings us the launch of Dark Horse’s second Frozen miniseries, Reunion Road. Unlike the previous Joe Books Frozen title, these are more plot-driven and are released in quick three-issue minis – making them easy to collect in small trades. #5.6K isn’t great sales for a franchise this big, but it’ll find its audience in bookstores where kids actually go.
Solicits indicate that Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur may be ending soon, and we’ll find out in the coming weeks when solicits arrive. The question is, how low will single issues go before then? This month it’s at #225 selling 5.5K.
#232 brings us the official mascot of By the Numbers, Zombie Tramp! The latest issue sells 5.7K, but there’s three other covers in the top 500 lower down selling 1.7-1.6 at 333, 334, and 339. That actually puts Zombie Tramp over 10K for the month. I like saying Zombie Tramp.
Glenn: Zombie Tramp!
Ray: A new season of Riverdale means a new season of the tie-in comic, and Riverdale Season 3 #1 sells 4.8K at #240. These are digital-first short stories and aren’t too far off from the other books in Archie’s new line, so they’re probably pretty happy. Let’s hope so, or the Gargoyle King will get us.
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Mags Visaggio’s new 80’s-set teen thriller “Morning in America” debuts with 4.8K in sales from Oni at #241. We’ve talked about how Oni has trouble selling in singles, and as we wrote this column it was announced that they’re merging with fellow troubled publisher Lion Forge. Whether it works out, we’ll see – but they’ve already gotten a lot of blowback from the number of people let go immediately.
Glenn: It makes sense for two small publishers to partner up but it really sucks that people are losing their jobs over it. Let us hope they find elsewhere, its a rough industry and a rougher economy.
Ray: #243 brings us the debut of a comic called Astro Hustle, selling 4.7K. This comic won’t finish, due to scumbag reasons, and that’s all we’ll say about it.
Scout Comics has a strong debut from master Italian writer-artist Don Aguillo titled Rise, which lands at #251 with just under 4.4K. That’s higher than Scout’s average debut, so I put this down to Aguillo having a quiet but existing fanbase over here.
Another iffy debut from Mags Visaggio at #252, as her Dark Horse monster-hunter comic Calamity Kate only sells 4.3K. Visaggio gets a lot of critical buzz for her offbeat and experimental storytelling, but it hasn’t quite resulted in sales yet.
Glenn: Mags is one of those writers that just needs the right property or book to just explode to the top. Prior to God Country/Venom there were a lot of Donny Cates stories out there no one knew about that companies are now reprinting or rescuing from years in drawers. Give her a few years.
Ray: A spin-off from the currently running Star Trek Discovery series, focusing on Captain Saru, lands at #255 from IDW with sales of 4.1K. IDW’s retooling their Star Trek line soon with higher-profile series, so we’ll see if it pays off in sales.
Glenn: Poor Saru constantly plays second fiddle on Discovery and never quite gets to be the Captain of his own ship. Hopefully in this series he’ll get some much deserved attention.
Ray: Another low-selling Dark Horse debut at #257 in Bad Luck Chuck, and this noir comic about a young woman who farms out her bad luck didn’t have the name creators of other launches. 4K in sales is about what’s to be expected.
Glenn: I wish I could farm out my bad luck, my garden be plentiful.
Ray: A $7.99 Steven Universe one-shot, Fusion Frenzy, sells 3.8K from Boom at #260. These cartoon-based comics aren’t meant for the direct market, but they have a small but loyal audience.
You remember Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons? It apparently has a director’s cut that gets another 3.7K in sales at #263.
Glenn: Keeping the lights on at Oni but sadly not saving the jobs of many people who shouldn’t have lost them in the upcoming joint venture with Lion Forge.
Ray: Udon Entertainment makes an appearance on the charts with Street Fighter: Menat, a spin-off of the popular video game series selling 3.6K at #264. This is basically where this company lives, selling to a loyal audience of video game fans.
Much like Steven Universe but with much larger fans, Boom’s latest WWE Wrestlemania $7.99 special sells 3.5K at #269. Boom keeps putting these specials out, so they must be happy with the sales.
#270 brings us the latest sexy fairy tale from Zenoscope, Gretel, selling 3.5K. Glenn, strike up the Rachel Bloom!
#276 brings us a new comic I’ve never heard of, Neon Future #1, from a company I’ve never heard of, Impact Theory Comics. It sells 3.4K, and it seems like we get new companies on this list every time. Our source can’t keep up!
Glenn: Really they’ll just be thrilled to be here as they should.
Ray: IDW acquired the rights to the old-school Image book The Maxx to publish a crossover with Batman, and they release a lot of the surreal 90’s book’s old material in a 100-page giant this month. It sells 3.2K at #283, proving not only Marvel can sell us old comics.
The video game tie-in comic Obey Me #0 sells 3.1K at #285 from Dynamite. This isn’t a big-name game franchise like Gears of War or Starcraft, so the low numbers aren’t a surprise. I’ve never heard of it.
Glenn: Me either, the title makes it sound like its for a very specific audience who care for the works of E.L James.
Ray: Another original title from Scout Comics, Star Bastard, sells 2.9K at #290. No big creative team attached, and this title about the worst person in the galaxy and his misadventures is pretty clearly geared towards mature audiences. Adults-only books always sell a little lower.
Glenn: Deadpool meets Star Lord I guess? There’s certainty a market for these things but I think you have to present it or publicize it the right way.
Ray: Lots of reorders this month around this level, with close to 2.6-2.3K in reorders for Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion, Die (which is constantly getting reorders), Middlewest, Conan the Barbarian, and Daredevil’s new series. All of these books have been getting pretty decent buzz.
The #300 book this month is the latest issue of Gunning for Hits, selling 2.6K. Would be a decent book to end on…but alas, we soldier on into the depths.
Glenn: You go first, I’m scared.
Ray: 30 Days of Night, which was a huge sensation back in the early 2000s, gets a reprint of the acclaimed original miniseries in another IDW 100-page giant. It sells 2.2K at #312. Could vampires be making a comeback against those zombies?
Glenn: Having a movie adaption maybe helps? I think 30 Days is one of those quietly consistent performers based on in it having a fantastic premise that’s easy to explain. Its one of those things people will always come back to.
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Ray: The $4.99 anthology “Femme Magnifique: 10 Women Who Changed the World” lands at #320 from IDW, selling seven copies under 2K. A biographical comic anthology is never going to be a top seller, but at only $4.99 it’s another piece of evidence of how IDW’s non-licensed books sell.
One of Scout’s earliest titles, Once Our Land, returns for a second volume at #329, selling 1.83K. I didn’t read this one when it first came out, but this is likely a book with a loyal but small audience.
Amid reorders of things like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Batman Who Laughs, we get this month’s winner for the most bizarre title of the month. It’s Fartnite, from often-bizarre publisher Keenspot. Flatulence-based parodies of popular video games apparently sell 1.8K at #331. I got nothing.
Glenn: Going for that Vince McMahon humour.
Ray: The latest Aspen Visions one-shot, Soulfire: Heart of Eternity, sells just under 1.8K at #332. Aspen keeps on trucking, even though I haven’t heard someone talk about it in years.
Glenn: They’ll have a loyal dedicated audience that will seemingly always come back and likely the company realizes that and is now set up to cater to that level without much drawback.
Ray: An oversized anthology from IDW, Synergy: Hasbro Creators Showcase, sells 1.5K at #343. These are characters like GI Joe and Transformers that sell much better in single issues, but the anthology seems to have slipped completely under the radar.
Glenn: Its probably because at this point, many of the main franchises are so far removed from being known as extensions of toy lines that the two don’t connect in peoples mind much.
Ray: Now here’s where we get into some strange territory, as a lot of companies – but mostly Marvel – make so many reorders that it starts to feel like inventory dumping again. Case in point – reorders of Inhumans Prime (#340, 1.6K) and X-Men Prime (#365, 1.3K). These are the follow-up one-shots from the long-forgotten event Inhumans vs. X-Men. Why would people want these comics now? This is like three relaunches ago!
Glenn: Its another slow month where normally these stock dumps escape notice but that’s why we’re here to suffer.
Ray: #345 brings us the latest oddly named Aardvark-themed comic from a guy who we don’t talk about anymore, selling 1.5K. It’s depressing how many redacted entries we have these days.
Glenn: It is. It makes me so grateful for the vast amount of lovely creators who manage to go days, weeks, years and a whole lifetime without being complete dicks.
Ray: Lots more reorders around this level, including issues of Spider-Gwen, Weapon X, Spider-Men II, Invincible Iron Man, and something called Rick and Morty presents Sleepy Gary. ‘Kay.
Glenn:  I choose to believe we know Sleepy Gary, he’s a charming Canadian fellow.
Ray: At #362 is a new creator-owned book from Cave Pictures Publishing, The Blessed Machine #1. This post-apocalyptic AI thriller from Mark Rodgers and Jesse Hamm is the first comic to get some creative buzz for this company, and its debut of 1.3K may be boosted by future reorders.
It’s hard to remember that there’s an irregularly-released Grant Morrison comic about Hindu mythology on the market, but a new issue is out! “18 Days – Karna: Legend of the 6th Son” sells 1.2K at #384.
Glenn: Clearly there’s just not much interest in this type of story because I would have certainty banked on Morrison’s name being enough to grab a 250 or above slot at least?
Ray: Selling 1.2K at #378 is Captain America #25. Is this the death of Captain America issue? Is this the setup for the end of Secret Empire? The world may never know.
Glenn: Its the original Cap run by Simon and Kirby where Steve and Bucky are trying to save us against vampire stereotypes. Curse those stereotypes!
Ray: Selling 1,195 at #379 is Rags #1 from Antarctic, which is a comic about a sexy lady zombie hunter who runs around in…you guessed it, rags! Very practical for a life-or-death situation where a bite turns you into a zombie. But at least she’ll be a sexy zombie?
Glenn: If she’s coming for Zombie Tramp’s place in our hearts then I hope she’s ready to be greatly disappointed.
Ray: Two of the odd mini-event Generations get some reorders this month, with both Iron Man and Captain America’s one-shots selling about 1.1K at #381 and #384 respectively. These might have some relevance to a certain movie that is out by now, so retailers probably wanted the stock for curious new fans.
Glenn: The Cap one I can definitely see for spoilery reasons, Iron Man I’m not too sure. Its hard to call whether the sales being this low makes it seem legit or more suspicious stock dumping.
Ray: Antarctic released a lot of new content this month, with two new mature-readers superhero comics. The Offbeats sells 1.1K at #386, and Tainted Love sells about 25 copies less at #390. I don’t quite know who this company’s output is for – oh, wait, I do, given some of their recent moves.
Source Point Press releases an oversized one-shot, Viking Queen, to sales of 1,084 at #389. This supernatural period piece didn’t really get much hype and there’s been a lot of books in this vein recently, so it sort of slipped under the radar.
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It’s four reorders of issues of Wonder Woman, Captain America, Amazing Spider-Man, and Batman that make up the last four comics selling just over 1K. These are all recent books, so not unusual as reorders go.
The Brian K. Vaughan/Marcos Martin series Barrier was re-released in an oversized slipcover form and the $9.99 package sells 978 copies at #400. This was released in limited quantities, so this isn’t quite representative of the demand.
Glenn: Given this was also ‘pay what you want’ online people likely can read it much cheaper that way. There was also a hardcover people might prefer to read.
Ray: Remember when Civil War II was the worst Marvel event? Those sweet halcyon days… For those who want the bad memories back, the #0 issue gets 937 reorders at #404.
Glenn: Those were they dayyyyyyyyyyyyys
Ray: It’s mostly reorders down here, but the Alterna post-apocalyptic series The Wicked Righteous returns for its second volume with sales of 867 copies at #415. Retailers definitely ordered this as a continuation rather than a launch.
Sexy lady comics still sell, as Cavewoman: Markham’s Mansion sells 864 copies at #416. I’m not sure if this is one cover or a total of the roughly 722 variant covers they have with every issue, because it doesn’t say a specific cover like the Zombie Tramp ones did.
Glenn: If one variant wasn’t a cave drawing they need to stop as a company and start over.
Ray: Quite a few Captain Marvel reorders down here, including several of the True Believers issues and the Braver and Mightier one-shot, all selling about 900-700 copies. This is definitely retailers stocking up after the movie.
Glenn: I would say there would be a lot of Captain Marvel collections seeing some love too, this will all ultimately help the current ongoing title.
Ray: I’m not sure if this is part of a new True Believers line for DC, but a reprint of Batman: Year One from a line called Batman Essentials sells 713 copies at #431. At a dollar price point, that’s a lot lower than Marvel usually gets for these – DC needs to get the word out a little better.
Glenn: I didn’t know this was a thing until now and yeah, no kidding. The first part of one of the best Batman stories (and comics in general) selling this low is ODD. This is the type of thing you have readily available for FCBD to give to a potential new buyer to give them a taste of what this crazy medium we all love can offer.
Ray: Amid a lot of low-selling creator-owned ongoings and some reprints, we get a comic from a company that almost never shows up on the charts at #436 – Magical Beatdown from Silver Sprocket. This oddly-priced $6.00 comic is a parody of magical-girl books about a girl who beats up catcallers, and it sells 668 copies. The low entry bar this month has opened some opportunities for real indie comics that usually slip under the radar.
Brian Shearer’s William The Last webcomic launches its second volume from Antarctic’s creator-owned imprint at #439, selling 662 copies. With only two months since the last issue, this is definitely just retailers renewing their orders for the continuation.
Showing how low the entry bar is this month, at #447, we’ve got a random Betty and Veronica Double Digest, selling 629 copies. We almost never see these oversized Archie collections chart in singles, because they’re geared towards newsstands.
Source Point Press released a series of interconnected one-shots titled Monstrous over the last few months, and now they’re crossing them over into Monstrous: European Getaway, a miniseries expanding on the Frankenstein mythology. It sells 612 copies at #449, not building much on the original series.
It’s almost entirely reorders down here, including 529 copies more for Royals #1 at #470. So for those people who watched Inhumans on ABC and couldn’t wait to learn more about Marvel’s superhuman royal family, here you go, I guess.
Glenn: There will be that one guy holding out hope the Inhumans can happen. Its never going to happen.
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Ray: As the creator-owned series Rat Queens prepares to shift creative teams, it gets reorders for a pair of its specials – Orc Dave at #492 selling 442 copies, and Neon Static at #499 selling 422 copies. Retailers are likely getting some stand-alone stories in stores for curious readers with the relaunch.
Wrapping up the list at #500 is Quincredible #5, the newest member of the Catalyst Prime line selling 419 copies. Despite a lot of hype, this line never caught on and it’s being relaunched in a Gail Simone crossover event – but then, the company itself might not exist soon due to the merger with Oni. Comics! Never a dull moment.
Glenn: My head hurts, I’m going to lie down.
Looking ahead, it’s largely a quiet month with one big exception – War of the Realms. Marvel’s latest mega-event drops a bomb on the market with a biweekly Aaron/Dauterman miniseries and new tie-ins every week. Expect Marvel to take back the lead in a big way, especially with other launches like Peter David’s Symbiote Spider-Man, Tini Howard’s Thanos (just in time for a certain movie), Eve Ewing’s Marvel Team-Up starring Ms. Marvel, another Carnage one-shot, and Rob Liefeld’s return to Marvel with Major X. There’s also several new Star Wars series launching and Greg Pak’s cycle on the franchise begins.
It’s like DC knows what’s coming because they have zero launches in April 2019. Taking the month off and keeping it status quo, in one of the strangest patterns I’ve seen in a while. They won this month, they can take a breather. They do have a crossover between Deathstroke and Teen Titans, and this is the month a lot of their lower-selling books wrap their runs.
Over at Image, the undisputed headliner for April is Ascender #1 as Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nyguen begin a new chapter in their sci-fi/fantasy epic. There’s also fantasy epic Fairlady and Karl Kesel’s Kickstarter success Section Zero.
What will rise? What will fall? Find out next month on…By the Numbers!
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By The Numbers: February 2019

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Hey By The Numbers fans! Sorry about the delay in getting this up, it was a slow month sales wise but busy for yours truly. In order to get this out sooner, I didn’t include the random covers I usually do. I hope that’s okay just for this month, I’m hoping next months sales will come out in a more timely manner and we’ll be back to business as usual. Enjoy!

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 6 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! He was rooting for the ghost spirits to get Tom Taylor so he could take over Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, maybe next time.

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.  If given the chance to run a red panda sanctuary, Ray denies he would train them to be his army to do not only battle but amusing tricks on demand.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn: It seems that we’re in the lull before the storm folks because the most we can say about February sales wise is that it sure was a month that happened.  Most of the major companies are keeping things trucking along this month with a skip month (months?) on Doomsday Clock and War Of The Realms yet to drown us in comics, things were slow.  Sure, some books had special events happen here and there on a small scale but there was no juggernaut that came along and laid waste to everything else.  Still with it being a quiet month that gives us a better idea of how things stand without any artificial boosters and…oy.

Ray: This month reminds me a lot of those doldrum months in the pre-New 52 days, before this column kicked off. We would have months where the top comic would be a random issue of The Dark Knight and it would sell about 65K. Things obviously aren’t nearly that bad yet, but it’s still depressing.

Glenn: The biggest selling comic and the only one to pass the six figure mark this month was DC’s Batman Who Laughs which sells over 101.7k.  It’s likely to drop below six figures next month but I doubt we’ll get below 85k before all said and done which is pretty stellar.  Its hard to beat Batman when things are quiet and now you got him mixed with his most famous foe.

Ray: Yeah, The Batman Who Laughs is coming down to Earth a little bit, but when you spend three months on top the charts there is nothing to complain about. It’s a perfect storm of success, the best since Spider-Gwen. 
Glenn: Further in that vein, the main Batman title is king (get it?  get it? of ongoing as per usual.  Issues 64 and 65 which was part of the Price crossover with Flash which we geniuses here at By The Numbers correctly predicted upped numbers.  The title sold 93.4k and over 89.1k at 2 and 3 respectfully.  Hardly the smash hit the Button was but this is tying into Heroes In Crisis, not the next part of the Rebirth story that Johns started and doesn’t have those super fancy covers.  With it being a great selling title anyway, there is minimal benefit for Batman but hey an increase is an increase.  Watch for things to kick off as we get closer to King’s endgame.
Ray: No real bump for Batman, surprisingly, but The Flash got the lion’s share of the help. I continue to be puzzled by the dramatic difference between issues when it’s a four-part crossover – are many retailers assuming people are going to drop out mid-story?
Glenn: There will be more people checking out part 1 and then they can always reorder more but yeah, the differences in these type of things always puzzle me too.
At 4 is insanity in Venom which IS THE HIGHEST SELLING ONGOING NOT NAMED BATMAN, WHAT IS HAPPENING.  So this title shoots up a lot with it landing the number  spot with sales over 89.4k.  Why a near 4k increase in sales?  Who knows but the title continues to be a massive hit which nobody could have predicted.  Its clear to see why Marvel keep throwing things at Cates but there’s no way to discount the value that Stegman brings either.  Crazy times.
Ray: We just got an announcement today (as I write this) that Cates and Stegman will be showrunning a summer event titled Absolute Carnage. Considering the staggering sales here, there’s almost no way that doesn’t dominate the charts during its run, maybe more so than War of the Realms. This is another huge increase as the title hasn’t found its level yet.
Glenn: It certainty has a fair chance of being as strong as War, probably a far better pairing than what DC has managed with Doomsday Clock and Heroes In Crisis.
At 5 is Heroes In Crisis the bizarre event comic no one knows quite what to make of.  It continues the so-so performance its now known for which is good for sales over 79k.  This one may have some impact felt but likely will be quickly forgotten shortly after it concludes.
Ray: This feels a lot more like a place-setting event than anything, setting up bigger things to spin out of it. The lack of major tie-ins has led to it being largely overshadowed, but I expect it’ll have big post-game effects like Identity Crisis.
Glenn: Continuing its odd random spikes and slides is Amazing Spider-Man which sells over 71.4k at 6 for issue 15 and over 64.1k at 11 for issue 16.  The latter is interesting because its the prelude to ‘Hunted’ the new Amazing writer’s first in title event which Marvel are trying to make like its a big deal like Spider-Verse or Ends Of The Earth or Spider-Verse or…well you get the idea.  Well its clearly not.  Why one issue is always higher than others.  Amazing has fallen into a very standard sales level which has come after years of it being built up.  If there were adverse effects creatively on sales, it likely would take a lot longer to show up in sales.  It continues to be a puzzle.
Ray: Hunted is the kind of mini-event that doesn’t really drive sales, especially since we’ve seen a lot of similar stories in better-regarded runs, but it is going to stabilize sales for the time being. We’ll see how the nonsense-numbered .Hu issues do next month.
Glenn: At 7 and 9 is Uncanny X-Men which has a 7.99 issue at 9 to celebrate Matt Rosenburg taking solo reigns and again despite everyone online saying otherwise, an expensive comic pays dividends as it sells over 66.9k.  Again we keep saying we don’t want expensive comics but Marvel is hardly going to give us something at 3.99 for what it can sell roughly the same at 7.99 for.  Those FOX purchases don’t pay for themselves you know.  The following issue sells slightly more at 68.6k so retailers likely ordered these around the same level for the ‘new’ run but again, this issue is sold at 3.99 and sold not even 2k more than one that was nearly $4 more so whats the lesson here?
Ray: It does feel like these two X-men relaunches – first the weekly and now the regular run – have revitalized the franchise after a rough few years. A back-to-basics focus on Cyclops and Wolverine helps too. Of course, now the rumors are that Jonathan Hickman’s return to Marvel will be taking over the X-Men, so nothing is ever stable around here.
Glenn: At 8 is the bigger winner of the Price crossover, Flash which probably gets that juice because a) Batman’s there and b) Heroes In Crisis has likely more implications for his own title and the first part sells over 67.7k and the second is at 16 selling over 60k.  Again we’re not at Button level bumps but 20k more than its usual numbers is nothing to sneeze at, we’ll see next month if any of those numbers stick around for the start of Williamson’s next big Flash story.
Rounding out the top ten is the start of sequel weekly series Avengers: No Road Home which sells over 64.5k then at 41 with sales over 36.3k and 34.8k at 45 for the other two issues next month.  Apart from the standard first issue bump, retailers have seemingly ordered this along the lines of the series predecessor like its one long story…which it is.  Grand numbers for an Avenger’s spin off not related to the Aaron main title and of course its likely to get a huge spike whenever well known Avenger, Conan shows up.
Ray: This sells pretty close to the main Avengers title, just a little below. Attrition will continue settling in over the run, but at only ten issues it’ll be over before it gets too low. I expect to see a lot more short-run weeklies like this and the X-men run in the future, because they work. Crom!
Glenn: So our entry point to the top ten is 64k which is the lowest in a while.  Yay?

Ray: Detective Comics continues to increase as it approaches #1000, with #999 selling about 2K more than #998. They’re at #12 and #15, selling in the 62-60K range. Impressive, very similar to what Action Comics and ASM did as they approached their anniversary. Next month’s numbers will be ridiculous, natch. 

At #13 is Daredevil #1, selling 61K from creative team Chip Zdarsky and Marco Chechetto. This is well above most of the Soule run and last month’s pointless filler event, but the second issue is down at #43, selling 35K. That’s still an increase, but rapidly approaching the level of the last run. Zdarsky’s critical acclaim aside, few of his books have been blockbusters and it’s been a while since a Daredevil run really rocked the sales charts. He’s a mid-level character for Marvel and he’ll usually perform like one.
Glenn: I remember a similar performance when both Waid and Soule’s run started, Daredevil seems to have a very set audience and there isn’t much to be done to increase it.  For the best part of 20 years, Daredevil has delivered some of the best creative runs at Marvel and the only time the company tried to shake things up is where it went awry so they know just to leave it be.
Ray: Right below at #14 is Wolverine: Infinity Watch #1 selling 61K. That’s only 2K above the finale of the previous Wolverine mini, Return of Wolverine – and it’s a sequel to both that and Infinity Wars. As the latest in a never-ending sequence of Wolverine miniseries and Infinity Stones miniseries, I think confused retailers have just stopped trying to order them as anything but the next issue.
Glenn: The luster of the return of the ‘real’ Wolverine seems to be wearing thing.  I hope Marvel doesn’t shoot themselves in the foot before they’re ready to give him his own ongoing once more.
Ray: Most of the top thirty is dominated by successful returning series this month, as Justice League, Fantastic Four, Superman, The Green Lantern, Avengers, The Walking Dead, and Action Comics all stay within the 55K to 45K range. This is the new comics A-list, such as it is, and they’re all delivering top performances for their company. One book that isn’t usually here, though, is Wonder Woman. It takes a big jump to land at #26/27 this month selling around 46K. That’s a jump of over 12K from last month’s issues, with no story-based explanation. G. Willow Wilson’s run finally got the attention and sales it deserves, it seems. It’s good to see this title return to the A-list.
Glenn: 2 years overdue but we’re finally here, great news for Wilson, DC and Wonder Woman fans!
Ray: The second Conan ongoing, Savage Sword of Conan, launches at #25 with sales of 47K. That’s about half of what Conan the Barbarian launched with last month, and this series is an anthology with a new creative team after this arc. The second issue sells 30K at #59, a decent slide but one that indicates it could face harsh waters as the months go on.
Glenn: It’ll depend how Marvel gages it, anything over the 15k mark is better than what Dark Horse could manage with the licence but they’ve hit us with a lot of Conan in very short order.  In classic Marvel fashion, they’re giving us too much at once and it’ll be hard for the books to find their feet as a result.
Ray: Guardians of the Galaxy has a moderate slide this month to #30 for its second issue, selling 43K. That’s well above what the title was doing under its last few runs, but a little below what I expected from Cates’ next big project. Maybe a lot of Venom’s insane success is the character and Stegman.
Glenn: Maybe not having the majority of the movie team too?  Could be a result of the Guardians overkill Marvel put us through some years back (see above point about Conan) this could be the best a Guardians book can manage after all that.
Ray: The Age of X-Man mini-event kicked off in earnest this month, and the sales results show it’s destined to play second fiddle to Uncanny X-Men. The flagship miniseries, Marvelous X-Men, sells 42K at #31, but the other debuts are far lower, with Amazing Nightcrawler and Nextgen both selling 32K at 50/51 and X-tremists selling 30K at #56. These are all five-issue miniseries, so the sales could get pretty hairy by the end.
Glenn: I don’t know what any of this is.  If Marvel wanted it to be a big deal, then its a disappointment especially weighed against the major Spider-Man crossovers Slott put together but if its basically a second X-Book disguised as an event, then its fine.  The colour relaunch of yesteryear seemed to be more stable overall but what do we know?
Ray: More long-running successes like Thor, Star Wars, Immortal Hulk, and Captain America are hanging around between #30 and #40, all selling 40K or a little below. It seems Shazam is destined to join them, selling 37K this month at #38. It’s displayed impressive stability since its launch.
Three top titles from last month all slide to around the same point this month, with Conan the Barbarian landing its third issue at #37, selling 38K; Captain Marvel selling 37K at #39; and Young Justice selling 37K at #40. While the results are similar, the first two have fallen from 100K+ in sales and YJ’s second-issue drop is less than 50%. While Conan is a successful new franchise and Captain Marvel finally has a mid-level hit title, Young Justice looks to have finally revitalized DC’s young heroes after years of disarray.
Glenn: That’s great for Captain Marvel especially, usually post issue 1 the sales go sour fast.  I give big props to the creative team but yes I’m sure the movie helped too
Ray: The two newest Spider-spin-offs finally switch places this month, with Miles Morales landing at #44 with sales of 35K and Superior slipping to #55 with sales of 31K. I’m not sure if this is retailer adjustments based on results or just statistical noise, but both seem like they’re going to be healthy for a while.
Glenn: Them selling closely is great for Ock but not maybe so great for Miles.  They will both justify their existence at around this level though and Marvel must be happy since we’re getting more Spidey related books coming in the middle of the year.
Ray: The two Age of Republic one-shots this month sell 32K and 30K respectively at #49 and #57, but what surprises me is Count Dooku outselling Anakin Skywalker. Maybe people REALLY don’t like Kid Vader.
Glenn: Maybe people were more interested by Dooku who didn’t get much spotlight in the films?  Its hard to tell.
Ray: Old Man Quill, the latest sequel set in the Old Man Logan universe, sells 31K at #52. That’s about 7K above where Old Man Hawkeye ended, so this franchise should remain pretty stable. The second issue lands at #82 selling 21K. Bring on old man Rocket scooting around in a tank, please.
Glenn: This little universe seems to do okay for itself, depending on trade sales and such we could continually see various other characters in this settling for a while before the novelty fades entirely.
Ray: The latest Millarworld/Netflix Comics debut from Mark Millar lands at #52, as Sharkey the Bounty Hunter with Simone Bianchi sells 31K. That’s a lot lower than recent books like Prodigy or The Magic Order, and the concept seemed pretty generic and wasn’t matched with much hype in advance. I doubt this is a future movie or TV series.
Glenn: This one kind of snuck up on people, I’m not sure if maybe the deal with Netflix means that they can’t do much advanced hype.  This is Bianci’s first interior work in a long time at a US company I think and he used to be a big deal so I’m surprised orders weren’t higher.  Maybe retailers are finding that customers aren’t interested in these Netflix comics since they know an adaption is coming?  Still Millar does command a decent audience where he won’t need to go back to work for anyone else ever again.
Ray: The obligatory Captain Marvel one-shot to tie in with the movie, subtitled Braver & Mightier, lands at #61 with sales of 28K. That’s well higher than the usual performance of these tie-ins, and I put a lot of that on Jody Houser’s pull compared to Ralph Macchio. He’ll be back in action for future tie-ins, it seems.
The third issue of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man lands at #63, selling 27K. This really feels like a case of retailers massively missing the boat and I’m expecting major reorders and adjustments down the line.
Glenn: Hope so, the books great.  It seems to be falling a lot faster than the Zdarskey book did, maybe they should have given Taylor that book rather than force us into another pointless restart.
Ray: The third Wonder Comics title, Wonder Twins, makes its debut at #64 with sales of 27K. That’s better than expected and higher than Naomi did last month. This could be the characters having some leftover nostalgia from the 60s, but Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne might also be developing a fanbase. (More on Russell lay-tor)
#67 brings us the launch of the massively controversial Female Furies miniseries, selling 26K. I imagine a lot of these sales are due to the higher profile of Big Barda thanks to Mister Miracle, but this is a very different book and a rough read. If it even finishes its run, it’ll be pretty low by the end.
We saw Wonder Woman finally get the sales bump it deserved, but it hasn’t quite happened for Aquaman yet. It sells 26K at #68. That’s essentially flat from last month – impressive, but Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run has yet to pick up buzz in sales.
Glenn: DC has had Aquaman as somewhat of a pet project with them trying various things to gain interest and continually not getting what they would like. Its hard to think what more they could do.
Ray: We were shocked last month by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s low performance, but it has one of the more impressive retention feats I’ve ever seen. It sold 31K last month and 24K this month at #71, which puts it just above Firefly. It seems clear that the Whedonverse books are destined to be Boom’s biggest hits.
Glenn: I felt it would have a minimal drop, we might even see a boost for issue 4 which is hyping a major death and departure from the show.
Ray: After a lot of business as usual, the next comic of note is the $9.99 100-page special “Man and Superman“, a lost story from the archives by Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini. From three relaunches ago, it sells 19K at #85 – an impressive performance from an out-of-continuity retelling of Superman’s earliest days in Metropolis. I hope this encourages DC to release more stand-alone stories like this.
Glenn: Like I said on the Stew (Dong!) its great to see DC still using legendary creators like Wolfman and them being able to produce comics that people are interested in reading.
Ray: This month’s True Believers wave is Captain Marvel, tying in with the movie (shocking!). The top-seller is the debut of Ms. Marvel, which sells 19K at #91. Pretty impressive for selling old comics to people in a new format.
Glenn: This is the biggest exposure the characters ever had in the mainstream.  Given how cheap the comics are, retailers likely felt it was a safe bet to have some on hand for those that saw the movie and wanting more.
Ray:  Speaking of selling old comics in a new way, the $7.99 Marvels Annotated release sells just under 19K at #94. Given how many times this has been released and the high price tag, it just goes to show the enduring power of this book. One of comics’ all-time greats.
Glenn: Sales are good enough that we’re getting a new chapter to boot.  This is one of Marvel’s strongest library performers so this being able to sell this well despite it being in print through various different formats forever is impressive.
Ray: Speaking of Mark Russell, his second launch of the month is at #98 – Red Sonja #1 from Dynamite, selling just under 18K. This is a stronger than usual debut for new Dynamite properties, especially since Red Sonja has been running consistently without any real buzz ever since Gail Simone left. Russell’s unique sensibilities and eclectic choice of comics have come a long way since Prez was completely ignored by retailers.
Glenn: Absolutely, this is the strongest Sonja launch we’ve seen in years.  Like we’ve seen over the last year or so, Dynamite have been making a real effort to get some great creators on their properties and it seems to be paying off.

Losing just a little over half its sales for its second issue is Black Widow at 101 with sales over 17.5 and I actually expected worse.  If memory serves this isn’t that much lower than what Waid/Samnee delivered on the character so there could be some room for some stability here but since the book was missing from Marvel’s June solicitations it seems like its already been jettisoned.
Ray: Black Widow came in without fanfare, and left the same way, it seems.
Glenn:  Image’s Die has settled into one of the companies top performers with sales over 17.5 at 103, well deserved for a fantastic series.
Ray: Die is following basically the exact same sales trajectory as Gideon Falls starting moderately high and then finding its level ridiculously quickly. They’re also both excellent books designed to scare the living daylights out of us. I don’t want to play D&D in the barn, Glenn…
Glenn: It’ll be fine, Ray just let me check who that is in my driveway holding the scissors and wearing a red jumpsuit…
A very promising start sales wise from Vertigo’s new High Level title which sells over 16.8k at 104 which puts it at a really good Image launch which is surprising.  Not sure what’s drawn people here but I’m sure DC won’t ask too many questions.
Ray: This is pretty similar to other Vertigo launches like American Carnage and the book we shall not name, and I’m guessing part of the success here is artist Barnaby Bagenda. He drew a little book called Omega Men, which has become a modern classic thanks to its writer, obscure indie creator Tom King.
Glenn: That’ll be it then!
No big surprise for the second issue of the new Criminal to find its level super promptly at 109 with sales over 16.1, like we said last month, retailers know by now who the buyers for this series are.
At 113 is the second issue of Naomi which has now been converted to a first season mini.  With sales of over 15.8k I’m not too surprised.  I’m going to wager she’ll probably only continue to be featured in Young Justice, unless Bendis really, really wants to bring her back in her own book.
Ray: It seems all the Wonder Comics books save Young Justice are now miniseries, so we’ll likely see a lot of concepts go in and out and see what stick
Glenn: At around here is the rest of the Captain Marvel True Believers which all sell around the 15-11k mark.  That’s a better average than some of the bigger characters have managed but these stories probably haven’t been as heavily reprinted.
I remember when Kevin Smith writing comics was a big deal, he made best sellers out of Dardevil and Green Arrow but time has trucked on and things have changed.  Sales of over 15k at 118 aren’t dreadful but given his power in the past, it was likely all involved would have liked more.
Ray: That is shockingly low for a new #1 for Kevin Smith, even if it is just a relaunch of Hit-Girl one month after the previous series ends. A weird number that shows his heyday in comics is far behind him – and so is the character’s, likely.
Glenn: Another of the kooky throwback books from Marvel this month, Love Romances (how appropriate for February!) sells over 14.5k at 121.  Romance comics are not seen a lot in the market so this doing this well is probably as better than the company could hope for.  Gunhawks which is more of your old school western sells over 13.5k at 127, nothing to write home about but given they’re just throwaway one shots these aren’t the worst sales imaginable.
Ray: All of these except Al Ewing’s horror one-shot last month have disappointed. Can’t wait to see the numbers for Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal next month.
Glenn: At 135 is the second issue of Fight Club 3 which sells over 12.6k which is quite a fair margin of distance when you look at Fight Club 2‘s sales but this is pretty standard Dark Horse numbers so its not disastrous.  It seems that people who read Fight Club 2 weren’t interested in another round.
Decent numbers for last months Captain Marvel which sells another 11.7k at 143, this run definitely seems to be the winner Marvel’s wanted from the character for a few years.
Ray: That’s really impressive for Captain Marvel reorders, really showing some buzz for the property. And far from the last reorder we’ll see this month…
Glenn: Another set of reorders for a major launch from last month in Cates Guardians at 156 with sells 10.6k+ more copies.  It might not be the runaway freight train that Venom is but it certainty seems to have a solid amount of interest and is likely to be a fixture of Marvel’s upper tier of books for the run.
Even MORE reorders, this time for Marvel Comics Presents which sells another 9.8+k at 163 and I’m genuinely surprised by this one.  I’m not sure what but it seems to be working so there you go.
Ray: Yeah, this book got ZERO buzz at launch, so I’m really struggling to see what was driving the reorders here. Maybe because it’s Soule writing more Wolverine?
Glenn: Could be, we’ll see if future issues pick up steam as a result
DC has those sweet reorders too with Batman Who Laughs showing up again at 177 which is good for sales over 8.1k.  Usually reorders of this amount 2 months later is unheard of and the last things DC managed that with were Rebirth and Doomsday Clock so yeah, this guy isn’t going anywhere.
Ray: This is the biggest runaway character hit in years, hands down. It feels like he’s out of DC’s control now. It’s the Batman who Laughs’ world now, we just live in it.
Glenn: At 184 is a new Valient launch in Incursion with sales over 7.6k which is within the normal level of the companies launches for the most part.
Ray: Given that Incursion is a mini-event continuing the Geo-Mancer storyline, and Forgotten Queen is a period-piece side story focusing on one of the villains from Unity, I would have expected a bigger delta between the two.
Glenn: I understand what all these things are *nods*
Given that it cost 7.99 and is all reprinted material I would say Marvel Presents Black Widow is a bigger success than the characters new series at 186 with sales over 7.5k.  Marvel’s skill at us making us pay for the same thing over and over is something to behold.
Another Valient launch at 189 with sales over 7.4k for Forgotten Queen.  See comments for Incursion above.
An all ages book with too long a title, Marvel Super-Heroes Adventures Spider-Man Web Of Intrigue has sales over 7.2k at 192 which is fine for a throwaway all ages one shot that is going to be aimed at other markets.
Getting double the Bruce Campbell for your money Bubba Ho Tep vs Army Of Darkness sells over 7.1k at 193 and its comics like this that make me want to stand up and salute how crazy Dynamite can still be sometimes.
Ray: When they’re not giving us brilliant creator-owned runs, their bread and butter is bizarre crossovers and rock stars fighting demons. 

At #196 is the only Image debut of the month besides Hit-Girl: Season 2, Vindication. This crime-and-punishment serial from Top Cow only sells 6.7K, which is very low but not a surprise given the lack of any recognizable creators and the poor reviews.
Glenn: Top Cow also sells a lot less than mainline Image stuff too, the last big hit they had was Wanted and even that took years and a movie adaption to get buzz
Ray: Another bizarre example of Marvel selling us the same books over and over again is at #200, as Dazzler #1 Facsimile Edition sells 6.6K. I didn’t even know there was a Dazzler series originally.
Glenn: There was back in the day aye when every character could hold their own. Spider-Pig Facsimile when?!
Ray: #201 brings us the latest Berger Book, Girl in the Bay #1 by JM DeMatteis. It sells 6,5K, which seems in line with recent Berger Books, but it makes me sad that DeMatteis’ books don’t sell better. I think the G. Willow Wilson/Christian Ward book will be the big test for this line next month.
Glenn: I’m hoping it picks up some steam in trades. Given the single sales of the Berger books have been iffy at best but they still get put out, one would presume they are selling well in that format.
Ray: GI Joe: Sierra Muerte launches at #202 from IDW, selling 6.5K. This is in line with past GI Joe comics from the company, but this miniseries stands out due to art and story from Michel Fiffe. The creator of COPRA has a big cult audience, but I think it’s more likely to find it in trade.
Worth noting that the two James Bond books, 007 by Greg Pak and Origin by Jeff Parker, have leveled out to the exact same level. They’re at 210/211 selling 6.2K each. This is a good, restrained attempt at a franchise form Dynamite, so they might be learning – no more four alternate takes at the same time like they used to do with Shadow or Green Hornet.
Glenn: It also shows a pretty set fanbase for the property regardless of creators or direction so yeah, they’ll adjust accordingly.
Ray: At #214 selling 6.1K is Stronghold, the latest launch from Aftershock. This religious conspiracy thriller about an amnesiac God is by top creators Phil Hester and Ryan Kelly, but unless you’re an A-lister, good luck getting your Aftershock book to sell much. This company continues to puzzle me with their struggles, given the top names they get on board every month.
The two long-running all-ages books from Marvel continue to truck along despite rock-bottom sales, with Impossible Wasp #5 (in the middle of a critically acclaimed storyline about mental illness) selling 5.8K at #217 and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur selling 5.6K at #224. These are clearly selling elsewhere if they keep going, which makes me wonder – how long before Marvel outsources them whole to IDW?
Glenn: That seems to be the way it will go, IDW will likely be a more economical option who will be able to provide to the audience that are keeping these titles arou
Ray: It’s apparently 1995 again, as Lady Death: Apocalyptic Abyss sells 5.3K from Coffin Comics at #229. That’s two spots above Vampirella Valentine’s Day Special selling 5.1K from Dynamite. It’s not Zenoscope, but I think we should strike up the Rachel Bloom anyway.
Glenn: I think she’d be okay with it
Ray: Another Aftershock launch at #233, as Ryan Parrot’s fantasy comic Oberon sells 5.1K. This seems to be the range between established creators and less-known names at Aftershock. Shame, because both this month’s launches were strong.
We cover this every month and I have no intention of stopping. Avatar: Tsu-Tey’s Path, the spin-off from the most successful movie of all time, is now below 5K in sales, selling 4.9K at #236. *Nelson Muntz gif*
#239 randomly brings us 4.8K in reorders from Amazing Spider-Man #789. I’m not sure what this issue was, but maybe it’s just nostalgia for when this title was good?
Glenn: Its that or more excess stock shenanigans but that is rather high for that. Random.
Ray: The video game spin-off Anthem from Dark Horse sells 4.3K at #245. I believe this launched to tie in with the game’s launch, so maybe it doesn’t have the established audience yet to be a hit tie-in.
Glenn: I don’t think the game has been that well received either, these things are always a roll of the dice when companies like Dark Horse get into the licencing game.
Ray: Spider-Gwen #25 gets another 4.2K in reorders at #248. Another case of nostalgia for a bygone run, although Ghost Spider does seem to be getting a good reception.
I’m really puzzled by how low Hardcore is selling, landing at #249 selling 4.1K. That’s thrill spots below the final issue of the mediocre fantasy series Rose. Diggle’s a popular creator and it has Kirkman’s name on the cover, so I’m not sure what went wrong with this body-swapping action thriller.
Glenn: I think not having Kirkman’s direct involvement hurts it and Diggle has been struggling to recover since his Daredevil days which is a shame since he is a very good writer. These days he seems to be just getting gigs writing other people’s properties.
Ray: No real momentum for Peter Cannon Thunderbolt, as Kieron Gillen’s Watchmen pastiche sells 4.1K at #255 for its second issue. The writer alone should have been enough to get this to sell higher, but I guess the name didn’t ring enough bells for retailers to make the Watchmen connection. Watch for this one to be a sleeper in trade.
Glenn: Especially when you would think retailers could sub it in for those patiently waiting on Doomsday Clock. It clearly just didn’t get the press it needed and will def earn its way in trade.
Ray: A lot of regular low-selling books from Image, Dark Horse, and Dynamite here until we get to #266 where Naomi #1 sells an additional 3.6K copies. That shows some extra interest in Bendis and Walker’s original concept, but probably not enough to shift things dramatically for retailers. New concepts in the Big Two are a hard sell – ask Damage and Brimstone, if you can find them.
#268 brings us the launch of Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command from Dynamite, selling 3.6K. This is one of their niche properties, appealing to a limited audience of die-hard fans.
It’s a double-dose of boobie comics! Robyn Hood: Outlaw launches at #271 with 3.5K, followed three spots later by the Grimm Fairy Tales Annual with 3.4K. You know what to do, Glenn!
Glenn: Most other months, these Zenescope books would have maybe scraped through, just shows how slow a month it is
Ray:  Lot of reorders down here, starting with 3.4K in reorders for the first issue of Conan the Barbarian at #275. The second also has 2.8K in reorders at #294. After that, there’s quite a few random reorders for issues of Detective Comics, Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man, and Immortal Hulk.
Exciting Comics #1 from Antarctic Press launches with 3.3K in sales at #283. This seems to be a new shared universe starting with Sexy Lady Zorro in Red. ‘Kay.
Glenn: It didn’t seem to gather much excitement, how ironic
Ray: Speaking of sexy ladies, Zodiac #1 launches from Zenoscope at #285 with 3.2K in sales. This appears to be a high-fantasy set in the Arthurian age. Zenoscope always manages to surprise.
Glenn: How odd, retailers probably didn’t know what to make of it either
Ray: Barbie’s been a top toy franchise for over half a century, but I don’t know if she’s ever had a comic before. That changes this month as Barbie #1 launches from Papercutz by writer Sarah Kuhn. Kuhn is an acclaimed young adult author who is also writing the Cass Cain OGN for DC next year, but this only manages 2.9K at #293. This clearly isn’t one for the direct market.
Glenn: This one will definitely be making a boat load of money elsewhere cause its Barbie and there’s a reason she’s stuck around for this long and gets to have Margot Robbie play her.
Ray: 2.7K in reorders for Young Justice #1 at #299 as we exit the top 300. Lucky #300 book this month is Vampblade, from the world that brought us Zombie Tramp. Into the breach, Glenn…
Glenn: Vampblade sounds like a made up name for someone fan fiction character to feature in Buffy or somesuch. Given its in the same universe as Zombie Tramp, that could be on purpose.

Some reorders for the new Champions run which sells another 2.6+k at 302, doesn’t seem like retailers missed their estimate with first months orders but its better than nothing. I wouldn’t imagine this franchise to be surviving much longer and Young Avengers returning will probably be where it ends.
IDW’s Punks Not Dead: London Calling launches at 307 with sales over 2.3k despite a pretty decent premise. The names aren’t anything to write home about and its under IDW’s Black Crown label which always deliver subpar sales. I would assume since we continually get Black Crown books despite their single issue status, they’re performing well for the company elsewhere.
Ray: This is the second volume of Punk’s Not Dead, which essentially means the second arc. Retailers probably didn’t order this like a real premiere, so the super-low numbers make sense. IDW’s creator-owned market is rough as a whole, though.
Glenn: The first issue of BOOM’s new take on Buffy The Vampire Slayer gets reorders over 2.2k at 312. This again indicates retailers predicted this one pretty well but it seems to have stabelized a lot faster than Champions and will do good business once collection outside the direct market.
Likening itself to DC’s Elseworlds or Marvel What If’s, Aspen Visions Fathom: Spinning Our Fate are alternate takes on some of the companies better known characters. The sales over 2.1k at 315 indicate this is one for the most die hard of the already minimal audience the company has left.
Another video game tie-in at 317 in Crackdown which sells over 2k. The latest installment in this franchise has been much delayed and seems to have underwhelmed fans so this is no surprise.
Some reorders from Superior Spider-Man’s first issue at 322 with over 1.9k additional sales. Its not much but its nice to see still to have it get some attention even a few months after its debut.
The new BOOM series Avant-Guards seems to fall into Ray’s  ‘come on people’ category with the second issue delivering sales over 1.9k, it’ll do well once collected but it seems that all ages sports type stories don’t appeal.
Ray: Avant-Guards seems to be aimed as the same audience as their low-selling Giant Days, which sells a similar 1.8K this month but is past its fiftieth issue. It doesn’t even feel like Boom is playing in this market anymore aside from the Whedonverse – they make their money elsewhere. 
Glenn: Wrath Eternal Warrior from Valient seems to be something in the vein of Marvels True Believers where its an old comic charged for $1, it doesn’t entice people despite this only selling over 1.9k at 324. I would say more people will be willing to check out a new creative direction than a random throwback issue where Valient is concerned.
A fantasy comic from Scout, Wulfborne catches little interest at 326 with sales over 1.9k, pretty standard for the company really.
Ray: This was described by the solicitations as Adventure Time meets Hellboy with elements of Greek Myth, which is certainly a unique combo. Scout tends to struggle unless it has murderous bunnies.
Glenn:  A collection of old Archie Comics titled Archie & Friends Music Jam sells over 1.9k at 327, this type of stuff from Archie doesn’t depend on the direct market at all so its moot really.
Some reorders for White Widow from Red Giant which picks up over 1.8k additional sales at 332, whether its genuine interest or retailers thinking they missed out on the Black Widow/White Rabbit series the market desperately needs it is good news for such a small company to get any reorders.
WW2 era comics Devils from Antartic Press sells over 1.8k at 336, pretty much what you can expect from a small publisher with two unknown creators.
There’s a comic at 338 but given the creator involved and a recent soliciation they’ve made, I’m choosing to ignore it cause its our article and if I want to ignore someone, I can.
Ray: Yeah, that dude’s random gags are a lot less funny all of a sudden.
Glenn: Lots of reorders and small selling indie books until we get to 352 which is Trump Titans Vs. The End which sells over 1.6k. I have a comic I wrote called Sparks: The Way I Was, please go buy it so it sells more that this.
Ray: I will endorse the call to buy more Sparks.
Glenn: Sweetie which sells over 1.5k from Action Lab at 361 and Honor and Cave from Mad Lab (?!??!?!) at 365 selling over 1.4k are two more small press creator owned books struggling to find an audience in an overstuffed market.
Ray: I think Sweetie at least deserves more attention – it’s an oddball martial arts comedy about a kid obsessed with fighting who becomes a vigilante. Like Hit-Girl if it was fun.
Glenn: Theshold Allure from Avatar is a first issue ‘nude’ which means I’m not going to google it, it sells over 1.3k at 368. Its priced at 7.99 and I’m pretty sure there’s certain magazines out there that are a lot cheaper that have you know…real woman in them that would be better sellers.
Randomly at 369 is Generations Spider-Man with Marvel throwing out over 1.3k copies of the book to random retailers to get rid of leftovers. Anyone remember Generations? Nope, me either. There’s a lot of Marvel stock shifting around here that they think no one is crazy to look for down this low. WE’RE ONTO YOU MARVEL!
Ray: Generations: Spider-Man was the most important of the Generations one-shots, with a Peter/Miles team-up that has shades of Spider-Verse. So there might be a little real interest there unlike so many of the reorders.
Glenn: The Amazing World Of Gumball from Kaboom which is based on a cartoon that is apparently something that exists sells over 1.3 at 370. This has some notable creators involved but again, this one isn’t for your local LCS but since its 7.99 I don’t see many parents being eager to buy it for their kid that watches whatever this is instead of watching She-Ra or Gravity Falls or Avatar (the good one) or…
Weird sounding God Of Bad Men from Amigo Comics (?!?!?!??!?!) sells over 1.1k at 386, they’re probably just happy to be here.
The non nude version of Theshold Allure shows up at 391 selling over 1.1k. Its priced at 5.99 making it 2 dollars cheaper than the nudey one. By Grabthar’s hammer, what a savings.
The excess stock shifting gets weird at 401 with Cage from Marvel, I’m not sure if this is the MAX series from back in the day or the mini from Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky but either way…wha? It had over 1k Marvel leaded to unload to some poor confused comic retailers. Yes we’re at 1k at just over 400 on the chart, no YOU need help/
Ray: I believe this is the recent Tartakovsky miniseries, which was out of continuity. This is very clearly a dumping-grounds month.
Glenn: Silver Sprocket (?!?!?!?!!?) releases Magical Beatdown which seems to be Sailor Moon meets Sin City which sells 996. Reads very much like for a specialist audience who likely got it through other means.
Ray: I believe Silver Sprocket puts out oversized comics done in an indie/zine style. I’ve never read one of them, but they’re trying something new and I’m glad they’re building a bit of an audience. That’s the rare bright spot of digging down here – seeing some small companies crawl their way up.
Glenn: Cave Pictures (?!?!?!?) releases George MacDonalds Light Princess at 429 which sells 921 copies. This is apparently some old Scottish Fairy Tale written/adapted by Meredith Finch. With her name attached I thought it might have managed to crack four figures but there you go…
I swear I’m not making these up, Cavewoman, A Wizard, A Sorceress and Meriem from Amryl (?!?!?!?!?!?!?!) sells 909 copies. The company also releases Cavewoman Razor’s Run at 447 selling 861 copies so I guess this is some sort of shared universe? I’m tired.
Ray: The SexyCaveLadyVerse. Not to be confused with the SexyFairyTaleLadyVerse.
Glenn:  So much stock dumping down here. SO MUCH!
Ray:  The stock dumping is REALLY bizarre this month. Random issues of Weapon X or Hydra Cap, crossovers from two years ago like Venomverse, low-selling comics like America. All getting about 800 to 900 additional orders out of nowhere. Some other books get reorders like Flash, but they’re current and make a bit of sense. Marvel is a puzzle. 

There’s even 752 reorders for Uncanny X-Men 3D at #472. That’s a reorder of a reprint from almost thirty years ago!
A rare new comic – of sorts – at #475, with American Mythology Archives: Three Stooges #1 selling 738 copies. I believe this is a reprint of their first Three Stooges comic, which apparently has an audience. Are they going to crossover with Bettie Page at Dynamite next?
We get a few indie reorders down here too, including Ogre #1 selling an additional 705 copies at #482.
It’s almost entirely Marvel reorders here with a few oddball comics like Belladonna: Fire and Fury, but the #500 comic amuses me – it’s a reorder of a True Believers reprint as Conan: Secret of Skull River clocks in at 629 extra copies. So ends the oddest month we’ve had on this column since we moved to a top 500.
Glenn: I think it nearly broke us but we made it!
Ray:  After an uneventful month, next month is likely to blow the doors off with a huge #1 comic – both in size and numbers. We saw the ridiculous performance of Action Comics #1000. Can Detective Comics #1000 beat it? We’ll see. DC also has the final new Wonder Comics launch in Dial H for Hero, the likely six-figure selling The Grim Knight one-shot, and a new issue of Doomsday Clock. Good chance DC takes the top three next month with ease.
Marvel is holding its powder for a month with War of the Realms slated to bow in April and dominate the field. They do have quite a few launches, including the return of their newest hit character in Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History, the alien infiltration comic Meet the Skrulls, the return of Gail Simone with Domino: Hotshots, and a new Star Wars miniseries in Darth Vader: Dark Visions. Ms. Marvel also relaunches with a new #1 and writer, Conan’s partner Belit gets her own miniseries, and two promising new Spider-Man miniseries launch – including Chip Zdarsky’s Spider-Man: Life Story.
Over in indieland, Mags Visaggio and G. Willow Wilson both launch new comics from Dark Horse. New Image launches like Assassination Nation and Little Bird debut, and we get the return of Lazarus from Greg Rucka and Michael Lark.
What will rise? What will fall? Just how much will Detective Comics crush the competition? Find out next time on By the Numbers!
Liked what you read? Let us know and ask any questions here or on Twitter @glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield

By The Numbers: January 2019

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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 6 years but grew up reading comics. He’s had work published with Outre Press, Alterna Comics and Nemesis Studios. If you think Glenn’s an okay dude please check out his new one shot Sparks: The Way I Was on Comixology here!

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.  Thinking that Glenn is indeed an okay dude, Ray also wants people in the UK to know they can buy Sparks: The Way I Was here!

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn:  Welcome to the first sales chart for January 2019 fellow comic fans!  Its very late this month and I’m sure you’re all bursting with curiosity to find out what exactly is going on in the first month of the year sales wise so lets get groovin’.

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The top selling book of the month is the same book that was top last month in the hugely successful Batman Who Laughs mini which sells over 116.8k which is insanely great.  Its no surprise that DC is doubling down and giving the character his own book in the coming months given how much of a life he’s taken on after Metal. I could see the title continue to deliver 6 figures or close to that for the rest of the run.  Normally that would guarantee a top 5 spot or top ten at least but War Of The Realms is coming with its gazillion tie-ins so its unclear how that will mess up the charts during its duration.  Of course, good sales (or great sales) are still the same regardless of chart placement.

Ray: I think a good amount of this is the creative team. This being Snyder’s final main-line Batman story for the time being, aside from the future-set Last Knight on Earth, it’s driving a lot of sales. But the character obviously has an enormous fanbase as well and there’s a good chance it’ll stay above 100K for the entire run. The character is probably the biggest hit new character since Spider-Gwen, and I think DC will be a lot more careful with managing their rollout.
Glenn: Agreed, its unlikely we’ll see much of the character outside of the use of Snyder and Tynion and they seem to be hinting at an end game plan for him.
I’m hugely surprised by the numbers behind the newest Captain Marvel launch at 2 with sales over 111.3k.  First instinct is that I shouldn’t be given the movie is coming and Kelly Thompson is writing but Marvel hasn’t been treating poor Carol particularly well while they’ve been killing time waiting for the movie to hit.  Multiple relaunches, iffy creative and whatever Civil War II was has not been kind but despite all of that, we get a great launch for the book.  I think this is huge testiment to Kelly Thompson and the faith that retailers have in the potential crossover market from the Marvel movies.  Where it goes from here is unclear it could really go anywhere between the 40-20k range and the closer to the former number would be preferable and is definitely possible with this creative team.  We’ll see.
Ray:  This is far and away the best we’ve ever seen a Captain Marvel book do. That’s a sort of black swan combining the movie, the character’s extended push from Marvel, and a writer whose stock is rising VERY fast and people have wanted to see take the character on for a long time. Given how Marvel books usually do, I’m expecting a steep drop for issue #2, but I think it’ll level out quickly. Marvel should hope for a similar trajectory to Coates’ Black Panther here. 
Glenn:  Another megawatt creative team on a property that has been languishing, Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw come to the Guardians to reinvent the team which is good for sales over 104.9k at 3.  Its astonishing to continually see how essential Cates continues to be to Marvel in very quick fashion.  Given the stand out character he co-created in Cosmic Ghost Rider is here and how his Venom run has gained huge momentum this could settle in the 50-60k range which would make it one of Marvel’s top ongoings and miles ahead from where the title was previously.
Ray: The previous run struggled in sales and ended with the interminable (still technically not over!) Infinity Wars event, so this feels like a return to form for the property. The addition of Cates and Cosmic Ghost Rider probably makes up for the loss of 3/5th of the movie team (especially Rocket!). I think it’ll drop hard with the second issue, but stay well above the 20K range of the last run’s final regular issues. They’re hoping for a performance like Venom, no doubt, and I think it’ll be a little short of that.
Glenn:  Another Marvel launch, another megawhat team but this time its a new property…or at least new to Marvel for the first time in a while in Conan The Barbarian.  They’ve placed (arguably) their top writer on it in Jason Aaron and been hyping it to death which  is enough to get it the 4th spot in the charts with sales over 100.9k which is phenomenal for the title given how it performed at Dark Horse.  However the second issue also charts this month at 46 with sales over 37.9k.  Quite a drop in the same month but of course still much better than what it was doing previously.  This isn’t like Star Wars that took 5 years to settle down at the 40kish range, Conan is a much more niche title so it’ll have different expectations.  If can stay around this level, it’ll be great but we’re getting a flood of Conan in the months to come from Marvel including a second ongoing, a mini and him on an Avengers team (?!?!??!?!).  That’s a lot of Conan to thrust on the market, whether it’ll have an impact on the main book or not is hard to tell.  Marvel is being Marvel and doing the most they can with a property in their roster, whether it will benefit them long term or not is hard to tell.
Ray: Amazing debut, but pretty standard second issue for Conan. For a Conan title this is just fine and should level out quickly based on Aaron’s name. But I would say this should worry Marvel a lot about all those spinoffs. I could see several of them crashing hard, especially the secondary book (which might be an anthology given the quick creative team change) and the Belit miniseries. But Savage Avengers will do fine – it’s as much a Venom and Wolverine title as a Conan one.
Glenn: I forgot about Venom being a part of the Savage Avengers.  It’ll be interesting to see how he fares as a sales factor without Cates and I’m sure Marvel are curious too.
Amazing Spider-Man continues to be an oddity in the charts, it places 5 this month and is the highest selling existing ongoing with sales over 91.6k for issue 14 which is phenomenal but then issue 13 is lower at…well 13 with sales over 66.3k and a 30k difference in sales is…weird.  I’d maybe be more understanding if 14 is the start of the much hyped ‘Hunted’ story line but it isn’t.  I don’t know what to make of the book at the moment…in more ways than one.
Ray: There’s been a lot of weird fluctuations with this title, jumping a lot for no apparent reason. I’m guessing it’s incentive covers. But the title’s regular issues keep dropping, now down to the mid-60K range. Hunted could be a mixed bag – while it’s an event of sorts, it also turns the title into a weekly for all practical purposes and could speed up the shedding of sales.
Image result for amazing spider-man 14 2019
Glenn: Its also odd to see a return of the oddly numbered ‘point’ issues which are a thing that never took off for Marvel despite them really, really wanting them too.  The tie ins run the risk of performing poorly and further diluting Amazing’s brand.
What does make sense is Batman which continues its slow decrease and comes ever closer to the rest of the charts in terms of numbers.  At 6 and 7 it sells over 90.6k and 83.6k respectfully.  Crossover with the Flash title in ‘The Price’ might see a boost back up but we’ll probably not see a continual increase in sales until the ‘Knightmare’ story is ever.  The following story which seems to feature the Batman version of Thomas Wayne in it will be enough to spice things up again sales wise.  It could be though with War Of The Realms that Batman might lose its long steady top ten position.
Ray: Bigger than usual mid-month drop for Batman, with no obvious reason except that #62 is a Mitch Gerads guest issue. The artist behind Mister Miracle may have given it a bounce. But next month’s crossover should be big and the return of Thomas Wayne Batman to the series in May will give it a boost.
Glenn:  Two issues of Heroes In Crisis this month at 8 and 9 meaning we get four Tom King titles in a row.  The issues sell over 82.1k and 79k so the difference in sales in minimal.  If this was a story about mental health in the super hero community I’d say it would be a big hit but as a big crossover which is meant to have major ramifications for the DC universe, its sub par.  We’ll not be seeing a Batman Who Laughs success story out of this one.
Ray:  It’s interesting – Heroes in Crisis started a lot lower than anyone expected, but attrition has been very good, almost on the level of Doomsday Clock. I think DC’s recent decision to keep events mostly centered in the main miniseries with minimal tie-ins has kept those books high – the core mini feels essential and there’s not a big buy-in.
Glenn: As opposed for $120 worth of War Of The Realms in May, oy.
At 10 is the launch of new Spider-Man title, Friendly Neighbourhood by Tom Taylor which sells over 78k.  The first volume of this title sold over 100k when it debuted and that was when there were already two other Spider-Man titles but Amazing wasn’t bi-weekly in those days and it was tying into the much hyped ‘The Other’ story.  Given how todays market book and ‘b’ titles will always have a ceiling, this is probably a bit better than expected.  The second issue is on the charts too selling over 32.4k at 63 2 which again seems about right.  Given how good the title is I’m hoping it can climb up some numbers over the coming months.  There’s a lot of Spider-Man out there at the moment with Amazing twice a month (plus all the Hunted tie ins), Spider-Gwen, Miles book and Otto’s book so it has to really fight to keep its place.  I hope it can manage it.

Ray:  I expected a bigger debut for Friendly, and I definitely think retailers missed the boat on that second issue. The Slott-esque tone has scratched the itch a lot of people had since #801 and reviews have been fantastic. This feels like it’ll be Tom Taylor’s breakout book and keep stable and growing if they don’t undercut it like they did with X-Men Red. 

A healthy debut for Wonder Comics at #11, as Young Justice #1 sells just under 74K. This is obviously a comparably great debut to what Teen Titans has been doing for the longest time, and the creative team of Bendis and Gleason is heavy-duty. But three of these characters have been gone for years – seven years is an eternity in comic time – and the DCU teen zone has been a disaster for a while. Still, it’s starting in a very good place to essentially take over for TT as the flagship young-heroes book. The line as a whole? Much less certain, and more on that lay-tor.
Glenn: I would have thought Young Justice has a top ten spot locked down but its not far off and as you indicate there’s a lot of baggage here to try to overcome.  If it can settle around the 50k mark (not that difficult I think) it’ll be grand.  Clearly Bendis has a lot of passion for the book so DC will get it to work regardless.
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Ray:  As usual, this is the part of the charts where we see long-running hit titles that have settled into their sales groove. There’s no new titles between #12 and #26, selling in the 67K to 50K range. The books up here are Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Justice League, Venom, Return of Wolverine, The Green Lantern (firmly locking down here for the third month), Uncanny X-Men, Detective Comics, Superman, and Avengers. An odd mix, but this is the new comics A-list under Batman.
Glenn: These are the big two’s heavy hitters for sure.  Most of them will likely remain around this level in the months to come in, Venom may go up or down with War Of The Realms which loses Cates/Stegman but gets a nice shiny event crossover.  Its all a bit unpredictable.
Ray:  Uncanny X-Men in particular seems to have stabilized impressively, landing three issues in the top thirty and its annual selling #41K at #36. This new direction may be working, but we’ll see how it does when Rosenberg takes over as solo writer and the book goes biweekly.
At #27 is Web of Venom Unleashed, a one-shot written by series artist Ryan Stegman selling 47K. About 10K lower than the main series without Cates, but given that this was an issue about dog-Venom fighting giant spiders, I think we can safely say Venom is a franchise now.
Glenn: For sure and Marvel is now confident enough to give us one of these one shots without either of the main title’s creators.  As I alluded to above, with Venom’s placement on the Savage Avenger’s, its all gentle testing of the market by the company to see how much they can get out of the hit handed to them by Cates and Stegman.  This one shot didn’t read as an essential piece of Venom’s gooey puzzle so these numbers are great.
Ray:  The Justice League annual comes in at #28, selling 47K. That’s a good 13K lower than the main series, so retailers might have missed the boat given that this was the conclusion of the main story of the first arc. Expect some reorders here.
Glenn: I’m surprised given it was the writer(s) of the main series.  Perhaps there was some misunderstanding over who was producing this and what it was?  Reorders aplenty for sure.
Ray:  It’s almost unheard of to see Walking Dead this far down, but it clocks in at #30 selling 46K. It’s been a while since a big event to goose the sales, so we’ve seen some real attrition here. But as #200 approaches, we’ll see those sales climb again.
Glenn: With everything else in the market up in the air, Walking Dead can afford to bide its time.  A new character or story is enough to have it back on top.  No concerns here even though this is the lowest placement its done in years.
Ray:  Shazam holds pretty well for its second issue, selling 43K at #34. I’m not sure if it’s settled down fully yet, but if it holds around here that’s a definite win for a character who hasn’t had an ongoing series in what, twenty years? The power of Johns!
Glenn: I don’t see many other creators being able to do much better with the franchise.  We’ll see if the film helps any…likely not but hey you never know.
Ray:  #35 brings us the Age of X-Man: Alpha one-shot, which is leading into an alternate reality mini-event featuring the X-Men trapped in an odd mutant utopia. It sells 42K, which probably indicates middling sales for the upcoming six miniseries set in this world.
Image result for Age of X-Man: Alpha
Glenn: There seems to be a lot of odd mutant utopias.  Middling indifference has been the tale of the tape for X-Men for years so no big surprise.
Ray:  This is where we see the second wave of successful long-running books settle down, selling in the 45K-35K range. They include Thor, Action Comics, Flash, Star Wars (and most of the Age of Republic specials), Captain America, Immortal Hulk, Wonder Woman, Justice League Dark, and Catwoman. All of these books have secured themselves around the top fifty despite some tough competition.
Superior Spider-Man looks like it’s a hit for Marvel, with its second issue coming in at #47 and selling 37K. Otto is another character that’s become a real sleeper hit for Marvel in recent years, mainly thanks to Slott’s work. He also keeps his lead over Miles, who has the second issue of his new series at #57 selling just under 34K.
Glenn:  I guess we’ll see Otto break out in the next Spider-Verse movie perhaps?
Ray:  #48 brings the debut of Chip Zdarsky’s Invaders, selling 36K. That’s a pretty rough start for a book featuring Captain America and Winter Soldier, but the brand name doesn’t have much pull. Given the good reviews, this is one with potential to grow.
Glenn: Its the Invaders so it can only do so well but this has a lot of potential for a steady hold on where it is.  Despite being a great writer, Zdarskey doesn’t pull in big sales but delivers on consistency in his audience.
Ray:  The epilogue to Infinity Wars, simply titled “Infinity“, lands at #53 selling 35K. I thought this series already had an epilogue! This one leads into Wolverine: Infinity Watch, launching next month. They truly are the Infinity Stones!
Glenn: I have a feeling we’ll never stop talking about this.  I get wanting to have something to do with Infinity out there for Endgame coming but I feel burnt out by this event and I’m not even reading it
Ray:  In terms of a series having a rough debut this month, few were rougher than Black Widow, landing at #59 and selling 33K. Even Waid and Samnee couldn’t make the character a solo hit, but they at least launched at a healthy level. This new book by the Soska Sisters is likely to be eight and done.
Glenn: Kudos to Marvel for keep trying despite continually failing to make a thing work.  Maybe like Captain Marvel, Natasha will get her time to shine when Kelly Thompson writes her for a new relaunch in time for her own movie.
Ray:  Marvel had to kill time in the gap month for Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil launch. The Jed McKay-penned “Man Without Fear” miniseries focusing on a broken Matt Murdock pushing away all his friends and allies didn’t connect with retailers, as the weekly makes its debut at #62, selling 33K. The other four issues sink further, landing at #75, 79, 80, 81. They’re selling about 26K by the end, and Zdarsky’s first issue of Daredevil should easily triple that next month.
Glenn: Oh man, what a waste of time this was.  Couldn’t they…just have not had a Daredevil book?  It reminds me of after Diggle’s run, they had a mini ‘Daredevil: Reborn‘ that was promptly pushed off a cliff when Waid came on the book.  Seems like history repeating itself except at least back then it served as somewhat of a wrap to Diggle’s run.  This was just putting it out there for the sake of it and the market responded appropriately.
Ray:  The Star Wars: Age of Republic Special sells well below the other issues of this mini-event, landing at #67 with sales of 31K. This is an anthology issue (that featured a Jar-Jar story for some reason), so the lower sales are probably to be expected.
Glenn: Unless it featured the death of Jar-Jar, I’m not surprised.
Ray:  A puzzling debut for Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 from Boom, landing at #70 with sales of 31K. I would have expected a lot more for Boom’s biggest license ever – this is less than half of what their Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers title launched at – especially given the top creative team. Maybe it’s because the Dark Horse Buffy comic has only been gone for a few months and really lost most of its momentum by the end? Watch for this one to pick up steam.
Glenn:  I’m really surprised by this one.  I really expected more but there has been a lot of baggage coming in with the Dark Horse tenure plus people might be put off by the reboot.  I hope people give this a chance.
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Ray:  Another rough relaunch at #71, as the first issue of the relaunched Champions only sells 30K. An expanded roster didn’t do much to revitalize this title, which never took off under Waid. I expect we’ll be seeing it replaced by a Young Avengers relaunch within a year.
Glenn: Another book that seems to have had high hopes placed in it and it lands with a hard thud on its latest relaunch.  A disturbing trend for Marvel.
Ray:  Marvel Comics Presents, an anthology title including a new Wolverine story by Charles Soule, lands at #72 with sales of 30K. I don’t think there’s much of a market for regular anthologies anymore, so this isn’t a big surprise.
Glenn: Maybe they thought they could get some regular income based on the fact that the DC ones do well?  Its fine for what it is but I don’t think it’ll last past 12 issues given the trend behind falls in Marvel books with a singular narrative people can latch onto.  Creators like Soule can only do so much with limited space for their stories.
Ray:  Supergirl seems to have stabilized and increased this month, landing at #73 with sales of 29K. That’s up 8K from last month’s anniversary issue, which is similar to what the title did under Orlando and Houser for a while.
Glenn: Well it got some extra sales for a few months so…yay?  Nothing ventured and all that, at least DC didn’t bombard us with a pointless relaunch of the books number
Ray:  Martian Manhunter keeps about 2/3rds of its first issue sales and lands at #82 this month, selling 26K. That’s okay for a Martian Manhunter title, but lightning doesn’t seem to have struck twice like it did with Mister Miracle. If this can stay above 20K for most of its run, it’ll be considered a modest hit.
Glenn: It might climb up like Miracle did but I don’t think this one has the same awe behind it.  Around this level will probably be about right and it might catch fire (no pun intended) in sales as a decent offering to DC’s all powerful library
Ray:  A bizarre, shockingly low debut for the second Wonder Comics title, Naomi, written by Bendis and David Walker and drawn by Jamal Campbell. The story of an original young character with ties to a big DC mystery, this was never going to be the big hit Young Justice was – but I think everyone expected it to sell more than a Jinxworld title normally would. This is puzzling, and indicates that Bendis’ name definitely isn’t what it used to be. I do think this could pick up steam as the mystery reveals itself, but it’s now been downgraded to a six-issue “first season” and we’ll see what happens from there.

Glenn: The trouble is that new characters without a connection to another established character are a hard sell.  New characters who we’re told little to nothing about is a harder sell.  I get why the need for secrecy but retailers can tell their customers what they’re buying if they don’t know themselves.  I think Wonder Twins and Dial H might launch a bit better than this because they’re known properties, Naomi is a completely unknown factor and in today’s market that’s not something retailers will want to gamble on.  Stales might have stabilized or improved but if DC is cutting it short, it’ll be left to squander most likely.

Firefly is holding its own at 90 with sales over 25k so this is going to definitely be one of Boom’s biggest successes.

Ray: Based on typical second-issue attrition, Firefly might wind up a higher seller overall than Buffy. No one saw that coming.
Glenn:  At 96 I think is a first, a launch of a comic adaption of a podcast in the case of Wolverine: Long Night which sells over 23.5k.  I’m not sure how big the podcast was (must have done well since they’re doing another) so this will be for people that aren’t into that kind of thing or people looking to double dip.  On the surface it might be a bit low for a Wolverine book but since its place in continuity is unclear and its been readily available through another medium, if you compare this to say…the MCU preludes it favours quite well.
Ray: Yeah, this is a very odd duck. I didn’t even know a Wolverine podcast was a thing, so I image that most retailers just treated it like a throwaway Wolverine mini and his sales star has fallen a lot. Given the audience for podcasts might be a bit more geared towards bookstores, this feels like it’ll make a nice OGN and sell a lot there.
Glenn:  101 brings us Fight Club 3 which sells over 21.7 which is a strong launch for Dark Horse these days.  The last chapter in this was a big hit for Dark Horse so another one was a no brainer, from what I hear though, Fight Club 2 was a bit of an odd one so there is some diminishing returns likely thanks to that but this is still a strong performance for Dark Horse since its only beaten by the juggernaut franchise of Stranger Things.
Ray:  It’s a decent first-issue number, but well below what the previous installment did. This dropped with very little fanfare, and there’s rumors that Chuck Palahniuk had to write this to make money after he was swindled out of a lot of money. I think this one is likely to fly under the radar.
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Glenn:  Much lauded title Criminal returns after several years away to launch at over 20.3k at 105 which is pretty in line with how Brubaker books tend to do.  The audience here seems to be as loyal as ever and Brubaker is one of those creators that you can set your clock by in terms in what his properties deliver sales wise.  No big surprises but still a strong and consistent output which is likely more important long term.
Ray: Retailers clearly didn’t treat this like a new #1, instead ordering it on the level of whatever they order for Brubaker/Phillips’ regular projects. That means it’ll almost definitely settle down very close to this level.
Glenn:  At 106 is the Teen Titans annual which sells over 20.3k also which is about 4k below the main title.  Pretty much in line with where Teen Titans has been as a franchise for well over ten years and how close DC annuals tend to sell to their main title.  No surprises again.
I am surprised at the sales of Crypt Of Shadows which is one of Marvel’s odd renewals of very old comics to celebrate an anniversary of some sort.  This horror title sells over 20.2 at 107 which is pretty good considering this is a franchise I’ve never heard of before.  Apart from superheroes, horror seems to be the safest bet in terms of getting readers attention so it makes sense that this is the best performing of these odd books.
Ray: This is the first of these oddball one-issue relaunches, which is a similar stunt to what DC did during their Blackest Night event. I think Ewing’s name was probably the main draw here, as well as the fact that this was a single full-issue story rather than an anthology.
Glenn:  Latest Image juggernaut Die‘s second issue settles at over 18.5k at 115 which is a great performance that puts it among on of Image’s upper tier performers.  Given that the first issue has gone into multiple performers and reviews have been very generous, I would say this is where the sales number will stay…or mabe go up over time.
Ray: Die, like Gideon Falls, has fantastic creative reception and a top creative team. That’ll likely lock it down as one of Image’s top books long-term.
Glenn:  Also in its second issue at 116 is Winter Soldier which sells over 18.5k which is pretty good for a Marvel mini.  The character did of course used to have a much higher profile but that was many years ago, this number makes sense after how he’s been handled for a decade or so even if the character in theory should be able to pull in much higher sales.
Sharp drop for Mark Millar’s Prodigy which loses nearly 20k this month landing it at 121 selling over 17.7k.  Perhaps these Netflix comics are getting more initial hype than demand warrants and that’s the reason for the big drop.  Of course, 17kish is grand for an Image mini but it’ll be interesting to see if Millar’s other Netflix comic projects follow a similar pattern.
At 122 is yet another second issue in the form of Spawn Kills Everyone Too which lands at over 17.5 which is very good for a wtf title that’s done for the lolz.  TTFN.
Second issue of Ironheart is less encouraging in terms of an ongoing for a character Marvel seems invested in.  If it can settle at sales over 17.5k which places it at 123 in this months charts it can probably have a decent shelf life but no doubt we’ll have another relaunch before so long to shake up what it can actually be capable of.
Ray: That’s not a bad second-issue slide for Ironheart, but it’ll need to hold close to this level or find a secondary audience in digital and trade if it wants to survive.
Glenn:  This months True Believers theme is Conan with the highest selling of them at 125 with sales over 17.2k which again is free money for Marvel, especially since this is reprinting stuff they likely never thought they’d bother putting out there again.
Ray: Old Conan comics were never going to have the pull of classic Marvel books. For $1 promotional issues, this is pretty good, but the sales of the new Conan series is due to the creators rather than the character. Most of them are much further down, around the #190-210 range selling close to 9K. Still, largely free money.
Glenn:  A new reprint anthology, Marvel Tales launches at 131 with sales over 16.5k which is essentially like Marvel putting out an oversized True Believers issue and charging 7.99 for it.  I’m not sure if sales will remain up here but this is a ridiculously good number for reprinted material at this price.  Kudos to Slott for making the Fantastic Four a thing again.
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Ray: I never fail to be amazed by how many ways Marvel can sell people old comics.
Glenn:  TMNT: Shredder In Hell launches at 132 with sales over 16.5k which is better than the average Turtles comic that IDW puts out. I’m not sure what the difference is here so the resident turtles expert in Ray will likely be able to fill in the blanks here.
Ray: Yeah, this is close to double what this month’s issue of the main series did. This is also Shredder’s first major appearance in almost four years in this continuity, so we’re talking about a real event here for the fans. Great number. Alas, the second issue is rather delayed due to the writer/artist’s very detailed process.
Glenn:  Next random Marvel one shot for their anniversary is Journey Into Unknown Worlds which sells over 16.5k at 133 which again is pretty good for something that is not to do with anything particular and based off a long defunct franchise.  Not too far behind is War Is Hell which sells over 15.3k at 139 which is still pretty good.  I thought maybe a war book might have had the advantage given Marvel’s history with the genre in Howling Commandos and such but these are so close together its not really too much to take a glance at.  Retailers likely didn’t know what to do so ordered the majority of these in close numbers and called it a day.
Ray:  Journey into Unknown Worlds is a sci-fi/horror issue with two stories by Cullen Bunn and Clay McLeod Chapman, while War is Hell had stories by Howard Chaykin and Philip Kennedy Johnson, and both lacked the buzz of Crypt of Shadows. I think this will be the level that most of these one-shots find next month too. 
Glenn:  More Marvel Tales with Venom this time which sells over 15.2k at 140.  I’m surprised this didn’t do better given how hot Venom is at the moment and only a few months ago, a $1 reprint of Amazing 300 did ridiculous numbers.
The second issue of Freedom Fighters is at 147 with with sales over 14k so a fall of about 9k from launch.  Not too bad given its for a third tier property and a book that is isolated from everything else.  Should be good for a respectful performance for its 12 issue run.
Massive reorder for the first issue of Batman Who Laughs at over 14k more sales at 148.  The laughter here is DC finance.
Ray: That’s a pretty spectacular reorder number, closer to what we saw for Rebirth and Action #1000 than anything recently. This is a genuine megahit.
Glenn:  In recent months there’s been an odd trend of new takes on Oliver Twist and there’s another one in Oliver from Image at 152 which sells over 13.6k.  This one is from a Hollywood screen writer and popular artist Derick Robinson so its no surprise it likely did better than the others.  There should be enough residual support next issue to get this to where the creative team need it to go long term.
Ray: Yeah, this is an upper-middle debut for Image and definitely a bigger hit than the recent Olivia Twist from Dark Horse/Berger Books.
Glenn:  At 154 is Uncanny X-Men 3D which is Marvel getting in on that hot 3D streak Avatar (the crap one) made hot like 10 years ago.  Charging 7.99 to give people a headache while they read a comic from the past is a gamble but its good enough for sales over 13.4k.  Now it seems like Marvel is trying to figure out new ways to earn more from comics they already made money off, I guess it is the house of ideas.
Ray: 3D comics. Yep. Man, it sure is great here in 1993. I can’t wait to see Jurassic Park.
Glenn:  At 166 is Alien: Resistance, the latest Dark Horse Alien mini which come along as regular as your local public transport.  It sells over 11.7k which is pretty much the norm.  This is one of Dark Horse’s bread and butter franchises that they’re hoping Marvel doesn’t take a liking to.

Ray:  This is also a new comic by Brian Wood, who’s…controversial right now and only seems to work for Dark Horse. 

The latest DC Anthology, Mysteries of Love in Space, debuts at #168 with sales of 11.7K. This didn’t have the megawatt names of previous installments, but it did have James Tynion doing love on Apokalips and Saladin Ahmed making his DC debut on a Bizarro story. Given that it was sort of an oddball one, I think these numbers are pretty good for a $10 comic.
Glenn: Agreed, the anthologies are continuing and getting weirder as they go so clearly DC is happy.
Ray:  Now it’s time for some oddballs! At #174 selling 10.5K is “The Shape of Elvira“, a Dynamite spin-off mini about Elvira falling in love with the Creature from the Black Lagoon. If this franchise is sending up Oscar winners now, should we expect a miniseries about Elvira driving Blackula down south next year?
Glenn: We can only dream of such a book.  This is a pretty good number for a joke title.
Ray:  Archie’s latest entry into the horror world comes in at #175, with Blossoms 666. Cullen Bunn and Laura Braga’s miniseries sells 10.5K, probably on the strength of the creative team rather than a concept of C-list Archie supporting cast as the antichrists.
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Glenn: Its a Bunn horror book so I thought it would have done better but like you said, maybe its his name that got it to 10k in the first place.  Archie is in a very weird place as a company at the moment but clearly these random alt universe books are working.
Ray:  At #193 is a lower-selling Image book, Gunning for Hits by British music veteran Jeff Rougvie and veteran DC artist Moritat. It sells 9.7K and wasn’t helped by its bizarre concept (a music agent turned assassin) and some controversy over antisemitic imagery in one segment.
Glenn: Very odd concept but also perhaps too close to the much more high profile book that Bendis is doing for DC in Cover.  With the controversy, the sales will likely take a big hit next month.
Ray:  Hey, remember when James Cameron’s Avatar was the top-grossing movie of all time for over five years, a record it still holds worldwide? Surely that franchise has left such a huge cultural footprint that the first official comic book spin-off launching would create a huge – oh. #198, 9.6K. Womp womp.
Glenn: I forgot about Avatar 5 seconds after seeing it, it seems most people did the same.  Needs more Prince Zuko clearly.
Ray:  The latest IDW Star Trek miniseries, The Q Conflict, lands at #210 with sales of 9K. This is largely a product for completists, as the Next Generation fans tend to be more hardcore Trekkies.
Glenn: Q’s a well known character for Trek fans but wouldn’t have much appeal to people who are fans through the Abrams verse or some such.
Ray:  Speaking of Marvel being really good at selling old comics, they manage to sell just under 8.4K of Silver Surfer #14 in “facsimile edition” at #215. Seems to be a lot of these this month.
Glenn: Given how they like us to pay for things we’ve already paid for, I think that’s a safe bet.
Ray:  Marvel Super-Hero Adventures has essentially become a monthly with a different brand each month, and this month’s installment, Across the Spider-Verse, sells 8.1K at #220. Pretty standard for a new all-ages comic, but these are mainly worth getting for Ty Templeton’s brilliant funny pages. Marvel should collect those as a one-shot.
IDW had a special 20th anniversary event this month, releasing a set of 20/20 specials flashing forward 20 years into the future of their most popular characters. TMNT tops the list, with this special issue coming in at #227 and selling 7.7K. That’s about 80% of the main series sales, which is pretty good.
Glenn: Odd experiments like these are often something that appeals to the completest so the individual issues will be only as successful as each individual property.
Ray:  Predictably, Archie loses most of its anniversary issue bump, plunging down to #228 and losing 12K in sales to drop to a standard 7.6K. Maybe hiring the writer of Secret Empire to revamp Archie wasn’t the best idea?
Glenn: Clearly not no.  The title is back to the level it was at prior to the Waid relaunch a few years ago.  They’ll need to cook up something to stay with the rest of the pack
Ray:  In what surprisingly isn’t a Marvel book, the Red Giant comic White Widow sells 7.4K at #230. That’s surprisingly good for a comic whose cover looks like it should be released by Boundless or Zenoscope. That pose is not natural.
Glenn: *googles* she must have went to the Linda Blair school of poses.  I wonder how many retailers ordered this thinking it was something to do with Spider-Man or Black Widow or some such?  I don’t see sales lasting.
Ray:  The first and only Curse of Brimstone Annual (the series is ending in March) lands at #231 selling 7.4K. That’s only 600 copies below the main series, which is pretty impressive but the series as a whole sells shockingly low.
Glenn: ‘Sales are shockingly low’ is going to be on the tombstone of the New Age Of DC offerings.
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Ray:  7.2K in reorders for Batman: Damned #2 at #236. No Bat-wang in this one, but still very strong sales all around.
Glenn: The hype is real and of all companies, BOOM seem to be the company that has picked up on that as they’ve given the creative team an open ticket on a mini together through them sometime soon.
Ray:  The third relaunch of Turok from Dynamite in the last few years lands at #240, selling just under 6.9K. Ron Marz isn’t the name he used to be and this isn’t one of the properties Dynamite put a lot of promotional heat behind, so these are standard weak numbers.
Some reorders for Venom #8, selling an additional 6.8K at #243. Cates’ run continues to pick up steam.
The Facsimile Edition of Marvel Presents #3, featuring the first appearance of the Guardians of the Galaxy, picks up 6.7K sales at #244. Essentially a $4 True Believers issue, so good for Marvel getting those dollars.
The latest crossover no one knew they wanted, Barbarella/Dejah Thoris, launches at #257 from Dynamite with 6.4K sales. Bless Dynamite, someone is buying these old public domain sexy lady crossovers.
Glenn: To be fair to Dynamite they are trying very hard recently with a lot of their properties but they still are understandably catering to the audience that has stuck by them this long.
Ray:  The next 2020 special, Star Trek, charts for IDW at #258, selling 6.4K. These generally do pretty close to the main series, down a bit.
Glenn: This one was 20 years prior to Next Gen I believe and explored Picard’s first command.  Definitely one for the hardcore fanbase.
Ray:  A low debut for Peter Cannon Thunderbolt from Dynamite, as the Kieron Gillen-penned Watchmen-inspired revamp of the classic character sells 6.2K at #261. I would have expected a lot more given the creative team and the Watchmen connection, but this is a character who hasn’t had a title in over a decade, I think.
Glenn:  Its possible that some people don’t know the connection between this character (and other Charleton creations) and the ones featured in Watchmen.  It’ll likely level out quickly, maybe pick up some momentum through word of mouth and do well in Dynamite’s collection library.  Lets see if it can finish before the DC Watchmen follow up, Doomsday Clock wraps up.

The next 20/20 one shot is My Little Pony at 270 with sales over 5.9k.  Is it even possible to do something like this with (I assume) immortal cutsey horse characters?  I mean we’re not going to get an issue where characters mourn Sparkle Princess or whatever getting sent to the glue factory.  Retailers likely ordered this as a standard MLP one shot.  I’m having a daughter soon and will forever be unable to make jokes about this property, the sacrifices a father makes.
Ray: I hope it’s a bizarre post-apocalyptic special where the ponies have been forced to become cyborgs to fight, I don’t know, Fairy Aardvarks.
Glenn:  Wyrd is a new comic by Dark Horse with an interesting premise that debuts 274 with sales over 5.8k which is pretty much to be expected from the company when no big creators are involved.  I think this would have sold better at Image but the creators got it out which is probably more important for them.
Ray: Wyrd is one of those Dark Horse books with no real hook and a talented but not a-list creative team. This is still their level, as the company tries to rebuild their brand after losing so many licenses. Lemire will help.
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Glenn: Bloodshot: Rising Spirit at 379 with sales of 5.4k sees the character trying to find its place in a post Jeff Lemire world.  Its defaulting to standard Valient numbers at the moment but its going to be very hard for them to get anything close to the acclaim and buzz Lemire brought.
I’m not sure what audience there still is for Lady Death in 2019 but there must be one, her new book sells over 5.3k at 283.  I didn’t say it was a big audience.
Ray: Strike up the Rachel Bloom, Glenn!
Glenn:  Getting a bump of about 2k for their 25th issue, Zenescopes Grimm Fairy Tales sells over 5.2k at 286 priced at 5.99 to boot.  Just shows what those anniversary numbers can do, most series tend to launch way before 25 so its like the new 100 this weather.
Losing about half its sales, Image’s Freeze is at 290 with sales over 5.1k.  This is pretty standard for Image books left to fend for themselves without the big creative juice behind them.
Reorders in the 5k range for Fantastic Four, Middlewest and Uncanny X-Men, all either top or decent hits for their respective publishers at spots 292, 294 and 296.
Before things start to get scary, the second issue of Betty & Veronica sells over 4.7k at 300.  It seems as odd as the books like Blossom 666 and such are, they do a lot better than the pseudo Archie spin offs.
At 301 is the first issue of Adventure Time: Marcy and Simon which sells over 4.7k.  I’m sure these words in this order mean something to some and those people are the ones this book is aimed at.  I assume given Adventure Time is a thing (I think?) it sells more elsewhere.
Ray: Yeah, this is one of the most popular cartoon series of recent years and these are two of the more popular characters, so the core audience of the show is showing up. But like all cartoon spinoffs, it’s geared more towards kids at bookstores.
Glenn:  Miles Morales: Spider-Man selling another 4.5k or so copies at 307 for its debut issue indicate retailers got it right when they ordered it initially and have adjusted realistically.  We’ll see if any Oscar buzz comes Miles way in terms of sales but I wouldn’t count on it, not in the direct market anyway.
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311 is Barack Panther vs Tremendous Trump which sells over 4.4k.  Makes me sad.
Ray: Sigh. I never know if these are pro-Trump, Anti-Trump, or a collective fever dream
Glenn:  At least you see it too.
A new BOOM series at 315 in the form of Avant-Guards sells over 4.2k which on the surface is not great but the company does the majority of their business elsewhere and really only use the direct market as a formality more than anything.
Ray: Boom seems to have faith in this one, a diverse new comic about a girls’ drama school starting a basketball team. It’s got a twelve-issue order as opposed to the usual four or five. They’re doing something very right, we just can’t see it here.
Glenn:  This months Transformers thingeymabob is Transformers: Historia which sells over 4.1k at 317 which is a good bit lower than the usual Transformer offerings.  This seems to be basically a 5.99 manual going over the history of the properties time at IDW so the low sales are no surprise then.
The first comic spin off in the Stabbity Bunny universe, Stabbity Ever After debuts at 328 with sales over 3.7k.  Once again this is more Ray’s area than mine but what a world we live in when such a comic by that name can exist eh?
Ray: This is one of two Stabbity Bunny spin-offs in coming months, so they’re obviously happy with this weird little property.
Glenn:  At 330 is Halo: Lone Wolf a comic spin off of the incredibly successful Halo game series.  The sales of over 3.6k indicate this one is purely for huge Halo fans who want to absorb everything about the mythos rather than people who just want to go in and kick some butt as Master Chief.
Ray: Looooooooong way from when this was a top Marvel property by Bendis and Maleev.
Glenn:  WWE Forever is the wrestling offering this month at 336 selling over 3.5k which I think indicates 7.99 is probably too much to ask for the wrestling fans who are even half interested in reading comics about their favorite wrestlers.
Going 20 years into the future really didn’t work well for the Ghostbusters with their one shot selling all the way down at 340 selling over 3.4k.  Retailers are probably worries about crowds with pitchforks and torches turning up if they learn they’re stocking any variation of the classic team.
Ray: Ghostbusters is a firmly divided franchise and it’s hurt its already limited group of old-school fans
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Glenn:  The 2019 annual for Grimm Fairy Tales is at 346 with sales over 3.3k which is where the main title usually hovers.  Hard to deny that what Zenecope delivers to its set fandom, they like to buy.
Underneath that is Tom Clancy’s Division Extremis Malis and this type of thing isn’t going to have much appeal to comic fans and it shows in sales over 3,3k
At 357 is Jem and The Holograms 20/20 which sells over 2.9k.  I’m guessing not many people would be interested in what would be the bands nostalgia reunion tour.
Ray: Unlike the other books in this mini-event, Jem has already ended its comic run at IDW, so this is sort of a series finale/epilogue. That might not have helped with sales.
Glenn:  At 364 is yet more Zenescope in the form of Grimm Universe Presents 2019 which sells over 2.7k.  The Zenescope fanbase don’t care to pay 7.99 for their output it seems.  This issue sees writers like Howard Machie and Terry Kavanagh take part so that really tells you everything you need to know.
Ray:  At #364 is the Spider-King: Frostbite one-shot from IDW. Selling 2.7K, it’s an epilogue to a low-selling Vikings vs. Aliens comic that had the misfortune of coming out the same week as Highest House #1. This will likely go in the trade with the original miniseries and sell more there.
Another 2.7K in reorders for Black Hammer #1 in the form of a director’s cut at #369. This is clearly Dark Horse’s alpha franchise at the moment, and you’re going to see anything it touches do better than expected.
Glenn:  Especially when the DC crossover hits.  Its odd to be reading a comic that may be looked at the Watchmen of indie books.
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Ray:  Some decent reorders here, as Shazam #1, Heroes in Crisis #2, Batman #61, and Die #1 all pick up between 2.7 and 2.4K in additional sales. Bodes especially well for Die, which should perform like Gideon Falls.
The Brian Clevinger/Scott Wegener cult series Atomic Robo launches a new miniseries, Atomic Robo and the Dawn of a New Era, lands at #385 with sales of 2.3K. This is one of those books, like the Mignolaverse, where retailers know very well who’s interested.
Much like Halo, the Starcraft series doesn’t seem to sell well in comic book form. Starcraft: Soldiers, a new mini written by Jody Houser, sells 2.2K at #388. I imagine these sell more in video game stores.
Glenn:  This is an older game franchise so yeah, only a few set fans out there.  Kudos for Houser seemingly having her foot in the door everywhere.
Ray:  Our lucky #400 comic is Carson of Venus: Flames Beyond #1, selling 1.9K. American Mythology is a weird company, putting out pulp hero comics, random comedy books like Pink Panther, and the occasional adults-only creator-owned book. Whatever works for them.
Remember Tool? I member! Their Rock and Roll Biography from “Gumby Comics” sells 1.9K at #401.
Glenn:  I don’t remember, must be an American thing.
Ray:  It’s a pretty big gap of reorders and low-selling comics until we find the next notable comic – Appalachian Apocalypse from “Cave Pictures” Comics at #412. This story of hillbillies fighting zombies sells 1.7K, a decent launch for a new start-ups’s first notable comic. It’s just above reorders of Venom #8.
Glenn:  Like we said last month or the month before (maybe both!) having a zombie book is going to be a hard push without any big name talent.  There’s a clear front runner in the genre and everyone picking up the juicy meaty scraps.  Mmmmm scraps.
Ray:  The other book in the Stabbity-verse, Shadowplay, launches this month at #416 with sales of 1.6K. This one doesn’t have a murderous stuffed bunny, so that explains the lower sales.
The Alterna launch The Actual Roger, about a kid superhero sidekick with the lamest powers ever and the hero forced to mentor him, launches at #419 with sales of 1.6K. This was by the head writer of The Tick TV series, which probably explains the higher than average sales for Alterna.
Glenn:  Big grab for them in term of a name writer.  Will def get them a bit more attention, the good kind this time.
Ray:  1.6K in reorders for Doomsday Clock #8 at #427, as this event continues to pick up steam. The poor schedule hasn’t kept it from success at all.
Alterna shows up again at #428, as Wes Locher’s alien comedy Unit 44 sells 1.5K. Locher’s a talented up-and-coming creator (and a friend of the columnists), so I’m glad to see it do so well.
Glenn:  Wes is great so happy for him to be here.  He’s a name to watch.
Ray:  Art Baltazar and Franco continue their tour of all the major comic companies with an outing from Action Lab, as their superhero satire Powers in Action sells 1.5K at #431. They’re cult creators, but their brand of all-ages comics have a solid audience everywhere.
Speaking of Action Lab, one of their oddball suspense books lands at #434. The fairie murder mystery Null Fairies sells 1.5K as the company can’t really get much footing for their creator-owned books.
Glenn:  Image is the place to be for creator owned.  Everyone else just fights for the leftover market %.
Ray:  Archie’s been releasing a series of themed single-issue anthologies lately focusing on Betty and Veronica. The latest, Betty and Veronica Go To Work, sells 1.5K at #437. Every issue of these is a number one, so that helps them stay above the level of the digests.
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The first two issues of Firefly both get 1.5K in reorders at #438 and #440, further confirming that this franchise is Boom’s biggest hit yet.
Giant Sized Jingles, the latest absurdist comic parody from Dave Sim, lands at #441 and sells 1.5K. That Dave Sim, making sure we have something to talk about every month.
Amid a bunch of reorders and low-selling ongoings, we get the launch of John Carpenter’s Tales of Sci-Fi: Twitch. The original horror concept from the king of horror sells 1.4K from Storm King Productions, another start-up.
Glenn:  Another Carpenter comic didn;t do too hot that long ago.  Unless its Halloween or the Thing, it doesn’t seem as if his name will add much to sales.
Ray:  After a lot of reorders and obscure titles, we come to the next original comic on the list – of sorts. That would be ICYMI, a reprint title from Alterna repackaging their all-ages titles in a 99-cent package. The first issue, featuring talking-skeleton comedy Mr. Crypt, sells 1.3K.
At #480 is Savants, a dark new superhero concept from Source Point Press. It sells 1.2K, likely boosted a bit by the untimely death of creator Gary Reed. Reed had a pretty big cult audience as the founder of Caliber Comics, so his final project picked up some interest.
The Pink Panther Pink Winter Special is down at #485, selling 1.1K. I really don’t understand how you can cobble a company out of properties that haven’t been relevant in decades, but here we are!
Glenn:  They’re also a month late for Christmas specials, for shame!
Ray:  #494 brings us the relaunch of Scrimshaw from Alterna. This futuristic pirate thriller is the company’s only ongoing, and relaunches with just over 1K. That’s a decent boost from the previous volume.
#499 is the launch of Amigo Comics’ Blackening, selling 955 copies. This is a futuristic comic about cyborgs and a plague wiping out humanity. It is not a spin-off of Black.
And at #500, selling 942 copies, is…Threshold: Allure #0 nude variant. *flees*
Glenn:  You and your nudity Ray.
Ray:  One thing I notice is that the bottom of this list has a much higher floor than usual. 496 comics sold over 1000 copies this month.
Looking ahead to February (and by ahead, I mean back, because we’re in March), it looks like a pretty quite month for DC. They’ve got a few new miniseries including the third Wonder Comics title, Wonder Twins; a Female Furies spin-off (that is definitely not a sequel to Mister Miracle); a Vertigo sci-fi series titled High Level, and a 100-page Superman giant from Marv Wolfman.
Over at Marvel, it is less quiet. Chip Zdarsky relaunches Daredevil, the weekly Avengers event No Way Home kicks off, Conan gets his second title in Savage Sword of Conan, Old Man Quill is out for revenge, the Hulkverines go to war, and we get the rest of the Age of X-Man miniseries and the revival one-shots.
In Indieland, Mark Millar drops his latest Image book with Sharkey the Bounty Hunter, Hit-Girl returns with Kevin Smith writing, and the independent cop thriller Vindication competes for a place in the market. Outside of the big three, JM DeMatteis has a new creator-owned book from Dark Horse, GI Joe and Red Sonja relaunch with top creative teams, and the latest Valiant mini-event launches with Incursion.
What will rise? What will fall? Which indie comics will make Glenn cry? Find out next month on By the Numbers!

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Liked what you read?  Have any questions or comments?  Let us know here or on Twitter @glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield.  Please go check out Sparks: The Way I Was!  

By The Numbers: December 2018

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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 6 years but grew up reading comics. He’s had work published with Outre Press, Alterna Comics and Nemesis Studios. For his new year, Glenn is hoping to welcome a lovely little girl to his family and to watch all of Avatar and Korra.  One of these are more important than the other.

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.  In the new year, Ray will make sure that for Glenn that there is only Avatar and Korra.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn:  Welcome friends to the first By The Numbers of 2019 which is actually looking back at the last month of 2018!  How about that for wibbly, wobbly, timey, whimey?  Who had the last laugh as last year closed out and prepped themselves for a strong 2019?  Lets find out!

Ray: One of the biggest factors in this month was that only three full weeks of comics shipped, with a few special titles shipping in the last week of the month. So a lot of comics are absent, including the second issue of many popular DC titles. That drives the overall sales level down a lot.
Glenn:  Due true!  At number one, speaking of laughter is the first issue of the Batman Who Laughs mini by Scott Snyder and Jock who bring the ridiculously popular character to take center stage.  It seems in this occasion, the Batman is laughing all the way to the bank with a fantastic debut of over 220k.  This character has caught fire like no one expected and having Snyder and Jock reteam to tell a more horror orientated bat tale has people interested.  I can see this sail over six figures or very close to it for the full 6 issues (plus the Grim Knight one shot too) easily.
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Ray: There’s a lot of factors to this, including the fact that this is apparently the final Snyder Batman story in the present day (with the Capullo-drawn Last Knight to come at a later date). Considering it’s also a sequel to Metal – and is launching at roughly the same level – there’s a lot of things working in this title’s favor and it’s entirely possible it’ll be DC’s #1 title for the rest of its run. Yo, dawg, I heard you like Batman and Joker so we put Batman in your Joker.
Glenn:  At 2 is more Batman in the form of Batman Damned, the second issue of the prestige mini from Black Label sells over 138.7k.  The last issue for those that haven’t been paying attention got a lot of attention for showing some bat nudity but this goes to show that there’s no such thing as bad press.  All the attention the batwang got made Damned one of the most talked about books in 2018 and that’s clearly carried over onto the second issue.  This one will finish out with strong sales and then deliver DC yet another ridiculously strong long term performer in their immense collection catalog.
Ray: This is a pretty big increase for Batman: Damned and shows how controversy sells! The Black Label line has had two big successes now between this and White Knight, so I would expect more to come – which makes it sort of puzzling that the line is seemingly in trouble and hasn’t solicited any further books.
Glenn: I think the Black Label troubles are more to do with scheduling more than anything.  The talent they have on the books lean towards the kind that aren’t ones who deliver books on a regular schedule.  We know Last Knight will happen but I think this all could have been better planned, it makes the Black Label roll out seem a bit underwhelming.
At 3 is the always stable and strongly performing Doomsday Clock which sells over 123.7 on its 8th issue.  The multiple delays seem to be having little impact as this book continues to deliver strongly for its publisher.
Ray: It locked down on its place in the charts a while back and hasn’t budged, except likely to get some nice increases for the big event in the final issues.
Glenn:  4 and 5 is top ten staple and highest selling monthly in the charts, Batman which sells over 91.2k and 88.5k which makes this the lowest the title has sold since the sart of the New 52.  Its still a good bit ahead of the next strongest ongoing and will likely deliver something soon to reaffirm its position in the six figure club sooner than later.  All top 5 books are DC and all feature Batman either in a starring role or as a main character so the character is still miles ahead of everything else on the charts in terms of monthlies.
Ray: Basic attrition for Batman – it’s likely to get an increase in February for a big crossover with The Flash tying in with Heroes in Crisis (which didn’t ship this month due to the holiday), and then again for #75 in a few months.
Glenn:  Its a quiet month for Marvel so their top selling book of the month is their best performing monthly title, Amazing Spider-Man which has two issues in the top ten at 6 and 8 selling over 79.7k and 75.1k respectfully.  Its a slow downward trend and the title will likely be pushed down the charts in terms of ranking once War Of The Realms begins.  The title is promoting an upcoming story featuring Kraven The Hunter rather heavily but we’ll see if that has any significant impact on sales.
Ray: Yeah, it feels like we’re seeing ASM slowly find its level as retailers realize that the Slott era is over and interest is decreasing. The slide should increase next month when it gets big competition in the form of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Glenn:  At 7 is the Marvel title giving Amazing a run for its money in Fantastic Four which sells over 78.3k.  This is the big wedding issue so I’m surprised it didn’t do much better than this given its significance in having one of the longest running couple in comics finally tie the not and it also being the 650th issue of Fantastic Four with original numbering.  Still, its a great number for the title and Marvel will be pleased that its among their highest monthly performers.  A wedding special tie-in written by Slott and others sells over 64.4k at 13 which again indicates there was genuine interest in the wedding itself but perhaps fans were wary given the false starts around the Bat/Cat and Kitty/Colossus fake outs not too long ago.
Ray:  The main title sells pretty close to what the book has been doing since the start, so not much of an increase for the wedding itself – but then, I don’t know if Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters have a huge fanbase on their own. What is clear, though, is that this is one of Marvel’s biggest hits at the moment and may wind up being their #1 ongoing in a few months. 
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Glenn:  At 9 is the third Batman annual which pulls in a very respectable 68.2+ sales despite not having main title writer Tom King attached.  Just shows how popular the character is regardless.
Ray: This was Tom Taylor and Otto Schmidt doing an Alfred-focused story. It’s a good sign for Taylor as well that his star is rising fast. Look for his Spider-man title to be a big hit.
Glenn:  Finally at 10 is the much anticipated new Shazam title which Geoff Johns has been cooking for what feels like forever.  Given that the lead in to this was nearly 10 years ago, it finally launching at 66.9k is very good, especially since Shazam hasn’t had an ongoing in forever.  Given how big a name Johns in and the fact the character is about to get some mainstream exposure in his own film in a few months, there’s no better time or creator to give him his own solo title.  This one will probably land around high 50k which will be low for a Geoff Johns book perhaps but very good for a Shazam book.

Ray:  This is a direct continuation of a comic book that ended six years ago as a backup in the New 52 Justice League title. Even I, a DC superfan, had a bit of trouble remembering who a few of the characters were. So the fact that it still broke into the top ten is impressive, and likely down to the fact that Geoff Johns is back writing regular comics for DC. He’s up there with King, Aaron, Lemire, Cates, and Slott as that elite group of writers who can sell comics on their name alone. 

At #12 is a very strong debut for Superior Spider-Man #1, selling 66K. This is much improved from the Superior Octopus one-shot a few months back. Part of this might be the name change, but as a whole it’s a testament to just how much work Slott and Gage did to turn Otto into a headliner. This is NOT the Spider-man spin-off I expected to win the battle this month (more on that lay-tor).
Glenn: Very good start for Superior for sure.  This seems to be the book that’s continuing most of Slott’s sub plots and side characters carrying forward so that;s a good platform to have.  Much like the Bat line for DC, it seems most Spidey related stuff is always bound to deliver solid numbers for Marvel (which probably explains why we’re not only getting a new ongoing next month but two new mini’s in the months to come).
Ray:  This is the section of the charts where we see the headliner regular titles, including Justice League, Venom, Avengers, and Superman, all selling above 50K. And now it seems we have a new one joining them – The Green Lantern #2, which has a healthy hold for its second issue, selling 64K at #14. Great numbers that indicate this should be one of DC’s top ongoings as long as Morrison and Sharp are on board.
We were wondering how Uncanny X-Men would hold as a weekly in its second month. We get that answer quickly, as it continues to slide. #4 is as 17, selling 59K, but by the end of the month it sells 49K at #27. That’s a pretty steep drop, and indicates the general trajectory of the title as it shifts to biweekly after #10. The title’s still up somewhat from the previous runs, but that may wear off eventually.
Glenn: It seems that Marvel will still come out ahead when you compare Uncanny to the previous line of x-books but its only marginally at this rate.  Once this thing goes monthly (or bi-monthly as the case may be) it’ll be selling around the same…or less.
Ray:  Besides Batman, nothing is more stable than Walking Dead, and it makes the top 20 again this month, coming in at #18 selling 58K.
Given his big starring role in the movies this same month, I would have expected Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 to do much better than the 19th slot. 57K isn’t a bad number, but it just goes to show that the character’s comic history – including a controversial start and a mid-stream reboot – will probably keep him from ever being as big a hit in the comics as he is in the larger world.
Glenn: Miles deserves better for sure but the characters launch was poorly handled and that will be something he never shakes.  Still, this is his first ongoing by a writer that didn’t create him so that’s a decent performance.
Ray:  Selling 57K at #21 is the debut of Ed Brisson’s X-Force, which spun out of the mostly-ignored Extermination. Decent launch, but I expect this’ll fall fast like most other X-spin-offs lately.
Detective Comics launches its new creative team as Tomasi and Mahnke take over with #994, and the title jumps about 3K to land at #26 with 51K. A very modest increase, but that’s to be expected for a title as stable as this. The two previous fill-in arcs didn’t really hurt the book much.
Glenn: Its all about the countdown to 1k for Detective at the moment anyway.  Look for the title to increase in sales as it gets closer to that number and then pay for itself for the foreseeable future in the anniversary issue coming up.
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Ray:  Catwoman continues to be the biggest surprise of the year, as the sixth issue sells 48K at #28. That’s above long-running hits like Star Wars, Thor, Captain America, Immortal Hulk, and Flash. A lot of this is down to Tom King raising her profile, of course, but it’s also worth noting the character has always had some sales pull – she was one of only eight characters to take her title all the way to #52 in the New 52 era.
Glenn: The timing is never better for Catwoman to be a hit and much like Venom, it seems DC has the right creators at the right time to make the title a success.  Great to see.
Ray:  A couple of Marvel events wrap up this month, with Infinity Wars closing things out at #22 with sales of 53K, followed not far behind by Spider-Geddon at #29, selling 47K. The news isn’t quite so good for Extermination, down at #38 selling 42K. That’s also about the same as its spin-off, X-Men: Exterminated one spot higher. This is the one where the X-men mourn Cable, who was murdered by Cable. This is not a typo.
Glenn: Stupid time travel.  I bet there were 7 versions of Kang at his funeral too.
Ray:  The time-hopping anthology Star Wars cycles begin with Age of Republic, as Jody Houser’s two one-shots to kick it off have healthy debuts. Darth Maul’s one-shot is at #33 selling 46K, while Qui-Gon Jinn’s special is down at #44 selling 37K. Right about the level I’d expect for mid-level Star Wars titles.
Martian Manhunter has a healthy debut at #41, selling 39K. I wouldn’t expect much more than this for a MM solo series, but I also think it’ll hold very well. Critical response has been great with the book even getting some comparisons to Mister Miracle, so I think Orlando and Rossmo will have a hit on their hands.
Glenn: At the end of the day, its Martian Manhunter so it’ll have a set ceiling but strong reviews will help this one a lot.  Fans are looking for the next Mister Miracle and this might be just the ticket.
Ray:  Another strong debut for Millarworld, as Millar and Albuquerque’s spy thriller Prodigy lands at #40 selling 38K. Single-issue sales are secondary now, as Netflix views the imprint as an IP farm, but Millar’s name still has a lot of pull.
The strange little Defenders mini-event this month seems to have largely been ordered as a unit, with decent sales for all five. Silver Surfer is the highest-selling of the five, selling 38K at #43, followed by the Immortal Hulk special selling 36K at #46. The finale “Best Defense” one-shot is two spots lower selling 34K, followed immediately by Doctor Strange (32K) and Namor (31K). All in all, this little experiment did well for Marvel.
Glenn: This Defenders roll out was an odd one wasn’t it?  Its a very good result given that this version of the team haven’t been seen in a while and the whole thing doesn’t have much importance outside of itself.
Ray:  The epilogue to Infinity Wars, Fallen Guardian, lands at #52 selling 31K. That’s not bad for a title that’s essentially a farewell/origin recap to one of the less popular Guardians of the Galaxy. Did I mention there’s another epilogue next month? It’s the event that never ends…
Glenn: This is a pattern we’ve seen from Marvel for several years were there is minimal (or outright very little) interest in the epilogue to a major event.  I think its because Marvel is mostly about hyping what comes next so fans are interested in the main feature but by the time the clean up comes, they’re already saving their penny’s for whatever the hype machine has lined up next.
Ray:  I was surprised by how low Aquaman #43 sold, given that this was the debut of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run. It lands at #53, selling just under 31K. That’s a bit of a drop from last month’s Drowned Earth tie-in issue, and it’s similar to what we saw with G. Willow Wilson’s Wonder Woman run (36K at #45 this month) – critically acclaimed writers get put on major titles to lots of positive reviews, but it doesn’t translate into sales immediately. Still, DC has got to be happy to have some buzz on these titles again.
Glenn: Very underwhelming for Aquaman for sure.  The timing around this seemed to be prime for a new creative direction by a popular writer.  It’s almost like something got lost in translation here.  The good news is that a low start means that it should likely stabilize soon.
Ray:  Almost zero increase for Teen Titans for its anniversary issue, as it lands at #65 and sells 27K. That’s up about 100 copies. Expect it to take a hard hit next month when the only DC teen superhero team anyone cares about launches next month. This is the area where we see a lot of established titles, like Nightwing, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Harley Quinn, and Suicide Squad.
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A new miniseries starring the Winter Soldier launches at #70, selling 26K. The creative team of Kyle Higgins and Rod Reis is solid, but this got very little hype. Bucky should be an A-lister, but they don’t really treat him like one.
Glenn: Ever since Brubaker went to indie land, it seems like Marvel is not exactly sure what to do with Bucky.  They’ve tried several things and nothing ever really seems to work.  Its a shame because he could be a breakout star for them.  It took Brubaker 60 years or so to tell the next great Bucky story, hopefully we don’t have to wait around that long again for another one.
Ray:  An amazing debut for Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans horror-RPG Image series Die this month, selling 28K at #58. That’s rare air for an Image title that isn’t by Millar, Kirkman, or Vaughn, so this is looking like one of their biggest new hits in a while.
Glenn: Brilliant debut for Die which I think has the concept and creative team to get that initial interest.  With titles like Paper Girls ending and Saga on hiatus, this could be one of Image’s strongest titles.
Ray:  I’m pleased to see Deathstroke has kept most of its boost from the Deathstroke vs. Batman storyline, coming in at #59 with sales of 28K. But then, this next arc has him in Arkham, so it’s like the event never really ended!
Glenn: People have also perhaps caught on to how good the book is.  They come for Batman, they stay for Priest.
Ray:  Boom seems like it’s going to have a permanent spot in the top 100 now thanks to Firefly, which lands its second issue at #60 with sales of 28K. Great numbers for a cult property – this probably indicates that Buffy the Vampire Slayer will do even better next month.

Glenn:  Boom had two properties with very loyal fanbases land at their feet and seem to be making the most of it, good for them.

At 74 is the X-Men holiday special which missed the memo about most of these coming out last month with sales over 25k.  Pretty much your standard sales for what an X-Men book will do when it doesn’t have any great deal of importance or significance.
Ray: Marvel tried to get into the anthology game this holiday season, but none of them quite got the attention of DC’s giant anthologies. This one got some good reviews, though – it had a very clever format of 25 individual stories with an overall narrative running through them.
Glenn:  At 77 is Spawn Kills Everyone Too which sells over 24.7 which I believe is a comedy mini series follow up starring the character that was at one time Image’s flagship.  This is pretty good given its a mini done for the lolz and is a sequel.  Perhaps we’ll even see a trilogy!
Ray: Why. Just…why.
Glenn:  At first I thought Livewire at 78 was a book about the Superman female villain but its a new Valient book that sells over 24.6k which is a LOT higher than how their books usually launch.  Writer Vita Ayala who is starting to make waves at Marvel is writing so that might help but otherwise, it just seems to be a random success!
Ray: This is spinning out of Harbinger Wars II, which turned Livewire into the Valiant Universe’s most wanted woman. That event didn’t get a lot of buzz, so I think this is more to do with the creative team than anything.
Glenn:  Villain of newly Oscar Nominated best film Black Panther, Killmonger gets his own mini at 82 selling over 24.2k which on its own isn’t that great but you have to believe without the movies popularity and the better position of the Panther franchise overall that this would have sold far less in the past. The second issue is also here at 111 selling over 17.3k which is still very good all things considered.  A decent start for what will be a mini that delivers decent numbers for the remainder of its run I’d say.
Ray: Overall, similar to Miles, Marvel doesn’t seem to have been able to translate Black Panther’s blockbuster sales in the movies to a fully successful franchise in the comics. The main book sells decently, but everything else struggles.
Glenn:  A new Freedom Fighters series launches at 84 with sales over 23.8k.  Pretty good for a book about one of DC’s more obscure superhero teams that doesn’t have any big name members.  Don’t think DC could have expected much better.
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Ray: Yeah, despite a good creative team (the long-running writer of Green Lantern and the artist on Tynion’s Detective Comics) these characters just have zero built in audience. The subject matter is somewhat controversial as well, similar to The Man in the High Castle.
Glenn:  Pretty steady drop for the second issue of Black Order which sells over 23.6k at 85 which again is much higher than one would have expected these characters to deliver without a billion dollar movie to raise their profile.  If this stays about here this will be a pretty good performance for the rest of the mini.
Marvel Action Adventures from IDW (so much…contradiction…) debuts at 86 with sales over 23.3k which is a great number for a IDW book, perhaps not for an Avengers book but this isn’t going to be held to the main standards as the main line offerings.  These books are for a different market and will aim to do better outside comic stores but this is a good start given that.  IDW will be thrilled to be able to have this licence to help keep the lights on for the time being.
Ray: This feels like the odd book out of the Marvel Action line, without the hype of either Spider-Man (featuring the three most popular Spiders together) or Black Panther (written and drawn by Kyle Baker). Given that, this is a solid debut and these really aren’t geared towards the singles market.
Glenn:  Seasons Beatings is a holiday special one shot by Jason Latour and various artists to tie in to the whole Christmas thing.  It sells over 22.3 which is pretty good all things considered.  This is maybe a shade less than what DC’s recent batch of anthologies do but those cost a lot more.  There’s enough sales for Marvel to throw one of these out now and then.
Ray: This one really slipped under the radar and the hype didn’t really get across what kind of story it was. It was sort of a Deadpool comic, sort of an anthology, and all weird. A niche project that did niche project numbers.
Glenn:  Only about 300 odd copies difference from last month for Supergirl’s 25th issue at 92.  Either there’s just normal stabilization or there will be a much bigger drop than normal next month.  The sales over 21.5k are getting ever closer to what we’ve come to expect from a Supergirl title in years past.
Ray: Supergirl is basically back to where it was pre-Bendis, so that’s likely where it’ll find its level again.
Glenn:  A new Vertigo title, Goddess Mode debuts at 110 selling over 17.4k which is really good for a Vertigo launch this weather and more in line with what I’d come to expect from a relatively strong Image launch.  The artist on this, Robbi Rodriquez is coming hot off of Spider-Gwen so that maybe helped.  Selling at this level won’t last but its got room to move.
Ray: This title also has Zoe Quinn, who has a pretty big mainstream profile as a gaming journalist. That definitely helped it get this high.
Glenn:  At 112 is the Hellboy Winter special selling over 16.9k which is pretty much the normal range for Hellboy related items.  Never anything overly surprising from this franchise which isn’t the worst thing for Dark Horse who need all the stable franchises they can keep.
A shade over 16k for Iron Fist Typhoid fever, not too bad and it maybe helps that the character showed up in the second (and final) season of the protector of Kunlun.  Nothing too special but nothing too disastrous for a throwaway mini starring one of Daredevil’s secondary foes.
Ray: This whole thing seems to have been a stealth Iron Fist series and led to the writer doing the digital-first Iron Fist series that recently released its first trade.
Glenn:  At this level, 3k is quite the gap and its about that the Champions Annual comes in under the main title selling over 15.2k at 118.  This franchise had a strong start and strong potential but most of it has eroded away.
Ray: The series is getting a relaunch with the same writer next month, so we’ll see if there’s any uptick in sales.
Image result for champions annual #1
Glenn:  Probable spoilers: no
At 127 is the first of the True Believers $1 one shots this month, centering around the Fantastic Four and in this particular case, the Skrulls..  It sells over 13.3k at 127.  Skrull’s are going to be hot in the months to come and you’ll be liable to beat up old ladies on buses to get the chance to read about them and their nefarious shape shifting ways!

Ray:  There’s relatively few truly iconic Fantastic Four single issues – nothing like the first appearance of Venom that broke the top ten – so most of these are clustered around the same spot. You have Super-Skrull six spots lower at 133, followed two spots lower by Puppet Master, and two spots lower are Ronan the Accuser and Frightful Four back to back. A little lower between 140 and 144 are Molecule Man, Mad Thinker, Klaw, and Dragon Man. All of these sell between 12K and 11K, so almost identical sales for these first appearances of lesser-known FF villains. The low entry on the totem pole, Blastaar, is down at 150 selling just under 11K. So another successful wave of these without any real breakouts. I’m curious to see how the Conan ones do next month. 

Glenn: Poor Blaastar.  All he wants is a hug.  I think Conan might do well, the launch will be pretty high profile and they’ll be an easy sell for retailer as an add on.
Ray:  Marvel can get decent sales even for things that aren’t comics! At #132 we have the Spider-Geddon handbook, giving us profiles of the most famous Spiders and villains. It sells 12.6K, pretty good for a $5 handbook. That Spider-guy has some fans.
Because apparently some people haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel releases it in comic form as “Avengers: Endgame Prelude“. It sells 11.9K. I wasn’t fooled, Marvel!
Glenn: The question is, does half the comic turn to dust at the end?
Ray:  The New Talent Showcase for DC in 2018 sells 11.8K at #136. This is always the lowest-selling of the major anthologies because of the lack of boldface names, but this is still a decent number for an $8 anthology showing off DC’s newest recruits. This is a funny one given how many of these names have already done extensive DC work like Mags Visaggio, though.
Glenn:  This seems to be the last one, I guess all those entries from myself put Snyder off…
Ray:  A trio of new Image titles debut around the #150 mark, starting with the virtual reality video game thriller Self/Made at #148 selling 11.1K, and the Andy Diggle bodyswap spy thriller Hardcore right below it selling 11K. Three spots lower is the apocalyptic thriller The Freeze, selling 10.8K at #152. It’s basically what I’d expect for two of these given the lack of big names, but I’m surprised Hardcore didn’t do a little higher given Diggle’s name and the fact that Kirkman is credited on the story.
Glenn: Diggle’s a name I think has found it rough since his Daredevil run, after that he never really bounced back and I don’t think he was the one at fault in that regards.  Much like Paul Jenkin’s he’s having to almost start over again.
Ray:  Magic The Gathering: Chandra, a new miniseries based on the wildly popular card game series, debuts at #157 from IDW selling 10K. I know nothing about Magic: The Gathering, but it’s worth noting that this is the highest-selling IDW book this month that doesn’t feature Batman, Captain America, or Rick & Morty.
Glenn: Magic has an insane fanbase so I’m not too surprised.  I would wonder though if it would have sold more if it came with an exclusive card or some such (call me IDW!)
Ray:  The annual Christmas special from Grant Morrison and Dan Mora, Klaus and the Crying Snowman, lands at #161 with sales of 10.4K. For an $8 special from Boom that’s pretty strong, and the title seems to have a fanbase. I wonder if they’ll ever do a full collection or if Brandon James is doomed to cry forever.
Glenn: I like to think Morrison is just doing this to mess with Brandon personally. Perfectly fine for a property Morrison is going to roll out once a year.
Ray:  Top-selling reorder of the month is Spider-Geddon #1 at #167, selling 10.1K. A last surge of sales as the event concludes. Expect a LOT more reorders to come.
The most offbeat Black Hammer project yet, the one-shot Cthu-Louise drawn by Emi Lennox, lands at #169 and sells exactly 2 copies over 10K. That’s right in line with Black Hammer’s sales and shows that the series should continue to hold well for Dark Horse as it grows in the coming year.
Glenn: Look for Black Hammer’s profile to get a good buzz with an upcoming show and a DC universe tie in coming up.  These books should be selling six figures a month.
Image result for Cthu-Louise 1
Ray:  The Venom annual also gets some healthy reorders, selling an additional 8.9K at #176. Donny Cates continues to work his magic, and he wasn’t even the main writer on this one!
The oddball Man-Eaters #4 sells 8.6K at #179. That would be 8.6K very confused readers, as this wasn’t a comic but an elaborate magazine parody that didn’t move the story forward off the previous issue’s cliffhanger.
Glenn: We’ll see if the unusual experiment from Man-eaters costs them next month, I doubt it but you never know…
Ray:  Crossing over an obscure 1990s comic book character with an obscure 1980s movie franchise, Vampirella/Reanimator debuts at #183 selling 8.3K. Dynamite’s developed an odd brand out of these obscure licensed properties, but it seems to be working for them as they keep going!
8.2K more in reorders for Marvel Legacy at #186, as Aaron’s Avengers and the upcoming War of the Realms continue to play out its major plot threads.
Jamie Rotante’s relaunch of Betty and Veronica lands at #197 with sales of 8.2K. That’s two slots below the fifth issue of Vampironica, so I guess retailers think fans want more blood and gore with their Veronica Lodge?
Glenn: Vampires sell more or have a broader fanbase perhaps?  Archie is in a bizarre place creatively right now so they’ll take what they can get.
Ray:  At #190 is the one-shot Team Sonic Racing, spinning out of the main Sonic book. It sells 7.8K copies, which shows that the franchise has been a decent hit for IDW.
At #194 is the fourth and final issue of Border Town, selling 7.6K. But it wasn’t cancelled for sales reasons. Anyway, moving on…
Glenn: Border Town?  What’s a Border Town?
Ray:  #200 brings us the launch of Tank Girl: Action Alley from Titan, which sells 7.2K copies. This is clearly a niche book, but it’s pretty impressive that this franchise has been a factor in the industry for over twenty years.
6.7K in reorders for the Ralph Macchio one-shot Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse at #208. This is probably down to comic book stores wanting an evergreen title on the stands for the launch of the movie.

Glenn:  Pretty much yeah, the movie has been an insane success and is now getting a lot of reward love.  We’re going to see a lot more from this concept in years to come.

At 219 is Marvel Super Heroe Adventures Captain Marvel Frost Giants (longest title this month?) selling over 5.9k.  The same with the other Marvel books that are primarily aimed at a younger audience, they do what they do in the main market but this isn’t where they’re destined for.  Good on Marvel getting a lot of Captain Marvel material out there for March though.
Some reorders for the launch of Uncanny X-Men at 220 selling over 5.9k.  People sure do love their X-Men number 1’s.
An odd title from DC at 221 in Sasquatch Detective which is about…a Sasquatch who solves crimes…k.  It sells over 5.8k which is pretty expected for a book as odd as this, especially when its priced at 7.99.
Ray: This was the backup in the already-bizarre Snagglepuss miniseries, and they reprinted the original stories plus a new feature. It’s the most niche of niche comics, especially out of DC.
Image result for sasquatch detective 1 cover
Glenn:  Tim Seeley returns to his own property in Hack Slash vs Chaos at 224 although that doesn’t seem to have generated much new interest in the property as it sells over 5.7k.  At this point, this property will have its own sat fan base and is unlikely to get new readers checking out a new mini at this point, even if Seeley is back.
Ray: A crossover with 90s characters like Lady Death and Purgatori isn’t really going to bring in any new fans for Hack-Slash. Dynamite continues to do a lot of bizarre small crossovers like this, so I guess they’re selling to someone.
Glenn:  Witcher Of Flesh and Flame sells over 5.5k at 227.  This is a video game tie-in and sells like one.  I wonder if some retailers might be stocking up in prep for a potential new audience the upcoming Netflix show might bring, hey you never know…
A new offbeat mini from Boom, Wizard Beach sells over 5.2k at 233.  This mini seems to be outside of what Boom is generally known for and doesn’t have any big name creators attached so this number is pretty much what you would expect.
Ray: Wizard Beach is an odd one. Its concept on paper sounds like it could be an all-ages book, but the tone is distinctly more offbeat and off-color. Brandon referred to it as “Off-brand Curse Words” on Rabbitt Stew (Dong!) and that seems about right.
Glenn:  At 234 is the Red Sonja holiday special which likely had a bizillion covers selling over 5.1k which is probably what you would expect from a Red Sonja special with a bazillion covers.  I wonder considering her choice of clothing if she gets cold this time of year.
A new Berger book at 235 LaGuarda sells over 5k at launch.  The Berger books continue to not catch that much momentum but Dark Horse keeps doing them so one would assume they are finding an audience somewhere.
Ray: LaGuardia has the best creative team and got the most hype of any of these, but even Nnedi Okorafor’s name couldn’t make this sell in singles. The true success of this line will be determined later.
Glenn:  A Star Trek anthology spanning the entire history of the franchise in Star Trek: Waypoint is at 240 with sales over 4.9k.  This is just your basic ‘if you’re a fan of Trek’ comic with no real pull in regards to a specific portion of the fanbase.  Being so widespread can be a good thing but may also make retailers hesitant to order because when you appeal to everyone, you end up pleasing no one at times.
Random reorder alert at 241 for Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows 13 with sales over 4.9k  This is not the last random Marvel reorder number this month and my jettison of excess stock sense is tingling.
Planet Of The Apes Simian Age, a 7.99 one shot sells over 4.2k at 256.  Pretty much what you would expect from an expensive Apes one shot with no particular pull behind it.
At 267 we have Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday special selling over 3.7k.  I’m going to take a wild guess and say a rather buxom woman is on the cover dressed as Santa or an elf *checks* huh I was wrong…its a rather buxom woman dressed as a sexy reindeer (????) and snowman.  Shows what I know!
Ray: Rudolpha the sexy reindeer, had a very shiny – *gets yanked off stage before we get cancelled*
Glenn:  Nothing to see here folks.
Random reorder alert for Domino 1 at 274 with sales over 3.4k.  Maybe retailers want to have some on hand just in case…
Transformers Bumblebee Go For The Gold is your random Transformers one shot for the month selling over 3.3k at 279.  One for the die hard fans only it seems.  The Transformers comics are getting a big makeover soon so everything till then is just treading water.
Image result for Transformers Bumblebee go For The Gold
I’m not sure who Barberella is but she has a holiday special too this month!  It sells over 3.2k at 280 so some people must know who she is I guess.  You get a holiday special!  And you!  And you!
Breakneck, a new offering from Titan’s Hard Crime comics debuts the first of a four issue mini at 3.2k.  I would have thought it might have done better since writer Duane Swierczynski had a moment at Marvel once upon a time but these sub lines of small publishers always have a rough time of it.
Ray: Titan in general puts out so many random comics without name creators that when they do have a bigger name on board, they tend to get lost in the shuffle.
Glenn:  A one shot, Ares IX: Darkness which ties in to the once semi well known Darkness franchise is at 284 selling over 3k.  This is very much a ‘order for the last few remaining fans there are and no more’ title.
Ray: I don’t know whether this is a spin-off of The Darkness, a spin-off of Aphrodite, or both. That probably explains a lot about the sales.
Glenn:  There’s definitely something going on with Marvel reorders as the second issue of Secret Empire is at 285 selling over 3k.  No one is ordering more copies of that, like anywhere.
At 288 is the Archies Christmas Spectacular selling over 2.8k  I guess not that many people are that interested in seasonal offerings from Archie and the gang.  This title seems more like old school Archie offerings which all would have sold about this level once upon a reboot ago.
Black Mask manages to get a comic in the top 300 with Snap Flash Hustle at 299 with sales over 2.6k  This is the start of a new mini and likely got some interest cause writer Pat Shand has a fanbase of his own.  Given this is the only Black Mask title in the top 300 I’d say this is a win for them but clearly the company has seen better times.
Ray:  Black Mask is a company that hasn’t had a real hit in a very long time. Even books by name creators struggle for them. 
Glenn:  Okay here goes, don’t cry…don’t cry…
Grumble from Albetross Funnybooks launches at 304 and I thought this might have done a lot better given it has Mike Norton on art but this is probably the best the company can do at the moment.  The sales of over 2.5k aren’t great when you factor in Norton but probably fantastic for this company.

Ray:  This is a REALLY odd book, too, about a magical con man who is turned into a Pug. It’s going to have a crossover with The Goon in coming months, so it might gain a little buzz. But the company overall is very small. 

American Mythology has made a little cottage industry out of public domain adventure titles, including this month’s Carson of Venus: Pirates of Venus #1. It sells 2.3K at #310. Clearly a niche title bringing obscure properties to a modern audience.
Albatross Funnybooks shows up on the charts again with the all-ages Lovecraftian giant-robot comic (yes, that’s right) Mega-Ghost, which sells 2.2K at #312. It actually picks up another 1.2K in sales thanks to a Powell variant down at #366, so the book is definitely a hit. Sometimes the post-300 range is good, Glenn!
The obscure Paul Dini Christmas-themed character Jingle Belle shows up for her annual engagement from IDW at #321, selling just over 2K. This is a character that’s been going strong for over twenty years, so the audience here is likely small but loyal.
Glenn: Is Jingle Belle even annual?  I don’t remember the last issue that came out but yeah, this one has stuck around most likely due to Paul Dini’s force of will alone but at least he’s getting to do a book he enjoys.
Ray:  The third miniseries in the “Black AF” series from Black Mask, subtitled Devil’s Dye, launches at #322 with sales of 2K. This started out as a Kickstarter before coming to Black Mask. I believe Glenn has some feelings about this book.
Glenn: Its a great concept that I feel was handled poorly but it definitely has a loyal fan base.
Ray:  Selling just under 2K at #324 is the latest Giant Days oversized special, “Where Women Glow and Men Plunder“. It’s Australia-set, and sells 72 copies above the main series despite being twice the price. This long-running college series is one of Boom’s best cult hits.
Image result for giant days Where Women Glow and Men Plunder
Speaking of cult sci-fi anthologies, Stargate Universe has one from American Mythology, selling 1.9K at #325. This is a property that hasn’t been around in a significant form in decades, so we’re really looking at a small base of fans here.
Glenn: Wow, Stargate who knew?  Yeah there will be the fans out there buying this and clutching it while they rock back and forth praying to the Netflix gods to bring it back
Ray:  At #329 is the Fantasmagoria Holiday Special, the second issue of a horror anthology from new publisher Starburns Industries Press. It sells 1.9K copies, but those are likely to be its last, as it’s from the creator of Border Town. Moving on…
American Mythology seems to be giving Dynamite a run for its money with old pulp heroes! They launch a new Zorro series, subtitled Legendary Adventures, at #330. Its 1.8K in sales seem about right for a character who hasn’t been relevant since his last movie about a decade ago.
Glenn: I was about to say ‘you go Zorro’ but then I think I made that joke on here before.  Where are all the Zorro comics coming from?!
Ray:  1.8K in reorders for Heroes in Crisis #3 at #333. This series may have gotten a lot of controversy, but getting people talking means more sales!
#337 brings us “Canadian Vark“, selling 1.7K for the latest weird vanity project for Dave Sim. I would say God bless ‘im, but that may not be appropriate anymore given recent revelations.
Glenn: The best thing is about these stories coming out is that people are finally feeling able to do so.
Ray:  Land that Time Forgot: Fear on Four Worlds launches at #340, selling 1.6K from American Mythology. This is not to be confused with The Land Before Time. Littlefoot is not in this.
Glenn: I was wondering.  I wonder if it would have sold better or worse if he was.  Loads of kids will think the only animated talking dinosaur is Rex from Toy Story and *sighs* The Good Dinosaur.
Ray:  Alterna finally has a new launch on the charts after a few months off, with the odd Einstein/Tesla adventure team-up Feast or Famine. It launches at #341 selling 1.6K, which is a little lower than what Albert Einstein: Time Mason did a few months back. Battle of the time-traveling Einsteins goes to Action Lab!
Glenn: Who would have guessed that Einstein would almost be in as many comics as Batman?  By almost I mean like 5% of course.
Ray:  American Gothic Press, a very small publisher that usually doesn’t go into the singles market, makes the top 500 with a new horror book titled Nice #1, selling 1.4K at #351. The company has a big presence in the hardcover market, so the eventual collection will likely do much more.
Antarctic Press launches the sexy zombie-hunter comic Rags at #358, selling 1.3K. It’s like Walking Dead, except the lead lady walks around in rags! In a world full of zombies. Who turn you into a zombie if you get bitten on exposed skin. This makes sense and is not a gross T&A comic at all.
Glenn: I’ve seen the cover to this.  The part of me that has a love for female strong protagonists died a little.
Ray:  Speaking of which, right below is Jungle Fantasy Secrets: Nude Cover Edition. It’s scary down here, Glenn.
Glenn: So many scantily clad or naked busty women, its like we stumbled into *insert popular porn site here*
Ray:  Amid a lot of Marvel reorders, Boom gets a rare reorder with an additional 1.2K in sales for Firefly #1 at #363. Good news for Boom, which has their first real hit since Power Rangers on their hands.
Glenn: Will be interested to see if Buffy can deliver next month’s charts for them.  Gaining these properties from Dark Horse may be the best thing to ever happen to them.
Ray:  Amid a sea of reorders for books including Avengers, Heroes in Crisis, Die! Die! Die!, and Guardians of the Galaxy, we find a few low-selling original books. They include Rem 8 Winter Classics #1, a mature-readers title from Rothic Comics. It sells 1K at #385. I have no idea what this book is.
Glenn: I googled it.  I wouldn’t recommend the experience.
Ray:  #389 to #394 are all Marvel reorders, all selling just around the 1K mark, and they include random titles like X-Men: Blue, She-Hulk, and Jean Grey. This is definitely some sort of stock liquidation for December.
Glenn: We’re onto you Marvel!  We here at By The Numbers are crazy enough to delve this deep!
Ray:  After a bunch of more reorders and low-selling comics, we come to Love Town #1 from Devil’s Due, which sells 901 copies. This vampire detective thriller was previewed with a #0 issue, but it doesn’t seem to have gained it any new fans.
Glenn: Vampires have kind of had their moment (except when they are Veronica Lodge for some reason), there isn’t really a popular comic in amongst a pile of other similar comics like there is for Walking Dead and zombies.
Image result for love town 1
Ray:  #409 brings us “How the Trump Stole Christmas” from Antarctic Press, selling 894 copies. I don’t know if this is pro-Trump or anti-Trump. Man was not meant to go this deep, Glenn.

Glenn:  I know that your heart is generally the size of your fist so given the President’s tiny hands, he seems perfect for the Grinch whose heart was several sizes too small.  

Some reorders for Bitter Root at 421 with sales at 812, seems like this one probably launched about the right level and will level out quick.
424’s Cavewoman Rampage One Shot makes me regret the day I said to Ray ‘how do you feel about doing a lighthearted article looking at comic sales’ all those years ago.  It sells 804 copies…somehow.
Grumble which we mentioned above has more orders down here for some reason that’s listed separately, how odd. Its a variant but still those are usually all packed with the prime sales. It picks up another 763 sales at 429.
At 432 is Lady Death Gallery Crimson Turnaround which is not a comic but an image of J. Scott Campbell’s redesign of the character from 17 years ago which Coffin Comics are charging $25 with a straight face.  This is your baseline for J. Scott Campbell images one would think?
Ray: It’s always strange down here. $25 art books from the 1990s?
Glenn:  Whole bunch of standard reorders and continuing series from small press that have very small audiences until we get to 468 and Source from Scout comics which sells 572 copies.  Their website literally tells me nothing about this book apart from what its called and I can get a glow in the dark edition.  Ooooo
Nothing here but minor reorders until the ever dubious 500th spot which goes to the first issue of a comic called Ancient Dreams by Aggressive Comics (?!?!?!?!) and its about two sisters stuck between the past and present with them both on the cover not wearing…anything but they have some sort of golden light covering their naughty bits (cause they have to keep their dignity you see).  So there you go, what an apt way to end the last sales chart of 2018.
Ray: You learn something new every day. I didn’t even know Aggressive Comics was a thing.
Glenn:  Something tells me they’d be angry about that fact.
What’s up next month Ray?

Ray:  Looking ahead, the biggest launch of the month is by far the debut of Wonder Comics from DC, starting with the guaranteed top ten debut Young Justice and the new hero debut Naomi, both from Brian Michael Bendis. We’ll also see Flash and Justice League annuals that set up the next year of stories, and the latest anthology – Mysteries of Love in Space. 

Marvel’s got some major debuts, including Jason Aaron’s Conan the Barbarian, Tom Taylor’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Chip Zdarsky’s Invaders, Kelly Thompson’s Captain Marvel, and a new Black Widow title, plus the return of Marvel Comics Presents. Likely to find rougher waters are a series of one-shots reviving classic genre titles like Crypt of Shadows.
It’s kind of a quiet month for indieland this month, with one BIG exception – as Boom takes a shot at the top ten with the debut of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from Jordie Bellaire and Dan Mora. There’s also the return of Fight Club 3 by Chuck Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart from Dark Horse, the return of Brubaker and Phillips’ Criminal, Kieron Gillen’s Watchmen-inspired Peter Cannon Thunderbolt, and the return of the Avatar franchise with Tsu’Tey’s Path. No, not that Avatar. Prince Zuko is not in this.
What will rise? What will fall? Find out next time on…By the Numbers!
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Liked what you read?  Have a question or comment?  Let us know here or on Twitter @glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield!

By The Numbers: November 2018

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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 6 years but grew up reading comics. He’s had work published with Outre Press, Alterna Comics and Nemesis Studios. For Christmas, Glenn is hoping to get Sparks on Comixology (yes I finally got it submitted, no I haven’t heard anything).

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.  For Hanukkah, Ray listened to ‘Remember That We Suffered’ from Crazy Ex Girlfriend while eating lots of Chinese food, as is tradition.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 500 in full available here!

Glenn: Where did 2018 go?  Its the last by the Numbers for the year (unless typing this up takes until 2019) and we have one of the most puzzling and interesting sales charts of the year to see us out!

Image result for uncanny x-men 1 2018

Number one this month is former Marvel heavyweight title Uncanny X-Men which is back with a new 1, a new creative team and a weekly schedule and a hefty price for 7.99.  Despite said hefty price it sells over 176.1k which is great…kind of.  There were a lot of varient covers and it seems the X-Men are having a moment again…at least where 1’s are concerned because the other issues this month tell a slightly different story.  Issue 2 is at 15 with under half the sales of over 62.3k and 3 is at 17 with sales over 58.2k.  Now if it can stay around there then it’ll be fine but its quite a sharp drop and a strange sign from retailers who apparently expect over 100k people more NOT to come back THE VERY NEXT WEEK.  Its odd.  The varients will be making a big difference but the big question the title will have to answer if it can stay around the third issue level.  As a side note, another really high priced issue being number 1 is not good for anyone.  I’m sure most of us agree that more expensive comics for not much more content =bad but sales like this will encourage companies to keep giving us them.
Ray: Marvel is a mess when it comes to their overpriced launches. They pack them with variants, set a high price bar to even get into the series (especially bad when it’s a weekly series), and then make the Surprised Pikachu face when it crashes in sales. Based on these first few issues, it looks to me like this is going to settle down roughly around the level that X-Men: Gold did for its run, but maybe a little below the hit X-Men: Red. But they’re releasing an issue every week, so just like the Avengers weekly (which is coming back), it’ll overall be a win for Marvel.
Glenn:  At 2 is the new Green Lantern comic by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp who are a dynamite team which is more than enough to understand why it sells over 113.6k which is way over what the title has been selling since the glory days of the Johns era.  I would estimate it’ll settle anywhere between 75-80k (around the same level as Justice League) for the remaining 11 issues which will be great.  Following up from that will be the real challenge but that’s tomorrow’s problem, right now its a win.
Ray:  Unlike the book right above it, the creative team on The Green Lantern is the big draw here. That means it’ll likely hold much better than other launches. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it be a top ten staple for its run (currently 12 issues, but they’ve said that about other runs). Top 20 is more likely, though. 
Glenn:  First surprise of the month is one shot Web Of Venom: Carnage which sells over 104.2k at 3 which in an insane amount of sales for a comic starring a character that lost his main sales pull like 10 years ago, if not more.  Clearly the direction writer Donny Cates continues to take the Venom franchise in seems to be turning anything relating to it to gold and Ray’s prediction that a Venom line overseen by him is almost becoming a certainty at this rate.  The regular Venom book rounds out the top ten at 10 with sales over 74.5k as it continues to be one of the most dependable books not only from Marvel but from the industry as a whole which is an insane statement considering where the title was only a year ago.  The title right now is right up there with the megawatt Justice League title which is one of DC’s biggest books and that is just madness.  When asked about rumours about building a cage that Cates can’t escape from, Marvel refused to comment.
Ray: They don’t need to build a cage for Cates. He’ll be running the place next year the way he’s going. But yeah, these numbers are insane. Venom’s a property that’s always been popular and has been waiting for a creative team to deliver on that potential. These two issues are yet another example of just how much of an impact this run has had. Flash Thompson and Carnage series are probably inevitable now in some form.
Glenn:  At 4 is right into another surprise with Amazing Spider-Man 10 which sells over 103.6k for no apparent reason?  The previous issue (9 for those of us bad at math) also charts at 7 with sales over 85.5k which is great also bit the leap of roughly 17k is a real puzzler.  Was there a varient people wanted?  Was there an overship?  Is this run gaining momentum?  All possibilities and next month might see the trend continue but clearly this is one book that no matter what, Marvel has little to concern themselves over.
Ray: There’s been quite a few cases where the first issue of the month had a weird increase followed by the second issue dropping a lot, but not the reverse. Weird. I’m guessing it’s a variant, because this was the end of a fairly bland arc. Either way, this title is largely bulletproof. The run has mostly been getting no buzz for good or bad, but Amazing Spider-Man has a ridiculously strong brand, almost like…the next two books on the list!
Glenn:  At 5 and 6 is Batman which is around its usual level selling over 94.9 and 93k respectively. Nothing much to say here, business as usual.
Ray: King has now confirmed that his run is going to 105, so DC will have nothing to worry about here for a long time.
Glenn:  Heroes In Crisis seems to have settled at roughly around the 80k level as issue 3 sells over 83.7k at 8 on the charts.  Its a good number but again with how DC was hyping this and what they deemed to turn it into, its unclear how much of a success it’ll be seen as.  If it was a book dealing with mental illness in the superhero community, a more character driven story I think it would be a great or even fantastic number but as a corner stone story for the entire universe with seemingly huge repercussions…its middling.
Ray: That’s a very small drop for the third issue, about 10%, so I’m guessing this is the series’ level. Overall decent, but more like a side event than a main event. There’s only room for one stand-alone prestige event comic at DC right now, I guess!
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Glenn:  At 9 is Avengers issue 10 which is actually issue 700 which sells over 77.7k.  Considering what other books have done with their anniversary issues this is definitely an underwhelming number.  I would say that keeping the current numbering and not renumbering to 700 for one issue (Marvel have done worse, lets face it) may have been a mistake.  There will likely be reorders on this one as I think the significance in regards to numbering and story with this issue was somewhat missed.

Ray:  That’s an increase of almost 20K from last month, so I’m guessing Marvel got the word out. This turned out to be a very significant issue with long-term implications, so I wouldn’t be surprised by reorders. This is largely Marvel’s new flagship book.

Fantastic Four ships two issues this month, landing at #12 and #14 with sales of 72K and 67K respectively. That’s right around the level of Justice League, so I think we can safely say this is one of Marvel’s top books right now. Just like Thor, absence made the heart grow fonder.
Glenn: Great settlement for Fantastic Four which will get a wedding push next month because Slott definitely isn’t one to let things just simmer.  He’s really brought bis magic to a title Marvel has trying (and failing) to make work since they put Millar and Hitch on the book way back in the day.
Ray:  Good ol’ Walking Dead is down there at #18, selling 58K. As the comic market ramps up, top ten is a hard reach, but zombies will always be waiting for us in the top 20.
At #21 is the first issue of the Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary miniseries. The first issue is written by Cates before other writers take over, and it sells a strong 52K for a series that doesn’t really seem to tie into anything else. The second issue drops significantly down to #50, selling a still decent 36K.
Glenn: Some nostalgia here for sure but Cates seems to be the main selling point here.  You might not be too far wrong on him being at the helm of the ship sooner rather than later.
Ray:  One of the strongest debuts in Boom’s history is at #22, as Greg Pak’s Firefly sequel series sells 51K. This is set after the series and before the movie, so certain fan favorites are still around. That and the top creative team combined for an amazing debut for a company that rarely breaks into the top 100.
Glenn: The love for this series following a one series cancellation 15 years ago (!!!!) is unreal.  Congrats to everyone involved, the demand is clearly still there.
Ray:  The Drowned Earth crossover concludes at #26, selling just under 50K. This was another modest hit for DC just like The Witching Hour, but the event issues selling so much lower than the Justice League issues is weird.
Glenn: Like I said last month, we saw something similar with Clone Conspiracy a few years ago.  The main issues of Amazing sold great but the event mini did far less.  This seems to be a lack of understanding/miscommunication.  It leaves one to wonder what the point of these special one shots are any more when you can just do an extra issue of the main title and sell a lot more.
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Ray:  Dead Man Logan, the final arc of Old Man Logan’s story, kicks off its year-long run at #29 with sales of 49K. That’s a 10K increase for the final anniversary issue of the original series last month, so retailers were likely treating this as somewhere between a new launch and a continuation. There seems to have been a market for a more traditional stabby Wolverine while the original is dealing with hot claws and Infinity Stones.
This is the tier where we see a lot of strong ongoing titles that have locked down around the 50K-45K mark long-term. They include Detective Comics, Catwoman (which is performing like a Bat-title), Superman, Action Comics, the two main Star Wars titles, Thor, Flash, Justice League Dark, and Captain America. This is the cream of both companies’ crops at the moment.
Wonder Woman sees the debut of G. Willow Wilson’s run at #33 with sales of 44K. That’s an increase of only 2K from Steve Orlando’s first issue, interestingly, so the title probably already saw its rebound from the previous extended run. The second issue of Wilson’s run only sells 37K at #49. DC probably could have hyped this up a bit more to get buzz rolling, but I expect heavy reorders.
Glenn: It could be a climber too.  Wilson’s run has the potential to get people talking about Wonder Woman again and could get eyes on the title gradually over time.
Ray:  A decent debut for playwright Eve Ewing’s first Marvel book, Ironheart. It lands at #45 with sales of 40K, which is about as much as I could expect for a character who never really caught on under her stint in the Iron Man armor. I am surprised that this issue did better than Shuri’s debut issue last month, given the movie hype for that character. As with almost all teen-focused Marvel books, this title’s future will be whether it can capitalize on that secondary comics market.
Glenn: Decent start for Ironhart who who will likely settle at around mid 20k.  This one does seem to have been left to defend for itself promotion wise.
Ray:  We wave goodbye to Mister Miracle as he takes his final bow at #47, selling 38K. Great numbers for a Kirby spinoff, owing entirely to the incredibly talented creative team. But his final trick will be turning those 38K sales into millions of trade sales.
Glenn: This will sell forever and ever over various editions.  You can build a house with one copy of each version of Watchmen that’s ever been released and this series will be much the same.
Ray:  #48 has the debut of IDW’s new Marvel line, with Marvel Action: Spider-Man. This all-ages adventure features Peter, Miles, and Gwen, and is part of a line of new-reader friendly takes on popular Marvel characters for Disney. Its 37K in sales doesn’t look impressive, but this is not remotely a book geared towards this market. It seems like it’s going over very well, and it’ll sell countless times that in IDW’s affordable mini-trade format.
Glenn: Its a big number for IDW.  Many fans in the direct market won’t be deeming it relevant enough to check out but through other avenue’s it could be the biggest selling Spider-Man title.
Ray:  #55 has the debut of Bloodshot: Rising Spirit, selling 34K for Valiant. This is a decent debut, boosted by the character’s profile being raised a LOT by Jeff Lemire. I doubt it’ll sustain those sales long-term, though, as this flashback story doesn’t seem to be getting much buzz.
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In one of the oddest spin-off projects Marvel has done in a while, Thanos‘ henchmen the Black Order got their own miniseries. It lands at #57 and sells 32K, a pretty weak number for a solo story no one was really clamoring for.
Glenn: Most of those sales will be just due to their spotlight in Infinity War.  It might have done a bit better had it been timed closer to the movie but yeah this is really one of those ‘well what did you expect?’ cases.
Ray:  The latest and last Infinity Warp miniseries, Ghost Panther, sells 31K at #60. Black Panther has a huge audience, Ghost Rider less so. This was just around the level of Weapon Hex and ArachKnight last month.
Glenn: If only it had been Cosmic Ghost Panther!  Then sales would have went through the roof!
Ray:  The latest Ralph Macchio one-shot, Enter the Spider-Verse, lands at #63 with sales of 29K. This is a bit higher than these throw-away one-shots usually do, maybe due to retailers not being sure if this was a Spider-Geddon tie-in or not. This also may be the last of these, as Jody Houser is writing the reader-friendly Captain Marvel one-shot in February.
Glenn:  They probably wanted a female writer on the Captain Marvel one, Macchio will likely be back in time for his Endgame tie in.
Ray:  After a lot of decently-selling ongoings like Doctor Strange, Harley Quinn, and Nightwing (which seems to be surviving the mess the title’s found itself in with decent sales), we get to the next #1 on the list. That would be Han Solo: Imperial Cadet at #70, selling 27K. This is a spinoff exploring an unseen era of a prequel that many people felt was unnecessary in the first place, so I’m guessing that retailers felt this was the least necessary Star Wars comic yet – especially with how poorly the film was received.
Glenn: Yeah, there’s been so much backlash against Solo (unfairly to me) that this one was always going to struggle.  It’ll probably earn its keep in collections sold at various Star Wars related locations but I don’t think we’ll be seeing this period of Han’s life in comics form in the future again.
Ray:  #79 brings us the first issue of Infinity Warps, an anthology tying into Infinity Wars and featuring absurd little merged characters like “Moon Squirrel” and a Fantastic Four of only two people. It sells 25K, which is fine for a side book like this with no larger implications.
At #85 is a comic called “Rick and Morty presents Pickle Rick“. This is a real comic that sells just under 24K. This is a real comic that outsells Daredevil. I am not okay, Glenn.
Glenn: I hear that Chip Zdarsky is going to appear on that mountain, as the sun rises on the third day to make everything okay again!
Ray:  Although West Coast Avengers started low on the sales charts, it seems to be holding very well. The fourth issue sells 22K at #90, which is actually up just under 1K from the third issue. This is a title that found its audience and could grow from here, especially once the first trade hits.
Glenn: This seems to be destined to be a cult hit which is fine, a lot of series out there could dream to have the same distinction.
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Ray:  The second issue of the Typhoid Fever miniseries, this one starring the X-Men, sells 22K at #91. That’s almost a 33% drop from the first Spider-Man issue, which doesn’t bode well for next month’s Iron Fist installment.
Shuri gets hit pretty hard with its second issue, shedding about a third of its first issue sales to land at #96 with 21K in sales. Caveats apply about the secondary market, of course, but this is struggling early.
Glenn: Borrowing heavily from the super successful movie seems to not have benefited much, at least in the singles market.  The Black Panther title is doing very well historically speaking but its still not going to be a franchise that can sustain much outside itself.
Ray:  A bizarre, inexplicable, massive drop for Supergirl at #100, as it loses over half its sales to sell 21K. This is essentially retailers reverting to form for the series before the revamp and shedding all their extra orders for the Bendis revamp. We’ll have to see where it goes from here, but this one of the more dramatic course corrections after the initial three-month period I’ve seen.

Glenn:  That is an odd one.  Perhaps a mistake, perhaps not.  We’ll know more next month.  Its still doing at an okay level but if it drops further it might become a problem.

Also, selling about 20k gets you into the top 100 these days, yeesh.  2018 was rough.
Scottie Young’s new Image book, Middlewest sells a very good number at 104 selling over 20.8k.  He’s slowly building a brand as a writer.
Ray: Yeah, Young’s had a pair of pretty decent hits for Image as of late, even without his art on board.
Glenn:  Losing about 16k on its second issue, Old Lady Harley sells over 20.4k at 105 which isn’t too bad given its an out of continuity mini by a writer that doesn’t have much buzz about him.
At 108 is Archie 700 which is the title going back to original numbering and the start of a new creative team which sells over 19.4k which is quite a leap up from the titles previous levels.  This issue is essentially a clip show/set up.  It’ll likely be back to previous levels soon enough, the hype the title gained when it relaunched under Waid and Staples seems a long time ago.
Ray: I believe this is the start of the new creative team on Archie, actually. The company hyped it up for months and gave it a ton of variants, and these sales reflect it. But as we speak, artist Marguerite Sauvage has already left the title and the book is missing months in solicits. Not looking good. If only other companies had stories that could have warned them…
At #112 is an unusual Dark Horse book, William Gibson’s Alien 3. This is the comic book adaptation of what would have been Alien 3 before it was heavily rewritten. It sells 18.8K, a stronger than usual debut for this licensed property. Dark Horse is getting the best out of it before the property heads over to the mouse house. 
Glenn: I missed that one!  The story behind Alien 3’s production fascinates me so a lot of fans of the franchise will definitely turn out for this one.
Former DC and Marvel writer, David Walker comes back to comics after a brief break along with co-writer Chuck Brown to launch Bitter Root from Image which launches at 115 selling over 18.6k which again isn’t too bad, especially since Walker never really got the opportunity to be a heavy hitter at either of his two employers.
Ray:  Yeah, this is a very promising debut for Walker and Greene’s book, and it seems to be getting some amazing reviews. We’ll see it have very good holds from here, I bet.
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Glenn:  At 119 is Doctor Who 13th Doctor 1 which sells over 18.2k which is the highest launch for the property in…well quite some time and possibly ever.  Not sure how long it’ll last but this is likely due to the hype around the first female Doctor and the involvement of writer Jody Houser along with longtime Who artist Rachel Stott.
Books of Magic loses about half its sales with the second issue charting at 120 with sales over 18.1k.  This is still very good if we’re going by recent Vertigo standards and these various Sandman related books will do most of their business in trades regardless.
DC’s latest 80 page 9.99 anthology, Nuclear Winter sells over 17.2k at 122 which is very good for a bunch of out of continuity series but this volume had some serious talent involved which likely helped.  For what its worth, I think this one was the best one DC has put out.
Ray: That’s another healthy launch for an expensive, oversized anthology. If they keep delivering the quality, they’ll have a small hit every quarter at this rate.
Glenn:  At 123 is Suicide Squad Black Files which sells over 16.9k which is okay for a throwaway one shot while the franchise waits for the next iteration of its title to be announced.
Ray: This Suicide Squad miniseries is essentially a compilation of two separate solo series – one for Katana and one for El Diablo. Given that, I imagine these sales are much better than those solo projects would have done.
Glenn: Oh yeah for sure, we still have nightmares about the sales of Katana’s new 52 series
The second issue of Lucifer at 124 is an identical story to Books Of Magic, it sells over 16.8 which if memory serves places it quite a bit ahead of the previous series that was coming out.
Falling to sales over 16.2+k is the latest Umbrella Acedemy mini at 127.  There’s still a small dedicated audience here but this mini and its predecessors will likely greatly benefit in collections from a Netflix adaption coming in the new year.
A new DC series Electric Warriors launches from Steve Orlando and Travel Foreman at 128 selling over 16.1k.  This seems to be a revival of an old 80’s property, I don’t think there seemed to be much of a clamoring for the return of this one.
Ray: Yeah, this is a super-obscure DC property, taking place between the eras of Kamandi and the Legion. Given that, DC probably didn’t expect anything else. It’s a fun experimental miniseries that will play out its run and hopefully get a cult audience in collections.
Glenn:  The newest John Layman title, Outer Darkness debuts at 136 selling over 13,7 which seems to be about the audience his name commands.  Decent start, if it can pick up momentum in collections like Chew did there won’t be any concerns about Layman getting to tell the title’s full story.
Ray: Layman tends to do a bit better than other cult creators known for their weird concepts. Kieron Gillen said that if you’re not an A-lister and you launch above 10K, you’re probably in good shape.
Glenn:  Usually the movie prelude’s Marvel put out are a waste of paper retelling the events of a previous movie or some such.  I’m curious though what Captain Marvel Prelude included since we’ve seen nothing of her so far on the big screen.  It sells over 13.3k at 138 which is perfectly fine for this sort of thing.
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Ray: This one was actually an original story, focusing on what Maria Hill and Nick Fury were doing through the last few years of the MCU. It also had nothing to do with Captain Marvel until Fury called her, so this line continues to be weird.
Glenn: At least it was a new story though
The second issue of Shatterstar loses about 8k in sales which is much better than I would have expected.  It sells over 13k at 139 so it could be much, much worse.
At 141 is American Carnage from Brian Hill which a new Vertigo offering from DC which sells over 12.8k which is about the usual for this new iteration of the line.  I think this one might be the one to watch of all of the new Vertigo launches though.
Ray: Yeah, this one has a very strong creative team and a lot of advance buzz. More on Vertigo’s newest troubles in a bit, though…
Glenn:  At 148 the Sideways Annual sells nearly identical to the regular issue which is just one spot below it with both selling over 11.6k.  The character seems to have a small but set audience but that’s unlikely to save it from the same fate the books it launched amongst have all met.
Ray: Sideways has in fact been cancelled, so it seems like we’ll be seeing this line as a whole wrap up shortly.
Glenn:  At 157 is Dr. Horrible Best Friends Forever the long awaited sequel to the exceptional web series of yesteryear.  It sells over 11k showing that it doesn’t seem to have the same nostalgia power that Firefly had but the series hasn’t had nearly as much additions to it and doesn’t feature any new music (boo)

Ray:  That’s really low for a property written by Joss Whedon – he actually wrote the full script here, not just consulted. It’s always hard to tell how much audience a property that was solely available online for free has left, but I’m surprised this didn’t make the top 100. 

Glenn: I think after the accusations raised by his ex-wife and the performance of Justice League, Whedon’s pull may have diminished.  It’ll be interesting to see how well his new series does when it sees the light of day.
Ray:  Cult creator Tom Scioli, one of the most acclaimed indie cartoonists next to Ed Piskor, chose the obscure 1980s cartoon Go-Bots as his next project. It launches at #158 with sales of 11K for IDW, their third-highest sales of the month. That’s the most relevant Go-Bots has been in decades! But given Scioli’s fanbase, I imagine this will be doing most of its audience in collections.
Glenn: I know nothing about Go-bots apart from them being discount Transformers so this seems rather good but within expectations for when you get a creator who brings a set audience regardless of property.
Ray:  The latest Hellboy and the BPRD one-shot, set in 1956, lands at #164 with sales of 10.5K. It’s pretty amazing how stable the Mignolaverse is for Dark Horse. That and Black Hammer are their top homegrown franchises.
An odd project, The Wicked + the Divine Funnies, lands at #166 with sales of 10K. This is pretty close to the level of the regular title, so retailers just treated it like the latest one-shot even though it’s a comedy anthology with no ties to the main story.
An oversized Jim Henson’s Labyrinth one-shot lands at #170 with sales of 9.8K. The movie has gotten a bigger profile recently thanks to the sequel series, so this probably boosted the sales. Not bad for a $7.99 comic.
Greg Pak’s latest relaunch of James Bond, titled James Bond 007, launched at #172 with sales of 9.7K. This got some good buzz for his revamp of Oddjob as a rival secret agent, but it doesn’t seem to have translated to sales. Probably doesn’t help that Dynamite has a lot of different Bond books running at the same time.
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Glenn: They do seem determined to get a lot out of this licence don’t they?  Bond outside of the big screen isn’t a franchise that commands a lot of attention and even then, the status of the films seem in flux.
Ray:  Star Wars Adventures has a new spinoff miniseries, Destroyer Down, taking place right before The Force Awakens. It sells a healthy 9.7K at #173, although the majority of sales will be in collections.
Bettie Page gets a relaunch at #175, selling 9.6K. I got nothing. Dynamite really likes doing weird adventure comics about real people.
Glenn: I don’t remember the last series being that long in the tooth…who do they think they are, Marvel?
Ray:  Tom Taylor wraps up his time in the Injusticeverse with Injustice 2 Annual #2, selling 9.5K at #176. This was a digital-first release, so it did most of its sales there, but this is still a decent increase for the book. It’s also one of the best comics of the year.
Glenn: Taylor has been doing Injustice for a few years now (apart from a brief break some years back) and seems to have turned it into a well received cult hit.  Not too bad for a comic based on a video game to remain relatively stable for several years.  We’re starting to see Taylor now get bigger franchise opportunities coming up, lets see how those do in the coming months.
Ray:  One of Cullen Bunn’s earliest horror comics, The Empty Man, returns for an ongoing series at Boom. It sells 9.3K at #179, a decent number for Boom’s creator-owned books. That Bunn guy is all over the place!
Glenn: Bunn, Ennis and Lemire maybe have the most diverse portfolios in comics right now.  Doesn’t seem to be doing them any harm either.
Ray:  Top Cow’s latest release, The Warning, lands at #180 with sales of 9.2K. Edward LaRoche’s writer-artist book didn’t seem to get much advance hype and got lost in the shuffle of the month’s big releases, so it’ll have to build some buzz fast.
Glenn: Typical Top Cow performance then, the company must be able to perform somehow/somewhere to keep chugging along as it does.
Ray:  At #185, we have the third issue of Vertigo’s Border Town, selling 8.5K. A decent number, and about 8.5K more copies than it’s going to be finishing its run with after the creator was credibly accused of sexual assault, his art team quit, and DC canned the book. Womp Womp.
Glenn:  DC just announced that the first few issues are all returnable too.  Its like it never happened and that’s pretty much how it should be.  Kudos to the art team on this, I hope they get more work.
Note:  After this was typed up, it was leaked the writer was due to takeover Nightwing and was to co-write the March issue.  That did not happen.
Ray:  Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which has spawned a hit Netflix series despite never finishing its second arc, reissued its first issue for a dollar and sold an additional 8.3K at #188. Some free money, akin to the True Believers model, but it’s funny that this is the first comic based on the property that has been released in years.
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Glenn: The collection sold well this month too.  The upcoming title by Kelly Thompson will likely do well too, it is odd that they’re making the call to have that series be more of a traditional Sabrina story than the one that is taking off on screen.
Ray:  Dark Horse had better find some new licenses to make up for all the ones they’re losing to the mouse, so they’re trying to make a go with the popular video game God of War. The first issue of a new miniseries sells 7.9K at #194.
Glenn: A very popular game series but as usual, that’ll only get you so far with a comic adaption.  Fans of these franchises like the medium they originate from.
Ray:  Speaking of cult video games, the choose-your-own-adventure romantic mystery Life is Strange gets a spinoff from Titan Comics. It sells 7.5K at #198, a decent number for Titan and its young adult audience will probably pick it up in larger numbers in trade.
Glenn: That being said, Life Is Strange which is heavily story based and has a very passionate fan base could buck the trend.  Fans could really turn out for the collection of this one.
Ray:  Coming off a 25-cent preview issue, Dynamite launches Battlestar Galactica Classic as a series, and it debuts at #203 with sales of 7.2K. The property has been overshadowed by its modern version in recent years, so this is very much a niche comic.
Crimson Lotus, a spin-off of the Lobster Johnson Mignolaverse franchise, gets her own series at #208, selling 6.7K. Well below the main series, but it’s another piece of evidence of how strong this franchise is.
Hey, Zombie Tramp is creeping towards the top 200! She’s at #218 this month, selling 6.1K. Good ol’ Zombie Tramp, unofficial mascot of By the Numbers.
Glenn: I remember puzzling what the heck it was when it started appearing at 300 (back when there only was 300…) its nice to see it grow up and do so well.  No doubt our constant mentioning of it here and on the Stew helps a great deal.
Ray:  Woof, a pretty terrible debut for Keith Giffen’s new Image miniseries, Auntie Agatha’s Home for Wayward Rabbits. It sells 5.7K at #220. That’s one of the lowest debuts for a main line Image book I can remember, especially odd since Giffen is a fairly big name in comics. This seemed like an all-ages comic based on the concept, but it actually very much wasn’t. I don’t know who this was marketed towards, and I’m not sure retailers did either.
Glenn: Giffen is a legend in comics but he’s not known for much creator owned stuff.  He may be viewed as an old school creator that can’t float a new series.  This one could turn around but so far, interest seems to be minimal.

Ray:  The latest Boom teen-oriented miniseries, Smooth Criminals, lands at #234 with sales of 5.3K. This story of a computer programmer who teams up with a time-displaced master thief. A double-period piece taking place in 1955 and 2000, it’s clearly a unique book – but like all of Boom’s books, it’s not really geared towards the direct market.

Glenn:  That seems to be a very interesting if somewhat complex premise.  One thing that the market can’t be accused of is lack of choice.
From IDW comes a prequel to the last movie George Romero directed, Road Of The Dead: Highway To Hell which sells over 5.2k at 236.  This is likely for diehard fans of the movie or Romero in particular.  I can’t expect IDW expected much more because at its core, its just another zombie book and priced at 4.99 to boot.
The Terrible Eisabeth Dumn Against The Devils In Suits is an English adaption of a foreign horror comic.  It has a very long title and is good for sales numbering over 5.1k at 239.  It seems to have been lost in the shuffle a little bit.
Ray: This was a really weird comic – oversized both in pages and dimensions, and released with little fanfare. Image just sort of tossed it out there, and this is what you get.
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Glenn:  Some reorders for last months Venom annual at 242 with over 4.6k additional sales.  There are additional sales for the third issue of the main series at 240 too.  We’re going to have so many Venom books come the Summer, we’ll not know what to do with ourselves.
Lightstep is a new five issue mini from Dark Horse which sells over 4k at 258.  Pretty standard from Dark Horse when it comes to comics that aren’t attached to major properties or by Mike Mignola or Jeff Lemire.
Ray: I believe the creator of Lightstep is a legendary European writer/artist, so this may be aimed much more at foreign markets in the collected edition.
Glenn:  Minions Viva Le Boss is a one shot containing more wacky adventures from everyone’s favorite yellow fiends.  It sells over 3.8k at 266 which is on the low side but there’s no movie to latch onto, its a kids comic and will likely sell better elsewhere.
Ray: I think it’s actually a series – just issue after issue of silent comics where the Minions accidentally kill their boss. This will likely get a lot of bookstore sales
Glenn:  A new mini from Zenescope written by Chuck Dixon (no really), Van Helsing Sword Of Heaven launches at 280 selling 3.5k.  This is a higher level than Zenescope usually does but again, its a rough month all round.  Seeing Zenescope publish work by Comicsgate creators seems about right for them.
Ray:  Zenoscope, keeping it classy even when not selling Sexy Red Riding Hood. 
Glenn:  Disney Afternoon Giant at 286 selling over 3.3k is much like the case of the Minions comic above, its a kids comic that’ll do its business elsewhere.  For those keeping track on their ‘Disney properties and who deals with them’ Bingo cards, this one is from IDW, well known publisher of Spider-Man.
Speaking of Spider-Man, at 288 we have some reorders of Spider-Geddon.  Reorders are always nice but this is only sales of over 3,2k so this doesn’t seem to have been the barn burner that the company was likely hoping it would be.  Its been very good too but it seems the idea will be more profitable as a movie franchise in the years to come.
More reorders for Venom, issue 7 this time at 295 selling over 3k.  Venom showing up multiple times in the forms of reorders is something that makes me doubt my sanity, who would have guessed?
Another new mini from a creative team I don’t recognize in the form of Sukeban Turbo which sells over 3k at 296.  I think they should be pleased they made the top 300 all things considered.  Up here is where its safe.
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Pretty much the same story at 300 for Night Movies which just squeaks in at the upper end of the charts with sales over 2.9k.  IDW are throwing out a lot of content but not much of seems to be resonating interest.
Ray: There’s been a real increase in the number of creator-owned comics on the market, to the point where it starts to feel like a glut. IDW is one of many companies that hasn’t been able to catch fire. We saw what happened to books by legendary creators like Carey and Gross with The Highest House (come on, people!). What hope do books like these have? Neither of them picked up any critical buzz either.
Glenn:  Cheryl Blossom 1 is some sort of comic shop incentive thing from Archie which sells over 2.4k 1t 313  proving that not every Archie character needs their own title.
Ray: I believe this was a reprint of Cheryl’s solo series from the 1990s. It didn’t last long then either.
Glenn:  At 315 is Trump Titans Space Force.  It sells over 2.4k.  I wonder how many of those were ordered for the lolz factor.  Those reading this will likely still hear my cries of sorrow on the wind from having to type about this comic.
Ray: *deep long sigh followed by barely muffled scream* We are professionals and judge all comics equally. This is by Canadian company Keenspot, and I believe their Trump comics are more parodies? Maybe?
Glenn:  No one said we were professional.
A lot of reorders around the 2k mark for random issues of Amazing, Shuri, Nightwing, Drowned Earth, X-Men Black: Magneto, the first issue of Heroes in Crisis and others.  Again, reorders are always encouraging but none of these exactly scream high demand.
At 341 is Cerebus In Hell, our monthly Dave Sim insanity which sells over 1.9k.  I wonder if in another reality he too had to do an article about the top 500 sales…
Conspiracy The Illuminati is a comic centering around some of the worlds craziest theories.  It promises to shape how readers perceive reality but given its from Zenescope, the only thing readers may doubt is their sanity.  It sells over 1.9k at 342.  The Da Vinchi Code this isn’t.
Ray: I’m sure this won’t at all give their new ComicsGate fanbase some bad ideas about who’s running the world…
Glenn:  The price of $1 doesn’t seem to get much interest in the Atomic Robo: Greatest Hits release at 345 selling over 1.8k.  Its a cult all ages property with a set audience and even a price incentive is unlikely to grab new readers.
Ray: This comic has had a long, healthy run already and has found a solid audience in trades. This is just a way to try to get some more eyes on it, but I imagine this is a lot like Usagi Yojimbo or Savage Dragon – another long-runner that isn’t going to pick up much of a new audience.
Image result for Atomic Robo: Greatest Hits
Glenn:  Die Kitty Die Heaven and Hell maybe wins the prize for the oddest title this month.  It sells over 1.8k at 346 and is the monthly release of a Kickstarter project so likely all those who were desperate to have it got it through there.  The property shows up again at 356 in Die Kitty Die Cathouse Horror special selling over 1.7k.  I think they missed the fact that all the horror releases were last month.
Ray: This is one of those obscure comics like Lady Mechanika that I keep on seeing around but I’m still not sure if it’s real.
Glenn:  90’s nostalgia features this month at 372 in the form of Rugrats C Is For Chanukah Special which sells over 1.5k at 372.  Better elsewhere, yadda yadda.  You all know the drill.

Ray:  One might even say…T is for Trades? And B is for Bookstore?

The oversized IDW Disney digest, Tsum Tsum Kingdom, is at #374 selling just under 1500 copies. Same story as Rugrats, but this one is about tiny little aliens that look like Disney characters! It also had stories by Time & Vine creator Thom Zahler. This is likely going to be an evergreen book at Disney World, so IDW’s Disney/Marvel bet continues to pay off.
The new sexy Superhero comic Punchline debuts from Antarctic Press with 1.4K at #375. Got to get some of that Zenoscope money, I guess.
Glenn:  She does seem to wear a little more clothes than the female characters from either companies choose to wear if that counts for anything.
Ray:  The Catalyst Prime line from Lion Forge has been ambitious, but it hasn’t paid off in sale as the line’s seven books often miss the top 500. We get a new debut this month, as Quincredible – a teen superhero adventure that doesn’t actually have the Catalyst Prime logo – lands at #381 with sales of 1.4K. Clearly, these books have to be getting their sales somewhere, but it’s not here.
Glenn:  As you said on the Stew, removing the logo seems to have helped matters which is hilarious in a way.
Ray:  A surprisingly hefty reorder for Steve Orlando’s Dead Kings, from Aftershock at #385, picking up just under 1.3K. I think retailers ordered this like every other Aftershock book but underestimated Orlando’s fanbase. There’s also 1.2K in reorders for the Wytches Bad Egg special four spots lower.
Starburns Industries Press has the oddball anthology, Comics Comics Quarterly, at #388, selling 1.25K. This collection of stories by comedians featured Patton Oswalt and might become a collector’s item if one of the lesser-known comics breaks out.
Glenn:  An odd one and may worth digging out of your lcs’s bargain bin cause you never know!
Ray:  Pink Panther Classic Christmas sells 1.2K at #391. It’s a weird world down here.
Amid a lot of reorders, the Source Point Press Frankenstein remix Monstrous lands at #401, selling 1.1K. Source Point, unlike many other new companies, seems to have a distinct POV. They do oddball horror and supernatural comics, and it seems to be helping them grow a bit faster than others.
Action Lab has Princeless: Find Yourself, a feminist fairy-tale remix from Unstoppable Wasp creator Jeremy Whitley. It sells 893 copies at #418, but this is a series that’s been out for a while and gets 99% of its sales in collections. I’m kind of surprised they;re even doing singles anymore.
Mad Cave Studios, which we rarely see on this list, has a new title in Knights of the Golden Sun at #421. Selling 843 copies, it’s a pseudo-Christian comic about the lost adventures of angelic warriors. Clearly, the definition of niche comic.
Glenn:  Wow…I wonder if this is secretly an Ed Wood comic and he’s using this to finance his latest zany movie.
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Ray:  The Long Con deserves so much better than 765 copies at #430. Clearly, Oni has faith in it, though – hopefully it’s killing it in trades.
Glenn:  It really does.  Oni released a second printing of the first issue and only charged $1 for it a while back so hopefully that helps things long term.
Ray:  Vault might have a mini-hit on its hands as they pick up 677 reorders for their India-based vampire thriller These Savage Shores at #435. Amid a sea of Marvel, DC, and licensed reorders, this one stands out. They also get 672 reorders for their supernatural writer drama Fearscape at #438.
Judge Dredd is a character who’s made the rounds at various companies. His newest home at Rebellion Developments doesn’t really pay off, as movie sequel Dredd: Final Judgement only sells 663 copies at #439.
Neither Monarchs #1 from Scout Comics nor Love Town #0 from Devil’s Due make any impact on the direct market, selling 581 and 576 copies respectively at #446/447.
We finally get to see where the Catalyst Prime titles land, as this month’s chart has a much lower floor than most months’. Noble is the highest of the lot, selling 551 copies at #454, with Summit and Accell selling 490 and 457 respectively. The others are still MIA.
Two more creator-owned bombs are Pandora: Shotgun Mary #0 from Avatar (#455, 541 copies) and Antarctic’s Star’s End (#456, 539 copies). Too many books on the market and little to set these two apart.
Glenn:  Its sink or swim in the market with too many books doing the former.
Ray:  It’s a wave of reorders down here, as the vast majority of the bottom fifty are books we’ve seen already. The last original book on the charts, at #493, is WWE Superstars Ongoing from Super Genius. This is an alternate reality comic featuring the WWE stars as superheroes, and it sells 397 copies.
Glenn:  Super Cena!  He’s reallllll
Ray:  The actual #500 book this month is a reprint of Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons #2, selling 391 copies. Somehow, I blame Pickle Rick for this.
Glenn:  Same.
Ray:  Looking ahead, it’s a pretty big month to end the year. DC is bringing us some new launches and creative teams, including a new Freedom Fighters and Martian Manhunter series, Kelly Sue DeConnick’s debut on Aquaman and Pete Tomasi’s return to Detective Comics, and Zoe Quinn’s first published comic at Vertigo in Goddess Mode. But the heavyweight entries are undoubtedly the lightest and darkest comics DC puts out this month – the debut of Shazam, and the return of The Batman Who Laughs. Good chance those two are chasing Doomsday Clock on the charts.
Marvel this month is more about endings than beginnings, with events like Spider-Geddon, Infinity Wars, and Extermination wrapping up their runs. But they’ve got quite a lot of launches packed into three weeks this month – including two Fantastic Four wedding issues, a five-part Defenders special event, the launch of Superior Octopus, Killmonger, and a new Miles Morales series at exactly the right time.
It’ll be a busy month for indie as well. The headliner is probably the new Gillen/Hans series Die, but Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque’s new series Prodigy isn’t far behind. And when it comes to Dark Horse, it’s the comic everyone’s been waiting for – Black Hammer presents Cthu-Louise!
What will rise? What will fall? Will we cry when we get into the 400s? Find out next time on By the Numbers!
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Liked what you read?  Have a question or a comment?  Let us know here or hot us up on Twitter @glenn_matchett and @raygoldfield!

By The Numbers: October 2018

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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 6 years but grew up reading comics. He’s had work published with Outre Press, Alterna Comics and Nemesis Studios. Submitting a comic to Comixology is slowly breaking Glenn’s spirit.  Next month he will be replaced by Garth Ennis.  There will be a lot more swearing.

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.  When She-Ra dropped on Netflix, Ray outlasted several little girls in a sleepover to watch it first while completely forgetting how on demand worked.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn: We get closer to the end of the year and things are actually relatively quiet.  Both companies seemingly have events going on but the results of both are rather muted.  This means that books that sell well on their own merits rise to the top and this months sales of October 2018 exemplifies that perfectly.

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Without many big launches or high profile books in its path, the measuring stick of monthly sales Batman takes the top spot with issue 56 selling over 107.5k with issue 57 selling over 95.2k at 4.  Returning to its ever so gentle slide, everything is business as usual here but without anything really ‘big’ hitting this month that means the most consistent book on the chart wins the day.  It does mean the lowest number one selling book for a while though which might be a problem if this was the case long term but that isn’t likely, we’ve got plenty of big launches to come over the next few months.
Ray: It’s been a while since we had a sales chart with numbers this low. Only three books above 100K is pretty rare, but it’s not surprising given how few a-list titles launched. There’s a few books I would have expected to do higher, but how amazing is it that the 57th issue of a title can still command 100K in this day and age? Given the Mark Buckingham side story this issue, though, that might be 100K+ lawsuits for mental trauma…
Glenn:  Continuing to break every rule in comics, Walking Dead is the second best selling book of the month but not in the form of its regular issue, oh no that would be too easy.  A reprint of the first issue from 15 years ago gets an anniversary edition that sells a whopping 106k+.  When this issue came out way back when it sold just over 7,200 copies but now Walking Dead is a genuine phenomenon and people can’t get enough.  This issue has been reprinted more times than you can imagine but here it is, selling like hot cakes none the less.  Its insane how successful this property is and how it has literally changed the landscape of comics forever.
Ray: A reprint. A full-price reprint from fifteen years ago. This blows the performance of any True Believers one-shot out of the water – and those are a dollar! It’s insane what Walking Dead has become.
Glenn:  At 3 is a somewhat muted debut for the super hyped Spider-Geddon which is a sequel to the massively successful Spider-Verse from a few years ago.  Last time, the story was told in the pages of Amazing with numerous tie-ins but this time around gets its own mini.  It debuts with sales over 104.8k which is lower than I would have imagined.  The event is missing the architect of the previous chapter, Dan Slott true but I would have thought that the concept enough would have got people more excited.  I do think it’ll perform very well in itself and the various mini’s will do well but I doubt we’ll see a trilogy out of this concept.
Ray: This feels like an epilogue to the Slott era in some ways, and this result shows how much nostalgia there is for that run. But even with all the tie-ins, this event seems a little disconnected from the main Marvel Universe. The upcoming Spider-Verse movie will likely give it a slight boost, but this definitely isn’t a sequel topping the original.
Glenn:  With a new number 1, a new creative team, a new direction and a new event to ride the wave off of, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider launches at 5 in the charts with sales over 88.9k.  Miles ahead of where the book was before and a promising start. if the book can manage to do a bit better or around the same as the previous book it will live a long happy life.  This version of Gwen is about to hit the mainstream in a big way with Sony’s upcoming Spider-Verse movie so the stock in this character is only going to rise.
Ray: Gwen is definitely the most popular new character out of Marvel in recent years, even eclipsing Miles and Kamala who are huge in their own right. It’s great to see her sales getting a huge shot in the arm from the new creative team and event.
Glenn:  At 6 is the bizarre case of Heroes In Crisis and I’m not just talking about the murder mystery in the title.  The second issue sales are over 88.5k which is a lot lower than the hype machine at DC has been pushing it as.  The bizarre true nature of the event of course has got a lot of people scratching their heads and a lot of divided opinion.  If it was looked at as a offshoot character piece then yes, this is a great number but as an event as it seems to have been turned into then as Ray predicted this looks to be performing at the same trajectory as other secondary events that people couldn’t figure out long term did too such as Fear Itself.  Will this be a long run winner for DC or quickly smushed under the rug?  We’re too early to tell.
Ray: DC sort of took everyone by surprise with this miniseries, not really hyping it properly, and it shows. But the repercussions are seemingly going to be HUGE, so this is primed for reorders.
Glenn:  At 7 is the new issue of Venom, the insanely successful title from Marvel that without anyone paying attention has become their highest selling ongoing.  It sells over 87.1k which is just the result of a perfect storm for this book.  The right creative team at the right time telling the right story.  Everything just works and this is the direct result.
Ray:  I’m really, really reminded of the trajectory of Green Lantern here, with an a-list creative team turning a B-lister into a franchise. We’ll probably have multiple books by this time next year. 
Glenn:  The first issue to dive into big story, Drowned Earth is the 10th issue of Justice League which sells over 84.1k.  There seems to be genuine interest in this story and the run as a whole.  It even seems that though solicitations indicate that this is more of a Snyder/Tynion book than a Snyder book alone, it doesn’t seem to be making much of an impact.  Issue 9 also sells well at 13 getting sales over 72.6k.  Hype for a new story seems to be enough to give this some solid legs long term, another nice addition to DC’s top line of books.
Ray: This is the second mini-event like this from a Justice League title this month, and we’ll get to the other shortly. We saw great numbers from both, boosting the sales of the parent title. We’ll likely see more small-scale events like Drowned Earth, The Witching Hour, The Button, and Flash War as they seem to work well for DC.
Glenn:  Finishing out the top ten is the newest issues of Amazing Spider-Man which sell over 83k and 82.8 respectfully for issues 7 and 8 in the new direction.  Another book with a glacial slide, it seems that this one can be left pretty much unattented while there are more pressing matters elsewhere in the company line.

Ray:  It seems pretty clear that ASM is still stable, as the near-decade long halo Dan Slott gave it hasn’t worn off yet. The general response to this new run from readers seems to be “It’s okay”, so it’ll take more than that for retailers to start shedding copies of their long-time best-selling book. 

Return of Wolverine #2 sheds about 2/3rds of its sales to sell 80K at #11. Pretty predictable, given its absurd number of variants the first one, but this is a pretty healthy number overall. We’ve gotten some word today about the character’s new series going in a cosmic direction in Avengers recently, so we’re likely to have another new #1 after this to keep sales high.
Glenn: Return Of Wolverine was always a mini so I figured we’d be getting another number 1 with the character soon but I must admit, I didn’t imagine it going in that direction.  Maybe this is Wolverine’s future now, never ending mini’s instead of an Ongoing.
Ray:  #12 brings that dastardly Venom again, selling 75K for an annual at #12. This issue didn’t have Donny Cates except in a brief framing sequence, but brought back several iconic Venom creators including David Michelinie for short stories about Venom’s past. At only 12K below the main title, it’s more evidence that Venom Fever is in full swing.
Glenn: Eating brains is officially back in fashion
Ray:  The performance of Catwoman’s new solo series is quickly becoming one for the ages. It inexplicably jumps 17K this month to land at #14, selling 72K. That’s a huge boost and reflects the fact that retailers actually underordered during the initial preorder phase. Huge coup for Joelle Jones and for Tom King in raising the character’s profile.
Glenn: That’s great for any book but especially for a Catwoman one, this is a character whose title has always been middling sales at best.  Perhaps in some ways she is the DC equivalent of Venom where everything has clicked at the right time to make the book a runaway hit.
Ray:  The gap continues to narrow between Superman (#15, 67K) and Action Comics (#19, 60K), as Bendis’ Superman run builds momentum. The character definitely seems to have benefited from the new high-profile creative teams, and Action seems to be the better-received of the two.
The weirdest thing about those crazy sales for the Walking Dead reprint up above is that it outsold this month’s new issue by over 45K, as we find old reliable Walking Dead down here at #18, selling 60K.
Glenn: It’ll be back at the top in no time but Walking Dead outselling itself is the most Walking Dead thing to happen ever.
Ray:  The Batman anthology issue Batman Secret Files lands at #20 with sales of 58K. This had stories by Tom King, Tom Taylor, and several new creators. These are very impressive sales for an anthology, but this was a $4.99 one rather than the giant $10 ones that DC does.
Glenn: Very good performance but it had the Bat boost and King’s name attached at that.  I was a bit iffy on this one but it was mostly good, it doesn’t seem to have any real significance so for a throwaway one shot priced at 4.99, those are great numbers.
Ray:  This month brought us a lot of one-shots, including the five-part X-Men: Black villain-based series. Emma Frost’s issue did the best, selling 55K at #23, with Magneto not far behind at #31 and 49K. Mystique is down at #42, selling 43K, followed by Juggernaut three spots lower at 41K. It’s Mojo bringing up the rear down at #52, selling 37K for his bizarre incel cautionary tale.
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Glenn: I thought Clairemont back at Marvel and back writing X-Men might have caught a bit more interest but these are fine numbers for a mini based on some X-Men bad guys.  The best thing to to come out of this is all the Emma Frost meme’s, all of them are priceless.
Ray:  Event comic one-shots are always weird, as the launch issue for Drowned Earth is down at #25, selling 53K. That’s over 25K below where the Justice League issue tying in landed, which means there’s going to be a lot of very confused readers.
Glenn: It reminds me of the big sales gap between Clone Conspiracy and Amazing back in the day.  Its odd because Marvel and DC go to a lot of effort to put check lists of these types of things in their books but its ultimately inconsequential.  They probably would have been better just doing extra issues of Justice League.
Ray: Drowned Earth wasn’t the only event comic in the Justice League line this month. The five-week Justice League Dark/Wonder Woman: The Witching Hour crossover had all five issues this month, with the launch one-shot landing at #32 with sales of 48K. The first WW issue tying in sold 55K at #24, followed by 53K at #27 for the Justice League Dark issue and 42K at #43 for the second WW issue. Then the concluding issue is at #41 with 43K. All over the place in no particular order, but very solid sales as both titles get a boost and Wonder Woman continues to recover in advance of the G. Willow Wilson run starting next month.
Glenn: The Witching Hour sounds like it was a damn fine read and has done well for both titles.  Justice League Dark will continue chugging away most likely but it’ll be interesting to see where the new creative team takes Wonder Woman sales wise.
Ray:  A surprisingly big drop for Spider-Geddon #2 at #26, selling 53K. If that’s the actual level of the series sans variants, that’s not great for Marvel at all.
Glenn: That…is really surprising. I guess if they can get the trade out before the movie then it might all be worth it? Hopefully the tie ins bring in some respectful returns.
Ray:  This is the level where we see a lot of those long-standing and new top books that have leveled out, including Avengers, Detective Comics, Flash, Captain America, Immortal Hulk, Thor and both Star Wars books. These are the cream of the crop for the companies right now, selling 65-50K. I do notice some odd hiccups in the sales of Detective and Flash this month, with the first issue of the month getting a boost and then the second issue dropping over 10K. Strange. Might be due to special variant covers – DC had some novelty foil covers last month.
Glenn: I’d say its the foil covers for sure.  This time next year, scratch and sniff variants!
Ray:  Justice League Odyssey also seems to be leveling off nicely, selling 46K at #36 for its second issue. But we’ll see what it looks like when the preorders wear off, because unlike its sister titles its more isolated from the rest of the DCU.
The new direction for Supergirl definitely seems to be paying off, with the latest issue selling 44K at #37. That’s about double what it was consistently doing under the previous run, despite growing buzz.
Black Panther vs. Deadpool lands at #38 selling 44K. Pretty standard for a Deadpool miniseries, with Black Panther boosting numbers, but I bet it would have sold double if it was just Deadpool making bad Get Out jokes until T’Challa decked him because they don’t get American movies in Wakanda.
Glenn: I also think Deadpool referring to Wakanda as Zamunda would have had a superior sales effect also.  Dear readers, why Marvel has not called us remains a mystery
Ray:  The Old Man Logan series wraps with its fiftieth issue, selling 39K at #49. This is a small boost, but it’s relaunching next month for the year-long Dead Man Logan, which will probably result in a bigger increase.
Another title that’s benefiting from a new direction is Batgirl, which is down at #50 selling 37K. This book was hovering around 20K a few months back, so the new creative team of Mairghread Scott dealing with Barbara’s recovery from her shooting is definitely catching on.
#54 brings us the next Spider-Geddon tie-in, the one-shot Superior Octopus. It sells 36K, and the upcoming ongoing will need to do better than that for its first issue to have a chance at a long run. Otto’s profile obviously went up a lot thanks to Superior Spider-Man, but we’ll see if he’s solo series material yet.
Glenn:  I’m surprised Superior Octopus didn’t sell better given how high Otto’s profile is following Superior and such.  Rebranding the new ongoing title Superior Spider-Man seems to have been a good move.  I think there might be some reissues here as this is essentially the 0 issue for the ongoing.
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Ray:  Arguably the most puzzling comic released in recent years, the poorly received one-off Frank Tieri AU that closed his Harley Quinn run is now its own miniseries, Old Lady Harley, which lands at #56 with sales of 36K. Pretty standard for a random Harley spin-off, so I don’t think we’ll be getting Harley Quinn vs. Black Lightning or Harley Tsum Tsum Adventures any time soon.
Glenn: Remember when Marvel Zombies was first done and it was on the back of a gag but was initially mega successful?  This seems to want to be like that but very much isn’t.
Ray:  The other Marvel one-shot wave of the month was a new round of What Ifs, and they didn’t do nearly as well as X-Men: Black. The top-selling one was What If: Punisher, which saw Peter Parker become a darker, more murderous Spider-hero. It’s at #58 selling 35K. Next is What If: Spider-Man featuring Flash Thompson under the webs, selling 29K at 85. What If: Thor sells 27K at #91, showing what would happen if Thor was raised by King Laufey. A complex cyber-AU they called What If: X-Men is at #95 selling 27K, and What If: Ghost Rider (which wasn’t a What If at all, but some weird meta parody about black metal and demons) rounds them out at #98 selling 25K. All in all, this wave feels like kind of a misfire.
Glenn: These one shots were all a bit odd.  Retailers probably just played a guessing game with them because not all fans would seek out material like this because ultimately, none of it matters.  We definitely won’t be seeing a return for the classic series anytime soon.
Ray:  The second issue of Stranger Things from Dark Horse is down at #63, selling 34K. Still the top-selling Dark Horse book on the charts by a wide margin, even as it loses almost 50% of its first issue sales.
Glenn: Stranger Things is a bit of a tank of a property so I’m not surprised that it seems destined to become Dark Horse’s best performer.  I have no doubt when its collected that fans of the show will seek it out too.

Ray:  Maybe the oddest crossover in recent memory, Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams launches at #64, selling 34K. The Maxx is an obscure Image character from the 1990s that hasn’t had new material in well over a decade, so this likely boils down to “Well, Batman’s in it”. Definitely a big number for IDW, their only book in the top 100. The second issue ships this month as well, selling 23K at #111.

Glenn: Yeah pretty much this is probably the lowest you can go when ordering Batman and still expect a return given that who he’s teaming up with here has no sales power at all.  You know for a loner, Batman isn’t fussy about who he teams up with is he?
Ray:  Not an impressive launch for Shuri’s solo series at #65, selling 34K. Despite the main series being in a very healthy place, the spinoffs have failed to launch high. The only question here is if this well-received first issue can find a place in the new comic market and render its direct market sales irrelevant.
Glenn:  I would have thought this would have done better for sure.  While Black Panther and the characters supporting cast has never had a higher profile than the one they got this year, it doesn’t seem to be able to translate over to comics, not in the singles market anyway.

Ray:  The other Spider-Geddon tie-ins are down around this level, with the Jody Houser-penned Spider-Girls (teaming Anya, Mayday, and Annie) selling 33K at #67. A little lower at #73 brings us the black-ops Spider-Force, written by Priest and selling 32K. If these short minis hold these numbers, they’ll be fine. But these are hidden gems that I wish more people were checking out.

Glenn:  Same, Spider-Girls especially is excellent.  Decent enough for tie-ins but it seems like these ones will have major implications on the main story so they might get some reorders that way.

A bit of an increase for the 200th Anniversary issue for Moon Knight at 68 which sells over 33.3k  The number on the front will help but this also had Jeff Lemire return to the character which probably didn’t do any harm either.  For the time being, Moon Knight is going on vacation.
At 72 is the newest Sandman universe title, Books Of Magic which sells over 32.2k is the first book of this line that is eventually also a relaunch. This seems like a good number to me and I think this one might have an advantage over its peers with old fans returning but new fans checking it out too.
Ray:  Tim Hunter hasn’t had a presence in the market for well over a decade. He last appeared in the New 52 Justice League Dark title as a supporting player, so given that it seems like a decent number. Overall, I don’t think any of these books will reach the numbers of The Dreaming. 
Glenn:  The wacky Infinity Warps combos continue this month at 74 with Arachknight which sells over 32k.  This likely sells the best this month cause of the connection to Spider-Man who unless you couldn’t tell, is the ‘Arach’ part of the title.  Next one is Weapon Hex at 31.1k which benefits due to Wolverine being connected to this particularly pairing.
Ray: These sold very similarly to each other, and neither sold nearly as well as Soldier Supreme or Iron Hammer. Spider-Man aside, neither the characters involved or the characters involved were as high-profile as last month’
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Glenn:  At 78 and 79 are the first of many, many Walking Dead ‘blind bag’ reprintings of key Walking Dead issues.  Keeping in mind these reprints are full price and the material has reproduced multiple times over the years that issue 1 (yes again) sells over 31k (making it the highest selling comic of the month combining it with the sales of the OTHER Walking Dead 1 that came out) and issue 19 sells over 30.8k.  It literally is like printing money.
An odd mini focusing on Typhoid Mary begins at 82 selling over 30.6k which has her taking on Spider-Man.  Given that Spidey comics always do well, its no surprise that this particular part of the Typhoid mini sold these numbers.  Not mind blowing but not too bad, especially at 4.99.
Ray:   This Typhoid Mary series is very similar in structure to the Wakanda Forever series a few months back. Only, you know, without the Billion-dollar movie driving sales.
Glenn:  The ever slightest of boosts for Nightwings 50th issue and the new direction spinning out of Batman at 86 selling over 29.4k.  This new direction DC has taken Nightwing in is controversial to say the least and the months ahead will determine if it was the right thing to do.
Ray: (It won’t be the right decision.)
Glenn:  At 90 is the relaunch of Lucifer under the Sandman universe banner which sells over 28.2k.  This one probably didn’t do as well as the other title’s because it wasn’t that long that the title had been relaunched previous to this so this isn’t as much of a novelty.  Still the sales are a good bit ahead of the previous incarnation and all these Sandman Universe books will do well in trades.
Ray: Lucifer barely played a role in the Sandman Universe one-shot and isn’t as firmly associated with Sandman as the others, so that played a role too, I’m sure.
Glenn: No that’s definitely the ‘lead’ book as it were.
At 93 is Avengers Halloween Special which sells over 27.3k as Marvel tries to get in on the anthology game that DC has been doing so well the last few years.  This is a decent result, we’ll see if the company makes this type of thing a regular occurrence.
Ray: Much like Batman Secret Files, it seems like these $4.99 anthologies do better than the bigger ones.
Glenn: Being $5 cheaper likely helps
At 102 is Batman Blank Comic which was something DC sold to retailers to sell onto people for 24 hour comic day.  This means you pay to basically make your own comic.  Given that it sells over 25.4k and is priced at 2.99 this just shows how much you can sell bu just putting ‘Batman’ on a cover and literally nothing else.
Ray: Damnit, Glenn, we should have been putting Batman stickers on blank pages long ago!
Glenn:  Right below it at 103 is the first part of the Solo comic adaption which sells over 25.2k.  This film got an unfair lukewarm response I feel and these sales reflect that.  Still not bad for a comic based on a movie that was only out a few months ago.
Ray: Despite the movie disappointing, Marvel seems to have a bit of faith in the Solo franchise – there’s also a Solo mid-quel original comic coming next month about Han’s time in the Imperial service.
Glenn:  Asguardians of the Galaxy loses less than half its first issue sales at 106 selling over 24.7k which actually isn’t too bad for a comic with a team full of b listers and below.  This one could stick around.
At 107 is Marvel Zombie, the once mega successful franchise lives again!  It sells over 24.7k which tells me that while the property is well past its prime, it might be decent enough for Marvel to trot it out now and then to eat into some fans wallets.
Ray: This was a weird one-shot that came out of nowhere, but it shows that zombies continue to sell. I wonder if there’s another comic this month that proved that…
Glenn:  Big increase for Batman Beyond for its 25th issue which sells over 24.2k at 109.  This series has never been at the top of the charts but has been a solid lower tier performer for the company for years despite it never really getting any special marketing or big stories or the usual stuff.  There are title’s that are worse off.
Ray: This is also the return of the original Joker to the title, so that’s undoubtedly driving sales to this future-set title.
Glenn:  Umbrella Academy returns at 110 for a new mini, hotel oblivion selling over 24.1k.  I’m not sure how the original series sold but this is a good number for publisher Dark Horse and the first two stories of this series have probably made quite a bit in collections which this one ultimately will as well.
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Ray: Given that the franchise has been in…oblivion for a while, those are good numbers. Thank you! We’ll be here all week! Try the veal!
Glenn: I’m allergic to Veal, why you try kill me
At 117 is Shatterstar, a new mini from Marvel about a character that is ridiculously obscure.  It sells over 23.1k and that’s a lot better than I would expect from a book about a character I couldn’t point out in a line up between him and various versions of Micky Mouse.
Ray: Tim Seeley’s writing this, which is probably why it managed to top 20K. Otherwise, this is obviously a niche book.
Glenn:  DC rising star, Sam Humbries releases a new Image title at 118 in the form of Blackbird which is some fantasy based mystery from what I understand from the description.  It sells over 23k which is pretty on par with what I would expect from a book written by someone who is gaining momentum at the big two.

Ray:  That’s a really healthy Image debut, well above what we normally see unless you’re talking about a megawatt creative team like a Millar or Snyder joint. Both Humphries and Bartel are fast-rising talents. 

It’s time for another wave of Hanna-Barbera/DC crossover one-shots. These four were actually all ordered in very similar numbers, but once again it’s the weak link that tops the sales. That would be Superman/Top Cat special, where Superman and a talking cat fight a Kale monster. It sells 22.6K at #122. Not far behind that, selling 22.2K at #125 is Deathstroke/Yogi Bear, where there is both carnage and pic-a-nic baskets. Then at 130/131, both selling 21.2K, are Green Lantern/Huckleberry Hound and Nightwing/Magilla Gorilla. Sales likely reflect the DC character involved more than anything, and it seems like retailers are just ordering them as a set now. With lots of Hanna-Barbera properties left to go, I could see this oddball mini-event continuing for some time.
Glenn: They seem to do decent for what they are and can be a lot of fun with the potential of landing another Batman/Fudd type scenario so why not?
Ray:  More Walking Dead at #133, as the one hundredth issue gets an anniversary reprint that takes in 20.9K.
The latest jumbo-sized DC anthology, Cursed Comics Cavalcade, has a healthy debut at #135, selling 20.2K. Any time a $9.99 comic breaks 20K, that’s impressive. DC continues to deliver with these anthologies.
Two more blank comics, with Wonder Woman at #136 (20.2K) and Superman at #141 (19.4K). That’s about 40K in comics with nothing inside. Talk about a money-maker. Let those sucker readers make their own comics for a change!
Glenn: I’d be surprised if more companies don’t do it next year.  Imagine what Walking Dead could do with a blank version if old issues can sell so well without any discount on their original pricing?
Ray:  Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker debuts at #139, selling 19.6K. Given that this is a Sleepwalker comic, a character who hasn’t been relevant since the 90s, well…insert the Arrested Development “I don’t know what I was expecting” meme here.
Another strong Image debut at #142, as Dead Rabbit from Gerry Duggan and John McCrae sells 19K. This noir-accented retired-criminal tale had some top creators and a good concept, but trouble may be ahead – a mandatory recall of both issues was issued today due to trademark issues, so we’ll see what this comic’s future is.
Glenn: Hopefully it can stick through it and at worst it will be a simple title change, I like both these creators and was glad so see this do well
Ray:  More Walking Dead! The second issue sells another 19K at #143.
IDW had another successful weekly Star Wars event, Tales from Vader’s Castle. This horror-accented story of a group of rebels telling scary stories as they tried to infiltrate Mustafar debuted at #144 with sales of 18.7K, and the other four issues landed at #155, #162, #165, and #167 bottoming out at 16.2K. These were the top five IDW comics this month that didn’t feature Batman.
Glenn: Having Vader in the title of your book will help.  Its like having a slightly more goth Batman with magic powers.
Ray:  The Terrifics Annual #1 is down at #146, selling 18.6K. That’s well below where the regular title sells – but then, this annual didn’t have Jeff Lemire. Lemire is leaving the title with #14 as he says goodbye to work-for-hire, and I doubt it’ll be continuing from there. This is his book.
Glenn: Then these odd new DC hero books will never be mentioned again.  Let us hope lessons were learned.
Ray:  Six more Walking Dead issues down here – #27, #7, #53, #108, #48, and #167. They’re scattered between #148 and #166, selling between 18K and 16K. These are basically True Believers one-shots at full price, so the way they’re selling is bizarre and impressive.
The relaunch of Unstoppable Wasp is waaaaaaaaay down at #151, selling 17.2K. To put this into perspective, this is between the latest issues of Damage and Sideways, two series almost a year old that are likely to be cancelled soon. I assume this series is getting its sales elsewhere, because it’s sure not getting them here.
Glenn: Got to love Marvel for try, try, trying again but this doesn’t indicate any strong presence for this character as a solo lead anytime soon.
Ray:  Another new Vertigo series, the supernatural Stepford Wives pastiche Hex-Wives, lands at #154 with sales of 17.1K. It’s another strong debut like Border Town last month, but as we’ll talk about down the list, that may be fleeting.
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Speaking of True Believers, this month’s wave of $1 Marvel reprints was classic What If issues. These are largely all clustered together, since none of them are really key issues and retailers ordered them more for the die-hards. The top-selling one is “What if Silver Surfer had wielded the Infinity Gauntlet?” at #157, selling 16.8K. From there, we see “What if the alien costume had possessed Spider-Man” at #170, “What if Spider-Man rescued Gwen Stacy” at #175, and “What if Jane Foster had found the Hammer of Thor” at #182. These are all issues featuring top characters or concepts, and they all sell between 16K and 14K.
Glenn: Given that these books are out of continuity and are from way back when, retailers probably found it hard to gage demand which is why they’re all lumped together at similar numbers.  Most retailers probably just ordered them to have inexpensive back stock for the back issue divers.
Ray:  Four more Walking Dead issues – #127, #92, #171, #132 – down here selling between 16K and 14K in the #169-#180 range. So. Much. Walking. Dead.
Glenn: Its like they’re coming through the walls man!
Ray:  Daniel Warren Johnson, the cult creator behind the brilliant Extremity, debuts his new comic at #179. It’s Murder Falcon, the story of a grieving musician who learns to live again through the power of…a giant talking bird superhero who needs heavy metal to fight? It’s a real book, I swear! It’s also brilliant and it sells 14.8K but should be selling 10x that.
Glenn: I’m calling the mental asylum, its time.  It sounds like a good book in all seriousness but very much has a niche hook so the number doesn’t surprise me.
Ray: Another offbeat Image book, the supernatural action-comedy Exorsisters, debuts at #183 selling 13.9K. This book seemed to get a good response all around and might be a sleeper hit for Image. Is “feminist supernatural satire” becoming the new “deep space murder mystery” for Image?
Glenn: Female Supernatural seems like a trend lately doesn’t it?  Lots of books with similar hooks/feels and its likely all coincidence.  This is within the Image safe zone for creators without a high profile and I think will pick up a bigger audience through trades, its also begging for a TV adaption.
Ray:  Wytches makes its long-awaited return – sort of – with the terrifying Bad Egg Halloween Special. This 80-page comic for $7.99 sold 13.7K at #188, but that’s kind of a deceptive number – this comic was serialized long ago in the Image + magazine both digitally and in print. So many people have already read this, making this a much healthier number. When Wytches does come back, it’ll be just fine.
Glenn: You nailed it, people who wanted this desperately likely read it through Image+ so this is just a few extra sales.  Given that the creative team is doing one last stop to do a mini about the Batman Who Laughs before coming back to Wytches, this could easily be Image’s number 2 book for as long as it comes out next volume.
Ray:  The rest of the What If True Believers issues are down here, with “What if Kraven the Hunter had killed Spider-Man” at #186, “What if Doctor Doom had become a hero” at #191, “What if the FF had not gained their powers” at #196, “What if the Avengers had fought evil during the 1950s” at #198, and “What if the FF had different super-powers” at #200. All of these sell 13K to 12K, a pretty decent range. The only outlier is “What if Legion had killed Magneto“, down at #212 selling 11K. This one was from a much later What If run, with VERY 90s art.
Glenn: The 90’s were dark and full of terrors.

Ray:  Tee Franklin, the creator of the very popular Bingo Love, made her monthly comic debut this month with the feminist horror comic Jook Joint, about an enchanted bar that helps victims of domestic abuse get their revenge. Her popularity doesn’t seem to have translated, as the title lands at #205 with sales of 11.8K. I think the massive tonal difference between the sweet Bingo Love and this incredibly dark title didn’t help.

Glenn:  It does seem like a very different direction to go in.  Likely most retailers didn’t make the connection with who Franklin was and ordered it like they would any other horror title.  I would say her next project will likely be closer in tone to her first.
At 214 is the second issue of Bully Wars selling over 11.2k.  I might have expected higher with something that has Scottie Young’s name on it but he’s only doing the writing.  Its at a level with a lot of newer Image books so it’ll likely stay fine if it stabelizes here.
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Another month, another KISS comic from Dynamite.  KISS Blood Stardust sells over 10.5k which seems to be the range for these odd band comics.  Stable numbers are stable numbers.
Ray: This one was by Bryan Hill, but it doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference. I guess only so many people want to see Gene Simmons fight demons.
Glenn:  Infinite Dark, a new sci-fi mystery which is the latest genre that is suddenly everywhere debuts from Dark Horse at 220 selling over 10.2k.  Pretty standard debut for a new Image book with a decent premise and no huge names attached.
Ray: It’s also Lovecraft-inspired, which is one of the public domain genres that keep cropping up. Odd book without much of a built-in audience.
Glenn:  Pretty expected second issue sales for MST3k (over 10.2k at 221), Vampirella Dejah Thoris (over 10.1k at 222) and United States Vs Murder Inc (Over 9.7k at 224) in the case of the latter, it seems the new Bendis titles are faring much better than the ones he brought back.
At 225 is Mars Attacks which sells over 9.7k which is a lot better than I might have expected for a property that hasn’t been hot in like 20 years.  It likely helps they that they have Kyle Starks on board, his name will likely bring in some attention.
Ray: Mars Attacks seems to be falling into the Nancy Drew/Lone Ranger pool of taking characters that don’t have much of a market presence and giving them shiny new creative teams from up-and-coming writers. Dynamite makes some puzzling choices, but they seem to be able to attract some top-creators lately and it’s paying dividends.
Glenn: All I know is that they came in peace *releases bird*
In the end of an era, the final issue of the Simpsons Comic (issue 245) sells over 8.8k at 230.  Slightly better than what it usually would do but this comic never made its money in the direct market, instead of being sold in every type of place you could think of worldwide.  As Bongo comics goes away, we’ll likely see the franchise farmed out to BOOM or IDW or some such who will be able to buy a new pool with all that sweet Simpson royalty money.
As Ray indicated earlier, there’s quite a fall for Border Town’s second issue as it drops down to 232 with sales over 8.8k.  This is pretty much been normal level for Vertigo for anything non Sandman and/or Snyder related for years.  There’s a lot of books from this new line of Vertigo so we’ll see if they all do the same and how DC processes that in the months to come.
Rainbrow Brite is the newest property to get a comic version, Dynamite releases the first issue this month at 235 and it sells over 8,5k. I’m not sure how much appeal this character has to a wide audience but this seems probably about as good as you can get at launch.
Ray: Rainbow Brite is one of Dynamite’s only forays into the all-ages genre, and it has Unstoppable Wasp creator Jeremy Whitley writing. I’m not sure this will be one of the direct market, but Dynamite is really trying a lot of new things lately.
Glenn:  At 237 is Marvel Super Heroes Captain Marvel Spooktacular which sells over 8.3k.  All ages kids comic to tie in with a show aimed at young girls, this is not its place to make its money.
Right below it at 238 is definitely not a comic aimed at young girls, reorders for Batman: Damned get another 8.3k+ in sales.  Fans and retailers will have to live with a version that will feature less male genitalia but the titles been a hit regardless.
Ray: Nananananananaa Bat-wang!
Glenn:  At 243 is TMNT Macroseries Donatello which sells over 7.9k, these one shots focusing on each of the turtles will very depending on the popularity of each.  I doubt many people think of Donatello as their favorite turtle but this is a number in line with how turtle comics usually do.
A new mini from Image, Errand Boys is the latest in another odd trend of ‘delivery boys with a twist’ titles that all seem to be coming out at once.  It sells over 7,8k at 244 on its first issue.  Pretty standard stuff.
Ray: Errand Boys has a pair of new creators on board, so these numbers aren’t a surprise. The play here is usually to hope for good trade sales and some nice buzz, leading to a sequel. First two issues indicate it might deserve it.
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Glenn:  New BOOM ongoing, Sparrowhawk is a fantasy selling 7.1k which is pretty normal for a BOOM comic with no big names attached.  At least this books premise sounds unique.
At 265 is the latest attempt to make Lone Ranger a thing, it sells over 6.5k which shows that he is still not a thing.  A team up with Batman may be the only thing that can help him at this point, I demand a cook off between Alfred and Tonto stat.
Ray: This Lone Ranger reboot has Mark Russell on board and is getting some very good reviews, but it’s been relaunched so often already that it probably didn’t matter. Too many false starts for the property.
Glenn:  At 268 is reorders for the uber controversial Heroes In Crisis 1 as it racks up additional sales over 6.3k.  Nothing huge reorder wise, pretty standard for a high profile story but its still something.
Season 11 of popular kids show Adventure Time launches at 270 selling over 6.2k.  I have no idea what this show is about and I’m sure the comics sell great outside the direct market to legions of die hard fans of whatever the heck this is about.  In my day, cartoons had Batman in them and we liked it!  These new things confuse and scare me.
Ray: Adventure Time is coming off a popular series finale with a major twist, so I imagine that boosted sales. This is definitely one for the bookstore market, though.
Glenn:  Two halloween one shots starring two female comic characters from Dynamite sell at 273 and 274 respectively.  First we have Red Sonja which sells 6k and Vampirella which sells over 5.9k.  Seems retailers ordered these close together which to me suggests a similar fan base for specials starring these characters.
First issue of the adaption of Ray’s favorite cartoon ‘Rise Of The TMNT‘ sells over 5.9k.  I don’t think this version will be still talked about in 10 years time, or five, or two.
Ray: But when we think of TMNT, we definitely think of…evil invading aliens and magical sci-fi weapons?
Glenn: Technically Krang is an alien…I think.  I’m actually not sure.
A new book from Steve Orlando hits from Aftershock at 285 which sells over 5.4k.  Even though Orlando has been a heavy feature of DC the last few years, it seems that still can’t get sales out of an Aftershock launch for him but not many people can.                                                                                                                                                                                       Ray: Orlando overall has struggled to find an audience for his creator-owned books, be they at Image, Boom, or Aftershock. They get good reviews, but he hasn’t gotten to the point where his name sells books on their own.
Glenn:  Spookhouse 2, a reprint of an all ages kids anthology dealing with stories likely more Muppets Christmas Carol than Heriditory sells over 5.3k at 287.  Another book that likely isn’t depending on the direct market for most of its sales.
Lodger, an interesting sounding thriller that is put out through IDW’s Black Crown line sells over 5.3k at 288.  These Black Crown books actually usually seem interesting but seem to not be capturing the markets attention.  Black Crown seems to essentially be IDW’s Vertigo and even DC Vertigo isn’t what it used to be.
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Ray: Lodger is a David Lapham book, and he’s always been a niche creator. These numbers are pretty close to what can be expected.
Glenn:  Getting in on the halloween one shot craze this month is Bettie Page who has a spooky themed one shot at 290 selling over 5.2k.  Horror and Bettie PAge aren’t things my mind would usually link together and its not as if there’s a lot of demand for the character and the market (especially this month) is overloaded with horror so I guess this is fine?
More reorders for Venom 1 at 294 selling another 5.1k+ of copies.  Reorders are slowing down but they’re still there, even with the trade out soon.
At 295 is an Army Of Darkness Halloween special which sells over 5.1k.  See?  This makes sense but somehow gets outsold by Bettie Page, I don’t know what to tell you.
New Judge Dredd book with the subtitle Toxic sells a shade over 5k at 297 which like all other Dredd stuff is pretty standard for the direct market for the character.  For die hard Dreddheads only.
Thankfully nothing to do with annoying singing people, Lollipop Kids from Aftershock seems to almost be a more family friendly version of American Gods.  It sells over 4.8k at 206 which is pretty standard for the publisher when no big names are attached.
At 312 we have another new Aftershock title Last Space Race selling over 4.7k, see above
Ray: Aftershock puts out a surprising number of books, and very few of them get anywhere near healthy numbers. I’m not sure what the company’s long-term is, but they do seem to be able to get a surprising number of top creators.
Glenn:  At 313 is Barack Panther which sells over 4.7k.  No its not a type although I really wish it was.  I miss the good old days of the top 300, I had far less tearing in my soul then.

Ray: But is he facing Trumpmonger? The world may never know, because most of us aren’t reading this book. 

Ryan Ferrier’s Death Orb debuts at #316 from Dark Horse, selling 4.6K. This post-apocalyptic sci-fi comic got a lot of advance promotion, but like many creator-owned books without a clear hook it struggled.
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Man-Eaters continues to do two covers a month, and so they sort of have to be combined. They’re at #277 and #317, selling about 10K combined. Odd plan, but the numbers are overall decent but unspectacular.
Glenn: Cain’s usual audience might be trade waiting but yeah, seeing it show up twice on the charts like this is odd.  It seems her controversial end at Marvel didn’t get many people to follow her to indieland.
Ray:  #330 brings us an oversized Planet of the Apes one-shot, selling 4K. This is based on the classic continuity, which has a smaller audience than the recent hit movie series. This is overall a niche property that Boom continues to do some occasional content for, just like they do with Kong.
At #340 is an interesting entry, the From Hell Master Edition from IDW. This reprint of Frank Miller’s classic thriller sells 3.7K, an impressive number for a $7.99 reprint of an old comic most people probably read in collections.
Glenn: This is a graphic novel that I see a lot outside comic shops so these single issue sales don’t matter ultimately.  They’re likely just for those that consider the book their favorite.
Ray:  The newest Tangled: The Series miniseries lands at #342, selling 3.7K. This one is definitely part of IDW’s fast-growing all-ages line geared towards bookstores with small, affordable trades.
Zenoscope’s Black Knight debuts at #349 with sales of 3.6K, and is…apparently a comic about a sexy black knight lady in armor with a lot of conspicuous gaps in it? Glenn, strike up the Rachel Bloom!
Glenn: I am shocked to learn this.  Shocked.
Ray:  A new Dragon Age: Deception miniseries is at #350, selling 3.6K. This is mostly notable for me given that it’s written by two of my favorite comic book creators, Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir. Marvel’s loss is Dragon Age’s gain?
Glenn: Its still just a video game tie-in and those will only go so far.
Ray:  At #351 is Nancy Drew #5, wrapping up Kelly Thompson’s original miniseries. It sells 3.6K, but it needs to sell a lot more than that in collections. It ended on a cliffhanger! Me need sequel now!
Glenn: If we don;t get a sequel, I might cry.  Please don’t make me cry.
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Ray:  #362 has the Archie Halloween Spectacular, selling just under 3.4K. This is part of a series of a single-issue sized digests combining about five short stories into one volume. Definitely more of a newsstand market book.
At #366 is The Devil Within, a new Black Mask horror comic that sells 3.2K. It’s basically The Exorcist but more political. “Your mother sucks at bringing progressive policies into effect!”
Glenn: Something for everyone I guess?  Politically themed comics also can only go so far.  People read comics and other forms of fiction to forget about the political mess we’re all in.
Ray:  The adaptation of Shades of Magic, based on the classic fantasy series by V.E. Schwab, lands at #374 with sales of 3K. Titan gets a healthy amount of business based on adaptations and reprints of foreign comics.
For once, it’s another company doing the public domain comic thing! American Mythology revamps Zorro with a new series launching at #378 with sales of 3K. This is a supernatural take with Zorro fighting demons, but these are actually pretty healthy numbers for this company.
Glenn: In the immortal words of Homer Simpson ‘You go Zorro!’
Ray:  After a lot of reprints and all-ages ongoings like Lumberjanes that aren’t meant for this market anymore, we get a new #1 – Sex Death Revolution from Black Mask, selling 2.7K at #390. These numbers are both shocking and not – it’s a creator-owned comic from a company that struggles in sales and was a double-sized $6 issue, but it’s also by Mags Visaggio, the writer of arguably the company’s ongoing signature book, Kim & Kim. Although she’s rising fast, her star apparently doesn’t lift the company she got her start at yet.
Glenn:  Its also an odd book that I find hard to describe.  There’s no one sentence that describes what it is to potential readers so that will make it a hard sell.
Ray:  Ahoy Comics had a wildly successful debut with Wrong Earth last month, but it doesn’t seem to have translated to their other launches. Their horror anthology, Edgar Allen Poe’s Snifter of Terror, lands this month at #393 selling exactly 2.7. Still not a bad launch for a completely new company.
It feels like I reviewed the zero issue of Artifact One from Aspen on our podcast ages ago, but the #1 issue is finally here and selling 2.6K at #396. The long wait couldn’t have helped, but in general Aspen’s numbers tend to be low.
After more reorders and some creator-owned gems that should be selling much better, we see our next launch with Source from Scout Comics. This story of an ordinary teacher who gets caught up in a cosmic war sells 2.3K at #410. It’s from the cowriter of The Mall, one of Scout’s more buzzworthy titles, but the company as a whole is still struggling to sell comics that aren’t Stabbity Bunny.
Glenn: Maybe all their comics should star homicidal rabbits?
Ray:  And the other Ahoy Comics launch of the month is at #414. Captain Ginger, the story of a bunch of talking cats traveling a post-apocalyptic cosmos and doing cat-like things, sells 2.3K. Sometimes, Glenn, it still is wonderful down here.

Glenn:  No its not, even if they’re clearly pandering.

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Some reorders for Stranger Things at 415 with additional sales 2.2k+  This is probably Dark Horse’s best launch in a while and they’re be eager for more asap.
At 426 is Albert Einstein, Time Mason which sells over 2k.  It doesn’t seem like many people want to read about Einstein’s adventures in time and space.
Magica De Spell Halloween Hex from IDW sells over 1.9k at 429.  I have no clue what this is and apparently not many people did.  In a month full of halloween one shots with big prices, this one got lost in the shuffle.
A new comic from Vault, These Savage Shores sells over 1.8k at 438.  The premise doesn’t seem to grab me and I’m not sure of the creators so yeah, this is what you get.
I’m surprised to see an Archie comic featuring Betty & Veronica at 440 selling over 1.8k.  Usually books starring these characters do a lot better.  Archie is an odd place as a company now and maybe this is an effect of that?
Ray: This Betty and Veronica book is a mini-digest of sorts, reprinting a small collection of themed stories. It’s not really new content and sold accordingly.
Glenn:  More people wanting that True Believers reprint of the Punisher’s first appearance at 441 selling more copies of over 1.8k.  Not too bad for a very old comic that’s earned its money countless times over.
Usual performance for Dave Sim and his increasingly punny titles at 442 as League Of Extraordinary Cerebi sells over 1.8k.
At 445 we have Midnight Mystery from Alterna which sells over 1.8k which is about normal for new Alterna books that don’t get major news coverage.
Ray: We’ll see how many new Alterna books are coming, given their recent bad PR.
Glenn:  At 446 is Backstagers Halloween Intermission selling over 1.8k.  This book has never found its place in the direct market despite its writer being a major fixture at DC.  Since it still carries on, I assume that it sells in some sort of format.
Ray: Backstagers has definitely found a big audience in bookstores, along with other Boom titles like Lumberjanes. You’ll see a series of YA novels featuring the characters soon, but the comic seems to live on in these occasional specials.
Glenn:  Garfield TV or not to TV at 446 selling over 1.8k is the typical level of sales for the grumpy cat with at least 1.6k of those copies being bought by Ray.
Ray: Garfield > Grumpy Cat. I support the OG Cat.
Glenn:  I’m a big sucker for Ripleys Believe it or not museum in Florida and New York but I can’t imagine the odd tales transferring well to comics and I wouldn’t imagine Zenescope being the best choice to deliver them.  Its an odd mesh up priced at 5.99 (!!!!!!) that results in sales over 1.7k at 452
Another Dredd comic from another publisher shows up at 455 selling over 1.7k.  I’m not sure who this publisher is but they are likely a lot smaller than IDW who usually bring Dredd comics to America in single issue format so that explains the massive gap.  Again, Dredd isn’t a monthly market guy and this small press company will benefit off various reprints and collections for quite some time.
If Zenescope is too classy for you, Boundless comics has you covered!  They release Hellina Ravening Nude which sells over 1.7k at 456.  She has her boobies out and everything, what’s not to love?
Pellucidar at 458 seems to be an adaption of at the earths core which is good for sales over 1.6k apparently.  Perhaps the odd choice of title made it easy to miss for those that might be interested in the novels comic adaption?
Source Point Press releases Ogre, the first part of a 3 issue mini which sells over 1.5k.  Under the radar.
William The Last which reprints a webcomic that also had a Kickstarter comes out in monthly form from Antartic Press selling over 1.3k at 478 indicating most of the people interested already likely checked it out.
The non booby version of Hellina Ravening sells over 1.3k at 480.  Sex sells kids.
Ray: And just think, this is two of the roughly 30 covers this issue released!
Glenn:  Hachet Vengeance (from Adam Green apparently) is some sort of horror book that sells over 1.3k at 481.  Its a thing that exists.
At 492 is the Three Stooges comics that somehow continue selling over 1.2k.  How do these keep happening?!?!?!?!?
At 500 we have more reorders for Doomsday Clock 6 which sells more copies, 1.2k+ more to be precise.  At the end of these articles, I too feel like Doctor Manhattan with a greater understanding of the universe beyond what any man should know.

Ray:  Good ol’ Doctor Manhattan, ending this article on a classy note. 

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Looking ahead to December, it’s kind of a quiet month for DC. We’ll see a few specials from the company, including their latest Apocalypse-themed seasonal anthology. The Drowned Earth event concludes, and we see the kind of sales boost G. Willow Wilson brings to Wonder Woman. Plus, another Vertigo launch from Bryan Hill. But the heavyweight release of the month is undoubtedly The Green Lantern from Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp, which has a decent shot at #1.
Marvel will be putting up a fight, though, with the weekly Uncanny X-Men kicking off this month and a Carnage one-shot from Donny Cates. In smaller releases, Ironheart launches her solo series, Han Solo gets a miniseries tying into the movie, and the Black Order go their own way from Thanos.
The biggest Marvel release of the month, though, might not be from Marvel. That would be Marvel Action: Spider-Man from IDW, the launch of their new all-ages Marvel line. If it’s a hit, this could be a game-changer. Also look for Dark Horse to make a splash on the charts with a Joss Whedon Doctor Horrible spin-off.
What will rise? What will fall? Will Ray cry when he sees the numbers on his favorite books? Find out next month on By the Numbers!
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Liked what you read?  Have a comment or question?  Hit us up here or on Twitter @glenn_matcett and @raygoldfield

By The Numbers: September 2018

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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 6 years but grew up reading comics. He’s had work published with Outre Press, Alterna Comics and Nemesis Studios. After binge watching Haunting Of Hill House, Glenn spends the majority of his time rocking back and forward silently weeping to himself.  He’s much happier this way.

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.  When told the news about how American Vandal was cancelled at Netflix, Ray decided to conduct his own acts of vandalism in order to justify the show coming back.

We also do a podcast together with longtime buddy, Brandon James on iTunes with Rabbitt Stew or at the link here! Don’t ask, I didn’t pick the name. If you’d like to hear what me and Ray sound like, give it a listen!

Top 300 in full available here!

Glenn:  There wasn’t much to talk about last month as there was only one big headline release.  That all changes this month of course because now there are TWO headline releases.

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One of which is the top selling comic of the month, Return Of Wolverine 1 which is the start of a new mini detailing how Wolverine comes back from the dead,  It sells over 260.4k which on the surface is incredibly impressive.  It helped of course that the issue came with 25 variants (!!!!!) and Marvel wheeled out Steve McNiven for this issue (he’ll be back for the finale) and he’s arguably still their biggest sales draw in terms of artists (Marvel certainty thinks so).  Still smoke and mirrors with variants is hardly anything new but its hard to know how this mini will perform long term.  I don’t fancy its chances to sell above 70-75k at best from here on out.  We can probably expect a lot more variant incentives like this from Marvel cause of this.

Ray:  Yeah, first-issues sales from Marvel are notoriously unreliable these days. With the incentives and number of variants, a ridiculous second-issue drop is almost guaranteed. There’s been very little buzz about this event, as well.
Glenn:  The other major release, DC’s Heroes In Crisis is an odd one.  When this was initially announced, writer Tom King indicated it was going to be a small scale book addressing mental health issues in the superhero community.  Now it seems to have turned into a murder mystery which has annoyed a lot of people.  It sells over 140.6k which is nothing to sneeze at for sure but its not really big event numbers.  I would wager that this will perform similarly to how Fear Itself did a few years ago as from what we’ve managed to gleam about the background of each story and what it was vs what it turned into are remarkably similar.
Ray:  There’s been a TON of buzz about Heroes in Crisis, but very little is good. The audience is not happy, but there’s a lot of story to be told. The rollout here is very odd, with the way it changed into a mega-event and the shocking moments in the first issue. It’s a nine-month series now, so it’ll have a lot of time to build an audience. DC can’t be too happy with how this debuted, but there’s a lot of story still to be told in this book’s sales.
Glenn:  Long term with collection sales and stuff, Heroes In Crisis will probably deliver but short term there may be some fallout from a modern day audience who want things to happen yesterday.
At 3 is the near unstoppable Doomsday Clock which sells over 130.9k.  This one featured the full return of Doctor Manhattan so we’ll likely see some decent reorders.  This is a book that’s basically out on its own, separate from everything else that is one of the most stable books in the charts, its astonishing.
Ray:  Doomsday Clock is performing like a combination of a major event comic and a Black Label book, with the sky-high sales of the former and the stability of the latter. That’s about as big a win as any company can hope for, and I imagine DC has to be thrilled to have Johns back writing full-time.
Glenn:  It’ll be interesting to see how Shazam does, I have no doubt in my mind that Three Joker’s will be a mega hit but with Johns at the helm, Mr. Batson could be in for a sales high.
At 4 is old releable Batman which seems to have escaped any great loss from the people that seemed to claim to want to abandon the title following the events of issue 50.  Issue 55 sells over 105.6k while the previous issue sells over 94.6k at 6.  Issue 55 likely sold more due to the events in it regarding Nightwing which seemed to have worked out well for Batman in terms of sales but I doubt will have the same effect on ol Ric Grayson in the months to come.
Ray:  Yeah, this sales boost was definitely the result of DC leaking the events of Batman #55 in advance, allowing retailers to up their orders. Sadly, this means we’re probably getting spoiled a lot more in the future.
Glenn:  At 5 is Batman Donged….errr Damned, the first official Black Label release which sells over 95.6k which for an adult orientated prestige line that’ priced at 6.99 is incredibly impressive.  Of course, this issue has drawn a lot of attention for one very specific thing but despite that, the reviews have been strong and this could be a line for DC that performs incredibly well for them long term in singles and collections.
Ray:  This is an extremely similar number to Batman: White Knight despite the fact that it has a much higher price tag and comes in a prestige format. That’s a testament to the power of Batman, of course, but it also bodes well for the line as a whole. There’s a Frank Miller Superman project and a few Wonder Woman projects down the line, so we’ll see if they can hold these numbers. Reorders might be coming, but they will be Batwangless.
Glenn:  I think all of the Black Label books we’ve had announced so far will perform really well with titles like Three Jokers, Last Knight, the White Knight sequel and Superman: Year One being at the top of the pack.  There are some potential dark horse contenders in there though.
At 7 is Thanos Legacy which sells over 92.1.  This is a special one shot that sees Marvel MVP, Donny Cates return to the character and the massive sales on this is a testament to how quickly Cates has shot up in terms of name power in comics.  This is a great number no matter what way you look at it and I’m sure Marvel is already looking into ways to clone Cates so he can write more books.
Ray:  This was both an epilogue to the Cates Thanos run and a tie-in to Duggan’s run on Guardians and Infinity Wars. This is an amazing number, well above what Infinity Wars is normally doing, and shows just how much pull Cates has right now. His Guardians run is going to be huge come January.
Glenn:  At 8 is the second issue of Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four which sells over 85.5k which is a brilliant hold from the first issue.  The title is still within the 3 month safety zone but most books already drop quite heavily despite that.  This looks to be a win for Marvel and it’ll be interesting to see if Fantastic Four can be Marvel’s highest selling ongoing.
Ray:  Yeah, I think it’s safe to say that Slott’s Fantastic Four is going to be one of Marvel’s top ongoings going forward. Another perfect match of creator and characters.
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Glenn:  Its main competition for that title, Amazing Spider-Man is at 9 and 10 selling over 84.3k and 82.9k respectfully.  Interestingly, issue 6 sells higher than issue 5 despite it being the first issue without Image grab Ryan Ottely on the title.  The writer of Amazing Spider-Man hasn’t exactly had a steady past few years but this seems to be working so far at least.
Ray:  The sales on Amazing Spider-Man are staying very solid through the three-month buffer zone, but that comes to an end next issue – the same month as Spider-Geddon debuts proper and this doesn’t tie in. Not a good combo. I wouldn’t be surprised if the sales bump this month is due to the tie-in with the writer’s past Superior Foes of Spider-man, one of his best-regarded works. 
Glenn:  I didn’t think of that!  I wonder if it had been a bit higher then if artist Steve Lieber’s involvement had been solicited.  Maybe he moves the needle?
Ray:  We’re starting to get a new picture of the top books on the market as we see what fills out the top twenty. Justice League, Venom, Avengers, and Brian Michael Bendis’ new run on Superman are all selling in the 75-70K range several months in, demonstrating a very solid floor. That’s expected for most of them – but it’s Venom that once again stuns with how it climbs every month. This month’s jump may be due to retailers ordering higher in advance of the movie.
Glenn:  We’ll see if the boost holds next month on Venom but the resurrection of this property has been quite a sight to behold.
Ray:  Speaking of Spider-Geddon, its #0 issue lands at #12 this month, selling 74K. A very strong debut for a comic that featured the debut of the new video game version of Spider-man but didn’t play a huge role in the event itself. If the #0 issue does this well, there’s a good chance that Spider-Geddon #1 tops the charts next month.
Glenn:  This is sort of a Spider-Geddon tie-in but is mostly something to link in to the incredibly popular video game (over 86% completion!).  By video game comic numbers, this is an excellent result.  The hype for this is event is really something, going back to revisit this concept is going to pay off in a big way for Marvel I think.
Ray:  Spider-Man, Spider-Man, sells almost as many comics as Batman… The wall-crawler shows up again at #14 with the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. This is a symbiote story by Saladin Ahmed, taking place during the Black Costume era, and sells within 10K of the main series. I credit this to a combination of Ahmed being a fast-rising writer and the ties to Venom. Ahmed is taking over Miles Morales’ title in December, so this performance bodes well.
Glenn:  Its a popular era in Spider-Man mythos too but yeah this is a great number.  I would say that we can’t expect to experience a slow down in Spidey related comics anytime soon but we’re about to experience an avalanche in Spider-Geddon crossovers so…
Ray:  Infinity Wars #3 is down to #18 at 63K. This is a really fun old-school event, but the buzz for it seems to have faded a lot given the extended buildup. The tie-ins start this month, so we’ll see how they do below.
Glenn:  Its not event level sales but its still in the upper tier so its not too bad but Marvel likely expected more and will probably get the performance from Spider-Geddon they wanted out of Infinity Wars.
Ray:  It was such a competitive month that Walking Dead barely scraped into the top 20 at #19, selling a standard 62K for this absurdly steady title.
#20 sees the highest appearance for Dark Horse in a long time with the debut of Stranger Things by Jody Houser. Focusing on Will’s time in the Upside Down, its sales of 60K show just how hot this series is right now. Season 3 when?
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Glenn:  This is a hot property and Dark Horse being able to bag it is what will keep them in the game.  Much like Walking Dead, Stranger Things has become a bigger entity than anyone could expect and people will take whatever they can of the property while we wait on the third season.
Ray:  The third issue of Bendis’ Action Comics is about 10K behind Superman, selling 57K at #22. That’s a similar separation to what we saw at the start of Rebirth, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it narrow again. Action is definitely the superior series.
Justice League Odyssey, the much delayed space series by Williamson and Sejic (for the first two issues), launches at #23 with sales of 57K. That’s a very strong debut for a series featuring no a-list characters, but the art shift might hurt it in the future. I’m not expecting it to have the rock-solid hold of Justice League Dark (still at around 75% of its first issue sales, at #35 selling 44K this month)
Glenn: Being a part of the very powerful Justice League brand will help Odyssey live a respectful existence.  It’ll be the lowest selling of the three but still earn its keep for as long as this current direction lasts most likely.
Ray:  More rock-solid sales in the 55K to 45K range here filling out the top forty, as we see newer titles (or relaunched titles) like Catwoman, Thor, Captain America, and Immortal Hulk settle down here for the third month in a row alongside long-runners like Flash, Detective Comics (which is holding well despite having a fill-in arc this month) and the two Star Wars titles.
I was a bit surprised Punisher held so well with its second issue, selling 42K at #38. Punisher isn’t really a top-selling  character and not much has shifted in the creative team, but this is a decent second-issue hold. It manages to outsell the third issue of X-“event” Extermination.
Glenn:  It seemed like no time at all since the last Punisher relaunch but it seems to have done no harm.  The sales on the True Believer one shot does show interest in the character.  Nothing against the current creative team but if Marvel can get a winning formula on the book like they’ve done with Venom the market might respond appropriately.
Ray:  Speaking of Punisher, he has one of the top-selling True Believers issues that didn’t star Venom. Punisher’s first appearance for $1 charts at #40, selling 40.6K. That’s a lot of free money for Marvel for a reprint.
Asgardians of the Galaxy debuts at #41, selling just under 40K. Not a great debut, but given that Guardians of the Galaxy got cancelled for low sales and spun off into an event, maybe the time wasn’t right for a punny spin-off? This is more of a Thor spin-off, but the title may have confused retailers. Shame, it’s very good.
Glenn:  There’s no mega hitters on the team either (apart from maybe the pilot of the Destroyer) so its no big surprise.  Will probably end up being a fondly remembered 12 issue or so series by the few that read it.
Ray:  Iceman got the first-issue sales bump for its return, selling just under 39K at #43, but I don’t expect it to last. It’s a miniseries and will likely be down to its previous sales before long. But it’s geared towards trade readers now anyway.
Mister Miracle’s had a lot of delays along the way to its conclusion, but its penultimate issue lands at #45 with 38K in sales. King and Gerads‘ masterpiece has outstripped anything a New Gods title could be expected to sell.
Venom continues to be solid gold, with the remaining four issues of the weekly Venom: First Host selling between 36-37K with virtually no attrition, landing four issues between #46 and #51.
The first Sandman Universe spin-off, The Dreaming, lands at #47 with sales of 37K. As Glenn said on Rabbit Stew (dong!) these are great numbers for a Vertigo title, not so great numbers for a Sandman title. Of course, it has neither “Sandman” nor Neil Gaiman on the cover, so both might play a role in the drop from last month’s Sandman Universe. The month’s other spin-off, House of Whispers, is much lower at #77 with 28K sales. That one’s a new concept with new characters, so the gulf isn’t a big surprise.
Glenn:  Yeah, I expected more here but I think DC will call this a win.  This could be seen as bonus for the trade sales which will pay this title’s bills for decades to come if the other Sandman collections and DC’s ability to release them in new ways repeatedly and still have them sell is any indication.
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Ray:  #49 brings us the Captain America annual, which was the Marvel debut of Tini Howard. This WW2-set issue had Captain America and Bucky working to protect refugees from the Nazis, and it sells 37K. A big gulf between this and the main series, but then it’s a flashback story with no ties to the main universe right now.
Glenn:  Captain America as a franchise is still recovering from a rough past couple of years, it’ll be a while before spin off tales featuring new talent not relevant to anything in particular can hold water.
Ray:  The first two Infinity Warps miniseries launch very close together, as the Captain America/Doctor Strange hybrid Soldier Supreme lands at #53 selling two copies under 35K, and the Tony Stark/Thor hybrid Iron Hammer sells about 300 copies less at #55. Pretty decent launches for tie-ins, and we’ve got quite a few more of these ridiculous concepts coming in the next few months. Marvel’s having fun here, and while these sales aren’t spectacular, they’re a bit better than recent event comics managed.
Glenn:  I’d say for a concept as silly as this, those sales are great.  Assuming these are inspiration for mash up toys and whatnot too then it’ll be the Mouse laughing his evil squeaky laugh
Ray:  #60 and #61 have the last two issues of Edge of Spider-Geddon, selling 32K each. These were the Spider-Ben and Petey and Spider-Norman stories. Given that, I’m surprised Latour’s name on the former didn’t open a gulf between them. Marvel didn’t quite push “From the creator of Spider-Gwen” enough for that, I guess.
Glenn:  Decent enough for a throwaway mini, not surprising given how much hype there is for the big event.  Retailers were probably unsure what to do with these, any of them could have been the next Spider-Gwen but they also didn’t want to end up with unsold copies on shelves.  I don’t think any of them particularly stood out so these sales seem to make sense.
Ray:  This is the section of the charts where we see a lot of regular books selling in the 30K range, including most of the X-books, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Deathstroke. Both Deathstroke and Aquaman are benefiting from a crossover this month as Deathstroke finishes up Deathstroke vs. Batman, and Aquaman crosses over with Suicide Squad for “Sink Atlantis”. Aquaman is doing crossovers for a few months and then starting a new run by Kelly Sue DeConnick, so I imagine it’ll be rising on the charts for a while.
Glenn:  Rising, like water?  Huh?  Huh?  Huh?  Like Green Lantern, the sales on Aquaman are moot for a little while as the character waits for the next big creative team to sail in.  Sail, like water?  Huh?  Huh?  Huh?
Ray:  #68 brings us the Old Man Logan annual, selling 30K. This actually sells five spots above the Old Man Logan series, probably because of the presence of Punisher.
Glenn:  People love old man Frank, he’s cuddly
Ray:  Batgirl seems to have gotten a permanent bump from its new creative team, charting at #74 with sales of 28.8K. This is a big new arc bringing back her evil brother and calling her future as an able-bodied crimefighter into doubt, so retailers are responding.
Another new Bendis creator-owned title launches under DC’s Jinxworld line. This time it’s David Mack’s Cover, a twisty tale of a comic book creator who meets a femme fatale with ties to international spies. It sells 27.3K at #79, which is about 5K below the sales of Pearl last month. It’s been a long time since Mack did internal art, so I think this is a healthy start.
Glenn:  Very much so, this pair haven’t worked together for decades and the concept could go either way so this is definitly a good performance.  If this was an Image book, I’d call it a good start so it just depends what DC expects from its Jinxworld line apart from keeping its writer happy.
Ray:  Image’s top debut of the month is Bully Wars, the new Skottie Young title with art by Aaron Conley. It lands at #84 with sales of 27K. Young is quickly building his own brand as a creator-owned powerhouse, and he’s got another new comic as writer in only a few months.
Glenn:  Young being able to now sell himself as a writer is an interesting transition.  Fans of his work will be here regardless of who is drawing the interiors it seems so that’s a good sign.
At 86 is Adventures Of The Super Sons selling over 26.5k which is probably what the main series would be selling had it continued.  Nothing lost, nothing gained.
The ever slightest (like nearly non existent) bump for Chip Zdearskey’s final issue of Spectacular Spider-Man sells over 24.8k at 89.  Given that I think this is one of the greatest Spider-Man one and dones ever, I think this one will be included in collections and stuff for years to come.  I hope more people check it out and the run as a whole in the future, it didn’t last long enough.  The previous issue also charts at 96 selling over 24.2k 
Ray:  Zdarsky’s run really sailed under the radar, which is surprising given how good it was. I think going up against the conclusion of Slott’s run probably blunted the attention this run got a little, but it’ll wind up being seen as a modern classic.
Glenn:  Second tier title runs can be like that. Comic readers have been trained to pay attention to one title at any specific time if there’s one they have to choose from.  Trades and collections will remember Zdarskey fondly one hopes.
Outselling the main issue by a fair bit, the Domino Annual sells over 24.4k at 92.  This was an anthology annual with some of Domino’s former writers returning which might explain the difference, or it could be because the Deadpool DVD/Blu-Ray was out around this time, who knows?  Either way, Domino has become a solid performer for Marvel under the general guidance of Gail Simone.
Ray:  The return of Fabian Nicieza to the character was a big deal for old-school X-Force fans, so this annual got a combo of those fans and Gail’s.
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Glenn:  About a 10k drop for West Coast Avenger’s second issue which isn’t too bad.  It sells over 24.4k at 93 which is pretty good if you look at it like a Hawkeye spin off and a wacky character team book than anything necessary ‘Avenger’s’ related.  I’d say fan support and digital sales will keep this one around.
Ray:  That’s a roughly 33% drop for WCA, which is really good for a Marvel book these days. I think it’ll level out quickly, as Kelly Thompson’s fanbase is building by the day as she steps onto bigger and bigger books.
Glenn:  Not too far below the sales of its main series, the second Doctor Aphra Annual sells over 24.3k which in the usual Marvel Star Wars spin off range these days.  I still think Aphra is a more impressive performer because she’s never appeared in any other media but Marvel comics so doesn’t have a wide outside audience to help keep her around.
At 103 is the Silver Surfer Annual selling over 22.6k which is…oh there is no main series.  Okie dokes…umm, this is decent for Silver Surfer?  Probably a lot of these sales should be credited to the fan base Slott and Allred built up around the character.
New Warren Ellis comic, Cemetery Beach from Image launches at 105 with sales over 22k which is very good.  Ellis is a creator who can pull in a respectful set audience every time and this book is no exception.  It’ll run for as long as he wants it to.
High sales on the True Believers reprint on Daredevil 1 by Lee and Everett selling over 21.8k at 107.  I’m guessing retailers wanted this cause of the new season starting soon but this is great for a reprint that is decades old and is very different to the version of the character the majority of us are familiar with.
Another Bendis series, United States Of Murder Inc launches at 120 selling over 18.5k  This is with long time Bendis partner, Mike Avon Oeming and a continuation of a Marvel Icon series that kinda just…vanished?  I’m not surprised this one is selling less than the others, it’ll be harder to pull people in on this than something completely fresh but people that have been waiting on it will be glad to see it finally finishing and it’ll probably have a respectful performance.
Ray:  That’s the lowest debut of the Jinxworld books by a fair margin, and it’s also the one that’s been gone the longest. Bendis has been having great luck with the new titles so far, but the returning ones less so.
Glenn:  At 122 is another True Believers reprint of Luke Cage’s first comic which sells over 18.2k which I would say again is ridiculously good.  They might be vanishing one by one but the various Netflix shows have seemingly given retailers confidence in these cheap reprints that is just free money for their publisher.
At 129 is a Dynamite crossover, Vampirella/Dejah Thoris which sells over 17k which I’d consider very good considering that its hardly Avenger’s Vs. X-Men is it.
Ray:  I have no idea how vampires and martian princesses are going to crossover, but Dynamite gonna Dynamite.
Glenn:  The second issue of Pearl sells just over 16.8k at 130 which is better than Vertigo but not as good as you think a Bendis creator owned book would do at Image.  Being somewhere in the middle is something that will be up to DC to find acceptable.
Ray:  That’s a roughly 50% drop. A lot steeper than I would have expected for a creator-owned book, but still well above what it would have done at Vertigo. It’ll need to level out quickly, though.
Glenn:  At 132 is Journey Into Mystery: Birth Of Krakova which sells over 16.5k which is pretty great considering it literally seems to have nothing to do with anything.  I’m guessing a large portion of these sales are nostalgia over the Gillan series of yesteryear?
Ray:  Yeah, this is just a completely random Nick Fury on Monster Island comic that Marvel put out. Random, but fun and with a decent creative team. Retailers probably ordered this for Marvel completists.
Glenn:  At 134 is another True Believers Reprint which is another Punisher book, this time its the first issue of the book by Grant & Zeck.  I actually would have thought this would be higher but there are other much more famous Punisher runs out there.  Still ridiculously good of course.  At 137 is an Iron Fist one which sells over 15.5k.  Did you know that Danny Rand was in fact the Immortal Iron Fist?  That he is the sworn protector of Kun-lun (Sp?)?  Well he’ll tell you…a lot if the show is anything to go by.

Ray:  The most oddly numbered title in Marvel history, the Marvel Rising miniseries concludes with Marvel Rising: Omega at #138, selling 15.8K. This all-ages oversized comic introducing the team from the animated franchise that is totes not inspired by DC Super Hero Girls only with two guys no one likes has released five issues, and each of them was a #1. That’s one way to stop issue-by-issue attrition, I guess.

At #141 is the debut of Border Town, the first of the new Vertigo relaunch books. This controversial title that aroused the attention of some nasty people for its commentary on American racial divisions lands 15.2K in sales. Given that the title doesn’t have any name creators attached, that’s a definitely increase over what Vertigo titles were doing a while back. This is actually close to what I would expect this title to do at Image.
Glenn:  That isn’t too bad at all for Border Town and I think a higher debut than the last past of new Vertigo launches did a while back.  Maybe the return of Sandman has given the line some much needed juice again?
Ray:  Right below at #142 is the debut of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the comic. Replacing the classic B-movies with odd c-list comics, this issue sells 14.6K. That’s actually great for a Dark Horse debut, especially for such a cult property. More meta comics in Dark Horse’s future?
Glenn:  This series is the very definition of cult following so these are great numbers.  As the new series on Netflix (where else) continues building a new generation of fans, this will be a nice one for Dark Horse to have in shelves/in their archives.
Image result for mystery science theater 3000 #1
Ray:  The next True Believers comic is down at #155, selling 12.4K. It’s the first issue of Power Man and Iron Fist, kicking off the fan-favorite team. Both of these characters just lost their Netflix series, so maybe this team-up will be revived as a series?
#160 brings us the top reorder of the month, as Fantastic Four #1 pulls in another 12.3K to add to last month’s ridiculously good sales. They’re back and people are excited.
Rick and Morty Presents Sleepy Gary is a comic. It sells 12K at #163. It’s Oni’s top comic of the month besides its parent title. I don’t know what a Rick and Morty is.
Glenn:  Its like if someone watched Back To The Future while taking a lot of drugs, I think?  I don’t know, I’m not cool.  I’d rather watch that new show on Netflix about this nice family renovating an old house.
Ray:  Right below at #164 is an odd entry, Jinxworld Sampler. This $1 mini-collection has snippets of all of Bendis’ creator-owned work and is more of a promotional comic for new readers. 12K puts this in a similar range to the True Believers line, which is pretty good for free comics for DC.
Glenn:  Not too bad at all since its basically like paying to go see a teaser trailer essentially.  This is something retailers might just slip in on orders where people are picking up Bendis new DC stuff.
Ray:  In Archie’s latest strange experiment, Archie 1941 debuts at #167 with sales of 11.9K. Archie goes to war! Mr. Lodge has shady dealings with the Nazis! But Riverdale’s greatest horrors lie ahead – next month they get taken over by the writer of Secret Empire.
Glenn:  At least it’ll look pretty, Marguerite Sauvage is amazing.
Ray:  Lot more True Believers one-shots down here, selling in the 11K range between #167 and #176. They include Hellcat’s first appearance, the debut of Jessica Jones, the first issue of Punisher War Journal, the first Ennis/Dillon Punisher, and the Smith/Quesada Daredevil launch. The launch of the Bendis/Maleev daredevil is a little further down, selling 10.3K at #182.
Glenn:  I’m surprised the Daredevil ones sold so low.  Maybe cause they’ve been reprinted so plentifully in recent years?  These are the beginnings of major points in the characters history though and seems like an easy win with the new season coming on Netflix.
Ray:  There’s an odd animated crossover at #173, as IDW crosses over the animated 80s versions of two of their popular franchises in Star Trek vs. Transformers. It sells 11.5K, but I imagine a lot of readers were confused. Why do the Enterprise crew suddenly have a catgirl on the crew?
Glenn:  She was a character from the cartoon for reasons that escape me.  This is for the die hard audience of both properties really.  Even most hardcore Trekkies don’t pay much attention to the animated series.
Ray:  Jeff Parker’s James Bond: Origin #1 lands at #179 with sales of 10.8K. This is a pretty acclaimed miniseries, taking Bond back to his teen years and showing us how he went from prep school boy to super-spy. It could be a sleeper hit for Dynamite. Almost feels like he should be having a team-up with Nancy Drew.
Glenn:  is gives me memories of the super awful/cheesy James Bond JR series from yesteryear.  The Bond property seems to be a steady performer for Dynamite, I’d be curious to see if it does well in book stores.  I’d imagine that at this stage, Bond is more known as a movie property than a novel series.
Ray:  Speaking of Catgirls – the less friendly version – the much-yelled-about Image book by Chelsea Cain, Man-Eaters, lands at #181 with sales of 10.3K. But that’s not entirely accurate – there’s another “Glitter Variant” of the same issue down at #214 selling 8.2K. So all in all that’s a debut of about 18K. Healthy but not spectacular given how much this series was hyped.
Glenn:  Maybe a bit too late to benefit from the controversy that was raised around her DC firing?  Reorders might be good but given she has a big audience outside of comics this will probably do well in trades, not that this is poor mind you.  Its not too bad at all for an Image debut by someone who hasn’t/didn’t spend too long at either of the big publishers.
Ray:  The Buffy comics as we know them come to a quiet end for Dark Horse at #185, with sales of just under 10.2K. A far cry from the series’ heyday, and soon we’ll be seeing a new version launch at Boom.
Glenn:  The all ages, back to basics version BOOM is going for will no doubt appeal to an all new much wider audience than this one did.  Its crazy to think how much of a hit this series was when it first launched but I think it lost a lot of people due to some of the decisions that were taken in that initial first comic season and it never won them back.
Ray:  The Wicked + The Divine 1373 lands at #190, with sales of 9.7K. That’s only 57 copies below this month’s issue of the parent title, so these periodic one-shots are definitely doing what the creators want.
Image result for The Wicked + The Divine 1373
Two more True Believers one-shots on the low-end at #194 and #196, selling in the 9.4-9.6K range. These are the Black Widow series by Grayson Jones, and the short-lived Daredevil and the Defenders series.
Dennis Culver and Geoffo’s odd stoner alien invader comedy thriller Burnouts has its debut at #197, selling 9.3K. Neither of these creators have any real mainstream profile, so this is a pretty solid debut for a comic that sold itself based on its concept.
Joe Casey’s always been a bit of a cult creator, so it’s not a surprise that his latest title debuts at #201 with sales of 8.9K. But then, it doesn’t help that the title, “MCMLXXV” is near impossible to say! Too bad, because this story of a 1970s cab driver fighting monsters and ninjas on her nightly route is a weird and clever comic.
#205 has one of IDW’s most intriguing revamps of a licensed property in some time, Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive. Written by the Allreds and drawn by indie cartoonist Rich Tommaso, it only sells 8.7K but feels like it’s going to have a long life as one of the defining Dick Tracy stories. Sadly, no spy seals in it.
Glenn:  Trying to know if this is a good level for a Dick Tracy comic is near impossible.  It seems like a good result given the property and the creative team seems so perfect that I can’t imagine anyone else doing much better.
Ray:  We’ve had a lot of indie comic startups lately, and the latest is Ahoy Comics. They’re bringing back the format of oversized comic magazines, with backups, prose pieces, and letter columns. Their signature title with a lead story by Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle is Wrong Earth, a story of two alternate versions of the same superhero who swap universes – one from a gritty 1980s universe and one from a sunny Batman ’66 inspired universe. It goes badly, but this launch didn’t. It sells 8.2K at #212, a very impressive debut given that this is the first comic this company has ever put out!

Glenn:  That’s a fantastic number for a new company, good for them!  Igle has had some work at DC which would have helped but the concept is so interesting that it may have gotten in here just because people were genuinely interested also!

Marvel Superheroes, Captain Marvel first day of school sells over 7.7k at 217.  Pretty standard for an all ages type affair that’s not really meant for the direct market.
Ray:  This one-shot was mainly notable for the one-page gags where Rocket Raccoon was Garfield and Bruce and Hulk were Calvin and Hobbes.
Glenn:  I now have to read this comic.
At 218 is GI Joe: A Real American Hero Silent Option selling over 7.6k.  This is the launch of a new Joe mini from IDW and given the issues with sales this property has had in recent years, I’d say this pretty decent.  Pretty much the most of what you might expect from a GI Joe comic these days.
At 226 is the newest Valient offering, Harbinger Wars 2 Aftermath selling over 6.9k which is slightly lower than Valients usual range but not dramatically so.  I know nothing about Valient comics but this ‘event’ book doesn’t seem to have performed how they might have liked it to.
Ray:  Yeah, this was an event Valiant had been building towards for almost two years. I’m wondering if that worked against it – Infinity Countdown syndrome?
Glenn:  Could have been…lets go with that.
Image’s Crowded loses half of its sales at 230 selling over 6.4k.  Still okay given that there’s no huge names attached.  This is where Image’s lower profile titles usually operate so it’ll just be if its manageable for the creative team to see how long it can go.
Another True Believers one shot at 238, Luke Cage Fantastic Four selling over 6k.  If this is retelling a time where Luke joined the FF, this is not a thing I knew happened so there you go.
Second issue of Frozen: Breaking Boundaries sells over 5.9k at 239 losing less than half its sales.  This is a comic that is destined for book shops, disney stores and everywhere else you can think of when its collected so these single issue sales don’t really matter.
At 248 is Doctor Who 13th Doctor 0, one of the always unpredictable 0 issues which this time is a prelude to the new ongoing starring the new female version of the Doctor.  Sales over 5.8k aren’t great but I think the actual proper first issue will do a lot better.  I think the new Doctor is doing a wonderful job for what its worth.
Image result for doctor who 13th doctor 0 comic
Ray:  #0 issues are always so tricky, because retailers never know how to order them. You might get a mediocre clip show or recap, you might get an essential chapter.
Glenn:  At 250 is a new offering from fan favorite Faith in Dreamside which sells over 5.7k.  I think if memory serves, Faith’s book usually manage better than this so not sure what happened here but this is a tad lower than I would have expected.
Chief Wiggums Felonious Funnies is one of the last offerings from Bongo comics before it closes its doors forever.  It sells over 5.5k, at least they’re not going quietly into that good night.
Low Road Rest is a new mini from BOOM which sells over 5.3k at 261 which is pretty standard for a new BOOM creator owned series with no big names involved.  This has quite an interesting concept too but BOOM doesn’t have a strong enough place in the market for titles like this to do much better.
Ray:  Philip Kennedy Johnson has a pretty solid track record at Boom. He’s becoming a bit of a cult creator for them.
Glenn:  Right below it at 262 is Elric White Wolf selling over 5.2k from Titan Comics.  This is the first of two issues adapting a fantasy novel I’m unfamiliar with.  This will be for diehard fans of the novel or completeists.  Most times with novel adaptions,the audience got what they needed from it the first time round and don’t have much interest in it being laid out to them with pretty pictures and such.
More reorders for Infinity Wars Prime at 265 which picks up another 5.1+ additional orders which is nearly what in reorders last month.  Again, this event hasn’t broken any sales records but seems to be enjoyed enough to be a bit of a sleeper performer for Marvel.
At 268 is a genderbent update of a classic in Olivia Twist which sells over 5k.  Not much to say except that there seems not to have been much interest, the stories been adapted multiple times and this new version didn’t seem to have caught too many people’s imagination it seems.
Ray:  What’s especially odd is that another futuristic Oliver Twist reboot is coming in a few months, this time from Image with a male lead and less of a political bent.
Glenn:  At 270 is War Bears, a new Dark Horse offering from Margaret Atwood who is a hugely successful novelist who wrote a book called the Handmaid’s Tale that a bunch of people enjoy.  All these things seem like a winning formula but it only manages sales over 5k for reasons that elude me. I really thought the tv show would propel Atwood into a name that could float a comic much stronger than this but surprisingly, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Ray:  I assume this will do gangbusters in the collected market, where Atwood’s main audience is. Plus, I imagine the oddball comic-within-a-comic concept didn’t hook casuals.
Glenn:  Joe Golem: The Drowning City is a sequel series to an old school pulp detective tale co-written by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola.  The sales of 4.5k indicate a set audience.  Presumingly the first story did well enough in collections to warrant this sequel.
A continuation of one of Ray’s favorite cartoons at 284, Over The Garden Wall: Hallow Town sells over 4.3k.  Ray will be able to give a more accurate assessment here but this will likely do better outside of comic shops and/or is only for die hard fans of the series.
Ray:  You’re definitely right that this is a tie-in for die-hards. It’s also more of a “lost tale”, since the series ended in such a way that really put a neat bow on the whole concept.
Glenn:  From Aftershock, Moth & Whisper sells over 4.2k which again is pretty much what I would expect from this publisher and two creators I’m unfamiliar with.
Ray:  This one got some great critical responses, more so than Aftershock’s usual. Didn’t seem to make a dent in the sales, though.
Glenn:  At 286, Grimm Tales Of Terror 2018 Halloween Edition reminds me that Crazy Ex Girlfriend is back.  This makes me happy.  It sells over 4.2k
It doesn’t have a regular issue this month but Gideon Falls releases a directors cut of the 1st issue which sells over 4.1k at 288 which is very good for what is essentially a higher than full price reprint of a book that didn’t come out that long ago.  Even when its not coming out, the barn won’t let us escape…
Ray:  Gideon Falls is a bit of a sensation for Image lately. It’s gonna show that Hill House what’s what when it comes to structures that haunt our dreams.
Glenn:  The Barn going to make that big fancy Hill House cry!  Cry like a stable!
Ray:  This section of the charts has an oddball mix of licensed properties. You’ve got Uncle Scrooge: My First Millions at #294 from IDW, followed immediately by Call of Duty: Zombies, and WWE NXT Takeover Blueprint at #296. All selling just over 4K, a pretty standard range for cult properties that get comics without much fanfare.
Image result for uncle scrooge my first millions #1
Nancy Drew should be selling much, much more than 3.8K at #303. Oh, well. It’s going to do gangbusters in the bookstore market.
Glenn:  It better!  I want a sequel series!
Ray:  Another Aftershock debut at #307, the excellently-named Patience! Conviction! Revenge! It’s the story of a wild-west outlaw in deep space on an elaborate revenge mission. It sells 3.7K and seems to have largely slipped under the radar.
The Disney-inspired fantasy miniseries Welcome to Wanderland debuts at #313 with 3.5K in sales. This is definitely not a book aimed at the direct market, and it doesn’t have any major creators attached. Boom is one of the first companies to find the success other companies are looking for in the bookstore market, so I doubt they’re really bothered.
A Top Cow one-shot, Aphrodite IX: Ares, lands at #325 with sales of 3.3K. This is a revival of a previous incarnation of the series, not linked to the current Bryan Hill incarnation. I doubt there’s much interest in that material anymore.
Three more WWE Takeover one-shots around this level – Into The Fire, Proving Ground, and Redemption – between #326 and #334. They all sell about 3.3 to 3.1K. Boom’s got a lot of WWE material out there lately, but returns are definitely diminishing.
Glenn:  WWE has never been a particularly hot comic property.  I suppose if you treat it like any other drama on tv getting a comic adaption most of the audience are getting the story that matters from the show rather than side stories that likely have little consequence.  We’ll see if the WWE Network sending out a free sample of the upcoming Undertaker graphic novel will help it sell more though.
Ray:  A new low-selling Dark Horse miniseries, Gamma, lands at #329 with sales of just under 3.3k. This giant-monster themed comic pairs some cult creators and didn’t seem to get much pre-release hype.
Glenn:  First I’ve heard of it, so there you go.
Ray:  Mata Hari #5 ends the run at #339 with sales of just under 3K. This was the Berger Book that got the least pre-release attention and didn’t really catch on with readers. Historical fiction is not exactly a dominant genre in comics.
After a lot of reorders and ongoing series, we get to a new #1 at #352 – Fearscape from Vault. Selling 2.6K, it’s an intriguing series about a narcissistic writer who cons his way into a “chosen one” magical quest that was meant for someone else. Vault is a company that’s rising fast and a lot of its books are getting some real buzz. This was written by Ryan O’Sullivan, the writer of Image’s Void Trip.
Stabbity Bunny remains the biggest hit Scout Comics has ever produced, still hanging in there on the charts. This month’s issue lands at #3362, selling 2.4K. That’s apparently enough to greenlight a January spinoff, Shadowplay.
#364 brings us a new Moon Maid comic from American Mythology. This is not based on the Dick Tracy villain, but on an obscure Edgar Rice Burroughs fantasy novel. That’s good enough for 2.4K.
In depressing “This book should be selling so much more” news, JM DeMatteis‘ new creator-owned all-ages adventure Impossible Inc. lands at #367, selling 2.3K. This comes down to IDW not being able to sell creator-owned books, I think. I imagine his name would have pulled double these numbers at Boom.
Glenn:  That’s a real shame, DeMatteis still has as much talent now as he ever did.  Hopefully this will find an audience in trades or digital.
Ray:  Starburns Industries Press, an up-and-coming publisher that’s been making a splash these past few months, debuts a Latin-themed horror anthology a month before Halloween. Fantasmagoria, featuring classic Mexican ghost stories with a modern framework, lands at #373 with sales of 2.1K. It’s also by the writer of Border Town, and this is a pretty decent debut for such a new publisher.
Glenn:  Maybe some layover from Coco?  Who knows?  That’s definitely worth taking note of though, good for them.
Ray:  At #374 is probably the oddest comic on the list, Junior High Horrors from Keenspot Entertainment. Featuring teen versions of Jason Voorhees, Michael Meyers, Laurie Strode, Nancy from Elm Street, and Freddy Kreuger as an evil talking tiger, it sold 2,147 copies, which means 2,147 very confused people.
Glenn:  I’d love to know how this comic company got all the rights to use these characters (they might not have done).  The bronze age of horror villains despite their unwillingness to ever go away have never translated to much of an audience or demand in comics.
Image result for junior high horrors
Ray:  I’m pretty sure it qualified as a parody, so Keenspot didn’t need to get the licenses.
The cult supernatural romance Kim Reaper returns from Oni with a new miniseries – Vampire Island. It sells just over 2K, which means this is probably finding its audience more in Oni’s growing OGN market.
It’s Crisis on Infinite Cerebi at #383, selling just over 2K. Dave Sim is gonna do what Dave Sim wants.
#386 brings us High Heaven, the other debut from Ahoy Comics this month. What do you mean there were two debuts, you ask? Apparently retailers were just as confused! This sold less than 25% of the sales of Wrong Earth’s debut at just under 2K. Very odd, especially since both books had the same writer in Tom Peyer. Maybe it was the Jamal Igle factor? Maybe the concept of Wrong Earth just hooked more people? Either way, what a weird disparity.
Glenn:  Igle is probably the difference maker here.  He’s got a higher profile due to his DC work and his link with Black.
Ray:  Another Vault comic, Friendo, debuts at #387, selling 1.9K. This book about a malevolent AI companion had cult creator Alex Paknadel as writer, but it seems to have slipped under the radar compared to Fearscape.

Glenn:  Sounds like a character that should be on Disenchanment!  Evil AI is a sub genre of sci-fi that’s been done to death so it probably had to have a really good hook to stand out, same like if you want to do a zombie comic these days.

At 389 we have Casper’s Capers from American Mythology selling over 1.9k and Caspers Ghostland sellind over 1.9k too at 392.  Who knew the market could support two Casper books?  As the sales indicate, these titles always sell around the same, new number 1 or not.  Nothing to see here.
Ray:  American Mythology releases a lot of Casper #1s. Relatively few Casper #2s.
Glenn:  A few new Alterna releases make the top 500 with Blood Realm at 396 with sales over 1.8k and Exilium over 1.8k too.  Pretty much their standard level, their recent hot topic controversy from a little while ago doesn’t seem to have made any great effect on their unit sales either way.
Ray:  Neither of these Alterna books got all that much buzz pre-release, either, so these numbers aren’t a shock.
Glenn:  Proving my point about zombie comics at 403 is Rags selling over 1.8k.  This is from Anatric Press and only real difference seemingly about this particular zombie book is it features a sexy lady in a bikini top on the cover.  It doesn’t work.
At 406 is Newbury & Hobbes selling over 1.7k.  I got to review this for Break The Forth (don’t fire me Brent, I got a kid to feed) and loved it.  However its a new chapter of a series of novels I’d not heard of previously so probably going to rope in too many people.  Will probably do a better job in collections with fans of the novels.
Ray:  Given what an odd duck this is – a foreign comic spinning out of a novel series that no one in the states knows about – I’d say this is a pretty healthy debut for Titan.
Glenn:  At 413 is…is…is…a…comic….that sells over 1.5k.  It sure is a comic that one at 413.
Ray:  God bless’em, there’s a comic for everyone
Glenn:  From Rebellion (?!?!?!?!) is The Vigilante One Shot selling 1.4k at 417.  Even priced at 4.99, that’s not good.  This is a reinvention of some ‘classic’ British comic heroes.  I wonder if Dennis The Mennis is on the team (no, not that one).
At 430 is The Three Stooges Matinee Madness and 431 is Pink Panther Surfside Special which both sell over 1.2k.  The franchises are dead Jim.
Another new comic from Waxworks in Poser at 433 which is about a serial killer who poses his victims like shop window dummies and the like.  It sells over 1.1k.  This company don’t seem to have caught on with their horror concepts.
Ray:  Waxwork is one of many, many small startup comic publishers in recent years trying to carve out a small slice of the market. Some are clicking with audiences. Others are Waxwork.
Glenn:  Aspen comics relaunches Dellec (?!?!?!??!?!) at 436 with sales over 1.1k.  No one was missing Dellec.
Antartic Press has what appears to be an anthology at 438, Steam-Age Wasteland which sells over 1.1k.  There is a solid audience for steam punk but this one didn’t seem to tap into that for whatever reason.
Ray:  #453 brings us the toy tie-in Vamplets Beware: Bitemares One Shot. It sells 958 copies, which seems about right for a title about tiny fuzzy monster balls.
Down at #464 and also from Lion Forge is Guncats, the action-comedy about alien bounty hunters, selling 788 copies. Another creator-owned book that didn’t find its audience.
Image result for guncats 1
From Source Point Press selling 709 copies, The Family Graves #1 lands at #478. This family adventure focuses on a clan of monsters trying to travel through time while dealing with the problems of their natural monstrous abilities. It’s a fun concept, but launched with very little fanfare from a small publisher.
Another action comic I believe based on a video game, Sniper Elite Resistance from Rebellion gets the dubious honor of being the last original #1 on the charts this month at #490, selling 607 copies.
Glenn:   I don’t think I know this game?  There’s one sniper game that gets a lot of talk for showing x-ray effects of your sniper shots and I don’t think its this one…
The rest of the charts are largely reorders with some more sales for the 20th issue of Darth Vader getting some of that at 500 with 549 more copies being ordered.  That Vader guy is hot stuff!  Hot like molten lava, amiright?  Too soon?

Ray:  Looking ahead to next month, DC is bringing us two major mini-events, The Witching Hour and Drowned Earth. Two Justice Leagues, two world-wrecking threats! It’s Tynion vs. Snyder and, um, Tynion. We also get a new wave of Hanna-Barbera crossovers. 

Marvel is bringing us two weekly one-shot events, the return of What If and the villain spotlight X-Men: Black. Spider-Geddon also begins in earnest with its tie-ins, including the return of Spider-Gwen.
Image has a few major launches as well, including new debuts from Sam Humphries, Gerry Duggan, and Tee Franklin. There’s also bound to be a few surprise launches that catch the market by surprise.
What will rise? What will fall? Tune in next time on By the Numbers!
Image result for spider-geddon
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