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Diamond Announces 2018 Gem Award Winners

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Diamond Comic Distributors has announced the winners of the 2018 Diamond Gem Awards, selected by comic book specialty retailers and celebrated within the comic book industry as a key annual award honoring sales success.

DC Entertainment took home Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Over 3% Market Share) in 2018 and had the Top Dollar Comic Book with Action Comics #1000. Retailers recognized DC with the most Gem Awards–six–including the Comic Book of the Year $3.99 or Under with Heroes In Crisis #1; Comic Book of the Year – Over $3.99 with Action Comics #1000; Reprint TP or HC of the Year with Batman White Knight; Best All Ages Series with DC Super Hero Girls; and Best All-Ages Original/Reprint Graphic Novel with DC Super Hero Girls: Date With Disaster. DC Collectibles, the collectibles branch of DC Entertainment won Collectible Statue of the Year with the Batman Black and White: The Batman Who Laughs statue.

Marvel Comics earned five Gem Awards, including Top Dollar Market Share Publisher of the Year, Licensed Comic of the Year with Star Wars: Darth Vader Dark Lord of the Sith Volume 2; Anthology of the Year with Thanos Legacy #1; Best Free Comic Book Day Book with FCBD 2018 Avengers Captain America; and Best New Comic Book Series with Immortal Hulk.

Image Comics received two Gem Awards, taking home Backlist Publisher of the Year and Original Graphic Novel of the Year with My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies.  

Dark Horse Comics received two Gem Awards, for Licensed Comic of the Year with Stranger Things #1 and Trade Book of the Year with The Legend of Zelda Encylopedia.

IDW Publishing received a Gem Awards, taking home Game Product of the Year with Batman: The Animated Series Gotham Under Siege.

Retailers also recognized BOOM! Studios as Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Under 3% Market Share), VIZ Media with two Gem Awards, including Manga Publisher of the Year; and Diamond Select Toys with two Gem Awards, including Toy Manufacturer of the Year.

A panel of Diamond product specialists selected the supplier nominees for the Diamond Gem Awards based on each entry’s overall impact on the industry, while comics and related merchandise were chosen on the merits of their sales performance and quality from 2018. Members of the most critical segment that serves the comic book-buying public–comic book specialty retailers across the United States and worldwide–then selected the winners.

2018 Diamond Gem Award Suppliers of the Year

2018 Comic Book Publisher of the Year – Over 3%: DC Entertainment

2018 Comic Book Publisher of the Year – Under 3%: BOOM! Studios

2018 Backlist Publisher of the Year: Image Comics

2018 Top Dollar Comic Book Publisher of the Year: Marvel Comics

2018 Manga Publisher of the Year: VIZ Media

2018 Game Manufacturer of the Year: WizKids/ NECA

2018 Toy Manufacturer of the Year: Diamond Select Toys

2018 Diamond Gem Award Products of the Year

2018 Comic Book of the Year – Under $3.99: Heroes in Crisis #1, DC Entertainment

2018 Comic Book of the Year – Over $3.99: Action Comics #1000, DC Entertainment

2018 Top Dollar Comic Book: Action Comics #1000, DC Entertainment

2018 Best New Comic Book Series: Immortal Hulk, Marvel Comics

2018 Best All Ages Series: DC Super Hero Girls, DC Entertainment

2018 Best All Ages Original/Reprint GN: DC Super Hero Girls, Date With Disaster, DC Entertainment

2018 Licensed Comic of the Year: Stranger Things #1, Dark Horse Comics

2018 Licensed TP or HC of the Year: Star Wars Darth Vader Dark Lord Sith Volume 2: Legacy’s End, Marvel Comics

2018 Original Graphic Novel of the Year: My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, Image Comics

2018 Reprint TP or HC of the Year: Batman White Knight, DC Entertainment

2018 Indie Graphic Novel of the Year: Berlin: The Complete Edition, Drawn + Quarterly

2018 Manga TP of the Year: My Hero Academia, Volume 13

2018 Anthology of the Year: Thanos Legacy #1

2018 Magazine of the Year: Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal Magazine

2018 Trade Book of the Year: The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Comics

2018 Best Free Comic Book Day Book: FCBD 2018 Avengers Captain America, Marvel Comics

2018 Game Product of the Year: Batman: The Animated Series Gotham Under Siege, IDW Games

2018 Toy Product of the Year: Marvel Select Thor: Ragnarok Gladiator Hulk Action Figure

2018 Toy Line of the Year: Funko POP!, Funko

2018 Collectible Statue of the Year: Batman Black and White: The Batman Who Laughs Statue, DC Collectibles

Diamond Announces the Top Selling Comics and Graphic Novels of 2018 as Annual Sales Increased

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Diamond Comic Distributors has announced the top selling comics and graphic novels of 2018. Marvel was the top publisher of the year with The Infinity Gauntlet taking the slot for bestselling graphic novel of the year. That’s not surprising due to all of the excitement and success around Avengers: Infinity War in theaters. DC Comics came in second place for publishers and had the bestselling comic of the year with Action Comics #1000. Image Comics ranked third for publishers and lead the graphic novel chart with six out of the top ten titles.

Annual comic book sales to the comic book specialty market increased in 2018, up +3.3% for the year, while graphic novel sales dipped -6.6% from 2017. Combined, annual sales of comic book and graphic novels to comic book shops were up slightly in 2018, by .6%.

2018 Comic Dollar Share

Marvel Comics finished the year as the comic book specialty market’s top publisher, leading in both Dollar and Unit Market Shares, with a 38.24% Dollar Market Share and a 40.4% Unit Market Share. Marvel Comics top comic book, Amazing Spider-Man #800, the ten-year landmark issue led by Dan Slott and Stuart Immomen, charted at #2 for the year. Overall, Marvel had seven titles in the top ten comics of the year, including the preceding Amazing Spider-Man #798 and #799, as well as Fantastic Four #1, Amazing Spider-Man #1, Return of Wolverine #1, and Venom #1. That’s four comics written by Dan Slott in the top ten. Marvel Comics also had the top graphic novel of the year with The Infinity Gauntlet, the epic crossover event from Jim Starlin, George Pérez, and Rom Lim.

DC Entertainment was the comic book specialty market’s number two publisher in 2018 with a 30.04% Dollar Market Share and a 33.82% Unit Market Share. DC Entertainment had three of the year’s top ten comics; in addition to Action Comics #1000, Batman #50, and The Batman Who Laughs #1 were among the top ten.

Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ award-winning science fiction epic, Saga from Image Comics once again dominated the top ten graphic novels chart and solidified Image Comics as the year’s third largest comic book publisher, with a 9.93% Dollar Market Share and a 9.9% Unit Market Share. Image Comics took six of the top ten graphic novel spots, with Saga Volume 9 charting as the #2 best-selling graphic novel for 2018. Saga Volumes 1 and 8 also placed in the top ten, along with The Walking Dead Volume 29 Lines We Cross (#6), Paper Girls Volume 1 (#7), and Monstress Volume 1 (#10). The best-selling comic book for the year from Image was Mark Millar’s The Magic Order #1 at #18.

IDW Publishing was the comic book specialty market’s fourth largest publisher, propelled by its licensed titles from Hasbro, Disney, and Lucasfilm. The company’s Dollar Market Share was 3.83% for the year. Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1, was IDW’s top-selling comic book, landing at #460 for the year.

Dark Horse Comics‘ mix of creator-owned and licensed titles helped the company to be the fifth-ranked publisher in the comic book specialty market in 2018 with a 2.92% Dollar Market Share. Dark Horse’s top comic book for the year Stranger Things #1, based upon the popular Netflix series, at #184.

BOOM! Studios was the sixth ranked publisher at 2.24%, and Dynamite Entertainment was seventh at 1.86%. Viz Media, Titan Comics, and Oni Press rounded out the top ten comic book publishers for 2018.

2018 Comic Unit Share

2018 TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHERDOLLARSHAREUNITSHARE
MARVEL COMICS38.24%40.40%
DC ENTERTAINMENT30.04%33.82%
IMAGE COMICS9.93%9.90%
IDW PUBLISHING3.83%3.30%
DARK HORSE COMICS2.92%2.10%
BOOM! STUDIOS2.24%1.90%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT1.86%1.73%
VIZ MEDIA1.22%0.46%
TITAN COMICS0.87%0.61%
ONI PRESS0.83%0.54%
OTHER NON-TOP 108.01%5.25%

2018 TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

QTYRANKRETAILRANKDESCRIPTIONPRICEITEM CODEVENDOR
11ACTION COMICS #1000$7.99FEB180142-MDC ENTERTAINMENT
22AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #800$9.99MAR180831-MMARVEL COMICS
33BATMAN #50$4.99MAY180450-MDC ENTERTAINMENT
44FANTASTIC FOUR #1$5.99JUN180771-MMARVEL COMICS
55AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1$5.99MAY180784-MMARVEL COMICS
66RETURN OF WOLVERINE #1$4.99JUL180968-MMARVEL COMICS
79VENOM #1$4.99MAR180803-MMARVEL COMICS
810AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #798$3.99FEB180832-MMARVEL COMICS
98BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #1$4.99OCT180464-MDC ENTERTAINMENT
1013AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #799$3.99FEB180836-MMARVEL COMICS

2018 TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

QTYRANKRETAILRANKDESCRIPTIONPRICEITEM CODEVENDOR
11INFINITY GAUNTLET TP$24.99JUL110745MARVEL COMICS
24SAGA TP VOL 09 (MR)$14.99JUL180297IMAGE COMICS
319SAGA TP VOL 01 (MR)$9.99AUG120491IMAGE COMICS
46SAGA TP VOL 08 (MR)$14.99OCT170715IMAGE COMICS
52ACTION COMICS 80 YEARS OF SUPERMAN HC$29.99DEC170241DC ENTERTAINMENT
68WALKING DEAD TP VOL 29 LINES WE CROSS$16.99JAN180844IMAGE COMICS
738PAPER GIRLS TP VOL 01$9.99JAN160645IMAGE COMICS
87BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT TP$19.99JUL180733DC ENTERTAINMENT
93DARK NIGHTS METAL DELUXE ED HC$29.99JAN180379DC ENTERTAINMENT
1033MONSTRESS TP VOL 01 (MR)$9.99APR160803-MIMAGE COMICS

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Conan the Barbarian #1

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

It’s a short week of releases with the holiday and you can get every single issue for under $50! So, instead of picking which you should get, we’re doing something a little bit different with going over what they are and why you should check out each release!

20th Century Boys: Perfect Edition Vol. 2 (VIZ Media) – These perfect editions collect two volumes of the award winning series and a perfect chance to get what you’ve been missing!

Champions #1 (Marvel) – The superhero team is expanding in members and their scope making sure to have a global focus! A perfect chance to jump on the series.

Conan the Barbarian #1 (Marvel) – The classic character returns to Marvel for all new adventures and it’s a must for fans of sword and sorcery.

Detective Comics #995 (DC Comics) – We’re here for the run up to issue #1000. It doesn’t happen too often and makes the lead up pretty exciting!

Heroes in Crisis #4 (DC Comics) – This series definitely has a love it or hate it thing going on but we want to see what happens next and if it goes where we think it’s going.

Man Without Fear #1 (Marvel) – Daredevil is “gone” but Hells Kitchen needs protectors. This mini-series focuses on those around Daredevil’s life in his absence.

One Dirty Tree (Uncivilized Books) – Noah Van Sciver’s new graphic memoir exploring his childhood growing up with eight siblings in a Morman family.

Scarlet #5 (Jinxworld/DC Comics) – The new volume wraps up and we want to see where the series goes.

The Walking Dead #187 (Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics) – The series has revived itself with the introduction of the Commonwealth and we love to see what’s next with each issue.

Winter Soldier #2 (Marvel) – The first issue ended with a solid new villain (we think) and the overall direction for the series and character is cool. It’s all about finding redemption for others and taking on Hydra.

VIZ Media Launches Shojo Manga Series – Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits

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VIZ Media announced the release of Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits on January 1st.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits was illustrated by Waco Ioka and features character designs by Laruha. The series, which is based on a collection of popular Japanese light novels by Midori Yuma, is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will be published in print under VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint with an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. The series is also available digitally for $6.99 via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores. Future volumes of Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits will be published on a quarterly basis.

In the series, Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits – and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed or get eaten by demons. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms!

Megalobox Debuts on Anime Toonami this Weekend

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Megalobox

VIZ Media has announced the North American broadcast debut of the hit boxing series, Megalobox, on Adult Swim’s Toonami.

The first episode of the sports action drama premieres on Saturday, December 8th at 12 a.m. EST/PST, with future episodes scheduled to air each Saturday. Toonami is the anime programming block on Adult Swim, which offers a variety of original and acquired animated and live-action series for young adults.

The protagonist of the series is a young man with no origin and known only by his ring name: “JNK.DOG.” He survives by fighting in rigged, underground matches of a sport called Megalobox, a form of fighting utilizing powered exoskeletons. JD is bored, resigned and unfulfilled—until the day he encounters Yuri, the reigning official champion of Megalobox.

The English dub cast for Megalobox features Kaiji Tang (as Joe), Jason Marnocha (as Coach Nanbu), Erica Mendez (as Sachio), Lex Lang (as Yuri) and Erika Harlacher (as Yukiko).

Review: Ran and the Gray World Vol. 1

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Ran Uruma can’t wait to grow up and become a sorceress like her mother, so with the help of a magical pair of sneakers, she transforms into an adult and sets off! Her father and older brother Jin try to keep her home safe, but Ran is determined to advance her powers and have adventures of her own!

Ran and the Gray World is written and illustrated by Aki Irie and is… interesting.

Get your copy in comic shops and book stores starting this week! To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon/Kindle/comiXology

 

VIZ Media provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Review: Record of Grancrest War Vol. 1

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In a world where the noble elite are supposed to fend off the threat of terrifying Chaos but instead engage in pointless, petty squabbles, young mage Siluca Meletes dreams of bringing justice to the land.

The riveting fantasy adventure was created by Ryo Mizuno, who also authored the iconic series Record of Lodoss War and features story and artwork by Makoto Yotsuba with designs by Miyuu. Record of Grancrest War is a fantastic fantasy series debut.

Get your copy in comic shops and book stores now! To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon/Kindle/comiXology
TFAW

 

VIZ Media provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Abara Gets a Deluxe Edition from VIZ this December

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VIZ Media delivers a visually stunning work of sci-fi horror with the release of Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition on December 18th.

Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition is by famed creator Tsutomu Nihei and is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teen readers. The single-volume hardcover edition will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint with an MSRP of $29.99 U.S. / $39.99 CAN. A digital edition will also be available for $19.99 via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores.

A vast city lies under the shadow of colossal, ancient tombs, the identity of their builders lost to time. In the streets of the city something is preying on the inhabitants, something that moves faster than the human eye can see and leaves unimaginable horror in its wake. Tsutomu Nihei’s dazzling, harrowing dystopian thriller is presented here in a single-volume hardcover edition featuring full-color pages and foldout illustrations. The volume also includes the early short story, “Digimortal.”

Anime NYC 2018: VIZ Media Announces New Manga Acquisitions

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VIZ Media announced new manga and literary publishing acquisitions during its official panel held at Anime NYC 2018 this past weekend.

The latest titles joining the company’s extensive publishing catalog are scheduled for release beginning next summer. My Hero Academia: Smash!! is a hilarious spin-off that takes a comedic twist on Kohei Horikoshi’s superpowered series. Komi Can’t Communicate offers a heartwarming coming-of-age comedy about the power of friendship while Beastars depicts a world much like our own, except that a fragile peace exists between anthropomorphized predators and prey. The action-driven steampunk novel, Automatic Eve, rounds out the roster of newly acquired titles and will debut under VIZ Media’s Haikasoru literary imprint.

Additional information on each of these titles will be announced in the near future.

MY HERO ACADEMIA: SMASH!! 

Debuts Summer 2019

The superpowered society of MY HERO ACADEMIA takes a hilarious turn in this

reimagining of the best-selling series! Join Midoriya, All Might and all the aspiring

heroes of U.A. High, plus memorable villains, in an irreverent take on the main events of the series, complete with funny gags, ridiculous jokes and zany humor!

 

KOMI CAN’T COMMUNICATE

Debuts Summer 2019

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve! With the whole student body keeping their distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.

BEASTARS

Debuts Summer 2019

At a high school where the students are literally divided into predators and prey, it’s personal relationships that maintain the fragile peace. Who among them is a Beastar—an academic and social role model destined to become a leader in a society naturally rife with mistrust?

AUTOMATIC EVE (Novel)

Debuts Summer 2019

A mighty shogunate ruling the land from Tempu Castle. An imperial line of strict female succession. Caught between these two immense powers, the sprawling city of Tempu is home to many wonders—not least a superhuman technological achievement in the form of a beautiful automaton known as Eve. When a secret that threatens to shake the imperial line intersects with the mystery of Eve’s creation, events are set in motion that soon race toward a shocking conclusion. A new, astonishingly inventive science fantasy masterpiece of historic proportions.

Review: Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha!

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A Dragon Ball fan’s greatest dream is getting to live in the Dragon Ball universe and fight alongside Goku and his friends! But one particular fan is in for a rude awakening when he suddenly dies and gets reincarnated as everyone’s favorite punching bag, Yamcha!

Having never read a Dragon Ball manga or watched the anime, this release seemed like a way to dip our toes into the world. How does it stack up for a new reader? Find out!

Get your copy in comic shops and book stores today. To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon/Kindle/comiXology
TFAW

 

VIZ Media provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

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