Marvel sales - May 2004
Paul O'Brien
MAY 2004
========
ICV2's data: http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/5132.html
May saw Marvel's schedule dominated by the much hyped X-Men Reload
books. One interesting thing about Reload is that it sees Marvel
returning to an approach that worked well for them in the early days of
the Jemas/Quesada administration. Each month they'd pick a subject and
hammer it as the Big Event of the month. It usually succeeded in
grabbing attention, and it meant that pretty much every major launch was
noticed.
Then Marvel apparently lost their minds for a while. They decided that
dumping loads of unrelated comics in the market and hoping for the best
was an eminently sensible business strategy. See Tsunami for details.
It didn't really work.
Reload returns to the proven formula - May is the X-Men's month, and
that message comes across loud and clear. Of course, you might question
just how many X-Men comics we need (and how many the market will bear),
but that's a question for another time.
Marvel's market share in May was 34.92% in terms of dollar share, and
42.33% in terms of unit share, making them the number one direct market
publisher by either standard.
1. ASTONISHING X-MEN
May Astonishing X-Men #1 - 209,389
Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's new X-Men title debuts at number one, to
nobody's surprise. This is the fourth monthly X-Men title, even before
you get on to the second tier X-books, but evidently retailers think
there's still plenty of interest.
It's a good number, even allowing for the fact that there are multiple
covers involved. And there are more sales to come, with the Director's
Cut edition still to appear on the June charts. Marvel should be happy
with this one.
ASTONISHING is effectively the nearest successor to Grant Morrison's NEW
X-MEN. Morrison's final issue sold 117,253. So if you want to treat
this book as a continuation, it would show a rise of 78.6%.
The only thing that might spoil the celebrations is the surprisingly
small margin over the number two title, SUPERMAN #205, which has orders
estimated at 208,105. In order words, ASTONISHING beat SUPERMAN by
0.6%. And while ASTONISHING is a much-hyped first issue, SUPERMAN #205
is the second issue by Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee. Of course, both
titles have their numbers distorted by multiple covers. Nonetheless, on
the strength of that, my prediction is that SUPERMAN will reclaim the
number one slot next month.
4,32. SECRET WAR
Feb Secret War #1 (of 5) - 135,993
Mar n/a
Apr n/a
May Secret War #2 (of 5) - 116,611 (-14.3%)
SECRET WAR #1 appears again on the May charts, in the form of the
"Commemorative Edition." Or "second printing", if you prefer. (What's
it commemorating, exactly? Three fabulous months since the first
printing?) Anyway, the second printing did surprisingly well, charting
at number 32 with additional orders of 47,792. Given that the issue only
sold 88,201 the first time round, that's a huge number.
Those extra sales are included in the numbers above. Without them,
issue #2 would be showing a 32.2% gain on issue #1. As it is, the
second issue has a fairly standard drop. Nonetheless, this is clearly a
big hit.
5. UNCANNY X-MEN
May Uncanny X-Men #423 - ??,???
May Uncanny X-Men #424 - 97,345 (+12.0%)
Jun Uncanny X-Men #425 - 91,547 ( -6.0%)
Jun Uncanny X-Men #426 - 89,719 ( -2.0%)
Jul Uncanny X-Men #427 - 92,095 ( +2.6%)
Jul Uncanny X-Men #428 - 93,546 ( +1.6%)
Aug Uncanny X-Men #429 - 93,866 ( +0.3%)
Sep Uncanny X-Men #430 - 94,165 ( +0.3%)
Sep Uncanny X-Men #431 - 92,341 ( -1.9%)
Oct Uncanny X-Men #432 - 92,472 ( +0.1%)
Nov Uncanny X-Men #433 - 90,764 ( -1.8%)
Dec Uncanny X-Men #434 - 90,318 ( -0.5%)
Dec Uncanny X-Men #435 - 89,767 ( -0.6%)
Dec Uncanny X-Men #436 - 89,105 ( -0.7%)
Jan Uncanny X-Men #437 - 89,897 ( +0.9%)
Jan Uncanny X-Men #438 - 88,490 ( -1.6%)
Feb Uncanny X-Men #439 - 86,259 ( -2.5%)
Feb Uncanny X-Men #440 - 85,712 ( -0.6%)
Mar Uncanny X-Men #441 - 86,431 ( +0.8%)
Apr Uncanny X-Men #442 - 86,975 ( +0.6%)
Apr Uncanny X-Men #443 - 86,002 ( -1.1%)
May Uncanny X-Men #444 - 112,129 (+30.4%)
6 mnth (+23.5%)
1 year (+15.2%)
Back to X-Men Reload. The first issue by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis
bounds up the chart with an impressive 30% increase. Of course, the
reshuffling of creative teams confuses matters in terms of drawing
comparisons with previous issues. The previous UNCANNY X-MEN team have
been largely relocated to X-MEN. This version of UNCANNY X-MEN is
really a successor to the cancelled X-TREME X-MEN. The final issue of
that book had orders of 51,375, so UNCANNY #444 would rate as an
increase of 118.3%.
Again, Marvel have got to be happy with this number.
6. X-MEN
May New X-Men #141 - 98,101 ( +1.5%)
Jun New X-Men #142 - 97,897 ( -0.2%)
Jul New X-Men #143 - 99,850 ( +2.0%)
Aug New X-Men #144 - 99,737 ( -0.1%)
Sep New X-Men #145 - 101,295 ( +1.6%)
Sep New X-Men #146 - 105,573 ( +4.2%)
Oct New X-Men #147 - 105,647 ( +0.1%)
Oct New X-Men #148 - 103,010 ( -2.5%)
Nov New X-Men #149 - 102,591 ( -0.4%)
Dec New X-Men #150 - 110,591 ( +7.8%)
Jan New X-Men #151 - 124,012 (+12.1%)
Jan New X-Men #152 - 120,638 ( -2.7%)
Feb New X-Men #153 - 116,422 ( -3.5%)
Mar New X-Men #154 - 117,253 ( +0.7%)
Apr New X-Men #155 - 100,088 (-14.6%)
Apr New X-Men #156 - 98,785 ( -1.3%)
May X-Men #157 - 107,185 ( +8.5%)
6 mnth ( +4.5%)
1 year ( +9.3%)
The former NEW X-MEN returns to its original title as Chuck Austen and
Salvador Larroca take over. Actually, they took over with issue #155,
but retailers treated the April issues as fill-ins. It's clear from this
month's increase that, thanks to Reload, retailers ordered this as the
real first issue.
X-MEN slips into third place behind UNCANNY for the first time in ages,
and at first glance this isn't such an impressive gain. 107,185 is
certainly okay, but it's still less than the final Grant Morrison issue.
Then again, this is really a continuation of UNCANNY, not X-MEN. If you
take your comparisons with April's UNCANNY X-MEN #443 (which sold
86,002), then the result would be a 25% gain. It all depends how you
look at it.
7. SPIDER-MAN
Apr Spider-Man #1 - 137,314
May Spider-Man #2 - 99,320 (-27.7%)
Ooh, harsh. That's a bit of a steep drop, even for a second issue.
Maybe the X-books have stolen its thunder.
8,9. ULTIMATE X-MEN
May Ultimate X-Men #33 - 95,095 ( +3.4%)
Jun Ultimate X-Men #34 - 110,753 (+16.5%)
Jul Ultimate X-Men #35 - 109,687 ( -1.0%)
Aug Ultimate X-Men #36 - 110,492 ( +0.7%)
Sep Ultimate X-Men #37 - 108,612 ( -1.7%)
Oct Ultimate X-Men #38 - 108,112 ( -0.5%)
Nov Ultimate X-Men #39 - 105,737 ( -2.2%)
Dec Ultimate X-Men #40 - 104,443 ( -1.2%)
Jan Ultimate X-Men #41 - 99,532 ( -4.7%)
Feb Ultimate X-Men #42 - 97,299 ( -2.2%)
Mar Ultimate X-Men #43 - 97,002 ( -0.3%)
Apr Ultimate X-Men #44 - 96,264 ( -0.8%)
May Ultimate X-Men #45 - 96,698 ( +0.5%)
May Ultimate X-Men #46 - 96,652 ( -0.0%)
6 mnth ( -8.6%)
1 year ( +1.6%)
Not officially part of Reload, and the first sign of a pattern that
repeats throughout - with a couple of exceptions, the satellite X-books
didn't really benefit all that much. ULTIMATE X-MEN got a new creative
team with issue #46, but retailers seem unbothered.
10,11. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
May Ultimate Spider-Man #40 - 104,480 ( +0.9%)
May Ultimate Spider-Man #41 - 102,794 ( -1.6%)
Jun Ultimate Spider-Man #42 - 100,151 ( -2.6%)
Jul Ultimate Spider-Man #43 - 101,316 ( +1.2%)
Aug Ultimate Spider-Man #44 - 102,429 ( +1.1%)
Aug Ultimate Spider-Man #45 - 100,619 ( -1.8%)
Sep Ultimate Spider-Man #46 - 105,409 ( +4.8%)
Oct Ultimate Spider-Man #47 - 99,662 ( -5.5%)
Oct Ultimate Spider-Man #48 - 98,747 ( -0.9%)
Nov Ultimate Spider-Man #49 - 96,707 ( -2.1%)
Dec Ultimate Spider-Man #50 - 109,819 (+13.6%)
Dec Ultimate Spider-Man #51 - 98,085 (-10.7%)
Jan Ultimate Spider-Man #52 - 95,854 ( -2.3%)
Feb Ultimate Spider-Man #53 - 92,540 ( -3.5%)
Mar Ultimate Spider-Man #54 - 93,025 ( +5.2%)
Mar Ultimate Spider-Man #55 - 91,525 ( -1.6%)
Apr Ultimate Spider-Man #56 - 91,585 ( +0.1%)
Apr Ultimate Spider-Man #57 - 90,784 ( -0.9%)
May Ultimate Spider-Man #58 - 90,963 ( +0.2%)
May Ultimate Spider-Man #59 - 89,863 ( -1.2%)
6 mnth ( -7.1%)
1 year (-14.0%)
Continuing a general downward drift. The book could use something to
attract attention back to it.
That said, the eighth ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN trade paperback is at number 2
on the graphic novels chart, with orders of 7,804, making it Marvel's
best selling trade for the month.
12. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
May Amazing Spider-Man #53 - 96,883 ( -0.8%)
Jun n/a
Jul Amazing Spider-Man #54 - 95,173 ( -1.8%)
Jul Amazing Spider-Man #55 - 95,467 ( +0.3%)
Aug Amazing Spider-Man #56 - 92,277 ( -3.3%)
Aug Amazing Spider-Man #57 - 93,469 ( +1.3%)
Sep Amazing Spider-Man #58 - 92,294 ( -1.3%)
Oct Amazing Spider-Man #500 - 148,928 (+61.4%)
Nov Amazing Spider-Man #501 - 94,558 (-36.5%)
Dec Amazing Spider-Man #502 - 90,484 ( -4.3%)
Jan Amazing Spider-Man #503 - 87,341 ( -3.5%)
Feb Amazing Spider-Man #504 - 84,064 ( -3.7%)
Mar Amazing Spider-Man #505 - 83,613 ( -0.5%)
Apr Amazing Spider-Man #506 - 83,152 ( -0.6%)
May Amazing Spider-Man #507 - 81,944 ( -1.5%)
6 mnth (-13.3%)
1 year (-15.4%)
Another downward trend. Marvel are pushing the arrival of artist Mike
Deodato as an event, so we'll see what difference that makes.
14. NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X
May New Mutants #1 - 57,016
Jun New Mutants #2 - 45,568 ( -20.0%)
Jul New Mutants #3 - 43,614 ( -4.3%)
Aug n/a
Sep New Mutants #4 - 41,448 ( -5.0%)
Oct New Mutants #5 - 41,301 ( -0.4%)
Oct New Mutants #6 - 40,644 ( -1.6%)
Nov New Mutants #7 - 38,830 ( -4.5%)
Dec n/a
Jan n/a
Feb New Mutants #8 - 37,609 ( -3.1%)
Feb New Mutants #9 - 36,037 ( -4.2%)
Mar New Mutants #10 - 34,841 ( -3.3%)
Apr New Mutants #11 - 34,148 ( -2.0%)
Apr New Mutants #12 - 33,481 ( -2.0%)
Apr New Mutants #13 - 32,994 ( -1.5%)
May New X-Men: Academy X #1 - 76,416 (+131.6%)
6 mnth ( +96.8%)
1 year ( +34.0%)
The repackaged NEW MUTANTS leaps up the chart, achieving even higher
sales than its debut issue last May. It's pretty much the same book,
but this time it has a valuable trick up its sleeve: retailers had to
order this one in order to get variant covers of ASTONISHING. It's
difficult to avoid the conclusion that a large part of this gain
represents retailers ordering through gritted teeth in order to get
extra copies of ASTONISHING (and it also makes you wonder just how many
of those ASTONISHING copies were ordered to pander to multiple-cover
collectors, come to think of it).
Nonetheless, the result has been to get a ton of NEW X-MEN books onto
the shelves, and if they actually sell, no doubt retailers will continue
to order accordingly. That said, Marvel should probably brace
themselves for a big drop next issue.
16. EXCALIBUR
May Excalibur #1 - 71,757
Solid numbers for the debut. Reaction has been a bit mixed, and the
first issue doesn't suggest a typical superhero book. I suspect it'll
drift down to X-TREME X-MEN levels over the course of the next year, but
we shall see.
19. WOLVERINE
May Wolverine #1 - 160,998 (+162.7%)
Jun Wolverine #2 - 99,867 ( -38.0%)
Jul Wolverine #3 - 90,717 ( -9.2%)
Aug Wolverine #4 - 86,145 ( -5.0%)
Sep Wolverine #5 - 81,728 ( -5.1%)
Oct Wolverine #6 - 82,074 ( +0.4%)
Nov Wolverine #7 - 78,734 ( -4.1%)
Nov Wolverine #8 - 77,040 ( -2.2%)
Dec Wolverine #9 - 74,659 ( -3.1%)
Jan Wolverine #10 - 71,374 ( -4.4%)
Feb Wolverine #11 - 69,686 ( -2.4%)
Mar Wolverine #12 - 69,815 ( +0.2%)
Apr Wolverine #13 - 71,060 ( +1.8%)
Apr Wolverine #14 - 70,881 ( -0.3%)
May Wolverine #15 - 68,728 ( -3.0%)
6 mnth ( -10.8%)
1 year ( -57.3%)
The first anniversary of WOLVERINE's relaunch under Greg Rucka and
Darick Robertson. As you can see, it shed an awful lot of readers -
though things seem to have stabilised a bit over the last few months.
Surprisingly, issue #14 picks up 1,007 reorders, which are included
above.
21. SUPREME POWER
Aug Supreme Power #1 - 96,161
Sep Supreme Power #2 - 77,496 (-19.4%)
Oct Supreme Power #3 - 77,123 ( -0.5%)
Nov Supreme Power #4 - 71,620 ( -7.1%)
Dec Supreme Power #5 - 70,321 ( -1.8%)
Jan Supreme Power #6 - 67,340 ( -4.2%)
Feb Supreme Power #7 - 65,423 ( -2.8%)
Mar Supreme Power #8 - 64,429 ( -1.5%)
Apr Supreme Power #9 - 64,284 ( -0.2%)
May Supreme Power #10 - 63,292 ( -1.5%)
6 mnth (-11.6%)
Gentle decline. Nothing to be too concerned about.
22,23. AVENGERS
May Avengers #67 - 58,097 (-0.4%)
Jun Avengers #68 - 57,587 (-0.9%)
Jul n/a
Aug Avengers #69 - 57,850 (+0.5%)
Sep n/a
Oct Avengers #70 - 58,878 (+1.8%)
Oct Avengers #71 - 57,350 (-2.6%)
Oct Avengers #72 - 58,437 (+1.9%)
Nov Avengers #73 - 58,177 (-0.4%)
Nov Avengers #74 - 57,557 (-1.1%)
Dec Avengers #75 - 57,841 (+0.5%)
Dec Avengers #76 - 57,501 (-0.6%)
Jan Avengers #77 - ??,??? ( ??? )
Feb Avengers #78 - 58,798 (+2.3%)
Feb Avengers #79 - 55,014 (-6.4%)
Mar Avengers #80 - 55,533 (+0.9%)
Apr Avengers #81 - 54,987 (-1.0%)
May Avengers #82 - 55,711 (+1.3%)
May Avengers #83 - 55,280 (-0.8%)
6 mnth (-4.0%)
1 year (-4.8%)
Seems to have stabilised at around the 55,000 mark. All academic now,
given that Avengers Disassemble is around the corner.
24. DAREDEVIL
May Daredevil #47 - 61,368 ( +1.4%)
Jun Daredevil #48 - 59,689 ( -2.7%)
Jul Daredevil #49 - 60,165 ( +0.8%)
Aug Daredevil #50 - 65,398 ( +8.7%)
Sep Daredevil #51 - 59,636 ( -8.8%)
Sep Daredevil #52 - 58,561 ( -1.8%)
Oct Daredevil #53 - 58,620 ( +0.1%)
Nov Daredevil #54 - 57,557 ( -1.8%)
Dec Daredevil #55 - 53,660 ( -6.8%)
Jan Daredevil #56 - 56,351 ( +5.0%)
Feb Daredevil #57 - 54,644 ( -3.0%)
Mar Daredevil #58 - 54,400 ( -0.4%)
Apr Daredevil #59 - 54,398 ( -0.0%)
May Daredevil #60 - 54,012 ( -0.7%)
6 mnth ( -6.2%)
1 year (-12.0%)
Extremely stable over the last few months, although it's feeling the
effects of losing readers during the ill-advised David Mack arc.
25. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
Jul Spectacular Spider-Man #1 - 118,805
Jul Spectacular Spider-Man #2 - 91,512 (-23.0%)
Aug Spectacular Spider-Man #3 - 78,080 (-14.7%)
Sep Spectacular Spider-Man #4 - 74,527 ( -4.6%)
Oct Spectacular Spider-Man #5 - 71,665 ( -3.8%)
Nov Spectacular Spider-Man #6 - 67,633 ( -5.6%)
Nov Spectacular Spider-Man #7 - 66,065 ( -2.3%)
Dec Spectacular Spider-Man #8 - 62,721 ( -0.6%)
Jan Spectacular Spider-Man #9 - 58,711 ( -6.4%)
Feb Spectacular Spider-Man #10 - 55,746 ( -5.1%)
Mar Spectacular Spider-Man #11 - 54,066 ( -3.0%)
Mar Spectacular Spider-Man #12 - 53,549 ( -1.0%)
Apr Spectacular Spider-Man #13 - 52,835 ( -1.3%)
May Spectacular Spider-Man #14 - 51,036 ( -3.4%)
6 mnth (-22.7%)
Continuing to drop, and perhaps a little bit too quickly for comfort.
26. FANTASTIC FOUR
May Fantastic Four #69 - 52,103 ( +1.4%)
Jun Fantastic Four #70 - 53,066 ( +1.8%)
Jul Fantastic Four #500 - 83,636 (+57.6%)
Jul Fantastic FOur #501 - 56,002 (-33.0%)
Aug Fantastic Four #502 - 54,084 ( -3.4%)
Aug Fantastic Four #503 - 53,789 ( -0.5%)
Sep Fantastic Four #504 - 53,885 ( +0.1%)
Oct Fantastic Four #505 - 52,850 ( -2.0%)
Nov Fantastic Four #506 - 51,721 ( -2.1%)
Nov Fantastic Four #507 - 51,179 ( -1.0%)
Dec Fantastic Four #508 - 50,333 ( -1.7%)
Jan Fantastic Four #509 - 50,260 ( -0.1%)
Feb Fantastic Four #510 - 49,129 ( -2.3%)
Mar Fantastic Four #511 - 50,089 ( +2.0%)
Apr Fantastic Four #512 - 52,953 ( +5.7%)
May Fantastic Four #513 - 50,936 ( -3.8%)
6 mnth ( -0.5%)
1 year ( -2.2%)
Hovering around the 50-52K mark, and looking fairly stable.
31. PUNISHER
May Punisher #26 - 40,014 ( -0.8%)
May Punisher #27 - 39,812 ( -0.5%)
Jun Punisher #28 - 39,431 ( -0.1%)
Jul Punisher #29 - 38,849 ( -1.5%)
Aug Punisher #30 - 37,370 ( -3.8%)
Sep Punisher #31 - 37,007 ( -1.0%)
Sep Punisher #32 - 37,240 ( +0.6%)
Oct Punisher #33 - 42,130 (+13.1%)
Oct Punisher #34 - 41,441 ( -1.6%)
Nov Punisher #35 - 39,081 ( -5.7%)
Nov Punisher #36 - 39,217 ( +0.3%)
Dec Punisher #37 - 38,561 ( -1.7%)
Jan Punisher #1 - 56,334 (+46.1%)
Jan Punisher #2 - 49,183 (-12.7%)
Feb Punisher #3 - 46,396 ( -5.7%)
Mar Punisher #4 - 47,096 ( +1.5%)
Apr Punisher #5 - 49,080 ( +4.2%)
May Punisher #6 - 48,576 ( -1.0%)
6 mnth (+23.9%)
1 year (+21.4%)
Last month, PUNISHER #5 appeared on the charts with shockingly low
orders of 34,234. The explanation turns out to be fairly innocuous -
this is one of those occasional books where Diamond failed to actually
ship all the copies on time. The Diamond chart represents comics which
were actually delivered to stores, and so if a large number of books
aren't distributed on time, they don't show up until next month's chart.
As a result, PUNISHER #5 appears again on the May chart with a further
14,846 sales, which reveals that sales for that issue actually went up.
(Incidentally, this makes it one of only two Marvel books which had
increased their sales in the six months to April, the other one being
FANTASTIC FOUR.)
Anyway, panic over. Sales are looking perfectly healthy.
33. WOLVERINE/PUNISHER
Mar Wolverine/Punisher #1 (of 5) - 59,685
Apr Wolverine/Punisher #2 (of 5) - 51,155 (-14.3%)
May Wolverine/Punisher #3 (of 5) - 47,699 ( -6.8%)
Standard miniseries numbers.
35. DISTRICT X
May District X #1 - 45,439
Not too bad. Should be around for a while yet, especially considering
the generally good reaction.
36. INCREDIBLE HULK
May Incredible Hulk #54 - 61,426 ( +6.2%)
Jun Incredible Hulk #55 - ??,???
Jun Incredible Hulk #56 - 68,529 (+11.6%)
Jul Incredible Hulk #57 - 64,959 ( -5.2%)
Jul Incredible Hulk #58 - 62,804 ( -3.3%)
Aug Incredible Hulk #59 - 59,336 ( -5.5%)
Sep Incredible Hulk #60 - 58,584 ( -1.3%)
Sep Incredible Hulk #61 - 57,298 ( -2.2%)
Oct Incredible Hulk #62 - 55,530 ( -3.1%)
Nov Incredible Hulk #63 - 53,357 ( -3.9%)
Dec Incredible Hulk #64 - 51,960 ( -2.6%)
Jan Incredible Hulk #65 - 49,049 ( -5.6%)
Jan Incredible Hulk #66 - 48,560 ( -1.0%)
Feb Incredible Hulk #67 - 47,632 ( -1.9%)
Mar Incredible Hulk #68 - 46,138 ( -3.1%)
Mar Incredible Hulk #69 - 45,754 ( -0.8%)
Apr Incredible Hulk #70 - 46,161 ( +0.9%)
Apr Incredible Hulk #71 - 46,837 ( +1.5%)
May Incredible Hulk #72 - 45,385 ( -3.1%)
6 mnth (-20.8%)
1 year (-26.1%)
Fairly stable over the last couple of months, but the number of readers
lost over the last year really ought to be a concern. The book could do
with some retooling.
39. PULSE / ALIAS
May Alias #22 - 27,680 ( +3.4%)
Jun Alias #23 - 27,426 ( -0.9%)
Jul Alias #24 - 28,103 ( +2.5%)
Aug Alias #25 - 27,674 ( -1.5%)
Sep Alias #26 - 27,609 ( -0.2%)
Oct Alias #27 - 27,628 ( +0.1%)
Nov Alias #28 - 28,125 ( +1.8%)
Dec n/a
Jan n/a
Feb Pulse #1 - 51,130 (+81.8%)
Mar Pulse #2 - 45,479 (-11.1%)
Apr n/a
May Pulse #3 - 43,655 ( -4.0%)
6 mnth (+55.2%)
1 year (+57.7%)
A reassuringly small drop for the third issue. The book seems to be
settling to a level way above what ALIAS managed.
44. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
May X-Men 2004 - 39,380
Respectable. It'll be interesting to see how the future HANDBOOK
one-shots perform, particularly the ones from less powerful franchises.
(The HULK one is going to struggle, surely?)
45,46. EXILES
May Exiles #26 - 37,089 (+1.9%)
May Exiles #27 - 37,204 (+0.3%)
Jun Exiles #28 - 39,048 (+5.0%)
Jul Exiles #29 - 40,696 (+4.2%)
Aug Exiles #30 - 41,269 (+1.4%)
Aug Exiles #31 - 40,666 (-1.5%)
Aug Exiles #32 - 40,548 (-0.3%)
Sep Exiles #33 - 41,635 (+2.7%)
Sep Exiles #34 - 40,934 (-1.7%)
Oct Exiles #35 - 40,730 (-0.5%)
Oct Exiles #36 - 40,601 (-0.3%)
Nov Exiles #37 - 40,272 (-0.8%)
Dec Exiles #38 - 38,542 (-4.3%)
Dec Exiles #39 - 38,313 (-0.6%)
Jan Exiles #40 - 37,277 (-2.7%)
Jan Exiles #41 - 37,072 (-0.5%)
Feb Exiles #42 - 37,147 (+0.2%)
Feb Exiles #43 - 37,054 (-0.3%)
Mar Exiles #44 - 37,575 (+1.4%)
Apr Exiles #45 - 37,878 (+0.8%)
May Exiles #46 - 38,788 (+2.4%)
May Exiles #47 - 38,327 (-1.2%)
6 mnth (-4.8%)
1 year (+3.3%)
Tony Bedard and Mizuki Sakakibara take over, but the book remains
stubbornly in its established range. If Marvel were hoping for Reload
to spill over into big rises for the new creative teams on secondary
X-books, they'll be disappointed.
47. CAPTAIN AMERICA
May Captain America #13 - 49,279 ( -4.9%)
Jun Captain America #14 - 45,639 ( -7.4%)
Jul Captain America #15 - 45,520 ( -0.3%)
Aug Captain America #16 - 43,123 ( -5.3%)
Sep Captain America #17 - 43,295 ( +0.3%)
Sep Captain America #18 - 42,711 ( -1.3%)
Oct Captain America #19 - 42,356 ( -0.8%)
Nov Captain America #20 - 41,143 ( -2.9%)
Dec Captain America #21 - 43,018 ( +4.6%)
Jan Captain America #22 - 41,266 ( -4.1%)
Feb Captain America #23 - 39,695 ( -3.8%)
Mar Captain America #24 - 39,168 ( -1.3%)
Apr Captain America #25 - 38,584 ( -1.5%)
May Captain America #26 - 37,558 ( -2.7%)
6 mnth ( -8.7%)
1 year (-23.8%)
Another gentle downward drift.
49. NYX
Oct NYX #1 - 54,755
Nov NYX #2 - 44,404 (-18.9%)
Dec NYX #3 - 40,050 ( -9.8%)
Jan n/a
Feb n/a
Mar n/a
Apr n/a
May NYX #4 - 37,028 ( -7.5%)
6 mnth (-16.6%)
NYX returns from a four month hiatus with... well, pretty much the same
sort of sales you'd have expected back in January.
Great comic book myths of our time: if your book is horrendously late,
sales will suffer. It didn't hurt ULTIMATES, it didn't hurt DAREDEVIL a
few years back, and it doesn't seem to be doing much damage to NYX
either.
50. CABLE/DEADPOOL
Mar Cable/Deadpool #1 - 47,130
Apr Cable/Deadpool #2 - 39,472 (-16.2%)
May Cable/Deadpool #3 - 36,820 ( -6.7%)
Okay for a third issue drop.
55. CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON
Mar Captain America & The Falcon #1 - 41,519
Apr Captain America & The Falcon #2 - 36,763 (-11.5%)
May Captain America & The Falcon #3 - 33,975 ( -7.6%)
A bit bigger, but not too bad.
57. ALPHA FLIGHT
Mar Alpha Flight #1 - 42,586
Apr Alpha Flight #2 - 36,551 (-14.2%)
May Alpha Flight #3 - 32,684 (-10.6%)
Getting worrying - that's on the steep side for a third issue drop, and
the cancellation zone isn't all that far below.
59. SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED
Jan Spider-Man Unlimited #1 - 53,413
Feb n/a
Mar Spider-Man Unlimited #2 - 37,550 (-29.7%)
Apr n/a
May Spider-Man Unlimited #3 - 31,661 (-15.7%)
Shedding readers at an alarming rate. SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED ships on
alternate months with X-MEN UNLIMITED; April's X-MEN UNLIMITED #2 had
orders of 42,597, so the Spider-Man title is already slipping far
behind. My instinct is that Marvel have passed saturation point for
Spider-Man stories and there's not much demand for a book like this.
60. EMMA FROST
Jul Emma Frost #1 - 54,330
Aug Emma Frost #2 - 46,507 (-14.4%)
Sep Emma Frost #3 - 43,389 ( -6.7%)
Oct Emma Frost #4 - 41,710 ( -3.9%)
Nov Emma Frost #5 - 39,527 ( -5.2%)
Dec Emma Frost #6 - 37,890 ( -4.1%)
Jan Emma Frost #7 - 35,807 ( -5.5%)
Feb Emma Frost #8 - 34,894 ( -2.5%)
Mar Emma Frost #9 - 33,890 ( -2.9%)
Apr Emma Frost #10 - 32,625 ( -3.7%)
May Emma Frost #11 - 31,269 ( -4.2%)
6 mnth (-20.9%)
Still dropping
62,64. THOR
May Thor #64 - 34,337 ( -0.2%)
Jun Thor #65 - 33,450 ( -2.6%)
Jul Thor #66 - 33,557 ( +0.3%)
Aug Thor #67 - 32,279 ( -3.8%)
Sep Thor #68 - 32,354 ( +0.2%)
Oct Thor #69 - 32,991 ( +2.0%)
Oct Thor #70 - 32,334 ( -2.0%)
Nov Thor #71 - 31,706 ( -1.9%)
Dec Thor #72 - 31,953 ( +0.8%)
Jan Thor #73 - 31,141 ( -2.5%)
Feb Thor #74 - 30,538 ( -1.9%)
Mar Thor #75 - 31,531 ( +3.3%)
Mar Thor #76 - 30,806 ( -2.3%)
Apr Thor #77 - 30,819 ( +0.0%)
May Thor #78 - 30,562 ( -0.8%)
May Thor #79 - 30,270 ( -1.0%)
6 mnth ( -4.5%)
1 year (-11.8%)
Dan Jurgen wraps up his run after 79 issues - by today's standards, an
enormous run. THOR has been extremely consistent for the last few
months, but Marvel will doubtless be looking for big things from the
title as part of Avengers Disassembled.
66. SHE-HULK
Mar She-Hulk #1 - 34,499
Apr She-Hulk #2 - 30,779 (-10.8%)
May She-Hulk #3 - 29,662 ( -3.6%)
A fairly small drop - the good word of mouth may be paying off.
67,70. MYSTIQUE
May Mystique #2 - 41,037 (-13.7%)
Jun Mystique #3 - 37,943 ( -7.5%)
Jul Mystique #4 - 39,480 ( +4.1%)
Aug Mystique #5 - 38,827 ( -1.7%)
Sep Mystique #6 - 38,620 ( -0.5%)
Oct Mystique #7 - 39,697 ( +2.8%)
Nov Mystique #8 - 37,097 ( -6.5%)
Dec n/a
Jan Mystique #9 - 34,579 ( -6.8%)
Jan Mystique #10 - 32,361 ( -6.4%)
Feb Mystique #11 - 31,354 ( -3.1%)
Mar Mystique #12 - 30,489 ( -2.8%)
Apr Mystique #13 - 29,759 ( -2.4%)
May Mystique #14 - 29,439 ( -1.1%)
May Mystique #15 - 28,940 ( -1.7%)
6 mnth (-22.0%)
1 year (-29.5%)
The book gets a new creative team for Reload month, but sales are
completely unaffected. The downward slide continues. That has to be
cause for concern, given that issue #15 was only marginally above this
next book...
71. THANOS
Oct Thanos #1 - 63,108
Nov Thanos #2 - 45,769 (-27.5%)
Dec Thanos #3 - 37,706 (-17.6%)
Jan Thanos #4 - 32,993 (-12.5%)
Jan Thanos #5 - 32,432 ( -1.7%)
Feb Thanos #6 - 31,068 ( -4.2%)
Mar Thanos #7 - 30,180 ( -2.9%)
Mar Thanos #8 - 30,189 ( +0.0%)
Apr Thanos #9 - 29,704 ( -1.6%)
May Thanos #10 - 28,809 ( -3.0%)
6 mnth (-37.1%)
THANOS has been axed with issue #12, something that was confirmed by Dan
Buckley at a convention panel but which Marvel have otherwise been very
quiet about. The September solicitations start an interesting new trend
- rather than announcing that a book is cancelled, they've just stopped
soliciting several low-selling titles. One of them is THANOS.
Presumably this is meant to delay cancellation announcements until the
last possible moment, in the hope of maximising sales on the final
issues. Of course, it'll also have the effect of increasing
cancellation rumours on low-selling titles, by opening the floodgates to
legitimate speculation.
So where does this leave us? Well, here's something that seems like a
workable rule of thumb.
Is your comic outsold by another title which we already know is
cancelled? Is it mysteriously missing from the most recent
solicitations? Did the previous issue contain the end of a storyline?
If you answered "yes" to all three of these questions - and there hasn't
been a positive public announcement that the book is continuing - then
your comic is Probably Cancelled.
In fact, THANOS has been fairly steady for the last few months. Pulling
the plug suggests that the cancellation point has been moved up
significantly. 29K isn't all that low.
Anyway - from this point on, we are getting into the danger zone.
73,74,75. IRON MAN
May Iron Man #68 - 33,213 ( -2.3%)
Jun Iron Man #69 - 31,976 ( -3.7%)
Jul Iron Man #70 - 32,208 ( +0.7%)
Aug Iron Man #71 - 30,823 ( -4.3%)
Sep Iron Man #72 - 30,438 ( -1.2%)
Oct Iron Man #73 - 34,132 (+12.1%)
Nov Iron Man #74 - 32,016 ( -6.2%)
Dec Iron Man #75 - 31,889 ( -0.4%)
Jan Iron Man #76 - 30,197 ( -5.3%)
Feb Iron Man #77 - 29,748 ( -1.5%)
Mar Iron Man #78 - 29,680 ( -0.2%)
Apr Iron Man #79 - 29,138 ( -1.8%)
Apr Iron Man #80 - 28,809 ( -1.1%)
May Iron Man #81 - 28,232 ( -2.0%)
May Iron Man #82 - 28,002 ( -0.8%)
May Iron Man #83 - 28,055 ( +0.2%)
6 mnth (-12.4%)
1 year (-15.5%)
IRON MAN has nothing to worry about, because it's about to be given a
big push as part of Avengers Disassembled, and that should catapult it
back up the charts.
76,79. WEAPON X
May Weapon X #9 - 28,458 ( -3.2%)
Jun n/a
Jul Weapon X #10 - 28,015 ( -1.6%)
Jul Weapon X #11 - 27,590 ( -1.5%)
Aug n/a
Sep Weapon X #12 - 26,908 ( -2.5%)
Oct Weapon X #13 - 26,974 ( +0.2%)
Oct Weapon X #14 - 27,663 ( +2.6%)
Nov Weapon X #15 - 27,516 ( -5.3%)
Dec n/a
Jan Weapon X #16 - 27,009 ( -1.8%)
Jan Weapon X #17 - 26,439 ( -2.1%)
Feb Weapon X #18 - 26,284 ( -0.6%)
Mar Weapon X #19 - 25,795 ( -1.9%)
Mar Weapon X #20 - 24,970 ( -3.2%)
Apr Weapon X #21 - 25,527 ( +2.2%)
Apr Weapon X #22 - 25,283 ( -1.0%)
May Weapon X #23 - 27,948 (+10.5%)
May Weapon X #24 - 27,286 ( -2.4%)
6 mnth ( -0.8%)
1 year ( -4.1%)
WEAPON X gets a bump, although it's difficult to identify exactly why.
It might be because of Reload, but that didn't help the other secondary
X-books. It might be because the solicitations promise a Wolverine
story digging into his past, which is usually good for a few sales.
However, that bump still leaves WEAPON X below the cancelled THANOS.
They may have been hoping for more.
77,80. VENOM
May Venom #1 - 92,592
Jun Venom #2 - 66,956 (-27.7%)
Jul Venom #3 - 53,040 (-20.8%)
Aug n/a
Sep Venom #4 - 46,895 (-11.6%)
Oct Venom #5 - 42,549 ( -9.3%)
Oct Venom #6 - 42,065 ( -1.1%)
Oct Venom #7 - 40,580 ( -3.5%)
Nov Venom #8 - 36,400 (-10.3%)
Dec Venom #9 - 33,543 ( -7.8%)
Jan Venom #10 - 31,586 ( -5.8%)
Feb Venom #11 - 29,891 ( -5.4%)
Mar Venom #12 - 28,246 ( -5.5%)
Apr Venom #13 - 27,537 ( -2.5%)
May Venom #14 - 27,571 ( +0.1%)
May Venom #15 - 26,917 ( -2.4%)
6 mnth (-26.1%)
1 year (-70.9%)
Missing from the September solicitations, sells terribly, and issue #18
(solicited for August) is the end of a five-part storyline. Presumably
Cancelled, then. Hardly a surprise, with plummeting sales like that.
88. IRON FIST
Mar Iron Fist #1 - 34,207
Apr Iron Fist #2 - 28,432 (-16.9%)
May Iron Fist #3 - 24,972 (-12.2%)
Presumably Cancelled with August's issue #6. Dreadful sales, obviously,
and it's almost an act of charity to let it run that far.
94,98. MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN
Mar Marvel Age Spider-Man #1 - 36,700
Apr Marvel Age Spider-Man #2 - 30,363 (-16.5%)
May Marvel Age Spider-Man #3 - 24,180 (-20.4%)
May Marvel Age Spider-Man #4 - 23,442 ( -3.1%)
As I say every month, the Marvel Age books don't work by the same rules
as other Marvel books, because they aren't aimed at the direct market.
That allows them to survive at levels that wouldn't be acceptable for
other titles. So long as the digests sell, anyway...
95. SILVER SURFER
Jul Silver Surfer #1 - 60,282
Aug n/a
Sep n/a
Oct Silver Surfer #2 - 47,275 (-21.6%)
Nov Silver Surfer #3 - 39,081 (-17.3%)
Dec Silver Surfer #4 - 36,282 ( -7.2%)
Jan Silver Surfer #5 - 31,052 (-14.4%)
Feb Silver Surfer #6 - 28,352 ( -8.7%)
Mar Silver Surfer #7 - 26,962 ( -4.9%)
Apr Silver Surfer #8 - 25,542 ( -5.3%)
May Silver Surfer #9 - 24,142 ( -5.5%)
6 mnth (-38.2%)
Still on the solicitations for September, believe it or not. It can
only be a matter of time - this book is bleeding readers.
97. X-STATIX
May Wolverine/Doop #1 - 30,317 ( -2.2%)
Jun Wolverine/Doop #2 - 27,398 ( -9.6%)
Jul X-Statix #11 - 29,599 ( +8.0%)
Aug X-Statix #12 - 28,660 ( -3.2%)
Sep n/a
Oct X-Statix #13 - 32,184 (+12.3%)
Oct X-Statix #14 - 31,420 ( -2.4%)
Nov X-Statix #15 - 30,042 ( -4.4%)
Nov X-Statix #16 - 28,251 ( -6.0%)
Dec X-Statix #17 - 27,000 ( -4.4%)
Jan X-Statix #18 - 25,246 ( -6.5%)
Feb X-Statix #19 - 24,182 ( -4.2%)
Mar X-Statix #20 - 23,677 ( -2.1%)
Apr X-Statix #21 - 25,911 ( +9.4%)
Apr X-Statix #22 - 24,933 ( -3.8%)
May X-Statix #23 - 24,080 ( -3.4%)
6 mnth (-14.8%)
1 year (-20.6%)
Axed with issue #26.
99. THOR: SON OF ASGARD
Mar Thor: Son of Asgard #1 - 29,588
Mar Thor: Son of Asgard #2 - 26,962 (-8.9%)
Apr Thor: Son of Asgard #3 - 25,110 (-6.9%)
May Thor: Son of Asgard #4 - 22,696 (-9.6%)
Originally a six-issue miniseries, THOR: SON OF ASGARD is now scheduled
up to at least issue #9. Given that it debuted with terrible sales and
has been falling rapidly ever since, Marvel's decision to extend its run
is almost incomprehensible. Perhaps they have high hopes for it in the
bookstores - it is, after all, written by a manga author.
Anyhow, other than a couple of Marvel Age books, this is now Marvel's
lowest selling ongoing title.
104. CAPTAIN MARVEL
May Captain Marvel #9 - 28,832 ( -0.7%)
May Captain Marvel #10 - 28,559 ( -0.9%)
Jun Captain Marvel #11 - 28,021 ( -1.9%)
Jul Captain Marvel #12 - 27,810 ( -0.8%)
Aug Captain Marvel #13 - 26,291 ( -5.5%)
Sep Captain Marvel #14 - 25,622 ( -2.5%)
Oct Captain Marvel #15 - 26,038 ( +1.6%)
Nov Captain Marvel #16 - 24,399 ( -6.3%)
Dec Captain Marvel #17 - 23,526 ( -3.6%)
Jan Captain Marvel #18 - 23,011 ( -2.2%)
Jan Captain Marvel #19 - 22,824 ( -0.8%)
Feb Captain Marvel #20 - 22,324 ( -0.2%)
Mar Captain Marvel #21 - 22,235 ( -0.4%)
Apr Captain Marvel #22 - 21,742 ( -2.2%)
May Captain Marvel #23 - 21,151 ( -2.7%)
6 mnth (-13.3%)
1 year (-26.6%)
Axed with issue #25.
105. MARVEL AGE FANTASTIC FOUR
Apr Marvel Age Fantastic Four #1 - 29,641
May Marvel Age Fantastic Four #2 - 21,074 (-28.9%)
And to think, they're adding more titles to this line in September.
Those digests had better be selling in big numbers.
107,108. SPIDER-GIRL
May Spider-Girl #60 - 23,122 ( -0.3%)
Jun Spider-Girl #61 - 23,429 ( +1.4%)
Jul Spider-Girl #62 - 23,104 ( -1.4%)
Aug Spider-Girl #63 - 22,584 ( -2.3%)
Sep Spider-Girl #64 - 22,442 ( -0.6%)
Oct Spider-Girl #65 - 22,561 ( +0.5%)
Nov Spider-Girl #66 - 21,864 ( +0.3%)
Dec Spider-Girl #67 - 21,403 ( -2.1%)
Jan Spider-Girl #68 - 20,544 ( -4.0%)
Jan Spider-Girl #69 - 20,384 ( -0.8%)
Feb Spider-Girl #70 - 20,541 ( +0.8%)
Mar Spider-Girl #71 - 20,709 ( +0.8%)
Apr Spider-Girl #72 - 20,533 ( -0.8%)
May Spider-Girl #73 - 20,275 ( -1.3%)
May Spider-Girl #74 - 19,959 ( -1.6%)
6 mnth ( -8.7%)
1 year (-13.7%)
The lowest selling survivor. Fans seem to be bracing themselves for
cancellation in the wake of AMAZING FANTASY's launch, although with
sales in decline anyway, cancellation must have been on the cards
anyway. Of course, SPIDER-GIRL is a Marvel Age title and gets some
additional leeway as a result.
111. RUNAWAYS
May Runaways #2 - 23,328 ( -9.7%)
Jun Runaways #3 - 20,778 (-10.9%)
Jul Runaways #4 - 20,246 ( -2.6%)
Aug Runaways #5 - 19,332 ( -4.5%)
Sep Runaways #6 - 20,035 ( +3.6%)
Oct Runaways #7 - 21,721 ( +8.4%)
Nov Runaways #8 - 20,896 ( -3.8%)
Dec Runaways #9 - 20,429 ( -2.2%)
Jan Runaways #10 - 20,108 ( -1.6%)
Feb Runaways #11 - 19,978 ( -0.6%)
Feb Runaways #12 - 19,608 ( -1.9%)
Mar Runaways #13 - 19,459 ( -0.8%)
Apr Runaways #14 - 19,363 ( -0.5%)
May Runaways #15 - 19,306 ( -0.3%)
6 mnth ( -7.6%)
1 year (-17.2%)
Axed with issue #18, although it's going to be relaunched for a second
"season" once the first run has been collected in digest form.
Skip months
===========
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR
Dec Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 - 188,552
Jan Ultimate Fantastic Four #2 - 126,693 (-32.8%)
Feb Ultimate Fantastic Four #3 - 109,801 (-13.3%)
Mar Ultimate Fantastic Four #4 - 108,396 ( -1.3%)
Apr Ultimate Fantastic Four #5 - 104,063 ( -4.0%)
May n/a
Issue #5 picks up another 1,415 orders, included in the numbers above.
WOLVERINE: THE END
Nov Wolverine: The End #1 (of 6) - 116,209
Dec n/a
Jan Wolverine: The End #2 (of 6) - 100,111 (-13.9%)
Feb n/a
Mar n/a
Apr Wolverine: The End #3 (of 6) - 93,131 ( -7.0%)
May n/a
Originally scheduled as a monthly, but it seems to have settled down
into a bimonthly routine.
DAREDEVIL: FATHER
Apr Daredevil: Father #1 (of 5) - 69,487
May n/a
The first issue picks up 3,437 in re-orders.
KNIGHTS 4
Feb Knights 4 #1 - 61,388
Feb Knights 4 #2 - 53,459 (-12.9%)
Mar Knights 4 #3 - 45,604 (-14.7%)
Apr Knights 4 #4 - 45,926 ( +0.7%)
Apr Knights 4 #5 - 45,227 ( -1.5%)
May n/a
Running late; issue #6 didn't ship until June.
X-MEN UNLIMITED
Feb X-Men Unlimited #1 - 52,865
Mar n/a
Apr X-Men Unlimited #2 - 42,597 (-19.4%)
May n/a
Bimonthly schedule.
AVENGERS/THUNDERBOLTS
Mar Avengers/Thunderbolts #1 (of 6) - 47,255
Apr Avengers/Thunderbolts #2 (of 6) - 44,717 (-5.4%)
Apr Avengers/Thunderbolts #3 (of 6) - 40,579 (-9.3%)
May n/a
Delayed until June.
HAWKEYE
Oct Hawkeye #1 - 35,262
Nov Hawkeye #2 - 27,574 (-21.8%)
Dec Hawkeye #3 - 23,545 (-14.6%)
Jan Hawkeye #4 - 20,464 (-13.1%)
Feb n/a
Mar Hawkeye #5 - 18,817 ( -8.0%)
Mar Hawkeye #6 - 17,750 ( -5.7%)
Apr Hawkeye #7 - 16,607 ( -6.4%)
May n/a
Axed with issue #8, which was delayed until June.
Finally, the six month and one year comparisons:-
6 month changes
==============
+96.8% - New X-Men: Academy X / New Mutants
+55.2% - Pulse / Alias
+23.9% - Punisher
+23.5% - Uncanny X-Men
+ 4.5% - X-Men / New X-Men
- 0.5% - Fantastic Four
- 0.8% - Weapon X
- 4.0% - Avengers
- 4.5% - Thor
- 4.8% - Exiles
- 6.2% - Daredevil
- 7.1% - Ultimate Spider-Man
- 7.6% - Runaways
- 8.6% - Ultimate X-Men
- 8.7% - Captain America
- 8.7% - Spider-Girl
-10.8% - Wolverine
-11.6% - Supreme Power
-12.4% - Iron Man
-13.3% - Amazing Spider-Man
-13.3% - Captain Marvel
-14.8% - X-Statix
-16.6% - NYX
-20.8% - Incredible Hulk
-20.9% - Emma Frost
-22.0% - Mystique
-22.7% - Spectacular Spider-Man
-26.1% - Venom
-37.1% - Thanos
-38.2% - Silver Surfer
1 year changes
==============
+57.7% - Pulse / Alias
+34.0% - New X-Men: Academy X / New Mutants
+21.4% - Punisher
+15.2% - Uncanny X-Men
+ 9.3% - X-Men / New X-Men
+ 3.3% - Exiles
+ 1.6% - Ultimate X-Men
- 2.2% - Fantastic Four
- 4.1% - Weapon X
- 4.8% - Avengers
-11.6% - Supreme Power
-11.8% - Thor
-12.0% - Daredevil
-13.7% - Spider-Girl
-14.0% - Ultimate Spider-Man
-15.4% - Amazing Spider-Man
-15.5% - Iron Man
-17.2% - Runaways
-20.6% - X-Statix
-23.8% - Captain America
-26.1% - Incredible Hulk
-26.6% - Captain Marvel
-29.5% - Mystique
-57.3% - Wolverine
-70.9% - Venom
--
Paul O'Brien
THE X-AXIS - http://www.thexaxis.com
ARTICLE 10 - http://www.ninthart.com
LIVEJOURNAL - http://www.livejournal.com/~paulobrien
Billy Bissette
news:7XLkdsIo...@esoterica.demon.co.uk:
(About the Marvel Age books)
> And to think, they're adding more titles to this line in September.
> Those digests had better be selling in big numbers.
Are those digests selling? Is there a way to actually find out?
I'm expecting the bookstore manga bubble to burst within the next
year or so. The manga market has (to me) become badly oversaturated
and more companies are putting out even more titles each month.
Bookstores aren't exactly the best judges of how to order "new" books
in general, and I've seen several that have been over-ordering manga
titles (as well as comic book shops that should know better). I've
also been seeing more bookstores cutting back on what they will stock
as well as dumping (sometimes through methods other than the storefront,
not putting them into the store's own discount areas) excess copies of
manga books.
As an example, the closest bookstore to where I live would remove
crates of unsold manga titles every month or two, and just recently cut
their manga section back to one-third of its prior size, and cut the
stock to even less than that (as the titles they kept don't even fill
the reduced space). Mainly some of the big names and a small
percentage (relative to the number shipped) of new titles were kept.
I've seen other stores also which were overstocking and only somewhat
recently have begun to cut back.
Jim Connick
>> Paul O'Brien <pa...@SPAMBLOCK.esoterica.demon.co.uk> wrote in
>> news:7XLkdsIo...@esoterica.demon.co.uk:
>>
>> (About the Marvel Age books)
>>> And to think, they're adding more titles to this line in September.
>>> Those digests had better be selling in big numbers.
>>
>> Are those digests selling? Is there a way to actually find out?
Well, there's a monthly Graphic Novels and TPBs sales chart from Diamond,
just as there is for comics, you could look at that to see how well the
digests are doing.
I see also that the two new Marvel Age books, Team Up & Hulk, are at least
launching at a price lower than everything else Marvel publishes, $1.75.
Will the people looking for cheaper comics be tempted by that?
--
Jim
[HYPE] Win Sleeper comics & TPBs!
http://www.toothwatch.co.uk
gsims
interesting.
Garrett
"Paul O'Brien" <pa...@SPAMBLOCK.esoterica.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:7XLkdsIo...@esoterica.demon.co.uk...
Hawkeye
"gsims" <gsi...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:0voEc.23140$wS2.1244@okepread03...
> Thanks Paul - I'm not sure why I do, but I find stuff like this
extremely
> interesting.
>
> >
I like to see how the books I read are doing and maybe see if I should
check out something else.
W. Blaine Dowler
> Of course, SPIDER-GIRL is a Marvel Age title and gets some
> additional leeway as a result.
They have to solicit the bloody thing first. I enjoyed the first volume,
but I haven't seen a solicitation for a second.
--
- Blaine
http://www.bureau42.com
ICQ: 24893016
"See, the mama Cimmerian and the daddy Cimmerian love each other very
much, not to mention it's cold as hell up there, so..."
-- Kurt Busiek tells the origin of Conan
W. Blaine Dowler
> I see also that the two new Marvel Age books, Team Up & Hulk, are at least
> launching at a price lower than everything else Marvel publishes, $1.75.
> Will the people looking for cheaper comics be tempted by that?
I don't know. I think there's likely a lower production cost, too, given
that it's a pretty direct remake; the writers are being treated more like
line producers than writers, as far as I can tell. That decreased cost
might give them a lower cancellation mark, too.
--
- Blaine
http://www.bureau42.com
ICQ: 24893016
I still say a church steeple with a lightning rod on top shows a lack
of confidence.
- Doug McLeod
Windbag1000
>May Spider-Girl #74 - 19,959 ( -1.6%)
> 6 mnth ( -8.7%)
> 1 year (-13.7%)
>
>The lowest selling survivor. Fans seem to be bracing themselves for
>cancellation in the wake of AMAZING FANTASY's launch, although with
>sales in decline anyway, cancellation must have been on the cards
>anyway. Of course, SPIDER-GIRL is a Marvel Age title and gets some
>additional leeway as a result.
Yes, I'm an admitted biased S-G fan, but I predict the sales rebound for
Spider-girl with issue 75 (with the black costume) will make S-G one of the
biggest gainers next month.
Windbag1000
>> additional leeway as a result.
>
>They have to solicit the bloody thing first. I enjoyed the first volume,
>but I haven't seen a solicitation for a second.
www.Comicboards.com/spider-girl
has announced that Amazon has a second trade-paperback scheduled for September
release. Expect it in the next Diamond previews.
Paul O'Brien
Bissette <bai...@coastalnet.com> writes
>
> Are those digests selling? Is there a way to actually find out?
Well, they appear on the graphic novels chart, but that only covers
direct market sales. But they're really aimed at the bookstores, and
there's no real way of knowing how they're selling over there - save to
observe that if Marvel is keeping them around way below the established
cancellation point, at the very least they're being given a chance to
bring in a substantial bookstore audience.
Peter
<pa...@SPAMBLOCK.esoterica.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> SECRET WAR #1 appears again on the May charts, in the form of the
> "Commemorative Edition." Or "second printing", if you prefer. (What's
> it commemorating, exactly? Three fabulous months since the first
> printing?) Anyway, the second printing did surprisingly well, charting
> at number 32 with additional orders of 47,792. Given that the issue only
> sold 88,201 the first time round, that's a huge number.
Shows demand for it really.
> 14. NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X
> May New Mutants #1 - 57,016
> Jun New Mutants #2 - 45,568 ( -20.0%)
> Jul New Mutants #3 - 43,614 ( -4.3%)
> Aug n/a
> Sep New Mutants #4 - 41,448 ( -5.0%)
> Oct New Mutants #5 - 41,301 ( -0.4%)
> Oct New Mutants #6 - 40,644 ( -1.6%)
> Nov New Mutants #7 - 38,830 ( -4.5%)
> Dec n/a
> Jan n/a
> Feb New Mutants #8 - 37,609 ( -3.1%)
> Feb New Mutants #9 - 36,037 ( -4.2%)
> Mar New Mutants #10 - 34,841 ( -3.3%)
> Apr New Mutants #11 - 34,148 ( -2.0%)
> Apr New Mutants #12 - 33,481 ( -2.0%)
> Apr New Mutants #13 - 32,994 ( -1.5%)
> May New X-Men: Academy X #1 - 76,416 (+131.6%)
> 6 mnth ( +96.8%)
> 1 year ( +34.0%)
> 21. SUPREME POWER
memo to self... hurry up and get the trade....
> 94,98. MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN
> Mar Marvel Age Spider-Man #1 - 36,700
> Apr Marvel Age Spider-Man #2 - 30,363 (-16.5%)
> May Marvel Age Spider-Man #3 - 24,180 (-20.4%)
> May Marvel Age Spider-Man #4 - 23,442 ( -3.1%)
>
> As I say every month, the Marvel Age books don't work by the same rules
> as other Marvel books, because they aren't aimed at the direct market.
> That allows them to survive at levels that wouldn't be acceptable for
> other titles. So long as the digests sell, anyway...
Why Marvel thinks it's a good idea to RETELL classic stories is beyond
me. Seems to me that it would cost the same to have the same artist and
writer create new stories aimed at the kiddies market.
> 107,108. SPIDER-GIRL
> The lowest selling survivor. Fans seem to be bracing themselves for
> cancellation in the wake of AMAZING FANTASY's launch, although with
> sales in decline anyway, cancellation must have been on the cards
> anyway. Of course, SPIDER-GIRL is a Marvel Age title and gets some
> additional leeway as a result.
I really would love May to survive to 100. But that's not going to
happen, look at the way #75 was handled by Marvel.
W. Blaine Dowler
> has announced that Amazon has a second trade-paperback scheduled for
> September release. Expect it in the next Diamond previews.
That's a good sign. They've still got about 70 issues to collect, so they
can afford to put out more than two volumes a year (if they sell, of
course).
--
- Blaine
http://www.bureau42.com
ICQ: 24893016
I cannot give any scientist of any age better advice than this: the
intensity of a conviction that a hypothesis is true has no bearing
over whether it is true or not.
- Sir Peter Medawar
Johanna Draper Carlson
> Billy Bissette <bai...@coastalnet.com> writes
> >
> > Are those digests selling? Is there a way to actually find out?
>
> Well, they appear on the graphic novels chart, but that only covers
> direct market sales. But they're really aimed at the bookstores, and
> there's no real way of knowing how they're selling over there
Unless someone's got many thousands of dollars for a Bookscan account
and is willing to break the confidentiality clause.
--
Johanna Draper Carlson
Reviews of Comics Worth Reading -- http://www.comicsworthreading.com
Blogging at http://www.comicsworthreading.com/blog/cwr.html
Marc-Oliver Frisch
: Apr Spider-Man #1 - 137,314
: May Spider-Man #2 - 99,320 (-27.7%)
:
: Ooh, harsh. That's a bit of a steep drop, even for a second issue.
: Maybe the X-books have stolen its thunder.
Wasn't Millar raving about how well the second and third issues were selling
recently...?
: Great comic book myths of our time: if your book is horrendously late,
: sales will suffer. It didn't hurt ULTIMATES, it didn't hurt DAREDEVIL a
: few years back, and it doesn't seem to be doing much damage to NYX
: either.
Well, it does seem to have hurt MINISTRY OF SPACE, at any rate. The final issue
received orders of 26,000 when it was first solicited in 2001. So far, since
finally shipping two months ago or so, it seems to have sold around 19,000.
: 60. EMMA FROST
:
: Still dropping
And rumored to be cancelled with #18.
--
Marc-Oliver Frisch
POPP'D! >> http://poppd.blogspot.com/
Winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, one snapshot at a time.
--
[This is a Usenet message, posted to the rec.arts.comics.* groups.]
Paul O'Brien
<spamfromn...@chatomatic.net> writes
>
>Why Marvel thinks it's a good idea to RETELL classic stories is beyond
>me. Seems to me that it would cost the same to have the same artist and
>writer create new stories aimed at the kiddies market.
I imagine it's probably cheaper, but I still think the approach is
misconceived. It takes more than a lick of paint to turn a Silver Age
story into something contemporary.
Paul O'Brien
<Dersc...@hotmail.com> writes
>
>Wasn't Millar raving about how well the second and third issues were
>selling recently...?
Well, it's top ten. That's still pretty good. It's a matter of
perspective.
Christian Smith
Well, I decided to pick it up on the basis of the Digest and found
myself enjoying it enough to add it to my pull list to 'replace' Rose
and Thorn
Christian
--
"The Dark Phoenix may have been a threat to all life in the universe...
But she had great taste in costumes." (Rachel Summers Excalibur #65)
Ian Salsbury
> Jul Silver Surfer #1 - 60,282
> Aug n/a
> Sep n/a
> Oct Silver Surfer #2 - 47,275 (-21.6%)
> Nov Silver Surfer #3 - 39,081 (-17.3%)
> Dec Silver Surfer #4 - 36,282 ( -7.2%)
> Jan Silver Surfer #5 - 31,052 (-14.4%)
> Feb Silver Surfer #6 - 28,352 ( -8.7%)
> Mar Silver Surfer #7 - 26,962 ( -4.9%)
> Apr Silver Surfer #8 - 25,542 ( -5.3%)
> May Silver Surfer #9 - 24,142 ( -5.5%)
> 6 mnth (-38.2%)
>
> Still on the solicitations for September, believe it or not. It can
> only be a matter of time - this book is bleeding readers.
>
That`s an alarming drop. I haven`t read it, was going to go for the TPB but
doesn`t seem worth bothering with. It`s sure to be cancelled within the next
few issues with a drop off like that. Is it really that bad?
silveragent
This is an astonishing effort. Obviously a lot of hard work. However,
I have a different take, in that these numbers really don't matter.
And that we as fans, and the Marvel execs, should pay little attention
to them.
My dissent from all this is that the numbers themselves are
meaningless, all due respect. And the focus everyone puts on these
numbers, from Quesada to the collector/fan, is symptomatic of a
seriously broken system.
They're meaningless because by Marvel's annual report, Direct Sales
account for 71% of Publishing revenue in FY 2003; but the Publishing
Revenues for that year was only 21% of Marvel's $347 million gross
revenue; or $73 million. Licensing is about 50% and Toys make up the
rest. Seventy-three million isn't a number to sneeze at; but it's
clear to me that Marvel's main revenues and it's core business is
selling the rights to popular characters to movies and other
entertainment outlets, and toys.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/933730/000093373004000004/0000933730-04-000004.txt
Marvel's Publishing sales should properly be thought of as an R&D
expense that brings in some revenue; by looking at the figures above;
you'd think that X-Men (and Joss Whedon) were a huge driver of
Marvel's revenues. When it's more likely the result of Stan Lee and
Mike Ditko's work forty years ago; along with Sam Raimi, Tobey
Maguire, screenwriters Gough, Millar, Chabon, and others (who don't
even work for Marvel). The huge increase in Toy revenues if Spiderman
2 does well will likely dwarf any revenues from the Publishing side.
To put it another way, assume for Marvel a pro-forma revenue of $1 per
issue, at the wholesale to Diamond price. This would make sales for
Astonishing X-Men at around $200,000 per month (assuming it stays the
same as reported above) at $2.4 million per year, assuming it comes
out monthly. If it's bi-monthly, that's revenue of $4.8 million per
year. Marvel reported combined licensing and toy gross revenue for FY
2003 of $274 Million; most of it doubtless based on Spiderman, the
rest Daredevil, the Hulk, and Punisher movies and toys.
And because of the peculiarities of Marvel's deal with Diamond, it's
hard to say which books make money in the Publishing side, as well as
which books will be long term revenue producers in the Licensing and
Toy revenue streams which dwarf Publishing as you can see from above.
Comic shop dealers have to "guess" which books to order, within terms
of Diamond-set minimums that seem to be part of Diamond-Publisher
agreements. And as noted by Paul above multiple covers and so forth
distort sales. In the meantime in FY 2003 only 12% of Marvel
Publishing revenues were derived from Mass-Market outlets (Borders,
Wal-Mart, etc); and 17% is reported in the "Advertising,
subscriptions, and other publishing activities" categories.
Because Time-Warner doesn't break out figures for DC god only knows if
they actually make money, break even, or lose money. My gut tells me
the only reason certain titles in DC are published is to retain the
rights (like Wonder Woman) to certain characters. But who knows?
I'd argue the way in which comics are distributed, sold, and sales
figures tracked are part of a broken industry, and most comics-related
revenues are riding off of work done years earlier. Most of the sales
"reported" by ICv2 don't account for what gets discounted, or returned
for "credit" instead of officially remaindered. Though it's the best
data available and Paul deserves the credit for putting it together.
But what bothers me is that it shows a misguided focus on the
collecter instead of young casual reader market. A focus that we the
fans/collectors/readers are as guilty of as execs like Quesada and
whoever *really* runs the ship at DC.
Marvel and DC pay too much attention to the Collector part of Direct
Sales; and aren't trying to build their overall base IMHO. One of the
bad things about the current distribution and reportage system is that
it's based on milking max revenue out of a shrinking customer base; as
collectors get older they stop collecting. Instead of say focusing on
the young reader and getting characters, particularly new characters,
in front of the young reader.
What made the work of Lee and Ditko, or even Frank Miller back in the
80's different from the focus of today's titles, is that they were
aimed at a broader and younger audience. The Collector is always going
to be part of comics, but they should be the icing on the cake, not
the cake itself if comics are healthy.
To sum up I don't think it matters if Spider-Girl's sales are low, if
the book has the long term potential to grab new mass-market readers
and more importantly provide a popular character to license and make
toys out of, it should be continued, even at a loss, even if the older
readers who are collectors don't buy it. Collector revenues are
distorting what Marvel should be doing, which is gauging the reaction
of the mass-market readership to new characters and titles. This is
why I think the emphasis on the Diamond numbers is misguided, and the
uptick and downturns of particular books based on appealing to the
mature collector segment don't matter much in the long run.
Marvel can't continue to coast off of the characters created years
ago, some of which like Namor are questionable as far as Licensing and
Toys. They've got to create new characters that appeal to a broad
spectrum like Spiderman, and focusing on Collector driven sales out of
specialty comic stores isn't IMHO the way to do it.
Paul O'Brien
<I...@salsbury42.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>
>That`s an alarming drop. I haven`t read it, was going to go for the TPB
>but doesn`t seem worth bothering with. It`s sure to be cancelled within
>the next few issues with a drop off like that. Is it really that bad?
It's okay, actually. But there's not very much of the Silver Surfer in
it. I don't think it's what people were looking for from a Silver
Surfer book.
Peter
<pa...@SPAMBLOCK.esoterica.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <300620041739510809%spamfromn...@chatomatic.net>, Peter
> <spamfromn...@chatomatic.net> writes
> >
> >Why Marvel thinks it's a good idea to RETELL classic stories is beyond
> >me. Seems to me that it would cost the same to have the same artist and
> >writer create new stories aimed at the kiddies market.
>
> I imagine it's probably cheaper, but I still think the approach is
> misconceived. It takes more than a lick of paint to turn a Silver Age
> story into something contemporary.
This is my point though, I can't see how it can be cheaper. Other than
the writer spending less time writing the issue due to not having to
come up with a plot, the still have an entire creative team and an
editor working on the book like you would a normal monthly. I doubt
they'd be paid any less than the usual standard wages. The only thing I
can see them save on is not having to pay for plot only script and I
doubt that'd save too much money.
Peter
silveragent <silver...@yahoo.com> wrote:
<snip>
Talk about missing the point. This is just academic if anything, no one
really cares too much about sales too an extent here.. we just like to
look and see how our fav books are doing compared to others.
Mark Moore
I skipped this. Why Marvel decided to bring back the colorful spandex
is beyond me. The black leather costumes were perfectly fine and a lot
less corny.
> 4,32. SECRET WAR
I don't read this. What's it about?
> 5. UNCANNY X-MEN
> 6. X-MEN
I don't read these.
> 7. SPIDER-MAN
Wait. Didn't Marvel already have a SPIDER-MAN title?
> 8,9. ULTIMATE X-MEN
I don't read this.
> 10,11. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
I recently picked this up for Ultimate Elektra.
> 12. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
> 14. NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X
> 16. EXCALIBUR
> 19. WOLVERINE
> 21. SUPREME POWER
> 22,23. AVENGERS
> 24. DAREDEVIL
> 25. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
> 26. FANTASTIC FOUR
I don't read these.
> 31. PUNISHER
Back in the late 1990s, I got a ton of back issues of the 3 early
1990s series out of the 35-cent bin at a local used bookstore at the
flea market. I was very into the Punisher for a while. Then I sold my
issues. I picked up #1 of the current series to see what it's like.
While it wasn't bad, it's the same old, same old - only with swearing
and guts flying everywhere.
I'm surprised they haven't de-aged Frank, though.
> 33. WOLVERINE/PUNISHER
> 35. DISTRICT X
> 36. INCREDIBLE HULK
> 39. PULSE / ALIAS
> 44. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
> 45,46. EXILES
> 47. CAPTAIN AMERICA
I don't read these.
> 49. NYX
Finally, it's back!
I missed #3, though.
> 50. CABLE/DEADPOOL
> 55. CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON
> 57. ALPHA FLIGHT
> 59. SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED
I don't read these.
> 60. EMMA FROST
> Still dropping
Cancelled with #18. Shame. I enjoy it, and I've never read anything
with Emma Frost before.
> 62,64. THOR
I don't read this.
> 66. SHE-HULK
I found #1 and #3 to try out based on the positive things that I've
read about it online. It's okay.
> 67,70. MYSTIQUE
It looks like this doesn't have much time left. Shame. I enjoy it, and
I've never read anything with Mystique before.
> 71. THANOS
> 73,74,75. IRON MAN
> 76,79. WEAPON X
> 77,80. VENOM
> 88. IRON FIST
I don't read these.
> 94,98. MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN
So, is this retelling canon?
> 95. SILVER SURFER
> 97. X-STATIX
> 99. THOR: SON OF ASGARD
> 104. CAPTAIN MARVEL
> 105. MARVEL AGE FANTASTIC FOUR
I don't read these.
> 107,108. SPIDER-GIRL
I want this title to make it to #81 to at least beat SUPERGIRL and
give Peter David a swift kick in the ass.
> 111. RUNAWAYS
I don't read this. Any good?
> ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR
> WOLVERINE: THE END
> DAREDEVIL: FATHER
> KNIGHTS 4
> X-MEN UNLIMITED
> AVENGERS/THUNDERBOLTS
> HAWKEYE
I don't read these.
> 6 month changes
> ==============
>
> - 8.7% - Spider-Girl
> -16.6% - NYX
> -20.9% - Emma Frost
> -22.0% - Mystique
>
> 1 year changes
> ==============
>
> -13.7% - Spider-Girl
> -29.5% - Mystique
Ouch.
Thanks for doing this every month, Paul.
Mark
Ralf Haring
wrote:
>
>> 4,32. SECRET WAR
>
>I don't read this. What's it about?
Nick Fury and a team of street level heroes are investigating some big
secret.
>> 7. SPIDER-MAN
>
>Wait. Didn't Marvel already have a SPIDER-MAN title?
Yes, that was relaunched as the most recent Spectacular Spider-Man
title a couple months ago.
>> 94,98. MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN
>
>So, is this retelling canon?
No.
>> 107,108. SPIDER-GIRL
>
>I want this title to make it to #81 to at least beat SUPERGIRL and
>give Peter David a swift kick in the ass.
Coincidentally, I think it was been confirmed to continue to at least
that number sometime last year.
>> 111. RUNAWAYS
>
>I don't read this. Any good?
It's pretty good.
-Ralf Haring
"The mind must be the harder, the heart the keener,
the spirit the greater, as our strength grows less."
-Byrhtwold, The Battle of Maldon
Mark Moore
> >> 107,108. SPIDER-GIRL
> >
> >I want this title to make it to #81 to at least beat SUPERGIRL and
> >give Peter David a swift kick in the ass.
>
> Coincidentally, I think it was been confirmed to continue to at least
> that number sometime last year.
Cool!
> >> 111. RUNAWAYS
> >
> >I don't read this. Any good?
>
> It's pretty good.
Thanks for the info.
Mark
Polymer3000
No it isn't, for real.
In article <48d3c1d3.04070...@posting.google.com>, Mark
Moore <sailo...@naturecoast.net> wrote:
> > >
> > >I don't read this. Any good?
> >
> > It's pretty good.
>
> Thanks for the info.
>
>
> Mark
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Ralf Haring
<Polym...@lasvegas.com> wrote:
>
>**** Post for FREE via your newsreader at post.usenet.com ****
>
>No it isn't, for real.
You'll forgive me if I don't take the word of a chemical compound
consisting of repeating structural units. ;-)
R. Tang
Chris Lee <cl...@envirolink.org> wrote:
>In article <cb5fe5cb.0406...@posting.google.com>,
>silver...@yahoo.com says...
>>
>>Marvel and DC pay too much attention to the Collector part of Direct
>>Sales; and aren't trying to build their overall base IMHO. One of
>>the
>>bad things about the current distribution and reportage system is
>>that
>>it's based on milking max revenue out of a shrinking customer base;
>>as
>>collectors get older they stop collecting. Instead of say focusing
>>on
>>the young reader and getting characters, particularly new
>>characters,
>>in front of the young reader.
>>
>>What made the work of Lee and Ditko, or even Frank Miller back in
>>the
>>80's different from the focus of today's titles, is that they were
>>aimed at a broader and younger audience. The Collector is always
>>going
>>to be part of comics, but they should be the icing on the cake, not
>>the cake itself if comics are healthy.
>
>decided to diss the retail market and focus on the Upscale Comic Book
>(Direct Sales/Comic Book Shop) sales.
You got it backwards. The mass market basically dropped the comic
book and forced Marvel and DC to go to the direct mail shops.
Fans haven't a clue about the decline of the industry; they focus
far more on content and very little on what really matters: structure,
economics and distribution.
--
-
-Roger Tang, gwan...@u.washington.edu, Artistic Director PC Theatre
- Editor, Asian American Theatre Revue [NEW URL][Yes, it IS new]
- http://www.aatrevue.com
Windbag1000
>book and forced Marvel and DC to go to the direct mail shops.
You're both right. The mass market dropped the pamphlet and Marvel did give
them what they wanted (new formats, etc) to keep them from disappearing
altogether.
William George Ferguson
wrote:
>In article <48d3c1d3.04070...@posting.google.com>,
>sailo...@naturecoast.net says...
>>
>>
>>Paul O'Brien <pa...@SPAMBLOCK.esoterica.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
>>news:<7XLkdsIo...@esoterica.demon.co.uk>...
>>> 1. ASTONISHING X-MEN
>>
>>I skipped this. Why Marvel decided to bring back the colorful
>>spandex
>>is beyond me. The black leather costumes were perfectly fine and a
>>lot less corny.
>
>
>Maybe it's a sign that there won't be a 3rd Xmen movie. Thank God.
X2 grossed over 200 million in the US and over 400 million worldwide.
It's silly to think there won't be an X3.
--
"Who needs the big picture? Not me. Hints are fine."
Joan Girardi (after God shows her just a little of his omnipresent brain)
silveragent
True enough, but we almost had a situation where there was no Marvel.
Imagine if a deal could not have been worked out with Toy Biz, and
Marvel's assets (i.e. their characters) were sold off at auction as
the company folded.
We'd have DC (Time-Warner's deep pockets will keep them going even if
they lose money for licensing issues). And that's it.
Heck no Marvel might have ended a lot of comics shops which barely eke
by as it is; the biggest problem is that Comics aren't getting new
readers.
To me what Marvel's bankruptcy in 2000 says is that Comics need new
readers. And that Marvel and DC have to get back in the mass market
game.
Janus
news:cb5fe5cb.04070...@posting.google.com:
> True enough, but we almost had a situation where there was no Marvel.
> Imagine if a deal could not have been worked out with Toy Biz, and
> Marvel's assets (i.e. their characters) were sold off at auction as
> the company folded.
>
> We'd have DC (Time-Warner's deep pockets will keep them going even if
> they lose money for licensing issues). And that's it.
Or Marvel's top-tier characters would now be published alongside DC
characters.
--
---------------------
Marc-Oliver Frisch
: To me what Marvel's bankruptcy in 2000 says is that Comics need new
: readers.
Wrong. Marvel's bankruptcy (which was declared in 1996, I believe) had nothing
to do with comics. (And comics *has* new readers. It's just mostly not
American superhero comics.)
Paul O'Brien
<Dersc...@hotmail.com> writes
>
>Wrong. Marvel's bankruptcy (which was declared in 1996, I believe) had
>nothing to do with comics.
Marvel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 27 December 1996. The
reorganisation plan that removed the company from bankruptcy was
approved by the court on 31 July 1998, and implemented on 1 October
1998.
The Jemas/Quesada era didn't even start until 2000.
~consul
> Thanks Paul - I'm not sure why I do, but I find stuff like this extremely
> interesting.
>
> Garrett
Except, you don't have to repost his entire post to say so. Trim your posts please. :)
--
"... respect, all good works are not done by only good folk ..."
-till next time, Jameson Stalanthas Yu -x- <<poetry.dolphins-cove.com>>
con...@INVALIDdolphins-cove.com ((remove the INVALID to email))
R. Tang
Chris Lee <cl...@envirolink.org> wrote:
>In article <cceku2$f1f$1...@gnus01.u.washington.edu>, gwan...@u.washington.edu
>says...
Nope. You better talk to Steven Grant and other folks who were
there.
And this started in the mid to late 70s, well before the dual
format of the Titans was started.
The 80's Teen Titan book split is a perfect example of how
>the decline of the industry started.
The decline of the industry started well before this. Newsstand
operators got paid more for remaindering books than they did for selling
them.
Concentrating on price is the WRONG thing to be doing [retailers
as a rule make less money on comics than magazines, so they'll drop 'em in
favor of more profitable items]. Concentrating on VALUE is a better route.
Lynley James
<Dersc...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>silveragent wrote:
>
>: To me what Marvel's bankruptcy in 2000 says is that Comics need new
>: readers.
>
>Wrong. Marvel's bankruptcy (which was declared in 1996, I believe) had nothing
>to do with comics. (And comics *has* new readers. It's just mostly not
>American superhero comics.)
>
>--
From what I remember, Marvel's expansion into toys and cards led to
the bankcruptcy. I'm sure the comic market implosion didn't help, but
unsound business deals were the cause of all their problems.
Lynley
Shawn H
: > I imagine it's probably cheaper, but I still think the approach is
: > misconceived. It takes more than a lick of paint to turn a Silver Age
: > story into something contemporary.
: This is my point though, I can't see how it can be cheaper. Other than
: the writer spending less time writing the issue due to not having to
: come up with a plot, the still have an entire creative team and an
: editor working on the book like you would a normal monthly. I doubt
: they'd be paid any less than the usual standard wages. The only thing I
: can see them save on is not having to pay for plot only script and I
: doubt that'd save too much money.
Isn't it always easier to repeat the past than to create something new?
The writer may indeed be paid less than someone working on original
material, or a name talent.
Shawn
Shawn H
: silveragent <silver...@yahoo.com> wrote:
: <snip>
And hoping the ones we like survive.
Shawn
Shawn H
: Paul O'Brien <pa...@SPAMBLOCK.esoterica.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:<7XLkdsIo...@esoterica.demon.co.uk>...
: > 1. ASTONISHING X-MEN
: I skipped this. Why Marvel decided to bring back the colorful spandex
: is beyond me. The black leather costumes were perfectly fine and a lot
: less corny.
Fashion. I honestly don't see a big difference between whichever costume
they wear.
: > 4,32. SECRET WAR
: I don't read this. What's it about?
Bendis doing a non-traditional undercover spy team-up with very murky
painted art.
: Cancelled with #18. Shame. I enjoy it, and I've never read anything
: with Emma Frost before.
18 issues isn't the worst run ever. 3 arcs full.
: > 67,70. MYSTIQUE
: It looks like this doesn't have much time left. Shame. I enjoy it, and
: I've never read anything with Mystique before.
They should keep this going if they can. I love it, and I think it does
its job without mucking up the character, a delicate balance. I'm trying
to promote it more on silverbulletcomicbooks.com.
: > 111. RUNAWAYS
: I don't read this. Any good?
Great art, solid story, fun characters, and an amazing novelty: an actual
new concept that only tangentially fits into the larger Marvel Universe.
Shawn
Shawn H
: >> 1. ASTONISHING X-MEN
: >
: >I skipped this. Why Marvel decided to bring back the colorful
: >spandex
: >is beyond me. The black leather costumes were perfectly fine and a
: >lot less corny.
: Maybe it's a sign that there won't be a 3rd Xmen movie. Thank God.
Maybe they won't be wearing the leather, either?
Shawn