INFO: November 1996 Sales Stats

[AP's Matt]

Hey ho, here's the latest sales statistics for November, plus I've
added a new column that shows the change in sales from the previous
issue. I must point out that you cannot tell exactly how well a comic
book is doing just by comparing one book to the next - you usually
need to see how the sales trend over several issues to get a clear
idea of what is going on. Furthermore, I hasten to add that virtually
*all* books see a big drop in sales from the first to second issues,
and frequently from the second to third issues as well (especially
monthly titles), so if you see a big drop in sales for some new books
in the charts below do not be surprised.

I will be heading out of town for a convention in Cleveland from
Tuesday, Nov. 12th through the 19th, so I will be unable to post any
replies until I get back. Please be patient.

---------------------------------------------------------

Top-selling Comics for November 1996, based on pre-orders
through Diamond Distributors. These figures do not include
Marvel Comics.

est. #
# Title Publisher sold change

1 Superman Wedding Alb Coll Ed DC 227.1
2 Spawn #56 Image 157.8 -3.2%
3 Spawn the Impaler #2 Image 135.2 -21.8%
4 Curse of the Spawn Part 3 Image 131.3 -4.2%
5 DC Marvel All Access #2 DC 122.4 -18.8%
6 DC Marvel All Access #3 DC 118.7 -3.0%
7 Gen 13 #15 Image 116.9 -4.3%
8 Gen 13 Bootleg #1 Image 108.2
9 JLA #1 DC 104.2
10 Adventures of Superman #541 DC 94.0 +49.0%*
11 Action Comics #728 DC 91.6 +44.9%*
12 Superman Man of Steel #63 DC 89.2 +43.9%*
13 Darkness #1 Top Cow 84.4
14 Witchblade #11 Top Cow 81.3 -12.1%
15 Batman #538 DC 67.6 -3.6%
16 X-Files #24 Topps 67.3 -4.9%
17 DV8 #3 Image 66.4 -10.0%*
18 Superman #119 DC 64.2 +2.2%
19 Supergirl #5 DC 62.3 -7.6%
20 Detective Comics #705 DC 61.9 -3.6%
21 Adventures of Superman #542 DC 61.0 -33.4%
22 Action Comics #729 DC 60.4 -34.1%
23 Superman Man of Steel #64 DC 59.6 -33.2%
24 Batman Long Halloween #2 DC 56.6 -10.6%
25 Star Wars Golden Age Sith #2 Dark Horse 56.1 -14.0%
26 Superman Wedding Alb Stan Ed DC 54.9
27 Nightwing #4 DC 54.2 -4.4%
28 X-Files Season One #5 Topps 52.2 -7.3%
29 Shi #12 Crusade 52.1 -21.3%**
30 Green Lantern #82 DC 51.4 -29.0%
31 Batman Shadow of the Bat #58 DC 51.2 -5.2%
32 Batman Legends Dark Kn #90 DC 51.1 -1.0%
33 Thrillkiller #1 DC 51.0
34 Preacher #21 DC 49.8 -2.9%
35 Batman Blackgate #1 DC 49.6
36 Robin #37 DC 48.4 -5.7%
37 Flash #121 DC 47.5 -3.5%
38 Superman/Won. Woman Whom #2 DC 47.4 -11.2%
39 Flash Plus #1 DC 46.3
40 Star Wars X-Wing Rogue W #1 Dark Horse 46.2
41 Catwoman #41 DC 46.1 -4.8%
42 Purgatori Vampires Myth #3 Chaos 44.3 -9.3%*
43 Superman's Metropolis DC 42.8
44 Batman Chronicles #7 DC 42.4 -7.8%**
45 Wonder Woman #117 DC 42.3 -5.8%
46 Dark Chylde #5 Maximum Pr 41.9 +15.1%*
47 Dreaming #8 DC 40.8 -7.1%
48 Astro City v2 #4 Image 40.8 +4.1%
49 Cyberforce #29 Top Cow 40.4 -5.4%
50 World's Finest Superboy R #2 DC 39.7 -15.0%
51 Superman Wed Album Coll Next DC 39.5
52 Wetworks #23 Image 39.4 -8.4%
53 Azrael #25 DC 38.9 -4.4%
54 Teen Titans #4 DC 38.8 -0.5%
55 Shadowman #1 Acclaim 37.2
56 Maxx #28 Image 36.9 -5.1%*
57 Superboy #35 DC 36.3 -3.2%
58 Wonder Woman Plus #1 DC 36.0
59 Avengelyne Warrior Nun #1 Maximum Pr 36.0
60 Superboy Plus #1 DC 35.9
61 Weapon Zero #9 Top Cow 34.6 -3.9%
62 Crow Wild Justice #2 Kitchen Sink 34.1 +20.1%
63 Aquaman #28 DC 33.8 -1.2%
64 Batman Gordon's Law #2 DC 33.8 -17.8%
65 Impulse #21 DC 33.5 -2.9%
66 Hitman #10 DC 33.4 -3.2%
67 Ash 22 Brides #1 Event 33.4
68 Savage Dragon #33 Image 33.2 -1.5%*
69 Bone #27 Image 32.6 -3.6%*
70 Superman Adventures #3 DC 32.3 -6.1%
71 Avengelyne #7 Maximum Pr 31.9 -22.0%
72 House of Secrets #4 DC 30.9 -3.1%
73 Backlash #26 Image 30.7 -12.8%
74 Ninjak #1 Acclaim 30.3
75 Grifter #5 Image 30.1 -8.8%
76 Starman #26 DC 30.1 -3.8%
77 DC Universe Holiday Bash #1 DC 29.7
78 Books of Magic #32 DC 29.6 -3.9%
79 Dark Side #1 Maximum Pr 29.6
80 Superboy and the Ravers #5 DC 29.1 -8.5%
81 Legion of Superheroes #88 DC 28.6 +2.9%
82 Stormwatch #42 Image 28.3 -6.6%
83 X-O Manowar #2 Acclaim 27.4 -18.0%
84 Arcanum #2 Top Cow 27.3 -12.2%*
85 Glory Celestine Dark Ang #3 Image 27.2 -20.2%
86 Batman Robin Adventures #14 DC 26.2 -3.7%
87 Power of Shazam #22 DC 26.1 +8.8%
88 Legionnaires #44 DC 26.1 -4.4%
89 Strangers in Paradise v3 #3 Image 25.8 +1.6%
90 Predator Strange Roux #1 Dark Horse 24.2
91 Hellblazer #109 DC 23.8 -4.4%
92 Glory #17 Maximum Pr 23.7 -14.4%
93 Superman Wed Album Coll Ed DC 23.7
94 BW Smith Storyteller #2 Dark Horse 23.6 -24.1%
95 Vampirella of Drakulon #0 Harris 22.9 +25.1%**
96 Bloodhunter #1 Image 22.7
97 Allegra #4 Image 22.7 -12.7%
98 Lobo #35 DC 22.4 -6.3%
99 Sovereign Seven #18 DC 22.4 -3.4%
100 Tempest #3 DC 22.3 -6.7%
101 New Gods #14 DC 22.1 -4.7%
102 Wildstorm Universe 1997 Image 22.1
103 Lobo Death and Taxes #4 DC 21.8 -6.4%
104 Bloody Mary #4 DC 21.7 -12.1%
105 Simpsons #26 Bongo 21.7 -12.9%
106 Prophet #10 Maximum Pr 21.1 -26.2%**
107 Steel #34 DC 21.1 +10.5%
108 Green Arrow #116 DC 21.1 -3.7%
109 Evil Ernie #2 Chaos 20.8 -12.2%
110 Sandman Mystery Theatre #46 DC 20.7 -4.2%
111 Spectre #49 DC 20.7 -4.2%
112 Supreme #44 Image 20.4 +1.0%
113 Youngblood #14 Maximum Pr 20.2 -7.3%
114 Ghost #19 Dark Horse 20.1 -2.9%*
115 Black Lamb #3 DC 20.1 -7.8%
116 Leave It To Chance #3 Image 19.8 +0.5%
117 Terminal City #7 DC 19.4 -5.4%
118 Lady Rawhide #2 Topps 18.9 -27.6%
119 Ess. Vertigo Sandman #6 DC 18.4 -11.1%
120 Showcase 96 #12 DC 17.9 -10.5%
121 Night Force #2 DC 17.8 -29.4%
122 Species Human Race #1 Dark Horse 17.5
123 Time Breakers #1 DC 17.3
124 Aztek Ultimate Man #6 DC 17.0 -11.0%
125 Vampirella #1 Harris 16.7
126 Embrace Killing Me Softly #1 London Night 16.7
127 Black Pearl #3 Dark Horse 16.1 +9.5%
128 Body Bags #3 Dark Horse 15.9 +0.6%
129 Seekers Into Mystery #12 DC 15.4 -7.2%
130 Warrior Nun Scorpio Rose #2 Antarctic 14.9 -25.5%*
131 Poison Elves #18 Sirius 14.9 -5.1%
132 Fatale #7 Broadway 14.8 -3.9%**
133 Teenage Mutant Ninja Tur #5 Image 14.7 -11.4%
134 Mars Attacks Off. Movie #1 Topps 14.5
135 Cyberella #5 DC 14.3 -11.2%
136 Thrax #1 Event 13.9
137 Mythos The Final Tour #2 DC 13.7 -28.3%
138 Razor vol.2 #2 London Night 13.4 -44.6%
139 Bionix #2 Maximum Pr 13.2 -25.0%
140 Newmen #24 Maximum Pr 12.9 -11.0%
141 Heretic #1 Dark Horse 12.9
142 Blood A Tale #3 DC 12.9 -9.9%
143 Scare Tactics #2 DC 12.9 -33.5%
144 Labman #1 Image 12.7
145 ER Burroughs Tarzan #5 Dark Horse 12.7 -8.6%
146 Ranma 1/2 V #12 Viz 12.6 -2.3%
147 Gunsmith Cats Return Gray #4 Dark Horse 12.4 -2.4%
148 Power Rangers Zeo Youngbl #2 Image 12.3 -21.7%
149 Mars Attacks #8 Topps 12.3 +35.2%**
150 Vermillion #4 DC 12.2 -15.3%

The top-selling comic books from publishers that did not
quite make it into the top 150...

151 Verotika #13 Verotik 12.2 -12.9%*
152 Cerebus #212 Aardvark-Van 11.8 -3.3%
154 Armature #1 Olyoptics 11.6
174 Johnny Homocidal Maniac #6 Slave Labor 9.5
175 Hari Kari Live Untamed #0 Blackout 9.4
178 Mike Danger #8 Big Enter 9.2 -6.1%
185 Scud Disposable Assassin #14 Fireman Pr 8.9
190 New Bondage Fairies #1 Fantagraphic 8.3
198 Cavewoman #5 Caliber 7.1
199 Widow Luxura Blood Lust Ground Zero 6.9
201 Sonic the Hedgehog #43 Archie 6.8 +9.7%
202 Double Impact Lethal Strike High Impact 6.6
204 Creed Cranial Disorder #2 Lightning 6.5 -60.1%*
213 Vault of Horror #18 Gemstone 5.8
215 Cynder Hellina Special #1 Immortelle 5.6
217 Araknis #6 Mushroom 5.5 -5.2%
221 Walt Disneys Comics #608 Gladstone 5.3 -8.6%
222 THB The Cutie Pie Style #1 Horse Press 5.3
223 La Blue Girl #5 Central Park 5.2 -13.3%
225 Vamperotica #21 Brainstorm 5.1 +6.3%
245 Tribe #1 Good Comics 4.2 -23.6%
248 Bacchus #19 Eddie Campb 4.2 -4.5%
253 6 Lethal Origins #2 Byron Preiss 4.0 -35.5%
258 Spiderbaby Comix #1 Spiderbaby 3.9
264 Thieves and Kings #14 I-Box 3.7 -2.6%*
271 Cynder Annual #1 Liar Comics 3.5
273 Snowman #1 Entity 3.4
280 Dirty Plotte #10 Drawn Quart 3.1
292 Robotech the Movie #1 Academy 2.7
295 Stray Bullets #1 - relist El Capitan 2.6
296 Vampire Bayne #2 Comicolor 2.6 -35.0%

The "estimated number sold" is an estimate of the total
number of copies pre-ordered through Diamond Distribution,
in thousands.

The "change" is an estimate of the percentage change over
the previous issue. An asterisk (*) indicates the
previous issue was published two months ago (September),
and a double asterisk (**) indicates the previous issue was
published three or more months ago.

Comic Book Market Share by dollar value, November 1996:

Publisher Comic Books All Products

1 DC Comics 39.21% 32.92%
2 Image Comics 14.27% 12.08%
3 Dark Horse 6.09% 4.80%
4 Wizard Press 3.51% 2.74%
5 Maximum Press 3.39% 2.64%
6 Top Cow 2.84% 2.59%
7 Topps 2.59% 5.22%
8 Chaos! Comics 1.91% 1.56%
9 Viz Communications 1.54% 1.39%
10 Acclaim Comics 1.30%
11 Fantagraphics 1.27% 1.07%
12 Kitchen Sink 1.09%
13 Antarctic Press 1.08%
14 Gemstone Publishing .96%
15 London Night Studios .94%
16 Harris Comics .82%
17 Crusade Comics .79%
18 Sirius Entertainment .69%
19 Caliber .68%
20 High Impact Studios .65%

Non-Top 20 Publishers 14.38%

Note: This information was obtained from Diamond Distrib-
ution's DIAMOND DIALOGUE, which publishes various sales
charts every month, and is available to comics retailers.
This listing includes sales of all comic books (excluding
Marvel) sold through Diamond, which
constitutes 98-99% of all direct market comic book sales.
This list only includes pre-orders, and does not include
advance reorders, reorders, or cancellations. This listing
also does not include trade paperbacks, magazines, or other
non-comic items.