As well as the comic-book direct market performed in the month of March, the industry underperformed in April, with orders for all comic books, trade paperbacks, and magazines off nearly $10 million, or 24%. The monthly estimates appear here.
The mention of the previous month is intentional, as March had five weeks versus the previous March’s four, while April had four shipping weeks versus the previous April’s five. According to our recent analysis, the average five-week month since 2004 has seen 11% more sales of Top 300 comics units than the average four-week month. Had March 31st been a Tuesday, it’s clear the relative pictures for March and April would have been much different.
Brightest Day #0 joined with the new Flash title, Green Lantern #53, and Batman and Robin #11 to give DC the top four slots on the chart. Marvel led in both dollar and unit market shares overall, helped by the top-ordered graphic novel, the hardcover Kick-Ass
The aggregate figures:
TOP 300 COMICS UNIT SALES
April 2010: 5.57 million copies
Versus 1 year ago this month: -17%
Versus 5 years ago this month: -8%
Versus 10 years ago this month: -4%
YEAR TO DATE: 22.63 million copies, -3% vs. 2009, -4% vs. 2005, unchanged vs. 2000
April 2010: $19.31 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -15%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +12%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +25%
YEAR TO DATE: $78.66 million, unchanged vs. 2009, +17% vs. 2005, +32% vs. 2000
April 2010: $5.54 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -29%
Versus 5 years ago this month, just the Top 100 vs. the Top 100: -10%
Versus 10 years ago this month, just the Top 25 vs. the Top 25: +65%
YEAR TO DATE: $22.25 million, -15% vs. 2009
April 2010: $24.86 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -19%
Versus 5 years ago this month, counting just the Top 100 TPBs: +8%
Versus 10 years ago this month, counting just the Top 25 TPBs: +28%
YEAR TO DATE: $100.86 million, -4% vs. 2009
April 2010: $31.97 million ($35.44 million with UK)
Versus 1 year ago this month: -24%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +18%
YEAR TO DATE: $129.24 million, -3% vs. 2009, +19% vs. 2005
The average comic book in Diamond’s Top 300 cost $3.47. The average Top 300 comic book that retailers ordered from Diamond also cost $3.47. The median comic book price in Diamond’s Top 300 was $3.50, and the most common cover price on Diamond’s list remained $3.99 for the second consecutive month.
The poor overall showing for the month puts the overall market back into negative territory for the year, with only the Top 300 Comics Dollar Sales category keeping pace with 2009. Trade paperbacks had a rough outing in both the frontlist and backlist — though, again, the extra week is a important determinant of trade sales. Also, it’s believed that April 2009’s charts may have reflected additional sales owing to some deep-discount promotions by publishers, so that also muddies the water for comparison purposes.
The monthly flashback column will be along shortly.
Comichron founder John Jackson Miller has tracked the comics industry for more than 25 years, including a decade editing the industry’s retail trade magazine; he is the author of several guides to comics, as well as more than a hundred comic books for various franchises.
He is the author of novels including Star Wars: Kenobi, Star Wars: A New Dawn, Star Trek: Discovery – The Enterprise War, and his upcoming release, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The High Country. Read more about them at his fiction site.
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