In advance of the larger releases of its December and 2012 year-end sales tables, Diamond Comic Distributors has released a sneak peek at the topline figures for the year.
Comic shop orders for comic books and graphic novels reportedly increased by 14.72% over 2011. This would bring the year in at nearly $475 million — in line with previous estimates here at Comichron — and an increase of more than $60 million for the year. Note that this figure does not include comics and graphic novels sold through bookstore and newsstand channels, which adds another $200 million or so — nor does it include digital sales, which are reported to be in excess of $75 million this year.
The monthly reports for 2012 can be found here, and previous years for comparison can be found here.
The aggregate change figures:
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| YEAR 2012 VS. YEAR 2011 | ||
| COMICS | +14.94% | +11.41% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | +14.26% | +13.66% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | +14.72% | +11.58% |
| DOLLAR MARKET SHARE | |
| PUBLISHER | SHARE |
| Marvel | 34.06% |
| DC | 31.94% |
| Image | 7.31% |
| IDW | 5.57% |
| Dark Horse | 4.81% |
| Dynamite (Dynamic Forces) | 3.11% |
| Boom | 1.53% |
| Eaglemoss | 1.15% |
| Viz | 0.93% |
| Avatar | 0.89% |
| Other | 8.70% |
| UNIT MARKET SHARE | |
| PUBLISHER | SHARE |
| Marvel | 37.59% |
| DC | 36.75% |
| Image | 6.60% |
| IDW | 4.36% |
| Dark Horse | 3.80% |
| Dynamite (Dynamic Forces) | 3.00% |
| Boom | 1.53% |
| Zenescope | 0.74% |
| Avatar | 0.73% |
| Archie | 0.69% |
| Other | 4.22% |
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | VENDOR |
| 1 | Walking Dead #100 | $3.99 | Image |
| 2 | Uncanny Avengers #1 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 3 | Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 4 | Amazing Spider-Man #700 | $7.99 | Marvel |
| 5 | Avengers Vs. X-Men #2 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 6 | Avengers Vs. X-Men #6 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 7 | Avengers Vs. X-Men #5 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 8 | Avengers Vs. X-Men #3 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 9 | Avengers Vs. X-Men #4 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| 10 | Avengers #1 | $3.99 | Marvel |
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | VENDOR |
| 1 | Walking Dead Vol. 1 Days Gone Bye | $9.99 | Image |
| 2 | Walking Dead Vol. 2 Miles Behind Us | $14.99 | Image |
| 3 | Batman Earth One HC | $22.99 | DC |
| 4 | Walking Dead Vol. 16 A Larger World | $14.99 | Image |
| 5 | Walking Dead Vol. 3 Safety Behind Bars | $14.99 | Image |
| 6 | Walking Dead Vol. 17 Something to Fear | $14.99 | Image |
| 7 | Walking Dead Vol. 4 Hearts Desire | $14.99 | Image |
| 8 | Batman HC Vol. 1 The Court of Owls | $24.99 | DC |
| 9 | Walking Dead Vol. 15 We Find Ourselves | $14.99 | Image |
| 10 | League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III Century #3 2009 | $9.95 | Top Shelf |
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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