The final comics sales charts for December have been released by Diamond Comic Distributors, and as reported here on Friday, Batman #37
from DC as the top-selling comic book of the month. Comichron estimates that the issue finished with orders of more
than 113,000 copies, one of only three titles to reach six figures. Click to see the sales estimates for comics ordered in December 2014.
And as noted last week, Batman #37 was probably not the
highest-circulation comic book in North America for December, given that
the previous issue, Batman #36, was part of the December Loot Crate
— and the numbers for that are not reflected in Diamond’s sales. The
previous issue did not re-chart in December. (Diamond sold a Marvel
and an Image issue to Loot Crate earlier in the
year, but it doesn’t seem to have been in the mix this time.)
The Direct Market closed out the year up 4%, with all categories in positive territory overall — comics unit sales, just barely — but as expected, the graphic novel subcategories were down quite a bit in December, given
that the comparative month from 2013 was so bizarre: the Top 300 Graphic
Novels category vaulted
over the $10 million mark that month due to a lot of graphic novel
discounting going on this month.
The aggregate changes, which give us our end-of-year figures:
December 2014: 82.65 million copies
Versus 1 year ago this month: +2%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +7%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +4%
Versus 15 years ago this month: +3%
Q4 2014: 21.89 million copies, +4% vs. Q4 2013
2014 YEAR END: 82.65 million copies, -2% vs. 2013, +10% vs. 2009, +11% vs. 2004, +6% vs. 1999
ALL COMICS UNIT SALES
December 2014 versus one year ago this month: +4.5%
Q4 2014 versus Q4 2013: +7.05%
2014 YEAR END: +0.25%
December 2014: $25.58 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: +4%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +14%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +35%
Versus 15 years ago this month: +46%
Q4 2014: $82.64 million, +6% vs. Q4 2013
2014 YEAR END: $313.08 million, +1% vs. 2013, +21% vs. 2009, +47% vs. 2004, +55% vs. 1999
ALL COMICS DOLLAR SALES
December 2014 versus one year ago this month: +6.67%
Q4 2014 versus Q4 2013: +7.89%
2014 YEAR END: +4.03%
December 2014: $6.51 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -38%
Versus 5 years ago this month: -23%
Versus 10 years ago this month, just the Top 100 vs. the Top 100: -5%
Versus 15 years ago this month, just the Top 25 vs. the Top 25: -17%
Q4 2014: $24.13 million, -8% vs. Q4 2013
2014 YEAR END: $88.82 million, -5% vs. 2013
ALL TRADE PAPERBACK SALES
December 2014 versus one year ago this month: -5.41%
Q4 2014 versus Q4 2013: +7.56%
YEAR TO DATE: +5.18%
December 2014: $32.08 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -8%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +7%
Versus 10 years ago this month, counting just the Top 100 TPBs: +18%
Versus 15 years ago this month, counting just the Top 25 TPBs: +56%
Q4 2014: $106.76 million, +2% vs. Q4 2013
2014 YEAR END: $401.88 million, unchanged vs. 2013
ALL COMICS AND TRADE PAPERBACK SALES
December 2014 versus one year ago this month: +2.83%
Q4 2014 versus Q4 2013: +7.78%
2014 YEAR END: +4.39%
December 2014: approximately $42.22 million (subject to revision)
Versus 1 year ago this month: +6%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +6%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +47%
Q4 2014: $134.79 million, +5% vs. 2013
2014 YEAR END: $540.4 million, +4% vs. 2013
RELEASES
New comic books released: 489
New graphic novels released: 243
New magazines released: 65
All new releases: 797
The average comic book in the Top 300 cost $3.77; the average comic book
retailers ordered cost $3.79. The median and most common price for comics offered was $3.99. Click to see comics prices across time.
The release of December data allows the end-of year estimates to be made: those will be up 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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