The 2021 Comichron/ICv2 report is out — and it’s a blockbuster. Comics and graphic novel sales rose 62% to $2.075 billion; up 70% vs 2019. All formats grew in what was the the industry’s biggest year ever in dollar terms, even when adjusted for inflation.
Graphic novels exploded, with manga having an enormous year. Traditional comic books also rose dramatically, surpassing 2019’s pre-pandemic level. Digital grew less, but still far ahead of 2019.
Graphic novels sent the book channel over $1 billion, while comics shops topped $700 million in nominal dollars for the first time. Crowdfunding growth offset newsstand losses in the Other category. 2021 topped any year in comics history in inflation-adjusted dollars.
While early 1950s unit sales were higher, it was all magazines, a dime at a time. 2021’s comics formats have a wider range of price points.
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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