ICV2 released their hard numbers of the Top 300 sellers of June 2010:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17860.html
The "drop off" between SECRET AVENGERS #1 and #2 was quite harsh. The first issue sold about 106k and got a reprint; the second issue sold just under 78k. That means between the first and second issue, apparently 28,000 readers fell off (or retailers had over-ordered the debut by that many). While that's still very good these days, worthy of a Top 10 seller, Bendis' AVENGERS at issue two is still selling at almost 99k. Still, over 20% drops between issues one and two could be disturbing. For perspective, a drop off of 28,000 readers is about as high as the amount of people who bought HAWKEYE AND MOCKINGBIRD #1. 28,000 readers is more than every account that is registered at SHH, which includes dead accounts (the tally I believe is somewhere around 21,000 - 22,000 accounts).
THANOS IMPERATIVE #1 debuted with 34,600 copies within the Top 60. That's a lot less than WAR OF KINGS did, perhaps proving that the Inhumans and X-Men were a larger part of the draw than the space teams. That said, that is still about a 10k boost from where NOVA and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY were selling, which is a positive sign. Considering both titles lasted beyond two years (NOVA ran for three), I doubt Marvel would simply abandon the space line. It's proven to have a small but very loyal audience, at least until their price policies changed and got greedier by the end of 2008 and the start of 2009 (yes, just as the Great Recession hit full steam, Marvel's policies became greedier than they'd ever been - that more than anything shows their apathy for retailers and fans, who they see as inconveniences with wallets than people). I will say it is a bad sign that MS. MARVEL lasted 50 issues and no announcement of a relaunch of her title has been made. It is possible that Marvel may be willing to cut bait on some lower selling franchises, which wouldn't bode well for NOVA or GOTG. Since Abnett & Lanning write both books anyway, it is possible that those two titles could be merged into one book that is $3.99. Marvel's strategy for boosting any franchise is usually:
1). Relaunch it and sell it for $3.99, because if fans were willing to flee when it was cheaper, they surely will flock to it now that it is more expensive. Also known as the "What Is Reality? Strategy".
2). Relaunch it and give it a spin-off, all at $3.99 (also known as the DC Strategy). Because a franchise that can't hold onto one book will surely be stronger holding onto two or more, at a higher price.
3). Repeat strategies one and two with all the imagination of a brain dead parrot. Caw! See: X-Men, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Teen Titans, JSA, et al...
Sometimes I wonder why "editor for a day" style contests for fans have been abandoned since the 90's not because they often involve more work, but because there is a genuine fear that any fan off the street could do it better than the current boss at either big two company, and it could lead to heads rolling.
On the other hand, I have heard theories that because Marvel often pays their talent very well, which is often how they've been better able to retain or reclaim talent than DC, may increase their operating costs and this drives up the prices of everything. While this is possible, I still doubt they would become bankrupt overnight if they sold comics at even $3.75 instead of $3.99. I digress.
YOUNG ALLIES #1, as I predicted, debuted at just under 21k. Even with the reprints added to that, that is a very weak debut for an ongoing series. If even SECRET AVENGERS or even some of Bendis' titles saw a drop of at least 20-25% between first and second issues (they simply started out selling more), than the drop for YA #2 could be quite ugly. I am predicting this will be retcon-solicited as a mini series by September (when issue four is solicited).
Another possible dead book walking is ATLAS - issue two sold about 16k, right around where INVINCIBLE sells for Image. Marvel has given Jeff Parker's ATLAS franchise a good, valiant try over the last two years, but it just isn't selling. I could argue that the heap of $4 comics forces retailers to cut into their budgets to sell the bigger books at the expense of small books or new books, but again, if editorial staff were actually in touch with reality, the world wouldn't be as it is. The $3.99 price tag combined with the economy have eliminated the middle class of comics, mostly. You have comics that sell great, and drive the sales of the industry. And you have a mass of titles that sell like garbage - under 25k for a Big Two book is usually considered rubbish. Maybe some of these smaller books would have a little more of a chance under a less oppressive pricing scheme for the line overall. But when you're looking to flood the market with as many comics as possible as Marvel does, this stuff doesn't matter. When you're simply trying to bury DC by at least 2 comics for every 1 of their's, this doesn't matter. On the plus side, the NAMORA one shot sold at 14k - which is low, but not far from where ATLAS sells, meaning it is a small but loyal audience. The problem is that small audiences don't save books no matter how loyal they are. Except for SPIDER-GIRL, which seems to survive somewhere by any means possible.
A lot of the WOMEN OF MARVEL material are not selling well at all. Sales for FANTASTIC FOUR are at some 5-6 year lows.
Bendis' NEW AVENGERS #1, though, sold at almost 130k. So people waiting for retailers to not respond to Bendis books need to keep waiting. Marvel has trained retailers that Bendis on Avenger titles are important. What seems to create large sellers are long-term perceptions of importance and buzz combined with attachment to a franchise that has been supported as important for years.
Oh, and I also bought
THANOS IMPERATIVE SOURCEBOOK, and I'd say that unless you're new to the space line or just want to support it, it's a waste of $4. If you've been reading the space books for at least a year, none of the data is new or something you don't already know.
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