Marvel Publishing Update

[Advanced Dark]

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/07/19/marvel-month-to-month-sales-june-2007/

Marvel Month-to-Month sales: June 2007

By Paul O’Brien
After a comparatively quiet May, Marvel went all out in June. The major event of the month, WORLD WAR HULK, involved three miniseries and a slew of crossover titles. It would have been a pretty big deal on its own. But June also saw the much-hyped NEW AVENGERS #31, the start of the X-Men’s “Endangered Species” crossover, the start of ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST, and three new ongoing titles - NEW WARRIORS, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and AVENGERS CLASSIC.
On top of that, the death of Captain America is still pulling in sales, the Initiative books are continuing to benefit from the fall-out of CIVIL WAR, and Spider-Man is still in emo mode. And that’s before we even get to the other new miniseries. In short, there’s an awful lot going on right now.
Once again, Marvel dominated DC in terms of direct market share, but this month’s margin is outrageously wide. In units, Marvel won by 48% to 29% - in dollars, 44% to 27%. That margin reflects the fact that Marvel are having a good year in the direct market, and DC… well, DC aren’t.

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/07/19/marvel-month-to-month-sales-june-2007/

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/07/19/marvel-month-to-month-sales-june-2007/

Click on the link above to see in great detail comparisons for all titles month to month, year to year. Great breakdown.

 

[Red]

Let's party like its 1989!

 

[Advanced Dark]

^ No...not 89 again. Well 89 wasn't bad...the early 90's were. LOL

 

[PhotoJones]

1989 gave us Batman, Uncle Buck, Tango & Cash and Dead Poets Society. It can never be bad.

 

[Marcdachamp]

That's because everything DC does outside of Vertigo is vertigo-inducing.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Ba-Dum Pssssh!

 

[iloveclones]

Paul O'Brien is a great resource if you like looking at these numbers.

To those who want to whoop and holler, I would say:

1)When you score a touchdown, act like you've been there before, and

2)All things are cyclical.

 

[Darthphere]

This only matters if you prefer one company over the other. I read comics, I don't care who publishes them. I've been overly critical of Marvel in the past, and they seem to be getting their **** together lately. I'm critical of DC right now because they were kicking Marvel's ass quality wise as little as a year and a half ago. Now, they don't seem to have any direction whatsoever and it's time for them to get their act together.

 

[gildea]

This only matters if you prefer one company over the other. I read comics, I don't care who publishes them. I've been overly critical of Marvel in the past, and they seem to be getting their **** together lately. I'm critical of DC right now because they were kicking Marvel's ass quality wise as little as a year and a half ago. Now, they don't seem to have any direction whatsoever and it's time for them to get their act together.

Wise man.

Except I'd possibly argue DC has TOO much direction, tying everything into countdown and making it a sort of "extra scenes" type comic seems to have blown up in their face.

 

[Darthphere]

Wise man.

Except I'd possibly argue DC has TOO much direction, tying everything into countdown and making it a sort of "extra scenes" type comic seems to have blown up in their face.

Yes, that's part of the problem. They're trying to tie everything together while fixing the colossal **** up that One Year Later ended up being at the same time.

EDIT: To add something here. I think it's a testament to Marvel how Civil War, while critically not the most well received comic, it's fallout has been handled stupendously by Marvel and have really generated some top notch quality books. At the moment, Marvel has me reading New Avengers, something that would never have happened Pre-CW. And I buy 3 Avengers titles, really, who would've thought this was possible. An Alpha Flight book in the top 40? Unheard of.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Monatarily, yes Marvel owns. However I read lots of different books from lots of different publishers. For example, I am finding Transformers and Transformers Spotlight from IDW to be particularly exciting. The Walking Dead is among my favorite titles/trades. I enjoyed Invincible. And current Sinestro Corp War is at the top of my pile every month I get a tie in, it's awesome. Marvel will continue to do well, they have more exposure and Joey Q is actually a darn good salesman, but quality isn't dictated by how much money you make.

 

[Darthphere]

Monatarily, yes Marvel owns. However I read lots of different books from lots of different publishers. For example, I am finding Transformers and Transformers Spotlight from IDW to be particularly exciting. The Walking Dead is among my favorite titles/trades. I enjoyed Invincible. And current Sinestro Corp War is at the top of my pile every month I get a tie in, it's awesome. Marvel will continue to do well, they have more exposure and Joey Q is actually a darn good salesman, but quality isn't dictated by how much money you make.

Very true statement SB, but at the moment, it has to something to do with it. IMHO, I'm enjoying Marvel's books more than DC, overall. I'd still take Checkmate sans Outsiders over most of Marvel's books except X-Factor of course, but DC's books are in shambles right now. Action Comics and Batman are a joke right now, Amazons Attack has been craptastic, Sinestro Corps is just not my cup of tea (I realize I'm in the minority). At least I have Detective Comics, Blue Beetle, Superman and JSA.

 

[iloveclones]

For those of you who follow DC closely, I'm curious: What Happened?! Seriously, a year ago, I was following these numbers, and DC was giving a Marvel a run for their money. 52 was constantly in the top 10, and a majority of issues sold 100K+. Why weren't they able to build on this momentum? Can you point to one thing, or are they just in a general malaise? Do you think it's temporary, or do you think some big changes need to be made?

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Voodoo.

 

[gildea]

quality isn't dictated by how much money you make.

No.

But it is an indication (of sorts).

It is also the ethos of MARVEL and DC make comics people enjoy and people will buy more.

 

[Darthphere]

For those of you who follow DC closely, I'm curious: What Happened?! Seriously, a year ago, I was following these numbers, and DC was giving a Marvel a run for their money. 52 was constantly in the top 10, and a majority of issues sold 100K+. Why weren't they able to build on this momentum? Can you point to one thing, or are they just in a general malaise? Do you think it's temporary, or do you think some big changes need to be made?

I think that's it though. 52 was misleading, because it was really the only DC title that was selling huge. Also, 52 caused problems for a lot of other books or so it seems. I mean, it can't be a coincidence that most of the books the 52 writers were writing were constantly late. Of course, they blame it on the artists, but it's an odd coincidence. And that was another thing, DC got lax on the deadlines, almost all the big books we're late. Johns and Donner generated some excitement, but that run pretty much crashed and burned from the start. And, OYL brought a lot of different directions that we're hard to swallow. Lex Luthor back to Silver Age villain, Cassandra Cain, Martian Manhunter etc.

But honestly, I think it's a case of what Marvel is doing right moreso than what DC is doing wrong. DC is in a bad state, but I think we, I included exaggerate the situation a bit. Marvel is just churning out quality event after event and getting people to buy more comics. Look at Endangered Species right now, people are buying X-Books they never read for a back up tale. Marvel is just doing smart business.

Well, that's just my opinion or as TMOB would say my two cents.

 

[PhotoJones]

In terms of number of books being produced, and the overall quality of those books, I'd have to go with Archaia Studios Press with being my number one publisher.

 

[Darthphere]

In terms of number of books being produced, and the overall quality of those books, I'd have to go with Archaia Studios Press with being my number one publisher.

Why do you have to be so pretentious?

You know you're buying that Dynamite Zorro book, don't deny it.

 

[PhotoJones]

Why do you have to be so pretentious?

You know you're buying that Dynamite Zorro book, don't deny it.

How does me liking quality books equal pretention?

And I probably will pick up the new Zorro book. But that doesn't change the fact that some of what Dynamite puts out is utter crap.

 

[Darthphere]

How does me liking quality books equal pretention?

And I probably will pick up the new Zorro book. But that doesn't change the fact that some of what Dynamite puts out is utter crap.

See, you're even trying to use big words that don't even exist.

Pretentious Jones.

 

[PhotoJones]

See, you're even trying to use big words that don't even exist.

Pretentious Jones.

Huh? What words did I use that are nonexistent?

 

[Darthphere]

Huh? What words did I use that are nonexistent?

Pretention

 

[PhotoJones]

Pretention

Uh...that's a real word, bud.

 

[gildea]

It is a real word.

Thought it is spelt 'pretension'.

Ahhh the irony.

 

[Darthphere]

It is a real word.

Thought it is spelt 'pretension'.

Ahhh the irony.

gildea just performed an elusive double pwn.