Comics Spidey Book Sales (ASM +)

[Meehaul]

As I don't celebrate the dropping in sales of ASM, and am interested in tracking other Spidey book sales as well, I'm starting a new thread.

Here's the Comic Chron top 20 for May (ASM occupies three places on the list).

Comic-book Title Issue Price Publisher Est. sales
1 New Avengers 53 $3.99 Marvel 94,367
2 Batman Battle For The Cowl 3 $3.99 DC 89,170
3 Wolverine 72 $2.99 Marvel 87,075
4 Flash Rebirth 2 $2.99 DC 86,183
5 Wolverine 73 $2.99 Marvel 83,324
6 Green Lantern 41 $2.99 DC 81,491
7 Uncanny X-Men 510 $2.99 Marvel 75,139
8 Hulk 12 $3.99 Marvel 73,105
9 Amazing Spider-Man 595 $2.99 Marvel 71,837
10 Captain America 50 $3.99 Marvel 66,928
11 Justice League of America 33 $2.99 DC 63,867
12 Green Lantern Corps 36 $2.99 DC 61,591
13 Wolverine Weapon X 2 $3.99 Marvel 59,192
14 Buffy The Vampire Slayer 25 Chen Cvr $2.99 Dark Horse 58,740
15 Amazing Spider-Man 594 $2.99 Marvel 58,464
16 Amazing Spider-Man 593 $2.99 Marvel 58,363
17 X-Force 15 $2.99 Marvel 58,340
18 Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk 6 $2.99 Marvel 57,149
19 Justice Society of America 27 $2.99 DC 56,102
20 New Mutants

Spider-Man:A Short Halloween, which was pretty lame, clocked in at #93. USM came in at #24 and SM Family appears at #190. Marvel Adventures SM appeared at #250 andthe fifth printing of Spider-Obama came in at #279. These numbers dont include news stand sales or subscription sales. According to Marvel, ASM subscriptions run at 37,373 per month and news stand sales contribute another 2730 or so. ASM is, with Marvel Adventures SM, the most subscribed Marvel titles and are the biggest news stand sellers.

One interesting tidbt I learned about comic sales in the 90's was that in 1992, there were roughly 15,000 comic book stores. By 1998, that number had dropped to just over 2,000. In addition, Diamond became the monoply distributor during that time. Marvel and DC really hurt themselves with that kind of retail contraction.

Oh well, I am actually digging the most recent ASM run. JMS wrote a Spidey I barely recognized--especially since the Other completely futzed with Spidey's origin. While I may have hated the Mephisto crap, I certainly like the new direction (and I never liked the marriage to MJ, btw).

 

[thegame_45]

You know I am really lucky around here, because i have 3 comic stores in less than 10 miles from each other. I asked the comic guy if he has been struggling, because of the econonmy and he said nope, I am doing better than ever. Comic collectors always have money. I just laughed

 

[Donald Thomas]

Aloha,
I support this thread.
Spidey rules

 

[Meehaul]

And what better endoresement is there than from the redoubtable Mr. Thomas who, along with Spidey, rules.

 

[Meehaul]

As JJJ's Ulcer notes: "Overall comic sales in May dropped 18% compared to April last month, yet ASM held on and only dropped by 2%, and had moved from 17th, 19th, and 24th places last month to 9th, 15th, and 16th places. "

Still, the numbers are not great, overall. I wish there were a way of tracking the effect of tpbs on monthly comic book sales--to know whether the bulk of tpbs are new buys or repeat buyers....

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Oh well, I am actually digging the most recent ASM run. JMS wrote a Spidey I barely recognized--especially since the Other completely futzed with Spidey's origin. While I may have hated the Mephisto crap, I certainly like the new direction (and I never liked the marriage to MJ, btw).

I agree with everything you said (except not liking the marriage. I'm not fanatical about it like some, but I would rather they had stayed married for continuity reasons if nothing else). JMS was vastly overrated and quite hackneyed, with every arc being mystical or just plain gimmicky in nature. I can overlook the Mephisto crap and the marriage being magically annulled, because the current stories quality wise are a big leap over JMS. There have been duds like Bob Gale and even the disappointing return of Roger Stern, but Slott, Guggenheim, Zeb Wells, Joe Kelly and even Mark Waid (never thought I'd say that!) have done fantastic jobs! And they're doing a Ben Reilly story next! t:

 

[imdaly]

As JJJ's Ulcer notes: "Overall comic sales in May dropped 18% compared to April last month, yet ASM held on and only dropped by 2%, and had moved from 17th, 19th, and 24th places last month to 9th, 15th, and 16th places. "

That was ME!

http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=17094814&postcount=1076

 

[Meehaul]

Oops! Sorry! T'was a good point.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

lmao. I'm flattered you thought I'd make such an observant, smart post though. t:

 

[Themanofbat]

ASM sales in 2009 thus far...

* these numbers are from Diamond only and do not include newstand & subscriptions *
* numbers in bold indicate a jump from previous issue *

ASM #582 - 59 914 copies
ASM #583 - 352 847 copies
ASM #584 - 63 735 copies
ASM #585 - 60 275 copies
ASM #586 - 59 510 copies
ASM #587 - 60 107 copies
ASM #588 - 61 325 copies
ASM #589 - 58 823 copies
ASM #590 - 66 410 copies
ASM #591 - 60 503 copies
ASM #592 - 65 935 copies
ASM #593 - 58 363 copies
ASM #594 - 58 464 copies
ASM #595 - 71 837 copies

That's an average of 82 718 copies per issue...

...however, if you take away the Obama issue, it's an average of 61 939 copies per issue... which would still rank it as a Top 15 book in these tough economic times.

 

[Donald Thomas]

ASM sales in 2009 thus far...

* these numbers are from Diamond only and do not include newstand & subscriptions *
* numbers in bold indicate a jump from previous issue *

ASM #582 - 59 914 copies
ASM #583 - 352 847 copies
ASM #584 - 63 735 copies
ASM #585 - 60 275 copies
ASM #586 - 59 510 copies
ASM #587 - 60 107 copies
ASM #588 - 61 325 copies
ASM #589 - 58 823 copies
ASM #590 - 66 410 copies
ASM #591 - 60 503 copies
ASM #592 - 65 935 copies
ASM #593 - 58 363 copies
ASM #594 - 58 464 copies
ASM #595 - 71 837 copies

That's an average of 82 718 copies per issue...

...however, if you take away the Obama issue, it's an average of 61 939 copies per issue... which would still rank it as a Top 15 book in these tough economic times.

Aloha,
Isn't it amazing that this thread contains some factual statistics regarding the positive sales of AS-M, since BND, which proves that despite the controversy Spidey is still going strong, and yet so few have had anything to say.
Spidey rules

 

[Meehaul]

I'm taking the liberty of posting Ipart of still a nerd (or whatever's) post here:

"Indignant Eclectica seems to have looked at sales of Amazing Spider-Man over the past year. Now before anyone goes "Oh no, here we go again with sales estimates," the article begins as follows:


Quote:
We finally have answers to the Spider-Man subscriptions question. On August 12, 2008, in a CBR interview Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort said “Everyone is saying the book will be cancelled any day now. I could float the book on my subscribers alone at this point.”

The question of whether the monthly cumulative sales of Amazing Spider-Man and whether it’s really greater than the combined sales of Amazing Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Sensational Spider-Man seems to come up every month or so. And when it comes up, I tell people we don’t know, because we haven’t seen the subscription numbers and maybe Amazing Spider-Man was selling 20-30K per issue in subscriptions, as people invariably bring up that Brevoort quote. Well, in the latest audit, we have the subscription numbers for November 2008, which translates to titles that shipped in September 2008. In either case, that’s after Brevoort’s interview.


http://www.indignantonline.com/2009/...n-mystery-too/


Here's the numbers reported:

Here are the top 15 subscription titles for November (really September) 2008

Subscription

1. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 30,652
2. Amazing Spider-Man 9,090 (27,270 copies/3 issues)
3. New Avengers 8,570
4. Ultimate Spider-Man 6,919
5. Uncanny X-Men 6,739
6. Marvel Adventures The Avengers 6,345
7. Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 6,129
8. X-Men Legacy 5,512
9. Hulk 5,493
10. Astonishing X-Men 4,876
11. Captain America 4,266
12. Fantastic Four 4,181
13. Amazing Spider-Girl 4,115
14. Thor 3,876
Iron Man: Director of SHIELD 3,769

As we’ve come to expect, the Marvel Adventures titles tend to perform very well as subscription titles. Three of the top four titles are distinct flavors of Spider-Man. Interestingly, Astonishing X-Men is the worst-selling X-book in this category.

Then we have newsstand (single-issue) sales, where things get crazy compared to the direct market estimates we’re used to seeing. Not every comic is distributed to the newsstand. Some titles aren’t frequently seen in the direct market. There was also a “Hulk Turner Variant” title listed on separate lines as selling 23,640 copies in both the direct market and newsstand market, that I’m figuring was a misprint for the newsstand.

Newsstand

1. Hulk Chronicles: World War Hulk 8,098
2. Secret Invasion “Yu Variant” 6,895
3. Iron Man: Golden Avenger 5,208
4. Amazing Spider-Man 4,104 (12,313 copies / 3 issues)
5. Marvel Adventures Two-In-One 4,098
6. X-Men: Legacy 3,856
7. Marvel Two-In-One 3,741
8. Uncanny X-Men 3,597
9. Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World Of Sakaar 3,538
10. Ultimate Spider-Man 3,272
11. Nova 2,897
12. Captain America 2,808
13. Wolverine: Origins 2,748
14. Venom: Dark Origin 2,620
15. Invincible Iron Man 2,617

Yes, your #1 book is a “Chronicles” reprint book of the World War Hulk event. Yes, your #3 book is an Iron Man one-shot that the audit has as selling only 21,867 in the direct market. The two “Two-In-One” titles are double-sized reprint books. Skaar is a top 10 title. Nova is number 11. The newsstand continues to have a very different from the direct market.

Now, back to Spider-Man. The sales figures for Amazing Spider-Man are all over the map. Marvel is actually breaking out variant covers, starting with the October audit period (street date being 2 months prior to audit period. Care to guess the emphasis on alternate covers?"

We have some later subscription data, but its tough to sort it out. We need to do regression analysis not only on ASM, but looking at the top 10 titles each month over the span of several years.

 

[Themanofbat]

So basically, we can add 13 194 copies per issue for ASM weekly sales...

 

[iloveclones]

Actually, the number that caught my attention was this one:

1. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 30,652

Now, I'm sure there are some completists that subscribe to that. But I doubt many old-timers like me and TMOB get it (I did subscribe to MA Avengers for a while). And most "newbies" were more drawn to Ultimate Spidey or Amazing. So that number probably represents Parents who want to give their kiddies a Spidey fix after seeing the movies/cartoons/shirts/lunchboxes. And some percentage of those kids will become the mythical, elusive "new readers" that Marvel always seems to be chasing. And by the time they start buying Amazing, they won't care all that much about clones, or devil-divorces, or whatever.

I'm very encouraged by that number.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Actually, the number that caught my attention was this one:

1. Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 30,652

Now, I'm sure there are some completists that subscribe to that. But I doubt many old-timers like me and TMOB get it (I did subscribe to MA Avengers for a while). And most "newbies" were more drawn to Ultimate Spidey or Amazing. So that number probably represents Parents who want to give their kiddies a Spidey fix after seeing the movies/cartoons/shirts/lunchboxes. And some percentage of those kids will become the mythical, elusive "new readers" that Marvel always seems to be chasing. And by the time they start buying Amazing, they won't care all that much about clones, or devil-divorces, or whatever.

I'm very encouraged by that number.

Aloha,
Encouraging indeed.Since MA Spider-Man is a juvenile version of the original in many cases, we have a new generation of Spidey fans who have some introduction to the original Amazing Spider-Man stories.As much as we Mature readers ( say old timers and I'll hit you with my cane), love our continuity, Marvel has forty years of future readers to think about.I'm taking care of myself, I'd like to be around for that.
Happy Fourth of July !!!
Spidey rules

 

[Hobgoblin]

Much as I dont like BND, its a good thing that sales arent terrible. Poor sales dont do Spidey any good. The Powers That Be may think that he is broken beyond repair and do something...foolish.

btw, are those number just for the US or do they include over seas sales?

 

[Themanofbat]

The numbers from the first post, as well as post #10, are from Diamond Distributors only... they do not include newsstand nor subscriptions...

 

[Meehaul]

Interestingly, they are getting the 90's sales on line (finally). For 1997, the only year for which there exists complete data, ASM never does better than #20. It will be interesting to get data for the 90's all on line so we can analyze what happened during the 90's.

 

[Donald Thomas]

Interestingly, they are getting the 90's sales on line (finally). For 1997, the only year for which there exists complete data, ASM never does better than #20. It will be interesting to get data for the 90's all on line so we can analyze what happened during the 90's.

Aloha,
Clone Saga, comic book speculators and Marvel bankruptcy.JMS was able to prove that he brought Amazing out of the 20's and into the top 10 during his run.
Spidey rules

 

[stillanerd]

Here's a follow-up to the article from Indignant Eclectica I linked to, and which Meehaul quoted me on, from the same website:

http://www.indignantonline.com/2009/07/03/spider-man-subscription-numbers-over-the-years/

 

[Meehaul]

Here's the top 50 for June (excluding news stand sales and subscriptions)

Comic-book Title Issue Price Publisher Order index
1 Batman and Robin 1 $2.99 DC 173.97
2 Captain America 600 $4.99 Marvel 115.86
3 Dark Avengers Uncanny X-Men Utopia 1 $3.99 Marvel 100.79
4 Batman 687 $3.99 DC 100.00
5 Dark Avengers 5 $3.99 Marvel 98.80
6 Dark Avengers 6 $3.99 Marvel 96.62
7 New Avengers 54 $3.99 Marvel 90.87
8 Ultimatum 4 $3.99 Marvel 90.12
9 Green Lantern 42 $2.99 DC 86.81
10 Flash Rebirth 3 $2.99 DC 85.73
11 Dark Wolverine 75 $3.99 Marvel 83.35
12 Uncanny X-Men 512 $3.99 Marvel 78.71
13 Detective Comics 854 $3.99 DC 75.13
14 Uncanny X-Men 511 $2.99 Marvel 73.41
15 Thor 602 $3.99 Marvel 71.78
16 Wolverine 74 $2.99 Marvel 68.29
17 Mighty Avengers 25 $2.99 Marvel 67.08
18 Astonishing X-Men 30 $2.99 Marvel 66.67
19 Red Robin 1 $2.99 DC 66.31
20 Green Lantern Corps 37 $2.99 DC 65.60
21 Amazing Spider-Man 596 $2.99 Marvel 65.55
22 Mighty Avengers 26 $2.99 Marvel 65.19
23 Amazing Spider-Man 597 $2.99 Marvel 63.61
24 Amazing Spider-Man 598 $2.99 Marvel 63.55
25 Justice League of America 34 $2.99 DC 63.06
26 X-Force 16 $2.99 Marvel 60.69
27 X-Men Legacy 225 $2.99 Marvel 60.23
28 Batman Streets of Gotham 1 $3.99 DC 59.49
29 Ultimate Spider-Man 133 $3.99 Marvel 59.19
30 Invincible Iron Man 14 $2.99 Marvel 54.92
31 Justice Society of America 28 $2.99 DC 54.35
32 Gotham City Sirens 1 $2.99 DC 54.11
33 Deadpool 11 $2.99 Marvel 53.95
34 Wolverine Weapon X 3 $3.99 Marvel 52.70
35 Cable 15 $2.99 Marvel 51.50
36 Fantastic Four 567 $2.99 Marvel 47.70
37 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tales of the Vampires One Shot $2.99 Dark Horse 47.02
38 Ultimatum Spider-Man Requiem 1 $3.99 Marvel 46.42
39 Wolverine Origins 37 $2.99 Marvel 46.36
40 War of Kings 4 $3.99 Marvel 44.86
41 Avengers Invaders 12 $2.99 Marvel 44.63
42 New Mutants 2 $2.99 Marvel 44.61
43 Superman World of New Krypton 4 $2.99 DC 42.95
44 Daredevil 119 $2.99 Marvel 42.72
45 Dark Reign Sinister Spider-Man 1 $3.99 Marvel 42.19
46 Secret Warriors 5 $2.99 Marvel 42.15
47 Superman 689 $2.99 DC 41.65
48 Avengers Initiative 25 $2.99 Marvel 41.38
49 Action Comics 878 $2.99 DC 41.29
50 Dark Tower the Fall of Gilead 2 $3.99 Marvel 41.25

 

[Meehaul]

The new Batman & Robin by Morrison and Quietly really killed. Captain America 600 underperformed. But Cap, Batman, Thor, Wolverine, Flash, Batwoman (Detective Comics)and Green Lantern all beat ASM (for single character titles).

 

[Meehaul]

And here's the tpbs, again, courtesy of Diamond.

Trade Paperback title Price Publisher Order Index
1 Final Crisis HC $29.99 DC 8.48
2 All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 $19.99 DC 5.76
3 Deadpool Vol. 1 Secret Invasion $14.99 Marvel 5.56
4 Green Lantern Sinestro Corps War Vol. 2 $14.99 DC 5.30
5 Green Lantern Tales of the Sinestro Corps $14.99 DC 4.51
6 Empowered Vol. 5 $14.95 Dark Horse 4.33
7 Dark Reign Deadpool Thunderbolts $12.99 Marvel 4.26
8 Green Lantern Corps Sins of the Star Sapphire $14.99 DC 3.97
9 House of Mystery Vol. 2 Love Stories For Dead People $14.99 DC 3.42
10 Bleach Vol. 27 $7.95 Viz 3.40
11 Superman Last Son $12.99 DC 3.40
12 Ultimate Origins $19.99 Marvel 3.28
13 Uncanny X-Men Lovelorn $15.99 Marvel 3.20
14 Spider-Man New Ways To Die $19.99 Marvel 3.18
15 Batman the Black Casebook $17.99 DC 3.17
16 Halo Uprising Prem HC $24.99 Marvel 3.04
17 Starman Omnibus HC Vol. 3 $49.99 DC 3.00
18 Twisted Toyfare Theatre Vol. 10 $12.99 Wizard 2.85
19 Justice League of America Vol. 3 Injustice League $17.99 DC 2.84
20 Hitman Vol. 1 A Rage In Arkham $14.99 DC 2.83
21 Runaways Vol. 8 Dead End Kids Digest $9.99 Marvel 2.80
22 Final Crisis Companion $19.99 DC 2.78
23 Terry Moores Echo Vol. 2 Atomic Dreams $15.95 Abstract 2.71
24 Venom Dark Origin $14.99 Marvel 2.60
25 Dark Reign Accept Change $24.99 Marvel 2.57
26 Showcase Presents Green Lantern Vol. 4 $16.99 DC 2.56
27 Flash the Human Race $14.99 DC 2.55
28 Captain America Man With No Face Prem HC $19.99 Marvel 2.54
29 Negima Vol. 22 $10.99 Random House 2.53
30 Sleeper Season 1

 

[Galactus]

Here's the top 50 for June (excluding news stand sales and subscriptions)

Comic-book Title Issue Price Publisher Order index
1 Batman and Robin 1 $2.99 DC 173.97
2 Captain America 600 $4.99 Marvel 115.86
3 Dark Avengers Uncanny X-Men Utopia 1 $3.99 Marvel 100.79
4 Batman 687 $3.99 DC 100.00
5 Dark Avengers 5 $3.99 Marvel 98.80
6 Dark Avengers 6 $3.99 Marvel 96.62
7 New Avengers 54 $3.99 Marvel 90.87
8 Ultimatum 4 $3.99 Marvel 90.12
9 Green Lantern 42 $2.99 DC 86.81
10 Flash Rebirth 3 $2.99 DC 85.73
11 Dark Wolverine 75 $3.99 Marvel 83.35
12 Uncanny X-Men 512 $3.99 Marvel 78.71
13 Detective Comics 854 $3.99 DC 75.13
14 Uncanny X-Men 511 $2.99 Marvel 73.41
15 Thor 602 $3.99 Marvel 71.78
16 Wolverine 74 $2.99 Marvel 68.29
17 Mighty Avengers 25 $2.99 Marvel 67.08
18 Astonishing X-Men 30 $2.99 Marvel 66.67
19 Red Robin 1 $2.99 DC 66.31
20 Green Lantern Corps 37 $2.99 DC 65.60
21 Amazing Spider-Man 596 $2.99 Marvel 65.55
22 Mighty Avengers 26 $2.99 Marvel 65.19
23 Amazing Spider-Man 597 $2.99 Marvel 63.61
24 Amazing Spider-Man 598 $2.99 Marvel 63.55
25 Justice League of America 34 $2.99 DC 63.06
26 X-Force 16 $2.99 Marvel 60.69
27 X-Men Legacy 225 $2.99 Marvel 60.23
28 Batman Streets of Gotham 1 $3.99 DC 59.49
29 Ultimate Spider-Man 133 $3.99 Marvel 59.19
30 Invincible Iron Man 14 $2.99 Marvel 54.92
31 Justice Society of America 28 $2.99 DC 54.35
32 Gotham City Sirens 1 $2.99 DC 54.11
33 Deadpool 11 $2.99 Marvel 53.95
34 Wolverine Weapon X 3 $3.99 Marvel 52.70
35 Cable 15 $2.99 Marvel 51.50
36 Fantastic Four 567 $2.99 Marvel 47.70
37 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tales of the Vampires One Shot $2.99 Dark Horse 47.02
38 Ultimatum Spider-Man Requiem 1 $3.99 Marvel 46.42
39 Wolverine Origins 37 $2.99 Marvel 46.36
40 War of Kings 4 $3.99 Marvel 44.86
41 Avengers Invaders 12 $2.99 Marvel 44.63
42 New Mutants 2 $2.99 Marvel 44.61
43 Superman World of New Krypton 4 $2.99 DC 42.95
44 Daredevil 119 $2.99 Marvel 42.72
45 Dark Reign Sinister Spider-Man 1 $3.99 Marvel 42.19
46 Secret Warriors 5 $2.99 Marvel 42.15
47 Superman 689 $2.99 DC 41.65
48 Avengers Initiative 25 $2.99 Marvel 41.38
49 Action Comics 878 $2.99 DC 41.29
50 Dark Tower the Fall of Gilead 2 $3.99 Marvel 41.25

Maybe it's time to bring back Barack Obama to Spider-Man?

 

[Meehaul]

Ha ha maybe! It's surprising ASM is down, given the price point. It will be interesting to see whether American Son lifts sales much. It will also be interesting to see how ASM 600 fits in with Cap 600 and Thor 600. The success of the new Batman & Robin shows what a great creative team means. I wonder how ASM is affected by having the "rotating braintrust." I'm not sure, creatively, it's a great idea, but it seems to be better money-wise for Marvel, than having ASM plus two other spin-offs. I was sort of hopinig USM would be discontinued--what need is there for another version of Pete now that he's been de-aged and de-married? Bendis is a hot writer, though, but not as hot as Morrison.