by Marc-Oliver Frisch

DC Comics’ successful “Sinestro Corps War” and “Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” crossovers both concluded in December, and with Green Lantern #25 and Justice League of America #15, two bestselling stragglers from November helped to touch up the performance. The big new launch in December was the weekly Countdown: Arena miniseries, whose numbers don’t particularly impress, but are better than those of previous Countdown spin-offs. In other news, Birds of Prey and The Legion of Super-Heroes got new creative teams, and the Western miniseries Bat Lash debuted. The average periodical numbers of the mainstream DC Universe line weren’t especially high compared to the rest of the year, but were up from their low point in November.

The publisher’s Vertigo and WildStorm imprints continued a slow recovery in December, meanwhile, in terms of average periodical sales. At Vertigo, the modest increase was due to Brian Wood’s ongoing Viking saga Northlanders, which launched with fairly decent numbers. At WildStorm, as there were no new launches in December, the slight upturn was mostly due to the absence of a number of low-selling titles. Overall, DC’s average sales in December were stronger than they had been for most of the year, rebounding from their low point in November. It’s safe to say that 2007 wasn’t a banner year for DC’s periodical business, compared to previous years and to the competition, but they’re ending it on a moderately optimistic note.

Thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2.com for the permission to use their figures. An overview of ICv2.com’s estimates can be found here.

—–

6/8 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
12/2001: JLA #61 — 67,491*
12/2002: JLA #76 — 61,557*
12/2003: JLA #91 — 58,981
12/2004: JLA #109 — 63,791 [64,747]
12/2005: JLA #123 — 76,899
————————————–
12/2006: Justice League #4 — 136,709 (- 3.0%) [139,123]
12/2006: Justice League #5 — 132,460 (- 3.1%) [133,924]
01/2007: –
02/2007: –
03/2007: Justice League #6 — 130,099 (- 1.8%) [131,754]
04/2007: Justice League #7 — 154,984 (+19.1%)
04/2007: Justice League #8 — 130,365 (-15.9%)
05/2007: Justice League #9 — 129,285 (- 0.8%)
06/2007: Justice League #10 — 129,265 (- 0.0%)
07/2007: Justice League #11 — 122,823 (- 5.0%)
08/2007: Justice League #12 — 131,420 (+ 7.0%) [137,181]
09/2007: Justice League #13 — 119,471 (- 9.1%) [124,006]
10/2007: Justice League #14 — 101,763 (-14.8%)
11/2007: –
12/2007: Justice League #15 — 100,234 (- 1.5%)
12/2007: Justice League #16 — 95,557 (- 4.7%)
—————-
6 months: -24.3%
1 year : -27.3%
2 years : +27.3%

As Justice League of America catches up with its schedule, another top-selling DC title drops below the 100k mark (as far as the estimates are concerned, at any rate; given that they’re traditionally a little on the low side, the real number may still be slightly above 100,000). And, as before with titles like All Star Batman, All Star Superman, Justice, 52 or Superman/Batman, there’s nothing on the horizon that looks like it could plug the resulting gap.

That said, the drop-off was to be expected after star writer Brad Meltzer’s departure, and it’s also worth mentioning that the current run, unlike Meltzer’s, isn’t supported through variant cover editions. Bearing all this in mind, the book is still holding up quite well.

—–

10/23 - GREEN LANTERN
12/2001: Green Lantern #145 — 33,397*
12/2002: Green Lantern #157 — 37,869*
12/2003: Green Lantern #172 — 31,080
12/2004: Rebirth #3 of 6 — 106,523 [126,654]
12/2005: Green Lantern #6 — 88,437
————————————–
12/2006: –
01/2007: Green Lantern #16 — 66,105 (- 5.8%)
02/2007: Green Lantern #17 — 62,018 (- 6.2%)
03/2007: Green Lantern #18 — 61,661 (- 0.6%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: Green Lantern #19 — 62,439 (+ 1.3%)
05/2007: Green Lantern #20 — 60,556 (- 3.0%)
06/2007: –
07/2007: Green Lantern #21 — 81,929 (+35.3%) [93,052]
08/2007: Green Lantern #22 — 77,916 (- 4.9%) [82,980]
09/2007: Green Lantern #23 — 79,084 (+ 1.5%) [82,168]
10/2007: Green Lantern #24 — 78,650 (- 0.6%)
11/2007: –
12/2007: Green Lantern #25 — 90,545 (+15.1%)
12/2007: Green Lantern #26 — 69,986 (-22.7%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : n.a.
2 years : - 9.2%

Issue #25, a triple-sized issue at $ 4.99 and the conclusion of the popular “Sinestro Corps War” crossover, was late from November. Evidently, the delay didn’t hurt the book’s numbers - it’s the highest first-month sales for Green Lantern since the November 2005 issue of the current series. It was supported with a 1-for-10 variant cover edition, meaning that retailers had to order ten copies of the regular comic to get one variant edition

Given that sales for issue #26 remain more than 9,000 units ahead of the pre-”Sinestro Corps War” level, it would seem that the crossover has an unusually sustaining effect on the title’s numbers.

—–

11 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
12/2001: JSA #31 — 40,334*
12/2002: JSA #43 — 41,249*
12/2003: JSA #55 — 43,009
12/2004: JSA #68 — 45,198
12/2005: JSA #80 — 50,862
—————————————
12/2006: Justice Society #1 — 102,990 (+107.7%) [108,140]
01/2007: Justice Society #2 — 86,180 (- 16.3%) [ 92,459]
02/2007: Justice Society #3 — 84,356 (- 2.1%) [ 86,014]
03/2007: Justice Society #4 — 84,449 (+ 0.1%) [ 86,475]
04/2007: Justice Society #5 — 98,069 (+ 16.1%) [102,275]
05/2007: Justice Society #6 — 96,900 (- 1.2%) [ 99,784]
06/2007: –
07/2007: Justice Society #7 — 88,883 (- 8.3%)
08/2007: Justice Society #8 — 87,606 (- 1.4%)
09/2007: Justice Society #9 — 84,117 (- 4.0%)
10/2007: Justice Society #10 — 99,424 (+ 18.2%)
11/2007: –
12/2007: Justice Society #11 — 89,613 (- 9.9%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : -13.0%
2 years : +76.2%

The second part of the Kingdom Come spin-off storyline co-written by Alex Ross isn’t able to maintain last issue’s astronomical sales. Still, it keeps Justice Society of America a good 5,000 units ahead of its previous level, so there’s nothing to complain about. As usual, the book was supported with a 1-for-10 variant cover edition.

It’s perhaps also worth noting that all four DC titles written or co-written by Geoff Johns - the others being Booster Gold, Green Lantern and Action Comics - are among the publisher’s most solid performers right now.

—–

18/19/21/22 - COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS
05/2007: Countdown #51 — 91,083
05/2007: Countdown #50 — 83,752 (- 8.1%) [85,564]
05/2007: Countdown #49 — 81,484 (- 2.7%) [83,188]
05/2007: Countdown #48 — 79,810 (- 2.1%) [81,828]
06/2007: Countdown #47 — 77,504 (- 2.9%)
06/2007: Countdown #46 — 76,362 (- 1.5%)
06/2007: Countdown #45 — 74,918 (- 1.9%)
06/2007: Countdown #44 — 73,971 (- 1.3%)
07/2007: Countdown #43 — 73,912 (- 0.1%)
07/2007: Countdown #42 — 73,116 (- 1.1%)
07/2007: Countdown #41 — 72,621 (- 0.7%)
07/2007: Countdown #40 — 72,102 (- 0.7%)
08/2007: Countdown #39 — 88,021 (+22.1%)
08/2007: Countdown #38 — 87,260 (- 0.9%)
08/2007: Countdown #37 — 86,405 (- 1.0%)
08/2007: Countdown #36 — 85,536 (- 1.0%)
08/2007: Countdown #35 — 84,350 (- 1.4%)
09/2007: Countdown #34 — 82,537 (- 2.2%)
09/2007: Countdown #33 — 81,744 (- 1.0%)
09/2007: Countdown #32 — 81,097 (- 0.8%)
09/2007: Countdown #31 — 80,127 (- 1.2%)
10/2007: Countdown #30 — 78,222 (- 2.4%)
10/2007: Countdown #29 — 77,755 (- 0.6%)
10/2007: Countdown #28 — 77,003 (- 1.0%)
10/2007: Countdown #27 — 76,401 (- 0.8%)
10/2007: Countdown to FC #26 — 75,514 (- 1.2%)
11/2007: Countdown to FC #25 — 74,668 (- 1.1%)
11/2007: Countdown to FC #24 — 74,047 (- 0.8%)
11/2007: Countdown to FC #23 — 73,241 (- 1.1%)
11/2007: Countdown to FC #22 — 72,765 (- 0.7%)
12/2007: Countdown to FC #21 — 71,524 (- 1.7%)
12/2007: Countdown to FC #20 — 71,331 (- 0.3%)
12/2007: Countdown to FC #19 — 70,805 (- 0.7%)
12/2007: Countdown to FC #18 — 70,619 (- 0.3%)
—————-
6 months: - 6.1%

The numbers seem to be settling down around 70k. That’s perfectly good for any individual series, but not impressive for a supposed blockbuster title. And it’s a far cry from Countdown’s predecessor 52, which consistently sold above 90,000 units.

—–

20 - BATMAN
12/2001: Batman #598 — 40,496*
12/2002: Batman #610 — 109,415*
12/2003: Batman #622 — 91,899 [94,045]
12/2004: Batman #635 — 60,898 [63,067]
12/2005: Batman #648 — 63,151 [64,760]
——————————-
12/2006: Batman #660 — 76,967 (-15.1%)
12/2006: Batman #661 — 75,512 (- 1.9%)
01/2007: Batman #662 — 72,499 (- 4.0%)
02/2007: Batman #663 — 83,167 (+14.7%)
03/2007: Batman #664 — 80,497 (- 3.2%) [82,107]
04/2007: –
05/2007: Batman #665 — 80,122 (- 0.5%)
06/2007: –
07/2007: Batman #666 — 83,781 (+ 4.6%)
08/2007: Batman #667 — 78,578 (- 6.2%) [82,418]
08/2007: Batman #668 — 76,962 (- 2.1%)
09/2007: Batman #669 — 73,471 (- 4.5%)
10/2007: Batman #670 — 76,890 (+ 4.7%) [86,049]
11/2007: Batman #671 — 76,764 (- 0.2%)
12/2007: Batman #672 — 71,189 (- 7.3%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : - 6.6%
2 years : +12.7%

This isn’t good. With the “Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” crossover out of the way, Batman promptly continues its free-fall - it’s lost another good 2,000 units compared to issue #669. Something’s going wrong here.

The crossover continues to sell very well, meanwhile. It’s resulted in impressive sales increases for the other participating titles (see Detective Comics, Nightwing and Robin), and the prelude issues Batman #670 and Robin Annual #7 sold another 6,250 and 3,652 copies in December, respectively.

—–

26 - DETECTIVE COMICS
12/2001: Detective Comics #765 — 37,929*
12/2002: Detective Comics #777 — 40,867*
12/2003: Detective Comics #789 — 36,456
12/2004: Detective Comics #801 — 42,775
12/2005: Detective Comics #814 — 37,145
—————————————-
12/2006: Detective Comics #826 — 59,657 (+ 1.2%)
12/2006: Detective Comics #827 — 55,031 (- 7.8%)
01/2007: –
02/2007: Detective Comics #828 — 55,206 (+ 0.3%)
03/2007: Detective Comics #829 — 52,943 (- 4.1%)
03/2007: Detective Comics #830 — 52,395 (- 1.0%)
04/2007: Detective Comics #831 — 56,284 (+ 7.4%)
05/2007: Detective Comics #832 — 51,727 (- 8.1%)
06/2007: Detective Comics #833 — 54,104 (+ 4.6%)
07/2007: Detective Comics #834 — 53,461 (- 1.2%)
08/2007: Detective Comics #835 — 50,479 (- 5.6%)
09/2007: Detective Comics #836 — 49,475 (- 2.0%)
10/2007: Detective Comics #837 — 51,363 (+ 3.8%)
11/2007: Detective Comics #838 — 60,267 (+17.3%)
12/2007: Detective Comics #839 — 62,297 (+ 3.4%)
—————-
6 months: +15.1%
1 year : + 8.6%
2 years : +67.7%

“The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” results in another slight increase on top of last month’s boost, firmly cementing its status as a commercial hit.

—–

32 - TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS PRESENTS
09/2007: TotSCP Parallax #1 — 65,911 [69,296]
10/2007: TotSCP Cyborg Superman #1 — 60,253 (-8.6%)
10/2007: TotSCP Superman Prime #1 — 55,951 (-7.1%) [59,628]
11/2007: –
12/2007: TotSCP Ion #1 — 56,816 (+1.6%)

This is another hangover from November. The “Sinestro Corps War” spin-off has sold perfectly well throughout its run.

—–

33 - ACTION COMICS
12/2001: Action Comics #786 — 37,592*
12/2002: Action Comics #798 — 32,617*
12/2003: Action Comics #810 — 29,509
12/2004: Action Comics #822 — 38,110
12/2005: Action Comics #834 — 42,425
————————————-
12/2006: –
01/2007: –
02/2007: Action Comics #846 — 64,554 (- 3.3%) [66,349]
03/2007: Action Comics #847 — 64,679 (+ 0.2%)
04/2007: Action Comics #848 — 62,216 (- 3.8%)
05/2007: Action Comics #849 — 53,610 (-13.8%)
05/2007: Action Comics #850 — 56,166 (+ 4.8%)
06/2007: –
07/2007: Action Comics #851 — 76,500 (+36.2%)
07/2007: Action Comics #852 — 50,294 (-34.3%)
08/2007: Action Comics #853 — 49,694 (- 1.2%)
08/2007: Action Comics #854 — 48,455 (- 2.5%)
08/2007: Action Comics #855 — 55,536 (+14.6%)
09/2007: –
10/2007: Action Comics #856 — 53,815 (- 3.1%)
10/2007: Action Comics #857 — 51,401 (- 4.5%)
10/2007: Action Comics #858 — 54,596 (+ 6.2%) [59,031]
11/2007: Action Comics #859 — 54,572 (- 0.0%)
12/2007: Action Comics #860 — 56,254 (+ 3.1%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : n.a.
2 years : +32.6%

The “Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes” arc resulted in another small sales increase in December, plus 4,435 additional units of issue #858 sold. Not many of DC’s books not involved in crossovers are doing well at present. Action Comics is clearly catching on now.

—–

35/41/44/45 - COUNTDOWN: ARENA
12/2007: Countdown: Arena #1 of 4 — 54,075
12/2007: Countdown: Arena #2 of 4 — 51,263 (-5.2%)
12/2007: Countdown: Arena #3 of 4 — 49,683 (-3.1%)
12/2007: Countdown: Arena #4 of 4 — 49,341 (-0.7%)

This weekly series acts out a bunch of arena fights between various alternate-reality versions of DC’s major characters. Each issue was promoted with a 1-for-10 variant cover edition, and, as an additional gimmick, fans were encouraged to vote on the internet for the outcome of one major fight per issue.

Apparently, the latter made a difference here, because Countdown: Arena is, by far, the best-selling Countdown spin-off to date. It’s not a hit by any stretch, but considering the brand’s overall performance, these numbers are decent. Based on these sales, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more storylines featuring call-in votes down the line. (I mean every word of that.)

—–

36 - TEEN TITANS
12/2003: Teen Titans #6 — 69,255 [73,096]
12/2004: Teen Titans #19 — 62,585 [66,290]
12/2005: Teen Titans #30 — 67,155
———————————-
12/2006: Teen Titans #42 — 60,165 (- 2.5%)
01/2007: Teen Titans #43 — 60,290 (+ 0.2%) [62,560]
02/2007: –
03/2007: Teen Titans #44 — 61,572 (+ 2.1%)
04/2007: Teen Titans #45 — 61,051 (- 0.9%)
05/2007: Teen Titans #46 — 61,478 (+ 0.7%)
05/2007: Teen Titans #47 — 63,673 (+ 3.6%)
06/2007: Teen Titans #48 — 60,786 (- 4.5%)
07/2007: Teen Titans #49 — 59,258 (- 2.5%)
08/2007: Teen Titans #50 — 69,620 (+17.5%)
09/2007: Teen Titans #51 — 57,851 (-16.9%)
10/2007: Teen Titans #52 — 55,176 (- 4.6%)
11/2007: Teen Titans #53 — 54,387 (- 1.4%)
12/2007: Teen Titans #54 — 53,790 (- 1.1%)
—————-
6 months: -11.5%
1 year : -10.6%
2 years : -19.9%

The last two issues have seen standard sales drops. It seems the book has found its new level. It’s one that’s considerably lower than the 60k+ range it sold in during the Geoff Johns run, obviously, but overall, these are still very decent numbers for a series without the benefit of A-list characters, superstar creators or gimmick promotions.

—–

38 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN
12/2003: Superman/Batman #4 — 102,725 [116,361]
12/2003: Superman/Batman #5 — 96,420 [115,082]
12/2004: Superman/Batman #15 — 119,926 [123,273]
12/2004: Superman/Batman #16 — 115,657 [120,927]
12/2005: Superman/Batman #23 — 102,248 [103,726]
—————————————
12/2006: Superman/Batman #31 — 81,716 (- 2.7%)
01/2007: –
02/2007: –
03/2007: Superman/Batman #32 — 77,905 (- 4.7%)
04/2007: Superman/Batman #33 — 74,807 (- 4.0%)
04/2007: Superman/Batman #34 — 71,278 (- 4.7%)
05/2007: Superman/Batman #35 — 68,160 (- 4.4%)
06/2007: Superman/Batman #36 — 65,866 (- 3.4%)
06/2007: Superman/Batman #37 — 72,635 (+10.3%)
07/2007: Superman/Batman #38 — 67,695 (- 6.8%)
08/2007: Superman/Batman #39 — 59,622 (-11.9%)
09/2007: Superman/Batman #40 — 57,410 (- 3.7%)
10/2007: Superman/Batman #41 — 54,928 (- 4.3%)
11/2007: Superman/Batman #42 — 54,341 (- 1.1%)
11/2007: Superman/Batman #43 — 53,489 (- 1.6%)
12/2007: Superman/Batman #44 — 53,057 (- 0.8%)
—————-
6 months: -23.4%
1 year : -35.1%
2 years : -48.1%

The book has found its new level, and, to be fair, it’s still passable enough, all things considered.

In terms of perception, Superman/Batman seems to have gone from “Jeph Loeb and His Amazing Friends” to “Legends of the Dark Knight Confidential,” resulting in the horrible two-year slide that just ended. DC probably could have gotten a lot more mileage out of the former bestseller they inherited from Loeb if they’d put it at the center of their line, rather than letting it fend for itself.

—–

43 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS
12/2005: GLC: Recharge #3 of 5 — 64,490 [65,669]
——————————————
12/2006: Green Lantern Corps #7 — 38,737 (- 5.7%)
01/2007: Green Lantern Corps #8 — 36,924 (- 4.7%)
02/2007: Green Lantern Corps #9 — 34,897 (- 5.5%)
03/2007: Green Lantern Corps #10 — 34,227 (- 1.9%)
04/2007: Green Lantern Corps #11 — 33,506 (- 2.1%)
05/2007: Green Lantern Corps #12 — 33,267 (- 0.7%)
06/2007: Green Lantern Corps #13 — 32,792 (- 1.4%)
07/2007: Green Lantern Corps #14 — 45,393 (+38.4%) [61,493]
08/2007: Green Lantern Corps #15 — 51,572 (+13.2%) [57,751]
09/2007: –
10/2007: Green Lantern Corps #16 — 60,862 (+18.0%)
10/2007: Green Lantern Corps #17 — 59,223 (- 2.7%)
11/2007: Green Lantern Corps #18 — 55,838 (- 5.7%) [59,049]
12/2007: Green Lantern Corps #19 — 50,516 (- 9.5%)
—————-
6 months: +54.1%
1 year : +30.4%
2 years : -21.7%

This was billed as a “Sinestro Corps War” epilogue, which caused about a third of the additional crossover audience to walk away from the book again. This means that sales are still almost 20,000 units higher than before the storyline, of course, so there’s no reason to complain.

As we recall, November’s issue #18 had initially been solicited as an epilogue chapter as well, but was subsequently retooled into an official part of “Sinestro Corps War” when the crossover turned out to be more successful than the publisher had anticipated. As a result of the change, the issue made the chart again in December, selling an additional 3,211 units.

—–

46 - NIGHTWING
12/2001: Nightwing #64 — 34,130*
12/2002: Nightwing #76 — 30,100*
12/2003: Nightwing #88 — 28,976
12/2004: Nightwing #100 — 40,022
12/2005: Nightwing #115 — 35,674
———————————
12/2006: Nightwing #127 — 34,889 (- 3.5%)
01/2007: Nightwing #128 — 33,930 (- 2.8%)
02/2007: Nightwing #129 — 32,651 (- 3.8%)
03/2007: Nightwing #130 — 31,788 (- 2.6%)
04/2007: Nightwing #131 — 31,530 (- 0.8%)
05/2007: Nightwing #132 — 30,807 (- 2.3%)
06/2007: Nightwing #133 — 30,623 (- 0.6%)
07/2007: Nightwing #134 — 30,228 (- 1.3%)
08/2007: Nightwing #135 — 29,923 (- 1.0%)
09/2007: Nightwing #136 — 29,256 (- 2.2%)
10/2007: Nightwing #137 — 28,363 (- 3.1%)
11/2007: Nightwing #138 — 46,757 (+64.9%)
12/2007: Nightwing #139 — 49,291 (+ 5.4%)
—————-
6 months: +61.0%
1 year : +41.3%
2 years : +38.2%

48 - ROBIN
12/2001: Robin #97 — 26,250*
12/2002: Robin #109 — 24,170*
12/2003: Robin #121 — 30,683 [31,458]
12/2004: Robin #133 — 35,406
12/2005: Robin #145 — 28,532
—————————–
12/2006: Robin #157 — 30,556 (- 3.6%)
01/2007: Robin #158 — 29,464 (- 3.6%)
02/2007: Robin #159 — 28,210 (- 4.3%)
03/2007: Robin #160 — 27,659 (- 2.0%)
04/2007: Robin #161 — 27,180 (- 1.7%)
05/2007: Robin #162 — 26,801 (- 1.4%)
06/2007: Robin #163 — 26,284 (- 1.9%)
07/2007: Robin #164 — 25,955 (- 1.3%)
08/2007: Robin #165 — 25,397 (- 2.2%)
09/2007: Robin #166 — 24,877 (- 2.1%)
10/2007: Robin #167 — 24,625 (- 1.0%)
11/2007: Robin #168 — 50,672 (+105.8%) [57,442]
12/2007: Robin #169 — 48,665 (- 4.0%)
—————-
6 months: +85.2%
1 year : +59.3%
2 years : +70.6%

The two Batman-related titles keep profiting tremendously from the “Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” crossover. Nightwing sees another sales increase on top of last month’s, while the November issue of Robin sold another whopping 6,770 units in December. Both books got new creative teams in January.

—–

50 - THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
12/2001: Legion #3 — 23,338*
12/2002: Legion #15 — 23,962*
12/2003: Legion #28 — 25,042
12/2004: Legion of SH #1 — 50,691 [59,944]
12/2005: –
—————————————
12/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #25 — 33,288 (- 2.1%)
01/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #26 — 32,342 (- 2.8%)
02/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #27 — 31,387 (- 3.0%)
03/2007: –
04/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #28 — 31,525 (+ 0.4%)
04/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #29 — 30,906 (- 2.0%)
05/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #30 — 30,767 (- 0.5%)
06/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #31 — 30,385 (- 1.2%)
07/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #32 — 29,826 (- 1.8%)
08/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #33 — 29,315 (- 1.7%)
09/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #34 — 28,294 (- 3.5%)
10/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #35 — 27,370 (- 3.3%)
11/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #36 — 26,814 (- 2.0%)
12/2007: Legion of SH #37 — 45,803 (+70.8%)
—————-
6 months: +50.7%
1 year : +37.6%
2 years : n.a.

With the December issue, the new regular creative team of writer Jim Shooter and artist Francis Manapul took over the series, whose title reverted back to The Legion of Super-Heroes in the process.

The fact that sales go up for the return of Shooter, who wrote a fan-favorite run on the property in the late sixties, probably doesn’t come as a great surprise. But the degree of the increase is unexpected. It’s been a while since a simple creative team change prompted this kind of reaction. And, let’s be honest, Shooter’s past merits notwithstanding, putting his name on a book in 2007 was a bit of a gamble, commercially. For now, though, it seems to be paying off for DC.

There’s a variant cover edition, but stores were able to order it separately, without the usual 1-for-10 string attached.

—–

51 - SUPERMAN
12/2001: Superman #177 — 41,241*
12/2002: Superman #189 — 34,488*
12/2003: Superman #200 — 47,346 [ 51,745]
12/2004: Superman #212 — 100,244 [103,545]
12/2005: Superman #224 — 63,719 [ 65,300]
———————————
12/2006: –
01/2007: Superman #658 — 60,682 (- 2.6%)
02/2007: Superman #659 — 58,258 (- 4.0%)
03/2007: Superman #660 — 57,169 (- 1.9%)
04/2007: Superman #661 — 55,738 (- 2.5%)
05/2007: Superman #662 — 55,236 (- 0.9%)
06/2007: Superman #663 — 53,384 (- 3.4%)
07/2007: Superman #664 — 52,313 (- 2.0%)
07/2007: Superman #665 — 51,936 (- 0.7%)
08/2007: Superman #666 — 53,566 (+ 3.1%)
09/2007: Superman #667 — 48,608 (- 9.3%)
10/2007: Superman #668 — 47,948 (- 1.4%)
10/2007: Superman #669 — 47,271 (- 1.4%)
11/2007: Superman #670 — 48,407 (+ 2.4%)
12/2007: Superman #671 — 45,290 (- 6.4%)
—————-
6 months: -15.2%
1 year : n.a.
2 years : -28.9%

Ouch, that hurt. The “Third Kryptonian” arc running through issues #668-670 halted the book’s decline, but that was just a temporary respite.

—–

53 - WONDER WOMAN
12/2001: Wonder Woman #177 — 29,813*
12/2002: –
12/2003: Wonder Woman #199 — 29,224
12/2004: Wonder Woman #211 — 24,828
12/2005: Wonder Woman #224 — 47,224
————————————-
12/2006: –
01/2007: –
02/2007: Wonder Woman #4 — 69,860 (- 9.3%)
03/2007: Wonder Woman #5 — 64,414 (- 7.8%)
03/2007: Wonder Woman #6 — 62,458 (- 3.0%)
04/2007: Wonder Woman #7 — 60,168 (- 3.7%)
04/2007: Wonder Woman #8 — 58,772 (- 2.3%)
05/2007: Wonder Woman #9 — 58,561 (- 0.4%)
06/2007: Wonder Woman #10 — 54,472 (- 7.0%)
07/2007: Wonder Woman #11 — 52,983 (- 2.7%)
08/2007: Wonder Woman #12 — 50,880 (- 4.0%)
09/2007: –
10/2007: Wonder Woman #13 — 48,385 (- 4.9%)
11/2007: Wonder Woman #14 — 53,090 (+ 9.7%)
12/2007: Wonder Woman #15 — 44,628 (-15.9%)
—————–
6 months: - 18.7%
1 year : n.a.
2 years : - 5.5%

The second issue of writer Gail Simone’s run results in the biggest sales drop Wonder Woman has seen in a while. In fairness, there was a variant cover edition for #14 which likely inflated that issue’s numbers, but that’s not much of a silver lining. The book’s sales have now dropped well below 50k, and there’s no sign that they’re going to bottom out any time soon. The creative changes have failed to restore retailers’ faith in the book.

—–

55 - THE FLASH
12/2001: Flash #181 — 26,922*
12/2002: Flash #193 — 28,185*
12/2003: Flash #205 — 34,931 [35,626]
12/2004: –
12/2005: Flash #229 — 41,459
———————————-
12/2006: Flash: FMA #7 — 53,600 (- 5.6%)
01/2007: Flash: FMA #8 — 50,967 (- 4.9%)
02/2007: Flash: FMA #9 — 47,214 (- 7.4%)
03/2007: Flash: FMA #10 — 46,133 (- 2.3%)
04/2007: Flash: FMA #11 — 46,963 (+ 1.8%)
05/2007: Flash: FMA #12 — 47,809 (+ 1.8%)
06/2007: Flash: FMA #13 — 76,860 (+ 60.8%) [82,767]
07/2007: All Flash #1 — 78,955 (+ 2.7%)
08/2007: Flash #231 — 72,898 (- 7.7%)
09/2007: Flash #232 — 56,969 (- 21.9%)
10/2007: Flash #233 — 51,152 (- 10.2%)
11/2007: Flash #234 — 46,435 (- 9.2%)
12/2007: Flash #235 — 43,788 (- 5.7%)
—————-
6 months: -43.0%
1 year : -18.3%
2 years : + 5.6%

This is yet another revamp that’s utterly failed to gain traction with the audience. The numbers are bottoming out, slowly but surely, but The Flash keeps losing readers by the truckload.

—–

56 - THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
02/2007: The Brave and the Bold #1 — 92,091 [98,266]
03/2007: The Brave and the Bold #2 — 64,357 (-30.1%) [67,143]
04/2007: The Brave and the Bold #3 — 59,211 (- 8.0%)
05/2007: –
06/2007: The Brave and the Bold #4 — 55,597 (- 6.1%)
07/2007: The Brave and the Bold #5 — 54,047 (- 2.8%)
08/2007: The Brave and the Bold #6 — 52,011 (- 3.8%)
09/2007: –
10/2007: The Brave and the Bold #7 — 48,693 (- 6.4%)
11/2007: The Brave and the Bold #8 — 45,629 (- 6.3%)
12/2007: The Brave and the Bold #9 — 43,475 (- 4.7%)
—————-
6 months: -21.8%

Retailers keep slashing their orders.

—–

59 - BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS
12/2003: Outsiders #7 — 47,052
12/2004: Outsiders #18 — 40,601
12/2005: Outsiders #31 — 46,555
————————————
12/2006: Outsiders #43 — 34,243 (- 3.8%)
01/2007: Outsiders #44 — 34,437 (+ 0.6%)
02/2007: Outsiders #45 — 32,976 (- 4.2%)
03/2007: Outsiders #46 — 32,577 (- 1.2%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: Outsiders #47 — 33,267 (+ 2.1%)
06/2007: Outsiders #48 — 32,966 (- 0.9%)
07/2007: Outsiders #49 — 33,110 (+ 0.4%)
08/2007: FoaK #1 of 5 — 36,565 (+10.4%)
08/2007: FoaK #2 of 5 — 35,087 (- 4.0%)
08/2007: FoaK #3 of 5 — 34,702 (- 1.1%)
08/2007: FoaK #4 of 5 — 34,125 (- 1.7%)
08/2007: FoaK #5 of 5 — 33,694 (- 1.3%)
09/2007: Outsiders #50 — 38,212 (+13.4%)
10/2007: –
11/2007: Bat Outsiders #1 — 60,690 (+58.8%)
11/2007: Bat Outsiders #2 — 42,827 (-29.4%)
12/2007: Bat Outsiders #3 — 40,371 (- 5.7%)
—————-
6 months: +22.5%
1 year : +17.9%
2 years : -13.3%

The numbers are levelling out quickly now. And they need to, because the relaunch will be a failure if they don’t.

—–

60 - GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY
12/2001: Green Arrow #11 — 78,789*
12/2002: Green Arrow #20 — 53,745*
12/2003: Green Arrow #33 — 36,934
12/2004: Green Arrow #45 — 30,997 [32,082]
12/2005: Green Arrow #57 — 31,778
———————————–
12/2006: Green Arrow #69 — 32,234 (+ 0.3%)
01/2007: Green Arrow #70 — 31,798 (- 1.4%)
02/2007: Green Arrow #71 — 31,470 (- 1.0%)
03/2007: Green Arrow #72 — 31,144 (- 1.0%)
04/2007: Green Arrow #73 — 30,652 (- 1.6%)
05/2007: Green Arrow #74 — 30,751 (+ 0.3%)
06/2007: Green Arrow #75 — 35,022 (+13.9%)
07/2007: Year One #1 of 6 — 37,090 (+ 5.9%)
07/2007: Year One #2 of 6 — 32,222 (-13.1%) [34,962]
08/2007: Year One #3 of 6 — 32,971 (+ 2.3%)
08/2007: Year One #4 of 6 — 31,885 (- 3.3%)
09/2007: Year One #5 of 6 — 31,504 (- 1.2%)
10/2007: Year One #6 of 6 — 30,943 (- 1.8%)
10/2007: Arrow/Canary #1 — 52,183 (+68.6%)
11/2007: Arrow/Canary #2 — 42,827 (-17.9%)
12/2007: Arrow/Canary #3 — 40,321 (- 5.9%)
—————-
6 months: +15.1%
1 year : +25.1%
2 years : +26.9%

The second-issue drop for Green Arrow/Black Canary wasn’t quite as awful as that of Batman and the Outsiders, but it’s in a similar position now. Given that it’s also levelling out and still comfortably ahead of the pre-relaunch Green Arrow, there shouldn’t be an immediate reason to be worried.

—–

61 - GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS SECRET FILES
12/2007: GL: SC Secret Files #1 — 39,723

This is a “Sinestro Corps War” tie-in, obviously. These are perfectly good numbers for an ancillary $ 4.99 book filled out with character profiles.

—–

64 - BOOSTER GOLD
08/2007: Booster Gold #1 — 53,689 [57,811]
09/2007: Booster Gold #2 — 47,102 (-12.3%)
10/2007: Booster Gold #3 — 39,374 (-16.4%)
11/2007: Booster Gold #4 — 37,683 (- 4.3%)
12/2007: Booster Gold #5 — 38,228 (+ 1.5%)

Booster Gold keeps performing very solidly.

—–

65 - SUPERGIRL
12/2001: Supergirl #65 — 21,054*
12/2002: Supergirl #77 — 20,307*
12/2005: –
———————————
12/2006: Supergirl #12 — 59,819 (- 4.4%)
12/2006: Supergirl #13 — 56,648 (- 5.3%)
01/2007: –
02/2007: Supergirl #14 — 52,977 (- 6.5%)
03/2007: Supergirl #15 — 51,083 (- 3.6%)
04/2007: Supergirl #16 — 51,641 (+ 1.1%)
05/2007: Supergirl #17 — 50,429 (- 2.4%)
06/2007: Supergirl #18 — 50,279 (- 0.3%)
07/2007: Supergirl #19 — 48,576 (- 3.4%)
08/2007: Supergirl #20 — 46,862 (- 3.5%)
09/2007: Supergirl #21 — 44,656 (- 4.7%)
10/2007: Supergirl #22 — 41,758 (- 6.5%)
11/2007: Supergirl #23 — 45,460 (+ 8.9%)
12/2007: Supergirl #24 — 37,922 (-16.6%)
—————-
6 months: -24.6%
1 year : -34.9%
2 years : n.a.

Just like Wonder Woman, Supergirl continues its break-neck decline with the new creative team’s second issue.

—–

73 - WORLD OF WARCRAFT (WildStorm)
11/2007: World of WarCraft #1 — 44,508
12/2007: World of WarCraft #2 — 32,740 (-34.9%)

That’s a huge second-issue drop, but it doesn’t come unexpectedly. Due to its high debut numbers, World of WarCraft is still WildStorm’s bestselling title by far.

The series is promoted with variant cover editions.

—–

76/80 - COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER
09/2007: CPTSfRP: WildStorm #1 — 41,092
10/2007: CPTSfRP: Crime Society #1 — 36,456 (-11.3%)
11/2007: CPTSfRP: Red Rain #1 — 32,609 (-10.6%)
11/2007: CPTSfRP: Gotham by Gaslight #1 — 31,765 (- 2.6%)
12/2007: CPTSfRP: Red Son #1 — 31,928 (+ 0.5%)
12/2007: CPTSfRP: Superwoman/Batwoman #1 — 31,501 (- 1.3%)

77 - DEATH OF THE NEW GODS
10/2007: Death of the New Gods #1 of 8 — 46,670
10/2007: Death of the New Gods #2 of 8 — 35,681 (-23.6%)
11/2007: Death of the New Gods #3 of 8 — 32,655 (- 8.5%)
12/2007: Death of the New Gods #4 of 8 — 31,914 (- 2.3%)

84 - BLACK ADAM: THE DARK AGE
08/2007: Black Adam: The Dark Age #1 of 6 — 51,788
09/2007: Black Adam: The Dark Age #2 of 6 — 36,758 (-29.0%)
10/2007: Black Adam: The Dark Age #3 of 6 — 33,380 (- 9.2%)
11/2007: Black Adam: The Dark Age #4 of 6 — 31,588 (- 5.4%)
12/2007: Black Adam: The Dark Age #5 of 6 — 30,405 (- 3.8%)

88 - SALVATION RUN
11/2007: Salvation Run #1 of 7 — 40,531
12/2007: Salvation Run #2 of 7 — 28,938 (-28.6%)

90 - 52 AFTERMATH: THE FOUR HORSEMEN
08/2007: The Four Horsemen #1 of 6 — 48,932
09/2007: The Four Horsemen #2 of 6 — 37,764 (-22.8%)
10/2007: The Four Horsemen #3 of 6 — 32,642 (-13.6%)
11/2007: The Four Horsemen #4 of 6 — 29,784 (- 8.8%)
12/2007: The Four Horsemen #5 of 6 — 27,949 (- 6.2%)

92 - COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE
08/2007: Countdown to Adventure #1 of 8 — 42,883
09/2007: Countdown to Adventure #2 of 8 — 34,561 (-19.4%)
10/2007: Countdown to Adventure #3 of 8 — 31,018 (-10.3%)
11/2007: Countdown to Adventure #4 of 8 — 28,633 (- 7.7%)
12/2007: Countdown to Adventure #5 of 8 — 27,443 (- 4.2%)

97 - GOTHAM UNDERGROUND
10/2007: Gotham Underground #1 of 9 — 31,003
11/2007: Gotham Underground #2 of 9 — 26,537 (-14.4%)
12/2007: Gotham Underground #3 of 9 — 25,386 (- 4.3%)

The usual clot of Countdown and 52 spin-off books keeps clogging up the area between 32,000 and 25,000 units. If you put these numbers into a graph, I’m sure it’s going to look like a big question mark.

—–

99 - BIRDS OF PREY
12/2001: Birds of Prey #38 — 23,168*
12/2002: Birds of Prey #50 — 27,879*
12/2003: Birds of Prey #62 — 30,529
12/2004: Birds of Prey #77 — 30,303
12/2005: Birds of Prey #89 — 30,653
————————————-
12/2006: Birds of Prey #101 — 29,825 (-13.8%)
01/2007: Birds of Prey #102 — 29,043 (- 2.6%)
02/2007: Birds of Prey #103 — 28,327 (- 2.5%)
03/2007: Birds of Prey #104 — 28,464 (+ 0.5%)
04/2007: Birds of Prey #105 — 28,328 (- 0.5%)
05/2007: Birds of Prey #106 — 28,363 (+ 0.1%)
06/2007: Birds of Prey #107 — 28,632 (+ 1.0%)
07/2007: Birds of Prey #108 — 28,025 (- 2.1%)
08/2007: Birds of Prey #109 — 28,268 (+ 0.9%)
09/2007: Birds of Prey #110 — 27,148 (- 4.0%)
10/2007: Birds of Prey #111 — 26,400 (- 2.8%)
11/2007: Birds of Prey #112 — 25,117 (- 4.9%)
12/2007: Birds of Prey #113 — 24,717 (- 1.6%)
—————-
6 months: -13.7%
1 year : -17.1%
2 years : -19.4%

Writer Sean McKeever took over in December, with no notable reaction from retailers. On a historical note, the last time Birds of Prey had estimated sales below 25k was the last issue before the Gail Simone run, back in May 2003.

—–

100 - FABLES (Vertigo)
12/2002: Fables #8 — 22,222*
12/2003: Fables #20 — 25,640
12/2004: Fables #32 — 24,889
12/2005: Fables #44 — 24,515
—————————–
12/2006: Fables #56 — 25,892 (+1.0%)
01/2007: Fables #57 — 25,744 (-0.6%)
02/2007: –
03/2007: Fables #58 — 26,065 (+1.3%)
03/2007: Fables #59 — 25,815 (-1.0%)
04/2007: Fables #60 — 26,048 (+0.9%)
05/2007: Fables #61 — 26,056 (+0.0%)
06/2007: Fables #62 — 25,726 (-1.3%)
07/2007: Fables #63 — 25,603 (-0.5%)
08/2007: Fables #64 — 25,498 (-0.4%)
09/2007: Fables #65 — 25,311 (-0.7%)
10/2007: Fables #66 — 25,016 (-1.2%)
11/2007: Fables #67 — 24,841 (-0.7%)
12/2007: Fables #68 — 24,574 (-1.1%)
—————
6 months: -4.5%
1 year : -5.1%
2 years : +0.2%

Standard attrition.

—–

105 - SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL
12/2006: Superman Confidential #2 — 46,765 (-22.3%)
01/2007: Superman Confidential #3 — 41,346 (-11.6%)
02/2007: –
03/2007: Superman Confidential #4 — 36,779 (-11.1%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: –
06/2007: –
07/2007: Superman Confidential #5 — 35,180 (- 4.4%)
08/2007: –
09/2007: Superman Confidential #6 — 31,152 (-11.5%)
10/2007: Superman Confidential #7 — 29,228 (- 6.2%)
10/2007: Superman Confidential #8 — 26,535 (- 9.2%)
11/2007: Superman Confidential #9 — 24,841 (- 6.4%)
12/2007: Superman Confidential #10 — 23,172 (- 6.7%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : -50.5%

Still declining too fast.

—–

114 - NORTHLANDERS (Vertigo)
12/2007: Northlanders #1 — 19,805

Writer Brian Wood and artist Davide Gianfelice launch a new ongoing Vertigo book starring Vikings. The good news is that the estimated first-month debut numbers of Northlanders are more in line with what you’d have expected two years ago than with the debut numbers of more recent Vertigo launches. They are, in fact, precisely 1,100 units higher than those of Wood’s other ongoing Vertigo title, DMZ, were back in November 2005.

The bad news is that this number, unlike the number for DMZ #1, includes a 1-for-10 variant cover edition with a cover drawn by Adam Kubert. This is a novel approach for Vertigo, and it probably sits awkwardly with the type of material they tend to publish. But to be honest, I’m surprised that they’ve resisted the allure of sales-boosting gimmicks until now, given that their periodical numbers have been in sharp decline for quite some time.

Due to the distortion effect of the variant cover promotion - which, by the way, is set to continue until issue #3 - it’s hard to make an educated guess at the book’s real performance. For now, these numbers aren’t any sort of big turnaround for Vertigo’s woes in the periodical business, but they seem to be solid enough. We probably won’t be able to discern much more than that until the numbers for issue #4 are out, however.

That said, it’s probably safe to say that Northlanders will perform well once it’s been collected into paperback. Brian Wood is an established quantity in the “graphic novel” market and DMZ seems to be one of DC’s best performers in that respect, so there should be no cause for concern on that end, at least. If you’ve been waiting for a signal that Vertigo’s periodical business may be getting out of the doldrums anytime soon, though, I don’t think this is it.

—–

116 - CRIME BIBLE: THE FIVE LESSONS OF BLOOD
10/2007: Crime Bible #1 of 5 — 23,354
11/2007: Crime Bible #2 of 5 — 19,498 (-16.5%)
12/2007: Crime Bible #3 of 5 — 18,886 (- 3.1%)

The numbers are bottoming out relatively fast, but Crime Bible is selling at an awfully low level, of course.

—–

117 - CATWOMAN
11/2001: Catwoman #2 — 36,823*
12/2002: Catwoman #14 — 24,739*
12/2003: Catwoman #26 — 24,601
12/2004: Catwoman #38 — 25,108
12/2005: Catwoman #50 — 24,136 [26,170]
——————————-
12/2006: Catwoman #62 — 22,305 (- 3.8%)
01/2007: Catwoman #63 — 21,597 (- 3.2%)
02/2007: Catwoman #64 — 20,767 (- 3.8%)
03/2007: Catwoman #65 — 20,237 (- 2.6%)
04/2007: Catwoman #66 — 19,896 (- 1.7%)
05/2007: Catwoman #67 — 19,926 (+ 0.2%)
06/2007: Catwoman #68 — 20,132 (+ 1.0%)
07/2007: Catwoman #69 — 19,387 (- 3.7%)
08/2007: Catwoman #70 — 20,518 (+ 5.8%)
09/2007: Catwoman #71 — 19,492 (- 5.0%)
10/2007: Catwoman #72 — 19,473 (- 0.1%)
11/2007: Catwoman #73 — 18,815 (- 3.4%)
12/2007: Catwoman #74 — 18,623 (- 1.0%)
—————-
6 months: - 7.5%
1 year : -16.5%
2 years : -22.8%

Standard attrition.

—–

118 - BAT LASH
12/2007: Bat Lash #1 of 6 — 18,324

Well, it’s a Western, so it doesn’t come as a great surprise to anyone that Bat Lash doesn’t set the charts on fire. Given the creative team, though, which includes established creators Sergio Aragonés and John Severin, and the fact that it was promoted with a 1-for-10 variant cover edition, it’s perhaps disappointing that the book fails to crack 20k with its debut issue.

—–

119 - WONDER GIRL
09/2007: Wonder Girl #1 of 6 — 33,517
10/2007: Wonder Girl #2 of 6 — 24,407 (-27.2%)
11/2007: Wonder Girl #3 of 6 — 19,774 (-19.0%)
12/2007: Wonder Girl #4 of 6 — 18,146 (- 8.2%)

120 - SUICIDE SQUAD: RAISE THE FLAG
12/2001: Suicide Squad #4 — 20,471*
—————————————–
09/2007: Raise the Flag #1 of 8 — 29,506
10/2007: Raise the Flag #2 of 8 — 22,774 (-22.8%)
11/2007: Raise the Flag #3 of 8 — 19,774 (-13.2%)
12/2007: Raise the Flag #4 of 8 — 18,025 (- 8.9%)

These two spin-off miniseries continue to sell abysmally.

—–

121 - JSA: CLASSIFIED
12/2005: JSA: Classified #6 — 45,317
————————————–
12/2006: JSA: Classified #20 — 24,722 (- 3.7%)
01/2007: JSA: Classified #21 — 24,476 (- 1.0%)
01/2007: JSA: Classified #22 — 23,830 (- 2.6%)
02/2007: JSA: Classified #23 — 22,730 (- 4.6%)
03/2007: JSA: Classified #24 — 22,113 (- 2.7%)
04/2007: JSA: Classified #25 — 22,052 (- 0.3%)
05/2007: JSA: Classified #26 — 21,569 (- 2.2%)
06/2007: JSA: Classified #27 — 21,295 (- 1.3%)
07/2007: JSA: Classified #28 — 20,736 (- 2.6%)
08/2007: JSA: Classified #29 — 20,195 (- 2.6%)
09/2007: JSA: Classified #30 — 19,382 (- 4.0%)
10/2007: JSA: Classified #31 — 18,585 (- 4.1%)
11/2007: JSA: Classified #32 — 17,756 (- 4.5%)
12/2007: JSA: Classified #33 — 17,413 (- 1.9%)
—————-
6 months: -18.2%
1 year : -29.6%
2 years : -61.6%

122/127 - JLA: CLASSIFIED
12/2004: JLA: Classified #2 — 66,147 [68,310]
12/2005: JLA: Classified #15 — 41,951
————————————–
12/2006: JLA: Classified #30 — 23,644 (- 4.6%)
01/2007: JLA: Classified #31 — 22,939 (- 3.0%)
01/2007: JLA: Classified #32 — 23,091 (+ 0.7%)
01/2007: JLA: Classified #33 — 22,504 (- 2.5%)
02/2007: JLA: Classified #34 — 22,347 (- 0.7%)
02/2007: JLA: Classified #35 — 21,998 (- 1.6%)
03/2007: JLA: Classified #36 — 21,799 (- 0.9%)
04/2007: JLA: Classified #37 — 22,350 (+ 2.5%)
05/2007: JLA: Classified #38 — 21,961 (- 1.7%)
06/2007: JLA: Classified #39 — 21,728 (- 1.1%)
07/2007: JLA: Classified #40 — 21,473 (- 1.2%)
08/2007: JLA: Classified #41 — 21,134 (- 1.6%)
09/2007: JLA: Classified #42 — 20,014 (- 5.3%)
09/2007: JLA: Classified #43 — 19,742 (- 1.4%)
10/2007: JLA: Classified #44 — 19,217 (- 2.7%)
10/2007: JLA: Classified #45 — 18,818 (- 2.1%)
11/2007: JLA: Classified #46 — 18,078 (- 3.9%)
11/2007: JLA: Classified #47 — 17,832 (- 1.4%)
12/2007: JLA: Classified #48 — 17,391 (- 2.5%)
12/2007: JLA: Classified #49 — 17,114 (- 1.6%)
—————-
6 months: -20.6%
1 year : -27.0%
2 years : -58.9%

Both books have been cancelled. JLA: Classified ends in March, JSA: Classified in April.

—–

123 - SIMON DARK
10/2007: Simon Dark #1 — 24,256
11/2007: Simon Dark #2 — 18,492 (-23.8%)
12/2007: Simon Dark #3 — 17,391 (- 6.0%)

The numbers are bottoming out quickly. That’s no reason to throw a party quite yet for an ongoing DC Universe book selling at this level, but it’s a start.

—–

124 - CHECKMATE
12/2006: Checkmate #9 — 23,436 (- 5.9%)
01/2007: Checkmate #10 — 22,032 (- 6.0%)
02/2007: Checkmate #11 — 20,659 (- 6.2%)
03/2007: Checkmate #12 — 20,116 (- 2.6%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: Checkmate #13 — 22,554 (+12.1%)
05/2007: Checkmate #14 — 22,074 (- 2.1%)
06/2007: Checkmate #15 — 22,015 (- 0.3%)
07/2007: Checkmate #16 — 20,225 (- 8.1%)
08/2007: Checkmate #17 — 19,841 (- 1.9%)
09/2007: Checkmate #18 — 18,742 (- 5.5%)
10/2007: Checkmate #19 — 18,096 (- 3.5%)
11/2007: Checkmate #20 — 17,663 (- 2.4%)
12/2007: Checkmate #21 — 17,363 (- 1.7%)
—————-
6 months: -21.1%
1 year : -25.9%

Bottoming out again, it seems.

—–

125 - JACK OF FABLES (Vertigo)
12/2006: Jack of Fables #6 — 20,950 (- 1.1%)
01/2007: Jack of Fables #7 — 20,314 (- 3.0%)
02/2007: Jack of Fables #8 — 20,060 (- 1.3%)
03/2007: –
04/2007: Jack of Fables #9 — 20,273 (+ 1.1%)
05/2007: Jack of Fables #10 — 19,982 (- 1.4%)
06/2007: Jack of Fables #11 — 19,797 (- 0.9%)
06/2007: Jack of Fables #12 — 19,337 (- 2.3%)
07/2007: –
08/2007: Jack of Fables #13 — 19,187 (- 0.8%)
09/2007: Jack of Fables #14 — 18,728 (- 2.4%)
10/2007: Jack of Fables #15 — 18,329 (- 2.1%)
10/2007: Jack of Fables #16 — 17,743 (- 3.2%)
11/2007: Jack of Fables #17 — 17,456 (- 1.6%)
12/2007: Jack of Fables #18 — 17,242 (- 1.2%)
—————-
6 months: -11.9%
1 year : -17.7%

Standard attrition.

—–

129 - THE AUTHORITY: PRIME (WildStorm)
12/2001: The Authority v1 #29 — 40,314*
12/2002: Scorched Earth — 28,185
12/2003: The Authority v2 #8 — 24,114
12/2004: Revolution #3 of 12 — 22,027
12/2005: –
—————————————
12/2006: –
01/2007: –
02/2007: –
03/2007: The Authority v3 #2 — 39,886 (-31.4%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: –
06/2007: –
07/2007: –
08/2007: –
09/2007: –
10/2007: Prime #1 of 6 — 21,992 (-44.9%)
11/2007: Prime #2 of 6 — 17,717 (-19.4%)
12/2007: Prime #3 of 6 — 16,623 (- 6.2%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : n.a.
2 years : n.a.

The drops are settling into an average miniseries pattern after the steep second-issue drop-off.

—–

131 - SHADOWPACT
12/2006: Shadowpact #8 — 23,898 (- 7.0%)
01/2007: Shadowpact #9 — 22,866 (- 4.3%)
02/2007: Shadowpact #10 — 21,823 (- 4.6%)
03/2007: Shadowpact #11 — 21,114 (- 3.3%)
04/2007: Shadowpact #12 — 20,746 (- 1.7%)
05/2007: Shadowpact #13 — 20,335 (- 2.0%)
06/2007: Shadowpact #14 — 19,899 (- 2.1%)
07/2007: Shadowpact #15 — 19,689 (- 1.2%)
08/2007: Shadowpact #16 — 19,410 (- 1.4%)
09/2007: Shadowpact #17 — 18,382 (- 5.3%)
10/2007: Shadowpact #18 — 17,818 (- 3.1%)
11/2007: Shadowpact #19 — 17,103 (- 4.0%)
12/2007: Shadowpact #20 — 16,459 (- 3.8%)
—————-
6 months: -17.3%
1 year : -31.1%

Shadowpact numbers continue their downward slide.

—–

133 - EX MACHINA (WildStorm)
12/2004: Ex Machina #7 — 23,172
12/2005: –
———————————
12/2006: Ex Machina #25 — 19,234 (- 2.9%)
01/2007: Ex Machina #26 — 18,567 (- 3.5%)
02/2007: –
03/2007: –
04/2007: Ex Machina #27 — 18,242 (- 1.8%)
05/2007: Ex Machina #28 — 18,164 (- 0.4%)
06/2007: Ex Machina #29 — 17,719 (- 2.5%)
07/2007: –
08/2007: –
09/2007: Ex Machina #30 — 17,163 (- 3.1%)
10/2007: Ex Machina #31 — 16,772 (- 2.3%)
11/2007: Ex Machina #32 — 16,328 (- 2.7%)
12/2007: Ex Machina #33 — 16,067 (- 1.6%)
—————-
6 months: - 9.3%
1 year : -16.5%
2 years : n.a.

A standard decline.

—–

134 - INFINITY INC.
09/2007: Infinity Inc. #1 — 33,400
10/2007: Infinity Inc. #2 — 24,158 (-27.7%)
11/2007: Infinity Inc. #3 — 18,776 (-22.3%)
12/2007: Infinity Inc. #4 — 15,861 (-15.5%)

These are just horrible numbers. Plainly, I’m surprised they even bothered to assign a new regular penciler to the book starting in April. Expect the emergency brake to be pulled any second now.

—–

135 - UNCLE SAM & THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS
07/2006: Uncle Sam & FF #1 of 8 — 40,736
08/2006: Uncle Sam & FF #2 of 8 — 31,616 (-22.4%) [32,758]
09/2006: Uncle Sam & FF #3 of 8 — 28,430 (-10.1%)
10/2006: Uncle Sam & FF #4 of 8 — 26,527 (- 6.7%)
11/2006: Uncle Sam & FF #5 of 8 — 25,144 (- 5.2%)
12/2006: Uncle Sam & FF #6 of 8 — 23,321 (- 7.3%)
01/2007: Uncle Sam & FF #7 of 8 — 22,460 (- 3.7%)
02/2007: –
03/2007: Uncle Sam & FF #8 of 8 — 22,507 (+ 0.2%)
—————————————–
09/2007: Uncle Sam & FF #1 of 8 — 23,731 (+ 5.4%)
10/2007: Uncle Sam & FF #2 of 8 — 19,006 (-19.9%)
11/2007: Uncle Sam & FF #3 of 8 — 17,157 (- 9.7%)
12/2007: Uncle Sam & FF #4 of 8 — 15,832 (- 7.7%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : -32.1%

These numbers aren’t really bottoming out.

—–

138 - FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH (WildStorm)
11/2007: Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash #1 of 6 — 23,306
11/2007: Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash #2 of 6 — 15,291 (-34.4%)
12/2007: Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash #3 of 6 — 15,348 (+ 0.4%)

Huh? Now, this is odd. There are no variant cover editions or other gimmicks I’m aware of which could have caused sales to hold level, and issue #1 probably hadn’t shipped yet by the time retailers had to place their orders for #3. If anyone knows what’s going on here, please let me know.

—–

140 - BLUE BEETLE
12/2006: Blue Beetle #10 — 21,358 (-10.2%)
01/2007: Blue Beetle #11 — 19,865 (- 7.0%)
02/2007: Blue Beetle #12 — 18,555 (- 6.6%)
03/2007: Blue Beetle #13 — 17,653 (- 4.9%)
04/2007: Blue Beetle #14 — 17,167 (- 2.8%)
05/2007: Blue Beetle #15 — 16,906 (- 1.5%)
06/2007: Blue Beetle #16 — 17,016 (+ 0.7%)
07/2007: Blue Beetle #17 — 16,128 (- 5.2%)
08/2007: Blue Beetle #18 — 19,140 (+18.7%)
09/2007: Blue Beetle #19 — 15,737 (-17.8%)
10/2007: Blue Beetle #20 — 27,611 (+75.5%)
11/2007: Blue Beetle #21 — 15,645 (-43.3%)
12/2007: Blue Beetle #22 — 15,256 (- 2.5%)
—————-
6 months: -10.3%
1 year : -28.6%

Back in its usual decline.

—–

142/170 - ARMAGEDDON (WildStorm)
10/2007: The Midnighter #1 — 15,569
11/2007: Welcome to Tranquility #1 — 10,371 (-33.4%)
11/2007: Wetworks #1 — 10,217 (- 1.5%)
11/2007: Gen13 #1 — 13,856 (+35.6%)
12/2007: StormWatch #1 — 11,084 (-20.0%)
12/2007: Wildcats #1 — 15,000 (+35.3%)

These numbers tell us two things. One, with the possible exception of The Authority, the Wildcats are still the most popular WildStorm Universe property. (I’m leaving out the Midnighter, because his issue probably benefited from a first-issue bonus here.) Two, whatever else WildStorm have planned for the latest elaborate revamp of their core line of titles, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

—–

143 - THE ALL-NEW ATOM
12/2006: The All-New Atom #6 — 22,852 (-10.6%)
01/2007: The All-New Atom #7 — 20,996 (- 8.1%)
02/2007: The All-New Atom #8 — 19,004 (- 9.5%)
03/2007: The All-New Atom #9 — 17,572 (- 7.5%)
04/2007: The All-New Atom #10 — 16,739 (- 4.4%)
05/2007: The All-New Atom #11 — 16,193 (- 3.3%)
06/2007: The All-New Atom #12 — 16,848 (+ 4.1%)
07/2007: The All-New Atom #13 — 16,982 (+ 0.8%)
08/2007: The All-New Atom #14 — 17,894 (+ 5.4%)
09/2007: The All-New Atom #15 — 17,266 (- 3.5%)
10/2007: The All-New Atom #16 — 16,013 (- 7.3%)
11/2007: The All-New Atom #17 — 15,529 (- 3.0%)
12/2007: The All-New Atom #18 — 14,701 (- 5.3%)
—————-
6 months: -12.7%
1 year : -35.7%

These numbers are in terminal decline. Nonetheless, the book gets a new creative team with issue #20. Color me surprised.

—–

147 - GEN13 (WildStorm)
12/2001: Gen13 #72 — 17,284*
12/2002: Gen13 #4 — 19,837*
12/2003: Gen13 #16 — 12,406
—————————-
12/2006: Gen13 #3 — 30,233 (- 9.7%)
01/2007: Gen13 #4 — 27,615 (- 8.7%)
02/2007: Gen13 #5 — 22,422 (-18.8%)
03/2007: Gen13 #6 — 21,356 (- 4.8%)
04/2007: Gen13 #7 — 20,555 (- 3.8%)
05/2007: Gen13 #8 — 19,638 (- 4.5%)
06/2007: Gen13 #9 — 18,644 (- 5.1%)
07/2007: Gen13 #10 — 17,720 (- 5.0%)
08/2007: Gen13 #11 — 16,955 (- 4.3%)
09/2007: Gen13 #12 — 16,112 (- 5.0%)
10/2007: Gen13 #13 — 15,539 (- 3.6%)
11/2007: Gen13 #14 — 14,831 (- 4.6%)
12/2007: Gen13 #15 — 14,330 (- 3.4%)
—————-
6 months: -23.1%
1 year : -52.6%

While sales are still declining too fast, it should be noted that they remain well above WildStorm’s usual cut-off point. As long as the book doesn’t drop below 11k, it should be okay.

—–

149 - JONAH HEX
12/2005: Jonah Hex #2 — 26,227
——————————–
12/2006: Jonah Hex #14 — 18,295 (- 2.4%)
01/2007: Jonah Hex #15 — 17,987 (- 1.7%)
02/2007: Jonah Hex #16 — 17,490 (- 2.8%)
03/2007: Jonah Hex #17 — 17,081 (- 2.3%)
04/2007: Jonah Hex #18 — 16,880 (- 1.2%)
05/2007: Jonah Hex #19 — 16,473 (- 2.4%)
06/2007: Jonah Hex #20 — 16,150 (- 2.0%)
07/2007: Jonah Hex #21 — 15,734 (- 2.6%)
08/2007: Jonah Hex #22 — 15,362 (- 2.4%)
09/2007: Jonah Hex #23 — 15,157 (- 1.4%)
10/2007: Jonah Hex #24 — 14,749 (- 2.7%)
11/2007: Jonah Hex #25 — 14,577 (- 1.2%)
12/2007: Jonah Hex #26 — 14,088 (- 3.5%)
—————-
6 months: -12.8%
1 year : -23.0%
2 years : -46.3%

This title also keeps losing readers too fast for comfort. It’s the lowest-selling ongoing DC Universe book.

—–

155 - THE MIDNIGHTER (WildStorm)
12/2006: The Midnighter #2 — 30,464 (-23.5%)
01/2007: The Midnighter #3 — 27,564 (- 9.5%)
02/2007: The Midnighter #4 — 24,792 (-10.1%)
03/2007: The Midnighter #5 — 21,452 (-13.5%)
04/2007: The Midnighter #6 — 20,561 (- 4.2%)
05/2007: The Midnighter #7 — 19,910 (- 3.2%)
06/2007: The Midnighter #8 — 18,076 (- 9.2%)
07/2007: The Midnighter #9 — 16,656 (- 7.9%)
08/2007: The Midnighter #10 — 15,654 (- 6.0%)
09/2007: The Midnighter #11 — 14,349 (- 8.3%)
10/2007: The Midnighter #12 — 13,741 (- 4.2%)
11/2007: The Midnighter #13 — 12,996 (- 5.4%)
12/2007: The Midnighter #14 — 12,358 (- 4.9%)
—————-
6 months: -31.6%
1 year : -59.4%

Sales aren’t really bottoming out.

—–

156 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
12/2001: Hellblazer #169 — 17,992*
12/2002: Hellblazer #179 — 17,572*
12/2003: Hellblazer #191 — 15,283
12/2004: Hellblazer #203 — 15,304
12/2005: Hellblazer #215 — 14,405
———————————-
12/2006: Hellblazer #227 — 13,231 (-1.2%)
01/2007: Hellblazer #228 — 12,956 (-2.1%)
02/2007: Hellblazer #229 — 13,032 (+0.6%)
03/2007: Hellblazer #230 — 13,210 (+1.4%)
04/2007: Hellblazer #231 — 13,142 (-0.5%)
05/2007: Hellblazer #232 — 13,164 (+0.2%)
06/2007: Hellblazer #233 — 13,201 (+0.3%)
07/2007: Hellblazer #234 — 13,112 (-0.7%)
08/2007: Hellblazer #234 — 13,214 (+0.8%)
08/2007: Hellblazer #235 — 13,153 (-0.5%)
09/2007: Hellblazer #236 — 12,938 (-1.6%)
10/2007: Hellblazer #237 — 12,703 (-1.8%)
11/2007: Hellblazer #238 — 12,536 (-1.3%)
12/2007: Hellblazer #239 — 12,344 (-1.5%)
—————-
6 months: - 6.5%
1 year : - 6.7%
2 years : -14.3%

That’s a standard decline.

—–

160/163 - METAMORPHO: YEAR ONE
10/2007: Metamorpho: Year One #1 of 6 — 20,699
10/2007: Metamorpho: Year One #2 of 6 — 18,502 (-10.6%)
11/2007: Metamorpho: Year One #3 of 6 — 14,593 (-21.1%)
11/2007: Metamorpho: Year One #4 of 6 — 13,764 (- 5.7%)
12/2007: Metamorpho: Year One #5 of 6 — 11,768 (-14.5%)
12/2007: Metamorpho: Year One #6 of 6 — 11,597 (- 1.5%)

The less said about these numbers, the better.

—–

173 - DMZ (Vertigo)
12/2005: DMZ #2 — 14,840
————————–
12/2006: DMZ #14 — 13,731 (-3.5%)
01/2007: DMZ #15 — 13,340 (-2.9%)
02/2007: DMZ #16 — 13,199 (-1.1%)
03/2007: DMZ #17 — 13,081 (-0.9%)
04/2007: DMZ #18 — 13,120 (+0.3%)
05/2007: DMZ #19 — 13,116 (-0.0%)
06/2007: DMZ #20 — 12,704 (-3.1%)
07/2007: DMZ #21 — 12,433 (-2.1%)
08/2007: DMZ #22 — 12,175 (-2.1%)
09/2007: DMZ #23 — 11,858 (-2.6%)
10/2007: DMZ #24 — 11,583 (-2.3%)
11/2007: DMZ #25 — 11,277 (-2.6%)
12/2007: DMZ #26 — 11,027 (-2.2%)
—————-
6 months: -13.2%
1 year : -19.7%
2 years : -25.7%

The decline continues. As I said earlier, though, DMZ appears to be one of DC’s best and most consistent performers in the “graphic novel” market, if the available direct market data is any indication.

—–

175 - CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK
10/2007: Captain Carrot #1 of 3 — 14,779
11/2007: Captain Carrot #2 of 3 — 11,614 (-21.4%)
12/2007: Captain Carrot #3 of 3 — 10,913 (- 6.0%)

Well, the book finishes above 10k. That’s something.

180/186 - COUNTDOWN SPECIAL 80-PAGE GIANT
10/2007: The Flash — 16,381
11/2007: Jimmy Olsen — 12,106 (-26.1%)
12/2007: The Atom #1 of 2 — 9,404 (-22.3%)
12/2007: The Atom #2 of 2 — 9,005 (- 4.2%)

The numbers remain perfectly alright for a $ 4.99 reprint book.

—–

194 - JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (Johnny DC)
12/2002: JL Adventures #2 — 21,637*
12/2002: JL Adventures #14 — 14,519*
12/2003: JL Adventures #26 — 12,627
12/2004: JL Unlimited #4 — 13,787
12/2005: JL Unlimited #16 — 10,774
————————————
12/2006: JL Unlimited #28 — 9,713 (+ 0.2%)
01/2007: JL Unlimited #29 — 9,273 (- 4.5%)
02/2007: JL Unlimited #30 — 9,123 (- 1.6%)
03/2007: JL Unlimited #31 — 9,072 (- 0.6%)
04/2007: JL Unlimited #32 — 9,326 (+ 2.8%)
05/2007: JL Unlimited #33 — 9,230 (- 1.0%)
06/2007: JL Unlimited #34 — 9,328 (+ 1.1%)
07/2007: JL Unlimited #35 — 8,998 (- 3.5%)
08/2007: JL Unlimited #36 — 9,043 (+ 0.5%)
09/2007: JL Unlimited #37 — 8,706 (- 3.7%)
10/2007: JL Unlimited #38 — 8,461 (- 2.8%)
11/2007: JL Unlimited #39 — 8,367 (- 1.1%)
12/2007: JL Unlimited #40 — 8,272 (- 1.1%)
—————-
6 months: -11.3%
1 year : -14.8%
2 years : -23.2%

195 - TEEN TITANS GO (Johnny DC)
12/2003: Teen Titans Go #2 — 21,679
12/2004: Teen Titans Go #14 — 14,963
12/2005: Teen Titans Go #26 — 11,790
————————————-
12/2006: Teen Titans Go #38 — 9,529 (- 1.2%)
01/2007: Teen Titans Go #39 — 9,425 (- 1.1%)
02/2007: Teen Titans Go #40 — 9,132 (- 3.1%)
03/2007: Teen Titans Go #41 — 8,895 (- 2.6%)
04/2007: Teen Titans Go #42 — 9,050 (+ 1.7%)
05/2007: Teen Titans Go #43 — 8,918 (- 1.5%)
06/2007: Teen Titans Go #44 — 8,738 (- 2.0%)
07/2007: Teen Titans Go #45 — 8,554 (- 2.1%)
08/2007: Teen Titans Go #46 — 8,427 (- 1.5%)
09/2007: Teen Titans Go #47 — 8,229 (- 2.4%)
10/2007: Teen Titans Go #48 — 7,927 (- 3.7%)
11/2007: Teen Titans Go #49 — 7,699 (- 2.9%)
12/2007: Teen Titans Go #50 — 7,966 (+ 3.5%)
—————-
6 months: - 8.8%
1 year : -16.4%
2 years : -32.4%

Two Johnny DC books - see disclaimers.

—–

198 - LOVELESS (Vertigo)
12/2005: Loveless #3 — 16,280 [17,584]
——————————-
12/2006: Loveless #14 — 11,476 (- 3.9%)
01/2007: –
02/2007: Loveless #15 — 11,103 (- 3.3%)
03/2007: Loveless #16 — 10,787 (- 2.9%)
04/2007: Loveless #17 — 10,334 (- 4.2%)
05/2007: –
06/2007: Loveless #18 — 9,906 (- 4.1%)
07/2007: –
08/2007: Loveless #19 — 8,851 (-10.7%)
09/2007: –
10/2007: Loveless #20 — 8,243 (- 6.9%)
11/2007: –
12/2007: Loveless #21 — 7,809 (- 5.3%)
—————-
6 months: -21.2%
1 year : -32.0%
2 years : -52.0%

Loveless keeps shedding readers at an alarming rate.

—–

203 - THE VINYL UNDERGROUND (Vertigo)
10/2007: The Vinyl Underground #1 — 10,823
11/2007: The Vinyl Underground #2 — 8,237 (-23.9%)
12/2007: The Vinyl Underground #3 — 7,432 (- 9.8%)

205 - THE EXTERMINATORS (Vertigo)
12/2006: The Exterminators #12 — 9,636 (- 3.4%)
01/2007: The Exterminators #13 — 9,447 (- 2.0%)
02/2007: The Exterminators #14 — 8,965 (- 5.1%)
03/2007: The Exterminators #15 — 8,839 (- 1.4%)
04/2007: The Exterminators #16 — 8,758 (- 1.0%)
05/2007: The Exterminators #17 — 8,813 (+ 0.6%)
06/2007: The Exterminators #18 — 8,651 (- 1.8%)
07/2007: The Exterminators #19 — 8,454 (- 2.3%)
08/2007: The Exterminators #20 — 8,289 (- 2.0%)
09/2007: The Exterminators #21 — 7,950 (- 4.1%)
10/2007: The Exterminators #22 — 7,792 (- 2.0%)
11/2007: The Exterminators #23 — 7,461 (- 4.3%)
12/2007: The Exterminators #24 — 7,211 (- 3.4%)
—————-
6 months: -16.7%
1 year : -25.2%

208 - SCALPED (Vertigo)
01/2007: Scalped #1 — 13,644
02/2007: Scalped #2 — 10,005 (-26.7%)
03/2007: Scalped #3 — 9,531 (- 4.7%)
04/2007: Scalped #4 — 9,163 (- 3.9%)
05/2007: Scalped #5 — 9,022 (- 1.5%)
06/2007: Scalped #6 — 8,689 (- 3.7%)
07/2007: Scalped #7 — 8,303 (- 4.4%)
08/2007: Scalped #8 — 7,942 (- 4.4%)
09/2007: Scalped #9 — 7,678 (- 3.3%)
10/2007: Scalped #10 — 7,536 (- 1.9%)
11/2007: Scalped #11 — 7,323 (- 2.8%)
12/2007: Scalped #12 — 7,048 (- 3.8%)
—————-
6 months: -18.9%

There’s no official comment from DC as I’m writing this, but according to a member of the creative team, The Exterminators has been canceled.

That’s a bit unexpected, perhaps, since its first-month collection sales in the direct market suggest that it’s one of Vertigo’s better performers in that market. And, of course, this puts a big question mark over The Vinyl Underground, Scalped and The Un-Men, which are still officially ongoing but sell in the same area or below The Exterminators.

—–

210 - THE PROGRAMME (WildStorm)
07/2007: The Programme #1 of 12 — 14,293
08/2007: The Programme #2 of 12 — 9,412 (-34.2%)
09/2007: The Programme #3 of 12 — 8,545 (- 9.2%)
10/2007: The Programme #4 of 12 — 7,717 (- 9.7%)
11/2007: The Programme #5 of 12 — 7,262 (- 5.9%)
12/2007: The Programme #6 of 12 — 6,856 (- 5.6%)

Ugly numbers.

—–

213 - THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY (Johnny DC)
04/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #1 — 13,519
05/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #2 — 11,121 (-17.7%)
06/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #3 — 9,252 (-16.8%)
07/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #4 — 8,236 (-11.0%)
08/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #5 — 7,681 (- 6.7%)
09/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #6 — 7,362 (- 4.2%)
10/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #7 — 7,010 (- 4.8%)
11/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #8 — 6,886 (- 1.8%)
12/2007: The LoSH in the 31st Century #9 — 6,777 (- 1.6%)
—————-
6 months: -26.8%

215 - BATMAN STRIKES! (Johnny DC)
12/2001: Gotham Adventures #45 — 12,307*
12/2002: Gotham Adventures #57 — 11,740*
12/2003: Batman Adventures #9 — 12,884
12/2004: Batman Strikes! #4 — 13,257
12/2005: Batman Strikes! #16 — 8,462
—————————————-
12/2006: Batman Strikes! #28 — 7,427 (- 1.9%)
01/2007: Batman Strikes! #29 — 7,330 (- 1.3%)
02/2007: Batman Strikes! #30 — 7,335 (+ 0.1%)
03/2007: Batman Strikes! #31 — 7,100 (- 3.2%)
04/2007: Batman Strikes! #32 — 7,294 (+ 2.7%)
05/2007: Batman Strikes! #33 — 7,235 (- 0.8%)
06/2007: Batman Strikes! #34 — 7,115 (- 1.7%)
07/2007: Batman Strikes! #35 — 7,222 (+ 1.5%)
08/2007: Batman Strikes! #36 — 7,511 (+ 4.0%)
09/2007: Batman Strikes! #37 — 6,833 (- 9.0%)
10/2007: Batman Strikes! #38 — 6,664 (- 2.5%)
11/2007: Batman Strikes! #39 — 6,464 (- 3.0%)
12/2007: Batman Strikes! #40 — 6,492 (+ 0.4%)
—————-
6 months: - 8.8%
1 year : -12.6%
2 years : -23.3%

Two more Johnny DC books. See disclaimers.

—–

216 - ARMY@LOVE (Vertigo)
03/2007: Army@Love #1 — 14,578
04/2007: Army@Love #2 — 11,195 (-23.2%)
05/2007: Army@Love #3 — 10,312 (- 7.9%)
06/2007: Army@Love #4 — 9,089 (-11.9%)
07/2007: Army@Love #5 — 8,386 (- 7.7%)
08/2007: Army@Love #6 — 7,858 (- 6.3%)
09/2007: Army@Love #7 — 7,310 (- 7.0%)
10/2007: Army@Love #8 — 7,010 (- 4.1%)
11/2007: Army@Love #9 — 6,617 (- 5.6%)
12/2007: Army@Love #10 — 6,364 (- 3.8%)
—————-
6 months: -30.0%

Army@Love ends with issue #12, apparently with a view to being relaunched at a later date. To be honest, continuing the book as a series of graphic novels would probably make more sense, at this stage. It’s received some media attention, but it’s plainly not selling well enough in the direct market to support a monthly series, and I doubt a relaunch would change that.

—–

223 - THE UN-MEN (Vertigo)
08/2007: The Un-Men #1 — 11,868
09/2007: The Un-Men #2 — 8,758 (-26.2%)
10/2007: The Un-Men #3 — 7,566 (-13.6%)
11/2007: The Un-Men #4 — 6,678 (-11.7%)
12/2007: The Un-Men #5 — 6,094 (- 8.8%)

As indicated above, given the apparent cancellation of The Exterminators, there probably isn’t much rope left for The Un-Men, either.

—–

235 - CROSSING MIDNIGHT (Vertigo)
12/2006: Crossing Midnight #2 — 8,982 (-29.6%)
01/2007: Crossing Midnight #3 — 8,236 (- 8.3%)
02/2007: Crossing Midnight #4 — 7,568 (- 8.1%)
03/2007: Crossing Midnight #5 — 7,196 (- 4.9%)
04/2007: Crossing Midnight #6 — 7,036 (- 2.2%)
05/2007: Crossing Midnight #7 — 6,866 (- 2.4%)
06/2007: Crossing Midnight #8 — 6,612 (- 3.7%)
07/2007: Crossing Midnight #9 — 6,351 (- 4.0%)
08/2007: Crossing Midnight #10 — 6,142 (- 3.3%)
09/2007: Crossing Midnight #11 — 5,870 (- 4.4%)
10/2007: Crossing Midnight #12 — 5,754 (- 2.0%)
11/2007: Crossing Midnight #13 — 5,519 (- 4.1%)
12/2007: Crossing Midnight #14 — 5,467 (- 0.9%)
—————-
6 months: -17.3%
1 year : -39.1%

The cover artist recently stated that Crossing Midnight was canceled around issue #20, but then retracted his statement. Either way, things don’t look rosy for the book.

—–

248 - WILDSTORM FINE ARTS SPOTLIGHT (WildStorm)
12/2006: Jim Lee — 9,074
01/2007: –
02/2007: –
03/2007: J. Scott Campbell — 8,130 (-10.4%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: –
06/2007: –
07/2007: –
08/2007: –
09/2007: –
10/2007: –
11/2007: The Authority — 4,828 (-40.6%)
12/2007: Gen13 — 4,585 (- 5.0%)
—————-
6 months: n.a.
1 year : -49.5%

These sales probably aren’t bad for a $ 3.50 collection of pin-ups.

—–

252 - SCOOBY DOO (Johnny DC)
12/2001: Scooby Doo #55 — 5,362*
12/2002: Scooby Doo #67 — 6,051*
12/2003: Scooby Doo #79 — 5,716
12/2004: Scooby Doo #91 — 5,201
12/2005: Scooby Doo #103 — 4,490
———————————
12/2006: Scooby Doo #115 — 4,364 (- 0.5%)
01/2007: Scooby Doo #116 — 4,285 (- 1.8%)
02/2007: Scooby Doo #117 — 4,275 (- 0.2%)
03/2007: Scooby Doo #118 — 4,395 (+ 2.8%)
04/2007: Scooby Doo #119 — 4,373 (- 0.5%)
05/2007: Scooby Doo #120 — 4,343 (- 0.7%)
06/2007: Scooby Doo #121 — 4,415 (+ 1.7%)
07/2007: Scooby Doo #122 — 4,424 (+ 0.2%)
08/2007: Scooby Doo #123 — 4,641 (+ 4.9%)
09/2007: Scooby Doo #124 — 4,401 (- 5.2%)
10/2007: Scooby Doo #125 — 4,407 (+ 0.1%)
11/2007: Scooby Doo #126 — 4,237 (- 3.9%)
12/2007: Scooby Doo #127 — 4,293 (+ 1.3%)
—————-
6 months: - 2.8%
1 year : - 1.6%
2 years : - 4.4%

286 - LOONEY TUNES (Johnny DC)
12/2001: Looney Tunes #85 — 3,252*
12/2002: Looney Tunes #97 — 3,447*
12/2003: Looney Tunes #109 — 3,465
12/2004: Looney Tunes #121 — 3,088
12/2005: Looney Tunes #133 — 2,633
———————————–
12/2006: Looney Tunes #145 — 2,732
01/2007: Looney Tunes #146 — 2,588 (- 5.3%)
02/2007: Looney Tunes #147 — 2,553 (- 1.4%)
03/2007: Looney Tunes #148 — 2,705 (+ 6.0%)
04/2007: Looney Tunes #149 — 2,640 (- 2.4%)
05/2007: Looney Tunes #150 — 3,093 (+17.2%)
06/2007: Looney Tunes #151 — 2,711 (-12.4%)
07/2007: Looney Tunes #152 — 2,865 (+ 5.7%)
08/2007: Looney Tunes #153 — 2,755 (- 3.8%)
09/2007: Looney Tunes #154 — 2,740 (- 0.6%)
10/2007: Looney Tunes #155 — ?
11/2007: Looney Tunes #156 — ?
12/2007: Looney Tunes #157 — 2,641
—————-
6 months: - 2.6%
1 year : - 3.3%
2 years : + 0.3%

Two more Johnny DC books. See disclaimers.

—–

REORDERS:
214: 6,770 — Robin #168
220: 6,250 — Batman #670
250: 4,435 — Action Comics #858
262: 3,652 — Robin Annual #7 (2nd)
271: 3,211 — Green Lantern Corps #18

—–

Average Sales per Title
(not counting reprints, reorders shipping after the initial month of release, Johnny DC titles and magazines)

DC COMICS
12/2003: 26,253
12/2004: 30,589
12/2005: 36,147
—————
12/2006: 34,418 (- 1.4%)
01/2007: 29,706 (-13.7%)
02/2007: 31,051 (+ 4.5%)
03/2007: 32,398 (+ 4.3%)
04/2007: 39,134 (+20.8%)
05/2007: 34,489 (-11.9%)
06/2007: 32,437 (- 6.0%)
07/2007: 34,330 (+ 5.8%)
08/2007: 34,885 (+ 1.6%)
09/2007: 32,332 (- 7.3%)
10/2007: 31,489 (- 2.6%)
11/2007: 29,427 (- 6.6%)
12/2007: 33,138 (+12.6%)
—————-
6 months: + 2.2%
1 year : - 3.7%
2 years : - 8.3%
3 years : + 8.3%
4 years : +26.2%

DC UNIVERSE
12/2003: 30,866
12/2004: 36,925
12/2005: 44,993
—————
12/2006: 44,641 (- 1.7%)
01/2007: 38,302 (-14.2%)
02/2007: 39,976 (+ 4.4%)
03/2007: 42,634 (+ 6.7%)
04/2007: 52,768 (+23.8%)
05/2007: 47,294 (-10.4%)
06/2007: 45,380 (- 4.1%)
07/2007: 47,134 (+ 3.9%)
08/2007: 46,717 (- 0.9%)
09/2007: 42,894 (- 8.2%)
10/2007: 39,409 (- 8.1%)
11/2007: 37,257 (- 5.5%)
12/2007: 40,074 (+ 7.6%)
—————-
6 months: -11.7%
1 year : -10.2%
2 years : -10.9%
3 years : + 8.5%
4 years : +29.8%

VERTIGO
12/2003: 16,497
12/2004: 14,649
12/2005: 16,320
—————
12/2006: 13,834 (+ 0.4%)
01/2007: 13,572 (- 1.9%)
02/2007: 11,855 (-12.7%)
03/2007: 13,748 (+16.0%)
04/2007: 12,105 (-12.0%)
05/2007: 12,256 (+ 1.3%)
06/2007: 12,732 (+ 3.9%)
07/2007: 12,193 (- 4.2%)
08/2007: 10,817 (-11.3%)
09/2007: 11,806 (+ 9.1%)
10/2007: 10,678 (- 9.6%)
11/2007: 10,946 (+ 2.5%)
12/2007: 11,035 (+ 0.8%)
—————-
6 months: -13.3%
1 year : -20.2%
2 years : -32.4%
3 years : -24.7%
4 years : -33.1%

WILDSTORM
12/2003: 18,359
12/2004: 15,693
12/2005: 15,068
—————
12/2006: 17,288 (- 9.0%)
01/2007: 14,525 (-16.0%)
02/2007: 14,105 (- 2.9%)
03/2007: 15,224 (+ 7.9%)
04/2007: 13,609 (-10.6%)
05/2007: 14,260 (+ 4.8%)
06/2007: 12,272 (-13.9%)
07/2007: 11,234 (- 8.5%)
08/2007: 10,744 (- 4.4%)
09/2007: 11,379 (+ 5.9%)
10/2007: 11,960 (+ 5.1%)
11/2007: 15,109 (+26.3%)
12/2007: 15,601 (+ 3.3%)
—————-
6 months: +27.1%
1 year : - 9.8%
2 years : + 3.5%
3 years : - 0.6%
4 years : -15.0%

—–

6-MONTH COMPARISONS
+ 85.2%: Robin
+ 61.0%: Nightwing
+ 54.1%: Green Lantern Corps
+ 50.7%: Legion of Super-Heroes
+ 22.5%: Outsiders
+ 15.1%: Detective Comics
+ 15.1%: Green Arrow
- 2.6%: Looney Tunes
- 2.8%: Scooby-Doo
- 4.5%: Fables
- 6.1%: Countdown
- 6.5%: Hellblazer
- 7.5%: Catwoman
- 8.8%: The Batman Strikes
- 8.8%: Teen Titans Go
- 9.3%: Ex Machina
- 10.3%: Blue Beetle
- 11.3%: Justice League Unlimited
- 11.5%: Teen Titans
- 11.9%: Jack of Fables
- 12.7%: The All-New Atom
- 12.8%: Jonah Hex
- 13.2%: DMZ
- 13.7%: Birds of Prey
- 15.2%: Superman
- 16.7%: The Exterminators
- 17.3%: Crossing Midnight
- 17.3%: Shadowpact
- 18.2%: JSA: Classified
- 18.7%: Wonder Woman
- 18.9%: Scalped
- 20.6%: JLA: Classified
- 21.1%: Checkmate
- 21.2%: Loveless
- 21.8%: The Brave and the Bold
- 23.1%: Gen13
- 23.4%: Superman/Batman
- 24.3%: Justice League
- 24.6%: Supergirl
- 26.8%: The Losh in the 31st Century
- 30.0%: Army@Love
- 31.6%: The Midnighter
- 43.0%: Flash

—–

1-YEAR COMPARISONS
+ 59.3%: Robin
+ 41.3%: Nightwing
+ 37.6%: Legion of Super-Heroes
+ 30.4%: Green Lanern Corps
+ 25.1%: Green Arrow
+ 17.9%: Outsiders
+ 8.6%: Detective Comics
- 1.6%: Scooby-Doo
- 3.3%: Looney Tunes
- 5.1%: Fables
- 6.6%: Batman
- 6.7%: Hellblazer
- 10.6%: Teen Titans
- 12.6%: Batman Strikes
- 13.0%: Justice Society
- 14.8%: Justice League Unlimited
- 16.4%: Teen Titans Go
- 16.5%: Catwoman
- 16.5%: Ex Machina
- 17.1%: Birds of Prey
- 17.7%: Jack of Fables
- 18.3%: Flash
- 19.7%: DMZ
- 23.0%: Jonah Hex
- 25.2%: The Exterminators
- 25.9%: Checkmate
- 27.0%: JLA: Classified
- 27.3%: Justice League
- 28.6%: Blue Beetle
- 29.6%: JSA: Classified
- 31.1%: Shadowpact
- 32.0%: Loveless
- 32.1%: Uncle Sam
- 34.9%: Supergirl
- 35.1%: Superman/Batman
- 35.7%: The All-New Atom
- 39.1%: Crossing Midnight
- 49.5%: WildStorm Fine Arts Spotlight
- 50.5%: Superman Confidential
- 52.6%: Gen13
- 59.4%: The Midnighter

—–

2-YEAR COMPARISONS
+ 76.2%: Justice Society
+ 70.6%: Robin
+ 67.7%: Detective Comics
+ 38.2%: Nightwing
+ 32.6%: Action Comics
+ 27.3%: Justice League
+ 26.9%: Green Arrow
+ 12.7%: Batman
+ 0.3%: Looney Tunes
+ 0.2%: Fables
- 4.4%: Scooby-Doo
- 5.5%: Wonder Woman
- 5.7%: Flash
- 9.2%: Green Lantern
- 13.3%: Outsiders
- 14.3%: Hellblazer
- 19.4%: Birds of Prey
- 19.9%: Teen Titans
- 21.1%: Green Lantern Corps
- 22.8%: Catwoman
- 23.2%: Justice League Unlimited
- 23.3%: Batman Strikes
- 25.7%: DMZ
- 28.9%: Superman
- 32.4%: Teen Titans Go
- 46.3%: Jonah Hex
- 48.1%: Superman/Batman
- 52.0%: Loveless
- 58.9%: JLA: Classified
- 61.6%: JSA: Classified

—–
OTHER PUBLISHERS

12 - BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Dark Horse Comics)
12/2001: Buffy #40 — 15,700*
12/2002: Buffy #52 — 15,701*
12/2003: –
—————————–
03/2007: Buffy #1 — 109,919 [158,437]
04/2007: Buffy #2 — 96,409 (-12.3%) [132,378]
05/2007: Buffy #3 — 106,634 (+10.6%) [125,078]
06/2007: Buffy #4 — 102,430 (- 3.9%) [117,866]
07/2007: Buffy #5 — 100,830 (- 2.0%) [109,322]
08/2007: –
09/2007: Buffy #6 — 96,556 (- 4.2%) [ 99,910]
10/2007: Buffy #7 — 94,144 (- 2.4%)
11/2007: Buffy #8 — 91,595 (- 2.7%) [ 93,873]
12/2007: Buffy #9 — 89,556 (- 2.2%)
—————-
6 months: -12.6%

52 - ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL (IDW)
12/2001: Angel #4 — 14,882*
12/2005: Old Friends #1 of 5 — 17,164
—————————————–
12/2006: Auld Lang Syne #2 of 5 — 7,358 (- 8.7%)
01/2007: Auld Lang Syne #3 of 5 — 6,699 (- 9.0%)
02/2007: Auld Lang Syne #4 of 5 — 6,371 (- 4.9%)
03/2007: Auld Lang Syne #5 of 5 — 6,351 (- 0.3%)
04/2007: –
05/2007: –
06/2007: –
07/2007: –
08/2007: –
09/2007: –
10/2007: –
11/2007: After the Fall #1 — 47,563 (+648.9%) [56,618]
12/2007: After the Fall #2 — 44,792 (- 5.8%)
—————–
6 months: n.a.
1 year : +508,8%
2 years : +161.0%

The two TV show adaptations overseen by Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon continue to perform exceptionally well, with previous issues also staying in demand: Buffy #8 sold another 2,278 units in December, while a second printing of Angel #1 moved 9,055 additional copies.

Both books are promoted through variant cover editions - one for Buffy, three for Angel.

—–

87 - THE BOYS (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/2006: The Boys #6 — 27,039 (+ 0.7%) [35,173]
01/2007: –
02/2007: –
03/2007: –
04/2007: –
05/2007: The Boys #7 — 31,616 (+16.9%) [37,255]
06/2007: The Boys #8 — 30,639 (- 3.1%) [32,868]
07/2007: –
08/2007: The Boys #9 — 32,570 (+ 6.3%)
09/2007: The Boys #10 — 32,077 (- 1.5%)
10/2007: The Boys #11 — 30,852 (- 3.8%)
11/2007: The Boys #12 — 29,754 (- 3.6%)
12/2007: The Boys #13 — 29,195 (- 1.9%)
—————-
6 months: - 4.7%
1 year : + 8.0%

The numbers are bottoming out around 29,000 units. These are excellent sales.

—–

89 - THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE (Dark Horse Comics)
09/2007: Apocalypse Suite #1 of 6 — 37,698 [48,514]
10/2007: Apocalypse Suite #2 of 6 — 31,176 (-17.3%) [33,426]
11/2007: Apocalypse Suite #3 of 6 — 29,508 (- 5.4%) [31,992]
12/2007: Apocalypse Suite #4 of 6 — 28,703 (- 2.7%)

Dark Horse’s latest hit is levelling out very quickly, and the two previous issues sold another combined 4,734 units in December.

—–

107 - THE WALKING DEAD (Image Comics)
12/2003: Walking Dead #3 — 6,994
12/2004: Walking Dead #14 — 14,713 [15,487]
12/2005: –
———————————–
12/2006: Walking Dead #33 — 21,235 (+ 0.2%)
01/2007: Walking Dead #34 — 21,184 (- 0.2%)
02/2007: Walking Dead #35 — 21,391 (+ 1.0%)
03/2007: Walking Dead #36 — 21,291 (- 0.5%)
04/2007: Walking Dead #37 — 21,737 (+ 2.1%)
05/2007: –
06/2007: Walking Dead #38 — 22,193 (+ 2.1%)
07/2007: Walking Dead #39 — 22,487 (+ 1.3%)
08/2007: Walking Dead #40 — 22,989 (+ 2.2%)
08/2007: Walking Dead #41 — 22,681 (- 1.3%)
09/2007: Walking Dead #42 — 23,107 (+ 1.9%)
10/2007: Walking Dead #43 — 22,737 (- 1.6%)
11/2007: Walking Dead #43 — 22,569 (- 0.7%)
12/2007: Walking Dead #45 — 22,674 (+ 0.5%)
—————–
6 months: + 2.2%
1 year : + 6.8%
2 years : n.a.

146 - INVINCIBLE (Image Comics)
12/2003: Invincible #7 — 6,093
12/2004: Invincible #18 — 9,439
12/2005: –
———————————
12/2006: Invincible #37 — 13,523 (+ 0.4%)
01/2007: Invincible #38 — 13,470 (- 0.4%)
02/2007: Invincible #39 — 13,298 (- 1.3%)
03/2007: –
04/2007: Invincible #40 — 13,244 (- 0.4%)
05/2007: Invincible #41 — 13,428 (+ 1.4%)
06/2007: Invincible #42 — 15,955 (+18.8%)
06/2007: Invincible #43 — 13,867 (-13.1%)
07/2007: Invincible #44 — 13,866 (- 0.0%)
08/2007: Invincible #45 — 14,123 (+ 1.9%)
09/2007: –
10/2007: –
11/2007: Invincible #46 — 14,409 (+ 2.2%)
12/2007: Invincible #47 — 14,380 (- 0.2%)
—————-
6 months: - 3.6%
1 year : + 6.3%
2 years : 

168 - THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN (Image Comics)
07/2007: Astounding Wolf-Man #2 — 17,762
08/2007: –
09/2007: Astounding Wolf-Man #3 — 13,019 (-26.7%)
10/2007: –
11/2007: –
12/2007: Astounding Wolf-Man #4 — 11,312 (-13.1%)

171 - INVINCIBLE PRESENTS: ATOM EVE (Image Comics)
12/2007: Atom Eve #1 of 2 — 11,077

I haven’t looked at writer Robert Kirkman’s various creator-owned books in a while, so let’s catch up. Sales of the post-apocalyptic black-and-white drama The Walking Dead, which perpetually increased for years, have apparently stabilized around 23k. That’s a very good number, obviously, which beats the vast majority of Vertigo or WildStorm books.

The superhero opera Invincible, similarly, has settled down at about 14k, which isn’t bad, either. It’s good enough to be the center of a franchise, in fact, as its latest spin-off demonstrates: Invincible Presents: Atom Eve isn’t even written by Kirkman himself, but it nonetheless debuts with very solid numbers.

The Astounding Wolf-Man #1, in case you’re wondering why it’s not listed, was released as a giveaway for Free Comic Book Day in May 2007, which means Diamond didn’t include it in the chart. (It was reprinted in July’s The Astounding Wolf-Man Director’s Cut #1, though, which sold an estimated 9,836 units.) The drop-off since issue #2 has been pretty steep so far, but it still sells at a more than decent level.

All told, Kirkman is evidently still a considerable sales draw. And of course, these books - especially The Walking Dead - are probably doing significant business in the collection market, as well.

—–
Disclaimers, et cetera

The numbers above are estimates for comic book sales in the North American direct market, as calculated by ICv2.com according to the chart and index information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors. ICv2.com’s estimates are traditionally known to be somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate. Since it’s a “month-to-month” column, the comments, unless otherwise noted, are on the most recent month. The estimates from March 2001 to February 2003 (marked with an asterisk) were for initial orders rather than actual sales, so they’re only roughly compatible with the subsequent figures.

Bear in mind that the figures measure sales to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Reorders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book’s initial month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month.

If additional copies of an issue did appear on the chart after the book’s initial month of release, you can see the total number of copies sold in parenthesis behind those issues (e.g. “[36,599]”). Should more than one issue have shipped in a month which is relevant for one of the long-term comparisons, the average will be used.

Titles released under the Johnny DC imprint and magazines, such as Mad, mostly sell through channels other than the direct market, so direct market sales don’t tell us much about their performance. For most Vertigo and some WildStorm titles, collection sales tend to be a significant factor, so the numbers for those books should be taken with a grain of salt as well.

—–
Germany-based Marc-Oliver Frisch has a weblog and regularly contributes to German online magazine Comicgate.

This entry was posted on 01/31/08 at 4:07 pm and is filed under DC, Sales Charts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.