Comments on: Comics periodical sales down 11 percent in November http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:17:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Somebody http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2740960 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:54:27 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2740960 > Paul O’Brien, with whom I actually do agree a lot of the time, asserted that around about the 63K mark would be when NuSpidey would be selling less per month than the three previous titles a month combined. That was based on the "old" ASM only having shipped nine issues though - which was a direct knock-on from McNiven's glacial pace on Civil War, rather than anything intrinsic to ASM or its' creative team. And, given Dan Slott's infamous "80k" bet (which, as far as I am aware, he welched on - please link to his "Ode" if I'm wrong), one presumes Marvel & the BND writers never expected to fall to 66k and counting... > Paul O’Brien, with whom I actually do agree a lot of the time, asserted that around about the 63K mark would be when NuSpidey would be selling less per month than the three previous titles a month combined.

That was based on the “old” ASM only having shipped nine issues though - which was a direct knock-on from McNiven’s glacial pace on Civil War, rather than anything intrinsic to ASM or its’ creative team.

And, given Dan Slott’s infamous “80k” bet (which, as far as I am aware, he welched on - please link to his “Ode” if I’m wrong), one presumes Marvel & the BND writers never expected to fall to 66k and counting…

]]> by: Kirk Boxleitner, a.k.a. K-Box http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2735898 Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:53:09 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2735898 MBunge - Paul O'Brien, with whom I actually do agree a lot of the time, asserted that around about the 63K mark would be when NuSpidey would be selling less per month than the three previous titles a month combined. Of course, Paul also asserted that it was unlikely that sales would sink anywhere near that low, so while his math on the first point is probably accurate, his forecast of how willing readers were to put up with a Brand NuSpidey was probably not. MBunge -

Paul O’Brien, with whom I actually do agree a lot of the time, asserted that around about the 63K mark would be when NuSpidey would be selling less per month than the three previous titles a month combined.

Of course, Paul also asserted that it was unlikely that sales would sink anywhere near that low, so while his math on the first point is probably accurate, his forecast of how willing readers were to put up with a Brand NuSpidey was probably not.

]]> by: Dreamer http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732982 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:23:35 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732982 i don't know what's the reason behind it (one of the issues being longer than usual, perhaps?) but there are only 2 spider-man issues solicited for March '09.. i don’t know what’s the reason behind it (one of the issues being longer than usual, perhaps?) but there are only 2 spider-man issues solicited for March ‘09..

]]> by: MBunge http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732725 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:40:42 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732725 "WELCOME TO THE 66K SALES MARK, SPIDER-MAN." Is there a point at which Marvel has to pull the plug on this? After their big Venom event or whatever it was, the book has immediately settled back into the 2nd lowest number of Amazing Spider-Man readers ever. Yeah, they're buying it three times a month...but what happens when 66K becomes 58K or 49K? Mike “WELCOME TO THE 66K SALES MARK, SPIDER-MAN.”

Is there a point at which Marvel has to pull the plug on this? After their big Venom event or whatever it was, the book has immediately settled back into the 2nd lowest number of Amazing Spider-Man readers ever. Yeah, they’re buying it three times a month…but what happens when 66K becomes 58K or 49K?

Mike

]]> by: John Jackson Miller http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732651 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:19:47 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732651 Diamond has released the TPB chart — increasing it to 300 items, a welcome move! — but in it several of us realized that the comics and TPB charts aren't synching up. I understand that there is an issue in the Order Index Numbers for comics, and that a revision is forthcoming. Some thoughts on what #101-300 adds to the whole picture appear here: http://blog.comichron.com/2008/12/diamond-goes-to-reporting-top-300.html Diamond has released the TPB chart — increasing it to 300 items, a welcome move! — but in it several of us realized that the comics and TPB charts aren’t synching up. I understand that there is an issue in the Order Index Numbers for comics, and that a revision is forthcoming.

Some thoughts on what #101-300 adds to the whole picture appear here:
http://blog.comichron.com/2008/12/diamond-goes-to-reporting-top-300.html

]]> by: Dave Hackett http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732567 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:57:30 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732567 Glad to see that it appears Madame Xanadu actually went up in sales. Good news for a Vertigo title. Glad to see that it appears Madame Xanadu actually went up in sales. Good news for a Vertigo title.

]]> by: Kirk Boxleitner, a.k.a. K-Box http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732285 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:22:53 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732285 WELCOME TO THE 66K SALES MARK, SPIDER-MAN. Paul - I would say this pretty much disproves your assertion that the title has "leveled out" at 69K, wouldn't you? WELCOME TO THE 66K SALES MARK, SPIDER-MAN.

Paul - I would say this pretty much disproves your assertion that the title has “leveled out” at 69K, wouldn’t you?

]]> by: Paul O'Brien http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732018 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:03:34 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2732018 Crossovers and variant covers are so common nowadays, and take up so much of the year, that it's highly questionable whether they can truly be regarded as "abnormal" so much as "seasonal." Crossovers and variant covers are so common nowadays, and take up so much of the year, that it’s highly questionable whether they can truly be regarded as “abnormal” so much as “seasonal.”

]]> by: Brian Spence http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2731361 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:51:19 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2731361 I'm getting sick of the periodicals though, really. I only get my comics once every three months or so, and for Secret Invasion and whatever, I can't figure out which to read first. What issues coincide with the main Secret Invasion book? Same goes for Final Crisis, although I'm not getting as many of those. It's too much of a pain, so I may just ditch them altogether. They always shoehorn these events into the regular series to bad results anyway. I’m getting sick of the periodicals though, really. I only get my comics once every three months or so, and for Secret Invasion and whatever, I can’t figure out which to read first. What issues coincide with the main Secret Invasion book? Same goes for Final Crisis, although I’m not getting as many of those. It’s too much of a pain, so I may just ditch them altogether. They always shoehorn these events into the regular series to bad results anyway.

]]> by: Glenn Simpson http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2728138 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:57:04 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2728138 Bill Cunningham: While you have a good point, I think it might be a slippery slope. If you don't count the crossovers, then you can't count the alternate covers. And then you have to eliminate the #1 issues, since so many people buy that just because it's a #1. And then you eliminate the issues where a new hot writer or artist started, since people were just jumping on at that point and might not hang around. In other words, determining "normal" levels of sales might be hard to do. Bill Cunningham:

While you have a good point, I think it might be a slippery slope. If you don’t count the crossovers, then you can’t count the alternate covers. And then you have to eliminate the #1 issues, since so many people buy that just because it’s a #1. And then you eliminate the issues where a new hot writer or artist started, since people were just jumping on at that point and might not hang around.

In other words, determining “normal” levels of sales might be hard to do.

]]> by: Bill Cunningham http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2728119 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:40:54 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2728119 Could it be stated that in the previous months, because of these special tie-ins (Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, etc) that the numbers were artificially inflated? Could it be stated that in the previous months, because of these special tie-ins (Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, etc) that the numbers were artificially inflated?

]]> by: Torsten Adair http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2728107 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:35:27 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/12/16/comics-periodical-sales-down-11-in-november/#comment-2728107 How do the Graphic Novel sales (of which titles are constantly in flux) compare to last month? Ah... ICV2 will post those later today. How do the Graphic Novel sales (of which titles are constantly in flux) compare to last month?

Ah… ICV2 will post those later today.

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