September Sales Breakdown

[leo619]

It's so weird how so many people are complaining about the amount of books marvel puts out. That was the entire point of ANAD, to put out large books that can cater to as large of a demographic as possible. Unlike DC main line, which primarily cater to just old school classic fans of primarily white male origin, the ANAD made sure to have tons of books available so no matter what your age, race, etc, you had a book that fit close to your needs. Interested in reading about black solo's? Marvel has you covered, with Spider Man, Black Panther, Moon Girl, Luke Cage and more. DC? All you get is Cyborg, so be happy with it.

And that's the major difference. Of course DC's ongoings are going to have a higher number, they are a concentrated group of books that appease to primarily one fanbase.
But if you are not part of that fanbase, you're screwed, at least until possibly Dark Matter or Earth M shows up. But if you with Marvel, you're interesting in reading about a black male character fan but is not interested in Black Panther? Well you're in luck, you have other books to choose from. And that's why it's important to have variety.

So it's amazing that people have a problem with a company trying to have variety and cover as many demographics as possible.

[crimsonspider89]

The problem is when you release too many of the same types of books they cannibalize each other sales and they cannot stay above cancellation levels.

Marvel is only being held up by SW and events and gimmicks.

There sales collapse without them.

The price they publish and there variant cover gimmicks/overshipping/nonstop events(how many this year?) allow them to artificially maintain there top position.

There Avengers/SM should be selling better than the JL at the very least.

[TheFerg714]

No, of course not. But they are, more often than not, leading the industry. That speaks to the success of their strategies.

Maybe, but every new month shows more and more that Marvel is faltering. I can't wait to see how Marvel does next month.

And yet every month, regardless of Marvel's placement on the Diamond charts, there's a sales thread - sometimes multiple sales threads - predicting Marvel's imminent collapse.

Did I ever say that? Did I mention it in the op? I haven't even said anything relating to Marvel collapsing actually, I've only said that DC's universe is in a healthier place than Marvel's. In fact, the original post was exceedingly neutral. It's just a bunch of numbers. It's not my fault those numbers trigger people so hard.

By rights, shouldn't there be a thread every month frantically wondering why DC is second yet again and if the company is about to implode? Doesn't Marvel seem to have a bit more breathing space on this front?

Yea, sure. I don't think it's about to implode because it has a solid foundation to fall back on, some blockbuster events happening/coming up, and a bunch of well-received experimental titles to boot.

No. Here's why:

One, every single comic is a "cash grab" in that it is created in the hopes of separating a reader from their money. Calling a one-shot or annual and so on more of a cynical cash grab than the average issue of, say, Luke Cage or Blue Beetle is incorrect. It also implies that there isn't an equal amount of creative care put into something like Generations: The Captains as there would be to any monthly book.

Oh my god, I knew you were going to latch onto that phrase. I specifically said "not meaning that in a negative way" immediately after I said cash grab. I wasn't meaning it in a cynical way, I just couldn't find a better word to lump all of those things into one category.

Two, you can't separate the existence of one shots, events, annuals, etc., from the regular monthlies. One directly impacts the other. We don't know how ongoings would be impacted if there weren't other options tempting readers. If there was a month where neither company had a special issue of any kind, that would be intriguing. But you can't analyze the sales of ongoings and look at their numbers as completely independent from what else is on the shelves. For example, maybe some other titles from both DC and Marvel dipped in sales because readers choose to buy or retailers choose to order Metal or Venomverse instead. It's very possible but we can't determine that with any accuracy.

Yea, that's why I included every single publication in the spreadsheet...
...and actually you CAN separate the ongoings from everything else. It shows a more complete picture of the health of the universe, and the entire publishing line.

For example:
I want to compare Coke and Pepsi, but not the companies' whole line of sodas and drinks. I'm mostly curious about the name-brand Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi.

You're right in that you should probably look at the sales of Diet and all of the specialty drinks to get more of a clear understanding, but what's really important is the respective companies' bread and butter.

Marvel and DC are built around their interconnected universes, which are held up by a line of ongoings. Obviously events have an effect, that's why I put them on the breakdown, I just think it's important to look at the actual pillars of a superhero universe, not the events that Marvel has become so reliant on. DC has shown, in this spreadsheet, that while their universe might not be doing great, taken on it's own merits, it's doing better than Marvel's universe, at least as far as sales go.

Critically, Marvel is just punching itself in the balls over and over again every Wednesday, so that's an entirely different story.

[Xelossik]

The problem is when you release too many of the same types of books they cannibalize each other sales and they cannot stay above cancellation levels.

Marvel is only being held up by SW and events and gimmicks.

There sales collapse without them.

The price they publish and there variant cover gimmicks/overshipping/nonstop events(how many this year?) allow them to artificially maintain there top position.

DC is only being held up by Batman and events and gimmicks. What's the difference?

There Avengers/SM should be selling better than the JL at the very least

Avengers? Not with this roster.

[TheFerg714]

DC is only being held up by Batman and events and gimmicks. What's the difference?

When events are excluded, DC comes out on top, so no, they're not "being held up by events."

Why doesn't Marvel have a brand like Batman? Why doesn't Marvel have a franchise that's selling 100k on the regular? Spider-Man, X-Men, and Wolverine are selling 50-60% what Batman's best book is selling. That's not "over-reliance" on Batman. That's utilizing your characters effectively.

If you seriously think DC is over-relying on Batman, is Marvel doing the same thing with Spider-Man and X-Men?

Avengers? Not with this roster.

Avengers should be in the top 20, at least. It looks really bad on Marvel's part that it's not.

[crimsonspider89]

DC is only being held up by Batman and events and gimmicks. What's the difference?

Avengers? Not with this roster.

No, DC's sales don't collapse like most Marvel's books do. Just look at the books below 30k between DC.

DC hasn't ran many variant cover gimmicks and Metal is its first event in 6 months.

Nor overships like Marvel has been doing this whole year.

[TheSeaDragon]

No, DC's sales don't collapse like most Marvel's books do. Just look at the books below 30k between DC.

DC hasn't ran many variant cover gimmicks and Metal is its first event in 6 months.

Nor overships like Marvel has been doing this whole year.

This.

But dont bother , there is people here that are corporate lawyers , and as long as they see Marvel in number 1 , they never will see a bigger picture. Its like being a sports team fan .

[Xelossik]

TheFerg714 :

When events are excluded, DC comes out on top, so no, they're not "being held up by events."

You removed SW. I removed Batman.

Why doesn't Marvel have a brand like Batman? Why doesn't Marvel have a franchise that's selling 100k on the regular? Spider-Man, X-Men, and Wolverine are selling 50-60% what Batman's best book is selling. That's not "over-reliance" on Batman. That's utilizing your characters effectively.

Yes DC and Batman wins.
Marvel is overall better because they have more characters worth something.

If you seriously think DC is over-relying on Batman, is Marvel doing the same thing with Spider-Man and X-Men?

The difference is... You can remove SW or Spider-man or X-men. Marvel will survive.
DC without Batman? Och..

Maybe, but every new month shows more and more that Marvel is faltering. I can't wait to see how Marvel does next month.

Are You sure?
Overall Share of Units by month (febuary - september)
Marvel 33,64% vs DC 33,47% 0,17%
Marvel 34,34% vs DC 35,46% -1,12%
Marvel 38,23% vs DC 34,34% 3,89%
Marvel 39,91% vs DC 30,88% 9,03%
Marvel 42,82% vs DC 31,76% 11,06%
Marvel 39,53% vs DC 31,15% 8,38%
Marvel 39,52% vs DC 31,09% 8,43%
Marvel 38,13% vs DC 36,68% 1,45%

Share of Overall Dollars
Marvel 37,46% vs DC 30,23% 7,23%
Marvel 35,41% vs DC 28,75% 6,66%
Marvel 34,95% vs DC 30,49% 4,46%
Marvel 38,05% vs DC 27,93% 10,12%
Marvel 38,54% vs DC 30,61% 7,93%
Marvel 36,89% vs DC 26,94% 9,95%
Marvel 35,01% vs DC 28,18% 6,83%
Marvel 37,97% vs DC 30,21% 7,76%

September is better than Febuary, March, April, July and August (when we compare Marvel vs DC)
and this is before next month and full Legacy

[Bor]

When events are excluded, DC comes out on top, so no, they're not "being held up by events."

Why doesn't Marvel have a brand like Batman? Why doesn't Marvel have a franchise that's selling 100k on the regular? Spider-Man, X-Men, and Wolverine are selling 50-60% what Batman's best book is selling. That's not "over-reliance" on Batman. That's utilizing your characters effectively.

If you seriously think DC is over-relying on Batman, is Marvel doing the same thing with Spider-Man and X-Men.

Right because there are 15 different titles starring Peter Parker and an event going on right now. Sure thing.

And one single character like Batman is the same as 20+ different x-men characters and half a dozen team books.
Please try to atleast not to misrespresent how things are. How is Marvel even close to flooding the same way DC is doing with Batman? Atleast the x-men books are starring a whole bunch of different characters instead of just one. Yeah some of them are in more then one book but there are still many in those books that are not.

The real question should be why is DC unable to ever gain a lead for any descent amount of time. Yet everything some people want to do is pretend Marvel is actually behind. Because apparently making 25% more money then your competetions means nothing.

[cranger]

This.

But dont bother , there is people here that are corporate lawyers , and as long as they see Marvel in number 1 , they never will see a bigger picture. Its like being a sports team fan .

There are times where people claim publishers don't care about marketshare, and this just goes to show they certainly do because as long as Marvel can keep the marketshare title people will claim they are doing great despite what any analysis of the numbers shows.

Personally I don't care who is first, second, whatever. What I really want to know is how imminent is some large wave of cancelations or relaunches or mega events, because no publisher, especially Marvel, is going to sit there and absorb those levels of dollar losses month after month.

[TheSeaDragon]

What annoys me the most aboutMarvel apologist here, , is not just their blind defense of everything, but how they also trash everything dc does. If you are so sure that your team is number 1, why that inferiority complex

[TheSeaDragon]

There are times where people claim publishers don't care about marketshare, and this just goes to show they certainly do because as long as Marvel can keep the marketshare title people will claim they are doing great despite what any analysis of the numbers shows.

Personally I don't care who is first, second, whatever. What I really want to know is how imminent is some large wave of cancelations or relaunches or mega events, because no publisher, especially Marvel, is going to sit there and absorb those levels of dollar losses month after month.

yeah, they care about short temr profit . For a company, it kinda makes sense, altough isl ikely that it will bacfire , but seeing fans with the same mindset is kinda sad

[crimsonspider89]

TheFerg714 :

You removed SW. I removed Batman.


Yes DC and Batman wins.
Marvel is overall better because they have more characters worth something.



The difference is... You can remove SW or Spider-man or X-men. Marvel will survive.
DC without Batman? Och..


Are You sure?
Overall Share of Units by month (febuary - september)
Marvel 33,64% vs DC 33,47% 0,17%
Marvel 34,34% vs DC 35,46% -1,12%
Marvel 38,23% vs DC 34,34% 3,89%
Marvel 39,91% vs DC 30,88% 9,03%
Marvel 42,82% vs DC 31,76% 11,06%
Marvel 39,53% vs DC 31,15% 8,38%
Marvel 39,52% vs DC 31,09% 8,43%
Marvel 38,13% vs DC 36,68% 1,45%

Share of Overall Dollars
Marvel 37,46% vs DC 30,23% 7,23%
Marvel 35,41% vs DC 28,75% 6,66%
Marvel 34,95% vs DC 30,49% 4,46%
Marvel 38,05% vs DC 27,93% 10,12%
Marvel 38,54% vs DC 30,61% 7,93%
Marvel 36,89% vs DC 26,94% 9,95%
Marvel 35,01% vs DC 28,18% 6,83%
Marvel 37,97% vs DC 30,21% 7,76%

September is better than Febuary, March, April, July and August (when we compare Marvel vs DC)
and this is before next month and full Legacy

OMG, Star Wars is licensed out to Marvel. He removed all comics licensed out to DC by WB. Removing Batman is not the same. IF you do that you have to remove Spider Man books, which includes Venom.

Talking about non events non oneshots only continuous comic properties. So no HB/Vertigo/etc for DC and no Star Wars for Marvel.

Not the same thing. Referring to one property that DC owns and one property that Marvel DOES NOT own.

[Xelossik]

OMG, Star Wars is licensed out to Marvel. He removed all comics licensed out to DC by WB. Removing Batman is not the same. IF you do that you have to remove Spider Man books, which includes Venom.

Talking about non events non oneshots only continuous comic properties. So no HB/Vertigo/etc for DC and no Star Wars for Marvel.

Not the same thing. Referring to one property that DC owns and one property that Marvel DOES NOT own.

We all know that even if we kick SW ... and nothing more from both companies... Marvel will still be on top more often than not.

[TheSeaDragon]

OMG, Star Wars is licensed out to Marvel. He removed all comics licensed out to DC by WB. Removing Batman is not the same. IF you do that you have to remove Spider Man books, which includes Venom.

Talking about non events non oneshots only continuous comic properties. So no HB/Vertigo/etc for DC and no Star Wars for Marvel.

Not the same thing. Referring to one property that DC owns and one property that Marvel DOES NOT own.

Other brlliant reply. Askind fpr DC to remove all batman related and use it as argument. is ridiculous. They are not to blame for a succesful IP. Lets remove all spider reated stuff and all wolverine related form Marvel, then, and thel me how good they would be. I can say that a Batman that is apparently about to get married is crushing the single and youthful spider man,

The avengers, even with a billionaire movie franchise, are selling horrible. There is something wrong here