Marvel sales figures for January

[LoganAlpha30X33]

And yet the 90's had better sales didn't they, and much of what people tend to want now out of the characters is harkening back to how the characters were in the 90's...so the 90's weren't all that bad, not perfect but...

[Anthony W]

Pissed about Two-in-One. It shows that some of those clamoring for the Fantastic Four and "Marvel doesn't feel the same" were just talking crap and weren't willing to put their money where their mouth is. It's a great book that didn't deserve such a big drop.

Marvel wanted to be petty and cancelled the FF because of movie rights, then swore up and down that movie rights had nothing to do with it. Saying that it was just bad sales, all the while blowing off questions of other low selling titles. Then they finally decide to get it together but only make a title with just two members instead of all four?

It feels like Marvel is being petty. If you're going to do Fantastic Four do Fantastic Four.

[Anthony W]

And yet the 90's had better sales didn't they, and much of what people tend to want now out of the characters is harkening back to how the characters were in the 90's...so the 90's weren't all that bad, not perfect but...

You don't want to pull on that thread, the only thing keeping most of commenters sane is the false sense of superiority they can feel towards the 90s. Crap, I pulled on the thread first didn't I...

[JKtheMac]

Fans obsess way too much over numbers that they don't even have the full info on. These are estimates, at best, and don't represent the full picture.

If you showed someone from twenty years ago today's TV ratings for the top networks, they'd think that the industry had gone in the toilet. A show can be considered a hit now with overnight numbers that would've gotten them cancelled years ago. TV measures success differently now, as viewers consume media from a variety of formats. So too with comics, it's not all about the month to month issues anymore in the way it used to be.

And to underline this point, look at the huge increase in Graphic Novels and TPBs year on year for January.

The stand out facts for this month are that there was a slight dip in the market year on year, but not as low as recent months.

DC seems to have turned the corner finally, but I can't help but notice how their strategy seems to have been put Batman in the title. Hopefully the grand plan that Bendis seems so impressed with will be more diverse than that. We need a strong DC for the market to remain healthy, and any positive news on future plans are very encouraging. Look out for a stronger push into the younger demographic. DC fans may get to moan about low selling books not being cancelled soon!

Marvel still took more money than any other publisher, and their year-on-year unit figures are skewed by the fact that last year they overshipped every book in January.

It will be fascinating to see the figures for reorders and late in the month books now that we have a top 500 and not just a top 300. It will also be interesting to compare the sales of Avengers because it is a weekly. Comichron has always stressed that books released in the first two weeks of the month get inflated figures compared to the last two weeks, now we may get actual data.

[JKtheMac]

When you realize that the era you are currently in is every bit as gimmicky and poorly done as the 90s and will end the same way.

If you remember the 90s clearly (as in it came after the era you were first reading and is not coloured by the rose tinted spectacles of nostalgia) then today bears absolutely no comparison to them.

[whiterabbit]

Pissed about Two-in-One. It shows that some of those clamoring for the Fantastic Four and "Marvel doesn't feel the same" were just talking crap and weren't willing to put their money where their mouth is. It's a great book that didn't deserve such a big drop.

Have you really seen OVER 32,000 people complaining about the Fantastic Four absence? The other 30,000 could have picking it up just because it was a number 1 issue.

[JKtheMac]

Have you really seen OVER 32,000 people complaining about the Fantastic Four absence? The other 30,000 could have picking it up just because it was a number 1 issue.

Also, while this story will be seen later as the story that presumably brought back the F4, it is currently only a dangled carrot rather than an actual reward. How many are really interested in the 'Search for Reed and Sue' story? It is clearly hitting the right beats for hardcore fans, revisiting highlights from the history of the F4 and exploring friendship and family themes. But to a casual fan that may or not buy an ongoing F4 book, or new fans that want to find out what they are all about, this is not an easy sell.

Hopefully word of mouth and the generally positive reviews will help, also I expect many crossovers with other books to slowly build the awareness of what this book is doing. Eventually, when the marketing campaign launches the F4, this book will come into its own and probably have two volumes at least available in trade. This is actually a slow-build awareness campaign disguised as an ongoing.

[Prof. Warren]

And to underline this point, look at the huge increase in Graphic Novels and TPBs year on year for January.

The stand out facts for this month are that there was a slight dip in the market year on year, but not as low as recent months.

DC seems to have turned the corner finally, but I can't help but notice how their strategy seems to have been put Batman in the title. Hopefully the grand plan that Bendis seems so impressed with will be more diverse than that. We need a strong DC for the market to remain healthy, and any positive news on future plans are very encouraging. Look out for a stronger push into the younger demographic. DC fans may get to moan about low selling books not being cancelled soon!

Marvel still took more money than any other publisher, and their year-on-year unit figures are skewed by the fact that last year they overshipped every book in January.

It will be fascinating to see the figures for reorders and late in the month books now that we have a top 500 and not just a top 300. It will also be interesting to compare the sales of Avengers because it is a weekly. Comichron has always stressed that books released in the first two weeks of the month get inflated figures compared to the last two weeks, now we may get actual data.

I like that things are more neck and neck with Marvel and DC now. It pushes both companies to compete harder and it's better for the industry.

The big problem with DC is that they're almost wholly dependent on Batman. It'll be interesting to see if Bendis on Superman can change that. And speaking of Bendis, it's going to be interesting to see how the move to DC changes his sales. At Marvel he just isn't the top seller that he used to be - even though he's doing some of his best work still with a title like The Defenders (it's crazy to me how that book only does ok at best). His Superman is going to be hot right out of the gate due to the curiosity factor but will it cool off quickly and settle into sales like his current Marvel stuff or will this be a more lasting shot in the arm for him?

Time will tell but the question is whether the larger audience has lost the taste for his style and he only has his devoted cult of fans still or whether people have simply tired of him at Marvel and want to see him in a new environment. We'll see.

[Prof. Warren]

And yet the 90's had better sales didn't they, and much of what people tend to want now out of the characters is harkening back to how the characters were in the 90's...so the 90's weren't all that bad, not perfect but...

You can't compare the '90s to today. Things are different. The '80s are thought of as a boom period for comics but yet sales then were paltry in comparison to what they were in the '40s.

[Prof. Warren]

It's true that Marvel has kept things ambiguous about 2-in-1, so that if it fails they can always claim it was only ever planned as a limited run. Even so, this drop is still bad news, for one of Marvel's most high profile books dropping down to 30K at issue #2 is simply unacceptable. With sales this bad across the board I don't see how Marvel can sustain themselves over the long term. Pretty soon the only comics left standing will be Batman and the Walking Dead (now that would be a crossover!).

Marvel made more money than any other publisher in January. I'm sure they'll be able to sustain themselves in the long term as well as anybody.

And if you look at the Dollar Chart, both Avengers and the Spider-Man/Venom Omega issue placed higher than both issues of Batman.

[Prof. Warren]

Also, while this story will be seen later as the story that presumably brought back the F4, it is currently only a dangled carrot rather than an actual reward. How many are really interested in the 'Search for Reed and Sue' story? It is clearly hitting the right beats for hardcore fans, revisiting highlights from the history of the F4 and exploring friendship and family themes. But to a casual fan that may or not buy an ongoing F4 book, or new fans that want to find out what they are all about, this is not an easy sell.

Hopefully word of mouth and the generally positive reviews will help, also I expect many crossovers with other books to slowly build the awareness of what this book is doing. Eventually, when the marketing campaign launches the F4, this book will come into its own and probably have two volumes at least available in trade. This is actually a slow-build awareness campaign disguised as an ongoing.

You also have to ask how high an actual FF book would sell? If it was in the range where 2-in-1 is now, that would be deemed very acceptable.

The FF is not likely going to be a top 20 book on a regular basis, even when it comes back, so to expect a prelude comic to achieve more than that is probably unreasonable.

If 2-in-1 continues at current levels, I'm sure Marvel will be very happy with it.

[Digifiend]

Marvel made more money than any other publisher in January. I'm sure they'll be able to sustain themselves in the long term as well as anybody.

And if you look at the Dollar Chart, both Avengers and the Spider-Man/Venom Omega issue placed higher than both issues of Batman.

That's because Batman is at least a dollar cheaper per issue.

[Prof. Warren]

That's because Batman is at least a dollar cheaper per issue.

Yes, obviously.

Point being, while it looks nice to have two issues of Batman at #3 and #4 on the charts or whatever, it's worth noting that books that place lower than it in the Top Ten often bring in more money. The $2.99 price point has likely helped DC maintain a readership on certain titles but it also puts them in a situation where it's hard to gain a real monetary advantage on their competition.

[Knives]

Well I think before the current market we should be happy for any title that sells more than 30k. While this is a reality of the market is only one part of the story the other is that marvel still needs to greatly improve the quality of the comics that still leaves something to be desired.

DC has managed some with over 100k but are DOOMSDAY CLOCK and DARK NIGHTS METAL (which are good in my opinion) are two major events affecting all of Batman mythology and the other a crossover with Watchmen if this does not attract readers do not know what would most attract them.

Jean Ressurection had good numbers considering that marvel almost made no divulgation or merchandise about it.

Many titles will be replaced soon but I have not seen anything really interesting that will replace them so far.

[Daniel22]

I like that things are more neck and neck with Marvel and DC now. It pushes both companies to compete harder and it's better for the industry.

The big problem with DC is that they're almost wholly dependent on Batman. It'll be interesting to see if Bendis on Superman can change that. And speaking of Bendis, it's going to be interesting to see how the move to DC changes his sales. At Marvel he just isn't the top seller that he used to be - even though he's doing some of his best work still with a title like The Defenders (it's crazy to me how that book only does ok at best). His Superman is going to be hot right out of the gate due to the curiosity factor but will it cool off quickly and settle into sales like his current Marvel stuff or will this be a more lasting shot in the arm for him?

Time will tell but the question is whether the larger audience has lost the taste for his style and he only has his devoted cult of fans still or whether people have simply tired of him at Marvel and want to see him in a new environment. We'll see.

I think Bendis still sells books. Him not being a top seller at Marvel just comes down to that he used to write the Avengers and the X Men and now he writes Jessica Jones, Miles, Riri and the Defenders. It makes sense that those characters aren't going to sell as well as A listers, no matter who writes them. Just the fact that Miles is a success and Riri is on her way are a testament that Bendis is still a top creator. I think DC would be beyond happy if he's able to create a character on par with Miles for them.

The interesting question is should they have put him on Superman, who doesn't really need him, or put him on something like Green Lanterns or Cyborg, books that have characters who could be elevated? Bendis on Superman feels like McDonalds putting out a massive ad campaign for Big Macs... how much more are you going to get out of your signature product? Maybe an advertising campaign on their new healthy options would make more sense. Not sure if that made sense here but it did in my head...