X-Sales Watch, 2k23 FoX edition

[Luckystar.]

The August ranking is out. I've put together the X-Books.

[DarkMagnus]

Wow.

Good numbers.

[Jackraow21]

Children of the Vault #1 debuting at #50 doesn’t bode well for the remaining issues. Bishop and Cable just aren’t the draws they used to be… which is a shame. It’s a really good book. Maybe they’ll give Deniz Camp X-Force next with a more high profile cast. Fingers crossed, as he’s a really good writer IMO.

[Malachi]

Children of the Vault #1 debuting at #50 doesn’t bode well for the remaining issues. Bishop and Cable just aren’t the draws they used to be… which is a shame. It’s a really good book. Maybe they’ll give Deniz Camp X-Force next with a more high profile cast. Fingers crossed, as he’s a really good writer IMO.

Perhaps they aren’t Still the CotV might not be a big draw, or maybe it feels disconnected from FoX. RoX seemingly also suffers and it feels disconnected too.

I wonder how accurate these numbers are… it feels like every post needs a disclaimer about how wrong these numbers might be.

[JB]

Perhaps they aren’t Still the CotV might not be a big draw, or maybe it feels disconnected from FoX. RoX seemingly also suffers and it feels disconnected too.

I wonder how accurate these numbers are… it feels like every post needs a disclaimer about how wrong these numbers might be.

The numbers are "based on sales tracked at point-of-sale by the ComicHub system at stores selling American comics around the world. During the period for which these reports were generated, there were over 125 stores using the ComicHub system. As this is a small, non-random sample of over 3,000 stores selling American comics worldwide..." So at best these numbers represent 4% of global comic shop sales and it's the same 125 stores every month. In the grand scheme of data used by Marvel to make business decisions, they mean nothing. But they can be fun to look at.

Hickman and JDW have said in interviews that HoX/PoX didn't get the preorder volume Marvel was initially hoping for but the positive buzz spread and they became hits. If a series receives sustained positive buzz then it becomes more likely the creative team will be asked to write more series.

[Kingdom X]

Children of the Vault #1 debuting at #50 doesn’t bode well for the remaining issues. Bishop and Cable just aren’t the draws they used to be… which is a shame. It’s a really good book. Maybe they’ll give Deniz Camp X-Force next with a more high profile cast. Fingers crossed, as he’s a really good writer IMO.

Having the title be “Children of the Vault” instead of “Bishop & Cable” also probably didn’t help. Judging by how well Jean and Iceman’s solos did I’d say a simple name change could have made quite the difference.

[CGAR]

Figured Realm of X wouldnt post high on the list but I didnt think it would be Excalibur level.

CotV doesnt have a recognizable name but I thought Cable and Bishop would put it higher on the list.

These editors REALLY need to start thinking better about the titles they use, artist they attach, and the CHARACTERS they want in each title.

NOT EVERYONE is gonna pull a Zeb Wells HELLIONS sorry that was lightning in a bottle.

[Jackraow21]

Having the title be “Children of the Vault” instead of “Bishop & Cable” also probably didn’t help. Judging by how well Jean and Iceman’s solos did I’d say a simple name change could have made quite the difference.

Good point. Or X-men: Children of the Vault.

[RAWRlrus]

Surprised Wolverine is that low, could that be due to its release date (Invincible Iron Man too)? Surprised Dark X-Men was so high, and that Uncanny Avengers didn't get a second printing despite being so high. I wonder if any of the books could be turned into ongoings.

[JB]

Surprised Wolverine is that low, could that be due to its release date (Invincible Iron Man too)? Surprised Dark X-Men was so high, and that Uncanny Avengers didn't get a second printing despite being so high. I wonder if any of the books could be turned into ongoings.

Apparently Uncanny Avengers was on track to get a second printing but fell short of enough new orders for the presses to be fired up again.

[useridgoeshere]

Having the title be “Children of the Vault” instead of “Bishop & Cable” also probably didn’t help. Judging by how well Jean and Iceman’s solos did I’d say a simple name change could have made quite the difference.

A new X-Sanction #1 would've sold a ton.

[Grunty]

The *numbers* are "based on sales tracked at point-of-sale by the ComicHub system at stores selling American comics around the world. During the period for which these reports were generated, there were over 125 stores using the ComicHub system. As this is a small, non-random sample of over 3,000 stores selling American comics worldwide..." So at best these numbers represent 4% of global comic shop sales and it's the same 125 stores every month. In the grand scheme of data used by Marvel to make business decisions, they mean nothing. But they can be fun to look at.

There is also the collectors/speculators/habitual readers which have become the defacto majority of the active buyership since the 1980's which is in turn affecting the orders of the comic book shops.

A group of people with an almost "alien" mindset in the eyes of the regular fanbase of super hero works or buyership of sequential art (comics/manga/graphic novels how ever one wants to call it), who buy 20 page "magazines" at inflated prices, even if they don't even like the actual story, just to put them in plastic bags (sometimes without even reading) and collect them in long cardboard boxes, just to complete their runs or collections or in the assumption they might go up in resale value eventualy.

So not only are these informations just a small sample, they are also dilluded in what can be surmised about how popular/successfull a story/title is by it's own merits rather than factors of this specific buyership.

Never the less it's true that it does offer some basis for just for fun speculation.

Hickman and JDW have said in interviews that HoX/PoX didn't get the preorder volume Marvel was initially hoping for but the positive buzz spread and they became hits. If a series receives sustained positive buzz then it becomes more likely the creative team will be asked to write more series.

The term "positive buzz" also always begs the question in which regard it is meant?

There have been titles over the recent years which notably didn't sold well, but got "positive buzz" in online discussion, which seemingly warranted giving them second and third chances, only to still remain low sellers that couldn't sustain themself.

Meanwhile there are examples like X-force, which to me has been of low writing quality and dubious handling of characters, but seems to remain a stable seller none the less.

[RAWRlrus]

Apparently Uncanny Avengers was on track to get a second printing but fell short of enough new orders for the presses to be fired up again.

I thought I saw that, which is weird considering some others below it got a second printing. Unless they printed more Uncanny Avengers than the others in the first place.

[Jackraow21]

A new X-Sanction #1 would've sold a ton.

Don’t forget, it was Avengers: X-Sanction. And it had Ed McGuinness on art too.

But, sure, call it X-Sanction II: Tomorrow War and put McGuinness on art duties and I’m betting it would’ve sold more for sure.

[JB]

There is also the collectors/speculators/habitual readers which have become the defacto majority of the active buyership since the 1980's which is in turn affecting the orders of the comic book shops.

A group of people with an almost "alien" mindset in the eyes of the regular fanbase of super hero works or buyership of sequential art (comics/manga/graphic novels how ever one wants to call it), who buy 20 page "magazines" at inflated prices, even if they don't even like the actual story, just to put them in plastic bags (sometimes without even reading) and collect them in long cardboard boxes, just to complete their runs or collections or in the assumption they might go up in resale value eventualy.

So not only are these informations just a small sample, they are also dilluded in what can be surmised about how popular/successfull a story/title is by it's own merits rather than factors of this specific buyership.

Never the less it's true that it does offer some basis for just for fun speculation.



The term "positive buzz" also always begs the question in which regard it is meant?

There have been titles over the recent years which notably didn't sold well, but got "positive buzz" in online discussion, which seemingly warranted giving them second and third chances, only to still remain low sellers that couldn't sustain themself.

Meanwhile there are examples like X-force, which to me has been of low writing quality and dubious handling of characters, but seems to remain a stable seller none the less.

Then there's the variant cover market. The more variants a new #1 has attached to it the more inflated the numbers are likely to be. That's why sometimes when we see a drop off from #1 to #2, it's in large part due to less variants attached to #2.

I thought I saw that, which is weird considering some others below it got a second printing. Unless they printed more Uncanny Avengers than the others in the first place.

Yeah it's hard to say because it always comes down to how many copies the shops order. A second printing is a good thing but it just means shops underestimated the demand. A book titled Uncanny Avengers likely received more preorders compared to Jean Grey. Shops underestimated the demand for Jean's book so it quickly went to a second printing.