I just crunched numbers for the Flash from April 1999 to April 2019.
So 20 years ago the Flash averaged a tick over 37,000 copies per issue
The Convergence issues were almost identical with Speed Force #1 (Wally & the twins) selling 42,977 copies compared to Flash which sold 45,414 copies. (Which I thought was impressive considering Wally hadn't been seen in the DCU for years by then)
And now??
With the book double shipping each month - it STILL averages a tick over 37,000 copies a month!!!
Makes me wonder what a second title featuring Wally and the rest of the Flash family would have sold....
"My name is Wally West. I'm the fastest man alive!"
I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter.
Interesting observation, married guy. So from the viewpoint of Flash, the character moved about as many comics today as 20 years ago; a less than 5% drop is hardly anything to speak about on this timescale. However, the market as a whole has diminished. In 1999, the 39,824 copies gave it #59 on the bestseller list. 38,064 copies of Flash in 2019 put it at #36.
It's also interesting that the number of titles selling more than 100,000 copies were three in April 1999 and April 2019. What has diminished is rather the "width of the breadth".
Last edited by kjn; 05-14-2019 at 10:41 AM. Reason: math
«Speaking generally, it is because of the desire of the tragic poets for the marvellous that so varied and inconsistent an account of Medea has been given out» (Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History [4.56.1])
Wonder Comics doesn't really seem particularly successfull appart from Young Justice.
And I'm wondering Justice League Odysses will continue past the first story line. The sales don't look that great for a Justice League book.
Bendis essentially has no sales power in DC.
Well, if we're being honest, he didn't have much of it at the end of his Marvel tenure either.
He waited to long to jump ship to DC. If he jumped ship two or so years ago his sales would be higher. He was just kind of spinning wheels near the end at Marvel and it turned some of his fans off which, for a guy that's already polarizing in the comics fandom, is not good.
Last Read: Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong
Monthly Pull List: Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, Birds of Prey, Daredevil, Geiger, Green Arrow, Justice Ducks, Justice Society of America, Negaduck, Nightwing, Phantom Road, Shazam!, Suicide Squad: Dream Team, Thundercats, Titans
Yeah, I think he's at the point where he's going to have 'Earn his spurs' all over again.
DC readers could care less of what he did at Marvel.
He needs to be put on something that fits him like a glove. Something that will give him a stronger recognition at DC.
He excels at non-powered heroes, down-to-Earth street-level drama and character interaction.
I think the best thing DC could do is spin him out of Event Leviathan into either a new Green Arrow title or a team book with Green Arrow, Question and other street heroes.
Of course, you haven't really 'made it' at DC until you write Batman. So, maybe give him a year on one of the Batman titles.
"There's magic in the sound of analog audio." - CNET.
Yeah, Bendis books sell nowhere near as much as they used to back in his prime. It was the same for some of his Marvel work before he left.
I don't think even Johns' books sell as well as they used to to be honest, Doomsday Clock aside (but that's special).
He did technically write Batman for the Walmart 80pg giants. We'll see how that sells when DC puts out the single issue collections in a few months. Although, honestly, it being re-printed material is kind of against it. People that wanted to read it would have found a way to by now. The trades will sell well in book stores, though.
Johns' issue is that greatly diminished his output over the past few years to work on media stuff. Both DC and the fans kind of moved on from him.
Last Read: Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong
Monthly Pull List: Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, Birds of Prey, Daredevil, Geiger, Green Arrow, Justice Ducks, Justice Society of America, Negaduck, Nightwing, Phantom Road, Shazam!, Suicide Squad: Dream Team, Thundercats, Titans
Every day is a gift, not a given right.