Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dc, infinity, marvel, saga, sandman overture

Bleeding Cool Bestseller List – Infinity Takes Sandman

Published Sat, 02 Nov 2013 09:00:51 -0500

This is the Top Ten Bleeding Cool Bestseller List, as compiled by a number of comic stores from their sales on Wednesday and Thursday. It measures what are known as the "Wednesday Warriors", those who can't wait to the weekend to get this week's comics. We salute you, and the keenness you bring to your passion.

There was no competition for this week's winner. While the second, third, fourth anf fifth were whispers apart on the chart, Infinity #5 was well ahead of the pack, first at almost every store on the list. Though as one retailer says, Sandman Overture sales are more likely to be slow and steady over the next few weeks…

INFINITY #5 (OF 6)
SANDMAN OVERTURE #1 (OF 6)
X-MEN BATTLE OF ATOM #2 (OF 2)
AVENGERS #22
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #20
SAGA #15
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #8
DAMIAN SON OF BATMAN #1
GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1
KICK-ASS 3 #4 (OF 8)

Chart courtesy of the following retailers;

Comix Experience of San Francisco, California
Graham Crackers Comics of Illinois
The Fallout Shelter of Highland Park, New Jersey
Impulse Creations of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Eide's Entertainment of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Yesteryear Comics of San Diego, California
Pittsburgh Comics of McMurray, Pennsylvania
Jetpack Comics of Rochester, New Hampshire
Librairie Astro of Montreal, Que, Canada.
Alter Ego Comics of Lima, Ohio
Laughing Ogre Comics of Lansdowne and Fairfax, Virginia, and Columbus, Ohio

Retailer comments:

Ordered heavy on Sandman Overture #1 and while it did not top the charts for us this week – it's one of those titles that people will continually be coming in for over the next 2 months before #2 is even released.

I think I may have made a mistake on Damian #1 though as it is not one of those titles that I expect people to be looking for in 2 months – and boy is that pile of unsold copies large…

God, it feels so much like the 90s again with speculators picking up #1's and buying variant covers to flip on eBay (as opposed to the 'local con of the 90s'). The number of these speculators to readers keeps growing and the dark cloud overhead seems to get larger each month….

…I sincerely hope I'm wrong and we're not looking at another crash. The one jarring difference I see in the 2010's vs the 90's is the sheer amount of QUALITY product we have no vs the printed pin-up comics we had then….

Infinity #5 was the clear winner this week. I thought Sandman would take the top spot for sure, however it under performed. I think many readers are used to graphic novel format and might just wait instead of comic book single issues.

Superior Spider-Man continues to be a top back-issue seller.I think all those people that said the would never read the book with no Peter Parker in it are finally breaking down and picking up the title.

Sandman Overture isn't in there (as one might expect it to be) because we were shortshipped our entire order. Can't sell whatcha ain't got.

Sandman was a big big hit in the home of its original hit status! So, too, was our big restock of AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE

Excitement over Sandman ruled the day. And many people, unable to choose, bought both covers. Or were buying copies for others.

Customers appeared from almost nowhere for Sandman Overture #1, with many of them buying both covers. I applaud DC for focusing much of the advertising in Sandman Overture #1 with full page Vertigo ads for both current series and back list classics.

Sandman Overture #1 brought in a ton of people we don't usually see. Some of them haven't been in a comic shop in ages, but new Sandman brought them out of the woodwork. We had multiple instances of people calling to reserve copies and subscription customers adding it to their lists on Wednesday.

The already great selling Letter 44 #1 from Oni Press blew up overnight with the news of it's new television show deal. People have been asking for it like crazy today and we've been selling the Phantom variants hand over fist!