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Marvel And DC Comics Neck-And-Neck For October 2013 As Walking Dead Takes The Top Spot

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For the second time in eighteen months, Walking Dead has taken the top spot in the direct market, this time with issue 115, with Sandman Overture joining it to put two mature readers books in the top time, quite a rarity. Basically All Out War beats Zero Year beats Infinity beats Forever Evil as event books dominate the top of chart. But how did the publishers do overall?

The critics predicted it, that DC Comics would win September with their 3D covers and Villains Month. DC Comics and Marvel Comics published the same about of comics and collections in September, but DC scored high on the marketshare with a twelve point lead on Marvel in dollars spent and sixteen and a half point lead in comics sold. It was a ridiculous difference in size.

But that was then.

In October, DC Comics' share of dollars spent in the direct market fell a massive ten points from 40.39%% to 31.02% while Marvel's rose from 28.49% to 30.47%. And DC's share of actual comics fell from 45.17% to 33.15% while Marvel's rose from 29.83% to 33.63%. Basically they are neck and neck – though Marvel achieved this with less individual products than DC Comics. And the success of Walking Dead saw Image raise their marketshare to around 10%.

There was a 4.68% increase in sales overall dollars in the direct market and only 0.55% rise in item sales between September to October, even though September was a four week month and October a five week month. But compared to last year's October, also a five week month, there was an over dollar rise of 6.36% and item rise of 7.98%.

And year on year, 2013 is still doing better than 2012 so far, up almost 10% in dollars raised so far, significantly outperforming all other print industries,

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
DC COMICS 31.02%
MARVEL COMICS 30.47%
IMAGE COMICS 9.26%
IDW PUBLISHING 6.27%
DARK HORSE COMICS 5.36%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.47%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.84%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.40%
ARCHIE COMICS 1.01%
AVATAR PRESS INC 1.01%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 9.88%
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 33.63%
DC COMICS 33.15%
IMAGE COMICS 10.85%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.96%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.70%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.54%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.78%
ARCHIE COMICS 1.24%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.93%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.90%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 5.33%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
DC ENTERTAINMENT 100 29 0 129
MARVEL COMICS 78 35 0 113
IDW PUBLISHING 48 29 0 77
IMAGE COMICS 59 17 0 76
DARK HORSE COMICS 38 18 0 56
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 40 2 0 42
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 25 3 0 28
VIZ MEDIA 0 25 0 25
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 16 6 0 22
RANDOM HOUSE 0 21 1 22
OTHER 111 157 36 304

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
OCTOBER 2013 VS. SEPTEMBER 2013
COMICS 0.30% -0.57%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 16.57% 16.62%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 4.68% 0.55%
OCTOBER 2013 VS. OCTOBER 2012
COMICS 11.90% 8.69%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -4.65% 0.05%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 6.36% 7.98%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2013 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2012
COMICS 12.42% 9.46%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 4.69% 3.25%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 9.95% 8.96%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD #115 (MR) 2.99 IMA
2 BATMAN #24 6.99 DC
3 INFINITY #4 3.99 MAR
4 FOREVER EVIL #2 3.99 DC
5 INFINITY #5 3.99 MAR
6 JUSTICE LEAGUE #24 3.99 DC
7 SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #1 3.99 DC
8 THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE #1 (MR) [*] 4.99 DC
9 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #20 3.99 MAR
10 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #19 3.99 MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE VENDOR
1 BATMAN HC VOL 03 DEATH OF THE FAMILY $24.99 DC
2 AVENGERS: ENDLESS WARTIME HC $24.99 MAR
3 THE JOKER: DEATH OF THE FAMILY HC $29.99 DC
4 BATMAN: THE COURT OF OWLS BOOK & MASK SET $24.99 DC
5 AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER VOL. 6: THE SEARCH PART 3 $10.99 DAR
6 HELLBOY: MIDNIGHT CIRCUS HC $14.99 DAR
7 BATMAN VOLUME 2: THE CITY OFOWLSTP $16.99 DC
8 LAZARUS VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 IMA
9 SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 IMA
10 SAGA VOLUME 2 TP (MR) $14.99 IMA

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD: THE FALL OF THE GOVERNOR HC $24.99 ST.
2 LEGEND OF ZELDA: HYRULE HISTORIA HC $34.99 DAR
3 STAR WARS: DARTH VADER AND SON HC $14.95 CHR
4 STAR WARS: VADER'S LITTLE PRINCESS HC $14.95 CHR
5 DC COMICS GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS SC $24.99 RAN
6 CAPCOM 30TH-ANNIVERSARY CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA $16.99 DK
7 THE ART OF CHARLIE ADLARD HC (MR) $39.99 IMA
8 MY LITTLE PONY: MINI PONY COLLECTOR'S GUIDE $19.00 HAC
9 THE SECRET HISTORY OF MARVEL COMICS: THE KIRBY EMPIRE HC $39.99 FAN
10 WORLD OF WARCRAFT TRIBUTE SC $44.99 UDO

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD SERIES 4 ACTION FIGURES TMP
2 BATMAN:ARKHAMCITY: BATMAN VS. BANE 2-PACK DC
3 WOLVERINE LEGENDS 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES HAS
4 THE WALKING DEAD: MERLE & DARYLDIXON2-PACK TMP
5 BATMAN VS. KILLER CROC STATUE (2ND EDITION) DC
6 DC COMICS SUPER VILLAINS: THE JOKER ACTION FIGURE DC
7 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: POISON IVY STATUE DC
8 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: WONDER WOMAN STATUE DC
9 DC COMICS COVER GIRLS: SUPERGIRL STATUE DC
10 DC COMICS COVER GIRLS: BATWOMAN STATUE DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION VENDOR
1 MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION USA
2 RISK: THE WALKING DEAD SUVIVAL EDITION USA
3 RISK LEGACY HAS
4 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: THEROS BOOSTER PACKS WZK
5 MARVEL HEROCLIX: THOR: THE DARK WORLD NEC
6 STAR TREK TACTICS HEROCLIX SERIES III NEC
7 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: THEROS FAT PACK WZK
8 MARVEL HEROCLIX: THOR: THE DARK WORLD MOVIE STARTER SET NEC
9 PATHFINDER BATTLES: LEGENDS OF GOLARION BOOSTER BRICK NEC
10 YU-GI-OH! TCG: LEGENDARY COLLECTION: JOEY'S WORLD KON

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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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