Marvel Takes Back Marketshare Lead From DC Comics In December 2011

[Rich Johnston]

In September, DC Comics took back marketshare from Marvel Comics. This gave DC the lead in both dollars spent and the number of comics bought in the North American direct market. And October and November only consolidated that position as market leader.

In December, however, Marvel seem to have clawed some of that back. They still don't have the lead they enjoyed earlier in the year, but it's a sign of the market normalising slightly. It's also a sign of Marvel pushing out product for all five weeks of December, while DC let the fifth week go with hardly any comics out at all. Marvel started to close the gap in November, this allowed them to completely close it.

Marvel rose from 33.3% to 34.43% of dollars spent in December 2011, while DC fell from 34.69% to 33.74%.

And for the number of comics bought, Marvel led again increasing from 37.94% to 39.05% against DC falling from 39.66% to 37.72%.

This seems to be following Bleeding Cool's earlier analysis, of the market settling down with Marvel still in the lead, but enjoying much less marketshare than they used to, with a far healthier DC Comics in second place - and sales overall being up on a year ago.



PUBLISHER RETAIL MARKET SHARE UNIT MARKET SHARE MARVEL COMICS 34.43% 39.05% DC COMICS 33.74% 37.72% IMAGE COMICS 6.75% 4.89% IDEA & DESIGN WORKS LLC 5.26% 4.43% DARK HORSE COMICS 3.97% 3.34% DYNAMIC FORCES 3.35% 3.27% EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.63% 0.37% BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 1.41% 1.32% VIZ LLC 1.19% 0.50% ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.82% 0.98% AVATAR PRESS INC 0.70% 0.56% ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.69% 0.59% RANDOM HOUSE 0.68% 0.20% HACHETTE BOOK GROUP USA 0.35% 0.10% FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS 0.33% 0.10% HERMES PRESS 0.31% 0.02% ASPEN MLT INC 0.30% 0.43% ONI PRESS INC. 0.28% 0.09% ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT LLC 0.27% 0.08% BONGO COMICS 0.27% 0.35% OTHER NON-TOP 10 3.25% 1.59%

[NinjaZilla]

Is this because of the whole dodgy point 1 giveaway?

[Matt D]

I think DC numbers aren't going to level until.. well, they get back to their own levels.

[CammyKnoxville]

If the same results happen in January, DC may need to do another relaunch

[ColonelLee]

I cut back on my new52 purchases in December .. imagine a lot of people did ..

love me some Ig Guara Blue Beetle though ..

[Qward-O]

If the same results happen in January, DC may need to do another relaunch

Yeah. Ha ha!

That's what they get for stepping all over Grant Morrison's Batman AND for trying to bring back the 1990's by hiring some of the principals responsible for that travesty.

[richbob]

Is this because of the whole dodgy point 1 giveaway?

Unless there was a second such incident, the Marvel Point One double-shipping was captured in the November 2011 numbers:

Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc.

However, I don't doubt that similar gimmicks happened during December (I haven't checked or asked, so that's just speculation).

[Joe Kalicki]

Way more books from Marvel, negligible marketshare difference.

Keep in mind DC didn't have their big reprints like they previously had, so they simply released less this month.

[fredmanson]

I do not think that DC has any problems at all.

1/ As Rich said in his article, DC hadn't published comic books in the last week of December.
2/ Marvel is "playing" with its two-issues series a month.

So, the December results are not "correct".

We must wait after the first 2012 quarter numbers to statue which is the leader on the comic books market.

[Kevin T Brown]

Way more books from Marvel, negligible marketshare difference.

Keep in mind DC didn't have their big reprints like they previously had, so they simply released less this month.

Stop using logic!!!