"How Come DC Sell More Graphic Novels, But I Always See More Marvel?"

[Rich Johnston]

"Rich, just an observation. You recently reported how DC Comics was outselling Marvel in terms of graphic novels and trade paperbacks in comic stores. Yet in every comic shop I go into, I'm more likely to see Marvel hardcovers on the shelf? What's going on?"

It's not just DC trade paperbacks selling quicker than Marvel, Retailers are relatively good at replacing stock, and DC never likes to keep much out of print, and rapidly restocks. So, like you say, what's going on?

A conspiracy? A fixing of the results? Certainly DC Comics have more perennial selling graphic novels, with the likes of Sandman, Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Watchmen, V For Vendetta, Y The Last Man, Kingdom Come and the like, each year finding new readers. Marvel has exploited this kind of series less, with the possible exception of Marvels, The Dark Tower and Ultimate Spider-Man (with a couple of volumes of that run usually out of print).

So how come some retailers prefer to order more Marvel books, even if DC books sell more, and for longer?

It's all about money. It's been pointed out that Marvel has a policy not to keep multiple volumes of series in print, and to keep as little in print as they can get away with, which maximising revenue on the books they do publish. But Marvel do like to collect and publish pretty much everything hey can, even if it's just for on print run. And they also like to do it in hardcover, the Premier format.

Which means, on a regular basis, Marvel has to empty large chunks of their warehouse. And they do this by offering excellent deals to retailers. Dropping the prices from double figure price points to low single figures and giving away free hardcovers with certain sizable orders, they make the deals so good that retailers only need to sell one copy or an order at full price to pay for the rest.

Marvel also run a programme, every month for the last six months, l have run a promotion every month where retailers can order ten brand new Trade Paperback releases for a major discount as well as four brand new hardcover releases for a smiliar discount, the identity of which is chosen by Marvel

They are not alone in offering deals like this, but Marvel does go far and frequent with them. DC Comics doesn't have similar promotions for their books. Which means, for many Marvel books, the retailer will make a much greater profit on each sale, making the orders very attractive indeed.

Both are models that suit each publisher, and as we've seen, DC gets far higher sales on its collections in comic stores. But Marvel, by playing long tail sales - and getting the stores to operate as mini-Marvel warehouses, also has the benefit of the shelves representing Marvel's branding more than it will DC.

It's almost as if they did it on purpose.

And, of course, nothing beats The Walking Dead...

[D Bell]

Also Marvel's policy of no second print - on both singles and trades - force the retailer to overbuy in order to have stock on hand and not face a sell-out with no way to restock.

And there's also the simplest answer...

There's more Marvel on the shelf and in the half off trade bins at conventions because people aren't buying Marvel.

[Highsky]

I mean my comic shop ened up with so many copies of Ultimate Fantasic 4 volume 1 not that long ago they were selling them for 2 dollars....

[Lemurion]

I like the simplest answer, too. There are more Marvel TPBs/GNs in the stores because the DC ones are selling.

[SimonMoon5]

[INDENT]"Rich, just an observation. You recently reported how DC Comics was outselling Marvel in terms of graphic novels and trade paperbacks in comic stores. Yet in every comic shop I go into, I'm more likely to see Marvel hardcovers on the shelf? What's going on?"

I would've assumed the answer was something simpler like: All the DC graphic novels have sold... so the only things left on the shelves are the Marvel ones that aren't selling. But I guess that's too easy an answer.

Edit: Argh. Ninja'd.

[JoshAdams]

I know the guy in the photo!

[QCCBob]

Also, and most importantly, Marvel does insane sales every month where retailers get 10 trades for $30 and the like to dump the crap that never should have seen print as a comic in the first place, let alone being reprinted into HC or TPB formats!!!! Plus, after market trade dumps occur as well. The flood of Marvel trades following the collapse of Borders, for example. Marvel puts out far more TPB/HC than the market can bear and STILL can't figure it out. Quite possibly the lamest excuse for management in the industry. As bad as editorial is, collected editions is worse. As least editorial doesn't know ahead of time how the product will do... All collected editions people need to do is check the comic sales figures or their own stock levels!

[GreyMouser]

There's more Marvel on the shelf and in the half off trade bins at conventions because people aren't buying Marvel.

that seems like oversimplification with the taint of DC fanboy-ism.

PS:
before someone gets the wrong idea, im NOT calling D bell a fanboy.

[Spidermaniac]

I would also theorize that Marvel publishes more discrete volumes which gives them more shelf space at your average comic or book shop. From my (admittedly very limited) understanding, DC trade numbers are based in large part on repeated sales of "iconic" graphic novels (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, etc.), which means a retailer only needs one or two on the shelves at a time and restock when they sell. So, if you sell 50 "Watchmen" a year but 5 "Ultimate Spider-Man vol 1," and 3 "Ultimates vol 1," and 2 "Ultimates Vol 2," DC would have outsold Marvel 5 to 1 but Marvel would be taking up 3 times the shelf space.

Just a theory as to why the perception and numbers don't line up.

[Vantine]

Most Marvel collections such as Masterworks or Premeire or Classics are better than most new stuff being printed by DC. Of course to be fair, DC Archives are more entertaining than the majority of new comics that Marvel puts out.