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Marvel Regains Market Share Top Spot With A Bang, As DC Falls Away

Marvel Regains Market Share Top Spot With A Bang, As DC Falls AwayThe information hasn't been officially officially released yet.

But I understand that, despite losing overall unit marketshare in December to DC Comics, Marvel has regained it in January, and then some. And their dollar marketshare is not only maintained but increased.

In December, Marvel had 32.28% of the market share of the number of comics shipped in that month to comic stores, while DC surged ahead with 33.07% for the first time in decades. However for the dollar share of the market, Marvel was on 39.9% of the market, ahead of DC's 36.99%.

I suggested that with Marvel reducing their line in terms of numbers and DC introducing the $2.99 price point across their line, that this situation could be reversed in January. Instead, Marvel has surged ahead on both points.

In January, Marvel ahead rocketed with 39.06% of the dollars in the market, while DC's share fell away, dropping to 26.38%, a relatively cripplingly small amount. But even as DC dropped prices on their comics, and Marvel cut back on their line, Marvel still sold many more comics, taking a 42.37% share of comics sold against DC's 31.8%.

These are shockingly low figures for DC, and surprisingly high figures for Marvel. Despite anecdotal evidence that DC's new price point was encouraging new sales, the opposite seems to have happened.

Now, Marvel did have comics such as Fantastic Four #587 shipping, and DC had no Batman Inc or Dark Knight issues shipping in January, but that's nothing near enough to explain this large a change.

Image Comics took a record share of 7.9% of the market, their highest for years, as Walking Dead continues to boom, the company develops a number of new successful series and Spawn #200 brought that series back to the top ten, with the second highest revenue raising book for January.

Of course having a laerger share of a falling market isn't the greatest of news. Year on year, January 2011 sold over 20% less comics and graphic novels than in January 2o10. Not good.

Here's the market share data for January in full.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER DOLLAR
SHARE
UNIT
SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 39.06% 42.37%
DC COMICS 26.38% 31.80%
IMAGE COMICS 7.60% 6.45%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.82% 3.70%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.75% 4.60%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.82% 2.51%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.01% 1.80%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS 1.40% 0.31%
VIZ MEDIA 1.28% 0.58%
WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT 0.68% 0.62%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 9.19% 5.25%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

DOLLARS UNITS
JANUARY 2011 VS. DECEMBER 2010
COMICS -27.70% -23.75%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -32.41% -31.09%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -29.35% -24.45%
JANUARY 2011 VS. JANUARY 2010
COMICS -21.98% -23.23%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -16.53% -19.36%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -20.24% -22.91%
CURRENT 12-MONTHS ROLLING VS. PREVIOUS 12-MONTHS ROLLING
COMICS -6.64% -8.40%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -1.81% -2.83%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -5.09% -7.93%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 FANTASTIC FOUR #587 $3.99 NOV100584 MAR
2 BRIGHTEST DAY #17 $2.99 NOV100154-M DC
3 BRIGHTEST DAY #18 $2.99 NOV100156-M DC
4 SPAWN #200 $3.99 DEC090345-M IMA
5 AVENGERS #9 $3.99 NOV100529 MAR
6 X-MEN #7 $3.99 NOV100603-M MAR
7 BATMAN AND ROBIN #19 $2.99 NOV100169-M DC
8 NEW AVENGERS #8 $3.99 NOV100539 MAR
9 BATMAN #706 $2.99 NOV100166 DC
10 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #651 $3.99 OCT100567-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 JACK OF FABLES VOLUME 8: FULMINATE BLADE $14.99 OCT100327 DC
2 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 1:DAYS GONE BYE $9.99 JUL068351 IMA
3 THE DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER: THE JOURNEY BEGINS PREMIERE HC $24.99 NOV100642 MAR
4 THE GOON VOL. 10: DEATH'S GREEDY COMEUPPANCE $16.99 NOV108240 DAR
5 BATMAN: JOKER'S ASYLUM VOLUME 2 TP $14.99 OCT100263 DC
6 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOLUME 4 TP $15.99 OCT100699 MAR
7 STARMAN OMNIBUS VOLUME 6 HC $49.99 SEP100254 DC
8 HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOLUME 5 TP $14.99 OCT100325 DC
9 MADAME XANADU VOLUME 3 TP $17.99 OCT100331 DC
10 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US TP $14.99 SEP088204-M IMA

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 7 ACTION FIGURES MAY100294 DC
2 BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 8 ACTION FIGURES MAY100302 DC
3 COVER GIRLS OF THE DCU: BATGIRL STATUE APR100306 DC
4 MARVEL SELECT: JUGGERNAUT ACTION FIGURE JUN101512 DST
5 DANGER ROOM SESSIONS: DEADPOOL FINE ART STATUE JUN101639 KOT
6 FATHOM: ASPEN MATTHEWS STATUE JUL100804 ASP
7 DC X BISHOUJO: BATGIRL BISHOUJO STATUE AUG101655 KOT
8 MARVEL X BISHOUJO: EMMA FROST BISHOUJO STATUE AUG101658 KOT
9 BATMAN (JUSTICE) 1/6-SCALE COLLECTOR FIGURE MAY100314 DC
10 BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE STATUE: BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM FEB100301 DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC HEROCLIX 75TH ANNIVERSARY BOOSTER PACK SEP101745 NEC
2 YU-GI-OH! TCG: 5DS DUELIST PACK YUSEI NOV101692 KON
3 PATHFINDER RPG BESTIARY 2 AUG101838 PAI
4 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: SCARS OF MIRRODIN BOOSTER PACKS AUG101862 WIZ
5 MARVEL HEROCLIX: WEB OF SPIDER-MAN BOOSTER PACKS JUN101864 NEC
6 ZOMBIE STATE BOARD GAME NOV101716 ALL
7 THE HOBBIT BOARD GAME NOV101682 FAN
8 DOCTOR WHO FAMILY BOARD GAME OCT101792 DIA
9 HALO: REACH ACTIONCLIX: NOBLE TEAM 6-PACK JUN108133 NEC
10 FIREFLY 7-PIECE RED DICE SET OCT101766 CRY
Dollar Market Shares for January
Dollar Market Share – January 2010
Unit Market Shares for January
Unit Market Share– January 2010

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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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