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DC And Marvel Put The Squeeze On Marketshare In May 2012 – Marvel Takes Top Two Titles, DC Keeps Seven Of The Top Ten

DC And Marvel Put The Squeeze On Marketshare In May 2012 – Marvel Takes Top Two Titles, DC Keeps Seven Of The Top TenI speculated that the release of news today about DC's Third Wave of New 52 titles may be because the monthly Diamond marketshare results were about to be released. Bingo, but it's not bad news.

In April, DC Comics had 34.06% of the sales numbers of and 30.12% of the dollars spent. In May, they had 36.72% of the sales numbers of and 32.73% of the dollars spent.

While Marvel had 39.07% of the sales numbers of and 34.64% of the dollars spent. And in May, they had 38.64% of the sales numbers of and 35.32% of the dollars spent.

Which means that DC have clawed back a chunk of marketshare in both sales and dollars. But Marvel has increased their sale of dollars spent in the industry, even if their sales share has slipped back by less than half a point. It's the other publishers that are suffering more.

There's a market jump of 25% on April – but then May was a five week month rather than the four weeks of April, which may account for much of it.

Marvel get the top two spots with Avengers Vs X-Men, but DC keep seven of the top ten sellers, with the Batman annual and launch of Batman Inc helping out.

The good news, year on year, when DC was in the doldrums of sales before Flashpoint and the Marvel midmarket was slipping away, there is a 44% increase on last May's sales, though that was only a four week month. But a 20% increase for the year so far compared to 2011.

While some people have dismissed the imapct of the New 52 nine months on, I'd like to remind you that in May 2011, there was a 16 points gap in marketshare between Marvel and DC in dollars spent, and an 18 point gap in sales. There is now around 2.5% point difference between Marvel and DC on both. And that, right there, is what the New 52 has done….

PUBLISHER MARKET SHARES – MAY 2012

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 35.32%
DC COMICS 32.73%
IMAGE COMICS 7.19%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.80%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.75%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.55%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.60%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS 1.08%
VIZ MEDIA 0.86%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.85%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.27%
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 38.64%
DC COMICS 36.72%
IMAGE COMICS 6.70%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.04%
DARK HORSE COMICS 3.48%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.63%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.60%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.73%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.71%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.64%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 4.13%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
MAY 2012 VS. APRIL 2012
COMICS 20.60% 20.93%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 31.65% 22.13%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 24.11% 21.02%
MAY 2012 VS. MAY 2011
COMICS 45.12% 44.24%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 41.14% 24.98%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 43.76% 42.46%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2012 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2011
COMICS 21.77% 20.89%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 16.22% 12.77%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 19.95% 20.21%

TOP 10 COMICS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #4 $3.99 MAR120534 MAR
2 AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #3 $3.99 MAR120530 MAR
3 BATMAN #9 $3.99 MAR120184 DC
4 JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 $3.99 MAR120159 DC
5 BATMAN ANNUAL #1 $4.99 MAR120188 DC
6 AVX VS #2 $3.99 MAR120528 MAR
7 BATMAN INCORPORATED #1 $2.99 MAR120149 DC
8 DETECTIVE COMICS #9 $3.99 MAR120189 DC
9 ACTION COMICS #9 $3.99 MAR120176 DC
10 GREEN LANTERN #9 $2.99 MAR120204 DC

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 JUSTICE LEAGUE VOLUME 1: ORIGIN HC $24.99 JAN120299 DC
2 BATMAN VOLUME 1: THE COURT OF OWLS HC $24.99 JAN120300 DC
3 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $9.99 JUL068351 IMA
4 BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN DELUXE EDITION HC $24.99 JAN120285 DC
5 ANIMAL MAN VOLUME 1: THE HUNT TP $14.99 FEB120247 DC
6 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 4: HEARTS DESIRE TP $14.99 SEP088205 IMA
7 KICK-ASS 2 PREMIERE HC (MR) $24.99 MAR120637 MAR
8 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US TP $14.99 SEP088204 IMA
9 WATCHMEN HC $39.99 JUL080172 DC
10 GREEN LANTERN VOLUME 1: SINESTRO HC $22.99 JAN120301 DC

 


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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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