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When Dan DiDio Called Up Diamond to Complain About the Numbers

Published Sat, 19 May 2018 08:00:42 -0500

Last month's marketshare statistics took a number of people by surprise. Despite the massive amounts of Action Comics #1000 ordered by comic book stores for April, DC Comics didn't win the month's marketshare numbers. Marvel Comics still came top.

Marvel was April's top publisher with a 37.59% dollar share and a 42.21% unit share, upping their March figures of 35.92% dollar share and a 38.38% unit share. While DC was second for the month with a 32.39% dollar share and a 33.02% unit share, up on March's 31.06% dollar share but down on 35.10% unit share. But further establishing and entrenching Marvel's position at the top, albeit with a smaller gap than they have enjoyed in recent years.

But considering how many copies of Action Comics #1 they sold and how much they charged for it, without giving retailers additional discount, it seemed a surefire bet that in April, DC would dominate marketshare figures. It was a real surprise for marketwatchers when they did not.

And for no one more than Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC who, when he was sent advance notice of the numbers Diamond intended to publish, called Diamond up to question them. But there was nothing that could be done.

Now Marvel enjoyed a bump courtesy of Amazing Spider-Man, Venomized, Hunt for Wolverine, Captain America #700 and the like. They had 14 of the top 20, 18 of the top 30, 28 of the top 50. But it was still a surprise.

But it does underline how important, to the comic book industry, these numbers are.

Added to far lower orders for Man Of Steel as were anticipated, will Diamond be getting another call regarding May's numbers next month?

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