“Before Watchmen” Launches Big In June While “AvX” Stands Tall
It appears as though the continuing controversy over DC Comics’ decision to publish “Before Watchmen” has not had a negative effect on the various miniseries’ first issue sales. While Marvel’s “Avengers Vs X-Men” #5-6 for June took the #1 and 2 spots on the top ten list, DC’s “Watchmen” prequels swept the 5 through 8 spots with DC’s Batman and “Justice League” taking #4 and 5, respectively.
As a result, while Marvel narrowly outgunned DC in dollar share for the month, 33.77% to 33.03, DC actually moved more copies of its titles, comprising 38.23% of the market’s books overall to Marvel’s 37.82.
Overall, industry sales were down 6.28% from a month before, though they remain higher than June 2011 by 14.97%, illustrating just how strong the previous month’s numbers were, bolstered by the launch of DC Comics’ “Second Wave” titles.
As for trades, “The Walking Dead” continues its undead grip on the charts, with the sixteenth volume landing in the #1 position while the first volume sits at #8. Alan Moore took the second and third positions with the latest volume of “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and a surging “Watchmen,” respectively. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ “Fatale” debuted strong at #6, further illustrating the growth of creator-owned series in today’s market.
| PUBLISHER | DOLLAR SHARE | UNIT SHARE |
| MARVEL COMICS | 33.77% | 37.82% |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 33.03% | 38.23% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 7.36% | 6.45% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 6.22% | 4.16% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 4.51% | 3.49% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 2.82% | 2.35% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 1.25% | 1.49% |
| EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD | 1.21% | 0.28% |
| AVATAR PRESS INC | 0.84% | 0.87% |
| TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS | 0.83% | 0.32% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 8.16% | 4.55% |
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #6 | $3.99 | APR120575 | MAR |
| 2 | AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #5 | $3.99 | APR120569 | MAR |
| 3 | BATMAN #10 | $3.99 | APR120193 | DC |
| 4 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #10 | $3.99 | APR120161 | DC |
| 5 | BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN #1 (MR) | $3.99 | APR120137 | DC |
| 6 | BEFORE WATCHMEN: COMEDIAN #1 (MR) | $3.99 | APR120149 | DC |
| 7 | BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE #1 (MR) | $3.99 | APR120143 | DC |
| 8 | BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL #1 (MR) | $3.99 | APR120155 | DC |
| 9 | SPIDER-MEN #1 | $3.99 | APR120603 | MAR |
| 10 | AVX VS #3 | $3.99 | APR120567 | MAR |
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 16: A LARGER WORLD TP (MR) | $14.99 | APR120487 | IMA |
| 2 | LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN III: CENTURY #3: 2009 (MR) | $9.95 | APR121232 | TOP |
| 3 | WATCHMEN TP | $19.99 | FEB058406 | DC |
| 4 | THE BOYS VOLUME 11: OVER THE HILL WITH THE SWORDS OF A THOUSAND MEN TP | $19.99 | APR121021 | DE |
| 5 | BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 1: FACES OF DEATH HC | $22.99 | FEB120245 | DC |
| 6 | FATALE VOLUME 1: DEATH CHASES ME TP (MR) | $14.99 | APR120439 | IMA |
| 7 | BATWOMAN VOLUME 1: HYDROLOGY HC | $22.99 | FEB120246 | DC |
| 8 | THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP | $9.99 | JUL068351 | IMA |
| 9 | DMZ VOLUME 12: THE FIVE NATIONS OF NEW
YORK TP (MR) |
$14.99 | MAR120276 | DC |
| 10 | MORNING GLORIES VOLUME 3: P.E. TP | $14.99 | APR120451 | IMA |
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| JUNE 2012 VS. MAY 2012 | ||
| COMICS | -6.28% | -6.50% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | -15.42% | -14.72% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -9.35% | -7.16% |
| JUNE 2012 VS. JUNE 2011 | ||
| COMICS | 14.97% | 12.14% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 2.51% | -3.66% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 10.74% | 10.79% |
|
YEAR-TO-DATE 2012 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2011
(FIRST HALF 2012 VS. FIRST HALF 2011) |
||
| COMICS | 20.47% | 19.21% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 13.49% | 9.53% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 18.16% | 18.40% |
| SECOND QUARTER 2012 VS. FIRST QUARTER 2012 | ||
| COMICS | 16.79% | 14.86% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 23.81% | 18.98% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 18.97% | 15.18% |
| SECOND QUARTER 2012 VS. SECOND QUARTER 2011 | ||
| COMICS | 15.81% | 23.34% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 23.33% | 11.53% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 18.14% | 22.33% |
