Where Do We Stand: August Comics and Graphic Novel Sales

The Black Hood & Top-Notch Comics, digital comics museum

Batman #34 coverProving that Batman still has staying power even after seventy-five years, this month’s top single issue comic was BATMAN #34. The monthly tug-of-war continues between the big two, with DC winning the back the top spot but only three other titles on the list. Marvel took six of the top ten and Image snuck in with Walking Dead #130.

In the graphic novel arena, Thanos: The Infinity Revelation topped Diamond’s top ten list and made the NYT top ten list for all four weeks in August. The top honors on the NYT list however go to Brian Lee O’Malley’s Seconds, which has continuously topped the NYT list since its release, except for one week when his Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 wedged into the top spot, forcing Seconds to second place.

In the middle of August, after seventy-five weeks in the NYT list, Saga Vol. 1 stopped appearing on the list. Smile, by Raina Telgemeier, is still going strong at 115 weeks on the list, and Raina’s new book, Sisters, has topped the paperback graphic books for the last week of August.

Fun Home coverAlso of note on the NYT list was the appearance of Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Bechdel is the author of the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and credited with the Bechdel test. The book was originally published in 2006, but news of the musical adaption heading to Broadway could be the source of the new interest in the work. After a successful off-Broadway run, the show is set to hit Broadway next spring.

Female representation on the Diamond list is depressing this month. Only one creative team on the single issues list has a woman. On the graphic novel list, Saga, the first three volumes of Saga continue to shine, but no other creative team features a woman. I’m hoping the drop is due to the summer break that some titles take. My fingers are crossed for a better September.

Each month, Diamond Comics Distributors releases data on the top selling products from single issue comics, to graphic novels and trade paperbacks, to toys. Their sales data represents items sold through comic book shops.

I also include information from the New York Times’ weekly bestsellers’ list for graphic books. Their list comprises sales data for items sold through venues other than comic book shops, like bookstores. As it’s weekly, it won’t be an exact picture of all the days in the month, but it’s  valuable way to see what fans who aren’t buying at comic shops are reading.

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Brenda Noiseux

Brenda Noiseux

Community builder, artist, convention organizer, gamer, geek writer @womenoncomics, @Sidequest_BHP. Owner, Bittenby Studios

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