Where Do We Stand: May Comic Sales

stock: True War Romance 16, penciller Bill Walsh, digital comics museum

Each month, Diamond Comics Distributors releases data on the top selling products from single issue comics, to graphic novels and trade paperbacks, to toys. So far this year, the trend shows the top single issue comic sales heavy with superhero stories from Marvel and DC, but diversity is growing in the trade paperback and graphic novel list.

Original Sin number 1 coverAt the top of the list is Original Sin #1, a new series set in the Marvel Universe. It’s a murder-mystery about who killed the Watcher and what’s happened to the secrets he guarded.

Amazing Spider-Man #2 and Amazing Spider-Man#1 took the second and third spots. Similar to April, this bump may have been related to the May release of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie. The movie stayed at the forefront of our minds for May, grossing approximately $190,000,000 by the end of June.

The top ten single issue sales for May were almost exclusively DC and Marvel superhero stories, although Image managed to sneak in at number 8 with The Walking Dead Issue #127. Since February, the only single issues to break the top ten single issues from Marvel and DC, are The Walking Dead single issues, both in February with issues 121 and 122 and then in March with issue 124.

Batman Zero City AmazonTop honors for graphic novels and trade paperbacks goes to DC with Batman Volume 4: Zero Year: Secret City. Last month’s top publisher, Image, still comes in strong at spot three with Black Science Vol. 1: How to Fall Forever.

In the top ten list for graphic novels and trade paperbacks, Image is still making a strong showing against Marvel and DC; this month they tied with DC at four titles each. Marvel and Dark Horse rounded out the list.

In May, five titles had female characters on the cover, although one of the five titles had a character who seemed female and a little internet digging confirmed it.Only one creative team had a woman. Both are down from April and March: April, six of the titles had female characters on their covers and four titles had women involved in the creative team. March had the most female characters on covers at seven and three creative teams involving women.

Interestingly, DC’s Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell hardcover edition, prominently featuring both female characters on the cover, showed strong at number 5 even though it was only released on May 21.

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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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