dollar-share-feb12Media Release -- DC Entertainment had February's top selling comic book with Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League #6 and, for the second month in a row, the publisher swept the month's top ten best-selling comics, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

With storylines in their core Avengers and X-Men titles building towards this summer's Avengers Vs. X-Men event, Marvel Comics was the top publisher in February 2012 in both Retail Dollar and Unit market shares.

unit-share-feb12The strong sales from the two publishers helped drive sales in February with comics up 10.84% and graphic novel sales up 11.45% over January's sales for an overall increase in the print categories of 11.03% over the previous month. Compared to February 2011, the month's sales were up 22.26% for comics and 15.65% for graphic novels for an overall increase of 20.11% as compared to the previous year.

The collected edition of DC Entertainment's Batman: Gates of Gotham, from fan-favorite Batman writer Scott Snyder and co-writer Kyle Higgins, which explored the secret history of Gotham City, was the best-selling graphic novel to comics retailers in February.

Spider-Man's iconic villain the Green Goblin mounts his rocket sled and takes a pumpkin bomb in hand for Diamond Select Toys' Marvel Select: Green Goblin Action Figure, the best-selling Toy product sold to comics specialty retailers in February.

Hasbro's Risk Legacy, which reimagined the classic board game Risk as a persistent multi-game experience, returned to the top of the sales charts in February as the month's best-selling Games product to comics specialty retailers.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER DOLLAR SHARE UNIT SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 35.92% 38.61%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 29.47% 35.26%
IDW PUBLISHING 6.66% 5.62%
IMAGE COMICS 5.53% 4.88%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.98% 4.06%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 4.20% 3.82%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.61% 1.40%
VIZ MEDIA 1.10% 0.49%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.08% 0.25%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 1.03% 1.11%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.43% 4.50%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

DOLLARS UNITS
FEBRUARY 2012 VS. JANUARY 2012
COMICS 10.84% 8.36%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 11.45% 11.07%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 11.03% 8.55%
FEBRUARY 2012 VS. FEBRUARY 2011
COMICS 22.26% 19.63%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 15.65% 11.24%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 20.11% 18.97%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2011 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2010
COMICS 26.71% 25.94%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 16.93% 9.90%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 23.49% 24.61%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 JUSTICE LEAGUE #6 $3.99 DEC110188 DC
2 BATMAN #6 $2.99 DEC110217 DC
3 ACTION COMICS #6 $3.99 DEC110209 DC
4 DETECTIVE COMICS #6 $2.99 DEC110222 DC
5 GREEN LANTERN #6 $2.99 DEC110239 DC
6 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #6 $2.99 DEC110224 DC
7 SUPERMAN #6 $2.99 DEC110213 DC
8 FLASH #6 $2.99 DEC110197 DC
9 AQUAMAN #6 $2.99 DEC110193 DC
10 BATMAN AND ROBIN #6 [*] $2.99 DEC110227 DC

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM TP $14.99 NOV110194 DC
2 FANTASTIC FOUR SEASON ONE PREMIERE HC $24.99 NOV110658 MAR
3 UNCANNY X-FORCE: VOL. 2 DEATHLOK NATION TP $15.99 DEC110743 MAR
4 AMERICAN VAMPIRE VOLUME 3 HC (MR) $24.99 OCT110282 DC
5 BATMAN: TIME AND THE BATMAN TP $14.99 NOV110198 DC
6 BATMAN: THE BLACK MIRROR HC $29.99 JUL110249 DC
7 BATMAN VS. BANE TP $12.99 NOV110193 DC
8 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 15 TP (MR) $14.99 OCT110502 IMA
9 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $9.99 JUL068351 IMA
10 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES VOL. 1 TP $17.99 DEC110372 IDW

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 MARVEL SELECT: GREEN GOBLIN FIGURE SEP111606 DST
2 MARVEL SELECT: COLOSSUS FIGURE JUL111768 DST
3 DC X BISHOUJO: POISON IVY STATUE AUG111852 KOT
4 MARVEL X BISHOUJO: MYSTIQUE STATUE AUG111849 KOT
5 CATWOMAN 1/4-SCALE MUSEUM QUALITY STATUE NOV110250 DC
6 DC HEROES WAVE 20 NEKRON ACTION FIGURES JUL118133 MAT
7 WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN STATUE JUL111879 BOW
8 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY SERGIO ARAGONES NOV110246 DC
9 GIANT MAN STATUE JUN111898 BOW
10 MARVEL UNIVERSE 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES DEC111695 KEN

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 RISK LEGACY JUN118204 KEN
2 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DARK ASCENSION BOOSTERS NOV111878 WIZ
3 STAR TREK TACTICS HEROCLIX OCT118150 NEC
4 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DARK ASCENSION FAT PACK NOV111880 WIZ
5 DOCTOR WHO ACTION BOARD GAME OCT101791 IMM
6 MARVEL HEROCLIX: INCREDIBLE HULK BOOSTER BRICK OCT112063 NEC
7 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DARK ASCENSION INTRO DECKS NOV111881 WIZ
8 MARVEL HEROCLIX: CAPTAIN AMERICA BOOSTER PACK APR112103 NEC
9 STAR TREK TACTICS HEROCLIX STARTER SET OCT118151 NEC
10 MAGIC THE GATHERING: TCG INNISTRAD BOOSTERS AUG112115 WIZ

How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond's sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

Please note that comics marked with an asterisk have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.

ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture merchandise. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, servicing more than 4,000 specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.