Captain America Reborn #1Media Release -- (BALTIMORE, MD) — (August 13, 2009) —Steve Rogers's return, after his apparent death in Captain America #25, in the pages of Ed Brubaker's highly-anticipated Captain America: Reborn #1 provided Marvel Comics with the best-selling comic book title for July 2009, based upon total unit sales to comic book specialty shops, according to Diamond Comic Distributors.

Marvel Comics also took the top publisher spot in July, leading both Unit Market and Dollar Shares, with a 42.58% Unit Market Share and a 37.20% Dollar Share for the month.

The top-selling graphic novel for July was DC Comics' 100 Bullets Volume 13: Wilt, from their Vertigo imprint, collecting a recent story arc of the acclaimed crime comic.

For the second month in a row, Diamond Select Toys' Star Trek: The Original Series Tricorder was the best-selling Toy product. Wizard of the Coast's Magic the Gathering TCG: 2010 Core Set Booster Packs, the latest expansion for their popular trading card game, was July's best-selling Game product to comic book specialty shops.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

Publisher Unit Market Share Dollar Share
MARVEL COMICS 42.58% 37.20%
DC COMICS 34.14% 30.36%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.06% 5.31%
IDW PUBLISHING 3.72% 4.82%
IMAGE COMICS 3.21% 3.42%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.27% 2.54%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.52% 1.45%
VIZ MEDIA 0.76% 1.48%
AVATAR PRESS 0.68% 0.74%
ASPEN MLT 0.62% 0.45%

TOP 10 COMICS

Quantity Rank Description Price Item Code Vendor
1 CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #1 (OF 5) $3.99 MAY090412-M MAR
2 BLACKEST NIGHT #1 (OF 8) $3.99 MAY090106-M DC
3 BATMAN AND ROBIN #2 $2.99 MAY090130-M DC
4 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600 $4.99 MAY090484-M MAR
5 GREEN LANTERN #43 (BLACKEST NIGHT) $2.99 MAY090110-M DC
6 GREEN LANTERN #44 (BLACKEST NIGHT) $2.99 MAY090112-M DC
7 DARK AVENGERS #7 $3.99 MAY090447-M MAR
8 INCREDIBLE HULK #600 $4.99 MAY090499-M MAR
9 CAPTAIN AMERICA #601 $3.99 MAY090492-M MAR
10 ULTIMATUM #5 (OF 5) $3.99 MAR092515-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

Quantity Rank Description Price Item Code Vendor
1 100 BULLETS VOLUME 13: WILT TP (MR) $19.99 APR090260 DC
2 THE BOYS VOLUME 4: WE GOTTA GO NOW TP (MR) $19.99 MAY090788 DE
3 BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER? HC $24.99 MAR090172 DC
4 GREEN LANTERN: RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS HC $24.99 MAR090180 DC
5 SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? HC $24.99 MAR090173 DC
6 MOUSE GUARD VOLUME 2: WINTER 1152 HC $24.95 MAY090647 KUN
7 RICHARD STARK'S PARKER: THE HUNTER HC $24.99 MAY090880 IDW
8 STAR WARS ADVENTURES VOLUME 2: PRINCESS LEIA AND THE ROYAL RANSOM (C: 0-1 $7.95 MAR090088 DAR
9 NARUTO VOLUME 45 TP $7.95 APR091017 VIZ
10 FRUITS BASKET VOLUME 23 GN $10.99 APR090989 TOK

TOP 10 TOYS & STATUES

Dollar Rank Description Item Code Vendor
1 STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES — TRICORDER MAY084717 DST
2 IRON MAN MOVIE MARK II FINE ART STATUE DEC084845 KOT
3 MARVEL COMICS: BLACK WIDOW BISHOUJO STATUE FEB094987 KOT
4 HISTORY OF THE DCU SERIES 1 FIGURES NOV080261 DC
5 SUPERMAN/BATMAN SERIES 7 FIGURES OCT080255 DC
6 MARVEL SELECT: WOLVERINE ACTION FIGURE NOV088007 DST
7 CATWOMAN VS. BATGIRL STATUE DEC080270 DC
8 SUPERMAN MINI-NEON SIGN (US VERSION) DEC080258 DC
9 BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE STATUE: PENGUIN DEC080248 DC
10 CONAN THE CONQUEROR STATUE JAN094912 CSM

TOP 10 GAMES

Dollar Rank Description Item Code Vendor
1 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2010 CORE SET BOOSTER PACKS MAY091798 WIZ
2 WORLD OF WARCRAFT TCG: FIELDS OF HONOR BOOSTER PACKS APR091693 UPP
3 STAR WARS CMG: JEDI ACADEMY BOOSTER PACKS APR091710 WIZ
4 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2010 CORE SET INTRO DECKS MAY091800 WIZ
5 DC HEROCLIX: ARKHAM ASYLUM BOOSTER PACKS AUG085406 WIZ
6 MARVEL HEROCLIX: SECRET INVASION BOOSTER PACKS MAY085179 WZK
7 COSMIC ENCOUNTER (NEW EDITION) SEP085142 FAN
8 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA BOARD GAME AUG085302 FAN
9 YU-GI-OH TCG: DUELIST PACK YUGI BOOSTER PACKS MAY091753 KON
10 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: ALARA REBORN INTRO DECKS FEB095259 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 4,000+ accounts, comprised of comic book specialty shops and other merchant stores and buyers. The shops are primarily located in North America, with a percentage of sales also to international stores and buyers located throughout 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.

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

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