Diamond Announces top products for March 2012Media Release -- With the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance, Marvel Comics' top two teams do battle in the epic event Avengers Vs. X-Men, and the first issue of the twelve-part series was the best-selling comic book to comics specialty retailers in March 2012, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was March's leading publisher in both Retail Dollar and Unit Market Shares with 36.21% and 39.94% respectively. DC Entertainment, which had seven of the month's top-ten best-selling comics, was second in both Retail Dollar and Unit Market Shares with 30.95% and 36.09% respectively.

Diamond Announces top products for March 2012The collected first volume of Robert Kirkman's zombie series for Image Comics, The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye, was the top-selling graphic novel to retailers in March.

Square Enix continued their best-selling line of Play Arts Kai action figures in March with figures based on WBIE's best-selling video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, and the Batman: Arkham Asylum Play Arts Kai: Batman Action Figure was the month's top-selling toy product to specialty retailers.

Marvel Comics' heroes embark on cosmic adventures in the latest expansion for WizKids/NECA's HeroClix game, the Marvel HeroClix: Galactic Guardians Primer Packs, which gave the manufacturer the best-selling game product to retailers in March.

Please note that Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 was shipped to retailers a week before its on-sale date and invoiced to retailers in March 2012 to facilitate pre-release launch parties for the book. Diamond Comic Distributors' sales figures are factored on the books invoiced to retailers during the calendar month, not on the book's on-sale date.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER DOLLAR SHARE UNIT SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 36.21% 39.94%
DC COMICS 30.95% 36.09%
IMAGE COMICS 6.66% 5.59%
IDW PUBLISHING 5.74% 4.71%
DARK HORSE COMICS 5.24% 3.98%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.90% 2.38%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.42% 1.27%
AVATAR PRESS 1.15% 0.93%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT 1.06% 0.98%
VIZ MEDIA 0.86% 0.38%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 7.81% 3.75%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

DOLLARS UNITS
MARCH 2012 VS. FEBRUARY 2012
COMICS -5.32% -2.99%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -7.13% 9.54%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -5.89% -2.07%
FEBRUARY 2012 VS. FEBRUARY 2011
COMICS -1.18% -2.45%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -5.67% 2.93%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -2.61% -2.03%
FIRST QUARTER 2012 VS. FIRST QUARTER 2011
COMICS 15.85% 14.74%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 8.39% 7.25%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 13.42% 14.13%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 $3.99 JAN120625 MAR
2 AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #0 $3.99 JAN120622 MAR
3 JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 $3.99 JAN120210 DC
4 BATMAN #7 $2.99 JAN120236 DC
5 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1 $3.99 JAN120638 MAR
6 ACTION COMICS #7 $3.99 JAN120228 DC
7 GREEN LANTERN #7 $2.99 JAN120253 DC
8 DETECTIVE COMICS #7 $2.99 JAN120240 DC
9 BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #7 $2.99 JAN120242 DC
10 SUPERMAN #7 $2.99 JAN120232 DC

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $9.99 JUL068351 IMA
2 HELLBOY VOL. 12: THE STORM AND THE FURY TP $19.99 OCT110020 DAR
3 THE BOYS VOLUME 10: BUTCHER, BAKER, CANDLESTICKMAKER TP $19.99 JAN121022 DE
4 FLASHPOINT TP $14.99 DEC110276 DC
5 X-MEN SEASON ONE PREMIERE HC $24.99 JAN120729 MAR
6 DMZ VOLUME 11: FREE STATES RISING TP $19.99 DEC110321 DC
7 STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS VOLUME 7: THE ENEMY WITHIN TP $7.99 NOV110031 DAR
8 FLASHPOINT: WORLD OF FLASHPOINT: BATMAN TP $17.99 DEC110277 DC
9 NORTHLANDERS VOL. 6: THOR'S DAUGHTER TP $14.99 DEC110323 DC
10 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US TP $14.99 SEP088204 IMA

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM PLAY ARTS KAI: BATMAN FIG AUG118148 SQU
2 BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM PLAY ARTS KAI: JOKER FIGURE AUG118149 SQU
3 THOR CLASSIC ACTION STATUE JUL111881 BOW
4 STARCRAFT PREMIUM SERIES 2 ACTION FIGURES DEC110338 DC
5 IRON MAN HYDRO ARMOR STATUE DEC108207 BOW
6 GOLIATH "NEW UNIFORM VERSION" STATUE MAR118190 BOW
7 HAWKEYE MUSEUM POSE STATUE AUG111820 BOW
8 ANNIHILUS STATUE DEC108206 BOW
9 BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE: MIKE MIGNOLA VARIANT STATUE NOV110251 DC
10 X-FORCE: ARCHANGEL FINE ART STATUE AUG111850 KOT

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 MARVEL HEROCLIX: GALACTIC GUARDIANS PRIMER FEB121831 NEC
2 RISK LEGACY JUN118204 KEN
3 DOCTOR WHO: MONSTER INVASION TCG BOOSTERS NOV118179 IMM
4 THE HUNGER GAMES BOOSTERS NOV118211 NEC
5 DOCTOR WHO: MONSTER INVASION EXTREME TCG BOOSTERS NOV118180 IMM
6 THE HUNGER GAMES: DISTRICT 12 STRATEGY GAME NOV118210 NEC
7 YU-GI-OH! TCG RA YELLOW MEGA PACK BOOSTERS OCT118166 KON
8 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DARK ASCENSION BOOSTERS NOV111878 WIZ
9 LOCKE & KEY CARD GAME NOV111845 IDW
10 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DARK ASCENSION EVENT DECKS NOV111879 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.

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.

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