Media Release -- The heroes of the Marvel Universe come together to battle a rising tide of fear and intolerance in Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen's Fear Itself #2, the second part of Marvel Comics' summer mini-series event and May's top selling comic book to comics specialty retailers, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop-culture merchandise.
Marvel Comics was the leading comic book publisher in May with a Dollar Market Share of 42.45% and a Unit Market Share of 46.35%.
While comic book sales in May declined by 3.35 percent over April, graphic novel sales increased by almost 5 percent, resulting in an overall print decline in May of less than one percent over the previous month. Merchandise sales year-to-date remain up over 20 percent over 2010's sales, with strong performances in May by Trading Cards (up 151 percent, led by the Marvel Beginnings Trading Cards), Games (up 41 percent), and Collectibles (up 25 percent, led by the Star Trek Bottle Opener).
David Lapham and Gianluca Pagliarani took Garth Ennis' zombie series Crossed into the third-dimension with Crossed 3-D, an original graphic novel printed in 3-D that shipped with 3-D glasses, giving Avatar Press the best-selling graphic novel to comic shops in May.
Sony's best-selling video game God of War, which put gamers in the middle of the myths of ancient Greece as a warrior against the gods, provided the inspiration for DC Direct's God of War Series 1 Action Figures, May's best-selling Toy product to comics specialty retailers.
The adventures in the world of Mirrodin for Wizards of the Coast's Magic the Gathering trading card game continued in May's Magic the Gathering TCG: New Phyrexia expansion, the best-selling Games product to comics specialty retailers for the month.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
PUBLISHER | DOLLAR SHARE | UNIT SHARE |
MARVEL COMICS | 42.45% | 46.35% |
DC COMICS | 26.68% | 28.37% |
DARK HORSE COMICS | 4.89% | 3.59% |
IMAGE COMICS | 4.88% | 5.35% |
IDW PUBLISHING | 4.60% | 4.26% |
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 2.83% | 3.38% |
BOOM! STUDIOS | 2.33% | 2.00% |
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.04% | 0.96% |
VIZ MEDIA | 1.03% | 0.47% |
AVATAR PRESS | 0.93% | 0.76% |
OTHER NON TOP-10 | 8.34% | 4.51% |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
DOLLARS | UNITS | |
MAY 2011 VS. APRIL 2011 | ||
COMICS | -3.35% | -2.66% |
GRAPHIC NOVELS | 4.99% | 12.69% |
TOTAL COMICS/GN | -0.64% | -1.42% |
MAY 2011 VS. MAY 2010 | ||
COMICS | -14.39% | -15.46% |
GRAPHIC NOVELS | -4.42% | -3.14% |
TOTAL COMICS/GN | -11.21% | -14.46% |
YEAR-TO-DATE 2011 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2010 | ||
COMICS | -8.50% | -8.80% |
GRAPHIC NOVELS | -5.41% | -9.80% |
TOTAL COMICS/GN | -7.51% | -8.89% |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
1 | FEAR ITSELF #2 | $3.99 | MAR110612-M | MAR |
2 | FLASHPOINT #1 | $3.99 | MAR110276-M | DC |
3 | GREEN LANTERN #66 | $2.99 | MAR110267-M | DC |
4 | AVENGERS #13 | $3.99 | MAR110620-M | MAR |
5 | FF #3 | $2.99 | MAR110682-M | MAR |
6 | GREEN LANTERN CORPS #60 | $2.99 | MAR110269-M | DC |
7 | FF #4 | $2.99 | MAR110685-M | MAR |
8 | BATMAN INCORPORATED #6 | $2.99 | FEB110141-M | DC |
9 | NEW AVENGERS #12 | $3.99 | MAR110649-M | MAR |
10 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #661 | $3.99 | MAR110664-M | MAR |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
1 | CROSSED 3D GN VOL 01 (MR) | $8.99 | AUG100795 | AVA |
2 | STAR WARS ADVENTURES VOLUME 5: BOBA FETT AND THE SHIP OF FEAR TP | $7.99 | OCT100033 | DAR |
3 | DELIRIUM'S PARTY: A LITTLE ENDLESS STORYBOOK HC | $14.99 | NOV100264 | DC |
4 | BATMAN AND ROBIN DELUXE VOLUME 3: BATMAN MUST DIE HC | $24.99 | JAN110321 | DC |
5 | BRIGHTEST DAY VOLUME 2 TP | $29.99 | JAN110320 | DC |
6 | DMZ VOLUME 10: COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT TP | $14.99 | FEB110260 | DC |
7 | GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN TP | $14.99 | JAN110337-M | DC |
8 | IRREDEEMABLE VOLUME 6 TP | $16.99 | MAR110975 | BOO |
9 | BATMAN: LONG SHADOWS TP | $14.99 | FEB110195 | DC |
10 | AMERICAN VAMPIRE VOLUME 2 HC | $24.99 | JAN110418 | DC |
TOP 10 TOYS
RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
1 | GOD OF WAR SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES | APR100324 | DC |
2 | DC X BISHOUJO: WONDER WOMAN STATUE | NOV101562 | KOT |
3 | DC UNIVERSE ONLINE: WONDER WOMAN STATUE | AUG100282 | DC |
4 | WOLVERINE: X-FORCE STATUE | OCT101609 | BOW |
5 | MARVEL X BISHOUJO: MS. MARVEL STATUE | NOV101565 | KOT |
6 | AME-COMI HEROINE SERIES 2 MINI-FIGURES | SEP100333 | DC |
7 | HALO: REACH SERIES 3 ACTION FIGURES | FEB110477 | TMP |
8 | STAR WARS: DARTH VADER ARTFX+ STATUE | NOV101561 | KOT |
9 | WOMEN OF THE DCU SERIES 3: STAR SAPPHIRE BUST | MAY100312 | DC |
10 | MARVEL COMICS ACTION FIGURE 2-PACKS | FEB111596 | KEN |
TOP 10 GAMES
RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
1 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: NEW PHYREXIA BOOSTER PACKS | MAR112030 | WIZ |
2 | DC HEROCLIX: GREEN LANTERN 2011 FAST FORCES 6-PACKS | MAR112034 | NEC |
3 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: NEW PHYREXIA FAT PACK | MAR112033 | WIZ |
4 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: NEW PHYREXIA INTRO DECKS | MAR112031 | WIZ |
5 | POKEMON TCG: BLACK & WHITE BOOSTER PACKS | DEC108324 | POK |
6 | MARVEL HEROCLIX: GIANT SIZED X-MEN BRICK | JAN111976 | NEC |
7 | YU-GI-OH! TCG: 5D'S EXTREME VICTORY BOOSTERS | JAN118134 | KON |
8 | WORLD OF WARCRAFT TCG: WAR OF THE ELEMENTS BOOSTER PACKS | JAN111929 | CRY |
9 | MOUSE GUARD RPG HC | APR098450 | ARA |
10 | PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME: ULTIMATE MAGIC | MAR112011 | PAI |
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.