Diamond's Top 300 Graphic Novels for August 2012

Media Release -- Geoff Johns and Gary Franks' Batman: Earth One, their reimagining of Batman's origins and first days as Gotham City's hero, topped the graphic novels sales chart in August and was the best-selling graphic novel in the specialty market for the second month in a row.

Including Batman: Earth One, DC Comics had four of the month's best-selling graphic novels. Swamp Thing Volume 1: Raise Them Bones from Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette ranked #3, Superman: Action Comics Volume 1: Superman, Men of Steel from Grant Morrison and Rags Morales ranked #4, and Batman Volume 1: The Court of Owls from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo ranked #5.

Two volumes of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead from Image Comics placed in August's top ten — Volume 1: Days Gone Bye ranked #2 and Volume 2: Miles Behind Us ranked #9.

Marvel Comics also had two titles in the top ten. Fred Van Lente and Tom Fowler's Hulk Season One, an original graphic novel that retells the origin of the Hulk, ranked #6 and Fear Itself from Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen ranked #10.

Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim Color Edition Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life from Oni Press ranked #7 and Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Sith Hunters rounded out the top ten at #8.

Also from the premier publishers, IDW Publishing's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection Volume 3 was the publisher's top book in August at #45.

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 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 not only brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, but also Internet stores, chain stores, 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 the Diamond Sales Index: The Sales Index of selected monthly Best Seller Charts is presented as a comparative tool for retailers and publishers. It presents Diamond's monthly sales for individual titles in relation to Diamond's total sales for the issue of DC Comics' monthly Batman comic book. (Batman is used as the control title – with a value of 100 – because sales of Batman usually remain relatively stable.) This allows for easy comparison to other titles and helps retailers gauge their orders for all other titles. This formula is only a guide, other factors may impact a titles' ability to sell in certain locations and clientele.