Justice League #5 was the best selling comic book in January
The sales numbers for January 2012 are in and DC has emerged as an absolute powerhouse going into this new year. The publisher owned ever single spot on Diamond’s Top Ten Comic Book Chart for the month, something that would have been unheard of before DC’s relaunch. That being said, Marvel still came away as the overall sales leader for the month, due to the fact that even though DC sold more comics than Marvel, Marvel’s comics cost more. In terms of market share, DC and Marvel are now basically dead even. Here’s how the numbers looked…
Diamond’s Top Ten Comic Books (January 2012)
- Justice League #5 (DC Comics)
- Batman #5 (DC Comics)
- Action Comics #5 (DC Comics)
- Detective Comics #5 (DC Comics)
- Green Lantern #5 (DC Comics)
- Batman: The Dark Knight #5 (DC Comics)
- Superman #5 (DC Comics)
- The Flash #5 (DC Comics)
- Batman and Robin #5 (DC Comics)
- Aquaman #5 (DC Comics)
As I look at the above chart, all I can think is, “Aquaman #5 outsold every Marvel comic book for the month.” This is a whole new reality, people. I mean, Marvel ALWAYS has at least four or five books on this chart; Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, Uncanny X-Force, Ultimate Spider-Man, etc. But in January, not so much. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, anyone who says DC’s decision to relaunch its entire line of books was a bad move is either stupid or a liar, because five months later, DC is the sole owner of the top ten best selling comic books for 2012. Do I think every month will be like this? Absolutely not. Marvel’s Avengers vs X-Men event is sure to sell well and its upcoming Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man movies probably won’t hurt sales, either.
Now, like I mentioned above, in terms of dollars being spent on comic books, Marvel leads in market share. What this means is that Marvel doesn’t have to compete with DC (most of who’s books are sold at a $2.99 price point) on price, with most of its books pricing out at $3.99 each. Yes, DC’s lower price helps it sell more issues of more titles, but Marvel still comes away as the one making the most money. Does this mean that Marvel is okay with the January results? Probably not. From a business perspective, it has to be making Marvel uncomfortable to see DC achieve the results that it has, especially considering that DC’s biggest event of the year, “Before Watchmen“, hasn’t even started yet. Clearly, Marvel is going to be facing very tough competition from DC for the rest of the year.
All things considered, January was an absolute victory for DC and the clearest example yet of just how successful its relaunch strategy has been. We now live in a world where Aquaman can outsell both Spider-Man and the X-Men and that has to terrify Marvel to its core. Expect 2012 to be one of the most competitive years yet for the comic book industry, with DC and Marvel waging an all out war for market share and sales dominance.
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