How do you determine what's popular in your state? Are you basing it on what you see at your LCS, or are you looking at something bigger?

The comics that I mentioned, they are popular here in my state especially at the comic shop. Theyre selling really well where Old Guard keeps getting bought up especially the last recent issue.

Even Snotgirl is really popular because its a funny weird comic by Image. the story, the characters. Period.

While it is nice that 2nd or 3rd printings are around, its the main regular release issues that get bought up alot whether its Snotgirl or Old Guard even Regression.

God Country is really popular and got bought out.

They just are popular and sell alot. Way better than the Marvel crap

Well all Im saying is that a few certain comics really are popular here in my state where copies are being bought up like alot. Snotgirl is really popular here along with Old Guard where 3rd, 4th printings are being snatched up even a few remaining issue number 1 copies keep getting bought up.

Snotgirl I kept missing out on until I managed to catch up when issues 3 and 4 arrived at the comic shop with enough copies. Then Image had to reprint issue 1 of Snotgirl with the Image Number 1 reprint re-release copies.

Took me awhil to get caught up on Snotgirl since Snotgirl here is really popular. Thats all I can say. Also Power of the Dark Crystal really popular than a Marvel comic comic.

I dunno how well certain comic books are doing at other peoples' favorite comic shops but hey, here where Im at, certain comics like snotgirl etc they are really popular not with just customers but this one young dude who works at the comic shop he really likes the new Daredevil and Snotgirl.

Dont get me started on the Rick and Morty fans. Yowza they really love the new comic book and I can barely get an issue since they keep getting bought up too

Here's the problem with trying to determine popularity by 2nd prints and store sell outs. Say it's an Image book that goes to second print. The first question to ask is how big was the first print run? If it was solicited in previews and retailers preordered a total of 5000 copies, which is an average of 1 per diamond account in the United States, the print run is going to be about 5,500 to cover for damages and limited pre-orders. Now let's say sales exceed expectation and each shop could sell 2 copies, but only got 1, and only the first 500 of those 5000 accounts who try to reorder can get copies, so it goes to 2nd print, which say they print 5000 which then sells out, and then goes to print again for 3000 more. Looks popular right. But each shop still sold less tan 3 copies on average. Collectors seek out first prints that start to go up in back issue price. Hey it's a real popular book right? Maybe, but it it more popular than the book that sold 50,000 to retailers in its initial print run even if only 40K sold of it and there are copies left over at every shop. That popular Image book only moved 13K issues despite going back to print 3 times and having back issue prices rise, but that other book sold 40K to customers and another 10K available as back issues down the line. So which is really more popular despite the Image book looking more popular because of multiple prints? Unless you know how many were ordered, how many were printed, and what percentage of those ordered are winding up in end customer hands and not held back by retailers for future sales at inflated back issue prices either in the shop or ebay or other online storefronts, you really have no idea which are the more popular titles in a given area. And then there are always digital sales and trade waiters to take into consideration as to how popular a series is in the areas. Oh and the people who use mail order subscription to get their books in that area.

If retailers actually knew what books were going to be popular or are sustained sellers, their jobs would be a lot easier, but they have to use their magic 8 balls and make their best guess based on past sales track record, pre-orders and word of mouth and determine 3 months before the book comes out which books are popular and will sell. So when you ask them what books are popular, they can tell you what's selling, but they may tell you what they want to sell because thats waht they have on hand to sell.

-M

Old Guard #3 sold less than 14K copies total, so an average of less than 3 copies per Diamond account. If your shop is selling more than that, great. If he ordered 3 and sold out and people were asking for it, that's great. But does that make it popular?

Redneck #1 out the same month did slightly better. It sold 22K+ copies of slightly more than 4 copies ordered per account on average.

Daredevil that month moved just under 29K copies or less than 6 ordered per account.

Snot Girl either didn't ship an issue or it didn't crack the top 300 titles for the month.

Star Wars on the other hand sold just over 70K copies that month or on average 14 copies ordered per account. Even if your shop is ordering and selling twice the average per account of copies of those books because it's popular, there still not selling more copies than a book like Star Wars and if more people are buying Star Wars, it's technically more popular than the books you cite as being popular. Old Guard would have to be selling 5 x the average copies ordered for a shop in your shop before it approached the popularity level of Star Wars. And if it's selling 5x the average in your shop, then it's doing terrible in a lot of other places who aren't ordering any because if they're shipping to your store, they're not going to other places to sell or the order number would be higher overall.

It's a lot easier to sell out a book that you order 3 copies of than one you order 14 of. Selling out doesn't equal more popular than another if the numbers ordered aren't at the same starting point. People in your shop probably do like those books, but there's only so many copies actually selling in the marketplace and those actual numbers speak more to the popularity of the titles than any claims to the contrary. If you order 3 only 3 people can buy it. that puts a low ceiling on how popular the book can be.

-M

The only way to know is to ask the comic shop worker what books sell the most.

I'm thinking that the same books will usually be the top sellers. I think I remember the CBG having reports from store owners giving info bout what books were selling and which back issues were in demand, it was interesting. I think the Diamond orders are the best indicator.