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DC Regains Marketshare from Marvel In December 2014
Posted January 17, 2015 by by Rich Johnston

This is how it usually goes. Marvel Comics dominates marketshare over DC Comics every month except September, and that’s how it’s been since the launch of the New 52. This year Marvel tried to get September as well, but the late shipping Death Of Wolverine scuppered that. And clearly Marvel have big plans for this September…

Which is why the December results were a but of a surprise. As Batman topped the charts, the traditional non-event book that does so, DC upped their marketshare considerably from November.

For October, DC Comics took 27.53% of dollars spent and 31% of comics sold, a nine point drop for both on the September sweeps month Futures End titles. In November, they maintained their position with 27.47% of dollars spent and 31.64% of comics sold. But in December, the upped their share of dollars to 31.76%, a three-and-a-half point jump, and increased their share of comics sold to 36.17%, a four-and-a-half point jump and putting both over the psychologicaly important 30% mark, without any specific event pushing them. Mind you, they did publish 101 comics compared to Marvel’s 77… that may well have done it.

Marvel, who in October, had 34.82% of dollars spent and 36.35% of comics sold and in November had 34.88% of dollars spent and 37.82% of comics sold, saw their dollar share drop almost three points to 32.07% and number of comics sold share drop over three-and-a-half points to 34.1%, below DC. It is very likely this will flip back for Marvel in January, with the million selling Star Wars #1, but it is a sign that DC’s usual attrition of sales isn’t as usual as we might have thought.

Image maintained their 10% share of the market, with a helping hand from a new Saga collection topping the graphic novel charts (and five others in the top ten) while IDW had a boost from their usual 4-5% share with a 6.1% dollar share in December…

And for the year, it’s also worth celebrating that comic book and graphic novel market was up in 2014 over 2013, an increase of 0.64% in sales year on year and an increase in money raised by 4.39%, above the inflation rate. Congratulations all…

Oh yes, and the third bestselling graphic novel of December 2014 was a fictitious book of sex tips. What will 2015 bring us?

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 32.07%
DC COMICS 31.76%
IMAGE COMICS 9.89%
IDW PUBLISHING 6.10%
DARK HORSE COMICS 3.47%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.66%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.58%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.22%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.88%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.86%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.50%
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
DC COMICS 36.17%
MARVEL COMICS 34.10%
IMAGE COMICS 10.40%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.17%
DARK HORSE COMICS 2.95%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.82%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.26%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 0.91%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.91%
TITAN 0.87%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 4.43%
NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
DC COMICS 102 36 1 139
MARVEL COMICS 77 24 0 101
IMAGE COMICS 52 18 0 70
IDW PUBLISHING 44 24 0 68
BOOM! STUDIOS 42 6 0 48
DARK HORSE COMICS 30 12 0 42
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 33 3 0 36
VIZ MEDIA 0 22 0 22
ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT 15 1 0 16
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP USA 0 16 0 16
OTHER 94 81 31 206
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

DOLLARS UNITS
DECEMBER 2014 VS. NOVEMBER 2014
COMICS 1.77% 0.31%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -18.50% -21.51%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -5.14% -1.64%
DECEMBER 2014 VS. DECEMBER 2013
COMICS 6.67% 4.50%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -5.41% -8.39%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 2.83% 3.46%
CALENDAR YEAR 2014 VS. CALENDAR YEAR 2013
COMICS 4.03% 0.25%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 5.18% 5.28%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 4.39% 0.64%
FOURTH QUARTER 2014 VS. THIRD QUARTER 2014
COMICS -2.90% -1.57%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 6.31% 4.02%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -0.20% -1.16%
FOURTH QUARTER 2014 VS. FOURTH QUARTER 2013
COMICS 7.89% 7.05%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 7.56% 6.13%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 7.78% 6.98%
SECOND-HALF 2014 VS. FIRST-HALF 2014
COMICS 19.34% 18.58%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 10.54% 4.26%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 16.53% 17.36%
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE VENDOR
1 BATMAN #37 $3.99 DC
2 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #11 $3.99 MAR
3 S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 $4.99 MAR
4 BATMAN ANNUAL #3 $4.99 DC
5 THOR #3 $3.99 MAR
6 JUSTICE LEAGUE #37 $3.99 DC
7 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1 $4.99 MAR
8 AVENGERS AND X-MEN: AXIS #7 $3.99 MAR
9 AVENGERS AND X-MEN: AXIS #9 $4.99 MAR
10 AVENGERS AND X-MEN: AXIS #8 $3.99 MAR
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE VENDOR
1 SAGA VOLUME 4 TP (MR) $14.99 IMA
2 CAPTAIN AMERICA: PEGGY CARTER: AGENT OF SHIELD $7.99 MAR
3 JUST THE TIPS HC (MR) $12.99 IMA
4 THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS VOL. 5: THE COLD WAR TP $14.99 IMA
5 SUNSTONE VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $14.99 IMA
6 SUPERMAN UNCHAINED DELUXE EDITION HC $29.99 DC
7 BATMAN: THE JIRO KUWATA BATMANGA VOLUME 1 TP $14.99 DC
8 NEW 52: FUTURES END VOLUME 1 TP (N52) $39.99 DC
9 NIGHTWING VOLME 5: SETTING SON TP (N52) $16.99 DC
10 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $14.99 IMA
TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE VENDOR
1 DREAM LOGIC HC $34.99 DAR
2 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 89 SC $14.95 SAN
3 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 90 SC $14.95 SAN
4 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 78 SC $14.95 SAN
5 DOCTOR WHO VISUAL DICTIONARY: UPDATED EXPANDED HC $25.00 DK
6 STAR TREK: SHIPS OF THE LINE: REVISED & UPDATED HC $30.00 POC
7 DOCTOR WHO: 12 DOCTORS 12 STORIES SLIPCASE EDITIOIN $24.99 PEN
8 SWORD ART ONLINE VOLUME 3: FAIRY DANCE $13.00 HAC
9 CATS OF TANGLEWOOD FOREST SC $8.00 HAC
10 LEGEND OF ZELDA: HYRULE HISTORIA HC $34.99 DAR
TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION VENDOR
1 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: HOLIDAY HARLEY QUINN STATUE DC
2 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: ZATANNA STATUE DC
3 DC COMICS DESIGNER SERIES 2: CAPULLO DELUXE BATMAN THRASHER ACTION FIGURE DC
4 LEGEND OF ZELA: WIND WAKER LINK NENDOROID GOO
5 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS ACTION FIGURE 4-PACK DC
6 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY MICHAEL TURNER DC
7 METROID: OTHER M: SAMUS ARAN FIGMA ACTION FIGURE GOO
8 MARVEL SELECT: VENOM ACTION FIGURE DIA
9 DC COMICS DESIGNER SERIES 3: ZERO YEAR BATMAN ACTION FIGURE DC
10 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY PLATINUM LEGENDS ACTION FIGURES HAS
TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION VENDOR
1 MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION USA
2 MINECRAFT: OFFICIAL MOJANG COMBAT HANDBOOK HC SCH
3 MINECRAFT: OFFICIAL MOJANG CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK HC SCH
4 LEGEND OF ZELDA MONOPOLY USA
5 MARVEL DICE MASTERS UNCANNY X-MEN NEC
6 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES RETRO MONOPOLY USA
7 FIREFLY CLUE USA
8 THE WALKING DEAD: YAHTZEE COLLECTOR’S EDITION USA
9 DC DECK BUILDING GAME 3: FOREVER EVIL CRY
10 DOCTOR WHO: DALEK YAHTZEE COLLECTOR’S EDITION USA


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Dollar Market Share – December 2014

Image (6)
Unit Market Share– December 2014