Comix Experience Best Sellers: First half of 2014, Comics

Hey, hey, it’s the half-year report from Comix Experience – now also with numbers from Comix Experience Outpost.You’ll find it below the cut, for those of you who like numbers-porn. Right, so the first bit I want to show is our publisher breakdown.  I think some of you may recall I’ve said that I think that it is likely that Image is going to move into the #2 publisher spot sometime this year, though, I almost think it is possible it might hit #1 as well.  This chart is all Experience, mostly because I totally spaced on running it on Outpost – but Outpost is probably about 40% Marvel. Top 20 Publishers @ Experience, 1/1/14-6/30/14, all categories, by quantity 26.46%    MARVEL COMICS 24.27%    DC COMICS 22.32%    IMAGE COMICS 6.69%    DARK HORSE COMICS 4.06%    IDW PUBLISHING 3.03%    BOOM! STUDIOS 2.06%    AVATAR PRESS INC 1.80%    D. E. 1.03%    ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.69%    ONI PRESS INC. 0.60%    VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 0.60%    FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS 0.39%    BONGO COMICS 0.35%    DRAWN & QUARTERLY 0.35%    REBELLION / 2000AD 0.31%    TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS 0.29%    :01 FIRST SECOND 0.25%    VIZ MEDIA LLC 0.21%    PAPERCUTZ 0.19%    KODANSHA COMICS

That’s pretty much exactly what one calls “neck in neck”, yes, for the top three?

If you sort it by dollars, things move around a bit because DC has a lot of legacy TPs that are priced at $20+, while much of Image’s sales are of $9.99 TPs, and $2.99 comics… 22.00%    DC COMICS 21.17%    MARVEL COMICS 18.67%    IMAGE COMICS 7.49%    DARK HORSE COMICS 4.91%    IDW PUBLISHING 2.62%    BOOM! STUDIOS 1.94%    FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS 1.71%    AVATAR PRESS INC 1.39%    D. E. 1.37%    HUMANOIDS INC 1.11%    DRAWN & QUARTERLY 1.07%    ONI PRESS INC. 1.01%    REBELLION / 2000AD 0.86%    :01 FIRST SECOND 0.80%    ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.68%    VIZ MEDIA LLC 0.62%    TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS 0.56%    KODANSHA COMICS 0.45%    ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT LLC 0.40%    VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC

We are up 8.2% from same period last year at Experience, which for a 25 year old business, is pretty exceptional.  Outpost is under a year old, so I don’t have comps just yet!

So, let’s first take comics as their own thing. New periodical comics are 40% of Experience’s sales, and 55% of Outpost.

Starting off with Experience, here is what things look like for comics, from the first of the year, in terms of PIECES SOLD:

1    DEADLY CLASS #1 2    SAGA #18 3    SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (OF 6)  McKean Cover 4    SAGA #19 5    DEADLY CLASS #2 6    MS MARVEL #1 7    BLACK SCIENCE #3 8    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1 9    DEADLY CLASS #3 SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (OF 6) JHW Cover 11    DEADLY CLASS #4 SEX CRIMINALS #4 13    SAGA #20 14    BATMAN #27 15    TREES #1 16    BATMAN #28 WALKING DEAD #121 18    MS MARVEL #2 SANDMAN OVERTURE #1 (OF 6) McKean Cover SEX CRIMINALS #5 21    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 MOON KNIGHT #1 23    WALKING DEAD #120 24    BLACK SCIENCE #4 WALKING DEAD #127 26    BLACK SCIENCE #5 JUPITERS LEGACY #4 WALKING DEAD #119 WALKING DEAD #122 WALKING DEAD #123 31    BATMAN #29 STRAY BULLETS THE KILLERS #1 WALKING DEAD #125 34    BLACK SCIENCE #6 VELVET #3 WALKING DEAD #124 WALKING DEAD #126 38    BATMAN #30 DEADLY CLASS #5 EAST OF WEST #10 41    EAST OF WEST #11 42    EAST OF WEST #9 43    MOON KNIGHT #2 44    BATMAN #31 EAST OF WEST #12 HAWKEYE #16 SEX CRIMINALS #1 VELVET #4 49    BLACK SCIENCE #2 DAREDEVIL #1 ANMN ORIGINAL SIN #1 (OF 8) SEX CRIMINALS #6 SOUTHERN BASTARDS #2 54    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3 FOREVER EVIL #5 (OF 7) 56    AVENGERS WORLD #1 HAWKEYE #15 PRETTY DEADLY #4 UNCANNY X-MEN #16 60    ALL NEW X-MEN #22.NOW ALL NEW X-MEN #23 FOREVER EVIL #7 (OF 7) MIRACLEMAN #1 OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #1 SILVER SURFER #1 ANMN 66    DAREDEVIL #35 FOREVER EVIL #6 (OF 7) MOON KNIGHT #3 ORIGINAL SIN #2 (OF 8) PRETTY DEADLY #5 VELVET #5 72    DEADLY CLASS #6 FATALE #19 JUSTICE LEAGUE #27 MOON KNIGHT #4 SERENITY LEAVES ON THE WIND #1 (OF 6) WALKING DEAD #128 78    MS MARVEL #4 SAGA #17 SERENITY LEAVES ON THE WIND #2 (OF 6) 81    JUSTICE LEAGUE #28 JUSTICE LEAGUE #29 LUMBERJANES #1 (OF 8) MS MARVEL #3 ORIGINAL SIN #3 (OF 8) STRAY BULLETS THE KILLERS #2 87    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #4 ALL NEW X-MEN #21 ALL NEW X-MEN #25 BATMAN ETERNAL #1 DETECTIVE COMICS #27 CVR B (Frank Miller) MIRACLEMAN #2 ORIGINAL SIN #0 (OF 8) TREES #2 UNCANNY X-MEN #17 UNCANNY X-MEN #18 UNCANNY X-MEN #19.NOW ANMN 98    AVENGERS #25 ANMN BLACK SCIENCE #1 HAWKEYE #17 LAZARUS #6 SHE-HULK #1 UNCANNY AVENGERS #16

So, yeah, Image is doing VERY well at Experience, with Rick Remender’s DEADLY CLASS taking the #1 spot away from SAGA (though, looking at this now that I’ve done the math already, Sandman: Overture, if you combine the two covers, beats even that.  Yet another reason I think that multiple covers are bunk)

Things change up a little if you sort it by dollars (I’ve put the cover price there at the end for this exercise) – limiting this just to the top 20

1    SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (OF 6)  McKean Cover     $3.99 2    DEADLY CLASS #1     $3.50 3    SAGA #18     $2.99 4    SAGA #19     $2.99 5    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1      $5.99 6    DEADLY CLASS #2     $3.50 7    SANDMAN OVERTURE #1 (OF 6) McKean Cover     $4.99 8    DETECTIVE COMICS #27 CVR B (Frank Miller)     $7.99 9    SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (OF 6) JHW Cover     $3.99 10    BLACK SCIENCE #3     $3.50 11    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1     $3.50 12    BATMAN #29     $4.99 13    MS MARVEL #1     $2.99 14    MIRACLEMAN #1     $5.99 BATMAN #27     $3.99 16    DEADLY CLASS #3     $3.50 17    SEX CRIMINALS #4     $3.50 18    BATMAN #28     $3.99 19    DEADLY CLASS #4     $3.50 20    MOON KNIGHT #1     $3.99

What about across town at the Outpost?  Outpost is a MUCH more “mainstream” kind of store!  Here’s the Top 100 (or so) by PIECES SOLD

1     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 2     BATMAN #27 3     BATMAN #28 BATMAN #29 5     BATMAN #30 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #11.NOW ANMN 7     ALL NEW X-MEN #23 ANMN SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #5 9     BATMAN ETERNAL #1 10     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 ANMN BATMAN #31 SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #6 13     ALL NEW X-MEN #22.NOW ANMN GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #13 ANMN 15     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #12 ANMN GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #14 17     SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #30 ANMN 18     BATMAN ETERNAL #2 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #31 ANMN 20     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #10 INF SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #27.NOW ANMN SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #29 ANMN 23     ALL NEW X-MEN #24 ANMN SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #25 25     FOREVER EVIL #5 (OF 7) 26     ALL NEW X-MEN #21 ALL NEW X-MEN #25 28     SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #26 29     BATMAN ETERNAL #4 BATMAN SUPERMAN #7 FOREVER EVIL #6 (OF 7) UNCANNY X-MEN #18 33     UNCANNY X-MEN #16 34     BATMAN ETERNAL #3 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #28 ANMN UNCANNY X-MEN #17 37     DAREDEVIL #1 ANMN UNCANNY X-MEN #19.NOW ANMN 39     FOREVER EVIL #7 (OF 7) ORIGINAL SIN #1 (OF 8) 41     ALL NEW X-MEN #26 HARLEY QUINN #2 ORIGINAL SIN #3 (OF 8) X-MEN #9 XFV 45     BATMAN ETERNAL #5 BATMAN ETERNAL #6 BATMAN SUPERMAN ANNUAL #1 MS MARVEL #1 NIGHT OF LIVING DEADPOOL #1 (OF 4) UNCANNY X-MEN #20 ANMN 51     AVENGERS #25 ANMN AVENGERS #26 ANMN ORIGINAL SIN #2 (OF 8) UNCANNY AVENGERS #16 55     DAREDEVIL #2 ANMN X-MEN #10.NOW ANMN X-MEN #11 ANMN 58     ALL NEW X-MEN #27 BATMAN ETERNAL #7 DEADPOOL #22 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #15 MS MARVEL #2 SAGA #18 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #2 65     AVENGERS #29 ORIGINAL SIN #0 67     AVENGERS #27 BATMAN ETERNAL #8 DEADLY CLASS #1 FANTASTIC FOUR #1 ANMN FOREVER EVIL #4 (OF 7) 72     AVENGERS #28 BATMAN SUPERMAN #8 DAREDEVIL #3 ANMN JUSTICE LEAGUE #27 NIGHT OF LIVING DEADPOOL #4 (OF 4) UNCANNY AVENGERS #17 UNCANNY AVENGERS #18.NOW ANMN UNCANNY X-MEN #21 80     ALL NEW X-MEN #28 BATMAN SUPERMAN #11 DETECTIVE COMICS #30 83     ALL NEW INVADERS #1 ANMN AVENGERS #24.NOW ANMN AVENGERS #30 SIN DEADPOOL #27 ANMN HARLEY QUINN #3 JUSTICE LEAGUE #28 NIGHT OF LIVING DEADPOOL #2 (OF 4) UNCANNY AVENGERS ANNUAL #1 91     DEADPOOL #23 DETECTIVE COMICS #27 CVR B (Frank Miller) LUMBERJANES #1 (OF 8) MOON KNIGHT #2 NEW AVENGERS #16.NOW ANMN SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #24 97     BATMAN ETERNAL #9 MOON KNIGHT #1 MOON KNIGHT #1 YOUNG VAR ANMN NEW AVENGERS #14 NIGHT OF LIVING DEADPOOL #3 (OF 4) X-MEN #12 ANMN

Damn, a LOT more mainstream, right?  And swapping this for dollars sold shows a tremendous less amount of changes, so I’m not even going to bother!

Right, so what if we fold the two stores together?  Then it looks something like this:

1     DEADLY CLASS #1 2     SAGA #18 3     SAGA #19 4     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 5     SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (OF 6)  McKean Cover 6     BATMAN #27 7     BATMAN #28 8     MS MARVEL #1 9     BATMAN #29 10     BATMAN #30 11     DEADLY CLASS #2 12     ALL NEW X-MEN #23 BATMAN #31 14     ALL NEW X-MEN #22.NOW BLACK SCIENCE #3 16     BATMAN ETERNAL #1 17     MS MARVEL #2 18     SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1 19     FOREVER EVIL #5 (OF 7) GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #11.NOW ANMN 21     DEADLY CLASS #3 SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #5 23     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #13 ANMN 24     DEADLY CLASS #4 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #12 ANMN 26     SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (OF 6) JHW Cover 27     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2 ANMN DAREDEVIL #1 ANMN MOON KNIGHT #1 UNCANNY X-MEN #16 31     FOREVER EVIL #6 (OF 7) ORIGINAL SIN #1 (OF 8) 33     ALL NEW X-MEN #24 ANMN GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #14 35     ALL NEW X-MEN #21 ALL NEW X-MEN #25 SEX CRIMINALS #4 38     FOREVER EVIL #7 (OF 7) SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #6 WALKING DEAD #121 41     UNCANNY X-MEN #18 WALKING DEAD #127 43     SEX CRIMINALS #5 WALKING DEAD #120 45     UNCANNY X-MEN #17 WALKING DEAD #119 47     ORIGINAL SIN #2 (OF 8) UNCANNY X-MEN #19.NOW ANMN WALKING DEAD #125 50     BLACK SCIENCE #4 ORIGINAL SIN #3 (OF 8) SAGA #20 WALKING DEAD #126 54     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #10 INF MOON KNIGHT #2 WALKING DEAD #123 57     BATMAN ETERNAL #2 TREES #1 59     BATMAN ETERNAL #4 60     AVENGERS #25 ANMN UNCANNY AVENGERS #16 62     BATMAN ETERNAL #3 JUSTICE LEAGUE #27 WALKING DEAD #124 65     BATMAN ETERNAL #5 DAREDEVIL #2 ANMN ORIGINAL SIN #0 UNCANNY X-MEN #20 ANMN 69     ALL NEW X-MEN #26 BATMAN SUPERMAN #7 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #31 72     ALL NEW X-MEN #27 BATMAN ETERNAL #6 BLACK SCIENCE #6 HARLEY QUINN #2 76     BLACK SCIENCE #5 JUSTICE LEAGUE #28 WALKING DEAD #122 79     AVENGERS #26 ANMN EAST OF WEST #10 JUPITERS LEGACY #4 LUMBERJANES #1 (OF 8) 83     DETECTIVE COMICS #27 CVR B (Frank Miller) HAWKEYE #16 UNCANNY AVENGERS #17 86     EAST OF WEST #11 FANTASTIC FOUR #1 ANMN MOON KNIGHT #3 UNCANNY AVENGERS #18.NOW ANMN UNCANNY X-MEN #21 91     BATMAN SUPERMAN ANNUAL #1 DEADLY CLASS #5 EAST OF WEST #9 MS MARVEL #3 X-MEN #9 XFV 96     AVENGERS #29 DETECTIVE COMICS #30 HAWKEYE #15 JUSTICE LEAGUE #29 SEX CRIMINALS #1

Experience’s big hits are bigger, but the Outpost’s midlist swings a lot of the Marvel and DC comics right up the charts.

Yeah, so that’s the 6 month look – see anything interesting yourself?

-B