Comics and graphic novel sales to comic stores were both down substantially vs. 2009 in April, with drops of 15% for periodical comics, 29% for graphic novels, and an over-all decline of 19%.
March was the only positive month in the last year for graphic novel sales, which have had a hard time reaching the Watchmen-fueled levels of the second half of 2008 and the first three months of 2009. Kick-Ass was tops in graphic novel sales in April in comic stores, as it has been in bookstores.
It is interesting to note that although Iron Man 2 earned nearly three times as much during its opening weekend as the Kick-Ass movie has earned in three weeks, it is the Kick-Ass graphic novel that is making headway in the comic shops and bookstores. While Iron Man 2’s effect should be evident when Diamond’s May graphic novel sales are analyzed, it likely won’t be able to match the book-selling prowess of the lesser known Kick-Ass.
For an overview and analysis of the best-selling comics and graphic novels in April, see "'Brightest Day' Tops in April."
For our estimates of actual orders to Diamond
For our estimates of actual orders to Diamond
For our estimates of actual orders to Diamond
For our estimates of actual orders to Diamond
For an overview and analysis of the best-selling comics and graphic novels in March, see "'Blackest Night' Ends Up on Top." For an analysis of the dollar trends in March, see "Comic Sales Bounce Back in March."
For our index to our reports on the top comic and graphic novel preorders for January 2000 through April 2010, see "ICv2's Top 300 Comics and Top 300 GNs Index."
