Marvel Comics was the top publisher in comic stores in 2011, with over 37% of sales to the channel according to information released by Diamond Comic Distributors today. DC Comics, driven by three months at #1 last fall with the New 52, came in second with over 31% share, and Image Comics was third, with around a 5% share.
Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing, which were close in 2010, switched places in 2011, with IDW taking the #3 spot by a narrow .02% over Dark Horse at #4.
Dynamite Entertainment and BOOM! Studios rounded out the top seven positions, as they did last year.
Viz Media came in at #8 with around a 1% share, with Eaglemoss and Avatar Press rounding out the top ten publishers.
There were significant moves vs. 2010, with Marvel dropping two points of share and DC picking up five points.
The share of the comic store market held by the Big Two publishers grew by about three points in 2011, from 65.4% in 2010 to 68.7% in 2011.
Diamond also announced the top comics and graphic novels of 2011. DC had nine of the top ten titles, with Justice League, Action Comics, Batman, Green Lantern, and Detective Comics all charting. Three issues of Justice League made the top ten, including the first issue at the bestselling comic of the year.
Marvel’s only top ten title in 2011 was Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160, in which Peter Parker died in the Ultimate universe (see “'Ultimate Spider-Man' Death Issue Gets Advance Press”).
On the graphic novel front, Image was the big winner, with seven of the top ten releases in comic stores in 2011. Six of those were The Walking Dead volumes, which took the top two slots and four of the top five. Morning Glories was the seventh Image title in the top ten graphic novels, at #10.
Top Shelf Publishing’s LOEG III Century #2 (by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill) took the #3 spot. And two DC titles charted in the top ten: Fables Vol. 15 TP and Batman: Noel HC.
Marvel had no graphic novels in the top ten in 2011.
Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing, which were close in 2010, switched places in 2011, with IDW taking the #3 spot by a narrow .02% over Dark Horse at #4.
Dynamite Entertainment and BOOM! Studios rounded out the top seven positions, as they did last year.
Viz Media came in at #8 with around a 1% share, with Eaglemoss and Avatar Press rounding out the top ten publishers.
There were significant moves vs. 2010, with Marvel dropping two points of share and DC picking up five points.
The share of the comic store market held by the Big Two publishers grew by about three points in 2011, from 65.4% in 2010 to 68.7% in 2011.
Diamond also announced the top comics and graphic novels of 2011. DC had nine of the top ten titles, with Justice League, Action Comics, Batman, Green Lantern, and Detective Comics all charting. Three issues of Justice League made the top ten, including the first issue at the bestselling comic of the year.
Marvel’s only top ten title in 2011 was Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160, in which Peter Parker died in the Ultimate universe (see “'Ultimate Spider-Man' Death Issue Gets Advance Press”).
On the graphic novel front, Image was the big winner, with seven of the top ten releases in comic stores in 2011. Six of those were The Walking Dead volumes, which took the top two slots and four of the top five. Morning Glories was the seventh Image title in the top ten graphic novels, at #10.
Top Shelf Publishing’s LOEG III Century #2 (by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill) took the #3 spot. And two DC titles charted in the top ten: Fables Vol. 15 TP and Batman: Noel HC.
Marvel had no graphic novels in the top ten in 2011.
