Spoiler Alert for The Walking Dead #192!

Two mid-sized comics publishers, Image Comics and Dynamite Entertainment, reported positive sales events this week, a rare confluence of good news in a market for periodical comics that’s been choppy at best (see "Then the Yo-Yo Went Down Again").

Dynamite reported that it’s currently projecting orders over 60,000 for its upcoming 50th anniversary Vampirella #1, due out July 17 (see "Christopher Priest To Write New Anniversary Year Vampi Series").  That’s a record in the modern era, the publisher said in the announcement.  Dynamite hopes to keep the magic happening, announcing that Christopher Priest will remain on the book for at least a full year.

And the new issue of The Walking Dead (#192) is sold out and headed for a reprint, Image announced.  The reprint will carry a special cover more explicitly referencing the fate of Rick Grimes, which is the key event in the issue.  That news is drawing attention from mainstream media as well as comics press.  Ratings for the AMC series were down 37% from the previous season, but the show remains the most popular show on cable (see "’Walking Dead’ Ratings Plummet, But Still Strong").

OK, it’s only two things (and it takes three to make a trend), but we’ll take good news where we find it and applaud these successes.