For the sixth consecutive month, sales of comics and graphic novels to comic stores declined compared to the previous year in numbers released by Diamond Comic Distributors.  Comic sales were down 11.28%, while graphic novel sales continued to underperform with a 17.18% decline vs. the previous year.  The combination pulled comics and graphic novel sales down 13.18% overall in April.

Year-to-date numbers are not as bad, with comics down 2.53% and graphic novels down 12.41% vs. the first four months of 2016.

Marvel had the #1 market share, but the spread between the Big Two narrowed vs. last month and was hugely reduced vs. a year ago, when Marvel led DC by 17 share points (Marvel led DC by about 4.5 share points in April 2017).

April 2017 Comic Channel Market Share

34.95%                 Marvel Comics
30.49%                 DC Entertainment
10.54%                 Image Comics
  4.46%                 Dark Horse Comics
  3.63%                 IDW Publishing
  2.27%                 BOOM! Studios
  1.44%                 Dynamite Entertainment
  1.30%                 Viz Media
  1.30%                 Titan Comics
  0.90%                 Archie Comics
  8.73%                 Other Non-Top 10

Marvel Comics is struggling to recover from negative reactions to current storylines and character changes, but it doesn’t appear to be coming soon enough for some.  The company took the highly unusual step this week of trying to reassure fans that Secret Empire would end well, as retailers and fans push back against Cap’s apparent lifetime alliance with Hydra (see "Marvel Addresses 'Secret Empire' Distress").

The interest in Secret Empire is there, according to Diamond’s Top 10, with the #0 issue the top book in April.  Three X-Men #1s and the Star Wars ongoing made up the rest of Marvel’s books in the Top 10, with DC’s lenticular covers its top books for the month.

Top 10 Comics – April 2017

1. Secret Empire #0
2. Batman #21 Lenticular Edition (The Button)
3. X-Men Gold #1
4. X-Men Blue #1
5. The Flash #21 Lenticular Edition (The Button)
6. Batman #20
7. Batman #21 (The Button)
8. Star Wars #30
9. Weapon X #1
10. The Walking Dead #166

Marvel had no books in the Top 10 graphic novels, a sign that the material it’s collecting isn’t what fans are buying in big numbers right now.  The latest Batman volume was the bestseller for the month, with two Saga releases from Image, and Hellboy and Avatar volumes from Dark Horse making up the four titles not from the Big Two in the Top 10 in April.

Top 10 Graphic Novels – April 2017

1. Batman Volume 2: I am Suicide TP
2. Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea HC
3. SAGA Volume 7 TP
4. Superman Vol. 2: Trials of the Super Son TP
5. All-Star Batman Vol 1: My Own Worst Enemy HC
6. SAGA Deluxe Edition Volume 2 HC
7. Batman Volume 10: Epilogue TP
8. Justice League Volume 2: Outbreak TP
9. Avatar The Last Airbender Vol 15 TP
10. Red Hood & The Outlaws Vol. 1: Dark Trinity TP

For our estimates of actual sales by Diamond U.S. from comic specialty stores on comic books shipped during April, see "Top 300 Comics Actual--April 2017."

For our estimates of actual sales by Diamond U.S. from comic specialty stores on graphic novels shipped during April, see "Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual--April 2017."

For our estimates of actual sales by Diamond U.S. from comic specialty stores on comic books shipped during March, see "Top 300 Comics Actual--March 2017."

For our estimates of actual sales by Diamond U.S. from comic specialty stores on graphic novels shipped during March, see "Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual--March 2017."