Michael Pandolfo of Dr. Comics and Mr. Games in Oakland, California reacted to some recent coverage of manga sales (see 'New Dark Horse Digital Manga Line Boffo'), and wants ICv2 to focus more on direct market sales of comics:

I know that this was a long time in coming, but I cannot keep silent any longer.  As a regular reader of ICv2.com, I am getting a strong sense that comic sales in bookstores are being reported disproportionately to sales in direct market comic shops.  For example, a recent article on new Dark Horse manga titles reports that although these comics have been selling well in comic shops, 'the major action is at the bookstore market, where sales are over three times higher than in comic stores.'  Additional articles have reported on sales in major bookstores and given less attention to direct market comic shops.

Although I can't argue with the fact that these sales are occurring, and I certainly have no desire to prevent you or any publisher from reporting legitimate news or pursuing the sales that book stores can generate, I encourage you to keep the direct market shops in your radar as you report on comic sales.  This is because the numbers alone don't tell the whole story.

If you look at sales of graphic novels at the chain bookshops, the overall numbers may be impressive.  But if you compare sales at a single chain store with sales at a dedicated comics shop, the chains don't come out looking so good.  For example, during the time that you reported Walden selling 600 copies of Hellsing, we sold 10 copies at my store.  With about 500 stores at Walden, that averages out to only about 1.2 copies per store for them.

It's important to keep in mind that we at comic shops have trained sales staffs who intimately know and love the books and can answer customer questions with the knowledge and passion of the comic connoisseur.  We stock entire lines of comics, including back issues and even out of print items that are rarely carried in the major book markets.  In essence, we nurture a love and understanding of the art and craft of comics that often leads to sales in the major bookstores.  Our role in the industry is often as champions and educators, and our customers are frequently the opinion leaders who lead their friends to make those bookstore purchases.

So as you continue to tell the story of our industry, we hope you will look beyond the numbers alone to tell the entire tale.