Despite a strong February, Q1 sales were down 4.39% vs. the previous year, with a 5.51% decline in comic sales and a 1.51% decline in graphic novel sales.
The market share spread between Marvel Comics and DC Comics was fairly typical (between 13 and 14%), and the rest of the market share chart shows a fairly typical ranking, except that BOOM! Studios ranked ahead of Dark Horse Comics, which has increasingly been focused on book releases that aren’t reflected on the comic share chart.
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Comic Store Market Share (Dollar & Unit Share) – March 2020 |
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Publisher |
Dollar Share |
Unit Share |
|
Marvel Comics |
40.98% |
46.76% |
|
DC Comics |
27.34% |
27.58% |
|
Image Comics |
6.40% |
6.17% |
|
IDW Publishing |
4.51% |
3.87% |
|
BOOM! Studios |
3.25% |
3.21% |
|
Dark Horse Comics |
2.97% |
1.94% |
|
Dynamite Entertainment |
2.38% |
2.05% |
|
VIZ Media |
1.61% |
0.59% |
|
Oni Press |
0.80% |
0.60% |
|
Valiant Entertainment |
0.67% |
0.75% |
|
Other Non-Top 10 |
9.11% |
6.47% |
Spider-Woman #1 was the top comic by units in March, one of seven Marvels in the top 10.
Top 10 Comics by Units Shipped – March 2020
1. Spider-Woman #1 (Marvel Comics)
2. The Flash #750 (DC Comics)
3. Thor #4 (Marvel Comics)
4. X-Men #8 (Marvel Comics)
5. Wolverine #2 (Marvel Comics)
6. Strange Academy #1 (Marvel Comics)
7. Batman #90 (DC Comics)
8. X-Men #9 (Marvel Comics)
9. The Immortal Hulk #33 (Marvel Comics)
10. Batman #91 (DC Comics)
Spider-Woman’s lead in units over Flash #750, the #2 book in March, must have been substantial because it was still #1 on the top comics by dollars chart, despite the $7.99 cover price on Flash #750. Marvel had seven out of the top ten by dollars as well as by units.
Top 10 Comics by Dollars Invoiced – March 2020
1. Spider-Woman #1 (Marvel Comics)
2. The Flash #750 (DC Comics)
3. Robin 80th-Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (DC Comics)
4. The Immortal Hulk #33 (Marvel Comics)
5. Strange Academy #1 (Marvel Comics)
6. Strange Adventures #1 (DC Comics)
7. X-Men #8 (Marvel Comics)
8. Wolverine #2 (Marvel Comics)
9. Hellions #1 (Marvel Comics)
10. X-Men #9 (Marvel Comics)
The graphic novel chart is where BOOM! Studios made hay, with the first collections of its two big 2019 hits, Once & Future and Something Is Killing the Children, in the #1 and #2 slots, respectively.
Top 10 Graphic Novels by Units Shipped – March 2020
1. Once & Future Vol. 1: The King Is Undead TP (BOOM! Studios)
2. Something Is Killing Children Vol. 1 TP (BOOM! Studios)
3. The Immortal Hulk Vol. 6 TP (Marvel Comics)
4. DC Super Hero Girls: Powerless TP (DC Comics)
5. History of the Marvel Universe Treasury Edition TP (Marvel Comics)
6. New Mutants by Hickman Vol. 1 TP (Marvel Comics)
7. King Thor TP (Marvel Comics)
8. The Oracle Code TP (DC Comics)
9. Star Wars Vol. 13: Rogues and Rebels TP (Marvel Comics)
10. Rick and Morty Vs. Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape TP (Oni Press)
There was a new high retail price at the top of the chart of the top graphic novels by dollars invoiced: $500 for the X-Men: Children of the Atom Box Set. The two BOOM! Studios volume ones were the two lowest-priced titles on the dollar chart.
Top 10 Graphic Novels by Dollars Invoiced – March 2020
1. X-Men: Children of Atom HC Box Set (Marvel Comics)
2. Uncanny X-Force by Remender Omnibus HC (Marvel Comics)
3. Wonder Woman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 4 HC (DC Comics)
4. History of the Marvel Universe Treasury Edition TP (Marvel Comics)
5. Batman: White Knight Deluxe Edition HC (DC Comics)
6. Once & Future Vol. 1: The King Is Undead TP (BOOM! Studios)
7. Marvel Masterworks: Dazzler Vol. 1 HC (Marvel Comics)
8. Power Pack Classic Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (Marvel Comics)
9. The Wicked & The Divine Vol. 4 HC (Image Comics)
10. Something Is Killing Children Vol. 1 TP (BOOM! Studios)
For our estimates of actual sales by Diamond U.S. from comic specialty stores on comic books shipped during March, see "Top 500 Comics Actual--March 2020."
For our estimates of actual sales by Diamond U.S. from comic specialty stores on graphic novels shipped during March, see "Top 500 Graphic Novels Actual--March 2020."
For links to all previous Top 500/300 Comic and Top 500/300 Graphic Novel articles, see "ICv2 Top 300 Comics and Top 300 GNs Index."