Superior Foes of Spider-Man, New Warriors Cancelled

As another month brings with it a new batch of solicitations, it also brings with it some sad news. This November, two Marvel titles which have been struggling for some time will be laid to rest. Those titles are Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber's Superior Foes of Spider-Man, and Chris Yost and Marcus To's New Warriors. While it isn't as if the news was unexpected - the two books have been lingering at the bottom of sales charts for a few months now - it is a great shame.

While I admit I hadn't been reading Yost's New Warriors, it is a title that I was interested in jumping onto at some point. Additionally, it was one of the books due to be featured in our upcoming, "Marvel NOW!: What Could Be Cancelled Next?" article, and so I can't help but feel partly responsible for not finishing the article sooner.

Check out our article, DC Comics' The New 52: What Could Be Cancelled Next?

However, the loss that stings the most is without a doubt Spencer and Lieber's Superior Foes. This was a book that I'd been reading since issue one, and had been consistently impressed by - it told a story that was equal parts exciting and hilarious and will go down in Marvel history as one of the publisher's most under-rated books.

How do you feel about this news? Were you reading either of these titles? Let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook page or by tweeting us!

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Comic Book Sales: June 2014

Welcome to TEN's coverage of comic-book sales. Every month - starting with this one - TEN will post one lengthy editorial on the month's comic sales figures - followed by smaller, more bitesized analysis straight after. This week's editorial is on cracking the reason why All-New Marvel Now! titles aren't selling. Also, just below the editorial you'll find coverage on DC, the independent publishers, and this month's top ten. Thanks for reading.

All-New Marvel Now: Why it isn't Working

The latest comic book sales figures have been released, and it paints a rather dim picture for All-New Marvel Now. Marvel launched the initiative - a follow up to their original Marvel NOW! line - at the beginning of year, and since then they have seen title after title fall straight to the bottom of the sales charts just a few months after debuting. The new titles that fall foul to this unfortunate fate are numerous: New Warriors, All-New Ultimates, Secret Avengers, Elektra, All-New Invaders, All-New X-Factor and Captain Marvel are the titles suffering most, with other titles like X-Force, She-Hulk and Loki: Agent of Asgard on the brink of following the trend as well. The question is: Why is this happening?

Cast you're mind back to May 2012 and we see a similar trend that may help us answer that question. The New 52 had been launched nine months prior and had succeeded in putting DC Comics back on the map in terms of comic-book sales. With the exception of smaller titles like Men of War, Blackhawks, and OMAC - which had been expected to struggle, and definitely were - business was booming. However, when DC tried to replicate that success, eliminating some of the aforementioned slow-starters in favour of some new titles, they found it more difficult than it had been the first time. Of the six new titles that started that May, three failed miserably (G.I Combat anyone?), and the other three were only moderate successes not capturing the kind of sales numbers that DC must have hoped for considering their strong start.

Things got worse, and by the following year almost every new title DC launched was hitting the bottom of the sales chart just a few months into its run: Vibe, Katana, Green Team, The Movement, The Phantom Stranger, and even Pandora - the mysterious figure that was the centre of so much interest at the beginning of the New 52 - failed to carry a series of her own. As DC has now stopped releasing as many new titles, the haemorrhaging of their sales numbers has slowed somewhat (although a look at the sales of Aquaman and the Others suggests they are still struggling to launch new books).

Nonetheless, it seems that it's mainly now Marvel who is suffering from Wave 2-failure syndrome, as a large amount of All-New Marvel Now titles struggle to find even the smallest of audiences. With books like Ultimate FF and Iron Patriot already cancelled after just five and six issues respectively, and the titles listed at the beginning of this article seemingly not far behind, what could possibly be causing this?

1. Marvel's Prices and Shipping

"Things that DC do better than Marvel" hasn't been a hugely popular list in recent years, however one thing that I always like to credit DC on is their continual support of the $2.99 price point. The publisher still places many of its top-selling titles such as Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Batgirl and The Flash at the competitive price of just $2.99, while Marvel have been aggressively bumping titles up to a price of $3.99 and recently a ludicrous $4.99 in recent months. If you're reading this, you probably like comics, but I think we can all agree that $5 is too much to pay for a comic that has sometimes less than 30 pages of quality content (damn you, adverts!).

And as if this price point wasn't expensive enough already, Marvel have also started the unsavoury habit of double-shipping with many of their titles too. I find double-shipping frustrating personally as while a story may move along faster, the price of this added pacing is a far more expensive monthly pull-list. As a comic reader on a low salary, I have began making an effort to check which Marvel titles are double-shipped so that I may avoid them. If I'm the only one doing this I'd be extremely surprised. These are not good economic times for many people and the rising expense of comic-books is going to be harmful for the medium as a whole if not capped soon.

The immediate effect double-shipping and a higher price point has on new titles, is it makes people more cautious about trying them. Speaking personally, I have wanted to read Avengers World, All-New Ghost Rider, All-New X-Factor and Elektra since they launched but have had to steer clear due to the books either having a high price point, being double-shipped or both. Were just a couple of these titles released at $2.99 and at a manageable rate of one issue per month I would be reading a lot more of them, and this would also free up some cash to perhaps afford one double-shipped title too. Ultimately, that's the strategy I would recommend to Marvel. If they must double ship some titles at a high price point, then it should only be a couple of books. By making their entire line more expensive they're doing damage to themselves, as in these fragile times people simply can't afford an unlimited number of expensive comics.

Looks awesome but I can't afford it!

I think this is a big part of why there are so many struggling Marvel Now! titles at the moment, and a price drop for many of them would do a world of good.

2. Relaunches Produce Too Many Titles!

While DC's New 52 technique of cancelling frequently in "waves" could be seen as aggressive, recently Marvel's technique of fixing low-selling titles - a relaunch - has been seen as just plain annoying, especially when these books come back at a higher price (see All-New X-Factor and Daredevil among others). Recently it has been speculated that comic readers may be becoming apathetic towards relaunches with many of them seeming unnecessary and just a cheap way for Marvel to grab headlines. What the publisher needs to remember is that relaunches are a great opportunity for readers to jump on, but also a great opportunity for readers to jump off (see Secret Avengers). By relaunching so many titles, Marvel may end up reducing their audience - the opposite of what they're aiming for.

Also, by relaunching many titles that really don't need it Marvel end up taking coverage away from their brand new books that do need help finding readers. A book such as Mark Waid's Daredevil did not need to be relaunched - it has a strong fanbase and more critical acclaim than you can shake a stick at. But by bringing more attention to already established books such as this one, new series' like All-New Ghost Rider and Elektra lost opportunities for coverage. All-New Marvel NOW!'s release schedule has been chaotic for this reason with an abundance of relaunched titles trampling over a large amount of new titles with the winner being no one. Instead, we're left with all of the books being damaged in the mayhem.

I worry that many of these titles are now beyond hope, however if any of the struggling books mentioned in this editorial interest you, I implore you to pick them up now. Before it's too late.

____________________________________________________________

DC Comics

As I mentioned in the editorial above, there was a time shortly after the launch of the New 52 where DC really struggled with launching new books. However, to some extent it seems that difficult period may be finishing for the publisher. Don't get me wrong - DC still have struggling books, and you can read our article here on the DC books on "cancellation watch." Additionally, some of the books DC has recently debuted such as Justice League 3000 and Aquaman and the Others have not been any definition of a hit, with those books now selling just over 24,000 and 23,000 respectively. But, the disaster period of Summer 2013 where books such as Vibe, Katana, Green Team and more died on impact with store shelves seems to be over, with DC's current new books at least putting up more of a fight with their competition.

DC's biggest success continues to be Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman which takes the number one spot once again this week selling 130,000 copies. If you weren't already convinced that Gotham City is the most profitable area in the DC Universe, the publisher's second best-selling title was (surprisingly) Harley Quinn with 93,000 copies sold! This was a book that I expected to die shortly after release, as Larfleeze did before it, but I admit I was wrong on this one. Harley Quinn seems to be DC's big success story of 2014. It not only helps their line-up of female-led titles, but it also keeps the bat-presence high in the New 52, something DC will want to do in the run-up to Batman vs. Superman in 2016. Speaking of Superman, his ongoing series sits comfortably behind Quinn at number five with 89,000 copies sold, receiving a solid boost with the all-star team of Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr. now attached.

As for DC's recent endeavour into weekly series' with both Batman: Eternal and New 52: Future's End, it has been a moderate success for the publisher, however sales are continuing to drop. Who will be around to witness the end of these very costly titles? Only time will tell, but for the time-being the books look healthy, with Batman: Eternal the best-selling of the two pretty unsurprisingly. The damage for that title was bearable this month - in May, it's best-selling issue peaked at around 67,000 copies, while this month the best-selling issue of Eternal had sold around 62,000 copies. A drop of 5,000 isn't awful for a weekly book, and the drops should stop soon as it establishes a core readership of die-hard Bat-fans.

The less acclaimed Future's End however may struggle more, with last month's peak of 70,000 falling to a peak of just 48,000 this month. A drop of 22,000 copies in one month is going to be a problem for the weekly book if not stopped soon, and with less popular characters and less favourable reviews than Eternal, Future's End may be on low numbers by the end of its run.

Independents

June was a great month for Image Comics, with one title in the top ten and one just outside - and both of which written by Robert Kirkman, securing him as the most important writer at the publisher. The Walking Dead #128 was their best-selling book ranking at number nine with around 74,000 copies sold. Meanwhile, Kirkman's other title - his new book Outcast - was just outside the top ten at number eleven with 71,000 copies sold.

The Walking Dead continues to thrive! Will the craze ever end?

However, Image isn't just a publisher reliant on Kirkman. Another Image hit in June was Brian K Vaughan's Saga which continues to make waves in the industry selling a healthy 56,000 copies. Other stand-outs include the return of the Phonogram and Young Avengers partnership Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. Their Image Comics title, The Wicked and the Divine debuted in June and sold an impressive 41,000 copies. In this writer's opinion, if you haven't yet bought it, you definitely should as it's one of the most promising debuts of the year so far. Matt Fraction's Sex Criminals and Warren Ellis' Trees also perform well managing to stay in the Top 100.

As for the smaller publishers, Boom Studios biggest title was Big Trouble in Little China. The series - a spin-off from the 1986 movie of the same name - sold over 24,000 copies, a fantastic number for Boom who are yet to reach the heights of their fellow independent publisher Image. However, a movie deal over Boom properties with 20th Century Fox may change that one day soon.

Dark Horse's top two books are also licensed properties, suggesting these kinds of books may play an increasingly important role in the survival of smaller publishers. Dark Horse's top two books were their continuation of Joss Whedon's cult-hit TV show Firefly in Serenity: Leaves on the Wind and Brian Wood's Star Wars series, which continues to perform well - even if it's days have been numbered since the Disney buy-out of Lucasfilm.

Thanks for checking out this month's comic book sales! Be sure to let us know what comics you're reading on our Facebook page, on Twitter or in the comments below!

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DC's New 52: What Will Be Cancelled Next?

Comic books are a wonderful form of entertainment, but unfortunately they are also an increasingly competitive one. DC Comics have been criticised in the years since their New 52 relaunch for being particularly aggressive in cancelling books at the first sign of trouble, most recently cancelling six books: Batwing, All-Star Western, Birds of Prey, Trinity of Sin: Pandora, and Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger. While this large wave of cancellations no doubt gives DC's other struggling books a little more time, there's no doubt that there will be more casualties to come.

This article aims to raise awareness for low-selling books, because each cancelled book reduces the already not great income of a writer and an artist. They need the support of the fans, and so if there are any titles on this list you've been thinking of picking up, why not try them now!

1. Constantine by Ray Fawkes and Juan Ferreyra, $2.99

The cancellation of the long-running (and much-loved) Vertigo series, Hellblazer, was met with controversy from many fans. Therefore, it isn't wholly surprising that the New 52 relaunch is currently struggling - DC alienated their audience before the series even began. The book is currently selling around 17,000 copies per month making it the lowest-selling New 52 title that is yet to be cancelled.

If you want to prepare yourself for the upcoming Constantine TV show, or have an interest in the weirder, magical side of the DC Universe, this may be the perfect book for you. In their review of the latest issue, Comic Book Resources said, "Constantine" #15 is a concise, well-executed example of what modern mystical/horror comic books can be with the right creators in place." They continued to say that, "Now is as good a time as any for readers to check in and jump on John Constantine's bandwagon, especially when the stories are this enjoyably riveting." They went on to give the book a four star rating.

2. Swamp Thing by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz, $2.99

After Scott Snyder's departure from the title many feared what the future of one of DC's most acclaimed titles would be (despite Rotworld's disappointing conclusion). Thankfully, comic-book producing machine Charles Soule stepped in to try his hand at the cult-favourite character and the reaction from fans has been very warm indeed. However, while critical reaction has been great the series is struggling to find an audience with last month's sales figures placing it with just 18,000 copies sold.

Reviews of the latest issue were almost universally comprised of 8's and 9's from critics who adore this title. IGN's Jesse Schedeen said that Swamp Thing #32, "is just another excellent chapter in an excellent series," giving the issue a 9/10. Once again, Swamp Thing seems like the perfect book for those who are interested in the weirder side of the DC Universe.

3. Batwoman by Marc Andreyko and Jason Masters, $2.99

Batwoman was once one of The New 52's biggest bat-books, however after the high-profile departure of J.H. Williams III and Haden Blackman things started looking down for the series. Some stopped reading in protest of the decision to remove the pair that had been producing the series since it began, while some in response to DC's always-odd editorial decisions. Whichever reason it was, the result was plummeting sales figures for the title - currently around 18,000 copies per month.

However, by most accounts Batwoman is still a quality title in DC's catalogue. In its review of the most recent issue, Comic Vine praised the book saying, "if you've been wondering what's going on in Batwoman's life lately, this is a great time to check it out."

4. Catwoman by Ann Nocenti/Sholly Fisch and Patrick Olliffe, $2.99

Catwoman is a title that hit headlines at the dawn of the New 52 for its sexual content and nudity, however since that explosive beginning it has faded into the background somewhat. While the character of Catwoman remains an ever-present force in the DC Universe (joining a pre-Trinity War JLA), the series' sales figures continue to drop possibly due to the writing of Ann Nocenti.

While Nocenti gained fans for her Daredevil stories, her recent Catwoman arcs have recieved less than stellar reviews. However, Nocenti seems to be leaving the title soon - or at least sharing it - with writer Sholly Fisch. While Fisch's recent issue was not acclaimed, his upcoming "Future's End" issues promise to bring some interesting developments to the title and the character. If you're interested in this series, and want to try and save it, that might be the best place to jump-on.

5. Worlds' Finest by Paul Levitz and Yilidiray Cinar, $2.99

Worlds' Finest featuring the Earth-2 heroes Power Girl and Huntress has been a relatively low-profile title since its launch despite crossovers with other titles on more than one occasion. However, if you are a fan of books led by female characters - a much demanded feature in recent years - then this may be the book for you.
However, newcomers may be better off waiting until the Future's End entry of this book as well, as the current story arc is currently close to finishing.

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Comic Book Sales: June 2013

Normally, we post a written analysis of the month's comic sales figures. However, this month we decided to try something a little different and get them out in video form! In our new show, the Comic Sales Report, TEN editor David Craig talks the best-selling comics of last month as well as the worst! What Marvel NOW! titles may be cancelled soon? What New 52 titles may be cancelled soon? And most importantly what was the best-selling comic of last month: Superman Unchained or Batman/Superman?

Find out all that and more in the new show, and be sure to give us feedback! Did you prefer our written article or did you enjoy the new show? You can let us know in the comments, on our Facebook page or on Twitter.

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Comic Book Sales: May 2013

May was a slightly smaller month in comics, but it still had its hits and one of them was Brian Wood's brand new Marvel NOW! X-Men series. The title - which has become known as the "adjective-less" X-Men - was the highest selling comic of May, and it seems that the many delays the title suffered may have helped it more than people expected! The comic sold a very impressive 177,000 copies. In TEN's monthly Comic Sales report, we're going to be talking the hits and misses of last month, but first, here's the Top 10.

Top Sellers

Marvel: As I mentioned above, Marvel's top-selling comic of last month was Brian Wood's X-Men with Age of Ultron #7 and #8 rounding out their Top 3. Just missing out on a spot in the Top 10 was Kieron Gillen's Iron Man #9 which settled for No. 11 selling just over 78,000 copies.

DC: As you can see from the grid, Scott Snyder's Batman title continues to be DC's best-selling book with nearly 130,000 copies sold last month - and that number will surely go up next month when Snyder's next big story Zero Year begins. Justice League remains just behind Batman, however this may change soon with DC's Summer event Trinity War just around the corner.
Outside the Top 10, DC's Justice League of America #4 has a place at No. 12 (77,856 copies sold), with DC's last Top 20 title being Green Lantern #20 which is at No. 19 with 67,414 copies sold.

Meanwhile, over at DC's Vertigo imprint Scott Snyder launched his new mini-series The Wake. The book came in at a respectable No. 40, however I was expecting a higher entry considering just how big the writer is at the moment.

Image: It was yet another great month for Image as the publisher's The Walking Dead continues to sell very strongly. The Walking Dead #110 ranks at No. 13 with 76,455 copies sold. However, that wasn't all as J. Michael Straczynski's new book Ten Grand also launched last month as part of the publisher's relaunched Joe's Comics imprint. It made a very good debut ranking No. 24 with over 57,000 copies sold. However, Image's new series Bounce left something to be desired, with a somewhat lacklustre launch leaving it at No. 95 with 24,259 copies sold. Still, Image remains the only independent publisher whose sales numbers stack up quite equally against the big two (Marvel and DC).

Other Publishers: While none have quite the chart presence as Image, many other independent publishers had books in the Top 100. Dark Horse's Star Wars series - written by chart-topper Brian Wood - continues to do well charting at No. 41 with 44,310 copies sold.
Meanwhile, Boom Studio's new series Regular Show got off to a good start ranking No. 56 with 38,466 copies sold.
IDW managed to get two titles in the Top 100 last month with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #7 at No. 68 (32,188 copies sold), and their TMNT ongoing series at No. 78 with 27,759 copies sold.

Cancellation Watch!

Marvel have started cutting away at their lower selling titles recently with Dark Avengers, The Winter Soldier, Red She-Hulk, Gambit and the long-running titles X-Factor and Journey Into Mystery all being cancelled. The news also came recently that the first cancellation of one of Marvel's all-new Marvel NOW! titles is Morbius: The Living Vampire - hardly surprising seeming as the title was selling worse than all Marvel's other recent cancellations (apart from Journey Into Mystery). Last month saw #5 of the series, and some of its lowest numbers yet with just over 15,000 copies sold leaving it at No. 149. The series is ending in September with its ninth issue.

So what could be next for Marvel's itchy cancelling finger? Venom, Scarlet Spider, and Fearless Defenders would all be safe bets, as all three seem to be dropping in numbers fast. This could mean that Cullen Bunn will have a little more time on his hands as he is the writer of two of those titles. We'll keep you updated on all the cancellation rumours.

However, while Marvel may have a few struggling titles it has to be said that it is DC who is worse off. Almost all of the new titles the publisher has been launching are quickly turning into utter failures! This includes The Phantom Stranger (No. 135), JLA's Vibe (No. 150), and JLA's Katana (No. 152). However, it is Batwing that is still DC's lowest selling, not yet cancelled book by a long shot. The book's May sales were a measly 13,302 leaving it at No. 161. It seems then that Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray's creative shake-up did little to help this title and DC may soon have no option but to give up on it.

This month saw the launch of two new DC titles, The Movement and The Green Team, both of which struggle to leave a mark on the charts debuting at No. 74 and No. 77 respectively. I can't help but think that these two books share a similar future to the aforementioned Vibe, Katana, and Phantom Stranger...

If you liked this feature than be sure to like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter as we do it every month! Thanks for reading, and feel free to let us know in the comments below what you're reading at the moment!

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Comic-Book Sales: March 2013

March 2013 was a huge month for comics! From Age of Ultron and the Guardians of the Galaxy, to DC's new Constantine ongoing there was a lot for comic fans to get stuck into! So what sold big, and what got left behind? Find out here, as we take a look at last month's top titles as well as the struggling ones in our analysis of the March 2013 comic sales!

To start, here's the top ten comics of last month:

Marvel NOW! Continues...

Last month saw two more Marvel NOW! titles launched in Guardians of the Galaxy and Wolverine and, as you can see above, both of them did extremely well - however that's not exactly surprising. Wolverine has always been a bit of a cash cow for Marvel, who can be relied on to sell copies of his own books. Meanwhile, with the Guardians of the Galaxy movie fast approaching our screens, it's hardly surprising that people were going to give the comic a go - especially when Marvel's biggest writer, Brian Michael Bendis is at the helm.

The other big Marvel books this week were the first three issues in the Age of Ultron event comic. The book has been shipped at a blisteringly fast pace, presumably to get it out the door fast so that Marvel can go back to focusing on Thanos. Surprisingly, neither of the three issues made the No. 1 spot. Now, that's not to say that the event is doing badly - all three issues made the top 10 and sold over 100,000 copies - but normally the first issue of a Marvel event comic makes it to the top spot. Is this a sign that readers are finally giving in to event fatigue?

The really great news for Marvel is that they have got their hold back on the top 10. For a while, DC's New 52 had really been keeping the company at bay, however last month Marvel's books took not only the top spot, but also left only three spaces for DC.

Outside the top 10 this domination continued, with spaces 11-17 all taken up by Marvel books. Specifically, two Superior Spider-Man books - #6 and #6AU - Uncanny X-Men #3, Uncanny Avengers #5, Avengers #8, All-New X-Men #9, and Avengers #9.

So, those are your big-selling Marvel NOW! titles, now which ones aren't proving to be quite as popular? Well, first of all Winter Soldier continues to rank outside the Top 100 and so it's no surprise that the title has been cancelled! This week, Marvel released their July solicitations and Bucky Barnes' title was nowhere to be found. Marvel later confirmed the news. Any Winter Soldier fans can soon catch up with the character in the Secret Avengers as he joins the team soon.

The strange thing is, Winter Soldier isn't the company's worst-selling title by quite a lot. In fact, last month X-Factor, Morbius: The Living Vampire, and Gambit all sold worse than The Winter Soldier. However, it's worth noting that still all these titles sold over the 20K mark so they're probably still somewhat safe for the near future.

The titles that are really in the danger zone though, are Journey Into Mystery, Captain Marvel, Dark Avengers, and Red She-Hulk. All these titles are selling badly, however the only one I would worry about is Red She-Hulk which is the worst selling title by far. It sold little over 15,000 copies last month. When X-Treme X-Men hit these low numbers Marvel were quick to cancel it, and so I imagine the only thing keeping Red She-Hulk alive is the fact that Marvel want a variety of female-led titles.

DC: I'm Getting A Bad Vibe From Last Month's Sales

So, as I mentioned above, DC only got three titles in the Top 10 this month which is disappointing to say the least. Two of those titles, Batman and Justice League managed to sell over 100,000 copies though, which is still an achievement. However, I was surprised to see just how much the readership of Justice League of America fell over the course of a month. When the title debuted, it broke records selling over 300,000 copies, and while it isn't uncommon for a title's readership to drop with its second issue, for this title to have dropped under 100K already is worrying.

Outside the Top 10, DC's other big selling titles last month were Detective Comics at No. 18 with over 75,000 copies sold, with Green Lantern and Batman and Robin close behind at No. 19 and 20, both with sales of just over 69,000.

A title that sold surprising low last month was Green Arrow. When Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino came on board sales for the comic shot up, taking it from No. 100 to No. 58. However, this month despite the reaction to the new creative team being positive, the title plummets back down to No. 86. It's still doing better than it was pre-Lemire, but a surprising drop nonetheless.

DC's only new title this month was Constantine. The title is a relaunch of the Vertigo book Hellblazer which was controversially cancelled so it could be integrated into the New 52. The book makes a somewhat disappointing debut at No. 62 selling around 37,500 copies. Its a solid start for the title, but fairly underwhelming. The big question is will it be able to maintain these sales? So many New 52 titles start off strong and then lose readers fast.

Case in point, Vibe and Katana! Both of these books are only on their second issues, and are also both tied to the JLA and yet still they are flopping hard! Both books are now selling under 20,000 copies already which really isn't a good sign just two months into their lives.
But, they're nowhere near the worst selling New 52 books that are yet to be cancelled: Batwing, Demon Knights, Dial H and Stormwatch. These titles are all selling under 14,000 copies, with Batwing selling barely over 12,000. If you're reading any of these titles, I'd get ready to take them off your pull list because I don't think they will be around for much longer.

Image Comics: The Saga Continues

Image Comics has really been doing well recently. Brian K Vaughan's Saga has proven to be a great seller for them - not to mention critically acclaimed - the book makes the Top 50 every month and last month was no different where the book ranked No. 33 selling over 50,000 copies.

However, the big gun in Image's arsenal at the moment has to be The Walking Dead. As the TV show seems to do nothing but grow bigger and stronger, so does the comic book. Last month, The Walking Dead ranked No. 21 which is impressive for an independent title. Also, what this means is The Walking Dead is now outselling some of Marvel and DC's biggest books including New Avengers, Batman Incorporated and Action Comics.

Image also launched two more titles this month. Jonathan Hickman's East of West and Joe Casey's controversially titled Sex #1. Hickman's East of West managed a strong debut at No. 35 selling just under 50,000 copies. The much-anticipated book looks to be another winner for Image - that is if Hickman can actually maintain a regular release schedule.
Meanwhile, Sex #1 didn't make quite as much of an impact. It debuted at No. 98 with around 23,600 copies sold. Looks like the title of the book didn't help sales as much as the press coverage would suggest.

That's all the analysis we'll be doing on this month's comic sales, but please come back next month for more!

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Comic Book Sales: February 2013

Another month has passed in the world of comics meaning we have a fresh batch of comic sales to look over, and some estimated sales figures to go with them. In this article we'll be looking at how some of the new Marvel NOW! titles are faring (including Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy), as well as some of DC's latest New 52 titles (Vibe, Katana and more). We'll also be predicting which Marvel titles could be close to cancellation.

First, here's the top 10 books of last month:

Marvel NOW!: Last Month's New Titles & Marvel's Lowest Selling Books

Last month, as you can see above, the best-selling Marvel NOW! debuts were Uncanny X-Men #1 (which came in at No. 2 with over 175,000 copies sold), and Secret Avengers #1 (which was in at No. 10 with over 85,000 copies sold).

Outside the top 10, the next best selling Marvel NOW! first issue was Nova #1 which came in at No. 14 with nearly 81,000 copies sold. Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 followed closely behind at No. 15 with just over 80,000 copies - impressive for a team not many people knew much about just one year ago.
The Fearless Defenders #1 - Marvel's all-female super-team - was the lowest Marvel NOW! debut of last month, but still came in at a very respectable No. 30 with over 50,000 copies sold.

So, now onto some of Marvel's lower selling titles. These titles may not be on cancellation watch just yet, however if their sales don't pick up a bit soon, then they might not last much longer.
The first, and newest endangered title, is Morbius: The Living Vampire which after just two issues is failing to make an impact on the chart. Last month's second issue had almost 20,000 less readers than the first - coming in at No. 86 - and if the title keeps losing readers at that rate then it is doomed.

Next is the critically acclaimed Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick. Despite the good reviews the series has been getting, last month's #10 had just 18,000 readers. That's a relatively low number, and with Marvel recently cancelling Age of Apocalypse - a title that sold over 17,500 copies last month - it seems Captain Marvel could be close to the chopping block. Equally close are the final two endangered titles Dark Avengers (which sold just over 18,000 copies) and Red She-Hulk (which sold under 18,000 copies).

DC Comics - The New 52! What's Selling?

Last month, DC released a bunch of new titles in their New 52 line. As you have seen by now, Justice League of America unsurprisingly was the best selling title not just of the new books but also of the entire month - it sold over 300,000 copies which is huge for a comic book.
Unfortunately, it was the only #1 from DC to make a real impact on the chart. The next best-selling debut was Justice League of America's Vibe but that only managed to chart at No. 78 which is a hugely disappointing entry for a new title, particularly one tied with the massively popular JLA.
The same story goes for the next new title Katana which manages to enter at a weaker still No. 80. Both Vibe and Katana sold just over 27,000 copies.
This doesn't fill me with hope for these two series' going forward.

For more on DCs existing low selling titles click here for our article looking at the future of Batwing, Demon Knights and more!

There are two more DC Comics - The New 52 books I want to spotlight before we finish this article - One that had a new lease of life given to it last month, and one that is doing surprisingly poorly.

First, I'd like to give a hand to Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino for making the Green Arrow series relevant again. After a lot of bad issues the series was really starting to diminish in sales - Ann Nocenti's final issue sold less than 20,000 copies ranking No. 100 - last month though it jumped up to No. 57 with over 36,000 copies sold. Once again Jeff Lemire proves that he is one of DC's hottest talents.

On the flip-side, is The Phantom Stranger. This is a series that seems to have some ties to DC's upcoming event The Trinity War, however that doesn't seem to be helping its sales - ranking No. 112 last month with just over 18,000 copies sold. I feel like DC probably won't cancel it for a while purely because of its connection with the event, however once The Trinity War wraps up I feel this will be the first series to go.

That's all the sales for this month, be sure to come back next month for more!

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Diamond Sales Top 10 Comics: May 2012

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL TOP 10!

Once again, it was Marvel's big event that snatched the top spot last month. The series has had mixed reviews with both critics and fans, but despite this sales have been high.

No. 3 goes to another event, albeit one that wasn't quite as big. Batman #9 was DC's highest selling book of May and saw the end of the "Night of the Owls" story.

The rest of the top 10 goes to familiar faces, with the exception of Batman Incorporated #1 which began this month. It was one of 6 new titles that DC released as part of their New 52: Wave 2, it's unsurprising that Batman Inc. was the highest-selling Wave 2 book, but how well did the others do?

Batman Inc. is the best-selling title of Wave 2

Well, the second highest Wave 2 book was Earth-2 #1, just outside the top 10 at No. 11. Worlds' Finest #1 came in at No. 20, Dial H was at No. 48, with The Ravagers at No. 50. Meaning that G.I Combat was the loser of the new wave as it comes in at No. 83.

Top 10 Comics: May 2012


1. Avengers vs. X-Men #4
2. Avengers vs. X-Men #3
3. Batman #9
4. Justice League #9
5. Batman Annual #1
6. AVX VS #2
7. Batman Incorporated #1
8. Detective Comics #9
9. Action Comics #9
10. Green Lantern #9

The other thing that got comic fans talking last month was the re-emergence of Valiant Comics. They released one title last month, X-O Manowar #1 which came in at a respectable No. 43.

Valiant returns with X-O Manowar #1

Once again, Image Comics' highest selling book was The Walking Dead which came in at No. 28, meanwhile Dark Horse's highest selling book was Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #9 which came in at No. 94.

Meanwhile, IDW Publishing's best selling book was Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation which came in at No. 121.

That's all this month, come back next month for more comic book news. Don't forget to like us on Facebook  or follow us on Twitter because it makes me happy.

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Diamond Sales Top 10 Comics: April 2012

This month Marvel takes the top spot with Avengers vs. X-Men #2. Marvel's other 3 top 10 titles are AvX tie-ins, so it seems that even though the critics may not be in love with Marvel's big event, the comic buying public haven't had enough just yet. Wolverine and the X-Men #9 and New Avengers #24 (both AvX tie-ins) are just outside the top 10 at No. 11 and No. 12 respectively.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL TOP 10!

DC's highest title is Batman #8 at No. 2, it beats Justice League this week due to the "Night of the Owls" cross-over. DC's books that didn't quite make the top 10 included Superman #8, and The Flash #8 at No. 13 and 14 respectively.

Here's the top 10 best-selling comics of April:

1. Avengers vs. X-Men #2
2. Batman #8
3. Justice League #8
4. AvX VS #1
5. Green Lantern #8
6. Action Comics #8
7. Detective Comics #8
8. Batman: The Dark Knight #8
9. Uncanny X-Men #11
10. Avengers #25

Like Comics? Visit Comic Reviews Round-Up!

As for the smaller publishers, Dynamite Entertainment had one book in the top 100 - Shadow #1 - which came in at No. 31.
Image Comics' highest book this week was The Walking Dead #96 which came in at No. 47.
Dark Horse's biggest book of the month was Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #8 which made it to No. 74.
Boom! Studios' only book in the top 100 was Fanboys vs Zombies #1 which came in at #80.
Finally, IDW didn't make the top 100! But their highest selling book wasn't too far out - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9 had to settle for No. 102.

If you like comics be sure to come back soon for our feature on what New 52 titles could be next on the chopping block! Until then, visit Comic Reviews Round-Up, our brand new site!

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Diamond Sales Top 10 Comics: March 2012

March was a big month for comics. Marvel launched this year's event in Avengers vs. X-Men #0 and #1, the Justice League started a new story arc featuring Green Arrow and Shazam! And there were several new series' launched including Image's Saga, Marvel's Avengers Assemble, and Mark Millar's Supercrooks.

But what 10 books sold best? Has DC's "New 52" beaten Marvel's books again? Let's find out!

The JLA face their biggest challenge yet: A big Marvel event!

Diamond Sales Top 10:

1. Avengers vs. X-Men #1 (MARVEL)

2. Avengers vs. X-Men #0 (MARVEL)

3. Justice League #7 (DC)
4. Batman #7 (DC)
5. Avengers Assemble #1 (MARVEL)
6. Action Comics #7 (DC)
7. Green Lantern #7 (DC)
8. Detective Comics #7 (DC)
9. Batman: The Dark Knight #7 (DC)
10. Superman #7 (DC)

It is in fact Marvel who take the top 2 places this week, but with just 3 of their books in the top 10, it seems that overall DC is still the winner - taking the remaining 7 places of the top 10, with Justice League #7 being their best-selling book of the month.

The Top 100 Analysis:

Looking through the rest of the top 100, it seems other "New 52" books: The Flash, Aquaman, and Batman and Robin are also selling strongly, but just miss out on the top 10 - settling at No. 11, 12, and 13 respectively.

Aforementioned new series' Saga and Supercrooks settle at No. 40 and No. 51 respectively. Saga ends up being Image comics' biggest selling book of the month.
Meanwhile Dark Horse's biggest selling book is Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #7 which ends
up at No. 70.

IDW does less well with their biggest selling book, Magic the Gathering #3, at No. 91.
Other books at the lower end of the top 100, include Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm #3 at No. 100, and Batwing #7 at a surprisingly low No. 97. Now while it is an achievement by itself to even be in the top 100, it's still worrying for a bat-book to be this low down especially when the likes of Batman, Batman: TDK, Batman and Robin, Batwoman and Batgirl are all in the top 30, with Nightwing at No. 31.

Could Wave 3 of The New 52 see the end of Batwing??

That's all for this week, if you liked this article please let us know in the comments section, if you didn't then please tell us why! We're constantly trying to improve our service at The Entertainment Network so any criticism will be taken on board!

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