For one, comic books are more accessible than ever before, partially because of the internet. Surprising new data shows comic readers are leaving. Comic book publishing in the us industry data, trends. This means that websites such as twitter and other social networking sites are instrumental to. Dec 15, 2017 welcome back everyone, lets go through the results of comicconnects december 2017 auction. Its pencils down as the comic book market is collapsing due to the coronavirus. Diamond is the exclusive distributor of new releases from all of the comics direct market s. Marvel returns to dominate november 2018 marketshare as.
In this post, ill list in ascending order from least to most important my top three choices for comics to watch in 2020. Accumulated wallet fatigue, coupled with the start of the festive spending and holiday period, may explain some of the bargains which were available. I mention this illness because it became the catalyst for me deciding that i would give my interpretation of the events that have transpired in the evolution of the direct market over the past 25 years. How to invest in comic books on the stock market money. Data on the distribution of comic store sales in the united states according to publisher revealed that marvel comics dollar. Statelevel information can identify areas with higher and lower industry market share than average. Yes, but only recenetly, also only looking at numbers wont tell the entire story. Marvel also topped the charts in terms of dollar share, earning 45. Still, diamond give the best look possible at the current state of the comic book industry. In france, comic books are serious business the new york times.
Marvel and dc are the two biggest comic book companies in the u. Mark craddock, manager of comic book world, in florence, ky. They then put the same fish back together in a way that did not please many fans. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Ranked first that year, perhaps unsurprisingly, was marvel. Jan 29, 2019 research by the market research company gfk, released to coincide with the festival, showed that turnover in the comic book industry in those two countries alone reached 510 million euros, or. Total comic book sales in 2017 were down 10% on 2016, but 2018 started to. Research by the market research company gfk, released to coincide with the festival, showed that turnover in the comic book industry in those two countries alone reached 510 million euros, or. Port washington, ny, october 6, 2017 according to npd bookscan data from global information provider the npd group, the comics and graphic novels category in the u. From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. Marvel a division of disney held onto the largest market share, according to.
Comics, previously purchased at newsstands or in dedicated comic book stores, can easily be bought and. Marvel and dc comics are suffering a decline in their dominance of the comics market. However, she is tired of the amount of floppies i have and she is starting to get deep into photo editing, marketing, and video editing. The big two publishers lost over 2% of the combined share in 20 compared to 2012, and almost 7% since 2008. My 2012 book comic con and the business of pop culture. Most comics sold by subscription or in comic book stores are titles from marvel comics and dc comics. Marvel comics returns to market dominance, selling almost one in every. Estimated overall north american market size, including estimates for newsstand comics and book channel tpb sales joint calculation by comichron and. Jan 27, 2020 data on the distribution of comic store sales in the united states according to publisher revealed that marvel comics dollar sales share in comic stores amounted to 37. Almost one in every two comics ordered in february 2020 was. Diamond comics to stop receiving shipments of new comics amid. The independent publishers the fortunes of larger comics companies never seem to fluctuate very much. Us comic and graphic novel share by category, ytd 92119. Apr 11, 2017 dc comics pulls ahead of marvel in marchs direct market sales.
Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up. Unfortunately, 2017 proved to be a fairly rough year for the comic book industry. Following diamond comic distributors announcing that it has stopped shipment on all comic books and with stores closing due to governmentmandated lockdowns and quarantines, a number of comic book industry professionals have taken to social media to let it be known they have been told to stop work immediately on. Diamond publishing has released the last batch of official sales figures from 2019. Marvel dominated 2019s comic book market hollywood reporter. Marvel, dc slug it out on the 2019 comics sales charts. Marvel and dc have regularly traded places at the top of the various charts since dc rebooted but neither has ever really taken a commanding lead. Bestselling comic books in north america 2019 bestselling comic books in.
It also had its fair share of comic book dealers who offered a glimpse of a market that remains red hot. This means that websites such as twitter and other social networking sites are instrumental to the success of an independent comic. Jan 10, 2020 yearend data shows marvel clobbering longtime rival dc in market share, but the real story of the 2019 comic market is more complicated. Market share archives diamond comic distributors, inc. Graphic novels are sold in the direct market and also to trade book stores. W i agree with the hive mentality among industry insiders that institutional sales to education and library markets as well as for the school book fairs market is the only part of the market for comic books that isnt shrinking but thats not due to consumer demand, but teachers desperate to get kids to read anything and a growing. Dc fall off in comic book sales after new 52 and marvel took over as the dominant seller for years. Overall sales from the comic book speciality market were up 3. Marvel comics also had six of the months top ten bestselling comic books. According to the source, marvel comics dollar sales share in comic stores amounted to 46. When dc comics did the reboot for the new 52, they basically gutted the dcu like a fish. As a service to comics fans, collectors, and retailers, diamond comic distributors provides archives of the publisher market shares by month, going back to. Ranked second that month was dc comics, with a dollar share of 24. Market report comic book speculation and investing.
Unless its a key issue most books dont have any real value. The market share reported by diamond includes all invoices sales for comics, trades and magazines while the breakdown of the top 300 comics only includes the top 300 comics. Image, idw, and dark horse comics also sell large quantities of their respective titles, but nowhere near these two comic giants. Market share data based on total sales for products invoiced in february 2020, with marvel comics leading in both retail dollars and units shipped. The history of the comic book boom and collapse on the 1990s and how todays comic book market is not the same. Yearend data shows marvel clobbering longtime rival dc in market share, but the real story of the 2019 comic market is more complicated. Thats according to the annual report prepared by icv2s milton griepp and comichrons john jackson miller. Jan 27, 2020 dc entertainments share in comic stores amounted to 29. Data on the distribution of comic store sales in the united states according to publisher revealed that marvel comics dollar sales share in comic stores amounted to 37.
Jan 11, 2020 diamonds official comic book sales prove the strength of both marvel and dc. In order to market your comic effectively, you must have more than an aggressive attitude you have to have an aggressive marketing strategy. Theres kind of a buying frenzy in vintage comic books, he says. What follows is pure speculation, albeit grounded on observations about the comic market throughout 2019. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Book stores industry price trends rise and fall in market prices are affectedd by supply, demand, and the cost of goodsservices sold. So, as 2019 gives way to 2020, and we prepare for another year of comic book buying, which comics will be the most sought after. According to the distributor, marvel entertainment was the top comics publisher of 2019 with a 40. Here are 10 reasons comic books are the best investment there is, super salesman vincent zurzolo tells al lewis. The graph shows the distribution of comic store sales in the united states in august 2019, sorted by publisher. The big two publishers lost over 2% of the combined share. Find industry analysis, statistics, trends, data and forecasts on comic book publishing in the us from ibisworld. Get up to speed on any industry with comprehensive intelligence that is easy to read.
Marvel comics is the topselling publisher of 2017 ign. Diamonds official comic book sales prove the strength of both marvel and dc. Marvel comics named 2018s top publisher but dc comics. Comics and graphic novels bounced back from 2017s sales slump to have their best year ever in 2018. How to invest in comic books on the stock market money badger. Marvel started experimenting with their stuff a lot, like hiring. This is a story that i have hesitated to tell because most of the heroes and villains of this story are still in the comics world today. My 2012 book comiccon and the business of pop culture. Marvel, dc slug it out on the 2019 comics sales charts forbes. While claiming the leading comics marketshare in the north american direct market of late, their lead over dc comics had been chipped away in recent months. The hidden history of comic book shops marketplace. Apr 05, 2011 in order to market your comic effectively, you must have more than an aggressive attitude you have to have an aggressive marketing strategy. The hidden history of comic book shops peter balononrosen nov 24, 2017 comic books for sale at the big apple comic book, art, and toy show july 6, 2001 in new york city.
Direct market comic book sales fell yeartoyear for the first time since. According to diamond, marvel dominated the market share for. Comics, previously purchased at newsstands or in dedicated comicbook stores, can easily be bought and. The comic book crash of the 90s and why comics are safe. Dc entertainments share in comic stores amounted to 29. Evolution of the direct market part i mile high comics. Jul 12, 2016 for one, comic books are more accessible than ever before, partially because of the internet. Direct market comic book sales fell yeartoyear for the first time since 2011, with 2017 finishing up about 10% off from 2016. As a service to comics fans, collectors, and retailers, diamond comic distributors provides archives of the publisher market shares by month, going back to 2009, and by year, going back to 2002. May 10, 2019 marvel also topped the charts in terms of dollar share, earning 45.
Nov 14, 2015 it also had its fair share of comic book dealers who offered a glimpse of a market that remains red hot. This multiday cc event marks the end of 2017s fourth quarter auction cycle, during which four houses held original comic art auctions. Diamond is the exclusive distributor of new releases from all of the comics direct markets. Publisher new items reorder items total items min price max price average price total units total dollars breakdown by units breakdown by dollars. We know it was a good year for comics, as reported by diamond comics distributors, the largest north american comics distributor, who announced that comic book periodical sales were up by 2. Dc comics pulls ahead of marvel in marchs direct market sales. Comic book realm use our database to track your comic. The december stats mean its now possible to cast a critical eye over the last year, and assess whats worked for the top comic book publishers. You can also connect with others in the comic industry to further and enhance everyones comic experience.
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