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Diamond Announces Top Products for February 2014

(BALTIMORE, MD) — (March 14, 2014) — Batman and his new partner Bluebird discover that Catwoman, Gotham City's new crime lord, holds a prisoner who could save Gotham City in Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Dustin Nguyen's Batman #28, a flash-forward to the upcoming DC Comics weekly comic Batman Forever and February 2014's best-selling comic book to specialty retailers, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was February's top publisher, with a 34.10% Dollar Share and 37.36% Unit Share, compared to 28.73% and 31.12% respectively for runner-up DC Entertainment. Marvel Comics had five of the month's top ten best-selling comics, led by Paul Cornell and Ryan Stegman's Wolverine #1 at #3, while DC Entertainment had three titles and Image Comics two, led by The Walking Dead #121 at #8.

Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's Locke & Key series for IDW Publishing came to a close with February's Locke & Key Volume 6: Alpha & Omega, the collected edition of the series' final two storylines and the best-selling graphic novel for the month. Image Comics had four of the month's top-ten graphic novels, including Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Fatale Volume 4 at #2.

Sanctum Publishing's The Shadow Double Novel Volume 81, a collection of classic pulp-era stories of The Shadow, was February's best-selling book in the comic book specialty market. Dark Horse Comics had three books in the top ten, led by the Alabaster novel Pale at #3, along with perennial best-sellers The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia and The Hellboy Companion.

Ant Lucia's 1940's pin-up redesign of Batgirl inspired DC Collectibles' DC Comics Bombshells: Batgirl Statue, February's best-selling toy product.

The 31st-century heroes of the Legion of Super-Heroes starred in WizKids/NECA's DC HeroClix: Legion of Super-Heroes Boosters, an expansion for the fan-favorite miniatures game and the best-selling game product in February.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 34.10%
DC COMICS 28.73%
IMAGE COMICS 7.85%
DARK HORSE COMICS 6.61%
IDW PUBLISHING 6.01%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 3.51%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.05%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.28%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 1.05%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.02%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 7.78%
 
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 37.36%
DC COMICS 31.12%
IMAGE COMICS 8.88%
DARK HORSE COMICS 5.59%
IDW PUBLISHING 5.00%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 3.40%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.94%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.08%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.99%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.95%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 3.70%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
DC COMICS 85 26 0 111
MARVEL COMICS 69 32 0 101
IMAGE COMICS 48 11 0 59
DARK HORSE COMICS 39 19 0 58
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 50 8 0 58
IDW PUBLISHING 40 17 0 57
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 24 6 0 30
AVATAR PRESS INC 10 1 1 12
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 9 2 0 11
EAGLEMOSS 0 0 4 4
OTHER 69 102 20 191

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
FEBRUARY 2014 VS. JANUARY 2013
COMICS -5.48% -4.47%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -4.48% 5.98%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -5.17% -3.65%
FEBRUARY 2014 VS. FEBRUARY 2013
COMICS -10.39% -14.77%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 2.83% 14.99%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -6.71% -12.83%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2014 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2013
COMICS -5.53% -11.18%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -6.69% 3.16%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -5.89% -10.15%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN #28 $3.99 DEC130250 DC
2 FOREVER EVIL #5 $3.99 NOV130118 DC
3 WOLVERINE #1 $3.99 DEC130609 MAR
4 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #27.NOW $3.99 DEC130648 MAR
5 JUSTICE LEAGUE #28 $3.99 DEC130202 DC
6 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #28 $3.99 DEC130653 MAR
7 FANTASTIC FOUR #1 $3.99 DEC130616 MAR
8 THE WALKING DEAD #121 (MR) $2.99 DEC130604 IMA
9 THE WALKING DEAD #122 (MR) $2.99 DEC130605 IMA
10 ALL NEW X-MEN #23 $3.99 DEC130692 MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 LOCKE & KEY VOLUME 6: ALPHA & OMEGA HC $29.99 NOV130333 IDW
2 FATALE VOLUME 4: PRAY FOR RAIN TP (MR) $14.99 OCT130469 IMA
3 ADVENTURE TIME VOLUME 4 TP $14.99 DEC130995 BOO
4 INVINCIBLE VOLUME 19: THE WAR AT HOME TP $16.99 DEC130496 IMA
5 SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 AUG120491 IMA
6 STAR-LORD: ANNIHILATION CONQUEST $7.99 DEC130736 MAR
7 INFINITY HC $75.00 NOV130707 MAR
8 MY LITTLE PONY TALES VOLUME 2 TP $17.99 DEC130439 IDW
9 REVIVAL VOLUME 3: A FARAWAY PLACE TP (MR) $14.99 DEC130527 IMA
10 THE FLASH VOLUME 2: ROGUES REVOLUTION TP (N52) $16.99 NOV130229 DC

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 81 SC $14.95 DEC131431 SAN
2 MODERN MASTERS VOLUME 29: CLIFF CHIANG SC $15.95 OCT131328 TWO
3 ALABASTER NOVEL: PALE SC $14.99 OCT130051 DAR
4 DISNEY'S THE MUPPETS CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA HC $16.99 DEC131414 DK
5 THE AVENGER DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 12 SC $14.95 SEP131507 SAN
6 MAD GREATEST ARTISTS: DAVE BERG HC $30.00 AUG131587 RUN
7 LEGEND OF HEROES VOLUME 1: CHARACTERS SC $49.99 AUG131472 UDO
8 LEGEND OF HEROES VOLUME 2: ILLUSTRATIONS SC $49.99 AUG131473 UDO
9 LEGEND OF ZELDA: HYRULE HISTORIA HC $34.99 SEP120055 DAR
10 HELLBOY COMPANION TP $14.95 JAN080088 DAR

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: BATGIRL STATUE AUG130363 DC
2 DCV PLAY ARTS KAI: BATMAN "RED COSTUME" FIGURE JUL138004 SQU
3 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SERIES 2: DEATHSTROKE FIGURE OCT130305 DC
4 MARVEL SELECT: CLASSIC HAWKEYE FIGURE OCT131851 DST
5 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SERIES 2: KILLER CROC DELUXE FIGURE SEP138282 DC
6 THOR: SMASHING HAMMER STATUE JUL131928 BOW
7 ASTONISHING WOLVERINE STATUE AUG132131 BOW
8 BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS SERIES 2: FIREFLY FIGURE OCT130302 DC
9 BATMAN ARKHAM CITY PLAY ARTS KAI: THE JOKER FIGURE SEP132057 SQU
10 DC COMICS ICONS: BATMAN 1/6-SCALE STATUE SEP130318 DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC HEROCLIX: LEGION OF SUPERHEROES BOOSTER BRICK OCT132418 NEC
2 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: BORN OF THE GODS BOOSTERS DEC132337 ALL
3 MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128266 USA
4 DC HEROCLIX: LEGION OF SUPERHEROES FOIL PACKS OCT132417 NEC
5 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: BORN OF THE GODS FAT PACK DEC132339 ALL
6 ADVENTURE TIME CARD WARS GAME JUL132296 CRY
7 DOCTOR WHO: TUMBLING TARDIS TOWER NOV132054 UND
8 YU-GI-OH! TCG: STRUCTURE DECK CYBER DRAGON REVOLUTION DEC132321 KON
9 RISK: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128267 USA
10 MY LITTLE PONY MONOPOLY MAY132328 USA
Dollar Market Shares for February 2014

Dollar Market Share – February 2014

Unit Market Shares for February 2014

Unit Market Share– February 2014

How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located inNorth Americaand around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollar market shares are calculated based upon orders for comic books, graphic novels, and magazines invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

Please note that comics marked with an asterisk have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.

The count of new titles shipped includes all titles that were invoiced by Diamond to retailers for the first time during the month and is not the official solicited title count for the month. Variant edition comic books and graphic novels at the same price point count as a single SKU. Variant edition comic books, lenticular covers, digital combo packs, and graphic novels at different price points count as separate SKUs for each edition.

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