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Diamond Announces Top Products for March 2014

(BALTIMORE, MD) — (April 4, 2014) — The second story arc of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's "Zero Year" reaches its climax in DC Entertainment's Batman #29, March 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 March's top publisher, with a 34.31% Dollar Share and 38.17% Unit Share, compared to 25.94% and 29.02% respectively for runner-up DC Entertainment. Image Comics had a strong March with a 11.38% dollar share and 11.04% unit share, and both Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing topped 5% in dollar share with 6.19% and 5.29% shares respectively.

Marvel Comics had five of the month's top ten best-selling comics, led by Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli's Superior Spider-Man #29 at #5, while DC Entertainment had four titles and Image Comics one with The Walking Dead #124 at #9.

The long-awaited war between the factions of survivors in the wake of the zombie apocalypse erupted in March's best-selling graphic novel,  Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead Volume 20: All Out War, Part 1 from Image Comics, one of their four titles in the top ten this month. Also of note in the top ten was Dark Horse Comics with Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 7: Rift Part 1 at #4 and BOOM! Studios' original Adventure Time graphic novel, Seeing Red, at #8.

Running Press' Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver Book Kit, a book and toy kit based on the BBC America series, was March's best-selling book in the comic book specialty market.

McFarlane Toys continued its line of figures based on AMC's The Walking Dead in March with The Walking Dead TV Series 5 Action Figures, the month's best-selling Toy product. DC Collectibles also had a strong March, with eight of the month's top ten best-selling products.

USAopoly's Monopoly: The Walking Dead Survival Edition returned to the top of the sales charts as March's best-selling Games product.

TOP PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 34.31%
DC COMICS 25.94%
IMAGE COMICS 11.38%
DARK HORSE COMICS 6.19%
IDW PUBLISHING 5.29%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.61%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.99%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.59%
AVATAR PRESS INC 1.14%
RANDOM HOUSE 1.04%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.53%
 
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 38.17%
DC COMICS 29.02%
IMAGE COMICS 11.04%
DARK HORSE COMICS 5.72%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.51%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.56%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.84%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 0.95%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.95%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.94%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 4.29%

TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
DC COMICS 84 28 1 113
MARVEL COMICS 75 34 0 109
IMAGE COMICS 54 13 0 67
IDW PUBLISHING 42 22 0 64
DARK HORSE COMICS 42 15 0 57
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 34 5 0 39
BOOM! STUDIOS 28 7 0 35
AVATAR PRESS 11 4 0 15
RANDOM HOUSE 0 15 0 15
EAGLEMOSS 0 0 12 12
OTHER 63 104 16 183

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
MARCH 2014 VS. FEBRUARY 2014
COMICS 4.11% 6.32%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 24.00% 25.00%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 10.22% 7.93%
MARCH 2014 VS. MARCH 2013
COMICS -9.47% -11.83%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 18.31% 22.85%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -1.48% -9.28%
FIRST QUARTER 2014 VS. FOURTH QUARTER 2013
COMICS -14.30% -13.77%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -11.59% -1.59%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -13.45% -12.82%
FIRST QUARTER 2014 VS. FIRST QUARTER 2013
COMICS -6.89% -11.40%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 1.39% 10.06%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -4.40% -9.85%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2014 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2013
COMICS -6.89% -11.40%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 1.39% 10.06%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -4.40% -9.85%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN #29 $4.99 JAN140290-M DC
2 SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #6 $3.99 OCT130160-M DC
3 FOREVER EVIL #6 $3.99 DEC130197-M DC
4 SANDMAN OVERTURE #2 (MR) $3.99 DEC130330-M DC
5 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #29 $3.99 JAN140720-M MAR
6 DAREDEVIL #1 $3.99 JAN140630-M MAR
7 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #30 $3.99 JAN140722 MAR
8 SILVER SURFER #1 $3.99 JAN140650-M MAR
9 THE WALKING DEAD #124 (MR) $2.99 JAN140624 IMA
10 UNCANNY X-MEN #19.NOW $3.99 JAN140665-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 20: ALL OUT WAR PART 1 TP (MR) $14.99 JAN140559 IMA
2 SAGA VOLUME 3 TP (MR) $14.99 JAN140556 IMA
3 NEMO: ROSES OF BERLIN HC (MR) $14.95 JAN141334 TOP
4 AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER VOL. 7: RIFT PART 1 TP $10.99 NOV130064 DAR
5 CHEW VOLUME 8: FAMILY RECIPES TP (MR) $12.99 JAN140548 IMA
6 JUSTICE LEAGUE: TRINITY WAR HC (N52) $29.99 NOV130226 DC
7 HARLEY QUINN: WELCOME TO METROPOLIS TP $19.99 DEC130313 DC
8 ADVENTURE TIME VOL. 3: SEEING RED OGN $11.99 JAN141027 BOO
9 MARVEL MASTERWORKS: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1 TP $24.99 NOV082434 MAR
10 STRAY BULLETS UBER ALLES EDITION TP (MR) $59.99 JAN140530 IMA

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DOCTOR WHO: 11TH DOCTOR SONIC SCREWDRIVER KIT $12.95 JAN141487 RUN
2 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S THE EMPIRE STRIKETH BACK HC $14.95 JAN141522 RAN
3 PAUL POPE'S MONSTERS & TITANS: BATTLING BOY ART ON TOUR SC $24.99 JAN140554 IMA
4 LEGEND OF ZELDA: HYRULE HISTORIA HC $34.99 SEP120055 DAR
5 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 82: SPY RING SC $14.95 JAN141518 SAN
6 HATSUNE MIKU GRAPHICS VOCALOID VOLUME 1 SC $34.99 AUG131474 UDO
7 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 73: LAND OF LONG JUJU SC $14.95 JAN141517 SAN
8 BATMAN SCIENCE: THE REAL WORLD SCIENCE BEHIND BATMAN'S GEAR SC $9.95 NOV131374 CAP
9 DRAGON'S DOGMA OFFICIAL DESIGN WORKS SC $44.99 AUG131471 UDO
10 ADVENTURE TIME: TOTALLY MATH POSTER COLLECTION SC $19.95 JAN141468 ABR

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD TV SERIES 5 ACTION FIGURES JUL138243 TMP
2 BATMAN HUSH: BATMAN & CATWOMAN KISS STATUE SEP130322 DC
3 ARROW: OLIVER QUEEN/DEATHSTROKE ACTION FIGURE 2-PACK NOV130293 DC
4 DC COMICS COVER GIRLS HUNTRESS STATUE OCT130308 DC
5 BATMAN ARKHAM CITY: TWO-FACE ACTION FIGURE NOV130290 DC
6 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY GARY FRANK OCT130310 DC
7 WONDER WOMAN ART OF WAR STATUE BY JIM LEE SEP130317 DC
8 SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL STATUE BY ROCAFORT OCT130309 DC
9 DC COMICS SUPER VILLAINS: OWLMAN ACTION FIGURE OCT130307 DC
10 DC COMICS SUPERGIRL "NEW 52" ARTFX+ STATUE SEP132026 KOT

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128266 USA
2 MARVEL HEROCLIX: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER DEC132341 NEC
3 DC HEROCLIX: LEGION OF SUPERHEROES BOOSTER BRICK OCT132418 NEC
4 RISK LEGACY JUN118204 HAS
5 MARVEL HEROCLIX: CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER STARTER SET DEC132343 NEC
6 DC HEROCLIX: LEGION OF DOOM FAST FORCES 6-PACK OCT132416 NEC
7 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: BORN OF THE GODS BOOSTER PACK DEC132337 WZK
8 RISK: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128267 USA
9 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: BORN OF THE GODS FAT PACK DEC132339 WZK
10 MAGIC THE GATHERING CCG: DUEL DECKS JACE VS. VRASKA JAN148058 WZK

 

Dollar Market Shares for March 2014

Dollar Market Share – March 2014

Unit Market Shares for March 2014

Unit Market Share– March 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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