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Diamond Announces Top Products for April 2013

(BALTIMORE, MD) — (May 3, 2013) — A bank robbery committed by Bruce Wayne poses a mystery to Batman in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman #19 from DC Entertainment, the best-selling comic book to specialty retailers in April 2013, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was April's leading publisher with a 37.95% market share in retail dollars and a 41.78% market share in units. DC Entertainment was second with a 25.98% share in dollars and a 27.72% share in units. April’s comics sales declined slightly from March by 4.95%, while graphic novels sales increased by 10.32%

Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye from Image Comics returns to the top of the sales charts for the first time since January as the best-selling graphic novel for April.

Based on Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's new fighting game Injustice: Gods Among Us, DC Collectibles' new Injustice: Deathstroke Vs. Green Arrow Action Figure 2-Pack was the best-selling toy product to direct market retailers in April.

Featuring characters from Marvel Studios' new Iron Man 3 film, WizKids/NECA's Marvel HeroClix: Iron Man 3 Booster Packs were April's best-selling game product to direct market retailers.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 37.95%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 25.98%
IMAGE COMICS 9.04%
IDW PUBLISHING 7.54%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.35%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.98%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.92%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.04%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 0.94%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.80%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 7.46%
 
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 41.78%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 27.72%
IMAGE COMICS 9.87%
IDW PUBLISHING 5.59%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.09%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.60%
BOOM! STUDIOS 1.97%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.11%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.72%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 0.19%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 4.37%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
APRIL 2013 VS. MARCH 2013
COMICS -4.95% -5.73%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 10.32% 10.11%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -0.56% -4.56%
APRIL 2013 VS. APRIL 2012
COMICS 13.87% 11.71%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 14.83% 19.00%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 14.18% 12.29%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2013 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2012
COMICS 19.44% 16.85%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 15.85% 14.15%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 18.32% 16.64%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN #19 $3.99 FEB130151-M DC
2 THANOS RISING #1 $3.99 FEB130488-M MAR
3 JUPITER’S LEGACY #1 (MR) [*] $2.99 FEB130379-M IMA
4 AGE OF ULTRON #4 $3.99 FEB130474-M MAR
5 JUSTICE LEAGUE #19 $3.99 FEB130121-M DC
6 AGE OF ULTRON #5 $3.99 FEB130477-M MAR
7 AGE OF ULTRON #6 $3.99 FEB130480-M MAR
8 THE WALKING DEAD #109 (MR) $2.99 FEB130472-M IMA
9 BATMAN AND RED ROBIN #19 $2.99 FEB130150 DC
10 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #2 $3.99 FEB130512-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $14.99 NOV128157 IMA
2 THEMANHATTANPROJECTS VOLUME 2 TP $14.99 JAN130500 IMA
3 HAPPY TP (MR) $12.99 FEB130420 IMA
4 SAGA VOLUME 1 TP $9.99 AUG120491 IMA
5 PUNK ROCK JESUS TP (MR) $16.99 JAN130330 DC
6 BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 1: FACES OF DEATH TP (N52) $16.99 JAN130296 DC
7 BATMAN: DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 2: SCARE TACTICS HC (N52) $29.99 DEC120324 DC
8 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC $17.99 NOV070226 DC
9 SWAMP THING VOLUME 2: FAMILY TREE TP $14.99 JAN130301 DC
10 HAWKEYE VOL. 1: MY LIFE AS A WEAPON TP $16.99 DEC120744 MAR

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 INJUSTICE: DEATHSTROKE VS. GREEN ARROW 2-PACK JAN130347 DC
2 MAGNETO ACTION STATUE JUN121914 BOW
3 INJUSTICE: WONDER WOMAN VS. SOLOMON GRUNDY ACTION FIGURE 2-PACK JAN138219 DC
4 THE WALKING DEAD SERIES 3: BLOODY BLACK & WHITE ACTION FIGURE 3-PACK JAN130626 TMP
5 STAR TREK: KLINGON DISRUPTOR JUL121719 DST
6 METAL GEAR RISING REVENGEANCE PLAY ARTS KAI: RAIDEN ACTION FIGURE DEC121765 SQU
7 WE CAN BE HEROES: JUSTICE LEAGUE 7-PACK BOX SET AUG120308 DC
8 AARDMAN BATMAN & ROBIN CLASSIC FIGURE 2-PACK FEB130259 DC
9 STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION -- USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-D SHIP APR084696 DST
10 TOKIDOKI UNICORNO SERIES 2 MINI-FIGURES NOV121757 TOK

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 MARVEL HEROCLIX: IRON MAN 3 MOVIE BOOSTER PACKS JAN132018 NEC
2 MARVEL HEROCLIX: IRON MAN 3 MOVIE STARTER SET JAN132019 NEC
3 ADVENTURE TIME MONOPOLY FEB131928 USA
4 THE WALKING DEAD TV CARD GAME NOV122033 CRY
5 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: GATECRASH BOOSTERS DEC121918 WIZ
6 MARVEL HEROCLIX: IRON MAN 3 MOVIE MINI GAME JAN132021 NEC
7 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CLUE FEB131930 USA
8 WARHAMMER 40,000: RELIC BOARD GAME OCT121997 FAN
9 TICKET TO RIDE MAR043750 DAY
10 SMALL WORLD FEB095181 DAY

 

Dollar Market Shares for April 2013
Dollar Market Share – April 2013
Unit Market Shares for April 2013
Unit Market Share– April 2013

 

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 dollars sales are calculated based upon orders 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.

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ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture merchandise. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, servicing more than 4,000 specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.

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