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Diamond Announces Top Products for December 2013

(BALTIMORE, MD) — (January 10, 2014) —James Howlett has his first encounter with Mr. Sinister as Kieron Gillen and Adam Kubert reveal an untold chapter in the story of Wolverine in Marvel Comics' Origin II #1, the best-selling book to specialty retailers in December 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 December's top publisher, edging DC Entertainment 35.42% to 27.22% in Dollar Share and 36.56% to 31.13% in Unit Share. Marvel Comics had four of the month's top ten best-selling comics, while DC Entertainment took the other six spots.

Comics sales in December edged up over November, up 0.63% in dollars and 1.60% in units. On the year, comics sales were up 10.22% in dollars and 6.70% in units, and graphic novel sales climbed by 6.50% in dollars and 5.12% in units. Overall, print sales in 2013 were up 9.04% in dollars and 6.58% in units over 2012.

Snow White and Bigby face challenges — her cubs are lost and their marriage is threatened — in Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham's Fables Volume 19: Snow White from DC Entertainment's Vertigo imprint and December's best-selling graphic novel. Also notable, IDW Publishing's original graphic novel from Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: Slayground, ranked #3 for the month, and both volumes of Image Comics' Saga ranked in the top ten at #7 and #9.

BOOM! Studios collected the covers for their Adventure Time comics in the artbook, Adventure Time: Eye Candy, December's best-selling book in the comic book specialty market. Also in the top ten, continuing its year-long run, was Dark Horse Comics' Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, at #2.

As if taken from the fusilage of a B-17 bomber and given physical form, the DC Bombshells: Harley Quinn Statue from DC Collectibles was the best-selling toy product to specialty market retailers in December.

USAopoly's Risk: The Walking Dead Survival Edition, with custom rules for the zombie apocalypse, was December's best-selling games product.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER DOLLAR
SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 35.42%
DC COMICS 27.22%
IDW PUBLISHING 8.18%
IMAGE COMICS 7.32%
DARK HORSE COMICS 6.28%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 3.22%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.06%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.11%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 0.98%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.91%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 7.32%
 
PUBLISHER UNIT
SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 36.56%
DC COMICS 31.13%
IMAGE COMICS 8.07%
DARK HORSE COMICS 6.35%
IDW PUBLISHING 6.17%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 3.25%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.12%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.16%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC 0.91%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.81%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 3.45%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
DC ENTERTAINMENT 92 25 1 118
MARVEL COMICS 72 30 0 102
IDW PUBLISHING 55 33 0 88
DARK HORSE COMICS 50 12 0 62
IMAGE COMICS 47 12 0 59
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 34 6 0 40
BOOM! STUDIOS 28 4 0 32
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT 11 3 0 14
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT 8 4 0 12
EAGLEMOSS 0 0 5 5
OTHER 74 110 23 207

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
DECEMBER 2013 VS. NOVEMBER 2013
COMICS 0.63% 1.60%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -1.40% 3.67%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -0.03% 1.76%
DECEMBER 2013 VS. DECEMBER 2012
COMICS 1.09% -3.64%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 18.02% 20.38%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 5.93% -2.07%
YEAR 2013 VS. YEAR 2012
COMICS 10.22% 6.70%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 6.50% 5.12%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 9.04% 6.58%
FOURTH QUARTER 2013 VS. THIRD QUARTER 2013
COMICS -0.72% -2.39%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 5.79% 2.09%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 1.23% -2.06%
FOURTH QUARTER 2013 VS. FOURTH QUARTER 2012
COMICS 4.16% -0.97%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 7.80% 9.50%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 5.28% -0.22%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 ORIGIN II #1 $4.99 OCT130650 MAR
2 AVENGERS #24.NOW $4.99 OCT130656 MAR
3 BATMAN #26 $3.99 OCT130190 DC
4 FOREVER EVIL #4 $3.99 OCT130115 DC
5 SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #5 $3.99 SEP130208 DC
6 JUSTICE LEAGUE #25 $3.99 SEP130170 DC
7 HARLEY QUINN #1 $2.99 OCT130185 DC
8 JUSTICE LEAGUE #26 $3.99 OCT130121 DC
9 INHUMANITY #1 $3.99 OCT130637 MAR
10 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #23 $3.99 OCT130686 MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 FABLES VOLUME 19: SNOW WHITE TP (MR) $16.99 SEP130305 DC
2 ADVENTURE TIME VOLUME 2: PIXEL PRINCESSES GN $11.99 SEP131012 BOO
3 RICHARD STARK'S PARKER: SLAYGROUND HC $17.99 OCT130333 IDW
4 DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL TP $14.99 SEP130799 MAR
5 STAR LORD: WORLDS ON THE BRINK $7.99 OCT130698 MAR
6 NIGHTWING VOLUME 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY TP (N52) $16.99 SEP130273 DC
7 SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 AUG120491 IMA
8 DEADPOOL VOLUME 3: GOOD BAD AND UGLY TP $15.99 SEP130800 MAR
9 SAGA VOLUME 2 TP (MR) $14.99 APR130443 IMA
10 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $14.99 NOV128157 IMA

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 ADVENTURE TIME: EYE CANDY HC $24.99 OCT130976 BOO
2 LEGEND OF ZELDA: HYRULE HISTORIA HC $34.99 SEP120055 DAR
3 SHIRO AMANO: ARTWORK OF KINGDOM HEARTS TP $28.00 OCT131401 HAC
4 THE WALKING DEAD NOVEL DELUXE SLIPCASE HC (MR) $74.99 OCT110517 IMA
5 ART OF DEJAH THORIS & THE WORLDS OF MARS HC (MR) $39.99 OCT131107 DE
6 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 79 $14.95 OCT131500 SAN
7 ADVENTURE TIME ENCYCLOPEDIA HC $19.95 MAY131402 ABR
8 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 71 $14.95 OCT131499 SAN
9 VAMPIRE HUNTER D VOL. 20: SCENES FROM AN UNHOLY WAR SC (MR) $11.99 AUG130113 DAR
10 DC SUPER HEROES: BATMAN: KILLER CROC HUNTER TP $4.95 AUG131590 CAP

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: HARLEY QUINN STATUE JUN130317 DC
2 METROID OTHER M: SAMUS ARAN FIGMA JUN132073 GOO
3 METROID OTHER M: SAMUS ARUN "ZERO SUIT" PVC FIGURE JUN132074 GOO
4 DC: 1966 BATMAN 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES APR131758 MAT
5 DOCTOR WHO TITANS MINI-FIGURES SERIES 3 JUL131973 TTN
6 BACK TO THE FUTURE: TIME MACHINE CAR JUN098008 DST
7 BATMAN RETRO 8-INCH SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES MAY131800 FIG
8 MARVEL SELECT: DEADPOOL AF MAR101468 DST
9 THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON 10-INCH DELUXE ACTION FIGURE MAY138183 TMP
10 TERMIANTOR 2: T-800 "BATTLE DAMAGE" HD MASTERPIECE FIGURE FEB131721 ENT

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 RISK: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128267 USA
2 MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128266 USA
3 LEGEND OF ZELDA: COLLECTORS EDITION STRATEGY GUIDE BOX SET OCT132392 PRI
4 MARVEL HEROCLIX: INVINCIBLE IRON MAN BOOSTER BRICK SEP132436 NEC
5 GAME OF THRONES: WESTEROS 4D CITYSCAPE PUZZLE AUG132098 4D
6 YU-GI-OH! TCG 2013 COLLECTIBLE TIN WAVE 2 JUN138132 KON
7 MY LITTLE PONY: CCG PREMIERE EDITION BOOSTER PACKS JUL138268 ENT
8 DOCTOR WHO: ALIEN ATTAX TCG BOOSTER PACKS OCT132410 UND
9 YU-GI-OH! TCG: YUGI AND KAIBA RELOADED STARTER DECKS AUG138460 KON
10 ELDRITCH HORROR BOARD GAME OCT132380 FAN
Dollar Market Shares for December 2013
Dollar Market Share – December 2013
Unit Market Shares for December 2013
Unit Market Share – December 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 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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