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Diamond Announces Top Products for May 2016

(BALTIMORE, MD) — (June 10, 2016) — The original Wally West's return to the DC Universe ushers in a new era and a new mystery for the heroes of the DCU in Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver, and Phil Jimenez's DC Universe: Rebirth #1 from DC Entertainment, the best-selling comic book of May 2016 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was May's top publisher with a 39.64% dollar share and a 44.80% unit share. DC Entertainment was the month's number two publisher with a 26.45% dollar share and a 26.34% unit share. At number three was Image Comics with an 8.38% dollar share and a 7.95% unit share. IDW Publishing was fourth with a 5.70% dollar share and a 4.99% unit share, followed by Dark Horse Comics with a 3.25% dollar share and 2.31% units share.

Marvel Comics had seven of May's top ten best-selling titles, led by led by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel's Civil War II #0 at #2. Also in the top ten for Marvel were Becky Cloonan and Steve Dillon's The Punisher #1 at #3, Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 from Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz at #5, Jason Aaron and Leinil Francis Yu's Star Wars #19 at #6, Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca's Darth Vader #20 at #8, Ta-Nahesi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze's Black Panther #2 at #9, and Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli's Amazing Spider-Man #12 at #10. DC Entertainment had three titles among the top ten; in addition to DC Universe: Rebirth in the top spot, James Tynion IV and Riley Rossmo's Batman #52 ranked #4 and Justice League #50, the conclusion to Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok's "Darkseid War," ranked #7. Among the premier publishers, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead #154 was May's top Image Comics book at #13. IDW Publishing's top book for the month, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #58, ranked #120. Finally, Hellboy in Hell #9, the penultimate issue of Mike Mignola's final Hellboy story, was Dark Horse Comics' top book at #132.

Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's Batman: The Killing Joke Special Edition from DC Entertainment returned to the top of the sales charts as May's best-selling graphic novel. Also in the top ten from DC Entertainment, The Joker: Endgame ranked #7. Image Comics had four titles in the top ten, led by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's Descender Volume 2 at #2, followed by Black Science Volume 4: Godworld at #4, Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Skroce's We Stand on Guard at #5, and Chew Volume 11: Last Suppers at #6. Marvel Comics rounded out the top ten with four titles, led by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War at #3, followed by Star Wars: Kanan Volume 2 at #8, Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez's Spider-Gwen Volume 1: Greater Power, and Spider-Man/Deadpool: Don't Call It a Team-Up at #10.

Penguin's Doctor Who Official Annual 2015 was May's best-selling book. Image Comics had two titles among the top ten; The Walking Dead Adult Coloring Book ranked #2 for the month, and Frank Cho's artbook, Apes & Babes Book 1, ranked #5.

Square Enix's DC Comics Variant Play Arts Kai: Timeless Batman "Sparta" Figure, a redesign of the Dark Knight as an ancient Spartan warrior, was May's best-selling toy product. DC Entertainment had three products in the top ten -- the Batman Arkham Knight: Red Hood Figure at #2, the DC Comics Bombshells: Cheetah Statue at #6, and the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Superman Statue at #7. Diamond Select Toys' top product for the month, Marvel Minimates Series 66: Captain America: Civil War, ranked #21 for May.

Wizkids/NECA’s Marvel Heroclix: Uncanny X-Men Booster Brick was, for the second month in a row, the month's best-selling game product.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 39.64%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 26.45%
IMAGE COMICS 8.38%
IDW PUBLISHING 5.70%
DARK HORSE COMICS 3.25%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.51%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.66%
TITAN COMICS 1.39%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.09%
ONI PRESS INC. 0.98%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.95%
 
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 44.80%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 26.34%
IMAGE COMICS 7.95%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.99%
BOOM! STUDIOS 2.34%
DARK HORSE COMICS 2.31%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.51%
TITAN COMICS 1.48%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.25%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 1.02%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 6.00%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
MARVEL COMICS 102 34 0 136
DC ENTERTAINMENT 74 28 0 102
IDW PUBLISHING 50 23 0 73
IMAGE COMICS 43 22 0 65
DARK HORSE COMICS 20 24 0 44
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 24 12 0 36
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 19 6 0 25
TITAN COMICS 16 3 4 23
ONI PRESS INC. 10 3 0 13
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 10 2 0 12
OTHER NON-TOP 10 111 114 19 244

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
MAY 2016 VS. APRIL 2016
COMICS -6.54% -4.15%
GRAPHIC NOVELS -6.31% -11.10%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -6.46% -4.77%
MAY 2016 VS. MAY 2015
COMICS -14.34% -17.60%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 4.52% -3.39%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -9.05% -16.58%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2016 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2015
COMICS -9.23% -14.01%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 4.80% 3.46%
TOTAL COMICS/GN -5.11% -12.72%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1 $2.99 APR160273-M DC
2 CIVIL WAR II #0 $4.99 MAR168949-M MAR
3 THE PUNISHER #1 $3.99 MAR160728-M MAR
4 BATMAN #52 $3.99 MAR160223-M DC
5 CAPTAINAMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #1 $4.99 MAR160721-M MAR
6 STAR WARS #19 $3.99 MAR160891-M MAR
7 JUSTICE LEAGUE #50 $5.99 FEB160134-M DC
8 DARTH VADER #20 $4.99 MAR160897-M MAR
9 BLACK PANTHER #2 $3.99 MAR160829-M MAR
10 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #12 $3.99 MAR160781-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC $17.99 NOV070226 DC
2 DESCENDER VOLUME 2 TP (MR) $14.99 FEB160680-M IMA
3 CIVIL WAR TP $24.99 JAN072436 MAR
4 BLACK SCIENCE VOLUME 4: GODWORLD TP (MR) $14.99 FEB160656 IMA
5 WE STAND ON GUARD DELUXE HC (MR) $24.99 FEB160645 IMA
6 CHEW VOLUME 11: LAST SUPPERS TP (MR) $14.99 FEB160669 IMA
7 THE JOKER: ENDGAME TP $24.99 FEB160224 DC
8 STAR WARS: KANAN VOLUME 2: FIRST BLOOD TP $17.99 JAN160963 MAR
9 SPIDER-GWEN VOLUME 1: GREATER POWER TP $17.99 FEB160962 MAR
10 SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL: DON’T CALL IT A TEAM UP TP $34.99 FEB160956 MAR

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DOCTOR WHO OFFICIAL ANNUAL 2015 $12.99 JAN148356 PEN
2 THE WALKING DEAD ADULT COLORING BOOK (MR) $14.99 FEB160615 IMA
3 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161967 RAN
4 COURAGEOUS CAPTAINAMERICALITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161966 RAN
5 APES & BABES SC (MR) $19.99 MAR160659 IMA
6 SPIDER MAN: TRAPPED BY THE GREEN GOBLIN LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161974 RAN
7 SPIDER MAN: HIGH VOLTAGE LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161973 RAN
8 MIGHTY AVENGERS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161970 RAN
9 THE INCREDIBLE HULK LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161968 RAN
10 ANT-MAN LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK $4.99 MAR161965 RAN

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC COMICS VARIANT PLAY ARTS KAI: BATMAN TIMELESSSPARTAFIGURE AUG158823 SQU
2 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: RED HOOD FIGURE SEP150345 DC
3 POP! STAR WARS: RANCOR WITH LUKE & SLAVE OOLA FIGURE 3-PACK SEP158902 FUN
4 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS: CAPTAIN PHASMA ARTFX+ STATUE NOV152442 KOT
5 FFG DC COMICS COLLECTION: POISON IVY STATUE DEC158120 YAM
6 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: CHEETAH STATUE SEP150344 DC
7 BATMAN V SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE: SUPERMAN STATUE AUG150304 DC
8 FINDING DORY FEATURE FIGURES JUL158665 BAN
9 ALIEN: WARRIOR DRONE ALIEN ARTFX+ STATUE NOV152445 KOT
10 STAR TREK STARSHIPS SET #2: SHUTTLECRAFT JAN162289 EAG

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 MARVEL HEROCLIX: UNCANNY X-MEN BOOSTER BRICK MAR162746 NEC
2 MARVEL DICE MASTERS: CIVIL WAR MAR162740 NEC
3 MACHI KORO CARD GAME MAY142831 IDW
4 MARVEL HEROCLIX: UNCANNY X-MEN FAST FORCES 6-PACK MAR162748 NEC
5 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES DICE MASTERS BOX SET FEB162984 NEC
6 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES HEROCLIX JAN162805 NEC
7 MARVEL DICE MASTERS: CIVIL WAR STARTER MAR162744 NEC
8 3D GAME OF THRONES: KINGS LANDING PUZZLE JAN168015 4D
9 STAR WARS: EDGE OF THE EMPIRE RPG CORE RULEBOOK MAR132242 FAN
10 STAR WARS: ARMADA BOARD GAME DEC142545 FAN

 

Dollar Market Shares for May 2016

Dollar Market Share – May 2016

Unit Market Shares for May 2016

Unit Market Share – May 2016

 

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

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which includes the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from sales made to thousands of comic book specialty shops located inNorth Americaand around the world.  Additional sales made to online merchants and other specialty retailers may be included as well.

Unit and dollar market shares are calculated based upon orders for comic books, graphic novels, and magazines invoiced and shipped to Diamond customers during any given month, which comprises 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 New Titles Count Chart 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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