Diamond Announces Top Products for October 2009
DC Comics Conquered October's Sales Chart With the Black Lanterns and Their Universal Depredations With Blackest Night #4
The Black Lanterns continued their march across the universe and their leader arose in Blackest Night #4, the latest issue of Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' cosmic crossover event for DC Comics, giving the New York City-based publisher the bestselling comic book title for October 2009, based upon total unit sales to comic book specialty shops, according to Diamond Comic Distributors.
Marvel Comics took the top publisher spot in October, leading in both the Unit Market and Dollar Shares categories, with a 40.12% Unit Market Share and a 36.50% Dollar Share for the month.
The post-apocalyptic adventures of Wolverine from writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven provided Marvel Comics with the bestselling graphic novel for October with the Wolverine: Old Man Logan hardcover, collecting the best-selling storyline from Wolverine #66-#72 and the Wolverine Giant-Size: Old Man Logan special.
DC Direct had the bestselling Toy product in October with the Blackest Night Series 1 Action Figures, featuring characters from the best-selling comic book event such as the Blue Lantern Saint Walker and the Black Lantern Earth-2 Superman. Wizard of the Coast's Magic: The Gathering TCG: Zendikar Booster Packs, the latest expansion for their popular trading card game, was the bestselling Game product to comic book specialty shops for the second month in a row.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
| PUBLISHER | UNIT SHARE | DOLLAR SHARE |
|---|---|---|
| MARVEL COMICS | 40.12% | 36.50% |
| DC COMICS | 37.69% | 33.82% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 4.14% | 4.90% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 3.93% | 3.73% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 3.15% | 4.22% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.72% | 1.77% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 1.44% | 1.48% |
| AVATAR PRESS | 0.92% | 1.31% |
| ARCHIE COMICS | 0.90% | 0.58% |
| VIZ MEDIA | 0.79% | 1.72% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 5.19% | 9.97% |
TOP 10 COMICS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLACKEST NIGHT #4 | $3.99 | AUG090086-M | DC |
| 2 | BATMAN AND ROBIN #5 | $2.99 | AUG090106-M | DC |
| 3 | GREEN LANTERN #47 | $2.99 | AUG090095-M | DC |
| 4 | BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #3 | $2.99 | AUG090091-M | DC |
| 5 | GREEN LANTERN CORPS #41 | $2.99 | AUG090097-M | DC |
| 6 | BLACKEST NIGHT: SUPERMAN #3 | $2.99 | AUG090089-M | DC |
| 7 | NEW AVENGERS #58 | $3.99 | AUG090495 | MAR |
| 8 | DARK AVENGERS #10 | $3.99 | AUG090460 | MAR |
| 9 | UNCANNY X-MEN #516 | $2.99 | AUG090513 | MAR |
| 10 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #608 | $2.99 | AUG090442-M | MAR |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN HC | $34.99 | AUG090551-M | MAR |
| 2 | JACK OF FABLES VOLUME 6: THE BIG BOOK OF WAR TP (MR) | $14.99 | JUL090281 | DC |
| 3 | NARUTO VOLUME 46 TP | $9.99 | JUL091111 | VIZ |
| 4 | FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS HC | $19.99 | JUN090206 | DC |
| 5 | NOIR VOLUME 1 TP | $12.95 | MAY090058 | DAR |
| 6 | B.P.R.D. VOLUME 11: THE BLACK GODDESS TP | $17.95 | JUL090019 | DAR |
| 7 | SCALPED VOLUME 5: HIGH LONESOME TP (MR) | $14.99 | JUL090293 | DC |
| 8 | DAREDEVIL: RETURN OF THE KING TP | $17.99 | AUG090574 | MAR |
| 9 | ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK PREMIERE HC | $24.99 | AUG090560 | MAR |
| 10 | SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS HC (MR) | $24.99 | JUN090267 | DC |
TOP 10 TOYS & STATUES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES | FEB090286 | DC |
| 2 | WONDER WOMAN 1/6-SCALE FIGURE | FEB090295 | DC |
| 3 | RED HULK STATUE | MAY091513 | BOW |
| 4 | HULKBUSTER IRON MAN STATUE | APR091428 | BOW |
| 5 | WORLD OF WARCRAFT ILLIDAN DELUXE ACTION FIGURE | MAR090279 | DC |
| 6 | BATMAN FAMILY MULTI-PART STATUE PART 1 | MAR090251 | DC |
| 7 | STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN PHASER | AUG084934 | DST |
| 8 | BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE STATUE -- ED MCGUINNESS | APR090306 | DC |
| 9 | JLA: IDENTITY CRISIS CLASSICS SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES | MAR090257 | DC |
| 10 | AME-COMI BATGIRL VERSION 2 VINYL FIGURE | MAR090255 | DC |
TOP 10 GAMES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: ZENDIKAR BOOSTER PACKS | AUG091778 | WIZ |
| 2 | YU-GI-OH TCG: ANCIENT PROPHECY SPECIAL EDITION BOXES | AUG091719 | KON |
| 3 | TRANSPARENT POLY 7-PIECE DICE TUBES | JUL091700 | KOP |
| 4 | TRANSPARENT POLY 10-PIECE DICE TUBES | JUL091701 | KOP |
| 5 | STAR WARS CMG: GALAXY AT WAR BOOSTERS | AUG091781 | WIZ |
| 6 | WARHAMMER 40K: ROGUE TRADER RPG CORE RULEBOOK | JUL091691 | FAN |
| 7 | YU-GI-OH TCG: WARRIORS STRIKE STRUCTURE DECKS | AUG091720 | KON |
| 8 | MOUSE GUARD RPG HC | APR098450 | ARC |
| 9 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: ZENDIKAR INTRO DECKS | AUG091780 | WIZ |
| 10 | BAKUGAN BATTLE BRAWLERS TRAPS | MAY098136 | SPI |
This information may not be reprinted, reproduced or copied in any format without the express permission of Diamond Comic Distributors.
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 4,000+ accounts, comprised of comic book specialty shops and other merchant stores and buyers. The shops are primarily located in North America, with a percentage of sales also to international stores and buyers located throughout 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.
