Diamond Announces Top Products for April 2016
(BALTIMORE, MD) — (May 13, 2016) — The leader of Wakanda takes his place at the front of the pack as MacArthur Fellowship author Ta-Nehisi Coates and artist Brian Stelfreeze reintroduce readers to T’Challa in Marvel Comics’ Black Panther #1, the best-selling comic book of April 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 April's top publisher with a 42.98% dollar share and a 47.87% unit share. DC Entertainment was the month's number two publisher with a 25.82% dollar share and a 25.13% unit share. April's number three publisher was Image Comics with an 8.72% dollar share and an 8.95% unit share. IDW Publishing was fourth with a 4.41% dollar share and a 3.67% unit share, followed by Dark Horse Comics with a 3.07% dollar share and 2.42% unit share.
Marvel Comics had seven of April's top ten best-selling titles, led by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze’s Black Panther #1 debuting at #1. Also in the top ten were the Star Wars series debuts Charles Soule, Phil Noto, and Chris Eliopoulous' Star Wars: Poe Dameron #1 at #2 and James Robinson and Tony Harris Star Wars Special C-3P0 #1 at #4. DC Entertainment had three titles in the top ten — Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, and Andy Kubert's Dark Knight III Master Race Book 4 at #3, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's final collaboration on the Dark Knight, Batman #51 at #5, and Rob Williams and Jim Lee's Harley Quinn & Suicide Squad April Fools Special #1 at #9. Among the premier publishers, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead #153 was Image Comics' top book for the month at #13, IDW Publishing’s Micronaunts #1 ranked #75, and Dark Horse Comics' Aliens: Defiance #1 ranked #132 for the month.
Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette provided a fresh look at Diana’s origin in Wonder Woman Earth One Volume: 1 from DC Entertainment, the best-selling graphic novel of April. DC Entertainment had two titles in the top ten with the release of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s Batman: The Killing Joke Special Edition at #9. Marvel Comics had four titles in the top ten – Star Wars: Vader Down at #2, Jim Starlin and Ron Lim’s Thanos: The Infinity Finale OGN at #5, Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Civil War at #6, and Deadpool: World’s Greatest Volume 1: A Millionaire with Mouth at #7. Image Comics had three titles in the top ten including Kurtis Wiebe and Tess Fowler’s Rat Queens Volume 3: Demons at #3, Skottie Young’s I Hate Fairyland Volume 1: Madly Ever After at #4, and Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott’s Black Magick Volume:1 Awakening at #8. Rounding out the top ten, Oni Press’ Rick & Morty: Volume 2 ranked #10.
Image Comics’ Spawn Adult Coloring Book was April’s best-selling book. Random House’s Star Wars Little Golden Book: The Force Awakens ranked #2 for the month.
DC Collectibles’ Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice: Batman Statue was April’s best-selling toy product. Also in the top ten was DC Collectible’s DC Comics Bombshells: The Joker & Harley Quinn Statue 2nd Edition at #5. Diamond Select Toys has five products in the top ten, led by the Ghostbusters Select Series 2 Action Figures at #2. Diamond Select Toys rounds out the top ten with Marvel Select: Deadpool Action Figure at #7, Marvel Select: Black Widow Action Figure at #8, Ghostbusters Select Series 1 Action Figures at #9, and Batman Premium Collection: Mad Love Harley Quinn Statue at #10.
Wizkids/NECA’s Marvel Heroclix: Uncanny X-Men Booster Brick was April’s best-selling game product.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
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NEW TITLES SHIPPED
| PUBLISHER | COMICS SHIPPED | GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED | MAGAZINES SHIPPED | TOTAL SHIPPED |
| MARVEL COMICS | 92 | 35 | 1 | 128 |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 80 | 31 | 1 | 112 |
| IMAGE COMICS | 56 | 17 | 1 | 73 |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 43 | 21 | 0 | 64 |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 27 | 19 | 0 | 46 |
| BOOM ENTERTAINMENT | 27 | 8 | 0 | 35 |
| TITAN COMICS | 22 | 3 | 1 | 26 |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 19 | 6 | 0 | 25 |
| VIZ MEDIA | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| ONI PRESS INC. | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 46 | 139 | 26 | 211 |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| APRIL 2016 VS. MARCH 2016 | ||
| COMICS | 8.18% | 8.19% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | -8.81% | -8.22% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 2.06% | 6.50% |
| APRIL 2016 VS. APRIL 2015 | ||
| COMICS | -18.05% | -22.28% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | -11.99% | -12.42% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -16.19% | -21.49% |
| YEAR-TO-DATE 2016 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 | ||
| COMICS | -7.84% | -13.05% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 4.87% | 5.23% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | -4.06% | -11.69% |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | BLACK PANTHER #1 | $4.99 | FEB160740-M | MAR |
| 2 | STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #1 | $4.99 | FEB160747-M | MAR |
| 3 | DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #4 | $5.99 | JAN160219-M | DC |
| 4 | STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3PO #1 | $4.99 | OCT150933 | MAR |
| 5 | BATMAN #51 | $3.99 | FEB160185-M | DC |
| 6 | GWENPOOL #1 | $4.99 | FEB160762-M | MAR |
| 7 | STAR WARS #18 | $3.99 | FEB160935-M | MAR |
| 8 | DARTH VADER #19 | $3.99 | FEB160938 | MAR |
| 9 | HARLEY QUINN & SUICIDE SQUAD APRIL FOOL'S SPECIAL #1 | $4.99 | FEB160121-M | DC |
| 10 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #10 | $3.99 | FEB160792-M | MAR |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE BOOK 1 HC | $22.99 | DEC150215 | DC |
| 2 | STAR WARS: VADER DOWN TP | $19.99 | JAN160962 | MAR |
| 3 | RAT QUEENS VOLUME 3: DEMONS TP (MR) | $14.99 | JAN160696 | IMA |
| 4 | I HATE FAIRYLAND VOL. 1: MADLY EVER AFTER TP (MR) | $9.99 | JAN160644-M | IMA |
| 5 | THANOS: THE INFINITY FINALE OGN HC | $24.99 | DEC150873 | MAR |
| 6 | CIVIL WAR TP | $24.99 | JAN072436 | MAR |
| 7 | DEADPOOL: WORLD'S GREATEST VOLUME 1: A MILLIONAIRE WITH MOUTH TP | $15.99 | JAN160939 | MAR |
| 8 | BLACK MAGICK VOL. 1: AWAKENING PART ONE TP (MR) | $9.99 | JAN160635-M | IMA |
| 9 | BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC | $17.99 | NOV070226 | DC |
| 10 | RICK & MORTY VOLUME 2 TP | $19.99 | FEB161683-M | ONI |
TOP 10 BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | SPAWN ADULT COLORING BOOK | $14.99 | FEB160614 | IMA |
| 2 | STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: THE FORCE AWAKENS | $4.99 | FEB162187 | RAN |
| 3 | THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 105 SC | $14.95 | JAN161934 | SAN |
| 4 | STAR WARS CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA UPDATED EXPANDED HC | $16.99 | MAR162015 | DK |
| 5 | FIREFLY DICTIONARY AND PHRASEBOOK HC | $21.95 | JAN161711 | RAN |
| 6 | NARUTO: SAKURA STORY SC | $10.99 | MAR161867 | VIZ |
| 7 | LEGO DC COMICS SUPER HEROES CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA | $18.99 | MAR161976 | DK |
| 8 | CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FIRST AVENGER HC | $24.99 | MAR161964 | DK |
| 9 | STAR TREK: MAD LIBS | $4.99 | FEB162184 | PUT |
| 10 | DC SUPER HEROES: MY FIRST BOOK OF GIRL POWER BOARD BOOK | $9.99 | SEP148145 | POC |
TOP 10 TOYS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | BATMAN V SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE: BATMAN STATUE | AUG150303 | DC |
| 2 | GHOSTBUSTERS SELECT SERIES 2 ACTION FIGURES | JAN162250 | DST |
| 3 | MOVIE REALIZATION STAR WARS: TEPPO ASHIGARU SANDTROOPER ACTION FIGURES | JUL158518 | BLU |
| 4 | HATSUNE MIKU PLAY ARTS KAI: TETSUYA FIGURE | SEP152434 | SQU |
| 5 | DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: THE JOKER & HARLEY QUINN STATUE 2ND EDITION | AUG150309 | DC |
| 6 | POP! STAR WARS: RANCOR WITH LUKE & SLAVE OOLA 3-PACK | SEP158902 | FUN |
| 7 | MARVEL SELECT: DEADPOOL ACTION FIGURE | MAR101468 | DST |
| 8 | MARVEL SELECT: BLACK WIDOW ACTION FIGURE | SEP118154 | DST |
| 9 | GHOSTBUSTERS SELECT SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES | MAY152168 | DST |
| 10 | BATMAN PREMIUM COLLECTION: MAD LOVE HARLEY QUINN STATUE | JUL158013 | DST |
TOP 10 GAMES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | MARVEL HEROCLIX: UNCANNY X-MEN BOOSTER BRICK | MAR162746 | NEC |
| 2 | TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES HEROCLIX | JAN162805 | NEC |
| 3 | SHADOWS OVER CAMELOT | FEB054009 | DAY |
| 4 | SMALL WORLD | FEB095181 | DOW |
| 5 | MARVEL HEROCLIX: CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR | FEB162982 | NEC |
| 6 | MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: SHADOWS OVER INNISTRAD BOOSTERS | FEB162979 | WIZ |
| 7 | DC HEROCLIX: BATMAN ARKHAM ORIGINS QUICK START KIT | JAN160053 | NEC |
| 8 | MEMOIR '44 | APR044222 | DOW |
| 9 | TICKET TO RIDE | MAR043750 | DOW |
| 10 | DC DICE MASTERS: WORLDS FINEST | JAN162799 | NEC |
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Dollar Market Share – April 2016 |
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Unit Market Share – April 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 in North America and 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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