Diamond Announces Top Products for March 2016
(BALTIMORE, MD) — (April 8, 2016) —Restored as Batman, Bruce Wayne battles Mr. Bloom for the fate of Gotham City in the finale of "Superheavy" from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo in DC Entertainment's Batman #50, the best-selling comic book of March 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 March's top publisher with a 37.39% dollar share and a 42.71% unit share. DC Entertainment was the month's number two publisher with a 26.32% dollar share and a 25.94% unit share. March's number three publisher was Image Comics with an 8.73% dollar share and an 8.63% unit share. IDW Publishing was fourth with a 5.82% dollar share and a 4.41% unit share, followed by BOOM! Studios with a 3.26% dollar share and 4.07% units share. Dark Horse Comics placed sixth for the month with a 2.82% dollar share and a 2.47% unit share.
Marvel Comics had seven of March's top ten best-selling titles, led by Jason Aaron and Leinil Francis Yu's Star Wars #17 at #3. Also in the top ten were series debuts Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's International Iron Man #1 at #9 and Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz's Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha at #10. DC Entertainment had two titles in the top ten; in addition to Batman #50, Gene Luen Yang and Howard Porter's Superman #50, the conclusion to the "Strange Dawn" story arc, ranked #4. Rounding out the top ten, BOOM! Studios' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 ranked #2 for the month. Among the premier publishers, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead #152 was Image Comics' top book for the month at #12; Dark Horse Comics' Fight Club 2 #10, the finale to Chuck Palahniuk's sequel to his novel, ranked #72; and IDW Publishing's Back to the Future #6 ranked #109 for the month.
Rick faces questions about his leadership when the Whisperers attack in Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's The Walking Dead Volume 25: No Turning Back from Image Comics, the best-selling graphic novel of March. In total, Image had five titles in the top ten including Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's Paper Girls Volume 1 at #2, Rick Remender and Sean Murphy's Tokyo Ghost Volume 1 at #4, Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley's Beauty Volume 1 at #6, and Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta's East of West Volume 5 at #7. Marvel Comics had two titles in the top ten -- Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War at #3 and Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's Secret Wars at #8. DC Entertainment also had two titles in the top ten -- Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman Volume 7: Endgame at #5 and Snyder and Capullo's Batman Volume 8: Superheavy at #9. Rounding out the top ten, Dark Horse Comics' Avatar the Last Airbender Volume 12: Smoke and Shadow Part 3 ranked #10.
Random House's DC Super Hero Girls: Wonder Woman at Super Hero High was March's best-selling book. Dark Horse Comics' World of WarCraft: Chronicle Volume 1 ranked #2 for the month. Also among the top ten, IDW Publishing's Visual Funk Street Art Adult Coloring Book ranked #6.
Bandai's Dragonball Z: Son Goku 10-Inch PVC Figure was March's best-selling toy product. Diamond Select Toys has three products in the top ten, led by the perennial seller Marvel Select: Deadpool Action Figure at #3. DC Collectibles likewise had three products in the top ten; the DC Bombshells: The Joker and Harley Quinn Statue (2nd Edition) ranked #6.
Hasbro's Star Wars: The Force Awakens Monopoly was March'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 | 84 | 44 | 0 | 128 |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | 77 | 40 | 0 | 117 |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 50 | 32 | 0 | 82 |
| IMAGE COMICS | 54 | 19 | 0 | 73 |
| EAGLEMOSS | 0 | 0 | 47 | 47 |
| VIZ MEDIA | 0 | 43 | 0 | 43 |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 23 | 16 | 0 | 39 |
| TITAN COMICS | 19 | 11 | 5 | 35 |
| BOOM ENTERTAINMENT | 23 | 11 | 0 | 34 |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 18 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 140 | 153 | 29 | 322 |
COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS
| DOLLARS | UNITS | |
| MARCH 2016 VS. FEBRUARY 2016 | ||
| COMICS | 3.62% | 2.59% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 31.90% | 26.24% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 12.29% | 4.61% |
| MARCH 2016 VS. MARCH 2015 | ||
| COMICS | 0.53% | -8.45% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 36.36% | 34.78% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 11.04% | -5.31% |
| YEAR-TO-DATE 2016 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 | ||
| COMICS | -3.40% | -9.16% |
| GRAPHIC NOVELS | 12.67% | 13.56% |
| TOTAL COMICS/GN | 1.32% | -7.53% |
TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | BATMAN #50 | $5.99 | JAN160227-M | DC |
| 2 | MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #1 | $3.99 | JAN161182-M | BOO |
| 3 | STAR WARS #17 | $3.99 | JAN160915-M | MAR |
| 4 | SUPERMAN #50 | $4.99 | JAN160229-M | DC |
| 5 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #9 | $3.99 | JAN160833-M | MAR |
| 6 | DARTH VADER #17 | $3.99 | DEC150865 | MAR |
| 7 | DARTH VADER #18 | $3.99 | JAN160919 | MAR |
| 8 | DEADPOOL #8 | $3.99 | JAN160891-M | MAR |
| 9 | INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1 | $3.99 | JAN160720-M | MAR |
| 10 | AVENGERS STANDOFF: ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL ALPHA #1 | $4.99 | JAN160762-M | MAR |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 25: NO TURNING BACK TP (MR) | $14.99 | DEC150677 | IMA |
| 2 | PAPER GIRLS VOLUME 1 TP | $9.99 | JAN160645 | IMA |
| 3 | CIVIL WAR TP | $24.99 | JAN072436 | MAR |
| 4 | TOKYO GHOST VOLUME 1: ATOMIC GARDEN TP (MR) | $9.99 | JAN160652 | IMA |
| 5 | BATMAN VOLUME 7: ENDGAME TP | $16.99 | DEC150331 | DC |
| 6 | BEAUTY VOLUME 1 TP (MR) | $9.99 | JAN160633-M | IMA |
| 7 | EAST OF WEST VOLUME 5: ALL THESE SECRETS TP | $14.99 | JAN160657 | IMA |
| 8 | SECRET WARS HC | $50.00 | AUG150873 | MAR |
| 9 | BATMAN VOLUME 8: SUPERHEAVY HC | $24.99 | NOV150271 | DC |
| 10 | AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER VOLUME 12: SMOKE & SHADOW PART 3 TP | $10.99 | NOV150073 | DAR |
TOP 10 BOOKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: WONDER WOMAN AT SUPER HERO HIGH HC | $13.99 | JAN161903 | RAN |
| 2 | WORLD OF WARCRAFT CHRONICLE VOLUME 1 HC | $39.99 | NOV150039 | DAR |
| 3 | THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 104 SC | $14.95 | DEC151826 | SAN |
| 4 | DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 87 SC | $14.95 | NOV151873 | SAN |
| 5 | BATMAN V SUPERMAN: ART OF DAWN OF JUSTICE HC | $39.99 | JAN161707 | RAN |
| 6 | VISUAL FUNK STREET ART ADULT COLORING BOOK TP | $9.99 | DEC150518 | IDW |
| 7 | MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: LIGHT UP RING & ILLUSTRATED BOOK KIT | $9.95 | DEC151823 | RUN |
| 8 | STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: A NEW HOPE | $4.99 | MAY151813 | RAN |
| 9 | BOB'S BURGERS BURGER BOOK HC | $19.95 | JAN161898 | RAN |
| 10 | BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE TECH MANUAL HC | $39.95 | JAN161708 | RAN |
TOP 10 TOYS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | DRAGONBALL Z: SON GOKU 10-INCH PVC FIGURE | APR158752 | BAN |
| 2 | POP! STAR WARS: RANCOR (6-INCH) WITH LUKE & SLAVE OOLA VINYL FIGURE 3-PACK | SEP158902 | FUN |
| 3 | MARVEL SELECT: DEADPOOL ACTION FIGURE | MAR101468 | DST |
| 4 | MARVEL UNIVERSE VARIANT PLAY ARTS KAI: CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGURE | JUL158280 | SQU |
| 5 | MARVEL: LADY DEADPOOL BISHOUJO STATUE | SEP152305 | KOT |
| 6 | DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: THE JOKER & HARLEY QUINN STATUE 2ND ED | AUG150309 | DC |
| 7 | GREEN ARROW AND BLACK CANARY STATUE | AUG150310 | DC |
| 8 | BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE: BATMAN STATUE | AUG150303 | DC |
| 9 | BATMAN PREMIUM COLLECTION: MAD LOVE HARLEY QUINN STATUE | AUG152310 | DST |
| 10 | BATMAN PREMIUM COLLECTION: MAD LOVE HARLEY QUINN VARIANT STATUE | JUL158013 | DST |
TOP 10 GAMES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
| 1 | STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS MONOPOLY | OCT158186 | HAS |
| 2 | STAR WARS X-WING: GHOST EXPANSION PACK | OCT152855 | FAN |
| 3 | SUPERNATURAL MONOPOLY | FEB162978 | USA |
| 4 | RISK: STAR WARS EDITION | OCT158587 | HAS |
| 5 | STAR WARS X-WING: PUNISHING ONE EXPANSION PACK | OCT152859 | FAN |
| 6 | DC HEROCLIX: WORLDS FINEST BOOSTER BRICK | DEC152576 | NEC |
| 7 | V-WARS: BLOOD & FIRE BOARD GAME | SEP152626 | IDW |
| 8 | TICKET TO RIDE MAP COLLECTION 5: UNITED KINGDOM | DEC152543 | DOW |
| 9 | YU-GI-OH! TCG PREMIUM GOLD BOX | DEC158812 | KON |
| 10 | YU-GI-OH! TCG: BREAKERS OF SHADOW SPECIAL EDITION BOOSTERS | DEC158528 | KON |
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Dollar Market Share – March 2016 |
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Unit Market Share – March 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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