Norman Osborn's Overreach Brings Marvel's Fractious Heroes Together to Defeat Him, Sending Marvel Comics to the Top of January's Sales Chart with Siege #1
Norman Osborn's plans to establish his stranglehold on the Marvel Universe reached a fruition as he launched his long-planned attack on Asgard itself and the heroes of the Marvel Universe united against him in its defense in Siege #1, the first part of the four-issue mini-series that marks the culmination of a seven-year-long storyline, giving Marvel Comics the bestselling comic book in January 2010, based upon total unit sales to comic book specialty shops, according to Diamond Comic Distributors.
Marvel Comics took the top publisher spot in January, leading in both the Unit Market and Dollar Shares categories, with a 42.56% Unit Market Share and a 38.77% Dollar Share for the month.
Just optioned by AMC for a television series, Image Comics' The Walking Dead from writer Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard has revolutionized zombie comics. The collection The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear the Hunters gave Image the bestselling graphic novel in January in this collection of the series' latest story arc.
DC Direct's DC Dynamics statues bring the heroes and heroines of the DC Universe to life, and Tim Bruckner's vibrant take on DC's Amazon princess with the DC Dynamics: Wonder Woman Statue gave DC Comics the bestselling Toy product to comics specialty retailers in January. NECA/WizKids, for the third month in a row, had the bestselling games product to comics specialty shops with the Marvel HeroClix: Hammer of Thor Booster Packs, which relaunched the fan-favorite HeroClix miniatures game.
TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
| PUBLISHER | UNIT SHARE | DOLLAR SHARE |
|---|---|---|
| MARVEL COMICS | 42.56% | 38.77% |
| DC COMICS | 34.89% | 29.59% |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | 4.20% | 5.62% |
| IMAGE COMICS | 3.37% | 4.23% |
| IDW PUBLISHING | 3.00% | 3.68% |
| BOOM! STUDIOS | 1.99% | 2.10% |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | 1.70% | 1.80% |
| ARCHIE COMICS | 1.01% | 0.70% |
| WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT | 0.86% | 1.01% |
| VIZ MEDIA | 0.75% | 1.66% |
| OTHER NON-TOP 10 | 5.68% | 10.84% |
TOP 10 COMICS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SIEGE #1 | $3.99 | NOV090419-M | MAR |
| 2 | GREEN LANTERN #50 | $3.99 | NOV090105-M | DC |
| 3 | BATMAN AND ROBIN #7 | $2.99 | NOV090125-M | DC |
| 4 | CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #6 | $3.99 | NOV090429-M | MAR |
| 5 | NEW AVENGERS #61 | $3.99 | NOV090423 | MAR |
| 6 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #617 | $3.99 | NOV090448-M | MAR |
| 7 | GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44 | $2.99 | NOV090108-M | DC |
| 8 | DARK AVENGERS #13 | $3.99 | NOV090424 | MAR |
| 9 | BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #2 | $2.99 | NOV090110-M | DC |
| 10 | UNCANNY X-MEN #520 | $2.99 | NOV090501 | MAR |
TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | PRICE | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 11: FEAR THE HUNTERS TP | $14.99 | OCT090390 | IMA |
| 2 | THE UNWRITTEN VOLUME 1: TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS IDENTITY TP | $9.99 | OCT090309 | DC |
| 3 | ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOLUME 22: ULTIMATUM TP | $19.99 | NOV090559 | MAR |
| 4 | ULTIMATUM TP | $19.99 | NOV090561 | MAR |
| 5 | CHILL HC | $19.99 | SEP090215 | DC |
| 6 | CAPTAIN AMERICA: ROAD TO REBORN TP | $19.99 | NOV090558 | MAR |
| 7 | HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOLUME 3: THE SPACE BETWEEN TP | $14.99 | OCT090303 | DC |
| 8 | BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL VOLUME 22: FOOTSTEPS TP | $19.99 | SEP090042 | DAR |
| 9 | STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC VOLUME 8: DESTROYER TP | $17.99 | OCT090108 | DAR |
| 10 | SIEGE: PRELUDE TP | $24.99 | NOV090557 | MAR |
TOP 10 TOYS & STATUES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DC DYNAMICS: WONDER WOMAN STATUE | JUN090288 | DC |
| 2 | BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE STATUE: LEE BERMEJO | JUN090289 | DC |
| 3 | MARVEL SELECT: BEST OF ACTION FIGURES SERIES 4 | JUL091427 | DST |
| 4 | RATCHET & CLANK: SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES | MAY090263 | DC |
| 5 | RESISTANCE SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES | FEB090276 | DC |
| 6 | DANNY KETCH: GHOST RIDER STATUE | AUG091517 | BOW |
| 7 | STAR WARS ULTIMATE QUARTER-SCALE: EMPEROR PALPATINE FIGURE | MAR094732 | DST |
| 8 | HEROES OF THE DCU: THE FLASH BUST | JUN090300 | DC |
| 9 | JOHNNY BLAZE: GHOST RIDER STATUE | AUG091519 | BOW |
| 10 | MARVEL MINIMATES SERIES 31 MINI-FIGURE 2-PACKS | AUG091432 | DST |
TOP 10 GAMES
| RANK | DESCRIPTION | ITEM CODE | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARVEL HEROCLIX HAMMER OF THOR BOOSTER PACK | JUL098192 | NEC |
| 2 | MTG TCG SHARDS ALARA PREMIUM FOIL PACK DIS | NOV091471 | WIZ |
| 3 | MARVEL HEROCLIX THORS MIGHTY CHARIOT | NOV091475 | NEC |
| 4 | MARVEL HEROCLIX CLASSICS BATTLEPACK ASST | AUG098135 | NEC |
| 5 | YU GI OH TCG TWILIGHT ED BOX DIS | NOV091445 | KON |
| 6 | STAR WARS CMG DARK TIMES BOOSTER PACK | NOV091472 | WIZ |
| 7 | YU GI OH TCG 5DS DUELIST PACK YUSEI 2 DIS | NOV091444 | KON |
| 8 | MTG TCG 2010 CORE SET BOOSTER DIS | MAY091798 | WIZ |
| 9 | D&D UNDERDARK | NOV091469 | WIZ |
| 10 | KILL DR LUCKY 2009 ED | DEC091518 | PAI |
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 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around 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.
###
ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS—the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, Diamond is based in Baltimore, MD, and services more than 3,500 specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.
© 2010 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, Diamond Books logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.
