It turns out the new female Thor isn't just helping Marvel update its comic books for the world we live in today — it's also good business. The first five issues featuring the mysterious new female Thor have handily outsold the five issues that launched the previous Thor series, Thor: God of Thunder, in 2012.

According to data from comic book store distributor Diamond Comic Distributors, which has exclusive agreements with Marvel, DC, and others in North America, each issue in the new series Thor Vol 4 has routinely sold 30 percent more copies than the corresponding original five issues of Thor: God of Thunder. For instance, last fall's "Thor #1" sold 150,862 copies compared to 110,443 copies of "Thor: God of Thunder #1" in 2012 — a 36 percent increase. The following issues, which sold fewer overall copies across both series, also show roughly 30 percent higher sales for the new female-led Thor series.

First five copies are doing significantly better than Thor: God of Thunder

It's not clear what specifically accounts for the increased North American sales. Is the new Thor bringing more female comic book fans to the series? Unfortunately, the data — which was first compiled by Fusion — does not offer any insights into who is buying these comics, so we may never know unless Marvel releases some data of its own.

The sales numbers do suggest that our new female Thor will be around for a while — despite the protests of some angered comic book readers who vocally opposed the new superhero lead when the news was announced last summer. Series writer Jason Aaron, who also led Thor: God of Thunder, strongly believes that the new female Thor fits perfectly into the lore stretching all the way back to the 1960s.