Diamond Announces Top Products for July 2015



(BALTIMORE, MD) — (August 7, 2015) — The surviving heroes of the Marvel Universe confront Doom and his Thor Corps in Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's Secret Wars #4 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book in July 2015 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was July's top publisher with a 38.43% dollar share and a 41.59% unit share. DC Entertainment was the month's number two publisher with a 23.94% dollar share and a 24.30% unit share. July's number three publisher was Image Comics with a 9.48% dollar share and a 10.72% unit share. In fourth was IDW Publishing with a 6.60% dollar share and a 5.28% unit share. Dark Horse Comics placed fifth for the month with a 3.77% dollar share and a 3.36% unit share.

In July, Marvel Comics had eight titles among the top ten best-selling comics, including Charles Soule and Alex Maleev's Star Wars: Lando #1 at #2 and Soule and Leinil Francis Yu's Civil War #1 at #3. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo continue their impressive run on their current adventures of the Dark Knight, with DC Entertainment’s Batman #42 coming in at #5. Also in the top ten was Mark Waid and Fiona Staples' Archie #1, a modern relaunch of the venerable character from Archie Comics, at #7.

Bill Willingham's long-running fantasy Fables came to its conclusion in Fables Volume 22 from DC Entertainment's VERTIGO imprint, the best-selling graphic novel for July and one of the publisher's four volumes in the top ten. Image Comics had two titles among the top ten, with Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's The Wicked & The Divine Volume 2: Fandemonium as their best-selling graphic novel at #2. Marvel Comics had two titles in the top ten, led by Hawkeye Volume 4: Rio Bravo by Jonathan Hickman and David Aja at #3.

Gemstone’s softcover edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Volume 45 was July’s best-selling book, and the hardcover edition ranked #2 for the month.

DC Entertainment's DC Comics Blueline: Batman By Jim Lee San Diego Comic-Con 2015 Exclusive Action Figure, a unique new action figure that boasts a design based on Lee's pencil artwork of the Dark Knight, was July's best-selling toy and one of the manufacturer's five products in the top ten. Also in the top ten was Diamond Select Toys with two products; the Marvel Select: Deadpool Action Figure was their best-selling product at #2.

The Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers: Age of Ultron Foil Packs, an expansion for WizKids/NECA's collectible dice game based on Marvel Comics' Age of Ultron comic book, was July's best-selling game product.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE PUBLISHER SHARE MARVEL COMICS 38.43% DC COMICS 23.94% IMAGE COMICS 9.48% IDW PUBLISHING 6.60% DARK HORSE COMICS 3.77% ARCHIE COMICS 2.28% BOOM! STUDIOS 1.85% DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.83% TITAN COMICS 1.26% ONI PRESS INC. 1.24% OTHER NON-TOP 10 9.32% UNIT MARKET SHARE PUBLISHER SHARE MARVEL COMICS 41.59% DC COMICS 24.30% IMAGE COMICS 10.72% IDW PUBLISHING 5.28% DARK HORSE COMICS 3.36% ARCHIE COMICS 2.62% BOOM! STUDIOS 1.99% DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.65% VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT 1.52% ONI PRESS INC. 1.19% OTHER NON-TOP 10 5.77%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED MARVEL COMICS 75 36 0 111 DC ENTERTAINMENT 75 34 0 109 IMAGE COMICS 74 19 0 93 IDW PUBLISHING 45 29 0 74 DARK HORSE COMICS 34 16 0 50 BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 32 3 0 35 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 21 4 0 25 TITAN COMICS 14 6 4 24 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 15 2 0 17 ONI PRESS INC. 8 3 0 11 OTHER NON-TOP 10 103 150 49 302

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

DOLLARS UNITS JULY 2015 VS. JUNE 2015 COMICS 8.35% 3.46% GRAPHIC NOVELS 3.88% 5.14% TOTAL COMICS/GN 6.91% 3.61% JULY 2015 VS. JULY 2014 COMICS -4.67% -8.22% GRAPHIC NOVELS 1.29% 10.81% TOTAL COMICS/GN -2.88% -6.74% YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2014 COMICS 12.64% 12.08% GRAPHIC NOVELS 5.08% 5.18% TOTAL COMICS/GN 10.25% 11.50%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 SECRET WARS #4 $3.99 APR150697-M MAR 2 STAR WARS: LANDO #1 $3.99 MAY150764-M MAR 3 CIVIL WAR #1 $4.99 MAY150682-M MAR 4 STAR WARS #7 $3.99 MAY150775-M MAR 5 BATMAN #42 $3.99 MAY150192-M DC 6 DARTH VADER #7 $3.99 APR150858-M MAR 7 ARCHIE #1 $3.99 APR151026-M ARC 8 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #2 $3.99 APR150758-M MAR 9 AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 $4.99 MAY150692-M MAR 10 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #1 $3.99 APR150830-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 FABLES VOLUME 22 TP (MR) $17.99 APR150316 DC 2 THE WICKED & THE DIVINE VOL. 2: FANDEMONIUM TP (MR) $14.99 APR150619 IMA 3 HAWKEYE VOLUME 4: RIO BRAVO TP $17.99 OCT140937 MAR 4 RED SONJA #1973 $7.99 MAY151220 DE 5 BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN TP $19.99 APR150289 DC 6 AUTUMNLANDS VOL. 1: TOOTH & CLAW TP (MR) $9.99 APR150573 IMA 7 DIVINITY TP $9.99 MAY151625 VAL 8 NEW SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: PURE INSANITY TP $16.99 APR150302 DC 9 CIVIL WAR TP $24.99 JAN072436 MAR 10 BATMAN ETERNAL VOLUME 2 TP $39.99 APR150286 DC

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOL. 45 SC $29.95 APR151518-M GEM 2 OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOL. 45 HC $35.00 APR151519-M GEM 3 STAR WARS: JEDI ACADEMY VOL. 3: THE PHANTOM BULLY $12.99 MAY151809 SCH 4 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: A NEW HOPE $4.99 MAY151813 RAN 5 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK $4.99 MAY151814 RAN 6 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: RETURN OF THE JEDI $4.99 MAY151815 RAN 7 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS: THE CLONE ARMY ATTACKETH HC $14.95 MAY151808 RAN 8 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: REVENGE OF THE SITH $4.99 MAY151812 RAN 9 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: THE PHANTOM MENACE $4.99 MAY151810 RAN 10 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: ATTACK OF THE CLONES $4.99 MAY151811 RAN

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 DC COMICS BLUELINE: BATMAN BY JIM LEE SDCC 2015 EXCLUSIVE FIG. JAN158085 DC 2 MARVEL SELECT: DEADPOOL ACTION FIGURE MAR101468 DST 3 MAXIMUM CARNAGE FINE ART STATUE NOV142339 KOT 4 DC COMICS: THE NEW 52: THE JOKER ACTION FIGURE DEC140437 DC 5 DC COMICS COVER GIRLS: WONDER WOMAN STATUE JAN150421 DC 6 FINAL FANTASY ADVENT CHILDREN PLAY ARTS KAI: CLOUD STRIFE FIG. SEP148219 SQU 7 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY MIKE MIGNOLA DEC140431 DC 8 DC COMICS: THE NEW 52: GREEN LANTERN JOHN STEWART FIGURE DEC140436 DC 9 BACK TO THE FUTURE: TIME MACHINE MARK I CAR APR148369 DST 10 DC COMICS VARIANT PLAY ARTS KAI: BATMAN TIMELESS WILD WEST FIG DEC148596 SQU

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 MARVEL DICE MASTERS: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON FOIL PACKS MAR152653 NEC 2 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2015 ORIGINS BOOSTER PACKS MAY152770 WIZ 3 CHEW: CASES OF THE FDA CARD GAME MAR152639 IDW 4 MARVEL DICE MASTERS: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON STARTER SET MAR152654 NEC 5 DC DECK BUILDING GAME: TEEN TITANS DEC142543 CRY 6 MARVEL DICE MASTERS: AGE OF ULTRON COLLECTOR’S BOX APR152744 NEC 7 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2015 ORIGINS FAT PACK MAY152772 WIZ 8 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: DRAGONS OF TARKIR BOOSTER PACKS JAN158366 WIZ 9 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS NEXT: PLAYER’S HANDBOOK HC JUL142620 WIZ 10 MAGIC THE GATHERING TCG: 2015 ORIGINS CLASH DECKS MAY152771 WIZ

Dollar Market Share – July 2015 Unit Market Share – July 2015

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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