Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sales Review: February 2016



#Rebirth is right around the corner meaning that DC titles feel like they are in a 'lame duck' sort of time flux. Will these stories 'matter' in three months? Are things going completely away? Or just being polished up a bit?

The bottom line is that now is the perfect jumping off time for people who have been wavering on DC books in their pull list. And DC doesn't need that sort of sales slump given that they are struggling to begin with.

The sales numbers for February have been released and ICv2 is my place for information. Here is a link to their sales reports:
http://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/33887/top-300-comics-actual-february-2016

It seems like DC rebounded slightly last month but is still woefully behind Marvel in sales.

On to some salient points.


I have been struggling with The Truth and the overall arc of the Superman books for a while now. To be honest, if you remove Morrison's run on Action Comics and the Pak/Kuder Action Comic issues which weren't mired in crossovers, I might say I have been struggling with Superman books for almost a decade.

That's sad.

 Superman, Batman/Superman, and Action Comics all sold below 40K each.

 To put that in perspective, that means that the top three Superman books combined ... combined!! ... sold less than Star Wars #16.

Something is wrong with that.

I can only hope that #Rebirth fixes the super-books.



I have to give DC some respect though. It has tried to branch out its offerings. I found DCYou to be mostly successful giving me Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, Starfire, and Justice League 3001.

Unfortunately all of those books are disappearing with #Rebirth.


Justice League 3001 #9 sold just below 13K.

It is probably my favorite DC book coming out right now, the right blend of classic heroes, humor, multiple continuities, and Supergirl.

Perhaps the biggest thing for me right now is the lack of information about #Rebirth. Why announce it if you don't know creative teams, what it entails, what you want people to know.

I recall being confused with the first year of the New 52 when books were being canceled, creative teams being changed, books tones being modified. It all felt like DC didn't have a clear plan or path with that major upheaval. And, until I hear more, I worry #Rebirth will be the same thing.

That's sad.

2 comments:

Uncle Screensaver said...

It's very sad. And, unprofessional.

I think they're announcing creative teams at some comic con next week, but yes, it makes me wonder how much DC actually has planned and thought out since they have not given much/ any evidence of it for the past five years. *SIGH*

Uncle Screensaver said...

Good News: Adventures of Supergirl is going to be in print!
Bad News?: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/03/17/dc-comics-rebirth-bi-weekly-comics-to-have-up-to-three-art-teams/