September 2017 Sales Review

The sales reports for September came out a while ago and there are some interesting numbers to report which shows just how fickle the comic market is. As always, head to ICv2 for a bigger report.
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/38630/top-300-comics-actual-september-2017

I have bemoaned a bit that Supergirl, a perfectly fine superhero book, was selling relatively low numbers. I will admit the book seemed to be trying to find itself. The initial Cyborg story and then the weird trip into the Phantom Zone seemed like the creative team was finding its footing and building a foundation. And I understand that 10 months is a long time to give a book (at least these days), but the title seems to have turned a corner. Wouldn't it be bad if no one was around to see it?

Well, this title's super-soft reboot coincided with another change.

Artgerm started to do the variant covers.

And as I said, I noticed that his first cover on the book sold out at my LCS and was a wall book at a local con!

Let's take a peek at sales!

Review: Supergirl #13

Supergirl #13 came out this week and not only wrapped up the current Emerald Empress storyline but effectively blew up the landscape of the book, resetting it a bit for the year to come. When I finished reading the issue, I sort of shook my head to grasp everything that happened. In some ways this felt like the sort of issue that happens right before a creative team shake-up, a sort of clearing of the playing field. But we know that Steve Orlando and Robson Rocha are sticking around.

I wonder, if after a year of stories, the creative team sort of reassessed the book, looking at what was working and what wasn't, at what stories they wanted to tell and which they didn't, and decided to nudge the book in that direction.

Trust me, I'm not complaining. There was a sense of added energy for me when I was done. Things are going to be shaken up ... and in a good way. And perhaps, most important of all, the characterization of Supergirl despite all the upheaval remained sound. I was smiling. Because it would have been easy for the writers to march down the 'dark Supergirl' road, making Kara bitter. Instead, they have her shine even brighter.

I'll get into particulars in a moment. But I have to add that the addition of Robson Rocha on art has added a lot to my love of the book as well. This was a high action issue and demanded some detail and some dynamism and some 'oomph' and we got it. Add to that the Artgerm covers and suddenly Supergirl is firing on all cylinders.

On to the book!

Artgerm Covers On Supergirl

Earlier this month, Supergirl #12 came out. It was the first to sport an Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau variant cover. Artgerm certainly produces eye-grabbing, truly spectacular art. And I immediately notice a couple of aftershocks.

1) The number of Supergirl issues on the rack of my dramatically less than usual for a Wednesday afternoon and all the Artgerm covers were already sold.

2) My store thankfully pulled both covers off the shelves figuring it would sell out quickly.

3) That cover was up on walls at Terrificon last weekend and was already tagged at $10

4) I already wondered if these covers would somehow drive up orders/sales.  

Well, lo and behold, it looks like that might be true.

September 2017 Solicits

The September solicits for DC Comics were recently revealed and there is a lot of stuff that grabbed my attention. For me, the Supergirl, Superwoman, and Action Comics solicits are very interesting. And there are some trades being released that make me think I need to save my pennies.

To review the entire DC solicits, here is a link to Newsarama:
https://www.newsarama.com/34984-dc-comics-september-2017-solicitations.html

And on to the Super-titles:

SUPERGIRL #13
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art and cover by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
Variant cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
“EMERALD ERADICATION” finale! It’s the final showdown between Supergirl and Emerald Empress. Supergirl’s life has been torn asunder and she’s not going to let Emerald Empress get away with it. But is it too late to repair the damage and remain the hero she’s built herself to be?

Okay, let's get started. First off, that is a crazy cover with a fierce Supergirl ripping apart the Emerald Eye! That is a great image! And Artgerm on the variant should be beautiful (although I will miss Bengal). 

And then the solicit about Supergirl trying to remain above the fray after having her life destroyed grabbed me. Steve Orlando has really made Kara a hero, helping people and being optimistic. So we'll see if personal problems make her backtrack.