The sales reports for DC Comics since the inception of #Rebirth have been, to say the least, robust. DC has climbed in sales and market share. Whether this is a mix of a company wide renumbering, a return to the classic feel of their characters, a lackluster massive Marvel crossover, or a combination of both, the results have been staggering.
Now there is a lot to digest. I think DC is allowing returns meaning stores can order more. And we saw a major bump in sales (briefly) with the New 52 and we know how that turned out.
But there is no denying, DC has increased sales. And it is impressive. Here is a link to ICv2's coverage of August's sale:http://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/35546/top-300-comics-actual-august-2016
And this was a big month for this site because Supergirl Rebirth #1 was on the racks. So how did it do?
This was the first Supergirl book on the shelves in over a year. This was a highly anticipated book given the popularity of the character these days and the nouveau approach Steve Orlando was bringing to the title. This was going to be an optimistic and heroic Supergirl. And the book was being streamlined to mirror the show in many ways.
Incredibly, Supergirl Rebirth #1 came in as the tenth most ordered book with a raw number of 112,708 units delivered.
A Supergirl book selling over 100K! We haven't seen that since the Loeb/Churchill Supergirl #1 a decade ago.
It is a lot for me to grasp. This was a book that was given a lot of coverage and publicity both by DC and locally at comic stores I visited. This book got a lot of love. And it sold well. Impressive.
I do think that usual attrition will occur as people feel out if they want to continue reading sampled titles. Action Comics #962 and #963 came out that month. This was the opening arc. It had Doomsday. It featured Mr. Oz, a key player in Rebirth and purportedly a Watchmen character.
You would think this book would still be selling like hotcakes.
Now I don't think 64K in sales is something to frown on. That is very very healthy in the current market. But it is down 15% from the opening sales from the beginning of #Rebirth. So maybe people are sampling lots of books and sifting through what they want to keep collecting.
Still, Rebirth has to be considered a smashing success for DC. Most importantly, the tone of the books I am reading feels right. Maybe quality will maintain these sales once the novelty wears off!
So Supergirl is potentially a big seller when her book is given a lot of coverage AND it is being well written AND Supergirl looks like Supergirl? Inconceivable!
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess DC has finally understood what they were doing wrong and they will not mistreat the character again.
Pfffff... Yeah riiiight. Sure.
It's a good start, which is something I haven't said about a Supergirl ongoing series in several years.
ReplyDeleteThe SUPERGIRL: REBIRTH issue put the character back on a solid foundation, which this month's SUPERGIRL #1 took good advantage of, with a forward moving arc that hopefully will clear up any lingering pieces of debris from the disjointed and uncharacteristic Nu52 debacle. Writer Steve Orlando seems to understand what makes SG tick, and doesn't seem preoccupied with the ego-tripping 'gotta leave my creative stamp' shtick that has marred previous recent runs. Looking forward to what the future will bring.
KET
So, is Supergirl: Rebirth #1 the best-selling Supergirl solo book ever? I think even the pre-Flashpoint Supergirl #1 just barely missed cracking 100 thousand. Hopefully, Supergirl continues to do well (although I wonder if the intentional "similar but different from the TV show" mandate by editorial is going to hurt numbers).
ReplyDeleteAs for Action Comics, I'm going to say that pre-Flashpoint Superman fighting Doomsday for the dozenth time (or so) is probably the wrong foot to start off with. Jurgens is absolutely great with characterization, and there are new bits like Super-Luthor and Mr. Oz, but the supposed main attraction is so overused that there's no sense of danger anymore.
Both Superman issues broke 80 thousand, so overall, the Superman lines are basically doing almost double of what they were before Rebirth, which is incredible. I never would have expected the bounce-back by the Super-family of books just three months ago.
"So, is Supergirl: Rebirth #1 the best-selling Supergirl solo book ever?"
ReplyDeleteNot even close. The 2005 relaunch, the first 6 issues ALL sold over 100k. #1 had 123k in the first month, and re-appeared on the chart for FOUR months, bringing the total to something like 160-170k. #2 and #3 also had heavy reorder activity.
This was before digital, I admit, but raw physical sales, the 2005 relaunch was huge, and Supergirl #1 totals with re-orders topped the Wonder Woman (with re-orders) re-launch about a year later.
I had remembered the Loeb/Churchill book as selling huge so not surprised by those numbers. And #1 did get a number of reprints with different covers for completists like me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments!
Some great news, and some great numbers there Anj! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHope the momentum can be kept up!
Regards