The sales numbers for January 2017 have been released and, per usual, I will link to ICv2 who do a great job evaluating the numbers. Here is a link to the list of the top sellers:
http://icv2.com/articles/
Last month, Supergirl #5 was released, the penultimate issue of the opening arc involving the Cyborg Superman. For me, this was the best issue of the series to date. It involved a dedicated and fearless Supergirl standing up to a misguided Zor-El.
So how did it sell?
The issue ranked #96 in the top 300 sellers, a slight drop from the 92nd slot Supergirl #4 resided.
The book itself sold 29,030. This was a slight drop from Supergirl #4 which sold 31K.
For me, this was actually a good sign. The book's sales had dropped pretty precipitously prior to this. I felt that Supergirl was going to be a 25K book or so. So seeing things stabilize even a little was nice to see.
Plus with the opening arc behind us, we'll see new adventures and more subplots with the supporting cast.
This month I decided to look at the Superwoman book. Last month, Superwoman #6 was released. This was one of those more convoluted and somewhat preachy chapters of this book. For me it started out with a bang but has become a bit too muddled for my taste.
The issue sold 23065 which is healthy enough in this market. But I wonder if the book will suffer from the confusing first arc.
I will say, I am thrilled that K. Perkins is coming on the book so hopefully people will stick around to see what she has in store for Lana and everyone else.
I hope that sales have indeed became stable.
ReplyDelete"Reign of the Cyborg Supermen" was a difficult arc to get into. However, Kara's book is being written by someone who appears to 'get' the character -so far- and have a clear direction in mind, and Supergirl has a stable supporting cast. Compared with the last two books, in where Kara was depicted as a stereotypical angry, fickle teenager before Kelly/Lobdell turned her into an obnoxious brat and her adventures floundered during 20+ issues with no supporting cast and no direction until she was rehabilitated by writers who knew the character...
Just in case you're reading this: Thank you, Mr. Johns, Mr. Gates and Mr. Bedard.
So I hope that sales get better or at the very least remain stable.
However I think Supergirl needs to make regular appearances in the Super-titles, and join a team. Prefferably the Justice League AND the Legion. It'd be good for both the character and her solo book.
Luckily, Kara is about to meet her cousin -at last!- and have a long adventure with Batgirl, so maybe Supergirl is about to be reintroduced in the DC universe at large.
I think Superwoman has a good number of troubles. Maybe Perkins will be able to fix them.
Seems like stability may be on the horizon with the Supergirl ongoing title. I would have to concur with some that might say that the initial story arc went on a bit too long, but as with many comics these days, it's apparently made for a quick TPB release. Looking forward to the next few issues, which may provide a better outlook for the title in the long run.
ReplyDeleteKET
"I would have to concur with some that might say that the initial story arc went on a bit too long, but as with many comics these days, it's apparently made for a quick TPB release."
ReplyDeleteI have to agree, KET. I think 'Reign of the Cyborg Supermen' was meant as an arc for new readers; though I must confess I rather loved it with a passion. But I too look forward to things getting more intricate. I've recently re-read the Nightwing New 52 series; I love how with each new arc it still ties into a much larger story (true of many titles I'm sure). I hope the Supergirl Rebirth title continues for a lot longer than the Supergirl New 52 did.
Just a follow up... When I said Supergirl's first Rebirth arc was meant for new readers, I still know that it could be confusing. But I love writing, and as such I can fill in the blanks, and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the near future we get a kinda prequel issue explaining all. I have confidence in Steve Orlando; I've even tweeted him asking a specific question, and he replied most satisfactorily. I think the Supergirl comics is in great hands.
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