The sales numbers for February 2019 have come out and I am officially going to yellow alert. If you want to see the bad news laid out before you, I recommend heading over to ICv2 to see the list. Here is a link: https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/42739/top-500-comics-february-2019
Since the inception of this new arc, I wondered if the Supergirl crowd was going to like the direction of Supergirl heading off into space and leaving Earth behind. I also wondered if somehow the Bendis takeover of the super-books would lead to more readers heading to Supergirl, especially since this space arc tied directly into Superman's stories.
I haven't been thrilled with this new arc. So how has it been doing.
Supergirl #27 was one of the tougher issues to get behind as a Kara fan. She shoots people in the chest with a rifle, rips out a tongue, wields Zaar's axe with the initial intent to kill, and then admits that her story/quest isn't really moving forward.
Not exactly a book that screamed quintessential Supergirl. It also lacked the selling power of an Artgerm variant. So how did it sell?
It came in as the #84 ranked book, with 19980 books ordered.
Now everyone knows that 20K in sales seems to be something of a benchmark for the big two. If you are below 20K, I start to worry about the dreaded 'Final Issue' notice.
It is clear that this direction hasn't grabbed the attention of new readers and seems to have lost a fair amount of prior readers.
Thankfully the June solicits make it seem like this story is wrapping up. Hopefully, Kara heads back to Earth.
I also like to peruse other titles I collect.
Captain Marvel is a household world with Carol Danvers storming the mainstream world with a hugely successful movie.
Of course, Marvel would have a Captain Marvel book on the shelf.
Did the popcorn crowd who fawned over the cinematic Carol stroll into the comic store to pick up her book, a dandy by Kelly Thompson and Carmen Carnero.
It was the 39th most popular book and came in with 37,380 units in sales.
I always hope that the success of the movies would mean success for comics. It doesn't really happen unfortunately.
"I always hope that the success of the movies would mean success for comics. It doesn't really happen unfortunately."
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to bringing in people who have been introduced to their worlds from TV or movies, Big 2 comics are incredibly unlucky. I don't know if it's a matter of coordination of promotion, of significant differences between the books & the other media, or the fact that there are literally decades worth of stories for many of the characters with wildly varying tones. It's probably a mix of all three. Yet creator-owned stuff like Walking Dead doesn't have that barrier, despite being affected by the first two. It's strange.
"It is clear that this direction hasn't grabbed the attention of new readers and seems to have lost a fair amount of prior readers."
ReplyDeleteBasically.
It amuses me seeing some forum-goers saying this is so better than Orlando's run or this is the first time Supergirl has worked for them... This is the very picture of a vocal minority. Meanwhile, more old-timers fans have left and haven't been replaced by new fans.
Sigh. The New 52 book sold better than this. Why did Dc kill it and its upwards momentum?
"I always hope that the success of the movies would mean success for comics. It doesn't really happen unfortunately."
It hardly happens. I suspect "Why would I want to read dozens of comics when I can watch the less-convoluted movie/cartoon version instead?" is a frequent reaction. They do NOT need to pick up a comic to enjoy adventures of such-and-such character.
I realized it when my nephew played a Gameboy Advance Dragon Ball game telling the history of Child Goku. I realized he would have little interest in reading/watching the original manga/anime afterwards, since he already "knows" the story.
It isn't like when I was a kid and I caught a glimpse of all kind of alluring covers promising adventures, thrill and fun every time I walked by a newsstand. Comics are less accesible nowadays due to poor marketing, bad distribution and convoluted continuity. There're SO MANY more pastimes to spend your money on, so why should kids buy confusing comics when they can download a mobile game and get more for their money?
Let's think of it, I read a random The Avengers issue when I was... ten?, and I hardly understood who the characters were or what was happening. And continuity was way less convoluted back then. I can't imagine what it will be now like for someone who wants to read comics for first time.
I say the curtain falls by December if not before then, which once again basically removes Supergirl from the comics as she lacks a steady ongoing team affiliation. Or perhaps more importantly she lacks a creative willing to include her on a team book...
ReplyDeleteJF
In fact, manga don't usually has this problem. The sales of manga increase when there's an anime. Whether it is a pretty exact adaptation or a very different adaptation.
ReplyDeleteI guess the biggest problem is that comics can be confusing for new readers.