Sales Review: January 2017

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/markets/view/36797/top-300-comics-actual-january-2017

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.

Review: Supergirl #5

Supergirl #5 came out this week and was something of a statement issue for this new direction. Writer Steve Orlando fills this issue with scenes showing Kara's strength, resolve, and her sentiment towards her new world. If you want a primer on who this Supergirl is, you might start here.

One of my minor complaints about this Rebirth book has been the theme of Supergirl needing to recognize Earth as her home and say goodbye to Krypton once and for all. While that is clearly an important aspect of the character's life, it had been told already ... and recently.

I suppose DC might say that not enough people were reading the last title to have it be in the collective memory. After all, one point of Rebirth was to bring in new readers. But for someone invested in the character, some of the ideas bandied about here - Kara missing Krypton, unsure how much she likes Earth, even a little annoyed by the low-tech here - has been well trod material.

Still, I should be lighting a candle here. Based on the things Kara does and says here, it looks like this plot isn't going to linger. We know how Kara feels about Earth now and she sounds pretty resolute in her acceptance and love of the planet. I am thrilled.

Brian Ching brings a real energy to the proceedings too. I have to say I am slowly warming to his style. Some things still irk me a little. But overall, this issue really buzzed art-wise. There was a real dynamic feel that flowed. And there can be no denying that Natalie Dormer is his model for Supergirl. Look at every panel and see if you don't see Dormer there. Uncanny.

On to the book.

January 2017 Solicits

I have been a bit remiss in covering the January solicits for DC Comics which came out a while ago. Here is a link to Newsarama's coverage of the entire month:
http://www.newsarama.com/31585-dc-comics-january-2017-solicitations.html

There were a couple of surprises in the solicits and I suppose my Christmas money is already spent a bit. But here we go!

SUPERGIRL #5
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art and cover by BRIAN CHING
Variant cover by BENGAL
“REIGN OF THE CYBORG SUPERMEN” part five! As National City becomes a war zone, Cyborg Superman’s plan to resurrect Argo City reaches its deadly final phase: rain Argo City itself down upon the earth! Supergirl is all that stands in the way of total destruction—but with the clock ticking and the stakes rising she’ll need more than just brute force. She’ll need the help of…Cat Grant?

'Reign of the Cyborg Superman' is a nice throwback name for this arc. The idea of Argo City falling to Earth has been done before in DCCP #97 so I'll be interested to see if this version of that is as horrific as that one. I do wonder how the heck Cat Grant can help. Some pep talk?

I like the cover a lot. There is Supergirl in a nice dynamic figure, clearly driven. And the surrounding images of the mechanized Argo City citizens is a nice one.