At Comixology, Tucker Stone considers what the estimated sales figures for Marvel and DC’s summer-event comics may actually tell us:
… the reaction seems to be that, since Marvel’s big event cross-over beat DC’s big event cross-over, there is somehow a connection between those pre-sale numbers and whether or not A) big corporate people should lose their jobs, B) Marvel speaks to the people in a way that DC doesn’t, or C) any of this really matters, at all. There’s something else that occasionally pops up, though — I’m assuming it isn’t as interesting to read or write about, but it’s what I’m more interested in this week. And that is that neither of those numbers — the estimated 200,344 copies of Secret Invasion # 2 versus the 159,036 of Final Crisis — are anything to be really impressed by. Sure, there’s a big discrepancy between those two books — but even at the top end of the scale, it’s only in comic books that 200,000 of anything is worth getting excited about.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
ok…this point has been made numerous times. comics aren’t as near as popular as they once were.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Final Crisis’ salesnumbers are fine on their own, but to be so soundly beaten by the third issue of Marvel’s event speaks volumes. The ramifications will be felt in the issue 2 dropoff and subsequent sales drop offs for each issue afterwards and, finally, in all the tie-ins, which, based on past experience, won’t come close to the actual event’s sales numbers.
Yes, comics aren’t popular and 200,000 is a big deal these days, but nearly 25% higher sales over your direct competitor at the highest sales period of the year with your two biggest events is a huge deal in any industry.
If the new Batman film makes 50 million less than Iron Man, I think people are going to take notice and it will reflect in the amount of DVD sales, advertising, overseas markets and future films’ revenue. Same thing applies in comics.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Fans also seem to be missing the general economic information and that lots of people are cutting back on superfluous expenses. But that isn’t nearly as much fun as fan hysterics dreaming up the collapse of a company or speculating about people’s job security with zero actual facts. People are spending less on comics because gas if $4.50 a gallon and the prices of every food product has increased.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I think that most authors of novels would be very happy with 200,000 sales. I think most authors of non-fiction would be ecstatic.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Who freaking cares? Marvel is more popular than DC. Yeah, so what else is new?
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Wait, what’s this? Tucker Stone is talking about how comics are for losers? What a shocking and different position for him to take.