by Marc-Oliver Frisch

More “Blackest Night” and more Batman make September another good month for DC Comics’ periodical business. This year’s retelling of Superman’s origin doesn’t set the charts on fire, on the other hand, despite the big-ticket creative team of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank — maybe it’s time to retire the character. In other news, J. Michael Straczynski, who’s had some success recently writing the Hollywood film Changeling and Marvel’s Thor, was also meant to do something for DC in September, but I can’t seem to find it, so maybe … ah, hold it, there it is. My bad, I wasn’t scrolling fast enough.

Average DC sales remained relatively steady on balance, which for the publisher’s Vertigo and WildStorm imprints means that they sold around 10,000 units each of the comic books, give or take a few. (Vertigo: give a few; WildStorm: take a few.) Vertigo’s big periodical launch was Jeff Lemire’s post-ap-oddball-yptic Sweet Tooth, the latest new-series launch to retail for $ 1.00. At WildStorm’s comic-book department, the most noteworthy development is that they had four books below the 5K mark, two of which missed the Top 300 chart altogether. Reportedly, WildStorm’s made some lucrative wholesale deals with the video-game industry recently, to be fair, which would explain the continued existence of at least some of its titles.

See below for the analysis, and please consider the small print at the end of the column. Thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2.com for the permission to use their figures. An overview of ICv2.com’s estimates can be found here.

—–

1 - BLACKEST NIGHT
07/2009: Blackest Night #1 of 8  — 177,105          [196,066]
08/2009: Blackest Night #2 of 8  — 146,092 (-17.5%) [155,512]
09/2009: Blackest Night #3 of 8  — 140,786 (- 3.6%)

Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis’ Blackest Night remains the best-selling comic in the North American direct market by about 30,000 units; the number-two book, Marvel’s Reborn #3, sold an estimated 108,331 units.

Blackest Night is levelling off very quickly for a high-profile miniseries, while reorders for previous issues also remain strong: Blackest Night #1 sold another 10,996 units in September, issue #2 another 9,420 and July’s Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #2 also made the chart again, with an additional 4,098 copies — and there were more, see below.

As usual, I should point out that the book’s numbers — and especially the smooth drop-off — probably have a lot to do with the available variant-cover editions. For Blackest Night #1, there was a 1-for-250 edition, which means retailers needed to order 250 copies of the regular edition for every copy of the variant edition; for issue #2, there was a 1-for-200 edition; starting with #3, there are 1-for-100 editions for all remaining issues — also, all issues of Blackest Night are promoted with additional 1-for-25 variant-cover editions.

Still, even taking into account that there’s likely some distortion going on at the retail level thanks to the gimmick incentives, Blackest Night keeps performing very, very well.

—–

3 - BATMAN AND ROBIN
06/2009: Batman and Robin #1  — 168,604          [184,826]
07/2009: Batman and Robin #2  — 117,986 (-30.2%) [129,086]
08/2009: Batman and Robin #3  — 110,594 (- 6.3%)
09/2009: Batman and Robin #4  — 106,925 (- 3.3%)

Like Blackest Night, Batman and Robin is supported through 1-for-25 variant editions every month. Unlike Blackest Night, only issue #1 came with a second, rarer variant edition.

As a result of that, the second-issue drop-off was a bit steeper here. Starting with issue #3, Batman and Robin is also levelling out very quickly, however, and even the fact that superstar Frank Quitely left after the third issue doesn’t seem to have any negative impact on the numbers. The Batman franchise remains healthier than it’s been in a while.

—–

4 - GREEN LANTERN
09/2004: Green Lantern #181 —  41,531 [46,196]
09/2005: –
09/2006: Green Lantern #13  —  78,101
09/2007: Green Lantern #23  —  79,084 [82,168]
————————————–
09/2008: Green Lantern #34  —  63,825 (+ 0.0%)
10/2008: Green Lantern #35  —  63,383 (- 0.7%)
11/2008: –
12/2008: Green Lantern #36  —  64,755 (+ 2.2%) [ 74,005]
01/2009: Green Lantern #37  —  65,556 (+ 1.2%) [ 71,331]
02/2009: Green Lantern #38  —  68,908 (+ 5.1%) [ 77,372]
03/2009: –
04/2009: Green Lantern #39  —  79,792 (+15.8%) [ 84,784]
04/2009: Green Lantern #40  —  76,665 (- 3.9%) [ 84,705]
05/2009: Green Lantern #41  —  81,491 (+ 6.3%)
06/2009: Green Lantern #42  —  84,131 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern #43  — 109,426 (+30.1%) [117,314]
07/2009: Green Lantern #44  — 105,063 (- 4.0%) [109,599]
08/2009: Green Lantern #45  — 102,431 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Green Lantern #46  — 103,666 (+ 1.2%)
—————–
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : + 62.4%
2 years : + 31.1%
5 years : +149.6%

6 - BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN
08/2009: Blackest Night: Batman #1 of 3 — 86,261         [96,243]
09/2009: Blackest Night: Batman #2 of 3 — 87,638 (+1.6%)

8 - GREEN LANTERN CORPS
09/2006: Green Lantern Corps #4  — 46,619
09/2007: –
——————————————
09/2008: Green Lantern Corps #28 — 44,939 (- 2.4%)
10/2008: Green Lantern Corps #29 — 46,316 (+ 3.1%)
11/2008: Green Lantern Corps #30 — 43,600 (- 5.9%)
12/2008: Green Lantern Corps #31 — 44,033 (+ 0.9%)
01/2009: Green Lantern Corps #32 — 44,312 (+ 0.6%)
02/2009: Green Lantern Corps #33 — 44,607 (+ 0.7%) [50,171]
03/2009: Green Lantern Corps #34 — 54,162 (+21.4%)
04/2009: Green Lantern Corps #35 — 58,769 (+ 8.5%)
05/2009: Green Lantern Corps #36 — 61,591 (+ 4.8%)
06/2009: Green Lantern Corps #37 — 63,574 (+ 3.2%)
07/2009: Green Lantern Corps #38 — 82,415 (+29.6%)
08/2009: Green Lantern Corps #39 — 84,241 (+ 2.2%)
09/2009: Green Lantern Corps #40 — 83,112 (- 1.3%)
—————-
6 months: +53.5%
1 year  : +84.9%
2 years :  n.a.

10 - BLACKEST NIGHT: SUPERMAN
08/2009: Blackest Night: Superman #1 of 3 — 76,899         [87,016]
09/2009: Blackest Night: Superman #2 of 3 — 78,766 (+2.4%)

In case you hadn’t guessed it, these books are all part of “Blackest Night.” Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern is leading the pack with its 100K+ figure, while Blackest Night: Batman and Blackest Night: Superman see upward corrections. Both spin-off series went up in sales and also moved about 10,000 more units of their debut issues in September.

All four books were supported through 1-for-25 variants to boost the numbers, as usual.

—–

11 - BATMAN
09/2004: Batman #632 —  71,236 [ 72,859]
09/2005: Batman #645 —  65,984 [ 67,712]
09/2006: Batman #657 —  91,357 [ 96,127]
09/2007: Batman #669 —  73,471
——————————-
09/2008: –
10/2008: Batman #680 — 103,941 (+ 0.3%)
11/2008: Batman #681 — 103,151 (- 0.8%) [114,657]
12/2008: Batman #682 —  93,469 (- 9.4%)
12/2008: Batman #683 —  90,272 (- 3.4%) [ 91,885]
12/2008: Batman #684 —  79,953 (-11.4%) [ 82,903]
01/2009: Batman #685 —  72,654 (- 9.1%)
02/2009: Batman #686 — 111,353 (+53.3%) [128,780]
03/2009: BfC #1 of 3 —  91,619 (-17.7%) [103,913]
04/2009: BfC #2 of 3 —  89,120 (- 2.7%)
05/2009: BfC #3 of 3 —  89,170 (+ 0.1%)
06/2009: Batman #687 —  96,913 (+ 8.7%)
07/2009: Batman #688 —  83,040 (-14.3%)
08/2009: Batman #689 —  78,392 (- 5.6%)
09/2009: Batman #690 —  77,001 (- 1.8%)
—————-
6 months: -16.0%
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years : + 4.8%
5 years : + 8.1%

The revamped Batman is also finding its level. There haven’t been any variant editions since issue #687, so these figures look great.

—–

17 - BLACKEST NIGHT: TITANS
08/2009: Blackest Night: Titans #1 of 3 — 64,767         [71,321]
09/2009: Blackest Night: Titans #2 of 3 — 64,086 (-1.1%)

Blackest Night: Titans isn’t up there with the other Blackest Night spin-offs, but it still sells more than twice as many units as the regular Titans and Teen Titans books.

Issue #1 sold another 6,554 units in September, which, combined with the minuscule second-issue drop, suggests that retailers aimed too low here as well, with their initial orders.

As usual, sales were boosted with a 1-for-25 variant-cover edition.

—–

25 - DETECTIVE COMICS
09/2004: Detective Comics #798 —  48,782
09/2005: Detective Comics #811 —  38,772
09/2006: Detective Comics #823 —  64,215
09/2007: Detective Comics #836 —  49,475
—————————————–
09/2008: Detective Comics #848 —  68,306 (- 4.0%)
10/2008: Detective Comics #849 —  65,878 (- 3.6%)
11/2008: Detective Comics #850 —  64,196 (- 2.6%)
12/2008: Detective Comics #851 —  64,961 (+ 1.2%)
01/2009: Detective Comics #852 —  56,656 (-12.8%)
02/2009: –
03/2009: –
04/2009: Detective Comics #853 — 104,107 (+83.8%)
05/2009: –
06/2009: Detective Comics #854 —  72,808 (-30.1%) [79,573]
07/2009: Detective Comics #855 —  61,205 (-15.9%)
08/2009: Detective Comics #856 —  58,859 (- 3.8%)
09/2009: Detective Comics #857 —  57,063 (- 3.1%)
—————–
6 months:   n.a.
1 year  : - 16.5%
2 years : + 15.3%
5 years : + 17.0%

Detective Comics also seems to be bottoming out, with sales that are still more than comfortable historically. Again, there haven’t been any variants here since June.

—–

26 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA
09/2004: JLA #105           —  60,836
09/2004: JLA #106           —  59,838 [ 60,943]
09/2005: JLA #118           —  89,428
09/2005: JLA #119           —  94,073 [106,305]
09/2006: Justice League #2  — 143,412 [158,480]
09/2007: Justice League #13 — 119,471 [124,006]
————————————–
09/2008: –
10/2008: Justice League #25 —  80,731 (- 0.9%)
10/2008: Justice League #26 —  77,353 (- 4.2%)
11/2008: –
12/2008: Justice League #27 —  75,803 (- 2.0%)
12/2008: Justice League #28 —  72,728 (- 4.1%)
01/2009: Justice League #29 —  72,116 (- 0.8%)
02/2009: Justice League #30 —  69,710 (- 3.3%)
03/2009: Justice League #31 —  68,759 (- 1.4%)
04/2009: Justice League #32 —  66,021 (- 4.0%)
05/2009: Justice League #33 —  63,867 (- 3.3%)
06/2009: Justice League #34 —  61,115 (- 4.3%)
07/2009: Justice League #35 —  58,915 (- 3.6%)
08/2009: Justice League #36 —  57,549 (- 2.3%)
09/2009: Justice League #37 —  55,478 (- 3.6%)
—————-
6 months: -19.3%
1 year  :   n.a.
2 years : -53.6%
5 years : - 8.1%

Sales data prior to 2003 isn’t 100 percent compatible with the recent ICv2.com numbers, but it looks like Justice League sales have now dropped to their lowest point since Grant Morrison relaunched the book as JLA back in 1996. Ever since Brad Meltzer left, the series has been sliding down the charts.

—–

27 - JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE
07/2009: Cry for Justice #1 of 6  — 68,317          [72,719]
08/2009: Cry for Justice #2 of 6  — 54,553 (-20.2%) [58,829]
09/2009: Cry for Justice #3 of 6  — 54,726 (+ 0.3%)

On the other hand, the new regular Justice League of America writer starting with issue #39 is James Robinson, whose Cry for Justice miniseries is defying mixed reviews in September.

It rarely happens that sales stop declining with issue #3, and the fact that both previous issues sold another 4,000+ units more in September suggests that it’s not just a blip.

Maybe Robinson can build on this momentum with the monthly series.

—–

28 - SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN
09/2009: Superman: Secret Origin #1 of 6 — 54,630

Are people tired of Superman? Or are they just tired of Superman origin stories? Either way, the debut sales for Superman: Secret Origin aren’t stellar, given the high-profile creative team of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank and the support of a 1-for-10 variant-cover edition. The numbers are in the same ballpark as those of Johns and Frank’s recent run on Action Comics; which isn’t terrible, but if this was meant to kick-start interest in the character, it doesn’t really seem to be working.

——

39 - RED ROBIN
09/2004: Robin #130    — 45,406 [47,113]
09/2005: Robin #142    — 28,822
09/2006: Robin #154    — 34,387
09/2007: Robin #166    — 24,877
——————————–
09/2008: Robin #178    — 32,234 (+  2.8%)
10/2008: Robin #179    — 30,081 (-  6.7%)
11/2008: Robin #180    — 28,399 (-  5.6%)
12/2008: Robin #181    — 27,891 (-  1.8%)
01/2009: Robin #182    — 28,684 (+  2.8%)
02/2009: Robin #183    — 31,682 (+ 10.5%)
03/2009: –
04/2009: –
05/2009: –
06/2009: Red Robin #1  — 64,261 (+102.8%) [71,925]
07/2009: Red Robin #2  — 51,593 (- 19.7%) [54,544]
08/2009: Red Robin #3  — 50,329 (-  2.5%)
09/2009: Red Robin #4  — 47,945 (-  4.7%)
—————–
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : + 48.7%
2 years : + 92.7%
5 years : +  5.6%

Red Robin hasn’t found its level quite yet, but remains miles ahead of Robin. So far, the makeover of the Batman line looks like a winner.

—–

43 - JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
09/2004: JSA #65             —  41,459
09/2005: JSA #77             —  53,216
09/2007: Justice Society #9  —  84,117
—————————————
09/2008: –
10/2008: Justice Society #19 —  72,073 (-  1.9%)
11/2008: Justice Society #20 —  71,355 (-  1.0%)
12/2008: Justice Society #21 —  69,662 (-  2.4%)
12/2008: Justice Society #22 —  67,615 (-  2.9%)
01/2009: Justice Society #23 —  61,385 (-  9.2%)
02/2009: Justice Society #24 —  65,207 (+  6.2%)
03/2009: –
04/2009: Justice Society #25 —  65,713 (+  0.8%)
04/2009: Justice Society #26 —  81,200 (+ 23.6%)
05/2009: Justice Society #27 —  56,102 (- 30.9%)
06/2009: Justice Society #28 —  52,673 (-  6.1%)
07/2009: Justice Society #29 —  51,375 (-  2.5%)
08/2009: Justice Society #30 —  49,416 (-  3.8%)
09/2009: Justice Society #31 —  47,436 (-  4.0%)
—————-
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years : -43.6%
5 years : +14.4%

The same cannot be said of Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges’ Justice Society. Sales keep plummeting down the chart.

—–

44 - ADVENTURE COMICS
09/2004: –
09/2005: Legion of SH #10     — 34,833
09/2006: Supergirl & LoSH #22 — 36,735
09/2007: Supergirl & LoSH #34 — 28,294
—————————————
09/2008: LoSH #46             — 24,959 (- 3.2%)
10/2008: LoSH #47             — 23,751 (- 4.8%)
11/2008: LoSH #48             — 22,917 (- 3.5%)
12/2008: LoSH #49             — 22,180 (- 3.2%)
01/2009: LoSH #50             — 22,327 (+ 0.7%)
02/2009: Adventure Comics #0  — 32,851 (+47.1%)
03/2009: –
04/2009: –
05/2009: –
06/2009: –
07/2009: –
08/2009: Adventure Comics #1  — 56,706 (+72.6%)
09/2009: Adventure Comics #2  — 47,296 (-15.9%)
—————–
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : + 89.5%
2 years : + 67.2%
5 years :  n.a.

The second-issue drop for the latest Superboy/Legion of Super-Heroes series could have been a lot worse.

As usual, there was a 1-for-10 thingamabuymore.

—–

48 - BATMAN: THE WIDENING GYRE
11/2008: Cacophony #1 of 3     — 69,522
12/2008: Cacophony #2 of 3     — 55,698 (-19.9%) [58,016]
01/2009: –
02/2009: –
03/2009: Cacophony #3 of 3     — 52,814 (- 5.2%)
04/2009: –
05/2009: –
06/2009: –
07/2009: –
08/2009: Widening Gyre #1 of 6 — 52,191 (- 1.2%)
09/2009: Widening Gyre #2 of 6 — 46,287 (-11.3%)
—————-
6 months: -12.4%

As far as second-issue drops are concerned, you could say that Kevin Smith’s second Batman miniseries gets off easy, as well.

On the other hand, the fact that there even was another second-issue drop suggests that Smith’s popularity in the comics market has seen better days. Earlier in the decade, he moved twice as many units with a character who isn’t half as recognizable as Batman, and did so without the help of variant-cover editions. This time around, there’s another 1-for-25 one, as usual.

—–

53 - BATGIRL
09/2004: Batgirl #56     — 39,493 [42,088]
09/2005: Batgirl #68     — 27,199
———————————-
09/2008: Batgirl #3 of 6 — 24,932 (- 10.0%)
10/2008: Batgirl #4 of 6 — 23,501 (-  5.7%)
11/2008: Batgirl #5 of 6 — 21,595 (-  8.1%)
12/2008: Batgirl #6 of 6 — 20,750 (-  3.9%)
01/2009: –
02/2009: –
03/2009: –
04/2009: –
05/2009: –
06/2009: –
07/2009: —
08/2009: Batgirl #1      — 51,724 (+149.3%)
09/2009: Batgirl #2      — 40,626 (- 21.5%)
—————-
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : +63.0%
5 years : + 2.9%

The second-issue drop is not as big as it looks, because there was no variant-cover edition of issue #2.

—–

55 - BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM
06/2009: Batman: SoG #1  — 57,650
07/2009: Batman: SoG #2  — 44,240 (-23.3%)
08/2009: Batman: SoG #3  — 40,353 (- 8.8%)
09/2009: Batman: SoG #4  — 37,888 (- 6.1%)

These figures don’t look too encouraging, on the other hand. The two Paul Dini books keep declining faster than the other revamped Batman series.

—–

57 - SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON
03/2009: WoNK #1 of 12 — 50,050
04/2009: WoNK #2 of 12 — 44,880 (-10.3%)
05/2009: WoNK #3 of 12 — 42,153 (- 6.1%)
06/2009: WoNK #4 of 12 — 41,620 (- 1.3%)
07/2009: WoNK #5 of 12 — 39,939 (- 4.0%)
08/2009: WoNK #6 of 12 — 39,218 (- 1.8%)
09/2009: WoNK #7 of 12 — 37,697 (- 3.9%)
—————-
6 months: -24.7%

58 - SUPERMAN
09/2004: Superman #209 — 116,827 [118,289]
09/2005: Superman #221 —  69,065
09/2006: Superman #656 —  64,288
09/2007: Superman #667 —  48,608
———————————
09/2008: Superman #680 —  46,585 (- 0.1%)
10/2008: Superman #681 —  54,611 (+17.2%) [57,212]
11/2008: Superman #682 —  55,435 (+ 1.5%)
12/2008: Superman #683 —  55,287 (- 0.3%)
01/2009: Superman #684 —  48,489 (-12.3%)
02/2009: Superman #685 —  48,027 (- 1.0%)
03/2009: Superman #686 —  44,976 (- 6.4%)
04/2009: Superman #687 —  43,041 (- 4.3%)
05/2009: Superman #688 —  41,642 (- 3.3%)
06/2009: Superman #689 —  40,366 (- 3.1%)
07/2009: Superman #690 —  39,472 (- 2.2%)
08/2009: Superman #691 —  39,106 (- 0.9%)
09/2009: Superman #692 —  37,695 (- 3.6%)
—————-
6 months: -16.2%
1 year  : -19.1%
2 years : -22.5%
5 years : -67.7%

59 - SUPERMAN/BATMAN
09/2004: Superman/Batman #12 — 139,516 [173,643]
09/2005: Superman/Batman #22 — 103,245
09/2006: –
09/2007: Superman/Batman #40 —  57,410
—————————————
09/2008: Superman/Batman #52 —  50,000 (- 3.3%)
10/2008: Superman/Batman #53 —  48,187 (- 3.6%)
11/2008: –
12/2008: Superman/Batman #54 —  45,968 (- 4.6%)
01/2009: –
02/2009: Superman/Batman #55 —  43,962 (- 4.4%)
03/2009: Superman/Batman #56 —  42,464 (- 3.4%)
04/2009: Superman/Batman #57 —  41,743 (- 1.7%)
04/2009: Superman/Batman #58 —  41,000 (- 1.8%)
04/2009: Superman/Batman #59 —  40,182 (- 2.0%)
05/2009: Superman/Batman #60 —  39,531 (- 1.6%)
06/2009: Superman/Batman #61 —  38,228 (- 3.3%)
07/2009: Superman/Batman #62 —  38,412 (+ 0.5%)
08/2009: Superman/Batman #63 —  37,467 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: Superman/Batman #64 —  36,332 (- 3.0%)
—————-
6 months: -14.4%
1 year  : -27.3%
2 years : -36.7%
5 years : -74.0%

60 - ACTION COMICS
09/2004: Action Comics #819 — 42,385
09/2005: Action Comics #831 — 55,288
09/2006: Action Comics #843 — 56,084
09/2007: –
————————————-
09/2008: Action Comics #869 — 49,597 (+ 0.1%)
10/2008: Action Comics #870 — 57,407 (+15.8%)
11/2008: Action Comics #871 — 58,547 (+ 2.0%)
12/2008: Action Comics #872 — 57,175 (- 2.3%)
01/2009: Action Comics #873 — 51,940 (- 9.2%)
02/2009: Action Comics #874 — 48,360 (- 6.9%)
03/2009: Action Comics #875 — 47,079 (- 2.7%)
04/2009: Action Comics #876 — 43,368 (- 7.9%)
05/2009: Action Comics #877 — 41,772 (- 3.7%)
06/2009: Action Comics #878 — 40,011 (- 4.2%)
07/2009: Action Comics #879 — 38,324 (- 4.2%)
08/2009: Action Comics #880 — 37,588 (- 1.9%)
09/2009: Action Comics #881 — 36,183 (- 3.7%)
—————-
6 months: -23.1%
1 year  : -27.1%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : -14.6%

I know Superman/Batman isn’t part of the Superman line, but it certainly doesn’t seem to matter to retailers. Despite sporting some otherwise acclaimed creators, all four books have been shedding readers at a very unhealthy rate for months.

Superman: World of New Krypton was promoted with a 1-for-25 variant edition.

—–

61/63/66/69 - WEDNESDAY COMICS
07/2009: Wednesday Comics #1  of 12  — 47,980          [51,814]
07/2009: Wednesday Comics #2  of 12  — 42,382 (-11.7%)
07/2009: Wednesday Comics #3  of 12  — 39,050 (- 7.9%) [42,423]
07/2009: Wednesday Comics #4  of 12  — 36,143 (- 7.4%) [40,786]
08/2009: Wednesday Comics #5  of 12  — 38,657 (+ 7.0%)
08/2009: Wednesday Comics #6  of 12  — 37,803 (- 2.2%)
08/2009: Wednesday Comics #7  of 12  — 36,783 (- 2.7%)
08/2009: Wednesday Comics #8  of 12  — 35,970 (- 2.2%)
09/2009: Wednesday Comics #9  of 12  — 35,961 (- 0.0%)
09/2009: Wednesday Comics #10 of 12  — 34,954 (- 2.8%)
09/2009: Wednesday Comics #11 of 12  — 34,266 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: Wednesday Comics #12 of 12  — 33,922 (- 1.0%)

Well, this doesn’t look very impressive, given the amount of promotion and the creative roster of Wednesday Comics. And, one more time: Economics are probably very different for a $ 3.99, 15-page tabloid.

It seems DC expects the book to play well in the book market, if the unusually quick announcement of a relatively cheap oversized hardcover collection is any indication. If those expectations are justified — and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be — that’s going to make a follow-up series a lot likelier.

—–

65 - GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
09/2004: Birds of Prey #73  — 32,070
09/2004: Birds of Prey #74  — 31,835
09/2005: Birds of Prey #86  — 31,270
09/2006: Birds of Prey #98  — 32,715
09/2007: Birds of Prey #110 — 27,148
————————————-
09/2008: Birds of Prey #122 — 21,318 (- 4.9%)
10/2008: Birds of Prey #123 — 21,110 (- 1.0%)
11/2008: Birds of Prey #124 — 20,959 (- 0.7%)
12/2008: Birds of Prey #125 — 20,161 (- 3.8%)
01/2009: Birds of Prey #126 — 20,772 (+ 3.0%)
02/2009: Birds of Prey #127 — 21,424 (+ 3.1%)
03/2009: Oracle #1 of 3     — 34,081 (+59.1%)
04/2009: Oracle #2 of 3     — 33,731 (- 1.0%)
05/2009: Oracle #3 of 3     — 35,328 (+ 4.7%)
06/2009: GC Sirens #1       — 52,439 (+48.4%)
07/2009: GC Sirens #2       — 39,518 (-24.6%)
08/2009: GC Sirens #3       — 36,772 (- 7.0%)
09/2009: GC Sirens #4       — 34,405 (- 6.4%)
—————–
6 months: +  1.0%
1 year  : + 61.4%
2 years : + 26.7%
5 years : +  7.3%

The other Paul Dini book. Like Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens doesn’t seem to benefit as much from the momentum of the Batman revamp as the rest of the line.

—–

72 - TEEN TITANS
09/2004: Teen Titans #15 — 63,136
09/2004: Teen Titans #16 — 64,177 [66,695]
09/2005: –
09/2006: Teen Titans #39 — 65,969
09/2007: Teen Titans #51 — 57,851
———————————-
09/2008: Teen Titans #63 — 41,790 (- 3.4%)
10/2008: Teen Titans #64 — 39,695 (- 5.0%)
11/2008: Teen Titans #65 — 37,880 (- 4.6%)
12/2008: Teen Titans #66 — 36,808 (- 2.8%)
01/2009: Teen Titans #67 — 35,877 (- 2.5%)
02/2009: Teen Titans #68 — 35,096 (- 2.2%)
03/2009: –
04/2009: Teen Titans #69 — 35,375 (+ 0.8%)
04/2009: Teen Titans #70 — 35,412 (+ 0.1%)
05/2009: Teen Titans #71 — 34,110 (- 3.7%)
06/2009: Teen Titans #72 — 32,512 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: Teen Titans #73 — 30,990 (- 4.7%)
08/2009: Teen Titans #74 — 30,380 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: Teen Titans #75 — 32,808 (+ 8.0%)
—————-
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : -21.5%
2 years : -43.3%
5 years : -48.5%

The “anniversary issue” and a 1-for-25 variant-cover edition bring a slight sales boost, but not nearly enough of one to mask the book’s decline over the last three years.

—–

74 - JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 80-PAGE GIANT
09/2009: JLA 80-Page Giant #1 — 32,243

Good sales for a $ 5.99 fringe book.

—–

75 - SUPERGIRL
09/2005: Supergirl #2  — 101,681
09/2006: Supergirl #10 —  67,358
09/2007: Supergirl #21 —  44,656
———————————
09/2008: Supergirl #33 —  27,609 (- 1.8%)
10/2008: Supergirl #34 —  33,958 (+23.0%)
11/2008: Supergirl #35 —  45,518 (+34.0%)
12/2008: Supergirl #36 —  45,491 (- 0.1%)
01/2009: Supergirl #37 —  34,060 (-25.1%)
02/2009: Supergirl #38 —  34,225 (+ 0.5%)
03/2009: Supergirl #39 —  33,713 (- 1.5%)
04/2009: Supergirl #40 —  34,080 (+ 1.1%)
05/2009: Supergirl #41 —  33,441 (- 1.9%)
06/2009: Supergirl #42 —  32,705 (- 2.2%)
07/2009: Supergirl #43 —  32,849 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Supergirl #44 —  33,819 (+ 3.0%)
09/2009: Supergirl #45 —  32,240 (- 4.7%)
—————-
6 months: - 4.4%
1 year  : +16.8%
2 years : -27.8%

Supergirl loses the additional sales from the “Codename: Patriot” storyline and is back in a slow decline. Retailers simply ignore the fact that it’s part of another two-month crossover with Action Comics in September and October.

—–

83 - TITANS
09/2008: Titans #4      — 51,755 (- 5.1%)
09/2008: Titans #5      — 49,959 (- 3.5%)
10/2008: Titans #6      — 45,453 (- 9.0%)
11/2008: Titans #7      — 41,507 (- 8.7%)
12/2008: Titans #8      — 39,154 (- 5.7%)
01/2009: Titans #9      — 37,693 (- 3.7%)
02/2009: Titans #10     — 36,361 (- 3.5%)
03/2009: Titans #11     — 35,240 (- 3.1%)
04/2009: Titans #12     — 36,014 (+ 2.2%)
05/2009: Titans #13     — 34,343 (- 4.6%)
06/2009: Titans #14     — 32,321 (- 5.9%)
07/2009: Titans #15     — 46,189 (+42.9%)
08/2009: Titans #16     — 31,408 (-32.0%)
09/2009: Titans #17     — 30,154 (- 4.0%)
—————-
6 months: -14.4%
1 year  : -41.7%

There’s no end in sight to the book’s downslide.

—–

85 - POWER GIRL
05/2009: Power Girl #1  — 47,322
06/2009: Power Girl #2  — 36,756 (-22.3%)
07/2009: Power Girl #3  — 35,163 (- 4.3%)
08/2009: Power Girl #4  — 32,140 (- 8.6%)
09/2009: Power Girl #5  — 29,497 (- 8.2)

Despite another 1-for-10 variant, Power Girl numbers keep slipping.

—–

87 - WONDER WOMAN
09/2004: Wonder Woman #208 —  26,628
09/2005: –
09/2006: –
09/2007: –
————————————-
09/2008: Wonder Woman #24  —  34,583 (- 2.8%)
10/2008: Wonder Woman #25  —  33,583 (- 2.9%)
11/2008: Wonder Woman #26  —  33,277 (- 0.9%)
12/2008: Wonder Woman #27  —  32,322 (- 2.9%)
01/2009: Wonder Woman #28  —  32,622 (+ 0.9%)
02/2009: Wonder Woman #29  —  33,237 (+ 1.9%)
03/2009: Wonder Woman #30  —  33,365 (+ 0.4%)
04/2009: Wonder Woman #31  —  31,857 (- 4.5%)
05/2009: Wonder Woman #32  —  33,065 (+ 3.8%)
06/2009: Wonder Woman #33  —  32,755 (- 0.9%)
07/2009: Wonder Woman #34  —  30,131 (- 8.0%)
08/2009: Wonder Woman #35  —  29,657 (- 1.6%)
09/2009: Wonder Woman #36  —  28,806 (- 2.9%)
—————-
6 months: -13.7%
1 year  : -16.7%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years : + 8.2%

Declining, and not slowly.

—–

90 - SUPERGIRL ANNUAL
09/2009: Supergirl Annual #1 — 28,262

A $ 3.99 special by the regular writer that sells about 4,000 units below its mother title - not bad, on balance.

—–

93 - THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
09/2007: –
———————————————
09/2008: The Brave and the Bold #17 — 29,857 (- 5.3%)
10/2008: The Brave and the Bold #18 — 28,199 (- 5.5%)
11/2008: The Brave and the Bold #19 — 26,407 (- 6.4%)
12/2008: The Brave and the Bold #20 — 25,050 (- 5.1%)
01/2009: The Brave and the Bold #21 — 24,375 (- 2.7%)
02/2009: The Brave and the Bold #22 — 23,507 (- 3.6%)
03/2009: –
04/2009: –
05/2009: The Brave and the Bold #23 — 22,312 (- 5.1%)
06/2009: The Brave and the Bold #24 — 21,272 (- 4.7%)
07/2009: The Brave and the Bold #25 — 21,234 (- 0.2%)
08/2009: The Brave and the Bold #26 — 20,154 (- 5.1%)
09/2009: The Brave and the Bold #27 — 26,904 (+33.5%)
—————-
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : - 9.9%
2 years :  n.a.

This is J. Michael Straczynski’s debut on The Brave and the Bold, and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, it tanks horribly. Not that it wasn’t blindingly obvious when they announced it eighteen months back.

—–

94 - MAGOG
09/2009: Magog #1  — 26,352

A new Keith Giffen series starring, well, Magog.

There’s a 1-for-10 variant edition, but this is still selling much better than it has any right to.

—–

96 - SOLOMON GRUNDY
01/2009: Faces of Evil: Grundy #1 — 27,093
02/2009: –
03/2009: Solomon Grundy #1 of 7   — 23,175 (-14.5%)
04/2009: Solomon Grundy #2 of 7   — 18,516 (-20.1%)
05/2009: Solomon Grundy #3 of 7   — 16,482 (-11.0%)
06/2009: Solomon Grundy #4 of 7   — 15,167 (- 8.0%)
07/2009: Solomon Grundy #5 of 7   — 14,043 (- 7.4%)
08/2009: Solomon Grundy #6 of 7   — 13,505 (- 3.8%)
09/2009: Solomon Grundy #7 of 7   — 25,927 (+92.0%)
—————-
6 months: +11.9%

A “Blackest Night” tie-in gets Solomon Grundy the highest sales of its run.

—–

105 - SECRET SIX
09/2006: Secret Six #4 of 6 — 40,782
————————————-
09/2008: Secret Six #1      — 31,673 (-10.8%)
10/2008: Secret Six #2      — 27,846 (-12.1%)
11/2008: Secret Six #3      — 26,053 (- 6.4%)
12/2008: Secret Six #4      — 24,657 (- 5.4%)
01/2009: Secret Six #5      — 24,899 (+ 1.0%)
02/2009: Secret Six #6      — 24,758 (- 0.6%)
03/2009: Secret Six #7      — 24,365 (- 1.6%)
04/2009: Secret Six #8      — 24,338 (- 0.1%)
05/2009: Secret Six #9      — 27,116 (+11.4%)
06/2009: Secret Six #10     — 24,272 (-10.5%)
07/2009: Secret Six #11     — 24,357 (+ 0.4%)
08/2009: Secret Six #12     — 24,161 (- 0.8%)
09/2009: Secret Six #13     — 23,919 (- 1.0%)
—————-
6 months: - 1.8%
1 year  : -24.5%

Holding out, sticking to 24K. That’s a very smooth first-year drop-off.

—–

111 - THE OUTSIDERS
09/2004: Outsiders #15 — 42,186
09/2004: Outsiders #16 — 41,374
09/2005: Outsiders #28 — 44,222
09/2006: Outsiders #40 — 38,626
09/2007: Outsiders #50 — 38,212
——————————–
09/2008: Batsiders #11 — 49,945 (+48.5%)
10/2008: Batsiders #12 — 46,649 (- 6.6%)
11/2008: Batsiders #13 — 42,939 (- 8.0%)
12/2008: Batsiders #14 — 32,163 (-25.1%)
01/2009: –
02/2009: Special #1    — 35,727 (+11.1%)
02/2009: Outsiders #15 — 30,024 (-16.0%)
03/2009: Outsiders #16 — 27,977 (- 6.8%)
04/2009: Outsiders #17 — 27,171 (- 2.9%)
05/2009: Outsiders #18 — 25,995 (- 4.3%)
06/2009: Outsiders #19 — 27,485 (+ 5.7%)
07/2009: Outsiders #20 — 24,323 (-11.5%)
08/2009: Outsiders #21 — 23,856 (- 1.9%)
09/2009: Outsiders #22 — 22,775 (- 4.5%)
—————-
6 months: -24.0%
1 year  : -54.4%
2 years : -40.4%
5 years : -45.5%

The Outsiders keeps losing readers by the truckload. For what seems like the seventh time in the last two years, a new creative team is already waiting around the corner. It’s only the fifth time, though.

—–

115 - DOOM PATROL
09/2004: Doom Patrol #4  — 26,101
09/2005: Doom Patrol #16 — 14,325
———————————-
08/2009: Doom Patrol #1  — 28,267
09/2009: Doom Patrol #2  — 22,001 (-22.2%)
—————-
5 years : -15.7%

So far, so good: Sales are still above 20K after the second-issue drop. They’ll still have to stabilize soon if Doom Patrol wants to survive 2010, though.

As usual, there was a 1-for-10 variant.

—–

116 - BOOSTER GOLD
09/2007: Booster Gold #2  — 47,102
———————————–
09/2008: Booster Gold #12 — 32,049 (- 2.6%)
10/2008: Booster Gold #13 — 29,914 (- 6.7%)
11/2008: Booster Gold #14 — 28,260 (- 5.5%)
12/2008: Booster Gold #15 — 26,835 (- 5.0%)
01/2009: Booster Gold #16 — 25,472 (- 5.1%)
02/2009: Booster Gold #17 — 24,732 (- 2.9%)
03/2009: Booster Gold #18 — 23,737 (- 4.0%)
04/2009: Booster Gold #19 — 23,203 (- 2.3%)
05/2009: Booster Gold #20 — 22,549 (- 2.8%)
06/2009: Booster Gold #21 — 23,222 (+ 3.0%)
07/2009: Booster Gold #22 — 22,414 (- 3.5%)
08/2009: Booster Gold #23 — 22,108 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Booster Gold #24 — 21,731 (- 1.7%)
—————-
6 months: - 8.5%
1 year  : -32.2%
2 years : -53.9%

Slowly declining. It doesn’t look like the backup strip and $ 3.99 price point are making any difference to sales.

—–

118 - FABLES (Vertigo)
09/2004: Fables #29 — 25,025
09/2005: Fables #41 — 25,001
09/2006: Fables #53 — 25,388
09/2007: Fables #65 — 25,311
—————————–
09/2008: Fables #75 — 25,266 (+4.6%)
09/2008: Fables #76 — 23,914 (-5.4%)
10/2008: Fables #77 — 23,761 (-0.6%)
11/2008: Fables #78 — 23,345 (-1.8%)
12/2008: Fables #79 — 22,769 (-2.5%)
01/2009: Fables #80 — 22,617 (-0.7%)
02/2009: Fables #81 — 22,517 (-0.4%)
03/2009: Fables #82 — 22,445 (-0.3%)
04/2009: Fables #83 — 23,630 (+5.3%)
05/2009: Fables #84 — 23,634 (+0.0%)
06/2009: Fables #85 — 23,439 (-0.8%)
07/2009: Fables #86 — 22,447 (-4.2%)
08/2009: Fables #87 — 21,876 (-2.5%)
09/2009: Fables #88 — 21,508 (-1.7%)
—————-
6 months: - 4.2%
1 year  : -12.5%
2 years : -15.0%
5 years : -14.1%

Vertigo’s best-selling periodical continues a slow decline.

—–

119 - JSA VS. KOBRA
06/2009: JSA Vs. Kobra #1 of 6 — 32,237
07/2009: JSA Vs. Kobra #2 of 6 — 25,591 (-20.6%)
08/2009: JSA Vs. Kobra #3 of 6 — 22,806 (-10.9%)
09/2009: JSA Vs. Kobra #4 of 6 — 21,107 (- 7.5%)

This one’s dropping off the map quickly, not surprisingly. It doesn’t stop DC from launching an ongoing Justice Society spin-off, though.

—–

120 - RED TORNADO
09/2009: Red Tornado #1 of 6 — 20,551

The Red Tornado used to be somewhat popular while Brad Meltzer was writing Justice League, as I recall, so this is another one of those projects that make you wonder whose chair’s been choking the pipeline at DC. A lot of their publishing decisions look like they could have made sense two or three years earlier.

—–

126 - GREEN ARROW & BLACK CANARY
09/2004: Green Arrow #42  — 31,714
09/2005: Green Arrow #54  — 34,331
09/2006: Green Arrow #66  — 33,793
09/2007: Year One #5 of 6 — 31,504
———————————–
09/2008: Arrow/Canary #12 — 27,896 (- 2.8%)
10/2008: Arrow/Canary #13 — 26,890 (- 3.6%)
11/2008: Arrow/Canary #14 — 25,599 (- 4.8%)
12/2008: Arrow/Canary #15 — 24,526 (- 4.2%)
01/2009: Arrow/Canary #16 — 24,419 (- 0.4%)
02/2009: Arrow/Canary #17 — 23,392 (- 4.2%)
03/2009: Arrow/Canary #18 — 22,699 (- 3.0%)
04/2009: Arrow/Canary #19 — 21,933 (- 3.4%)
05/2009: Arrow/Canary #20 — 21,445 (- 2.2%)
06/2009: Arrow/Canary #21 — 20,807 (- 3.0%)
07/2009: Arrow&Canary #22 — 20,571 (- 1.1%)
08/2009: Arrow&Canary #23 — 19,452 (- 5.4%)
09/2009: Arrow&Canary #24 — 18,780 (- 3.5%)
—————-
6 months: -17.3%
1 year  : -32.7%
2 years : -40.4%
5 years : -40.8%

Another book that’s going to be in trouble next year if nobody manages to turn the numbers around.

—–

128 - SWEET TOOTH (Vertigo)
09/2009: Sweet Tooth #1  — 18,657

Jeff Lemire’s idiosyncratic stab at the apocalypse and what happens after is Vertigo’s latest $ 1.00 loss-leader. Compared to The Unwritten and Greek Street, we could talk about diminishing returns. Then again, Sweet Tooth is rather off the beaten path for Vertigo, so from that perspective, it’s fending for itself rather well.

Vertigo keep the $ 1.00 books coming, for the time being, and the first paperback collection of the book’s they’ve supported has yet to ship, so we’ll find out if the stunt works over the course of next year.

—–

131 - BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL
09/2007: Batman Confidential #9  — 28,845
——————————————
09/2008: Batman Confidential #21 — 24,515 (- 0.6%)
10/2008: Batman Confidential #22 — 24,281 (- 1.0%)
11/2008: Batman Confidential #23 — 22,909 (- 5.7%)
12/2008: Batman Confidential #24 — 21,470 (- 6.3%)
01/2009: Batman Confidential #25 — 20,517 (- 4.4%)
02/2009: Batman Confidential #26 — 20,134 (- 1.9%)
03/2009: Batman Confidential #27 — 19,934 (- 1.0%)
04/2009: Batman Confidential #28 — 19,540 (- 2.0%)
05/2009: Batman Confidential #29 — 18,867 (- 3.4%)
06/2009: Batman Confidential #30 — 18,443 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Batman Confidential #31 — 19,225 (+ 4.2%)
08/2009: Batman Confidential #32 — 18,545 (- 3.5%)
09/2009: Batman Confidential #33 — 18,140 (- 2.2%)
—————-
6 months: - 9.0%
1 year  : -26.0%
2 years : -37.1%

Business as usual, as more Batman completists stop being Batman completists.

—–

140 - THE SHIELD
08/2009: RC: Shield #1  — 19,088
09/2009: The Shield #1  — 16,997 (-11.0%)

149 - THE WEB
08/2009: RC: Web #1  — 19,535
09/2009: The Web #1  — 15,507 (-20.6%)

Well, it’s not like J. Michael Straczynski’s one-shots provided these series with a great launch pad to begin with. Color me surprised if these books make it past issue #12.

There were 1-for-10 variants for both The Shield and The Web.

—–

145 - THE UNWRITTEN (Vertigo)
05/2009: The Unwritten #1  — 26,915          [31,081]
06/2009: The Unwritten #2  — 16,290 (-39.5%)
07/2009: The Unwritten #3  — 17,028 (+ 4.5%)
08/2009: The Unwritten #4  — 16,336 (- 4.1%)
09/2009: The Unwritten #5  — 16,011 (- 2.0%)

The inaugural Vertigo series to make use of a $ 1.00 debut issue keeps dropping subtle hints that the gamble may have paid off — in this case, at least.

—–

155 - ASTRO CITY: ASTRA SPECIAL (WildStorm)
06/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #1 of 4 — 32,690
07/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #2 of 4 — 29,721
08/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #3 of 4 — 28,152
10/2005: The Dark Age/Book 1 #4 of 4 — 27,367
———————————————-
11/2006: The Dark Age/Book 2 #1 of 4 — 26,993
02/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #2 of 4 — 23,412
04/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #3 of 4 — 22,727
09/2007: The Dark Age/Book 2 #4 of 4 — 19,764
———————————————-
05/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #1 of 4 — 18,281 (- 7.5%)
06/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #2 of 4 — 16,405 (-10.3%)
07/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #3 of 4 — 15,291 (- 6.8%)
08/2009: The Dark Age/Book 3 #4 of 4 — 14,684 (- 4.0%)
09/2009: Astra Special #1 of 2       — 14,627 (- 0.4%)
—————-
2 years : -26.0%

Virtually no change from the previous issue. If history is anything to go by, though, there’ll still be a second-issue drop in October.

—–

162 - JACK OF FABLES (Vertigo)
09/2006: Jack of Fables #3  — 22,373
09/2007: Jack of Fables #14 — 18,728
————————————-
09/2008: Jack of Fables #26 — 15,471 (- 1.1%)
10/2008: Jack of Fables #27 — 15,092 (- 2.5%)
11/2008: Jack of Fables #28 — 14,528 (- 3.7%)
12/2008: Jack of Fables #29 — 14,151 (- 2.6%)
01/2009: Jack of Fables #30 — 13,746 (- 2.9%)
02/2009: Jack of Fables #31 — 13,586 (- 1.2%)
03/2009: Jack of Fables #32 — 13,595 (+ 0.1%)
04/2009: Jack of Fables #33 — 19,242 (+41.5%)
05/2009: Jack of Fables #34 — 19,420 (+ 0.9%)
06/2009: Jack of Fables #35 — 19,571 (+ 0.8%)
07/2009: Jack of Fables #36 — 15,256 (-22.1%)
08/2009: Jack of Fables #37 — 14,508 (- 4.9%)
09/2009: Jack of Fables #38 — 13,790 (- 5.0%)
—————-
6 months: + 1.4%
1 year  : -10.9%
2 years : -26.4%

Another stiff drop, but sales are still slightly above those prior “The Big Fables Crossover.”

—–

164 - EX MACHINA (WildStorm)
09/2004: Ex Machina #4  — 22,845 [24,279]
09/2005: –
09/2006: Ex Machina #23 — 20,135
09/2007: Ex Machina #30 — 17,163
———————————
09/2008: Ex Machina #38 — 14,973 (+ 0.4%)
10/2008: –
11/2008: Ex Machina #39 — 14,194 (- 5.2%)
12/2008: Ex Machina #40 — 14,067 (- 0.9%)
01/2009: –
02/2009: –
03/2009: –
04/2009: Ex Machina #41 — 13,526 (- 3.9%)
05/2009: Ex Machina #42 — 13,403 (- 0.9%)
06/2009: Ex Machina #43 — 13,204 (- 1.5%)
07/2009: –
08/2009: Ex Machina #44 — 12,796 (- 3.1%)
09/2009: Ex Machina #45 — 12,832 (+ 0.3%)
—————-
6 months:  n.a.
1 year  : -14.3%
2 years : -25.2%
5 years : -43.8%

Right in time for the final arc, Ex Machina is holding level in September — then again, the same happened last year, and it turned out to be a fluke.

—–

168 - FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN
05/2009: Run #1 of 6 — 29,065
06/2009: Run #2 of 6 — 21,429 (-26.3%)
07/2009: Run #3 of 6 — 16,212 (-24.4%)
08/2009: Run #4 of 6 — 13,738 (-15.3%)
09/2009: Run #5 of 6 — 12,406 (- 9.7%)

Well, at least we’re in the single digits.

Um. The drops, I mean.

—–

171 - JONAH HEX
09/2006: Jonah Hex #11 — 18,957
09/2007: Jonah Hex #23 — 15,157
——————————–
09/2008: Jonah Hex #35 — 13,231 (+ 2.0%)
10/2008: Jonah Hex #36 — 12,629 (- 4.6%)
11/2008: Jonah Hex #37 — 12,537 (- 0.7%)
12/2008: Jonah Hex #38 — 12,132 (- 3.2%)
01/2009: Jonah Hex #39 — 11,705 (- 3.5%)
02/2009: Jonah Hex #40 — 11,631 (- 0.6%)
03/2009: Jonah Hex #41 — 11,564 (- 0.6%)
04/2009: Jonah Hex #42 — 11,551 (- 0.1%)
05/2009: Jonah Hex #43 — 11,606 (+ 0.5%)
06/2009: Jonah Hex #44 — 11,592 (- 0.1%)
07/2009: Jonah Hex #45 — 12,588 (+ 8.6%)
08/2009: Jonah Hex #46 — 12,466 (- 1.0%)
09/2009: Jonah Hex #47 — 12,231 (- 1.9%)
—————-
6 months: + 5.8%
1 year  : - 7.6%
2 years : -19.3%

Back in a slow decline after July’s odd increase.

—–

172/185 - FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH: NIGHTMARE WARRIORS (WildStorm)
11/2007: Freddy/Jason/Ash #1 of 6   — 23,306 [27,515]
11/2007: Freddy/Jason/Ash #2 of 6   — 15,291
12/2007: Freddy/Jason/Ash #3 of 6   — 15,348
01/2008: Freddy/Jason/Ash #4 of 6   — 17,170
02/2008: Freddy/Jason/Ash #5 of 6   — 17,120
03/2008: Freddy/Jason/Ash #6 of 6   — 17,096
———————————————
06/2009: Nightmare Warriors #1 of 6 — 21,395
07/2009: Nightmare Warriors #2 of 6 — 13,938 (-34.9%)
08/2009: –
09/2009: Nightmare Warriors #3 of 6 — 12,179 (-12.6%)
09/2009: Nightmare Warriors #4 of 6 — 11,388 (- 6.5%)

176 - WORLD OF WARCRAFT (WildStorm)
09/2008: World of WarCraft #11 — 19,331 (- 7.4%)
10/2008: World of WarCraft #12 — 18,200 (- 5.9%)
11/2008: World of WarCraft #13 — 17,017 (- 6.5%)
12/2008: World of WarCraft #14 — 16,058 (- 5.6%)
01/2009: World of WarCraft #15 — 14,996 (- 6.6%)
02/2009: World of WarCraft #16 — 14,177 (- 5.5%)
03/2009: World of WarCraft #17 — 13,614 (- 4.0%)
04/2009: World of WarCraft #18 — 13,110 (- 3.7%)
05/2009: World of WarCraft #19 — 12,536 (- 4.4%)
06/2009: World of WarCraft #20 — 12,274 (- 2.1%)
07/2009: World of WarCraft #21 — 12,656 (+ 3.1%)
08/2009: World of WarCraft #22 — 12,131 (- 4.2%)
09/2009: World of WarCraft #23 — 11,959 (- 1.4%)
—————-
6 months: -12.2%
1 year  : -38.1%

Neither of WildStorm’s two highest-selling periodicals is looking very good. The imprint’s publishing strategy for the immediate future is “more of the same,” though, so who knows how they capitalize on all those books that keep tanking horribly in the direct market.

—–

180 - THE LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN
05/2009: TLDoAM #1 of 6 — 18,976
06/2009: TLDoAM #2 of 6 — 14,469 (-23.8%)
07/2009: TLDoAM #3 of 6 — 12,998 (-10.2%)
08/2009: TLDoAM #4 of 6 — 12,510 (- 3.8%)
09/2009: TLDoAM #5 of 6 — 11,791 (- 5.8%)

184 - FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE
05/2009: Escape #1 of 6 — 28,668
06/2009: Escape #2 of 6 — 20,576
07/2009: Escape #3 of 6 — 15,294 (-25.7%)
08/2009: Escape #4 of 6 — 12,950 (-15.3%)
09/2009: Escape #5 of 6 — 11,613 (-10.3%)

186 - R.E.B.E.L.S.
02/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #1  — 23,739
03/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #2  — 16,122 (-32.1%)
04/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #3  — 14,442 (-10.4%)
05/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #4  — 13,468 (- 6.7%)
06/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #5  — 12,909 (- 4.2%)
07/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #6  — 12,349 (- 4.3%)
08/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #7  — 11,682 (- 5.4%)
09/2009: R.E.B.E.L.S. #8  — 11,347 (- 2.9%)
—————-
6 months: -29.6%

The Last Days of Animal Man and Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape are miniseries. R.E.B.E.L.S. has no such excuse. Its numbers are dangerously low for a DC Universe book.

—–

190 - HOUSE OF MYSTERY (Vertigo)
09/2008: House of Mystery #5  — 16,721 (- 4.8%)
10/2008: House of Mystery #6  — 15,934 (- 4.7%)
11/2008: House of Mystery #7  — 15,120 (- 5.1%)
12/2008: House of Mystery #8  — 14,273 (- 5.6%)
01/2009: House of Mystery #9  — 13,739 (- 3.7%)
02/2009: House of Mystery #10 — 13,098 (- 4.7%)
03/2009: House of Mystery #11 — 12,785 (- 2.4%)
04/2009: House of Mystery #12 — 12,636 (- 1.2%)
05/2009: House of Mystery #13 — 14,358 (+13.6%)
06/2009: House of Mystery #14 — 12,039 (-16.2%)
07/2009: House of Mystery #15 — 11,809 (- 1.9%)
08/2009: House of Mystery #16 — 11,572 (- 2.0%)
09/2009: House of Mystery #17 — 11,142 (- 3.7%)
—————-
6 months: -12.9%
1 year  : -33.4%

Declining, but still above 10K one and a half years in. That counts for something.

—–

192 - FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE
05/2009: Dance #1 of 6 — 27,491
06/2009: Dance #2 of 6 — 19,420 (-29.4%)
07/2009: Dance #3 of 6 — 14,505 (-25.3%)
08/2009: Dance #4 of 6 — 12,294 (-15.2%)
09/2009: Dance #5 of 6 — 10,909 (-11.3%)

Not quite in the single digits yet.

—–

193 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
09/2004: Hellblazer #200 — 16,342 [17,636]
09/2005: Hellblazer #212 — 14,714
09/2006: Hellblazer #224 — 13,704
09/2007: Hellblazer #236 — 12,938
———————————-
09/2008: Hellblazer #247 — 11,851 (-2.0%)
10/2008: Hellblazer #248 — 11,600 (-2.1%)
11/2008: Hellblazer #249 — 11,445 (-1.3%)
12/2008: Hellblazer #250 — 12,478 (+9.0%)
01/2009: Hellblazer #251 — 11,290 (-9.5%)
02/2009: Hellblazer #252 — 11,174 (-1.0%)
03/2009: Hellblazer #253 — 11,132 (-0.4%)
04/2009: Hellblazer #254 — 11,053 (-0.7%)
05/2009: Hellblazer #255 — 10,937 (-1.1%)
06/2009: Hellblazer #256 — 10,898 (-0.4%)
07/2009: Hellblazer #257 — 10,762 (-1.3%)
08/2009: Hellblazer #258 — 10,665 (-0.9%)
09/2009: Hellblazer #259 — 10,813 (+1.4%)
—————-
6 months: - 2.9%
1 year  : - 8.8%
2 years : -16.4%
5 years : -33.8%

194 - GREEK STREET (Vertigo)
07/2009: Greek Street #1  — 20,422
08/2009: Greek Street #2  — 11,996 (-41.3%)
09/2009: Greek Street #3  — 10,628 (-11.4%)

Two Peter Milligan books with mixed signals: Hellblazer figures are stabilizing, while Greek Street keeps bleeding readers.

—–

195 - FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: INK
05/2009: Ink #1 of 6 — 25,479
06/2009: Ink #2 of 6 — 17,964 (-29.5%)
07/2009: Ink #3 of 6 — 13,643 (-24.1%)
08/2009: Ink #4 of 6 — 11,837 (-13.2%)
09/2009: Ink #5 of 6 — 10,572 (-10.7%)

197 - WARLORD
09/2069: Warlord #8  — 12,361
——————————
04/2009: Warlord #1  — 17,540
05/2009: Warlord #2  — 13,390 (-23.7%)
06/2009: Warlord #3  — 12,283 (- 8.3%)
07/2009: Warlord #4  — 11,445 (- 6.8%)
08/2009: Warlord #5  — 10,790 (- 5.7%)
09/2009: Warlord #6  — 10,331 (- 4.3%)

200 - STRANGE ADVENTURES
03/2009: Strange Adventures #1 of 8  —  22,820
04/2009: Strange Adventures #2 of 8  —  14,499 (-36.5%)
05/2009: Strange Adventures #3 of 8  —  12,515 (-13.7%)
06/2009: Strange Adventures #4 of 8  —  11,441 (- 8.6%)
07/2009: Strange Adventures #5 of 8  —  10,758 (- 6.0%)
08/2009: Strange Adventures #6 of 8  —  10,316 (- 4.1%)
09/2009: Strange Adventures #7 of 8  —  10,068 (- 2.4%)
—————-
6 months: -55.9%

The final DC Universe books to make the Top 200 in September — or break the 10,000-unit barrier. It doesn’t look good for Warlord.

—–

207 - MADAME XANADU (Vertigo)
09/2008: Madame Xanadu #4  — 12,329 (- 5.5%)
10/2008: Madame Xanadu #5  — 11,392 (- 7.6%)
11/2008: Madame Xanadu #6  — 12,340 (+ 8.3%)
12/2008: Madame Xanadu #7  — 10,272 (-16.8%)
01/2009: –
02/2009: Madame Xanadu #8  —  9,932 (- 3.3%)
03/2009: Madame Xanadu #9  —  9,798 (- 1.4%)
04/2009: Madame Xanadu #10 —  9,664 (- 1.4%)
05/2009: Madame Xanadu #11 — 10,179 (+ 5.3%)
06/2009: Madame Xanadu #12 —  9,949 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Madame Xanadu #13 — 10,009 (+ 0.6%)
08/2009: Madame Xanadu #14 —  9,873 (- 1.4%)
09/2009: Madame Xanadu #15 —  9,733 (- 1.4%)
—————-
6 months: - 0.7%
1 year  : -21.1%

215 - NORTHLANDERS (Vertigo)
09/2008: Northlanders #10 — 10,738 (- 2.9%)
10/2008: Northlanders #11 — 10,353 (- 3.6%)
11/2008: Northlanders #12 — 10,048 (- 3.0%)
12/2008: Northlanders #13 —  9,777 (- 2.7%)
01/2009: Northlanders #14 —  9,467 (- 3.2%)
02/2009: –
03/2009: Northlanders #15 —  9,443 (- 0.2%)
04/2009: Northlanders #16 —  9,323 (- 1.3%)
05/2009: Northlanders #17 —  9,239 (- 0.9%)
06/2009: Northlanders #18 —  8,877 (- 3.9%)
07/2009: Northlanders #19 —  8,722 (- 1.8%)
08/2009: –
09/2009: Northlanders #20 —  8,786 (+ 0.7%)
—————-
6 months: - 7.0%
1 year  : -18.2%

Madame Xanadu and Northlanders both seem to be bottoming out.

—–

223 - TINY TITANS (Johnny DC)
09/2008: Tiny Titans #8  —  9,795 (- 4.3%)
10/2008: Tiny Titans #9  —  9,521 (- 2.8%)
11/2008: Tiny Titans #10 —  9,239 (- 3.0%)
12/2008: Tiny Titans #11 —  9,085 (- 1.7%)
01/2009: Tiny Titans #12 —  8,733 (- 3.9%)
02/2009: Tiny Titans #13 —  8,710 (- 0.3%)
03/2009: Tiny Titans #14 —  8,736 (+ 0.3%)
04/2009: Tiny Titans #15 —  9,207 (+ 5.4%)
05/2009: Tiny Titans #16 —  8,844 (- 3.9%)
06/2009: Tiny Titans #17 —  8,640 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Tiny Titans #18 —  8,576 (- 0.7%)
08/2009: Tiny Titans #19 —  8,432 (- 1.7%)
09/2009: Tiny Titans #20 —  8,435 (+ 0.0%)
—————-
6 months: - 3.5%
1 year  : -13.9%

A Johnny DC book, see small print.

—–

224 - THE AUTHORITY (WildStorm)
09/2005: –
09/2007: –
—————————————
09/2008: The Authority v4 #2  — 14,324 (- 9.0%)
10/2008: The Authority v4 #3  — 13,408 (- 6.4%)
11/2008: The Authority v4 #4  — 12,450 (- 7.2%)
12/2008: The Authority v4 #5  — 11,534 (- 7.4%)
01/2009: The Authority v4 #6  — 10,673 (- 7.5%)
02/2009: The Authority v4 #7  — 10,553 (- 1.1%)
03/2009: The Authority v4 #8  —  9,990 (- 5.3%)
04/2009: The Authority v4 #9  —  9,748 (- 2.4%)
05/2009: The Authority v4 #10 —  9,531 (- 2.2%)
06/2009: The Authority v4 #11 —  9,204 (- 3.4%)
07/2009: The Authority v4 #12 —  8,918 (- 3.1%)
08/2009: The Authority v4 #13 —  8,648 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: The Authority v4 #14 —  8,394 (- 2.9%)
—————-
6 months: -16.0%
1 year  : -41.4%
2 years :  n.a.
5 years :  n.a.

Coming up? More of the same. How do they keep publishing WildStorm Universe comics at these numbers? No idea.

—–

232 - VIGILANTE
12/2008: Vigilante #1      — 18,236
01/2009: Vigilante #2      — 13,855 (-24.0%)
02/2009: Vigilante #3      — 11,264 (-18.7%)
03/2009: Vigilante #4      — 11,125 (- 1.2%)
04/2009: Vigilante #5      — 21,290 (+91.4%)
05/2009: Vigilante #6      — 18,677 (-12.3%)
06/2009: Vigilante #7      — 11,483 (-38.5%)
07/2009: Vigilante #8      —  9,942 (-13.4%)
08/2009: Vigilante #9      —  8,387 (-15.6%)
09/2009: Vigilante #10     —  7,856 (- 6.3%)
—————-
6 months: -29.4%

Cancelled with issue #12.

—–

237 - DMZ (Vertigo)
09/2006: DMZ #11 — 14,562
09/2007: DMZ #23 — 11,858
————————–
09/2008: —
10/2008: DMZ #35 —  9,240 (-3.4%)
11/2008: DMZ #36 —  8,851 (-4.2%)
12/2008: DMZ #37 —  8,823 (-0.3%)
01/2009: DMZ #38 —  8,457 (-4.2%)
02/2009: DMZ #39 —  8,353 (-1.2%)
03/2009: DMZ #40 —  8,167 (-2.2%)
04/2009: DMZ #41 —  8,061 (-1.3%)
05/2009: —
06/2009: DMZ #42 —  7,927 (-1.7%)
07/2009: DMZ #43 —  7,806 (-1.5%)
08/2009: DMZ #44 —  7,654 (-2.0%)
09/2009: DMZ #45 —  7,589 (-0.9%)
—————-
6 months: - 7.1%
1 year  :  n.a.
2 years : -36.0%

Maintaining a slow decline.

—–

241 - WILDCATS (WildStorm)
09/2005: Nemesis #1 of 9 — 19,663
———————————-
09/2008: World’s End #3  — 13,559 (+ 1.9%)
10/2008: World’s End #4  — 12,431 (- 8.3%)
11/2008: World’s End #5  — 11,280 (- 9.3%)
12/2008: World’s End #6  — 10,450 (- 7.4%)
01/2009: World’s End #7  —  9,539 (- 8.7%)
02/2009: World’s End #8  —  9,040 (- 5.2%)
03/2009: World’s End #9  —  8,758 (- 3.1%)
04/2009: World’s End #10 —  8,460 (- 3.4%)
05/2009: World’s End #11 —  8,165 (- 3.5%)
06/2009: World’s End #12 —  7,863 (- 3.7%)
07/2009: World’s End #13 —  7,609 (- 3.2%)
08/2009: World’s End #14 —  7,417 (- 2.5%)
09/2009: World’s End #15 —  7,178 (- 3.2%)
—————-
6 months: -18.0%
1 year  : -47.1%

See The Authority, basically. If the optimnism with which DC regards this line were made of cheese, we wouldn’t need houses anymore.

—–

242 - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (Johnny DC)
09/2004: Batman Strikes! #1    — 22,397 [23,348]
09/2005: Batman Strikes! #13   —  9,284
09/2006: Batman Strikes! #25   —  7,765
09/2007: Batman Strikes! #37   —  6,833
—————————————-
09/2008: Batman Strikes! #49   —  6,387 (-  4.7%)
10/2008: Batman Strikes! #50   —  6,413 (+  0.4%)
11/2008: –
12/2008: –
01/2009: Brave & Bold #1       — 13,935 (+117.3%)
02/2009: Brave & Bold #2       —  8,678 (- 37.7%)
03/2009: Brave & Bold #3       —  8,184 (-  5.7%)
04/2009: Brave & Bold #4       —  8,381 (+  2.4%)
05/2009: Brave & Bold #5       —  7,994 (-  4.6%)
06/2009: Brave & Bold #6       —  7,614 (-  4.8%)
07/2009: Brave & Bold #7       —  7,441 (-  2.3%)
08/2009: Brave & Bold #8       —  7,153 (-  3.9%)
09/2009: Brave & Bold #9       —  7,064 (-  1.2%)
—————-
6 months: -13.7%
1 year  : +10.6%
2 years : + 3.4%
5 years : -68.5%

A Johnny DC title. See small print.

—–

245 - UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Vertigo)
10/2008: Unknown Soldier #1  — 16,038
11/2008: Unknown Soldier #2  — 10,553 (-34.2%)
12/2008: Unknown Soldier #3  —  9,926 (- 5.9%)
01/2009: Unknown Soldier #4  —  8,711 (-12.2%)
02/2009: Unknown Soldier #5  —  8,348 (- 4.2%)
03/2009: Unknown Soldier #6  —  8,177 (- 2.1%)
04/2009: Unknown Soldier #7  —  8,631 (+ 5.6%)
05/2009: Unknown Soldier #8  —  7,705 (-10.7%)
06/2009: Unknown Soldier #9  —  7,586 (- 1.6%)
07/2009: Unknown Soldier #10 —  7,256 (- 4.4%)
08/2009: Unknown Soldier #11 —  7,070 (- 2.6%)
09/2009: Unknown Soldier #12 —  6,865 (- 2.9%)
—————-
6 months: -16.1%

252 - AIR (Vertigo)
09/2008: Air #2  — 10,971 (-20.9%)
10/2008: Air #3  — 10,061 (- 8.3%)
11/2008: Air #4  —  8,913 (-11.4%)
12/2008: Air #5  —  8,412 (- 5.6%)
01/2009: Air #6  —  7,607 (- 9.6%)
02/2009: –
03/2009: Air #7  — 10,290 (+35.3%)
04/2009: Air #8  —  7,216 (-29.9%)
05/2009: Air #9  —  7,115 (- 1.4%)
06/2009: Air #10 —  6,954 (- 2.3%)
07/2009: Air #11 —  6,793 (- 2.3%)
08/2009: Air #12 —  6,589 (- 3.0%)
09/2009: Air #13 —  6,476 (- 1.7%)
—————-
6 months: -37.1%
1 year  : -41.0%

It’s hard not to be worried about these books.

—–

221 - NORTH 40 (WildStorm)
07/2009: North 40 #1 of 6 — 8,163
08/2009: North 40 #2 of 6 — 6,523 (-20.1%)
09/2009: North 40 #3 of 6 — 6,284 (- 3.7%)

This is what creator-owned new title

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