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by John Jackson Miller

Comics sales months in the mirror may be smaller than they appear. That’s one of the lessons of the data released today byDiamond Comic Distributors about comics sales in March 2014, as analyzed by Comichron. Click to see the comics sales estimates for March 2014.

March’s sales to comics shops overall only represented a slight cooldown from March a year ago — and as reported here on Friday, the big action was in the graphic novel sector. Walking Dead Vol. 20 led the graphic novel charts — and with Saga Vol. 3 and an expensive Stray Bullets volume in the Top 10, Image posted its highest market share since November 2000, with an 11.38% dollar share. (November 2000‘s mark was 12.54%.) But while March 2013′s numbers posed a difficult comparative to beat — I called it a “blockbuster for this time of year” — going inside the numbers shows that last year’s totals were a bit of a mirage.

The Top 300 graphic novels this March, for example, were actually down 4% versus March 2013—even though the graphic novel category overall last month was up 18.31%. Why such a discrepancy? Because as Comichron noted at the time, March 2013′s graphic novel charts were artificially inflated by Marvel’s deep-discounting of several million dollars’ worth of hardcovers. So March 2013′s Top 300 graphic novels had a total retail value of $8.97 million versus $8.65 million this March —but the publishers and Diamond realized far less money from them.

The overall graphic novel percentage changes that Diamond reports, meanwhile, are calculated based on wholesale value — how much money retailers paid — and there, it’s clear that while more dollars worth of material moved through the system in March 2013, discounts weren’t as deep on what Diamond sold this year, and it and publishers realized more from the sales.

If we take the analysis down to units, we see that this March’s 300th-place graphic novel sold 490 copies, whereas last March’s book in that spot sold only 413. So we’re really looking at a comparison with a March 2013 chart that was seriously distorted by a lot of high-dollar value books sold at very high discounts.

The 300th-place comic book sold 4,940 copies this March versus 4,077 last March — almost exactly ten times the number of graphic novels sold in that spot in each month we’re comparing.

Meanwhile, on the five-year comparison tracks, we’re finally comparing against recessionary months in the Direct Market — the boost lent by the Obama Spider-Man issue in January and February 2009 was no longer in the picture. The market may have sold a million fewer comics in the Top 300 in March 2014 versus March 2013, but it sold a million more than in March 2009.

The aggregate change figures:

March 2014: 6.22 million copies
Versus 1 year ago this month: -14%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +17%
Versus 10 years ago this month: -2%
Versus 15 years ago this month: -4%
YEAR TO DATE: 20.93 million copies, -13% vs. 2013, +10% vs. 2009, +8% vs. 2004, -1% vs. 1999

ALL COMICS UNIT SALES
March 2014 versus one year ago this month: -11.83%
YEAR TO DATE: -11.40%

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March 2014: $22.98 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -11%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +29%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +23%
Versus 15 years ago this month: +42%
YEAR TO DATE: $68 million, -10% vs. 2013, +21% vs. 2009, +41% vs. 2004, +44% vs. 1999

ALL COMICS DOLLAR SALES
March 2014 versus one year ago this month: -9.47%
YEAR TO DATE: -6.89%

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March 2014: $8.65 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -4%
Versus 5 years ago this month: -26%
Versus 10 years ago this month, just the Top 100 vs. the Top 100: +1
Versus 15 years ago this month, just the Top 25 vs. the Top 25: +51
YEAR TO DATE: $20.63 million, -9% vs. 2013

ALL TRADE PAPERBACK  SALES
March 2014 versus one year ago this month: +18.31%
YEAR TO DATE: +1.39%

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March 2014: $31.64 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -9%
Versus 5 years ago this months: +13%
Versus 10 years ago this month, counting just the Top 100 TPBs: +15%
Versus 10 years ago this month, counting just the Top 25 TPBs: +56%
YEAR TO DATE: $88.64 million, -10% vs. 2013

ALL COMICS AND TRADE PAPERBACK  SALES
March 2014 versus one year ago this month: -1.48%
YEAR TO DATE: -4.4%

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March 2014: approximately $40.73 million (subject to revision)
Versus 1 year ago this month: -1%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +31%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +36%
YEAR TO DATE: $116.59 million, -4% vs. 2013
The average comic book in the Top 300 cost $3.64; the average comic book retailers ordered cost $3.70. The median price for comics offered was $3.99, and the most common price for comics offered was also $3.99. Click to see comics prices across time.

So the market ends the quarter about $5 million off the pace of 2013, a not-unexpected place for it to be given the winter weather, the lack of major event titles, and the degree to which 2013′s volume was impacted by heavy discounting.

A reminder: Free Comic Book Day is May 3. And check the Comic Shop Locator Service to find a comic shop near you.   

Comics sales continued to look anemic in March, with sales down  4.40% in dollars and 9.85% in units over a year ago for year to date. The one positive number was graphic novel sales for the quarter, which were up from last year, although still down from Q4 ’2013. Batman once again led the periodicals, and Walking Dead led GN sales. Marvel held its share of units and dollars, while Image was up to double digits in both, with DC slipping a point or two.

Marvel  had five of the month’s top ten best-selling comics, DC four and Image one — see if you can guess what it was. In GNs, it was more mixed with Image having four titles in the top ten—including the $60 Stray Bullets Uber Alles edition—and Dark Horse and Boom! charting with Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 7: Rift Part 1  and the third Adventure Time OGN Seeing Red. 

 TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

TOP 10 BOOKS

TOP 10 TOYS

TOP 10 GAMES

The story of the oldest known wild bird in the world. At 62+, she hatched a new chick in February, 2013. Read her remarkable story. A biography in text and art.

• Kindle
• Paperback
• Hardcover

Here’s the cover of my new book that will be out in March 2014! Wahoo! Only 90 days or so till you can read it.
And for your pleasure, here’s the recipe for Cranberry Tea Punch that we always have during the holidays.

Cranberry Tea Punch

1 cup sugar
2 cups Pineapple
4 cups Cranberry Juice Cocktail
4 cups brewed tea (I use Luzianne Decaf)
Cinnamon stix, cloves.
I also like to float slices of lemon and orange.

Warm it up and have it close while you read a book.