Diamond releases 2009 stats – Marvel wins

Diamond Comic Distributors reports that 2009 sales to specialty comic shops was just slightly off from

Diamond releases 2009 stats – Marvel is declared the winner

asm583Diamond Comic Distributors reports that 2009 sales to specialty comic shops was just slightly off from 2008, a fact Diamond CEO Steve Geppi sees as positive considering the economic downturn the North American economy experienced this past year.

Marvel reinforced its leadership position by posting a 45.63% market share. Marvel hit the biggest home run of 2009 with Amazing Spider-Man #583, the President Obama issue. ASM #583 sold over 500,000 copies. Almost half the comics sold last year were published by the House of Ideas. DC controlled almost a third of the market while third place Dark Horse held a distant 4.05% of market Share.

Comic book sales through specialty shops remains a two horse race. Combined, Marvel and DC control close to 80% of the market (70% of the dollar share market). Dark Horse, holder of the Buffy, Hellboy, Star Wars, Conan and Aliens licenses, is probably best positioned to make a run at the big 2.

Here are the sales charts:  

2009 TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER UNIT
MARKET SHARE
RETAIL DOLLAR
MARKET SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 45.63% 40.47%
DC COMICS 32.22% 29.28%
DARK HORSE COMICS 4.05% 5.16%
IDW Publishing 3.49% 4.17%
IMAGE COMICS 3.25% 3.67%
DYNAMIC ENTERTAINMENT 2.16% 2.17%
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 1.22% 1.31%
OTHER 7.98% 13.76%

 
2009 TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

Quantity Rank Description Price Publisher
1 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583 OBAMA $3.99 MARVEL COMICS
2 BLACKEST NIGHT #1  $3.99 DC COMICS
3 CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #1  $3.99 MARVEL COMICS
4 BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 $2.99 DC COMICS
5 BLACKEST NIGHT #2  $3.99 DC COMICS
6 BLACKEST NIGHT #5  $3.99 DC COMICS
7 BLACKEST NIGHT #3  $3.99 DC COMICS
8 BLACKEST NIGHT #4  $3.99 DC COMICS
9 CAPTAIN AMERICA #600 $4.99 MARVEL COMICS
10 DARK AVENGERS #1 $3.99 MARVEL COMICS

 
2009 TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

Quantity Rank Description Price Publisher
1 WATCHMEN TP $19.99 DC COMICS
2 LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN III: CENTURY #1 1910 $7.95 TOPSHELF PRODUCTIONS
3 WALKING DEAD TP VOL 09: HERE WE REMAIN $14.99 IMAGE COMICS
4 WALKING DEAD TP VOL: 10 WHAT WE BECOME $14.99 IMAGE COMICS
5 WALKING DEAD TP VOL 01: DAYS GONE BYE $9.99 IMAGE COMICS
6 WATCHMEN TP INTERNATIONAL EDITION $19.99 DC COMICS
7 SECRET INVASION TP $29.99 MARVEL COMICS
8 BATMAN RIP DELUXE EDITION HC $24.99 DC COMICS
9 FABLES TP VOL 12: THE DARK AGES $17.99 DC COMICS
10 FABLES TP VOL 01: LEGENDS IN EXILE $9.99 DC COMICS
Comic Book Daily Staff
Comic Book Daily Staff

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