Top Selling Comics & Publisher Market Share: September 2014

The numbers for August are in! Diamond Comic Distributors has compiled the data from September and placed into awesome tables for math nerds, like us, to stare and enjoy. Let's get right down to the numbers.

This month, DC takes the top spot in both Dollar and Unit share.

If pie charts are more of your thing, then we have a couple of those for you too.

The first two issues of DEATH OF WOLVERINE take the top spots!

With Halloween right around the corner, it's no doubt that the BATMAN: DEATH OF THE FAMILY trade, along with Joker mask would take the top spot.

Here's how many books each company put out this past month.

How do they calculate this information? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during January to December 2013, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

What are your thoughts on all these numbers? What's your predictions for this month?

Great job DC! You did it! You had to put out 44 more books then Marvel to do it, but you did it!

I guess as a fan I should just be happy that DC seems to be getting back on track. These numbers will drop a lot next month but at least some of the new titles they are putting out are more fun rather then dark and gloomy. Now if we can just get more fun titles outside of Gotham...

2 Justice League book on top 10. Wow Amazing. Also Harley Quinn is still in top 10 and beat Dan Slott Spidey is incredible and I never expected

Holy Sh!t, the month DC finally makes it on top is Futures End month? I will NEVER question DC marketing strategies again.

Holy F@cking Sh!t, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's is a top selling graphic novel? did I die and go to heaven!?

I know right? I thought they'd be in trouble this month...

Wow looks like Futures End came through for DC....Wolverine topped the list with issue 1&2 of his "death"

Big surprise for me is that Harley Quinn beat Dan Slott Spidey. This really show fans are upset with the direction of Dan Slott Spidey

@cykeout1728: oh man I wasn't expecting to laugh at that. Thanks!

Wow, I was really not expecting those Futures End specials to sell well. I mean, they were random one-shots that were unrelated to what was going on in the regular books, barely related to the Futures End event, and typically not even made by the creative team from the regular books. If I were running a comic shop I would have probably reduced my usual orders by at least half.

I really thought putting their entire publishing schedule on hold for a month in favor of putting out these Futures End specials was gonna be financial suicide for DC, but BOY was I wrong.

I'm just happy Harley Quinn is still getting love!

I have to ask was Death of Wolverine #1 & 2 any good?

Did I miss something last month?

Holy crap.

It's Charles Soule + Steve McNiven, so yes.

@nightfang: Death of Wolverine 1 & 2 was flipping awesome

@cykeout1728: DC didn't put out 44 more books. The 3D and 2D were counted separately because of the different prices. I doubt the 2D orders were high at all.

Like everyone here, I thought DC was going to screw up September with Future's End as I bought exactly 0 issues.

Great marketing campaign, DC.

@dccomicsrule2011 There's something here you might want to see.

I'm not sure why everyone is saying they thought DC would lose money. Last september they were on top too.. People use sales gimmicks for a reason, folks.

WOAH DC took first Place after a long time.

Makes sense because of the future's ENd month and 4$ 3d cover books.

Dammit that means Dc will do these type of months more often -_-

GOD I HATE 3.99$ comics September in DC.

ANd Harley quinn selling more than almost everyone!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!?!

Wow, is this the first time this year DC has been on top? I don't see them repeating next month, but they oviously knew what they were doing with Futures End.

@boynerdgeek: If Slotts still in the top ten probably means direction is fine, should look at as Harley Quin being really great book

@dagmar_merrill said:

Pretty much this.

@boynerdgeek: Spidey was the number 5 selling comic without any gimmicks, so I'd say that shows a lot of people like Slott's Spidey lmao. A lot of people just happen to like Harley as well.

I am not sure Eaglemoss should be included. They only make toys, which is not a comic book..... Either way, sad to see Valiant not in the top 10. I have a feeling they will not be around for too much longer.

Yes. That's exactly what that means. :-P

Last September when DC did their line-wide 3D cover month, four 3D Bat titles sold higher than Spider-Man.

This year, two 3D Bat titles sold higher than Spider-Man.

And this time, Spidey was in the Top 5. Let that soak in for a second. Every year DC throws everything they have at September. It's part of their market strategy now, ever since New 52. September is now their battleground month where they take their best shot: New 52, Before Watchmen, Forever Evil (3D cover villains month), and Future's End (3D cover month again).

So... during DC's September gamble-- and in a month with Marvel's line wide Original Sin event wrapping up, and the Death of Wolverine launching, Spidey still placed in the Top 5.

Yes. Fans are really "upset" with the direction.

And, by the way, the issue-- like all five previous issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN-- sold out at a distributor level and are going back for 2nd Printings. That's 6 for 6. If you want a 2nd Printing of #6, it'll be on sale Oct. 29th, along with 2nd Printings of #4 and #5.

Agreed. I'm friends with Jimmy & Amanda and couldn't be happier for them. It's a FANTASTIC book, one of the stars of the entire DC line, and it deserves all the success it's getting. Was just extolling its praises to Ty Templeton two nights ago and telling him he should add it to his pull list.

Impressed by Harley Quinn. I knew her character was awsome, i just didnt know she had a strong fanbase!

@danslott: I feel like you're forgetting the zero issues from DC.

@eamon542000: @illmatic4177: Just remember if fans like certain comics , the statistics of comics sales must be increase or at least stable but in the case of Dan Slott Spidey, the comics sales drop and now looks like Harley Quinn beat Spidey (which if you think logically the spidey fans is way huge than Harley). I think due to Slott ruin and destroy Mary Jane, Black Cat and Spidey supporting cast makes fans angry and upset. Again just theory

@danslott: I feel like you're forgetting the zero issues from DC.

This has to be one of the most depressing things I've ever seen.

It's official guys, DC's new power couple is Batman and Harley. Good job Ms. Quinn

well thats about time Marvel got knocked off the top spot on units share haha
pretty sure thats the first since January(?) DC has taken the top spot. but just like every one else's predictions next month's sales for DC wont come anywhere close, especially when they'll be shipping a lot less titles out to the stores.
then again...World's End starts up next week..who knows

It's only because of the promo card and not necessarily because of the book.

@j_hickmanisgod: Marvel will win next month due to AXIS, Spider-Verse and Death of Wolverine meanwhile DC don't really promote their event GL/New Gods Godhead very well. I think the marketing campaign for Godhead is really bad compare to AXIS, Spiderverse and Death of Wolverine

Go Dc! Marvel recent unreasonable changes will make DC beat Marvel in comic book sales every month next year!

I could care less who wins between MArvel and DC, as long as Batman wins. And Batman always wins :)

ehhhhh dc had more comics out that's why they got top xD

@danslott: No offense, but when you reply to posts like that to randomly attack fans for saying anything negative about you or your book, it makes me feel proud to say I don't purchase any comic with your name on it.

Marvel usually beats DC by about the amount DC beat Marvel by this month. They usually put out around the same number of books though. Damn DC putting out 44 more books than Marvel. Its crazy.

His spidey is really good. If your missing out on one of the best books Marvel puts out for some perceived "moral" victory than I don't know what to say.

You know they also sell 2.99 comics as well right?

yea i know DC mostly sells 3$ comics. I meant I just hate when comics are 3.99. All the marvel books are 4$.

I'm not responding to a fan saying something negative about the book. I'm sure that poster says negative things about the book all the time.

I'm responding to the silliness of implying that a book in the Top 5 is suddenly doing poorly because it only outsold every-other-DC-Future's-End-3D-Cover-book-in-the-line for September except 2 of them.

That's so monumentally silly, it begs for a reality check.

If me having a little too much fun doing that makes you "proud" not to buy any of my books, I think I'll survive. Somehow.

according to some report i read on CBR, its like the 4th year in a row where DC out shines Marvel in the month of September. probably has to do with all the DC events being in this month

i cant wait til the day where Image Comics breaks that 10% unit share ceiling.

it will be a joyous day :)

How Ironic. I never even cared much for the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's manga series. I've read like 1-3 volumes and dropped it like a sack on bricks in the sea.

I just saw Yu-Gi-Oh! and thought of you.

Exactly! Zero Month, Villains Month, and now Futures End all put DC on top for their respective Septembers.