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Diamond Announces Top Products for April 2015

(BALTIMORE, MD) — (May 15, 2015) —Luke Skywalker's quest to become a Jedi leads him back to Tatooine in Jason Aaron and John Cassaday's Star Wars #4 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book of April 2015 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics, April's top publisher with a 34.15% dollar share and a 36.33% unit share, had four comics among April's top ten, including Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca's Darth Vader #4 at #4 and Greg Weisman and Pepe Larraz's Kanan: The Last Padawan #1 at #8. DC Entertainment was the month's #2 publisher with a 30.91% dollar share and a 33.90% unit share, and the publisher had six titles among the top ten including Dan Jurgens, Jeff King, and Ethan Van Sciver's Convergence #0 at #2 and Scott Synder and Greg Capullo's Batman #40, the conclusion to the "Endgame" storyline, at #4. Image Comics ranked third for the month with a 10.23% dollar share and a 11.18% unit share. IDW Publishing came in fourth with a 6.00% dollar share and 4.78% unit share. In fifth was Dark Horse Comics with a 3.65% dollar share and a 2.92% unit share.

The survivors of the zombie apocalypse face a new and insidious threat in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead Volume 23 from Image Comics, the best-selling graphic novel of April and one of the publisher's four volumes among the top ten. Marvel Comics' original graphic novel, Avengers: Rage of Ultron, by Warren Ellis and Jerome Opena, ranked #2. DC Entertainment had four titles in the top ten, led by Bill Willingham's Fables Volume 21: Happily Ever After at #23.

Jeffrey Brown's latest all-ages Star Wars book, Star Wars: Darth Vader & Friends, from Chronicle Books was April's best-selling book. Dark Horse Comics' The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ranked #2. IDW Publishing had two titles in the top ten -- John Romita's Amazing Spider-Man Artifact Edition at #4 and Starling: Ashley Book Book 1 at #6.

DC Collectibles continued their Batman Animated series of action figures, based on the animated series of the 1990s, in April with the Batman: The Animated Series: The Joker Action Figure, the month's best-selling toy and one of the four products the manufacturer placed in the top ten. Diamond Select Toys had three products in the top ten, led by the Star Trek: USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A Ship at #2.

Based on the new film, WizKids/NECA's Marvel HeroClix: Avengers: Age of Ultron Foil Packs were April's best-selling gaming product and one of their six products among the top ten. Diamond Select Toys' Jay & Silent Bob Monopoly, March's best-selling game product, remained in the top ten in April at #7.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 34.15%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 30.91%
IMAGE COMICS 10.23%
IDW PUBLISHING 6.00%
DARK HORSE COMICS 3.65%
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 2.17%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 2.05%
TITAN PUBLISHING 0.95%
AVATAR PRESS INC 0.94%
ONI PRESS INC. 0.89%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 8.05%
 
UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER SHARE
MARVEL COMICS 36.33%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 33.90%
IMAGE COMICS 11.18%
IDW PUBLISHING 4.78%
DARK HORSE COMICS 2.92%
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 1.98%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.78%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 0.97%
TITAN PUBLISHING 0.90%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS 0.85%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 4.42%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED
MARVEL COMICS 88 40 1 129
DC ENTERTAINMENT 88 33 1 122
IDW PUBLISHING 61 31 0 92
IMAGE COMICS 74 15 0 89
DARK HORSE COMICS 32 24 0 56
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 39 11 0 50
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 35 4 0 39
AVATAR PRESS 12 2 1 15
TITAN PUBLISHING 7 3 4 14
ONI PRESS 8 5 0 13
OTHER NON-TOP 10 101 146 37 284

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
APRIL 2015 VS. MARCH 2014
COMICS 32.70% 27.45%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 41.29% 41.25%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 35.22% 28.45%
APRIL 2015 VS. APRIL 2014
COMICS 19.75% 22.50%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 13.45% 10.03%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 17.75% 21.40%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2014
COMICS 15.58% 16.22%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 4.37% -3.63%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 12.00% 14.47%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 STAR WARS #4 $3.99 FEB150684-M MAR
2 CONVERGENCE #0 [*] $4.99 JAN150218-M DC
3 CONVERGENCE #1 [*] $4.99 FEB150137-M DC
4 BATMAN #40 $4.99 JAN150306-M DC
5 DARTH VADER #4 $3.99 FEB150682-M MAR
6 CONVERGENCE #2 [*] $3.99 FEB150142-M DC
7 CONVERGENCE #3 [*] $3.99 FEB150146-M DC
8 KANAN: THE LAST PADAWAN #1 $3.99 FEB150675-M MAR
9 CONVERGENCE #4 [*] $3.99 FEB150150-M DC
10 PRINCESS LEIA #3 $3.99 FEB150680-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 23 TP $14.99 FEB150545 IMA
2 AVENGERS: RAGE OF ULTRON HC $24.99 DEC140948 MAR
3 FABLES VOLUME 21: HAPPILY EVER AFTER TP (MR) $17.99 JAN150397 DC
4 BATMAN VOL. 5: ZERO YEAR: DARK CITY TP (N52) $16.99 JAN150363 DC
5 SAGA VOLUME 4 TP (MR) $14.99 OCT140644 IMA
6 JUPITER'S LEGACY VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 FEB150526 IMA
7 HARLEY QUINN VOL. 1: HOT IN THE CITY TP (N52) $16.99 JAN150369 DC
8 BATMAN VOLUME 6: THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT HC (N52) $24.99 DEC140379 DC
9 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP $14.99 NOV128157 IMA
10 LUMBERJANES VOLUME 1 TP $14.99 FEB151172 BOO

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 STAR WARS: DARTH VADER & FRIENDS HC $14.95 FEB151837 CHR
2 THE ART OF HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE HC $39.99 DEC140098 DAR
3 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS: FORSOOTH, THE PHANTOM MENACE HC $14.95 FEB151839 RAN
4 JOHN ROMITA'S AMAZING SPIDER MAN ARTIFACT EDITION $112.50 OCT140523 IDW
5 DC SUPER HEROES: MY FIRST BOOK OF GIRL POWER BOARD BOOK $9.99 SEP148145 POC
6 STARLING: ASHLEY WOOD BOOK 1 HC $17.99 OCT140520 IDW
7 NEIL GAIMAN'S CHU'S DAY AT BEACH HC $17.99 FEB151829 HAR
8 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 94 SC $14.95 FEB151834 SAN
9 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 95 SC $14.95 MAR151764 SAN
10 GAME OF THRONES: HAND OF THE KING WAX SEAL KIT $12.95 DEC141885 RUN

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN ANIMATED: BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES: THE JOKER FIGURE JUL140292 DC
2 STAR TREK: USS ENTERPRISE NCC-1701-A SHIP AUG142285 DST
3 MARVEL: CAPTAIN AMERICA 8-INCH RETRO ACTION FIGURE SET SEP142256 DST
4 DC COMICS: BATWOMAN BISHOUJO STATUE SEP142327 KOT
5 BACK TO THE FUTURE: FLUX CAPACITOR UNLIMITED EDITION OCT088076 DST
6 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: BATMAN ACTION FIGURE SEP140356 DC
7 AVENGERS INFINITE LEGENDS 6-INCH ACTION FIGURES FEB152176 HAS
8 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: HARLEY QUINN ACTION FIGURE SEP140357 DC
9 ONE:12 COLLECTIVE: BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS FIGURE AUG148295 MEZ
10 ARROW: ARROW ACTION FIGURE OCT140411 DC

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 MARVEL HEROCLIX: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON FOIL PACKS FEB152705 NEC
2 DC DICE MASTERS: JUSTICE LEAGUE FOIL PACKS JAN152660 NEC
3 MARVEL HEROCLIX AVENGERS QUICK START KIT SEP140018 NEC
4 THE WALKING DEAD PRISON BOARD GAME JUN142630 MEG
5 STAR WARS: ARMADA BOARD GAME DEC142545 FAN
6 MARVEL HEROCLIX: AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON STARTER SET FEB152706 NEC
7 JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK MONOPOLY DEC142209 DIA
8 DC DICE MASTERS: JUSTICE LEAGUE STARTER SET JAN152664 NEC
9 MONOPOLY: THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVAL EDITION OCT128266 USA
10 DC HEROCLIX: JUSTICE LEAGUE TRINITY WAR BOOSTER BRICK DEC142573 NEC

 

Dollar Market Shares for April 2015

Dollar Market Share – April 2015

Unit Market Shares for April 2015

Unit Market Share – April 2015

 

How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which includes the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from sales made to thousands of comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world.  Additional sales made to online merchants and other specialty retailers may be included as well.

Unit and dollar market shares are calculated based upon orders for comic books, graphic novels, and magazines invoiced and shipped to Diamond customers during any given month, which comprises pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable. Please note that comics marked with an asterisk (*) have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.

The New Titles Count Chart includes all titles that were invoiced by Diamond to retailers for the first time during the month and is not the official solicited title count for the month. Variant edition comic books and graphic novels at the same price point count as a single SKU. Variant edition comic books, lenticular covers, digital combo packs, and graphic novels at different price points count as separate SKUs for each edition.

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ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture merchandise. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, servicing thousands of specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.

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