Comic Industry: Diamond Announces Top Products For March 2016

Usually I make a comment about the state of the industry, but I think the top ten pretty much says it all. Doesn't matter what I think, you're all voting with your wallets and while I spend my money on stuff that will never make the top ten, that's okay. Everyone has different taste and it seems that the bulk of the readership loves spoon feed Marvel. Though I will say that the two DC appearances are pretty telling of their new reboot plan which limits the amount of characters with books. I imagine we'll see a lot of cameo's and larger supporting casts in all of the titles going forward, but we'll see.

From Diamond Comics:

Restored as Batman, Bruce Wayne battles Mr. Bloom for the fate of Gotham City in the finale of "Superheavy" from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo in DC Entertainment's Batman #50, the best-selling comic book of March 2016 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was March's top publisher with a 37.39% dollar share and a 42.71% unit share. DC Entertainment was the month's number two publisher with a 26.32% dollar share and a 25.94% unit share. March's number three publisher was Image Comics with an 8.73% dollar share and an 8.63% unit share. IDW Publishing was fourth with a 5.82% dollar share and a 4.41% unit share, followed by BOOM! Studios with a 3.26% dollar share and 4.07% units share. Dark Horse Comics placed sixth for the month with a 2.82% dollar share and a 2.47% unit share.

Marvel Comics had seven of March's top ten best-selling titles, led by Jason Aaron and Leinil Francis Yu's Star Wars #17 at #3. Also in the top ten were series debuts Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev's International Iron Man #1 at #9 and Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz's Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha at #10. DC Entertainment had two titles in the top ten; in addition to Batman #50, Gene Luen Yang and Howard Porter's Superman #50, the conclusion to the "Strange Dawn" story arc, ranked #4. Rounding out the top ten, BOOM! Studios' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #1 ranked #2 for the month. Among the premier publishers, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead #152 was Image Comics' top book for the month at #12; Dark Horse Comics' Fight Club 2 #10, the finale to Chuck Palahniuk's sequel to his novel, ranked #72; and IDW Publishing's Back to the Future #6 ranked #109 for the month.

Rick faces questions about his leadership when the Whisperers attack in Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard's The Walking Dead Volume 25: No Turning Back from Image Comics, the best-selling graphic novel of March. In total, Image had five titles in the top ten including Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's Paper Girls Volume 1 at #2, Rick Remender and Sean Murphy's Tokyo Ghost Volume 1 at #4, Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley's Beauty Volume 1 at #6, and Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta's East of West Volume 5 at #7. Marvel Comics had two titles in the top ten -- Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War at #3 and Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's Secret Wars at #8. DC Entertainment also had two titles in the top ten -- Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman Volume 7: Endgame at #5 and Snyder and Capullo's Batman Volume 8: Superheavy at #9. Rounding out the top ten, Dark Horse Comics' Avatar the Last Airbender Volume 12: Smoke and Shadow Part 3 ranked #10.

Random House's DC Super Hero Girls: Wonder Woman at Super Hero High was March's best-selling book. Dark Horse Comics' World of WarCraft: Chronicle Volume 1 ranked #2 for the month. Also among the top ten, IDW Publishing's Visual Funk Street Art Adult Coloring Book ranked #6.

Bandai's Dragonball Z: Son Goku 10-Inch PVC Figure was March's best-selling toy product. Diamond Select Toys has three products in the top ten, led by the perennial seller Marvel Select: Deadpool Action Figure at #3. DC Collectibles likewise had three products in the top ten; the DC Bombshells: The Joker and Harley Quinn Statue (2nd Edition) ranked #6.

Hasbro's Star Wars: The Force Awakens Monopoly was March's best-selling game product.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER DOLLAR

SHARE

UNIT

SHARE

MARVEL COMICS 37.39% 42.71%
DC ENTERTAINMENT 26.32% 25.94%
IMAGE COMICS 8.73% 8.63%
IDW PUBLISHING 5.82% 4.41%
BOOM! STUDIOS 3.26% 4.07%
DARK HORSE COMICS 2.82% 2.47%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.69% 1.56%
VIZ MEDIA 1.45% 0.63%
TITAN COMICS 1.42% 1.48%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD 1.21% 0.34%
OTHER NON-TOP 10 9.88% 7.77%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED

PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL

SHIPPED

MARVEL COMICS 84 44 0 128
DC ENTERTAINMENT 77 40 0 117
IDW PUBLISHING 50 32 0 82
IMAGE COMICS 54 19 0 73
EAGLEMOSS 0 0 47 47
VIZ MEDIA 0 43 0 43
DARK HORSE COMICS 23 16 0 39
TITAN COMICS 19 11 5 35
BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 23 11 0 34
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 18 2 0 20
OTHER NON-TOP 10 140 153 29 322

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

  DOLLARS UNITS
MARCH 2016 VS. FEBRUARY 2016
COMICS 3.62% 2.59%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 31.90% 26.24%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 12.29% 4.61%
MARCH 2016 VS. MARCH 2015
COMICS 0.53% -8.45%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 36.36% 34.78%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 11.04% -5.31%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2016 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2015
COMICS -3.40% -9.16%
GRAPHIC NOVELS 12.67% 13.56%
TOTAL COMICS/GN 1.32% -7.53%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 BATMAN #50 $5.99 JAN160227-M DC
2 MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #1 $3.99 JAN161182-M BOO
3 STAR WARS #17 $3.99 JAN160915-M MAR
4 SUPERMAN #50 $4.99 JAN160229-M DC
5 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #9 $3.99 JAN160833-M MAR
6 DARTH VADER #17 $3.99 DEC150865 MAR
7 DARTH VADER #18 $3.99 JAN160919 MAR
8 DEADPOOL #8 $3.99 JAN160891-M MAR
9 INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1 $3.99 JAN160720-M MAR
10 AVENGERS STANDOFF: ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL ALPHA #1 $4.99 JAN160762-M MAR

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 25: NO TURNING BACK TP (MR) $14.99 DEC150677 IMA
2 PAPER GIRLS VOLUME 1 TP $9.99 JAN160645 IMA
3 CIVIL WAR TP $24.99 JAN072436 MAR
4 TOKYO GHOST VOLUME 1: ATOMIC GARDEN TP (MR) $9.99 JAN160652 IMA
5 BATMAN VOLUME 7: ENDGAME TP $16.99 DEC150331 DC
6 BEAUTY VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 JAN160633-M IMA
7 EAST OF WEST VOLUME 5: ALL THESE SECRETS TP $14.99 JAN160657 IMA
8 SECRET WARS HC $50.00 AUG150873 MAR
9 BATMAN VOLUME 8: SUPERHEAVY HC $24.99 NOV150271 DC
10 AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER VOLUME 12: SMOKE & SHADOW PART 3 TP $10.99 NOV150073 DAR

TOP 10 BOOKS

RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: WONDER WOMAN AT SUPER HERO HIGH HC $13.99 JAN161903 RAN
2 WORLD OF WARCRAFT CHRONICLE VOLUME 1 HC $39.99 NOV150039 DAR
3 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 104 SC $14.95 DEC151826 SAN
4 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 87 SC $14.95 NOV151873 SAN
5 BATMAN V SUPERMAN: ART OF DAWN OF JUSTICE HC $39.99 JAN161707 RAN
6 VISUAL FUNK STREET ART ADULT COLORING BOOK TP $9.99 DEC150518 IDW
7 MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: LIGHT UP RING & ILLUSTRATED BOOK KIT $9.95 DEC151823 RUN
8 STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK: A NEW HOPE $4.99 MAY151813 RAN
9 BOB'S BURGERS BURGER BOOK HC $19.95 JAN161898 RAN
10 BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE TECH MANUAL HC $39.95 JAN161708 RAN

TOP 10 TOYS

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 DRAGONBALL Z: SON GOKU 10-INCH PVC FIGURE APR158752 BAN
2 POP! STAR WARS: RANCOR (6-INCH) WITH LUKE & SLAVE OOLA VINYL FIGURE 3-PACK SEP158902 FUN
3 MARVEL SELECT: DEADPOOL ACTION FIGURE MAR101468 DST
4 MARVEL UNIVERSE VARIANT PLAY ARTS KAI: CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGURE JUL158280 SQU
5 MARVEL: LADY DEADPOOL BISHOUJO STATUE SEP152305 KOT
6 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: THE JOKER & HARLEY QUINN STATUE 2ND ED AUG150309 DC
7 GREEN ARROW AND BLACK CANARY STATUE AUG150310 DC
8 BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE: BATMAN STATUE AUG150303 DC
9 BATMAN PREMIUM COLLECTION: MAD LOVE HARLEY QUINN STATUE AUG152310 DST
10 BATMAN PREMIUM COLLECTION: MAD LOVE HARLEY QUINN VARIANT STATUE JUL158013 DST

TOP 10 GAMES

RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR
1 STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS MONOPOLY OCT158186 HAS
2 STAR WARS X-WING: GHOST EXPANSION PACK OCT152855 FAN
3 SUPERNATURAL MONOPOLY FEB162978 USA
4 RISK: STAR WARS EDITION OCT158587 HAS
5 STAR WARS X-WING: PUNISHING ONE EXPANSION PACK OCT152859 FAN
6 DC HEROCLIX: WORLDS FINEST BOOSTER BRICK DEC152576 NEC
7 V-WARS: BLOOD & FIRE BOARD GAME SEP152626 IDW
8 TICKET TO RIDE MAP COLLECTION 5: UNITED KINGDOM DEC152543 DOW
9 YU-GI-OH! TCG PREMIUM GOLD BOX DEC158812 KON
10 YU-GI-OH! TCG: BREAKERS OF SHADOW SPECIAL EDITION BOOSTERS DEC158528 KON