Sales Review: May 2018

The sales numbers for May have been posted and I, for one, was pretty interested in seeing how this month all shook out. As usual, here is the link ti ICv2 and their coverage:
https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/40671/top-500-comics-may-2018

For me, this was interesting as it marked the handing of the Superman baton over to Brian Michael Bendis. There was no Supergirl on the shelves this month. There was no Action Comics. We had a couple of specials. And we had the first issue of the weekly The Man of Steel comic by Bendis and a cadre of ultra-talented artists.

This mini-series isn't a reboot but a reinvigoration. It is Marvel Icon Bendis' first major work at DC. It should sell like hotcakes.

So ....

I have to admit I am a bit surprise to see it come in at #9 overall in sales, with orders of 78,942 officially on the books.

I'm not saying that 79K is anything to sneeze at in this market. It is a huge seller. But this is Superman and Bendis. I thought we'd cross the 100K mark. Certainly I thought we'd sell more than Justice League No Justice.

In some ways, DC may have hurt store sales by not offering variant covers. In other ways, I am thrilled they didn't because this reflects 'true' store interest and not some chasing of a rare covered book to sell.

So solid if a bit underwhelming.

Another book out in early May was Dan Jurgens' swan song on the character, Action Comics Special #1.

Jurgens et al weren't lifted from the Superman books because of poor sales. In fact, most Superman fans would say that Rebirth and Reborn rekindled interest and brought back a Superman everyone can read.

This could have easily been forgotten as a needless story given the approach of Bendis on the horizon.

Interesting, store owners must have known that Superman fans stick around. Maybe this being Jurgens last story added a bit. It sold a very respectable 47,236. Not bad for a special.

Another book lost in the wake of the Bendis re-imagination was Super Sons.

This was something of a loss as the book had a solid fanbase, solid sales numbers, and was simply fun.

While the title was absent, we did get a Hanna Barbera crossover, a rather dark tale with Blue Falcon and Dynomutt.

How did that sell?

I have to say I am impressed with the ordering number of 23,852.

That is just about where the Super Sons title sold. It shows they have fans willing to follow them.

I am hoping the two characters, for the most part, emerge from the next few months intact.