2018 In Review

2018 has been a year of recovery for the store. Sales grew 14% as compared to 2017, which had been down 17% as compared to 2016. Not a resounding recovery, but enough of a recovery, combined with our Patreon, to keep the store open. The recovery has been primarily in the core categories of graphic novels and comics. Despite stocking more games and statues, other product categories besides comics and graphic novels actually declined slightly in 2018.

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And while most of the year sales grew, sales fell in the Fall and in November sales were terrible due the smoke and poor air quality we had. Then in December sales were “ok”, but not great compared to past Decembers.

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When broken down by publisher, the recovery was pretty much across the board, with only DC’s recovery slightly smaller. 

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Marvel continued to lead in periodical comic book sales. DC’s monthly comic book sales grew in 2018. While Image Comics recovered the least. Image Comics just hasn’t really had any “hits” of mention in several years now. 

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Image’s evergreen graphic novels like SAGA, PAPER GIRLS and WICKED + DIVINE continue to dominate sales. Marvel collections actually did slightly better in 2018 thanks to Black Panther, Infinity Gauntlet and more indie style books like Ed Piskor’s GRAND DESIGN and Tom King’s VISION. While DC collection sales stayed relatively flat despite strong showings by BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT and METAL.

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Here’s our top 100 Best Selling Graphic Novels. Just to show how dominate Image is in graphic novel sales her, I highlighted all the non-Image titles. SAGA and PAPER GIRLS cotinine to lead sales, but I wonder how they will do in 2019 with no new single issues of SAGA being published and PAPER GIRLS wrapping up. In addition, many other top-selling Image titles are planing on ending in 2019, like WICKED + DIVINE, EAST OF WEST, BLACK SCIENCE and LOW. It’s not yet clear what series could fill that potential gaps. 

Full Title - Publisher

  1. Saga  Vol 8  - Image Comics

  2. Saga  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  3. Paper Girls  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  4. Wicked & Divine  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  5. Saga  Vol 9  - Image Comics

  6. Monstress  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  7. Saga  Vol 7  - Image Comics

  8. Paper Girls  Vol 2 - Image Comics

  9. Paper Girls  Vol 3 - Image Comics

  10. Paper Girls  Vol 4 - Image Comics

  11. Seven To Eternity  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  12. Saga  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  13. Black Panther  Book 1  - Marvel Comics

  14. Monstress  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  15. Deadly Class  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  16. Saga  Vol 3  - Image Comics

  17. Saga  Vol 6  - Image Comics

  18. Saga  Vol 4  - Image Comics

  19. Head Lopper  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  20. Sex Criminals  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  21. Wicked & Divine  Vol 6  - Image Comics

  22. Snotgirl  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  23. Saga  Vol 5  - Image Comics

  24. East of West  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  25. Woman World   - Fantagraphics

  26. Head Lopper  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  27. Low  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  28. Tokyo Ghost  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  29. Calexit  Vol 1 - Blackmask

  30. Monstress  Vol 3  - Image Comics

  31. Redlands  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  32. Catboy - Silver Sprocket

  33. Descender  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  34. Descender  Vol 5 - Image Comics

  35. Seven To Eternity  Vol 2 - Image Comics

  36. Wytches  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  37. Batman White Knight  - DC Comics

  38. Bitch Planet  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  39. Watchmen - DC Comics

  40. Deadly Class  Vol 6  - Image Comics

  41. East of West  Vol 7  - Image Comics

  42. Kill Or Be Killed  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  43. Bitch Planet  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  44. Black Science  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  45. Infinity Gauntlet - Marvel Comics

  46. Kill Or Be Killed  Vol 3  - Image Comics

  47. Wicked & Divine  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  48. Black Monday Murders  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  49. Snotgirl  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  50. Lazarus  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  51. Prince & Dressmaker  - First Second

  52. Adventure Zone  Vol 1  - First Second

  53. Kill Or Be Killed  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  54. Black Monday Murders  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  55. Deadly Class  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  56. East of West  Vol 8 - Image Comics

  57. Moonshine  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  58. Saga Deluxe Edition Hardcover Vol 1 - Image Comics

  59. Wicked & Divine  Vol 3  - Image Comics

  60. My Favorite Thing Is Monsters  Vol 1 - Fantagraphics

  61. Space Riders  Vol 1  - Blackmask

  62. Deadly Class  Vol 7 - Image Comics

  63. East of West  Vol 2  - Image Comics

  64. Wicked & Divine  Vol 5 - Image Comics

  65. 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank   - Blackmask

  66. East of West  Vol 3  - Image Comics

  67. My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness   - Seven Seas

  68. Paper Girls  Vol 5 - Image Comics

  69. Sex Criminals  Vol 4   - Image Comics

  70. Incal Hardcover  - Humanoids

  71. X-Men Grand Design  - Marvel Comics

  72. Batman  Vol 4 (Rebirth) - DC Comics

  73. My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies Hardcover  - Image Comics

  74. Wicked & Divine  Vol 7  - Image Comics

  75. Best We Could Do Illustrated Memoir Soft Cover - Image Comics

  76. Black Hammer  Vol 2  - Dark Horse Comics

  77. Descender  Vol 4  - Image Comics

  78. Black Hammer  Vol 1  - Dark Horse Comics

  79. Deadly Class  Vol 3  - Image Comics

  80. Deadly Class  Vol 5   - Image Comics

  81. Low  Vol 4  - Image Comics

  82. Saga Deluxe Edition Hardcover Vol 2  - Image Comics

  83. Legend of Korra  Vol 2 - Dark Horse Comics

  84. Sabrina Chilling Adventures  Vol 1  - Archie Comics

  85. Southern Bastards  Vol 1  - Image Comics

  86. Vision Hardcover - Marvel Comics

  87. Wicked & Divine  Vol 4  - Image Comics

  88. Black Panther  Book 3 Nation Under Our Feet - Marvel Comics

  89. Black Science  Vol 2 - Image Comics

  90. Your Black Friend And Other Strangers Hardcover - Silver Sprocket

  91. Best We Could Do Illustrated Memoir - Abrams ComicArts

  92. Black Panther  Book 2 Nation Under Our Feet - Marvel Comics

  93. Dark Nights Metal Deluxe Edition Hardcover - DC Comics

  94. Killing & Dying by Tomine- Drawn & Quarterly

  95. Rumble  Vol 1- Image Comics

  96. Black Panther  Book 4 Avengers of New World - Marvel Comics

  97. Low  Vol 2 - Image Comics

  98. Extremity  Vol 1 - Image Comics

  99. Hilo  Vol 4 Waking The Monsters - Random House

  100. On A Sunbeam  - First Second

In all I’m guardedly optimistic for 2019. I think the upcoming Deadly Class TV show has a lot of potential to expose how great the original comic book series is to a larger audience. DC’s new kid’s imprints INK and ZOOM also have the potential to build new readers for their characters. 

But at the same time there are larger industry issues that are worrisome like the focus on selling more variant covers rather then attracting more readers. But more leaders in the comic book retailing community seem to be grasping the problems better and that could spark change. But at the same time the corporate pressures could very well threaten the long-term viability of comic book publishing.

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2019 In Review

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Tue 8/7 - Fantastic Four/Sandman Universe Midnight Release!