Diamond Comics Distributors have released their sales charts for 2005 (although I suspect these figures are principally for the American market but they still make interesting reading). Predictably the major publishers dominated the monthly comics sales, with DC taking the top spot (for All-Star Batman and Robin #1) and 47 out of the top 100 comics, while Marvel had the biggest share in terms of unit sales and dollar value. It will surprise no-one to learn that two of the major event themes for this year just gone, House of M and Infinite Crisis, were major players.
The graphic novels chart was far more interesting and diverse in my opinion; again the major players dominate, but Dark Horse beat off Marvel and DC to take the top spot with the re-issue of Frank Miller’s Sin City – the Hard Goodbye; in fact Sin City lead the charge with multiple entries in the top of the charts for Dark Horse. DC took the second place with Identity Crisis Hardcover which didn’t surprise us because we know how many of you were ordering that from us! Batman: Hush volumes one and two were among our continual bestsellers last year and it seems this was mirrored across the comics world as they both place highly (seventh and eight respectively) and the forthcoming Batman: Hush Returns is getting us all excited already.
Special congratulations go to the gang at Image Comics – their Walking Dead series sold so well that they were comfortably taking top ranking spots from much bigger Marvel and DC; volumes one (Days Gone Bye) and three (Safety Behind Bars) took the tenth and eleventh spot respectively. Again I’m not surprised since this has been a series our readers have been eagerly snapping up from us and right now it seems Walking Dead scribe Robert Kirkman, who also pens the superb Invincible series, can do no wrong.
Diamond’s top twenty for 2005 (by quantity)
3) Sin City: a Dame to Kill For
5) Sin City: That Yellow Bastard
6) Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
10) The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye
11) The Walking Dead Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars
12) Astonishing X-Men Volume 1: Gifted
13) Sin City: Booze, Broads and Bullets
14) Superman Batman: Public Enemies Volume 1
15) Watchmen
16) Y the Last Man Volume 5: Ring of Truth
17) The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us
20)Batman Year One Deluxe Hardcover
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