It is that time of the month when we get to check out the August 2022 comic book sales rankings. Things are getting murkier in terms of actual unit numbers. So, we will have to settle with going to ICv2 for their Top 200 sales rankings. It is not as good as actual unit numbers, but we have to work with what we get.
Keep in mind, that the Top 200 single-issue comic sales charts are based on orders tracked by the ComicHub system at local comic book shops selling American comics. This includes over 3,000 stores selling American comics worldwide. As always, it is important to remember that these rankings are also not actual sales. These rankings only represent the number of units ordered by local comic shops.
August 2022 Top 200 Single Issue Comic Rankings
The Battle for the Top 10
- Batman #126 (DC Comics)
- Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Predator #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man #7 (Marvel Comics)
- Dark Crisis #3 (Of 7) (DC Comics)
- Fortnite X Marvel Zero War #3 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- A.X.E. Judgment Day #2 (Marvel Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man #8 (Marvel Comics)
- DCeased War of the Undead Gods #1 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
- Hulk #8 (Marvel Comics)
The months may change, but the result is the same. Marvel Comics continued to dominate all of the competition in the Top 10. Marvel Comics put seven titles in the Top 10. That is slightly down from the eight titles Marvel Comics had in the Top 10 in July 2022. Year over year, this is up from the six titles that Marvel Comics had in the Top 10 in August 2021.
In August 2022, it was all about the Spider-Man franchise. Peter Parker remains a sales beast. Three of the seven titles were from the Spider-Man franchise. It is great to see the Hulk franchise still performing at a high level for Marvel Comics. Sure, the MCU Bruce Banner may be a gelded chump on the Disney+ She-Hulk show, but the comic book Bruce Banner remains incredibly popular.
Marvel Comics also got a new gift from Mama Disney in the form of the Predator franchise. Predator #1 had an amazing debut number coming in at the number three spot. This has to make Disney happy. I am curious to see what type of legs the Predator franchise has going forward. Star Wars used to be a strong seller for Marvel Comics, however, that is definitely not the case these days. Will Predator follow a similar trajectory? We will find out!
DC Comics meekly placed an unimpressive three titles in the Top 10. Seriously, DC Comics should be embarrassed. Still, this is slightly better than the two titles that DC Comics put in the Top 10 in July 2022. However, year-over-year numbers show that DC Comics is stuck in neutral as DC Comics had three titles in the Top 10 in August 2021.
It is all about Batman as Bruce Wayne takes the number one spot for a second straight month. DCeased War of the Undead Gods #1 had a great debut number taking the number nine spot. I will be honest, I have zero interest in the DCeased franchise and I just do not get its appeal at all. However, it is obvious that I am in the minority as plenty of readers like the DCeased franchise. It will be interesting to see the long-term health of this mini-series.
The Battle for the Top 25
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 11-25 range typically sell in the 65,000 to 50,000 unit range.
- Amazing Spider-Man #6 (#900) (Marvel Comics)
- X-Men #13 A.X.E. (Marvel Comics)
- Daredevil #2 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman One Bad Day The Riddler #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
- Star Wars The Mandalorian #2 (Marvel Comics)
- A.X.E. Judgment Day #3 (Of 6) (Marvel Comics)
- Batman White Knight Presents Red Hood #1 (Of 2) (DC Comics)
- Immortal X-Men #5 A.X.E. (Marvel Comics)
- Moon Knight #14 (Marvel Comics)
- Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Amazing Fantasy #1000 (Marvel Comics)
- Poison Ivy #3 (DC Comics)
- Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Flashpoint Beyond #4 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- X-Men Red #5 A.X.E. (Marvel Comics)
Marvel Comics annihilated DC Comics in the battle for the Top 25. Marvel Comics placed a stunning eighteen titles in the Top 25. This was even better than the fifteen titles that Marvel Comics put in the Top 25 in July 2022. Year-over-year numbers show big improvement for Marvel Comics as August 2022 was much better than the fourteen titles that Marvel Comics had in the Top 25 in August 2021.
Six of Marvel Comics’ eighteen titles came from the Spider-Man franchise. The remaining titles all came from a wide range of other franchises including Moon Knight, X-Men, Daredevil, and Star Wars.
It really is spectacular to see Moon Knight having such sustained success as it firmly remains in the Top 20 for over a year. This is the rare example of Marvel Comics successfully being able to resurrect an unpopular and dormant franchise. Marvel Comics needs to examine why they are having such success with Moon Knight and apply a similar formula to other moribund franchises.
Daredevil fell from the number three spot down to the number thirteen spot. I have never been bullish on the idea of stripping Electra of her own unique individuality and having two Daredevils operate at the same time. A ten-spot drop between issue 1 and issue 2 is not awful, but it is not great, either. I still do not think that Daredevil will be able to remain in the Top 25 by its fourth issue. But, maybe readers will disagree with me and will continue to support this title in strong numbers. We shall see.
DC Comics put a mere seven titles in the Top 25. This is even worse than the eight titles DC Comics had in the Top 25 in July 2022. Year-over-year numbers show continue to show that DC Comics is experiencing no growth as DC Comics had just seven titles in the Top 25 in August 2021.
Of course, five of DC Comics’ seven titles were from the Batman franchise. What are we even doing here? Is DC Comics even trying anymore? How does the editorial staff still have their jobs? I wish I worked for a company like DC Comics where you could objectively and constantly fail in a miserable fashion and never be at risk of losing your job. Must be nice work if you can get it.
The Battle for the Top 50
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 26-50 range typically sell in the 49,000 to 30,000 unit range.
- Ghost Rider Vengeance Forever #1 (Marvel Comics)
- A.X.E. Death to the Mutants #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars #26 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman Superman Worlds Finest #6 (DC Comics)
- DC Vs Vampires #8 (Of 12) (DC Comics)
- Detective Comics #1063 (DC Comics)
- Fortnite X Marvel Zero War #4 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Ghost Rider #5 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Men #14 A.X.E. (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars Darth Vader #26 (Marvel Comics)
- Avengers #59 (Marvel Comics)
- Eight Billion Genies #4 (Of 8) (Image Comics)
- Nightwing #95 (DC Comics)
- Demon Wars The Iron Samurai #1 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Men Legends #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman White Knight Presents Red Hood #2 (Of 2) (DC Comics)
- Harley Quinn #18 (DC Comics)
- X-Force #30 A.X.E. (Marvel Comics)
- Detective Comics #27 Facsimile Edition (2022) (DC Comics)
- Punisher #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Twig #4 (Of 5) (Image Comics)
- Batman Killing Time #6 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Venom Lethal Protector #5 (Marvel Comics)
- New Fantastic Four #3 (Marvel Comics)
- Spawn #332 (Image Comics)
Marvel Comics continued its merciless domination as it slotted a massive thirty-two titles in the Top 50. This was even better than the twenty-nine titles that Marvel Comics put in the Top 50 in July 2022. Year-over-year numbers were up by a big margin as Marvel Comics put just twenty-three titles in the Top 50 in August 2021.
I want to take a moment to point out the sustained success of Ghost Rider. Yes, I will acknowledge that Johnny Blaze has slid down the sales chart, but the fact that Ghost Rider #5 is at the number 33 spot is impressive. There is no way I would have ever thought that a Ghost Rider title starring Johnny Blaze would be that high in the sales rankings by its fifth issue.
Ghost Rider, like Moon Knight, is another franchise that has had a tough time gaining any sustained traction with readers. Ghost Rider is also a franchise that has been recklessly damaged by too many mantle swaps which leads to a confusing continuity for readers. While I was thrilled to see Marvel Comics bringing back Johnny Blaze, I was concerned that there would not be a large enough readership remaining to support this title in any real fashion. Well, thanks to you guys, Blaze is doing better than expected.
Not only is Johnny Blaze having success with the main Ghost Rider title, but Blaze also slotted a one-shot issue at the number 26 spot. Seriously, this is far more than I would have ever expected from Ghost Rider. It is so cool to see Blaze slotting two titles in the Top 33. The success of Ghost Rider and Moon Knight has restored my faith in comic readers!
DC Comics slumped into second place with just fifteen titles in the Top 50. This was slightly better than the fourteen titles that DC Comics put in the Top 50 in July 2022. Year-over-year numbers show DC Comics being down by a large number as DC Comics put twenty-three titles in the Top 50 in August 2021.
Twelve of DC Comics’ fifteen titles were from the Batman franchise. There is absolutely nothing good here for DC Comics. This is such an embarrassing showing in the Top 50. The year-over-year numbers only highlight the continual erosion of DC Comics’ presence in the comic book market. DC Comics’ editorial staff is totally out of touch with what most comic book readers desire to read.
Image Comics snuck three titles in the Top 50. This was down from the four titles that Image Comics had in the Top 50 in July 2022. Year-over-year numbers are down slightly as Image Comics put four titles in the Top 50 in August 2021.
The Battle for the Top 75
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 51-75 range typically sell in the 29,000 to 25,000 unit range.
- King Spawn #13 (Image Comics)
- Iron Man #22 (Marvel Comics)
- Grim #4 (BOOM! Studios)
- DC Vs Vampires All-Out War #2 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Action Comics #1046 (DC Comics)
- Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Lantern #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
- Harley Quinn #21 (DC Comics)
- Love Everlasting #1 (Image Comics)
- Spider-Man 2099 Exodus #5 (Marvel Comics)
- The Flash #785 (Dark Crisis) (DC Comics)
- Harley Quinn #19 (DC Comics)
- Spider-Punk #4 (Marvel Comics)
- Gunslinger Spawn #11 (Image Comics)
- Fantastic Four #46 (Marvel Comics)
- Gun Honey Blood For Blood #1 (Titan Comics)
- Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman #125 (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
- Strange #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars Bounty Hunters #26 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars Han Solo & Chewbacca #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #3 (Marvel Comics)
- Harley Quinn #20 (DC Comics)
- Spider-Gwen Gwenverse #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Gambit #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
- New Champion of Shazam #1 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
Marvel Comics easily cruised to first place by placing forty-three titles in the Top 75. This was down from the forty-six titles that Marvel Comics put in the Top 75 in July 2022.
DC Comics took second place with twenty-four titles in the Top 75. This was an improvement over the nineteen titles that DC Comics put in the Top 75 in July 2022. Naturally, sixteen of DC Comics’ twenty-four titles were from the Batman franchise.
Image Comics placed six titles in the Top 75. This was down from the seven titles that Image Comics had in the Top 75 in July 2022.
Titan Comics and BOOM! Studios one title apiece. This was an improvement for Titan Comics. However, this was a decline for Boom! Studios’ three titles in the Top 75 in July 2022.
The Battle for the Top 100
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 76-100 range typically sell in the 24,000 to 18,000 unit range.
- Closet #3 (Of 3) (Image Comics)
- Carnage #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi #4 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Batman The Knight #8 (Of 10) (DC Comics)
- Ms Marvel And Moon Knight #1 (Marvel Comics)
- New Mutants #28 (Marvel Comics)
- Superman Son of Kal-El #14 (DC Comics)
- Thunderbolts #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Legion Of X #4 (Marvel Comics)
- Detective Comics #1062 (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
- Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #3 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Jurassic League #4 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Black Adam #3 (DC Comics)
- Catwoman #46 (DC Comics)
- Something Is Killing The Children #25 (BOOM! Studios)
- Miles Morales Spider-Man #41 (Marvel Comics)
- Dark Crisis Young Justice #3 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Fortnite X Marvel Zero War #2 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
- A.X.E. Judgment Day #1 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
- Avengers Forever #8 (Marvel Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Facsimile Edition (Marvel Comics)
- Venom #9 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
- Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi #3 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
- Batman Beyond Neo-Year #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Star Wars The Mandalorian #1 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
Marvel Comics took first place with little competition as they placed fifty-eight titles in the Top 100. This tied what Marvel Comics did in the Top 1200 in July 2022 and June 2022. That is an impressive three-month streak. Year-over-year numbers are up by a large margin as Marvel Comics only had forty-seven titles in the Top 100 in August 2021.
DC Comics took a distant second place with thirty-two titles in the Top 100. This was actually an improvement over the twenty-seven titles that DC Comics had in the Top 100 in July 2022. However, year-over-year numbers are down by a wide margin as DC Comics had put forty-one titles in the Top 100 in August 2021. Again, we are witnessing DC Comics crumbling away into a shadow of its former self.
Of course, Twenty of DC Comics’ thirty-two titles were from the Batman franchise. This means that a stunning 63% of DC Comics’ titles in the Top 100 are from the Batman franchise. That is not a recipe for success for the DC Comics universe in general.
Image Comics took third place by placing seven titles in the Top 100. This was down from the nine titles that Image Comics put in the Top 100 in July 2022. Year-over-year numbers were also down slightly as Image Comics put eight titles in the Top 100 in August 2021.
BOOM! Studios grabbed fourth place with two titles in the Top 100. This was down from the five titles that BOOM! Studios had in the Top 100 in July 2022.
Titan Comics came in fifth place with one title in the Top 100.
Debut Issues
2 Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
3 Predator #1 (Marvel Comics)
9 DCeased War of the Undead Gods #1 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
14 Batman One Bad Day The Riddler #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
17 Batman White Knight Presents Red Hood #1 (Of 2) (DC Comics)
23 Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1 (Marvel Comics)
26 Ghost Rider Vengeance Forever #1 (Marvel Comics)
27 A.X.E. Death to the Mutants #1 (Marvel Comics)
39 Demon Wars The Iron Samurai #1 (Marvel Comics)
40 X-Men Legends #1 (Marvel Comics)
56 Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Lantern #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
58 Love Everlasting #1 (Image Comics)
65 Gun Honey Blood For Blood #1 (Titan Comics)
66 Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 (Marvel Comics)
75 New Champion of Shazam #1 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
80 Ms Marvel And Moon Knight #1 (Marvel Comics)
83 Thunderbolts #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
96 Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Facsimile Edition (Marvel Comics)
101 Damage Control #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
105 Tales of The Human Target #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
109 Sword of Azrael #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
114 Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
116 X-Men Unlimited X-Men Green #1 (Of 2) (Marvel Comics)
117 Superman Warworld Apocalypse #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
134 Dead Lucky #1 (Image Comics)
136 Last Shadowhawk #1 Cover A (30th Anniversary One-Shot) (Image Comics)
137 Barbaric Axe To Grind #1 (Vault Comics)
140 Star Wars Hyperspace Stories #1 (Of 12) (Dark Horse Comics)
144 Wynd The Throne In The Sky #1 Cover A Dialynas (Of 5) (BOOM! Studios)
149 Minor Threats #1 (Of 4) (Dark Horse Comics)
150 Olympus Rebirth #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
152 Sword of Azrael Dark Knight of The Soul #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
155 Eight Billion Genies #1 (Of 8) (Image Comics)
159 Survival Street #1 (Of 4) (Dark Horse Comics)
164 Sandman #1 Facsimile Edition (DC Comics)
169 007 #1 Cover A Edwards (Dynamite Ent.)
170 Giant-Size Gwen Stacy #1 (Marvel Comics)
175 Avengers & Moon Girl #1 (Marvel Comics)
176 20th Century Men #1 (Of 6) (Image Comics)
181 Samurai Doggy #1 (Aftershock Comics)
189 The Flash 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
193 Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
194 Dark Spaces Wildfire #1 (IDW Publishing)
196 Golden Rage #1 Cover A Knight (Of 5) (Image Comics)
There were numerous debut issues in August 2022. Many of them were average to downright unimpressive. We will address these titles in the franchise sections below in this article. However, it is worth pointing out several titles that debuted as dead titles walking.
New Champion of Shazam #1 barely made it into the Top 75 by taking the number 75 spot. This is a hideous debut for a new title from a franchise that is set to roll a movie out in theaters. I am not surprised at all about this. After all, it is rare that a mantle swap title actually performs well in the sales charts. It is safe to say that New Champion of Shazam is dead on arrival. I would expect New Champion of Shazam #2 to be outside of the Top 100.
Thunderbolts #1 had a disastrous debut coming in at the number 83 spot. Was anyone asking for a team title starring Hawkeye, Spectrum, American Chavez, Power Man (Not Luke Cage), Persuasion, and Gutsen Glory? It is safe to say that Thunderbolts will slide out of the Top 100 quickly.
Damage Control #1 debuted as a dead title walking at the number 101 spot. Stick a fork in this title because it is already done. This is a title written by Adam Goldberg from TV’s The Goldbergs. You know Marvel Comics cannot resist hiring TV writers and YA fiction writers to produce their comic books. And it rarely works out for Marvel Comics, either.
All that is Batman is not gold. Sword of Azrael #1 is dead on arrival as it debuted at the number 109 spot. But, this is what DC Comics does. The Batman franchise is the only successful aspect of the DCU. Therefore, DC Comics is going to continue to throw as much Batman-labeled crap on the wall to see what sticks.
Big Events
2 Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
5 Dark Crisis #3 (Of 7) (DC Comics)
7 A.X.E. Judgment Day #2 (Marvel Comics)
16 A.X.E. Judgment Day #3 (Of 6) (Marvel Comics)
20 Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
24 Flashpoint Beyond #4 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
27 A.X.E. Death to the Mutants #1 (Marvel Comics)
56 Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Lantern #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
92 Dark Crisis Young Justice #3 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
94 A.X.E. Judgment Day #1 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
186 Dark Crisis #2 (Of 7) (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
The power of the Big Event title is not what it used to be. Before Marvel Comics and DC Comics fire-hosed readers with big events, it used to be that a Marvel Comics or DC Comics big event was a virtual lock to take the number one or two spot in the sales chart. That is not the case anymore.
Edge of Spider-Verse #1 had an excellent debut at the number 2 spot. However, Edge of Spider-Verse #2 slid all the way down to the number 20 spot. Personally, I am completely burned out by the Spider-Verse and I can’t be the only reader out there with this view. It is going to be a real fight for Edge of Spider-Verse to stay in the Top 25 for the remainder of the mini-series.
Dark Crisis #3 took the number 5 spot and outperformed A.X.E. Judgment Day. DC Comics may be getting pantsed by Marvel Comics on a monthly basis, but at least they are winning the battle of the big events. This does not surprise me. I have always thought that historically DC Comics has produced far better big event stories than Marvel Comics.
What is a bit concerning is the lack of legs for Dark Crisis. The only resolicitation for Dark Crisis was Dark Crisis #2 all the way down at the number 186 spot. You would like to see your big event pulling in a higher resolicitation number than that. Usually, positive word of mouth will drive a big event to bring in strong resolicitation numbers.
A.X.E. Judgment Day #2 took the number 7 spot. However, A.X.E. Judgment Day #3 crashed down to the number 16 spot. That should be concerning for Marvel Comics. Having your big event title outside of the Top 15 is embarrassing.
However, A.X.E. Judgment Day is performing much better than Dark Crisis in terms of resolicitation numbers. A.X.E. Judgment Day #1 managed to take the number 94 spot. That is a good sign when a resolicitation for your big event title cracks the Top 100.
Flashpoint Beyond #4 took the number 24 spot. Look, I do not get the appeal of anything related to Flashpoint at all. However, clearly, I am in the minority. It is impressive that Flashpoint Beyond stands a good chance of finishing its mini-series in the Top 25.
Star Wars Franchise
15 Star Wars The Mandalorian #2
28 Star Wars #26
35 Star Wars Darth Vader #26
69 Star Wars Bounty Hunters #26
70 Star Wars Han Solo & Chewbacca #5
78 Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi #4 (Of 5)
98 Star Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi #3 (Resolicitation)
100 Star Wars The Mandalorian #1 (Resolicitation)
110 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #23
120 Star Wars Halcyon Legacy #5 (Of 5)
123 Star Wars #25 (Resolicitation)
140 Star Wars Hyperspace Stories #1 (Of 12) (Dark Horse Comics)
154 Star Wars Darth Vader #25 (Resolicitation)
179 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #22 (Resolicitation)
Star Wars had zero titles in the Top 10, one title in the Top 25, and three titles in the Top 50. This was worse than July 2022, when Star Wars had one title in the Top 5, two titles in the Top 25, and four titles in the Top 50.
Star Wars The Mandalorian #2 fell all the way down from the number 2 spot to the number 15 spot. Of all the Star Wars titles that I was the most bullish on it was the Mandalorian. It is not even debatable that The Mandalorian is easily the most popular Star Wars creation since Disney took over Lucasfilm. Despite the big drop, I still think that the Mandalorian should remain a solid Top 25 title.
Disney still has a Star Wars problem. There are only three Star Wars titles in the Top 50. Two of those Star Wars titles are centered on original trilogy characters. The Mandalorian is the other one, which is a non-Kathleen Kennedy story, which is also set before the Disney trilogy.
The cellar dwellers of the Star Wars franchise continue to be the usual suspects. Star Wars Doctor Aphra continues to remain well outside of the Top 100. Star Wars Halcyon Legacy was a total failure of a mini-series. Star Wars Hyperspace Stories #1 had an atrocious debut coming in at just the number 140 spot. It will be a struggle for Star Wars Hyperspace Stories to remain in the Top 200 for the remained of this mini-series.
Spider-Man Franchise
2 Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Of 5)
4 Amazing Spider-Man #7
8 Amazing Spider-Man #8
11 Amazing Spider-Man #6 (#900) (Resolicitation)
20 Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (Of 5)
21 Amazing Fantasy #1000
48 Venom Lethal Protector #5
59 Spider-Man 2099 Exodus #5
62 Spider-Punk #4
73 Spider-Gwen Gwenverse #5
77 Carnage #5
91 Miles Morales Spider-Man #41
96 Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Facsimile Edition
97 Venom #9 (Resolicitation)
158 Amazing Spider-Man #5 (Resolicitation)
195 Spider-Gwen Gwenverse #4 (Of 5) (Resolicitation)
200 Miles Morales Spider-Man #40 (Resolicitation)
Peter Parker remains the straw that stirs the drink for the Spider-Man franchise. Amazing Spider-Man continues to be a phenomenal seller. Seriously. Amazing Spider-Man #7 and #8 took the numbers 4 and 8 spots. Even more incredible is that the resolicitation for Amazing Spider-Man #6 came in at the number 11 spot. This is absolutely insane! I have no interest in this new direction for Peter Parker, but obviously, I am in the vast minority. You guys absolutely love this new Amazing Spider-Man title! Peter Parker’s absolute dominance over the sales chart is truly impressive.
The Spider-Man franchise placed three titles in the Top 10, six titles in the Top 25, and seven titles in the Top 50. The myriad of alternative versions of Spider-Man performed in a pedestrian fashion. Spider-Man 2099 Exodus #5 took the number 59 spot. Spider-Punk #4 took the number 62 spot. Spider-Gwen Gwenverse #5 took the number 73 spot.
The Spider-Man franchise is so strong that only two titles fell outside of the Top 75. Those two low performers were Miles Morales Spider-Man #41 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Facsimile Edition.
X-Men Franchise
12 X-Men #13 A.X.E.
18 Immortal X-Men #5 A.X.E.
25 X-Men Red #5 A.X.E.
34 X-Men #14 A.X.E.
40 X-Men Legends #1
43 X-Force #30 A.X.E.
66 Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1
74 Gambit #1 (Of 5)
81 New Mutants #28
84 Legion Of X #4
102 X-Men ’92 House of XCII #3 (Of 5)
107 X-Force #31 A.X.E.
112 Marauders #5
113 Gambit #2 (Of 5)
116 X-Men Unlimited X-Men Green #1 (Of 2)
122 X-Men ’92 House of XCII #4
133 Wolverine Patch #5 (Of 5)
143 Knights of X #5
190 X-Men Hellfire Gala #1 (Resolicitation)
Unranked: Deadpool: Bad Blood #4
The X-Men franchise placed zero titles in the Top 10, three titles in the Top 25, and six titles in the Top 50. This was down from one title in the Top 10, four titles in the Top 25, and six titles in the Top 50 in July 2022.
The flagship X-Men title appears to no longer be a Top 10 title as X-Men #13 took the number 12 spot. I know that X-Men #14 came in at the number 34 spot, but I would not be alarmed by this huge drop. X-Men #14 was released on August 31, 2022, so that certainly played a role in the lower-than-usual sales rank.
Immortal X-Men #5 slipped from the number 11 spot to the number 18 spot. It will be worth watching this title to see if it can remain a constant Top 25 title or not.
X-Force #30 managed to remain in the Top 50 by taking the number 43 spot. Again, I know that X-Force #31 had a bad ranking at the number 107 spot, but that title was also released on August 31, 2022. So, we will have to wait until next month to see exactly what type of drop X-Force might be experiencing or not.
I have never been a Gambit fan, so this mini-series held little appeal to me. Gambit #2 dropped all the way from the number 20 spot down to the number 113 spot. However, Gambit #2 was released on August 31, 2022. So, while Gambit #2 fell into the dead title walking category for August 2022, I do think there is still a good chance that Gambit #3 comes in somewhere between the number 80-99 spots in September 2022.
Legion of X continues to slide down the sales rankings as Legion of X #4 fell from the number 56 spot to the number 84 spot. This title was a miss for me and evidently, it has not caught on with a large enough percentage of comic book readers.
Marauders #5 dropped like a rock from the number 51 spot all the way down to the number 112 spot. This does not surprise me. I have never been impressed with what Marvel Comics has down to Kitty Pryde’s character. Nor have I been impressed with the Marauders title in general. Plus, Marauders was not a good selling title before it was canceled and then restarted from issue #1 again.
New Mutants #28 crashed and burned as it fell from the number 29 spot all the way down to the number 81 spot. This is no surprise, either. New Mutants is not a well-done title. And no surprise, who is the writer? Vita Ayala. It mystifies me how these writers who constantly get bad sales numbers continue to get work.
Knights of X #5 continued its free fall as it plummeted from the number 79 spot to the number 143 spot. Now, to be fair, Knights of X #5 was released on August 31, 2022. However, a number 143 ranking is so awful that even if Knights of X #5 was released earlier in August its sales ranking still would have been outside of the Top 100.
Again, pay attention to the writers of these poorly performing titles. You will notice the same names resurfacing again and again. This title is a Tini Howard “gem.” Knights of X failed when it was Excalibur. We know that Marvel is already canceling Knights of X and is going to replace it with a similar title penned by Tini Howard. And we all know that the new title will also be a sales failure. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I am pretty sure that is the slogan for the X-Men editorial staff.
Deadpool: Bad Blood #4 completely fell out of the Top 200. That is a huge slide from the number 134 spot that Deadpool: Bad Blood #3 had in July 2022. Of course, Deadpool: Bad Blood #4 was released on August 31, 2022. However, even being released earlier in August probably would have meant that Deadpool: Bad Blood #4 would have been well outside of the Top 150. It appears that the allure of Rob Liefeld is not what it once was.
Hulk Franchise
10 Hulk #8 (Marvel Comics)
No She-Hulk title for this month, so all we get is Bruce Banner over in the Hulk. The Hulk franchise continues to be a sales monster. Get it? I know, I know. Bad pun. Sorry.
At any rate, it is fantastic to see the Hulk continuing to be a Top 10 title. Donny Cates has done a great job on the Hulk and deserves this kind of success.
Avengers Franchise
23 Avengers 1,000,000 BC #1
36 Avengers #59
52 Iron Man #22
71 Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #3
83 Thunderbolts #1 (Of 5)
86 Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #3 (Of 5)
95 Avengers Forever #8
104 Black Panther #8
106 Savage Avengers #4
121 Captain America Symbol of Truth #4
132 Captain Marvel #40
139 Ant-Man #2
145 Tales of Suspense #57 Facsimile Edition
146 Ant-Man #1 (Of 5) (Resolicitation)
175 Avengers & Moon Girl #1
180 Avengers #58 (Resolicitation)
The Avengers franchise had zero titles in the Top 10, one title in the Top 25, and two titles in the Top 50. This was down from July 2022, when the Avengers franchise had zero titles in the Top 10, one title in the Top 25, and three titles in the Top 50. The Avengers franchise placed six titles outside of the Top 100. It continues to be an uphill battle for the Avengers franchise to find much sales success.
What was surprising was Iron Man #22 taking the number 52 spot. That is a really good number for Iron Man. It almost snuck into the Top 50! This is a big improvement over Iron Man #21 which was at the number 82 spot.
Savage Avengers continues to be a title in search of an audience as it crashed out of the Top 100. Savage Avengers #4 fell from the number 64 spot down to the number 106 spot. I would expect Savage Avengers to fall out of the Top 150 in short order. I am unsure why Marvel Comics is going to want to continue to publish this title going into 2023.
We already touched on Thunderbolts #1, but this new title is already dead on arrival. Nobody can be surprised that this roster of characters has generated little interest from readers. I feel so bad that Hawkeye’s character is being wasted on this title. Clint deserves better than this.
Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #3 plummeted from the number 28 spot to the number 86 spot. It looks like this mini-series will finish up outside of the Top 100. I am not that surprised. The Jane Foster gimmick is not as popular as Marvel Comics wishes it was.
Steve Rogers saw a big drop as Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #3 fell from the number 25 spot down to the number 71 spot. The idea of publishing two Captain America titles with two separate Captain Americas at the same time is beyond stupid. I did not think this plan would lead to boosting sales for either title. The market can really only support one Captain America title and Steve Rogers is the more popular character.
Sam Wilson continues to drop like a dead duck in the sales rankings. Captain America Symbol of Truth #4 fell to the number 121 spot. This is terrible. The audience is just not there. I am totally baffled by Marvel Comics’ logic in how to handle the Captain America franchise at this point.
Black Panther took a big hit in the rankings as it slid out of the Top 100. Black Panther #8 fell from the number 62 spot down to the number 104 spot.
And we cannot forget the cellar dweller of the Avengers franchise in Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel #40 finished well outside of the Top 100 by falling to the number 132 spot. Captain Marvel continues to be a title that Marvel is more willing to take a loss on rather than ever admit that they made a mistake.
Avengers and Moon Girl #1 was a complete sales bomb by debuting at the number 175 spot. Not even the Avengers can help make Moon Girl popular with readers.
Batman Franchise
1 Batman #126 (DC Comics)
14 Batman One Bad Day The Riddler #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
17 Batman White Knight Presents Red Hood #1 (Of 2) (DC Comics)
22 Poison Ivy #3 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
24 Flashpoint Beyond #4 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
29 Batman Superman Worlds Finest #6 (DC Comics)
31 Detective Comics #1063 (DC Comics)
38 Nightwing #95 (DC Comics)
41 Batman White Knight Presents Red Hood #2 (Of 2) (DC Comics)
42 Harley Quinn #18 (DC Comics)
44 Detective Comics #27 Facsimile Edition (2022) (DC Comics)
47 Batman Killing Time #6 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
57 Harley Quinn #21 (DC Comics)
61 Harley Quinn #19 (DC Comics)
67 Batman #125 (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
72 Harley Quinn #20 (DC Comics)
79 Batman The Knight #8 (Of 10) (DC Comics)
85 Detective Comics #1062 (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
89 Catwoman #46 (DC Comics)
99 Batman Beyond Neo-Year #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
108 Robin #17 (DC Comics)
109 Sword of Azrael #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
114 Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
138 Batgirls #9 (DC Comics)
141 Batman One Dark Knight #3 (Of 3) (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
148 I Am Batman #12 (DC Comics)
151 Batman Fortress #4 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
152 Sword of Azrael Dark Knight of The Soul #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
156 Batman Urban Legends #18 (DC Comics)
160 Task Force Z #11 (Of 12) (DC Comics)
193 Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
199 Robin #16 (DC Comics) (Resolicitation)
Unranked: Future State: Gotham #16
The Batman franchise had one title in the Top 10, five titles in the Top 25, and twelve titles in the Top 50. This was an improvement over July 2022, where the Batman franchise had one title in the Top 10, six titles in the Top 25, and nine titles in the Top 50. Nobody sells like Bruce Wayne. Nobody. It is impressive that Bruce took on two big event titles and managed to grab the overall number 1 spot for a second straight month.
Dick Grayson continues to be the best seller outside of Bruce Wayne as Nightwing #95 grabbed the number 38 spot. This was a bit higher than normal for Nightwing which is usually in the 40-50 range.
Poison Ivy’s fall down the sales chart slowed considerably as Poison Ivy #3 only dropped from the number 17 spot to the number 22 spot. That is pretty good. I am confident that Poison Ivy will finish her six-issue mini-series well within the Top 50.
Of course, not all is perfect with the Batman franchise. Eleven Batman franchise titles finished outside of the Top 100. One Batman franchise title even went unranked.
The Task Force XX story arc led to Harley Quinn getting a boost in the sales rankings. Harley Quinn #19 took the number 61 spot, Harley Quinn #20 took the number 72 spot, and Harley Quinn #21 took the number 57 spot. None of these numbers is anything impressive, but they are certainly better than what Harley Quinn has been doing in the first half of 2022.
The other two Harley Quinn titles did poorly. Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1 took the number 114 spot. This is normally where we expect to see Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1 barely made it into the Top 200 by taking the number 193 spot.
Batgirls continues to be a dead title walking. Batgirls #9 fell from the number 107 spot down to the number 138 spot. DC Comics just has too many similar characters with similar gimmicks running around at the same time.
I Am Batman continues to be a title searching for an audience. I Am Batman #12 barely made it into the Top 150 by taking the number 148 spot. This was even worse than the number 125 spot that I Am Batman had in July 2022. I guess DC Comics is willing to ride this bad idea train all the way out of the Top 200.
Future State Gotham #16 ended up going unranked. Zero surprise. This title has barely made it into the Top 200 in the past few months. Just let it go, DC Comics. Future State was a dumb idea that nobody liked. Just let it go.
Superman Franchise
29 Batman Superman Worlds Finest #6
55 Action Comics #1046
82 Superman Son of Kal-El #14
117 Superman Warworld Apocalypse #1 (One-Shot)
183 Superman Space Age #1 (Of 3) (Resolicitation)
The Superman franchise placed zero titles in the Top 10, zero titles in the Top 25, and zero titles in the Top 50. DC Comics should be ashamed of that prior sentence. Absolutely ashamed.
The best-selling Superman franchise title is the one starring Batman and our iconic classic Superman. Again. Batman Superman Worlds Finest #6 took the number 29 spot. This is not that far from the number 26 spot that Batman Superman Worlds Finest #5 had in July 2022. It appears that Batman Superman Worlds Finest has found its happy place within the sales rankings. I am glad to see readers continuing to support this title. It is a fun read.
Uh-oh, look out! Planet Hulk Superman managed to be the second-highest-ranked Superman franchise title! Action Comics #1046 took the number 55 spot. This is the highest sales ranking we have seen for a solo Superman franchise title since January 2022 when the Superman Son of Kal-El #5 sales stunt pushed issue #5 and issue #6 into the Top 50.
Speaking of Son of Kal-El, that title slid right out of the Top 75. Superman Son of Kal-El #14 dropped from the number 63 spot down to the number 82 spot. Keep in mind that DC Comics has told us that Superman Son of Kal-El is THE flagship title for the Superman franchise. Well, DC Comics should be humiliated and embarrassed that the flagship Superman title cannot even crack the Top 75. This is inexcusable.
Again, DC Comics’ editorial seems completely out of touch with what most comic book readers want from the Superman franchise. It is almost like DC Comics is purposely trying to ruin the Superman franchise. Because the only other excuse is gross incompetence.
Wonder Woman Franchise
130 Wonder Woman #790 (DC Comics)
150 Olympus Rebirth #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
192 Nubia Queen of The Amazons #3 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
Unranked: Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1
The Wonder Woman franchise placed zero titles in the Top 10, zero titles in the Top 25, and zero titles in the Top 50. Much like with Superman, DC Comics should be utterly embarrassed by that previous line. What is even more outrageous is that not a single Wonder Woman franchise title even managed to crack the Top 100. This is simply inexcusable. There is literally no hope for the Wonder Woman franchise at this point.
Wonder Woman #790 took the number 130 spot. This title is a lifeless body floating facedown in a polluted river. Olympus Rebirth #1 was dead on arrival by debuting at the number 150 spot. Nubia Queen of the Amazons #3 barely made it into the Top 200 by clinging to the number 192 spot. Nubia Queen of the Amazons seems destined to finish up unranked. Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1 managed to finish unranked. Newsflash to DC Comics: nobody cares about these characters. Or maybe nobody cares about how you are presenting and handling these characters. Take your pick.
The Wonder Woman franchise is a steaming pile of garbage. How is it that Jordie Bellaire, Micheal Conrad, Becky Cloonan, and Stephanie Williams are still gainfully employed by DC Comics? These writers need to be fired immediately. I would suggest that the editors who thought these writers and their ideas were good should be fired, too.
DC Comics needs to perform a complete overhaul of the Wonder Woman franchise from top to bottom. We need all new editors and writers put in charge of the Wonder Woman franchise with the mission to restore Diana back to her former glory. It is unacceptable that Wonder Woman should be treated this poorly by DC Comics.
Justice League Franchise
60 The Flash #785 (Dark Crisis)
87 Jurassic League #4 (Of 6)
88 Black Adam #3
92 Dark Crisis Young Justice #3 (Of 6)
131 Aquaman Andromeda #2 (Of 3)
147 Justice League Vs The Legion of Super-Heroes #5 (Of 6)
189 The Flash 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot)
Unranked: Black Adam: Justice Society Files – Cyclone #1 (One-Shot)
Unranked: Multiversity: Teen Justice #3 (Of 6)
Unranked: Naomi: Season Two #6
Unranked: Aquaman & The Flash: Voiding #3 (Of 3)
The Justice League franchise placed zero titles in the Top 10, zero titles in the Top 25, and zero titles in the Top 50. Remember when the Justice League franchise used to be hugely popular and make DC Comics all kinds of money? Yeah…good days.
The Flash #785 was the best-selling Justice League franchise title coming in at the number 60 spot. It just gets uglier from here. Jurassic League #4 came in at the number 87 spot. It looks like it will be a struggle for this mini-series to conclude inside of the Top 100.
Black Adam plummeted not just out of the Top 50, but straight out of the Top 75. Black Adam #3 fell from the number 49 spot down to the number 88 spot. Black Adam continues to be a massive sales failure. This is no surprise. Black Adam was a bait-and-switch title and comic readers have wisely voted with their wallets in saying “No thanks!” to DC Comics. I am glad to see that comic readers are pushing back against DC Comics’ unending stream of bad ideas by voting with their wallets.
I love Black Adam. So when the real Black Adam returns let me know. That is when I will start buying a Black Adam comic again.
Dark Crisis Young Justice #3 plummeted from the number 72 spot down to the number 92 spot. This title is a horrendous read. I expect it to fall out of the Top 100 with the next issue. Meghan Fitzmartin is another writer who never has sales success but keeps getting work for some bizarre reason.
Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes continues to be a sad state of affairs. This is like watching a beloved friend slowly succumb to inevitable death. Brian Bendis has been a spectacular sales failure during his time at DC Comics and it appears that he is going to conclude his time at DC Comics with another failure.
Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #5 dropped like a rock falling from the number 117 spot down to the number 147 spot. It looks like this pathetic version of the Legion of Super-Heroes will conclude this mini-series outside of the Top 150.
It is time for DC Comics to let Bendis’ bizarre mess of a Legion of Super-Heroes die a quiet death and then bring back Geoff Johns’ Pre-Crisis Legion which is actually popular with readers.
But, the embarrassment train does not stop here! Nope. Naomi: Season Two #6 finished unranked. This is now the third month in a row that Naomi Season Two has been unranked. The Bendis’ reverse Midas touch at DC Comics continues!
Aquaman Andromeda #2 slumped down to the number 131 spot. Given the awful debut number at the number 104 spot, I guess this title is lucky it even stayed in the Top 150. However, things were even worse for the other Aquaman title. Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong concluded its run unranked. DC Comics is just as clueless about what to do with Aquaman as they are with Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and the Justice League.
Black Adam Justice Society Files: Cyclone #1 debuted unranked. Ouch. Hopefully, the public’s interest in the new Black Adam movie is more than comic readers’ interest in comic books based on the new Black Adam movie. On a side note, comic publishers are purposely replacing Ginger-American characters with black characters, right? This has become a common trope that is being done on a purpose, right? Like some sort of running gag?
Multiversity Teen Justice #3 fell out of the Top 200 and went unranked. I predicted this title would drop out of the Top 200 by its third issue, and…well…here we are. These Multiversity titles have been massive misses with the consumer. DC Comics needs to re-evaluate how they envision these Multiversity stories and characters because the current approach is not working.
Mantle Swap Titles
66 Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 (Marvel Comics)
68 Strange #5 (Marvel Comics)
75 New Champion of Shazam #1 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
80 Ms. Marvel And Moon Knight #1 (Marvel Comics)
82 Superman Son of Kal-El #14 (DC Comics)
86 Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #3 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
88 Black Adam #3 (DC Comics)
121 Captain America Symbol of Truth #4 (Marvel Comics)
132 Captain Marvel #40 (Marvel Comics)
148 I Am Batman #12 (DC Comics)
175 Avengers & Moon Girl #1 (Marvel Comics)
Unranked: Iron Fist #5
Unranked: Wonder Girls 2022 Annual #1
Mantle swap titles have become more common among Marvel Comics and DC Comics over the past few years. Comic publishers often whine that the comic book consumer will not support a new character so mantle swaps are the best way to increase diversity in comic books. I never thought this was true. I think the failure of new characters is due to clueless editors and the lack of quality writers being hired by DC Comics and Marvel Comics. I believe that there are no bad characters just bad writers and bad editors.
Mantle swaps repel too many established readers. At the same time, mantle swaps severely cripple and limit the potential, individuality, and uniqueness of the new character assuming the mantle. I have never thought that mantle swap titles were a recipe for success. So, I thought it was time to add a mantle swap title section to track the success or lack thereof for these titles.
A quick glance will show that out of all the mantle swap titles, zero of them made the Top 10, zero of them made the Top 25, and zero of them made the Top 50. Huh. Imagine that.
Seven mantle swap titles came in between the number 66 spot and the number 88 spot. Six mantle swap titles finished outside of the Top 100. Three of those six mantle swap titles finished unranked. Hardly impressive sales numbers.
Ms. Marvel continues to find a tough road in the sales chart. Marvel Comics even paired Ms. Marvel up with extremely popular characters like Wolverine and Moon Knight. This is an old pro wrestling trick where an unpopular newer wrestler would “get the rub” from a popular established pro wrestler. Usually, the popular established pro wrestler would give the rub to the unpopular new wrestler by tag teaming with them, cutting a promo about how amazing the newer wrestler is, or by even losing a tough match to the newer wrestler.
In comics, publishers do the same thing by having the newer unpopular character team up with the popular established character in a title. Then the story has the popular established character having to either be rescued by the newer character or even sometimes deliver dialogue about how the newer character is amazing and the best hero ever.
Well, even this approach cannot lead to Ms. Marvel gaining any traction in the sales chart. Marvel Comics simply cannot find an audience for Ms. Marvel. At some point, Marvel Comics is going to have to reevaluate how they handle Ms. Marvel’s character or simply give up.
New Champion of Shazam #1 had an awful debut coming in at the number 75. Again, perhaps readers want Billy Batson when they purchase a Shazam title and not Mary Batson. I knew this title was going to fail. The alarming aspect is that DC Comics’ editorial staff seems oblivious to this fact. It continues to make me wonder if DC Comics editorial is purposely submarining their franchises or if they truly are completely incompetent and out of touch with what their readers want.
Iron Fist #5 went unranked this month. That was a massive drop from June 2022 when Iron Fist #4 finished at the number 113 spot. Now, Iron Fist #5 did come out on August 31, 2021. So, perhaps if it came out earlier in the month Iron Fist #5 might have managed to sneak into somewhere around the 175 range? At any rate, Iron Fist has been a complete sales failure. Talk about a pointless mantle swap that literally no reader was asking for from Marvel Comics.
The Top Female Lead Titles
22 Poison Ivy #3 (DC Comics)
39 Demon Wars The Iron Samurai #1 (Marvel Comics)
42 Harley Quinn #18 (DC Comics)
57 Harley Quinn #21 (DC Comics)
61 Harley Quinn #19 (DC Comics)
65 Gun Honey Blood For Blood #1 (Titan Comics)
66 Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 (Marvel Comics)
72 Harley Quinn #20 (DC Comics)
73 Spider-Gwen Gwenverse #5 (Marvel Comics)
80 Ms Marvel And Moon Knight #1 (Marvel Comics)
86 Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #3 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
89 Catwoman #46 (DC Comics)
110 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #23
114 Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
119 Captain Carter #5 (Marvel Comics)
126 Iron Cat #3 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
130 Wonder Woman #790 (DC Comics)
132 Captain Marvel #40 (Marvel Comics)
138 Batgirls #9 (DC Comics)
153 The Variants #3 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
170 Giant-Size Gwen Stacy #1 (Marvel Comics)
175 Avengers & Moon Girl #1 (Marvel Comics)
179 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #22 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
192 Nubia Queen of The Amazons #3 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
193 Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
195 Spider-Gwen Gwenverse #4 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
Unranked: Black Adam: Justice Society Files – Cyclone #1 (One-Shot)
Unranked: Naomi: Season Two #6
Unranked: Wonder Girls 2022 Annual #1
There were zero new female lead titles in the Top 10, one new female lead title in the Top 25, and three new female lead titles in the Top 50. This is identical to what we got in July 2022. So, while these numbers are terrible, at least Marvel Comics and DC Comics did not actually get worse in August 2022.
A total of twelve new female lead titles made the Top 100. On the other hand, a total of fifteen new female lead titles finished outside of the Top 100, and three of them were unranked.
The collection of titles outside of the Top 100 is an odd mix of poor writing and bad ideas. All in all, Marvel Comics and DC Comics still need to do a serious evaluation of the writers that they are hiring for these titles. Both Marvel Comics and DC Comics also need to reevaluate how they package and deliver their female lead titles compared to their male lead titles. There has to be some way to get these titles to have some kind of sales success.
The Top Minority Lead Titles
39 Demon Wars The Iron Samurai #1 (Marvel Comics)
59 Spider-Man 2099 Exodus #5 (Marvel Comics)
62 Spider-Punk #4 (Marvel Comics)
66 Ms. Marvel & Wolverine #1 (Marvel Comics)
80 Ms Marvel And Moon Knight #1 (Marvel Comics)
88 Black Adam #3 (DC Comics)
91 Miles Morales Spider-Man #41 (Marvel Comics)
104 Black Panther #8 (Marvel Comics)
110 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #23 (Marvel Comics)
121 Captain America Symbol of Truth #4 (Marvel Comics)
148 I Am Batman #12 (DC Comics)
175 Avengers & Moon Girl #1 (Marvel Comics)
179 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #22 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
188 Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #2 (Marvel Comics)
192 Nubia Queen of The Amazons #3 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
200 Miles Morales Spider-Man #40 (Marvel Comics) (Resolicitation)
Unranked: Iron Fist #5 (Marvel Comics)
Unranked: Black Adam: Justice Society Files – Cyclone #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
Unranked: Blood Syndicate: Season One #4 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
Unranked: Naomi: Season Two #6 (DC Comics)
Unranked: Duo #4 (DC Comics)
Unranked: DC Comics Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1
There were no minority lead titles in the Top 10, zero minority lead titles in the Top 25, and just one minority lead title in the Top 50. There were seven minority lead titles in the Top 100. On the other hand, there were thirteen minority lead titles outside of the Top 100. Six of those titles were unranked. These are terrible numbers.
Again, I firmly believe that there are no bad characters. Just bad writers, bad editors, and bad ideas. Some of these titles are just comics that nobody was asking for at all. I am Batman, Captain America Symbol of Truth, and Nubia Queen of the Amazons are all examples of that.
However, there is no reason why Black Panther cannot be packaged to a broad audience and become an entertaining kick-ass Sci-Fi action title that consistently ranks in the Top 50 every month.
There is no reason why Shang-Chi is not a bad-ass Jackie Chan/Tarantino 1970s Kung-Fu title that is always ranked in the Top 50 each month.
There is no reason why Sam Wilson cannot be given a Falcon title that focuses on cool spy action with him as an agent of SHIELD that regularly ranks in the Top 50 every month.
Marvel Comics and DC Comics can do so much better in this category than what they are currently offering consumers.
Dead Titles Walking
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, titles outside of the Top 100 are usually selling under the 18,000 unit sales mark. These are the Marvel Comics and DC Comics titles that are dead titles walking.
Marvel Comics
101 Damage Control #1 (Of 5)
102 X-Men ’92 House of XCII #3 (Of 5)
103 Moon Knight Black White Blood #4 (Of 4)
104 Black Panther #8
106 Savage Avengers #4
107 X-Force #31 A.X.E.
110 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #23
112 Marauders #5
113 Gambit #2 (Of 5)
116 X-Men Unlimited X-Men Green #1 (Of 2)
119 Captain Carter #5
120 Star Wars Halcyon Legacy #5 (Of 5)
121 Captain America Symbol of Truth #4
122 X-Men ’92 House of XCII #4
126 Iron Cat #3 (Of 5)
127 Defenders Beyond #2
132 Captain Marvel #40
133 Wolverine Patch #5 (Of 5)
139 Ant-Man #2
143 Knights of X #5
145 Tales of Suspense #57 Facsimile Edition
153 The Variants #3 (Of 5)
162 Genis-Vell Captain Marvel #2
170 Giant-Size Gwen Stacy #1
175 Avengers & Moon Girl #1
180 Avengers #58
188 Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #2
Unranked: Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #1
Unranked: Iron Fist #5
Unranked: Mech Strike: Monster Hunters #3
Unranked: Wild Cards Drawing of Cards #2
Unranked: Deadpool: Bad Blood #4
Marvel Comics had thirty-two dead titles walking. Five of the dead titles walking were unranked. This means that 35% of Marvel Comics’ titles in August 2022 were dead titles walking.
This should be alarming to Marvel Comics. This is much higher than the 17% of Marvel Comics in the dead titles walking category in July 2022. It is also much higher than the 22% of Marvel Comics that were in the dead titles walking category in June 2022.
DC Comics
105 Tales of The Human Target #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
108 Robin #17 (DC Comics)
109 Sword of Azrael #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
114 Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
117 Superman Warworld Apocalypse #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
130 Wonder Woman #790 (DC Comics)
131 Aquaman Andromeda #2 (Of 3) (DC Comics)
135 Swamp Thing #16 (Of 16) (DC Comics)
138 Batgirls #9 (DC Comics)
147 Justice League Vs The Legion of Super-Heroes #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
148 I Am Batman #12 (DC Comics)
150 Olympus Rebirth #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
151 Batman Fortress #4 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
152 Sword of Azrael Dark Knight of The Soul #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
156 Batman Urban Legends #18 (DC Comics)
160 Task Force Z #11 (Of 12) (DC Comics)
172 Sandman Universe Nightmare Country #5 (DC Comics)
174 Deathstroke Inc #12 (DC Comics)
189 The Flash 2022 Annual #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
192 Nubia Queen of The Amazons #3 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
193 Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
Unranked: Black Adam: Justice Society Files – Cyclone #1 (One-Shot)
Unranked: Multiversity: Teen Justice #3 (Of 6)
Unranked: Blood Syndicate: Season One #4 (Of 6)
Unranked: Future State: Gotham #16
Unranked: Naomi: Season Two #6
Unranked: Aquaman & The Flash: Voiding #3 (Of 3)
Unranked: Duo #4
Unranked: Scooby-Doo: Where are You? #117
Unranked: DC Saved By The Belle Reve #1 (One-Shot)
Unranked: Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1
Of course, DC Comics makes Marvel Comics look good. In August 2022, DC Comics had thirty-one titles dead titles walking. A stunning ten of those thirty-one titles were unranked! This means that a solid 49% of DC Comics’ titles are dead titles walking. As bad as this is it is actually still better than July 2022, where DC Comics had 52% of their titles in the dead titles walking category.
DC Comics’ horrendous state of affairs is genuinely alarming. I am a die-hard DC Comics fan. While I have always liked Marvel Comics, I have always been a DC Comics fan first and foremost. It pains me to see DC Comics destroying themselves either on purpose or out of pure incompetence.
All right, that is it for August 2022. If I missed anything or made a mistake let me know! It is a ton of work to try and keep track of all the different shipping schedules for all of these comic books. So, there may be a moment where an issue from an earlier month slips past me and I mistakenly label it as a new title rather than a resolicitated title. I appreciate everyone’s help. I want this to be a good resource.
And if one of your favorite titles made the Dead Titles Walking section, don’t bother sending me hate mail. I am not responsible for poor sales performances of any title. Blame the comic book market! Plus, many titles that I love often end up in the Dead Titles Walking section so I feel everyone’s pain.
We will be back next month to see if Marvel Comics continues their domination of the Top 200 in September 2022? We will find out. Until then, everyone stay safe and be good!
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