It is time to check out the October 2022 single-issue 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.
October 2022 Top 200 Single-Issue Comic Rankings
The Battle for the Top 10
- Spider-Man #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman #128 (DC Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man #11 (Marvel Comics)
- Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths #5 (Of 7) (DC Comics)
- Hulk #9 (Marvel Comics)
- Edge Of Spider-Verse #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Daredevil #4 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars Visions #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars The Mandalorian #4 (Marvel Comics)
- Joker The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1 (DC Comics)
Marvel Comics crushed the distinguished competition in route to placing seven titles in the Top 10. Wow. Talk about total domination. This was slightly better than the six titles in the Top 10 that Marvel had in September 2022.
As always, Marvel Comics enjoys success from several different franchises including Spider-Man, Hulk, Daredevil, and Star Wars. This remains Marvel Comics’ biggest edge over DC Comics. Until DC Comics is able to diversify they are going to have a tough time dethroning Marvel Comics.
DC Comics limped into second place with just three titles in the Top 10. This was even worse than the four titles that DC Comics had in the Top 10 in September 2022. Of course, two of DC Comics’ three titles were from the Batman franchise.
The impossible happened as Batman finally got knocked out of the number one spot on the sales rankings for the first time since June 2022. Peter Parker remains the one character capable of rising up and taking on Bruce Wayne.
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.
- Star Wars High Republic #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man #12 (Marvel Comics)
- A.X.E. Judgment Day #6 (Of 6) (Marvel Comics)
- Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Venom #11 (Marvel Comics)
- Immortal X-Men #7 (Marvel Comics)
- Thor #28 (Marvel Comics)
- A.X.E. X-Men #1 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Men #16 (Marvel Comics)
- Wolverine #25 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman Vs Robin #2 (Of 5) (DC Comics)
- Ghost Rider #7 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
- Moon Knight #16 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Men Red #7 (Marvel Comics)
Marvel Comics just destroyed the sales rankings by placing a stunning twenty titles in the Top 25. Incredible. This was better than the sixteen titles that Marvel had in the Top 25 in September 2022. The Spider-Man franchise leads the way with six of Marvel’s twenty titles. Next was X-Men with five of Marvel’s twenty titles. Then there was Star Wars with three of Marvel’s twenty titles.
Like I do every month, I feel compelled to point out the shocking sustained success of Ghost Rider. I am so amazed that Johnny Blaze is still a Top 25 title with the seventh issue! That is fantastic. I am so happy to see this. Johnny Blaze is a fantastic character and easily the best Ghost Rider. It is really cool to see how the vintage Ghost Rider is such a smash success with modern-day readers. There is probably a lesson here for Marvel Comics.
I also want to give some love to Moon Knight. It is impressive to see this title still a Top 25 title by the sixteenth issue. I have always loved Moon Knight, but he has never been a good seller. Marvel Comics deserves a ton of credit for turning Moon Knight into a consistent Top 25 title. Perhaps Marvel needs to examine why this title starring a C-list character is having so much success while other titles starring equally lower-profile characters fail.
DC Comics flat-out embarrassed themselves as they only placed a pathetic five titles in the Top 25. The editors of DC Comics should be ashamed of themselves. Of course, four of DC Comics’ five titles were from the Batman franchise. This is just awful. DC Comics has all the fight of a bloated corpse floating in a river.
The fact that DC Comics cannot get a single franchise outside of the Batman franchise into the Top 25 is alarming. Marvel Comics managed to put tiles from eight different franchises into the Top 25. This current path of DC Comics only having the Batman franchise being the only source of Top 25 success is unsustainable. DC Comics needs to make sure that 2023 is the year where they elevate several franchises up into the Top 25 alongside the Batman franchise.
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.
- Flashpoint Beyond #6 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man #1 Facsimile Edition (Marvel Comics)
- Crypt of Shadows #1 (Marvel Comics)
- DCeased War of The Undead Gods #3 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
- Poison Ivy #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Marvel Comics)
- Midnight Suns #2 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars #28 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Force #32 (Marvel Comics)
- Riddler Year One #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- A.X.E. Death to the Mutants #3 (Of 3) (Marvel Comics)
- Miracleman #0 (Marvel Comics)
- Moon Knight Annual #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman Superman World’s Finest #8 (DC Comics)
- Gotham City Year One #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Predator #3 (Marvel Comics)
- Star Wars Darth Vader #28 (Marvel Comics)
- X-Force #33 (Marvel Comics)
- Dark Crisis The Deadly Green #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
- Batman Beyond The White Knight #6 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
- Fantastic Four #48 (Marvel Comics)
- Venom #12 (Marvel Comics)
- Nightwing #97 (DC Comics)
- Night of The Ghoul #1 (Of 3) (Dark Horse Comics)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Saturday Morning Adventures #1 (IDW Publishing)
Marvel Comics dominated all publishers by placing thirty-four titles in the Top 50. This is even better than the thirty-two titles that Marvel Comics put in the Top 50 in September 2022.
DC Comics put just fourteen titles in the Top 50. This was actually slightly better than the thirteen titles that DC Comics had in the Top 50 in September 2022. To no surprise, eleven of DC Comics’ fourteen titles are from the Batman franchise.
It is imperative that DC Comics build up the Superman franchise, Green Lantern franchise, Flash franchise, and Wonder Woman franchise into Top 50 titles. Those franchises should be outselling titles like Predator, Nightwing, Gotham City, X-Force, Midnight Suns, Crypt of Shadows, Night of the Ghoul, Miracleman, etc.
Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing placed one title apiece in the Top 50. I do want to take a moment and give some love to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Saturday Morning Adventures #1 cracking into the Top 50. That is awesome! As a child who grew up with TMNT this makes me smile. I love that this franchise is enjoying such long-running and sustained success.
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.
- A.X.E. Eternals #1 (Marvel Comics)
- King Spawn #15 (Image Comics)
- Detective Comics #1065 (DC Comics)
- Junkyard Joe #1 (Image Comics)
- New Fantastic Four #5 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Fortnite X Marvel Zero War #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman Incorporated #1 (DC Comics)
- Alien #2 (Marvel Comics)
- Gambit #4 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Spawn #334 (1992) (Image Comics)
- Carnage #7 (Marvel Comics)
- Avengers #61 (Marvel Comics)
- Strange Academy Finals #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Punchline The Gotham Game #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #5 (Marvel Comics)
- Wakanda #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Gunslinger Spawn #13 (Image Comics)
- A.X.E. Starfox #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Marauders #7 (Marvel Comics)
- Thor #27 (Marvel Comics)
- All-Out Avengers #2 (Marvel Comics)
- Wolverine #26 (Marvel Comics)
- Legion of X #6 (Marvel Comics)
- Superman Son of Kal-El #16 (Kal-El Returns) (DC Comics)
- X-Men #15 (Marvel Comics)
Marvel Comics just went beast mode and by placing fifty-one titles in the Top 75. This was way better than the forty-three titles that Marvel Comics had in the Top 75 in September 2022. This is such an impressive performance! Well, is it that impressive when your main competition is the Washington Generals?
DC Comics put just eighteen titles in the Top 75. This is even worse than the twenty-one titles that DC Comics had in the Top 75 in September 2022. Fourteen of DC Comics’ eighteen titles are from the Batman franchise.
Hey, look! Image Comics finally decided to join the game! Image Comics put four titles in the Top 75. This was down from the eight titles that Image Comics had in the Top 75 in September 2022.
Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing placed one title apiece in the Top 75.
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.
- Superman #1 Facsimile Edition (2022) (DC Comics)
- Savage Avengers #6 (Marvel Comics)
- Batman Beyond The White Knight #5 (Of 8) (DC Comics)
- Dark Ride #1 (Image Comics)
- Namor Conquered Shores #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- DC Vs Vampires #10 (Of 12) (DC Comics)
- Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #5 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
- Batman The Knight #10 (Of 10) (DC Comics)
- Vanish #2 Cover A Stegman (Image Comics)
- Tomb of Dracula #1 Facsimile Edition (Marvel Comics)
- Black Panther #10 (Marvel Comics)
- DC Vs Vampires All-Out War #4 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Miracleman Silver Age #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Punisher War Journal Brother #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Arrow #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
- Damn Them All #1 (Of 6) (BOOM! Studios)
- Captain Marvel #42 (Marvel Comics)
- Gun Honey Blood For Blood #2 (Titan Comics)
- Batman Gotham Knights Gilded City #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Jurassic League #6 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
- Strange #7 (Marvel Comics)
- Ant-Man #4 (Of 4) (Marvel Comics)
- Detective Comics #1064 (DC Comics)
- A.X.E. Iron Fist #1 (Marvel Comics)
- Action Comics #1048 (Kal-El Returns) (DC Comics)
Marvel Comics crushed everyone by placing a massive sixty-two titles in the Top 100. This was even better than the fifty-six titles that Marvel Comics had in the Top 100 in September 2022. A full 62% of the comics in the Top 100 came from the House of the Mouse. Crazy.
DC Comics came in second place with only twenty-eight titles in the Top 100. This was worse than the third-one titles that DC Comics had in the Top 100 in September 2022. Eighteen of DC Comics’ twenty-eight titles were from the Batman franchise.
Image Comics took a distant third place with six titles in the Top 100. This was worse than the eight titles that Image Comics had in the Top 100 in September 2022.
Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, and Titan Comics placed one title apiece in the Top 100.
Marvel and DC Debut Issues
1 Spider-Man #1 (Marvel Comics)
8 Star Wars Visions #1 (Marvel Comics)
10 Joker The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1 (DC Comics)
11 Star Wars High Republic #1 (Marvel Comics)
14 Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
18 A.X.E. X-Men #1 (Marvel Comics)
23 Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
28 Crypt of Shadows #1 (Marvel Comics)
35 Riddler Year One #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
40 Gotham City Year One #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
44 Dark Crisis The Deadly Green #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
51 A.X.E. Eternals #1 (Marvel Comics)
57 Batman Incorporated #1 (DC Comics)
63 Strange Academy Finals #1 (Marvel Comics)
64 Punchline The Gotham Game #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
66 Wakanda #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
68 A.X.E. Starfox #1 (Marvel Comics)
80 Namor Conquered Shores #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
88 Miracleman Silver Age #1 (Marvel Comics)
89 Punisher War Journal Brother #1 (Marvel Comics)
90 Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Arrow #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
94 Batman Gotham Knights Gilded City #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
99 A.X.E. Iron Fist #1 (Marvel Comics)
113 Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion of Bats #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
126 DC’s Terrors Through Time #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
137 A.X.E. Avengers #1 (Marvel Comics)
138 Black Adam the Justice Society Files Doctor Fate #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
149 Black Adam #1 Special Edition (DC Comics)
164 Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1 (DC Comics)
191 G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
As usual, this article will address most of these debut issues in their respective franchise sections below. However, we should point out a few debut issues at this moment.
Namor Conquered Shortes #1 crashed and burned in its debut as it came in at the number 80 spot. Once again, we see that there is little correlation between characters appearing in MCU movies translating into increased comic book sales.
Punisher War Journal Brother #1 had an awful debut coming in at the number 89 spot. This title is a part of a series of one-shots. Evidently, Marvel Comics overestimated the desire for these one-shot issues.
We will get to this more in the Batman section, but the terrible debuts of several Batman franchise titles show that the franchise is not a guaranteed hit machine. Even the Batman franchise has its limits.
Big Events
4 Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths #5 (Of 7) (DC Comics)
13 A.X.E. Judgment Day #6 (Of 6) (Marvel Comics)
18 A.X.E. X-Men #1 (Marvel Comics)
36 A.X.E. Death to the Mutants #3 (Of 3) (Marvel Comics)
44 Dark Crisis The Deadly Green #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
51 A.X.E. Eternals #1 (Marvel Comics)
68 A.X.E. Starfox #1 (Marvel Comics)
90 Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Arrow #1 (One-Shot) (DC Comics)
99 A.X.E. Iron Fist #1 (Marvel Comics)
102 Dark Crisis Young Justice #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
127 A.X.E. Judgment Day #5 (Resolicitation)
137 A.X.E. Avengers #1 (Resolicitation)
Dark Crisis won the battle of big events for another month. Congrats, DC Comics! You guys don’t always lose in every category in the sales rankings! Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 beat A.X.E. Judgment Day #6 by a wide margin. As a long-time DC Comics fan it does make me happy to see DC Comics have such success with their big event title. What makes this win even more impressive is that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 was going up the big finale to A.X.E. Judgment Day.
The tie-in issues were a different story. A.X.E. tie-in issues did better than the Dark Crisis tie-in issues. It is also noticeable the difference in the number of A.X.E. tie-in issues compared to the number of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in issues. Marvel Comics never misses an opportunity for a quick cash grab and to bilk the readers of their money.
It is worth noting that the lowest-rated A.X.E. tie-in issue was A.X.E. Iron Fist #1. This mantle swap Iron Fist by Alyssa Wong was a sales failure. Seeing Marvel roll out the same character with the same writer and expecting a different result is hilarious.
Star Wars Franchise
8 Star Wars Visions #1
9 Star Wars The Mandalorian #4
11 Star Wars High Republic #1
33 Star Wars #28
42 Star Wars Darth Vader #28
140 Star Wars The Mandalorian #3 (Resolicitation)
150 Star Wars Han Solo & Chewbacca #6 (Resolicitation)
155 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #25
158 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #24 (Resolicitation)
160 Star Wars Darth Vader #27 (Resolicitation)
October 2022 was very good for the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars had two titles in the Top 10, three titles in the Top 25, and five titles in the Top 50. This was much better than September 2022 when Star Wars had zero titles in the Top 10, zero titles in the Top 25, and four titles in the Top 50.
Star Wars rolled out two new issues and both issues had fantastic debut numbers. Star Wars Visions #1 stormed to the number 8 spot. This did not surprise me at all. Star Wars Visions was a massive hit on Disney+. Kathleen Kennedy has struggled with how to handle the Star Wars franchise so outsourcing the hard work to various Japanese animation studios was a brilliant idea. Lucasfilm should continue to look to Japan for its creative needs with the Star Wars franchise.
Star Wars High Republic #1 had an excellent debut at the number 11 spot. Most of the High Republic offerings have been sales failures. It will be interesting to see if Lucasfilm has righted the ship with this latest High Republic offering.
Of course, Star Wars The Mandalorian continues to be a sales beast. I do not see this title slowing down anytime soon. It is nice to see Star Wars and Star Wars Darth Vader settling into being consistent Top 50 titles each and every month. That will make Marvel Comics happy.
Star Wars Doctor Aphra continues to be the worst-selling Star Wars title every month. I doubt this will change anytime soon.
Spider-Man Franchise
1 Spider-Man #1
3 Amazing Spider-Man #11
6 Edge Of Spider-Verse #5
12 Amazing Spider-Man #12
14 Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 (Of 5)
15 Venom #11
27 Amazing Spider-Man #1 Facsimile Edition
31 Amazing Spider-Man #10 (Resolicitation)
47 Venom #12
61 Carnage #7
130 Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Resolicitation)
141 Miles Morales Spider-Man #42 (Resolicitation)
153 Edge Of Spider-Verse #4 (Resolicitation)
The Spider-Man franchise completely Godzilla stopped all over the Top 10 and Top 25. It was impressive. The Spider-Man franchise placed three titles in the Top 10, six titles in the Top 25, and nine titles in the Top 50. This is a big improvement over September 2022 when the Spider-Man franchise put two titles in the Top 10, five titles in the Top 25, and six titles in the Top 50.
Peter Parker remains the Cadillac of all Marvel characters and it is not even close. Peter accounted for two titles in the Top 3. Insane. Peter had four titles in the Top 15! Are you kidding me?! It is just amazing. Nobody is as beloved as Peter Parker. Hell, expand that scope further and you will see that Peter Parker accounted for six titles in the Top 40.
Venom continues to be a strong seller as Venom #11 came in at the number 15 spot. Venom was the only non-Peter Parker title that posted an impressive sales number.
Carnage remains a title that is constantly lurking just outside of the Top 50. This title seems stuck in that 60-70 range.
X-Men Franchise
16 Immortal X-Men #7
19 X-Men #16
20 Wolverine #25
25 X-Men Red #7
34 X-Force #32
43 X-Force #33
59 Gambit #4 (Of 5)
69 Marauders #7
72 Wolverine #26
73 Legion of X #6
75 X-Men #15 (Resolicitation)
103 X-Terminators #2 (Of 5)
106 New Mutants #31
156 X-Men Legends #3
161 Gambit #3 (Of 5) (Resolicitation)
The X-Men franchise placed zero titles in the Top 10, four titles in the Top 25, and six titles in the Top 50. This was a slight improvement over September 2022 when the X-Men franchise had zero titles in the Top 10, two titles in the Top 25, and five titles in the Top 50.
The X-Men is still a good-selling franchise for Marvel Comics. But, the gap between the Spider-Man franchise and the X-Men franchise continues to widen. Even the Star Wars franchise outperformed the X-Men franchise in the Top 10.
The Immortal X-Men continues to be the best-selling X-Men franchise title as issue #7 grabbed the number 16 spot. X-Men, X-Men Red, and Wolverine all continue to jockey back and forth for the role of the number two best-selling X-Men title. October 2022 went to X-Men #16. Wolverine #25 just edged out X-Men Red #7. Regardless, all three titles continue to be consistent Top 25 titles.
X-Force has a wonderful rebound in October 2022 as X-Force #32 took the number 34 spot and X-Force #33 took the number 43 spot. This is great to see. I have found X-Force to be a fun action-packed read.
Props to the Ragin’ Cajun as Gambit #4 grabbed the number 59 spot. That is better than this mini-series had done in prior months. It looks like Gambit has a shot of finishing out this mini-series in the Top 50. If not, it seems that at the very least Gambit will conclude in the Top 75. That has to be considered a win for Marvel Comics.
Marauders and Legion of X continue to finish outside of the Top 50. This does not surprise me at all.
Avengers Franchise
5 Hulk #9
17 Thor #28
62 Avengers #61
65 Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #5
70 Thor #27 (Resolicitation)
71 All-Out Avengers #2
77 Savage Avengers #6
82 Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #5 (Of 5)
86 Black Panther #10
92 Captain Marvel #42
97 Ant-Man #4 (Of 4)
105 Captain America Symbol of Truth #6
108 Iron Man #24
168 Thunderbolts #3 (Of 5)
The Avengers franchise had one title in the Top 10, two titles in the Top 25, and two titles in the Top 50. This was better at the very top but worse overall than in September 2022 when the Avengers franchise had zero titles in the Top 10, one title in the Top 25, and four titles in the Top 50.
The Hulk continues to be a consistent Top 10 title as Hulk #9 grabbed the number 5 spot. It is definitely good to be green.
Thor remains a consistent Top 25 title as Thor #28 took the number 17 spot. Hulk and Thor remain the two bright spots for the Avengers franchise. Outside of those two me, the rest of the Avengers franchise is in rough shape.
Avengers #61 finished outside of the Top 50 down at the number 62 spot. The Jason Aaron run on Avengers cannot end soon enough. The Avengers needs a full makeover. There is no reason for Avengers to not be a Top 50 title every month.
All-Out Avengers #2 dropped like a rock from the number 25 spot down to the number 71 spot. Clearly, Marvel Comics overestimated the market for three Avengers titles being published simultaneously.
Savage Avengers appears to have found its happy space as it bobbed back up from the number 90 spot to the number 77 spot. I don’t think this title will ever be a consistent Top 75 title, but perhaps Marvel Comics will be happy with this title being a consistent Top 100 title.
Black Panther continues to bob up and down in the number 70-90 range. October 2022 was one of those down months.
Iron Man continues to be a mess. There is no reason that Iron Man is not a consistent Top 50 title every month. There is so much work that needs to be done to this franchise that has been terribly mismanaged for a long time.
The two Captain America titles continue to experience two starkly different sales results. Steve Rogers’ title Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #5 came in at the number 65 spot. This is the exact same spot on the chart that Captain America Sentinel of Liberty #4 had in September 2022. I love Steve Rogers, but the writing on this title is awful. Having said that, enough people disagree with me to make Captain America Sentinel of Liberty a consistent Top 75 seller.
Sam Wilson’s Captain America Symbol of Truth continues to be a sales dud. Issue #6 still failed to crack into the Top 100. Six issues in and it looks like Sam’s title is destined to live in the dead walking titles section of the sales rankings.
I can only hope that Marvel Comics finally gives Sam his unique Falcon gimmick back along with a new title. Then Marvel Comics can focus on Steve as Captain America and put a more talented creative team on Steve’s title.
Batman Franchise
2 Batman #128
10 Joker The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1
21 Batman Vs Robin #2 (Of 5)
23 Batman One Bad Day Penguin #1 (One-Shot)
26 Flashpoint Beyond #6 (Of 6)
30 Poison Ivy #5 (Of 6)
35 Riddler Year One #1 (Of 6)
39 Batman Superman World’s Finest #8
40 Gotham City Year One #1 (Of 6)
45 Batman Beyond The White Knight #6 (Of 8)
48 Nightwing #97
53 Detective Comics #1065
57 Batman Incorporated #1
64 Punchline The Gotham Game #1 (Of 6)
78 Batman Beyond The White Knight #5 (Of 8) (Resolicitation)
83 Batman The Knight #10 (Of 10)
94 Batman Gotham Knights Gilded City #1 (Of 6)
98 Detective Comics #1064 (Resolicitation)
112 Catwoman #48
113 Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion of Bats #1 (Of 6)
132 Sword of Azrael #3 (Of 6)
133 Batgirls #11
135 Harley Quinn #23
136 Catwoman Lonely City #4 (Of 4)
143 Harley Quinn #22 (Resolicitation)
145 Batman Urban Legends #20
151 Tim Drake Robin #2
157 Batman #127 (Resolicitation)
164 Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1
167 I Am Batman #14
177 Batman Vs Robin #1 (Of 5) (Resolicitation)
178 Tim Drake Robin #1 (Resolicitation)
186 Batman One Bad Day Two-Face #1 (One-Shot) (Resolicitation)
191 G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6)
196 Nightwing #96 (Resolicitation)
198 Batman Fortress #6 (Of 8)
The Batman franchise had two titles in the Top 10, four titles in the Top 25, and eleven titles in the Top 50. This is actually worse at the top and the same at the bottom as in September 2022 when the Batman franchise had three titles in the Top 10, six titles in the Top 25, and eleven titles in the Top 50.
Batman vs Robin #2 fell from the number 5 spot down to the number 21 spot. It will be interesting to see where this title can remain in the Top 50 for the duration of this five-issue mini-series.
I have to give credit to Poison Ivy’s success. I have found this title to be a rather poor read. However, the consumers disagree with me as Poison Ivy #5 came in at the number 30 spot. This is not that far from the number 24 spot that Poison Ivy #4 had in September 2022. It looks like Poison Ivy is going to finish its six-issue mini-series safely within the Top 50. That is a success for DC Comics.
Batman Incorporated #1 debuted at the number 57 spot. This has to be a disappointment for DC Comics. The fact that Batman Incorporated #1 debuted outside of the Top 50 is not a surprise to me. I was not sure there would be huge fan interest in a comic book led by Ghost-Maker and starring a bunch of random Batman Incorporated characters. I will be curious to see if Batman Incorporated can remain a consistent Top 100 title.
Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion of Bats #1 had an awful debut coming in at the number 113 spot. This is no surprise to me. Tee Franklin is simply not a good superhero comic book writer. It appears that the consumer agrees with me on this one.
Batgirls continues to be a disappointment. Batgirls #11 dropped down from the number 109 spot to the number 133 spot. DC Comics cannot subsidize poor-selling titles as easily as Marvel Comics. It will be interesting to see how long DC Comics is willing to keep publishing Batgirls.
Catwoman appears to be stuck in the same place in the sales rankings. In September 2022, Catwoman #47 took the number 113 spot. In October 2022, Catwoman #48 took the number 112 spot. These are not good rankings, but at least Catwoman appears to be stabilized and is not dropping further.
I Am Batman #14 fell down to the number 167 spot. Whew, this title almost failed to crack the Top 175! It never gets better for this title. This is another title that I have a hard time believing that DC Comics is going to be okay with subsidizing for too much longer.
Tim Drake: Robin #2 plummeted from the number 92 spot all the way down to the number 151 spot. This is hideous. Tim Drake: Robin looks to be a dead title walking with just its second issue. This is no surprise to me. This comic is a wretched read. It is going to be a real battle for Tim Drake: Robin to not slip out of the Top 175 by the third issue.
G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 had an embarrassing debut coming in at the number 191 spot. This title almost missed the Top 200 altogether with just its first issue! There is a good chance that G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #2 fails to even make the Top 200. Again, I am not that surprised. I am firmly on Team Jim Gordon and have never been a Renee Montoya fan. Give me a G.C.P.D. title with Gordon as the lead character and I am all in.
Superman Franchise
39 Batman Superman World’s Finest #8
74 Superman Son of Kal-El #16 (Kal-El Returns)
76 Superman #1 Facsimile Edition (2022)
100 Action Comics #1048 (Kal-El Returns)
175 Action Comics #1 Facsimile Edition (2022)
176 Action Comics #1047 (Resolicitation)
Kal-El may be returning, but the sales sure have not returned. Batman Superman World’s Finest is still the best-selling comic starring Superman and it is not even close. Superman Son of Kal-El still struggles just to crack the Top 75. Action Comics is still struggling to remain in the Top 100. There is still absolutely nothing positive at all to be found in the Superman franchise, yet. It will be interesting to see how the next few months unfold for the Superman franchise. Hopefully, things get better for Big Blue.
Wonder Woman Franchise
128 Wonder Woman #792
Just keep going. There is nothing to see here.
Justice League Franchise
90 Dark Crisis Worlds Without A Justice League Green Arrow #1 (One-Shot)
95 Jurassic League #6 (Of 6)
101 The Flash #787
165 Aquaman Andromeda #3 (Of 3)
189 Flash The Fastest Man Alive #2(Of 3)
It appears that DC Comics is going to be putting the Justice League franchise on a hiatus after the conclusion of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. It will be interesting to see if DC Comics can at least build up the solo titles for the various characters associated with the Justice League.
As of now, only Flash and Aquaman have titles and both of them finished outside of the Top 100. As a big Flash fan, it really is depressing to see the Scarlet Speedster doing so poorly in the sales rankings.
Aquaman Andromeda struggled to end its mini-series in the Top 175. What an awful result for this Aquaman mini-series. I was not a fan of this mini-series at all and it appears that the consumers agreed with me on this title.
Mantle Swap Titles
7 Daredevil #4 (Marvel Comics)
74 Superman Son of Kal-El #16 (Kal-El Returns) (DC Comics)
82 Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #5 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
92 Captain Marvel #42 (Marvel Comics)
96 Strange #7 (Marvel Comics)
99 A.X.E. Iron Fist #1 (Marvel Comics)
105 Captain America Symbol of Truth #6 (Marvel Comics)
114 Black Adam #5 (DC Comics)
141 Miles Morales Spider-Man #42 (Marvel Comics)
167 I Am Batman #14 (DC Comics)
200 Genis-Vell Captain Marvel #4 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
Outside of Daredevil #4, there were zero mantle swap titles in the Top 10, zero titles in the Top 25, and zero titles in the Top 50. There were barely two mantle swap titles in the Top 75 as Superman Son of Kal-El #16 just narrowly skated into the Top 75.
I have to sheepishly admit that I do enjoy one of these mantle swap titles. Genis-Vell Captain Marvel. However, this title barely even made it into the Top 200 so obviously I am all alone in my enjoyment of this character. This title has been a total sales dud.
Mantle swap titles continue to be terrible sellers. Hopefully, Marvel Comics and DC Comics have realized their folly and we will be seeing fewer and fewer of these types of titles going forward.
Legacy Character Titles
48 Nightwing #97 (DC Comics)
57 Batman Incorporated #1 (DC Comics)
64 Punchline The Gotham Game #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
66 Wakanda #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
101 The Flash #787 (DC Comics)
102 Dark Crisis Young Justice #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
106 New Mutants #31 (Marvel Comics)
131 Titans United Bloodpact #2 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
133 Batgirls #11 (DC Comics)
151 Tim Drake Robin #2 (DC Comics)
159 Iron Cat #5 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
178 Tim Drake Robin #1 (Resolicitation)
196 Nightwing #96 (Resolicitation)
Unranked: Young Justice: Targets #4
I have decided to start examining how legacy characters perform in the sales rankings. So we are all on the same page, I am going to define a legacy character as a sidekick or a younger derivative character of an established character. This is an area where DC Comics has historically been far more active than Marvel Comics.
There were zero legacy character titles in the Top 10, zero in the Top 25, and one in the Top 50. This is not surprising as legacy characters have historically had a tough time gaining much traction in the sales charts.
Also, no surprise is the fact that Dick Grayson is the best-selling legacy character. Dick Grayson is the gold standard when it comes to legacy characters. The reason for that is that Dick has been given his own unique identity and treated like his own man completely separate from Bruce Wayne.
My favorite team of legacy heroes would be the Wolfman/Perez Titans. I would love to see a new Titans title starring Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, Donna Troy, Wally, and Dick. Another legacy character that I would love to see getting some more attention would be Conner Kent. You know, the better of the two young Kent boys.
It should be interesting to see what DC Comics does with their legacy heroes in 2023 and if the consumer is interested in any of the offerings.
The Top Female Lead Titles
30 Poison Ivy #5 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
64 Punchline The Gotham Game #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
66 Wakanda #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
82 Jane Foster & The Mighty Thor #5 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
92 Captain Marvel #42 (Marvel Comics)
96 Strange #7 (Marvel Comics)
107 Harley Quinn 30th Ann. Special #1 (One-Shot) (Resolicitation)
112 Catwoman #48 (DC Comics)
113 Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion of Bats #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
128 Wonder Woman #792 (DC Comics)
133 Batgirls #11 (DC Comics)
135 Harley Quinn #23 (DC Comics)
136 Catwoman Lonely City #4 (Of 4) (DC Comics)
143 Harley Quinn #22 (Resolicitation)
159 Iron Cat #5 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
191 G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
There were zero female lead titles in the Top 10, zero in the Top 25, and one in the Top 50. That is terrible and less than September 2022 when there was one in the Top 10, two in the Top 25, and three in the Top 50.
One reason for October 2022 being worse is that we did not get a new issue of She-Hulk. Jen remains one of the better-selling female lead titles.
Punchline had a disappointing debut outside of the Top 50. I know Punchline is just DC Comics trying to get what they had with the original Harley Quinn before that character morphed into something totally different. So, it is not like Punchline is that creative. But, she has a neat look and I have enjoyed her in general up to this point. But, Punchline The Gotham Game #1 is written by Tini Howard and Blake Howard. I cannot tell you anything about Blake Howard, but I do know Tini Howard and she struggles with writing superhero comic books. Howard’s titles never sell and it looks like Punchline The Gotham Game is doomed to be a poor-selling mini-series.
Catwoman continues to be well outside of the Top 100. This is another Tini Howard title. Now, I have been critical of the writing on Catwoman so I want to give some love to that title. Nico Leon is a fantastic artist and made Catwoman #48 an excellent-looking comic book. No doubt about it.
There are some great characters in this category. No doubt about it. The biggest problem is that Marvel Comics and DC Comics keep putting bad writers on these titles. Until the editorial staff at Marvel and DC decide to upgrade the writers on these titles there are going to be no positive changes in this category.
The Top Minority Lead Titles
66 Wakanda #1 (Of 5) (Marvel Comics)
86 Black Panther #10 (Marvel Comics)
99 A.X.E. Iron Fist #1 (Marvel Comics)
114 Black Adam #5 (DC Comics)
141 Miles Morales Spider-Man #42 (Resolicitation)
155 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #25 (Marvel Comics)
158 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #24 (Resolicitation)
167 I Am Batman #14 (DC Comics)
169 Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4 (Marvel Comics)
191 G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6) (DC Comics)
There were no minority lead titles in the Top 10, zero in the Top 25, and zero in the Top 50. That is the same as it was in September 2022. We have already talked about most of these titles in the prior sections. But, there are a couple that we have not touched on just yet.
Wakanda #1 had a terrible debut. This mini-series seems doomed to drop out of the Top 100 with the second or third issue.
Black Panther is still grossly underperforming. Such an excellent character should not be selling this poorly. It is time for Marvel Comics to look at making a creative team switch and a new direction for this title.
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
103 X-Terminators #2 (Of 5)
105 Captain America Symbol of Truth #6
106 New Mutants #31
108 Iron Man #24
147 The Variants #4
155 Star Wars Doctor Aphra #25
156 X-Men Legends #3
159 Iron Cat #5 (Of 5)
166 Defenders Beyond #4 (Of 5)
168 Thunderbolts #3 (Of 5)
169 Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4
200 Genis-Vell Captain Marvel #4 (Of 5)
Marvel Comics had twelve dead walking titles in October 2022. That is down from the fifteen dead walking titles Marvel Comics had in September 2022. This means that 14% of Marvel Comics’ titles in October 2022 were dead titles walking. This is an improvement over September 2022 when 21% of Marvel Comics’ titles were dead titles walking.
DC Comics
101 The Flash #787
102 Dark Crisis Young Justice #5 (Of 6)
109 Human Target #8 (Of 12)
112 Catwoman #48
113 Harley Quinn The Animated Series Legion of Bats #1 (Of 6)
114 Black Adam #5
115 DC Horror Presents Sgt Rock Vs The Army of The Dead #2 (Of 6)
126 DC’s Terrors Through Time #1 (One-Shot)
128 Wonder Woman #792
131 Titans United Bloodpact #2 (Of 6)
132 Sword of Azrael #3 (Of 6)
133 Batgirls #11
135 Harley Quinn #23
136 Catwoman Lonely City #4 (Of 4)
138 Black Adam the Justice Society Files Doctor Fate #1 (One-Shot)
145 Batman Urban Legends #20
149 Black Adam #1 Special Edition
151 Tim Drake Robin #2
164 Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1
165 Aquaman Andromeda #3 (Of 3)
167 I Am Batman #14
171 Marvel Family #1 Facsimile Edition
173 Rogues #4 (Of 4)
175 Action Comics #1 Facsimile Edition (2022)
189 Flash The Fastest Man Alive #2(Of 3)
191 G.C.P.D. The Blue Wall #1 (Of 6)
198 Batman Fortress #6 (Of 8)
Unranked: Young Justice: Targets #4
Unranked: Duo #6
DC Comics had a whopping twenty-nine dead titles walking. This is even more than the twenty-five dead titles walking in September 2022. This means that in October 2022 a solid 43% of DC Comics’ titles were in the dead titles walking. Frighteningly enough, this is actually an improvement over September 2022 when 45% of DC Comics’ titles were in the dead titles walking category.
All right, that is it for October 2022 Will Marvel Comics continue its domination of the Top 200 in November 2022? We will find out. Until then, everyone stay safe and be good!
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