It is that time of the month when we get to check out the latest single-issue comic book sales numbers. As always, the Comichron is the best source for these sales numbers. The Comichron released the Top 400 single-issue comic sales chart for September 2021.
Keep in mind, that the Top 400 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 numbers are also not actual sales. These numbers only represent the number of units ordered by local comic shops.
September 2021 Top 400 Single Issue Comic Sales
- Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunters #4 (Marvel) 149,060 units
- Amazing Spider-Man #73 (Marvel) 138,831 units
- Inferno #1 (Marvel) 135,697 units
- Amazing Spider-Man #74 (Marvel) 122,219 units
- Batman #112 (DC) 116,000 units
- Batman #113 (DC) 114,000 units
- Dark Ages #1 (Marvel) 111,456 units
- Extreme Carnage Toxin #1 (Marvel) 100,810 units
- TMNT The Last Ronin #4 (IDW) 97,029 units
- Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 (Marvel) 92,542 units
The Battle for the Top 10
The single issue Top 10 sales numbers for September were actually pretty strong given the current market. Eight titles posted sales numbers of over 100,000 units. That is impressive. Well, at least it is impressive for Marvel. The September 2021 Top 10 was stronger from top to bottom than the August 2021 Top 10. Star Wars High Republic #8 took the number 10 spot in August 2021 with just 66,974 units. That is far lower than the number 10 spot in the September 2021 sales chart.
Marvel absolutely crushed DC Comics in the battle of the Top 10. It was not even close. DC’s rally cry must be something along the lines of “Not in the face! Not in the face!” Marvel pummeled DC Comics by nabbing the Top 4 spots and posting 7 titles in the Top 10. Marvel enjoyed some good diversity among their Top 10 titles. One was a big event title. One of the titles was from the Star Wars franchise. One was from the X-Men franchise. Four were from the Spider-Man franchise. Again, Marvel shows excellent diversity in terms of the different franchises that power their sales success.
On the other hand, we have poor DC Comics. DC only placed two titles in the Top 10. And both of those titles were from the Batman franchise. Of course. Not only does DC lack strong sales numbers; they continue to rely solely on the Batman franchise for any of their success.
IDW managed to slot one title in the Top 10 on the back of the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja franchise. It is always nice to see the Turtles having sales success.
The Battle for the Top 25
The outlook got even grimmer and more depressing for DC Comics as we take a look at the Top 25 comics for September, 20201. Marvel utterly dominated DC Comics with extreme ruthlessness.
Marvel placed a stunning 17 titles in the Top 25. Seventeen. Diecisiete. Let that sink in. What is even more impressive is that Marvel spread those 17 titles out among a diverse group of franchises. Five titles from the Spider-Man franchise. Three titles from the X-Men franchise. Two titles from the Star Wars franchise. One title from the Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Ka-Zar, Moon Knight, Conan, and Defenders franchises respectively.
Marvel demonstrated excellent depth with this selection of 17 titles spread out evenly among nine different franchises. However, there were some troubling signs. The X-Men franchise appears to show some cooling off as Jonathan Hickman heads out the door. It will be interesting to see how the X-Men franchise performs after the conclusion of Inferno.
DC Comics was utterly embarrassed in the Top 25 of September 2021. DC only placed 3 titles in the Top 25. That is pathetic. This horrendous showing in the Top 25 should be a wake-up call to DC’s leadership that they have completely failed with the Future State direction of the DCU. The decision to shelve established heroes like Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Diana, Arthur Curry, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Barry Allen, etc. appears to be unpopular with DC’s readership. DC seems utterly detached from reality as to what their readership desires. This has been an ongoing problem ever since Flashpoint and the creation of the New 52. DC seems utterly incapable of understanding what their readership wants or DC is simply willfully obtuse. Either way, DC needs to correct course quickly before they become totally irrelevant.
Of course, DC’s three measly comics in the Top 25 were all from the Batman franchise.
Surprisingly, Image tied DC by placing 3 titles in the Top 25. This should be alarming to DC Comics.
Both Boom and IDW placed one title each in the Top 25.
The overall sales numbers were much stronger than the Top 25 for August 2021. Sales did not slip into the 70,000 unit range until spot number 14. In August the title in the number 25 spot sold 57,00 units. In September 2021, Defenders #2 in the number 25 spot sold 67,546 units. In fact, the number 25 spot title in September 2021 sold better than the title in the number 10 spot of August 2021.
The Battle for the Top 50
Marvel continued their domination of the sales chart by placing 30 titles in the Top 50. Again, these 30 titles were spread out evenly among all of Marvel’s franchises.
DC Comics managed to place just 10 titles in the Top 50. DC’s overreliance on the Batman franchise continued as 8 of these 10 titles were from the Batman franchise. The other two were Nice House on the Lake #4 and Deathstroke Inc. #1. Again, these numbers and the utter lack of success of anything outside of the Batman franchise should be highly alarming for DC Comics.
Image slotted 5 comics in the Top 50. Dark Horse finally makes an appearance with 2 titles in the Top 50. Boom placed 2 titles in the Top 50. IDW stayed with their one title.
The overall sales numbers in the Top 50 in September 2021 were better than what we got in August 2021. In August 2021, by the number 34 spot, the sales numbers are already in the high 40,000 unit range. Avengers #47 was in the number 50 spot with just 41,929 units. In September 2021, Star Wars War Bounty Hunters Boushh #1 was in the number 50 spot with 50,473 units.
The Battle for the Top 100
Marvel widened their gap over DC Comics by placing 49 titles in the Top 100. DC placed 31 titles. Even in the Top 100, the majority of DC’s sales success came from the Batman franchise. 21 of DC’s 41 titles in the Top 100 were from the Batman family.
Image placed 8 titles in the Top 100 which is a pretty solid showing for Image. Boom bumped up to 4 titles. Darkhorse and IDW 2 titles apiece in the Top 100. Vault, Dynamite, and Fantagraphics all had 1 title each in the Top 100.
The overall sales numbers in the Top 100 were also a bit stronger in September 2021 than they were in August 2021. Sales did not slip into the 30,000 unit range until the number 68 spot with Alien #7 selling 39,171 units. This was better than in August when sales slipped into the 30,000 unit range at the number 57 spot.
In September 2021, sales did not drop into the 20,000 unit range until the number 99 spot with Guardians of the Galaxy #18 which sold 29,715 units. That is slightly better than August 2021 where sales slipped into the 20,000 unit by the number 92 spot.
Debut Issues
- Inferno #1 (Marvel) 135,697 units
- Dark Ages (Marvel) 111,456 units
- Extreme Carnage Toxin #1 (Marvel) 100,810 units
- Primordial #1 (Image) 81,497 units
- Death of Doctor Strange #1 (Marvel) 75,346 units
- Demon Days Cursed Web #1 (Marvel) 72,494 units
- Ka-Zar Lord of the Savage Land #1 (Marvel) 72,386 units
- Extreme Carnage Omega #1 (Marvel) 62,201 units
- I am Batman #1 (DC) 62,000 units
- Deathstroke, Inc. #1 (DC) 58,000 units
- Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Eat Bang Kill Tour #1 (DC) 55,000 units
- Extreme Carnage Agony #1 (Marvel) 54,516 units
- Mazebook #1 (Dark Horse) 52,417 units
- Star Wars War Bounty Hunters Boushh #1 (Marvel) 50,473 units
- Batman Secret Files Miracle Molly #1 (DC) 47,000 units
- Gun Honey #1 (Titan) 45,620 units
- Eternals Thanos Rises #1 (Marvel) 42,947 units
- X-Men Onslaught Revelation #1 (Marvel) 38,501 units
- Suicide Squad King Shark #1 (DC) 33,000 units
- Maw #1 (Boom) 32,920 units
- Army of Darkness 1979 #1 (Dynamite) 32,760 units
- Titans United #1 (DC) 31,000 units
- Black Manta #1 (DC) 29,000 units
- Batman vs. Bigby A Wolf in Gotham #1 (DC) 27,000 units
- Vampiverse #1 (Dynamite) 26,474 units
- Deadbox #1 (Vault) 24,356 units
- Aquaman The Becoming #1 (DC) 24,000 units
- Last Annihilation Wakanda #1 (Marvel) 23,836 units
- Frontiersmen #1 (Image) 21,943 units
- Last Flight Out #1 (Dark Horse) 21,704 units
- Red Sonja #1 (Dynamite) 20,508 units
- Search for Hu #1 (Aftershock) 18,714 units
- Last Annihilation Wiccan and Hulkling #1 (Marvel) 18,211 units
- Star Wars Adventures Ghost Vaders Castel #1 (IDW) 16,759 units
September 2021 brought plenty of #1 issues. Several of these debut issues performed better than I expected. Death of Doctor Strange #1 posted a respectable sales number. Demon Days Cursed Web #1 was also quite impressive and better than I expected. However, it was Ka-Zar Lord of the Savage Land #1 that amazed me the most. I definitely did not see that strong of a sales number coming for this issue!
However, most of these titles debuted to muted sales numbers. Batman Secret Files Miracle Molly #1 shows that not every Batman franchise comic is going to be a big seller. It is amazing that a Batman franchise title just barely beat out Gun Honey #1 from a very small publisher in Titan. Kudos to Gun Honey #1, though. That is a strong debut number for Titan.
DC has several titles debut that were immediately Dead on Arrival. Titans United #1 had a terrible sales number. This is too bad. I actually really like the roster of characters in Titans United.
Black Manta #1 fell on its face with an awful debut number. Zero surprise. I have no idea why DC thought this was a comic book that anyone was clamoring for.
Aquaman The Becoming #1 crashed and burned with a pathetic 24,000 units. DC continues to massively overestimate how popular some of these derivative characters are with their readership. It is an absolute lock that this title is selling in the teens by the second issue.
Big Events
- Inferno #1 (Marvel) 135,697 units
- Dark Ages #1 (Marvel) 111,456 units
- Death of Doctor Strange #1 (Marvel) 75,346 units
- Sinister War #4 (Marvel) 55,466
- Infinite Frontier #6 (DC) 44,000 units
Marvel enjoyed much success with their Big Event titles. The fact that the debut issues of both Inferno and Dark Ages sold over the 100,000 unit mark has to put a big smile on Marvel’s face. However, all was not perfect. Sinister War slumped to the end of that big event with a rather average sales number.
On the other hand, DC Comics found no love at all for their big event in Infinite Frontier. The final issue of DC’s Big Event comic landed with an embarrassing thud by posting a weak sales number of just 44,000 units. Again, DC’s leadership continues to appear utterly clueless about how to handle the DCU. This new direction for the DCU has been a complete failure. This is like watching the New 52 all over again. It is stunning to see a company like DC Comics show a complete lack of awareness of its own product.
Star Wars Franchise
- Star Wars War Bounty Hunters #4 sold 149,060 units
- Star Wars Doctor Aphra #14 sold 71,271 units
- Star Wars High Republic #9 sold 62,242 units
- Star Wars #17 sold 53,244 units
- Star Wars Darth Vader #16 sold 50,781units
- Star Wars War Bounty Hunters Boushh #1 sold 50,473 units
- Star Wars Bounty Hunters #16 sold 40,382 units
- Star Wars High Republic Adventures Monster of Temple Peak #2 sold 19,918 units
- Star Wars Adventures Ghost Vaders Castle #1 sold 16,749 units
- Star Wars Adventures Ghost Vaders Castle #2 sold 13,788 units
Mama Disney’s gift of Star Wars continues to be very good for Marvel. The Star Wars War Bounty Hunters titles continue to be red hot. The fact that this title is selling almost 150,000 units by the fourth issue is phenomenal. There is little doubt that Marvel has figured out what Star Wars fans want from them.
However, the success of Star Wars War Bounty Hunters is not limited just to its own title. A rising tide lifts all boats. Doctor Aphra gets a huge boost this month because Star Wars Doctor Aphra #14 is a Star Wars War Bounty Hunters tie-in issue. It will be interesting to see if Doctor Aphra sinks back down the sales chart after this tie-in event is over or if some readers stick around.
Marvel has to be pleased that six of their Star Wars titles are selling over 50,000 units. All in all, things look just fine for the Star Wars franchise.
Spider-Man Franchise
- Amazing Spider-Man #73 sold 138,831 units
- Amazing Spider-Man #74 sold 122,219 units
- Extreme Carnage Toxin #1 sold 100,810 units
- Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 sold 92,542 units
- Miles Morales Spider-Man #30 sold 74,127 units
- Extreme Carnage Omega #1 sold 62,201 units
- Sinister War #4 sold 55,466 units
- Extreme Carnage Agony #1 sold 54,516 units
- Non-Stop Spider-Man #5 sold 26,592 units
- Black Cat #10 sold 26,374 units
- Symbiote Spider-Man Crossroads #3 sold 23,382 units
- Web of Spider-Man #4 sold 20,268 units
- Spider-Woman #15 sold 19,893 units
- Web of Spider-Man #5 sold 15,270 units
- Marvel Action Spider-Man #5 sold 6,350 units
Nobody sells like Peter Parker. Petey boasts two issues over the 100,000 unit mark. Very impressive. The rest of the Spider-Man franchise titles did well with six titles posting sales numbers above 60,000 units.
Of course, the Miles Morales Spider-Man #30 sales number is a bit of a mirage. First, this is a 10th-anniversary issue. Second, this issue is the debut of Miles’ new costume. Third, this issue boasts a regular cover plus three variant covers. And to get variant covers local comic shops must order a certain amount of issues. It will be interesting to see if Miles Morales Spider-Man #30 leads to sales growth or if sales numbers drop back to the customary mid-30,000 unit range.
Of course, not everything is rosy for the Spider-Man franchise. Four titles sold in the 20,000 unit range. Three titles sold in the teens. Sadly, Black Cat falls into this category of weak-selling Spider-Man franchise titles. Felicia deserves better.
X-Men Franchise
- Inferno #1 sold 135,697 units
- X-Men #3 sold 72,875 units
- Demon Days Cursed Web #1 sold 72,494 units
- X-Force #23 sold 66,162 units
- X-Men Trial of Magneto #2 sold 58,589 units
- Wolverine #16 sold 55,615 units
- Excalibur #23 sold 55,402 units
- X-Men Onslaught Revelation #1 sold 38,501 units
- Hellions #15 sold 32,527 units
- X-Men Legends #7 sold 27,254 units
- Marauders #24 sold 29,786 units
- New Mutants #21 sold 29,104 units
- Sword #8 sold 26,245
- X-Corp #5 sold 22,273
X-Men has been a strong seller for Marvel ever since Jonathan Hickman took control of the franchise. Things continue to be positive at the top of the line-up. However, there are some troubling signs as we move forward to a post-Hickman X-Men universe.
First, let’s focus on the positive. Inferno #1 came out of the gate white-hot. I expect nothing less than a good sales number from this big event. I anticipate Inferno to continue to be a strong seller through the end of the event.
X-Men #23 posted a respectable sales number. Still, it is not the kind of sales number that really impresses you. And this is still the flagship title of the X-Men franchise. So, Marvel would probably like to see these sales numbers a little higher than what they got.
Demon Days Cursed Web #1 posted a great debut sales number. Mariko is a long-time Wolverine supporting character. It is cool to see Mariko getting some love. I will admit that I did not expect this title to sell so many issues. There is usually a drop-off after the debut issue of a new title. Just how big the drop-off is going to be will be interesting to watch.
Now we turn to the troubling signs in these numbers. Once you get outside of the top three X-Men franchise comics, the sales numbers are unimpressive. X-Men Trial of Magneto #2 is another X-Men big event and it has already sunk down to the high 50,000 unit range. That is a bad sign.
Then you have two X-Men franchise titles selling in the 30,000 range and five X-Men franchise titles selling in the 20,000-unit range. This should be worrisome to Marvel. These are the titles that have been under the guidance of writers not named Hickman. The titles in the 20,000-unit range are absolutely no surprise. Sword, X-Corp, New Mutants, and Marauders are all titles that have made me wonder who in the world Marvel is targeting with these titles. Marvel seems to not care at all what they are publishing and if it will be successful. The X-Men franchise line of titles needs to be rethought and thinned out going forward.
Avengers Franchise
- Thor #17 sold 55,662 units
- United States Captain America #4 sold 44,523 units
- Savage Avengers #24 sold 42,939 units
- Avengers #48 sold 41,347 units
- Avengers Tech-On #2 sold 30,888 units
- Iron Man #12 sold 37,923 units
- Black Widow #11 31,952 units
- Captain Marvel #32 26,642 units
The Avengers franchise continues to be a steaming pile of garbage. And Marvel appears to have no plan or desire to fix the Avengers franchise. There is nothing good to see here. Thor #17 carries the flag for the Avengers franchise with a solid but not impressive sales number in the mid-50,000 unit range.
It all goes downhill from here. Avengers and Savage Avengers are struggling to stay out of the high 30,000-unit range. Iron Man #12 is mired in the high 30,000-unit range. It is stunning how Marvel continues to show no ability to capitalize on the iconic status of Iron Man thanks to the MCU.
Black Widow #11 barely kept itself out of the 20,000-unit range. And then there is Captain Marvel which continues to be the least popular title in the Avengers franchise. God bless, Marvel for not giving a crap that nobody cares about Captain Marvel and just continuing to stubbornly shove this title down readers’ throats.
Batman Franchise
- Batman #112 sold 116,000 units
- Batman #113 sold 114,000 units
- Joker #7 sold 76,000 units
- Batman Catwoman #7 sold 63,000 units
- I Am Batman #1 sold 62,000 units
- Batman ’89 #2 sold 61,000 units
- Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Eat Bang Kill Tour #1 sold 55,000 units
- Detective Comics #1043 sold 55,000 units
- Robin #6 sold 50,000 units
- Nightwing #84 sold 49,000 units
- Batman Secret Files Miracle Molly #1 47,000 units
- Batman The Detective #5 sold 42,000 units
- Batman Urban Legends #7 sold 38,000 units
- Legends of The Dark Knight #5 sold 36,000 units
- Catwoman #35 sold 33,000 units
- Batman Reptilian #4 sold 33,000 units
- Joker Presents A Puzzlebox #2 sold 30,000 units
- Harley Quinn #7 sold 29,000 units
- Batman vs Bigby A Wolf In Gotham #1 sold 27,000 units
- Batman Superman #22 sold 27,000 units
- Future State Gotham #5 sold 27,000 units
- Batman The Adventures Continue Season Two #4 sold 23,000 units
- Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #6 sold 18,000 units
- Pennyworth #2 sold 11,000 units
DC published 24 Batman franchise titles in September 2021. That is just amazing. The good news is that Batman #112 and #113 both sold over 100,000 units. Also good news is that Joker #7 continues to be a nice seller.
However, this myth that all Batman franchise titles are excellent sellers is just that. A myth. Three Batman franchise titles sold in the 50,000-unit range. And one of those titles, Robin #6 is certainly going to be in the upper 40,000 unit range by next month.
There are five Batman franchise titles selling in the 30,000-unit range. There are five Batman franchise titles selling in the 20,000-unit range. No doubt that the Batman franchise is vitally important to DC Comics. But, not all of the Batman franchise titles are a license to print money.
Superman Franchise
- Superman Son of Kal-El #3 sold 34,000 units
- Superman and the Authority #3 sold 31,000 units
- Action Comics #1035 sold 28,000 units
- Batman Superman #22 sold 27,000 units
- Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #4 sold 26,000 units
- Superman ’78 #2 sold 26,000 units
- Challenge of the Super Sons #6 sold 13,000 units
The sad state of the Superman franchise is stunning. We know that DC Comics is preparing for a legal battle with The Siegel and Shuster heirs as Action Comics #1 is set to enter the public domain in 2033. This is probably behind DC’s decisions to ruin the Superman franchise with their recent moves with Jonathan Kent replacing Clark Kent. Otherwise, it makes no sense because this move by DC Comics has proven to be unpopular and a sales disaster.
There are zero Superman franchise titles selling above the 30,000-unit range. Superman Son of Kal-El is only in its third issue and it’s already in the mid 30,000 unit range. Will this title get a sales bump for Jonathan coming out and kissing his boyfriend? Sure. Will this title then drop like a rock right back into the mid-30,000 unit range with the following issue? No doubt. I would suspect that Superman Son of Kal-El will be selling in the 20,000-unit range by its tenth issue. This would be disastrous.
Action Comics #1035 is selling in the 20,000-unit range. DC’s most iconic title cannot escape the 20,000-unit range. This is a dead title walking.
Not even the power of the Batman franchise can lift up the sinking ship that is the Superman franchise. Batman Superman #22 is mired in the 20,000-unit range. There is simply no good news to be found anywhere.
Wonder Woman Franchise
- Wonder Woman #779 sold 30,000 units
- Wonder Woman Black And Gold #4 sold 18,000 units
- Sensational Wonder Woman #7 sold 17,000 units
The sad state of the Superman franchise is matched by the equally sorry state of the Wonder Woman franchise. DC Comics’ bizarre decisions concerning the Wonder Woman franchise spinning out of the Death Metal event appear to be falling with readers. DC Comics needs to try and figure out what readers actually want because the current direction with Wonder Woman, the Amazons, and Wonder Girl is not working.
Justice League Franchise
- Justice League #67 sold 46,000 units
- Justice League #68 sold 34,000 units
- Green Lantern 2021 Annual #1 sold 31,000 units
- Green Lantern #6 sold 29,000 units
- Flash #774 sold 31,000 units
- Aquaman The Becoming #1 sold 24,000 units
- Justice League Last Ride #5 sold 23,000 units
- Justice League Infinity #3 sold 17,000 units
- RWBY Justice League #6 sold 10,000 units
The Justice League franchise is also a mess. Remember when Scott Snyder was making Justice League an absolute must-read on a monthly basis? Those were good times.
Justice League #68 posted an unimpressive sales number in the mid-30,000 unit range. There is no reason for DC Comics’ premier super team to be selling this poorly.
Green Lantern #6 sold a pathetic 29,000-unit range. Remember when Geoff Johns resurrected the Green Lantern franchise into THE premier DC Comics franchise and constantly posted big sales numbers? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
DC Comics’ clueless decision to load up Green Lantern with Jo Mullein, Simon Bay, Jessica Cruz, and Teen Lantern has been a complete and total failure. May I suggest a return of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner? You know, characters that readers actually care about.
And then we have DC’s decision to roll out Jackson Hyde as Aquaman. That decision is totally Dead On Arrival with the debut issue. Aquaman The Becoming #1 sold a lousy 24,000 units. This title will be in the teens by the second issue. Again, DC Comics continues to come off as utterly clueless as to what readers want from them.
The Top Female Lead Titles
- Demon Days Cursed Web #1 sold 72,494 units
- Star Wars Doctor Aphra #14 sold 71,271 units
- Batman Catwoman #7 sold 63,000 units
- Harley Quinn The Animated Series The Eat Bang Kill Tour #1 sold 55,000 units
- Batman Secret Files Miracle Molly #1 sold 47,000 units
- Gun Honey #1 sold 45,620 units
- Catwoman #35 sold 33,000 units
- Black Widow #11 sold 31,952 units
- Wonder Woman #779 sold 30,000 units
- Harley Quinn #7 sold 29,000 units
- Captain Marvel #32 sold 26,642 units
- Vampiverse #1 sold 26,474 units
- Black Cat #10 sold 26,374 units
- Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #4 sold 26,000 units
- Eve #5 sold 25,325 units
- Invincible Red Sonja #4 sold 21,880 units
- Red Sonja #1 sold 20,508 units
- Spider-Woman #15 sold 19,893 units
- Mighty Valkyries #5 sold 18,812 units
- Wonder Woman Black And Gold #4 sold 18,000 units
- Sensational Wonder Woman #7 sold 17,000 units
Well, well, well. Mariko leads the way for all female lead titles. Very impressive. We shall see how long Wolverine’s longtime lady friend can keep that spot. I would certainly expect Doctor Aphra to drop like a rock once the cross-over issues stop. Batman Catwoman #7 rounds out the top 3. I know it is a bit of a cheat to include Batman Catwoman in this list, but it is instructive to show how much better this title sells over Catwoman’s solo title.
Once you get past the top three titles, the sales of female lead titles continue to be soft. By the number 7 title, sales numbers are already in the low 30,000 unit range. By the number 10 title, sales numbers are in the 20,000 unit range.
It was impressive to see TItan’s Gun Honey #1 posting a bigger sales number than characters like Catwoman, Black Widow, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Captain Marvel, Black Cat, Supergirl, and Spider-Woman. Wow. Honestly, most people out there did not even know that Titan published comic books. The fact that Titan pulled off this stunning sales success is a real credit to Titan and being able to identify a comic that resonated with readers.
It is amazing that Marvel is still publishing Spider-Woman and Mighty Valkyries. These titles are posting embarrassing sales numbers. I will give Marvel credit. They are stubborn and refuse to admit defeat.
The Top Minority Lead Titles
- Miles Morales Spider-Man #30 sold 74,127 units
- Demon Days Cursed Web #1 sold 72,494 units
- Star Wars Doctor Aphra #14 sold 71,271 units
- Shang-Chi #4 sold 46,147 units
- Black Manta #1 sold 29,000 units
- Green Lantern #6 sold 29,000 units
- Darkhawk #2 sold 25,675 units
- Champions #9 sold 23,978 units
- Last Annihilation Wakanda #1 sold 23,836 units
- Icon And Rocket Season One #3 sold 14,000 units
- Mister Miracle The Source of Freedom #5 sold 13,000 units
- Reptil #4 sold 7,835 units
September 2021 boasted some of the best sales numbers for minority lead titles that I have seen in a long time. The sales boost came from the 10th-anniversary event for Miles Morales and his variant covers as well as a tie-in issue to the massively popular War of the Bounty Hunters event. It also came from a debut issue of Mariko’s title. It will be interesting to see if these titles can capitalize upon these special moments and use them to gain more permanent readers to continue to improve sales numbers in the coming months.
Shang-Chi #4 only sold in the mid-40,000 unit range which is a pedestrian number for most titles. But, for a Shang-Chi title? This is an impressive sales number! Honestly, I do not think that many people had Shang-Chi still selling in the mid-40,000 unit range by the fourth issue. This bucks the trend of most Marvel minority lead titles. Kudos to Marvel for seemingly getting this title right.
This list drops off a cliff after this point. Darkhawk is an instructive contrast with Shang-Chi. Darkhawk is following the path of most Marvel minority-lead titles. Darkhawk #2 plummeted from 46,633 units down to a mere 25,675 units. Just like I said it would. It is so predictable that you have to wonder why Marvel keeps engaging in this same futile task over and over expecting a different outcome than what they always get.
The comparison of Shang-Chi with Darkhawk shows how taking independent and unique minority characters and elevating them to more important positions within the 616 Universe is always going to be more successful than replacing an established white character with a derivative minority character. The Darkhawk path has not worked for Marvel all through MarvelNow and continues onto the present.
Black Manta #1 was a weird decision by DC Comics and it did not pay off with the debut issue at all. Green Lantern continues to flounder with no hope in sight.
The Milestone comics continue to find practically no audience. This is a shame. But, I respect DC for continuing to honor the legendary Dwayne McDuffie despite the fact that these Milestone titles are DOA. The Shiloh version of Mister Miracle continues to be unpopular. And then we get to Reptil who is in the cellar with an embarrassing 7,835 units sold. I never thought I would see a Marvel comic with such a low sales number. Credit to Marvel for continuing to publish this title despite it losing money for the company.
Dead Titles Walking
It used to be that titles under 40K units were dead titles walking. However, with the comic book market on its continual decline, the goalposts have moved. Titles under 30K units are now dead titles walking.
Marvel
- Marauders #24 sold 29,786 units
- Guardians of the Galaxy #18 sold 29,715 units
- New Mutants #21 sold 29,104 units
- X-Men Legends #7 sold 27,254 units
- Captain Marvel #32 sold 26,642 units
- Non-Stop Spider-Man #5 sold 26,592 units
- Black Cat #10 sold 26,374 units
- Sword #8 sold 26,245 units
- Darkhawk #2 sold 25,675 units
- Champions #9 sold 23,978 units
- Last Annihilation Wakanda #1 sold 23,836 units
- Symbiote Spider-Man Crossroads #3 sold 23,382 units
- X-Corp #5 sold 22,273 units
- Gamma Flight #4 sold 22,124 units
- Fantastic Four Life Story #4 sold 21,895 units
- Web of Spider-Man #4 sold 20,268 units
- Spider-Woman #15 sold 19,893 units
- Mighty Valkyries #5 sold 18,812 units
- Warhammer 40K Sisters Battle #2 sold 18,576 units
- The Marvels #5 sold 18,240 units
- Last Annihilation Wiccan and Hulkling #1 sold 18,130 units
- Web of Spider-Man #5 sold 15,270 units
- Winter Guard #2 sold 14,042 units
- Ka-Zar Marvel Tales #1 sold 12,407 units
- Darkhold Alpha #1 sold 8,279 units
- Reptil #4 sold 7,835 units
Marvel slotted 26 titles below the 30,000-unit range. That is phenomenal. This is where you really see how weak the modern comic book market has become. This list of DOA titles consists of the regular cast of characters that we have come to expect in this category.
DC
- Swamp Thing #7 sold 29,000 units
- Black Manta #1 sold 29,000 units
- Green Lantern #6 sold 29,000 units
- Harley Quinn #7 sold 29,000 units
- Suicide Squad #7 sold 28,000 units
- Action Comics #1035 sold 28,000 units
- Future State Gotham #5 sold 27,000 units
- Blue and Gold #2 sold 27,000 units
- Batman vs Bigby A Wolf In Gotham #1 sold 27,000 units
- Batman Superman #22 sold 27,000 units
- Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow #4 sold 26,000 units
- Superman ’78 #2 sold 26,000 units
- Aquaman The Becoming #1 sold 24,000 units
- Justice League Last Ride #5 sold 23,000 units
- Suicide Squad 2021 Annual #1 sold 23,000 units
- Batman The Adventures Continue Season Two #4 sold 23,000 units
- Locke And Key The Sandman Universe Hell And Gone #2 sold 22,000 units
- Shazam #3 sold 20,000 units
- Checkmate #4 sold 20,000 units
- Batman And Scooby-Doo Mysteries #6 sold 18,000 units
- Wonder Woman Black And Gold #4 sold 18,000 units
- Justice League Infinity #3 sold 17,000 units
- DC Horror Presents The Conjuring The Lover #4 sold 17,000 units
- Sensational Wonder Woman #7 sold 17,000 units
- Crush And Lobo #4 sold 16,000 units
- Icon And Rocket Season One #3 sold 14,000 units
- Challenge of the Super Sons #6 sold 13,000 units
- Mister Miracle The Source of Freedom #5 sold 13,000 units
- Pennyworth #2 sold 11,000 units
- RWBY Justice League #6 sold 10,000 units
- Looney Tunes #262 sold 4,000 units
DC saw Marvel’s 26 DOA titles and said, “Hold my beer.” DC posted 31 titles selling below 30,000 units. It is surprising to see a character like Harley Quinn who used to be a strong seller for DC Comics on this list. I am not too sure what has gone wrong for DC with Harley Quinn’s character.
All right, that is it for September 2021. See everyone next month for the October 2021 sales chart!
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