It is another year of growth for Marvel, so there is that. But, I think it is clear at this point that Marvel, at least in the Bookstore market, isn’t really that significant of a player able to drive very many hits. Yes, they’re largely dominant in the Direct Market channels, and they rule periodical comics, but their backlist strategy does not seem to be paying off with any kind of solid results – in either market.
I remain frustrated by this because Marvel is clearly a stronger brand than DC, better known, more established, and, for many “civilians,” practically synonymous with “comics” itself. Further, Marvel does rule the periodicals, and strong periodical sales really should yield strong backlist sales – it is audience tested material!
Brian Hibbs looks at the bookstore sales for comics and graphic novels in 2013. As ever, it’s a good reminder of what the true mainstream really is, but I remain stunned that Marvel – arguably one of the biggest brands in entertainment today – remains in seventh place in terms of bookstore sales for western publishers.
On the plus side, Hawkeye sold well for them – as did Deadpool vs. The Marvel Universe, fascinatingly; only 4,000 copies less than Hawkeye – but still. It’s mind-boggling to me that the publisher is apparently unable to break out of the comic stores, especially considering the quality of a lot of the work there right now. Is it just distribution woes, or something else, that’s behind that?