There are no official stats reflecting whether the books actually sold. The comic book market is primarily concentrated on more vintage comics, most of which were published in the 1930s to mid1970s. This feature is not available with your current account. The investor will need money to buy the comic books and proper protection and storage to keep them safe. Heritage comics has been around for over 30 years and even has entries in the guinness book of world records, one of which is for selling the nicholas cage comic book. Comics is a market in transition publishers weekly. Search from close to 6000 publishers from dozens of countries. The new 52 boosted readership and market share briefly, but now dc is back in the position of having to make more. Using comic books as an investment will require much from the collector.
Industry statistics cover all companies in the united states, both public and private, ranging in size from small businesses to market leaders. Start your comic book search using the premier free comic book price guide. But the top 10 comic book sales prove that these strategies work. They then put the same fish back together in a way that did not please many fans. The survey aims to build a resource about standard rates in the comic book industry for comic creators. Well also talk with creators about what its like to write and draw these icons compared with other characters. As such, the companys decision to refuse delivery of new product to its warehouses places the western print comic book industry on hiatus for an undetermined time. Still, diamond give the best look possible at the current state of the comic book industry. Coronavirus lands thanossized punch on comic shops.
Marvel its highest dollar market share at diamond since the distributor began releasing final. In other words, it takes a dealer time to sort, bag, board and price any comic book. Icv2, in conjunction with metrics site comichron, gathers market data on the north american comics industry, tracking sales of periodicals, trade books aka graphic novels, and. Geoff johns and gary frank bring the dc and watchmen universes together. Comic book publishing in the us industry trends 20152020 comic book publishing in the us industry outlook 20202025 poll average industry growth 20202025. Subscribe to marvel unlimited to access thousands of digital comics for one low price. Market share data based on total sales for products invoiced in march 2020, with. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Ant man comics price guide and free online appraisals. Always make sure that the comic you are comparing is the exact same comic book as the one you have and that it is in the same condition. Posted on july, 2018 july 16, 2018 by stephanie cooke.
Industry statistics diamond comic distributors, inc. The specialty comic book market is facing something that could, without an appropriate response, prove decimating to the industry as a whole. The easiest way to determine if your comics fall into the good category is by looking at the cover price. Each page includes current market values in ten different grades, as well as a section for real market data, actual prices fetched at auction. Four new series set in the world of the vertigo classic. Though its unlikely comic books will replace blue chip stocks such as apple or goldman sachs as investments, dealers say the market for comic books can create solid returns as long as the investor fully understands the market dynamics. Graphic novels are sold in the direct market and also to trade book stores, with consumer sales tracked through the book industry standard. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1990 4th edition. Distribution of comic store sales in the united states in 2019, by publisher. With over 1 million comic books in the system and close to one million users over our lifetime, you will never find a more useful tool for your collecting needs. Beyond the meat and potatoes of the fullyloaded pricing by grade for every comic book known to man and most unknown as well, the articles and market insights are well worth the time invested. Additionally, we hope that this data will encourage professionals not to accept work that pays below a living wage.
By delivering the weekly list of new releases, along with news concerning current and future products available in local and online comic book shops, we enable consumers to meet their goals more effectively. Estimated overall north american market size, including estimates for newsstand comics and book channel tpb sales joint calculation by comichron and. Comic books are like oil in that they are traded in u. Mar 22, 2020 how to navigate the current comic book collectors market thinking critical. Check a comic book price guide to get a price range based on the books condition. The sharp sales decline of 2017 that precipitated many heartbreaking comics store closings still. The investor will need to follow the market and track their collection and value. Diamond comic distributors current situation until a 1978 lawsuit. Tons of good stuff releasing this week, so without hesitation, lets jump right in. Finally, more retailers are speaking up about the current state of the mainstream north american comic book industry. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Research by the market research company gfk, released to coincide with the festival, showed that turnover in the comic book industry in those.
For each sale discovered, we match it to the specific comic in our massive database which also includes variant covers and printings. Comics, previously purchased at newsstands or in dedicated comic book stores, can easily be bought and, in some cases, even read digitally a trend that digital giants have noticed. A man holds copies of the captain america comic book at a store in new york march 7, 2007. Market share of the comic industry in spain in 2018, by comic publisher publisher net sales revenue from comics in finland 20112017 share of commercial comic books. In france, comic books are serious business the new york times. Doing this gives you the current selling price of the comic. Jan 29, 2019 research by the market research company gfk, released to coincide with the festival, showed that turnover in the comic book industry in those two countries alone reached 510 million euros, or. With covid19 besieging the comic book industry, just what is the direct. What did the aquaman movie do to the value of key aquaman comics.
Most of the organized book chain titles are also active in the ecommerce market. The real reasons for marvel comics woes the atlantic. Bestselling comic books in north america 2019 bestselling comic books in north. Mar 23, 2020 as such, the companys decision to refuse delivery of new product to its warehouses places the western print comic book industry on hiatus for an undetermined time. May 24, 2017 the real reasons for marvel comics woes.
Aug 14, 20 comicbook investments are more predictable than stocks. The birth of the direct comic book market screen rant. The links lead to current auctions for each issue on ebay. How to navigate the current comic book collectors market. Over the years, the book industry has remained a massive, greatly influential global consumer market. Nov 14, 2015 it also had its fair share of comic book dealers who offered a glimpse of a market that remains red hot. The iguide comic book price guide is maintained by warren and his board of advisors.
By requesting prescreen and specifying a minimum grade on your invoice, you will be charged grading fees only for comic books that meet or exceed your specified minimum grade. Jan 16, 2019 over the years, the book industry has remained a massive, greatly influential global consumer market. Anyone that has studied statistics knows that the results can be presented in a number of different ways to support or attack a preconceived idea or agenda. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by phil seuling. Surprising new data shows comic readers are leaving. The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for american comic books. Publishers are creating a market by allowing variant covers to exist, and there is obvious demand for them among collectors andor speculators. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1989 3rd edition. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. Comics retailers head into 2019 as uncertain about the market as they were at the start of 2018. Whether you are an avid comic collector, a repeat offender one who once collected but fell by the wayside, are new to the industry, or someone who came across some old comics, welcome to the world of comics. Aug 09, 2019 dc comics publisher dan didio admits that the comic book direct market is in decline, and calls out the industry for juggling numbers to give the appearance of a health industry.
Jul, 2018 page rates 2017 posted on july, 2018 july 16, 2018 by stephanie cooke the survey aims to build a resource about standard rates in the comic book industry for comic creators. The searchable database consists of more than 100,000 pages, each devoted to a specific comic book. May 08, 2019 as comic book industry grows, smaller publishers learn to adapt a merger of two independents, lion forge and oni press, is the latest example of new strategies that are shaping the business. Read our comic book price guide and have your comic books appraised free by us. We monitor the fire hose of online comic book sales across various marketplaces and report on the sales of cgc and cbcs graded books in our comics price guide. As comic book industry grows, smaller publishers learn to. It would be worthwhile to note that marvel and dc are still predominant in the price sensitive indian market.
New comics delayed across industry in wake of coronavirus. High profile comics arrive in september, but sales were sluggish john mayo nov 6, 2018. Dollar sales of periodical comic books were up nearly 4% in 2019, while graphic novel. Cpg is the premier online comic book price guide for comic valuations and comic collecting. Comic book price guides, like overstreet, have a minimum price for comic books. Spiderman is the most highly collected superhero in the world of comic books.
Comic book publishing in the us industry data, trends. Top 60 most valuable comic books from the modern age. The collapse of the comics speculation bubble in the mid 1990sa bubble partially fueled by marvels own encouragement of the speculator boom and flooding of the market. Dc comics boss admits the comic book industry is not healthy.
As a service to comics fans, collectors, and retailers, diamond comic distributors provides archives of the publisher market shares by month. Expendable income is tighter than it used to be and comic book prices keep going up. When dc comics did the reboot for the new 52, they basically gutted the dcu like a fish. Easily search titles such as amazing spiderman, batman, xmen and the black panther.
That was a major development, because outside of some nonreturnable comics produced for whitmanwestern publishing starting in. The minimum price is not a real reflection of market value. In 1979, something happened in comics that would change everything marvel made its first sales of distinct direct edition type comic books to specialty comic shops, at discounted prices but on a nonreturnable basis. The weakening canadian dollar got me to thinking about the effect it is having, if any, on the back issue comic book market. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 2008 38th edition. And, as always, a treasure trove of covers to look at, old and new.
Mar 20, 2020 the specialty comic book market is facing something that could, without an appropriate response, prove decimating to the industry as a whole. Also check online to see what the current real time price is for your comic. Jan 11, 2020 comic book readers frequently complain about the number of events and relaunches. In addition to revenue, the industry market analysis shows information on employees, companies, and average firm size. Market share archives diamond comic distributors, inc. One dealer highlighted an unusual reason why fundamentals support higher prices. From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. It currently consists of diamond comic distributors, which has monopolized such distribution having exclusive deals with major comic book publishers, and the majority of comics specialty stores, as well as other retailers of. Official overstreet comic book price guide companion sc 1988 2nd edition. Neither the second world war nor 911 stopped weekly comic book.
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