2018 In Review
2018 has been a year of recovery for the store. Sales grew 14% as compared to 2017, which had been down 17% as compared to 2016. Not a resounding recovery, but enough of a recovery, combined with our Patreon, to keep the store open. The recovery has been primarily in the core categories of graphic novels and comics. Despite stocking more games and statues, other product categories besides comics and graphic novels actually declined slightly in 2018.
And while most of the year sales grew, sales fell in the Fall and in November sales were terrible due the smoke and poor air quality we had. Then in December sales were “ok”, but not great compared to past Decembers.
When broken down by publisher, the recovery was pretty much across the board, with only DC’s recovery slightly smaller.
Marvel continued to lead in periodical comic book sales. DC’s monthly comic book sales grew in 2018. While Image Comics recovered the least. Image Comics just hasn’t really had any “hits” of mention in several years now.
Image’s evergreen graphic novels like SAGA, PAPER GIRLS and WICKED + DIVINE continue to dominate sales. Marvel collections actually did slightly better in 2018 thanks to Black Panther, Infinity Gauntlet and more indie style books like Ed Piskor’s GRAND DESIGN and Tom King’s VISION. While DC collection sales stayed relatively flat despite strong showings by BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT and METAL.
Here’s our top 100 Best Selling Graphic Novels. Just to show how dominate Image is in graphic novel sales her, I highlighted all the non-Image titles. SAGA and PAPER GIRLS cotinine to lead sales, but I wonder how they will do in 2019 with no new single issues of SAGA being published and PAPER GIRLS wrapping up. In addition, many other top-selling Image titles are planing on ending in 2019, like WICKED + DIVINE, EAST OF WEST, BLACK SCIENCE and LOW. It’s not yet clear what series could fill that potential gaps.
Full Title - Publisher
Saga Vol 8 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 1 - Image Comics
Paper Girls Vol 1 - Image Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 1 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 9 - Image Comics
Monstress Vol 1 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 7 - Image Comics
Paper Girls Vol 2 - Image Comics
Paper Girls Vol 3 - Image Comics
Paper Girls Vol 4 - Image Comics
Seven To Eternity Vol 1 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 2 - Image Comics
Black Panther Book 1 - Marvel Comics
Monstress Vol 2 - Image Comics
Deadly Class Vol 1 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 3 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 6 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 4 - Image Comics
Head Lopper Vol 2 - Image Comics
Sex Criminals Vol 1 - Image Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 6 - Image Comics
Snotgirl Vol 1 - Image Comics
Saga Vol 5 - Image Comics
East of West Vol 1 - Image Comics
Woman World - Fantagraphics
Head Lopper Vol 1 - Image Comics
Low Vol 1 - Image Comics
Tokyo Ghost Vol 1 - Image Comics
Calexit Vol 1 - Blackmask
Monstress Vol 3 - Image Comics
Redlands Vol 1 - Image Comics
Catboy - Silver Sprocket
Descender Vol 1 - Image Comics
Descender Vol 5 - Image Comics
Seven To Eternity Vol 2 - Image Comics
Wytches Vol 1 - Image Comics
Batman White Knight - DC Comics
Bitch Planet Vol 1 - Image Comics
Watchmen - DC Comics
Deadly Class Vol 6 - Image Comics
East of West Vol 7 - Image Comics
Kill Or Be Killed Vol 1 - Image Comics
Bitch Planet Vol 2 - Image Comics
Black Science Vol 1 - Image Comics
Infinity Gauntlet - Marvel Comics
Kill Or Be Killed Vol 3 - Image Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 2 - Image Comics
Black Monday Murders Vol 1 - Image Comics
Snotgirl Vol 2 - Image Comics
Lazarus Vol 1 - Image Comics
Prince & Dressmaker - First Second
Adventure Zone Vol 1 - First Second
Kill Or Be Killed Vol 2 - Image Comics
Black Monday Murders Vol 2 - Image Comics
Deadly Class Vol 2 - Image Comics
East of West Vol 8 - Image Comics
Moonshine Vol 1 - Image Comics
Saga Deluxe Edition Hardcover Vol 1 - Image Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 3 - Image Comics
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Vol 1 - Fantagraphics
Space Riders Vol 1 - Blackmask
Deadly Class Vol 7 - Image Comics
East of West Vol 2 - Image Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 5 - Image Comics
4 Kids Walk Into A Bank - Blackmask
East of West Vol 3 - Image Comics
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness - Seven Seas
Paper Girls Vol 5 - Image Comics
Sex Criminals Vol 4 - Image Comics
Incal Hardcover - Humanoids
X-Men Grand Design - Marvel Comics
Batman Vol 4 (Rebirth) - DC Comics
My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies Hardcover - Image Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 7 - Image Comics
Best We Could Do Illustrated Memoir Soft Cover - Image Comics
Black Hammer Vol 2 - Dark Horse Comics
Descender Vol 4 - Image Comics
Black Hammer Vol 1 - Dark Horse Comics
Deadly Class Vol 3 - Image Comics
Deadly Class Vol 5 - Image Comics
Low Vol 4 - Image Comics
Saga Deluxe Edition Hardcover Vol 2 - Image Comics
Legend of Korra Vol 2 - Dark Horse Comics
Sabrina Chilling Adventures Vol 1 - Archie Comics
Southern Bastards Vol 1 - Image Comics
Vision Hardcover - Marvel Comics
Wicked & Divine Vol 4 - Image Comics
Black Panther Book 3 Nation Under Our Feet - Marvel Comics
Black Science Vol 2 - Image Comics
Your Black Friend And Other Strangers Hardcover - Silver Sprocket
Best We Could Do Illustrated Memoir - Abrams ComicArts
Black Panther Book 2 Nation Under Our Feet - Marvel Comics
Dark Nights Metal Deluxe Edition Hardcover - DC Comics
Killing & Dying by Tomine- Drawn & Quarterly
Rumble Vol 1- Image Comics
Black Panther Book 4 Avengers of New World - Marvel Comics
Low Vol 2 - Image Comics
Extremity Vol 1 - Image Comics
Hilo Vol 4 Waking The Monsters - Random House
On A Sunbeam - First Second
In all I’m guardedly optimistic for 2019. I think the upcoming Deadly Class TV show has a lot of potential to expose how great the original comic book series is to a larger audience. DC’s new kid’s imprints INK and ZOOM also have the potential to build new readers for their characters.
But at the same time there are larger industry issues that are worrisome like the focus on selling more variant covers rather then attracting more readers. But more leaders in the comic book retailing community seem to be grasping the problems better and that could spark change. But at the same time the corporate pressures could very well threaten the long-term viability of comic book publishing.