But even more interesting is what we’re hearing from within Image about sales trends beyond the #1 and multiple series bucking attrition. Both Patrick Kindlon & EPHK’s Tigress Island #2 orders and Doug Wagner & Daniel Hillyard’s Narco #2 orders exceeded that of their first issue sellout orders, and Malevolent #3 orders exceeded that of its issue #2.
But the rising tide reaches even farther than just those second issues. I’m also hearing from sources that W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo’s Ice Cream Man #45 orders came in well above that of #44, Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch’s Redcoat #17 orders were up over that of #16, G.I. Joe #21 orders were up over #20, and Todd McFarlane’s Spawn spin-off, The Scorched, celebrated its 50th issue with a whopping 150,000 in orders at FOC.
This is all on the close heels of the D’Orc and White Sky breakout sales numbers, which are apparently still going up, and I understand that D’Orc #3 had orders higher than both #1 and #2. This is the kind of thing I think DC Comics expected from its Vertigo revamp, given all the previews in the Absolute titles. And it worked a bit with Bleeding Hearts, sure, but it seems a little anaemic compared to where Image, Mad Cave, Vault, Oni, and even AMP have found new readers recently. What will Paramount make of all this?
Meanwhile Image Comics collected editions and OGNs regularly grab award nominations, like Jeff Lemire’s Fishflies Nebula nomination announcement last week, and starred reviews in the book trade media: Fishflies also raked in Starred Reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ latest Criminal saga, Five Gears In Reverse, and the upcoming paperback of Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martín’s Barrier, are also locked in Starred Reviews. To the uninitiated, a “Starred Review” often directly converts to sales in the book market. Will Image books’ quality outshine even the wiliest sales-incentive-bundle grifts? Or will they need to just say “when in Rome…”
We have talked now for years how great the quality of the Image titles have been, Ghost Machine (Geiger, Rook Exodus, Hyde Street, Redcoat), Ice Cream Man. This makes me happy that readers are finding their way into these titles. When I got back into comics after a hiatus in 2013-2014 it was Image Comics that brought me back. I feel something similar is happening here, lots of lapse readers who are finding their way back into the comic shops.
I’m seeing this in my LCS. Lots of new faces (and younger too).
Granted DC is doing well, I feel new collector/readers are just not into the traditional superhero thing. A lot of these titles don’t have them. Just a pattern I’ve noticed.
Does seem to come and go in waves, for most of the publishers. Readers/Collectors get tired of the big two publishers and they start picking up Indie books and Image kind of leads that as the big one for creator owned titles and then when those get swamped with crud, seems consumers tend to switch back to DC or Marvel.
To be fair, The Scorched #50 orders were supercharged by people trying for a chance at a sketch by McFarlane.
if you collect or spec on image there is an ashcan that came out this week, with 2 new image books including odin from tyrion
its a flip book, one side is odin the other if destruction be our lot, by new spawn writer
One can say a lot of these “boost” in orders are retailers perhaps chasing things, ordering more than they need… etc. There’s so many factors involved that are omitted and or not included and likely can’t be analyzed because when you only have “retailer order numbers” based off just what the publishers are claiming doesn’t directly tell us where these land on a consumer level.
And we all know there are numerous retailers who “order” way too much of a title when they’re chasing ratios, variants, inserts, etc instead of basing it off their own local consumers demand, pre-orders, etc.
And not to throw @monopolyjackson under the bus or anything but if we knew down to the consumer level of where books land, we all know there’s plenty of collectors/readers who buy multiple copies of a book to flip or hold for potential flipping down the road, as we’ve all seen some of the pictures monopoly has shared on how many books he’s ordered himself. Once upon a time when I was doing more flipping, you bet I was buying 2, 5 or even 20 copies of books and I’d imagine a lot of those titles I wasn’t the only one. Star Wars High Republic #1 we had a member here (I won’t mention the name) go on to brag he was sitting on hundreds and even over a thousand copies of those on his own.
You’re most likely right but at the same time this doesn’t explain why sales for Ice Cream Man 45 are up over issue 44 and Redcoat 17 orders are up over issue 16. Retailers have always chased retailer variants and over ordered.
I have a theory it’s from the Absolute Batman boost that stores are getting from new readers or lapse readers coming back to the shops. Readers of ABS is telling their friends about the title and telling them to read it. They go to their shops and of course there’s none available. That’s why DC has gone to over 10+ printings and they’ve decided to reprint the entire line with multiple printings to meet demand.
This passes the eye test on what I’m seeing at my shops. I have heard multiple times from customers at my LCS telling the store to put the entire line of Absolute books on their pull list (Batman, Martian Manhunter, WW, Superman, Flash etc)
So more people in the shops means they’re probably looking at other books as well. A rising tide raises all ships.
Yup, I totally agree. The numbers might be going up but could be also short lived. That’s why I wish we could get more accurate numbers down to the consumer level instead of just hearing about the publishers stating what’s been sold to retailers only because we all know retailers can end up sitting on product for long periods of time, hence the term “dollar bin fodder”… Dragon’s Lair near me has plentiful long boxes sitting off to the side for their dollar bin fodder and they’re always full of all the leftover junk that couldn’t sell within the past 3-6 months as they only keep around the last 6 months worth of titles on their shelves and from the Hey Days back before COVID, they use to order heavily on most if not all titles. The few times I show up now, there’s only 2-4 shelf copies of most titles, more popular ones are little heavier but for the most part it’s pretty bare most weeks I make it.
Just wait until later. I got something to share… 
if its a book “1st app” i believe in i will buy 20-50 copies.
Haha… trust me, they showed pics too I thought at one time.
I wonder if this guy is still having fun with his investments in High Republic and Virus/Codex… Muhahahahahaa!!!
oooofa! somebody be hurtin’ right now
I went heavy on Star Wars High Republic #1 as well… I think I bought 2 of each cover except the ratios… big baller here!
I also sold my Codex/Virus Venom copies at peak too… I knew after it was revealed on identities that those would die a quick death on value.
Venomismyfavorite?
Just guessing before clicking on links.
Edit: ooohhhh. So close! I had the guy, but remembered the name differently…