Being a
former Disney comics freelancer, I'm still a huge fan of the Duck and Mouse comics. And I'll be the first to admit that while Gemstone's books were critically well-received, they really didn't set the direct market on fire in terms of sales.
As such, I've been keeping a close eye on the sales of the Boom! Studios line, hoping that the more kid-friendly format would nab some more Duck readers. While the books started off strong, the sales quickly settled into the same sort of numbers Gemstone's line had near its end. This seems to point to there being only a set number of regular Disney comics readers to be had in the direct market, despite the change in format and target demographic.
Disappointingly (but not surprisingly, given the numbers) it was recently confirmed by Boom! that the hardcover "Classics" line
has been canceled.
Wizards of Mickey and
Disney's Hero Squad seem to have been dropped after this summer as well, but that could be due to their respective storylines coming to an end and Boom's decision to simply not continue on with a second series.
However, it's not all gloom and doom.
Darkwing Duck #1 has sold well, moving 6,300 copies in June (according to ICv2). The book has had some excellent word of mouth, and the series may have some legs because of it.
So it'll be interesting to see where we are a year from now. I'd like to see Disney comics make a real comeback here in the United States, given the insane level of popularity they have overseas. However, I just don't see that happening in the superhero-driven direct market.
(Though, technically, I
guess we could say that Marvel books are "Disney comics" and that they're number one here in America, too!)
Below are numbers for the past nine months. If you're more visually inclined, Chris Barat
made this graph based on the available data.
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Standard Character Disney Comics | Direct Market Numbers
Please keep in mind these ICv2 numbers are an estimate of the number of books sold to
comic specialty shops by Diamond distribution, and don't account for sales through any other outlets (including retail stores, Disney theme parks, etc.) or possible reprints that were sold through Haven Distribution. Also, since this board is focused primarily on Ducks and Mice,
I've only included the numbers for standard character titles, not the Pixar or Muppets titles.
ICv2 September 2009 actual sales
(source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16022.html)
Mickey Mouse and Friends #296 | 6,340 copies
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ICv2 October 2009 actual sales
(source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16243.html)
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #699 | 6,679 copies
Uncle Scrooge #384 | 5,835 copies
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ICv2 November 2009 actual sales
(source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16433.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16434.html)
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #700 | 5,634 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #347 | 5,462 copies
Uncle Scrooge #385 | 5,232 copies
Mickey Mouse and Friends #297 | 5,196 copies
Walt Disney's Christmas Classics Hardcover GN | 739 copies
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ICv2 December 2009 actual sales
(source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16618.html)
Uncle Scrooge #386 | 4,846 copies
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #701 | 4,885 copies
Mickey Mouse and Friends #298 | 4,761 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #348 | 4,571 copies
__________________________________________________________
ICv2 January 2010 actual sales
(source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16810.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16811.html)
Uncle Scrooge #387 | 4,604 copies
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #702 | 4,567 copies
Mickey Mouse and Friends #299 | 4,542 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #349 | 4,502 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #350* | 3,924 copies
Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Vol. 1 Hardcover GN | 1,120 copies
(*Don't know why two issues of DDF shipped this month... delay?)
__________________________________________________________
ICv2 February 2010 actual sales
(sources: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17020.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17021.html)
Wizards of Mickey #1 | 5,055 copies
Disney's Hero Squad #1 | 4,557 copies
Uncle Scrooge #388 | 4,311 copies
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #703 | 4,233 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #351 | 3,801 copies
Mickey Mouse Classics Vol. 1 Hardcover GN | 785 copies
Wizards of Mickey Vol. 1 Softcover GN | 756 copies
Walt Disney's Valentine's Classics Hardcover GN | 383 copies
Wizards of Mickey Vol. 1 Hardcover GN | 358 copies
__________________________________________________________
ICv2 March 2010 actual sales
(sources: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17243.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17244.html)
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #704 | 3,917 copies
Uncle Scrooge #389 | 3,906 copies
Wizards of Mickey #2 | 3,704 copies
Disney's Hero Squad Vol. 1 Softcover GN | 743 copies
Donald Duck Classics Vol. 1 Hardcover GN | 733 copies
(NOTE: Neither Disney's Hero Squad #2 or Donald Duck and Friends #352 made the Top 300 list, so I cannot get you sales figures for those books -- sorry!)
__________________________________________________________
ICv2 April 2010 actual sales
(sources: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17449.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17450.html)
Uncle Scrooge #390 | 3,747 copies
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #705 | 3,497 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #353 | 3,107 copies
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Vol. 2 Hardcover GN | 1,043 copies
Uncle Scrooge: The Hunt For Old Number One Softcover GN | 1,015 copies
Donald Duck and Friends: Double Duck Vol. 1 Softcover GN | 834 copies
(NOTE: Neither Disney's Hero Squad #3 or Wizards of Mickey #3 made the Top 300 list, so I cannot get you sales figures for those books -- sorry!)
__________________________________________________________
ICv2 May 2010 actual sales
(sources: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17679.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17680.html)
Uncle Scrooge #391 | 3,677 copies
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #706 | 3,655 copies
Donald Duck and Friends #354 | 3,074 copies
(NOTE: Neither Disney's Hero Squad #4 or Wizards of Mickey #4 made the Top 300 list, so I cannot get you sales figures for those books -- sorry!)
__________________________________________________________
ICv2 June 2010 actual sales
(sources: http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17860.html
and http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/17861.html)
Darkwing Duck #1 | 6,300 copies
Wizards of Mickey Vol. 2 Softcover | 529 copies
And now for something completely confusing...
Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion Vol. 2 (
Gemstone edition) | 420 copies
(NOTE: This month sees an overall spike in monthly comics sales, as even the lowest spot in the Top 300 moved 4,528 copies. I'm assuming all other Duck and Mouse comics sold less than that based on their absence, but cannot get you exact numbers -- sorry!)
__________________________________________________________
Gemstone Publishing Disney Comics | Direct Market Numbers
If anyone's interested, here are some Diamond numbers for Gemstone's books to compare 'n contrast. These are based off CBG's numbers (as opposed to ICv2), so I can't attest to accuracy, and they seem to be missing some of the last issues (possibly due to the sporadic publishing schedule?)
It's interesting to note that these numbers would still earn most of the Gemstone books a place in the Diamond Top 300 in 2009/2010.
Mickey Mouse and Friends
http://www.comicbookpage.com/SalesEstim … %20Friends
Donald Duck and Friends
http://www.comicbookpage.com/SalesEstim … %20Friends
Uncle Scrooge
http://www.comicbookpage.com/SalesEstim … %20Scrooge
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
http://www.comicbookpage.com/SalesEstim … %20Stories
Walt Disney's Christmas Parade
http://www.comicbookpage.com/SalesEstim … s%20Parade
Walt Disney's Vacation Parade
http://www.comicbookpage.com/SalesEstim … n%20Parade
I'm an Apple evangelist no more.
Wow, who knew Hulu had this little seen gem? Here's the apocryphal Doctor Who feature film "Dr. Who and the Daleks" for your viewing enjoyment!
