This week’s direct-market sales are led by Avengers #1, which topped the chart thanks in part to a blind-bag release that boosted retailer purchases and consumer interest. The issue moved roughly twice the in-store copies of Absolute Superman #25, underscoring how promotional variants continue to shape early-week sales figures.
Quick takeaways
The top dozen titles are evenly split between Marvel and DC, with Marvel claiming half of the spots. Beyond raw rank, the numbers reveal the importance of merchandising tactics — variants and special formats still drive significant traffic for comic shops during the crucial Wednesday-to-Friday sales window.
| Rank | Title | Publisher | Creators | Price (USD) | Relative Sales (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avengers #1 | Marvel | Chip Zdarsky (writer); Marco Checchetto (art) | 5.99 | 100.0 |
| 2 | Absolute Superman #25 | DC | Jason Aaron (writer); Carmine Di Giandomenico, Juan Ferreyra, Rafa Sandoval (art) | 5.99 | 50.7 |
| 3 | Batman #15 | DC | Matt Fraction (writer); Jorge Jiménez (art) | 4.99 | 46.7 |
| 4 | Absolute Catwoman #4 | DC | Che Grayson, Scott Snyder (writers); Bengal (art) | 4.99 | 44.3 |
| 5 | Infernal Hulk Vs. Spider-Man #1 | Marvel | Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer); Javier Pina (art) | 4.99 | 26.2 |
| 6 | Demon #2 | DC | James Harren (writer/artist) | 3.99 | 22.1 |
| 7 | DNX #4 | Marvel | Jed Mackay (writer); Federico Vicentini (art) | 4.99 | 21.5 |
| 8 | Spider-Woman #1 | Marvel | Dan Watters (writer); Andrea Broccardo (art) | 4.99 | 21.2 |
| 9 | Friendly Neighborhood Mary Jane #1 | Marvel | Ashley Allen (writer); Phil Noto (art) | 4.99 | 20.1 |
| 10 | Absolute Batman #25 | DC | Scott Snyder (writer); Nick Dragotta (art) | 5.99 | 19.4 |
| 11 | Uncanny X-Men #38 | Marvel | Gail Simone (writer); Luciano Vecchio (art) | 4.99 | 18.3 |
| 12 | Absolute Green Lantern #20 | DC | Al Ewing (writer); Sid Kotian (art) | 4.99 | 16.7 |
Why this matters
The disparity between the top seller and the rest of the list — with Avengers #1 set to 100% and the next title at about half that level — shows how front-loaded sales weeks can be when a release is tied to a collectible variant. That puts pressure on smaller shops to predict demand accurately and can skew retailer ordering toward one-week spikes rather than steady sales over time.
For readers and collectors, the chart is a reminder that availability of collectible versions often determines what moves fastest off shelves. For creators, steady mid-list performers like Batman and several ongoing Marvel series indicate enduring audience interest beyond one-off promotional events.
Data and methodology
The ranking reflects actual in-store purchases reported by a panel of direct-market retailers for sales between Wednesday and Friday. The dataset is pulled from roughly 120–150 reporting stores via ComicHub, sampled from the larger pool of around 1,800–2,000 specialty comic shops that use POS systems internationally. These figures represent retail sales at the store level, not publisher reorder or shipping figures.
- Sample includes mid-sized independent comic shops across North America and the UK.
- Counts reflect point-of-sale transactions over the initial Wednesday-to-Friday selling period.
- Percentages in the table compare each title to the week’s top seller to show relative performance.
Among the notable patterns: promotional tactics (blind bags, variants) continue to lift headline numbers; evenly split publisher representation signals competitive parity at the top of the market; and several ongoing series hold steady, demonstrating consistent consumer demand alongside event-driven spikes.
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Hello, I’m Jax. I guide you through the latest comics releases and enrich your geek universe.