Death of Spider-Man Issue Sells Over 159k

Driven by press coverage (see “Ultimate Spider-Man Death Issue Gets Advance Press”), the “Death of Spider-Man” storyline brought big sales in June, with the polybaged Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160 selling over 159,000 copies to comic stores, according to our estimates of comic sales number based on sales indexes released by Diamond Comic Distributors. That was best sales number for the top comic in over a year; Avengers #1 sold 163,000 last May (see “Avengers Launch Is Over 163K”). This issue increased sales on Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by over a factor of three.

Marvel’s Fear Itself was the #2 book at around 96,000, the #3 issue holding strong at only slightly less the sales on #2. DC’s Flashpoint event came in behind Fear Itself, but sales on Flashpoint #2 actually came in higher than the first month sales on #1 (and issue #1 picked up another 8,864 copies this month).

Despite the strong sales on the books at the very top of the chart, over-all sales were down from the year ago period (see “Comics Slide Continues in June”).

DC had only eight of the top 25 issues this month; not shipping the titles Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps hurt.

Top 25 decliners outnumbered advances by a significant margin in June; 14 of the top 25 titles declined in sales; eight increased.

On the graphic novel chart, The Walking Dead Vol. 14 was the top title with over 20,000 copies in first month sales, a great performance when compared to other top graphic novels in recent months. And if you needed more than the continuing sales on The Walking Dead Vol. 1 to show the series is gaining new readers, the 6% increase between first month sales of Vol. 14 and Vol. 13 (see “Top 300 Graphic Novel s Actual—November 2010”) should help.

Here are ICv2’s estimates for the sales by Diamond Comic Distributors to comic stores on the Top 25 comic titles in June of 2011:

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Marvel Comics Brings Back Foil Covers

In a blast from the 90s, Marvel will release variant editions of its new Ultimate Comics titles with “Foilogram” covers, combining foil and holograms. According to Marvel SVP-Sales and Circulation David Gabriel, the move was made in response to fans “who’ve been demanding this kind of variant.” He said use of the Foilogram covers would be limited to “very special occasions.”

The covers will appear on variant editions of three titles shipping in August and September: Ultimate Comics Avengers #1, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1, and Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #1.

Foil cover editions were pioneered by Valiant Comics in the early 90s, and for a time they stimulated sales, but later fell into disrepute from over-use.

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Zombies Coming To The Big Screen in ‘Deadworld’

“Deadworld,” a comic book series that takes place on Earth four months after the zombie apocolypse, has been optioned by Dark Horse Pictures for a new film franchise according to Variety.

The film will follow Protag, the king of the zombies in the new world order, as he cruises the planet on his Harley Davidson.  Protag bears a grudge against the remaining human survivors who made him an outcast due to his condition.

“Deadworld” will have a script by David Hayter, who will serve an executive producer along with Bill Mechanic and Benedict Carver.  Gary Reed, who co-created and wrote the comic book series, will also serve as a producer accordig to reports.

“It’s very much about the design of the Deadworld and creating cool, frightening but not necessarily gory creatures,” Hayter said. “I am a huge fan of zombie mythology.”

Mechanic said, “I’ve never done anything close to this subject, but I loved the whole world because it’s so unique.”

The first feature, which will begin production early next year, is the first of a proposed series of film that would follow an arc storyline about the zombie-infested future.

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‘Wrath of Khan’ Comic Book Coming Soon From IDW

IDW corrects a grave injustice this week with the debut of the comic-book version of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”

Released in 1982, “Khan” was the only classic “Trek” movie to not get a comic book adaptation.  When “Khan” hit theaters, neither Marvel nor DC pursued adapting the movie as a comic-book.  It did get a novelization by Vonda N. McIntryre and was released as a black-and-white photonovel.

“Khan” will get a three-issue adaptation by IDW.   New issues will be released bi-weekly for the series.

The entire run of “Khan” will be released later this year as part of the “Star Trek Movie Omnibus” from IDW publishing.

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Virgin Comics Bought Out By Liquid Comics

Virgin Comics is dead and gone, and a new venture called Liquid Comics is picking up the pieces.

If you go to the Virgin Comics website, you will see that the new name is already up and running. This is the news that Virgin editor-in-chief Gotham Chopra was hinting at when I spoke to him a few weeks ago.

Virgin arrived on the scene in 2006 and stirred things up with some big ideas (looking to Asia and India specifically for concepts and audience and also tapping Hollywood talent Read more

Diamond Comics Distributors Opening New Warehouse

Batman would be impressed. Maybe.

A new 600,000-square-foot distribution center in Olive Branch is packed with technology, with machines that count and weigh and label. Read more

DC Comics’ Martian Manhunter R.I.P.

After reading DC Comics’ “Final Crisis” #1, on sale now, the identity of the character being mourned in the upcoming one-shot tie-in “Final Crisis: Requiem” would seem to be a no-brainer. But CBR News asked writer Peter Tomasi (“Green Lantern Corps,” “Nightwing”) directly just to make sure it was indeed J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter.

“Yes, I can confirm it here, my favorite Martian is indeed, and unfortunately, the lead character in ‘Requiem,’” Tomasi told CBR News. With art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy and covers by J.G. Jones and Mahnke, “Final Crisis: Requiem” goes on sale July 9.

Tomasi, an editor-turned-writer, shared the Justice League founding member was one of his favorites in the DCU. “My first published writing work featured J’onn. I did two stories in ‘Showcase’ that were drawn by the great Eduardo Baretto. I was also the editor of the ‘Martian Manhunter’ monthly by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake a little while back,” said Tomasi, who added the character himself has a great history.

“Some people would say he’s a poor man’s imitation of Superman, I completely disagree,” said Tomasi. “He’s a rich character with so much inherent drama and a wide variety of powers that, coupled with his idiosyncratic personality, he’s incredibly easy to write, in my opinion. I look forward to one day taking another crack at him in a monthly or a limited series from the writing side of the desk if he ever makes it back into the world of the living.”

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