CBR: The Mayo Report: April, 2011

[CBR News]

John Mayo takes an in-depth look at the Direct Market numbers for April, focusing in on the final issues of "Brightest Day," what it means for DC Comics moving forward, Marvel's CrossGen relaunch numbers and more.


Full article here.

[MrBrett22]

I always enjoy your analysis. Thanks!

[XFactorFan]

Didn't Jason Wood (11 O'Clock Comics, iFanboy) last year put together some kind of statistical analysis of first issues in terms of their collective percentage of total comic book sales? I can't find the link ...

I'd love to get a sense of what percentage of comic book sales are accounted for (today) by readers who purchase in advance with pull lists--whether on DCBS, TFAW or other comic store systems either online or offline. My gut tells me that those readers buy first issues with greater forethought than do in-store, Wednesday-release shoppers--which I surmise would have some effect on whether they plan to stick with a title long-term.

Essentially, because I shop using DCBS, when I make plans to buy a first issue, I do so knowing that I will likely have to ORDER issue #2 BEFORE I have the opportunity to READ issue #1. So when I jump onto a series, I usually do so with the intent to read not just the first issue, but the entire first story arc, whether it be three, four or five issues. That way if I decide not to continue, I can either keep that complete story or re-sell it as a complete story.

I'll admit that FF#1 was an exception to that personal habit, and I may end up going back and picking up more FF in back issues depending on solicits and reviews (I've really enjoyed the entire Hickman run so there is no reason to expect that what follows won't be just as good as 570-588). But it would be interesting to me to know how the behavior of pull list shoppers compares to the broader market.

[Shellhead]

Excellent article. Bleak numbers. This is an industry in crisis.

[DrawerBox]

A great analysis. Perhaps one of the most insightful I have read in a long time.

The problem with every publisher right now is they seem to think comics are like the book business. They are not. Comics are magazine periodicals. Like any magazine, to be successful they rely on an audience that comes back month after month. And that audience returns only because they know what to expect and can count on the next issue being there.

There is nothing harder or more costly in any industry than establishing your product and creating a loyal market for it. The reason charactors like Superman are successful is they have developed name recognition over the past 70 or so years by being featured in a regular title month over month for decades with a consistent type of story. To put these charactors in limited series and end the runs after a few issues is foolish beyond belief.

[bluetyson]

Another interesting time series would be the average length of ending series by year/decade?