CBR: The Mayo Report: Analyzing 2011's Sales, Trends

[CBR News]

John Mayo gets into specific details about 2011's sales numbers, analyzing trends, measuring the impact of DC Comics' September relaunch and highlighting issues facing the direct market in 2012.


Full article here.

[maskedmanissue1]

You have to wonder the timing of announcing the DC cancellations right after all these numbers become public. Action-Reaction?

[jediracer]

So sales are up thorough the year of 2011?

This is a good thing, yes?

[Roquefort Raider]

It is a good thing, but if the trend is pushed to its extreme (more sales due to new titles, each titles losing readers every month) then eventually we'll only have new #1s each month, with no #2s ever to be published.

Which, given the speed at which series are relaunched nowadays, is almost what we already have.

[DrGregatron]

I understand how the author might think that publishers not reprinting everything in trades might lead to increased monthly sales but I think this might actually backfire by alienating a large segment of the comic buying public. I returned to buying comics after taking a 20-year hiatus. My format of choice is the trade, specifically the more "classy" trade formats such as the Hellboy Library Editions or Marvel Omnibus or oversized hardcovers. If comic publishers are going to succeed in hard times they should probably focus on giving the consumer what they want even if that means printing in multiple formats (e.g., digital, trade paperback, omnibus). I know if publishers were to stop printing the upscale collected editions I like in order to push monthly sales, then I would lose interest and take my entertainment dollar elsewhere.