Market Share: So What?

Warning: Rambling rant ahead.

The big news from the June sales figures from Diamond was that Marvel trounced DC on market share, 44% to 27% (in dollars). But why should that matter?

In practical terms it doesn't. Unless you hold so much of the market share that you can dictate terms of the market (like Microsoft in operating systems, or Apple in digital music sales), being #1 in market share doesn't mean much. Let's face it, after the Heroes World fiasco, any threats that Marvel might make about leaving Diamond won't be very convincing.

What really should matter is profit. And that's what's missing from all the sales figures, because we have no idea how much it cost to produce any of these comics. Does Marvel make more profit from an issue of The Dark Tower than DC does from Justice League of America? We'll never know.

Sure 52 was a huge seller for DC week after week, but how much did they have to pay Waid, Morrison, Johns, Rucka, Giffen and all the artists involved for each issue, not to mention all the editorial time necessary to push out a weekly series. (There are also opportunity costs involved; would DC's relaunches of Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman et al. have floundered so badly if editorial's attention hadn't been distracted?)

Never mind the fact that the Diamond numbers are just one segment of the total comics market these days, and they present a very short term glimpse at that. I still maintain that one of the most successful comics of recent years must be Fables, given its strong trade sales in both the direct market and regular bookstores, and its seeming evergreen status.

Market share doesn't really mean much. Look at how many years General Motors was the #1 automobile seller in North America, yet for many of those years, especially recently, they were losing money hand over fist.

In my experience, those who tout market share position or gains do so because that's the only good news they have; it distracts from the fact that they aren't making profit.

Unless making profit isn't your goal; which is the case at both DC and Marvel.

Positioned as it is as a minor part of the Time-Warner publishing empire, DC's goal isn't to make money. It's to a) protect the trademarks of their iconic assets (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.); and b) generate content that can be exploited by other arms of the empire, like movies and television. Any actual money made from publishing comics is probably nice, but I bet there are many years in which the DC Comics division operates at a loss.

Similarly, Marvel's goal--until recently--was to make money from licensing their characters; now that they're making their own movies, it'll be to generate content that can be exploited on celluloid. Again, profit from publishing comics is nice, but the potential money that comes from a successful Iron Man movie is far greater than any that can be made from an Iron Man comic book.

And where does all of this leave us, the readers? Unless we own stock in Marvel or Time-Warner, it shouldn't matter one lick. As long as there are comics being published that we want to read, it shouldn't matter where the big two stand against each other in terms of market share.

Except...

When the big boys are playing market share games, they are likely to push out an enormous number of titles month after month, in the attempt to crowd each other off the shelves. This has two effects: One, Marvel or DC may keep a marginal selling title around a little longer just to keep shelf space (and I stress 'may,' as they are just as likely to cancel it and put something else in its place). Two, they potentially push titles from other publishers off the shelves, other publishers who do rely on profit (or at least breaking even) to survive.

The good news is that the trend--at least in dollar sales--is in growth. But in the direct market served by Diamond, most of the growth seems to be going to Marvel & DC, and there doesn't seem to be much trickle-down. If everybody were playing the same game, "Let's Make Profit," then things might be different. But Marvel & DC aren't playing for profit, they're playing for visibility, operationalized as market share. It's like a bunch of eight-year-olds playing tag on the same field that a bunch of junior high kids are playing tackle football.

Somebody's going to get stomped.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

A little for you James Kochalka fans out there with the cover to his 2003 graphic novel Monkey vs. Robot and the Crystal of Power.

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

YAFQ: Giant Squid?

(Warning: Spoiler of sorts for the end of Watchmen)

The origin of this week's Yet Another Friday Question is in a conversation I had a couple of days ago:

The conversation turned (as sadly a majority of my conversations do) to graphic novels. M mentioned that she had recently read Watchmen, only her third graphic novel ever (after Maus and Persepolis). She liked it, but didn't care much for the ending, specifically the giant squid. J and I--both long-time comic readers--said that we didn't mind the giant squid and thought that it worked. M said that she had done some unscientific polling and that people had one of two reactions: "Giant Squid? Really?" or "Yeah, Giant Squid!"; and that those reactions broke down along gender lines.

So our Friday question to you is this:

What did you think of the giant squid in the last chapter of Watchmen?

New Library Comics: Week of July 9, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Baker, Bill Alan Moore's Exit Interview /Milford, CT Airwave Publishing 2007

Baumann, Suzanne. Turtleneck Boy /Hamtramck, Mich. : Suzanne Baumann, [1998]- no. 5

Beland, Tom. True story, swear to God : [chances are...] /San Francisco, CA : AIT/Planet LAR, 2005, c2003.

Beland, Tom. True story, swear to God : this one goes to 11 /San Francisco, CA : AiT/Planet Lar, 2005.

Character sketches : Trauma & Joy /Applecross WA, Australia Gestalt Publishing 2007

Coyle, Matt Worry Doll /Derby, UK Mam Tor Publishing c2007.

Hernandez, Gilbert. Heartbreak soup : a love and rockets book [the first volume of 'Palomar' stories from love & rockets] /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; 2007.

Hernandez, Jaime. Maggie the mechanic : a love and rockets book [the first volume of 'locas' stories from love & rockets] /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; 2007.

Hyland, Mike. Trip /Lower Sackville, N.S. : Costello Comics, [2000]- no. 2

Jensen, K. Thor. Red eye, black eye /Gainesville, Fla. : Alternative Comics ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2007.

Kemble, Joshua NUMB /Long Beach, CA Joshua Kemble 2006

Kominsky-Crumb, Aline, 1948- Need more love /London : MQ, c2007.

Lehmann, Matthias. HWY.115 /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2006.

Linsner, Joseph Michael, 1968- Angry Christ comix /Berkeley, Calif. : Image ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2006.

Mahler, Nicolas Lone racer. /Atlanta : Top Shelf Productions, 2006.

Marti Calvario Hills /Seattle Fantagraphics Books - Coconino Press 2007 no. 1

Messner-Loebs, William. Welcome to heaven, Dr. Franklin /Thousand Oaks, Calif. : About Comics, c2005.

Nicholson, Jeff. Colonia : islands and anomalies /San Francisco, CA : AiT/PlanetLar, 2002.

Nicholson, Jeff. Colonia : On into the great lands. /San Francisco, CA : AiT/PlanetLar, c2005.

Niles, Steve. Big book of horror /San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2006.

Nilsen, Anders The End. /Seattle Fantagraphics Books and Coconino Press 2007 no. 1

Omand, Jennifer. Squarecat comics : small, square and sarcastic /Rochester, NH Jetpack Press 2006 vol. 2

Ortalani, Leo. Tutto Rat-man /Modena [Italy] : Panini Comics, 2002- nos. 6, 7, 19

Thank God it's ugly. /Sittard, Holland : Monguzzi Foundation, 1994-2002. nos. 5-6

Thurber, Matthew 1-800-MICE /Brooklyn Picture Box 2007 no. 1

Tinkle digest. /Bombay : H.G. Mirchandani for India Book House, [199-?]- v.10 no. 11

TRS-80 computer whiz kids. /Mamaroneck, N.Y. : Archie Comics, 1984-

Turok, son of Stone. /New York, N.Y. : Dell Pub. Co., 1954- nos. 105-106

New This Week in Brief: July 18, 2007

Going 'in brief' last time worked well, so here's another quick look at what should be good on the shelf tomorrow:


Two non-fiction graphic 'novellas' from my pal Jim Ottaviani: Levitation: The Physics Psychology Service of Deception with art by Janine Johnston; and Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow & the Science of Love with art by Dylan Meconis. You should buy and read both; you'll be both entertained and a little smarter when you're done.

Eric Powell's The Goon returns with issue #19.

Two of Boom!'s best series have new issues: Cover Girl #3 and Fall of Cthulhu #4.

A couple of once-in-a-blue-moon comics hit the shelves this week: Licensable Bear #4 and Lenore #13.

The final issue of Jeff Smith's delightful Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil comes in from DC.

Random House releases the fourth installment of the super-popular Flight anthology.

If you've got some serious coin weighing down your pocket, you may want to take a gander at Mike Allred's Madman Gargantua hardcover, presenting every Madman story to date (prior to the recent Image series, that is).

And for maximum destructive fun, Marvel has the second issue of World War Hulk.

I know, I know, I said 'in brief'. There's even a heck of a lot more waiting for you tomorrow at your FLCS!

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Giant gorillas know how to cool off on those hot midsummer days, as per the cover of Mad House Comics #122.

(Standard disclaimer about giant ice cream eating gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

YAFQ: This Year's "Wow" Comic?

It's the return (for one week at least) of Yet Another Friday Question! This week's question is:

Has there been a "WOW" comic yet in 2007?

We're already more that halfway through the year. Has a comic come out that's really made you stand up and take notice? That you can't stop telling people about?

For me, not really. Don't get me wrong, there have been some very good comics: Jeff Lemire's Tales from the Farm; a new volume of Yotsuba&!; a couple of issues of All-Star Superman; Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #12.

But nothing that's really Wowed me. Nothing on the order of Fun Home or We3 or Ganges yet.

Of course there's still 5 and a half months left in the year. And with all the comics coming out these days, I'm sure to have missed something really good.

So tell me: Has a comic come out this year that's Wowed you?