Diamond Announces Top Products for March 2014 #Batman #WalkingDead #SpiderMan

Diamond Comic Distributors has released their March 2014 product sales data. Included are Top Comic Book Publishers by Retail Market Share & Unit Share, Comparative Sales, Top 10 Comics, Graphic Novels, Toys, and Games. Marvel held onto both Market Share and Unit Share this month which is shocking considering DC again had the top units sold and held the top 4 titles (including 1 Vertigo title). Image broke double digits with 11% in both market share & units, and again dominated the TPB sales with The Walking Dead, Saga, Chew & Stray Bullets.

"(BALTIMORE, MD) — (April 4, 2014) — The second story arc of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's "Zero Year" reaches its climax in DC Entertainment's Batman #29, March 2014's best-selling comic book to specialty retailers, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics was March's top publisher, with a 34.31% Dollar Share and 38.17% Unit Share, compared to 25.94% and 29.02% respectively for runner-up DC Entertainment. Image Comics had a strong March with a 11.38% dollar share and 11.04% unit share, and both Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing topped 5% in dollar share with 6.19% and 5.29% shares respectively.

Marvel Comics had five of the month's top ten best-selling comics, led by Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli's Superior Spider-Man #29 at #5, while DC Entertainment had four titles and Image Comics one with The Walking Dead #124 at #9.

The long-awaited war between the factions of survivors in the wake of the zombie apocalypse erupted in March's best-selling graphic novel, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead Volume 20: All Out War, Part 1 from Image Comics, one of their four titles in the top ten this month. Also of note in the top ten was Dark Horse Comics with Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 7: Rift Part 1 at #4 and BOOM! Studios' original Adventure Time graphic novel, Seeing Red, at #8.

Running Press' Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver Book Kit, a book and toy kit based on the BBC America series, was March's best-selling book in the comic book specialty market.

McFarlane Toys continued its line of figures based on AMC's The Walking Dead in March with The Walking Dead TV Series 5 Action Figures, the month's best-selling Toy product. DC Collectibles also had a strong March, with eight of the month's top ten best-selling products.

USAopoly's Monopoly: The Walking Dead Survival Edition returned to the top of the sales charts as March's best-selling Games product."

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER	SHARE
MARVEL COMICS	34.31%
DC COMICS	25.94%
IMAGE COMICS	11.38%
DARK HORSE COMICS	6.19%
IDW PUBLISHING	5.29%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	2.61%
BOOM! STUDIOS	1.99%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD	1.59%
AVATAR PRESS INC	1.14%
RANDOM HOUSE	1.04%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	8.53%

UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER	SHARE
MARVEL COMICS	38.17%
DC COMICS	29.02%
IMAGE COMICS	11.04%
DARK HORSE COMICS	5.72%
IDW PUBLISHING	5.00%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	2.56%
BOOM! STUDIOS	1.84%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC	0.95%
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS	0.95%
AVATAR PRESS INC	0.94%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	4.29%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

	DOLLARS	UNITS
MARCH 2014 VS. FEBRUARY 2014
COMICS	4.11%	6.32%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	24.00%	25.00%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	10.22%	7.93%
MARCH 2014 VS. MARCH 2013
COMICS	-9.47%	-11.83%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	18.31%	22.85%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	-1.48%	-9.28%
FIRST QUARTER 2014 VS. FIRST QUARTER 2013
COMICS	-6.89%	-11.40%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	1.39%	10.06%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	-4.40%	-9.85%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2014 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2013
COMICS	-6.89%	-11.40%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	1.39%	10.06%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	-4.40%	-9.85%