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

Diamond Comic Distributors has released their April 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 with a little help from the Amazing Spider-Man. DC will just have to settle for having the #3 comic last month. Image did what they seem to do best and that's dominate the TPB sales with the help of Sex Criminals, The Walking Dead, Saga & more.

"(BALTIMORE, MD) — (May 9, 2014) — Peter Parker has a second chance at life and heroism in Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos' Amazing Spider-Man #1 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book of April 2014 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

Marvel Comics' Amazing Spider-Man #1 was the comic industry's best-selling comic book in both units and dollars in over a decade and was one of four titles placed by Marvel in the top ten. DC Comics took the remaining six spots in the top ten, led by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman #30 at #3.

Marvel Comics was April's top publisher, with a 39.27% Dollar Share and 41.15% Unit Share, compared to 23.65% and 27.24% respectively for DC Entertainment. Image Comics had a robust April with a 9.34% dollar share, followed by strong showings for Dark Horse Comics at 5.54% and IDW Publishing at 5.10%.

The sci-fi comedy crime caper Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky from Image Comics was April's best-selling graphic novel and was one of the publisher's seven titles among the month's top ten. Also of note, Marvel Comics' Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business original graphic novel ranked #5, and DC Comics' The Joker: Death of the Family ranked #7.

BOOM! Studios' first novel in the Jim Henson Archives, A.C.H. Smith's novelization of the film Labyrinth, was April's best-selling prose book. Also in the top ten in April were St. Martin Press' The Walking Dead Book 4: The Fall of the Governor Part 2 by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga at #2 and Dark Horse Comics' Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia at #3.

The heroes and villains of the DC Comics universe are recreated as cute mini-figures for the Scibblenauts Unmasked Series 2 Figures from DC Collectibles, April's best-selling Toy product.

For the second month in a row, USAopoly's Monopoly: The Walking Dead Survival Edition topped the sales charts as April's best-selling Games product."

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

RETAIL MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER	SHARE
MARVEL COMICS	39.27%
DC COMICS	23.65%
IMAGE COMICS	9.34%
DARK HORSE COMICS	5.54%
IDW PUBLISHING	5.10%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	2.49%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS LTD	2.14%
BOOM! STUDIOS	2.07%
AVATAR PRESS INC	1.15%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC	1.04%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	8.21%

UNIT MARKET SHARE
PUBLISHER	SHARE
MARVEL COMICS	41.15%
DC COMICS	27.24%
IMAGE COMICS	10.31%
DARK HORSE COMICS	5.18%
IDW PUBLISHING	4.24%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	2.47%
BOOM! STUDIOS	1.97%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC	1.18%
AVATAR PRESS INC	1.03%
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC	0.73%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	4.50%

COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

	DOLLARS	UNITS
APRIL 2014 VS. MARCH 2014
COMICS	23.22%	14.36%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	8.90%	-0.33%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	18.27%	12.90%
APRIL 2014 VS. APRIL 2013
COMICS	17.37%	6.96%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	16.78%	11.20%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	17.18%	7.32%
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	-0.89%	-6.91%
GRAPHIC NOVELS	5.44%	10.38%
TOTAL COMICS/GN	1.04%	-5.61%