March 2008 comics sales data online

by John Jackson Miller

I'll be saving the more lengthy analysis for the Newsarama column coming up, but the tables with my raw estimates for March can be found here. I will say here that while it is a soft month, it's one that's following a year after a blockbuster March — and the first quarter has historically been slow in most normal years. 

In the widest category, the quarter is only off by almost exactly $1 million — less than the revenue of a single product, last year's Captain America #25. And the five-year comparatives are way up.

So it's our first slower quarter in a while — but it takes two down quarters in a row in the general economy to make a recession. And in this business, I'd make that two not including the first quarter!

TOP 300 COMICS UNIT SALES
March 2008: 6.08 million copies
Versus 1 year ago this month: -13%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +9%
Versus 10 years ago this month: -15%
YEAR TO DATE: 19.11 million copies, -6% vs. 2007

TOP 300 COMICS DOLLAR SALES
March 2008: $19.14 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -15%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +22%
Versus 10 years ago this month: +10%
YEAR TO DATE: $64.14 million, -7% vs. 2007

TOP 100 TRADE PAPERBACK DOLLAR SALES
March 2008: $4.33 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: +5%
Versus 5 years ago this month, just the Top 50 vs. the Top 50: +17%
YEAR TO DATE: $12.47 million, +5% vs. 2007

TOP 300 COMICS + TOP 100 TRADE PAPERBACK DOLLAR SALES
March 2008: $23.47 million
Versus 1 year ago this month: -12%
Versus 5 years ago this month, counting just the Top 50 TPBs: +21%
YEAR TO DATE: $72.23, -5% vs. 2007

OVERALL DIAMOND SALES (including all comics, trades, and magazines)
March 2008: $31.21 million ($34.67 million with UK)
Versus 1 year ago this month: -7%
Versus 5 years ago this month: +27%
YEAR TO DATE: $98.3 million, -1% vs. 2007, +46% vs. 2003