Arch Comics News

Arch Comics News
Industry news and information.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Comics Legend Steve Ditko passes away at age of 90

Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko dies at 90.

Self portrait by Steve Ditko


     The comic book world is stunned at the news of the passing of one of the greats. Comic book Legend Steve Ditko passed last week. According to the Hollywood Reporter, New York City Police were conducting a wellness check on Ditko on June 29, 2018 when his body was discovered. It  appears as though he may have been dead as many as two days prior. 
SDCC on the passing of Steve Ditko

     Ditko is most widely known as the co-creator of Spider-Man along with Stan Lee in 1961 while working at Marvel Comics. He later helped create Dr. Strange in 1963 as well as various of the Spider-Man villians. His time at Marvel was seminal in the early days and helped propel that company and inspire many future comic book artist and writers to come.


     In later years Ditko also worked for DC Comics and a few smaller presses as well. He eventually made his way back to Marvel and one of his last creations was Squirrel Girl. He retired from comics in the '90s after four decades in the comics industry. He was inducted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1994.
the Amazing Spider-Man #33 by Steve Ditko

     As word of his passing goes out, he his remembered by many in the industry. Many of his fellow comic book creators have shared stories and their sadness at his loss.




      Many creators have felt the passing of one of the true Legends of the Comic Book Industry. Though his work and his Influence will long stay with us.



Thursday, July 5, 2018

Diamond Announces Top Products for June 2018

Diamond Announces Top Products for June 2018


Credit Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc.

Press Release  


(BALTIMORE, MD) — (July 6, 2018) — A new era for the Justice League dawns as the Legion of Doom reforms in Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung's Justice League #1 from DC Entertainment, the best-selling comic book of June 2018 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.
Marvel Comics was June's top publisher with a 38.42% dollar share and a 40.98% unit share. DC Entertainment was second for the month with a 30.54% dollar share and a 33.73% unit share. Image Comics was third with a 10.46% dollar share and an 11.48% unit share. In fourth was Dark Horse Comics with a 3.23% dollar share and a 2.30% unit share, followed by IDW Publishing with a 2.46% dollar share and a 1.66% unit share, Dynamite Entertainment with a 2.10% dollar share and a 1.51% unit share, and BOOM! Studios with a 1.62% dollar share and a 1.76% unit share.
Marvel Comics had five titles in the top ten, led by Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti's Tony Stark: Iron Man #1 at #3; followed by Slott's final issue of his Spider-Man run, Amazing Spider-Man #801 at #4; Skottie Young and Nic Klein's Deadpool #1 at #7, Jason Aaron and Michael del Mundo's Thor #1 at #8, and Marc Guggenheim and David Marquez's X-Men Gold #30, featuring the wedding of Rogue and Gambit, at #9. In addition to Justice League #1, DC Entertainment had four titles in the top ten including Tom King and Mikel Janin's Batman #49 at #5, King and Janin's Batman #48 at #6, and Snyder and Cheung's Justice League #2 at #10. Rounding out the top ten, Mark Millar and Olivier Coipel's The Magic Order #1 from Image Comics ranked #2. Also from the premier publishers, their top books for the June are BOOM! Studios' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Anniversary Special #1 at #116, Dark Horse Comics' Neil Gaiman's America Gods: My Ainsel #4 ranked #148, IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog #6 at #156, and Dynamite Entertainment's Charlie's Angels #1 at #183.
Collecting DC Entertainment's best-selling event, the Dark Nights: Metal Deluxe Edition hardcover was June's best-selling graphic novel. Also from DC Entertainment among the top ten, Dark Nights Metal: Dark Nights Rising, a collection of the tie-in one-shots, ranked #2; Dark Nights Metal: The Resistance, ranked #3; The FlashVolume 6: A Cold Day in Hell ranked #8; Batman: Detective Comics Volume 6: Fall of the Batmen ranked #9; and Super Sons of Tomorrow ranked #10. Marvel Comics had two titles in the top ten: Thanos Wins ranked #4, and Jim Starlin, George Perez, and Ron Lim's The Infinity Gauntlet ranked #5. Jason Aaron and Jason Latour'sSouthern Bastards Volume 4: Gut Check from Image Comics ranked #6. Dark Horse Comics' Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald, with art by Rafael Albuquerque, ranked #7.
Documenting the world of Hyrule, Dark Horse Comics' Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia was June's best-selling book, and the deluxe edition of the book ranked #2. Marvel Press had three titles in the top ten, led by Marvel Super-Hero Adventures: Buggin' Out at #3. BOOM! Studios' Planet of the Apes Adult Coloring Book ranked #9.
The Mezco Toys' One:12 Collective: Marvel Comics: Spider-Man "Black Costume" Action Figure, a PREVIEWSExclusive, was June's best-selling toy. Diamond Select Toys had five products in the top ten: the Marvel Select: Black Panther Movie Action Figure at #2, the Marvel Gallery: Black Panther Movie PVC Figure at #3, the Marvel Select: Deadpool Action Figure at #5, the Marvel Gallery: Black Panther Movie: Killmonger PVC Figure at #9, and the Marvel Select: Thor Ragnarok: Gladiator Hulk Action Figure at #10. DC Collectibles charted one product, the Harley Quinn: Red White & Black Statue by Jae Lee at #8.
Dynamite Entertainment's Reanimator: The Board Game was June's best-selling game. Also in the top ten, BOOM! Studios' Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game Boxed Set (2nd Edition) ranked #9.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS
PUBLISHER
DOLLAR
SHARE
UNIT
SHARE
MARVEL COMICS
38.42%
40.98%
DC ENTERTAINMENT
30.54%
33.73%
IMAGE COMICS
10.46%
11.48%
DARK HORSE COMICS
3.23%
2.10%
IDW PUBLISHING
2.46%
1.66%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
2.10%
1.51%
BOOM! STUDIOS
1.62%
1.76%
VIZ MEDIA
1.18%
0.43%
ONI PRESS INC.
1.09%
0.83%
TITAN COMICS
0.87%
0.68%
OTHER NON-TOP 10
8.03%
4.84%

 COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS

DOLLARS
UNITS
JUNE 2018 VS. MAY 2018
COMICS
-16.71%
-6.22%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
-7.44%
-8.41%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
-14.13%
-6.39%
TOYS
1.03%
4.22%
JUNE 2018 VS. JUNE 2017
COMICS
-11.14%
-8.93%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
-2.15%
-14.24%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
-8.62%
-9.35%
TOYS
-11.53%
17.66%
YEAR-TO-DATE 2018 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2017
COMICS
-1.84%
-9.65%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
-8.12%
-11.22%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
-3.72%
-9.77%
TOYS
-11.98%
-12.70%
SECOND QUARTER 2018 VS. FIRST QUARTER 2018
COMICS
19.97%
12.84%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
19.01%
19.68%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
19.70%
13.34%
TOYS
-16.97%
-7.55%
SECOND QUARTER 2018 VS. SECOND QUARTER 2017
COMICS
3.01%
-4.85%
GRAPHIC NOVELS
-3.41%
-10.32%
TOTAL COMICS/GN
1.10%
-5.28%
TOYS
-14.46%
-13.05%

NEW TITLES SHIPPED
PUBLISHER
COMICS SHIPPED
GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED
MAGAZINES SHIPPED
TOTAL
SHIPPED
MARVEL COMICS
87
33
0
120
DC ENTERTAINMENT
73
31
1
105
IMAGE COMICS
60
15
0
75
IDW PUBLISHING
19
18
0
37
DARK HORSE COMICS
20
15
0
35
BOOM! STUDIOS
23
10
0
33
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
18
7
0
25
TITAN COMICS
17
5
1
23
VIZ MEDIA
0
20
0
20
ONI PRESS
7
10