Comics sales drop in October (vs. last year)

ICv2.com finds that direct-market sales of comics and graphic novels were down 16 percent in October versus the same period in 2003. Single-issue sales dropped 20 percent, while graphic novel sales rose 12 percent:

We looked at comparisons by publisher to get a better feel for the changes. Both Marvel and DC were down by double digits, with Marvel down 11% and DC down 14%. Image was down 65%, and CrossGen, which accounted for 3.4% market share in 2003, was gone in 2004. Publishers with an emphasis on manga were up by a lot in October 2004, bucking the trend. Dark Horse, for example, was up 20%; and Tokyopop was up 65%.

But the retailer website also reports that more individual titles showed sales growth in October than in September, with nine of the top 25 comics seeing increases.

Top 300 comics (actual sales)
Top 100 graphic novels (actual sales)