By
News Editor
March 8, 2013 - 14:23
DC
Entertainment (DCE), the largest English-language comic book publisher in the
world announced today that Justice League of America #1, written by the
acclaimed Geoff Johns and drawn by superstar artist David Finch, was the
best-selling comic book to specialty retailers in February 2013, according to
information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors. This caps off a hugely
successful month for DCE – with robust sales coming via comic retail, book
trade and digital channels.
The all-American cover to Justice League of America #1
Justice League of America #1 launched in February with a cover featuring
the U.S. flag along with 52 variant covers, one for every state plus
Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. DC Comics is currently sold out of 14 state
covers, the digital combo pack and the collector’s bundles containing all the
covers.
On the bookstore side, February saw DCE publish 15 out of the top 50 titles
according to Nielsen Bookscan. Additionally, overall February book trade sales
were strong, up 65 percent from last year. Notable sellers include: Batman:
Night of the Owls, Fables: Cubs in Toyland, Vol. 18 and Justice League
Vol. 2.
On the digital comics front Injustice: Gods Among Us, the weekly
digital-first comic based on the upcoming video game from Warner Bros.
Interactive, continues to dominate the charts, selling four out of the top five
digital books for the month and seven out of the top 10. Batman Inc. #8,
Batman #17 and Justice League #17 were also top sellers.
“February was a tremendous month for DC Entertainment, and the numbers show
that fans are engaging with our stories across all platforms – from digital to
retail,” said Diane Nelson, president of DC Entertainment. “We had a
record-breaking 2012 in terms of sales, critical acclaim and visibility,
including a near 50 percent increase in fan reach through our Web
sites. Last year also represented our first full year of support and
commitment to We Can Be Heroes, our philanthropic initiative to raise funds and
awareness for the famine-stricken Horn of Africa. We are incredibly proud of
where the business is and where we are headed in 2013.”
Hitting The New York Times Hardcover Bestseller lists in February, DC Comics
titles included Justice League Vol. 2 appearing at #1, Wonder Woman
Vol. 2, Batwoman Vol. 2, Green Lantern: Revenge of the Black Hand,
Batman: The Court of Owls, Vertigo’s The Books of Magic: Deluxe Edition,
and backlist favorites like Batman: The Killing Joke and Absolute Batman
& Robin: Batman Reborn.
While over on The New York Times Paperback Bestsellers lists Vertigo’s Fables
vol. 18 arrived on the list at #1 and DC Comics Justice League vol. 1, Suicide
Squad Vol. 2 and backlist favorite Watchmen all made appearances in
February.
Earlier this month, DC Entertainment was acknowledged as the recipient of
several Gem Awards including Comic Book Publisher of the Year, Backlist
Publisher of the Year and Toy Manufacturer of the Year for 2012 for DC
Collectibles. Notably, DC Collectibles spotlighted the We Can Be Heroes
initiative with its We Can Be Heroes Justice League 7-Pack, which saw 10
percent of proceeds go to providing relief for the drought and famine in the
Horn of Africa. The Gem Awards are recognized within the comic book industry as
the pinnacle of sales achievement from Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's
largest distributor of comics, graphic novels and pop culture merchandise.
The print comic book version of Injustice: Gods Among Us #2 went back to press
for a second printing, while over at DC Comics’ mature readers imprint Vertigo,
Django Unchained #1, based on the Academy Award-winning Best Original
Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, went back to press for a third printing.
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