Did you hear that sound earlier this morning? It was as if millions of fanboys cried out in confusion, and then were suddenly silenced.
That was the general reaction to “Harley Quinn” #0 being revealed as the #2 comic on the direct market sales charts this month, beating a high profile debut over at Marvel with “Amazing X-Men” and only being surpassed by her puddin’s greatest enemy, as “Batman” #25 took the top spot.
It was a bit of a topsy turvy month anyways, as both Marvel and DC were below 30% of retail market share, even with high profile debuts and some outrageously expensive comics frontloading their publishing lists (Batman #25 was $4.99 and Infinity #6 was $5.99). Even with that in mind, I have to wonder what kind of voodoo witch doctor business DC had to pull to get “Harley Quinn” ordered that high. Granted, I know she’s popular with a certain set, she has ties to Batman and there were a lot of really big creator names attached, but #2? Ahead of “Amazing X-Men” and the close of Marvel’s big event in 2013? Shocking, and perhaps indicates that there really is no such thing as bad publicity given the controversy originally surrounding this issue.
Considering the success of “Harley Quinn” and other aforementioned hits, you’d think DC would have dominated. But that is not the case. With 5 titles in the top 10 and more books shipping overall, somehow DC still came in second place to Marvel. Because comics are unpredictable.
All in all, a really weird month of sales, and we’ll provide additional thoughts when the full charts arrive.
