Overview of the U.S. Comic Book & Graphic Novel Market 2009-2010

September 2010 | 126 pages | ID: O72E7A51813EN
Simba Information

Abstracts

Until the last few years, the comic industry, particularly the graphic novel segment, has been a market largely untapped by traditional book publishers. However, a growing number have come to embrace the industry, with both publishers and retailers realizing this diverse market offers significant and numerous opportunities.

Overview of the U.S. Comic Book and Graphic Novel Market 2009-2010 looks to make breaking into this field far easier, while bringing in-depth, exclusive analysis for those already experiencing what the industry has to offer. Catering to each audience, this report offers publishers and retailers with in-depth explorations of each unique sub-segment: comic books, graphic novels and manga. It also contains Simba’s trademark bestseller data that tracks the growth of graphic novels over the past five years.

Companies looking to enter or expand in this market will need a deep understanding of the range of comic industry buying habits and a detailed analysis of the competitive landscape to be successful. This report does both, outlining detailed demographic information on the range of comic readers, comparing their age, gender, income and more to both the general population and book buyers. Overview of the U.S. Comic Book and Graphic Novel Market 2009-2010 is also a guide for:

• Publishers of any size considering entering the market who want to know more about the present opportunities and challenges in this hot segment
• Larger publishers who have begun to penetrate the graphic novel market but require a better sense of consumer purchasing trends and an accurate growth outlook for the next several years
• Retailers who are serving the graphic novel market today—or who are evaluating whether they should enter the market—but who need greater insight into how to properly manage a graphic novel section
• And more

This second edition, which is nearly 75% larger than last year’s, also offers several new additions to bring a more accurate and diverse look into the industry. These new features include:

• Breakdown of bestselling publishers and titles by both total dollar and unit sales, with several bestseller breakdowns offering a dynamic view of the industry.
• Detailed listings of the top 10 publishers by revenue for each segment of the comic industry, including comic book, graphic novel and manga.
• In-depth discussions of the industry’s ongoing struggles, including rising prices, distribution troubles and the move to digital platforms.
• Top publisher profiles offering everything needed for a thorough business examination: estimated revenues, key executive listings, bestseller listings, overview of consumer operations and more.
• Industry forecasts, including individual projections for the comic book, graphic novel and manga segments.

All of the information is backed by exclusive interviews with several key publishers in the arena, making Overview of the U.S. Comic Book and Graphic Novel Market 2009-2010 a vital market intelligence tool for publishers, marketers, retailers and distributors charged with developing strategies to succeed in the rapidly growing U.S. comic book and graphic novel market.

Contents

Methodology

CHAPTER 1: ”WHAT A STORY” THE WHO, WHAT AND WHERE OF THE INDUSTRY

Introduction

The Markets

The Direct Market

The Mass Market

The Audience

Gender, Age and Race

Education Level

Employment Status

Table 1.1: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Gender

Table 1.2: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Age Bracket

Table 1.3: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Race

Table 1.4: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Education Level

Table 1.5: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Employment Status

Table 1.6: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Household Income

Table 1.7: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) by Marital Status

CHAPTER 2: ”I HAVE MY ISSUES” WHY COMIC BOOKS’ BEST DAYS MAY BE BEHIND THEM

Introduction

Bestsellers

Bestselling Issues

Bestselling Ongoing Series

Bestselling Limited Series

Bestselling Stand Alone Issues

Comic Book Sales Trends

Table 2.1: Top Comic Book Publishers in the Direct Market, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.2: Top 20 Bestselling Comic Issues in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.3: Top 20 Bestselling Comic Issues in the Direct Market, By Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.4: Top 20 Bestselling Ongoing Comic Series in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.5: Top 20 Bestselling Comic Series in the Direct Market, By Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.6: Top 20 Bestselling Limited Comic Series in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.7: Top 20 Bestselling Limited Comic Series in the Direct Market, By Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.8: Top 20 Bestselling Stand Alone Comic Issues in the Direct Market

Table 2.9: Comic Book Sales in the Direct Market, By the Month, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.10: Comic Book Sales in the Direct Market, By Six-Month Intervals, July 2008-June 2010

Table 2.11: Comic Book Sales in the Direct Market, July 2008-June 2010

CHAPTER 3: ”HEADLINE MATERIAL” GRAPHIC NOVEL, THE INDUSTRY’S GEM

Introduction

Bestsellers

Bestselling Publishers

Bestselling Market Titles

Bestselling Original Graphic Novels

Bestselling Compilations

Graphic Novels Sales Trends

Table 3.1: Top 10 Trade Book Categories by Consolidated Ranking, 2005-2009

Table 3.2: Top Graphic Novel Publishers in the Direct Market, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.3: Top Bestselling Graphic Novels in the Mass Market, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.4: Mass Market Graphic Novel Sales Trends, 2005-2009

Table 3.5: Top 20 Bestselling Original Graphic Novels in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.6: Top 20 Bestselling Original Graphic Novels in the Direct Market, By Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.7: Top 20 Bestselling Compilations in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.8: Top 20 Bestselling Compilations in the Direct Market, by Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June2010

Table 3.9: Comic Purchasing Population (U.S. Adults) Book Purchasing Habits

Table 3.10: Graphic Novel Sales in the Direct Market by the Month, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.11: Graphic Novel Sales in the Direct Market by Six-Month Intervals, July 2008-June 2010

Table 3.12: Graphic Novel Sales in the Direct Market, July 2008-June 2010

CHAPTER 4: ”WOBBLY FLOORS” MANGA’S BURST BUBBLE

Introduction

Bestsellers

Bestselling Publishers

Bestselling Mass Market Titles

Bestselling Volumes

Bestselling Ongoing Series

Bestselling Limited Series

Bestselling Stand-Alone Volumes

Manga Sales Trends

Table 4.1: Top Manga Publishers in the Direct Market, July 2008-June2010

Table 4.2: Top Bestselling Manga Volumes in the Mass Market, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.3: Top 20 Bestselling Manga Volumes in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.4: Top 20 Bestselling Manga Volumes in the Direct Market, By Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.5: Top 20 Bestselling Ongoing Manga Series in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.6: Top 20 Bestselling Ongoing Manga Series in the in the Direct Market, By Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.7: Top 20 Bestselling Limited Manga Series in the Direct Market, By Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.8: Top 20 Bestselling Limited Manga Series in the Direct Market, by Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June2010

Table 4.9: Top 20 Bestselling Stand-Alone Manga Volumes in the Direct Market, by Total Quantity Sold, July 2008-June2010

Table 4.10: Top 20 Bestselling Stand-Alone Manga Volumes in the Direct Market, by Total Estimated Dollar Sales, July 2008-June2010

Table 4.11: Manga Sales in the Direct Market by Six-Month Intervals, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.12: Manga Sales in the Direct Market by the Month, July 2008-June 2010

Table 4.13: Manga Sales in the Direct Market, July 2008-June 2010

CHAPTER 5: ”SETTING UP A NEW LIFE” OBSTACLES, TRENDS AND THE DIGITAL PUBLISHING REALM

Introduction

Surging Costs and Prices

The Incredibly Shrinking Audience

People Aren’t Going to The Movies Either

Too Many Books Not Enough Value

A Distribution Monopoly

Going Digital: Opportunities for Publishers and Pirates

Table 5.1: Average Price Top 300 Bestsellers, July 2008-June 2010

Table 5.2: Effects of Editorial Events on Unit Sales

Table 5.3: Effects of Select Movies on Unit Sales of Pivotal Titles

Table 5.4: The Dark Tower Series (Marvel) Unit Sales

Table 5.5: Poll: What are Your Digital Comics Buying Habits Today?

CHAPTER 6: FORECAST AND CONCLUSIONS

Introduction

Comic Books

Graphic Novels

Manga

Recommendations

“Like No One Else” Profiles of Leading Publishers

Dark Horse Comics

DC Entertainment, Inc.

Digital Manga, Inc.

IDW Publishing

Image Comics, Inc.

Marvel Entertainment, LLC

Random House, Inc.

Tokyopop Group

Viz Media, LLC