March was DC's "One Year Later" month, so you might have thought Marvel
would lay low.  But in fact, it's a surprisingly busy month.  Civil War
is going to dominate Marvel's output for the next few months, and the
first three books hit the shelves in March - NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI,
FANTASTIC FOUR #536 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #530.  It's also the start of
the Annihilation crossover, with ANNIHILATION: PROLOGUE, and BLACK
PANTHER begins the much-hyped "Bride of the Panther" storyline.

Away from the crossovers and stunts, MS MARVEL's new series begins,
SQUADRON SUPREME returns for a second season, and there's the first
issue of Joe Casey and Chris Weston's FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST FAMILY
miniseries.  THUNDERBOLTS jumps back to its original numbering to
celebrate issue #100.  And offering an alternative, if nothing else,
there's a raft of one-shots celebrating the New Universe.

All of this counter-programming appears to have worked.  Off the back of
the massively popular INFINITE CRISIS miniseries, and the surrounding
event, you'd have expected DC to have a massively successful month.  But
once again, Marvel comfortably beat them in both dollar share (38% to
32%) and unit share (a massive 43% to 34%).  And this is before Civil
War even gets properly underway...

As always, thanks to Milton Griepp and ICV2 for permission to use their
figures for these calculations.

Top spot on the charts goes to INFINITE CRISIS #5, and no surprise
there.  ASTONISHING X-MEN would probably have come next, but it's on a
bimonthly schedule these days, and March was a month off.  So we move on
to...

2.  NEW AVENGERS
Mar 01      Avengers #40 -  60,378
Mar 02      Avengers #52 -  53,249
Mar 03      Avengers #65 -  59,155
Mar 04      Avengers #80 -  55,533
======
Mar 05  New Avengers #4  - 158,303  (  +6.3%)
Apr 05  New Avengers #5  - 168,556  (  +6.5%)
May 05  n/a
Jun 05  New Avengers #6  - 164,592  (  -2.4%)
Jul 05  New Avengers #7  - 158,693  (  -3.6%)
Aug 05  New Avengers #8  - 156,037  (  -1.7%)
Aug 05  New Avengers #9  - 147,501  (  -5.5%)
Sep 05  New Avengers #10 - 143,014  (  -3.0%)
Sep 05  New Avengers #11 - 134,125  (  -6.2%)
Oct 05  New Avengers #12 - 130,110  (  -3.0%)
Nov 05  New Avengers #13 - 126,148  (  -3.0%)
Dec 05  New Avengers #14 - 126,583  (  +0.3%)
Jan 06  New Avengers #15 - 124,143  (  -1.9%)
Feb 06  New Avengers #16 - 124,256  (  +0.1%)
Mar 06  New Avengers #17 - 121,098  (  -2.5%)
                             6 mnth  (  -9.7%)
                             1 year  ( -23.5%)
                             2 year  (+118.1%)

Issue #16 picks up 2,764 reorders, which are included in the numbers
above.  It's worth mentioning that the cut-off point at the bottom end
of the charts is pretty high this month, with the number 300 book (GUN
FU: SHOWGIRLS ARE FOREVER #1) selling 2,632 copies.  That means that
there's probably some re-order activity below that point which missed
the charts altogether.

Anyhow, this is the first part of "The Collective", and the debut of
Mike Deodato.  Neither seems to have made a great deal of difference,
but NEW AVENGERS continues to sit comfortably on the top of the pile,
with sales looking comfortably solid over the last few months.

4.  NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI
Mar 06  Illuminati - 107,912

And here comes Civil War, with a juggernaut first issue.  A top five
placing for the prologue, breaking the 100,000 mark, has to be a very
encouraging sign for the event ahead.  At the last count, Marvel have
announced roughly 75 Civil War crossover issues (depending on whether
you count things like the sketch book and the mock newspaper), so
they're probably rubbing their hands with glee about now.

hatte mehr erwartet.

6.  ULTIMATES
Mar 02    Ultimates #3  - 102,956
Mar 03    Ultimates #9  - 105,448
Mar 04    Ultimates #13 - 101,329
======
Mar 05  Ultimates 2 #4  - 105,255  ( -2.9%)
Apr 05  Ultimates 2 #5  - 104,971  ( -0.3%)
May 05  Ultimates 2 #6  - 102,026  ( -2.8%)
Jun 05  n/a
Jul 05  Ultimates 2 #7  -  99,134  ( -2.8%)
Aug 05  n/a
Sep 05  Ultimates 2 #8  -  95,980  ( -3.2%)
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  n/a
Dec 05  Ultimates 2 #9  -  94,493  ( -1.5%)
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Ultimates 2 #10 -  94,900  ( +0.4%)
                            6 mnth  ( -1.1%)
                            1 year  ( -9.8%)
                            2 year  ( -6.3%)

Running badly late - this book was originally solicited for January. But
as in the past, the delays don't seem to be doing any harm, with sales
remaining solid over the last few issues and nudging slightly upwards
for issue #10.

7.  AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
Mar 01  Amazing Spider-Man #29  -  45,436
Mar 02  Amazing Spider-Man #41  -  92,896
Mar 03  Amazing Spider-Man #51  -  96,428
Mar 04  Amazing Spider-Man #505 -  83,613
======
Mar 05  Amazing Spider-Man #518 -  77,025  ( -2.0%)
Apr 05  Amazing Spider-Man #519 -  79,668  ( +3.4%)
May 05  Amazing Spider-Man #520 -  76,143  ( -4.4%)
Jun 05  Amazing Spider-Man #521 -  74,117  ( -2.7%)
Jul 05  Amazing Spider-Man #522 -  73,130  ( -1.3%)
Aug 05  Amazing Spider-Man #523 -  72,046  ( -1.5%)
Sep 05  Amazing Spider-Man #524 -  71,065  ( -1.4%)
Oct 05  Amazing Spider-Man #525 -  91,707  (+29.0%)
Nov 05  Amazing Spider-Man #526 -  90,343  ( -1.5%)
Dec 05  Amazing Spider-Man #527 -  89,922  ( -0.5%)
Jan 06  Amazing Spider-Man #528 -  97,807  ( -8.8%)
Feb 06  Amazing Spider-Man #529 - 112,898  (+15.4%)
Mar 06  Amazing Spider-Man #530 -  89,874  (-20.4%)
                                    6 mnth  (+26.5%)
                                    1 year  (+16.7%)
                                    2 year  ( +7.5%)

Another Civil War crossover.  The trends on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN are a
little cloudy right now, since issues #525-528 were a crossover ("The
Other"), last month's issue #529 featured Spider-Man's new costume, and
this month starts an entire storyline tying in to Civil War.  On top of
that, thanks to a combination of variant cover sales and re-orders,
issue #529 picks up a further 22,484 sales, putting its total through
the roof.

We now find ourselves at roughly the level of "The Other" - unlike the
other Spider-Man books, which have gone down towards their normal
numbers - and Civil War probably deserves most of the credit for keeping
the numbers up.

wenn man sich die Zahlen von 2001 ansieht

9,11. UNCANNY X-MEN
Mar 01  Uncanny X-Men #392 - 96,271
Mar 02  Uncanny X-Men #404 - 95,386
Mar 03  Uncanny X-Men #420 - 85,473
Mar 04  Uncanny X-Men #441 - 86,431
======
Mar 05  Uncanny X-Men #457 - 86,365  ( -0.5%)
Apr 05  Uncanny X-Men #458 - 85,299  ( -1.2%)
May 05  Uncanny X-Men #459 - 83,547  ( -2.1%)
Jun 05  Uncanny X-Men #460 - 82,457  ( -1.3%)
Jun 05  Uncanny X-Men #461 - 91,221  (+10.6%)
Jul 05  Uncanny X-Men #462 - 91,125  ( -0.1%)
Aug 05  Uncanny X-Men #463 - 87,610  ( -3.9%)
Sep 05  Uncanny X-Men #464 - 85,885  ( -2.0%)
Oct 05  Uncanny X-Men #465 - 84,271  ( -1.9%)
Nov 05  Uncanny X-Men #466 - 82,825  ( -1.7%)
Dec 05  Uncanny X-Men #467 - 81,282  ( -1.9%)
Jan 06  Uncanny X-Men #468 - 79,808  ( -1.8%)
Feb 06  Uncanny X-Men #469 - 79,039  ( -1.0%)
Mar 06  Uncanny X-Men #470 - 79,389  ( +0.4%)
Mar 06  Uncanny X-Men #471 - 78,286  ( -1.4%)
                              6 mnth  ( -8.8%)
                              1 year  ( -9.4%)
                              2 year  ( -9.4%)

Sliding very slowly.  A new creative team is imminent.

12. X-MEN
Mar 01      X-Men #112 -  93,428
Mar 02  New X-Men #124 - 104,138
Mar 03  New X-Men #138 -  95,278
Mar 04  New X-Men #154 - 117,523
======
Mar 05      X-Men #168 -  83,979  ( -0.2%)
Apr 05      X-Men #169 -  82,793  ( -1.4%)
May 05      X-Men #170 -  81,048  ( -2.1%)
Jun 05      X-Men #171 -  80,307  ( -0.9%)
Jun 05      X-Men #172 -  78,889  ( -1.8%)
Jul 05      X-Men #173 -  77,154  ( -2.2%)
Aug 05      X-Men #174 -  76,342  ( -1.1%)
Sep 05      X-Men #175 -  76,555  ( +0.3%)
Oct 05      X-Men #176 -  74,635  ( -2.5%)
Nov 05      X-Men #177 -  78,405  ( +5.1%)
Nov 05      X-Men #178 -  76,195  ( -2.8%)
Dec 05      X-Men #179 -  77,189  ( +1.3%)
Dec 05      X-Men #180 -  75,559  ( -2.1%)
Jan 06      X-Men #181 -  74,094  ( -1.9%)
Feb 06      X-Men #182 -  78,653  ( +6.2%)
Feb 06      X-Men #183 -  79,477  ( +1.0%)
Mar 06      X-Men #184 -  78,000  ( -1.9%)
                           6 mnth  ( +1.9%)
                           1 year  ( -7.1%)
                           2 year  (-33.6%)

The Apocalypse storyline continues to prove a moderate success for
X-MEN.  Issue 183 picks up re-orders of 3,023, without which, this
month's issue would have been a climber.

13. ULTIMATE GALACTUS TRILOGY
Mar 05      Ultimate Secret #1 (of 4) - 89,132  (+22.0%)
Apr 05      Ultimate Secret #2 (of 4) - 77,914  (-12.6%)
May 05  n/a
Jun 05  n/a
Jul 05  n/a
Aug 05  n/a
Sep 05      Ultimate Secret #3 (of 4) - 67,046  (-13.9%)
Oct 05      Ultimate Secret #4 (of 4) - 64,909  ( -3.2%)
Nov 05  n/a
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  Ultimate Extinction #1 (of 5) - 85,439  (+31.6%)
Feb 06  Ultimate Extinction #2 (of 5) - 75,869  (-11.2%)
Mar 06  Ultimate Extinction #3 (of 5) - 75,773  ( -0.1%)
                                         6 mnth  (+13.0%)
                                         1 year  (-15.0%)

Levelling out very nicely for a third issue.

14. WOLVERINE
Mar 01  Wolverine #162 -  67,762
Mar 02  Wolverine #174 -  69,340
Mar 03  Wolverine #187 -  62,144
Mar 04  Wolverine #12  -  69,815
======
Mar 05  Wolverine #26  - 108,677  (+30.7%)
Apr 05  Wolverine #27  - 101,228  ( -6.9%)
May 05  Wolverine #28  -  80,961  (-20.0%)
Jun 05  Wolverine #29  -  79,951  ( -1.2%)
Jul 05  Wolverine #30  -  76,651  ( -4.1%)
Aug 05  Wolverine #31  -  75,618  ( -1.3%)
Sep 05  Wolverine #32  -  89,026  (+17.7%)
Sep 05  Wolverine #33  -  78,508  (-11.8%)
Oct 05  Wolverine #34  -  75,664  ( -3.6%)
Oct 05  Wolverine #35  -  73,684  ( -2.6%)
Nov 05  Wolverine #36  -  94,355  (+28.1%)
Dec 05  Wolverine #37  -  73,866  (-21.7%)
Jan 06  Wolverine #38  -  73,815  ( -0.0%)
Feb 06  Wolverine #39  -  75,285  ( +2.0%)
Mar 06  Wolverine #40  -  75,557  ( +0.4%)
                           6 mnth  ( -3.8%)
                           1 year  (-30.5%)
                           2 year  ( +8.2%)

The final Daniel Way issue before his storyline spins off into a
separate ongoing series, WOLVERINE: ORIGINS, in April.  The signs are
mixed - sales aren't exactly stellar compared with recent storylines.
But then again, it's turning around and gaining sales in mid-story,
which is unusual and therefore notable.  Issue #39 picks up re-orders of
3,037.  There seems to be some degree of buzz here, although given the
very mixed reception for ORIGINS #1, it'll be interesting to see how it
performs.

15. X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS
Nov 05  Deadly Genesis #1 (of 6) - 117,042
Dec 05  Deadly Genesis #2 (of 6) -  83,159  (-28.9%)
Jan 06  Deadly Genesis #3 (of 6) -  78,238  ( -5.9%)
Feb 06  Deadly Genesis #4 (of 6) -  77,549  ( -0.9%)
Mar 06  Deadly Genesis #5 (of 6) -  74,684  ( -3.7%)

Holding up very nicely.  Issue #4 picks up re-orders of 2,883; without
those, this would be almost dead level with last month.

16,19. ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Mar 01  Ultimate Spider-Man #7  -  70,846
Mar 02  Ultimate Spider-Man #20 -  80,515
Mar 03  Ultimate Spider-Man #38 - 112,562
Mar 04  Ultimate Spider-Man #54 -  93,025
======
Mar 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #73 -  83,943  ( -3.2%)
Mar 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #74 -  83,817  ( -0.2%)
Apr 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #75 -  83,940  ( +0.1%)
Apr 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #76 -  82,244  ( -2.0%)
May 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #77 -  81,034  ( -1.5%)
Jun 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #78 -  79,420  ( -2.0%)
Jul 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #79 -  78,404  ( -1.3%)
Jul 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #80 -  76,906  ( -1.9%)
Aug 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #81 -  75,572  ( -1.7%)
Sep 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #82 -  75,756  ( +0.2%)
Sep 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #83 -  75,539  ( -0.3%)
Oct 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #84 -  74,670  ( -1.2%)
Nov 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #85 -  74,264  ( -0.5%)
Nov 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #86 -  76,864  ( +3.5%)
Dec 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #87 -  74,537  ( -3.0%)
Dec 05  Ultimate Spider-Man #88 -  74,213  ( -0.4%)
Jan 06  Ultimate Spider-Man #89 -  71,935  ( -3.1%)
Feb 06  Ultimate Spider-Man #90 -  71,470  ( -0.6%)
Mar 06  Ultimate Spider-Man #91 -  74,028  ( +3.6%)
Mar 06  Ultimate Spider-Man #92 -  72,269  ( -2.4%)
                                    6 mnth  ( -4.3%)
                                    1 year  (-13.9%)
                                    2 year  (-22.3%)

A slight bump for issue #91, presumably because it begins an arc guest
starring the Ultimate X-Men.  Nothing to drag the book off its general
downard course, though.

17. MS MARVEL
Mar 06  Ms Marvel #1 - 73,407

A very respectable debut.  A combination of decent promotion and some
prominent use of the character seems to have paid off, shifting a
remarkably high number for a character who until a few months ago would
have been considered very C-list indeed.  See what happens when you
promote a new launch effectively?

geniale Zahlen

18. ULTIMATE X-MEN
Mar 01  Ultimate X-Men #4  - 95,985
Mar 02  Ultimate X-Men #16 - 96,150
Mar 03  Ultimate X-Men #30 - 89,544
Mar 04  Ultimate X-Men #43 - 97,002
======
Mar 05  Ultimate X-Men #57 - 83,835  ( -2.7%)
Apr 05  Ultimate X-Men #58 - 82,606  ( -1.5%)
May 05  Ultimate X-Men #59 - 81,321  ( -1.6%)
Jun 05  Ultimate X-Men #60 - 78,613  ( -3.3%)
Jul 05  Ultimate X-Men #61 - 87,094  (+10.8%)
Aug 05  Ultimate X-Men #62 - 76,229  (-12.5%)
Sep 05  Ultimate X-Men #63 - 74,760  ( -1.9%)
Oct 05  Ultimate X-Men #64 - 75,118  ( +0.5%)
Nov 05  Ultimate X-Men #65 - 74,264  ( -1.1%)
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  Ultimate X-Men #66 - 73,720  ( -0.7%)
Feb 06  Ultimate X-Men #67 - 72,700  ( -1.4%)
Mar 06  Ultimate X-Men #68 - 72,765  ( +0.1%)
                              6 mnth  ( -2.7%)
                              1 year  (-13.2%)
                              2 year  (-25.0%)

Basically unchanged from last month.

21. SQUADRON SUPREME
Mar 04    Supreme Power #8  - 64,429
======
Mar 05  n/a
Apr 05    Supreme Power #16 - 55,068  ( -0.8%)
May 05  n/a
Jun 05    Supreme Power #17 - 52,288  ( -5.0%)
Jul 05  n/a
Aug 05    Supreme Power #18 - 50,594  ( -3.2%)
Sep 05  n/a
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  n/a
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Squadron Supreme #1 - 69,679  (+37.7%)
                               6 mnth  (  n/a )
                               1 year  (+26.5%)
                               2 year  ( +8.1%)

The former Max title SUPREME POWER is relaunched as a mainstream Marvel
book, ostensibly on the grounds that it'll get more marketing support
that way.  There's probably some truth to that, but I'm inclined to
think the sales increase is largely due to the new number #1.  The next
few months should provide a better test of the theory, once the initial
bump wears off.

würde das als Enttäuschung bezeichnen

22. ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR
Mar 04  Ultimate Fantastic Four #4  - 106,873
======
Mar 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #16 -  73,987  ( -0.7%)
Apr 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #17 -  72,207  ( -2.4%)
May 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #18 -  71,478  ( -1.0%)
Jun 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #19 -  70,300  ( -1.6%)
Jun 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #20 -  69,097  ( -1.7%)
Jul 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #21 -  91,321  (+32.2%)
Aug 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #22 -  71,767  (-21.4%)
Sep 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #23 -  71,494  ( -0.4%)
Oct 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #24 -  70,549  ( -1.3%)
Nov 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #25 -  70,032  ( -0.7%)
Dec 05  Ultimate Fantastic Four #26 -  69,689  ( -0.5%)
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  Ultimate Fantastic Four #27 -  67,922  ( -2.5%)
Mar 06  Ultimate Fantastic Four #28 -  67,480  ( -0.7%)
                                        6 mnth  ( -5.6%)
                                        1 year  ( -8.8%)
                                        2 year  (-36.9%)

Perfectly solid.

28. ANNIHILATION: PROLOGUE
Mar 06  Prologue - 61,784

The first part of the Annihilation crossover, with the miniseries
beginning in April.  A very good number when you consider that this is a
storyline built around the Silver Surfer (whose last series tanked),
Nova (whose last series didn't make it into double digits), the
Super-Skrull and Ronan the Accuser.  Without any big name creators
attached, this seems to be another example of good effective promotion.

30,31. FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN
Oct 05  Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 - 100,430
Nov 05  Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #2 -  82,988  (-17.4%)
Dec 05  Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 -  81,309  ( -2.0%)
Jan 06  Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4 -  78,672  ( -3.2%)
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5 -  59,900  (-23.9%)
Mar 06  Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6 -  58,853  ( -1.7%)

Well, there you go - that's the book's normal level when it isn't doing
a crossover.  And a thoroughly respectable level it is too.

32. FANTASTIC FOUR
Mar 01  Fantastic Four #41  - 48,055
Mar 02  Fantastic Four #53  - 44,949
Mar 03  Fantastic Four #67  - 53,218
Mar 04  Fantastic Four #511 - 50,089
======
Mar 05  Fantastic Four #524 - 46,660  ( +0.8%)
Apr 05  Fantastic Four #525 - 45,561  ( -2.4%)
May 05  Fantastic Four #526 - 44,935  ( -1.4%)
May 05  Fantastic Four #527 - 75,525  (+68.1%)
Jun 05  Fantastic Four #528 - 55,937  (-25.9%)
Jul 05  Fantastic Four #529 - 52,963  ( -5.3%)
Aug 05  Fantastic Four #530 - 51,782  ( -2.2%)
Sep 05  Fantastic Four #531 - 49,745  ( -3.9%)
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  Fantastic Four #532 - 47,771  ( -4.0%)
Dec 05  Fantastic Four #533 - 46,751  ( -2.1%)
Jan 05  n/a
Feb 06  Fantastic Four #534 - 44,573  ( -4.7%)
Feb 06  Fantastic Four #535 - 43,124  ( -3.3%)
Mar 06  Fantastic Four #536 - 57,945  (+34.4%)
                               6 mnth  (+16.5%)
                               1 year  (+24.2%)
                               2 year  (+15.7%)

Civil War crossover, although it's also laying the groundwork for the
return of Thor, which may boost sales even further.  A huge increase, by
any standards.

34. SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN
Mar 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #12 - 59,983  ( -0.8%)
Apr 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #13 - 60,542  ( +0.9%)
May 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #14 - 57,270  ( -5.4%)
Jun 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #15 - 54,102  ( -5.5%)
Jul 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #16 - 50,876  ( -6.0%)
Aug 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #17 - 48,555  ( -4.6%)
Sep 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #18 - 47,654  ( -1.9%)
Oct 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19 - 75,461  (+58.4%)
Nov 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #20 - 73,262  ( -2.9%)
Dec 05  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #21 - 76,763  ( +4.8%)
Jan 06  Marvel Knights Spider-Man #22 - 74,923  ( -2.4%)
Feb 06     Sensational Spider-Man #23 - 59,051  (-21.2%)
Mar 06     Sensational Spider-Man #24 - 53,910  ( -8.7%)
                                         6 mnth  (+13.1%)
                                         1 year  (-10.1%)

Finding its level under the new creative team.

ha ha

35. X-MEN: THE 198
Jan 06  The 198 #1 (of 5) - 68,698
Feb 06  The 198 #2 (of 5) - 58,540  (-14.8%)
Mar 06  The 198 #3 (of 5) - 53,882  ( -8.0%)

39. SON OF M
Dec 05  Son of M #1 (of 6) - 62,254
Jan 06  Son of M #2 (of 6) - 52,704  (-15.3%)
Feb 06  Son of M #3 (of 6) - 52,227  ( -0.9%)
Mar 06  Son of M #4 (of 6) - 49,973  ( -4.3%)

Fairly standard numbers for David Hine's two X-Men miniseries.

40,44. X-FACTOR
Dec 05  X-Factor #1 - 64,861
Dec 05  X-Factor #2 - 52,705  (-18.7%)
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  X-Factor #3 - 48,307  ( -8.3%)
Mar 06  X-Factor #4 - 48,183  ( -0.3%)
Mar 06  X-Factor #5 - 46,490  ( -3.5%)

Levelling out nicely.

43. DAREDEVIL
Mar 01  Daredevil #18 - 59,332
Mar 02  Daredevil #31 - 48,299
Mar 03  Daredevil #45 - 58,040
Mar 04  Daredevil #58 - 54,400
======
Mar 05  Daredevil #71 - 49,715  ( +2.1%)
Apr 05  Daredevil #72 - 48,803  ( -1.8%)
May 05  Daredevil #73 - 48,681  ( -0.2%)
Jun 05  Daredevil #74 - 48,175  ( -1.0%)
Jul 05  Daredevil #75 - 47,800  ( -0.8%)
Aug 05  Daredevil #76 - 46,424  ( -2.9%)
Sep 05  Daredevil #77 - 45,945  ( -1.0%)
Oct 05  Daredevil #78 - 45,071  ( -1.9%)
Nov 05  Daredevil #79 - 44,250  ( -1.8%)
Dec 05  Daredevil #80 - 43,309  ( -2.1%)
Jan 06  Daredevil #81 - 44,252  ( +2.2%)
Feb 06  Daredevil #82 - 53,058  (+19.9%)
Mar 06  Daredevil #83 - 46,804  (-11.8%)
                         6 mnth  ( +1.9%)
                         1 year  ( -5.9%)
                         2 year  (-14.0%)

Straight back to normal numbers after the initial surge of interest for
the new creative team.  Still very solid, though.

45. X-MEN: THE END
Mar 05    Book Two #1 (of 6) - 71,230  ( +7.6%)
Apr 05    Book Two #2 (of 6) - 63,005  (-11.5%)
May 05    Book Two #3 (of 6) - 58,870  ( -6.6%)
Jun 05    Book Two #4 (of 6) - 54,875  ( -6.8%)
Jul 05    Book Two #5 (of 6) - 51,949  ( -5.3%)
Aug 05    Book Two #6 (of 6) - 49,565  ( -4.6%)
Sep 05  n/a
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  n/a
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  Book Three #1 (of 6) - 52,891  ( +6.7%)
Feb 06  Book Three #2 (of 6) - 47,370  (-10.4%)
Mar 06  Book Three #3 (of 6) - 44,899  ( -5.2%)
                                6 mnth  (  n/a )
                                1 year  (-37.0%)

Standard pattern for this book - just compare the numbers for Book Two.
It's going to round off at a decent level.

46. CAPTAIN AMERICA
Mar 01  Captain America #41 - 37,059
Mar 02  n/a
Mar 03  Captain America #10 - 51,270
Mar 04  Captain America #24 - 39,168
======
Mar 05  Captain America #4  - 46,654  ( -3.0%)
Apr 05  Captain America #5  - 46,976  ( +0.7%)
May 05  Captain America #6  - 58,660  (+24.9%)
Jun 05  Captain America #7  - 47,160  (-19.6%)
Jul 05  n/a
Aug 05  Captain America #8  - 51,842  ( +9.9%)
Aug 05  Captain America #9  - 44,638  (-13.9%)
Sep 05  Captain America #10 - 52,609  (+17.9%)
Oct 05  Captain America #11 - 45,162  (-14.2%)
Nov 05  Captain America #12 - 45,038  ( -0.3%)
Dec 05  Captain America #13 - 44,954  ( -0.2%)
Jan 05  n/a
Feb 06  Captain America #14 - 44,041  ( -0.2%)
Feb 06  Captain America #15 - 43,350  ( -1.6%)
Mar 06  Captain America #16 - 44,717  ( +3.2%)
                               6 mnth  (-15.0%)
                               1 year  ( -4.2%)
                               2 year  (+14.2%)

A surprise sales bump for issue #16, which wasn't solicited as
containing anything particularly notable.  It seems CAPTAIN AMERICA is
just hovering around the mid-40K range under Ed Brubaker, and won't be
shifted.

47. MARVEL ZOMBIES
Dec 05  Marvel Zombies #1 (of 5) - 71,332
Jan 06  Marvel Zombies #2 (of 5) - 51,370  (-28.0%)
Feb 06  Marvel Zombies #3 (of 5) - 56,696  (+10.4%)
Mar 06  Marvel Zombies #4 (of 5) - 44,312  (-21.8%)

The remarkable performance of MARVEL ZOMBIES continues.  Another variant
cover of issue #1 hits the charts with a further 19,050 sales, and the
second printing of issue #3 adds another 15,532.  Meanwhile, issue #2
sells another 7,853 copies in conventional re-orders.  Once all of those
extra sales are taken into account, the numbers start to look slightly
more normal, but the reality is that this is an exceptional case of a
series which is growing from month to month and doing massive business
in re-orders and second printings.  It's a genuine hit from nowhere.

Issue #1 only sold 35,497 copies in its first month.  That means it's
now doubled its sales through re-orders - something virtually unknown
for the major publishers.  In contrast, this month MARVEL ZOMBIES
shipped 42,435 copies in re-orders alone.  Once you take issue #4 into
account, that's 86,747 extra copies of MARVEL ZOMBIES #1-4 hitting the
shelves in March.

wow Comicleser sind einfach nur krank

48. INCREDIBLE HULK
Mar 01  Hulk #26 - 32,305
Mar 02  Hulk #38 - 42,108
Mar 03  Hulk #51 - 56,220
Mar 04  Hulk #68 - 46,138
======
Mar 05  Hulk #79 - 43,508  ( -2.7%)
Apr 05  Hulk #80 - 48,404  (+11.3%)
May 05  Hulk #81 - 43,822  (-10.5%)
Jun 05  Hulk #82 - 43,248  ( -1.3%)
Jul 05  Hulk #83 - 63,881  (+47.7%)
Jul 05  Hulk #84 - 58,583  ( -8.3%)
Aug 05  Hulk #85 - 53,177  ( -9.2%)
Sep 05  Hulk #86 - 52,992  ( -0.3%)
Oct 05  Hulk #87 - 42,454  (-19.9%)
Nov 05  Hulk #88 - 41,141  ( -3.1%)
Nov 05  Hulk #89 - 39,635  ( -3.7%)
Dec 05  Hulk #90 - 36,924  ( -6.8%)
Jan 06  Hulk #91 - 35,980  ( -2.6%)
Feb 06  Hulk #92 - 51,649  (+43.5%)
Mar 06  Hulk #93 - 43,691  (-15.4%)
                    6 mnth  (-17.6%)
                    1 year  ( +0.4%)
                    2 year  ( -5.3%)

Planet Hulk continues.  Thanks in part to a variant cover, issue #92
ships a further 12,425 copies; without those, this month's issue would
have rated as a climber.  A moderate success thus far, although sales
are still not particularly spectacular in terms of the bigger picture.

49. NEW EXCALIBUR
Nov 05  New Excalibur #1 - 58,333
Dec 05  New Excalibur #2 - 48,816  (-16.3%)
Jan 06  New Excalibur #3 - 47,196  ( -3.3%)
Feb 06  New Excalibur #4 - 45,071  ( -4.5%)
Mar 06  New Excalibur #5 - 43,523  ( -3.4%)

Drifting down.

52. NEW X-MEN
Mar 04  New Mutants #10 - 34,841
======
Mar 05    New X-Men #11 - 35,549  ( -3.7%)
Apr 05    New X-Men #12 - 35,779  ( +0.6%)
May 05    New X-Men #13 - 35,033  ( -2.1%)
May 05    New X-Men #14 - 34,579  ( -1.3%)
Jun 05    New X-Men #15 - 34,007  ( -1.7%)
Jul 05    New X-Men #16 - 49,217  (+44.7%)
Aug 05    New X-Men #17 - 43,908  (-10.8%)
Sep 05    New X-Men #18 - 43,286  ( -1.4%)
Oct 05    New X-Men #19 - 41,691  ( -3.7%)
Nov 05    New X-Men #20 - 59,466  (+42.6%)
Dec 05    New X-Men #21 - 43,473  (-26.9%)
Jan 06    New X-Men #22 - 42,923  ( -1.3%)
Feb 06    New X-Men #23 - 41,463  ( -3.4%)
Mar 06    New X-Men #24 - 42,044  ( +1.4%)
                           6 mnth  ( -2.9%)
                           1 year  (+18.3%)
                           2 year  (+20.7%)

Technically the start of a new storyline, but that doesn't usually make
any difference to sales.  The book may simply have found its new level.

es gibt noch Hoffnung :)

54. IRON MAN
Mar 01  Iron Man #40 - 36,822
Mar 02  Iron Man #52 - 37,508
Mar 03  Iron Man #66 - 33,445
Mar 04  Iron Man #78 - 29,680
======
Mar 05  n/a
Apr 05  Iron Man #3  - 51,390  ( -6.7%)
May 05  n/a
Jun 05  n/a
Jul 05  n/a
Aug 05  Iron Man #4  - 48,403  ( -5.8%)
Sep 05  n/a
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  n/a
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  Iron Man #5  - 45,243  ( -6.5%)
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Iron Man #6  - 40,264  (-11.0%)
                        6 mnth  (-16.8%)
                        1 year  (-21.7%)
                        2 year  (+35.7%)

The Ellis/Granov run finally grinds to a halt.  At the rate they've been
going, IRON MAN has sold an average of 15,442 copies a month over the
last year, and they haven't exactly brought a massive amount of buzz to
the book.  It's above historical levels, but it's not exactly at the top
of the charts.  I'd class this relaunch as a failure, at least to the
extent that they must have had bigger goals in mind than this.

55. SPIDER-WOMAN: ORIGIN
Dec 05  Origin #1 (of 5) - 66,791
Jan 06  Origin #2 (of 5) - 43,684  (-34.6%)
Feb 06  Origin #3 (of 5) - 40,553  ( -7.2%)
Mar 06  Origin #4 (of 5) - 39,768  ( -1.9%)

Levelling out nicely.

59. GENERATION M
Nov 05  Generation M #1 (of 5) - 54,617
Dec 05  Generation M #2 (of 5) - 44,747  (-18.1%)
Jan 06  Generation M #3 (of 5) - 41,551  ( -7.1%)
Feb 06  Generation M #4 (of 5) - 39,450  ( -5.1%)
Mar 06  Generation M #5 (of 5) - 37,590  ( -4.7%)

Respectable numbers considering that it was really a story about an
unknown journalist.  The lead character returns in CIVIL WAR: FRONTLINE.

64. SENTRY
Sep 05  Sentry #1 (of 8) - 93,021
Oct 05  Sentry #2 (of 8) - 53,384  (-42.6%)
Nov 05  Sentry #3 (of 8) - 47,903  (-10.3%)
Dec 05  Sentry #4 (of 8) - 41,901  (-12.5%)
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  Sentry #5 (of 8) - 39,257  ( -6.3%)
Feb 06  Sentry #6 (of 8) - 37,230  ( -5.2%)
Mar 06  Sentry #7 (of 8) - 35,203  ( -5.4%)
                            6 mnth  (-62.2%)

This really doesn't seem to be holding people's interest.  With the
character sidelined in NEW AVENGERS, Marvel may have missed the boat
here.

68. PUNISHER
Mar 02  Punisher #10 - 49,918
Mar 03  Punisher #23 - 42,006
Mar 04  Punisher #4  - 47,096
======
Mar 05  Punisher #18 - 38,348  ( -0.9%)
Apr 05  Punisher #19 - 38,753  ( +1.1%)
Apr 05  Punisher #20 - 38,130  ( -1.6%)
May 05  Punisher #21 - 37,998  ( -0.3%)
Jun 05  Punisher #22 - 37,811  ( -0.5%)
Jul 05  Punisher #23 - 37,376  ( -1.2%)
Aug 05  Punisher #24 - 37,022  ( -0.9%)
Sep 05  Punisher #25 - 37,149  ( +0.3%)
Oct 05  Punisher #26 - 36,450  ( -1.9%)
Nov 05  Punisher #27 - 36,072  ( -1.0%)
Dec 05  Punisher #28 - 35,535  ( -1.5%)
Jan 05  Punisher #29 - 34,708  ( -2.3%)
Feb 06  Punisher #30 - 34,293  ( -1.2%)
Mar 06  Punisher #31 - 34,505  ( +0.6%)
                        6 mnth  ( -7.1%)
                        1 year  (-10.0%)
                        2 year  (-26.7%)

Solid as ever.

69. EXILES
Mar 02  Exiles #11 - 37,446
Mar 03  Exiles #23 - 36,380
Mar 04  Exiles #44 - 37,575
======
Mar 05  Exiles #60 - 42,898  (+32.7%)
Mar 05  Exiles #61 - 42,217  ( -1.6%)
Apr 05  Exiles #62 - 33,965  (-19.5%)
Apr 05  Exiles #63 - 33,728  ( -0.7%)
May 05  Exiles #64 - 34,033  ( +0.9%)
Jun 05  Exiles #65 - 34,484  ( +1.3%)
Jul 05  Exiles #66 - 34,092  ( -1.1%)
Jul 05  Exiles #67 - 33,751  ( -1.0%)
Aug 05  Exiles #68 - 33,815  ( +0.2%)
Sep 05  Exiles #69 - 43,794  (+29.5%)
Sep 05  Exiles #70 - 42,434  ( -3.1%)
Oct 05  Exiles #71 - 41,131  ( -3.1%)
Nov 05  Exiles #72 - 34,329  (-16.5%)
Nov 05  Exiles #73 - 34,008  ( -0.9%)
Dec 05  Exiles #74 - 33,881  ( -0.4%)
Jan 06  Exiles #75 - 33,485  ( -1.2%)
Jan 06  Exiles #76 - 32,843  ( -1.9%)
Feb 06  Exiles #77 - 32,998  ( +0.5%)
Mar 06  Exiles #78 - 33,506  ( +1.5%)
                      6 mnth  (-21.0%)
                      1 year  (-21.9%)
                      2 year  (-10.8%)

Guest starring the Squadron Supreme.  The original ones.

70. SUPREME POWER: HYPERION
Sep 05  Hyperion #1 (of 5) - 42,546
Oct 05  Hyperion #2 (of 5) - 37,423  (-12.0%)
Nov 05  n/a
Dec 05  Hyperion #3 (of 5) - 34,825  ( -6.9%)
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  Hyperion #4 (of 5) - 33,868  ( -2.7%)
Mar 06  Hyperion #5 (of 5) - 33,318  ( -1.6%)
                              6 mnth  (-21.7%)

Running late, which is why it ends up on the same chart as the new
title.  Solid enough.

72. X-MEN: APOCALYPSE VS DRACULA
Feb 06  Apocalypse vs Dracula #1 (of 4) - 37,057
Mar 06  Apocalypse vs Dracula #2 (of 4) - 31,719  (-14.4%)

Fairly normal second-issue drop.

75,85. NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E.
Jan 06  Nextwave #1 - 41,041
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Nextwave #2 - 29,911  (-27.1%)
Mar 06  Nextwave #3 - 27,126  ( -9.3%)

The delayed Director's Cut edition of issue #1 ships an additional 9,326
copies, which might explain Warren Ellis's 40,000 figure.  Allowing for
that, the drops here aren't as scary as they might be, but sales are
still far from spectacular.

und noch ein wenig mehr

76. CAPTAIN AMERICA 65TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Mar 06  65th Anniversary Special - 29,325

A Captain America/Howling Commandos one-shot, basically.  A solid
number.

80. BLACK PANTHER
Mar 01  Black Panther #30 - 19,506
Mar 02  Black Panther #42 - 19,216
Mar 03  Black Panther #55 - 17,149
======
Mar 05  Black Panther #2  - 47,533  (-32.0%)
Apr 05  Black Panther #3  - 44,925  ( -5.5%)
May 05  Black Panther #4  - 40,804  ( -9.2%)
Jun 05  Black Panther #5  - 37,401  ( -8.1%)
Jul 05  Black Panther #6  - 35,256  ( -5.7%)
Aug 05  Black Panther #7  - 42,905  (+21.7%)
Sep 05  Black Panther #8  - 46,239  ( +7.8%)
Oct 05  Black Panther #9  - 40,173  (-13.1%)
Nov 05  Black Panther #10 - 31,987  (-20.4%)
Dec 05  Black Panther #11 - 29,327  ( -8.3%)
Jan 06  Black Panther #12 - 27,933  ( -4.7%)
Feb 06  Black Panther #13 - 26,054  ( -6.7%)
Mar 06  Black Panther #14 - 28,809  (+10.6%)
                             6 mnth  (-37.7%)
                             1 year  (-39.4%)

The jump is presumably because of the marriage storyline, since it's
hard to see any other explanation.  Mind you, it's hardly catapulted the
book up the charts, has it?  Interestingly, the wedding issue itself is
now doubling as a Civil War crossover, which seems an odd way of showing
confidence in a much-hyped event.

81. PULSE
Mar 02  Alias #7  - 33,529
Mar 03  Alias #20 - 27,630
Mar 04  Pulse #2  - 45,479
======
Mar 05  Pulse #8  - 33,367  ( -4.1%)
Apr 05  n/a
May 05  n/a
Jun 05  Pulse #9  - 32,771  ( -1.8%)
Jul 05  Pulse #10 - 56,628  (+72.8%)
Aug 05  n/a
Sep 05  Pulse #11 - 34,919  (-38.3%)
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  Pulse #12 - 30,418  (-12.9%)
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  Pulse #13 - 27,671  ( -9.0%)
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Pulse #14 - 28,501  ( +3.0%)
                     6 mnth  (-18.4%)
                     1 year  (-14.6%)
                     2 year  (-37.3%)

Cancelled.

87. THUNDERBOLTS
Mar 01     Thunderbolts #50  - 36,258
Mar 02     Thunderbolts #62  - 28,944
Mar 03     Thunderbolts #77  - 24,857
======
Mar 05  New Thunderbolts #6  - 29,103  ( -0.9%)
Apr 05  New Thunderbolts #7  - 28,977  ( -0.4%)
May 05  New Thunderbolts #8  - 27,769  ( -4.2%)
Jun 05  New Thunderbolts #9  - 27,300  ( -1.7%)
Jul 05  New Thunderbolts #10 - 25,978  ( -4.8%)
Aug 05  New Thunderbolts #11 - 37,036  (+42.6%)
Sep 05  New Thunderbolts #12 - 25,912  (-30.0%)
Oct 05  New Thunderbolts #13 - 29,250  (+12.9%)
Oct 05  New Thunderbolts #14 - 27,864  ( -4.7%)
Nov 05  New Thunderbolts #15 - 25,245  ( -9.4%)
Dec 05  New Thunderbolts #16 - 25,084  ( -0.6%)
Jan 06  New Thunderbolts #17 - 23,417  ( -6.7%)
Feb 06  New Thunderbolts #18 - 23,735  ( +1.4%)
Mar 06     Thunderbolts #100 - 26,798  (+12.9%)
                                6 mnth  ( +3.4%)
                                1 year  ( -7.9%)

Returning to its original numbering, although since that includes the
completely unconnected stories at the tail-end of the first series, you
might question whether that's particularly meaningful.  A reasonable
bump for the anniversary.

88. SHE-HULK
Mar 04  She-Hulk #1 - 34,499
======
Oct 05  She-Hulk #1 - 37,220  (+60.4%)
Nov 05  She-Hulk #2 - 31,610  (-15.1%)
Dec 05  She-Hulk #3 - 29,428  ( -6.9%)
Jan 06  She-Hulk #4 - 28,214  ( -4.1%)
Feb 06  She-Hulk #5 - 27,183  ( -3.7%)
Mar 06  She-Hulk #6 - 26,631  ( -2.0%)
                       6 mnth  (  n/a )
                       1 year  (  n/a )
                       2 year  (-22.8%)

Standard decline.

90. FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST FAMILY
Mar 06  First Family #1 (of 6) - 26,435

Rather disappointing numbers, I'd say, given the quality of the product.
But the project may have a healthy life in trade paperback.

92. STORM
Feb 06  Storm #1 (of 6) - 32,831
Mar 06  Storm #2 (of 6) - 25,905  (-21.1%)

Another wedding tie-in, politely dropping off the radar.

95. CABLE & DEADPOOL
Mar 04  Cable & Deadpool #1  - 47,130
======
Mar 05  Cable & Deadpool #13 - 25,551  ( +0.8%)
Apr 05  Cable & Deadpool #14 - 24,994  ( -2.2%)
May 05  Cable & Deadpool #15 - 24,837  ( -0.6%)
Jun 05  Cable & Deadpool #16 - 24,612  ( -0.9%)
Jul 05  Cable & Deadpool #17 - 34,393  (+39.7%)
Aug 05  Cable & Deadpool #18 - 25,304  (-26.4%)
Sep 05  Cable & Deadpool #19 - 25,298  ( -0.0%)
Sep 05  Cable & Deadpool #20 - 24,982  ( -1.2%)
Oct 05  Cable & Deadpool #21 - 25,030  ( +0.2%)
Nov 05  Cable & Deadpool #22 - 23,746  ( -5.1%)
Dec 05  Cable & Deadpool #23 - 23,296  ( -1.9%)
Jan 06  Cable & Deadpool #24 - 23,542  ( +1.1%)
Feb 06  Cable & Deadpool #25 - 22,918  ( -2.7%)
Mar 06  Cable & Deadpool #26 - 25,584  (+11.6%)
                                6 mnth  ( +2.4%)
                                1 year  ( +0.1%)
                                2 year  (-45.7%)

A crossover with the Apocalypse storyline in X-MEN, again delivering a
boost to the runt of the X-litter.

wow

98. RUNAWAYS
Mar 04  Runaways #13 - 19,459
======
Mar 05  Runaways #2  - 31,330  (-27.4%)
Apr 05  Runaways #3  - 30,332  ( -3.2%)
May 05  Runaways #4  - 28,968  ( -4.5%)
Jun 05  Runaways #5  - 28,409  ( -1.9%)
Jul 05  Runaways #6  - 27,365  ( -3.7%)
Aug 05  Runaways #7  - 27,063  ( -1.1%)
Sep 05  Runaways #8  - 26,954  ( -0.4%)
Oct 05  Runaways #9  - 26,800  ( -0.6%)
Nov 05  Runaways #10 - 25,761  ( -3.9%)
Dec 05  Runaways #11 - 25,260  ( -1.9%)
Jan 06  Runaways #12 - 24,989  ( -1.1%)
Feb 06  Runaways #13 - 24,313  ( -2.7%)
Mar 06  Runaways #14 - 24,536  ( +0.9%)
                        6 mnth  ( -9.0%)
                        1 year  (-21.7%)
                        2 year  (+26.1%)

Rock solid, which is nice to see.

101. SENTINEL SQUAD O*N*E
Jan 06  Sentinel Squad O*N*E #1 (of 5) - 34,988
Feb 06  Sentinel Squad O*N*E #2 (of 5) - 26,971  (-22.9%)
Mar 06  Sentinel Squad O*N*E #3 (of 5) - 24,334  ( -9.8%)

General lack of interest.

103. POWERS
Mar 01  Powers #10 - 23,387
Mar 02  Powers #19 - 27,112
Mar 03  Powers #29 - 27,062
Mar 04  Powers #37 - 25,028
======
Mar 05  n/a
Apr 05  Powers #10 - 28,360  ( -0.5%)
May 05  n/a
Jun 05  Powers #11 - 27,703  ( -2.3%)
Jul 05  n/a
Aug 05  Powers #12 - 30,290  ( +9.3%)
Sep 05  n/a
Oct 05  Powers #13 - 26,535  (-12.4%)
Nov 05  Powers #14 - 26,109  ( -1.6%)
Dec 05  Powers #15 - 25,633  ( -1.8%)
Jan 06  n/a
Feb 06  Powers #16 - 24,924  ( -2.8%)
Mar 06  Powers #17 - 24,139  ( -3.1%)
                      6 mnth  ( -9.0%)
                      1 year  (-14.9%)
                      2 year  ( -3.6%)

Sliding gently.

106,110. BOOKS OF DOOM
Nov 05  Books of Doom #1 (of 6) - 34,413
Dec 05  Books of Doom #2 (of 6) - 27,767  (-19.3%)
Jan 06  Books of Doom #3 (of 6) - 25,157  ( -9.4%)
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Books of Doom #4 (of 6) - 23,804  ( -5.4%)
Mar 06  Books of Doom #5 (of 6) - 22,715  ( -4.6%)

Not bad numbers, considering it's a six-issue origin recap.

111. PUNISHER VS BULLSEYE
Nov 05  Punisher vs Bullseye #1 (of 5) - 30,048
Dec 05  Punisher vs Bullseye #2 (of 5) - 25,121  (-16.4%)
Jan 06  Punisher vs Bullseye #3 (of 5) - 23,872  ( -5.0%)
Feb 06  Punisher vs Bullseye #4 (of 5) - 23,050  ( -3.4%)
Mar 06  Punisher vs Bullseye #5 (of 5) - 22,652  ( -1.7%)

A respectable final number.  The creative team jump to WOLVERINE:
ORIGINS next month.

113. OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
Mar 05  X-Men: Age of Apocalypse 2005 - 37,056  (+103.8%)
Apr 05                Spider-Man 2005 - 25,530  ( -31.1%)
May 05                     Teams 2005 - 22,564  ( -11.6%)
Jun 05            Fantastic Four 2005 - 21,970  (  -2.6%)
Jul 05                  Avengers 2005 - 23,668  (  +7.7%)
Aug 05         Ultimate Universe 2005 - 25,436  (  +7.5%)
Sep 05       Alternate Universes 2005 - 18,680  ( -26.6%)
Oct 05                    Horror 2005 - 15,849  ( -15.2%)
Nov 05                     X-Men 2005 - 22,986  ( +45.0%)
Dec 05  Ultimates/Ultimate X-Men 2005 - 20,795  (  -9.5%)
Jan 06              A to Z #1 (of 12) - 23,423  ( +12.6%)
Feb 06              A to Z #2 (of 12) - 21,828  (  -6.8%)
Mar 06              A to Z #3 (of 12) - 21,681  (  -0.7%)
                                         6 mnth  ( +16.1%)
                                         1 year  ( -41.5%)

Holding up remarkably well in its new format.  I'd assumed that the book
would probably go into the standard miniseries decline, but it looks
like I was wrong.

114. FURY: PEACEMAKER
Feb 06  Peacemaker #1 (of 6) - 27,423
Mar 06  Peacemaker #2 (of 6) - 21,612  (-21.2%)

A heavy second issue drop.  Have people finally got tired of Garth Ennis
war stories?

116. IRON MAN: INEVITABLE
Dec 05  Inevitable #1 (of 6) - 31,032
Jan 06  Inevitable #2 (of 6) - 25,382  (-18.2%)
Feb 06  Inevitable #3 (of 6) - 22,997  ( -9.4%)
Mar 06  Inevitable #4 (of 6) - 21,430  ( -6.8%)

Vanishing off the radar.

119. FOUR
Mar 04  Marvel Knights 4 #3  - 45,604
======
Mar 05  Marvel Knights 4 #16 - 29,600  ( -2.1%)
Apr 05  Marvel Knights 4 #17 - 29,189  ( -1.4%)
May 05  Marvel Knights 4 #18 - 28,649  ( -1.9%)
Jun 05  Marvel Knights 4 #19 - 28,153  ( -1.7%)
Jul 05  Marvel Knights 4 #20 - 27,548  ( -2.1%)
Aug 05  Marvel Knights 4 #21 - 27,023  ( -1.9%)
Sep 05  Marvel Knights 4 #22 - 26,446  ( -2.1%)
Oct 05  Marvel Knights 4 #23 - 25,100  ( -5.1%)
Nov 05  Marvel Knights 4 #24 - 24,129  ( -3.9%)
Dec 05  Marvel Knights 4 #25 - 22,753  ( -5.7%)
Jan 06  Marvel Knights 4 #26 - 21,365  ( -6.1%)
Feb 06  Marvel Knights 4 #27 - 20,977  ( -1.8%)
Mar 06              Four #28 - 20,976  ( -0.0%)
                                6 mnth  (-20.7%)
                                1 year  (-29.1%)
                                2 year  (-54.0%)

Cancelled with issue #30, and renamed for the last three issues because
of the changes to the Marvel Knights imprint.

121. THING
Nov 05  Thing #1 - 30,188
Dec 05  Thing #2 - 23,606  (-21.8%)
Jan 06  Thing #3 - 21,839  ( -7.5%)
Feb 06  Thing #4 - 21,190  ( -3.0%)
Mar 06  Thing #5 - 20,348  ( -4.0%)

Writer Dan Slott is openly campaigning for readers to save the book.

123. SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED
Mar 04  Spider-Man Unlimited #2  - 37,550
======
Mar 05  Spider-Man Unlimited #8  - 17,640  ( -3.7%)
Apr 05  n/a
May 05  Spider-Man Unlimited #9  - 16,953  ( -3.9%)
Jun 05  n/a
Jul 05  Spider-Man Unlimited #10 - 16,104  ( -5.0%)
Aug 05  n/a
Sep 05  Spider-Man Unlimited #11 - 15,684  ( -2.6%)
Oct 05  n/a
Nov 05  Spider-Man Unlimited #12 - 15,150  ( -3.4%)
Dec 05  n/a
Jan 06  Spider-Man Unlimited #13 - 13,780  ( -9.0%)
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Spider-Man Unlimited #14 - 20,188  (+46.5%)
                                    6 mnth  (+28.7%)
                                    1 year  (+14.4%)
                                    2 year  (-46.2%)

A massive jump, apparently due solely to the presence of David Finch,
who clearly has a much more loyal fanbase than I realised.

129. MARVEL TEAM-UP
Mar 05  Marvel Team-Up #6  - 24,762  (-12.0%)
Apr 05  Marvel Team-Up #7  - 24,800  ( +0.2%)
May 05  Marvel Team-Up #8  - 24,270  ( -2.1%)
Jun 05  Marvel Team-Up #9  - 23,530  ( -3.0%)
Jul 05  Marvel Team-Up #10 - 22,549  ( -4.2%)
Aug 05  Marvel Team-Up #11 - 22,150  ( -1.8%)
Sep 05  Marvel Team-Up #12 - 21,240  ( -4.1%)
Oct 05  Marvel Team-Up #13 - 21,048  ( -0.9%)
Nov 05  Marvel Team-Up #14 - 26,200  (+24.5%)
Dec 05  Marvel Team-Up #15 - 20,000  (-23.7%)
Jan 06  Marvel Team-Up #16 - 19,955  ( -0.2%)
Feb 06  Marvel Team-Up #17 - 19,422  ( -2.7%)
Mar 06  Marvel Team-Up #18 - 18,944  ( -2.5%)
                              6 mnth  (-10.8%)
                              1 year  (-23.5%)

Surely coasting towards cancellation.

 From here on down, it's cancelled books, disastrously low-selling
miniseries, and the occasional lucky book that dreams of a better
afterlife in digest format.  Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

137. SPIDER-GIRL
Mar 02  Spider-Girl #45 - 23,065
Mar 03  Spider-Girl #58 - 23,776
Mar 04  Spider-Girl #71 - 20,709
======
Mar 05  Spider-Girl #84 - 20,050  ( -1.6%)
Apr 05  Spider-Girl #85 - 19,682  ( -1.8%)
May 05  Spider-Girl #86 - 19,452  ( -1.2%)
Jun 05  Spider-Girl #87 - 19,605  ( +0.8%)
Jul 05  Spider-Girl #88 - 18,983  ( -3.2%)
Aug 05  Spider-Girl #89 - 18,538  ( -2.3%)
Sep 05  Spider-Girl #90 - 18,344  ( -1.0%)
Oct 05  Spider-Girl #91 - 18,159  ( -1.0%)
Nov 05  Spider-Girl #92 - 17,597  ( -3.1%)
Dec 05  Spider-Girl #93 - 17,057  ( -3.1%)
Jan 06  Spider-Girl #94 - 17,148  ( +0.5%)
Feb 06  Spider-Girl #95 - 16,778  ( -2.2%)
Mar 06  Spider-Girl #96 - 16,739  ( -0.2%)
                           6 mnth  ( -8.7%)
                           1 year  (-16.5%)
                           2 year  (-19.2%)

Cancelled with issue #100, although there's now talk of it being revived
yet again.

139. SPIDER-MAN & ARANA
Mar 06  Spider-Man & Arana - 16,216

And don't come back.

enttäuschend

142. X-STATIX PRESENTS DEAD GIRL
Mar 01         X-Force #114 - 35,493
Mar 02         X-Force #126 - 43,016
Mar 03         X-Statix #9  - 32,133
Mar 04         X-Statix #20 - 23,677
======
Jan 06  Dead Girl #1 (of 5) - 20,685
Feb 06  Dead Girl #2 (of 5) - 17,369  (-16.0%)
Mar 06  Dead Girl #3 (of 5) - 16,048  ( -7.6%)
                               2 year  (-32.2%)

Disappointingly low numbers.

143. ARES
Jan 06  Ares #1 (of 5) - 20,541
Feb 06  Ares #2 (of 5) - 16,884  (-17.8%)
Mar 06  Ares #3 (of 5) - 15,895  (-14.4%)

The obvious hints that Ares is joining the Avengers seem to have made no
difference whatsoever to sales.

154,161. DAUGHTERS OF THE DRAGON
Jan 06  Daughters of the Dragon #1 (of 6) - 17,522
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Daughters of the Dragon #2 (of 6) - 13,256  (-24.3%)
Mar 06  Daughters of the Dragon #3 (of 6) - 12,104  ( -8.7%)

Not exactly the most promising start for the new HEROES FOR HIRE book,
which spins out of this miniseries.

gute Serien die niemand anrührt

169,175,178,179,188. UNTOLD TALES OF THE NEW UNIVERSE
Mar 06  Star Brand - 11,190
Mar 06     Justice - 10,680
Mar 06   Nightmask - 10,394
Mar 06         DP7 - 10,275
Mar 06   Psi-Force -  9,500

A tribute to the New Universe.  You know, authenticity is great and all,
but they didn't need to mimic the sales figures...

170. UNDERWORLD
Feb 06  Underworld #1 (of 5) - 12,479
Mar 06  Underworld #2 (of 5) - 11,134  (-10.8%)

Well, the drop could have been a lot worse, but that's really the only
good news.

173. DOC SAMSON
Jan 06  Doc Samson #1 (of 5) - 18,240
Feb 06  Doc Samson #2 (of 5) - 13,230  (-27.5%)
Mar 06  Doc Samson #3 (of 5) - 10,827  (-18.2%)

Awful numbers.

174. SENTINEL
Nov 05  Sentinel #1 (of 5) - 18,866  (+25.7%)
Dec 05  Sentinel #2 (of 5) - 14,108  (-25.2%)
Jan 06  Sentinel #3 (of 5) - 12,438  (-11.8%)
Feb 06  Sentinel #4 (of 5) - 11,402  ( -8.3%)
Mar 06  Sentinel #5 (of 5) - 10,778  ( -5.5%)

Not quite so dire, because SENTINEL exists to provide material for a
third digest, and the direct sales numbers aren't as crucial.

180. NEW MANGAVERSE
Jan 06  New Mangaverse #1 (of 5) - 14,403
Feb 06  New Mangaverse #2 (of 5) - 11,462  (-20.4%)
Mar 06  New Mangaverse #3 (of 5) - 10,427  ( -9.0%)

A completely dead concept by this point, surely?

182,187. AMAZING FANTASY
Mar 05  n/a
Apr 05  Amazing Fantasy #7  - 21,802  ( -8.9%)
May 05  Amazing Fantasy #8  - 17,773  (-18.5%)
Jun 05  Amazing Fantasy #9  - 15,606  (-12.2%)
Jul 05  Amazing Fantasy #10 - 14,729  ( -5.6%)
Aug 05  Amazing Fantasy #11 - 12,788  (-13.2%)
Sep 05  Amazing Fantasy #12 - 11,983  ( -6.3%)
Oct 05  Amazing Fantasy #13 - 11,973  ( -0.0%)
Oct 05  Amazing Fantasy #14 - 11,623  ( -2.9%)
Nov 05  Amazing Fantasy #15 - 13,958  (+20.1%)
Dec 05  Amazing Fantasy #16 - 11,816  (-15.3%)
Jan 06  Amazing Fantasy #17 - 10,517  (-11.0%)
Feb 06  n/a
Mar 06  Amazing Fantasy #18 - 10,108  ( -3.9%)
Mar 06  Amazing Fantasy #19 -  9,535  ( -5.7%)
                               6 mnth  (-20.4%)
                               1 year  (-56.3%)

Axed with issue #20.

192. NICK FURY'S HOWLING COMMANDOS
Oct 05  Howling Commandos #1 - 29,743
Nov 05  Howling Commandos #2 - 17,360  (-41.6%)
Dec 05  Howling Commandos #3 - 13,331  (-23.2%)
Jan 06  Howling Commandos #4 - 11,297  (-15.3%)
Feb 06  Howling Commandos #5 -  9,914  (-12.2%)
Mar 06  Howling Commandos #6 -  9,221  ( -7.0%)

Axed with this issue.

207. SABLE & FORTUNE
Jan 06  Sable & Fortune #1 (of 4) - 15,451
Feb 06  Sable & Fortune #2 (of 4) - 10,751  (-30.4%)
Mar 06  Sable & Fortune #3 (of 4) -  7,755  (-27.9%)

Cut back from six issues to four, and heading towards disastrous numbers
for the final issue.

209. SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE
Dec 05  Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #1 - 11,171
Jan 06  Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2 -  8,590  (-23.1%)
Feb 06  Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #3 -  7,648  (-11.0%)
Mar 06  Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #4 -  7,672  ( +0.3%)

Aimed primarily at the digest market.

215. I HEART MARVEL
Feb 06     Web of Romance - 9,442
Feb 06    My Mutant Heart - 8,837
Feb 06          Marvel AI - 8,133
Feb 06        Outlaw Love - 7,588
Mar 06  Masked Intentions - 6,876

A late shipping book from last month's Valentine's Day one-shots.

220. MARVEL ROMANCE REDUX
Feb 06  But He Said He Loved Me - 7,070
Mar 06              Guys & Doll - 6,150  (-13.0%)

For some reason, this miniseries of redialogued romance comics is
changing its title with every issue.  Horrid numbers, and while I'd
initially thought this might have a healthy afterlife as a humour book,
the two issues to date have been sufficiently laden with comic fandom
injokes to sink that idea.

224. MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN
Mar 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #1  - 14,351
Apr 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #2  - 10,305  (-28.2%)
May 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #3  -  9,110  (-11.6%)
Jun 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #4  -  8,878  ( -2.5%)
Jul 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #5  -  8,075  ( -9.0%)
Aug 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #6  -  7,636  ( -5.4%)
Sep 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #7  -  7,199  ( -5.7%)
Oct 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #8  -  7,088  ( -1.5%)
Nov 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #9  -  6,637  ( -6.4%)
Dec 05  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #10 -  6,391  ( -3.7%)
Jan 06  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #11 -  6,107  ( -4.4%)
Feb 06  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #12 -  6,087  ( -0.3%)
Mar 06  Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #13 -  5,899  ( -3.1%)
                                            6 mnth  (-18.1%)
                                            1 year  (-58.9%)

246. MARVEL ADVENTURES: FANTASTIC FOUR
May 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #0 - 9,723
Jun 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #1 - 9,617  ( -1.1%)
Jul 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #2 - 6,864  (-28.6%)
Aug 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #3 - 6,447  ( -6.1%)
Sep 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #4 - 6,064  ( -5.9%)
Oct 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #5 - 5,969  ( -1.6%)
Nov 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #6 - 5,522  ( -7.5%)
Dec 05   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #7 - 5,058  ( -8.4%)
Jan 06   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #8 - 4,834  ( -4.4%)
Feb 06   Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #9 - 4,711  ( -2.5%)
Mar 06  Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #10 - 4,663  ( -1.0%)
                                                6 mnth  (-23.1%)

Both aimed at the digest market.

254. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT
Dec 05         John Cassaday & Sean McKeever - 9,763
Jan 06             Warren Ellis & Jim Cheung - 6,843  (-29.9%)
Feb 06            Joss Whedon & Michael Lark - 5,947  (-13.1%)
Mar 06  David Finch & Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - 4,146  (-30.3%)

He can put 46% on fricking SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED, but even David Finch
can't make anyone order this dog.

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe/msg/0a7a8d91d3dbe93c?&hl=en