Which still leaves a lot of ground to cover. Of course, the value in issues like Action Comics #1 and Amazing Fantasy #15 is that nobody knew that Superman and Spider-Man were going to be hits, and so almost nobody went to the trouble of producing, buying, or preserving many copies of their first appearances. From superheroes, to classic horror monsters, to Star Wars. Four years later MacFarlane and a number of other popular artists, including Jim Lee, Erik Larsen, and Rob Liefeld, left Marvel to found rival Image Comics, a company that allowed creators to retain the copyrights of their characters. Assuming they dont have an exponential growth, if we take those 457 issues per year and multiply it by the 82 years Marvel has existed it would give us about 37,400 total Marvel comics published since 1939. ", Comichron, Comics with the highest estimated number of shipments to comic book stores in North America in April 2022 (in 1,000 units) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/369073/best-selling-comic-books-north-america/ (last visited May 02, 2023), Comics with the highest estimated number of shipments to comic book stores in North America in April 2022 (in 1,000 units) [Graph], Comichron, July 5, 2022. You wind up with a list more like The 10 best-selling American single-issue comic books of all time that we have hard data on.. This trend continued with a flood of other superhero characters introduced by Marvel Comics during the early 1960s, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men. With the release of Fantastic Four no. So, to get a rough idea of how many comics were published each year, you divide 32,000 comics by 70 years that gives you 457 comics per year. In 1991, X-Men #1 sold an estimated 8,186,500 copies, making it a likely contender for the best-selling single-issue comic book in history. Its a cheap price! Arad said. Iron Man 3 became the second Marvel film to gross more than $1 billion. As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail. switching to Penguin Random House Publisher Services, Star Wars: Trail of Shadows Begins a New Mystery With Dead Jedi. In order to capitalize on the growing popularity of comic books, especially those starring superheroes, Goodman created Timely, which, after one other name change, became Marvel Comics in the early 1960s. Best-selling comic books of all time | Statista Undoubtedly yes, but this is why SELL-THROUGH reveals so much. Comic book sales to stores in North America 2022 | Statista 210. But now, it looked as though Arads approach was going to bear fruit. In the face of mounting losses, Perelman decided to press on into new territory: he set up Marvel Studios, a venture which he hoped would finally get the companys most famous characters on the big screen after years of legal disputes. This issue is valued at $25,000, while the verified record sale is $456k. In 1951 Goodman formed his own distribution company, and Timely Comics became Atlas Magazines. Even a quirky film like Guardians Of The Galaxy a space opera some regarded as a gamble made more than $750 million. Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel Comics, was founded in 1939 by pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman. But a cliffhanger cant sell a comic before it hits stands. Its nothing! That Hollywood draw of potential new readers propelled retailer preorders of the reissue, bolstering the overall sales numbers of Ultimate Spider-Man #1. When you purchase through links on The best-selling comic books of all time - Polygon reflect a global market value of 7.14 billion dollars. In addition, Black Panther (2018) became the first Marvel movie to win an Academy Award; it received Oscars for costume design, original score, and production design. Please select which sections you would like to print: Also known as: Atlas Comics, Timely Comics, Scholar of 20th-century popular culture. Sales have been bolstered by variant incentives and one-shots, major relaunches including the likes of X-Men and Moon Knight, and events such as the X-Men's Hellfire Gala, War of the Bounty Hunters, and Fear State. In April 2022, the fifth issue of 'TMNT The Last Ronin' was the top-selling comic book in North America, with an estimated 100.46 thousand units shipped to comic stores. Dragon Ball. One of the most iconic DC comic book characters, Batman has sold 474 million issues so far. Marvel New Year's Eve Special Infinite Comic (2017) Marvel Now!