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Author	Topic: Any word on how Spectre Archive sold?/
stoter1 Member	posted April 29, 2003 03:03 PM I quite liked it, and applaud DC for diversifying the archive line by entering into the arena of mysticism. I hope this did well. IP: Logged
datalore Member	posted April 29, 2003 05:01 PM Don't know, but I hope so too (that this might get us a Golden Age Dr. Fate one as well!) ------------------ "A nineteenth-century scientist, Thomas Huxley, once asked, 'If a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, then how much knowledge does a person need before they're safe?' ... The answer is, they'll never be safe again." — Darien Fawkes of the Invisible Man, "The Value of Secrets" IP: Logged
Jfire New Member	posted April 29, 2003 05:22 PM I saw Diamond numbers for March graphic novel sales this morning. According to the chart, the Spectre Archives sold 2,894 copies, placing it at #16. I don't know what "good" is. The number one seller, a Batman hardcover (I can't remember the name of it) sold 9,000 some. But the Spectre sold nearly as many copies as a Ultimate X-men softcover. I would think placing in the top 20 isn't so shabby. Anyone else know what good numbers are for an archive? ------------------ This is Pop! IP: Logged
dylanfan Member	posted April 29, 2003 05:36 PM The Spectre numbers are really good. I've been charting the sales of the last 20 books (including Spirit Archives) and the average Archive moves about 2700 units in pre-orders, so 2800+ puts it up there with Doom Patrol #1, Enemy Ace #1, and Batman in World's Finest #1. An example of an Archives below the average number includes Aquaman #1, Shazam #3 and Plastic Man #4. ------------------ Visit the Marvel Masterworks fansite and Message Board: Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com IP: Logged
rogerburks Member	posted April 29, 2003 05:37 PM I don't know either, but I really enjoyed this archive. I'm ready for a volume 2 now. IP: Logged
BillNolan Member	posted April 29, 2003 06:03 PM You also have to take into consideration that while the Spectre Archives was #16 in sales, it ranked #3 in retail dollars for the month. That's pretty good, too. - Bill IP: Logged
erdmann Member	posted April 30, 2003 11:49 PM Excellent. Now bring on Dr. Fate! IP: Logged
the ? Member	posted May 01, 2003 01:35 PM Outstanding. And then, The Sandman! IP: Logged
Marty Raap Member	posted May 01, 2003 01:42 PM I was hoping the numbers on this would be good. DC has said we wouldn't see GA Spectre #2 for the foreseeable future because of the presence of Popp. While I'm no big Popp fan, I'd still like to see the book just to finish out the GA Spectre. And, hey, maybe I'll like some of those stories after all. I hope that the chances of seeing GA #2 may have risen since the numbers were so good for #1. (I'm sure we'll get SA Spectre some time, in any event.) IP: Logged
stoter1 Member	posted May 01, 2003 02:00 PM quote: Originally posted by Marty Raap: I was hoping the numbers on this would be good. DC has said we wouldn't see GA Spectre #2 for the foreseeable future because of the presence of Popp. While I'm no big Popp fan, I'd still like to see the book just to finish out the GA Spectre. And, hey, maybe I'll like some of those stories after all. I hope that the chances of seeing GA #2 may have risen since the numbers were so good for #1. (I'm sure we'll get SA Spectre some time, in any event.) Not to sound too ingornat, but who is Pop, and while we are on the subject of sales, how do you account for Aquaman's poor sales performance? It's a number one. The character is very recognizable. It is inconceivable to me that Aquaman did not outsell Enemy Ace or even Spectre for that matter IP: Logged
NecessaryImpurity Member	posted May 01, 2003 02:06 PM I hope the Aquaman numbers are based on the calender (a post-Christmas release) and not the character. If it is calender, then the follow-up orders should be strong and we'll get that Volume 2 in 2 years or so. If the follow-up orders suck, Aquaman might have a GA Flash level of frequency. IP: Logged
IndianaBoo Member	posted May 01, 2003 02:18 PM Not to sound too ingornat, but who is Pop, and while we are on the subject of sales, how do you account for Aquaman's poor sales performance? It's a number one. The character is very recognizable. It is inconceivable to me that Aquaman did not outsell Enemy Ace or even Spectre for that matter [/B][/QUOTE] Percival Popp was a detective that considered himself a super sleuth. He was added for comic relief/sidekick humor. After all, the book's title was More Fun Comics. I have started reading these stories on microfiche. The Spectre acts more human and has a sense of humour. The story and art is what you should expect out of a golden age era story. It was wartime and you made do with who was available to get the material out to the public. IP: Logged
stoter1 Member	posted May 01, 2003 02:28 PM quote: Originally posted by NecessaryImpurity: I hope the Aquaman numbers are based on the calender (a post-Christmas release) and not the character. If it is calender, then the follow-up orders should be strong and we'll get that Volume 2 in 2 years or so. If the follow-up orders suck, Aquaman might have a GA Flash level of frequency. The numbers just don;t seem to make any sense. Retailers usually order #1 volumes in high numbers, especially for an established character. Also, Aquaman is currently one of DC's top selling books, so you'd think that this would also have suggested large orders on this book. I for one loved the book, and hope they produce another very soon. Not too big a fan of GA Flash or GL, so if they go the way of the Dodo, I won't be too diapointed. IP: Logged
ActionFigureMaker Member	posted May 01, 2003 03:10 PM I, too, am baffled by the poor sales of Aquaman Archives #1. His 13 seasons on Super Friends have made him one of the most recognizable of DC's characters. Stop any ten people on the street and say Doom Patrol, Hawkman, Black Canary, Sergeant Rock; they don't know what you're talking about. But they all know Aquaman. ------------------ My custom figures More cool stuff IP: Logged
stoter1 Member	posted May 01, 2003 03:55 PM quote: Originally posted by ActionFigureMaker: I, too, am baffled by the poor sales of Aquaman Archives #1. His 13 seasons on Super Friends have made him one of the most recognizable of DC's characters. Stop any ten people on the street and say Doom Patrol, Hawkman, Black Canary, Sergeant Rock; they don't know what you're talking about. But they all know Aquaman. I know. I happened to have a few archives along with me the other day when I was visiting a friend in the hospital. I had Aquaman, Doom Patrol, Spectre and Enemy Ace. A number of people came over and asked what I was reading. when I showed them, 5 out of the six people had heard of Aquaman. None of them recognized any of the other titles. IP: Logged
BearPaws Member	posted May 01, 2003 05:28 PM quote: Originally posted by ActionFigureMaker: I, too, am baffled by the poor sales of Aquaman Archives #1. His 13 seasons on Super Friends have made him one of the most recognizable of DC's characters... "Recognizable" does not necessarily mean "marketable". Sure, most people know Aquaman, but nearly as many probably think fish-telepathy is, well, goofy. Aquaman was never the most powerful or "useful" of the SuperFriends, and the recent spots on Cartoon Network probably didn't help any: Aquaman and Wonder Woman are bound, hanging inside the Legion of Doom HQ. "My ability to talk to fish is of no help, Wonder Woman!" (WW rolls her eyes, in a "well, duh" kind of way.) The Aqua-dance spot (in a field of cows) speaks for itself. With that kind of publicity, I'm not terribly surprised the volume didn't reach a broader market. ------------------ "I knew I wasn't risking my secret identity with you! After all, if I can't trust the President of the United States, who can I trust?" • Superman to JFK, Action Comics #309, February 1964 IP: Logged
Joe Pacheco Member	posted May 02, 2003 09:30 PM Since the pre-orders indicate comic "fans" as oppossed to the general public, it makes sense that Doom Patrol and Enemy Ace for example would sell better. Doom Patrol and Enemy Ace have long been fan based on the quality of the series more than the actual character. I've been reading comics for over 20 years and other than an occasional mention of the S.A.G run, I never heard any thing good about Aquaman until I came to this board. I bet little known (to the general public) but highly regarded (in fan circles) titles like Batlash or Adam Strange would sell better than Aquaman to the standard archive buyer. IP: Logged
rogerburks Member	posted May 02, 2003 10:18 PM quote: Originally posted by dylanfan: The Spectre numbers are really good. I've been charting the sales of the last 20 books (including Spirit Archives)... I for one would enjoy seeing the sales comparisons in a thread or website. IP: Logged
NecessaryImpurity Member	posted May 03, 2003 03:46 PM A comparison of Diamond pre-orders vs. books actually shipped is interesting. If you didn't know, up until March, Diamond was relaesing data for the pre-order numbers only. They changed the policy to reflect the books actually shipped. The pre-order numbers for March came out in February; the actual numbers are from April. From here on out, we will get the actual numbers 4-8 weeks after a book is released. Spectre pre-order was: 2702 Spectre actual is: 2894 That's almost 200 more books! Makes you wonder about Aquaman, doesn't it? Other books of note (pre-orders/actual): Top Ten Book 2 SC: 4348/4761 Bizarro Comics SC: 2960/3516 Ultimate X-Men V2 HC: 2543/2813 Daredevil V1 HC: 2408/2597 IP: Logged
James Friel Member	posted May 03, 2003 03:54 PM It's very common for retailers to submit order increases or advance reorders on books that look as if there might be some interest, or on high priced stuff that they've been playing it safe on, before shipping. Yes it would be very interesting to know the actual figures for Aquaman. A January release can be expected to have been ordered a little conservatively, and advance interest could have generated a lot of reorder activity. IP: Logged
The Anti-Life Equation Member	posted May 04, 2003 11:10 PM quote: Originally posted by Jfire: I would think placing in the top 20 isn't so shabby. Considering that it costs $50.00 per unit, I'm inclined to agree with you. ------------------ The ALE IP: Logged

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