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Posted in: Comics | Tagged: idw, marvel, Penguin Random House
Blue Lock, Berzerk Top Penguin Random House March 2023 Comics Chart
Penguin Random House has been the exclusive direct market distributor of Marvel Comics for a couple of years now as well as IDW.
Penguin Random House has been the exclusive direct market distributor of Marvel Comics for a couple of years now. It started off awfully, possibly with the worst comic book distribution history of any company ever in its first month, but since then has done a much better job of it. They are also now exclusive direct market distributors for IDW and Dark Horse, as well as bookstore distributors for many publishers. Which means they can now start putting out charts. No sales numbers attached, and heavily biased towards the publishers they exclusively distribute, given all of that, they still make interesting reading.
As well as National Charts and Direct Market Charts, they also break the sales down into three types:
- Initial Sales – These would be the sales orders for titles beginning from when first solicited, up to the release/on-sale date. What jumped out of the gate with the biggest anticipation!
- Frontlist Sales – These are the sales orders from the first on-sale date up until a title has been released for a single year. This is a great "heat check" index or to look for momentum builders.
- Backlist Sales – These are the sales for titles that have already been in the market for over a year. This is a good area to look for future evergreen options, what's seasonally or unusually hot, and reorder leaders.
And then there are the top twenty for Marvel and IDW. Dark Horse to come next month I'm sure.
Penguin Random House noted a strong presence for the comic adaptation of the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and the Dungeons & Dragons movie prequel graphic novel. DC Comics' middle-grade and young adult titles break through to bookstores, and Marvel's Epic format works for bookstores too.
K. O'Neill's middle-grade fantasy The Moth Keeper also works across both markets, and went straight to reorder. Turtles future spinoff, The Last Ronin continues to put on sales, and Blue Lock is a big manga seller that a number of stores have inexplicably missed out on. The first two volumes of Lore sell well, despite some time until the third volume is out. While Grumpy Monkey continues to be a perennially popular early graphic novel series for children. The Disney100 variant outsold Amazing Spider-Man #21's main cover at the top of Marvel's chart, while the Alex Ross variant outsold the Venom: Lethal Protector II #1 main cover.
Direct Market Graphic Novels – Initial Sales (Units) – March 2023
| Rank | Title | Author Short | Onsale Date | Publisher Division |
| 1 | MOON KNIGHT VOL. 3: HALFWAY TO SANITY | MACKAY, JED | 3/21/2023 | Marvel |
| 2 | SPIDER-PUNK: BATTLE OF THE BANNED | ZIGLAR, CODY | 3/21/2023 | Marvel |
| 3 | MOON KNIGHT: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD TREASURY EDITION | HICKMAN, JONATHAN | 3/28/2023 | Marvel |
| 4 | WOLVERINE: WEAPON X DELUXE EDITION | WINDSOR-SMITH, VARRY | 3/28/2023 | Marvel |
| 5 | DAREDEVIL EPIC COLLECTION: WATCH OUT FOR BULLSEYE | GERBER, STEVE | 3/28/2023 | Marvel |
| 6 | ALIENS EPIC COLLECTION: THE ORIGINAL YEARS VOL. 1 | VERHEIDEN, MARK | 3/14/2023 | Marvel |
| 7 | AVENGERS EPIC COLLECTION: ACTS OF VENGEANCE | FINGEROTH, DANNY | 3/28/2023 | Marvel |
| 8 | Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Comic / Manhua) Vol. 1 | MO XIANG TONG XIU | 03/07/23 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 9 | GAMBIT: THICK AS THIEVES | CLAREMONT, CHRIS | 03/07/23 | Marvel |
| 10 | CARNAGE EPIC COLLECTION: WEB OF CARNAGE | DEMATTEIS, J.M. | 3/28/2023 | Marvel |
| 11 | DEADPOOL BY KELLY THOMPSON | THOMPSON, KELLY | 3/14/2023 | Marvel |
| 12 | THE VARIANTS | SIMONE, GAIL | 3/14/2023 | Marvel |
| 13 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLLECTION: THE GOBLIN LIVES | LEE, STAN | 03/07/23 | Marvel |
| 14 | FANTASTIC FOUR EPIC COLLECTION: THE DREAM IS DEAD | ENGLEHART, STEVE | 3/21/2023 | Marvel |
| 15 | Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves–The Feast of the Moon (Movie Prequel Comic) | LAMBERT, JEREMY | 03/07/23 | IDW Publishing |
National Market Graphic Novels – Initial Sales (Units) – March 2023
| Rank | Title | Author Short | Onsale Date | Publisher Division |
| 1 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 13 | MIURA, KENTARO | 3/21/2023 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 2 | Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Comic / Manhua) Vol. 1 | MO XIANG TONG XIU | 03/07/23 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 3 | Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu (Novel) Vol. 1 | MENG XI SHI | 3/14/2023 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 4 | Teen Titans: Robin | GARCIA, KAMI | 03/07/23 | DC Comics |
| 5 | Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves–The Feast of the Moon (Movie Prequel Comic) | LAMBERT, JEREMY | 03/07/23 | IDW Publishing |
| 6 | The Moth Keeper | O'NEILL, K. | 03/07/23 | RH Childrens Books |
| 7 | Dai Dark Vol. 5 | HAYASHIDA, Q | 3/28/2023 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 8 | orange -to you, dear one- | TAKANO, ICHIGO | 03/07/23 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 9 | Bruce Wayne: Not Super | GIBBS, STUART | 3/14/2023 | DC Comics |
| 10 | YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story 02 | TARO, YOKO | 3/14/2023 | Square Enix |
| 11 | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 21 | FUSE | 3/28/2023 | Kodansha Comics |
| 12 | Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 10 | OHKUBO, ATSUSHI | 3/28/2023 | Square Enix |
| 13 | Plants vs. Zombies Volume 20: Faulty Fables | TOBIN, PAUL | 03/07/23 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 14 | Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Light Novel) Vol. 21 | MAGONOTE, RIFUJIN NA | 3/21/2023 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 15 | The Ancient Magus' Bride Vol. 17 | YAMAZAKI, KORE | 03/07/23 | Seven Seas Entertain |
Direct Market Graphic Novels – Front List Sales (Units) – March 2023
| Rank | Title | Author Short | Onsale Date | Publisher Division |
| 1 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin | EASTMAN, KEVIN | 07/05/22 | IDW Publishing |
| 2 | Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow | KING, TOM | 7/26/2022 | DC Comics |
| 3 | Blue Lock 5 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 2/21/2023 | Kodansha Comics |
| 4 | Blue Lock 1 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 6/21/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 5 | HULK: GRAND DESIGN TREASURY EDITION | RUGG, JIM | 2/21/2023 | Marvel |
| 6 | IMMORTAL IRON FIST & THE IMMORTAL WEAPONS OMNIBUS | BRUBAKER, ED | 2/28/2023 | Marvel |
| 7 | Blue Lock 4 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 12/20/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 8 | SPIDER-VERSE/SPIDER-GEDDON OMNIBUS | SLOTT, DAN | 2/21/2023 | Marvel |
| 9 | AVENGERS BY JONATHAN HICKMAN OMNIBUS VOL. 1 [NEW PRINTING] | HICKMAN, JONATHAN | 02/07/23 | Marvel |
| 10 | Blue Lock 2 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 8/30/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 11 | The Nice House on the Lake Vol. 1 | TYNION IV, JAMES | 03/01/22 | DC Comics |
| 12 | Godzilla Vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | BUNN, CULLEN | 11/08/22 | IDW Publishing |
| 13 | ALIEN VOL. 2: REVIVAL | JOHNSON, PHILLIP KENNEDY | 8/23/2022 | Marvel |
| 14 | A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY | GILLEN, KIERON | 2/21/2023 | Marvel |
| 15 | The Moth Keeper | O'NEILL, K. | 03/07/23 | RH Childrens Books |
National Market Graphic Novels – Front List Sales (Units) – March 2023
| Rank | Title | Author Short | Onsale Date | Publisher Division |
| 1 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin | EASTMAN, KEVIN | 07/05/22 | IDW Publishing |
| 2 | Blue Lock 1 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 6/21/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 3 | Sweet Valley Twins: Best Friends | PASCAL, FRANCINE | 11/01/22 | RH Childrens Books |
| 4 | Blue Lock 5 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 2/21/2023 | Kodansha Comics |
| 5 | Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Comic / Manhua) Vol. 1 | MO XIANG TONG XIU | 03/07/23 | Seven Seas Entertain |
| 6 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 12 | MIURA, KENTARO | 12/27/2022 | Dark Horse Comics |
| 7 | Blue Lock 2 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 8/30/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 8 | Blue Lock 3 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 10/25/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 9 | I Did It! | EMBERLEY, MICHAEL | 10/11/22 | Holiday House |
| 10 | Sailor Moon 1 (Naoko Takeuchi Collection) | TAKEUCHI, NAOKO | 05/03/22 | Kodansha Comics |
| 11 | Blue Lock 4 | KANESHIRO, MUNEYUKI | 12/20/2022 | Kodansha Comics |
| 12 | Lore Olympus: Volume Two | SMYTHE, RACHEL | 07/05/22 | Random House Worlds |
| 13 | Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow | KING, TOM | 7/26/2022 | DC Comics |
| 14 | Pop Manga Dragons and Other Magically Mythical Creatures | D'ERRICO, CAMILLA | 5/17/2022 | Potter/Ten Speed |
| 15 | The Moth Keeper | O'NEILL, K. | 03/07/23 | RH Childrens Books |
Direct Market Graphic Novels – Backlist Sales (Units) – March 2023
| Rank | Title | Author Short | Onsale Date | Publisher Division | |
| 1 | SECRET WARS | RIBIC, ESAD | 09/06/16 | Marvel | |
| 2 | HOUSE OF X/POWERS OF X | LARRAZ, PEPE | 8/25/2020 | Marvel | |
| 3 | STAR WARS: DARTH VADER BY GREG PAK VOL. 1 – DARK HEART OF THE SITH | PAK, GREG | 10/05/21 | Marvel | |
| 4 | THE UNCANNY X-MEN OMNIBUS VOL. 1 | CLAREMONT, CHRIS | 02/01/22 | Marvel | |
| 5 | MS. MARVEL VOL. 1: NO NORMAL | WILSON, G. WILLOW | 10/05/21 | Marvel | |
| 6 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Vol. 1: Fallout! | FLYNN, IAN | 9/18/2018 | IDW Publishing | |
| 7 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 2 | MIURA, KENTARO | 07/09/19 | Dark Horse Comics | |
| 8 | SCARLET WITCH BY JAMES ROBINSON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION | ROBINSON, JAMES | 02/02/21 | Marvel | |
| 9 | IRONHEART: RIRI WILLIAMS | BENDIS, BRIAN MICHAEL | 10/15/2019 | Marvel | |
| 10 | DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN | MILLER, FRANK | 8/28/2012 | Marvel | |
| 11 | Batman: The Killing Joke Deluxe (New Edition) | MOORE, ALAN | 9/17/2019 | DC Comics | |
| 12 | SPIDER-MAN: KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT | DEMATTEIS, J.M. | 3/20/2012 | Marvel | |
| 13 | MARVEL 1602 | KUBERT, ANDY | 6/19/2012 | Marvel | |
| 14 | Witch Hat Atelier 1 | SHIRAHAMA, KAMOME | 04/09/19 | Kodansha Comics | |
| 15 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 3 | MIURA, KENTARO | 11/05/19 | Dark Horse Comics | |
National Market Graphic Novels – Backlist Sales (Units)- March 2023
| Rank | Title | Author Short | Publisher Division | ||
| 1 | Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #1) | CLANTON, BEN | Tundra | ||
| 2 | Attack on Titan 1 | ISAYAMA, HAJIME | Kodansha Comics | ||
| 3 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 2 | MIURA, KENTARO | Dark Horse Comics | ||
| 4 | Lore Olympus: Volume One | SMYTHE, RACHEL | Random House Worlds | ||
| 5 | Grumpy Monkey Freshly Squeezed | LANG, SUZANNE | RH Childrens Books | ||
| 6 | Pop Manga Coloring Book | D'ERRICO, CAMILLA | Potter/Ten Speed | ||
| 7 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 3 | MIURA, KENTARO | Dark Horse Comics | ||
| 8 | Flora and Ulysses | DICAMILLO, KATE | Candlewick | ||
| 9 | Berserk Volume 1 | MIURA, KENTARO | Dark Horse Comics | ||
| 10 | Pop Manga Cute and Creepy Coloring Book | D'ERRICO, CAMILLA | Potter/Ten Speed | ||
| 11 | Attack on Titan 2 | ISAYAMA, HAJIME | Kodansha Comics | ||
| 12 | Attack on Titan Coloring Book | ISAYAMA, HAJIME | Kodansha Comics | ||
| 13 | When Stars Are Scattered | JAMIESON, VICTORIA | PenguinYoung Readers | ||
| 14 | Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1 | MO XIANG TONG XIU | Seven Seas Entertain | ||
| 15 | Berserk Deluxe Volume 4 | MIURA, KENTARO | Dark Horse Comics | ||
Marvel Comic Single Issue Top 20 – March 2023
| Rank | Title Short | Onsale Date | |
| 1 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 21 MANGIATORDI DISNEY100 HULK VARIANT | WELLS, ZEB | 03/08/23 |
| 2 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 22 | WELLS, ZEB | 3/22/2023 |
| 3 | AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 21 | WELLS, ZEB | 03/08/23 |
| 4 | VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR II 1 ALEX ROSS TIMELESS VENOM VIRGIN VARIANT | MICHELINIE, DAVID | 3/29/2023 |
| 5 | DAREDEVIL 9 | ZDARSKY, CHIP | 3/29/2023 |
| 6 | X-MEN 20 | DUGGAN, GERRY | 03/08/23 |
| 7 | THOR 32 | CATES, DONNY | 3/29/2023 |
| 8 | DOCTOR STRANGE 1 | MACKAY, JED | 3/22/2023 |
| 9 | SPIDER-MAN 6 | SLOTT, DAN | 03/01/23 |
| 10 | HULK 13 | OTTLEY, RYAN | 3/15/2023 |
| 11 | VENOM 17 | EWING, AL | 03/01/23 |
| 12 | STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN 8 | BARNES, RODNEY | 03/01/23 |
| 13 | MOON KNIGHT 21 | MACKAY, JED | 03/08/23 |
| 14 | WOLVERINE 31 | PERCY, BENJAMIN | 3/15/2023 |
| 15 | HALLOWS' EVE 1 | SCHULTZ, ERICA | 03/01/23 |
| 16 | MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN 4 | ZIGLAR, CODY | 3/15/2023 |
| 17 | VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR II 1 | MICHELINIE, DAVID | 3/29/2023 |
| 18 | FANTASTIC FOUR 5 | NORTH, RYAN | 03/08/23 |
| 19 | STAR WARS: DARTH VADER 32 | PAK, GREG | 3/22/2023 |
| 20 | X-23: DEADLY REGENESIS 1 | SCHULTZ, ERICA | 03/08/23 |
IDW Comic Single Issue Top 20 – March 2023
| Rank | Title Short | Author Short | Onsale Date |
| 1 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin–Lost Years #2 Variant A (Gallant) | EASTMAN, KEVIN | 3/15/2023 |
| 2 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin–Lost Years #2 Variant B (Eastman & Bishop) | EASTMAN, KEVIN | 3/15/2023 |
| 3 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin–Lost Years #2 Variant C (Barravecchia) | EASTMAN, KEVIN | 3/15/2023 |
| 4 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #138 Variant A (Pe) | CAMPBELL, SOPHIE | 3/22/2023 |
| 5 | Sonic the Hedgehog #58 Variant A (Yardley) | FLYNN, IAN | 03/01/23 |
| 6 | Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 Cover A (Kambadais) | BOOHER, DAVID M. | 3/29/2023 |
| 7 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game #6 Variant A (Federici) | WALTZ, TOM | 3/15/2023 |
| 8 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game–The Alliance #5 Variant A (Mercado) | ALLOR, PAUL | 03/08/23 |
| 9 | Star Trek: Defiant #1 Variant A (Unzueta) | CANTWELL, CHRISTOPHER | 3/15/2023 |
| 10 | Star Trek #5 Variant A (Rosanas) | KELLY, COLLIN | 3/15/2023 |
| 11 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #138 Variant B (Eastman & Campbell) | CAMPBELL, SOPHIE | 3/22/2023 |
| 12 | My Little Pony #10 Variant A (Mebberson) | BRONFMAN, CELESTE | 03/01/23 |
| 13 | Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. Titanosaurus Variant A (Wind) | DELLIQUANTI, BLUE | 03/08/23 |
| 14 | Godzilla: Best of King Ghidorah Cover A (Biggie) | VARIOUS | 3/22/2023 |
| 15 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds–The Illyrian Enigma #4 Cover A (Levens) | BEYER, KIRSTEN | 3/29/2023 |
| 16 | Star Trek: Resurgence #5 Cover A (Hood) | GRANT, ANDREW | 3/15/2023 |
| 17 | Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 Variant B (Hickey) | BOOHER, DAVID M. | 3/29/2023 |
| 18 | Sonic the Hedgehog #58 Variant B (Oz) | FLYNN, IAN | 03/01/23 |
| 19 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game #6 Variant C (Eastman) | WALTZ, TOM | 3/15/2023 |
| 20 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game–The Alliance #5 Variant B (Verdugo) | ALLOR, PAUL | 03/08/23 |
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