Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, darth vader, diamond, entertainment, february, idw, loot crate, marketshare, orphan black

IDW's Orphan Black #1 Was The Best Selling Comic In February – Loot Crate Strikes Again!

If you recall, we ran a piece on Loot Crate's March offerings, speculating that there may be an exclusive copy of the IDW comic book Orphan Black #1 in there, and wondering what the effect on the market might be as a result.

Well, I think we can take this as evidence that there is one.

We understand that later today Diamond Comic Distributors will reveal that Orphan Black #1, the new comic book adaptation of the TV series, was the best selling comic in February in North America through the direct market system. Which means that IDW will have sold its copies to Loot Crate through Diamond and they are ready to go out in the upcoming crate.

You can sign up to the March Loot Crate subscription box here, by the way. Using the code BLEEDINGCOOL gets you added discount.

It may be worth retailers considering upping their numbers on Orphan Black #1 in case Loot Crate subscribers fancy tracking down the second issue.

It also meant that Darth Vader #1 from Marvel Comics, believed to have sold over 300,000 with a bevy of promotional covers, discounts and deals, will have been knocked down to second place.

Loot Crate is one of a number of monthly subscription packages of mystery stuff, though they are by far the most successful. They do deals with providers of geeky stuff to put things in there, exclusive variant comics, t-shirts, toys, digital code, nik naks, tchotchkies, whatever, of a geek nature. You expect to get about $40 worth. You pay $20 a month.

Loot Crate now seems to have about 350,000 subscribers. Premier publishers like Marvel and IDW are obliged by contract to sell the Loot Crate exclusive variants through Diamond to Loot Crate. So the sales get recorded on the official stats. Comics such as Rocket Raccoon #1, The Walking Dead #1 and Star Wars #1 have received a 250-350,000 sales bump as a result, while comics in Loot Crate rival Nerd Block have received smaller bumps, around 40,000 for Amazing Spider-Man #1 and Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #1 and The Eleventh Doctor #1, though the latter occurred outside of Diamond so was not recorded in the monthly statistics.

Marvel have now started their own box subscription service, with comics Funko toys and stuff.

The latest Bleeding Cool Magazine, still in stores, has an Orphan Black cover and feature, and you can read a web feature article by BC EIC Hannah Means-Shannon here.

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