Marvel Leads Sales in March on Strength of "AvX"

Diamond Comic Distributors has released sales numbers for March 2012, with the numbers reflecting what many already expected as Marvel continues to lead in dollar and unit share for a second straight month due to the strength of "Avengers Vs. X-Men." And while "AvX" #1 is officially an April release, Diamond points out that since it shipped to stores a week early in order to be available for launch parties nationwide, its numbers were included in the March data.

Beyond the mega-hyped crossover, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley earned their powerhouse status once again with "Avengers Assemble" #1 debuting strongly. "AvX" #1 and #0 ranked in first and second place on the orders chart, respectively, with the newest Avengers title arriving in the number five spot.

DC Comics continued to perform strongly, taking the remaining seven spots in the top ten led by perennial best seller "Justice League." Writer Geoff Johns was joined for this issue by guest artist Gene Ha, but retailers didn't seem to mind the lack of Jim Lee as the issue placed third, behind Marvel's "AvX" offerings.

Despite the arrival of two issues of "AvX" and "Avengers Assemble," overall sales for March were still down from April by 5.89% in dollars and 2.07% in units shipped.

In graphic novel sales, "The Walking Dead" Vol. 1 continues to perfom strongly, charting in first place, while Hellboy, The Boys, "X-Men: Season One" and "Flashpoint" all make appearances in the top ten.

For a full breakdown of the numbers, including final sales estimates, check back with CBR for John Mayo's monthly report and analysis.

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TAGS:  diamond comics, marvel comics, sales report, dc comics, image comics, justice league, the walking dead

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