Titans Sales Watch: August

Thanks again to Detroyes! He writes 'em. I post 'em.

August sales numbers are now out, so its time for the monthly tilting at numerical windmills.

As always, all sales estimates are courtesy of ICv2:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/15820.html

FORMAT:

TITLE
Issue # / Release Month / Year / # Units Sold / +/- Previous Month

Blackest Night: Titans (3 Issue Mini Series)
#1 August 2009 64,767 N/A

Titans (Ongoing)
#16 August 2009 31,408 -14,781

Teen Titans (Ongoing)
#74 August 2009 30,380 -610

Tiny Titans (Ongoing)
#19 August 2009 8,432 -144


Vigilante (Ongoing)
#9 August 2009 8,387 -1,555

Doom Patrol (Ongoing)
#1 August 2009 28,267 N/A

Booster Gold (ongoing)
#23 August 2009 22,108 -306 (NTT Crossover)


Analysis:

Blackest Night Titans: Impressive start, all things considered. That's the best any Titans-related title has gotten since Titans #1 in April, 2008 (75,584). But I should also note that, of the three Blackest Night related mini's, it was also the one that sold the least. Still, between those sales numbers and the overwhelmingly positive reviews, this mini has been the biggest shot in the arm for the franchise in years.

Titans: Knew that wasn't going to last; what Blackest Night giveth, Blackest Night taketh away. The previous month's Titans got a +13k boost for having a Blackest Night-related issue; sadly, that boost did not translate to renewed interest in the title with the next issue, as it immediately gave back not only the boost but a little more. While long time fans seem to be enjoying the "Day in the Life" series of one-shots, the format is clearly not bringing in new blood. For the most part, this series is stuck in a holding pattern until the latest New Direction starts up, probably sometime early next year. Until then, the sales slide will probably continue; expect it to break below 30k next month.

Teen Titans: A smaller drop than usual, probably due to it being the last issue of the arc and the curiosity factor of "Another Titan Dies!". Like Titans, this series is basically going into yet another holding pattern, while we await how things shake-out with Blackest Night. The upcoming Blackest Night crossover issues will probably give it a smallish spike, not as big as the one Titans got but probably good for 4k-5k. After that, it will depend in large part on how it all shakes out after the first of the year.

Tiny Titans: While still quite healthy sales-wise for a title of its type, it is worth noting that the sales trend remains on a downward trajectory. If it gets to around 6k, it might be time to start worrying.

Vigilante: Sales continue to dwindle. This time, it actually found itself outsold by Tiny Titans. A pity.

Booster Gold: Included for the NTT crossover. While the title does record a smallish drop, I would like to point out that the drop appears to be much smaller than the title has lately been dropping, almost certainly due to the Titans fanbase crossover.

Doom Patrol: Like Vigilante, this is a title that is at best peripherally related. I'm not sure I'll keep up the coverage, but I thought it was worth noting where it starts.

Overall, slides continue, but we have a clear light in the darkness with Blackest Night: Titans. If only DC could find a way to capture that interest in the main titles...