Titans Sales Watch: October

Thanks once again, DeTroyes....

Ack! The October numbers have been up for a week, and I've just been too busy to post this until now. This ones going to be quick and a little light on the analysis.

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ICv2 has released the October sales estimates.

Raw data:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/16243.html

FORMAT:

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

Blackest Night: Titans (3 Issue Mini Series)
#3 October 2009 63,670 -416

Teen Titans (Ongoing)
#76 October 2009 29,166 -3,642

Titans (Ongoing)
#18 October 2009 28,215 -1,939

Tiny Titans (Ongoing)
#21 October 2009 8,259 -176


Vigilante (Ongoing) (Cancelled)
#11 October 2009 6,971 -885

Doom Patrol (Ongoing)
#3 October 2009 20,036 -1,965

Graphic Novels
No Titans-related releases in October.

Analysis

Blackest Night: Titans -- Can't complain. Most successful Titans related title since Geoff Johns left. With that kind of reception, DC would be fools not to put JT Krul on a Titans title permanently.

Teen Titans -- I expected a drop off from last issue, just not one quite that big (although I will point out that if you treat TT #75 as an anomaly due to it being a milestone issue etc., those sales numbers are exactly in line with the previous trend). Nevertheless, there are several factors coming up which I think signal the end of the slide. The next two issues are going to be a Blackest Night crossover, and that alone will probably be good for a 3k-4k bump in sales. After that, Teen Titans will be doing a major Static arc, and sometime after that will see the return of Conner and Bart to the team. All of these have been hotly anticipated. Therefore, I still expect that TT's sales slide will reverse itself in the coming months. Though the lukewarm reception Henderson is getting might mitigate that.

Titans -- Title is in freefall. No more Blackest Night crossovers are planned, so I doubt it will get any bumps in the next few months. A New Direction is coming, but it remains to be seen if Deathstroke will be enough to save the book.

Tiny Titans -- Aw, yeah! Titans!

Vigilante -- An ignoble end to an otherwise decent title.

Doom Patrol -- Wow. The drop-off has been pretty bad, despite the generally positive reviews. I have a feeling this title is going to become something like REBELS and Jonah Hex are -- well liked, well reviewed, but low selling.

Overall Analysis: Pretty much a holding pattern. Both main titles are awaiting the full reveal of their new directions (though we have some hints in Teen Titans), but unfortunately we're some months away from full implementation, and even further away from finding out if any of it will resonate with the readers. Economic factors are probably also playing a role, and will probably hamper any sales efforts to turn these titles around.

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Thanks for reading, and I hope these little exercises are of some use to someone.

Amazon Shopping Reminder

If you do holiday shopping at amazon, kindly use my blog link, and I get credit for gift certificates!
All you have to do is initially click on the link in the right column that says "find the perfect gift", then shop!

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Preview: TEEN TITANS #77

Check it out here, due in stores Wednesday.

TEEN TITANS #77
Written by J.T. Krul
Co-feature written by Sean McKeever
Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
Co-feature art by Yildiray Cinar & Júlio Ferreira
Cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
It’s a return of the teenage dead in this BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in issue! There’s certainly no shortage of dead Teen Titans, so when the Black Lanterns come a-calling, old teammates return with a vengeance! It’s a Titan’s worst nightmare come true!
On sale November 25 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

One Year Later Art Project

"You call this the Titans? Since Superboy died, the Titans have gone through over twenty new members. But no one wanted to stay very long. No one got along."

- Wonder Girl (Teen Titans (third series) #36 [2006])

DC's "One Year Later" event occurred March of 2006. In Teen Titans #33, Superboy and Nightwing are in the thick of the Infinite Crisis world-shattering event. With Teen Titans #34, a full year has passed since the Crisis. A comatose Cyborg awakens to discover the only active Titans: Robin, Ravager and Kid Devil. Cyborg is told that the Titans had quite a few membership shake-ups during his "missing year."

Readers shared in Cyborg's confusion. Following the limited series, Infinite Crisis, every DC comic series jumped ahead by one year between February 2006 and March 2006. With DC's March books, the characters' histories resumed "one year later." During the "missing year" between Teen Titans #33 and #34, over 20 new or returning members joined the team. They would come and go, most only being on the team a few weeks before quitting or getting kicked out or simply disappearing. One team was glimpsed at in Teen Titans #34. Teen Titans #38 revealed all the "One Year Gap Titans" in a double page spread.

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OK, so, since I'm mostly bored with the current Titans books, I thought of a fun little project.... drawing the "One Year Gap" Titans... and possibly even some moments that were alluded to, but we never saw. Here's my first entries....

Molecule & Argent: "First Date"



And Mas Y Menos: "First Run"



Talon, Mirage & Flamebird: "Familiar Attractions"



Joker's Daughter & Riddler's Daughter: "Makin' Mischief"



Any other character combo suggestions? I already have some ideas. I'm mostly doing combos of characters, and the rule is they MUST BE MEMBERS during that missing year. You can find the list here.

Didio's 10 Answers 11/16/09

From Didio's 10 Answers 11/16/09:

2) wearelegion wrote:
Hi Dan -

Thanks for taking time to answer questions every week. It really brings DC closer to the fans as well as create great buzz and anticipation for the upcoming stories.

Understanding that there are probably 5 key character franchises in the DC universe (Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman...to some extent), are there any other key characters or teams that you would like to develop as a franchise moving forward?

DiDi: Well, we're trying right now, and I think we have a nice level of success, with Justice Society of America. By spinning out Power Girl and Magog into their own series, I think we've shown some characters that are part of a larger group that haven't had the chance to be showcased nearly to this level before. And then also by splitting the team into JSA All-Stars, it also shows that we have belief in a large group of characters in that book that people are wanting to see and see in more stories.

One of the things we're trying to do now and in the coming months is to put a fire under the Titans and Teen Titans again, to get those stories back in everybody's mind again. There's a richness of characters in there that could probably support their own stories if given the chance. When I look at characters like Cyborg and how long he's been around, and the fact that he's been featured in animation and on television, and the fact that we've never even given him a shot at an ongoing series, I think it something worth considering in the future.

I look at several of our team books, and in particular Justice Society and Teen Titans, and I think each one of them can have more material coming from them.

3) Alive_Man_Fastest wrote:
Hello Dan DiDio,

My question pertains to Kid Flash. Let me first say how excited I am about the Kid Flash book. Impulse is my favorite comic, and what got me into comics. So seeing Bart get his own title once again is like a dream come true.

I know the book probably isn't going to come out until maybe May, but I was hoping for some kind of announcement about it. I would love to know the artist, but I'll settle for any piece of information that hasn't been previously announced.

Thank you for your time, and thank you for doing these 10 answers and a question things, they are a fun Monday surprise.

DiDio: I can tell you that Sterling Gates is going to be working very closely with Geoff Johns so that the Kid Flash book and the Flash book really feel like it's a tandem team more than two separate series. And more importantly, we'll be seeing Kid Flash back in Teen Titans relatively soon as well. That hope should keep fans like "Alive Fastest Man" running at full speed until the series appears in May of next year.

Nrama: He mentioned the Impulse comic in particular. Can we expect Kid Flash to harken back to that comic? Or is the style of this come more comparable to work we've seen from Sterling Gates in the past?

DiDio: I think Sterling's already doing such a great job on Supergirl, and he'll bring a lot of those same sensibilities to Kid Flash. That's one of the reasons we chose him for that series. Also, you'll still see the dynamic between Kid Flash and Max Mercury, if I'm not mistaken. And I think that's new information, so you did get something out of me. But Max will be featured in this series as well. So if somebody's a fan of Impulse, they'll get that relationship back in the Kid Flash series. Because of the Max/Bart relationship, I think they'll be very pleasantly surprised about what the plans are for the book.

Ummmm... hasn't Didio been talking about "putting a fire under the Titans and Teen Titans again" for the past 2 years or so?

Titans In February

DC Comics has released solicitation information and images for new comics and products shipping in February 2010.

TEEN TITANS #80
On sale February 24 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by Felicia D. Henderson• Co-feature written by Sean McKeever • Art and cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson • Co-feature art by Yildiray Cinar & Júlio Ferreira
The Teen Titans rush to rescue Static from the clutches of the sadistic thug Holocaust. Plus: Slave-girl Ravager — unleashed!

TITANS #22
On sale February 10 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by J.T. Krul • Art by Angel Unzueta & Wayne Faucher • Cover by Angel Unzueta
DC fans won’t want to miss this finale of the two-part "Fractured" story! As the remaining three members of the team are evicted from their New York City headquarters by General Lane, they wonder if there’s anywhere on Earth they can still call home. The answer will surprise you! This issue closes this chapter in the life of the classic Titans team and ushers in an exciting new era in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA and March’s TITANS ANNUAL that’ll blow your mind!

TINY TITANS #25
On sale February 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.50 US
Written by Art Baltazar, Franco & Geoff Johns Art and cover by Art Baltazar
Special guest co-writer Geoff Johns comes to TINY TITANS, and he’s bringing Superboy along with him! And Superboy’s bringing his bizarro brother Match! And Match… well, Match always brings mischief wherever he goes. Join us for an extra-super issue jam-packed with colored rings and awesome things!

BLACKEST NIGHT #7
On sale February 24 - 7 of 8 - 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by Geoff Johns - Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert - Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari - Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis
As Nekron continues to wage war on life throughout the universe, Hal Jordan discovers the grim, true mission behind the villain's return. But the truth is so cosmically abysmal that it threatens to expose a secret that could tear the very universe asunder. You can't miss this stunning, penultimate issue to the year's biggest event!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with three covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Rodolfo Migliari). For every 100 copies of the Standard Edition, retailers may order one copy of the Sketch Variant Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

ADVENTURE COMICS STARRING BLACK LANTERN SUPERBOY #7
On sale February 10 - 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by Tony Bedard - Art by Travis Moore - Covers by Francis Manapul
TOP SECRET!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 10 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Francis Manapul), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Francis Manapul and renumbered ADVENTURE COMICS #510). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #42
On sale February 17 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by James Robinson • Art and cover by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter • Variant cover by Adrian Melo & Mariah Benes
In the aftermath of the horrific events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE, a member is comforted by his friends and fellow Justice Leaguers over his tragic loss. And when Dick Grayson is offered membership, will the new Batman accept? Or would he rather operate outside the realm of the World’s Greatest Heroes?
Meanwhile, Ray Palmer attempts to unlock a device that’s been discovered by the team. Will it spell their doom – or something far worse? They'd better find out soon because Dr. Impossible has chosen now, of all times, to attack! Who exactly is this mysterious villain and who has he brought back with him? The new era for the team marches forward!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Adrian Melo & Mariah Benes). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #7
On sale February 24 • 7 of 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by James Robinson • Art and cover by Mauro Cascioli
This is the big one! After the catastrophes seen in issues #5 and #6, a hero loses control, leading to an unexpected ending that will fundamentally change the lives of the World’s Greatest Heroes forever. This issue launches a major storyline in the DC Universe and is not to be missed!

Didio 10 Answers: Titans

From this week's "10 Answers and 1 Question" with DiDio

enyggma wrote:
Can you give one sentence hints as to what 2010 holds for the following characters?:

-Grayson Batman?

DiDio: Coming into his own.

- Superboy?

DiDio: Once again a team player.

- Raven?

DiDio: Changed, not for the better.

Lilith & Gnarrk by Tim Fish

OK, so I first stumbled across Tim Fish's work at a MOCCA. Then, at last year's New York Comic-Con. He does a completely charming "Archie" style, but with contemporary content. Really cool stuff. At the New York show, he had a cool Teen Titans piece, but I was too poor to purchse it. Tim was nice enough to do a quick Wonder Girl sketch, which I posted earlier on this blog.

I later came across his blog, which had some more Titans related stuff. From an April 2008 post, Tim writes, "I've been doing a lot of super-hero sketching lately. A number have been Teen Titans. There was a publication gap from 1973-1976, and these sketches are meant to be from that era. On this page you get Wondergirl, sexy cave-boy Gnaark, Lilith, the original Bat-Girl, Kid Flash, and some zombies for them to fight. Many fans hate this era, but I actually like it. There weren't super-villains, but they were always getting mixed up in strange goings-on. They were a bit more age-appropriate as well... not the 19 year olds going on 45 a la the 1980s incarnation. That was way too serious for my taste."

I tend to agree with MOST of that statement. I liked that weird era, with the jumpsuits, then supernatural stuff. It was sorta like a Hanna-Barbera show from the 70s, with a group of teenagers falling into mysteries and strange goings-on.

After I saw these sketches, well, I HAD to get a Lilith/Gnarrk commission. And I just got it in the mail today.



Can I just say that I LOVE this piece??

And here it is in color!




Also, I REALLY want someone to ret-con that horrible Post-Crisis Gnarrk story from NEW TITANS #56. I prefer the original Gnarrk, or even/and the animated version from the Cartoon Network Teen Titans series.