The rise in ASM sales

[nmtg9]

I've been admiring the excellent comicchron site looking at sales for 60's titles.

 

http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/1960s.html

 

In 65 ASM is not even in the top 93, selling less than Cheyenne Kid (111,124).

 

But in 66 it's number 16 selling 340,155. And it increases each year after.

 

This is an incredible leap from 65 to 66. #32 is Jan 66 (ie on sale about oct 65).

 

Does this mean then that Romita - first issue 39 (Aug 66) - probably on sale about May, had such a significant impact to increase sales so much?

 

Or would this have happenend anyway? Discuss.

[sakaridis]

I'm not absolutely certain, but I think it was around this time that Marvel broke free from their current distributor (which was controlled/owned by DC) and began to have wider distribution with more titles and a bigger number of outlets.

 

Or I could be entirely off the mark...

[Aman619]

think that was 68, but Im not sure either.

[rodan57]

I think you'll see similar improvement in most Marvel books. In 1965, Marvel is still the little guy. It was the type of comic that you graduate to--- (from Batman and those silly science fiction space monsters).

 

By 1966, it is a book you start reading young because you have heard so much from big brother or big sister. It's a book that is now found at college campuses and rolled and folded in the back packs of American soldiers fighting in Viet Nam.

 

Marvel was a new type of comic book and needed time and effort to take on the DC, Disney, Dell big boys.

[fantastic_four]

think that was 68, but Im not sure either.

 

It was 1968 that Marvel got a new distributor, and the old one didn't significantly limit their print runs, they just limited the total number of titles they could publish. It says in the 1964 totals on the left sidebar why you're not seeing pre-1966 numbers:

 

"No Statements were filed in 1964 for Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man (they wouldn't start in the titles until 1966)"

[RockMyAmadeus]

1966 was a breakout year for Marvel.....

[sakaridis]

So basically, it's not that Marvel really had a breakout year in '66. We just don't have any data for the previous years.

 

I'm not necessarily saying they did not have a breakout year (RMA, if you know something more about, please share). I'm just saying that with the data we have, there's no way to substantiate this theory...

[Aman619]

the annual data is tricky to work with. especially in year to year comparisons. And the statements say "average issue sales" so who knows how accurate the publishers cared to be about their math, too.

 

[Aman619]

also, since these notices were mandatory in some way, perhaps stating lower numbers were better for their bottom line...

[tth2]

I think you'll see similar improvement in most Marvel books. In 1965, Marvel is still the little guy. It was the type of comic that you graduate to--- (from Batman and those silly science fiction space monsters).

 

By 1966, it is a book you start reading young because you have heard so much from big brother or big sister. It's a book that is now found at college campuses and rolled and folded in the back packs of American soldiers fighting in Viet Nam.

 

Marvel was a new type of comic book and needed time and effort to take on the DC, Disney, Dell big boys.

Agreed. I think most people would say 1966 was the year that Marvel really became mainstream.

[Shark]

I think you'll see similar improvement in most Marvel books. In 1965, Marvel is still the little guy. It was the type of comic that you graduate to--- (from Batman and those silly science fiction space monsters).

 

By 1966, it is a book you start reading young because you have heard so much from big brother or big sister. It's a book that is now found at college campuses and rolled and folded in the back packs of American soldiers fighting in Viet Nam.

 

Marvel was a new type of comic book and needed time and effort to take on the DC, Disney, Dell big boys.

Agreed. I think most people would say 1966 was the year that Marvel really became mainstream.

 

I was 9 years old then and reading Marvel and DC comics left and right. Ah, those were the days.....