Saturday, 06/21/2008 - 1:14 pm
by Chris Williams
728 views, 5 comments
Marvel’s biggest title dump yet
Last Friday, Diamond’s weekly shipping list to retailers hit the inbox with a loud thud!
It’s common for the last week of the month’s order to be the largest. Usually, DC Comics, Marvel, even Diamond “title dump” what’s left to ship. Wizard Magazine and Diamond Previews end of the month delivery schedule only ensure that the last week of the month--without fail--is always the most expensive.
This week, was especially heavy because of Marvel’s sudden delivery of their late titles. Here’s how Marvel’s shipping played out for the month of June:
Week 1 = 20 titles
Week 2 = 20 titles
Week 3 = 16 titles
Week 4 = 32 titles
That’s 22 regularly scheduled comics and 10 additional/late titles (not counting reprints or second printings).
In a week that already has four Marvel heavy hitters (New Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men and X-Men), we’re getting other marvel giants like Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Marvel 1985, Mighty Avengers and Ultimates. Not only is this a big week for customers who now need to make purchasing decisions, retailers now brace for the pain that comes with a large invoice after a lighter week previously (add that to any additional end of month bills such as rent, utilities, payroll, sales tax, merchant fees).
List of titles after the jump
| MAR082167D | AVENGERS FAIRY TALES #3 (OF 4) | 2.99 | late |
| APR082263D | CAPTAIN AMERICA #39 | 2.99 | late |
| APR082267D | FANTASTIC FOUR #558 | 2.99 | late |
| FEB082223D | HULK #4 | 2.99 | late |
| APR082276D | MARVEL 1985 #2 (OF 6) | 3.99 | late |
| APR082295D | MIGHTY AVENGERS #15 SI | 2.99 | late |
| DEC072217D | RUNAWAYS #30 | 2.99 | late |
| APR082299D | SECRET INVASION RUNAWAYS YOUNG AVENGERS #1 (OF 3) | 2.99 | late |
| APR082308D | THOR AGES OF THUNDER REIGN OF BLOOD | 3.99 | late |
| JAN082127D | ULTIMATES 3 #4 (OF 5) | 2.99 | late |
| APR082328D | ANGEL REVELATIONS #2 (OF 5) | 3.99 | on time |
| APR082297D | AVENGERS INITIATIVE #14 SI | 2.99 | on time |
| MAR082172D | BLACK PANTHER #37 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082264D | DAREDEVIL #108 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082265D | IMMORTAL IRON FIST #16 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082277D | MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #37 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082287D | MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #10 | 3.99 | on time |
| APR082241D | MARVEL ILLUSTRATED MOBY DICK #5 (OF 6) | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082302D | MS MARVEL #28 SI | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082285D | MYTHOS CAPTAIN AMERICA (RES) | 3.99 | on time |
| APR082296D | NEW AVENGERS #42 SI | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082289D | NEW WARRIORS #13 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082286D | POWER PACK DAY ONE #4 (OF 4) | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082306D | SHE-HULK 2 #30 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082312D | THUNDERBOLTS #121 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082248D | ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #123 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082314D | UNCANNY X-MEN #499 DWS | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082324D | WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #4 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082325D | WOLVERINE ORIGINS #26 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082323D | X-MEN FIRST CLASS VOL 2 #13 | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082315D | X-MEN LEGACY #213 DWS | 2.99 | on time |
| APR082311D | YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #6 (OF 6) | 2.99 | on time |
Isn’t it the end of Marvel’s fiscal quarter and didn’t they do this same thing at the end of March? I think it has more to do with hitting their earnings numbers than anything else.
Interesting...I added up the late titles vs the on time titles on my invoice and the late titles equal 49% of my current Marvel invoice.
If this is to increase their quarter end bump, it certainly did.
Maybe they would hit their earnings better if they put out a damn comic on time.
That kind of talk will get you recon’d
good point. It wouldn’t have hit the retailers and the consumers so hard had they been on time in the first place.