Superman Sales Figures Through the Ages

[TELLE]

Now there's a site that collects all those postal regulations statements from old comics.  Fun to compare the half million monthly Superman sales from 1968 to the paltry sales of the 90s and today.

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2007/03/26/dare-you-facecomichron/

[Gangbuster]

Wow...that comes to 3,720,635 in Superman sales for the number of statements that they have in 1968, compared to not even in the top 10 in the 90s (though I remember them doing well in '93.) Big difference.

[Michel Weisnor]

The late 1960's, when Archie roamed the earth! 

Telle thanks for posting this info. Comichron is chalk full of comic greatness.

"The figures include copies sold through newsstand and other channels, as well as copies sold by subscription. They are not the print runs, which would be higher."  As Gangbuster pointed out, Superman's print run would be astronomical.

Wait a go 1960's DC . I always believed Marvel ruled, as soon as, Silver Age Marvel titles took hold. This is not the case.

1969 Comic Book Sales Figures @ Comichron.

Title Publisher  Circulation 
1) Archie Archie     515,356 
2) Superman DC     511,984 
3) Superboy DC     465,462 
4) Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane DC     397,346 
5) Betty and Veronica Archie     384,789 
6) Action Comics DC     377,535 
7) Amazing Spider-Man Marvel     372,352 
World's Finest Comics DC     366,618 
9) Batman DC     355,782 
10) Adventure Comics DC     354,123 

DC certainly rocked!

[MatterEaterLad]

1968 was probably my prime of bugging my parents and brothers to buy comics at the drug store.  I'm amazed at how well Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane sold, I only ever had a couple of Jimmy Olsens and no LLs and I didn't know that many kids that did.  But from the list, both outsold Action.

[Klar Ken T5477]

Hmmm...1969 was also the year Action and Adventure changed formats IIRC.  Supergirl moved from the back pages of Action to take over Adventure relegating the LSH to I think Action until they crossed over to Superboy and inevitably stealing his mag away.

I bought and read everyone of the Superman-DC titles, then the Bat-books. 

Also shocked not to see any of the Kirby Marvels especially the FF in the top ten which were my sole Marvel reading - the FF and Captain America (which may have been Steranko's run by then).

[TELLE]

Although it might explain the long-running Spider-Man animated cartoon and the various 70s Spidey spin-offs compared to the largely abortive cartoons of the FF and other Marvel properties...

(and the turn to non-superheroes at Marvel in the 70s)

And let's not forget: DC controlled Marvel's distribution through the 60s.

[Super Monkey]

The 1960's was DC's glory years, they were at their peak producing the best superhero comics in the world. The myth that Marvel came in and took over is far from true, that didn't happen until long after the Silver Age.

I would love to see the 1970's and 1980's numbers.

[MatterEaterLad]

Still, "Lois Lane" outselling "Action"?  Were girls buying these comics?