Tag: idw

September War: IDW Publishing Might Be Surprise Winner

Jun. 06 Comics, News, September War Comments Off on September War: IDW Publishing Might Be Surprise Winner

We are all talking about the moves DC Comics should make in the September War with Villain Month and Forever Evil, but what about IDW Publishing? The smaller company has a good chance of picking up some extra percentage points and moving into the third-place spot as Image and Marvel both direct their eyes towards DC Comics. It could be an interesting month indeed.

IDW Publishing in August

August is going to be a big month for IDW Publishing. The month will see the release of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1, which Diamond Previews rated as a GEM of the Month. We will also be able to get our hands on Locke & Key: Alpha #1, the second and final issue will follow in September. We will see the suspicious return of the Cigarette Smoking Man in The X-Files: Season 10 #3, the introduction of KISS Kids #1, and another upswing for titles such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, G.I. Joe, and Transformers.

The Holdover

The strong month IDW Publishing has for August should hold into September as new readers become invigorated by the company they just “discovered” and longer-term readers become invigorated by the month IDW Publishing just had.

IDW Publishing is hitting multiple home runs with the new selections coming out of their agreement with Cartoon Network.

IDW Publishing is hitting multiple home runs with the new selections coming out of their agreement with Cartoon Network.

The BIG Release in September

If the holdover from August was not enough, the release of The Powerpuff Girls in September is sure to pop IDW Publishing. The cartoon it is based on is not only something fresh for young readers, it also has a strong cult following among readers of older generations who want to introduce their children to a franchise they grew up with. The greatest possible upset for the month of September would be if The Powerpuff Girls did not debut in the Top 100 in the Diamond Industry Statistics.

As of this writing, the release of the Diamond Industry Statistics for May is still a few days off. The Market Unit Share for April showed Marvel with 37.95%, DC Comics with 25.98%, Image Comics with 9.04%, and IDW Publishing with 7.54%. While I do not see IDW taking the lead in September, I would not be surprised at all by it passing Image for the #3 spot in Unit Share. Once the numbers come out in October, I will be very surprised if I am wrong.

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IDW Publishing Hitting Home Runs With New Cartoon Network Offerings

May. 01 Comics, News no comments

One of the most intriguing announcements during C2E2 was the announcement by IDW Publishing of the expansion of their Cartoon Network agreement to include comics from Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, and Samurai Jack. The company is dedicated to expanding its selection for children and these three comics are poised to take the company to the next level in sales.

IDW Publishing is hitting multiple home runs with the new selections coming out of their agreement with Cartoon Network.

IDW Publishing is hitting multiple home runs with the new selections coming out of their agreement with Cartoon Network.

IDW Publishing Adding to My Little Pony Success

As of this writing, the March sales rankings are the latest released by Diamond. During March, My Little Pony was represented three times in the Top 100 listing with My Little Pony Mircro Series #2 Rainbow Dash (at #91), My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #5 (at #65), and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #4 (at #55). Just think about the number of spots IDW Publishing can take over in the Diamond Top 100 with three more children’s titles which all have adult cult followings.

When?

Powerpuff Girls is scheduled to start hitting stores in September while Samurai Jack is scheduled for October and Ben 10 is scheduled for November. I would expect the marketing minds at IDW Publishing to work overtime in the months leading up to these releases.

Why is This Different?

Marvel, DC Comics, Image, and many of the smaller companies are all testing the waters of the growing children’s market. IDW Publishing is chuckling at them while jumping in the pool with three big titles. “Babies” titles like those from the Big 2 are going to be inviting to children of comic book fans as the young become more interested in the characters their parents love in baby or adolescent form. This does not do anything, though, to bring readership from outside of the comic book market circle.

IDW Publishing hit a home run with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic because it invited in the fans of the property along with the children of comic book readers. A circle was grown to include people who had never been in comic book stores. The same will be done with the Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, and Ben 10. I fully expect these titles to being as many new adult comic book readers as new young comic book readers. I also fully expect the other comic book publishing companies will get nervous when they lose they are losing market share to IDW Publishing.

To learn more about IDW Publishing, please follow this link.

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