Marvel’s market share is decreasing at an alarming rate. Many sites are talking about how DC Comics has slid under 30% of the market and how Image and IDW are gaining market share each month. I see the bigger story as the loss of Marvel’s market share with what the publishing company is putting out right now and what is being planned for the near future.
Marvel’s market share is dropping
The Numbers
Marvel’s market share (Retail) dropped about 2.1% between March and April and Unit Market Share dropped exactly 2%. In March, Marvel had 7 titles in the Diamond Industry Statistics Top 10 and had 5 in April. With all that Marvel has going on, we should not even be worrying about Marvel’s market share but we should.
What is Going On?
Marvel NOW is still young and there is a strong chance people are beginning to lose interest in the “reorganization of titles which is not a rebooting.” We are in the Age of Ultron and the X titles are building up to a possible all-out war between the X-Men factions. Guardians of the Galaxy started recently as a build-up to the full return of Thanos and their own movie. As I am writing this, Iron Man 3 is the top movie in the world. Strong storylines in The Amazing Spider-Man, New Avengers, and other titles should be bringing in more reads every week.
Why is Marvel Losing?
While it is too early to tell for sure, I believe people are turning away from the Big 2 in droves for various reasons. I have heard readers talk about how they are upset by all of the recent crossovers and drawn-out by the idea of having to pick up twenty extra issues over a few months to finish one storyline. Others find themselves being pulled towards the smaller press titles which are taking off. I have also heard readers say they just need something new and Marvel and DC Comics represent the “old” which these particular readers are tired of.
Looking Back
Of course, if we look back at December 2012, Marvel was holding on to a 33.4% market share, which is lower than the 37.95% they held in April. Marvel should be doing better right now, though, than they are. If Marvel’s market share continues to slip, stress levels will rise as the industry giant falls in the same boat as DC Comics. In business, once market share begins to downward trend, massive changes are made in the offices and in production. I will not speculate on what types of changes, but Marvel needs to get its act together or it will be competing stronger with Image and IDW in the very near future.
