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.
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.
