Comics and comic merchandise sales are skyrocketing upward! Sales figures released at the 2013 Diamond Retailer Summit in Chicago, held April 24th-26th, show that the comic market is growing faster than a speeding bullet.

First quarter sales were up 27% in periodical sales, 21% in graphic novel sales, and 47% in sales from merchandise! That means the industry had a total growth of 29% compared to last year. While other industries are falling, the comic market is cooler than ever and making maaaaad money baby!

Here are some possible reasons comics are selling like hotcakes:

Society’s Addiction to Walking Dead

Non-comic fans are trying comics because of their addiction to the hit HBO show. For instance, my niece has never wanted to read a comic before, but she got hooked on the TV show and suddenly wanted to come to Free Comic Book Day this year. If “cool” high-schoolers like my niece want to read comics, you know you have mainstream appeal.
Walking Dead merchandise is making the comic industry crap loads of money. Top sellers include Walking Dead action figures, board games and even ice cube trays shaped like decapitated zombie heads! Graphic novels from the franchise normally top the list of best-selling graphic novels.

Geek Chic

This girl is waaaay cooler than you!

Nerd is the new cool! Mainstream trendy people suddenly want to dress like dorks. It sucks that real dorks have spent our lives getting mocked and ridiculed, and now these hipsters are suddenly in style. The bottom line is that the comic industry is doing great, so let’s stop complaining.
I also find myself purchasing more comic related merchandise now that I can wear a comic t-shirt or hat in public without getting my @$$ kicked. Now that we are quasi-cool, you finally have a chance at getting your first kiss!

The Comic Market is Diversifying

Competition is great for the industry and Marvel and DC has legit competition from many independent companies. Monthly sales figures show independents like Image, IDW, Dark Horse, Dynamite, and Boom! Studios taking a large chunk of market sales. These companies are also able to target different demographics due to their assorted content. More licensed properties are choosing to go independent, and are bringing new fans in. On Free Comic Book Day, many stores were left with only DC and Marvel comics because independent books were so popular.

Comic Movies

I hate that the average person will debate me on a character’s history based on what they saw in the movies and not the comic. It even sometimes upsets me that on this very site, movie news can get more hits than comic news. Luckily, many of these movie lovers are starting to read comics themselves and becoming real, official, all-out comic nerds.

Great Promotions

Free Comic Book Day is a huge success each year, tying into big movie premiers and bringing in many new fans of all ages and backgrounds. It is annoying that huge media stunts such as major character deaths get so much attention, but it works. Digital comics are also being used to draw in new readers. An example is when Marvel offered over 700 comics for free downloads to get readers to sample their titles. You can download many issues of independent comics for free on the Comixology app, giving small companies a great way to promote their titles! People read the digital issues for free, then buy the next issues in a series.

Will the comic industry continue to grow? I absolutely think so. I must admit, I am starting to enjoy knowing society doesn’t think I am a total nerd.

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Jay Deitcher, LMSW(@mrdeitcher) embraces the term MUTANT and proudly represents his MUTANT brothers and sisters.  He is an educator on comic history and runs successful Free Comic Book Day events yearly.  You can see a listing of his incredible articles and his highly energetic videos at JayDeitcher.com.