DC Comics Smashed Marvel Comics Marketshare Last Week

Posted in: Boom, Comics, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Marvel Comics | Tagged: bestseller, marketshare

DC Comics Smashed Marvel Comics Marketshare Last Week

DC Comics Smashed Marvel Comics Marketshare Last Week... And Didn't Need A New Absolute Batman To Do It

Published Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:28:12 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Article Summary

• DC smashed Marvel marketshare last week, surging to 42% versus Marvel's 27.6% in direct market comic sales.
• DC's big win came without a new Absolute Batman issue, showing broader strength across its weekly releases.
• Image Comics also gained ground, jumping to 17.8% marketshare and widening the gap behind DC and Marvel.
• Prana DM's weekly data covers 600-plus comic shops, tracking August 25 to September 1 direct market sales.

Last month, Marvel Comics took back the comic book marketshare, but only just, with 36.9% against DC Comics' 35.7%. Last week, however, things were very different. DC Comics has a massive 42% against Marvel's 27.6%, and didn't even have a new Absolute Batman to do it. While Image Comics also jumps up with a 17.8% market share…

Thanks to Prana Direct Market Solutions, here are the comic book publisher marketshare in the direct market of comic book stores as sold from the 25th of August to the 1st of September 2026, based on Point Of Sale data from 600+ stores in the Manage Comics and Comic Shop Assistant systems. You can find previous Bestseller Lists right here, including the Top 400 sales for last week, on which this data is based.

1. Marvel Comics — 36.89%
2. DC Comics — 35.65%
3. Image Comics — 16.49%
4. IDW — 3.20%
5. Dynamite — 1.97%
6. Dark Horse — 1.76%
7. BOOM! Entertainment — 1.30%
8. Ignition Press — 1.02%
9. Oni Press — 0.90%
10. Mad Cave Studios — 0.82%

The Prana DM data set provides access to a week's sales data from comic book stores from Monday to Sunday and is published on Bleeding Cool the following Friday. It draws from over 600 comic book stores, out of the estimated 1800-2000 that currently order through the direct market. Bleeding Cool neither receives our hands-out payment for this data; it's about bringing the information together in one place and then sharing it out. And if Lunar, PRH, Universal, Philbo or Diamond UK, or even Marvel, DC, Image, Dynamite, Dark Horse, would be interested in sharing their data, in a way that I guarantee never to declare it to competitors, but combine it to create a Direct Market Orders chart that reflects the whole market like Diamond used to, I would be down with that as well. We have made a start with Image Comics and their Monthly Top Ten charts, too. But for now, for right now, this is where we are. I will always strive to do better to serve Bleeding Cool readers, whether comic store owners or comic shop customers. And if you have any ideas or suggestions, or would like to contribute additional data, please let me know at richjohnston@gmail.com.

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