Marvel Beats DC Comics In August 2026 Marketshare... In Dollars Spent

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Posted in: Avengers, Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Justice League, Marvel Comics, Spider-Man, Superman, Venom | Tagged: bestseller, marketshare, prana dm

Marvel Beats DC Comics In August 2026 Marketshare… In Dollars Spent

Marvel Beats DC Comics In August 2026 Marketshare - But Only In Dollars Spent... and what were the best-selling comics in August?

Published Thu, 17 Sep 2026 09:58:11 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Last updated Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:07:24 -0500
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Article Summary

  • Marvel beats DC Comics in August 2026 market share by dollars spent, even as DC leads unit sales in comic shops.
  • August 2026 sales share puts DC at 38.89%, Marvel at 28.81%, and Image strong at 18.08% in the direct market.
  • Higher $4.99+ Marvel cover prices lift dollar share to 38.03%, ahead of DC at 35.30% and Image at 12.40%.
  • Absolute Batman #23 tops August 2026, with Batman, Absolute Green Arrow, Queen In Black and Miles Morales close behind.

Well, that's a thing, isn't it? Here is the August 2026 marketshare for comic book publishers for sales in the comic book store direct market, in August 2026, as seen in the recent Comics Industry Insiders video from Prana DM.

August 2026 marketshare – sales
  • DC — 38.89%
  • Marvel — 28.81%
  • Image — 18.08%
  • IDW — 4.34%
  • Dark Horse — 2.48%
  • Boom — 2.39%
  • Dynamite— 2.22%
  • Ignition — 0.97%
  • Oni — 0.92%
  • Titan — 0.90%

DC Comics is again in the lead, though the gap is not as large as it was when Image Comics ramped up sales. But if you look at the dollar spend marketshare, the share of the actual amount of money spent on each publisher in comic book stores, it's a different picture. Marvel is now ahead of DC Comics, which also has a larger share, and Image Comics slips back.

August 2026 marketshare – dollars
  • Marvel — 38.03%
  • DC — 35.30%
  • Image — 12.40%
  • IDW — 3.29%
  • Dynamite — 2.67%
  • Boom— 2.13%
  • Dark Horse — 1.25%
  • Titan — 1.18%
  • Oni — 0.84%
  • Ignition — 0.65%

What does this mean? It means that most Marvel Comics are priced at $4.99+, while many DC Comics are still $3.99, even though top titles such as the Absolute Line, Batman and Superman are priced higher. And Image Comics, even more of their titles are $3.99 each. And that reflects in the dollar share. Marvel Comics beat DC Comics in August, where it really matters, in the till. And here are the top 10 comics for August 2026, along with how they sold relative to one another. Bad Seeds was lower than I expected, outperforming Queen In Black. Miles Morales was a strong launch, and Absolute Green Arrow is outselling every Absolute title except for Absolute Batman. But no X-Men or Armageddon…

  1. Absolute Batman #23 — 100.00%
  2. Batman #12 — 63.25%
  3. Absolute Green Arrow #4 — 49.43%
  4. Absolute Superman #22 — 39.23%
  5. Queen In Black #1 — 38.44%
  6. Absolute Catwoman #3 — 36.00%
  7. Amazing Spider-Man #34 — 32.45%
  8. Miles Morales Spider-Man #1 — 32.04%
  9. Absolute Wonder Woman #23 — 30.83%
  10. Batman Bad Seeds Sunset #1 — 30.09%

And if Absolute Batman is selling around half a million copies these days, if you plugged that in (and this is quite the push), you get this…

  1. Absolute Batman #23 — 500,000
  2. Batman #12 — 316,250
  3. Absolute Green Arrow #4 — 247,150
  4. Absolute Superman #22 — 196,150
  5. Queen In Black #1 — 192,200
  6. Absolute Catwoman #3 — 180,000
  7. Amazing Spider-Man #34 — 162,250
  8. Miles Morales Spider-Man #1 — 160,200
  9. Absolute Wonder Woman #23 — 154,150
  10. Batman Bad Seeds Sunset #1 — 150,450

This is all based on Point Of Sale data from 600+ stores in the Manage Comics and Comic Shop Assistant systems, thanks to Prana Direct Market Solutions. 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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