Retailer Brian Hibbs has his annual look at book store comic sales up now www.comicbookresources.com. His column is called Tilting at Windmills and it's worth reading if you actually want to understand something about the reality facing comics, not just amateur theorizing. There's a lot of data but something I found interesting is that he has the 20th best selling comic in book stores last year moving just under 29,000 copies (though he includes a detailed disclaimer about what sales info he does and doesn't have) and that when you look at the top 20 lists for 2009 and 2010, there are only two books that made it onto both lists. That's an interesting, if not 100% complete, snapshot of both sales and the reality of how much persistent sales graphic novels and trades really have over time.

Mike

He just can't let it go, folks!


You didn't provide the actual link to his article, so I'll do it for you: HERE

I only skimmed it (and I don't have Excel installed), but it appears he's saying pretty much the same things I've been telling you: the DM is not the be-all, end-all for comics.