Comics began the year very slightly up in dollars, with Marvel's Siege launching. Top trade paperback sales were well off, but the difference was made up in trades deeper in the backlist. In February, the "dead-quarter" doldrums droned on, with the softest February in Top 300 Unit Sales since 2004.

    March, with a five-week month, rolled up big comparative numbers with the finale of Blackest Night; April gave those gains back. Sales on new comics improved in may, but overall sales still lagged due to weakness in the trade paperback category.
 
    New comics sales bounced back in May with the Avengers relaunch, but trade paperback frontlist and backlist weakness resulted in a slight drop overall. Midyear found major publishers dominating the top-sellers list, with a record-low 15 publishers in the Top 300. Sales were off slightly at the end of June year-over-year.