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Superman
Sales Figures
Average Total Paid Circulation as Reported in Postal Records, 1960-1987


  1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Issue Statement appearing in:         #63 March
Date of filing:         10/1/49
Issues published during year:         6
Annual subscription price:          
Cover price during year:  $0.10 $0.10  $0.10  $0.10  $0.10
Total Copies PRINTED (avg):          
Sales through DEALERS (avg):          
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg):          
Total PAID circulation (avg):          
Samples by MAIL (avg):          
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg):          
Total FREE circulation (avg):          
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION:          
Copies not distributed (office):          
Copies not distributed (RETURNS):          
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED:          
Copies existent:          
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL:          












  1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
Issue Statement appearing in:          
Date of filing:          
Issues published during year:          
Annual subscription price:          
Cover price during year: $0.10  $0.10  $0.10 $0.10 $0.10
Total Copies PRINTED (avg):    


Sales through DEALERS (avg):    


Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg):    


Total PAID circulation (avg):          
Samples by MAIL (avg):          
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg):          
Total FREE circulation (avg):          
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION:          
Copies not distributed (office):          
Copies not distributed (RETURNS):          
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED:          
Copies existent:          
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL:          












  1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Issue Statement appearing in:          
Date of filing:          
Issues published during year:          
Annual subscription price:          
Cover price during year: $0.10   $0.10 $0.10  $0.10   $0.10
Total Copies PRINTED (avg):          
Sales through DEALERS (avg):          
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg):          
Total PAID circulation (avg):          
Samples by MAIL (avg):          
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg):          
Total FREE circulation (avg):          
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION:          
Copies not distributed (office):          
Copies not distributed (RETURNS):          
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED:          
Copies existent:          
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL:          












  1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
Issue Statement appearing in:  #143 Feb
 #151 Feb #159 Feb #167 Feb #176 April
Date of filing:  10/1/60 10/1/61  10/1/62 10/1/63 10/1/64
Issues published during year: 8  8  8 8 8
Annual subscription price:  $1.00  $1.00 $1.15 $0.95 $0.95
Cover price during year: $0.10 $0.10 $0.12 $0.12 $0.12
Total Copies PRINTED (avg):          
Sales through DEALERS (avg):          
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg):          
Total PAID circulation (avg): 810,000 820,000 740,000    
Samples by MAIL (avg):          
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg):          
Total FREE circulation (avg):          
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION:          
Copies not distributed (office):          
Copies not distributed (RETURNS):          
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED:          
Copies existent:          
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL:          












  1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Issue Statement appearing in: #188 July #194 Feb. #205 Apr. #215 Apr. #225 Apr
Date of filing: 10/1/65 10/1/66 10/1/67 10/1/68 10/1/69
Issues published during year: 8 10 10 10 10
Annual subscription price: $1.15 $1.75 $1.75 no subs   no subs
Cover price during year: $0.12 $0.12 $0.12 $0.12 $0.15
Total Copies PRINTED (avg): 1,179,000 1,091,000 1,140,000 1,076,000 959,000
Sales through DEALERS (avg): 805,000 707,000 640,000 634,000 511,000
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg): 18,829 12,976 9,300 2,400 984
Total PAID circulation (avg): 823,829 719,976 649,300 636,400 511,984
Samples by MAIL (avg): 142 330 340 386 346
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg): 0 0 0 0 0
Total FREE circulation (avg): 142 330 340 386 346
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION: 823,971 720,306 649,640 636,786 512,330
Copies not distributed (office):          
Copies not distributed (RETURNS): 355,029 370,694 490,360 439,214 446,670
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED: 30.1% 34.0% 43.0% 40.8% 46.6%
Copies existent: 823,971 720,306 649,640 636,786 512,330
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL: 69.9% 66.0% 57.0% 59.1% 53.4%












  1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
Issue Statement appearing in: #235 March #249 March #262 March #274 April #287 May
Date of filing: 10/1/70 10/1/71 10/1/72 10/1/73 10/1/74
Issues published during year: 10 10 12 12 12
Annual subscription price: no subs  $2.50 $2.40 $3.00 $3.00
Cover price during year: $0.15 $0.25 $0.20 $0.20 $0.25
Total Copies PRINTED (avg): 859,811 793,000 704,000 670,667 590,080
Sales through DEALERS (avg): 446,019 421,790 316,617 307,425 282,462
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg): 659 158 1,373 1,893 3,172
Total PAID circulation (avg): 446,678 421,948 317,990 309,318 285,634
Samples by MAIL (avg): 127 0 518 100 100
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg): 0 0 0 0 0
Total FREE circulation (avg): 127 0 518 100 100
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION: 446,805 421,948 318,508 309,418 285,734
Copies not distributed (office):  0 617 689 4,061 9,962
Copies not distributed (RETURNS): 413,006 370,435 384,803 357,188 294,384
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED: 48.0% 46.7% 54.7% 53.3% 49.9%
Copies existent: 446,805 422,565 319,197 313,479 295,696
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL: 52.0% 53.2% 45.2% 46.1% 48.4%












  1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Issue Statement appearing in: #299 May #311 May #323 May #334 Apr #346 Apr
Date of filing: 10/1/75 10/1/76 10/1/77 10/1/78 10/1/79
Issues published during year: 12 12 12 12 12
Annual subscription price: $3.00 $3.00 $5.00 $6.75 $6.75
Cover price during year: $0.30 $0.30 $0.35 $0.40 $0.40
Total Copies PRINTED (avg): 644,000 634,000 584,689 599,722 524,353
Sales through DEALERS (avg): 293,000 270,000 232,416 220,810 244,663
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg): 3,000 3,000 3,014 2,412 1,613
Total PAID circulation (avg): 296,000 273,000 235,430 223,222 246,276
Samples by MAIL (avg): 1,000 1,000 400 109 200
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg): 0 0 0 0 0
Total FREE circulation (avg): 100 1,000 400 109 200
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION: 297,000 274,000 235,830 223,331 246,476
Copies not distributed (office): 5,000 2,000 2,170 4,520 122
Copies not distributed (RETURNS): 342,000 358,000 346,861 371,871 277,755
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED: 53.1% 56.5% 59.3% 62.0% 53.0%
Copies existent: 302,000 276,000 238,000 227,851 246,598
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL: 46.0% 43.1% 40.3% 37.2% 47.0%












  1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Issue Statement appearing in: #359 May #371 May #383 May #394 Apr #407 May
Date of filing: 10/1/80 10/1/81 10/1/82 10/1/83 10/1/84
Issues published during year: 12 12 12 12 12
Annual subscription price: $7.95 $7.20 $7.20 $9.00 $9.00
Cover price during year: $0.50 $0.60 $0.60 $0.75 $0.75
Total Copies PRINTED (avg): 425,231 394,207 365,516 332,367 296,224
Sales through DEALERS (avg): 176,138 145,603 136,931 124,103 108,954
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg): 2,808 3,034 3,075 2,176 2,119
Total PAID circulation (avg): 178,946 148,637 140,006 126,279 111,073
Samples by MAIL (avg): 327 127 677 805 236
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg): 0 0 0 0 0
Total FREE circulation (avg): 327 127 677 805 236
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION: 179,273 148,764 140,683 127,084 111,309
Copies not distributed (office): 3,857 3,885 4,348 3,775 3,995
Copies not distributed (RETURNS): 252,101 241,558 220,485 201,508 180,920
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED: 59.3% 61.3% 60.3% 60.6% 61.1%
Copies existent: 183,130 152,649 145,031 130,859 115,304
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL: 42.1% 37.7% 38.3% 38.0% 37.5%












  1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Issue Statement appearing in: #418 April #427 Apr #439 Apr    
Date of filing: 10/1/85 10/1/86 10/5/87    
Issues published during year: 12 12 12    
Annual subscription price: $9.00 $9.00 $9.00    
Cover price during year: $0.75 $0.75 $0.75    
Total Copies PRINTED (avg): 270,577 239,837 307,033    
Sales through DEALERS (avg): 96,686 95,968 159,327    
Sales by SUBSCRIPTION (avg): 2,081 2,475 2,532    
Total PAID circulation (avg): 98,767 98,443 161,859    
Samples by MAIL (avg): 125 162 979    
Samples OUTSIDE mail (avg): 0 0 0    
Total FREE circulation (avg): 125 162 979    
TOTAL DISTRIBUTION: 98,892 98,605 162,838    
Copies not distributed (office): 2,779 2,203 4,982    
Copies not distributed (RETURNS): 168,906 139,029 139,213    
Reported % Paid/Requested:          
% of RUN RETURNED: 62.4% 58.0% 45.3%    
Copies existent: 101,671 100,808 167,820    
SELL-THROUGH at RETAIL: 36.5% 41.0% 52.7%    












Green year: Complete data




Orange year: Partial data




White year: Report needed




Gray year: Data doesn't exist




Pink year: Errors in data




Last updated:




October 25, 2009





Statement history:
    Statements of Ownership appeared for many years in the title before DC (or, rather, National Periodical Publications) was required to publish sales figures beginning in 1960. As with other DC titles, DC did not print sales figures in its Statements in 1963 and 1964. Errors also appeared in 1979 and 1980, as the print runs published do not equal the number of copies broken out in the narrower categories.

    In 1986, DC changed the name of Superman to Adventures of Superman; the subscriptions went with the renamed title. No subscription numbers appeared in the new Superman title (Vol. 2) that began in 1986.

    DC stopped mailing subscription copies Second Class in 1987, putting an end to its need to publish circulation statements.





Find out more about comics and fiction from writer John Jackson Miller!