Boldly elbowing its way into new territory, Image Comics couldn’t resist the urge to whip up its own monthly sales chart. Now, comic enthusiasts (or just number nerds) have the delight of tracing Image’s top 10 titles in the direct market (those splashy periodical comics for you newbies) and bookstores (the classier graphic novels).

Steering us through this data jungle is a method as complex as a superhero’s backstory. The charts lock their gaze on new releases, tallying the orders placed by the Direct Market on singles and the cumulative orders graced by both the Direct Market and book market on books.

Let’s get down to brass tacks and dissect the July charts, with an added sprinkle of our thoughts. Reviving oldies but goodies seldom fails, and the triumphant return of the Witchblade franchise struts atop Image’s periodical charts like a smug comic book queen. Comic land is seemingly in harmonious order as the stalwarts such as Saga, the Energon universe books, and Spawn continue to perform their duties diligently. Even Void Rivals, the Energon book that’s in denial of its Energon book identity, is lapping up sales.

Like a Phoenix, Witchblade Rises

Feast your eyes on the top 10 comics making waves in the Direct Market:

1. WITCHBLADE #1
2. TRANSFORMERS #10
3. SCARLETT #2
4. DESTRO #2
5. SPAWN KILLS EVERY SPAWN #1
6. SAGA #67
7. VOID RIVALS #11
8. GI JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #308
9. UNIVERSAL MONSTERS’ CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON LIVES! #4
10. SPAWN #355

The Energon Effect

Over in the book segment, the Energon universe, backed by Hasbro, leads the battalion with the first Cobra Commander collection. Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martin’s third Friday collection snags the second spot, testament to the enduring charm of Brubaker — who also charts at #5 with Fatale. The remaining spots on the list exhibit delightful diversity, with a Ghost Machine volume sitting pretty at #6 and an introductory collection for Kyle Higgin’s Massive-Verse indicating readers’ penchant for new shared universe imprints.

Here are the top 10 books making a splash in the Direct & Book Market:

1. COBRA COMMANDER, VOL. 1 TP
2. FRIDAY, VOL. 3 TP
3. INVINCIBLE, VOL. 4 NEW EDITION TP
4. I HATE FAIRYLAND COMPENDIUM, VOL. 1 TP
5. FATALE COMPENDIUM TP
6. TALES OF THE UNNAMED: THE BLIZZARD TP
7. SPACE MULLET TP
8. ACROSS THE MASSIVE-VERSE, VOL. 1 TP
9. BONE ORCHARD MYTHOS: TENEMENT HC
10. KILL YOUR DARLINGS TP (Eisner Nominated, no less.)

There you have it, folks — a quick peek into Image Comics’ monthly sales chart for July 2024. Keep those pages turning, and who knows, maybe next month we’ll see a new underdog comic conquering the charts. Until then, happy reading!