TMNT COmic Sales

[Lone Wolf]

Just curious: In their prime, how well were the Mirage TMNT comics selling compared to the mainstream titles? While we're at it, how did the Archies do?

And I haven't picked up Wizard in a while... I know the Mirage bi-monthly probably hasn't cracked the top 100, but has the the Dreamwave title gotten into the top 50 yet? It seems to be selling very well around me.

Thanks in advance.

[Jetter]

Well apparently the DW ones are really popular, comic stores are orderin a ton of them, partly because of their resemblance to the TV show, partly because of the fact that it's drawn wikkid! and also because the artist LeSean is popular.

The Mirage Bi-Montly isn't very popular at all, actually I asked my dealer and he said they only get in 3-4 copies each time and it's the Junkies who buy it.

[Karpo_007]

I don't remember ever hearing the exact sale numbers, but during Volume 1 it was pretty popular.

[OA]

Yea, the volume comics were pretty big back in the day. Thats how they became the highest grossing independent comic book of all time... :P

[Leo656]

Yeah, at the one comic store I go to the most frequently they only order a few copies of each Mirage issue and I'm not sure if anyone besides me actually buys it. They have a lot of back issues of it still on the display shelves.

The other dealer I go to paints a bit sadder picture. According to him, interest in the TMNT comics is "mild" and that they don't sell very well, but that there's a "small comeback", mostly with people in their late teens-early 20s. This place has taken to ordering some Mirage Vol. 1 back issues and selling them for cover price, so I've been able to fill up a lot of gaps in my colection. But it's sad to hear that interest in the TMNT comic isn't very high.

But then again it probably never was to begin with compared to the high profile of the other TMNT merchandise and so forth. I know I, personally, only heard of Mirage in passing and never even saw a single issue up until a few years ago, because no shops around here ever made it a point to carry them. The only TMNT comics around were the Archies, so that's all I ever read.

[Lone Wolf]

Leo656, its a different world for Comics as opposed to when the Turtles debuted in the 80's. The comic bubble burst big time and its really a shell of its former self. The demographic that made (Mirage) Turtles such a huge hit barely exists anymore. Sad, but true.


The DreamWave comics can continue to become a smash success. As long as it keeps a decent to great creative team (LeSean is great, Peter David saved Aquaman a decade ago and has written his share of movies produced by big studios) it can survive for a very long time. Possibly far beyond the far more tumultuous existence of the Cartoon, but thats only possible if it creates a life of its own. Only time will tell.

I thinks it is clear Laird's issues are a labor of love. Or perhaps he doesn't want his Intellectual Property to slide out of control. When the X-Men movies went into production, Joe Quesada (Marvel editor-in-chief) decided that Marvel had to define Wolverines origin, because if they didn't, some Movie Studio would.

Regardless, I'm I the only one waiting on Wizard to give the Mirage TMNT the spotlight in its "Hidden Gems" section? You'd think it would be common sense...

[Leo656]

It's funny but ToyFare talks about the Mirage TMNT comic more than Wizard does.

[OA]

And Toyfare hardly talks about them at all....which goes to show

[Cascadia]

in my residence town, there is only a few people that collect TMNT comics....

[jeff the cheff]

My comic shop guy doesnt order many mirage's. I've found about 3 issues of volume 4 and bought the rest off the internet. When I asked him why he didnt have any he said that they stopped making the new volume.

[Cascadia]

the guy at the local comic store said that he will ship my issues every month when I am in Oregon.