The comic book landscape is shifting, and it’s looking great for DC Comics, but not so much for Marvel. As comic book fans of all stripes know, the Big Two dominate the comic book industry. Marvel and DC Comics account for over half of all comics sold yearly, and both their brands are brands have left indelible marks on pop culture. But even among these two titans, things are still fierce, with Marvel and DC constantly battling out month-by-month in terms of sales, with the former having a slight leg up on the distinguished competition.
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I mean, it’s understandable. Marvel had the benefit of a major film franchise pumping new life into its properties while DC’s adaptations floundered (to put it politely). Comics-wise, Marvel has held steady with the largest market share of any comic book publisher. But an interesting trend has emerged in the last several months, showing that DC Comics is capturing the hearts and minds of fans everywhere. And given the state of both publishers, it’s no shock that DC Comics has started to absolutely crush Marvel.
DC Comics is Taking the Top Spots in Comics and Graphic Novel Sales
As it does every month, ICv2 released several reports detailing the previous month’s comic sales. These reports are based on data made available by the ComicHub system, which samples a little over a hundred stores out of the nearly 3000 stores that sell American comic books. ICv2 released two reports for November, one detailing the top 20 graphic novels sold and one detailing the top 50 comics sold. And in both reports, things are looking very good for DC Comics while Marvel appears to be taking some hits.
As far as individual comics go, DC Comics had 9 of the 10 top comics sold in November, with Marvel Comics only making it into the top 10 with Amazing Spider-Man #15. Now, based on this report, Marvel did have more comics in the overall top 50, organized by units sold and dollars made. But either way, the top 10 books were almost completely DC’s territory. A similar story is told in the graphic novel sales report. Organized by units, DC had 16 of the top 20 spots. And by dollars, it still had over half the top 20.
Now, to be fair, ICv2 makes it clear that these rankings aren’t meant to represent every store, but are meant to paint a broader picture. And ICv2’s latest market share report detailing the third quarter of 2025 shows that Marvel is still the top dog at a 36.6% market share. But what’s interesting is that ICv2’s second quarter report had DC at a 25.5% market share. But rose to a 29.5% market share in the third quarter. Marvel, however, only gained a .1% share between the two quarters. Another way to put it? DC is growing while Marvel is stagnating.
Everyone Loves What DC is Doing (And Marvel Better Watch Out)
So what is DC doing so well that explains its recent surge? Well, one look at both reports shows that the love affair with the Absolute Universe is still going strong. Books like Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman are still at the top of the charts. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the Ultimate line, which was more spread out over the top 50 issues, and only one Ultimate trade cracked the top 20 graphic novels sold. Then again, it’s hard to generate excitement when Marvel Comics has made it clear the line is on its way out.
But it’s not just about the Absolute or Ultimate Universes. The top 20 graphic novels report shows that the easily-accessible Compact Editions are huge sellers. And the top 50 comics report revealed how well its recent relaunch of Batman and the DC K.O. event are going. What we’re seeing right now isn’t the result of DC Comics throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, but rather, the payoff of its incredibly coordinated All In initiative. Fans are showing up thanks to consistency and risk-taking, and the sales prove it.
Is Marvel doomed? Of course not, and it’d be silly to suggest that. But the truth is that DC is having a banner year. If it keeps this energy up, we might end up seeing a genuine shift in the market in a few years. Of course, it all depends on how Marvel heads into 2026. We know they’ve got something big planned with Armageddon, and rumors are already swirling about what it could mean for the House of Ideas. The publisher better act fast, though, because DC is this close to becoming the bigger half of the Big Two.
How do you feel about DC Comics’ recent sales victories? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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