Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Amazon Top 50 of 2010: Graphs

It's a little later than I promised, but here are a few graphs looking at the position of some series on the Amazon Top 50 charts during 2010:

(You should be able to click on a graph to get a larger version.)

(Remember, a title in position 1 on the chart gets a score of 50, so higher number = higher on the graph = better.)

Scott Pilgrim:


This graph is fairly typical for a franchise with a movie based on it. Interest in Scott Pilgrim starts in March, then intensifies in June. Unfortunately, June is also when Amazon decides to reclassify vols 4 & 5 as not being graphic novels for a time. A sizable discount keeps interest high through the autumn, until November when prices return to normal Amazon levels and interest softens a bit.


Diary of a Wimpy Kid:

This graph is for the raining king of Amazon graphic novels, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.This was another franchise that was a victim of an Amazon reclassification, as three of the titles disappear in late April. Volume 5 was introduced as a pre-order in March, and by August it was ensconced at the top of the chart where it has stuck around ever since.


The Walking Dead:

The Walking Dead got a big boost from the television series. Unlike our previous two franchises, there are many more collected volumes and many more ways of purchasing the same story (trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and the compendium). Thus we see the growing interest taking the form of a greater density of titles on the chart, even as no single volume ever dominates.


Maus:

Finally here's Maus. Even with its collected editions over twenty years old, it gets periodic interest in January and September due to its widespread use as a text in college courses.

No comments: