ICV2′s November sales estimates are out, and The Flash is still dropping. (via The Beat). It’s getting downright depressing to post this slide month after month.
02/2008: Flash #237 — 37,719 (- 9.0%) 03/2008: Flash #238 — 35,606 (- 5.6%) 04/2008: Flash #239 — 33,741 (- 5.2%) 05/2008: Flash #240 — 31,944 (- 5.3%) 06/2008: Flash #241 — 30,810 (- 3.6%) 07/2008: Flash #242 — 30,325 (- 1.5%) 08/2008: Flash #243 — 29,647 (- 2.2%) 09/2008: Flash #244 — 29,180 (- 1.6%) 10/2008: Flash #245 — 28,085 (- 3.8%) 11/2008: Flash #246 — 26,746 (- 4.7%)
This month’s sales figure, on it’s own, would still be respectable, not far off from what the series was doing when Geoff Johns picked up the book in 2000. But factor in the steep drop, the fact that 3 years ago it was selling 50,000/month (Flash #225), and the fact that the last two relaunches spiked sales to 120,000 (Flash: TFMA #1) and 79,000 (All-Flash), and it’s clear that something has gone disastrously wrong. The Flash clearly can support a higher audience, but just hasn’t connected. (Of course, being a lame-duck series can’t help.)
Flash:Rebirth is pretty much guaranteed to produce another sales spike. The real question is: can DC hold onto the new readers this time?
Can Geoff Johns break the curse of the return to the successful book? That’s the real question. Its all on Geoff’s shoulders…or pen rather.
I have no doubt that Rebirth will sell like gangbusters.
The really question is, will Geoff be writing whatever comes after it?