ICv2 has released February 2010 sales estimates, and both Flash: Rebirth #6 and Blackest Night: Flash finish close to the previous issues of the respective series. Rebirth is ranked #9 for the month, while the Blackest Night tie-in comes in at #12 — again, the highest-rated of the three spin-off miniseries.
| Issue | Rank | Month | Units Sold | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash: Rebirth #1 | 2 | April | 102,429 | +286.6% |
| Flash: Rebirth #2 | 4 | May | 86,183 | -15.9% |
| Flash: Rebirth #3 | 10 | June | 83,086 | -3.6% |
| Flash: Rebirth #4 | 14 | Aug. | 78,107 | -6.0% |
| Flash: Rebirth #5 | 9 | Nov. | 73,875 | -5.4% |
| Blackest Night: The Flash #1 | 5 | Dec. | 80,313 | +8.7% |
| Blackest Night: The Flash #2 | 9 | Jan. | 69,381 | -13.6% |
| Blackest Night: The Flash #3 | 12 | Feb. | 65,348 | -5.8% |
| Flash: Rebirth #6 | 9 | Feb. | 70,824 | -4.1%* |
*Compared to the previous issue of Flash: Rebirth
In the end, about two-thirds of those who started Flash: Rebirth finished it, though most readers who were still on board by #5 stuck it through to the end. I have no idea what typical drop-off is for a six-issue miniseries, so this could be good, bad, or standard.
The rankings are quite positive, though: Of the nine issues between the two miniseries, seven were in the top 10 for the month. The two that dropped below the top 10 were still in the top 15.
I’d guess we’ll see a drop for this month’s Flash Secret Files and then another jump up for The Flash #1. It’s a major relaunch of one of DC’s top 6 characters, it’s a #1, it’s tied into Brightest Day, and it’s a new series by Geoff Johns. Plus even many readers who were disappointed by Flash: Rebirth have expressed optimism about the new series. It will be interesting to see how well it succeeds.
It seems like a mistake to marry a major relaunch with a mega crossover event – especially the second part of one. New readers from a decade later could be pretty lost or feel like a so-called self-contained story is inaccessible or incomplete.
.-= West’s latest blog post: MIA =-.
We need a great first and second issue of the ongoing. As long as people are hooked right from the start, it could be another Green Lantern situation where it stays in the top 10 and maybe starts a franchise around it.