IcV2 has posted their top 300 comics for August list with estimated sales figures. With no issue in July, Flash: Rebirth #4 still pulled a top-20 spot on the chart for August, coming in ranked #14. Sales estimates dropped below 80K to 78,107 copies.

Most comics do drop in sales from month to month, miniseries especially, but my understanding is that they usually level out. Flash: Rebirth actually dropped more from #3 to #4 than it did from #2 to #3…despite the fact that, according to ICv2, overall sales rose in August, buoyed by Blackest Night and Dark Reign.

So why the drop?

• Did the delay cause readers to lose interest?
• Did casual readers drop it at the half-way point? Is that typical? (I’ve found I usually give a miniseries 2 issues if I’m on the fence.)
• Did the slow pacing of the first few issues frustrate readers?
• Is it because it’s the first issue to be solicited after Flash: Rebirth #1 hit the stores? I’d expect that to have helped sales, given how well #1 has done.
• Did budget crunches force readers to choose between Blackest Night and Flash: Rebirth?
• Is it actually typical, and I’m just reading too much into it?

I’m puzzled.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?

Update October 2: The Beat thinks that these are “solid figures for a Flash title…especially considering that the property has gone through two failed major relaunches since 2006.”