The Marvel Backlist Bargain Flood of Feb. 2014

Just a few words on the abnormal amount of Marvel backlist items on Diamond's February 2014 charts. That's happened a few times before, Marvel decides to liquidate vast sections of their backlist (DC has also had a few similar mass liquidations show up on the charts).  I'm not sure how they do it now, but I know a few years ago it was done through progressively higher discounts. One week retailers get an option to order from a large list of books at 70% off. Books that sell out come off the list, the next week remaining books are 75% off. Eventually everything sells, even if some of it is over 90% off. You end up seeing a lot of these books at conventions, from dealers selling paperbacks for $5, standard hardcovers for $10, oversized hardcovers for $20, with no shortage of inventory. You can find a lot of them now from on-line sellers offering them at half-price or lower. If past is prologue, if you really want any of them, now is a good time to order, you'll never get a better combination of price and availability.

It looks like discounts in that range were the order of business for 92 of the items Marvel had on the Top 300 for February. Those books fall into three groups.

39 of the books were from Marvel's ESSENTIAL line of thick black and white softcovers. The line appears to have wrapped up, at least there haven't been any books released in a few months, and none are on the schedule.

ESSENTIAL AVENGERS TP VOL 02 : 520 copies
ESSENTIAL AVENGERS TP VOL 03 : 556 copies
ESSENTIAL AVENGERS TP VOL 04 : 498 copies
ESSENTIAL AVENGERS TP VOL 05 : 474 copies
ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA TP VOL 02 : 464 copies
ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA TP VOL 04 : 858 copies
ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN MARVEL TP VOL 01 : 951 copies
ESSENTIAL CLASSIC X-MEN TP VOL 03 : 828 copies
ESSENTIAL DAREDEVIL TP VOL 04 : 642 copies
ESSENTIAL DAZZLER TP VOL 01 : 500 copies
ESSENTIAL DEFENDERS TP VOL 04 : 467 copies
ESSENTIAL DOCTOR STRANGE TP VOL 02 : 529 copies
ESSENTIAL DOCTOR STRANGE TP VOL 03 : 690 copies
ESSENTIAL DOCTOR STRANGE TP VOL 04 : 564 copies
ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR TP VOL 01 : 871 copies
ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR TP VOL 07 : 618 copies
ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER TP VOL 02 : 653 copies
ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER TP VOL 03 : 630 copies
ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER TP VOL 04 : 445 copies
ESSENTIAL HULK TP VOL 04 : 745 copies
ESSENTIAL HULK TP VOL 05 : 770 copies
ESSENTIAL IRON MAN TP VOL 01 : 570 copies
ESSENTIAL MAN-THING TP VOL 02 : 552 copies
ESSENTIAL MARVEL TEAM-UP TP VOL 03 : 647 copies
ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO IN ONE TP VOL 03 : 494 copies
ESSENTIAL MOON KNIGHT TP VOL 03 : 442 copies
ESSENTIAL PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 03 : 757 copies
ESSENTIAL PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 04 : 727 copies
ESSENTIAL POWER MAN AND IRON FIST TP VOL 02 : 505 copies
ESSENTIAL PUNISHER TP VOL 01 : 629 copies
ESSENTIAL PUNISHER TP VOL 03 : 778 copies
ESSENTIAL RAMPAGING HULK TP VOL 01 : 1178 copies
ESSENTIAL RAMPAGING HULK TP VOL 02 : 485 copies
ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 10 : 767 copies
ESSENTIAL WOLVERINE TP VOL 04 : 649 copies
ESSENTIAL WOLVERINE TP VOL 05 : 818 copies
ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 02 : 832 copies
ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 04 : 741 copies
ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 05 : 1021 copies

There were also 39 books from Marvel's line of slightly smaller than standard trim size (but larger than digest size) 5 1/2-in. x 8-in softcover line, which they somewhat confusingly labelled as "graphic novel trade paperbacks", or "GN TP". That format also appears to be done, with only a few releases in 2013 wrapping up some lines and nothing on the horizon.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP OFF INDEX MARVEL UNIVERSE GN : 562 copies

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE HISTORY OF EARTHS HEROES GN TP : 559 copies

CAPTAIN AMERICA AND KORVAC SAGA GN TP : 699 copies

CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTING AVENGER TP : 875 copies

DAREDEVIL NOIR GN TP : 473 copies

FRANKLIN RICHARDS TP SON GENIUS ULT COLL GN BOOK 01 : 1060 copies

FRANKLIN RICHARDS TP SON GENIUS ULT COLL GN BOOK 02 : 663 copies

IRON MAN & ARMOR WARS GN TP : 741 copies

IRON MAN NOIR GN TP : 552 copies

LOCKJAW AND PET AVENGERS TP GN : 540 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 01 : 980 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 02 : 824 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 03 : 802 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 04 : 804 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 05 : 815 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 06 : 760 copies

NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 07 : 807 copies

OZ DOROTHY AND WIZARD IN OZ GN TP : 863 copies

OZ MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ TP : 1334 copies

OZ OZMA OF OZ GN TP : 1455 copies

OZ ROAD TO OZ GN TP : 1183 copies

PETER PORKER TP VOL 01 SPECTACULAR SPIDER-HAM GN : 577 copies

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE GN TP : 713 copies

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY GN TP : 517 copies

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL TP LAST STAND GN : 639 copies

THOR MIGHTY AVENGER GN TP VOL 01 GOD WHO FELL INTO EARTH : 838 copies

THOR MIGHTY AVENGER GN TP VOL 02 : 848 copies

UNCANNY X-MEN FIRST CLASS TP HATED AND FEARED GN : 774 copies

UNCANNY X-MEN FIRST CLASS TP KNIGHTS OF HYKON GN : 655 copies

UNCANNY X-MEN OFF INDEX MARVEL UNIVERSE GN TP : 465 copies

VAMPIRE TALES GN TP VOL 01 : 517 copies

VAMPIRE TALES GN TP VOL 02 : 492 copies

VAMPIRE TALES GN TP VOL 03 : 470 copies

WOLVERINE NOIR GN TP : 485 copies

WOLVERINE TALES OF WEAPON X TP GN : 705 copies

X-BABIES CLASSIC GN TP VOL 01 : 843 copies

X-BABIES TP STARS REBORN GN : 827 copies

X-MEN FIRST CLASS GN TP CLASS PORTRAITS : 447 copies

X-MEN NOIR TP MARK OF CAIN GN : 463 copies

Lastly, there were 14 books in Marvel's "premiere hardcover" line, mostly thin collections of some of their better selling monthly comics, published quickly after each story arc ends and replaced within a year with a softcover edition with the same contents. The softcover editions of most of these books have been or soon will be released, so retailers buying them are probably spending slightly less than they would for those softcovers.

AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 01 AVENGERS WORLD : 653 copies
AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 02 LAST WHITE EVENT NOW : 628 copies
AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 03 PRELUDE TO INFINITY : 605 copies
CAPTAIN AMERICA PREM HC VOL 01 CASTAWAY DIMENSION Z BK 1 NOW : 625 copies
CAPTAIN AMERICA PREM HC VOL 02 CASTAWAY DIMENSION Z BK 2 : 504 copies
DEADPOOL PREM HC VOL 05 WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS : 745 copies
INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK PREM HC VOL 01 AGENT OF SHIELD NOW : 597 copies
IRON MAN PREM HC VOL 01 BELIEVE : 613 copies
MARVEL UNIVERSE END PREM HC : 505 copies
NOVA PREM HC ORIGIN NOW : 574 copies
SAVAGE WOLVERINE PREM HC VOL 01 KILL ISLAND NOW : 625 copies
THOR GOD OF THUNDER PREM HC VOL 01 GOD BUTCHER : 686 copies
UNCANNY AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 01 RED SHADOW NOW : 776 copies
UNCANNY AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 02 APOCALYPSE TWINS : 616 copies

Now, all this brings up a few interesting points to ponder. First off, Marvel seems to be doing much better on the supply side than they were a few years ago. It used to be pretty reliable a few years ago that they'd quickly sell out of any book that there was any demand for. It seems they do invest in a generous overprint now, and have books available for a while.

Unfortunately, I think they might have problem on the demand side. Maybe they trained retailers too well to not expect continued availability, and to order whatever they needed up-front. The frequency of the liquidations might also have trained retailers and buyers to hold off on ordering older books, since they might be available at steep discounts soon enough.