JLA/AVENGERS #1 BREAKS 200K
posted 09-16-2003 04:17 PM by MattBrady

COVER TO JLA/AVENGERS #3 art by George Pérez

Marvel Comics is both proud and encouraged to announce that unprecedented demand has led to the production of over 200,000 copies of JLA/AVENGERS #1 for shipment to the direct market. The George Pérez-Kurt Busiek created mega-event 20 years in the making - which initially went on sale 9/4 – has exceeded all sales expectations for this co-publishing initiative by Marvel and DC Comics. Thanks to the strong support and show of faith by comic book retailers and readers, JLA/AVENGERS #1 has joined the ranks of a small group of modern classics that have captured the imagination of our fans and continue to propel the business forward.

"I knew JLA/AVENGERS was going to do well," said writer Kurt Busiek, "but to have it do THIS well is just amazing. I'm delighted retailers had so much faith in the project, and I'm delighted readers bought 'em all up and sent the retailers back for more. And the reaction we're getting on the series is terrific - it seems like people thought it was well worth the wait, and I'm very glad to have been a part of it."

The Interest in this special once-in-a-lifetime event is also another strong indicator of a growing overall sales phenomenon that began this past spring.

"Since May, from Wolverine #1 to July's Spectacular Spider-Man #1 to August's 1602 & Supreme Power #1, sales of all our big launches have surpassed our already high expectations," said Marvel Marketing Communications Manager Michael Doran. "And that trend continued into September with JLA/AVENGERS #1 and ULTIMATE SIX #1. We're also seeing very positive growth in our other top titles like Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men and New X-Men, and we expect the trend to continue into the fall then straight into the holiday season and into next year. So to the fans and retailers fueling this remarkable run, Marvel would like to say thank you."

"This is great news for everyone in our industry," added Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, "...from readers and creators to retailers and publishers. And the even better news is projects like JLA/AVENGERS won't be just the occasional random spike we've seen on the sales charts over the last few years. Marvel has been working tirelessly to raise the bar for the industry and today we can finally see the seeds of those labors bearing fruit. It seems like almost every month the sales ceiling on top-selling titles is being raised and with ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR and MARC SILVESTRI's return to the X-MEN upcoming, we're sure to see more of the same. I fully expect that in the near future the 300K mark is just around the corner."

AVENGERS/JLA #2 goes on sale October 22nd from DC Comics. JLA/AVENGERS #3 goes on sale from Marvel on 11/26 and retailers are reminded its Final Order Cut-off (FOC) date is 10/30. The four-issue prestige format limited series concludes in December with AVENGERS/JLA #4, published by DC.