by 
Updated on December 10, 2021
DC’s latest event, “Dark Nights,” topped comic sales for August 2017. On the trade paperback side, Image’s “Paper Girls” volume 3 was the top-seller.
Comics
Below are August’s top-selling comics, according to Diamond.
| Rank | Title | Price | Publisher |
| 1 | DARK NIGHTS: METAL #1 | $4.99 | DC |
| 2 | BATMAN #28 | $2.99 | DC |
| 3 | BATMAN #29 | $2.99 | DC |
| 4 | SECRET EMPIRE #10 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 5 | GENERATIONS: ALL-NEW WOLVERINE/WOLVERINE #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 6 | SECRET EMPIRE #8 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 7 | SECRET EMPIRE #9 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 8 | GENERATIONS: THE MIGHTY THOR/UNWORTHY THOR #1 | $4.99 | MAR |
| 9 | STAR WARS #34 | $3.99 | MAR |
| 10 | STAR WARS #35 | $3.99 | MAR |
DC’s “Dark Nights” and the usual “Batman” top the list. However, Marvel made up all seven other entries, thanks to the still-lingering “Secret Empire” and a few issues of “Generations.”
The only non-superhero related entries in the top 10 are two issues of “Star Wars.” Both issues feature Lando Calrissian, whose own miniseries back in 2015 was a top 10 seller; issue #1 surprisingly outsold everything else that month save an issue of Marvel’s “Secret Wars” event. Despite concerns about declining Marvel superhero comic sales, “Star Wars” remains one of the company’s top-selling books.
Trade paperbacks/graphic novels
Below are the top-selling trade paperbacks and graphic novels for August.
| Rank | Title | Price | Publisher |
| 1 | PAPER GIRLS VOLUME 3 TP | $12.99 | IMA |
| 2 | BATMAN VOLUME 3: I AM BANE TP | $16.99 | DC |
| 3 | GOD COUNTRY TP (MR) | $16.99 | IMA |
| 4 | KILL OR BE KILLED VOLUME 2 TP (MR) | $16.99 | IMA |
| 5 | WONDER WOMAN VOLUME 3: THE TRUTH TP | $16.99 | DC |
| 6 | X-MEN GOLD VOLUME 1: BACK TO BASICS TP | $15.99 | MAR |
| 7 | REBORN HC (MR) | $24.99 | IMA |
| 8 | SUPERMAN VOLUME 3: MULTIPLICITY TP | $16.99 | DC |
| 9 | OLD GUARD BOOK 1: OPENING FIRE TP (MR) | $16.99 | IMA |
| 10 | X-MEN BLUE VOLUME 1: STRANGEST TP | $15.99 | MAR |
Image’s “Paper Girls,” volume 3, is the top-selling trade paperback. Image takes up half the spots on the list; DC has three entries (one trade each for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman); and Marvel has two (both X-Men books).
“Paper Girls” is a series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang about a group of preteen paper girls dealing with strange goings-on in 1980s suburban Ohio.
Other figures
The top five publishers by dollar share:
- Marvel: 35.01%
- DC Comics: 28.18%
- Image: 10.06%
- IDW: 4.81%
- Dark Horse: 3.16%
The top five publishers by unit share:
- Marvel: 39.52%
- DC Comics: 31.09%
- Image: 9.23%
- IDW: 3.69%
- Dynamite: 3.58%
Comments
Sales are up over July for comics and trades, thanks to the strength of DC’s “Dark Nights.” However, sales are still soft for the year. They’re also off versus August 2016, though that year had “Rebirth” boosting sales.
Comichron states that while “Dark Nights” shipped about 262,000 issues, this year’s June to August period marked the worst year-to-year decline since 1997. Long-time Big Two fans might recall that’s when Marvel released “Heroes Return,” the restoration of the status quo after the ill-fated reboot “Heroes Reborn.” However, that marked a decline from the summer of 1996, the period when we got “Heroes Reborn” and the now-famous wedding of Superman and Lois Lane.
