DC continues to carry its immense 2025 momentum into 2026, with the publisher hitting a massive 34.7% market share in Q1. Let’s break it down.
In Q1 2026, DC has extended its market share to 34.7% compared to Marvel’s 29.4%. Between Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, DC grew by 2.1 percent, but perhaps more significantly the gulf over Marvel as extended. DC now leads Marvel by 5.3%, the most significant margin in over two decades. DC hasn’t had such big success since the launch of the New 52 in 2011 — and even the current numbers eclipse that.
Naturally, the two titans make up the bulk of market share, with Image Comics coming in third at 11.8%, losing some of the market share that it captured in the turn of the year. Additionally, BOOM! Studios has lost a fair chunk too; it finished 2025 on 2.3% and currently boasts 1.7% in Q1 2026.
Comic Store Market Share Top 10 — Q1 2026
As always, these figures come from ICv2. Check out their site for further details.
| 1 | DC Comics | 34.7% |
| 2 | Marvel Comics | 29.4% |
| 3 | Image Comics | 11.8% |
| 4 | IDW Publishing | 4.2% |
| 5 | Dark Horse Comics | 2.9% |
| 6 | VIZ Media | 2.3% |
| 7 | Dynamite Entertainment | 2.3% |
| 8 | BOOM! Studios | 1.7% |
| 9 | Kodansha Comics | 1.1% |
| 10 | Oni Press | 1.1% |
| Other publishers | 8.5% |
Why is DC winning?
DC’s immense market growth in recent years comes down to two major moves from the publisher.
Firstly, and most significantly, is the launch of the publisher’s Absolute Universe in October 2024, a line that re-imagines classic DC heroes from a new lens. The headline series from the Absolute line include Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, and Absolute Superman. The continuity has been a monumental success. For instance, Absolute Batman alone is reaching around 300,000 orders, with issue #1 now on its eleventh reprint.
DC has also dominated thanks to its strong re-release strategy, not least the line of DC Compact Comics that hit the market in June 2024. These small, incredibly dense editions take entire story arcs and put them together in one book. They’re a cheap, comprehensive way of reading DC titles. Some of the most popular DC Compact Comics include Scott Snyder’s Batman: Court of Owls saga and even Alan Moore’s seminal works Watchmen and V for Vendetta.
DC is taking risks they’re paying off. The Absolute Universe will continue to grow this year, with further team-up events planned and the launch of new titles like Absolute Green Arrow.
Meanwhile, after many years of typically leading market shares by around 5% to 10%, Marvel has struggled to find momentum. The titan publisher will lose further sales with the ending of the Ultimate Universe 2.0. Furthermore, Marvel Comics is currently undergoing significant layoffs, which will no doubt contribute to slowed momentum. One big avenue for Marvel currently is in the world of DC crossovers, with comics like Deadpool/Batman being among the best-selling titles of 2025.
We’ll keep you posted on all the latest comic book industry news. Take a look at month-by-month sales rankings here.
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