In a followup to last week’s report on the size of the overall comics and graphic novel marketplace, pop culture trade news site ICv2 reports that digital comics sales grew to $90 million in 2013, nearly 30% over 2012 digital sales. While the rate of sales growth for digital comics has declined, the category is 10x the size of the e-comics market in 2010.
Digital comics sales have grown from about $8 million in 2010 to $25 million in sales in 2011 (a 213% growth rate) to $70 million in 2012, a 180% increase in sales over the previous year.
The report also notes that while sales of digital comics continue to grow at a faster rate than prose e-book sales, the rising popularity of digital comics have not affected sales of print comics and graphic novels. Indeed many physical comics retailers are crediting digital comics with sending new consumers into bookstores and comics shops looking for material they initially encountered in digital form.
"There was no way that digital comics could continue the explosive growth of the past couple years,’ said ICv2.com CEO Milton Griepp. “That being said, 29% increase in any industry is still a great number."
