With comic book stores closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was an open question just what fans would do to get their fix. New figures released from digital service DC Universe suggest that the answer was, simply, “go online.”
According to DCU, readership of the service’s digital comics library increased 35 percent between February and April, with the number of comics read on the service since its September 2018 launch topping 18 million at some point during that period.
Both of the most popular titles in April were Batman-related, with the first issues of both Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy and The Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder and Jock heading up the list of most-read issues for the month. Curiously, neither title was newly added to the service in April, suggesting reader engagement that goes beyond simply the novelty of a new arrival. Also notable: Both titles are less than two years old, demonstrating a hunger for recent material on a service that also houses the majority of DC’s back catalog stretching back eight decades.
This month, the DC Universe digital library grows to over 23,000 comic books with the addition of a number of “new” releases — DCU policy adds releases to the subscription service 12 months after their print release — including the first issues of the successful DCeased and Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III series, as well as back catalog releases featuring Scooby-Doo, tying into the upcoming VOD release of the animated Scoob! movie on Friday.
