DC has published one million Watchmen graphic novels in 2008

When I was at Comic-Con, the idea for this story entered my head but the inquires I had with DC Comics didn’t pan out, so I was unable to actually find the information I was seeking.

But as luck would have it, others saw what was happening and sought out answers I couldn’t.

While at Comic-Con, I stayed with my cousin two nights for free. I thought it would be awesome to buy him and his roommate a copy of Watchmen in order to repay them for their kindness in putting up with me. They had no copy of their own, his roomie hadn’t read it, so it was the perfect gift.

On Friday I had seen around 30 stacks of the graphic novel piled ten high. I figured that was plenty, and I’d snatch one on Saturday.

Of course, when I showed up, they were all gone. In fact, I was extremely lucky to have even seen the stacks on Friday, because all 300 sold out in TWO HOURS.

The Watchmen trailer had debuted the week before on The Dark Knight and the buzz was growing. Then the panel on Saturday with the new footage showed to 6,000 patrons sparked that buzz into a wildfire.

I spoke to Aaron this week at the Atomic Comics here in Chandler, Arizona, and he says they have been sold out of them on a weekly basis. Before the trailer, sales were steady, as they have been for quite awhile for Watchmen.

It’s listed on Time’s Top 100 English Novels since 1923. It sold around 100,000 copies in 2007. It’s perennially the best selling graphic novel.

In the two weeks after the trailer debuted, the Chandler Atomic Comics sold 75 copies of Watchmen and had to turn everyone else away. They finally got in a big shipment recently, but are quickly selling out of those as well.

According to Newsarama and the NY Times, DC Comics has already published around ONE MILLION copies of Watchmen in 2008.

From selling 100,000 last year to 1,000,000 in 2008. Pretty impressive.

Aaron also made me aware of two upcoming editions of the graphic novel that I had no idea about. Debuting on November 18th will be a Hardcover Edition of Watchmen that will contain 436 pages and cost around $39.99. You can preorder it using the link above.

There is also the reprinting of the Absolute Edition (pictured right) coming soon which will run you around $75. IGN did a review of it back in 2005, lauding the larger pages, re-mastered colors and 50 pages of extras.

If the regular graphic novel success is any indication, DC is looking to be making piles and piles of cash this year and next.

It’s definitely a cultural phenomeno that is just getting started. Watchmen doesn’t come out until March 2009, but it already feels like it could be a massive hit. I’m not sure we’re talking Dark Knight proportions, but with the way Zach Snyder and DC are marketing this thing, more and more people are going to be drawn into the world of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.