DC sets sales records with new 52

This just in from the Associated Press:

New origins, new costumes and new stories have brought DC Comics new sales records.

The publisher of tales about Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman says it has sold more than 5 million comic books since its launch of 52 new series about six weeks ago.

DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson says the initiative has helped the company and the industry. She says it has lured new and lapsed readers back to comic shops and to digital storefronts, where they are buying devices such as tablets, smartphones and computers.

Some of the titles include “Justice League,” which sold more than 250,000 copies, and “Action Comics” and “Batman,” which both sold more than 200,000 copies of their first issues.

Eric again: That’s great! I’m glad to see something giving the industry new life. But I keep seeing this trumpeted as a “success.”

Well, that remains to be seen. It’s good for DC that it shored up the bottom line for now and has held the bean counters at bay. But I’m more interested in the second- and third-month sales figures. I’ve already skipped No. 2 issues this month, and I didn’t buy many of the No. 1′s to begin with. Same with my friends who make the trek to the CBS with me every week.

On the plus side, though, I think “Legion Lost” No. 2 was a lot better than No. 1.

Good luck, DC!