Estimates of the Number of Comic Book Shops 
-------------------------------------------


Misc. Estimates of the Number of Comic Retailers

1995    July    ~5000   Marvel's Heroes' World distributor has 
                        5000 comic book specialty store clients 
                        (source: Andrews Group Inc/DE Quarterly 
                        Report--9/30/95)
1995    Aug.    ~6300   Estimate by Steve Geppi of Diamond and 
                        John Davis of Capital City at 1995 San 
                        Diego Comicon (posted to RAC.misc by 
                        Matt High)
1996    Jan.    4,506   Estimate from American Business Information,
                        Inc.'s database (via LookupUSA.com) 
                        (posted to RAC.misc by John Northey)
1996    Dec.    4,108   Estimate from American Business Information, 
                        Inc.'s database (via LookupUSA.com) 
                        (posted to RAC.misc by John Northey)
2000    May     4,300   CrossGen press release mentions "4300 active 
                        Diamond accounts as of May 2000"


Estimates from COMICS RETAILRER's "Market Beat" Section                 
(by COMICS RETAILRER's editor, John Jackson Miller)                     

4Q97    4500            
1Q98    4200            
2Q98    4200            
3Q98    4000            
4Q98    4000            
1Q99    4000
2Q99    3600
3Q99    3600
4Q99    3600
1Q00    3600
2Q00    3600
3Q00    3600
4Q00    3400
1Q01    3400
2Q01    3400
3Q01    3000
        
Notes:  
1) The estimates by American Business Information, Inc. are for US comic shops 
only, while the estimates based on active Diamond (and Capital City) accounts 
include comic shops in Canada and the UK.
        
2) I suspect the COMICS RETAILER estimates are lower than some of the other 
estimates, because COMICS RETAILER is estimating numbers of comic book 
retailers and many of the other estimates are based on active Diamond (and 
Capital) accounts. Active distributor accounts will include a number of 
non-comics stores that carry comics, but where comics are not their main 
business.

3) The 1000 shops difference between HEROES' WORLD estimates and the 
DIAMOND/CAPITAL estimates in 1995 probably reflects a number of retailers who 
decided that with their new distributors and new (and less favorable) terms, 
Marvel comics were no longer worth the trouble.