I was reading the latest batch of comics that came in the mail (DC's super-hero line for coverdate April, 1980), and the letters page had the circulation data posted. Pretty scary numbers.

Total paid circulation (including subscriptions) - Title / Average in last 12 months / # closest to filing date

Action Comics: 160,928 / 173,778
Adventure Comics: 83,642 / 84,427*
Batman: 166,640 / 155,635
Brave & The Bold: 153,034 / 209,629**
DC Comics Presents: 135,657 / 155,168
Detective Comics: 79,872 / 90,197***
Flash: 102,297 / 99,843
Green Lantern: 97,249 / 112,375****
Justice League Of America: 128,660 / 149,583***
Legion Of Super-Heroes: 162,265 / 173,428*****
Superman: 246,726 / 210,574 (it is good to be the king)
Superman Family: 76,693 / 78,705
World's Finest: 78,044 / 85,194 ***
Wonder Woman: No clue. The issue I needed was out of stock at the time of order.

Superboy had his own series, but it was only on issue 4 so no sales data was available.

* Adventure Comics had recently changed for an oversized Dollar Comic featuring Wonder Woman, The Flash, JSA, Deadman and Aquman to a regular sized $0.40 comic featuring Plastic Man and Ditko's Starman

** I don't know what could have sparked such a dramatic sales increase. Bob Haney had been removed from the title a few months earlier, but Jim Aparo stayed on as artist. Too bad I can't tell what the issue closest to filing date was.

*** Detective Comics, Superman Family and Worlds Finest Comics are both oversized Dollar Comics.

**** Up to a few months prior to this issue, the title was titled Green Lantern/Green Arrow. I guess dropping the bowman and going more Sci-Fi worked, saleswise.

***** Up to a few months prior to this issue, the title was Superboy & The Legion Of Super-Heroes. I guess dropping Superboy from the lead spot worked, saleswise.

I loved the Dollar Comics that DC was doing at the time.
Much as I liked the 50¢ and 60¢ giant issues earlier.
Much as I liked the 25¢ giants before that.

Big fat comics with a lot of features and Golden Age and Silver Age repeats.
What's not to love?

Batman Family was one of my favorite titles, and it gained a little longer life
when it merged with the Dollar Comic Detective Comics.

Loved the 25¢ books and the 50¢ Super Spectaculars that started up in '71. Every issue was a history lesson (in a good way), with back-up stories from the Golden Age and the start of the Silver Age. It began to lose its luster when I became old enough to see comics that I bought as a kid reprinted in the 60¢ Super Spectaculars. I was glad to see the Dollar Comics packed with all new stories at the end of the 70's.

Looks like killing off Iris Allen didn't help Flash much.

Here are the final eight Brave & Bolds for the year. The last three were on sale in 1979, but dated for Jan. - Feb 1980.





I can't imagine what would give such a bump in sales.

The Red Tornado.

Obviously.

I would LOVE to own a page from that comic and I have been looking for one for ten years.

The first post is confusing me. Are we talking about comics in 1979 or 1990?

If we're talking about '79, that Wonder Woman appearance in B&B may have been the high point in sales that year. The TV series was in its final (but very successful) season.

I remember being startled when I saw the first issue of the merged Detective Comics / Batman Family. But they explained the reasons for doing so in an editorial inside.

If they hadn't done that, BF would have had a very abrupt cancellation.

It can't be 1990 because B & B was canceled in 1983.

1980, sorry. Typo on my part.

The Dr. Fate Brave & The Bold issue was drawn by Don Newton. I think all the rest were drawn by Aparo.

The Red Tornado was drawn by Newton as well.

Then, since you don't have the numbers for the WW comic itself, I'm going with Wonder Woman boosting the B&B sales for that one month.

If that were true, one would think that she would have made another appearance, but she didn't.

The Wonder Woman in question is 266 if anyone has it in their collection to check.

Who's going to admit to that?

Okay. Wonder Woman 1979:

Average: 157,763

Actual nearest to filing: 143, 758

I'm gonna buy it when it comes back in stock.

I think I have it, too.

I just posted it above.

Saw that.