ICv2

ICv2 is the trade journal of the geek-culture retail sector, covering comics, hobby games, anime, manga, and licensed merchandise from a business and retail-strategy perspective. Founded in 2001 by industry veteran Milton Griepp, the site is the definitive source for distributor sales data, market-share analysis, and retail-tier industry news.

ICv2's quarterly and annual sales reports are widely cited across the comics press and form the foundation for almost every public discussion of which titles, publishers, and formats are growing or shrinking. They publish unit and dollar-share rankings for the direct market (Diamond and Lunar), the book-trade channel (BookScan), digital comics, and manga separately — which together give a much more complete picture of the medium's commercial health than any single channel does alone.

For collectors and dealers, ICv2's value is contextual rather than tactical. You will not find casting rumours or speculator picks here, but you will find the data you need to understand which publishers are gaining shelf space, which formats are driving growth, and which trends are likely to shape the back-issue market in the next few years.

Most content is free; a small premium tier offers archived deep reports for industry professionals.