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So, did the financial meltdown have an effect on the periodical comics market in September? Probably not. DC Comics’ periodical business did take a massive hit, mind you, but that had more to do with Final Crisis than with the financial crisis. DC’s big blockbuster event failed to come out in September, and so did spin-off titles Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds and Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge. Batman, Justice League of America and Justice Society of America didn’t make it out, either, meaning that none of the publisher’s four top-selling titles on the August chart came out in September. The fact that DC’s average sales crashed to their lowest level in years didn’t come as a great surprise, consequently.

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With Final Crisis and Batman both showing up on shelves and spawning more crossover books, August was the strongest month for DC Comics’ periodical business in quite a while. Thanks to the new high-profile spin-off titles Final Crisis: Revelations, Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, DC Universe: Last Will and Testament and Final Crisis: Superman Beyond, and to a persistently spectacular performance of the “Batman RIP” tie-ins, average sales of the publisher’s DC Universe line rose to their highest level to date in 2008.

The average periodical numbers of DC’s Vertigo and WildStorm sublabels, meanwhile, appear to be making some small progress towards climbing out of their respective all-time lows, although you wouldn’t guess it from looking at any individual titles.

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It’s month five of SECRET INVASION, and the crossover continues to dominate Marvel’s output. August also sees the X-books continuing their “Manifest Destiny” direction, and relaunches for RUNAWAYS and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FAMILY.

Marvel’s share of the North American direct market continues to hold up well. This time round, they beat DC in dollar share by 41% to 33%, and unit share by 48% to 33%. But there’s a fly in the ointment, as DM periodical sales have now been sliding for seven straight months. Graphic novels are up, but that’s entirely due to the sudden surge of WATCHMEN sales.

All a bit discouraging, then. But hey, what isn’t, these days? There was a time when comics used to be relatively recession-proof, but then in those days, Marvel weren’t charging four dollars for an issue of a miniseries.

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For the DC Comics’ mainstream line of periodicals, July was the most eventful month in ages. Although the company’s big blockbuster Final Crisis missed its July shipping date, the series saw its first couple of spin-off books with Final Crisis: Requiem and Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge. The popular “Batman RIP” storyline returned with a vengeance, meanwhile, and began spawning crossover arcs in the secondary Batman books. There also were a Justice Society of America Annual, Ambush Bug and Reign in Hell, as well as - just in time for the new film - a whole bunch of Batman-related specials and miniseries. And quite what on earth was going on with Trinity in July, we can’t be certain, but I’m taking a brave stab at an educated guess, anyway.

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UNCANNY X-MEN celebrates five hundred issues, while SECRET INVASION enters a fourth month, with a range of crossover titles in tow. Marvel tend to save their major launches until after the crossovers have finished, but there’s a handful of new minis, as well as the debut of Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi on ASTONISHING X-MEN.

As usual, Marvel were by far the biggest publisher in the North American direct market, beating DC in unit share by 48% to 35%, and in dollar share by 49% to 33%. But then, FINAL CRISIS was on a skip month, so what do you expect?