In times of need, people often look to their superheroes.
Comic books came off the shelves when the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing a surge in sales for both Marvel and DC comics that have continued into 2022, according to data released this week by Wise Voter, a polling platform. national.
The site, which analyzed favorite comic book superheroes by country, reported that the comic book market grew by more than 60% in print and digital sales nationwide from 2020 to 2021. Marvel recorded a market share of 32%, while DC recorded 27%.
When it comes to America’s favorite superhero, the answer is clear: Spider-Man. Spidey comic books were the best sellers in 25 states, including some of Iowa’s neighbors, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois, according to Wise Voter.
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is followed by Gotham City’s Batman, which dominated sales in 10 states, and Superman, which came out on top in four states.
Overall, the DC vs. Marvel battle was won by Marvel fans, who took over 32 states, Wise Voter reported.
So who is Iowa’s favorite hero? Aquaman, the monarch of Atlantis and King of the Seven Seas, took first place in the Hawkeye State where he has a real life connection
According to DC, Aquaman, aka Arthur Curry, is one of the DC universe’s most powerful superheroes who commands a “fictional kingdom that covers three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, including all the creatures contained within.” Aquaman is a founding member of the Justice League of America and has fought alongside Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
It also doesn’t hurt that Jason Momoa, who starred as Curry/Aquaman in the Warner Bros. The 2018 movie Aquaman, spent most of his childhood in Norwalk and graduated from Norwalk High School.
More:Actor Jason Momoa dines at Tasty Tacos in Iowa at the end of his Oscars appearance.
Here are Iowa’s five favorite superheroes ranked, based on comic book sales from 2020 to 2021:
- Aquaman
- Batman
- Spider Man
- The iron Man
- Superman
Virginia Barreda is a trends and general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Her favorite superhero is Batman, although Iron Man is a close second. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @vbarreda2.