Hello Kitty #1 Comic Book Gets 75,000 Orders But It’s Still Not Enough

Posted in: Comics, IDW | Tagged: hello kitty, polybag, stickers

Hello Kitty #1 Comic Book Gets 75,000 Orders But It’s Still Not Enough

Hello Kitty #1 Comic Book Gets 75,000 Orders But It’s Still Not Enough… watch out for madness this Wednesday

Article Summary

• Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World #1 has racked up 75,000 orders at IDW, but demand still looks far higher.
• The new Hello Kitty comic launches Wednesday with one of three exclusive sticker sheets polybagged in every Cover A.
• Limited European availability could make Hello Kitty #1 even hotter overseas, with Diamond UK unable to supply copies.
• Mariko Tamaki and Cody Lemieux bring Hello Kitty into comics with a mystery adventure built for collectors and kids.

Back in June, I indicated that comic book retailers may have been sleeping on the launch of the Hello Kitty comic from IDW Publishing. Especially given that the first issue was polybagged with one of three sets of stickers. It struck me as not only collectable for some, but also a perennial that comic stores could do with having boxes of, out back, and sell through over the next decade to families with very young children who come in, wanting a) a comic, b) a Hello Kitty comic and c) some stickers. Well, IDW Publishing has just told me that they have received 75,000 orders for the first issue. Which is a lot. But I still don’t think it’s nearly enough. It may be a little more impressive in that IDW didn’t have the license to sell the comic in Europe, and Diamond UK couldn’t get any copies… which means it may be in even greater demand over here…

Hello Kitty And Friends: Hello World #1 by Mariko Tamaki and Cody Lemieux is a new comic book licensed from Sanrio out this Wednesday.The main Hello Kitty And Friends: Hello World #1 cover A by Paulina Ganucheau is polybagged with one of three exclusive collectable sticker sheets. These are exclusive to the direct comic book market of comic shops, think X-Force #1 polybagged with trading cards, but for young girls of whatever age or gender, and you might come close. Stickers are a way bigger deal in the collecting community than most comic book shops have realised, but everyone on Artist Alleys has. And now official, limited, exclusive, 1-in-3, Hello Kitty sticker sets are coming to comic book stores this week, with the market further primed for this at San Diego Comic-Con. Hello Kitty collectors have been primed, comic stores less so… even with 75,000 copies.

HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS: HELLO WORLD! #1
Writer Mariko Tamaki
Artist Cody Lemiuex

She’s here! Hello, world—it’s Hello Kitty! Welcome one and all to Hello Kitty and her friends’ first major swing into the comic book world. Everything is going well in Hello Kitty’s life: Her friends are happy, her radio show is popular, and she even has the perfect gift to give! But all of that comes to a screeching halt when My Melody bursts in to reveal that her bow has gone missing! Suddenly, the iconic symbols of our favorite characters all start disappearing, and it’s up to Hello Kitty to solve the case! But that’s not all—as friends start to suspect each other, our super detective must solve the mystery and keep everyone together! It’s a mess only Hello Kitty can solve! Join comic legend and multiple Eisner Award–winning author Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Detective Comics) and rising artist Cody Lemieux for the groundbreaking comics launch of the world’s sweetheart! Cover A comes polybagged with one of three exclusive collectible sticker sheets, unseal the surprise and start the chase to track down all three and complete the full set! FOC 6/29/26 On sale August 12, 2026

HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Cover A by Paulina Ganucheau
HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Cover B by Rian Gonzales

HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Cover C Foil by Chrissi Zullo Uminga
HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Cover D by Tokitokoro

HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Cover E by Natalie Haines
HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Variant RI 1-25 by Min Ho Kim

HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Variant RI 1-100 Rian Gonzales Full Art Variant
HELLO KITTY AND FRIENDS – HELLO WORLD #1 Variant RI 1-150 Chrissi Zullo Uminga Full Art Variant

Hello Kitty is a globally iconic fictional character created in 1974 by designer Yuko Shimizu, with later design work by Yuko Yamaguchi, owned by Japanese company Sanrio, and first appeared on merchandise in March 1975, starting with a simple vinyl coin purse. Sanrio developed her as part of their focus on cute (kawaii) characters for social communication and gifts. The “Hello” in her name comes from the greeting theme. She’s depicted as an English girl, Kitty White, who looks like a cat, living in the suburbs of London with her family, parents George and Mary White, twin sister Mimmy, and grandparents. And she is massive.

Hello Kitty And Friends: Hello World #1 Preview

Hello Kitty And Friends: Hello World #1 Preview

Hello Kitty And Friends: Hello World #1 Preview

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