Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

Brainiac 5 is becoming a gorilla on the cover of Adventure Comics #330 (1965) by Curt Swan and George Klein.


(Standard disclaimer about shape-changing teen-age super-heroes not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6)
2 (-). Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1
3 (+2). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle)
4 (-1). Big Nate and Friends (Kindle)
5 (+2). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle)
6 (-1). Dork Diaries 1 (Kindle)
7 (+4). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
8 (-). Big Nate: From the Top (Kindle)
9 (-). The Walking Dead Volume 15
10 (+8). Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 4)
11 (-1). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle)
12 (+1). The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 5)
13 (+9). V for Vendetta
14 (+3). Sailor Moon 3
15 (-9). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
16 (+13). Watchmen
17 (-3). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
18 (-6). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
19 (+6). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
20 (-1). Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works
21 (+5). Batman: Year One
22 (+16). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 2
23 (-3). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
24 (+8). Batman: The Killing Joke
25 (-10). The Complete Persepolis
26 (+5). Habibi
27 (-11). Batman: The Black Mirror
28 (-5). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
29 (N). Batman & Robin: Dark Knight, White Knight
30 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books (1-5)
31 (+8). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 3
32 (R). Ninjago Graphic Novels #1: The Challenge of Samukai
33 (-). X-Men: Schism
34 (R). Big Nate Out Loud
35 (-1). Dork Diaries 3 ½ (Kindle)
36 (-6). American Born Chinese
37 (-18). Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 2 - The Promise Part 2 *
38 (R). Sailor Moon 1
39 (N). Daredevil, vol. 1 *
40 (+7). Fables Vol. 16: Super Team
41 (R). Dilbert: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar
42 (-6). The Walking Dead, Book 7
43 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
44 (N). American Vampire Vol. 3 *
45 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
46 (R). Hark! A Vagrant
47 (R). Batman: Hush
48 (-21). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 1
49 (R). Sailor Moon 2
50 (-4). Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Battle of Tull


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Cabin Fever falls a bit to #31 on the overall chart, but that's more than enough to keep it ahead of #2 Airbender, which tumbles to #129 on the overall list.

* Watchmen sees a bit of an uptick with the prequel announcement this week. It had risen as high as #11 but this morning has settled down at #16. Still V for Vendetta is charting higher.

* New titles this week are collections of Batman & Robin, Daredevil, and American Vampire.

* Marvel chart three books this week, including two super-hero titles.

* Bat-watch: Six Batman titles on the chart this week.

Thoughts on Before Watchmen

Early this morning DC announced Before Watchmen, a series of mini-series prequels to one of the best regarded (and best-selling) comic stories of all time. (And under previous regimes an area deemed as untouchable as far as spin-off projects went.)

Some initial thoughts:

• Watchmen doesn't really need prequels or sequels, as it is complete unto itself. However, these days such things are an anathema to comic companies. But if you don't like the idea of the prequels, it still leaves the original intact; it's not like they're going and doing a 3-D Special Edition of the original Moore & Gibbons collection or anything.
• DC needed something big to recapture the comics and mainstream media's attention now that the excitement over the New 52 has wound down.
• The creative teams are top-notch, creators from whom I would take a serious consideration of buying if they were producing a 'regular' comic series unrelated to Watchmen. I'm particularly looking forward to Minutemen by Darwyn Cooke and Silk Spectre by Cooke and Amanda Conner.
• While original series artist Dave Gibbons has apparently given his blessing to the prequels, I'm surprised he isn't involved in any of the series. I would have thought maybe they'd have him do the covers or something? (Maybe there will be variant covers by Gibbons?
• If you were wondering why some of DC's top creators have been absent from the New 52, well here you go. I wonder how far in advance they've been working on this?
• The original Watchmen series was twelve issues; the prequels in total will consist of thirty-five issues. Of course, each Watchmen issue was 32 pages of story: 28 story pages and a 4 page text feature. Will the prequel minis be the standard 20 pages that is the norm for DC these days?
• I wonder if sales of the Watchmen collection will spike after the announcement of the prequels? Tune in back here on Friday when we do the Amazon Top 50 to find out...

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

Your monkey also has very long arms, on the cover of My Monkey's Name is Jennifer #1 (2002) by Ken Knudtsen.

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6)
2 (+38). Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1 *
3 (+1). Big Nate and Friends (Kindle)
4 (-2). Dork Diaries 1 (Kindle)
5 (-2). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle)
6 (+2). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
7 (-). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle)
8 (+5). Big Nate: From the Top (Kindle)
9 (-4). The Walking Dead Volume 15
10 (+4). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle)
11 (+1). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
12 (-3). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
13 (+5). The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 5)
14 (+9). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
15 (-5). The Complete Persepolis
16 (R). Batman: The Black Mirror
17 (-11). Sailor Moon 3
18 (+8). Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 4)
19 (-2). Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works
20 (-9). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
21 (N). Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 2 - The Promise Part 2 *
22 (-3). V for Vendetta
23 (-7). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
24 (-). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
25 (+11). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
26 (+7). Batman: Year One
27 (-12). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 1
28 (+14). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books (1-5)
29 (-7). Watchmen
30 (-2). American Born Chinese
31 (-). Habibi
32 (+5). Batman: The Killing Joke
33 (-6). X-Men: Schism
34 (+1). Dork Diaries 3 ½ (Kindle)
35 (-3). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
36 (+5). The Walking Dead, Book 7
37 (R). Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Lost Adventures
38 (-8). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 2
39 (-18). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 3
40 (-20). Cul de Sac Golden Treasury: A Keepsake Garland of Classics (Kindle)
41 (+4). The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
42 (-17). Dog Eat Doug: A Cartoon Collection (Kindle)
43 (+6). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
44 (+2). Star Wars: Legacy Volume 11 - War
45 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 5
46 (-8). Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Battle of Tull
47 (-8). Fables Vol. 16: Super Team
48 (R). Batman: Noel
49 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 6
50 (R). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Cabin Fever stays at #28 on the overall list and stays at #1 on the comics list this week. But nipping right at its heels is the #2 item, new Avatar graphic novel, at #38 on the overall list. Could we soon see a new #1 comic? Tune in next week to find out...

* The second Avatar volume isn't due out until June, but there's still enough anticipation to make it the #21 comic this week (and the only item debuting this week as well). Rounding out the Avatar-fever is the return of last year's The Lost Adventures to the list at #37.

* Dead & Tintin Watch: Just four titles each for The Walking Dead and Tintin this week. There are six Batman titles, so maybe it's time to start a Bat-watch in anticipation of the new movie out this summer?

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

Tarzan leaps in to save a chimpanzee from a bunch of battling baboons on the cover of Lord of the Jungle #1 (2012) by Ryan Sook.

(Standard disclaimer about neither chimpanzees nor baboons not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6)
2 (+3). Dork Diaries 1 (Kindle)
3 (-1). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle)
4 (-). Big Nate and Friends (Kindle)
5 (+1). The Walking Dead Volume 15
6 (+11). Sailor Moon 3
7 (-4). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle)
8 (+2). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
9 (-1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
10 (+4). The Complete Persepolis
11 (+5). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
12 (+1). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
13 (-2). Big Nate: From the Top (Kindle)
14 (-5). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle)
15 (-). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 1
16 (+5). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
17 (-10). Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It's Necessary, How It Works
18 (+5). The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 5)
19 (-). V for Vendetta
20 (+8). Cul de Sac Golden Treasury: A Keepsake Garland of Classics (Kindle)
21 (+8). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 3
22 (+4). Watchmen
23 (+4). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
24 (-12). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
25 (+13). Dog Eat Doug: A Cartoon Collection (Kindle)
26 (-4). Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 4)
27 (-7). X-Men: Schism
28 (+9). American Born Chinese
29 (R). Batman: The Long Halloween
30 (-6). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 2
31 (R). Habibi
32 (-7). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
33 (+2). Batman: Year One
34 (+8). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 4
35 (-3). Dork Diaries 3 ½ (Kindle)
36 (-3). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
37 (-3). Batman: The Killing Joke
38 (R). Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Battle of Tull *
39 (-3). Fables Vol. 16: Super Team
40 (N). Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1 *
41 (-). The Walking Dead, Book 7
42 (-11). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books (1-5)
43 (-13). Dilbert: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar
44 (+4). Batman: Hush
45 (-1). The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
46 (+3). Star Wars: Legacy Volume 11 - War *
47 (R). Red Rackham's Treasure (The Adventures of Tintin)
48 (-1). The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 5
49 (-6). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
50 (N). The Cartoon Guide to Calculus


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Cabin Fever slides down a bit more to #28 on the overall list, and still #1 on the comics list.

* Only two debuts this week, down near the bottom of the list: the latest Avatar graphic novel, and Larry Gonick's latest Cartoon Guide.

* Dead Watch: Just three Walking Dead collections this week.

* Tintin Watch: Seven Tintin collections on the chart this week. Looks like for the time being Tintin is the new Walking Dead. (I"m pretty sure this is the only place where you'll see that statement!)