Friday, April 24, 2009

Amazon Top 50

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

1 (N). Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
3 (-2). Watchmen
4 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
5 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6 (-1). Star Trek: Countdown TPB
7 (+5). Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-creator Joe Shuster
8 (+3). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
9 (+4). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
10 (N). Huntress: Year One
11 (N). The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack
12 (-2). V for Vendetta
13 (-5). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
14 (-7). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 3: Century #1 *
15 (-9). A Drifting Life
16 (-7). Batman: The Killing Joke
17 (+1). Blueberry Girl
18 (-3). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4) *
19 (+16). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
20 (-3). Batman: Year One
21 (-7). Batman: R.I.P.
22 (+10). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
23 (+1). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
24 (+15). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
25 (+4). Bone: One Volume Edition
26 (+14). The Saturday Evening Pearls: A Pearls Before Swine Collection
27 (-8). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
28 (-1). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
29 (-8). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
30 (+12). Dark Tower: The Long Road Home (Exclusive Amazon.com Cover)
31 (+10). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972 *
32 (N). Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind
33 (N). The Arrival
34 (-12). Ignorance, Thy Name Is Bucky: A Get Fuzzy Collection
35 (N). Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1)
36 (-16). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 3
37 (-4). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
38 (N). Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part 3
39 (+5). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2
40 (N). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
41 (N). Marvel Zombies 3 *
42 (-16). The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle
43 (+5). Angel: After The Fall Volume 1
44 (N). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
45 (-22). All Star Superman, Vol. 2
46 (N). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier
47 (N). Batman: Heart of Hush
48 (-18). The Beats: A Graphic History
49 (-2). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
50 (N). Fables, Vol. 11: War and Pieces



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


Commentary:

* Another exciting week on the Amazon charts. The biggest news was the mysterious and sudden rise of Huntress: Year One, which earlier this week jumped up to the top of the comics chart and #10 on the overall books chart. It turns out that the author, Ivory Madison, had used Amazon to purchase and send out a bunch of review copies. A perfectly legitimate if unorthodox use of Amazon; all the copies were ordered and paid for. It does serve to illustrate the volatility of the Amazon bestseller rankings and how a short spike in sales can affect the charts. (Which really makes these weekly snapsots looks of mine rather pointless, doesn't it?)

* Speaking of short sales spikes, Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert is today's featured Gold Box deal on Amazon, with plenty enough people buying the book at 60% off to send it (momentarily) up to #1 on the comics chart and presently #6 overall.

* Even without the sudden Dilbert bump, Watchmen would have fallen from its coveted #1 slot this week, as its sales finally dipped below that of the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid volume.

* Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-creator Joe Shuster jumped up another five slots this week, no doubt buoyed by author Craig Yoe's appearance on yesterday's Fresh Air broadcast on NPR.

* A Drifting Life remains the only manga title on the list this week. The next volumes of Naruto & Fruits Basket aren't due until early July, so it could be a long dry spell for manga on the charts.

* Marvel Zombies 3 pops up in the bottom quarter of the charts, giving Marvel something other than Dark Tower to show for.

* Anybody know why The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack might have popped back in way up at #11? I'm at a loss.

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