Interview with Jim Ottaviani

Jim Ottaviani is the writer of highly-regarded comics that feature the true stories of science and scientists, comics such as Two-Fisted Science; Dignifying Science; Fallout; Suspended in Language; and Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards. Last week I interviewed Jim (via email) on the occasion of his new graphic 'novel' T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, due out next week from Simon & Schuster's Alladin imprint. Along with artists Zander Cannon & Kevin Cannon (with whom Jim last worked with on Bone Sharps), in T-Minus Jim tells the story-behind-the-story of the famed space race.


YACB: Your new book, T-Minus, is about the race to the Moon. What made you decide to cover this topic?

JimO: There are a bunch of reasons, but here's the one that comes to mind today, in part because I know you're an engineer: I find the space race inspiring because of the tremendous achievements made by U.S. and Soviet engineers in the 1960s, and the way it captured the whole world's imagination. It's rare that something that is essentially a technology-driven endeavor results in such great drama and interest -- I mean, I rely on and enjoy owning a personal computer as much as the next guy, but can't see "Macintosh: The Graphic Novel" as something I'd want to write or someone would want to read.

Now that I've said that, someone will probably do it and prove me wrong, and that would be great.

But back to your question, it was fantastic theater, and the whole world watched it.


YACB: How do you think doing this story as a comic makes it different from the many books/movies/etc. that have covered this topic in the past?

JimO: Besides being comics? That makes it different right off the bat, never mind that Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon are great visual storytellers, so you get really good comics as well. Because it's comics, I think we were able to pack a great deal of story into relatively few pages, so that's another departure. Finally, most of the books you'll read focus only on the astronauts and cosmonauts. Those people were courageous, smart, and interesting, but the scientists and engineers they put their trust in rarely appear in the popular histories. So that's the last one.


YACB: I know that you do copious research for your books. What did you discover about the space race that was surprising?

JimO: One thing I half-knew, and the other thing I didn't know at all. The part that I had an inkling of was the amount of effort that went into this adventure. I knew a lot of people worked hard, but the amount of unpaid overtime put in by hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. amazed me. You sometimes hear criticism of the space program as a bad way to spend taxpayer dollars. I believe there is and was waste in NASA, and I believe many things could have been done better. But I think we got a lot of bang -- rocket-fueled pun intended -- for our buck.

The other thing that struck me was the environmental message that the astronauts brought back from their journeys. These men, hard-core pragmatists all, type-A test pilots down to the last of 'em, unsentimental almost to a fault...when they saw the whole earth from space they all commented on how fragile and precious it was, and how it put the problems of taking care of the world into appropriate perspective. Read the address to Congress that Aldrin, Armstrong, and Collins made:

http://usinfo.org/PUBS/LivingDoc_e/moonlanding.htm

It reads almost as if it was a manifesto of the nascent environmental movement. While that's overstating it some, their statements are not what you'd expect from ex-military guys who most would consider representatives of the establishment. I find that remarkable, and uplifting.


YACB: Previously most of your comics work has been self-published, but T-Minus is coming from a 'regular' book publisher (Aladdin). Why the change? Who approached whom?

JimO: No particular reason for the change, other than to try something new. I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but I'm pretty sure they approached my agent. He was putting together a number of non-fiction book proposals, and asked me what I'd do if given the chance. "T-Minus!" I said. Or something to that effect. As you might guess, the original proposal is a distant cousin to the finished book, but the basic idea of telling the story of the space race from an engineering/science perspective, with the Soviet program prominently featured, was there from the start.

As for why... at the risk of sounding nonchalant and careless with my so-called career, it's at least partly true to say that I figured, why not? If they didn't like the proposal, it would get me started thinking about this story, which is one I knew I wanted to do someday, either on my own or with a larger company.


YACB: Your artists on T-Minus, Zander Cannon & Kevin Cannon, previously worked with you on Bone Sharps. How did this pairing come about again? Did working with artists you've worked with before make things easier/better? What strengths do you feel that Zander & Kevin bring to illustrating your scripts?

JimO: The pairing came about because here again, my agent asked me who I'd want to work with, and who could we suggest that would convince them to say yes. I figured it would be easy for them to say yes if we could show Aladdin that if they just let us do our thing, the worst case scenario is that they'd get something as nice as Bone Sharps. Which, as worst-case scenarios go, is pretty sweet.

So Zander and Kevin were my first choice for it, and they were interested, and boom -- just like that we were off and running. And running in step, so to speak, since working with them was easy. It was easy on Bone Sharps, and we'd never done a project together before, and now they knew what to expect from me, and I from them. I don't know how to describe it other than in terms of picking up a relationship right where we left off.

As for strengths, I don't know where to start. They can draw anything. They always serve the story, and never show off their artistic chops just for the sake of showing off their artistic chops... of which they have many. When they make changes to what I specify in the script, they have reasons. They're not always ones I agree with, but they're always worth thinking about and discussing and often worth changing the script and the upstream or downstream storytelling to accommodate their ideas. They fill in the visual gaps in my research. They can draw convincing people and machines and dinosaurs and scenes on earth and in space and in the past.

Is that enough? I'm not done, but I think you get the idea... they're professionals in all the best senses of the word, and yet they're also friends. As collaborators they're as easy and as enjoyable to work with as can be.


YACB: Having now examined in-depth the engineering side of the space program, do you agree with the assertion that what we learned from the process of going to the Moon was worth the cost?

JimO: I don't know if it was worth the engineering cost -- those sorts of things are too hard to quantify. Sorry to punt on that one, but I just can't draw a firm conclusion.

My gut says yes, though, and here's why. I just attended a talk by former astronaut and now Engineering Dean here at U-M Tony England, and in it he pointed out shortcomings of the International Space Station in terms of its scientific significance. One of the things he said struck me as an interesting contradiction, though. In the process of trying to design advanced manufacturing processes that they hope will take advantage of microgravity to produce better chips and such, engineers often come up with ways to make the improvements they wanted in the chips right here on earth. Sort of as a by-product of trying to figure out how to make things happen in space. So sure, that makes the space part beside the point, but there's still obvious value there, right? We got we wanted by virtue of being forced to think differently. And that's what we get when we put ourselves in these situations.

And as far as cost is concerned I will say this: Having looked at the numbers and made comparisons with things like the cost of the Vietnam war and what people spent on alcohol and tobacco during the Apollo era, the space program was a bargain. And as Andrew Smith pointed out in his wonderful book Moondust, if nothing else we got great theater out of it. And the cost of the space race in human lives was very low. Not zero, and we have to remember that always, but compared to war and booze and smokes? The human and dollar cost was very, very low.

And... we got more than great theater. Perhaps the most important is thing we learned is that if we really dedicate ourselves to a goal as a nation, as a species, we can do things in a few years that were unimaginable and inspiring.


YACB: What is your opinion of the current state of the US space program? Do you think that returning to the Moon is a good idea? How about going to Mars? Or should we keep doing near-Earth manned missions and unmanned probes and explorers?

JimO: My opinions are not as informed as I wish they were, but I will press on and not let ignorance get in the way of spouting off!

Current state: The Hubble telescope is magnificent, as are the Mars rovers. The shuttle is going away, about which some will say good riddance. The International Space Station is up there. It's international. It's a space station. It could be better, and better serve science, but...international! space station! I think those are good things for the human spirit. I just read about a possible change to the moon-base plans, so there's not much to say there other than Moon base! I like the idea, but maybe it's not a good one for all its appeal.

Return to the Moon: I've heard a number of convincing arguments, some directly from astronauts, that this isn't the best use of our resources. So I'm neutral to negative on it. But... Moon base! It's hard to let go of that idea.

Go to Mars: It will be very hard, and hard on the people that go. But I think we will try, and I think we should.

near-Earth and/or robotic probes: Gotta keep doing both, I think. Combining those with all of the above is a problem in terms of money, but you didn't ask me how to pay for any of this -- for which I thank you -- so I choose not to make any hard decisions today.


YACB: Knowing what you know, would you want to go into space yourself?

JimO: Yes. Full stop, sign me up, I'm ready to go right now.


YACB: Your publisher, Aladdin Paperbacks is Simon & Schuster's imprint for late elementary and early middle school kids. While all of your previous books have certainly been enjoyed by all ages, were there any challenges in making T-Minus as a book that is specifically targeted towards kids?

JimO: This is the second book I've written specifically with a young adult audience in mind, but the first won't come out for a while longer, so this is the first that readers will see.

Chronology aside, yes, there are challenges, but I was lucky to have my editor at Aladdin, Liesa Abrams, help me both understand them and figure out how to deal with them. They didn't involve dumbing the book down -- I think there's plenty of heft to the story and that adults will enjoy it too. I've been putting it this way when people ask: The young readers will have to bring their A game to the book.

But besides detail stuff like not depicting smoking and keeping a tight rein on the language to make sure it was age appropriate, one of the many things Liesa helped me do was find the right balance between gosh-wow technical material and the human element. It was hard, since we were dealing with iconic figures and far more story than you can fit between the covers of a single book, but our focus on the engineers and behind the scenes helped with the human element.


YACB: What's next for Jim Ottaviani and/or GT Labs?

JimO: Two books from First Second, and I'm working on two other books right now, about which I don't have a lot to say. Or rather I do, but I want to say it to myself first and be sure I mean it before talking about anything as basic as the general outline. But, to prove I'm crazy, one may not be comics and may not be non-fiction. The other is about Alan Turing. I'm excited about both stories! And after that, I think I found an angle on a third book in my science of the unscientific series. And after that... something else, I'm sure. I have a lot of story ideas waiting in the wings!


That concludes our interview. A big thanks to Jim for taking the time to answer my questions. You can read more about T-Minus, including an excerpt, at Jim's GT Labs Website.

Shameless Friend Promotion: Jim Ottaviani Interview on Newsarama

Pal Jim O is interviewed by Newsarama's Zack Smith about his upcoming comic T-Minus: "The Race to the Moon in Comic Form: Ottaviani on T-Minus"

Shameless Friend Promotion: Jim Ottaviani's T-Minus in May

Turn your February Previews to page 297, where you'll find a listing for pal Jim Ottaviani's latest science non-fiction graphic narrative T-Minus, the story of the space race, with art by his Bone Sharps partners-in-crime Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon. I've been hearing Jim talk about this comic for months (years?) now, so I'm pleased that it's finally coming out. Tell your friendly local comic shop that you want a copy for you and several more for the shelf!

DCnU Capsule Reviews, Week 14

This will be my final month reviewing all of the DCnU titles, and here are last week's books:


Batgirl #4: Batgirl faces off against Mirror at Christmas. I really don't see the necessity for all of the blood during the fight scenes. I like the relationship that is developing between Barbara and her new roommate (which means we probably shouldn't get too attached to her...) Rating: 3 (of 5).

Batman and Robin #4: Gleason continues to get more daring with his storytelling choices, which is helping to keep my interest in this title. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Batwoman #4: Continues to operate on a completely different level from the rest of the DCnU. To echo Mr. Bones in the last panel, there's no way I'm missing what comes next. (And bonus kudos for presenting the story uninterrupted by ads!) Rating: 4.5 (of 5).

Deathstroke #4: For as much as I've derided this book so far, I kind of wanted a longer scene of Slade in the prison. This wasn't quite the nadir of the past couple of issues, but I still won't miss it. Rating: 2 (of 5).

Demon Knights #4: I suppose I should be a bit miffed that they took time out of the already slow-moving opening tale to give us a story that is mostly Shining Knight backstory, but it was quite well done and a perfect example of how to make effective use out of the need for a fill-in artist. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #4: Pretty much more of the same good stuff that we've been getting thus far from Lemire and Ponticelli. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Green Lantern #4: Hal Jordan & Sinestro continue their bromance as prisoners on Korugar, as a thousand fan-fics are born. Rating: 3 (of 5).

Grifter #4: I can't believe I didn't make the Daemonites / Demon Knights connection until it was mentioned here. But I'm obtuse that way sometimes, just as the showdown between Cole & Green Lantern is here. Rating: 2 (of 5).

Legion Lost #4: The Story continues to be okay, and is wrapped around some pretty art from Pete Woods. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Mister Terrific #4: This is exactly the kind of crazy-ass sci-fi stuff I want from a Mister Terrific comic. After a slow start in the first couple of issues, this comic is finally finding its groove. Rating: 3 (of 5).

The Ray #1: I was really liking this, until the last page. Minus half a point for yet another person in a DC comic suffering from a graphic fatal head injury. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Resurrection Man #4: Issues with pacing plague this title, such as the seven-page firefight with the Body Doubles that opens this issue with nary a Resurrection Man in sight. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

The Shade #3: For everyone who was wondering when the James Robinson who wrote Starman would show up again, here you are. Plus another great showing from Cully Hamner. Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Suicide Squad #4: Continues to improve slightly, but for me at this point it is too little too late. Someone let me know if it ever gets better. Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Superboy #4: Another story set at Christmas. I didn't care much for the villains, but the art was nice to look at and had a certain amount of energy during the fight scenes even if at other times it was a bit stiff. I'm looking forward to the story progressing. Rating: 3 (of 5).


Ratings compared to the third issues: 2 improved; 12 stayed the same; none were worse; 1 was new.

Stats Week: Amazon Top 50 for 2013

Here are the top 50 comics from the weekly Amazon Top 50 posts of 2013:

1. The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
2. The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 2
3. Darth Vader and Son
4. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
5. Vader's Little Princess
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7 (Kindle)
7. Saga Volume 1
8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7: The Third Wheel
9. Hyperbole and a Half (paperback)
10. The Walking Dead, vol. 18: What Comes After
11. Dork Diaries 5 (Kindle)
12. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6 (Kindle)
13. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever
14. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
15. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
16. Dork Diaries 6 (Kindle)
17. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
18. Saga Volume 2
19. Batman: The Killing Joke, Deluxe Edition
20. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1 (Kindle)
21. Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls (The New 52)
22. Dork Diaries 4 (Kindle)
23. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 (Kindle)
24. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5 (Kindle)
25. The Walking Dead, vol. 19: March to War
26. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4 (Kindle)
27. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (paperback)
28. Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search, Part 3
29. Star Wars: Jedi Academy
30. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 8 (Kindle)
31. The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
32. Watchmen
33. Dork Diaries 6: Tales from a Not-So-Happy Heartbreaker
34. Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search, Part 2
35. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 (Kindle)
36. The Walking Dead, vol. 17: Something to Fear
37. The Walking Dead vol. 1 (Kindle)
38. Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search, Part 1
39. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 8: Hard Luck
40. The Walking Dead, Book 9
41. Big Nate Makes the Grade (Kindle)
42. Injustice: Gods Among Us #1 (Kindle)
43. Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants
44. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
45. Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52)
46. Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52)
47. The Complete Persepolis
48. Hyperbole and a Half (Kindle)
49. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
50. Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon

Methodology: I took my weekly (compiled on Friday) lists of Amazon Top 50 Comics & Graphic Novels, and for each week assigned a comic a numerical score equal to 51 minus its ranking; e.g. the #1 book got 50 points, the #2 book got 49 points, the #3 book got 48 points, etc., all the way down to the #50 book getting 1 point. I poured everything into a spreadsheet, and voila. You can download a spreadsheet with all of the data here.

Commentary:

• This was the year that weirdness happened. Specifically, in late August, Amazon reclassified all of the Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books to not be comics and they disappeared entirely from the Comics & Graphic Novels bestseller chart. This caused no end of havoc on my weekly snapshot compilations. Had they stayed on the chart I am almost certain that DoaWK 7 would have been the #1 book of 2013. But they didn't, and so we're stuck with the data as Amazon gave it to us. And unless Amazon reverse course sometime in the next year, you won't see any of the Diary books on the chart in 2014.
• So, the top book this year was the first Walking Dead Compendium, followed closely by the second Walking Dead Compendium.  But while in 2012 every extant Walking Dead collection showed up on the Top Fifty chart for at least one week, that wasn't the case in 2013. Still, many WD collections did chart, including quite a few that ended up in the yearly top fifty.
• Once again, Batman is the only one of DC's New 52 properties to place any collections in the yearly top 50. A couple of Justice League volumes also charted during the year (at #112 & #117) as did a Nightwing collection for one week (placing it in a tie for #311). A few sale-priced New 52 Kindle editions charted as well.
• Marvel actually placed a title in the annual top 50 this year! Okay, it was in the #50 slot, but still... compared to other Marvel collections, Hawkeye is a mainstream hit!
• The two Saga collections had a great year, placing at #7 and #18. Granted those aren't quite Walking Dead numbers, but then again Saga doesn't have any sort of television or movie exposure, meaning it achieved its sales based solely on the appeal of its comic-ness. 
• It was a great year for Jeffrey Brown. He had two of the top five books with Darth Vader and Son and Vader's Little Princess, and his Star Wars: Jedi Academy (which came out later in the year) is at #29. 
• Several perennials make the annual top fifty, including Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Persepolis, Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke, Maus, and Fun Home.
• There were 347 different works that showed up at least once on the weekly top fifty charts during the year (up from 275 last year). Of those, 123 only showed up once. Five showed up for all fifth-two weeks: The two Walking Dead Compendia, Darth Vader and Son, How to Tell if Your Cat…, and the first volume of Saga.
• It was not a great year for manga; the top seller for the year was the first volume of Attack on Titan, which places at #107. Most of the AoT volumes charted at some point during the year, as did most of the volumes of Sailor Moon and Naruto that were released; they just never stuck around the chart very long.
• This was the year that regular-priced Kindle editions of single issues started to chart. Mostly Walking Dead, but also Sandman: Overture, Forever Evil, and Justice League. Mostly they just appeared for one or two weeks, but that's more than we've seen in the past.
• On the digital first single issue front, Kindle editions of the Injustice: Gods Among Us tie-in comic ruled the year, especially for the weeks around the release of the video game. But for all the noise the individual issues made on the weeks they were released, most didn't stick around for long (I detail this in yesterday's post). Only the debut issue made the annual top fifty chart.
• Predictions for the coming year can be hard to make; last year I didn't foresee the wholesale Diary reclassification... We're likely to see continued strong sales from Hyperbole and a Half and Walking Dead collections (particularly the Compendia). I won't be surprised if the third Saga trade shows up in the #1 spot when it is released. If there's another Matthew Inman book or another Jeffrey Brown Star Wars book those should sell strong. I predict that in spite of at least four Marvel-related movies coming out in 2014 the sales of collections to the general public will remain weak. The new Sin City movie might drive sales of the trade collections (if Dark Horse can keep them in stock/print).

New Library Comics: July 2009

Here are the comics we added to our library collection in July (yes, I'm way behind; I'll be catching up over the next several days...):


Adachi, Mitsuru. Tatchi = Touch vols. 2, 7 / Tōkyō : Shōgakukan, 1992-1994.

Adams, Scott, 1957- Stick to drawing comics, monkey brain! : cartoonist ignores helpful advice / New York : Portfolio, 2007.

Akimoto, Osamu, 1952- Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen mae Hashutsujo vols. 5, 74, 101 / Tōkyō : Shūeisha, 1977-1997.

Azuma, Kiyohiko. Yotsuba to! vols. 1-5 / Tōkyō : Media Wākusu : Hatsubaimoto Kadokawa Shoten, 2003-

Bagge, Peter. Everybody is stupid except for me : and other astute observations : a decade's worth of cartoon reporting for Reason Magazine / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, c2009.

Bilal, Enki. The Beast trilogy. Chapters 1 & 2. / Hollywood, CA : Humanoids : DC Comics, c2002.

Bliss, Harry, 1964- Luke on the loose : a toon book / New York : Toon Books, c2009

Brown, Jeffrey, 1975- Funny misshapen body : [a memoir] / New York : Touchstone Books, c2009

Chao, Fred. Johnny Hiro : (half Asian, all hero) / Richmond, Va. : AdHouse Books, c2009

Claremont, Chris, 1950- Wolverine / New York : Marvel, 2009.

Corben, Richard. H. P. Lovecraft's Haunt of horror / New York : Marvel, 2008

Cronin, Brian. Was Superman a spy? : and other comic book legends revealed / New York : Plume, 2009.

Fingerman, Bob, 1964- Connective tissue / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009

Friesen, Ray. Lookit! : comedy & mayhem vol. 1 / Tehachapi, CA : Don't Eat Any Bugs Productions, c2005-

Hazuki, Kanae. Voices of love / [Torrance, Calif.] : Luv Luv Press, 2008.

Hernandez, Gilbert. Luba / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics, 2009

Hōjō, Tsukasa, 1959- Kyattsu ai = Cat's eye vol. 10 / Hōjō Tsukasa. Tōkyō : Shūeisha,

Ikeno, Koi. Tokimeki tunaito vols. 1, 11 / Tōkyō : Shūeisha, 1998-

Jodorowsky, Alejandro. Megalex bk. 1. The anamoly / Hollywood, Calif. : Humaniods Pub. ; New York : DC Comics, c2005-

Jodorowsky, Alejandro. The Incal. [v.1] The epic conspiracy / Hollywood, Calif. : Humanoids Pub. ; New York : DC Comics, c2005.

Jodorowsky, Alejandro. The Incal. [v.2] The epic journey / Hollywood, Calif. : Humanoids Pub. ; New York : DC Comics, c2005.

Jodorowsky, Alejandro. The technopriests bk. 1. Initiation / Hollywood, CA : Humanoids Pub. ; New York : DC Comics, c2004-

Jodorowsky, Alejandro. The technopriests bk. 2. Rebellion / Hollywood, CA : Humanoids Pub. ; New York : DC Comics, c2004-

Kelly, Joe. Ballast / Los Angeles, Calif. : Active Images, 2005.

Kelly, Walt. Positively Pogo. / New York : Simon and Schuster, [1957]

Kieth, Sam. My inner bimbo / Portland, Or. : Oni Press, 2009.

Kim, Dong Hwa. The color of earth / New York : First Second, 2009.

Kim, Ho-sik. My sassy girl vol. 1. / Fremont, Calif. : ComicsOne, 2003.

Kyle Baker / Raleigh, N.C. : TwoMorrows, 2008

Lasko-Gross, Miss. A mess of everything / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Love, Jeremy. Bayou vol. 1 / New York : DC Comics, 2009-

Malki, David, cartoonist. Clever tricks to stave off death / Los Angeles, Calif. : Wondermark Enterprises ; Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Books, 2009.

Matsumoto, Izumi, 1958- Kimagure orenji rōdo vol. 8 / Tōkyō : Shūeisha, 1991-1992.

Milligan, Peter. Johnny Nemo : existentialist hitman of the future vol. 1 / Somerville, MA : Cyberosia Pub., c2002-

Monath, Norman. Songs of the Pogo / New York : Simon and Schuster, c1968

More than mortal vol. 1 / [S.l.] : Liar Comics, 1998-

Morioka, Hiroyuki. Seikai trilogy v. 1. Crest of the stars / Los Angeles : Tokyopop, c2004

Morioka, Hiroyuki. Seikai trilogy v. 2. Banner of the stars. The shape of bonds / Los Angeles : Tokyopop, c2004.

Muth, Jon J. The stonecutter / New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2009

Niles, Steve. Freaks of the heartland / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2005

Nilsen, Anders, 1973- Monologues for calculating the density of black holes / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics, 2008.

Nishi, Yoshiyuki. Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, BSI vol. 1 / San Francisco, CA : Viz Media, [2007]-

Northeast, Christian. Prayer requested / Montreal, Quebec : Drawn & Quarterly, 2009.

O'Reilly, Sean. Ezra : Egyptian exchange / [British Columbia] : Arcana Studio Inc., 2005.

Okano, Reiko, 1960- Yōmi henjō yawa vols. 1-2 / Tōkyō : Heibonsha, 1999-2001

Ottaviani, Jim. T-minus : the race to the moon / New York : Aladdin, 2009.

Ploy, Anne. Transgenesis 2029 : fides / Hollywood, CA : Humanoids/DC Comics, 2004-

Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849. The raven and other poems / New York : Papercutz, 2009

Pope, Paul. 100% / New York : DC Comics/ Vertigo, c2009.

Power, Natsu Onoda. God of comics : Osamu Tezuka and the creation of post-World War II manga / Jackson [Miss.] : University Press of Mississippi, c2009

Raiti, Ashly. Mark of the succubus vol. 1 / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, Inc., 2005-

Rall, Ted. Silk road to ruin : is Central Asia the new Middle East? / New York : NBM, c2006

Robinson, James. London's dark / London : Titan Books, 1989

Saito, Takao. Golgo 13 vol. 1 / San Francisco, CA : VIZ Media, c2006-

Schultz, Mark, 1955- The stuff of life : a graphic guide to genetics and DNA / New York : Hill and Wang, 2009

Shimizu, Toshimitsu. Maico 2010 vol. 1 / Femont, Calif. : Comics One, 1997-

Shipman, Gary. Pakkins' Land. Paul’s adventure / Plymouth, MI : Caliber Comics, c1997.

Shuster, Joe. Secret identity : the fetish art of Superman's co-creator Joe Shuster / New York : Abrams ComicArts, 2009.

Stearn, Ted. Fuzz & Pluck in Splitsville pt. 2 / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics, [2001?-

Tannenbaum, Felix. Chronicles of some made / Denver, CO : Passenger Pigeon Publishing, 2008

TenNapel, Doug. Power up / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2009

Tezuka, Osamu, 1926- Black Jack : Best ... stories vols. 1-2 / Tōkyō : Akita Shoten, Heisei 5-15 [1993-2003]

Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Hi no tori vols. 4-5 / Tōkyō : Kadokawa Shoten, Heisei 4 [1992]

Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Tetsuwan Atomu = Mighty Atom vols. 1-2 / Tōkyō : Kōdansha, 2002.

Warren, Adam. Dirty pair : dangerous acquaintances / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse, 1997

Winick, Judd. The big book of Barry Ween, boy genius / Portland, Or. : Oni, 2008

Wolverton, Basil, d. 1978. Basil Wolverton's Powerhouse Pepper / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c1994

Yamanaka, Akira. Spider-Man J. Japanese daze / New York : Marvel, 2009


As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.

Quick Reviews

Ex Machina; Ultimate Nightmare; Green Arrow; Action Comics

Ex Machina #5
by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris & Tom Feister
I suppose the only problem with this latest issue is that the previous four were so good that this conclusion to the "State of Emergency" arc is a slight let-down. There's a slight narrative problem in that the big showdown turns out to not have been germane to either of the plots, as those are both resolved in sensible yet underwhelming manners. I don't want it to sound like I'm suddenly down on this book; I'm not, and found it enjoyable. Just a cautionary tale for having high expectations.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Ultimate Nightmare #3
by Warren Ellis, Steve Epting, Nelson DeCastro & Tom Palmer
Hoo boy. If you thought not much happened last issue, get a load of issue number three, wherein the Ultimates and the X-Men spend the entire issue wandering around the dark halls and tunnels of an abandoned Russian outpost. I've seen Warren Ellis tell a complete and engaging story in a single issue before (Global Frequency of course springs to mind) so we know that he's capable of better. I don't want to blame Frank D'Amarta for the coloring since I assume he was told to color everything dark and dingy, but it makes the artwork muddy. Here's hoping that the plot picks up and goes somewhere next issue.
Rating: 2 (of 5)


Green Arrow #43
by Judd Winick, Phil Hester & Ande Parks
My busy schedule kept me from reading many of this week's comic books until later than usual, so I had already been properly spoiled by the 'Net community for the ending. It wasn't nearly as sensationalist as I had feared given the reactions I had read. In fact, compared to the completely exploitative and in bad taste cover, the actual comic was pretty good. So normally a 3, but minus half a point for the cover.
Rating: 2.5 (of 5)


Action Comics #820
by Chuck Austen & Carlos D'Anda
Once again Chuck Austen gives us an Action Comics that lives up to its name. There's plenty of action as Superman faces off against a new Silver Banshee. Just don't go looking for much sense. The fill-in art by D'Anda is okay, but the colors are too garish, especially in the green-blue-black banshee scenes. And that ending? We're supposed to believe that Doomsday can just go walking about the streets of Metropolis in broad daylight and no one is going to notice?
Rating: 2 (of 5)

Shameless Friend Promotion: JimO Interview at The Pulse

Pal Jim Ottaviani has once again been interviewed about his forthcoming book T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, this time by Jen Cantino over at The Pulse: "Ottaviani's Race to the Moon."

Shameless Friend Promotion

Pal Jim Ottaviani, author of T-Minus, is interviewed by Tim O'Shea over at Robot 6.

A quick summary of last evening's graphic novels panel

The room was packed, with people sitting on the floor and standing in the back. Three great speakers, which meant that my duties as moderator basically consisted of introducing the speakers and then fielding questions at the end.

Eric Rabkin walked us through a close reading of the classic children's picture book Goodbye Moon, making the case for a visual language that can be every bit as complex as the written word and intuitively understood by young children.

Jim Ottaviani made the case for using comics to tell stories of science (which, he says, is more readily accepted by science people than comics people!) and demonstrated the creation of a scene from T-Minus, from research to writing to the final printed page.

Phoebe Gloecker talked about why she chooses to draw comics and how it is an emotional engagement for her. She talked some about her experiences traveling to Mexico for frist-hand research on her latest project, and about how the new generation of eBooks readers like the iPad may open new creative freedoms for comics creators.

A big thanks to the staff of the Shapiro library for putting the panel together and providing the space, and to our panelists who gave three very different by very engaging presentations.

(There was a video recording made of the panel, but I'm not sure if it will be made widely available...)

Stats Week: Amazon Top 50 for 2014

Here are the top 50 comics from the weekly Amazon Top 50 posts of 2014:

1. Hyperbole and a Half (paperback)
2. The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
3. The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 2
4. Saga Volume 1
5. Saga Volume 3
6. Darth Vader and Son
7. Batman: The Killing Joke, Deluxe Edition
8. Vader's Little Princess
9. The Walking Dead, Vol. 20: All Out War, Part 1
10. The Walking Dead, Vol. 21: All Out War, Part 2
11. Can't We Walk About Something More Pleasant?
12. Saga Volume 2
13. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
14. Hyperbole and a Half (Kindle)
15. Batman: The dark Knight Returns
16. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
17. Watchmen
18. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
19. Star Wars: Jedi Academy vol. 2: Return of the Padawan
20. The Hedge Knight: The Graphic Novel
21. The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances
22. The Walking Dead, Vol. 19: March to War
23. The Complete Calvin & Hobbes (paperback)
24. Goodnight Darth Vader
25. Marvel Encyclopedia
26. Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls (The New 52)
27. The Sword Sword: The Graphic Novel
28. Batman: Year One
29. Attack on Titan 1
30. Star Wars: Jedi Academy
31. The Walking Dead, Vol. 22: A New Beginning
32. Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52)
33. Seconds: A Graphic Novel
34. Saga Volume 4
35. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
36. Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52)
37. The Walking Dead Book 10
38. The Complete Persepolis
39. Sex Criminals Volume 1
40. the Walking Dead, Vol. 18: What Comes After
41. Attack on Titan 2
42. V for Vendetta
43. Understanding Comics
44. Batman: Death of the Family Book and Joker Mask Set
45. Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year – Secret City (The New 52)
46. Dilbert 2015 Day-to-Day Calendar
47. American Born Chinese
48. The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye (Kindle)
49. The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
50. The Walking Dead, Vol. 17: Something to Fear

Methodology: I took my weekly (compiled on Friday) lists of Amazon Top 50 Comics & Graphic Novels, and for each week assigned a comic a numerical score equal to 51 minus its ranking; e.g. the #1 book got 50 points, the #2 book got 49 points, the #3 book got 48 points, etc., all the way down to the #50 book getting 1 point. I poured everything into a spreadsheet, and voila. You can download a spreadsheet with all of the data here.

Commentary:

• As has happened for every year but one since I've started tracking these Amazon charts, the book that was #1 during the first week of the year ends up being the #1 item for the entire year. In this case it is Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half. Note that's just for the paperback edition; the Kindle edition came in at #14 for the year. And that's after having placed #9 in 2013. Clearly Hyperbole and a Half is a massive mainstream hit.
• The Walking Dead places four collections in the Top Ten. The two compendia, placing #2 & #3 in 2014, were #1 & #2 back in 2013. Again, clearly a massive sales success, which is something that can be achieved when the TV show based on the comic is the top drama on television.
• Without the benefit of any media tie-ins, two Saga collections take up the #4 & #5 spots for the year. Another collection comes in at #12, and Volume 4, not released until near the end of the year, charts at #34. Another clear mainstream sales success, all the more remarkable for there not being a movie or television show, just comics that people want to read because they've heard they're good comics.
• In all, 357 different items made the Amazon Top 50 chart for one or more weeks. Of those, six were on the chart for all 52 weeks in 2014: Hyperbole and a Half, The Walking Dead Compendia 1 & 2, Saga vols. 1 & 3, and Batman: The Killing Joke Deluxe Edition. Another five were on the chart for all but one of those weeks. 
• A whopping 227 items only showed up on the chart for one week, including four items who spent their only week in the #1 position (all four were sale-priced Kindle editions).
• DC's presence on the 2014 top 50 is only all Batman titles, plus two Alan Moore works: Watchmen & V for Vendetta. Their top seller, Batman: The Killing Joke, is the perfect storm of a Batman comic written by Alan Moore.
• Marvel doesn't place any items in the 2014 Top 50 (recall that the Marvel Encyclopedia is put out by DK, not Marvel). Their top book is the Kindle edition of Marvel 1602 (on sale price for several weeks in April & May) at #54, followed closely by the first Ms. Marvel collection at #56. Ms. Marvel didn't come out until late in the year, and early indications in 2015 are that it will be a strong seller, perhaps finally giving Marvel a strong mainstream success in the book market.
• The best-selling Manga title for 2014 was Attack on Titan, with two volumes ending the year in the top 50.

Stats Week: Amazon Top 50 for 2010

Here are the top 50 comics from the weekly Amazon Top 50 posts of 2010:

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
3. Scott Pilgrim, vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
4. Scott Pilgrim, vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
5. Scott Pilgrim, vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
6. Scott Pilgrim, vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness
7. Kick-Ass
8. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
9. The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
10. The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
11. Watchmen
12. Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
13. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
14. The Walking Dead, vol. 11: Fear the Hunters
15. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
16. Scott Pilgrim, vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
17. The Walking Dead, vol. 12
18. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, vol. 6: Retreat
19. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
20. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
21. Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3
22. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
23. The Walking Dead Book 5
24. Batman: The Killing Joke
25. V for Vendetta
26. Odd Is On Our Side
27. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules
28. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
29. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
30. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
31. Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale
32. Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
33. Blackest Night
34. Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead
35. The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
36. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, vol. 7: Twilight
37. Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
38. Batman: Year One
39. The Walking Dead, vol. 13
40. Green Lantern: Blackest Night
41. Superman: Earth One
42. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
43. The Walking Dead Book 6
44. Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
45. Instructions
46. Scott Pilgrim, vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe
47. Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover
48. 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective
49. Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
50. Big Nate: From the Top

Methodology: I took my weekly (compiled on Friday) lists of Amazon Top 50 Comics & Graphic Novels, and for each week assigned a comic a numerical score equal to 51 minus its ranking; e.g. the #1 book got 50 points, the #2 book got 49 points, the #3 book got 48 points, etc., all the way down to the #50 book getting 1 point. I poured everything into a spreadsheet, and voila. There were a total of 345 different comics that made the Top 50 for at least one week during 2010. You can download a spreadsheet with all of the data here.

Several comics mysteriously dropped out of the Amazon Comics & Graphic Novels Comics & Graphic Novels Bestsellers lists at different points during the year, notably certain volumes of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Scott Pilgrim, due to Amazon for some reason re-classifying them to not be comics. What to do? I could have tried to use overall sales ranking to try to intuit their comics chart ranking for those I knew about, but that would only work if I knew it was missing from the chart, which couldn't possibly be the case for everything. In the end in the interest of fairness I decided to take everything at face value and only give it a ranking for the week if it appeared on the comics chart.

I'll be back either tomorrow or this weekend with more analysis and a bunch of (hopefully interesting) charts.

New Library Comics: Week of November 6, 2006

Here are the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Andersson, Max. Bosnian flat dog /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Doran, Colleen, 1963- Knights of the angel /West Chester, Pa. : Whitford Press, c1989.

Dunlop, Rob. Tozzer 2 : special edition /London : Ablaze Media, c2005.

Fiering, Greg. I don't love you! : the best of Migraine Boy /San Jose, CA : SLG Pub., c2004.

Hoffmann, Heinrich, 1809-1894. Struwwelpeter /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Konig, Ralf. Dschinn Dschinn /Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 2005-2006. vols. 1-2

Laxman, R. K. Brushing up the years : a cartoonist's history of India, 1947-2004 /New Delhi ; New York : Penguin Viking, 2005.

Love and rockets (Fantagraphics Books) Love and rockets. /Stamford, CT : Fantagraphics Books, 1982- vol. 2 no. 17

McCubbin, Lauren. Pretty like a princess /Berkeley, CA : Penny Dreadful Press, c2002.

Minus, Walter. Darling Cheri /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Rennie, Gordon. The life and times of Ulli & Marquand and their misadventures in Mordheim, city of the damned /Nottingham : Games Workshop Publishing, c2002.

Umezu, Kazuo. Reflections /Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Manga, 2006. vol. 1

Watase, Yu. Oracle /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, 1999.

Watase, Yu. Priestess /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, c1999.

DCnU Reviews, Week 3: Blue Beetle; Legion of Super-Heroes

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Blue Beetle #1
by Tony Bedard, Ig Guara & Ruy José

Original Rank/Assessment: 13 (Yes, with Reservations) - Glad to see Jaime Reyes given another go. If the new creative team can recapture the charm of the original, this this will be a winner.

I'm not sure we needed to go back to the beginning with Blue Beetle. Sure, his origin story was tied in with the likely-no-longer-cannon Infinite Crisis, but those bits are easily ignored. I'd rather that this series pick up where the previous series (and the Booster Gold back-ups) left off rather than retreading the old stuff. But that said, this is still mildly good. It could do with a little more of the aforementioned charm, like some of the witty repartee that Jaime had with his friends, but for an origin story it does the job. The art is pretty good though it struggles at times on the edge of being too busy, and at times the orange coloring overwhelms. Still, worth sticking around for a few issues to see where it goes (hopefuly quickly away from the origin!)

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Legion of Super-Heroes #1
by Paul Levitz & Francis Portela

Original Rank/Assessment: 16 (Yes, with Reservations) - Looks like business as usual, so I'll likely stick around for a while.

How many #1s does this make for the Legion? I've lost count. And since the Legion tends to do its reboots at times when it doesn't renumber, this is pretty much a continuation of the previous Legion's iteration, though it appears that some time has passed since last month's issue. The effect is that out of all of the New 52, this is probably the most hostile to new readers. But then that has always been the case with the Legion: when I started reading it back in the 80s there was a huge cast of characters and tons of back story. I managed to deal with it back then, and I suppose new readers will manage now (on the plus side they have the Internet & Wikipedia; on the minus side, they have to deal with multiple reboots!) This is the classic 'for those of you who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you'll like' comic. Portela's art is nice and at times very busy, but luckily Javier Mena's coloring saves it in places where it otherwise would be hard to distinguish what is happening. And a few more body types would be nice—do Chameleon Boy & Brainiac 5 really need to be so buff? (And a shout-out to the cover by Karl Kerschl, which has an appropriately sci-fi paperback vibe.)

Rating: 3 (of 5).

New Library Comics: July 2011

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection in July:


Abrams, Lamar. Remake special / Richmond, Va. : AdHouse Books, 2011

Airfighters. no. 1 / Calumet City, Ill. : Moonstone, 2010-

Amend, Bill. Math, science, and UNIX underpants : a themed FoxTrot collection / Kansas City : Andrews McMeel Pub., c2009.

Archi & BD : la ville dessinée / Blou : Monografik éditions ; [Paris] : Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine, [2010]

Archie : a celebration of America's favorite teenagers / San Diego, Calif. : Yoe Books : IDW Pub., c2011.

Armstrong, Jason. Ferro city nos. 1-4 / Berkeley, Calif. : Image, 2005-

Bagge, Peter. Bat Boy : the complete Weekly World News comic strips / San Diego, CA : Idea & Design Works, c2011.

Black Goliath. v.1 no.3 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, 1976

Black panther (New York, N.Y.) Black panther. v.1 no.6 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 1977-

Blechman, R. O. (Robert O.), 1930- The juggler of Our Lady : a medieval legend / New York : Holt, [1953]

Boer, Florian. De Urbanisten and the wondrous water square / Rotterdam : 010 Publishers, 2010.

The brave and the bold. nos. 97, 103 / Sparta, Ill. : National Comics Publications, 1955-1983.

Broome, John, 1913-1999. Showcase presents the Elongated Man. Volume one / New York : DC Comics, c2006

Byrne, John, 1950- Torch of liberty special / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Comics, 1995

Campbell, Ross, 1979- Shadoweyes v. 2 : Shadoweyes in love / San Jose, Calif. : SLG ; London : Diamond [distributor], c2010-

Capp, Al, 1909-1979. Al Capp's Shmoo : the complete newspaper strips / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 2011.

Carlson, Bryce. WALL-E. Out there / Los Angeles, CA : Boom Kids!, 2010.

Carrillo, Tony. F minus / Kansas City [Mo.] : Andrews McMeel Pub., c2007

Casey, Joe. Marijuanaman / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2011.

Chaykin, Howard V. Batman Catwoman. Follow the money. / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2011

Claremont, Chris, 1950- X-treme X-men vol. 6. Intifada / New York : Marvel Comics, c2001-

Claremont, Chris, 1950- X-treme X-men vol. 7. Storm : the arena / New York : Marvel Comics, c2001-

Claremont, Chris, 1950- X-treme X-men vol. 8. Prisoner of fire / New York : Marvel Comics, c2001-

Costa, Mike. Resistance / La Jolla, CA : Wildstorm, c2010

Dark Horse presents (2011) Dark Horse presents. no.1 / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Comics, Inc

DeFilippis, Nunzio. New X-Men, Academy X. Choosing sides / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, c2004.

DeMatteis, J. M. Green Lantern : Willworld / New York : DC Comics, c2011

Diantantu, Serge, 1962- Mémoire de l'esclavage : Bulambemba / Lamentin : Caraïbéditions, c2010

Drake, Arnold. Showcase presents The Doom patrol. Volume one / New York : DC Comics, c2009.

Dunn, Joe. Sarah Palin versus the world / San Antonio : Antarctic Press, 2011

Endore-Kaiser, Guy. Brevity 4 : another collection of fine comics hand selected by Guy & Rodd. / Kansas City, MO : Andrews McMeel Pub., LLC, 2009

Ennis, Garth. Thor : Vikings / New York : Marvel, c2004

Feiffer, Jules. Sick, sick, sick. / New York : McGraw-Hill, [1958]

Feiffer, Jules. The unexpurgated memoirs of Bernard Mergendeiler / New York : Random House, c1965

Feist, Raymond E. Magician apprentice. v. 1 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel ; [London : Diamond, distributor], 2007.

The Flash. no. 206 / New York, N.Y. : National Comics Publications, 1959-1985

Flash Gordon the movie / Racine, Wisconsin : Western, 1980

Fox, Gardner F. (Gardner Francis), 1911-1986. Showcase presents Adam Strange. Volume one. / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2007.

Gately, George. Heathcliff spins a yarn / New York : Tempo Books, 1983

Gorden, Greg. Torg nos. 1-4 / Westlake Village, CA : Adventure Comics, 1992-

.hack//link vols. 1-3 / Los Angeles : TokyoPop, c2010-

Hamazaki, Tatsuya. .hack//G.U.+ v. 5 / Los Angeles, Calif. : Tokyopop, 2008-

Hilburn, Scott. The argyle sweater : a cartoon collection / Kansas City, MO : Andrews McMeel Pub., c2009

Himekawa, Akira. The legend of Zelda vols. 1-10 / San Francisco : VIZ Media, 2008-

Howard the duck (New York, N.Y. : 2002) Howard the duck. nos. 1-6 / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 2002

Howard, Jason. Sea bear and grizzly shark / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2010

Hutchison, David, 1974- Mischief & Mayhem : field trip to Heck / San Antonio, Tex. : Antarctic Press, 2006

The indomitable Iron Man. / New York : Marvel Comics, p2010.

Jacobs, Jesse. Even the Giants / Richmond, Va. : Adhouse Books, 2011, c2010

Jones-Quartey, Ian. RPG world. Volume 1. Unlikely hero out for adventure / Temple City, Calif. : Keensport Entertainment, 2004.

Jones, Bruce, 1944- Hulk/Wolverine : six hours / New York : Marvel Comics, 2003.

Kanigher, Robert. Showcase presents Enemy Ace. Volume one / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2008

Kanigher, Robert. Showcase presents Metal Men. Volume one. / New York : DC Comics, c2007

Kanigher, Robert. Showcase presents the haunted tank vols. 1-2 / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2006-

Kanigher, Robert. Showcase presents Wonder Woman vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2007-

Kawaguchi, Kaiji. Eagle, the making of an Asian-American president vols. 1-22 / San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, c2000-

Keeler, Greg. Poetryman : five poems / Bozeman, Mont. : Bozarts Press, c1988

Kelly, Joe. Deadpool in Mission : Improbable / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 1998.

Kleid, Neil. Ursa minors! no. 1 / San Jose, CA : Slave Labor Graphics, c2006-

Kliban, B. Cat (kat), n. ... / New York : Workman Pub. Co., 1975.

Kliban, B. Whack your porcupine, and other drawings / New York : Workman Pub. Co., 1977.

Kovalic, John. Dork Covenant / Madison, Wis. : Dork Storm Press, 2001

L33T : comics for gamers. no. 1 / Temple City, CA : Keenspot Entertainment, 2002-

The legend of Isis / La Mesa, CA : Alias Enterprises, 2005-

Leong, Sonia. Once upon a time- / [Cambridge] : Sweatdrop Studios, 2009, c2008.

Licensable Bear TM. nos. 1-4 / Thousand Oaks, CA : About Comics, c2003-

Loeb, Jeph. Hulk Vol. 6 World War Hulks / New York : Marvel, 2009-

Mami, Itou. Street fighter gaiden. Volume 1 / Thornhill, Ont. : Udon ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010

Mariotte, Jeff. Desperadoes : banners of gold / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, 2005

Mariotte, Jeff. Desperadoes : epidemic! / La Jolla, CA : Homage Comics, 1999

Martin, Ted. Pavlov / New York, N.Y. : T. Doherty Associates, 1988, c1982.

Marz, Ron. Witchblade. [Vol. 10], Witch hunt / Orange, Calif. : Image Comics, 2006

Merritt, Cliff. Cliff Merritt's man on the move! / New York : Popular Library, c1973.

Metal Men. Metal Men v.14 no.50 / Sparta, Ill. : National Periodical Publications, 1963-1978

Miers, Doug. Criss cross. #1 / [S.l.] : Arcana Studio, 2005.

Mighty Thor (New York, N.Y. : 1966) The mighty Thor. v.1 no.246 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 1966-1996

Monstrosity. no. 1 / Damascus, MD : Slap Happy Comics, 1998

More teen power / New York : Pyramid Books, 1970

Morgan, Melanie J. Betty & Veronica double digest. Volume 151 / Manaroneck, NY : Archie Comic Publications, Inc., 2007.

Mullaney, Dean, 1954- Genius, isolated : the life and art of Alex Toth / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, 2011

Mychaels, Marat. Demonslayer / Sunnyside, NY : Avatar Press, 2002

The mystic hands of Doctor Strange / New York : Marvel Worldwide, 2010.

Nakahira, Masahiko. Street fighter alpha. 1 / Richmond Hill, Ont. : Udon, c2007.

Ogino, Shin. Mega Man ZX. Vols 1-2 / Richmond Hill, Ont. : Udon, c2010.

Ordway, Jerry. The messenger / Orange, Ca. : Image Comics, c2000

Ōsaki, Mitsuru. Onimusha : night of genesis. vols. 1-2 / Richmond Hill, Ont. : UDON Entertainment Corp., 2006.

Pak, Greg. The Incredible Hulk. [Vol. 3], World War Hulks / New York, NY : Marvel Worldwide, c2011

Palmiotti, Jimmy. Prototype / La Jolla, Calif. : Wildstorm, 2010

Perry, Fred, 1969- Maidens of Twilight nos. 1-4 / San Antonio, Tex. : Antarctic, 2009.

Peters, Mike. Grimmy, best in show / New York : Tor, 1990, c1989.

Peynet, Raymond, 1908- The lover's bedside book / New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c1964

Peynet, Raymond, 1908- The lover's weekend book / New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c1964

Peynet, Raymond, 1908- The lovers' keepsake / New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c1964.

Pfeifer, Will. Vertigo resurrected. Finals. / New York, NY : DC Comics, 2011.

Raicht, Mike. The stuff of legend v.1 The Dark bk.1 / [S.l.] : Th3rd World Studios, 2009-

Redfern, Christine, 1966- Qui est Ana Mendieta? / Montréal : Éditions du Remue-ménage, c2011

Reed, Brian, 1973- Halo : fall of reach. Boot camp / New York : Marvel Worldwide, Inc., 2011

Reklaw, Jesse, 1971- Dreamtoons / Boston : Shambhala, c2000.

Riley, John. Lost stories nos. 1-7 / Williston Park, NY : Creative Frontiers, 1997

Ryan, Johnny. Take a Joke / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 2011

Savic, Boris. Bānimon Bk. 1. The prisoner of Tesla Mountain / Arlington, MA : Rocket North, c2007-2010

Schmidt, J. Marc. The Sixsmiths / San Jose, CA : SLG Pub., c2010.

Scooby-Doo. vol. 2 : Ruh-Roh! / New York, N.Y. : DC Comics, c2003.

Searle, Ronald, 1920- Hurrah for St. Trinian's and other lapses / London : MacDonald, 1948

Searle, Ronald, 1920- Ronald Searle's non-sexist dictionary. /London : Souvenir, 1988.

Sez who?!. v.1 no.2 / Bristol, R.I. : Dark Dimensions Publications

Sfar, Joann. Dungeon. Monstres, v. 4. Night of the ladykiller / New York : NBM, c2006-<2007>

Showcase presents Aquaman vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2007-

Showcase presents Batman vols. 1-3 / New York : DC Comics, c2006-

Showcase presents Green Lantern. vols. 1-3 / New York : DC Comics, c2005-

Showcase presents Robin the boy wonder. Volume one. / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2008

Showcase presents Teen titans. vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2006-

Showcase presents The Atom. Volume one. / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2007.

Showcase presents the Flash. vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2007-

Showcase presents The house of mystery. vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2006-

Showcase presents the house of secrets. Volume one / New York, N.Y. : DC Comics, c2008.

Showcase presents The phantom stranger vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2006-

Showcase presents The Unknown soldier. Volume one / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2006.

Simon, Joe. Fighting American / London : Titan Books, c2011.

Solin, Gary. Mute point / Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1970.

Stein, Leslie, 1982- Eye of the majestic creature. / Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, 2011

Straczynski, J. Michael, 1954- Dream police / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 2005

Sumimaru, Koichi. .hack//4koma + joke champion / Los Angeles : Tokyopop, 2010

Tarzan (New York, N.Y. : 1977) Tarzan. v.1 no.2 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, 1977-1979

Tedesco, Ralph. Salem's daughter. Vol. 1 / Horsham, Pa. : Zenescope Entertainment, 2011

Vinicoff, Eric. Spinworld nos. 1-4 / San Jose, CA : Amaze Ink, c1997-1998.

Vip, 1916-1984. Crazy cartoons : 200 triple-x charges of high-explosive humor! / Greenwich, Conn. : Fawcett, c1956.

Waid, Mark, 1962- City of heroes / Los Angeles, CA : NCSoft : Cryptic Studios, 2005.

Waid, Mark, 1962- City of heroes nos. 1-3 / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2005

Waid, Mark, 1962- The unknown. [Vol. 2], The devil made flesh / Los Angeles : Boom! Studios, 2011

Walt Disney Productions presents The Black hole. / New York : Random House, c1979

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse : 300 Mickeys / Los Angeles, CA : Boom Kids!, 2011

Warlands vols. 1-3 / Orange, CA : Image Comics, 2001-

West, James V. PAN-GEA : one-shot / San Diego, CA : Ape Entertainment, c2005

Winshluss, 1970- Pinocchio / San Francisco : Last Gasp of San Francisco 2011, c2010

Wood, Brian, 1972- Northlanders vol. 4. Plague widow / New York : DC Comics/Vertigo, c2008-

Yuki, Kaori.  Tenshi kinryō-ku vols. 1-15 / Tōkyō : Hakusensha, 1995-2001


 As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.

DC Comics Month-to Month Sales: December 2016 - Comic Readers vs. Retailer Incentive Variants

Greetings, sales charts fans! It's time once again to look at DC's sales figures.

Sorry this column is a bit late; I was waiting for Diamond to release the year-end figures for 2016, but as of this writing they haven't yet materialized. Hopefully they'll be out soon and I'll roll those revised numbers into the January 2017 column.

December was not a great month for DC. While yes, they did have four of the top five comics this month, the market as a whole was down 7% from December 2015, and at under 4K the floor of the Top 300 was lower than we've seen in quite some time.

More troubling is that the Rebirth titles are having a hard time stabilizing; most of the twice-monthly titles saw drops of 5-6% for the first issue of the month and 2-3% for the second issue of the month (there are exceptions, of course). The monthly titles are also dropping too much; DC have to be a bit worried that things are not yet stabilizing.

But on the bright side, things are still better than before Rebirth, with DC still moving a million more comics in December than they did in May (the month before Rebirth started).

The other point of interest this month are the 6-month percentage numbers for the Rebirth launch-month titles, most of which are in the minus 50-60% range.

Warning: The commentary below may contain reasoned analysis, speculation (unfounded and otherwise), opinion, and/or snark. Those looking for a more straightforward analysis are directed to John Jackson Miller's excellent Comichron analysis, posted earlier this month over at Comichron!

Please consider the fine print at the end of the column. Thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2.com for the permission to use their figures. An overview of ICv2.com's estimates can be found here.

(Note that the percentage comparisons are now done with total orders including reorder activity, as opposed to initial orders as was the practice of this column under the previous administration.)

---

1, 12 - JUSTICE LEAGUE VS SUICIDE SQUAD ($3.99)
12/2016: JL Vs SS #1 of 6 -- 179,643
12/2016: JL Vs SS #2 of 6 --  82,475 (- 54.1%)

The Rebirth era's first event series ropes in just two titles, but they're two of DC"s more high-profile titles and things kick off nicely. There were oodles of retailer customizable incentive variants for the first issue which led to an overinflated sales number, which you can see as things drop way back to closer to normal with the second issue (which had just a regular f.o.v. and an incentive cover). It's also weekly at $3.99, which may somewhat limit its appeal to consumers but will at least get things over with quickly.

---

3 - DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE ($5.99)
12/2015: Dark Knight III #2 of 8 -- 158,188 (- 62.5%) [168,590]
01/2016: --
02/2016: Dark Knight III #3 of 8 -- 146,044 (- 10.6%) [150,665]
03/2016: --
04/2016: Dark Knight III #4 of 8 -- 143,055 (-  5.1%)
05/2016: --
06/2016: Dark Knight III #5 of 8 -- 139,919 (-  2.2%)
07/2016: --
08/2016: --
09/2016: --
10/2016: Dark Knight III #6 of 8 -- 133,642 (-  4.5%)
11/2016: --
12/2016: Dark Knight III #7 of 9 -- 119,114 (- 10.9%)
-----------------
6 months: - 14.9%
1 year  : - 29.3%

DK3 takes a bit of a tumble as the irregular schedule starts to catch up with it. And DC announced that it would be a nine-issue series, not eight. I'm so glad I'm not buying this in single issues; my experience with the delays on the previous two Dark Knight series was enough to warn me away.

---

4, 5 - BATMAN ($2.99)
12/2006: Batman #660    --  76,967 
12/2006: Batman #661    --  75,512 
12/2011: Batman #4      -- 133,781 [144,777]
12/2012: Batman #15     -- 151,568 
12/2013: Batman #26     -- 119,443 
12/2014: Batman #37     -- 113,255  
----------------------------------
12/2015: Batman #47     -- 127,201 (+ 18.0%) 
01/2016: Batman #48     -- 100,962 (- 20.6%) 
02/2016: Batman #49     -- 102,689 (+  1.7%) 
03/2016: Batman #50     -- 163,406 (+ 67.7%) [172,256]
04/2016: Batman #51     -- 101,922 (- 40.8%) 
05/2016: Batman #52     -- 102,197 (+  0.3%) 
06/2016: Rebirth #1     -- 219,788 (+124.3%) [229,267]
06/2016: Batman #1      -- 308,396 (+ 44.9%) [332,281]
07/2016: Batman #2      -- 194,816 (- 41.4%) 
07/2016: Batman #3      -- 185,833 (-  4.6%) 
08/2016: Batman #4      -- 168,284 (-  9.4%) 
08/2016: Batman #5      -- 156,356 (-  7.1%) 
09/2016: Batman #6      -- 138,853 (- 11.2%) 
09/2016: Batman #7      -- 135,585 (-  2.4%) 
10/2016: Batman #8      -- 129,837 (-  4.2%) 
10/2016: Batman #9      -- 126,090 (-  2.9%) 
11/2016: Batman #10     -- 120,901 (-  4.1%) 
11/2016: Batman #11     -- 116,690 (-  3.5%) 
12/2016: Batman #12     -- 111,391 (-  4.5%) 
12/2016: Batman #13     -- 108,407 (-  2.7%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 60.9%
1 year  : - 13.6%
2 years : -  3.0%
5 years : - 24.1%
10 years: + 44.1%

Like most of the Rebirth titles, Batman is still looking for its level; a drop of over 7% for the month is more than you want to see six months in.

---

10 - ALL STAR BATMAN ($4.99)
12/2006: --
---------------------------------------
08/2016: All Star Batman #1  -- 318,283 (+238.5%)   
09/2016: All Star Batman #2  -- 151,523 (- 52.4%)   
10/2016: All Star Batman #3  -- 117,596 (- 22.4%)   
11/2016: All Star Batman #4  --  99,064 (- 15.8%)   
12/2016: All Star Batman #5  --  87,422 (- 11.8%)   
-----------------
10 years:    n.a.

Dollar sales-wise this ranks just ahead of the two Batman books, due to its $4.99 cover price. But on the dark cloud size a Batman comic by Scott Snyder has never sold this low since the start of the New 52 era.

---

14, 15 - JUSTICE LEAGUE ($2.99)
12/2011: Justice League #4  -- 149,314 [152,340]
12/2012: Justice League #15 -- 115,074
12/2013: Justice League #25 --  94,004 
12/2013: Justice League #26 --  90,592 
12/2014: Justice League #37 --  72,081 
--------------------------------------
12/2015: Justice League #46 --  75,660 (-  3.5%)
12/2015: Justice League #47 --  84,970 (+ 21.2%)  [91,688]
01/2016: --
02/2016: Justice League #48 --  72,704 (- 20.7%)
03/2016: --
04/2016: Justice League #49 --  71,131 (-  2.2%)
05/2016: Justice League #50 --  92,423 (+ 29.9%) [100,106]
06/2016: Justice League #51 --  70,059 (- 30.0%)
06/2016: Justice League #52 --  72,413 (+  3.4%)
07/2016: Rebirth #1         -- 195,402 (+178.4%) [201,613]
07/2016: Justice League #1  -- 230,106 (+ 14.1%)
08/2016: Justice League #2  -- 140,142 (- 39.1%)
08/2016: Justice League #3  -- 121,812 (- 13.1%)
09/2016: Justice League #4  -- 104,003 (- 14.6%)
09/2016: Justice League #5  --  98,276 (-  5.5%)
10/2016: Justice League #6  --  89,073 (-  9.4%)
10/2016: Justice League #7  --  85,789 (-  3.7%)
11/2016: Justice League #8  --  80,696 (-  5.9%)
11/2016: Justice League #9  --  77,905 (-  3.5%)
12/2016: Justice League #10 --  73,652 (-  5.5%)
12/2016: Justice League #11 --  71,527 (-  2.9%)
-----------------
6 months: +  1.9%
1 year  : - 13.2%
2 years : +  0.7%
5 years : - 52.4%

At this point Justice League is pretty much back where it was at the end of the New 52 version. The JL/SS crossover issues don't hit the streets until January.

---

17, 18 - DETECTIVE COMICS ($2.99)
12/2006: Detective Comics #826 --  59,657
12/2006: Detective Comics #827 --  55,031
12/2011: Detective Comics #4   --  99,366
12/2012: Detective Comics #15  -- 106,395
12/2013: Detective Comics #26  --  56,538 
12/2014: Detective Comics #37  --  54,953 
-----------------------------------------
12/2015: Detective Comics #47  --  45,867 (-  3.0%)
01/2016: Detective Comics #48  --  45,111 (-  1.6%)
02/2016: Detective Comics #49  --  45,300 (+  0.4%)
03/2016: Detective Comics #50  --  52,373 (+ 15.6%)
04/2016: Detective Comics #51  --  43,190 (- 17.5%)
05/2016: Detective Comics #52  --  43,961 (+  1.8%)
06/2016: Detective Comics #934 -- 106,239 (+176.0%) [121,314]
06/2016: Detective Comics #935 -- 103,417 (-  6.9%) [112,965]
07/2016: Detective Comics #936 -- 110,689 (-  2.0%)
07/2016: Detective Comics #937 -- 101,389 (-  8.4%)
08/2016: Detective Comics #938 --  97,829 (-  3.5%)
08/2016: Detective Comics #939 --  89,612 (-  8.4%)
09/2016: Detective Comics #940 --  80,897 (-  9.7%)
09/2016: Detective Comics #941 --  82,953 (+  2.5%)
10/2016: Detective Comics #942 --  81,432 (-  1.8%)
10/2016: Detective Comics #943 --  74,340 (-  8.7%)
11/2016: Detective Comics #944 --  71,923 (-  3.3%)
11/2016: Detective Comics #945 --  69,942 (-  2.8%)
12/2016: Detective Comics #946 --  66,374 (-  5.1%)
12/2016: Detective Comics #947 --  65,090 (-  1.9%)
-----------------
6 months: - 43.9%
1 year  : + 43.3%
2 years : + 19.6%
5 years : - 33.8%
10 years: + 14.6%

Tracking below its New 52 counterpart, but still selling significantly better than that title's end point.

---

20, 24 - FLASH ($2.99)
12/2006: Flash FMA #7  --  53,600 
12/2011: Flash #4      --  77,336
12/2012: Flash #15     --  45,925
12/2013: Flash #26     --  36,601 
12/2014: Flash #37     --  37,026 
---------------------------------
12/2015: Flash #47     --  42,129 (+ 14.8%)
01/2016: --
02/2016: Flash #48     --  34,903 (- 17.2%)
02/2016: Flash #49     --  34,407 (-  1.4%)
03/2016: --
04/2016: Flash #50     --  35,160 (+  2.2%)
05/2016: Flash #51     --  33,878 (-  3.6%)
05/2016: Flash #52     --  32,831 (-  3.1%)
06/2016: Rebirth #1    --  98,580 (+275.0%) [123,115]
06/2016: Flash #1      -- 110,431 (+  2.7%) [126,429]
07/2016: Flash #2      -- 113,639 (- 10.1%)
07/2016: Flash #3      -- 107,067 (-  5.8%)
08/2016: Flash #4      -- 102,208 (-  4.5%)
08/2016: Flash #5      --  91,830 (- 10.2%)
09/2016: Flash #6      --  82,930 (-  9.7%)
09/2016: Flash #7      --  78,057 (-  5.9%)
10/2016: Flash #8      --  76,749 (-  1.7%)
10/2016: Flash #9      --  74,311 (-  3.2%)
11/2016: Flash #10     --  70,681 (-  4.9%)
11/2016: Flash #11     --  68,304 (-  3.4%)
12/2016: Flash #12     --  64,476 (-  5.6%)
12/2016: Flash #13     --  62,800 (-  2.6%)
-----------------
6 months: - 49.0%
1 year  : + 51.1%
2 years : + 71.9%
5 years : - 17.7%
10 years: + 18.7%

Still dropping a bit more than one would like, but also doing better than the New 52 version on an issue-by-issue basis, and almost identical on a month-by-month basis. There's a Batman crossover coming up in April to boost things up a bit.

---

26, 28 - SUPERMAN ($2.99)
12/2006: --
12/2011: Superman #4    --  76,532
12/2012: Superman #15   --  51,225
12/2013: Superman #26   --  36,877 
12/2014: Superman #37   --  50,383 
----------------------------------
12/2015: Superman #47   --  47,377 (+ 13.4%) 
01/2016: Superman #48   --  37,690 (- 20.4%)
02/2016: Superman #49   --  36,318 (-  3.6%)
03/2016: Superman #50   --  91,396 (+151.7%)
04/2016: Superman #51   --  38,103 (- 58.3%)
05/2016: Superman #52   --  54,317 (+ 67.9%)  [63,989]
06/2016: Rebirth #1     -- 130,277 (+115.7%) [138,031]
06/2016: Superman #1    -- 115,918 (-  4.3%) [132,050]
07/2016: Superman #2    -- 112,148 (- 15.1%)
07/2016: Superman #3    -- 107,367 (-  4.3%)
08/2016: Superman #4    --  96,969 (-  9.7%)
08/2016: Superman #5    --  89,473 (-  7.7%)
09/2016: Superman #6    --  76,124 (- 14.9%)
09/2016: Superman #7    --  72,867 (-  4.3%)
10/2016: Superman #8    --  69,905 (-  4.1%)
10/2016: Superman #9    --  67,321 (-  3.7%)
11/2016: Superman #10   --  66,956 (-  0.5%)
11/2016: Superman #11   --  63,686 (-  4.9%)
12/2016: Superman #12   --  60,992 (-  4.2%)
12/2016: Superman #13   --  59,393 (-  2.6%)
-----------------
6 months: - 55.4%
1 year  : + 27.1%
2 years : + 19.5%
5 years : - 21.3%
10 years:    n.a.

More or less in the same boat as The Flash, as far as comparisons with the New 52 version go. There's a Superman title crossover coming up in March which could boost things up a bit.

---

27 - SUICIDE SQUAD ($2.99)
12/2011: Suicide Squad #4      --  34,550
12/2012: Suicide Squad #15     --  57,132 
12/2013: Suicide Squad #26     --  25,346 
12/2014: New Suicide Squad #5  --  32,834 
-----------------------------------------
12/2015: New Suicide Squad #15 --  26,449 (- 20.4%)
01/2016: New Suicide Squad #16 --  24,870 (-  6.0%)
02/2016: New Suicide Squad #17 --  23,687 (-  4.8%)
03/2016: New Suicide Squad #18 --  28,243 (+ 19.2%)
04/2016: New Suicide Squad #19 --  23,799 (- 15.7%)
05/2016: New Suicide Squad #20 --  23,425 (-  1.6%)
06/2016: New Suicide Squad #21 --  23,887 (+  2.0%)
07/2016: New Suicide Squad #22 --  25,162 (+  5.3%)
08/2016: Rebirth #1            -- 195,587 (+677.3%)
08/2016: Suicide Squad #1      -- 239,439 (+ 22.4%)
09/2016: Suicide Squad #2      --  98,533 (- 58.8%)
09/2016: Suicide Squad #3      --  90,885 (-  7.8%)
10/2016: Suicide Squad #4      --  76,324 (- 16.0%)
10/2016: Suicide Squad #5      --  69,819 (-  8.5%)
11/2016: Suicide Squad #6      --  61,973 (- 11.2%)
11/2016: Suicide Squad #7      --  59,452 (-  4.1%)
12/2016: Suicide Squad #8      --  59,967 (+  0.9%)
-----------------
6 months: +151.0%
1 year  : +126.7%
2 years : + 82.6%
5 years : + 73.6%

Only one issue this month for some reason, and it's a JL vs SS tie-in, so it doesn't suffer the drops that other Rebirth books are seeing.

---

32, 33 - WONDER WOMAN ($2.99)
12/2006: --
12/2011: Wonder Woman #4   -- 57,675
12/2012: Wonder Woman #15  -- 41,641
12/2013: Wonder Woman #26  -- 32,773 
12/2014: Wonder Woman #37  -- 43,066 (- 27.0%)
-------------------------------------
12/2015: Wonder Woman #47  --  40,123 (+ 16.5%)
01/2016: Wonder Woman #48  --  32,687 (- 18.5%)
02/2016: Wonder Woman #49  --  35,398 (+  8.3%)
03/2016: Wonder Woman #50  --  36,328 (+  2.6%)
04/2016: Wonder Woman #51  --  29,787 (- 18.0%)
05/2016: Wonder Woman #52  --  29,673 (-  0.4%)
06/2016: Rebirth #1        -- 103,904 (+316.6%) [123,624]
06/2016: Wonder Woman #1   -- 118,511 (+  5.5%) [130,381]
07/2016: Wonder Woman #2   -- 114,135 (- 12.5%)
07/2016: Wonder Woman #3   -- 103,912 (-  9.0%)
08/2016: Wonder Woman #4   --  93,862 (-  9.7%)
08/2016: Wonder Woman #5   --  85,646 (-  8.8%)
09/2016: Wonder Woman #6   --  74,856 (- 12.6%)
09/2016: Wonder Woman #7   --  70,118 (-  6.3%)
10/2016: Wonder Woman #8   --  66,405 (-  5.3%)
10/2016: Wonder Woman #9   --  64,555 (-  2.8%)
11/2016: Wonder Woman #10  --  60,185 (-  5.8%)
11/2016: Wonder Woman #11  --  58,692 (-  3.5%)
12/2016: Wonder Woman #12  --  55,639 (-  5.2%)
12/2016: Wonder Woman #13  --  54,589 (-  1.9%)
-----------------
6 months: - 56.6%
1 year  : + 37.4%
2 years : + 28.0%
5 years : -  4.4%
10 years:    n.a.

Despite it's unorthodox alternating storylines, Wonder Woman is pretty much in the same sales comparison boat as Superman & The Flash.

---

37 - TRINITY ($2.99)
09/2016: Trinity #1  -- 103,177 (+217.3%)
10/2016: Trinity #2  --  71,617 (- 30.6%)
11/2016: Trinity #3  --  58,253 (- 18.7%)
12/2016: Trinity #4  --  50,270 (- 13.7%)

A smidge more than you'd like to see in a fourth issue drop.

---

38, 41 - HARLEY QUINN ($2.99)
12/2013: Harley Quinn #1  --  92,153 [120,312]
12/2014: Harley Quinn #13 --  68,102 
------------------------------------
12/2015: Harley Quinn #23 --  69,168 (+ 17.8%)
01/2016: Harley Quinn #24 --  44,967 (- 35.0%)
02/2016: Harley Quinn #25 --  51,495 (+ 14.5%)
03/2016: Harley Quinn #26 --  51,420 (-  0.1%)
04/2016: Harley Quinn #27 --  54,864 (+  6.7%)
05/2016: Harley Quinn #28 --  43,858 (- 20.1%)
06/2016: Harley Quinn #29 --  55,774 (+ 27.2%)
07/2016: Harley Quinn #30 --  45,443 (- 18.5%)
08/2016: Harley Quinn #1  -- 395,953 (+784.9%) [402,106]
08/2016: Harley Quinn #2  -- 128,316 (- 68.1%)
09/2016: Harley Quinn #3  --  89,799 (- 30.0%)
09/2016: Harley Quinn #4  --  81,046 (-  9.7%)
10/2016: Harley Quinn #5  --  69,237 (- 14.6%)
10/2016: Harley Quinn #6  --  64,710 (-  6.5%)
11/2016: Harley Quinn #7  --  56,878 (- 12.1%)
11/2016: Harley Quinn #8  --  54,111 (-  4.9%)
12/2016: Harley Quinn #9  --  49,871 (-  4.9%)
12/2016: Harley Quinn #10 --  48,380 (-  4.9%)
-----------------
6 months: - 11.9%
1 year  : - 29.0%
2 years : - 27.9%

Pretty much back to where it was before Rebirth.

---

39, 42 - NIGHTWING ($2.99)
12/2006: Nightwing #126 --  34,889
12/2011: Nightwing #4   --  57,409
12/2012: Nightwing #15  --  74,407
12/2013: Nightwing #26  --  38,452 
12/2014: Grayson #5     --  42,611  [42,648]
----------------------------------
12/2015: Grayson #15    --  35,765 (+ 11.1%)
01/2016: Grayson #16    --  30,420 (- 14.9%)
02/2016: Grayson #17    --  30,257 (-  0.5%)
03/2016: Grayson #18    --  33,550 (+ 10.9%)
04/2016: Grayson #19    --  27,378 (- 18.4%)
05/2016: Grayson #20    --  23,762 (- 13.2%)
06/2016: --
07/2016: Rebirth #1     -- 140,631 (+491.8%)
07/2016: Nightwing #1   -- 126,266 (- 10.2%)
08/2016: Nightwing #2   -- 102,444 (- 18.9%)
08/2016: Nightwing #3   --  89,711 (- 12.4%)
09/2016: Nightwing #4   --  70,652 (- 21.2%)
09/2016: Nightwing #5   --  76,932 (+  8.9%)
10/2016: Nightwing #6   --  69,246 (- 10.0%)
10/2016: Nightwing #7   --  58,402 (- 15.7%)
11/2016: Nightwing #8   --  56,091 (-  4.0%)
11/2016: Nightwing #9   --  52,984 (-  5.5%)
12/2016: Nightwing #10  --  49,436 (-  6.7%)
12/2016: Nightwing #11  --  47,781 (-  3.3%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : + 35.9%
2 years : + 14.0%
5 years : - 15.3%
10 years: + 39.3%

Tracking pretty much on par with the New 52 series.

---

40 - TITANS ($2.99)
12/2015: Titans Hunt #3 of 12 --  20,918 (-  6.9%)
01/2016: Titans Hunt #4 of 8  --  23,578 (+ 12.7%)
02/2016: Titans Hunt #5 of 8  --  22,678 (-  3.8%)
03/2016: Titans Hunt #6 of 8  --  18,493 (- 18.5%)
04/2016: Titans Hunt #7 of 8  --  20,079 (+  8.6%)
05/2016: Titans Hunt #8 of 8  --  17,412 (- 13.3%)
06/2016: Rebirth #1           --  79,295 (+477.8%) [100,610]
07/2016: Titans #1            -- 112,676 (+ 12.0%) 
08/2016: Titans #2            --  80,079 (- 28.9%) 
09/2016: Titans #3            --  70,673 (- 11.7%) 
10/2016: Titans #4            --  58,342 (- 17.4%) 
11/2016: Titans #5            --  52,511 (- 10.0%) 
12/2016: Titans #6            --  48,612 (-  7.4%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 51.7%
1 year  : +132.4%

---

44, 45 - ACTION COMICS ($2.99)
12/2006: --
12/2011: Action Comics #4   -- 112,839
12/2012: Action Comics #15  --  61,298
12/2013: Action Comics #26  --  37,489 
12/2014: Action Comics #37  --  39,168 
--------------------------------------
12/2015: Action Comics #47  --  29,021 (- 19.2%)
01/2016: Action Comics #48  --  31,958 (+ 10.1%)
02/2016: Action Comics #49  --  31,496 (-  1.4%)
03/2016: Action Comics #50  --  40,025 (+ 27.1%)
04/2016: Action Comics #51  --  32,167 (- 19.6%)
05/2016: Action Comics #52  --  40,623 (+ 26.3%)
06/2016: Action Comics #957 --  82,884 (+136.1%) [95,893]
06/2016: Action Comics #958 --  83,227 (-  4.6%) [91,462]
07/2016: Action Comics #959 --  91,671 (+  0.2%)
07/2016: Action Comics #960 --  83,281 (-  9.2%)
08/2016: Action Comics #961 --  79,003 (-  5.1%)
08/2016: Action Comics #962 --  70,761 (- 10.4%)
09/2016: Action Comics #963 --  60,824 (- 14.0%)
09/2016: Action Comics #964 --  58,439 (-  3.9%)
10/2016: Action Comics #965 --  55,678 (-  4.7%)
10/2016: Action Comics #966 --  53,467 (-  4.0%)
11/2016: Action Comics #967 --  50,611 (-  5.3%)
11/2016: Action Comics #968 --  48,931 (-  3.3%)
12/2016: Action Comics #969 --  46,573 (-  4.8%)
12/2016: Action Comics #970 --  45,856 (-  1.5%)
-----------------
6 months: - 50.7%
1 year  : + 59.2%
2 years : + 18.0%
5 years : - 59.0%
10 years:    n.a.

---

47 - TEEN TITANS ($2.99)
12/2006: Teen Titans #42 -- 60,165
12/2011: Teen Titans #4  -- 54,929
12/2012: Teen Titans #15 -- 68,707
12/2013: Teen Titans #26 -- 29,149 
12/2014: Teen Titans #5  -- 34,101 
----------------------------------
12/2015: Teen Titans #14 -- 26,239 (-  1.0%)
12/2015: Teen Titans #15 -- 27,201 (+  3.7%)
01/2016: Teen Titans #16 -- 24,201 (- 11.0%)
02/2016: Teen Titans #17 -- 23,566 (-  2.6%)
03/2016: Teen Titans #18 -- 23,056 (-  2.2%)
04/2016: Teen Titans #19 -- 21,989 (-  4.6%)
05/2016: Teen Titans #20 -- 18,593 (- 15.4%)
06/2016: Teen Titans #21 -- 18,766 (+  0.9%)
07/2016: Teen Titans #22 -- 19,005 (+  1.3%)
08/2016: Teen Titans #23 -- 19,118 (+  0.6%)
09/2016: Teen Titans #24 -- 19,540 (+  2.2%)
09/2016: Rebirth #1      -- 93,411 (+378.0%)
10/2016: Teen Titans #1  -- 71,459 (- 23.5%)
11/2016: Teen Titans #2  -- 52,877 (- 26.0%)
12/2016: Teen Titans #3  -- 44,116 (- 16.6%)
-----------------
6 months: +135.1%
1 year  : + 68.1%
2 years : + 29.4%
5 years : - 19.7%
10 years: - 26.7%

---

51, 55 - GREEN LANTERNS ($2.99)
12/2006: --
12/2011: Green Lantern #4   -- 104,199 
12/2012: Green Lantern #15  --  74,363
12/2013: Green Lantern #26  --  51,420 
12/2014: Green Lantern #37  --  44,033 
--------------------------------------
12/2015: Green Lantern #47  --  45,706 (+ 17.0%)
01/2016: Green Lantern #48  --  36,068 (- 21.1%)
02/2016: Green Lantern #49  --  35,237 (-  2.3%)
03/2016: Green Lantern #50  --  36,242 (+  2.9%)
04/2016: Green Lantern #51  --  32,862 (-  9.3%)
05/2016: Green Lantern #52  --  32,936 (+  0.2%)
06/2016: Rebirth #1         -- 109,454 (+232.2%)
06/2016: Green Lanterns #1  --  93,401 (-  1.5%) [107,767]
07/2016: Green Lanterns #2  --  90,268 (- 16.2%)
07/2016: Green Lanterns #3  --  86,579 (-  4.1%)
08/2016: Green Lanterns #4  --  78,254 (-  9.6%)
08/2016: Green Lanterns #5  --  70,677 (-  9.7%)
09/2016: Green Lanterns #6  --  58,346 (- 17.4%)
09/2016: Green Lanterns #7  --  55,367 (-  5.1%)
10/2016: Green Lanterns #8  --  52,025 (-  6.0%)
10/2016: Green Lanterns #9  --  49,434 (-  5.0%)
11/2016: Green Lanterns #10 --  46,306 (-  6.3%)
11/2016: Green Lanterns #11 --  44,703 (-  3.5%)
12/2016: Green Lanterns #12 --  42,241 (-  5.5%)
12/2016: Green Lanterns #13 --  41,090 (-  2.7%)
-----------------
6 months: - 61.6%
1 year  : -  8.8%
2 years : -  5.4%
5 years : - 60.0%
10 years:    n.a.

---

53 - HARLEY'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK ($4.99)
12/2015: Harley's LBB #1  -- 92,266
01/2016: --
02/2016: Harley's LBB #2  -- 45,030 (-51.2%)
03/2016: --
04/2016: Harley's LBB #3  -- 41,444 (- 8.0%)
05/2016: --
06/2016: --
07/2016: --
08/2016: Harley's LBB #4  -- 38,545 (- 7.0%)
09/2016: --
10/2016: --
11/2016: --
12/2016: Harley's LBB #5  -- 41,785 (+ 8.4%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 54.7%

You: "Gee, I know that issue #4 was a couple of months late, but since each issue is a done-in-one by a different artist, surely that means that the next issue will be on time since it's already completed, right?"

DC: "Ha ha, no. And don't call us Shirley."

---

54, 57 - HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS ($2.99)
12/2006: Green Lantern Corps #7   --  38,737
12/2011: Green Lantern Corps #4   --  57,180
12/2012: Green Lantern Corps #15  --  47,841
12/2013: Green Lantern Corps #26  --  32,797 
12/2014: Green Lantern Corps #37  --  32,860 
--------------------------------------------
12/2015: --
01/2016: Edge of Oblivion #1 of 6 --  26,819 (- 10.7%)
02/2016: Edge of Oblivion #2 of 6 --  21,265 (- 20.7%)
03/2016: Edge of Oblivion #3 of 6 --  20,096 (-  5.5%)
04/2016: Edge of Oblivion #4 of 6 --  19,434 (-  3.3%)
05/2016: Edge of Oblivion #5 of 6 --  18,699 (-  3.8%)
06/2016: Edge of Oblivion #6 of 6 --  18,459 (-  1.3%)
07/2016: Rebirth #1               -- 125,362 (+579.1%)
07/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #1      -- 119,579 (-  4.6%)
08/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #2      --  85,769 (- 28.3%)
08/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #3      --  71,211 (- 17.0%)
09/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #4      --  60,297 (- 15.3%)
09/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #5      --  56,029 (-  7.1%)
10/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #6      --  49,988 (- 10.8%)
10/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #7      --  48,064 (-  3.8%)
11/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #8      --  45,194 (-  6.0%)
11/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #9      --  43,486 (-  3.8%)
12/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #10     --  41,234 (-  5.2%)
12/2016: Hal Jordan & GLC #11     --  40,111 (-  2.7%)
----------------
6 months: +126.4%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : + 27.2%
5 years : - 26.9%
10 years: +  7.9%

---

66, 70 - GREEN ARROW ($2.99)
12/2006: Green Arrow #69 -- 32,234
12/2011: Green Arrow #4  -- 37,116
12/2012: Green Arrow #15 -- 20,672
12/2013: Green Arrow #26 -- 24,687 
12/2014: Green Arrow #37 -- 20,904 
----------------------------------
12/2015: Green Arrow #47 -- 30,834 (+ 26.4%)
01/2016: Green Arrow #48 -- 22,117 (- 28.3%)
02/2016: Green Arrow #49 -- 22,096 (-  0.1%)
03/2016: Green Arrow #50 -- 22,977 (+  4.0%)
04/2016: Green Arrow #51 -- 21,168 (-  7.9%)
05/2016: Green Arrow #52 -- 20,559 (-  2.9%)
06/2016: Rebirth #1      -- 89,936 (+373.0%) [97,243]
06/2016: Green Arrow #1  -- 76,816 (-  4.4%) [92,931]
07/2016: Green Arrow #2  -- 80,134 (- 13.8%)
07/2016: Green Arrow #3  -- 80,150 (+  0.0%)
08/2016: Green Arrow #4  -- 74,335 (-  7.3%)
08/2016: Green Arrow #5  -- 69,530 (-  6.5%)
09/2016: Green Arrow #6  -- 55,330 (- 20.4%)
09/2016: Green Arrow #7  -- 52,794 (-  4.6%)
10/2016: Green Arrow #8  -- 49,904 (-  7.4%)
10/2016: Green Arrow #9  -- 46,606 (-  4.7%)
11/2016: Green Arrow #10 -- 43,355 (-  7.0%)
11/2016: Green Arrow #11 -- 41,576 (-  4.1%)
12/2016: Green Arrow #12 -- 38,515 (-  7.4%)
12/2016: Green Arrow #13 -- 37,365 (-  3.0%)
-----------------
6 months: - 60.1%
1 year  : + 23.0%
2 years : + 91.5%
5 years : +  2.2%
10 years: + 17.7%

---

76, 79 - AQUAMAN ($2.99)
12/2006: Aquaman #47 -- 21,197
12/2011: Aquaman #4  -- 64,961
12/2012: Aquaman #15 -- 75,947
12/2013: Aquaman #26 -- 38,841 
12/2014: Aquaman #37 -- 31,198 
------------------------------
12/2015: Aquaman #47 -- 20,251 (- 22.0%)
01/2016: Aquaman #48 -- 23,373 (+ 15.4%)
02/2016: Aquaman #49 -- 23,546 (+  0.7%)
03/2016: Aquaman #50 -- 24,487 (+  4.0%)
04/2016: Aquaman #51 -- 21,959 (- 10.3%)
05/2016: Aquaman #52 -- 22,246 (+  1.3%)
06/2016: Rebirth #1  -- 75,206 (+308.3%) [90,841]
06/2016: Aquaman #1  -- 84,745 (+  2.8%) [93,339]
07/2016: Aquaman #2  -- 77,550 (- 16.9%)
07/2016: Aquaman #3  -- 75,196 (-  3.0%)
08/2016: Aquaman #4  -- 67,641 (- 10.0%)
08/2016: Aquaman #5  -- 60,422 (- 10.7%)
09/2016: Aquaman #6  -- 49,903 (- 17.4%)
09/2016: Aquaman #7  -- 47,005 (-  5.8%)
10/2016: Aquaman #8  -- 44,551 (-  5.2%)
10/2016: Aquaman #9  -- 42,695 (-  4.2%)
11/2016: Aquaman #10 -- 39,816 (-  6.7%)
11/2016: Aquaman #11 -- 38,109 (-  4.3%)
12/2016: Aquaman #12 -- 35,571 (-  6.7%)
13/2016: Aquaman #13 -- 34,619 (-  2.7%)
-----------------
6 months: - 61.9%
1 year  : + 73.3%
2 years : + 12.5%
5 years : - 46.0%
10 years: + 65.6%

---

84 - BATMAN BEYOND ($2.99)
12/2012: Unlimited #11     -- 18,089
12/2013: Universe #5       -- 15,857 
12/2014: --
------------------------------------
12/2015: Batman Beyond #7  -- 21,946 (- 21.0%)
01/2016: Batman Beyond #8  -- 20,342 (-  7.3%)
02/2016: Batman Beyond #9  -- 19,449 (-  4.4%)
03/2016: Batman Beyond #10 -- 21,578 (+ 10.9%)
04/2016: Batman Beyond #11 -- 18,061 (- 16.3%)
05/2016: Batman Beyond #12 -- 18,133 (+  0.4%)
06/2016: Batman Beyond #13 -- 13,025 (- 28.2%)
07/2016: Batman Beyond #14 -- 18,001 (+ 38.2%)
08/2016: Batman Beyond #15 -- 17,882 (-  0.7%)
09/2016: Batman Beyond #16 -- 17,799 (-  0.5%)
09/2016: Rebirth #1        -- 74,722 (+319.8%)
10/2016: Batman Beyond #1  -- 66,591 (- 10.0%)
11/2016: Batman Beyond #2  -- 41,313 (- 38.0%)
12/2016: Batman Beyond #3  -- 32,916 (- 20.3%)
-----------------
6 months: +152.7%
1 year  : + 50.0%
2 years :    n.a.

---

85 - RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS ($2.99)
12/2011: Red Hood & Outlaws #4  -- 44,278
12/2012: Red Hood & Outlaws #15 -- 64,103
12/2013: Red Hood & Outlaws #26 -- 25,382 
12/2014: Red Hood & Outlaws #37 -- 18,723 
-----------------------------------------
12/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #7    -- 25,789 (+ 29.9%)
01/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #8    -- 22,900 (- 11.2%)
02/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #9    -- 22,341 (-  2.4%)
03/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #10   -- 17,707 (- 20.7%)
04/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #11   -- 19,711 (+ 11.3%)
05/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #12   -- 16,402 (- 16.8%)
06/2015: Red Hood/Arsenal #13   -- 16,389 (-  0.1%)
07/2016: Rebirth #1             -- 97,722 (+496.3%)
08/2016: Red Hood & Outlaws #1  -- 92,234 (-  5.6%)
09/2016: Red Hood & Outlaws #2  -- 54,937 (- 40.4%)
10/2016: Red Hood & Outlaws #3  -- 41,971 (- 23.6%)
11/2016: Red Hood & Outlaws #4  -- 36,740 (- 12.5%)
12/2016: Red Hood & Outlaws #5  -- 32,860 (- 10.6%)
-----------------
6 months: +100.5%
1 year  : + 27.4%
2 years : + 75.5%
5 years : - 25.8%

---

86, 89 - DEATHSTROKE ($2.99)
12/2011: Deathstroke #4  --  26,367 
12/2012: Deathstroke #15 --  13,528 
12/2014: Deathstroke #3  --  34,010  
-----------------------------------
12/2015: Deathstroke #13 --  25,344 (- 20.6%) 
01/2016: Deathstroke #14 --  27,648 (+  9.1%) 
02/2016: Deathstroke #15 --  26,534 (-  4.0%) 
03/2016: Deathstroke #16 --  25,390 (-  4.3%) 
04/2016: Deathstroke #17 --  24,858 (-  2.1%) 
05/2016: Deathstroke #18 --  21,087 (- 15.2%) 
06/2016: Deathstroke #19 --  21,094 (+  0.0%) 
07/2016: Deathstroke #20 --  20,562 (-  2.5%) 
08/2016: Rebirth #1      -- 109,250 (+431.3%)
08/2016: Deathstroke #1  --  91,962 (- 15.8%)
09/2016: Deathstroke #2  --  60,877 (- 33.8%)
09/2016: Deathstroke #3  --  54,908 (-  9.8%)
10/2016: Deathstroke #4  --  46,773 (- 14.8%)
10/2016: Deathstroke #5  --  43,058 (-  7.9%)
11/2016: Deathstroke #6  --  37,177 (- 13.7%)
11/2016: Deathstroke #7  --  35,782 (-  3.8%)
12/2016: Deathstroke #8  --  32,530 (-  9.1%)
12/2016: Deathstroke #9  --  31,519 (-  3.1%)
-----------------
6 months: + 51.8%
1 year  : + 26.4%
2 years : -  5.8%
5 years : + 21.5%

---

91 - BATGIRL ($2.99)
12/2011: Batgirl #4  --  59,972
12/2012: Batgirl #15 --  75,341
12/2013: Batgirl #26 --  34,885 
12/2014: Batgirl #37 --  45,060 
-------------------------------
12/2015: Batgirl #46 --  27,591 (-  7.1%)
01/2016: Batgirl #47 --  26,905 (-  2.5%)
02/2016: Batgirl #48 --  25,625 (-  4.8%)
03/2016: Batgirl #49 --  24,730 (-  3.5%)
04/2016: Batgirl #50 --  34,632 (+ 40.0%)
04/2016: Batgirl #51 --  23,280 (- 32.8%)
05/2016: Batgirl #52 --  26,492 (+ 13.8%)
06/2016: --
07/2016: Batgirl #1  -- 105,795 (+299.3%)
08/2016: Batgirl #2  --  68,611 (- 35.1%)
09/2016: Batgirl #3  --  51,580 (- 24.8%)
10/2016: Batgirl #4  --  40,778 (- 20.9%)
11/2016: Batgirl #5  --  35,210 (- 13.7%)
12/2016: Batgirl #6  --  31,294 (- 11.1%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : + 13.4%
2 years : - 30.6%
5 years : - 47.8%

---

92 - SUPERGIRL ($2.99)
12/2006: Supergirl #12  --  59,819 
12/2006: Supergirl #13  --  56,648 
12/2011: Supergirl #4   --  44,180
12/2012: Supergirl #15  --  30,814
12/2013: Supergirl #26  --  22,646 
12/2014: Supergirl #37  --  26,272 
----------------------------------
08/2016: Rebirth #1     -- 124,088 (+367.8%)
09/2016: Supergirl #1   --  99,272 (- 20.0%)
10/2016: Supergirl #2   --  50,261 (- 49.4%)
11/2016: Supergirl #3   --  37,316 (- 25.8%)
12/2016: Supergirl #4   --  31,040 (- 16.8%)
-----------------
2 years : + 18.1%
5 years : - 29.7%
10 years: - 46.7%

Has dropped over 90K from the Rebirth issue. Not a good trajectory.

---

As a point of interest, the first issue of Dynamite's Wonder Woman 77 Meets the Bionic Woman
crossover (and its nine different covers) clocks in at position #97 with 29,276 copies.

---

99 - BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY ($2.99)
12/2006: Birds of Prey #101 --  29,825
12/2011: Birds of Prey #4   --  34,460
12/2012: Birds of Prey #15  --  24,026
12/2013: Birds of Prey #26  --  17,497
--------------------------------------
07/2016: Rebirth #1         -- 109,066 (+119.0%)
08/2016: Batgirl & BoP #1   --  83,481 (- 23.5%)
09/2016: Batgirl & BoP #2   --  54,083 (- 35.2%)
10/2016: Batgirl & BoP #3   --  40,041 (- 26.0%)
11/2016: Batgirl & BoP #4   --  33,138 (- 17.2%)
12/2016: Batgirl & BoP #5   --  28,846 (- 13.0%)
-----------------
5 years : - 16.3%
10 years: -  3.3%

---

101 - HELLBLAZER ($2.99)
12/2006: Hellblazer #227    -- 13,231
12/2011: Hellblazer #286    --  9,404
12/2012: Hellblazer #298    --  9,132
12/2013: Constantine #9     -- 22,403 
12/2014: Constantine #20    -- 15,574 
-------------------------------------
12/2015: The Hellblazer #7  -- 18,601 (-  3.8%)
01/2016: The Hellblazer #8  -- 17,853 (-  4.0%)
02/2016: The Hellblazer #9  -- 17,178 (-  3.8%)
03/2016: The Hellblazer #10 -- 16,755 (-  2.5%)
04/2016: The Hellblazer #11 -- 16,248 (-  3.0%)
05/2016: The Hellblazer #12 -- 15,904 (-  2.1%)
06/2016: The Hellblazer #13 -- 15,697 (-  1.3%)
07/2016: Rebirth #1         -- 84,404 (+437.7%)
08/2016: Hellblazer #1      -- 65,707 (- 22.2%)
09/2016: Hellblazer #2      -- 44,824 (- 31.8%)
10/2016: Hellblazer #3      -- 33,596 (- 25.0%)
11/2016: Hellblazer #4      -- 28,882 (- 14.0%)
12/2016: Hellblazer #5      -- 25,780 (- 10.7%)
-----------------
6 months: + 64.2%
1 year  : + 38.6%
2 years : + 65.5%
5 years : +174.1%
10 years: + 94.8%

Tracking about 5K ahead of the previous series.

---

104 - SUPERWOMAN ($2.99)
08/2016: Superwoman #1  -- 101,289   
09/2016: Superwoman #2  --  55,480 (- 45.2%)   
10/2016: Superwoman #3  --  40,554 (- 26.9%)   
11/2016: Superwoman #4  --  30,070 (- 25.9%)   
12/2016: Superwoman #5  --  24,761 (- 17.7%)  

---

106 - DC REBIRTH HOLIDAY SPECIAL ($9.99)
12/2016: Rebirth Holiday 2016  --  23,601    

The last time DC did a line-wide Holiday special was in 2010. It paid off this year, as the high cover price makes this the #15 title this month in dollar sales.

---

111 - SUPERGIRL: BEING SUPER ($5.99)
12/2016: Being Super #1 of 4  --  21,491   

Another bi-monthly prestige format mini-series. Sales are decent for a $6 comic, though the real end game here is as a collected edition aimed at the YA market, so any sales through Diamond are really just gravy.

---

113, 124 - CYBORG ($2.99)
12/2015: Cyborg #5  -- 23,618 (-  8.9%) 
12/2015: Cyborg #6  -- 17,864 (- 24.4%) 
01/2016: Cyborg #7  -- 18,975 (+  6.2%) 
02/2016: Cyborg #8  -- 18,092 (-  4.7%) 
03/2016: Cyborg #9  -- 13,578 (- 25.0%) 
04/2016: Cyborg #10 -- 15,256 (+ 12.4%) 
05/2016: Cyborg #11 -- 12,425 (- 18.6%) 
06/2016: Cyborg #12 -- 12,411 (-  0.1%) 
07/2016: --
08/2016: --
09/2016: Rebirth #1 -- 70,586 (+468.7%)
09/2016: Cyborg #1  -- 61,908 (- 12.3%)
10/2016: Cyborg #2  -- 41,577 (- 32.8%)
10/2016: Cyborg #3  -- 35,756 (- 14.0%)
11/2016: Cyborg #4  -- 28,303 (- 20.8%)
11/2016: Cyborg #5  -- 25,772 (-  8.9%)
12/2016: Cyborg #6  -- 21,287 (- 17.4%)
12/2016: Cyborg #7  -- 19,788 (-  7.0%)
-----------------
6 months: + 59.4%
1 year  : - 16.2%

The last of the twice-monthly issues before going monthly in 2017. DC really needs to consider doing the same with Deathstroke, Aquaman & Green Arrow too.

---

115 - NEW SUPER-MAN ($2.99)
07/2016: New Super-Man #1  -- 129,452
08/2016: New Super-Man #2  --  79,774 (- 38.4%)
09/2016: New Super-Man #3  --  45,976 (- 42.4%)
10/2016: New Super-Man #4  --  31,689 (- 31.1%)
11/2016: New Super-Man #5  --  25,378 (- 19.9%)
12/2016: New Super-Man #6  --  21,000 (- 17.3%)

Has already dropped more than 100K from its first issue. DC is trying to publish seven comics a month in the Superman Family, and that's just too darn many.

---

118 - BLUE BEETLE ($2.99)
12/2006: Blue Beetle #10 -- 21,358
12/2011: Blue Beetle #4  -- 21,408
12/2012: Blue Beetle #15 -- 11,744
----------------------------------
08/2016: Rebirth #1      -- 80,292 (+599.0%)   
09/2016: Blue Beetle #1  -- 57,454 (- 28.4%)   
10/2016: Blue Beetle #2  -- 36,799 (- 35.9%)   
11/2016: Blue Beetle #3  -- 25,300 (- 31.2%)   
12/2016: Blue Beetle #4  -- 20,811 (- 17.7%)   
-----------------
5 years : -  2.8%
10 years: -  2.6%

The direct market has long been hostile to a Blue Beetle solo series, and things are no exception under the Rebirth banner.

---

126 - MOTHER PANIC (Young Animal) ($3.99)
11/2016: Mother Panic #1  -- 45,089
12/2016: Mother Panic #2  -- 20,506 (- 54.5%)

Returnable, so the numbers have been adjusted up 10% from those derived from the Diamond-supplied figures. See the fine print at the end of the column for why this is done.
That's a fairly large drop for a second issue, but it's on par with the second issue sales for Cave Carson & Shade. Doom Patrol missed its ship date this month, so Mother Panic is the top Young Animal book for December.

---

119 - SCOOBY APOCALYPSE ($3.99)
05/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #1  -- 69,520           [77,409]
06/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #2  -- 29,812 (- 61.5%)
07/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #3  -- 29,494 (-  1.1%)
08/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #4  -- 28,148 (-  4.6%)
09/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #5  -- 26,170 (-  7.0%)
10/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #6  -- 23,781 (-  9.1%)
11/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #7  -- 21,983 (-  7.6%)
12/2016: Scooby Apocalypse #8  -- 20,126 (-  8.4%)
-----------------
6 months: - 32.5%

The top-selling non-DCU title for December, but still dropping too much each month.

---

122 - HE-MAN/THUNDERCATS ($3.99)
12/2012: He-Man & MotU #5      -- 16,858 
12/2013: He-Man & MotU #9      -- 14,465 
12/2014: He-Man Eternity #1    -- 18,884 
----------------------------------------
12/2015: He-Man Eternity #13   -- 10,096 (-  2.8%)
01/2016: He-Man Eternity #14   --  9,714 (-  3.8%)
02/2016: He-Man Eternity #15   --  9,493 (-  2.3%)
03/2016: --
04/2016: --
05/2016: --
06/2016: --
07/2016: --
08/2016: --
09/2016: --
10/2016: He-Man/T'cats #1 of 6 -- 32,936 (+247.0%)
11/2016: He-Man/T'cats #2 of 6 -- 21,991 (- 33.2%)
12/2016: He-Man/T'cats #3 of 6 -- 19,902 (-  9.5%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : + 97.1%
2 years : +  5.4%

---

127 - FUTURE QUEST ($3.99)
05/2016: Future Quest #1  -- 48,627          [56,756]
06/2016: --
07/2016: Future Quest #2  -- 30,170 (- 45.9%)
07/2016: Future Quest #3  -- 27,786 (-  9.5%)
08/2016: Future Quest #4  -- 25,472 (-  8.3%)
09/2016: --
10/2016: Future Quest #5  -- 23,975 (-  5.9%)
10/2016: Future Quest #6  -- 22,131 (-  7.7%)
11/2016: Future Quest #7  -- 19,910 (- 10.0%)
12/2016: Future Quest #8  -- 18,296 (-  8.1%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.

Ending with issue #12.

---

130 - RAVEN ($2.99)
09/2016: Raven #1 of 6 -- 28,374   
10/2016: Raven #2 of 6 -- 20,813 (- 26.6%)   
11/2016: Raven #3 of 6 -- 19,154 (-  8.0%)   
12/2016: Raven #4 of 6 -- 17,977 (-  6.1%)   

There were second printings of the first two issues this month, but they didn't chart in the top 300.

---

134, 158 - INJUSTICE: GROUND ZERO (Digital-First) ($2.99)
12/2013: Injustice #12    -- 21,871 (- 3.7%)
12/2014: Injustice Y3 #5  -- 16,611 (- 0.8%)
12/2014: Injustice Y3 #6  -- 16,141 (- 2.8%)
-----------------------------------
12/2015: --
01/2016: Injustice Y5 #1  -- 17,049 (+ 14.8%)
01/2016: Injustice Y5 #2  -- 14,787 (- 13.3%)
02/2016: Injustice Y5 #3  -- 14,263 (-  3.5%)
02/2016: Injustice Y5 #4  -- 13,918 (-  2.4%)
03/2016: Injustice Y5 #5  -- 14,094 (+  1.3%)
03/2016: Injustice Y5 #6  -- 13,599 (-  3.5%)
04/2016: Injustice Y5 #7  -- 13,823 (+  1.6%)
04/2016: Injustice Y5 #8  -- 13,560 (-  1.9%)
05/2016: Injustice Y5 #9  -- 13,539 (-  0.2%)
05/2016: Injustice Y5 #10 -- 13,332 (-  1.5%)
06/2016: Injustice Y5 #11 -- 13,682 (+  2.6%)
06/2016: Injustice Y5 #12 -- 13,318 (-  2.7%)
07/2016: Injustice Y5 #13 -- 13,590 (+  2.0%)
07/2016: Injustice Y5 #14 -- 13,418 (-  1.3%)
08/2016: Injustice Y5 #15 -- 13,258 (-  1.2%)
08/2016: Injustice Y5 #16 -- 12,914 (-  2.6%)
09/2016: Injustice Y5 #17 -- 12,782 (-  1.0%)
09/2016: Injustice Y5 #18 -- 12,740 (-  0.3%)
10/2016: Injustice Y5 #19 -- 12,262 (-  3.8%)
10/2016: Injustice Y5 #20 -- 12,313 (+  0.4%)
11/2016: --
12/2016: Ground Zero #1   -- 17,513 (+ 42.2%)
12/2016: Ground Zero #2   -- 13,406 (- 23.5%)
----------------
6 months: + 14.5%
1 year  :    n.a.
2 years : -  5.6%

A new Injustice series sees a typical bump up for the first issue, but the second issue drop is larger than has been the case for Injustice series in the past. The Injustice 2 video game is due out in May, which I would imagine will go a ways in invigorating interest in the comic.

---

145 - CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE (Young Animal) ($3.99)
10/2016: Cave Carson #1  -- 38,724
11/2016: Cave Carson #2  -- 22,106 (- 42.9%)
12/2016: Cave Carson #3  -- 16,755 (- 24.2%)

151 - SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL (Young Animal) ($3.99)
10/2016: Shade #1  -- 35,289
11/2016: Shade #2  -- 21,479 (- 39.1%)
12/2016: Shade #3  -- 15,837 (- 26.3%)

Both returnable; see the fine print at the end of the column. The Young Animal titles are pretty much moving in lock-step with each other.

---

150 - DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS (Digital First) ($3.99)
12/2015: Bombshells #6  --  23,679 (-  6.5%)
12/2015: Bombshells #7  --  23,014 (-  2.8%)
01/2016: Bombshells #8  --  21,904 (-  4.8%)
02/2016: Bombshells #9  --  20,349 (-  7.1%)
03/2016: Bombshells #10 --  19,820 (-  2.6%)
04/2016: Bombshells #11 --  18,859 (-  4.8%)
05/2016: Bombshells #12 --  18,512 (-  1.8%)
05/2016: Bombshells #13 --  18,046 (-  2.5%)
06/2016: Bombshells #14 --  18,492 (+  2.5%)
07/2016: Bombshells #15 --  17,956 (-  2.9%)
08/2016: Bombshells #16 --  17,623 (-  1.9%)
09/2016: Bombshells #17 --  16,685 (-  5.3%)
10/2016: Bombshells #18 --  16,042 (-  3.9%)
11/2016: Bombshells #19 --  15,452 (-  3.7%)
12/2016: Bombshells #20 --  14,428 (-  6.6%)
-----------------
6 months: - 22.0%
1 year  : - 38.2%

Ack, why the biggish percentage drop this month?

---

152 - EARTH 2: SOCIETY ($2.99)
12/2012: Earth 2 #7     -- 54,409
12/2013: Earth 2 #18    -- 37,130 
12/2014: Earth 2 #29    -- 30,273 
---------------------------------
12/2015: E2 Society #7  -- 21,059 (-  4.1%)
01/2016: E2 Society #8  -- 19,682 (-  6.5%)
02/2016: E2 Society #9  -- 18,868 (-  4.1%)
03/2016: E2 Society #10 -- 18,391 (-  2.5%)
04/2016: E2 Society #11 -- 17,844 (-  3.0%)
05/2016: E2 Society #12 -- 17,492 (-  2.0%)
06/2016: E2 Society #13 -- 17,430 (-  0.4%)
07/2016: E2 Society #14 -- 16,960 (-  2.7%)
08/2016: E2 Society #15 -- 16,885 (-  0.4%)
09/2016: E2 Society #16 -- 16,025 (-  5.1%)
10/2016: E2 Society #17 -- 16,822 (+  5.0%)
11/2016: E2 Society #18 -- 15,181 (-  9.8%)
12/2016: E2 Society #19 -- 14,366 (-  5.4%)
-----------------
6 months: - 17.6%
1 year  : - 31.8%
2 years : - 52.5%

Still hanging around, through issue #22.

---

154 - SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP (All-Ages) ($2.99)
12/2013: --
12/2014: -- 
-----------------------------------------
12/2015: --
01/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #14 --  7,214 (-  9.9%)
02/2016: -- 
03/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #15 --  8,092 (+ 12.2%)
04/2016: -- 
05/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #16 --  8,400 (+  3.8%)
06/2016: -- 
07/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #17 --  7,892 (-  6.0%)
08/2016: -- 
09/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #18 --  7,913 (+  0.3%)
10/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #19 --  7,467 (-  5.6%)
11/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #20 --  7,708 (+  3.2%)
12/2016: Scooby-Doo Team-Up #21 -- 14,270 (+ 85.1%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 Year  :    n.a.
2 Years :    n.a.

No your eyes do not deceive you; it's a team-up with Harley Quinn that gives SDTU a big bounce this month.

---

157 - DEATH OF HAWKMAN ($3.99)
12/2006: Hawkgirl #59             -- 18,140
12/2011: Savage Hawkman #4        -- 25,437
12/2012: Savage Hawkman #15       -- 13,564
-------------------------------------------
10/2016: Death of Hawkman #1 of 6 -- 31,316 (+182.0%)
11/2016: Death of Hawkman #2 of 6 -- 17,061 (- 45.5%)
12/2016: Death of Hawkman #3 of 6 -- 13,607 (- 20.2%)
-----------------
5 years : - 46.5%
10 years: - 25.0%

---

180 - MIDNIGHTER AND APOLLO ($3.99)
12/2006: Midnighter #2         -- 30,464
----------------------------------------
12/2015: Midnighter #7         -- 11,267 (-  7.5%)
01/2016: Midnighter #8         -- 10,408 (-  7.6%)
02/2016: Midnighter #9         -- 10,428 (+  0.2%)
03/2016: Midnighter #10        --  9,803 (-  6.0%)
04/2016: Midnighter #11        --  9,435 (-  3.5%)
05/2016: Midnighter #12        --  9,354 (-  0.9%)
06/2016: --
07/2016: --
08/2016: --
09/2016: --
10/2016: Mdnter & Aplo #1 of 6 -- 20,497 (+119.1%)
11/2016: Mdnter & Aplo #2 of 6 -- 13,029 (- 36.4%)
12/2016: Mdnter & Aplo #3 of 6 -- 10,773 (- 17.3%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : -  4.4%
10 yeas : - 64.6%

---

182 - THE FLINTSTONES ($3.99)
07/2016: Flintstones #1  -- 43,996
08/2016: Flintstones #2  -- 19,612 (- 55.4%)
09/2016: Flintstones #3  -- 14,910 (- 24.0%)
10/2016: Flintstones #4  -- 12,740 (- 14.6%)
11/2016: Flintstones #5  -- 11,552 (-  9.3%)
12/2016: Flintstones #6  -- 10,617 (-  8.1%)

---

183 - DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE ($5.99)
12/2006: Deadman #5              -- 10,113
------------------------------------------
10/2016: Deadman Mansion #1 of 3 -- 15,297 (+163.6%)
11/2016: --
12/2016: Deadman Mansion #2 of 3 -- 10,232 (- 33.1%)
-----------------
10 years: +  1.2%

---

185 - SUPER POWERS ($2.99)
11/2016: Super Powers #1 of 6 -- 22,282   
12/2016: Super Powers #2 of 6 -- 10,094 (- 54.7%)   

The first issue had an f.o.v. and this issue does not, which explains the larger-than-normal second issue drop.

---

191 - GOTHAM ACADEMY: SECOND SEMESTER ($2.99)
12/2014: Gotham Academy #3  -- 26,509 
-------------------------------------
12/2015: Gotham Academy #12 -- 15,865 (-  4.2%)
12/2015: Gotham Academy #13 -- 22,947 (+ 44.6%)
01/2016: Gotham Academy #14 -- 15,023 (- 34.5%)
02/2016: Gotham Academy #15 -- 14,334 (-  4.6%)
03/2016: Gotham Academy #16 -- 13,363 (-  6.8%)
04/2016: Gotham Academy #17 -- 12,743 (-  4.6%)
05/2016: Gotham Academy #18 -- 12,410 (-  2.6%)
06/2016: --
07/2016: --
08/2016: --
09/2016: Second Semester #1 -- 21,765 (+ 75.4%)
10/2016: Second Semester #2 -- 13,856 (- 36.3%)
11/2016: Second Semester #3 -- 12,304 (- 11.2%)
12/2016: Second Semester #4 --  9,751 (- 20.7%)
----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 49.8%
2 years : - 63.2%

If you're wondering why DC keeps Gotham Academy around, it's because the trade collections got picked up by Scholastic for their book fairs. So the single issue sales in the direct market are pretty much immaterial.

The direct comics market: the only place where they can't sell Harry Potter meets Batman.

---

196 - SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED: EL DIABLO/AMANDA WALLER ($4.99)
01/2016: Deadshot/Katana #1 of 6 -- 21,642 
02/2016: Deadshot/Katana #2 of 6 -- 16,529 (- 23.6%) 
03/2016: Deadshot/Katana #3 of 6 -- 14,585 (- 11.8%) 
04/2016: Deadshot/Katana #4 of 6 -- 13,452 (-  7.8%) 
05/2016: Deadshot/Katana #5 of 6 -- 12,725 (-  5.4%) 
06/2016: Deadshot/Katana #6 of 6 -- 12,584 (-  1.1%) 
07/2016: --
08/2016: El Diablo/Boom #1 of 6  -- 18,660 (+ 48.3%) 
09/2016: El Diablo/Boom #2 of 6  -- 13,089 (- 29.9%) 
10/2016: El Diablo/Croc #3 of 6  -- 11,468 (- 12.4%) 
11/2016: El Diablo/Croc #4 of 6  -- 10,236 (- 10.7%) 
12/2016: El Diablo/Am W #5 of 6  --  8,819 (- 13.8%) 
-----------------
6 months: - 29.9%

---

198 - TEEN TITANS GO! (Digital-First) ($2.99)
12/2006: Teen Titans Go! #38 --  9,529
12/2013: Teen Titans Go! #1  -- 13,441
12/2014: Teen Titans Go! #7  --  8,254 
--------------------------------------
12/2015: Teen Titans Go! #13 --  9,714 (-  5.5%)
01/2016: --
02/2016: Teen Titans Go! #14 --  9,142 (-  5.9%)
03/2016: --
04/2016: Teen Titans Go! #15 --  9,210 (+  0.7%)
05/2016: --
06/2016: Teen Titans Go! #16 --  9,324 (+  1.2%)
07/2016: --
08/2016: Teen Titans Go! #17 --  9,636 (+  3.3%)
09/2016: --
10/2016: Teen Titans Go! #18 --  9,506 (-  1.3%)
11/2016: --
12/2016: Teen Titans Go! #19 --  8,748 (-  8.0%)
-----------------
6 months: -  6.2%
1 year  : -  9.9%
2 years : +  6.0%
10 years: -  8.2%

Not sure what to make of the largish percentage drop for TTG this month...

---

204 - BATMAN '66 MEETS STEED & MRS. PEEL (Digital-First) ($2.99)
12/2015: UNCLE #1 of 6        -- 17,363 (- 15.4%)
01/2016: UNCLE #2 of 6        -- 13,940 (- 19.7%)
02/2016: UNCLE #3 of 6        -- 12,824 (-  8.0%)
03/2016: UNCLE #4 of 6        -- 11,945 (-  6.9%)
04/2016: UNCLE #5 of 6        -- 11,187 (-  6.3%)
05/2016: UNCLE #6 of 6        -- 11,060 (-  1.1%)
06/2016: --
07/2016: Avengers #1 of 6     -- 13,921 (+ 25.9%)
08/2016: Avengers #2 of 6     -- 11,079 (- 20.4%)
09/2016: Avengers #3 of 6     -- 10,082 (-  9.0%)
10/2016: Avengers #4 of 6     --  9,556 (-  5.2%)
11/2016: Avengers #5 of 6     --  9,223 (-  3.5%)
12/2016: Avengers #6 of 6     --  8,675 (-  5.9%)
----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 year  : - 50.0%

Next up for the nostalgia fest: Batman 66 Meets Wonder Woman 77.

---

205 - THE LOST BOYS (Vertigo) ($3.99)
10/2016: Lost Boys #1 of 6 -- 19,812   
11/2016: Lost Boys #2 of 6 -- 11,037 (- 44.3%)   
12/2016: Lost Boys #3 of 6 --  8,442 (- 23.5%)   

The best-selling Vertigo book for December. At just 8,442 copies. Let that sink in...

---

218 - LUCIFER (Vertigo) ($3.99)
12/2015: Lucifer #1  -- 17,306 (+ 57.2%)
01/2016: Lucifer #2  -- 12,497 (- 27.8%)
02/2016: Lucifer #3  -- 11,614 (-  7.1%)
03/2016: Lucifer #4  -- 11,450 (-  1.4%)
04/2016: Lucifer #5  -- 11,049 (-  3.5%)
05/2016: Lucifer #6  -- 10,701 (-  3.1%)
06/2016: Lucifer #7  -- 10,382 (-  3.0%)
07/2016: Lucifer #8  --  9,968 (-  4.0%)
08/2016: Lucifer #9  --  9,554 (-  4.2%)
09/2016: Lucifer #10 --  8,891 (-  6.9%)
10/2016: Lucifer #11 --  8,507 (-  4.3%)
11/2016: Lucifer #12 --  8,133 (-  4.4%)
12/2016: Lucifer #13 --  7,739 (-  4.8%)
-----------------
6 months: - 25.5%
1 year  : - 55.3%

A special holiday issue, with one story by the outgoing writer and one by the new incoming writer.

---

229 - FROSTBITE (Vertigo) ($3.99)
09/2016: Frostbite #1 of 6 -- 13,916
10/2016: Frostbite #2 of 6 --  9,312 (- 33.1%)
11/2016: Frostbite #3 of 6 --  7,914 (- 15.0%)
12/2016: Frostbite #4 of 6 --  7,152 (-  9.6%)

---

Place here a Director's Cut edition of the first issue of All Star Batman at position #234 on the chart. (Not included in the summary statistics below.)

---

237 - EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES (Vertigo) ($3.99)
12/2006: Fables #56    -- 25,892
12/2011: Fables #112   -- 17,602
12/2012: Fables #124   -- 16,018
12/2013: Fables #136   -- 14,220 
12/2014: Fables #147   -- 13,302 
--------------------------------
09/2016: Everafter #1  -- 11,421 (- 19.4%)
10/2016: Everafter #2  --  8,414 (- 26.3%)
11/2016: Everafter #3  --  7,182 (- 14.6%)
12/2016: Everafter #4  --  6,192 (- 13.8%)
-----------------
2 years : - 53.5%
5 years : - 64.8%
10 years: - 76.1%

---

246 - VIGILANTE: SOUTHLAND ($3.99)
10/2016: Southland #1 of 6 -- 16,264 (+152.3%)
11/2016: Southland #2 of 6 --  7,787 (- 52.1%)
12/2016: Southland #3 of 3 --  5,801 (- 25.5%)

The surprise final issue, as DC decided to pull the plug mid-story (they claim the final three unpublished issues will be included in the eventual trade collection). Thus ensuring that pretty much no one will ever bother buying issues of a DCU miniseries based on a C-list character ever again.

---

255, 267 - CLEAN ROOM (Vertigo) ($3.99)
12/2015: Clean Room #3  --  8,073 (- 13.7%)
01/2015: Clean Room #4  --  7,572 (-  6.2%)
02/2016: Clean Room #5  --  7,020 (-  7.3%)
03/2016: Clean Room #6  --  6,832 (-  2.7%)
04/2016: Clean Room #7  --  6,518 (-  4.6%)
05/2016: Clean Room #8  --  6,394 (-  1.9%)
06/2016: Clean Room #9  --  6,335 (-  0.9%)
07/2016: Clean Room #10 --  6,069 (-  4.2%)
08/2016: Clean Room #11 --  5,906 (-  2.7%)
09/2016: --
10/2016: Clean Room #12 --  5,807 (-  1.7%)
11/2016: Clean Room #13 --  5,658 (-  2.6%)
12/2016: Clean Room #14 --  5,312 (-  6.1%)
12/2016: Clean Room #15 --  5,107 (-  3.9%)
-----------------
6 months: - 17.8%
1 year  : - 35.5%

Two issues this month as Clean Room rockets towards its finale in issue #18.

---

265 - SIXPACK & DOGWELDER: HARD TRAVELIN' HEROZ ($3.99)
12/2015: All-Star Section 8 #6 of 6  --  8,995 (-  8.1%) 
01/2016: --
02/2016: --
03/2016: --
04/2016: --
05/2016: --
06/2016: --
07/2016: --
08/2016: Sixpack & Dogwelder #1 of 6 -- 15,431 (+ 71.6%)
09/2016: Sixpack & Dogwelder #2 of 6 --  7,647 (- 50.4%)
10/2016: Sixpack & Dogwelder #3 of 6 --  6,442 (- 15.8%)
11/2016: Sixpack & Dogwelder #4 of 6 --  5,708 (- 11.4%)
12/2016: Sixpack & Dogwelder #5 of 6 --  5,132 (- 10.1%)
-----------------
6 months:    n.a.
1 Year  : - 42.9%

---

272 - SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? (All-Ages) ($2.99)
12/2006: Scooby-Doo #115               -- 4,364
12/2011: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #16 -- 4,627
12/2012: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #28 -- 4,879
12/2013: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #40 -- 4,754 
12/2014: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #52 -- ????? (< 5,053)
-----------------------------------------------
12/2015: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #64 -- ????? (< 5,848)  
01/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #65 -- 4,906   
02/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #66 -- 4,867 (- 0.8%)   
03/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #67 -- 4,940 (+ 1.5%)   
04/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #68 -- 4,892 (- 1.0%)   
05/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #69 -- 5,040 (+ 3.0%)   
06/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #70 -- ????? (< 5,596)   
07/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #71 -- 5,254    
08/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #72 -- ????? (< 5,497)   
09/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #73 -- 5,214    
10/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #74 -- 4,972 (- 4.6%)    
11/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #75 -- 4,920 (- 1.0%)    
12/2016: Scooby-Doo Where Are You? #76 -- 4,805 (- 2.3%)    
-----------------
6 months:    ???%
1 year  :    ???%
2 years :    ???%
5 years : +  3.8%
10 years: + 10.1%

---

+300 - UNFOLLOW (Vertigo) ($3.99)
12/2015: Unfollow #2  --  7,082 (- 34.1%) 
01/2016: Unfollow #3  --  6,510 (-  8.1%) 
02/2016: Unfollow #4  --  5,667 (- 12.9%) 
03/2016: Unfollow #5  --  5,149 (-  9.1%) 
04/2016: Unfollow #6  --  4,815 (-  6.5%) 
05/2016: Unfollow #7  --  ????? (< 4,986) 
06/2016: Unfollow #8  --  ????? (< 5,596) 
07/2016: Unfollow #9  --  ????? (< 5,069) 
08/2016: Unfollow #10 --  ????? (< 5,497) 
09/2016: Unfollow #11 --  ????? (< 4,239) 
10/2016: Unfollow #12 --  ????? (< 4,931) 
11/2016: Unfollow #13 --  ????? (< 4,799) 
12/2016: Unfollow #14 --  ????? (< 3,954) 
-----------------
6 months:   ????%
1 year  :   ????%

+300 - RED THORN (Vertigo) ($3.99)
12/2015: Red Thorn #2  --  6,799 (- 40.0%) 
01/2016: Red Thorn #3  --  5,802 (- 14.7%) 
02/2016: Red Thorn #4  --  4,867 (- 16.1%) 
03/2016: Red Thorn #5  --  4,482 (-  7.9%) 
04/2016: Red Thorn #6  --  ????? (< 4,309) 
05/2016: Red Thorn #7  --  ????? (< 4,986) 
06/2016: Red Thorn #8  --  ????? (< 5,596) 
07/2016: Red Thorn #9  --  ????? (< 5,069) 
08/2016: Red Thorn #10 --  ????? (< 5,497) 
09/2016: Red Thorn #11 --  ????? (< 4,239) 
10/2016: --
11/2016: Red Thorn #12 --  ????? (< 4,799) 
12/2016: Red Thorn #13 --  ????? (< 3,954) 
-----------------
6 months:   ????%
1 year  :   ????%

Despite the floor of the Top 300 dropping below 4K, these two Vertigo series still didn't make the chart. This is the final issue of Red Thorn, while Unfollow will continue on until issue #18.

---

+300 - LOONEY TUNES (All-Ages) ($2.99)
12/2006: Looney Tunes #145 -- 2,732
12/2011: Looney Tunes #204 -- ?????
12/2012: Looney Tunes #210 -- ?????
12/2013: Looney Tunes #216 -- 2,822 
12/2014: Looney Tunes #222 -- ????? (< 5,053)
-----------------------------------
12/2015: Looney Tunes #228 -- ????? (< 5,848)
01/2016: --
02/2016: Looney Tunes #229 -- ????? (< 3,744)
03/2016: --
04/2016: Looney Tunes #230 -- ????? (< 4,309)
05/2016: --
06/2016: Looney Tunes #231 -- ????? (< 5,596)
07/2016: --
08/2016: Looney Tunes #232 -- ????? (< 5,497)
09/2016: --
10/2016: Looney Tunes #233 -- ????? (< 4,931)
11/2016: --
12/2016: Looney Tunes #234 -- ????? (< 3,954)
-----------------
6 months:   ????%
1 year  :   ????%
2 years :   ????%
5 years :   ????%
10 years:   ????%

---
Average Periodical Sales (not counting reprints, reorders shipping after the initial month of release, director's cuts, and magazines; based on first-month sales only.)

DC COMICS
12/2006: 34,418
12/2011: 35,397
12/2012: 34,272
12/2013: ??????
12/2014: 29,047 **
---------------
12/2015: 28,091 (-  8.6%)**
01/2016: 21,845 (- 22.2%)**
02/2016: 24,611 (+ 12.7%)**
03/2016: 22,620 (-  9.6%)**
04/2016: 23,187 (+  2.5%)**
05/2016: 24,532 (+  5.8%)**
06/2016: 48,770 (+ 98.8%)**
07/2016: 63,656 (+ 30.5%)**
08/2016: 67,257 (+  5.7%)**
09/2016: 51,379 (- 23.6%)**
10/2016: 41,277 (- 19.7%)**
11/2016: 36,894 (- 10.6%)**
12/2016: 35,265 (-  4.4%)**
-----------------
6 months: - 27.7%
1 year  : + 25.5%
2 years : + 21.4%
5 years : -  0.4%
10 years: +  2.5%


DC UNIVERSE
12/2006: 44,641 
12/2011: 39,390
12/2012: 36,880
12/2013: ??????
12/2014: 34,882 
---------------
12/2015: 34,981 (-  8.9%)
01/2016: 27,664 (- 20.1%)
02/2016: 31,503 (+ 13.9%)
03/2016: 28,621 (-  9.1%)
04/2016: 30,003 (+  4.8%)
05/2016: 29,927 (-  0.3%)
06/2016: 65,876 (+120.1%)
07/2016: 90,237 (+ 37.0%)
08/2016: 87,905 (-  2.6%)
09/2016: 64,037 (- 27.2%)
10/2016: 54,470 (- 14.9%)
11/2016: 45,659 (- 16.2%)
12/2016: 45,125 (-  1.2%)
-----------------
6 months: - 31.5%
1 year  : + 29.0%
2 years : + 29.4%
5 years : + 14.6%
10 years: +  1.1%


VERTIGO & YOUNG ANIMAL
12/2006: 13,834
12/2011: 11,082
12/2012: 11,771
12/2013: ??????
12/2014: 13,195 **
---------------
12/2015:  8,630 (- 11.8%)**
01/2016:  6,832 (- 20.5%)**
02/2016:  6,274 (-  8.2%)**
03/2016:  6,039 (-  3.7%)**
04/2016:  5,649 (-  6.5%)**
05/2016:  5,734 (+  1.5%)**
06/2016:  6,073 (+  5.9%)**
07/2016:  6,328 (+  4.2%)**
08/2016:  5,639 (- 10.9%)**
09/2016: 16,825 (+198.4%)**
10/2016: 14,526 (- 13.7%)**
11/2016: 14,623 (+  0.7%)**
12/2016:  9,177 (- 37.2%)**
-----------------
6 months: + 51.1%
1 year  : +  6.3%
2 years : - 30.5%
5 years : - 17.2%
10 years: - 33.7%

Without Young Animal, the Vertigo average for the month would be 5,982.

---

6 month comparisons
===================

+152.7% - Batman Beyond
+151.0% - Suicide Squad (New Suicide Squad)
+135.1% - Teen Titans
+126.4% - Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps (GLC Edge)
+100.5% - Red Hood & Outlaws (Red Hood/Arsenal)
+ 64.2% - Hellblazer (Constantine the Hellblazer)
+ 59.4% - Cyborg
+ 51.8% - Deathstroke
+ 14.5% - Injustice
+  1.9% - Justice League
-  6.2% - Teen Titans Go!
- 11.9% - Harley Quinn
- 17.6% - Earth 2 Society
- 17.8% - Clean Room
- 25.5% - Lucifer
- 29.9% - Suicide Squad Most Wanted
- 32.5% - Scooby Apocalypse
- 43.9% - Detective Comics
- 49.0% - Flash
- 50.7% - Action Comics
- 51.7% - Titans
- 55.4% - Superman
- 56.6% - Wonder Woman
- 60.1% - Green Arrow
- 60.9% - Batman
- 61.6% - Green Lanterns
- 61.9% - Aquaman


1 year comparisons
==================

+132.4% - Titans (Titans Hunt)
+126.7% - Suicide Squad (New Suicide Squad)
+ 97.1% - He-Man 
+ 73.3% - Aquaman
+ 68.1% - Teen Titans
+ 59.2% - Action Comics
+ 51.1% - Flash
+ 50.0% - Batman Beyond
+ 43.3% - Detective Comics
+ 38.6% - Hellblazer (Constantine the Hellblazer)
+ 37.4% - Wonder Woman
+ 35.9% - Nightwing (Grayson)
+ 27.4% - Red Hood & Outlaws (Red Hood/Arsenal)
+ 27.1% - Superman
+ 26.4% - Deathstroke
+ 23.0% - Green Arrow
+ 13.4% - Batgirl
-  4.4% - Midnighter & Apollo (Midnighter)
-  8.8% - Green Lanterns (Green Lantern)
-  9.9% - Teen Titans Go!
- 13.2% - Justice League
- 13.6% - Batman
- 16.2% - Cyborg
- 29.0% - Harley Quinn
- 31.8% - Earth 2 Society
- 35.5% - Clean Room
- 42.9% - Sixpack & Dogwelder (All Star Section 8)
- 49.8% - Gotham Academy
- 50.0% - Batman 66 Meets... 
- 54.7% - Harley's Little Black Book
- 55.3% - Lucifer


2 year comparisons
==================

+ 91.5% - Green Arrow
+ 82.6% - Suicide Squad
+ 75.5% - Red Hood & Outlaws
+ 71.9% - Flash
+ 65.5% - Hellblazer (Constantine)
+ 29.4% - Teen Titans
+ 28.0% - Wonder Woman
+ 27.2% - Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps (GLC)
+ 19.6% - Detective Comics
+ 19.5% - Superman
+ 18.1% - Supergirl
+ 18.0% - Action Comics
+ 14.0% - Nightwing (Grayson)
+ 12.5% - Aquaman
+  6.0% - Teen Titans Go!
+  5.4% - He-Man
+  0.7% - Justice League
-  3.0% - Batman
-  5.4% - Green Lanterns (Green Lantern)
-  5.6% - Injustice
-  5.8% - Deathstroke
- 27.9% - Harley Quinn
- 30.6% - Batgirl
- 52.5% - Earth 2 Society (Earth 2)
- 53.5% - Everafter (Fables)
- 63.2% - Gotham Academy



5 year comparisons
==================

+174.1% - Hellblazer
+ 73.6% - Suicide Squad
+ 21.5% - Deathstroke
+  3.8% - Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
+  2.2% - Green Arrow
-  2.8% - Blue Beetle
-  4.4% - Wonder Woman
- 15.3% - Nightwing
- 16.3% - Batgirl & Birds of Prey (Birds of Prey)
- 17.7% - Flash
- 19.7% - Teen Titans
- 21.3% - Superman
- 24.1% - Batman
- 25.8% - Red Hood & Outlaws
- 26.9% - Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps (GLC)
- 29.7% - Supergirl
- 33.8% - Detective Comics
- 46.0% - Aquaman
- 46.5% - Death of Hawkman (Savage Hawkman)
- 47.8% - Batgirl
- 52.4% - Justice League
- 59.0% - Action Comics
- 60.0% - Green Lanterns (Green Lantern)
- 64.8% - Everafter (Fables)


10 year comparisons
===================

+ 94.8% - Hellblazer 
+ 65.6% - Aquaman
+ 44.1% - Batman
+ 39.3% - Nightwing
+ 18.7% - Flash
+ 17.7% - Green Arrow
+ 14.6% - Detective Comics
+ 10.1% - Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
+  7.9% - Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps (GLC)
+  1.2% - Deadman
-  2.6% - Blue Beetle
-  3.3% - Batgirl & Birds of Prey (Birds of Prey)
-  8.2% - Teen Titans Go!
- 25.0% - Death of Hawkman (Hawkgirl)
- 26.7% - Teen Titans
- 46.7% - Supergirl
- 64.6% - Midnighter & Apollo (Midnighter)
- 76.1% - Everafter (Fables)

---

Sales Indices
=============

DCU: Average: 45,125. Median: 41,090. No.: 59. Total: 2,662,359

4.0 - Justice League vs. Suicide Squad (1)
2.6 - Dark Knight III
2.5 - Batman (12)
2.4 - Batman (13)
1.9 - All Star Batman
1.8 - Justice League vs. Suicide Squad (2)
1.6 - Justice League (10)
1.6 - Justice League (11)
1.5 - Detective Comics (946)
1.4 - Detective Comics (947)
1.4 - Flash (12)
1.4 - Flash (13)
1.3 - Superman (12)
1.3 - Suicide Squad
1.3 - Superman (13)
1.2 - Wonder Woman (12)
1.2 - Wonder Woman (13)
1.1 - Trinity
1.1 - Harley Quinn (9)
1.1 - Nightwing (10)
1.1 - Titans
1.1 - Harley Quinn (10)
1.1 - Nightwing (11)
1.0 - Action Comics (969)
1.0 - Action Comics (970)
1.0 - Teen Titans
0.9 - Green Lanterns (12)
0.9 - Harley's Little Black Book
0.9 - Hal Jordan & GLC (10)
0.9 - Green Lanterns (13)
0.9 - Hal Jordan & GLC (11)
0.9 - Green Arrow (12)
0.8 - Green Arrow (13)
0.8 - Aquaman (12)
0.8 - Aquaman (13)
0.7 - Batman Beyond
0.7 - Red Hood & Outlaws
0.7 - Deathstroke (8)
0.7 - Deathstroke (8)
0.7 - Batgirl
0.7 - Supergirl
0.6 - Batgirl & Birds of Prey
0.6 - Hellblazer
0.5 - Superwoman
0.5 - Dc Rebirth Holiday Special
0.5 - Supergirl Being Super
0.5 - Cyborg (6)
0.5 - New Super-Man
0.5 - Blue Beetle
0.4 - Cyborg (7)
0.4 - Raven
0.3 - Earth 2 Society
0.3 - Death of Hawkman
0.2 - Midnighter & Apollo
0.2 - Deadman Dark Mansion
0.2 - Gotham Academy 2nd Semester 
0.2 - Suicide Squad Most Wanted
0.1 - Vigilante Southland
0.1 - Sixpack & Dogwelder


Vertigo & Young Animal: Average: 9,177**. Median: 7,152**. No.: 11. Total: 100,950**

2.2 - Mother Panic
1.8 - Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye
1.7 - Shade the Changing Girl
0.9 - The Lost Boys
0.8 - Lucifer
0.8 - Frostbite
0.7 - Everafter
0.6 - Clean Room (14)
0.6 - Clean Room (15)
0.4 - Unfollow **
0.4 - Red Thorn **


Digital First & Other: Average: 12,590**. Median: 13,406**. No.: 13. Total: 163,664**

1.6 - Scooby Apocalypse
1.6 - He-Man/Thundercats
1.5 - Future Quest
1.4 - Injustice Ground Zero (1)
1.1 - DC Comics Bombshells
1.1 - Scooby-Doo Team-Up
1.1 - Injustice Ground Zero (2)
0.8 - The Flintstones
0.8 - Super Powers
0.7 - Teen Titans Go!
0.7 - Batman 66 Meets The Avengers
0.4 - Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
0.2 - Looney Tunes **

---

The Fine Print (Disclaimers, et cetera)

The numbers above are estimates for comic-book sales in the North American direct market, as calculated by ICv2.com according to the chart and index information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors.

ICv2.com's estimates are somewhat lower than the actual numbers, but they are consistent from month to month, so the trends they show are fairly accurate. Since it's a "month-to-month" column, the comments, unless otherwise noted, are on the most recent month.

Bear in mind that the figures measure sales of physical comics to retailers, not customers. Also, these numbers do not include sales to bookstores, newsstands, other mass-market retail chains or the United Kingdom. Re-orders are included, so long as they either reached stores in a book's initial calendar month of release or were strong enough to make the chart again in a subsequent month. Keep in mind that sales for some titles may include incentives to acquire variants and not every unit sold is necessarily even intended to be sold to a customer.

If additional copies of an issue did appear on the chart after a book's initial calendar month of release, you can see the total number of copies sold in brackets behind those issues (e.g. "[36,599]"). Should more than one issue have shipped in a month which is relevant for one of the long-term comparisons, the average between them will be used.

Titles which are returnable have their numbers artificially adjusted down by Diamond. To make up for that this column increases the reported numbers for those titles by 10%. Which is likely also wrong, but it's a different and likely less wrong kind of wrong, and experience has shown that this leads to sales figures which are more consistent.

Image is not a normal comics publisher, and the typical metrics for sales success may not apply. For many titles, collection sales tend to be a significant factor, so the numbers for those books should be taken with a grain of salt as well.

Please keep in mind that raw sales numbers do not tell us about how profitable a book is for a publisher or for the creators.

Above all, do not allow sales numbers to dictate your purchasing and enjoyment of a particular comic. If you enjoy reading a comic series then go right on buying and reading that comic, no matter what the sales figures say.

** Two asterisks after a given month in the average charts mean that one or more periodical release did not make the Top 300 chart in that month. In those cases, it's assumed that said releases sold as many units as the No. 300 comic on the chart for that month for the purposes of the chart, although its actual sales are likely to be less than that.

Opinions expressed in this column are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, Heidi MacDonald or anyone at The Comics Beat, the National Christmas Tree Association, or my former neighbor's dog Miles.

The author of this column does weekly snapshots of Amazon comic sales charts at http://yetanothercomicsblog.blogspot.com/ and tweets about comics and related subjects on Twitter at @davereadscomics (PM me there if you need to contact me).

As always, we welcome your comments and corrections below. Please try to keep things civilized.