Amazon Top 50

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


1 (+27). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days *
2 (-1). Watchmen
3 (-1). Asterios Polyp
4 (-1). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition *
5 (-). Parker: The Hunter
6 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
7 (N). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation
8 (N). Tumor Chapter 1 (kindle)
9 (+4). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
10 (-4). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
11 (-4). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
12 (+3). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
13 (+12). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
14 (-3). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
15 (-3). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
16 (-7). Final Crisis
17 (+4). Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition
18 (+5). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 *
19 (-3). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
20 (-12). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
21 (+3). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4
22 (-). Green Lantern: Rebirth
23 (+9). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
24 (+6). The Complete Persepolis
25 (-6). Batman: The Killing Joke
26 (-16). The Boys, Vol. 4
27 (N). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
28 (-8). V for Vendetta
29 (-12). Fruits Basket Volume 23
30 (-4). Berserk Volume 30
31 (-4). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
32 (+18). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
33 (N). Green Lantern Corps: Sins of the Star Sapphire
34 (-). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
35 (-2). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
36 (+12). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
37 (+5). Tales Designed to Thrizzle: Volume 1 *
38 (+1). Batman: R.I.P.
39 (N). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
40 (N). Blade Of The Immortal Volume 21: Demon Lair II
41 (N). The Adventures of Johnny Bunko (kindle)
42 (-24). 100 Bullets Vol. 13: Wilt
43 (N). Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 19
44 (-8). Batman: Year One
45 (-8). Lost Girls Hardcover Edition
46 (-1). Nevermore *
47 (-12). Watchmen (Absolute Edition)
48 (N). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
49 (N). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
50 (N). Prince Valiant, Vol. 1: 1937-1938 *

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


Commentary:

* A reminder that last week's chart positions are from Saturday morning, not Friday, so take the week-to-week comparisons with an even larger grain of salt than usual.

* As expected, the new Wimpy Kid volume rockets up to the number one position. Expect it to stay entrenched there for a long time. Surprisingly, the other Wimpy Kid volumes aren't getting a bounce back up to the top.

* Highest debut of the week is Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation, with an impressive top ten showing. There must be a mainstream review out there somewhere.

* Right behind 451°F is the kindle edition of Joshua Hale Fialkov's Tumor Chapter 1, which is free. That explains it's high chart showing, but also points for a potentially good marketing ploy as comics lurch towards digital distribution.

* Asterios Polyp looks like it will have some legs on the charts.

Amazon Top 50

Sorry the list is so late this time. Last Friday I was on a 14-hour leg of a road trip, and wasn't able to grab the Amazon bestseller list. I did manage to get a copy of it Saturday morning though, and here is the delayed list. Since this snapshot was done Saturday rather than Friday, you should keep that in mind when comparing week-to-week, in addition to all the previous caveats.


1 (+1). Watchmen
2 (+5). Asterios Polyp
3 (+1). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition *
4 (-3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
5 (+11). Parker: The Hunter
6 (-3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
7 (+11). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
8 (+9). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
9 (-). Final Crisis
10 (+3). The Boys, Vol. 4
11 (-1). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
12 (+32). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
13 (-7). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
14 (+14). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
15 (-). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
16 (-4). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
17 (-2). Fruits Basket Volume 23
18 (-13). 100 Bullets Vol. 13: Wilt
19 (+4). Batman: The Killing Joke
20 (+1). V for Vendetta
21 (-7). Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition
22 (+5). Green Lantern: Rebirth
23 (N). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 *
24 (+2). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4 *
25 (-17). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
26 (N). Berserk Volume 30 *
27 (+3). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
28 (N). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4 *
29 (N). The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics
30 (-19). The Complete Persepolis
31 (-). Bone: One Volume Edition
32 (+13). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House
33 (-4). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
34 (-9). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
35 (N). Watchmen (Absolute Edition)
36 (+4). Batman: Year One
37 (+4). Lost Girls Hardcover Edition
38 (N). American Born Chinese
39 (N). Batman: R.I.P.
40 (-8). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
41 (+7). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
42 (N). Tales Designed to Thrizzle: Volume 1 *
43 (N). The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
44 (N). Empowered, Vol. 5
45 (-23). Nevermore *
46 (N). New Avengers Vol. 10: Power *
47 (N). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
48 (-28). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
49 (N). Y: The Last Man Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons
50 (-15). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days


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


Commentary:

* The most notable thing this week is the relatively poor showing of the Wimpy Kid volumes. Is this a function of taking the reading on Saturday rather than Friday? We'll find out this Friday I suppose. Also, sneaking in at #28 is the pre-order for the fourth Wimpy Kid volume; expect to see this move up and settle in to the top slot before too long.

* The highest debut this week belongs to the second Mouse Guard hardcover (in pre-order); another title I expect to move up into the top ten when it comes out next month.

* Watchmen moves back to the top slot, and the reappearance of the Absolute Edition on the chart, are probably the result of the Watchmen DVD being released.

* I wonder if the Green Lantern surge will last for the entirety of Blackest Night? That plus the new direct-to-DVD animated movie plus the announcement of a live-action feature film are no doubt pushing the property up the charts.

Monkey Covers

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

Spawn fights Cy-Gor on Greg Capullo & Todd McFarlane's cover to Spawn #57 (1997).

(Standard disclaimer about cybrnetic gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)


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

Monkey Covers

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

An armored gorilla punches some dude in the face on John Byrne's cover to Doomsday + 1 #6 (1976).

(Standard disclaimer about armored gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)


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

Amazon Top 50

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

1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
2 (-). Watchmen
3 (+3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
4 (+13). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition *
5 (+13). 100 Bullets Vol. 13: Wilt
6 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
7 (-4). Asterios Polyp
8 (+5). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
9 (-5). Final Crisis
10 (+13). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
11 (-1). The Complete Persepolis
12 (-5). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
13 (+12). The Boys, Vol. 4
14 (N). Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition
15 (-3). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
16 (+18). Parker: The Hunter
17 (+4). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
18 (-3). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
19 (-11). Fruits Basket Volume 23
20 (+22). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
21 (-5). V for Vendetta
22 (N). Nevermore *
23 (-9). Batman: The Killing Joke
24 (N). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
25 (-5). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
26 (N). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4 *
27 (N). Green Lantern: Rebirth
28 (+2). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
29 (N). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
30 (-11). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
31 (-5). Bone: One Volume Edition
32 (+11). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
33 (N). Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 19 *
34 (-23). Naruto, Volume 45
35 (N). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
36 (-8). Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 23
37 (-8). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
38 (+12). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
39 (+6). Star Trek: Countdown TPB
40 (-7). Batman: Year One
41 (N). Lost Girls Hardcover Edition
42 (-20). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
43 (N). The Arrival
44 (-35). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
45 (-1). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House
46 (-22). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
47 (N). Green Lantern Corps: Sins of the Star Sapphire
48 (-9). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
49 (N). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
50 (N). Fables, Vol. 11: War and Pieces


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


Commentary:

* Debuts this week include the latest Angel: After the Fall collection; Green Lantern: Rebirth; the latest Fullmetal Alchemist; and the new single-volume edition of Lost Girls.

* Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? continues to rise up the list; it's Neil Gaiman and Batman, two things that the Amazon Bestseller List loves, so I expect to see this new hardcover on the list for a good haul.

Brief Manga Review: KimiKiss, vol. 1

KimiKiss, vol. 1
Story by Enterbrain, Inc.; Art by Taro Shinonome
TokyoPop, $10.99

Given my professional interest in video games, I decided to order a copy of the first volume of KimiKiss, based on the apparently very popular Japanese dating sim for PS2. The story, which is complete in this first volume, concerns shy high school student Kouichi. On the first day of school Kouichi meets Mao, the former girl next door is is All Grown Up. Kouichi desires to be popular with the ladies, so Mao agrees to teach him how to be the kind of guy that girls want to date. You can probably see where the plot is going. But despite the copious fan service there's a sweetness to this tale of teenage love for boys, and there are worse things they could be reading while getting titillated.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Monkey Covers

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

Beppo the Super Monkey leads the rest of the Super Pets into action on J. Bone's cover to Super Friends #14 (2009).


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

Amazon Top 50

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

1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
2 (-). Watchmen
3 (+28). Asterios Polyp
4 (+1). Final Crisis
5 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
7 (+17). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
8 (-). Fruits Basket Volume 23
9 (+1). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
10 (+1). The Complete Persepolis
11 (+14). Naruto, Volume 45
12 (+4). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
13 (-7). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
14 (-). Batman: The Killing Joke
15 (-8). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
16 (+4). V for Vendetta
17 (+4). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition *
18 (N). 100 Bullets Vol. 13: Wilt *
19 (+29). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
20 (N). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
21 (-12). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
22 (+6). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
23 (-11). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
24 (-11). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
25 (N). The Boys, Vol. 4 *
26 (N). Bone: One Volume Edition
27 (+20). The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 1
28 (+8). Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 23
29 (N). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
30 (-3). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
31 (N). Junjo Romantica Volume 10
32 (N). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
33 (+13). Batman: Year One
34 (N). Parker: The Hunter *
35 (-16). Batman: R.I.P.
36 (-14). American Born Chinese
37 (N). Y: The Last Man, Volume 9: Motherland
38 (N). Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1)
39 (N). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
40 (+4). Achewood Volume 2: Worst Song, Played On Ugliest Guitar *
41 (N). Tsubasa 22: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
42 (-25). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
43 (-9). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
44 (N). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House
45 (-4). Star Trek: Countdown TPB
46 (N). Y: The Last Man, Vol. 10: Whys and Wherefores
47 (-5). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
48 (-18). Starman Omnibus Vol. 3
49 (N). Batman: The Long Halloween
50 (-32). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans

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


Commentary:

* See what rave reviews in the mainstream press will get you? David Mazzuchelli's OGN Asterios Polyp jumps way up to the number three slot this week.

* Final Crisis surprisingly stays strong, moving back ahead of a couple of Wimpy Kids.

* Several Green Lantern collections perform well this week, although Sins of the Star Sapphire falls, predicating what is sure to be a flash-in-the-pan for the others.

* Highest debut this week belongs to the final 100 Bullets volume in a pre-order. Other pre-orders debuting well are The Boys, Vol. 4 and Parker: The Hunter.

* A good week for manga. (What is Junjo Romantica, and why is the 10th volume debuting relatively well?)

New Library Comics: June 2009

Here are the new comics that we added to the library's collection in June:


Allred, Mike (Mike Dalton) Madman atomic comics vol. 1 / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, c2008-

Angst : the best of norwegian comics vol. 2 / Oslo, Norway : Jippi Comics : No Comprendo Press, 2007-

Bailey, Neal. Michelle Obama. / [Vancouver, Wash.] : Bluewater Comics, [2009]

Baker, Kyle. Special forces bk. 1. Hot to death / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2009-

Brinkley, Nell, 1886-1944. The Brinkley girls : the best of Nell Brinkley's cartoons from 1913-1940 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Cauvin, Raoul, 1938- The navy blues / Canterbury, Kent : Cinebook, 2009.

Chuck D, 1960- Public Enemy vol. 1 / Naugatuck, CT : American Mule Entertainment, 2009-

Goodwin, Archie. Blazing combat / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Goscinny, 1926-1977. Iznogoud and the day of misrule / Canterbury, Kent : Cinebook, 2009.

Gray, Harold, 1894-1968. The complete Little Orphan Annie v. 3. And a blind man shall lead them 1929-1931 / San Diego, Calif. : IDW Pub., 2008-

Guibert, Emmanuel. The photographer / New York : First Second, 2009

Hewlett, Jamie. Tank Girl vols. 1-2 / London : Titan, 2008-

Lee, Stan, 1922- The X-Men omnibus vol. 1 / New York : Marvel, 2009-

Lee, Stan, 1922- The X-Men vol. 1 / New York : Marvel, 2009-

McLain, Karline. India's immortal comic books : gods, kings, and other heroes / Bloomington : Indiana University Press, c2009.

Mizuno, Junko, 1973- Hell babies / Tokyo : Editions Treville for Pan-Exotica, c2001.

O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim vs. the world / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2004-

Schrag, Ariel. Likewise : the high school comic chronicles of Ariel Schrag. / New York : Simon & Schuster, 2009, c1998.

Sendelbach, Brian. Planet of beer : a Smell of Steve treasury / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2009.

Simon, Joe. The best of Simon and Kirby / London : Titan, 2009.

Spain (Cartoonist) Nightmare Alley / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, 2003.

Stanley, John, 1914-1993. Melvin Monster vol. 1 / Montréal, Québec : Drawn and Quarterly, 2009.

This is a souvenir : the songs of Spearmint and Shirley Lee. /Berkeley, Calif. : Image, 2009.

Toth, Alex. Alex Toth in Hollywood. / Brooklyn, NY : Pure Imagination, 2009.

Tyler, Carol. You'll never know : [a graphic memoir] Bk. 1. A good and decent man / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009-

Urasawa, Naoki, 1960- Pluto : Urasawa x Tezuka vol. 3 / San Francisco, CA : VIZ Media, c2008-

Urosawa, Naoki, 1960- 20th century boys vol. 02 : the prophet / San Francisco, CA : Viz Media, 2009-

Usui, Yoshito, 1958- Crayon Shinchan vol. 8 / La Jolla, CA : CMX, c2008-

Wood, Wallace. Wally Wood : edge of genius. / Brooklyn, NY : Pure Imagination, 2009.



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

Amazon Top 50

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

1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
2 (-). Watchmen
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
4 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
5 (-1). Final Crisis
6 (+2). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
7 (-). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
8 (+35). Fruits Basket Volume 23 *
9 (+1). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
10 (-5). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
11 (+3). The Complete Persepolis
12 (-). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
13 (+35). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
14 (-5). Batman: The Killing Joke
15 (-2). The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
16 (+7). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
17 (+1). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
18 (-2). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
19 (+1). Batman: R.I.P.
20 (+26). V for Vendetta
21 (N). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition *
22 (+27). American Born Chinese
23 (+1). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
24 (N). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
25 (+9). Naruto, Volume 45 *
26 (-7). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
27 (+6). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
28 (+11). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
29 (-1). The Joker
30 (+2). Starman Omnibus Vol. 3
31 (N). Asterios Polyp *
32 (N). Angel: After The Fall Volume 1
33 (N). Green Lantern Corps: Sins of the Star Sapphire
34 (-23). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
35 (-20). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
36 (N). Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 23 *
37 (-4). Halo: Uprising
38 (-4). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
39 (N). Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas
40 (N). Sleeper: Season One
41 (N). Star Trek: Countdown TPB
42 (-7). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
43 (N). Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition *
44 (N). Achewood Volume 2: Worst Song, Played On Ugliest Guitar
45 (N). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
46 (-24). Batman: Year One
47 (N). The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 1 *
48 (-10). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
49 (N). The Arrival
50 (-19). Empowered, Vol. 5

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


Commentary:

* Many of the titles which saw enormously large gains last week (e.g. Buffy titles) see large fall backs this week, and vice versa (e.g. Dark Tower). I wonder if there was some sort of anomaly last week and now we're seeing a correction? But then other titles didn't see any large shifts either week, so who knows?

* Huge gain on the pre-order for the new Fruits Basket, outpacing Naruto & Negima by a good clip.

* Highest debut is Gaiman's Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, and it even brings along the re-re-issue of Alan Moore's Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Both writers are faves of the Amazon Top 50, so look for those two titles to stick around for a while on the charts.

* Last week's big debut, The Art of Harvey Kurtzman, is nowhere to be seen this week.

* The recent interest in Green Lantern collections is likely due to the forthcoming Blackest Night series, showing that DM-aimed events can affect the mainstream sales charts.