(Last year's Trick or Treat ten of a Kind is here!)
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Trick or Treat 2
Another Happy Halloween Ten of a Kind! (With a shout-out to everyone's favorite Little Stuffed Bull)
(Last year's Trick or Treat ten of a Kind is here!)
(Last year's Trick or Treat ten of a Kind is here!)
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday Night Fights: Batman vs. Solomon Grundy
From Batman: The Long Halloween #2 (1996). Art by Tim Sale. Story by Jeph Loeb. Colors by Gregory Wright. Letters by Richard Starking. (click pics for larger)
Jamming something up the nose? It's a Free-for-All!
Amazon Top 50
Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+6). Superman: Earth One *
3 (+4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
4 (-1). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
5 (+1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
6 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
7 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
8 (-6). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
9 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
10 (+4). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
11 (-2). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight
12 (-1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
13 (+11). 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective
14 (-1). Odd Is on Our Side
15 (+7). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
16 (+13). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3
17 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
18 (-2). Big Nate: From the Top
19 (+7). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
20 (-8). X'ed Out
21 (+13). Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Book Four
22 (+10). Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts
23 (-3). Walking Dead Volume 12
24 (-5). X-Men: Second Coming
25 (-4). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
26 (+1). Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
27 (+14). The Walking Dead Book 5
28 (-10). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
29 (+2). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
30 (+12). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
31 (+6). The Adventures of Unemployed Man
32 (N). Luthor
33 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
34 (-19). Parker: The Outfit
35 (-5). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
36 (R). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
37 (-14). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
38 (N). Negima! 28
39 (R). Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat
40 (-2). Watchmen
41 (-5). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
42 (+4). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
43 (-6). Kick-Ass
44 (N). xxxHOLiC 16
45 (N). Bad Kitty Gets a Bath
46 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
47 (+2). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
48 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
49 (-14). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
50 (-6). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* No, your eyes do not deceive you Superman: Earth One, the OGN rebooting Superman for the modern era by JMS & Shane Davis, bounces up ahead of Scott Pilgrim to land at #2. Even more impressive, it hits #20 on the overall list, and this in the week before it is available through bookstores. Superman still cannot beat The Wimpy Kid though, which slips a smidge to #4 on the overall list.
* On the eve of the debut of the AMC television series, collections of The Walking Dead take up a full nine of the slots in the top fifty.
* The hardcover of Azzarello & Bermejo's Luthor is the highest debut this week. The other debuts are xxxHOLiC vol. 6, Negima! 28 and Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.
* This is the first time I remember that there hasn't been a Batman book in the top fifty since I started monitoring these rankings in early 2009.
* The bottom of the list this week is #2,556 overall.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+6). Superman: Earth One *
3 (+4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
4 (-1). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
5 (+1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
6 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
7 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
8 (-6). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
9 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
10 (+4). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
11 (-2). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight
12 (-1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
13 (+11). 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective
14 (-1). Odd Is on Our Side
15 (+7). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
16 (+13). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3
17 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
18 (-2). Big Nate: From the Top
19 (+7). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
20 (-8). X'ed Out
21 (+13). Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Book Four
22 (+10). Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts
23 (-3). Walking Dead Volume 12
24 (-5). X-Men: Second Coming
25 (-4). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
26 (+1). Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
27 (+14). The Walking Dead Book 5
28 (-10). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
29 (+2). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
30 (+12). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
31 (+6). The Adventures of Unemployed Man
32 (N). Luthor
33 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
34 (-19). Parker: The Outfit
35 (-5). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
36 (R). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
37 (-14). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
38 (N). Negima! 28
39 (R). Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat
40 (-2). Watchmen
41 (-5). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
42 (+4). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
43 (-6). Kick-Ass
44 (N). xxxHOLiC 16
45 (N). Bad Kitty Gets a Bath
46 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
47 (+2). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
48 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
49 (-14). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
50 (-6). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* No, your eyes do not deceive you Superman: Earth One, the OGN rebooting Superman for the modern era by JMS & Shane Davis, bounces up ahead of Scott Pilgrim to land at #2. Even more impressive, it hits #20 on the overall list, and this in the week before it is available through bookstores. Superman still cannot beat The Wimpy Kid though, which slips a smidge to #4 on the overall list.
* On the eve of the debut of the AMC television series, collections of The Walking Dead take up a full nine of the slots in the top fifty.
* The hardcover of Azzarello & Bermejo's Luthor is the highest debut this week. The other debuts are xxxHOLiC vol. 6, Negima! 28 and Bad Kitty Gets a Bath.
* This is the first time I remember that there hasn't been a Batman book in the top fifty since I started monitoring these rankings in early 2009.
* The bottom of the list this week is #2,556 overall.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Ten Random Things About Comics
It's all the rage this week to make up lists of ten things about comics. And it's fun to rant. So...
1. Everybody reads comics. Well, nearly everybody. They may not be reading traditional comic books, but they will read collections of their favorite comic strips; or one or two Web comics; or the latest graphic novel reviewed by the New York Times; or the comic that an upcoming movie is based on; or a comic purportedly written by their favorite prose novelist; or, well, you get the idea. The notion that comics readership is limited to one particular demographic (be it 40-year-old super-hero fans or 15-year-old manga fans) is just not true.
2. Not all of those people pay for the comics they read. They borrow them from the library, or a friend. They read their favorite Web comics online. I've even heard that some people download comics through means of dubious legality. Most people enjoy comics, but not enough to pay for them more than occasionally.
3. The big two publishers cater to a particular demographic because those are the people who continue to pay for their comics. If you want to see a Supergirl comic written for tween girls, people are going to actually have to buy it when it is published. If not, you're just going to get yet another iteration of Secret Civil World War Blackest Infinite Crisis War.
4. The big two have created an event mentality that hinders their ability to successfully launch new titles. When you send out the message that "these comics 'matter,'" that also sends out the message that "these other comics don't 'matter.'" Take for example Marvel's new all-ages Thor: The Mighty Avenger; just about anyone who has actually read it agrees that it is very good, perhaps even wonderful. But hardly anyone reads it, because it's not the 'real' Thor, and the out-of-continuity stories don't 'matter.' It also doesn't help that there are something like five or six different Thor comics being published every month right now, which leads us to the next point:
5. The big two are flooding the market with titles, which has destroyed the mid-list and hinders their ability to successfully launch new titles. If one Deadpool book is selling moderately well, then why not have five Deadpool books? Well, because 50,000 people copies sold of one Deadpool comic does not equate to 250,000 copies sold of five Deadpool comics; you'll actually be lucky to get 100,000 sold. (I just made those numbers up; I'm too lazy to look up actual sales numbers.) That equates to money that comics buyers could be spending on something else; it also equates to an opportunity cost in not publishing something else. The only comics properties that should be carrying more than one title are Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and maybe X-Men; and those should cap out at two titles for each.
6. The manga boom is over, and it's not coming back. It was killed by a flood of titles. And returns. A few popular titles like Naruto continue to sell well, but it's mostly transformed into another niche market. Not that there's anything wring with niche markets; as long as I can still get Yotsuba&!, or stuff by Jiro Taniguchi, and Fantagraphics is willing to put out a nice hardcover of Moto Hagio's stuff, I'm happy.
7. The best way to sell comics to a general audience is to have a tie-in to some other media, preferably a movie. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Scott Pilgrim. The Walking Dead. Kick-Ass. Buffy. Etc. Mostly this means "Well-regarded comic becomes a movie," and not "make a comic based on a movie property." Or (in the case of Buffy), "creator with a rabid fan base continues his creation in comics form." (Note the necessity of the term 'rabid.')
8. Some of the biggest comics series are not sold primarily (or at all) through Diamond. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Amulet. Witch & Wizard. Ook & Gluk. Did you see those at your local comics store? Probably not. But they're comics for kids that are selling quite well in the bookstore market.
9. Digital is the wave of the future for the traditional comic book. It's simple math: when you cut out printing and distribution costs, you need only sell half as many comics to make the same profit digitally. (Alternately, cut your prince in half, and make more money in volume.) With digital distribution, your comic is always available, and you can get long-tail effects. In five to ten years, look for the digital market to replace the traditional floppy market. Absurd you say? I'm sure they thought the same at Tower Records. Or Blockbuster.
10. People will continue to create comics, whether or not there is an industry to support them. Just like people will continue to write and perform music whether or not there is a record industry. We just had a 24 Hour Comics Day event at the library where I work, and I had the pleasure of sharing a room with thirty mostly college-age kids all making comics. Most have no desire to be professional comics creators, but they do have a desire for self-expression through art. And with the Internet, they can share their work with others. The currency they'll trade in is attention (and for those who are profit-minded, they'll find that attention translates to sales).
1. Everybody reads comics. Well, nearly everybody. They may not be reading traditional comic books, but they will read collections of their favorite comic strips; or one or two Web comics; or the latest graphic novel reviewed by the New York Times; or the comic that an upcoming movie is based on; or a comic purportedly written by their favorite prose novelist; or, well, you get the idea. The notion that comics readership is limited to one particular demographic (be it 40-year-old super-hero fans or 15-year-old manga fans) is just not true.
2. Not all of those people pay for the comics they read. They borrow them from the library, or a friend. They read their favorite Web comics online. I've even heard that some people download comics through means of dubious legality. Most people enjoy comics, but not enough to pay for them more than occasionally.
3. The big two publishers cater to a particular demographic because those are the people who continue to pay for their comics. If you want to see a Supergirl comic written for tween girls, people are going to actually have to buy it when it is published. If not, you're just going to get yet another iteration of Secret Civil World War Blackest Infinite Crisis War.
4. The big two have created an event mentality that hinders their ability to successfully launch new titles. When you send out the message that "these comics 'matter,'" that also sends out the message that "these other comics don't 'matter.'" Take for example Marvel's new all-ages Thor: The Mighty Avenger; just about anyone who has actually read it agrees that it is very good, perhaps even wonderful. But hardly anyone reads it, because it's not the 'real' Thor, and the out-of-continuity stories don't 'matter.' It also doesn't help that there are something like five or six different Thor comics being published every month right now, which leads us to the next point:
5. The big two are flooding the market with titles, which has destroyed the mid-list and hinders their ability to successfully launch new titles. If one Deadpool book is selling moderately well, then why not have five Deadpool books? Well, because 50,000 people copies sold of one Deadpool comic does not equate to 250,000 copies sold of five Deadpool comics; you'll actually be lucky to get 100,000 sold. (I just made those numbers up; I'm too lazy to look up actual sales numbers.) That equates to money that comics buyers could be spending on something else; it also equates to an opportunity cost in not publishing something else. The only comics properties that should be carrying more than one title are Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and maybe X-Men; and those should cap out at two titles for each.
6. The manga boom is over, and it's not coming back. It was killed by a flood of titles. And returns. A few popular titles like Naruto continue to sell well, but it's mostly transformed into another niche market. Not that there's anything wring with niche markets; as long as I can still get Yotsuba&!, or stuff by Jiro Taniguchi, and Fantagraphics is willing to put out a nice hardcover of Moto Hagio's stuff, I'm happy.
7. The best way to sell comics to a general audience is to have a tie-in to some other media, preferably a movie. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Scott Pilgrim. The Walking Dead. Kick-Ass. Buffy. Etc. Mostly this means "Well-regarded comic becomes a movie," and not "make a comic based on a movie property." Or (in the case of Buffy), "creator with a rabid fan base continues his creation in comics form." (Note the necessity of the term 'rabid.')
8. Some of the biggest comics series are not sold primarily (or at all) through Diamond. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Amulet. Witch & Wizard. Ook & Gluk. Did you see those at your local comics store? Probably not. But they're comics for kids that are selling quite well in the bookstore market.
9. Digital is the wave of the future for the traditional comic book. It's simple math: when you cut out printing and distribution costs, you need only sell half as many comics to make the same profit digitally. (Alternately, cut your prince in half, and make more money in volume.) With digital distribution, your comic is always available, and you can get long-tail effects. In five to ten years, look for the digital market to replace the traditional floppy market. Absurd you say? I'm sure they thought the same at Tower Records. Or Blockbuster.
10. People will continue to create comics, whether or not there is an industry to support them. Just like people will continue to write and perform music whether or not there is a record industry. We just had a 24 Hour Comics Day event at the library where I work, and I had the pleasure of sharing a room with thirty mostly college-age kids all making comics. Most have no desire to be professional comics creators, but they do have a desire for self-expression through art. And with the Internet, they can share their work with others. The currency they'll trade in is attention (and for those who are profit-minded, they'll find that attention translates to sales).
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monkey Covers
A gorilla harasses Jerry and his girl on Owen Fitzgerald's cover to The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #41 (1957).
(Standard disclaimer about comedian-bugging gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)
Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday Night Fights: Captain America vs. Baron Zemo
From Avengers #6 (1964). Art by Jack Kirby & Chic Stone. Story by Stan Lee. Letters by Sam Rosen. Color reconstruction by Tom Ziuko (from Avengers Classic #6 - 2008).
The American Way? It's Free-for-All!
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 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+5). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
3 (+2). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
4 (-2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
5 (+1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
7 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
8 (+15). Superman: Earth One *
9 (-1). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight
10 (+3). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
11 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
12 (+36). X'ed Out
13 (-4). Odd Is on Our Side
14 (-4). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
15 (-1). Parker: The Outfit
16 (-). Big Nate: From the Top *
17 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
18 (+6). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
19 (+1). X-Men: Second Coming
20 (-2). Walking Dead Volume 12
21 (+11). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
22 (-5). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
23 (+3). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
24 (N). 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective *
25 (N). The Adventures of Unemployed Man
26 (+7). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
27 (R). Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
28 (+7). Batman: The Killing Joke
29 (-2). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3 *
30 (-9). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
31 (+13). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
32 (-21). Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts
33 (R). Blacksad
34 (N). Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Book Four
35 (+4). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
36 (-8). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
37 (-15). Kick-Ass
38 (-1). Watchmen
39 (N). Batman: Life After Death
40 (R). Blackest Night
41 (+4). The Walking Dead Book 5
42 (-6). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
43 (-). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
44 (-2). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
45 (-26). American Vampire Vol. 1
46 (+4). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
47 (N). DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
48 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 3
49 (-20). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The soon-to-be-released Wimpy Kid volume slips to #3 on the overall list this week, pushed down by the new Keith Richards autobiography. Dog Days, the previous Wimpy Kid volume, hops up ahead of Scott Pilgrim to #2 on the comics list (and #141 overall). That's mainly due to the waning interest in Scott Pilgrim, which despite the bargain prices on Amazon continue a steady decline on the overall list.
* JMS's Superman: Earth One hits stores next week and pops up into the top ten on Amazon. Also jumping up the list is Charles Burns' X'ed Out to #12. Falling precipitously this week are Lynd Ward, American Vampire, and The Cloud Searchers (#49 on the comics list and #2,527 overall).
* Debuting this week are 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective, The Adventures of Unemployed Man, Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Book Four, Batman: Life After Death, and DC Comics Year by Year.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+5). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
3 (+2). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
4 (-2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
5 (+1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
7 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
8 (+15). Superman: Earth One *
9 (-1). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight
10 (+3). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
11 (+1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
12 (+36). X'ed Out
13 (-4). Odd Is on Our Side
14 (-4). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
15 (-1). Parker: The Outfit
16 (-). Big Nate: From the Top *
17 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
18 (+6). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
19 (+1). X-Men: Second Coming
20 (-2). Walking Dead Volume 12
21 (+11). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
22 (-5). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
23 (+3). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
24 (N). 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective *
25 (N). The Adventures of Unemployed Man
26 (+7). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
27 (R). Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
28 (+7). Batman: The Killing Joke
29 (-2). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3 *
30 (-9). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
31 (+13). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
32 (-21). Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts
33 (R). Blacksad
34 (N). Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Book Four
35 (+4). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
36 (-8). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
37 (-15). Kick-Ass
38 (-1). Watchmen
39 (N). Batman: Life After Death
40 (R). Blackest Night
41 (+4). The Walking Dead Book 5
42 (-6). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
43 (-). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
44 (-2). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
45 (-26). American Vampire Vol. 1
46 (+4). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
47 (N). DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
48 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 3
49 (-20). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The soon-to-be-released Wimpy Kid volume slips to #3 on the overall list this week, pushed down by the new Keith Richards autobiography. Dog Days, the previous Wimpy Kid volume, hops up ahead of Scott Pilgrim to #2 on the comics list (and #141 overall). That's mainly due to the waning interest in Scott Pilgrim, which despite the bargain prices on Amazon continue a steady decline on the overall list.
* JMS's Superman: Earth One hits stores next week and pops up into the top ten on Amazon. Also jumping up the list is Charles Burns' X'ed Out to #12. Falling precipitously this week are Lynd Ward, American Vampire, and The Cloud Searchers (#49 on the comics list and #2,527 overall).
* Debuting this week are 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective, The Adventures of Unemployed Man, Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition Book Four, Batman: Life After Death, and DC Comics Year by Year.
Friday, October 15, 2010
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 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
3 (+3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
4 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
5 (-3). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
6 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
7 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
8 (+6). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight
9 (-1). Odd Is on Our Side *
10 (+3). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
11 (N). Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts
12 (-1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
13 (+11). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
14 (-2). Parker: The Outfit
15 (+7). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
16 (+19). Big Nate: From the Top *
17 (+14). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
18 (+12). Walking Dead Volume 12
19 (+2). American Vampire Vol. 1
20 (-5). X-Men: Second Coming
21 (+5). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
22 (+17). Kick-Ass
23 (+20). Superman: Earth One *
24 (+5). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
25 (-2). Naruto, Vol. 49
26 (-7). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
27 (N). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3 *
28 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
29 (+5). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
30 (R). Lost at Sea
31 (N). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Volume 2
32 (-15). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
33 (-6). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
34 (+10). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
35 (-7). Batman: The Killing Joke
36 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
37 (+4). Watchmen
38 (R). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
39 (-19). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
40 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
41 (R). Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows
42 (-17). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
43 (-25). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
44 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
45 (R). The Walking Dead Book 5
46 (R). Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes
47 (+3). V for Vendetta
48 (N). X'ed Out *
49 (N). Incorruptible Vol 2
50 (-8). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The upcoming Wimpy Kid volume moves up to #2 on the overall list. With still a few weeks to go until it releases in early November, can it inch its way up to #1 overall?
* The Scott Pilgrim volumes rearrange the deck chairs in slots #2-6, and clock in at #91, 95, 96, 102, & 107. The previous Wimpy Kid volume is at #157 overall.
* Two Joss Whedon-related volumes crack into the top ten this week, the latest Buffy collection and a Serenity OGN.
* The highest debut this week is the two volume slipcased Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts. A bit surprising, but it is edited by Art Spiegelman and the Amazon 42% discount offers a quite significant savings.
* Also new this week are the third Bloom County collection; an OGN based on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 video game; Charles Burns's upcoming X'ed Out; and the second collection of Mark Waid's Incorruptible.
* Anticipation for AMC's Walking Dead television series continues to build, pulling many Walking Dead volumes up on the list.
* The basement (#50) level this week—The Book of Genesis by R. Crumb—is at #2,726 on the overall list.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
3 (+3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
4 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
5 (-3). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
6 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
7 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
8 (+6). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight
9 (-1). Odd Is on Our Side *
10 (+3). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
11 (N). Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts
12 (-1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
13 (+11). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
14 (-2). Parker: The Outfit
15 (+7). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
16 (+19). Big Nate: From the Top *
17 (+14). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
18 (+12). Walking Dead Volume 12
19 (+2). American Vampire Vol. 1
20 (-5). X-Men: Second Coming
21 (+5). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
22 (+17). Kick-Ass
23 (+20). Superman: Earth One *
24 (+5). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland
25 (-2). Naruto, Vol. 49
26 (-7). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
27 (N). Bloom County: The Complete Library Volume 3 *
28 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
29 (+5). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
30 (R). Lost at Sea
31 (N). Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Volume 2
32 (-15). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
33 (-6). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
34 (+10). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
35 (-7). Batman: The Killing Joke
36 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
37 (+4). Watchmen
38 (R). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
39 (-19). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
40 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
41 (R). Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows
42 (-17). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
43 (-25). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
44 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
45 (R). The Walking Dead Book 5
46 (R). Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes
47 (+3). V for Vendetta
48 (N). X'ed Out *
49 (N). Incorruptible Vol 2
50 (-8). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The upcoming Wimpy Kid volume moves up to #2 on the overall list. With still a few weeks to go until it releases in early November, can it inch its way up to #1 overall?
* The Scott Pilgrim volumes rearrange the deck chairs in slots #2-6, and clock in at #91, 95, 96, 102, & 107. The previous Wimpy Kid volume is at #157 overall.
* Two Joss Whedon-related volumes crack into the top ten this week, the latest Buffy collection and a Serenity OGN.
* The highest debut this week is the two volume slipcased Lynd Ward: Six Novels in Woodcuts. A bit surprising, but it is edited by Art Spiegelman and the Amazon 42% discount offers a quite significant savings.
* Also new this week are the third Bloom County collection; an OGN based on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 video game; Charles Burns's upcoming X'ed Out; and the second collection of Mark Waid's Incorruptible.
* Anticipation for AMC's Walking Dead television series continues to build, pulling many Walking Dead volumes up on the list.
* The basement (#50) level this week—The Book of Genesis by R. Crumb—is at #2,726 on the overall list.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
New Library Comics: September 2010
Here is a list of the comics we added to our library collection last month:
Allen, Brooke A. A home for Mr. Easter / New York : NBM Pub., 2010.
Aragonés, Sergio, 1937- Sergio Aragonés Groo the hogs of Horder / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
Arnold, J. D. (Johnnie D.) BB Wolf and the 3 LP'S / Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf, 2010.
Crane, Roy. Roy Crane's Captain Easy, soldier of fortune : the complete Sunday newspaper strips. Volume 1, 1933-1935 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books ; [New York] : Distributed in the U.S. by W.W. Norton, 2010.
Crilley, Mark. Brody's ghost. Book 1 / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
Darcy, Dame. Dame Darcy's Meat cake. / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2010.
DeCarlo, Dan, 1919-2001 Archie. Volume 1, The best of Dan DeCarlo / San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010
Díaz Canales, Juan, 1972- Blacksad / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010
Dorkin, Evan. Beasts of burden v. 1. Animal rites / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Books, 2010-
Dysart, Josh. Neil Young's Greendale / New York : DC Comics, c2010.
Fractured fables / Berkeley, Calif. : Silverline Books/Image Comics, 2010.
From the shadow of the northern lights : an anthology of Swedish alternative comics / Stockholm, Sweden : Ordfront Galago, 2008.
Gallagher, Fred (Fred M.), 1968- Megatokyo = [Megatōkyō] v. 6 / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 2004-
The golden collection of klassic krazy kool kids komics v. 1 / San Diego, Calif. : Yoe Books!, 2010.
Gran, Meredith, 1984- Octopus pie. There are no stars in Brooklyn / New York : Villard Trade Paperbacks, c2010.
Halo graphic novel. / New York, NY : Marvel Worldwide, 2010.
Immonen, Kathryn. Moving pictures / Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2009.
Jam! : tales from the world of roller derby / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2010.
Jansson, Tove. Moomin : the complete Tove Jansson comic strip v. 5. / Montréal : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Girioux, c2006-
Jonsson, Mats, 1973- Hey princess / Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
Kanigher, Robert. The Viking prince / New York : DC Comics, c2010.
Keane, Bil, 1922- Family circus. Vol. 2 : daily and Sunday comics 1962-1963 / San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], c2010
Kelso, Megan, 1968- Artichoke tales / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, c2010
Kindt, Matt. Revolver / New York : Vertigo, c2010
Kitchen, Denis, 1946- The oddly compelling art of Denis Kitchen / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books, 2010
Knight, Keith, 1966- The knight life : chivalry ain't dead / New York : Grand Central Pub., 2010.
Konami, Kanata, 1958- Chi's Sweet Home = Chīzu suīto hōmu v. 1 / New York : Vertical, 2010-
Korea : as viewed by 12 creators / Tarragona : Fanfare/Ponent Mon ; London : Turnaround [distributor], c2010
Kuper, Peter, 1958- The Jungle / New York : Papercutz, 2010
Kurtzman, Harvey. The grasshopper and the ant / Northampton, MA : Denis Kitchen Pub., c2001.
Malkasian, Cathy. Temperance / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books ; [New York] : Distributed in the U.S. by W.W. Norton & Co., 2010
Manga Vizion v. 1 nos. 1-9; v. 2 nos 1-12; v. 3 nos. 1-12; v. 4 nos. 1-8. / San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, Inc., 1995-
Miller, Frank, 1957- The life and times of Martha Washington in the twenty-first century / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2010.
Millionaire, Tony. Billy Hazelnuts and the crazy bird / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2010.
Mokona, 1968- CLAMP Mokona's okimono kimono / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Manga, 2010
Moore, Alan, 1953- The complete D.R. & Quinch / Oxford : Rebellion, c2010.
Motter, Dean. Mister X : the archives / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2008.
O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim v.6 Scott Pilgrim's finest hour / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2004-
Page, Tyler, 1976- Nothing better v. 2 / Minneapolis, Minn. : Dementian Comics, c2007-
Power Paola. Virus tropical nos. 1-2 / Bogotá : La Silueta, 2009-
Rosenberg, Jonathan. Showcase showdown / New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, c2010
Rosenkranz, Patrick. The artist himself : a Rand Holmes retrospective / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c2010.
Sakai, Stan. Usagi Yojimbo. [24], Return of the black soul / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Books, 2010
Santolouco, Mateus, 1979- Mondo Urbano. [Book 1] : a sex, drugs and rock'n'roll story / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2010.
Schreiber, Nathan. Power out / [Brooklyn, N. Y. : canal press], c2010-
Shelton, Gilbert. Last gig in Shnagrlig / London : Knockabout, c2009.
Sim, Dave. The Cerebus guide to self-publishing. / [Canada?] : Aardvark-Vanaheim Inc., 2010.
Smith, Felipe, 1978- Peepo choo. v. 1 / New York : Vertical, c2010.
Takahashi, Rumiko, 1957- InuYasha v. 50 / San Francisco, CA : Viz, LLC, c2003-
Telgemeier, Raina. Smile / New York : Graphix, 2010.
TenNapel, Doug. Ghostopolis / New York : Graphix/Scholastic, 2010
Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Black Jack v. 11 / New York : Vertical, c2008-
Urasawa, Naoki, 1960- 20th century boys v. 9 / San Francisco, CA : Viz Media, 2009-
Veitch, Rick. The Maximortal / West Townshend, VT : King Hell Press, 2005.
Wheeler, Shannon. I thought you would be funnier / Los Angeles : Boom! Town, c2010
White, Darren. The playwright / Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
White, Tracy. How I made it to eighteen : a mostly true story / New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2010
Yaginuma, Kō, 1973- Twin spica v. 2 / New York : Vertical, Inc., c2010-
Zahler, Thomas F. Love and capes v. 2 : Going to the chapel / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, c2008-
As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.
Allen, Brooke A. A home for Mr. Easter / New York : NBM Pub., 2010.
Aragonés, Sergio, 1937- Sergio Aragonés Groo the hogs of Horder / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
Arnold, J. D. (Johnnie D.) BB Wolf and the 3 LP'S / Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf, 2010.
Crane, Roy. Roy Crane's Captain Easy, soldier of fortune : the complete Sunday newspaper strips. Volume 1, 1933-1935 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books ; [New York] : Distributed in the U.S. by W.W. Norton, 2010.
Crilley, Mark. Brody's ghost. Book 1 / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
Darcy, Dame. Dame Darcy's Meat cake. / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2010.
DeCarlo, Dan, 1919-2001 Archie. Volume 1, The best of Dan DeCarlo / San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010
Díaz Canales, Juan, 1972- Blacksad / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010
Dorkin, Evan. Beasts of burden v. 1. Animal rites / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Books, 2010-
Dysart, Josh. Neil Young's Greendale / New York : DC Comics, c2010.
Fractured fables / Berkeley, Calif. : Silverline Books/Image Comics, 2010.
From the shadow of the northern lights : an anthology of Swedish alternative comics / Stockholm, Sweden : Ordfront Galago, 2008.
Gallagher, Fred (Fred M.), 1968- Megatokyo = [Megatōkyō] v. 6 / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 2004-
The golden collection of klassic krazy kool kids komics v. 1 / San Diego, Calif. : Yoe Books!, 2010.
Gran, Meredith, 1984- Octopus pie. There are no stars in Brooklyn / New York : Villard Trade Paperbacks, c2010.
Halo graphic novel. / New York, NY : Marvel Worldwide, 2010.
Immonen, Kathryn. Moving pictures / Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2009.
Jam! : tales from the world of roller derby / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2010.
Jansson, Tove. Moomin : the complete Tove Jansson comic strip v. 5. / Montréal : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Girioux, c2006-
Jonsson, Mats, 1973- Hey princess / Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
Kanigher, Robert. The Viking prince / New York : DC Comics, c2010.
Keane, Bil, 1922- Family circus. Vol. 2 : daily and Sunday comics 1962-1963 / San Diego, Calif. : IDW ; London : Diamond [distributor], c2010
Kelso, Megan, 1968- Artichoke tales / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, c2010
Kindt, Matt. Revolver / New York : Vertigo, c2010
Kitchen, Denis, 1946- The oddly compelling art of Denis Kitchen / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books, 2010
Knight, Keith, 1966- The knight life : chivalry ain't dead / New York : Grand Central Pub., 2010.
Konami, Kanata, 1958- Chi's Sweet Home = Chīzu suīto hōmu v. 1 / New York : Vertical, 2010-
Korea : as viewed by 12 creators / Tarragona : Fanfare/Ponent Mon ; London : Turnaround [distributor], c2010
Kuper, Peter, 1958- The Jungle / New York : Papercutz, 2010
Kurtzman, Harvey. The grasshopper and the ant / Northampton, MA : Denis Kitchen Pub., c2001.
Malkasian, Cathy. Temperance / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books ; [New York] : Distributed in the U.S. by W.W. Norton & Co., 2010
Manga Vizion v. 1 nos. 1-9; v. 2 nos 1-12; v. 3 nos. 1-12; v. 4 nos. 1-8. / San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, Inc., 1995-
Miller, Frank, 1957- The life and times of Martha Washington in the twenty-first century / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2010.
Millionaire, Tony. Billy Hazelnuts and the crazy bird / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2010.
Mokona, 1968- CLAMP Mokona's okimono kimono / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Manga, 2010
Moore, Alan, 1953- The complete D.R. & Quinch / Oxford : Rebellion, c2010.
Motter, Dean. Mister X : the archives / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2008.
O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim v.6 Scott Pilgrim's finest hour / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2004-
Page, Tyler, 1976- Nothing better v. 2 / Minneapolis, Minn. : Dementian Comics, c2007-
Power Paola. Virus tropical nos. 1-2 / Bogotá : La Silueta, 2009-
Rosenberg, Jonathan. Showcase showdown / New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, c2010
Rosenkranz, Patrick. The artist himself : a Rand Holmes retrospective / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c2010.
Sakai, Stan. Usagi Yojimbo. [24], Return of the black soul / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse Books, 2010
Santolouco, Mateus, 1979- Mondo Urbano. [Book 1] : a sex, drugs and rock'n'roll story / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2010.
Schreiber, Nathan. Power out / [Brooklyn, N. Y. : canal press], c2010-
Shelton, Gilbert. Last gig in Shnagrlig / London : Knockabout, c2009.
Sim, Dave. The Cerebus guide to self-publishing. / [Canada?] : Aardvark-Vanaheim Inc., 2010.
Smith, Felipe, 1978- Peepo choo. v. 1 / New York : Vertical, c2010.
Takahashi, Rumiko, 1957- InuYasha v. 50 / San Francisco, CA : Viz, LLC, c2003-
Telgemeier, Raina. Smile / New York : Graphix, 2010.
TenNapel, Doug. Ghostopolis / New York : Graphix/Scholastic, 2010
Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Black Jack v. 11 / New York : Vertical, c2008-
Urasawa, Naoki, 1960- 20th century boys v. 9 / San Francisco, CA : Viz Media, 2009-
Veitch, Rick. The Maximortal / West Townshend, VT : King Hell Press, 2005.
Wheeler, Shannon. I thought you would be funnier / Los Angeles : Boom! Town, c2010
White, Darren. The playwright / Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.
White, Tracy. How I made it to eighteen : a mostly true story / New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2010
Yaginuma, Kō, 1973- Twin spica v. 2 / New York : Vertical, Inc., c2010-
Zahler, Thomas F. Love and capes v. 2 : Going to the chapel / San Diego, Calif. : IDW, c2008-
As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Friday Night Fights: The Dingo Kid vs. Some Punk Thief Trying to Make Off with Broadway Joe's Car
From a Dingo Boots ad in comics ca. 1971. Writer & artist unknown.
Is it fighting fair to trip? Of course; it's a Free-for-All!
Amazon Top 50
Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+2). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
3 (+3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
4 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
5 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
7 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
8 (-). Odd Is on Our Side *
9 (N). Berlin: City of Stones: Book One
10 (N). Berlin: City of Smoke: Book Two
11 (-). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
12 (N). Parker: The Outfit
13 (-). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
14 (+8). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight *
15 (-5). X-Men: Second Coming
16 (N). Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995
17 (+7). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
18 (+20). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
19 (-7). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
20 (-6). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
21 (-2). American Vampire Vol. 1
22 (-13). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
23 (+4). Naruto, Vol. 49 *
24 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
25 (-7). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
26 (-11). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
27 (+4). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
28 (R). Batman: The Killing Joke
29 (R). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland *
30 (-13). Walking Dead Volume 12
31 (N). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
32 (-11). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3
33 (N). The Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel *
34 (-8). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
35 (N). Big Nate: From the Top *
36 (R). Tall Tales (Bone Prequel)
37 (N). Picture This: The Near-sighted Monkey Book
38 (N). Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
39 (-9). Kick-Ass
40 (N). Scott Pilgrim Bundle Volumes 1-6
41 (-13). Watchmen
42 (+5). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
43 (R). Superman: Earth One *
44 (-9). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
45 (-3). The Walking Dead, Book 1
46 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
47 (R). Batman: Year One
48 (-16). Blackest Night
49 (R). Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat
50 (-13). V for Vendetta
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The upcoming Wimpy Kid volume scoots up to #6 on the overall list, while the Scott Pilgrim volumes slide to #75, 88, 89, 92 & 95. The bottom of the list, V for Vendetta, comes in at #3,420 overall.
* A lot of debut titles this week, led quite surprisingly by the been-out-for-a-while collections of Jason Lutes' Berlin. Granted it is a great comic, but why the sudden surge of interest? Joe Sacco's eight-year-old Safe Area Gorazde also debuts relatively high on the list.
* Also new are Darwyn Cooke's new Parker adaptation; a new Walking Dead collection; a comics adaptation of the first Percy Jackson novel; a collection of Big Nate newspaper comics; Linda Barry's Picture This; the 2011 Dilbert daily calendar; and the Scott Pilgrim 6-volume bundle.
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+2). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
3 (+3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
4 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
5 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-4). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
7 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
8 (-). Odd Is on Our Side *
9 (N). Berlin: City of Stones: Book One
10 (N). Berlin: City of Smoke: Book Two
11 (-). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
12 (N). Parker: The Outfit
13 (-). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
14 (+8). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight *
15 (-5). X-Men: Second Coming
16 (N). Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995
17 (+7). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
18 (+20). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
19 (-7). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
20 (-6). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14)
21 (-2). American Vampire Vol. 1
22 (-13). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
23 (+4). Naruto, Vol. 49 *
24 (+1). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
25 (-7). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
26 (-11). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
27 (+4). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
28 (R). Batman: The Killing Joke
29 (R). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland *
30 (-13). Walking Dead Volume 12
31 (N). Walking Dead Volume 13 *
32 (-11). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3
33 (N). The Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel *
34 (-8). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
35 (N). Big Nate: From the Top *
36 (R). Tall Tales (Bone Prequel)
37 (N). Picture This: The Near-sighted Monkey Book
38 (N). Dilbert: 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar
39 (-9). Kick-Ass
40 (N). Scott Pilgrim Bundle Volumes 1-6
41 (-13). Watchmen
42 (+5). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
43 (R). Superman: Earth One *
44 (-9). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
45 (-3). The Walking Dead, Book 1
46 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
47 (R). Batman: Year One
48 (-16). Blackest Night
49 (R). Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat
50 (-13). V for Vendetta
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* The upcoming Wimpy Kid volume scoots up to #6 on the overall list, while the Scott Pilgrim volumes slide to #75, 88, 89, 92 & 95. The bottom of the list, V for Vendetta, comes in at #3,420 overall.
* A lot of debut titles this week, led quite surprisingly by the been-out-for-a-while collections of Jason Lutes' Berlin. Granted it is a great comic, but why the sudden surge of interest? Joe Sacco's eight-year-old Safe Area Gorazde also debuts relatively high on the list.
* Also new are Darwyn Cooke's new Parker adaptation; a new Walking Dead collection; a comics adaptation of the first Percy Jackson novel; a collection of Big Nate newspaper comics; Linda Barry's Picture This; the 2011 Dilbert daily calendar; and the Scott Pilgrim 6-volume bundle.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Did You See What They Did There?
But in the fine print, you'll notice that a standard-sized comic will be "$2.99 for 32 pages/ 20 story pages." The rub is that a standard-sized DC comic is currently 22 story pages. So while they are normalizing prices at $2.99, they're also giving us 2 pages less, even for comics that are currently at $2.99.
This is nothing new; historically comics publishers have avoided price increases in the past by reducing page counts (even infamously going from 50¢ for 25 pages to 40¢ for 17 pages during the DC Implosion in the 70s).
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
24 Pages of Awesome
As promised, here is the comic that I created for 24 Hour Comics Day at the Dude this past weekend. But first, a word or two of explanation:
Back in junior high, I used to create one-page comics based on The A-Team and show them to friends. The rub was that I had never seen an episode of The A-Team. Not a one. So everything I knew was based on second-hand knowledge; or I would just make things up! I pretty sure that the comics I did exhibited very little relation to the actual show.
I haven't really drawn anything resembling a comic since junior high, which was over twenty-five years ago. So when I decided to do a comic for 24 Hour Comics Day, I decided to go back to those comics I did in my youth for inspiration. Sadly the copies of those comics are long gone, so this new comic is based on the no doubt mis-remembered comics that were based on a TV show I had never seen. Which is to say that any resemblance to any actual A-Team is purely coincidental.
It should go without saying that this comic is a parody, and in that spirit I've renamed them to be The B-Team. Hopefully anyone who appears in the comic will take it in the spirit in which it is intended.
Sadly, Stephen J. Cannell, the creator of The A-Team, passed away on September 30, right before 24 Hour Comics Day. This comic is dedicated to his memory; I'm sure that he would have put a dinosaur in his version had only the budget allowed.
And please recall that as with all 24 Hour Comics Day comics, this was created in under 24 hours. Not that having any longer would have improved it much... I did the scans on my el-cheapo home scanner, so please excuse the quality.
Here then is the link to the first full-length comic I've ever created: The B-Team Returns.
Edit: Here's a picture of me (taken by Phoebe Gloeckner), hard at work staring at a blank page:
Edit 2: The Web interface to DropBox has inconveniently gone down. I've moved the file over to my personal Webspace, so hopefully the link should work again...
Back in junior high, I used to create one-page comics based on The A-Team and show them to friends. The rub was that I had never seen an episode of The A-Team. Not a one. So everything I knew was based on second-hand knowledge; or I would just make things up! I pretty sure that the comics I did exhibited very little relation to the actual show.
I haven't really drawn anything resembling a comic since junior high, which was over twenty-five years ago. So when I decided to do a comic for 24 Hour Comics Day, I decided to go back to those comics I did in my youth for inspiration. Sadly the copies of those comics are long gone, so this new comic is based on the no doubt mis-remembered comics that were based on a TV show I had never seen. Which is to say that any resemblance to any actual A-Team is purely coincidental.
It should go without saying that this comic is a parody, and in that spirit I've renamed them to be The B-Team. Hopefully anyone who appears in the comic will take it in the spirit in which it is intended.
Sadly, Stephen J. Cannell, the creator of The A-Team, passed away on September 30, right before 24 Hour Comics Day. This comic is dedicated to his memory; I'm sure that he would have put a dinosaur in his version had only the budget allowed.
And please recall that as with all 24 Hour Comics Day comics, this was created in under 24 hours. Not that having any longer would have improved it much... I did the scans on my el-cheapo home scanner, so please excuse the quality.
Here then is the link to the first full-length comic I've ever created: The B-Team Returns.
Edit: Here's a picture of me (taken by Phoebe Gloeckner), hard at work staring at a blank page:
Edit 2: The Web interface to DropBox has inconveniently gone down. I've moved the file over to my personal Webspace, so hopefully the link should work again...
Monday, October 04, 2010
24 Hour Comics Day at the Dude was Awesome!
Most awesomely for me, I was able to complete my 24 page comic! This was the first time I had attempted to draw anything resembling a comic since I was in junior high (over twenty-five years ago!) So I consider this quite a personal accomplishment. I'll be posting a scan of my comic soon...
We're planning to put together an anthology of works created at the event, but it will be a while before that is ready.
A big thanks to everyone who participated in our very first 24 Hour Comics Day at the library!
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Monkey Covers
A shiny-headed gorilla attacks on John Lucas's cover to Negative Burn #47 (1997).
(Standard disclaimer about metal head gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)
Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Friday Night Fights: Groo vs. An Army
A plan? We don't need no stinkin' plan. It's a Free-for-All!
(click pick for larger)
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 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
3 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
4 (-). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
5 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
7 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
8 (+3). Odd Is on Our Side *
9 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
10 (N). X-Men: Second Coming
11 (+6). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
12 (-2). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
13 (-1). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
14 (+7). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14) *
15 (+7). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
16 (+10). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
17 (-4). Walking Dead Volume 12
18 (N). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
19 (N). American Vampire Vol. 1 *
20 (+3). Lost at Sea
21 (-5). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3
22 (-7). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight *
23 (-3). Hetalia Axis Powers Volume 1
24 (-6). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
25 (+8). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
26 (-11). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
27 (+5). Naruto, Vol. 49 *
28 (-3). Watchmen
29 (N). Berserk Volume 34
30 (-11). Kick-Ass
31 (+9). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
32 (+9). Blackest Night
33 (-3). Empowered Volume 6 *
34 (+12). The Walking Dead Book 5
35 (-8). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
36 (-22). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
37 (+10). V for Vendetta
38 (-14). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
39 (-8). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
40 (-3). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
41 (+4). American Born Chinese
42 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 1
43 (+7). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
44 (R). Green Lantern: Blackest Night
45 (N). Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy HC
46 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
47 (-9). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
48 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
49 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
50 (R). The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* Yup, the new Wimpy Kid is still at the top of the chart, and at #9 on the overall list. The deeply-discounted Scott Pilgrim volumes clock in at #34, 35, 36, 37, 39 & 41 on the overall list. Dog Days is at #299. The bottom of the list is at #3,064 on the overall chart.
* A surprisingly high debut for X-Men: Second Coming at #10. I don't think an X-Men volume has ever placed so high before. Other debuts include Four Color Fear, American Vampire, Berserk, and Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy.
* Just one month out from the TV series debut, interest in The Walking Dead remains strong; the property takes up eight of the slots in this week's chart.
* The list was remarkably 'clean' this week; I only had to remove one item for not actually being a comic (last week it was at least ten!)
1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
3 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
4 (-). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
5 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
7 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
8 (+3). Odd Is on Our Side *
9 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
10 (N). X-Men: Second Coming
11 (+6). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
12 (-2). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
13 (-1). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
14 (+7). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14) *
15 (+7). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
16 (+10). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
17 (-4). Walking Dead Volume 12
18 (N). Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950s *
19 (N). American Vampire Vol. 1 *
20 (+3). Lost at Sea
21 (-5). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3
22 (-7). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight *
23 (-3). Hetalia Axis Powers Volume 1
24 (-6). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
25 (+8). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
26 (-11). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
27 (+5). Naruto, Vol. 49 *
28 (-3). Watchmen
29 (N). Berserk Volume 34
30 (-11). Kick-Ass
31 (+9). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
32 (+9). Blackest Night
33 (-3). Empowered Volume 6 *
34 (+12). The Walking Dead Book 5
35 (-8). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
36 (-22). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
37 (+10). V for Vendetta
38 (-14). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
39 (-8). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
40 (-3). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
41 (+4). American Born Chinese
42 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 1
43 (+7). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
44 (R). Green Lantern: Blackest Night
45 (N). Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy HC
46 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
47 (-9). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
48 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
49 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
50 (R). The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects
Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.
N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks
Commentary:
* Yup, the new Wimpy Kid is still at the top of the chart, and at #9 on the overall list. The deeply-discounted Scott Pilgrim volumes clock in at #34, 35, 36, 37, 39 & 41 on the overall list. Dog Days is at #299. The bottom of the list is at #3,064 on the overall chart.
* A surprisingly high debut for X-Men: Second Coming at #10. I don't think an X-Men volume has ever placed so high before. Other debuts include Four Color Fear, American Vampire, Berserk, and Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy.
* Just one month out from the TV series debut, interest in The Walking Dead remains strong; the property takes up eight of the slots in this week's chart.
* The list was remarkably 'clean' this week; I only had to remove one item for not actually being a comic (last week it was at least ten!)
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