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: Dog Days *
2 (+6). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
3 (-1). Mercy Thompson Homecoming
4 (-1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
5 (+5). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6 (N). Stitches: A Memoir
7 (-3). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
8 (+9). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
9 (+2). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
10 (-5). Watchmen
11 (-5). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
12 (+6). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
13 (-1). Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages
14 (+5). Asterios Polyp
15 (-2). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
16 (-7). The Complete Persepolis
17 (-1). Batman: Year One
18 (-11). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb *
19 (N). The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics
20 (-6). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
21 (+1). Batman: The Long Halloween
22 (+4). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 Box Set
23 (+9). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition
24 (R). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
25 (+4). Parker: The Hunter
26 (-2). Fun Home
27 (-7). Tumor Chapter 1 (Kindle)
28 (-5). V for Vendetta
29 (+2). The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet, Book 2)
30 (-3). The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974
31 (N). World of Warcraft Vol. 2 HC
32 (-11). American Born Chinese
33 (+10). Final Crisis
34 (-8). A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge
35 (+1). Yotsuba&!, Vol. 6 *
36 (N). Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth *
37 (-4). Batman: Dark Victory
38 (-4). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
39 (-). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
40 (N). Warcraft: Legends Volume 5
41 (N). The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
42 (-5). The Arrival
43 (R). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152
44 (R). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation
45 (R). Bone: One Volume Edition
46 (N). Angel, Volume 5: Aftermath *
47 (-7). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
48 (-13). The Joker
49 (-21). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
50 (R). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House


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:

* Now that classes are in swing, the University Effect seems to be wearing off. This causes other books (e.g. the Wimpy Kid volumes) to slide back up into the top ten. Watchmen slides down to the #10 slot, which I believe is the lowest it has been since I started keeping track of these charts.

* A very high debut for David Small's Stitches: A Memoir, which goes to show that the surest way to pop up into the top ten is a positive review in the New York Times.

* Other debuts include the Spiegelman- & Mouly-edited The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics; a couple of volumes based on the Warcraft computer games; Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth, a biography of Bertrand Russell; and The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation, which has been out for a year now.

* The only manga on the list is the pre-order for the latest volume of Yotsuba&!. And Marvel is absent; how long will their new Mouse-eared overlords stand for Marvel's anemic trade program?

Which late comic will we kick around now?

2009 is a banner year, with both Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine & Planetary publishing their long-delayed conclusions.

Which comic will now become the poster child for extremely late comics?

I'm voting for the final issue of Ambush Bug: Year None, which was originally due out in January...

Monkey Covers

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

It's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter vs. Marvel Apes on Ron Lim's monkey variant cover to Anita Blake: The Laughing Corpse - Book One #1 (2008).

(Standard disclaimer about super-hero apes from a parallel universe not really being monkeys applies.)


Image courtesy of the Comic Book DB. 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: Dog Days *
2 (-). Mercy Thompson Homecoming
3 (+1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
4 (-1). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
5 (-). Watchmen
6 (+2). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
7 (R). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb *
8 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
9 (-). The Complete Persepolis
10 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
11 (+3). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
12 (-2). Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages
13 (+3). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
14 (-7). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
15 (+7). Batman: The Killing Joke
16 (+10). Batman: Year One
17 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
18 (-7). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
19 (-1). Asterios Polyp
20 (R). Tumor Chapter 1 (Kindle)
21 (+3). American Born Chinese
22 (+8). Batman: The Long Halloween
23 (-3). V for Vendetta
24 (-7). Fun Home
25 (-4). A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge
26 (-14). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 Box Set *
27 (-4). The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974 *
28 (-). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
29 (-16). Parker: The Hunter
30 (N). Masterpiece Comics
31 (N). The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet, Book 2)
32 (-7). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition
33 (N). Batman: Dark Victory
34 (-1). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
35 (+1). The Joker
36 (N). Yotsuba&!, Vol. 6 *
37 (-2). The Arrival
38 (N). Bleach, Vol. 28
39 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
40 (-1). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
41 (+2). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
42 (-2). The Boys, Vol. 4
43 (-14). Final Crisis
44 (-7). Batman: Hush
45 (N). The Very Silly Mayor *
46 (R). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
47 (R). The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1
48 (-21). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
49 (R). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)


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:

* Relatively calm at the top of the list, with the exception of The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb returning unexpectedly high at #7.

* Why does Maus II drop while the rest of the University Effect comics remain stable in the top ten? And why is The Complete Maus so far down at #49? Are there that many professors assigning only Part I for their students to read?

* Highest debut belongs to R. Sikoryak's Masterpiece Comics, followed closely by the second Amulet volume by Kazu Kibuishi.

* There's a mini Batman resurgence this week. The Green Lantern bubble seems to have mostly burst though, at least for the time being.

* I'm so very pleased to see that the highest charting manga this week is the newest Yotsuba&! volume, due out in just a couple of weeks!

* The only other manga to chart is a volume of Bleach, and there's no Marvel to be seen at all.

Monkey Covers

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

Now that's what I want in my Jimmy Olsen comics: Jimmy facing off against a giant green ape! Brad Walker, John Livesay & Pete Pantazis do the honors on the cover to Action Comics #854 (2007).

(Standard disclaimer about giant Kryptonite-infused apes 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 afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days *
2 (-). Mercy Thompson Homecoming
3 (+4). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
4 (+2). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
5 (-). Watchmen
6 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
7 (+4). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
8 (+6). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
9 (-). The Complete Persepolis
10 (-7). Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages
11 (-7). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
12 (+8). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 Box Set *
13 (+4). Parker: The Hunter
14 (+12). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
15 (-3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
16 (+2). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
17 (+5). Fun Home
18 (-8). Asterios Polyp
19 (-6). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
20 (+1). V for Vendetta
21 (N). A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge
22 (+2). Batman: The Killing Joke
23 (+4). The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974 *
24 (-5). American Born Chinese
25 (-10). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition
26 (-1). Batman: Year One
27 (-4). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
28 (R). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
29 (R). Final Crisis
30 (R). Batman: The Long Halloween
31 (+6). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152
32 (R). Watchmen (hardcover)
33 (-17). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
34 (+14). Bone: One Volume Edition
35 (+6). The Arrival
36 (+7). The Joker
37 (N). Batman: Hush
38 (+2). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation
39 (-9). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
40 (-9). The Boys, Vol. 4
41 (N). Unknown Soldier Vol. 1: Haunted House
42 (N). The Manga Guide to Calculus
43 (-1). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
44 (-6). Dark Avengers Assemble (Dark Avengers, Vol. 1) *
45 (N). Blankets
46 (R). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
47 (-14). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4
48 (+1). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

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:

* Mercy Thompson Homecoming is finally released, but can't quite topple the newest Wimpy Kid pre-order. It will be interesting to see how long it hangs out int he top ten.

* The rest of the top ten—seven out of ten titles—is dominated by the University Effect. Expect to see it continue through at least mid-September.

* Despite reports from certain comics gossip columnists, followers of these charts know that the Arkham Asylum GN has been hanging about in the low teens–mid twenties–upper thirties on the Amazon bestseller lists for many months now. There might be a little bump from the video game, but it's not very significant and we know that you can't judge trends just by looking at a one-time snapshot. If it moves up into the top ten, then maybe we'll have something; but until now we haven't ever seen movement on the graphic novel charts based on a video game release.

* The highest debut, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, saw some favorable mainstream press, and was as high as at least #4 earlier in the week. Another debut, the first Unknown Soldier collection, also had some MSM attention, but didn't get nearly as high of a jump in the charts.

Could Digital Comics Save the Midlist?

I was contemplating this morning the coming wave of digital comics. (And by digital comics I don't mean Webcomics—those that are born online—but rather digital editions of print comics.)

It's no secret that the past decade or so has not been kind to the midlist in the direct market. A system has evolved by which the major publishers are chasing the hits with splashy first month sales. As in other media (films, books, music) this serves to depress sales of midlist titles, making it very hard for a comic series to have a long life selling in the middle of the pack. And you almost never see a comic series have a nice regular upward growth in sales.

It occurs to me that a couple of different digital comics models could be a boon to midlist titles.

The first, the "iTunes model" that is nearly imminent with Longbox, could results in long tail effects being realized. This would especially be a boon to smaller publishers that aren't picked up by a majority of comics shops, as they would have a way to point their widely dispersed potential audience to an online location for purchase. Since marginal costs for distributing digital comics is close to zero and "shelf space" is virtual, such comics can potentially find their audience much more easily,

The second, a subscription model, would potentially be more helpful for midlist titles at major publishers. An analogue for this is cable television subscription channels such as HBO or Showtime. These networks are selling a package to viewers, not individual programs. This means that a critically acclaimed title adds to the overall package and is not viewed in terms of opportunity costs lost by not doing the next big crossover event. (In an interview I recently heard with the head of documentary programming for HBO, she said that in her 30 years with the network no one had ever even gone over ratings with her!)

I for one want a comic market that can support a title like Nexus and that can nurture the next Bone.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover! A chimpanzee has an Ace up his, um, sleeve? on John Bolton's cover to Proposition Player #5 (200). (Standard disclaimer about poker-playing chimps 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 afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days *
2 (+1). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
3 (+8). Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages
4 (-2). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
5 (-1). Watchmen
6 (+1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
7 (-2). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
8 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
9 (-). The Complete Persepolis
10 (-2). Asterios Polyp
11 (+1). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
12 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
13 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
14 (+4). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
15 (-5). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition
16 (-5). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
17 (-1). Parker: The Hunter
18 (-1). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
19 (+14). American Born Chinese
20 (+16). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 Box Set *
21 (+7). V for Vendetta
22 (+17). Fun Home
23 (+9). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
24 (-5). Batman: The Killing Joke
25 (+4). Batman: Year One
26 (-). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
27 (+18). The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974 *
28 (+12). Green Lantern: Rebirth
29 (-4). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
30 (R). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
31 (+12). The Boys, Vol. 4
32 (N). New Avengers Vol. 11: Search for the Sorcerer Supreme *
33 (-10). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4
34 (+8). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
35 (+13). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
36 (-12). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
37 (-2). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152
38 (N). Dark Avengers Assemble (Dark Avengers, Vol. 1) *
39 (R). Lost Girls Hardcover Edition
40 (-13). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation
41 (R). The Arrival
42 (-12). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
43 (R). The Joker
44 (N). Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels
45 (R). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
46 (N). Invincible, Book 11: Happy Days *
47 (R). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
48 (-2). Bone: One Volume Edition
49 (R). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

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 new Fables volume jumps up into the top five, while the new Walking Dead volume remains up there as well. Both have recently been picked up as potential tv series; perhaps a bunch of actors looking to get a leg up on the properties prior to casting calls? Of course, both comics have well-established track records as comics that appeal to the non-Wednesday crowd and that many people prefer to read in collections, which make them prime candidates for strong Amazon sellers.

* Mercy Thompson Homecoming inches ever so closer to the top of the list as it nears its release date next week. It's been creeping up the list for quite some time now, indicating that there will be a good number of copies going out next week to Amazon customers. (Maybe the publisher will make enough money to pay their freelancer payment backlog?)

* The University Effect continues, with Maus, Persepolis, Watchmen, & Understanding Comics all remaining in the top ten or rising up towards it.

* Two of the three new titles this week are pre-orders of Avengers hardcovers from Marvel, showing that a few Marvel fans are willing to wait a few extra weeks in order to get the sizable Amazon discount. The only other new item is the latest volume of Invincible, also in pre-order; if Image/Kirkman can successfully wage a 'from the creator of The Walking Dead' campaign, maybe it will see greater success in the coming weeks?

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: Dog Days *
2 (+23). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
3 (+3). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
4 (-2). Watchmen
5 (+6). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
6 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
7 (+2). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
8 (-5). Asterios Polyp
9 (+4). The Complete Persepolis
10 (-5). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition
11 (+13). Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages *
12 (+9). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
13 (-5). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
14 (-7). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
15 (+1). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
16 (-1). Parker: The Hunter
17 (-3). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
18 (+5). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
19 (-9). Batman: The Killing Joke
20 (-8). Tumor Chapter 1 (kindle)
21 (+10). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
22 (-3). Final Crisis
23 (+3). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4
24 (+8). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
25 (R). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
26 (+7). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
27 (-10). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation
28 (-10). V for Vendetta
29 (-1). Batman: Year One
30 (+7). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
31 (N). Pax Romana *
32 (R). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
33 (-4). American Born Chinese
34 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 1
35 (-8). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152
36 (R). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 Box Set *
37 (R). The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics
38 (+7). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
39 (+3). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
40 (-5). Green Lantern: Rebirth
41 (R). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
42 (+4). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
43 (-13). The Boys, Vol. 4
44 (N). The Walking Dead, Book 3
45 (N). The Complete Peanuts, 1973-1974 *
46 (-2). Bone: One Volume Edition
47 (R). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House
48 (R). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
49 (N). Classic G.I. Joe Volume 3


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:

* Huge movement for The Walking Dead, possibly tied to the announcement that's it's being developed as a television series for AMC.

* Highest debut goes to Jonathan Hickman's Pax Romana. For a collection by a non-name (though very talented) creator and not featuring an established character or franchise, this is quite impressive.

* We may be beginning to see the start of a university effect, where GNs that are assigned as reading in college classes take a bump up at the start of the semester. This would affect books like Maus, Persepolis, Understanding Comics, and Watchmen. Stay tuned over the next few weeks to see if this holds true.

* Is Green Lantern DC's new Batman?

* A GI Joe volume squeaks in at #49, showing that just because you have the top movie in the country doesn't mean that it will translate to big comics sales.

* I added in the 'R' code to differentiate items which are returning to the list, as opposed to items which are appearing on the list for the first time.

How Amazon's Bestseller Lists Work

Those of you who have been following our weekly snapshots of the Amazon Top 50 Comics lists—and/or the recent discussion over at Comics Worth Reading of the same—may find the following article of interest

Over on Slate's The Big Money blog, Marion Maneker discusses "Secrets of the Amazon Best-Seller List," with speculation on how the list is derived, and how some authors attempt to game the system.

In short, Maneker quotes author Andy Kessler, who speculates:

"I'm not sure the exact number," Kessler says of the weightings, "but my guess is 40 percent hour, 30 percent day, 20 percent week, and 10 percent month. So if you have a huge spike in sales, you don't completely dislodge books that have been in the top 10 or top 100 for months and months. Though you might pass them for a very fun hour."

(link via Marc-Oliver Frisch)

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: Dog Days *
2 (-). Watchmen
3 (-). Asterios Polyp
4 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
5 (-1). Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition
6 (+6). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
7 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
8 (+2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
9 (+2). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
10 (+15). Batman: The Killing Joke
11 (+3). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
12 (-4). Tumor Chapter 1 (kindle)
13 (+11). The Complete Persepolis
14 (+6). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
15 (-10). Parker: The Hunter
16 (-3). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
17 (-10). Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation
18 (+10). V for Vendetta
19 (-3). Final Crisis
20 (N). The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir
21 (+14). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
22 (N). The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir (kindle)
23 (+13). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
24 (N). Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages *
25 (N). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become *
26 (-5). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 4
27 (-9). Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152
28 (+16). Batman: Year One
29 (N). American Born Chinese
30 (-4). The Boys, Vol. 4
31 (-16). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
32 (+2). Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1
33 (-6). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
34 (+16). Prince Valiant, Vol. 1: 1937-1938 *
35 (-13). Green Lantern: Rebirth
36 (N). The Joker
37 (-18). Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns
38 (N). The Arrival
39 (+10). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
40 (-23). Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition
41 (N). Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Green Lanterns
42 (N). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
43 (-3). Nevermore *
44 (N). Bone: One Volume Edition
45 (+3). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
46 (N). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
47 (-15). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
48 (N). The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
49 (N). Al Williamson's Flash Gordon: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic
50 (N). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5)

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


Commentary:

* Cooke's Parker: The Hunter falls out of the top 10; a temporary dip, or has it run its course? Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp stays the course as a top three, just below Watchmen and the new Wimpy Kid.

* Highest debut of the week belongs to Laurie Sandell's The Impostor's Daughter, which comes in at #20 for the hardcover and #22 for the Kindle edition. This is the first time we've seen both the print and digital edition of a comic his the charts at the same time.

* The latest collections of Fables & The Walking Dead debut as pre-orders in the mid-twenties.

* Green Lantern & Buffy interest both seem to be waning this week, while old reliable Batman keeps chugging along.

* No graphic novels from Marvel again this week. Surprisingly, no manga on the chart either.

Monkey Covers

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

Monkeys in the zoo laugh at the funny people on Chris Schaare's cover to Wow Comics #66 (1948).

(Standard disclaimer about funnily-dressed people 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 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.

Monkey Covers

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

Bigby Wolf has been turned into a chimpanzee on Brian Bolland's cover to Jack of Fables #34 (2009).

(Standard disclaimer about how wolves who have been turned into chimps aren't really 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 afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.

1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
2 (+1). Watchmen
3 (+1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
4 (-2). Final Crisis
5 (+1). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
6 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
7 (+2). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
8 (+13). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
9 (+4). Batman: The Killing Joke
10 (+1). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
11 (+18). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
12 (+6). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
13 (-6). The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
14 (+3). The Complete Persepolis
15 (+25). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
16 (+6). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
17 (N). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
18 (+2). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
19 (+17). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
20 (+15). Batman: R.I.P.
21 (N). The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics
22 (+1). Batman: Year One
23 (-15). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
24 (-5). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
25 (-15). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 3: Century, No. 1: 1910
26 (N). Star Wars: Vector Volume 2 - Chapters 3 & 4
27 (N). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
28 (+9). The Joker
29 (+19). Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind
30 (-). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
31 (N). Empowered, Vol. 5
32 (+2). Starman Omnibus Vol. 3
33 (+5). Halo: Uprising
34 (N). Naruto, Volume 45 *
35 (+4). Bone: One Volume Edition
33 (-8). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
34 (+11). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
35 (+7). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
36 (N). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 Box Set *
37 (N). Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1)
38 (N). Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2
39 (-7). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
40 (-9). The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
41 (+3). Batman: The Long Halloween
42 (N). The Ultimates Omnibus *
43 (N). Fruits Basket Volume 23 *
44 (N). Blueberry Girl
45 (-2). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb *
46 (-30). V for Vendetta
47 (N). Punisher Max, Vol. 5
48 (-34). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
49 (-23). American Born Chinese
50 (N). Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Prequel - Alliance


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


Commentary:

* Earlier in the Week Final Crisis was at #1, but it has since fallen a bit though it still remains at #4.

* Huge surge for Buffy titles this week, with vol. 4 moving ahead of a Wimpy Kid volume, and others taking huge leaps up the chart.

* The good news for Marvel is that a couple of their super-hero books chart this week. The bad news is that their Dark Tower book falls precipitously.

* The Kindle edition of the Maximum Ride manga is very popular. Why that format for that title?

* A new Naruto volume shows up for preorder. Expect it to rise up the charts until it's release in a few weeks.

Captain EO

That's right: Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

(image courtesy of the Comic Book Database)

How Publishers Discourage You From Buying Single Issues of Their Comics

Exhibit #1: Boom! Studio's Irredeemable: Volume 1 collects issues #1-4 of the series.
* Cost to buy the individual issues (at $3.99 each): $15.96.
* Cost to buy the collection: $9.95
* Your penalty for buying the individual issues: $6.01

Exhibit #2: DC/Vertigo's Madame Xanadu Vol. 1: Disenchanted collects issues #1-10 of the series.
* Cost to buy the individual issues (at $2.99 each): $29.90
* Cost to buy the collection: $12.99
* Your penalty for buying the individual issues: $16.91
(plus there are no ads in the collection!)

When readers know there's going to be a cheaper collection soon after the issues in it are published, why should they shell out the $$$$ for the individual issues?

Monkey Covers

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

Monkey reaches the mountain peak way ahead of Bear on Howie Post's cover for The Monkey and the Bear #3 (1954).

(Standard disclaimer about how monkeys shouldn't smoke cigars 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 afternoon. All the previous caveats apply.

1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
2 (+3). Final Crisis
3 (+1). Watchmen
4 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
5 (-3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
6 (-). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
7 (+17). The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
8 (+4). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
9 (+1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
10 (-3). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 3: Century, No. 1: 1910
11 (+3). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
12 (N). Star Trek: Countdown TPB
13 (-4). Batman: The Killing Joke
14 (-1). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
15 (N). The Adventures of Johnny Bunko (kindle)
16 (+3). V for Vendetta
17 (+10). The Complete Persepolis
18 (-7). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
19 (+3). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
20 (+24). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
21 (N). Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga (kindle)
22 (-14). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
23 (+20). Batman: Year One
24 (N). The Arrival
25 (+1). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
26 (N). American Born Chinese
27 (N). Final Crisis Companion
28 (+7). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House
29 (-). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
30 (+11). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
31 (N). The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
32 (-11). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
33 (-16). Wrapped-Up FoxTrot: A Treasury with the Final Daily Strips
34 (N). Starman Omnibus Vol. 3 *
35 (-10). Batman: R.I.P.
36 (-20). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
37 (N). The Joker
38 (-15). Halo: Uprising
39 (-21). Bone: One Volume Edition
40 (-2). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
41 (+9). Green Lantern Corps: Sins of the Star Sapphire
42 (-9). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
43 (-30). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb *
44 (N). Batman: The Long Halloween
45 (+2). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
46 (N). The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack
47 (-11). The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus
48 (+1). Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind
49 (N). The Gunslinger Born (The Dark Tower Graphic Novels, Book 1)
50 (N). Wallace & Gromit: Catch of the Day


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


Commentary:


* Surprisingly, Final Crisis moves ahead of Watchmen and up into the #2 slot (still can't beat the power of The Wimpy Kid!)

* Last week's biggest gainer, Crumb's Genesis, is this week's biggest loser, as it falls back 30 places. Conversely, The Photographer, which dropped 17 places last week, is up 17 places this week to return to the top ten.

* Star Trek: Countdown, mysteriously absent last week, comes popping back in at #12.

* The highest debut on the list is the kindle edition of Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 Manga. The only 'true' manga on the list this week is also a kindle edition, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko.

Yotsuba&! Design Awesomeness

Imagine my surprise this morning when I'm walking past the new unbound journal racks in the library and I see this staring back at me from the bottom shelf:



It's the latest issue (#334, May 2009) of the Japanese journal Idea: International Graphic Art and Typography. This special issue is almost entirely devoted to "Designs for Manga, Anime & Light Novels," nearly 200 pages worth. The first 24-page section is entirely devoted to one of my all-time favorite manga, Yotsuba&!, with design examples of tankōbon, calendars, CDs, toys, and promotional materials. Here's a sample page:



The text is almost entirely in Japanese so I can't read any of the commentary, but I could easily spend hours just looking at the pictures.

As a bonus, this issue comes with a 28-page mini-comic full of experimental manga bizarreness. Here's a sample 2-page spread:



(I apologize for the quality of the scans; the scanner I had access to in the library wasn't the greatest. The color in the originals is much more vibrant.)

New Library Comics: May 2009

And here are the new comics that we added to the library's collection in May:


Allred, Mike (Mike Dalton) Madman atomic comics vol. 2 / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, c2008-

Avery, Chayne. Boy meets hero / Berlin : Gmünder, c2008.

Bell, Gabrielle. Cecil & Jordan in New York : stories / Montreal, Quebec : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York, NY : Distributed in the USA and abroad by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2009.

Brainard, Joe, 1942-1994. The Nancy book / Los Angeles : Siglio Press, 2008.

Claremont, Chris, 1950- New Mutants classic vol. 4 / New York : Marvel, 2006.

Del Carmen, Ronnie. And there you are / [Emeryville, Calif.] : Paper Biscuit Industries, 2009.

Di Liddo, Annalisa, 1977- Alan Moore : comics as performance, fiction as scalpel / Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, c2009.

Eerie. Eerie archives vol. 1 / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2009.

Ellis, Warren. Transmetropolitan 1. Back on the street / New York : DC Comics, c2009-

Erotic comics. 2 . A graphic history from the liberated ’70’s to the internet / New York, NY : Abrams, 2009

Folman, Ari. Waltz with Bashir : a Lebanon war story / New York : Metropolitan Books, 2009.

Geary, Rick. The adventures of Blanche / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2009.

Hornschemeier, Paul, 1977- Mother come home / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Humbug / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Kirby, Jack. Jack Kirby's The losers / New York : DC Comics, 2009.

Kovac, Tommy. Stitch / San Jose, Calif. : SLG, 2009.

Kubert, Joe, 1926- Tor : a prehistoric odyssey / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2009.

Laird, Roland Owen. Still I rise : a graphic history of African Americans / New York : Sterling Pub. Co., 2009.

Lee, Stan. The Fantastic Four vol. 1 / New York : Marvel, 2009-

Mack, David. Kabuki v. 7. The alchemy / Fullerton, CA : Image Comics, c1997-

Marder, Larry. Beanworld bk. 1. Wahoolazuma! / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books, 2009-

McKeever, Ted. Metropol / Berkeley, Calif. : Image ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2009.

Messner-Loebs, William. Journey : the adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire vol. 1 / San Diego, Calif. : IDW Publishing, 2008-2009.

Millionaire, Tony. Drinky Crow's Maakies treasury / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, c2009.

Mome. vol. 14 Spring 2009. / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2005-

Mori, Kaoru, 1978- Emma vol. 8 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2006-

Naifeh, Ted. Courtney Crumrin's monstrous holiday / Portland, OR : Oni Press, Inc., 2009.

Nakazawa, Keiji. Barefoot Gen : a cartoon story of Hiroshima v.7. Bones into dust / San Francisco, Calif. : Last Gasp of San Francisco, 2004-

Nakazawa, Keiji. Barefoot Gen : a cartoon story of Hiroshima v.8. Merchants of death / San Francisco, Calif. : Last Gasp of San Francisco, 2004-

O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim v. 3. Scott Pilgrim & the infinite sadness / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2004-

O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim v. 4. Scott Pilgrim gets it together / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2004-

O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim v. 5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the universe / Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2004-

Pekar, Harvey. The beats : a graphic history / New York : Hill and Wang, 2009.

Popgun vol. 3 / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2007-

Regnaud, Jean. My mommy is in America and she met Buffalo Bill / [Spain] : Ponent Mon ; [England] : Fanfare, c2007.

Rogers, Boody Gordon. Boody : the bizarre comics of Boody Rogers / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Schulz, Charles M. (Charles Monroe), 1922-2000. The complete Peanuts [v. 11] 1971-1972 / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c2004-

Soule, Charles. Strongman / San Jose, CA : SLG Publishing, 2009.

Supermen! : the first wave of comic-book heroes 1936-1941 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Tatsumi, Yoshihiro, 1935- A drifting life / Montréal, Quebec : Drawn and Quarterly, 2009.

Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Black Jack vol. 3 / New York : Vertical, c2008-

Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Black Jack vol. 4 / New York : Vertical, c2008-

Tobe, Keiko. With the light : raising an autistic child vol. 4 / New York : Yen Press, 2007-

Trondheim, Lewis. Little nothings 2. The prisoner syndrome / New York : NBM, 2008-

Urasawa, Naoki, 1960- Pluto : Urasawa x Tezuka vol. 2 / San Francisco, CA : VIZ Media, c2008-

Usui, Yoshito, 1958- Crayon Shinchan vol. 7 / La Jolla, CA : CMX, c2008-

Vähämäki, Amanda. The bun field / Montréal : Drawn &Quarterly, 2009.

Walker, Mort. Sam's strip : the comic about comics / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009.

Watchmen and philosophy : a Rorschach test / Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, c2009.

Wolverton, Basil, d. 1978. The Wolverton bible : the Old Testament & Book of Revelation through the pen of Basil Wolverton / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; New York : Distributed in the U.S. by W.W. Norton, c2009.

World war three illustrated. no. 39 / N.Y.C. : S. Tobocman, P. Kuper, C. Kohlhofer, 1980-

Yuri monogatari vol. 6 / [United States] : ALC, c2004-



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

New Library Comics: April 2009

Realized that with all the hubbub kicking off Free Comic Book Month in May, I forgot to post April's new library comics list. So here it is, better late than never!:


Bastion comix. Especial otoño 2004 / Buenos Aires : Gargola Ediciones, c2004-c200

Baumann, Suzanne. Baumann's marginalia. / Hamtramck, MI : Suzanne E. Baumann, c1995

Baumann, Suzanne. Serious workout / Hamtramck, Mich. : Suzanne Baumann, c[20]02

Brothers in arms : Hell's highway. no. 1 / San Francisco, CA : Ubisoft, Inc./Gearbox Software, c2008.

Brunetti, Ivan. Ho! : the morally questionable cartoons of Ivan Brunetti. / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2009

Crabb, Cindy. Doris : an anthology of Doris zines from 1991-2001 / Portland, Ore. : Microcosm Pub., 2005.

Echolot / Berlin : Reprodukt, 2001.

Gray, Harold, 1894-1968. The complete Little Orphan Annie vol. 1 / San Diego, Calif. : IDW Pub., 2008-

Haas, Luke. Comics in, aus und über Luxemburg : leicht erweitert auf Illus und Cartoons / Esch-sur-Alzette : Schortgen, 2007

Hale, Shannon. Rapunzel's revenge / New York, N.Y. : Bloomsbury, 2008.

Hommer, Sascha. Im Museum : die Treppe zum Himmel / Berlin : Reprodukt, 2008.

K., Ulf. Der Exlibris / Berlin : Reprodukt, 2000.

Kleist, Reinhard, 1970- Cash : I see a darkness / Hamburg : Carlsen, 2006.

König, Ralf. aut Prototyp / Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2008.

Mawil. Action Sorgenkind / Berlin : Reprodukt, 2007.

Pryzm. Chapter one, The dark unicorn / Calabasas, CA : Mediactive, c2002

Sasakura, Kou. Castlevania : curse of darkness vol. 1 / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, 2008-

Scheel, Ulrich. Die sechs Schüsse von Philadelphia / Berlin : Avant-Verlag, 2008.

Stories of our people = Lii zistwayr di la naasyoon di Michif : a Métis graphic novel anthology / Saskatoon : Gabriel Dumont Institute, c2008

Sturm, James, 1965- Adventures in cartooning / New York : First Second, 2009.

Warcraft : Legends vol. 1 / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, c2008-


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

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: The Last Straw
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
4 (-). Watchmen
5 (+3). Final Crisis *
6 (-1). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
7 (-1). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 3: Century, No. 1: 1910
8 (+7). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
9 (+2). Batman: The Killing Joke
10 (+22). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
11 (+2). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
12 (-2). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
13 (+23). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb *
14 (-2). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
15 (+2). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
16 (+3). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
17 (+16). Wrapped-Up FoxTrot: A Treasury with the Final Daily Strips
18 (+4). Bone: One Volume Edition
19 (+4). V for Vendetta
20 (+17). Nevermore *
21 (+13). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
22 (+13). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
23 (N). Halo: Uprising *
24 (-17). The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
25 (N). Batman: R.I.P.
26 (-). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
27 (+12). The Complete Persepolis
28 (-3). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
29 (-15). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
30 (-1). Star Wars: Vector Volume 2 - Chapters 3 & 4 *
31 (N). The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain
32 (N). Y: The Last Man Vol. 8: Kimono Dragons
33 (N). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
34 (-3). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 3
35 (N). The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House
36 (N). The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus
37 (N). You'll Never Know Book One "A Good and Decent Man"
38 (-20). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
39 (-11). Berserk Volume 29
40 (N). Y: The Last Man Vol. 7: Paper Dolls
41 (+3). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
42 (N). I Did It His Way: A Collection of Classic B.C. Religious Comic Strips
43 (-19). Batman: Year One
44 (N). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
45 (-18). Blueberry Girl
46 (N). The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale
47 (N). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
48 (-1). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2
49 (N). Serenity, Vol. 1: Those Left Behind
50 (N). Green Lantern Corps: Sins of the Star Sapphire

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


Commentary:

* Not a whole lot of excitement on the list this week; a large majority of the 'new' titles to the list are actually perennials returning up on the list, which tends to happen when there's not a lot of 'hot' stuff to be had.

* The biggest gainer is R. Crumb's The Book of Genesis Illustrated. Persepolis books also leap up, while Buffy books fall back to their regular levels after last week's spike.

* Only one manga title this week (Berserk) and just two Marvel titles, the bookstore-friendly Dark Tower & Halo.

* I had previously thought that The Photographer might show some legs, but it dropped rather precipitously this week.

Shameless Friend Promotion: Lieber's Going Underground

Pal and artist-extraordinaire Steve Lieber is teaming up with writer-of-awesome Jeff Parker to produce Underground, coming in September from Image (two weeks after Whiteout hits theaters). It's an adventure mini-series about caving, and of course looks like it'll be a darn good read.

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: The Last Straw
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
4 (-). Watchmen
5 (-). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
6 (+2). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 3: Century, No. 1: 1910
7 (-1). The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
8 (+6). Final Crisis *
9 (-2). Star Trek: Countdown TPB
10 (-1). Mercy Thompson Homecoming *
11 (+6). Batman: The Killing Joke
12 (+9). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
13 (-3). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
14 (+10). Wolves at the Gate (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 3)
15 (-2). Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans *
16 (+10). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
17 (-5). Stephen King's Dark Tower: Treachery
18 (-2). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
19 (-8). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
20 (N). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1972
21 (+9). Thor, Vol. 2 *
22 (-3). Bone: One Volume Edition
23 (-5). V for Vendetta
24 (N). Batman: Year One
25 (N). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5) *
26 (+22). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
27 (+2). Blueberry Girl
28 (N). Berserk Volume 29
29 (N). Star Wars: Vector Volume 2 - Chapters 3 & 4 *
30 (N). Trinity Vol. 1
31 (-). Angel: After the Fall, Vol. 3
32 (-9). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
33 (N). Wrapped-Up FoxTrot: A Treasury with the Final Daily Strips
34 (-1). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
35 (N). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
36 (N). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb *
37 (N). Nevermore *
38 (-18). Bleach, Vol. 27
39 (+1). The Complete Persepolis
40 (N). The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 1 *
41 (N). American Born Chinese
42 (N). Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!, Volume 4
43 (N). Buffy The Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 7 *
44 (N). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
45 (N). Escape from the Forest (Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha, No. 2)
46 (N). X-Force Vol. 2: Old Ghosts *
47 (N). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2
48 (-20). The Joker
49 (N). Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Volume 7
50 (N). Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 12


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


Commentary:

* While the top of the list remains relatively stable, the bottom shows a lot of debuts this week.

* Kind of surprised to see pre-orders for Final Crisis moving up into the top 10. Also surprised to see Trinity showing up on the list. I suspect that these are just regular super-hero readers grabbing up Amazon-level discounts.

* Upward movement with Buffy titles, no doubt due to the 5th volume becoming pre-orderable.

* I'm always surprised when backlist titles such as Batman: Year One and American Born Chinese suddenly pop up on the list for no discernible reason.

* Looks as though The Photographer may have some legs after all. We'll see if it holds up over the next few weeks.