The Top 100 Selling Graphic Novels For June 2005

This list comes from digging through sales figures, asking too many questions and using Diamond Comics information. The snotty comments in white are from deep in Cory's sick twisted little brain. It's only partial, and Cory!! may go back and fill in the rest of the comments, but don't count on it. He's going to concentrate on making sure that he keeps up from now on, rather than deal with ones he didn't have time for when work crushed his tiny little soul.

1 WE 3 TP (MR) $12.99 DC 7,689

Sales-wise, not a blockbuster, but it really surprised me that this was the best-selling graphic novel of the month. Not because it isn’t good, because it is, but there’s not a single super-hero in this story of three animals used in military experiments escaping from captivity, and normally, you have to have a super-hero or a ninja to be the top selling graphic novel of the month. The story by Grant Morrison is his best in years, and Quitely art shines through the entire book. One of the best graphic novels of the year, and highly recommended.

2 MARVEL 1602 TP $19.99 MAR 6,210

Now, if I remember right, the hardcover of this book is only $5 more. It’s worth the extra $5, and this would be the third time I’d reviewed it, so: Neil Gaiman, Marvel Universe, literary references, yadda, yadda, yadda. Highly recommended.

3 FRUITS BASKET VOL 10 GN (OF 14) $9.99 TKP 5,545
4 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 3 N-ZONE TP $12.99 MAR 5,323

The Ultimate version of the FF doesn’t hold the same “magic” for me that the original version does…there just isn’t the charm that the Kirby stories had, or the history that the best FF stories have now, so it comes off as retreads of better stories, and is not one of the better Ultimate comics.

5 BATMAN WAR GAMES ACT TWO TP $14.99 DC 5,262

More of the Big Batman Crossover story from last summer. And it wasn’t all that good. But it’s still easier to follow than having to buy 5 – 7 different series to get the whole story, which is the worst thing about the Big Batman crossovers.

6 SUPERMAN INFINITE CITY HC $24.99 DC 5,061
7 SUPERMAN GODFALL TP $9.99 DC 4,805
8 NEW TEEN TITANS WHO IS DONNA TROY TP $19.99 DC 4,523

Reprinting one of the best story arcs from the Wolfman/Perez days, which everyone who has worked on the comic since has tried to emulate. Wolfman was one of the few comics writers that could make a big “gee, I have to fix continuity” stories palatable, and that mostly came through his solid character-driven stories. Perez’s art is some of the best of his career, and while it IS a continuity heavy story, it’s also one that new readers can pick up and figure out pretty easily. Mildly recommended, since everything in it has been made more confusing since.

9 ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 4 TP $16.99 MAR 4,469

This is some of the best super-hero comics of all time. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee were at their creative peak, and the stories showed it, with action, drama and some of the best art ever in comics. Joe Sinnot’s inking would tone down Kirby’s stylistic problems, and Stan brought Kirby’s cosmic ideas down to a level where they were still character driven. If you could only buy one graphic novel this month, I’d get this one, as it’s the best bang for your buck, and stories that are even better now than they were then. Highly recommended.

10 LIFE & TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK TP $16.99 GEM 4,342

An embarrassment of riches this month…possibly the best Disney comic ever. Playing off the character’s name and gruff personality when first introduced, Rosa takes the character traits Barks used and explains not just how he became “the richest duck in the world”, but why he was so tough and hostile, and why all of the family members Barks alluded to in his stories weren’t around any more. Deeper and richer than what most people think of when they think of a Disney comic book, Rosa shows that the thing that makes a story work is having characters that the reader cares about. If you haven’t ever read a Disney comic book because “it’s kid’s stuff”, “The Life And Times Of Uncle Scrooge” is one that will surprise you, and is as good, if not better, than any of the “historical fiction” sitting of the shelf of your local bookseller. Highly recommended.

11 JSA VOL 8 BLACK REIGN TP $12.99 DC 4,268

The JSA continues its run as DC’s best super-hero comic. This one, following up on dangling threads from the run, show that everything on the book is planned, and even throw-away bits “go somewhere.” It’s one of my favorite comics and is highly recommended.

12 X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG HC $19.99 MAR 4,207

The ONLY reason to buy this is Greg Land’s art, as the story turns into an amazing mess about half-way through, and never quite recovers. But, the art is awfully purdy.

13 BATMAN BEGINS THE MOVIE & OTHER TALES OF THE DARK KNIGHT TP $12.99 DC 4,180

I don’t understand why anyone would buy a comic adaptation any more. There are also 4 random Batman stories that give some background for people who haven’t ever read a Batman comic before, but it would be better if they picked up Batman: Year One instead.

14 BATTLE ROYALE VOL 13 GN (OF 14) (MR) $9.99 TKP 4,147

About the only manga I buy anymore, not because I dislike them, but because they are shoveling so many out onto the market, I can’t make heads or tails out of them. And, most of them sell in bookstores, so comic shops don’t have them on the shelf for browsing to see what ones are good, and what ones suck. Note to comic shops…no one knows everything that is coming out, and if it isn’t pointed out to us, we won’t know to order it. Quit making buying comics harder than buys CDs and we’ll buy more. I promise.

15 SMOKE #1 (OF 3) $7.49 IDW 4,133

This is not a graphic novel. It is an overpriced 48 page comic book mini-series. And, if it were properly listed, it would be in toward the bottom of the “Top selling comics” list.

16 WALT DISNEYS VACATION PARADE #2 $8.95 GEM 3,811

This is another GN that isn’t really a graphic novel, but an overpriced comic. This reprints old Disney comics stories, and would be a great comic, except that the price puts it out of reach of the kids who might be interested in it. I wish that Gemstone would just give up on putting out the Disney stuff as traditional comics and use the “manga” format for their reprints, getting them in the hands of kids instead of having them sit on shelves, unsold.

17 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 15 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,562
18 LUCIFER VOL 8 THE WOLF BENEATH THE TREE TP (MR) $14.99 DC 3,508

Continuing the Vertigo series reprints, but this one starts with a beautifully drawn story by P. Craig Russel, and the rest…well, let’s just say that if you haven’t been reading this for the previous 7 books, this one will make no sense to you. OK?

19 BATMAN SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN TRINITY TP $17.99 DC 3,394

The trade paperback of the hardcover of the mini-series. If you haven’t bought it by now (and it’s by Matt Wagner, so why haven’t you?) you should buy it now. Wagenr’s art is rich, iconic and gives the story of the three characters a gravitas that few artists could pull off. I’m biased, but this is highly recommended.

20 SILENT HILL THE GRINNING MAN $7.49 IDW 3,334

Another 48 page comic masquerading as a graphic novel to cover up that it has horrid sales. But we don’t buy that, Do We?

21 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL VOL 14 LAST BLOOD TP (MR) $17.95 DAR 3,186
22 FANTASTIC FOUR THE MOVIE TP $12.99 MAR 3,125

Another movie adaptation, another puzzled look from me as people buy this instead of a DVD with the actual movie and stuff in 4 months.

23 FANTASTIC FOUR VISIONARIES GEORGE PEREZ VOL 1 TP $19.99 MAR 3,098

Perez wasn’t on the FF for very long, and he was plagued by blown deadlines, but his issues were the first non-reprint FF I read as a kid, so I loved them. Going back and reading them, they are STILL good, but I wish he could have been better about hitting deadlines so that he could have finished the “Galactus/Counter Earth” story, and the whole “Reed Richards replaced by an evil duplicate” run. Still, this is a nice way to see some early Perez work inked by Joe Sinnot. Mildly recommended.

24 DARKSTALKERS VOL 1 TP $12.99 DEV 3,004
25 NEGIMA VOL 6 GN (MR) $10.95 RAN 2,883
26 DONALD DUCK ADVENTURES VOL 12 TP $7.95 GEM 2,782
27 CLIVE BARKERS THIEF OF ALWAYS VOL 3 TP $7.49 IDW 2,682
28 LIBERTY MEADOWS VOL 3 SUMMER OF LOVE TP $14.95 IMA 2,601

More reprinting of this comic strip, that should have gotten a better run in newspapers. Cho says he will keep doing it, but it’s been months since a new issue came out, and he has a LOT of Marvel work coming down the pike, so it may be gone now. I would rank this strip with Bloom County as one of the better comic strips of the last few years, and it is highly recommended.

29 CAPTAIN AMERICA BY JACK KIRBY BICENTENNIAL BATTLES TP $19.99 MAR 2,554

Yeah, by the 70’s, Kirby’s stuff had gotten incredibly quirky, but the art and story still have a lot of power and fun, and Kirby’s Captain America is really the only one that’s been any good. It’s not top flight Kirby, but it’s still a blast to read, and his take on the Bicentennial was his best story in his 70’s run on the character. Highly recommended.

30 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 1 HC $29.99 MAR 2,446

Marvel’s habit of putting out a hardcover AFTER the paperbacks is more than annoying, and probably cuts the sales of the hardcover more than Marvel would like. Again, this is an OK super-hero series, but it doesn’t have that magic that the regular universe Fantastic Four has, partly because they aren’t the First super-heroes, and partly because they are just second handing the work Kirby did making the book special. For completists only.

31 SAIYUKI VOL 9 GN (OF 9) (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,433
32 BATMAN TALES OF THE DEMON NEW PTG $17.99 DC 2,413

Reprinted to tie in with the Batman movie. The stories may be from the 70’s (and they aren’t by Neal Adams, which proves my memory is falling apart), but they hold up well, with little of the purple prose that seems to permeate 70’s comics. The characters are interesting, and reading the stories in sequences helps me make a LOT more sense of the dynamic in play between them all, since it was verra confusing when I came in partway through the story in the 80s. A solid Batman collection and good for people who liked the movie.

33 DEARS VOL 3 GN (OF 6) $9.99 TKP 2,413
34 HULK GRAY TP $16.99 MAR 2,399

I thought this was already out in paperback…shows how much I know. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale do another of their “modernizing the origin” stories that they have done so well over the years. Hulk is one of the hardest, since his origin was such a mess, and the approach to the character went through massive shifts of tone over the years. Still, it’s probably the best non-Peter David Hulk story I’ve read and is highly recommended.

35 BLEACH VOL 7 TP $7.95 VIZ 2,399
36 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS WOLVERINE CLASSIC VOL 1 TP $12.99 MAR 2,352

You have no idea how sad it makes me that comics I remember selling in my time as a retail drone are now considered “classics”. This was the first attempt at a Wolverine solo series, and it ran bi-weekly in Marvel Comics Presents For about 10 issues. It’s a decent enough story, but showed that Claremont’s writing tricks were wearing thin. For Wolverine fans who don’t have this, it explains the “Madripoor” thing. If you aren’t already a Wolverine fan, this won’t make you one.

37 XXXHOLIC VOL 5 GN $10.95 RAN 2,352
38 MICKEY MOUSE ADVENTURES VOL 4 TP $7.95 GEM 2,352
39 WALKING DEAD VOL 3 SAFETY BEHIND BARS TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 2,312

Reorders of last month’s best-selling graphic novel. Still highly recommended.

40 NEGATIVE BURN WINTER 2005 $9.95 IMA 2,305
41 SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE VOL 3 VAMP TP (MR) $12.99 DC 2,285

DC continues reprinting this series, which is one of the uncovered gems of early Vertigo. By the third storyline, most people had dropped the book because it wasn’t connected with Neal Gaiman’s Sandman series, but it was a brilliant mystery comic set in the late 30’s and early 40’s. Brilliant characterizations and solid art makes this comic highly recommended.

42 X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR HC $19.99 MAR 2,285

OK, I read this as a mini-series, and it was unreadable shite. I doubt having it between a pair of cardboard covers will make it any better.

43 BATMAN ARCHIVES VOL 6 HC $49.99 DC 2,265

Reprinting stories that aren’t anywhere close to the peak of Batman. By this time, Batman was popular enough that DC had developed a formula and stuck to it. The problem with it is now that the formula was in a monthly comic, and this is a LOT of those stories in one big book. For completists and Golden Age collectors only.

44 ICE HAVEN GN $18.95 RAN 2,225
45 CHRONO CRUSADE MANGA VOL 5 TP $9.99 ADV 2,211
46 WALKING DEAD VOL 1 DAYS GONE BYE TP (MR) $9.95 IMA 2,204

STILL selling, which is pretty amazing. When this comic was announced, I was sure it would going to do better than the average Image book, but it looks to me like it is probably their best selling trade by a long shot. Which is good, since it is exactly what it says it is, a series set in a world after a zombie apocalypse, with decent horror, solid characters, and solid writing and art. Highly recommended.

47 SAMURAI DEEPER KYO VOL 14 GN (OF 27) (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,171 48 BATMAN HUSH VOL 1 TP $12.95 DC 2,104

Still selling for the people who like the Jim Lee stuff. I don’t see his Superman stuff selling this well over time, though.

49 STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 16 MOLLY & POO TP $8.95 ABS 2,070
50 METAL GEAR SOLID VOL 1 TP $19.99 IDW 2,030
51 PRINCESS AI VOL 2 LUMINATION GN (OF 3) $9.99 TKP 2,030
52 YOTSUBA MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99 ADV 1,969
53 LITTLE LULU VOL 4 SUNDAY AFTERNOON TP $9.95 DAR 1,949

I LOVE this series. It reprints the old Little Lulu stuff from the 40’s, but it is timeless, and if you didn’t know it was done in the 40’s, you wouldn’t be able to tell. The stories are filled with gentle humor, slapstick and wry workplay, all in the same package. Highly recommended.

54 BATMAN HUSH VOL 2 TP NEW PTG $12.99 DC 1,895
55 FULL METAL PANIC OVERLOAD MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99 ADV 1,875
56 NEW X-MEN ACADEMY X VOL 2 HAUNTED TP $12.99 MAR 1,875

I really want to like this book. Even as a kid, I loved the idea of super-hero kids in training, but this book just hasn’t had that thrill for me. Maybe it’s that there are too many characters, and maybe it’s because the X-Men franchise is played out, but in the end, I just can’t find it in myself to care.

57 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 2 DAME TO KILL FOR 2ND TP (MR) $17.00 DAR 1,862
58 FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS HC $45.00 MAR 1,835

A GREAT package, cheaper than buying the Masterworks, and it comes with all of the original ads and letters pages. Yeah, it wasn’t until around issue 40 that it became the mindblowing Kirby ride everyone thinks of when they think of the FF, but these are the stories that created the Marvel mystique, and other than a couple clinkers in the first 10 issues, it holds up well as fun entertainment. Highly recommended unless you already have them in Masterworks, Essentials, or other reprints.

59 STAR WARS EPISODE 3 REVENGE OF THE SITH TP $12.95 DAR 1,794

You know that movie you will be buying for $17 at Target in a few months? You can pay $13 and get a stiffly drawn comic book of it now!

60 BATMAN DARK KNIGHT RETURNS TP $14.95 DC 1,774

Frank Miller’s classic Batman story, and probably should be the first Batman story someone over 18 should buy. A classic, and selling well, due to the “Frank Miller did Sin City” vibe.

61 GET BACKERS VOL 10 GN (OF 26) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,754
62 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 4 THAT YELLOW BASTARD 2ND TP (MR) $19.00 DAR 1,741
63 LEGION OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN THE ABSOLUTE ED VOL 2 OVERSIZED HC $75.00 DC 1,721

Another of the “Deluxe DVD” collections DC is doing lately, and if you liked the comic, this is a great way to get it. It has scripts, oversized pages and the like, but it’s NOT for the casual reader. I love this comic, but it’s not one that I would get in this format. Look for this kind of thing to come out more often from DC, since they seem to be doing well.

64 SAKURA TAISEN VOL 1 GN $9.99 TKP 1,700
65 AGE OF BRONZE VOL 2 SACRIFICE TP $19.95 IMA 1,694
66 RG VEDA VOL 2 GN (OF 10) $9.99 TKP 1,667
67 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 6 BOOZE BROADS BULLETS 2ND TP (MR) $15.00 DAR 1,660
68 GRAVITATION VOL 12 GN (OF 12) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,653
69 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER VOL 2 4000 AD HC $49.95 DAR 1,647

Dark Horse is starting do their own version of “Archives” of Silver Age work. The problem is that they weren’t around in the Silver Age, and DC has pretty much bought up the rights to anything that came before 1975 that’s worth having and isn’t Marvel, so they’re stuck with this pretty mediocre series.

70 GUNSLINGER GIRL MANGA VOL 3 TP (MR) $9.99 ADV 1,640
71 BIG BEEFY BOOK OF BART SIMPSON TP $13.95 BON 1,640
72 DRAGONBALL Z VOL 20 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,626
73 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 1 HARD GOODBYE 2ND TP (MR) $17.00 DAR 1,606
74 WALKING DEAD VOL 2 MILES BEHIND US TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,606

More re-orders. I said before this comic came out that it would be a huge hit, but it would take time. I wonder with all of the re-orders if the trade paperbacks haven’t outsold the original comic’s sales. A GREAT version of “what would happen after the zombies show up” genre, and highly recommended.

75 BECK MONGOLIAN CHOP SQUAD VOL 1 GN (OF 19) $9.99 TKP 1,553
76 BATMAN YEAR ONE DLX ED HC $19.99 DC 1,526

This reprints the best four issues of the Batman comic ever done. Excellent art, a note-for-note perfect crime story that gives you everything you need to know about Batman. Highly recommended.

77 KARE KANO VOL 16 GN (OF 18) $9.99 TKP 1,499
78 CAPTAIN AMERICA & FALCON VOL 2 BROTHERS & KEEPERS TP $17.99 MAR 1,479

Reprinting more of this cancelled series. I never much cared for either the artist or the writer, so imagine my surprise when I didn’t care for this series.

79 ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 8 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,472
80 EARTHBOY JACOBOUS GN $17.95 IMA 1,445
81 WATCHMEN TP NEW PTG $19.99 DC 1,438

Still selling after almost 20 years. A wonderfully done graphic novel that may well be the best designed work in comics. The story stumbles a bit at the end, but it is so good, you won’t notice. Why don’t you have this yet?

82 BLUE MONDAY VOL 4 PAINTED MOON TP (MR) $11.95 ONI 1,432
83 EX MACHINA VOL 1 THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS TP (MR) $9.95 DC 1,425
84 KING OF HELL VOL 10 GN (OF 10) $9.99 TKP 1,405
85 MARVEL MASTERWORKS GOLDEN AGE SUB-MARINER VOL 1 NEW ED HC $49.99 MAR 1,398

Too bad this didn’t sell better. I have a love for Marvel’s Golden Age work, partly because it hasn’t been reprinted as much as DC’s, and partly because it was all action and gonzo plotting. I can’t say any of these stories are GOOD to modern readers, but there is a level of fun that is missing in current comics. For Golden Age fans, this is a must buy.

86 NAIL VOL 1 TP (MR) $14.95 DAR 1,364 87 INCAL VOL 2 THE EPIC JOURNEY TP (MR) $19.99 DC 1,358
88 TAROT WITCH OF T BLACK ROSE VOL 3 TP (MR) $24.99 BRO 1,351
89 NEW INVADERS TO END ALL WARS TP $19.99 MAR 1,344

Oh, this was such an utter piece of shite that even I couldn’t read the whole thing. It’s painful, and the editor who allowed it to see print should be injured.

90 WIZARD BEST OF BASIC TRAINING DLX TP $29.99 WIZ 1,337
91 BEST OF SPIDER-MAN VOL 4 HC $29.99 MAR 1,331
92 WARS END PROFILES FROM BOSNIA 1995-96 HC (MR) $14.95 DRA 1,324
93 MARVEL MASTERWORKS CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL 2 NEW ED HC $49.99 MAR 1,317

I have heard that Marvel is disappointed with the sales on this…but they should know that the Golden Age fanbase is vocal but small, and most of them bought these when they reprinted them as a hart-cover back in the 90’s, and again when they were reprinted as a paperback back in a few years ago. If you don’t have these stories, hunt down the paperbacks, as they reprint more issues for about $20.

94 HIKARU NO GO VOL 4 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,297
95 WHATS MICHAEL VOL 10 SLEEPLESS NIGHTS TP $8.95 DAR 1,284
96 MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN TEAM UP VOL 1 HELP FRIENDS DIGEST TP $7.99 MAR 1,277
97 HEAT GUY J GN $9.99 TKP 1,277
98 JING KING OF BANDITS TWILIGHT TALES VOL 4 GN (OF 6) $9.99 TKP 1,264
99 FANTASTIC FOUR CLOBBERIN TIME DIGEST TP $7.99 MAR 1,264
100 YU GI OH DUELIST VOL 5 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,257

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