The Top 100 Selling Grahpic Novels for March 2006

Thanks for checking out this column which is a look at sales of Graphic Novels where I comment on their sales, if they are any good or whatever other snarky remarks come to mind as I look over the sales figures.

So, what is this list? Every month, Diamond Comics (the company that ships comic books to comic book shops) list the sales figures of the previous month so that they can list actual sales through the entire month, but they list it in the form of “average number of copies sold to each comic shop”. Then, the site ICV2 goes through the numbers they post and attempts to turn it into an approximation of the actual number of books sold. This doesn't doesn't list the graphic novels sold in bookstores, just comic book shops which is where the big publishers like Marvel, DC and Image sell most of their books, but Manga publishers sell far more in stores like Barnes and Noble or Borders.

1 V FOR VENDETTA TP $19.99 DC 7,127

A 15 year old graphic novel hitting the top of the sales charts? Shows what a move can do for your sales. I'm glad that the movie got so many people to read this book, since it is one of the best graphic novels of all time. Head and shoulders above most other works in comics, and with Alan Moore at the peak of his talent, this is a story that is just as important as “Brave New World” or “1984”, and is a hell of a lot more entertaining that either. Highly recommended.

2 FRUITS BASKET VOL 13 GN (Of 14) $9.99 TKP 6,164

This series has been the #1 manga book in book stores for over a year, and comic stores are finally starting to catch up with its popularity. I have no idea if it is any good or not, since it is a story to appeal to teenage girls, and I am neither.

3 SHOWCASE PRESENTS SUPERMAN FAMILY VOL 1 TP $16.99 DC 5,200

The ONLY reason this book could have sold so well is that the people who bought it want to wallow in nostalgia. This reprints the first 20 or so issues of Jimmy Olsen from the 50's, and NONE of these stories have aged well. They all feature Superman dealing with gimmicky plots, lot of bad guys in impeccable suits and Jimmy Olsen turning into a wide variety of odd things. Marvel's stuff from the Silver Age is still fun because they had great artists working on the books, and Stan Lee knew to keep thing moving with humor. DC's Silver Age books don't hold up well to re-reading, and while this is a cheap, fun book, I defy anyone to read more than three stories in a row without their brain exploding.

4 SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY VOL 2 TP $14.99 DC 5,159

This is the second volume of Grant Morrison's “Big Event”, and it's one of the few that I don't think works as a trade paperback. Since it made up of seven different four part mini-series as well as bookend issues, it's hard to collect into trade form, so they are collecting the series in the order they were published. It's too bad they work so poorly in this format, since each of the seven mini-series have shown just how good Morrison is at making old, ignored characters interesting and vital. It's better to buy them as individual issues, but if you can't, this is still a great work that you'll need all four volumes to read properly.

5 NARUTO VOL 9 TP $7.95 VIZ 5,019
6 SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOL 9 TP (MR) $9.95 DAR 4,844

There's not a lot of manga I buy, mostly because there's so much of it, and it's aimed at younger readers, but this is one of the few that I feel appeals to older readers who know nothing about manga. It's a spin-off of the classic “Lone Wolf And Cub”, but it's not necessary to read that series to read this book. IN fact, each of the books works as a separate story, much like a good TV series. It is set in Feudal Japan, and has simple stories, beautifully drawn. Highly recommended.

7 SECRET WAR HC $29.99 MAR 4,719

And the final issue was only a little over a YEAR late. This is a great IDEA for a story, but much like House of M, the story itself isn't so good, and has some wonderful painted art. The main plot (where to super-villains get all of their high tech equipment) is a good set-up, and the idea that a group of super-heroes took part in a mission so secret, even THEY don't have memories of it is fascinating, but in the end, the story doesn't live up to it's premise, and spends more time in the set up than in the plot. If you're interested, wait for the paperback, as this isn't a book you're going to read more than once.

8 ESSENTIAL GODZILLA TP $19.99 MAR 4,579

OK, there is no pretense here to this being anything but what you think it would be. In the late 70's, Marvel did a Godzilla comic where their characters tried to stop Godzilla from destroying things, and generally failing. This was also during Godzilla's cheapest era, where the movies were aimed directly at kids, so the studio didn't feel like spending a lot of money on the movies. Godzilla lasted about two years, and Marvel has reprinted their run in this book...and it will only be given one printing. It reads slightly better than a 70's Godzilla movie, and is also a book that was aimed at kids in the 70's. But still, you get Godzilla VS the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and destruction of Seattle and New York.

9 CAPTAIN AMERICA WINTER SOLDIER VOL 1 TP $16.99 MAR 4,447

Captain America is a comic that Marvel has TRIED to make more relevant over the last decade or so, but it took Ed Brubaker to actually make it so. This is the first half of the opening story of the new Captain America series, and instead of trying to have Cap fight terrorists and the like, it deals with the history of the character in a way that new readers can get a sense of how long the character has been around without wallowing in past stories. The art has a dark feel to it, and the story reads as if John LeCarre had written a super-hero story. Highly recommended and a big surprise for readers.

10 WIZARD BEST OF BASIC TRAINING CHARACTER CREATION TP $19.99 WIZ 4,321
11 CHRONICLES OF CONAN VOL 10 GIANTS WALK EARTH TP $16.95 DAR 4,077

Continuing the reprints of the Marvel Conan series of the 70's, newly colored. John Buscema was with Marvel for forty years, and this was the series he liked drawing most...and it shows. Solid heroic fantasy, beautifully drawn and very faithful to the original Conan short stories, this series of trades is highly recommended.

12 JSA VOL 10 BLACK VENGEANCE TP $19.99 DC 4,035

JSA is a super-hero team with roots that stretch back to WWII, and normally, this is a series that I recommend highly. Normally, the writer is great at creating stories that seem like A Big Deal, but also gives the reader history without drowning them in continuity. This one, however, ties in so thickly with the Infinite Crisis buildup that it really isn't a stand-alone book.

13 LENORE VOL 3 COOTIES TP $13.95 SLG 3,979

Lenore is one of my favorite horror-humor books. It reads like a slightly more graphic “Addams Family” or a Gahan Wilson done as a comic book. The story appeals to gothy folks, but anyone who likes the dark humor of the Addams Family will love this book.

14 ESSENTIAL OFF HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIVERSE DLX ED VOL 1 TP $16.99 MAR 3,895

1.In the 80's, Marvel started a series that would explain their heroes powers in detail, as well as pseudoscience explanations for their powers. Want to know what Captain America's shield is made of? It's here. Want to know everyone who had ever been a member of the Serpent Squad? It's here. Want a story? Not here. This is a catalog, and since it's about 25 years old, a LOT of the stuff in it is outdated. For hard-core fanboys only.

15 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST VOL 6 TP $9.99 VIZ 3,811
16 RUNAWAYS VOL 5 ESCAPE TO NEW YORK DIGEST TP $7.99 MAR 3,783

Another comic that I love, and the digests are dirt-cheap for reprinting 6 issues. The series is about a group of teenagers who have discovered their parents are a super-villain team and have run away from home rather than be pressed into working for them. This volume deals with their trip to New York where most of Marvel's heroes are. It is filled with great characterization, and the teenagers talk and act like teenagers instead of adults in smaller bodies. A great series, and one where the super-hero stuff isn't the focus of the story. Highly recommended.

17 TOP 10 FORTY NINERS SC (MR) $17.99 DC 3,644

Wow, I'm slathering on the praise this month, but this is by Alan Moore (Watchmen, V For Vendetta) and shows that he can still bat it out of the park when he wants to. Top 10 is a series about a city where everyone has super-powers, and deals with how the police keep law and order. The story itself is great, but Moore puts in so much beneath the surface, you can find something new every time you read it. It will be a better read if you pick up the two “Top 10” trades that reprint the series, but this reads perfectly find on its own and is highly recommended.

18 NEW AVENGERS VOL 3 SECRETS & LIES PREM HC $19.99 MAR 3,630

Most of Marvel's series are “written for the trade”, meaning they are stories that are complete unto themselves in 6 – 12 issue chunks. Avengers, however, is one of the few that is written as an on-going story with no logical story breaks, and is the better for it. It's a good super-hero story that is a good read, even if you haven't ever read an issue before, but I don't think it works as a collection.

19 KINGDOM HEARTS VOL 3 GN (Of 4) $5.99 TKP 3,546
20 STAR WARS CLONE WARS VOL 8 LAST SIEGE FINAL TRUTH TP $17.95 DAR 3,539

Dark Horse has been putting out Star Wars comics for years, but most of them aren't ones I am interested in, since they don't feature the characters from the movies. The “Clone Wars” series has focused on the minor Jedi and filling in the gap between II and III...so it's another project for hard-core fans only.

21 NEGIMA VOL 9 GN (MR) $10.95 RAN 3,490
22 BATTLE ROYALE VOL 15 GN (Of 15) (MR) $9.99 TKP 3,448

I don't read a lot of manga (Japanese comics) because there is SO much out there I have trouble figuring out what is aimed at older readers and what is aimed at kids who miss Pokemon. This series is amazingly good and I'm glad I found it. It's set in the near future, and for a reality show, a Freshman class is taken to an island, each one is given a weapon of some kind, and the last one to survive wins. It's been a novel, a movie and now a manga in Japan. It is NOT for kids, but works as an action story, a political satire and a character piece, and is highly recommended.

23 DAREDEVIL VOL 13 MURDOCK PAPERS TP $14.99 MAR 3,400

And the praise continues....Daredevil has had a crime fiction feel for a long time, and this story continues the examination of “What if a super-hero had their secret identity outed.” The art looks like a series of old newspaper photos, and the story itself is masterfully written. Highly recommended.

24 ULTIMATE IRON MAN VOL 1 PREM HC $19.99 MAR 3,204

Orson Scott Card, best-selling SF writer wrote this mini-series, but he makes the mistake a lot of outside writers make when they do a comic series: They only tell PART of a story. This is an origin, and not much more. From what I hear, it's the first of three trades he's doing, but for $20, I want more than a first chapter.

25 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 24 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,190
26 ESSENTIAL NOVA VOL 1 TP $16.99 MAR 3,134

Another complete series from the 70's. Nova was a mid-line Marvel super-hero comic that never really took off. The stories are OK, but none of the villains are interesting at all, and the art in the latter half of the book is not appealing in any way. Still, it's the entire series for $17, less than $1 an issue, so if you're interested in 70's Marvel soap opera comix, this is a decent enough buy.

27 FORGOTTEN REALMS DARK ELF TRILOGY VOL 2 EXILE TP $14.95 DDP 2,981
28 INFINITY WAR TP $29.99 MAR 2,932

In the early 90's, the major super-=hero companies would have HUGE crossovers at least once a year. This was the sequel to “Infinity Gauntlet” and used a lot of their space-based characters. If you've never read a Marvel comic before, you are going to be so lost, you'll toss the book in a lake out of frustration. For fans who have the back issues and want a book collection of the mini-series.

29 EXILES VOL 12 WORLD TOUR BOOK 1 TP $16.99 MAR 2,883

Exiles is a spin-off of the X-Men featuring characters from alternate universes traveling to different alternate universes to stop something horrible from destroying them. And if that appeals to you, you'll like this convoluted, confusing comic. You pretty much have to have been a fan of Marvel comics for the past 25 years to know what is going on half the time, and this trade is no exception, with the cast dealing with Marvel's “New Universe” and the 2099 Universe. That's right, for hards-core fanboys only.

30 SQUADRON SUPREME DEATH OF A UNIVERSE TP $24.99 MAR 2,869

This reprints all of the Squadron Supreme stories after the 12 issue series from the mid 80's. Since the first batch of stories are from the late 80's and the rest are from about 5 years ago, there is a HUGE style shift, and it doesn't really flow so much as a single story. The concept of the Squadron Supreme is that they are a version of the Justice League with minor name and costume changes, and while the mini-series was a decent enough story, what's been done with the characters since doesn't hold a lot of interest.

31 ULTIMATE X-MEN ULTIMATE COLL VOL 1 TP $24.99 MAR 2,813

Reprinting the first year of this series AGAIN. It's now been reprinted three times. It's a new version of the X-Men for people who don't want to wade through 40 years of back story, and the first couple of years were well done. If you haven't already read these stories, this is a great way to pick them up. It's suited for people who have seen the movies and just want a casual X-Men story instead of investing in the massive soap opera that is the X-Men.

32 SILVER SURFER REBIRTH OF THANOS TP $24.99 MAR 2,618

Jim Starlin is one of my favorite comics creators. His Warlock comic from the late 70's was one of my favorites, and has held up well over the years. In the late 80's, he came back to Marvel, using his favorite creation as a villain once again. His stories weren't as carefully constructed as they were in the 70's, and the writing was a lot more mainstream, but it was still a big success. These stories are pretty much the best from the Silver Surfer series of that time period and feature art by the criminally underrated Ron Lim. A solid SF super-hero story that deserves this reprinting.

33 BIRDS OF PREY BETWEEN DARK & DAWN TP $14.99 DC 2,604
34 DONALD DUCK ADVS VOL 17 TP $7.95 GEM 2,562
35 AUTHORITY REVOLUTION BK TWO 2 (MR) $14.99 DC 2,541

The Authority was a comic that blew everything out of the water when it started up in the late 90's. Warren Ellis decided to do what he called “big screen” stories, which meant he was doing comic stories that felt like Big Summer Movie Blockbusters. The series was controversial, featuring the US Government as an antagonist (since Super-heroes were more powerful than nuclear weapons), massive death and destruction and frank sexual content that wasn't exploitive. That run is printed in a series of four books that are still available, and the series was canceled due to creative teams leaving the book after interference from DC editorial. However, it sold well, so they keep trying to bring it back, but with lesser creators and in a more restrained fashion.

So, how is this book? Remember when you would see a movie, liked it, and then they'd come out with a direct-to-video sequel that didn't feature any of the original actors? You'd rent it, it would suck and you'd demand your money back. That's this book.

36 NIGHTWING MOBBED UP TP $12.99 DC 2,541

Nightwing is the original Robin, all grown up. The character is one that has a huge fan base, and his solo series is one of the longer running series introduced in the 90's. When I read the issues reprinted in this, I had no idea why anyone still bought it. This story takes places after a “crisis of faith” for the character, and he starts working for a mob boss. It's never really explained why. The story doesn't so much resolve as it ends, wrapping up for a new creative team to try to make people forget this story ever happened. Avoid at all costs.

37 KARE KANO VOL 19 GN (Of 20) $9.99 TKP 2,457
38 MAXX BOOK SIX TP (MR) $19.99 DC 2,408

The Maxx was a comic by Sam Keith back in the early 90's, and was adapted into a animated series on MTV. DC has reprinted the issues that made up the series, and this book reprints all of the “spin-off” comics and related work that isn't directly a part of the story. While they are all great stories, The Maxx doesn't show up much in this book, and this reads a lot like it's the DVD extras for the series. Buy the first 5 before thinking of getting this book.

39 INCREDIBLE HULK PLANET HULK PRELUDE TP $13.99 MAR 2,387

The Hulk is a series that a lot of people have trouble with writing anymore. I don't know why that is, since the concept is pretty simple. Now, in order to get attention, Marvel has started a year-long story featuring The Hulk on an alien world in Gladiator combat with other aliens. Despite the silliness of the concept, it's been going well a a regular series. This trade reprints everything leading up to it and feels more like set-up that story.

40 X-MEN DARK PHOENIX SAGA TP $24.99 MAR 2,387

This is the story that made the X-Men the best selling comic for the past 25 years. It features Chris Claremont and John Byrne at their peak, and is a great blend of character writing and action/super-hero writing. If you only read one X-Men story, this is really the one to read, and it still holds up 25 years later. Highly recommended.

41 WALKING DEAD VOL 1 DAYS GONE BYE TP (MR) $9.95 IMA 2,373

Another big month for Walking Dead, which is probably close to being the best-selling graphic novel series currently going. Over the past six month, this trade has outsold the original issues it reprints, and over the past two years, has does so five fold. It is a great horror comic, and the best zombie story not done by George Romero I've ever seen or read. A must-read for horror fans, and recommended for everyone else.

42 DEARS VOL 6 GN (Of 7) $9.99 TKP 2,331
43 WALKING DEAD VOL 4 HEARTS DESIRE TP (MR) $12.99 IMA 2,325

More sales for the series. See above.

44 HELLBLAZER LADY CONSTANTINE TP (MR) $9.99 DC 2,318

When the Constantine movie came out last year, DC printed a few mini-series to try and tie-in with the popularity. The problem was that the comic and movie are so different, that very little crossover in sales occurred. This mini-series was about one of Constantine's ancestors, and the story is boiler-plate Vertigo horror. It's perfectly average in every regard and is pretty much for people who are already fans.

45 SUPERMAN DAILY PLANET TP $19.99 DC 2,311

As part of the buildup to the Superman movie, this trade reprints a few stories that focus on The Daily Planet from various decades. While the idea is a decent one, none of these stories are great, and a better book to get would be “The Greatest Superman Stories” which reprints stories from each era as well, but tries to go for the best ones. Or, get the “Superman In The” books that each cover a single decade like the 40's or 60's.

46 LADY SNOWBLOOD VOL 3 RETRIBUTION PT 1 TP (MR) $14.95 DAR 2,276
47 MICKEY MOUSE ADVS VOL 8 TP $7.95 GEM 2,276
48 WAR STORIES VOL 2 TP (MR) $19.99 DC 2,241

Garth Ennis is best known for his over-the-top series like Preacher of his early run on The Punisher where he tells violent stories filled with dark humor. However, his lesser known talent is being able to tell solid stories based on WWII, and DC is reprinting four of them here. The volume features great art by David Lloyd among others, and tells wart stories that focus on people, not flag waving. This is one of the few books on this list I'd recommended to people who aren't even interested in comics, because they are just great stories. Highly recommended.

49 ALL STAR ARCHIVES VOL 0 HC $39.99 DC 2,241

A Volume 0? Other than having to have a silly thing like that, this book reprints the two issues of “All Star Comics” that didn't feature the Justice Society, and features short stories of the character who would be members of the Justice Society. I don't know why they didn't put these in Volume one, since the only difference between these issues and #3 was that #3 had the Justice Society “wrap around” for the solo stories. Oh, and I'm a big fan of the Justice Society, but these stories are NOT for everyone as they were published back in 1940, have incredibly crude art and the stories themselves are slapdash pulp ripoffs. For collectors and comics historians only.

50 LULLABY ONCE UPON TIME VOL 1 PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN GN $5.99 ALI 2,185
51 DEATH NOTE VOL 4 TP $7.99 VIZ 2,164
52 X-MEN MUTANT GENESIS TP $19.99 MAR 2,066

I had to check to see what issues of the X-Men this reprints, and discovered that it reprints the first batch of issues of the second X-Men series from the early 90's. It has Jim Lee art and Claremont story, and is reprinting the best-selling comic of all time (X-Men #1). Now, almost 15 years later, the story is next to impossible to read. I don';t know which is worse, Claremont's overwritten script or Lee's pin-ups that are masquerading as storytelling. Avoid this one.

53 CABLE DEADPOOL VOL 4 BOSOM BUDDIES TP $14.99 MAR 2,066
54 HOUSE OF M TP $24.99 MAR 2,045

Back on the list after being number one last month. It was Marvel's big crossover from last summer, and has racked up big sales as a trade. As a stand alone story, it is all buildup to the Big Change at the end, and really doesn't appeal much to casual fans.

55 WILL EISNERS SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL 18 HC $49.99 DC 2,038

The Spirit is one of the best series ever done in comics, and if not for a couple of racial stereotypes (which were pretty pervasive when this was originally printed) it reads as if it were a current comic. The art is amazing, and each story is a gem. The best way to see if The Spirit is a book you're interested in is to pick up “The Best Of The Spirit”, which should be available at any decent comic shop. Then, start buying these volumes reprinting the entire run. They may be $50 each (although discounted copies are all over the place), but they are more than worth it.

56 CRYING FREEMAN VOL 1 TP $14.95 DAR 2,024

Reprinting a manga that was fully printed by VIZ a few years ago, this is a series about an assassin who is unable to stop himself from killing. It is a solid adult oriented book, with as much violence and sex as a Robert Ludlum novel, and a plot that is just as complicated. Highly recommended for fans of such books and movies as “The Bourne Identity”, and it doesn't have any of the elements people associate with mania. Instead, it has highly realistic art and realist storytelling.

57 SPAWN MANGA VOL 3 TP $9.99 IMA 2,010
58 X-MEN COLOSSUS BLOODLINE TP $13.99 MAR 1,941

Reprinting the completely unnecessary mini-series. I read it a few weeks ago and don't remember anything about it, which should tell you all you need to know.

59 BLACK PANTHER WHO IS BLACK PANTHER TP $14.99 MAR 1,934
60 CHRONO CRUSADE MANGA VOL 7 TP $9.99 ADV 1,892
61 WATCHMEN TP $19.99 DC 1,857

Still selling. Still great. Still the one book on the list that I recommend to everyone. Mainstream comics first real attempt at literature.

62 ALIAS OMNIBUS HC $69.99 MAR 1,843

This is a HUGE book that reprints ll 28 issues of the Marvel series, and has some “DVD extras” like sketches, the original “pitch” script pages and the like. This was Marvel's first “Adult” series and was a lot better than it had a right to be. It covers the story of a failed super-hero who has found work as a private investigator. While it is a great series, this is one of Marvel's books for the hard core fan, and the causal reader should look for the trade paperbacks instead.

63 THOR BLOOD OATH HC $19.99 MAR 1,675
64 DRAX THE DESTROYER EARTH FALL TP $10.99 MAR 1,661

I didn't expect to like this book. Drax is a minor character, and the creative team is mostly unknown to me, other than writer Kieth Giffen, who can do very good work or very bad work. This was one of his good works, tarting the whole idea from scratch, and creating a story that you don't need to know anything about the character's past to enjoy. The plot is that an alien prison ship crashes, and the “prisoners” take over a remote town. It's a solid plot, and at the end, you want to read more of the characters and their situation. Highly recommended.

65 TENJHO TENGE VOL 6 $9.99 DC 1,633
66 ROCKETO VOL 1 JOURNEY TO HIDDEN SEA TP $19.99 IMA 1,606
67 SUIKODEN III VOL 9 GN (Of 9) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,606
68 CHIBI VAMPIRE VOL 1 GN (Of 5) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,599
69 CONCRETE VOL 4 KILLER SMILE TP $12.95 DAR 1,557

Dark Horse is reprinting all of the “Concrete” graphic novels n new trade dress, and if you haven't read them before, it's a good time to pick them up. All of them feature incredible art, and solid stories. Like good Science Fiction, they take one fantastic element (Concrete is a man whose brain was put into an indestructible stone body by aliens) and then tells stories that are thinly veiled social commentary. Highly recommended.

70 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 25 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,550
71 MARVEL VISIONARIES JACK KIRBY VOL 2 HC $34.99 MAR 1,536

Anyone who has read my reviews knows that I am a Jack Kirby mark. He is, quite simple, the best comic book artist who ever worked in the medium, and this book shows more examples of why that is. It reprints some of his work from the 40's, a couple of Westerns and Romance stories to represent the breath of his work, and his best Thor story. It is a huge book, with hours of reading pleasure for only $30. This volume is better than the first one, and it's a shame it didn't sell better. Highly recommended.

72 LAST FANTASY VOL 1 GN (Of 5) $9.99 TKP 1,536
73 PSYCHIC ACADEMY VOL 11 GN (Of 11) $9.99 TKP 1,536
74 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 1 GIFTED TP $14.99 MAR 1,529

Joss Whedon, the writer/creator of Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has often said he is an X-Men fan, and this book shows that he has the talent to back up his love of the series. The ONLY X-Men book since Grant Morrison that is readable, and this first volume is the best of his run so far. Highly Recommended.

75 EVERY GIRL IS END OF THE WORLD FOR ME GN (MR) $8.00 TOP 1,515

Jeffry Brown has put out three collections of auto-biographical comics documenting his troubles with women, and how his relationships have fallen apart. They are crudely drawn, but the honesty he present himself with wins over the reader. This volume, which details how he recovered from the breakup in one of those volumes, is a bit more hopeful than his other work, but still feels like you are reading the diary of an Emo Kid. Mildly recommended.

76 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 2 DANGEROUS TP $14.99 MAR 1,515

More X-Men from Joss Whedon. Not quite as good as Volume 1, but it's still better than the other X-Men books out there.

77 OUR EVERLASTING VOL 2 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,515
78 READ OR DIE VOL 1 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,508
79 OUR KINGDOM VOL 2 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,501
80 YELLOW VOL 3 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,494
81 MY ONLY KING GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,494
82 GIRLS BRAVO VOL 3 GN (Of 10) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,487
83 SUPERMAN ADVS VOL 3 LAST SON OF KRYPTON $6.99 DC 1,480
84 SUPERMAN ADVS VOL 4 MAN OF STEEL $6.99 DC 1,473

Two more digest sized collections of the series based on the cartoon from the 90's. Until the very end, DC has top talent on the book, and these two collections reprint stories by Mark Millar, who is now best known for his work on Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men. These stories may have been aimed at kids, but are still great Superman stories, and come in at a VERY cheap price. A nice collection for casual readers.

85 FULL METAL PANIC MANGA VOL 9 TP $9.99 ADV 1,438
86 ULTIMATES 2 VOL 1 GODS & MONSTERS TP $15.99 MAR 1,438

Speaking of The Ultimates...this “more mature” version of the Avengers is still selling well, despite the fact that it is usually three months between issues. This book ends on a cliffhanger, and it will be at least fall of 2006 before the second part is available as a trade, so I recommend holding off on buying it.

87 WALKING DEAD VOL 2 MILES BEHIND US TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,438

Still selling. Still good.

88 BLEACH VOL 12 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,438
89 SUPERMAN RED SON TP $17.99 DC 1,431

This is one of the better “Elseworld” stories, which are stories where things happen differently than in the regular comics. The premise of this one is that Superman grew up in Soviet Russia instead of the US, and the underlying plot is inventive, interesting and gives the reader a LOT for the size of the book. A great read and highly recommended.

90 FUSHIGI YUGI GENBU KAIDEN VOL 3 TP $8.99 VIZ 1,424
91 WALKING DEAD VOL 3 SAFETY BEHIND BARS TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,417

As I said above, this is a great series, and his highly recommended.

92 I LUV HALLOWEEN VOL 2 GN (Of 3) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,403
93 METAL GEAR SOLID VOL 2 TP $19.99 IDW 1,396
94 WARCRAFT VOL 2 GN (Of 3) $9.99 TKP 1,340
95 RG VEDA VOL 5 GN (Of 10) $9.99 TKP 1,326
96 MARVEL MASTERWORKS ANT-MAN GIANT-MAN VOL 1 NEW ED HC $49.99 MAR 1,319

Normally, I'm a big fan of the Marvel Silver Age stuff. Stan Lee was teaming up with the best artists of the time, and putting out comics that are still fun to read now. However, there's a reason Ant-Man (who later became Giant Man) never took off, and that's because these stories just aren't very good. The entire run of the character has been reprinted in a $17 “Essential”, and at that price, it's a fun read. It's not good enough to be collected in an expensive volume like this, and this book is for hard-core collectors only.

97 ABANDONED VOL 1 GN (Of 3) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,319
98 TARZAN JOE KUBERT YEARS VOL 2 HC $49.95 DAR 1,319

Joe Kubert is best known for his work on Sgt. Rock, but his Tarzan work for DC in the 70's is loved by Tarzan fans. This series of books reprints those stories in a deluxe, hardcover format, and is made for people who love Tarzan by adapting the Tarzan novels into comics form. I have never been a big fan of the Tarzan novels, so I didn't much care for this book.

99 YUBISAKI MILK TEA VOL 1 GN (Of 4) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,305
100 Y THE LAST MAN VOL 6 GIRL O/GIRL TP (MR) $12.99 DC 1,263

And with that, we're done for another month! Thanks for reading and good luck at the comic shop!

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