TOP 300 COMICS
1 144,930 NEW X-MEN #114
2 136,170 UNCANNY X-MEN #394
3 135,300 X-TREME X-MEN #1
4 107,030 ULTIMATE X-MEN #6
Think the X-Men don't rule the roost? In April, no comic was above the 100,000 mark, and now ONLY the X-Books are above that line. And after reading the issues before these, I can see why they dropped. Lobdell's last story before Morrison and Millar took over was utter and complete shite. The "war" with Magneto was horribly paced, featured "new" characters that seemed like they were thought up while Lobdell was channel surfing "Hm...I'll put in a mobster like this guy on The Sopranos...and a guy who's partly invisible like Kevin Bacon in this Hollow Man ad", and the story was the worst of 90's comics writing with pointlessly "shocking" deaths and a buildup to no payoff.
That being said, while Casey's first issue of Uncanny looked good, it read like a fill-in story. The new "mood" of the book is refreshing, however, and even though the issue was a break from the endless soap opera that has been the X-Men from so long it was strange to see "The End" at the end of an issue.
X-Treme X-Men? Couldn't ANYONE come up with a better name than that?
As for New X-Men...it's not out as I write this, but I will be doing a full review of it, since I am such the big Morrison fan.
5 85,370 GREEN ARROW #4
The book continues to interest me. Smith has a gift than few people writing comics has...he can keep a mystery going for issue after issue without people feeling that it's being stretched out. More people in comic need to learn both this ability and another lost skill...making each issue feel like a complete entity even if it's part of a larger story.
6 84,780 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #9
Highly Recommended! The second story arc, featuring the Kingpin, doesn't have the drama of the first one, but is still incredibly entertaining and brings the feel of Spider-Man that has been missing for so long. My only problem (and it's a minor one) is that stories take too many issues to be told. Yes, I like how silent panels and reaction panels make the story more cinematic that static, but I think that the continued nature of book keeps away the target audience of new readers.
7 74,280 JLA #54
The 7th best selling comic sells half what the #1 best selling comic does. Amazing. The current story by Waid and Hitch has an epic sweeping feel to it, and takes an overdone story device (secret identities get their own lives) and makes it feel fresh and new. Very well done, and makes the JLA actually SEEM like the big deal it always should have been.
8 73,790 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #31
Strazinsky's first issue was a good set-up issue, putting all the pieces in place for his run, now we get to see where he's going. I'm still waiting to see if the book will be an upper tier comic again, but it looks as if Spider-Man might actually been a decent book to read again.
9 72,720 WOLVERINE #164
I gave it the flip test to see if it was worth reading with all the X-Changes, and it just didn't grab me. Wolverine seems to be the one Big Selling comic that doesn't get to have top line creators on it and it still sells. I would like it if someone came onto the book, said, "I'm taking Wolverine back to the basics and blowing away all the crap about his 150 different pasts." but if it works, why bother fixing it?
10 72,250 BROTHERHOOD #1
Written by "X", and Marvel is saying that the person doing it wants to get beyond the "superstar creator" mentality among fans. You know why there is a superstar creator mentality? Because some writers are better than others, and fans have learned to follow those writers. I did this as a kid...a book by Don McGregor or Steven Englehart was one I would pick up no matter what lame character they were working on. The days of buying a book because you just like the character are long gone, as people don't want to have to buy shitty books. Oh, and "X" is probably Howard Mackie, who has written so many painfully shitty books that people avoid him like the Kentucky Fried Chicken Salmonella Special. I'll give it a try, but if it's half as stupid and painful as the last 4 issues of Mutant X, I'll burn it and mail the ashes to Marvel.
11 67,780 AVENGERS #42
Marvel's Big Book, with wonderful art by Alan Davis, who should be considered a treasure to the comics industry. Busiek handles the traditional Marvel Soap Opera stuff AND the action sequences with such ease I wonder if he was genetically engineered to write this book.
12 66,210 ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM UP #4
The best thing about the Ultimate books is they feel fresh, exciting and new, which Marvel hasn't felt like since the late 70's. The issues featuring Spidey vs The Hulk actually made the fight seem interesting, with a great mix of Kirby bombast and Bendis's characterization touches. It's been a LONG time since I gave a damn about a superhero fight scene, but Bendis actually made a two issue fight scene seem interesting and a story itself instead of a "standard action sequence".
13 63,010 DAREDEVIL #18 (RES)
Marvel has really taken a chance on letting David Mack use his experimental style on a highly mainstream comic. It feels good to see that the book is doing well, and maybe it means that Marvel will open itself up for more experimental stuff. Now that Vertigo has settled into quite the boring rut, wouldn't it be weird if Marvel, of all companies, became the hip, cool comic company?
14 55,950 SPAWN #110
And it's amazing how this comic has dropped like a rock since issue #100. It's been shite for a lot longer, but it's almost as if fans read issue #100 and said, "This is the crap I've been wasting money on for 8 years? Screw that, McFarlane can take his 3 million dollar balls and..."
15 53,850 FANTASTIC FOUR #43
While still not blowing me away, a solid mid-line comic series that holds its own. I'm never going to jump up and down when a new issue comes out under the current team, but they aren't putting out the kind of crap that made readers wince all through the 90s.
16 52,500 X-FORCE #116
It'll be interesting to see how Allred's cartoony style goes over with mainstream Marvel fans. While I am not a fan of Milligan (and think his mainstream work on books like Batman were unreadably pretentious rather than innovative), I'm giving it a try to see if Allred can inject the same feeling of fun he puts into the books he writes into an X-Book.
17 52,320 PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN #31
Highly Recommended. Jenkins has a perfect grip on Peter Parker as a character, and his stories have been excellent when not having to cross over with inferior crap written by other people. If there were any justice in comic sales, this would be outselling the other Spicer-Man books by a fair margin.
18 52,210 RISING STARS #16
19 46,830 TANGLED WEB THE THOUSAND #2 (Of 3)
20 45,500 UNIVERSE X #10 (Of 12)
With all mini-series being immediately collected into book form, I wonder why people even buy the monthly version of them. I also have to wonder if anyone who hasn't been reading comic books for 20 years can figure ANYTHING out in Universe X, since it seems to rely so much on knowing the histories of minor characters for any sort of payoff. Ten years ago, something like that would be written off as fan-fiction. And selling 45,000 copies, I guess it still should be.
21 44,210 SUPERMAN #170
I have really enjoyed the Superman books the last few months. Self contained issues that don't feel like fill-ins, clean easy to follow art that conveys that this is Super-Freaking-Man and solid super-hero entertainment. I worry a bit about the big summer crossover that will consume the books this summer, but Superman is a good "Pick it up and enjoy it" comic.
22 43,620 JLA INCARNATIONS #1 (Of 7)
I wanted to like this book. The premise is Justice League stories in all of the different eras of the series, from the beginning of the Silver Age to current, but the first issue just didn't have anything special about it. I've READ stories about how the generational change of heroes between the Silver and Golden ages, and this was just another one. For a $3.50 a pop mini-series, I expected more, and what I got was a bland story I'll have forgotten before the next issue comes out.
23 43,520 THOR #37
This month's issue is by Marvel's New Official Fill-in Art Team, Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom. Starlin has a very inventive mind, but I have never much cared for his art style, preferring his writing to his art. Jurgens is the master of the bland story, so this one gets a pass from me.
24 43,360 BATMAN #591
OK, the wrap up on the Matches Malone story took the "Batman is a psycho" idea way too far, Ed Brubaker is back with this issue. All of the Batman books have improved significantly since the No Man's Land story without having Big Events, proving that solid storytelling in the long run is better than stunts for the short run.
25 41,390 JSA #24
Normally, this book hits the Highly Recommended list with ease, but the Hawkman story (while needed and welcomed) just isn't all that interesting. Yes, it's nice to see Hawkman back, and yes, it's good to clean up the nightmare his past has become, but all "continuity fixing" stories have the feel of reading a textbook instead of an entertaining comic book. Maybe the third part will change that feel.
26 41,070 DETECTIVE COMICS #758
Highly Recommended. Beautifully moody artwork, color used to enhance mood instead of just to blind the reader and point out "We have computers doing the color now!!" and a series of interesting developments inside well told stories. I'd buy this book even if it wasn't Batman.
27 40,120 MIDNIGHT NATION #8
Another mini-series I'll be buying as a book. Knowing Top Cow, the book will have about 30 - 50 more pages than the comics as well as all the special limited issues that are part of the story.
28 39,710 IRON MAN #42
After a run of painfully bad looking issues, I read last month's and didn't hate it. They are having Tony Stark give up his fortune to avoid all the bad publicity of the past two years and such, and while it could be an interesting story, Iron Man is starting to get the feel of...no matter what they do, it's been done to the character before. He's been broke and homeless, he's been replaced, he's rebuilt his company, and he's been a hunted criminal who then faked "Iron Man's" death. Maybe, unless this new story actually breaks some new ground, it's time to let Tony take some time off until someone can define the character in such a way that the book is worth being published every month.
29 39,450 OUT THERE #1
A new book by Ramos, who's "Crimson" was an under appreciated gem. The preview looks ok, and I'm willing to give it a chance.
30 39,280 CAPTAIN AMERICA #43
31 38,480 BATGIRL #16
*slips into a light coma brought on by severe boredom emanating from those two books*
32 38,130 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #592
Another of the Superman comics...still entertaining and above average and mildly recommended.
33 37,890 NIGHTWING #57
As with most Chuck Dixon written books, it's not BAD, it just feels like a mid season episode of a average TV series. One thing I haven't liked is how developments for THIS book take place elsewhere. I had to read in a different book that Nightwing and the former Batgirl are now considered an item, while the landlady he's been trying to date since the first issue of this book seems to have vanished in a cloud of indifference.
34 37,870 ACTION COMICS #779
Blah, blah, superman, blah, blah.
35 37,770 THUNDERBOLTS #52
Sales have picked up on the book as it gets less interesting, which is strange. The current plot (heroes are barred from using their powers and being heroes) is another that's been done so many times, I wonder if it's to try and trick us into thinking something else is going on. Hope so, because it's pretty darn bland right now.
36 37,660 INCREDIBLE HULK #28
Stop me if you've heard this before...person wakes up married to their dream girl in a perfect house, with perfect children and a perfect job, but thinks that something just isn't right...with dreams of their old horrible life. This is not my beautiful car. This is not my beautiful wife! Letting the days go by, water flowing underground. When did you stop me, first or second sentence fragment? Jenkins can do SO much better than this.
37 36,100 CABLE #93
Is anyone reading this? I don't mean buying it...I mean READING it? I think it's surviving the X-books clean house will be short lived.
38 36,040 SUPERMAN THE MAN OF STEEL #114
In all the time I've done this, no one has explained why some Superman books sell so much better than others when the stories are interconnected. So I have to conclude that people who do that are just psycho.
39 35,850 GREEN LANTERN #138
This book is frustrating in that the personal stuff is very well done, but the Superhero stuff is just painfully horrible. I like Winnick on other books that he creates himself, but I have to give up on this one, since it just irritates me how pointless bad the main plots are.
40 35,710 JLA BLACK BAPTISM #3 (Of 4)
The answer to the question, "Will DC put out too many JLA spin-off mini-series."
41 34,590 BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #17
The lesser light of the Batman comics for good reason. As a "Batman" book, he feels like a supporting character in the comic itself. Maybe it needs a refocus or a stronger editorial hand, but this is the most easily disposable of the Batman comics and doesn't get up to the entertainment levels of Batman or Detective.
42 34,520 BATMAN LEGENDS O/T DARK KNIGHT #143
I think Dixon should be pushed to write more books like this, where he has to have a beginning, middle and end to his story, since this is head and shoulders above his other work on Robin and Nightwing. A tight, well drawn (by Aparo who is allowing someone else to ink him for the first time I can recall) interesting story that explores two of Batman's most interesting foes.. Highly recommended.
43 33,140 JUST A PILGRIM #3
I'm waiting for the book, but most of the people I talk to say that this is another "Saint of Killers" story in a different setting, which doesn't surprise me.
44 33,070 DEFENDERS #5
Busiek seems to have a magic touch when it comes to Marvel teams, as this book is one of the best pure super-hero books being put out. It has to feel of the best parts of 70's Marvel with sharply defined characters interacting in Big fight scenes that seem to matter. I'm not saying that this is something to give to a non-comic reading friend to convince them that comics aren't for geeks, but it is a comic that as you read it, you'll feel like a 12 year old sitting in a hammock with a cold soda on a hot, lazy summer's day.
45 32,680 WITCHBLADE #48
46 31,050 MARVEL KNIGHTS #13
And this is a much less entertaining version of "The Defenders" that everyone kept doing when they would try to bring the book back. A bunch of second string character thrown together for no good reason, messy plots and acting like pale shallow versions of what they were like when done by more talented people. Yuk.
47 30,740 HARLEY QUINN #8
Highly Recommended. The plot has something to do with the Riddler and Harley trying to find something worth stealing in Wayne Manor, while Big Barda tries to stop them. But that doesn't matter...what matters is that this issue has the pacing of a good Bugs Bunny cartoon, with a hilarious payoff at the end, all done is artwork that is not just visually appealing, but pulls the reading through the story easily and playfully.
48 30,510 TITANS #29
A near perfect textbook example of an average bland comic book. Buy it if you have money left over and need about 15 minutes of spare time.
49 30,410 SPECTRE #5
Highly Recommended. Not only does it deal with Hal Jordon growing into his role as The Spectre showing more care than the character has been given in over a decade, but explores Two-Face the way writer DeMatties was able to explore and define the classic Spider-Man villains in stories like "Kraven's Last Hunt" or "Light The Night."
50 30,010 WONDER WOMAN #170
The stories haven't won me over. Jimenez's heavily Perez-influence is certainly nice to see, but I just can't work up an interest in the stories he's telling.
51 29,220 THUNDERBOLTS LIFE SENTENCES
A higher priced tie-in to the series. Haven't seen it yet, but I would imagine if you buy Thunderbolts you'll have to get it, but if you don't it won't be a good introduction since Thunderbolts is not a good book for jumping and knowing who is who...since every character has at least one secret they are keeping from all the other characters.
52 28,780 ROBIN #90
Another Chuck Dixon book treading water. It wouldn't bother me so much if the storylines didn't take forever to resolve. Issue by issue it's a quick empty read, but long term? How long until we resolve the story of Robin and Spoiler? It's already been going for two years that they are having "relationship trouble".
53 28,730 FLASH #174
Slowly picking up steam...bwa-ha-ha! Seriously, the book has been bland for a while, relying on Big alternate universe stories for seemingly ever, but the recent story of the deaths of people The Flash has saved shows the book to be gaining a new direction and maybe becoming a top read again.
54 28,640 STAR WARS INFINITIES A NEW HOPE #1
Star Wars What Ifs. Wake me when I am supposed to care.
55 28,560 APHRODITE IX #0
56 28,120 TOM STRONG #14
Highly Recommended. Tom Strong is the kind of book that should be read by even more people. A straightforward comic book that pulls from the goofy history of comics, while telling stories that are thoughtful and entertaining. Alan Moore casually writes comics that are better than most being published, and this one literally brings the sense of wonder back when you read a funny book.
57 28,030 MONARCHY #4
I read the first two issues of this "Authority" spin-off, and it felt like they had picked up the sylistic tricks of the series, but had forgotten to have a plot. All flash, no substance, a must to avoid.
58 27,670 X-MEN HIDDEN YEARS #20
Wow...an X-Book that sells in the bottom 10 of Marvel books. Guess Byrne DID annoy too many fans. I don't mind this comic, but when all comics have to trade in is nostalgia, they are going the way of radio drama.
59 27,610 POWERS #12
BUY THIS BOOK!! The current story of super-hero role players being killed shows that Bendis CAN write a ton of books and still write brilliant stuff. At least once per issue, I am taken aback by a sequence that feels so real, it should be read by actors on a stage.
60 27,060 CAPTAIN MARVEL #19
A nice piece of fluff that should sell better. It's not great, but it is better than some of the stuff that sells better. Like...Thunderbolts....
61 26,310 YOUNG JUSTICE #33
Does PAD have about 27,000 fans and everyone else ignores him? Young Justice is PAD's best book, and would sell a lot better if comics still had a teenaged audience.
62 25,920 DEADPOOL #54
Feh. But it's co-written by Marvel's President and the EIC's former business partner, so I guess it will keep being published no matter how bland it gets.
63 25,790 CATWOMAN #94
Bye bye. Coming back with a new creative team after being retooled in Detective Comics back-up slot. I like the new team, but wonder if 100 issues of a villain related continuing series is a good enough run and they should call it a night.
64 25,740 CITIZEN V #2 (Of 3)
65 25,660 BIRDS OF PREY #31
66 25,610 SPIDER-GIRL #34
OK, so sue me. I like this book. I never cared for DeFalco on any comic except Spider-Man, and this book (while aimed at a younger audience) has the best part of his Spider-Man run. The supporting cast is interesting, and DeFalco has made me interested in this "possible future" for Marvel characters. The other books in the line weren't as good, and have faded into quarter bins, but this one recently got a well-deserved reprieve.
67 25,400 STAR WARS JEDI VS SITH #2 (Of 6)
68 23,740 SHIDIMA #4
69 23,740 US AGENT #1 (Of 3)
70 23,700 HELLBOY CONQUEROR WORM #1 (Of 4)
Mike Mignola is one of the better artists working in comics, and Hellboy is a book he can fill with dark shadows (which he excels at) moody stories (which he writes with skill) and quirky, bizarre characters (which make the book fun to read). However, wait and buy it as a trade paperback.
71 23,680 STAR WARS #30 HUNT FOR AURRA SING
72 23,170 CODENAME KNOCKOUT #1 (MR)
I was going to pass on this book, as it looked like Vertigo T & A...and if I want T & A, I don't go to comics for it. But, it's a quirky take on secret agents, with a nice sense of humor, and engaging characters. Don't know how long they can keep it up, but I'll read it for a few issues to see if the series is as good as the one shot they used to launch it.
73 23,110 STARMAN #79
This book stumbles toward its conclusion, with this issue a flashback time travel story. It REALLY should have wrapped up with issue #50, before the creator got tired of it and brought in a co-writer.
74 22,460 10TH MUSE #4
75 22,020 LEGION WORLDS #2 (Of 6)
It can't be any worse than the Legion Lost mini-series. NOTHING could be as bad as the Legion Lost mini-series.
76 21,810 SUPERGIRL #58
This book should sell better as well, as PAD tells workman-like stories and the clean art makes them a joy to read. The current "road trip with a demon" series of stories has been fun, not GREAT, but fun.
77 21,790 ARIA SOUL MARKET #3
78 21,650 BLACK PANTHER #32
I keep hearing good things about this book, but when I pick it up and tell people that it was a mess, nealry unreadable and one of the worst books I've read in a while, I'm told, "It's an off issue." I don't think I've ever read a Christopher
79 21,260 GEN 13 #65
Adam Warren has made this book one of my favorite reads. It's more of a situation comedy than a super-hero book (lets see...can anyone name a single villain from the book? Didn't think so). Warren's love of Japanese comics shows with putting the characters in funny situation, loads of action, and a pace that moves the story rapidly. I'm kind of surprised it took him this long to land a regular series, and I hope this won't be the only one he writes.
80 20,480 GREEN LANTERN DRAGON LORD #2 (Of 3)
81 20,370 BATMAN LEAGUE OF BATMEN #2 (Of 2)
Two big Prestige books written by Doug Moench, who at one point was one of the best writers in comics. It's nice he gets to write these big stories, but none of them have made that much of an impression.
82 20,040 CRUX #2
83 19,920 SUPERMAN WHERE IS THY STING
84 19,920 CROSSGEN CHRONICLES #3
Is this what Perez left the Avengers for? *shakes head* I know that artists like to take chances, but doesn't he remember how he faded from view after Wonder Woman and his stint on the Avengers was called "A Comeback". No, it wasn't a comeback, he just did crappy comics no one wanted. This is going to be history repeating itself.
85 19,230 HELLBLAZER #162 (MR)
The last story (a 4 parter) started well and built wonderfully, only to be marred with a crap ending. That and it was more of a crime story than a Hellblazer story. Maybe it's time for the creative team to re-think their approach to ol' Johnny C, and write stories that fit the character better.
86 19,120 ROCK #1
Can you smell what the Rock ain't selling? All wrestling comics suck. This is no exception. And The 10th Muse is selling better? It's based on a talentless ring rat who hasn't been on TV in two years. But I guess her breasts sell better than the Rock's pecs.
87 19,100 FIRST #7
88 18,940 HELLSPAWN #10
So, Toddy Mac is bringing back Miracleman in this worthless piece of shite book. Hopefully there's a special place in hell just for him for things like this.
89 18,870 SANDMAN PRESENTS EVERYTHING...
...that DC can do to get more money for Neil's series. How about rather than rehashing and milking that series, you get some people to do something as equally creative and interesting. Is that too much to ask?
90 18,840 TENTH RESURRECTED #2
91 18,780 SCION #12
92 18,650 WILDCATS VOL 2 #23
93 18,450 SUPERBOY #88
Geez...I guess no one much likes the Joe Kelly version of the character. I can't remember what went on in the last issue, and that's never a good sign.
94 18,280 MYSTIC #12
95 18,010 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #33*
Two covers, no readers.
96 17,960 SAM AND TWITCH #22
Now Toddy Mac is writing hard boiled detective stories. Seeing as how Todd prides himself on not reading anything but the sports page, I wonder just how much DEEP HURTING trying to read this comic causes. The good news is that the creative team he booted to write the comic himself has landed on Daredevil. So, they will finally get the sales their work deserves.
97 17,660 SPAWN THE DARK AGES #27
98 17,520 F4 WORLDS GREATEST COMIC #6
Highly Recommended. I agree with Marvel's editor in chief, and the company needs to look forward instead of being mired in nostalgia, but this book shows just how fun those old Lee/Kirby books were. No, it's not as good as the real thing, but what could be? The FF the way they should be, and when you read this, you'll remember why those old books were so much fun.
99 17,420 TOMORROW STORIES #11
The one ABC book I don't much care for. I LOVE the Jack B. Quick stories, but most of the others leave me cold. The problem with it is, I guess, that Moore is trying too hard to "homage" other comics instead of doing his own thing.
100 17,180 SIGIL #12
101 17,050 BONE #43
Still a good read, but obviously done with an eye toward being books, so buy it that way.
102 16,890 MERIDIAN #12
103 16,690 AZRAEL AGENT O/T BAT #78
I dropped it with issue #75, after hoping that Denny O'Neil would regain his ability to write decent stories now that he doesn't have to be a group editor anymore. I was wrong.
104 16,640 OBERGEIST #2
Tow Cow's attempt at doing Vertigo type books. Looking at the sales, it looks like they succeeded. Too bad, like most of Top Cow's Stuff not by JMS, it's utterly unreadable.
105 16,630 100 BULLETS #24 (MR)
106 16,490 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #32
Cancelled due to low sales. I read it a few times, but the character has never really appealed to me. About the only real good story arc was the "Lost Tales" run which told times J'onn was involved in older DC Universe events we didn't know about until now.
107 16,250 LADY DEATH ALIVE #2
108 15,990 AMERICAN CENTURY #3 (MR)
Love this book. Yeah, Chaykin only has one type of lead character (an amoral bastard who does the right thing despite himself) and the art is a pale imitation of Chaykin's style, but it's still good, hard boiled adventure that leaves me wanting the next issue. Jump on now before it gets too convoluted to follow.
109 15,810 TRANSMETROPOLITAN FILTH O/T CITY
The second "pin-up" book that has "Spider Jersalem's columns" as the text for each picture. However, the "columns" are way too short to even be considered newspaper columns. The writing is good in them, but they wouldn't even rate as letters to the editor.
110 15,790 ORION #14
Still the best super-hero action book put out by DC. Simonson's art has a power that few comics artists can match, and even with Byrne pencilling the last two issues, the story (Orion now HAS the anti-life equation and is putting the universe in order) is interesting and exciting. And I have no idea what is coming next. Highly Recommended.
111 15,450 LUCIFER #14 (MR)
112 15,330 SAVAGE DRAGON #87
113 15,180 ELECTROPOLIS #1
114 15,140 SIMPSONS COMICS #58
My 12 year old son loves this book. I love this book. I think a lot of 12 year olds would like this book if they knew where to buy it. Anyone who watches the Simpsons should be reading it, as lately it's been better than the TV show. Would prolly sell a couple million copies a month if it had decent distribution and is currently being supported by trade paperback sales in bookstores.
115 14,820 SAILOR MOON #31
116 14,790 BUTCHER KNIGHT #4
I tried. Really. I did. I like King Arthur stories. I like redheads. I don't mind the addition of Lancelot to the King Arthur mythos by those annoying French translators. But this book hoovers. I defy anyone to read the first three issues and find a plot of any kind. And the fourth issue states it's a retroactive mini-series.
117 14,380 MUMMY VALLEY O/T GODS #1*
118 14,290 CRUSADES #3 (MR)
It took me a while to get into this book, but now that I've gotten into it, I love it. A knight from the Crusades is alive and in the modern world, slaying those who would do evil, while a talk radio host is going to use his exploits to further his career. Sounds odd? It is, and Kelly Jones's art is something people either love or hate, but I love it. Try the Prestige one-shot to see if it's your cuppa.
119 14,020 IMPULSE #74
OK, Martian Manhunter sells better than this book and it's cancelled, but this book goes on? It's an average read...nothing special, which is too bad, since Mark Waid created a very fun character here. Most of the touches that made Impulse a unique character have faded with creative teams changing, so maybe it's time to put Bart back in the supporting character ranks.
120 13,750 BATMAN BEYOND #21
121 13,750 LIBERTY MEADOWS #20
Yeah, it took me a while to get into this book. And yes, it is a shameless aping of Bloom County in most regards. But reading the daily strip in the paper got me hooked, and I can count on at least two big laughs in each collection.
122 13,550 BATMAN GOTHAM ADVENTURES #38
123 13,510 INSANE CLOWN POSSE PENDULUM #9
Yeah, I buy it. I even like it. So bit me.
124 13,310 BART SIMPSON COMICS #4
See my Simpsons comments. They fit for this book as well, except the level of quality isn't as high and they fall back on old comic book cliches a bit too often.
125 13,210 JADE #2
126 13,060 DARKCHYLDE REDEMPTION #2
127 12,890 AREA 52 #4
128 12,840 CHASTITY SHATTERED #2
My friend Kat loves this book. She likes the character a lot, but other than the red hair and outfits, I don't see the appeal. Maybe it's because all the Chaos books seem the same to me.
129 12,290 OUTLAW NATION #9 (MR
130 12,190 BRAVE AND THE BOLD ANNUAL 1969 #1
I love this kind of stuff. DC is reprinting a bunch of Silver Age stories that they would have put in an annual back in 1969. A nice, cheap way to get a bunch of stories that were meant to be read in one sitting.
131 11,850 SWAMP THING #15 (MR)
132 11,610 STAR TREK DIVIDED WE FALL #1 (Of 4)
133 11,400 DESPERADOES QUIET O/T GRAVE #1 (Of 5)
Liked the other Desperados series, and the art this time is much better, but I'm waiting for the inevitable book, since it's written by the editor of Wildstorm's line.
134 11,380 LAST SHOT FIRST DRAW #1
135 11,080 SPYBOY #17
The book is going on hiatus after this issue, I think, and with sales like this, I can see why. Too bad, since this another book that would appeal to an audience comics doesn't seem to have anymore.
136 10,910 WEIRD WESTERN TALES #4 (Of 4) (MR)
137 10,630 DIGITAL VAMPI #1 PREVIEW ED
138 10,530 BAY CITY JIVE #1 (Of 3)
After looking through the first issue, my only question is, "What the hell were they smoking when THIS got approved?"
139 10,470 MONSTER WORLD #1 (Of 4)
140 10,410 TAROT WITCH O/T BLACK ROSE #8
Jim Balent's art gets kinkier and sicker each issue, unless you think steel, knife like nipples on women is considered "calm and sedate". I guess the women who complained about his work on Catwoman had a point...and his defense of "I could be drawing like this" certainly doesn't help him a whole lot.
141 10,390 POWERPUFF GIRLS #15
142 10,190 MECH DESTROYER #2
143 9,910 OH MY GODDESS PART X #4
144 9,740 DIRTY PAIR SIM HELL REMASTERED #1
OK, this is a reprint of a series that didn't sell all that well when it was done by Eclipse. I would say that anything that sells below this is in sad and sorry shape.
145 9,600 DRAGONBALL Z PART 4 #6 (Of 15)
Anyone know why a comic based on a Huge selling video series and one of Cartoon Network's highest rated shows can't sell over 10,000 copies? Because comic stores don't' know how to fucking advertise? That's what I thought.
146 9,570 VAMPIRELLA MODEL SEARCH SPECIAL
Wank book. Can't you people find Playboy?
147 9,270 SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #57
148 9,080 RANDY ODONNEL IS THE MAN #1
Tom DeFalco at Image. The former Marvel editor-in-chief that the Image partners complained the most about. Welcome to the Bizarro World. And it sells less than 10,000 copies? Not a good sign for him. The book itself is a well done, young readers suepr-hero book that would have sold by the boatload in the 80's. Now, it's not long for this world.
149 8,680 USAGI YOJIMBO #48
150 8,520 LOVE AND ROCKETS VOLUME II #2 (MR)
The most acclaimed alternative book of the 80's is mired at selling less than 9,000 copies of their new series. And yes, I tried reading it, but just couldn't get through the first graphic novel.
151 8,420 BLADE O/T IMMORTAL #57 (MR)
152 8,120 GUNSMITH CATS MISTER V #8 (Of 11) (MR)
153 8,090 DRAGONBALL PART 3 #12 (Of 14)
I really don't think I need to point out again that more kids in a suburb of Minneapolis watch this cartoon, buy the toys and would kill for more stories of this than buy this comic. If we can't sell this to people who want it, there is something seriously wrong.
154 7,720 QUEEN & COUNTRY #2 (MR)
155 7,490 SERGIO ARAGONES ACTIONS SPEAK #5
Would sell a LOT better if it wasn't $3 for 24 pages that take 5 minutes to read, but since it takes him about 30 minutes to draw, I guess it's OK. Sergio is a genius, and his old MAD paperback and such were great reading. If anything, the high costs of comics is killing his sales.
156 7,490 D&D IN SHADOW OF DRAGONS #2
157 7,460 KNIGHTS O/T DINNER TABLE #55
158 7,130 GUNDAM WING EPISODE ZERO #2 (Of 4)
159 7,020 CEREBUS #266
With the trade paperbacks, Dave Sim is able to weather low sales like these and still do only Cerebus. I don't think it's at all possible for anyone to ever do this sort of thing again. The market is just too much against it. Oh, and I buy the books.
160 6,920 RANMA 1/2 PART 10 #2 (Of 11)
161 6,760 GUNDAM WING BLIND TARGET #4 (Of 4)
162 6,700 DOUBLE IMAGE #4
I picked up the first three issues of this last week since they were all in a row and the week had been rather light. I was VERY impressed with the first story, but "The Bod" about the invisible woman in Show Biz was a good idea gone flat. By the third installment, the first story had grown to where I couldn't wait for more, but The Bod had engendered active hatred. So, while I liked half the book, $2.95
163 6,200 POISON ELVES #65 (MR)
Shit.
164 5,940 HEROBEAR AND THE KID #3
165 5,770 DEMONSLAYER VENGEANCE #2* (Of 2)
166 5,640 TICK COLOR #3
Why do they keep doing Tick books with Ben Edlund? He's the only one who made the book work, and the constant use of hack writers and artists just makes it that much more unlikely that people will buy the trades of Ben's work. Oh, and the live action series starts this Fall on Fox. I know I'll be taping it, since it will prolly last about 6 weeks.
167 5,630 SCARY GODMOTHER #1 (Of 6)
168 5,520 JEZEBELLE #5 (Of 6)
169 5,480 WARREN ELLIS BAD WORLD #1 (Of 3) (MR)
Another Warren Ellis Mini-series. Strange Kisses read like a short story, and left me feeling like I'd been screwed out of my cash. His regular series (Transmetropolitan, Planetery) are brilliant...why does he hack out low selling crap like this instead of just doing a few great books?
170 5,420 SCOOBY-DOO #48
171 5,220 CARDCAPTOR SAKURA #16
172 5,130 GOLD DIGGER VOL 2 #22
173 4,970 METABARONS #13
174 4,930 NO NEED FOR TENCHI PART 11 #2 (Of 4)
175 4,910 KOTD HACKMASTERS #7
176 4,670 HOW DRAW MANGA FIGURE DRAWING #5
177 4,540 INU YASHA PART 6 #1 (Of 15)
I buy this as collected books instead of monthly comics, but just want to drop a quick mild recommendation for it. A fun series that does tend to drag (like most of Rumiko's stuff) and feels incredibly padded. But still a fun book.
178 4,500 LEGEND O/T SAGE PREVIEW BOOK
179 4,500 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #97
180 4,480 INCAL #2 (MR)
181 4,360 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #98
182 4,340 SHI GI PREVIEW BOOK
Shit.
183 3,890 BETTY #100
They are hyping this as the Betty Dumps Archie story. *shrug* Let's be honest, if Archie changes their formula, they might as well stop publishing. And yes, the only reason these books survive is because they sell outside the direct market, and the digests use these stories (and the digests sell phenomenal numbers in grocery stores). I like the fact that Archie is still around as comics for kids...it would be nice if other companies would do the same thing so kids could get in the habit of reading. ANYTHING.
184 3,720 BLUE MONDAY ABSOLUTE BEGIN #3 (MR)
185 3,580 SHADOW REAVERS LTD PREVIEW ED
186 3,540 FIRST WAVE IN THE BEGINNING*
187 3,520 ARCHIE #510
188 3,510 WHITE RAIN #1
189 3,460 DARK ANGEL #25
190 3,450 GALACTIC GLADIATORS #1 (Of 4)
If this one makes it to number 4 with a first issue slaes figure like this, I'd be shocked.
191 3,430 GOLD DIGGER SWIMSUIT SP 2001
Furry comic book characters to get your libido running. If you are a FREAK.
192 3,400 DEXTERS LABORATORY #23
193 3,380 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #98
194 3,330 NINJA HIGH SCHOOL #84
195 3,290 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #126
196 3,170 BETTY & VERONICA #162
197 3,170 LOONEY TUNES #78
198 3,100 SABRINA VOL 2 #20
199 3,080 LODOSS WAR CHRON HEROIC KNIGHT #9
200 3,070 ZENDRA #5 (Of 6)
201 3,070 DARKER HORROR OF MORELLA (MR)
202 3,020 EL HAZARD MAGNIFICENT WORLD PT 2 #4
203 3,000 BETTY & VERONICA #163
204 2,950 CARTOON CARTOONS #5
OK, there are approximately 3000 comic shops in America. That means that this book and all the ones below it aren't even selling enough for each shop to carry one copy. And the minimum order for a regular comic is 3 copies. So, less than 1/3 of comic shops in the nation carry this book, featuring character that kids know on the top cable station for kids. And you want to know why only us hard core geeks buy this stuff?
THIS IS A BOOK TO PUT IN YOUR SHOP WINDOW TO DRAW CUSTOMERS, MORONS!! MORE KIDS KNOW JOHNNY BRAVO THAN ANY SUPERHERO BEING PUBLISHED!!! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE NEWSPRINT, OR DO YOU JUST NOT WANT TO SELL TO PEOPLE? Jesus GOD it's so simple...
205 2,940 DORK TOWER #15
206 2,900 VERONICA #114
207 2,790 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #77
208 2,770 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #121
209 2,740 W ELLIS BAD WORLD WRAP CVR #1 (MR)
210 2,720 ARCHIE DIGEST #181
211 2,720 ARCHIES WEIRD MYSTERIES #14
212 2,690 AQUA KNIGHT PART 3 #3 (Of 5)
213 2,650 KAMIKAZE 1946 #6
214 2,610 ZOOMS ACADEMY FOR SUPER GIFTED #1
215 2,610 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #48
216 2,590 SEVENTH SEA #2 (OF 3)
217 2,560 BAZOOKA JULES #3 (Of 6) (MR)
218 2,470 MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO #24
219 2,430 LOUIS RIEL #6
220 2,410 WARRIOR NUN AREALA GHOSTS PAST #3
Guess the bloom is off of this rose. A few years ago, there was an action figure, back issues were going for crazy prices, and they had 3 or 4 mini-series coming out at the same time. Now, they sell fewer copies than I have had arguments on line.
221 2,390 TENTH RESURRECTED T DANIEL ALT CVR #2
222 2,380 WEASEL #4 (MR)
223 2,370 SILENT MOBIUS LOVE & CHAOS #6 (Of 7)
224 2,300 LAUGH DIGEST #167
225 2,290 MILK #23 (A)
No cheese? I ain't buying it. What was the creator of this thinking? "I'll call my book Milk. That's get the people to buy it in droves."
226 2,280 SMILE VOL 3 #6
227 2,170 SAINT TAIL
I'd like me a peice of that, depending on the saint.
228 2,170 THIEVES & KINGS #36
Another guy who followed the Dave Sim plan of self-publishing. It's a damn shame the bottom fell out of the market for people like this, since comics were the last place an artist of any kind could get their work to people without having to go through a big corporation, or collaborate with business weasels.
229 2,160 MIRACLE GIRLS #
230 2,140 JUGHEAD #13
231 2,140 GEOBREEDERS #2
232 2,140 SEXY SYMPHONY #2 (A)
233 2,100 PUNCTURE #3 (Of 12) (MR)
234 2,080 STARK RAVEN #
Shit.
235 1,970 PVP #2
I love this book...it's reprints of an on-line comic strip I doubt a lot of comics fans have read. I have recently started reading a lot of on-line comic strips, and while many of them are self-indulgent and boring, a few are funny, professional and better than they crap shoveled to us in the newspaper, where I think people are paid to be bland and boring. Try it out at www.pvponline.com and just start following links to other strips.
236 1,950 TIME TRAVELER AI #20 (MR
237 1,930 WILD ZOO #6 (A)
238 1,770 POKEMON ADVS PART 4 #3 (Of 4)
Do I need to start ranting about a market that can't sell more than 2,000 Pokemon comics? POKE-FUCKING-MON?!?!?! It's almost as if shops don't even WANT to make money.
239 1,760 FURRLOUGH #101
240 1,600 DESPERATE TIMES VOL 2
241 1,580 PRIVATE BEACH #
242 1,580 POWERS #7 (O/A
243 1,570 MAXION #18 (MR
244 1,560 KREEKY PLAYGROUND #2 (Of 3)
OK....not just a bad title, but a title that makes me want to avoid the book all together. Just think...what does the title bring to mind...that's right, sitting on a broken teetertotter and wishing the swings worked. Not exactly a recipe for a thrilling read, is it?
245 1,550 MOBIUS KLEIN
246 1,530 PRINCESS PRINCE #8 (Of 8)
The further adventures of RuPaul. Frank-N-Furter. Your Joke Here.
247 1,500 VICTORIAN #9
248 1,500 EDDIE CAMPBELLS BACCHUS #60 (MR)
249 1,440 BIG FUNNIES #1 (A)
250 1,440 POWERS #8 (O/A)
251 1,370 ELECTROPOLIS OEMING BENDIS CVR #
252 1,370 GREG LAROCQUES EXILED ZONE #1
Hey Greg, think it was a good idea to leave DC? You do?
253 1,350 THRESHOLD #40* (MR)
254 1,350 IMMORAL ANGEL #17 (A)
I think I dated her. And I miss her terribly. Well, not her, per se, just the immoral part. The damn wings kept poking me when I took her from behind.
255 1,340 WARHAMMER MONTHLY #42
256 1,320 FINDER #22
257 1,260 SHANDA THE PANDA #32 (MR)
258 1,250 MANGAZINE #22
259 1,240 DOOR #1
260 1,190 SECRET MESSAGES ABDUCTIONS #1
261 1,130 TALES O/T DARKNESS #1/2 SIREN ED
262 1,130 MELODY ON STAGE MELODY VOL 2 #1 (A)
263 1,080 BIPOLAR #1
264 1,070 BENZINE #7
265 1,060 ELVIRA #97
266 1,050 ROCK #1 PREMIUM ED
267 1,040 DFE APHRODITE IX ALT CVR #0
268 1,020 GENERIC COMIC BOOK #2
Utterly worthless and unreadable shit.
269 970 CAVEWOMAN BEAUTY BLIZZARD & BEAST
270 960 FELIXS BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE BONANZA #1
271 960 WARLANDS #10 SHIDIMA PREQUEL (O/A)
272 950 XENOS ARROW BOOK 2 #3
273 940 JOHNNY HOMICIDAL MANIAC CUR PTG #4
274 910 TOP COW SHOT GLASSES SET #1
275 910 EAGLE VOL 16 THE GENERAL
276 900 THRESHOLD ADULT #40* (MR)
277 890 WAFFEN SS #4
278 870 DEMENTIAS BIZARRE BONDAGE #4 (A)
279 850 MAGICAL POKEMON JOURNEY PT 4 #3
280 850 MAGNIFICENT MILKMAID #1 DLX ED (A)
281 840 ELECTROPOLIS OEMING BENDIS CVR LIMIT #1
282 830 MILLENNIUM EDITION ACTION COMICS #252
283 830 NEW BONDAGE FAIRIES #12 CURR PRTG (A)
284 820 LENORE CURR PTG #1 (O/A)
285 820 SPAWN #86 (O/A)
286 800 SFA SPOTLIGHT #11 SFAS ATOMIC MOUSE
287 790 FIRST #1 (O/A)
288 780 DFE SW INFINITIES NEW HOPE #1 FOIL ALT CVR
289 760 RPM COMICS #1
290 750 NEW BONDAGE FAIRIES #8 CURR PRTG (A)
291 720 SUPERMAN AND BATMAN WORLDS FUNNEST
292 710 AVENGELYNE DK DEPTHS HEAVEN BODY ED #1
293 710 MURCIELAGA SHE BAT SPECIAL #1 PX
294 710 LEAGUE SUPER GROOVY CRIMEFIGHTERS #4
295 700 CHYNA #1 CURR PRTG (O/A)
296 690 LEGEND O/T SAGE PREVIEW BOOK PREM ED
297 690 IN COUNTRY VIETNAM #4
298 670 LENORE CURR PTG #6 (O/A)299 660 ARIA MICHAEL TURNER CVR #1 (O/A)
300 650 TOMB RAIDER GALLERY #1 (O/A)
If you made it all the way down here, you deserve a pie.
But you ain't getting it from me.