The Top 50 Selling Graphic Novels for January 2003

This list comes from digging through sales figures, asking too many questions and using Diamond Comics information. The snotty comments in white are mine.

1 30 DAYS OF NIGHT TP (MR) $17.99 IDW 5,798

Yep, you can tell that Lone Wolf and Cub is over, since it was pretty much the number one graphic novel every month it was issued, clocking in at around 11,000 copies through Diamond.  For a number one selling trade, I have NO idea what this is about, other than it is from the Transformers people.  I'll read it when it comes out and get back to you.

2 ULTIMATE DAREDEVIL & ELEKTRA TP $11.99 MAR 5,414

Reprinting the mini-series that finishes during the month of January.  Buying the trade ends up being 4 cents more expensive, but you don't have to deal with the fact that it's 4 comics that need to be stored in boxes and yadda, yadda, yadda.  Haven't read it yet, but it's by Greg Rucka, one of the best writers in comics, so I'm recommending it sight unseen.

3 DAREDEVIL LEGENDS VOL 1 YELLOW TP $14.99 MAR 4,910

Reprinting the mini-series by the Batman: Dark Halloween and Superman For All Seasons team.  A retelling of Daredevil's origin, adding more information but not changing the story in any way.   Highly recommended.

4 DAREDEVIL MOVIE TP $12.99 MAR 4,874

An adaptation of the movie with a few random Daredevil Comics reprinted.  Movie Adaptations are pretty much as waste of paper anymore, and I'm betting most of the reprints are of Frank Miller issues, which are available in other trade paperbacks.  Pass.

5 ROBOTECH MACROSS SAGA VOL 1 TP $14.95 DC 3,877

More 80's reprints of comics I have and didn't much care about as they came out.

6 LOVE HINA VOL 9 GN (Of 14) $9.99 TKP 3,613

I read where this is the #1 selling graphic novel outside the comics market.  I have yet to read it and only know its manga.  

7 JLA THE GOLDEN PERFECT TP $12.95 DC 3,445
8 HELLBLAZER HAUNTED TP (MR) $12.95 DC 3,337

A new paperback, reprinting a story arc that I didn't much care for.  Why they aren't reprinting the hard to find early issues of this comic, I have no idea.  

9 CHOBITS VOL 4 GN (Of 7) $9.99 TKP 3,229

Again, manga I know nothing about.  Anyone care to fill me in?

10 OH MY GODDESS HAND IN HAND TP $17.95 DAR 2,941

Manga I DO know about, and a gentle sitcom that is nice, entertaining fluff.  The thing I like about the manga coming to the US now is that it shows that comics can be used to tell nice little trifling stories that are fun to read because of the enchanting art.  I won't say this is GREAT, but it is a nice read if you want to see what all the fuss about Japanese comics is all about.

11 UNCANNY X-MEN VOL I HOPE TP $12.99 MAR 2,917

Reprinting the first few issues by Chuck Austin, which was a good story and better than the stuff that had come before.  Solidly entertaining super-hero work, but I'm kind of surprised they are calling this Volume 1, since it is about the 100th X-Men trade paperback.  Mildly recommended for super-hero fans.

12 CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON GN #2 $13.95 ONE 2,881
13 LONE WOLF 2100 SHADOWS ON SAPLINGS TP $12.95 DAR 2,869

I hate the IDEA behind this comic and want it to just go away.  Lone Wolf and Cub was a complete saga, and doesn't need a "SF" version of the story.  

14 BIRDS OF PREY OLD FRIENDS NEW ENEMIES TP $17.95 DC 2,845
15 PUNISHER VOL 3 BUSINESS AS USUAL TP $14.99 MAR 2,833

More stories by Garth Ennis, who brought black humor to the Punisher.  While this doesn't have the focus of the first mini-series by Ennis, it's still a sick twisted ride that goes overboard with violence for the sake of humor.  Highly recommended if you aren't buying the monthly comic.

16 WOLVERINE LEGENDS VOL 1 WOLVERINE HULK TP $9.99 MAR 2,821

Reprinting the Sam Keith mini-series of a few months ago.  Sam Keith is one of the few people who can go from an independent type story to a big super-hero book and do well at both.  This is one of the few graphic novels worth buying for the art alone, and is Highly Recommended.

17 ASTRO BOY VOL 12 TP $9.95 DAR 2,749
18 RANMA 1/2 VOL 21 TP $15.95 VIZ 2,725
19 CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL 1 NEW DEAL HC $22.99 MAR 2,653

A hardcover reprint of the first six issues of the new series, which isn't worth getting as a hardcover.  The art is wonderful, but the story falls apart toward the end and doesn't resolve itself in the manner the author probably wanted it to.  If you want to see the new Cap series and didn't buy the individual issues, just wait for the paperback.  It's just not good enough to spend $23 on.

20 TRANSFORMERS GN LEGACY OF UNICRON $19.95 TIT 2,605

More reprints of Late 80's Marvel Transformer stories.  The people who like the Transformers will love this stuff, but other people will be clawing their eyes out and begging for mercy.  I am one of the people begging.

21 AQUAMAN ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC $49.95 DC 2,497

Reprinting incredibly bland Aquaman stories from the 60's.  I find Aquaman to be the most boring DC super-hero, and that's saying a LOT.

22 DAREDEVIL ELEKTRA LOVE & WAR HC (RES) $29.99 MAR 2,473

Reprinting Miller stories that haven't been in print for a good 10 years.  If you don't already have them, you should pick this up and see what all the fuss is about.  Yes, they are that good.  Highly recommended.

23 FORGE #10 $7.95 CRO 2,449
24 EDGE #10 $7.95 CRO 2,341

I like the new format.  A smaller size, a drop in price and still reprinting 8 issues per trade paperback.  This is the way to read the CrossGen stuff and is my favorite FORMAT in comics.  The stuff inside is mostly bland fantasy stuff, but you get more entertainment than a typical paperback novel for the price of a paperback novel.  Mildly recommended.

25 FLASH ROGUES TP $14.95 DC 2,305
26 GI JOE BATTLE FILES ULTIMATE SOURCE BOOK TP $14.95 IMA 2,185

A book filled with comic artists drawing weapons and comic writers writing how those weapons work and readers going, "Who the hell cares about this shite?"

27 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD DAWN TP NEW ED $14.95 DC 2,185

When this came out, a lot of people were upset that Hal Jordan's history had been altered to make him a drunk driver...and to be honest, I thought it was a good thing to add to his past.  The story worked and showed him to be more of a hero for overcoming his past.  It reads now like a slightly goofy comic, but then again, it WAS a slightly goofy comic that tried to be more than it should have been.  Mildly recommended for people looking for a super-hero story if they haven't read it yet.

28 GTO VOL 10 GN (Of 25) $9.99 TKP 2,161
29 GTO VOL 9 GN (Of 25) $9.99 TKP 2,149
30 WHATS MICHAEL FAT CAT IN CITY TP $8.95 DAR 2,101

If you remotely like cats, you HAVE to get this great graphic novel filled with cat stories from Japanese comics.  Highly recommended, and one of the most entertaining manga I have ever read.

31 WITCHING HOUR TP (MR) $19.95 DC 2,041

Reprinting a mediocre Vertigo mini-series.  The only thing it had going for it was Chris Bachalo's art, so if you are a fan of his, you'll prolly want to get it.

32 BATTLE O/T PLANETS VOL 1 KEY COMICS TP $19.99 DYN 2,017

Reprinting incredibly bland 70's comics that no one cared about when they first came out.

33 CARDCAPTOR SAKURA MASTER O/T CLOW VOL 3 GN (Of 6) $9.99 TKP 2,005
34 QUEEN & COUNTRY VOL 3 CRYSTAL BALL TP (MR) $14.95 ONI 1,993

One of the best spy stories ever done in comics...OK, there haven't BEEN a lot of spy stories in comics, but how else can I describe it?  It's a very well written (and darkly drawn) graphic novel by Greg Rucka, who seems to have come in from writing novels and is bringing those techniques into comic writing.  Highly Recommended.

35 X-FORCE FAMOUS MUTANT & MORTAL HC $29.99 MAR 1,981

A hardcover reprinting the brilliant Milligan/Allred issues of X-Force.  The New York Times praised it.  TIME Magazine praised it.  People who hate comics praised it.  People who liked the shitty stuff that came before hated it.  If you are one of them, please get out of the way and let decent comics take the place of crappy, fan-focused, poorly written and shamefully drawn comics.  If you haven't gotten this yet, do so.  It's Highly Recommended, even for people who hate superhero books and mutant comics, and the two trade paperbacks it is reprinting would cost a little more than buying this hardcover.

36 MARMALADE BOY VOL 5 GN (Of 8) $9.99 TKP 1,885
37 REAL BOUT HIGH SCHOOL VOL 5 GN $9.99 TKP 1,849
38 WISH VOL 4 GN $9.99 TKP 1,837
39 MARS VOL 9 GN (Of 15) $9.99 TKP 1,801
40 LUPIN III VOL 2 GN $9.99 TKP 1,789
41 WEASEL #6 (MR) $12.95 FAN 1,693
42 CHANNEL ZERO JENNIE ONE GN $9.95 AIT 1,669
43 COURIERS GN $12.95 AIT 1,645
44 SHAOLIN SISTERS VOL 1 GN (Of 5) (RES) $9.99 TKP 1,537
45 ONEGAI TEACHER GN #1 $9.95 ONE 1,537
46 GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES SC $8.95 FAN 1,525

This isn't a graphic novel...it reprints a long essay by Jules Feiffer on Golden Age comics that feels very out of date, but is still an important piece of comic history as it was the first publication to really make comic books seem like they HAD a history.  Mildly recommended for people interested in comics history.

47 INITIAL D VOL 6 GN (Of 20) $9.99 TKP 1,489
48 DARKMINDS MACROPOLIS VOL 1 TP $9.95 DRE 1,465

The first Darkminds comics were a HUGE hit, and were really the first American comics to use the patterns and themes of Manga successfully.  However, the creators got distracted by making Transformers comics, and left the continuation halfway through and haven't gone back yet.  Even if the story is good, I can't recommend it, since it may never actually be completed.

49 METABARONS VOL 4 TP IMMACULATE CONCEPTION $9.95 HUM 1,465
50 POWERS VOL 4 SUPERGROUP HC (MR) $29.95 IMA 1,453

A hardcover reprinting of one of the best comics being printed.  Is it worth a hardcover?  That's up to you, but the story is well done and Highly recommended.  I guess it all depends on if you want to buy it now, or wait until it's a trade paperback.  Either way, it's highly recommended.

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