The Top 100 Selling Graphic Novels for December 2005

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 www.ICV2.com 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 Nobel or Borders.

Just looking at the numbers for December, the first thing that jumps out to me is that it was a big month for backstock, or graphic novels that came out before December. Watchmen, which was first published as a trade paperback in 1989 came in at #43, with 1800 copies sold. The comic, which is probably the best super-hero story ever, is in the top 100 every month, and after 16 years the amount of money this comic has brought in, and the number of copies out there is pretty staggering.

The “Walking Dead” series, which is a horror comic set in a “Dawn of the Dead” like world showed amazing strength as well, with the Omnibus coming in at #51, a $100 hardcover reprinting the first 24 issues of the comic, and all four of the trade paperback (which reprint six issues at a time) all coming in on the list, all of which have been out for quite some time. Image is probably best known for the series Spawn, but over the last year, “Walking Dead” has brought in more sales than any other book they publish.

What does it mean? During the Christmas season, comics fans are either buying these books to give as gifts, or using their gift certificates to get these books. It also shows that comics are building a strong back stock in graphic novels that sell well over time, meaning that the audience is shifting from people who come in for their weekly fix of books to people who treat a comic shop like a bookstore making them less dependent upon the next Big Event.

I've got more to say, but let's look at the numbers:

1 VILLAINS UNITED TP $12.99 DC 8,184

One of the four mini-series DC put out to build up to their big sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths: Infinite Crisis. Out of the four, this was the best because it had a solid story, great art, and you didn't have to read any other comic to enjoy the story. The book also made the villains of the DC Universe INTERESTING, which they haven't been for a long time.

2 FABLES VOL 6 HOMELANDS TP (MR) $14.99 DC 7,136

The premise of this series is that all the characters from fairy tales exist in a world much like ours, and if you can buy in to the premise, it's a well done comic. However, if you're thinking of just getting this volume to see if you like it, you'll be utterly lost as it is like reading the 6th chapter of a novel without reading the first 5. This is also a HUGE number for Vertigo, and this is one of their series that probably loses money on the monthly comic and makes its profit on the trade paperbacks.

3 RANN THANAGAR WAR TP $12.99 DC 6,808

The last of the mini-series that lead in to “Infinite Crisis”, and the least of those series as well. It is a HUGE mess of DC's Space-based heroes who are thrown together and very little introduction to the mass of different characters and alien races is given to the reader. If it was meant to try and get people interested in all of these characters, it failed.

4 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 14 WARRIORS TP $17.99 MAR 6,618

Ultimate Spider-Man is an updated version of the character to try and appeal to the people who know about Spider-Man from the movies or cartoons, but doesn't want to have to wade through 45 years worth of back story to understand what is going on. This Spider-Man is a teenager who is still in school, rather than the “normal” continuity Spider-Man who works as a teacher, is married to Mary Jane and has a past so confusing it gives me a headache. The series has had the same creative team since the first issue, and they are putting out solidly entertaining super-hero stories that read as well to new readers as they do to us who have been around comics for a while.

5 SHOWCASE PRESENTS JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL 1 TP $16.99 DC 6,555

This is part of DC's new program which takes the format of Marvel's “Essentials”: around 500 pages of comics on cheap paper, printed in black and white. It's a format I love, since you can get a whole lot of comics reading for $17, and this one is one of the better ones. It has the first batch of Justice League comics from the late 50's and early 60's, and features all of DC's biggest characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and the other. The stories read like old comics, and the dialog and plots are a little stiff and silly, but you get over 500 pages of super-hero fun for $17. It's a great nostalgia trip and a fun book for kids.

6 ULTIMATE GALACTUS BOOK 2 SECRET TP $12.99 MAR 5,362

Marvel's “Ultimate” universe is where Marvel can do new versions of their older characters. This is the second of three books from writer Warren Ellis bringing that Galactus character to the Ultimate universe. It should feel like a big deal that reads like a comic book version of a big-budget summer action movie, but the story has spent so much time on set-up that this entire graphic novel feels like it is just building up to the next book. As a second chapter, it's OK, but as a stand alone book, it just doesn't work.

7 SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOL 7 TP $9.95 DAR 5,084

The best selling manga (Japanese comic) on the list, although people who buy their books in comic shops are different than the people who buy them in bookstores. In bookstores, the best-selling manga are romance stories aimed at teenaged girls, but the last time a teenage girl was spotted in a comic shop, Nick Bockwinkle was a world champion...and she was just asking for directions to a bus stop.

This is by far my favorite Manga series currently being published. It is by the team that did the Legendary “Lone Wolf and Cub” series, and is a spin-off of that series dealing with a Samuri who crossed paths with the Lone Wolf and Cub characters. It is short tales of Feudal Japan. The art is cinematic, drawing you into the story in such a way that you forget you are reading a book within a few pages. It is an amazing series, and I hope that when they are done, they find another series by the same creative team.

8 NARUTO VOL 8 TP $7.95 VIZ 4,623
9 CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS TEAM UPS VOL 1 TP $14.99 DC 4,566

This reprints stories from the 60's where DC Silver Age characters from Earth 1 met Golden Age characters from Earth 2. And if you have no idea what that last sentence meant, you won't want to read these stories, which come off as dated and are for nostalgic fun only.

10 X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG TP $14.99 MAR 4,124

Rounding out the top 10 is an X-Men mini-series dealing with the latest Death of Jean Gray. Amazingly, at the end of the story she was still dead.

The story itself is no great shakes and falls apart toward the end, but the reason most people liked it was the art of Greg Land, who is makes each page look beautiful and his art has a photo realistic quality to it without looking stiff and posed. This is one to flip through and see if the art is enough to sell you on the book.

11 ESSENTIAL SPIDER-WOMAN VOL 1 TP $16.99 MAR 3,859

Marvel has been publishing “Essentials” for about 6 years, and they are a great way to buy comics. They have about 25 issues worth of comics in black and white for around $17 a shot. They have published most of the famous 60's Super-hero books and all but the Conan volume are still in print.

With Spider-Woman coming back in the Avengers, they have published this volume of stories from the 70's, and after reading it, it's no wonder the character failed. The stories are strange with some of the weirdest super-villains (most of which weren't used after their appearance in this series), and the character is bland. The comic isn't helped any by Carmine Infantino just going through the motions on the art, and by the end, I was having to force myself to get to the end of some stories.

12 LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL TP $12.99 DC 3,846
13 BEST OF THE SPIRIT TP $14.99 DC 3,631

Will Eisner's Spirit was one of the best comics series in the medium's history. It wasn't a regular comic book, but a special insert made for Sunday papers in the 40's and 50's. If you sit and read the stories now, they seem as fresh and well done as they did back then (other than some unfortunate racial stereotypes that were a part of all pop-culture during those days). Will Eisner knew how to use art to tell a story, and each of the stories here are well worth the money and time. This is EASILY the best book of the month, and well worth reading, even if you haven't ever read a comic book in your life.

14 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 21 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,322
15 KINGDOM HEARTS VOL 2 GN (Of 4) $5.99 TKP 3,252
16 NEGIMA VOL 8 GN (MR) $10.95 RAN 3,246
17 SPAWN COLL VOL 1 TP $19.95 IMA 3,227

Spawn's graphic novel collections have been out of print for years, and now they are coming back in much thicker volumes (the early ones would reprint two or three comics per book). Hard to believe when these stories were first printed, they sold over a million copies each. For early 90's comics, they look good, and there are a lot of good ideas in the early issues, but the stories are poorly paced and when you get done reading the book, you spend a lot of time thinking “What the hell happened in what I just read?”

18 STAR WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS TP $12.95 DAR 3,195

Remember the four armed robot with a cold in Episode 3? This is his back story. For the hard core fans only.

19 SPAWN MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99 IMA 3,132

Reprinting some of the Spawn stories that have been done for the Japanese market. The stories are told better here, but it's really just a re-hash of the stuff in the other Spawn trade paperback.

20 WONDER WOMAN EYES OF THE GORGON TP $19.99 DC 2,918
21 BLEACH VOL 10 TP $7.95 VIZ 2,823
22 SUPERMAN IN NAME OF GOG TP $17.99 DC 2,791

Chuck Austin is a writer that gets slagged on by internet comics fans constantly. I don't think he is as bad as they say, even though he did write one of the worst story arcs on the X-Men EVER. This is a collection of his work on Superman (the last half of which was written under an assumed name) and in an interview before he wrote it, he said that since it would be in Action comics, it would be an all action story. It is. There's not much in the way of plot, but it's a fun 6-issue slugfest that lets you turn your brain off and read it like a 70's Marvel comic on speed. For what it was, it wasn't bad. It's not a GREAT story, but it's two guys in tights beating the hell out of each other for 100 or so pages.

23 WHAT IF CLASSIC VOL 2 TP $24.99 MAR 2,697

Reprinting issues 7 – 12 of the 70's “What If?” series, which were alternative universe stories about Marvel characters. This has one of the strangest comics EVER reprinted in it: “What if the original Marvel Bullpen became the Fantastic Four?” Written and drawn by Jack Kirby, and it was probably Jack's last work for Marvel (or close to it). For long time Marvel fans, these stories are fun, but for nonfans, you'll spend most of your time trying to figure out who wants to read stuff like this.

24 GLA MISASSEMBLED TP $14.99 MAR 2,551

This was a GREAT comic. The “Great Lakes Avengers” are a group of D-Level superheroes stationed in Wisconsin, and this story manages to be all out satire, drama and a nice character study in the midst of a super-hero tale. It's far better than it deserves to be, and is highly recommended.

25 SPIDER-MAN BREAKOUT TP $13.99 MAR 2,545

Another of Marvel's mini-series made to be turned into a trade paperback. This one is a generally mediocre story of Spider-man dealing with a super-villain prison breakout that is bland, predictable and utterly biodegradable. I was looking at it a week ago and literally could not remember if I had read it or not, which is never a good sign.

26 SUPERMAN TRUE BRIT SC $17.99 DC 2,482
27 FANTASTIC FOUR VISIONARIES JOHN BYRNE VOL 5 TP $24.99 MAR 2,469

Two John Byrne books back to back here, one being a reprint of his 80's work and probably his creative peak, the other a more recent “stunt” book that was plotted by John Cleese (of Monty Python fame). Byrne's art in True Brit is better than most of his recent work. The story is another “What if?” type, this time, What if Superman had grown up in England, and there are the typical jokes about the tabloids, British teeth and such, leaving me to think that Cleese sat in a room with the credited scripter and gave his a few ideas, took his check and went home.

The Fantastic Four book showed that when Byrne loves what he is doing, he can do some great work, with fluid art and solid character work in the 80's “soap opera” style Marvel was known for.

28 SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL 2 SUPERGIRL TP $12.99 DC 2,431

These are re-orders. This book has been out almost a YEAR now, and it is STILL in the top 30, showing that DC finally figured out a way to get people interested in reading Supergirl. I didn't think the story was that great, but it's obvious that I am in the minority.

The Supergirl regular comic is a HUGE seller for DC currently, but late shipping kills a comic's momentum, and if they don't start getting the comic out on time, it would suffer the same sales fate as other formerly hot comics.

29 DEMO COLLECTION TP $19.95 AIT 2,362
30 VIMANARAMA TP (MR) $12.99 DC 2,356

I am a HUGE Grant Morrison mark. I have only read one comic by him that I didn't LOVE, and that one, I simply liked. This is not one of my favorites, but it still has more imagination in 96 pages than most comics have in 900. It's a simple story of arranged marriage, ancient gods and alien invaders that will blow you away with each twist and turn of the story, while keeping a very human, emotional core. I love this comic!

31 DEARS VOL 5 GN (Of 7) $9.99 TKP 2,280
32 CONAN & JEWELS OF GWAHLUR HC $13.95 DAR 2,185

A slight little book, only 80 or so pages, and it will be a paperback in about 6 months at a much lower price. P. Craig Russel always has beautiful art, but he is ill suited to Conan, drawing him as one of his normal slight classical figures, when Conan should be a huge mountain of a man. It's not worth $14, but when it comes out as a paperback, it's worth a look.

33 MARVEL TEAM-UP VOL 2 MASTER OF THE RING TP $17.99 MAR 2,153

This is one of Marvel's most overlooked comics. It's a story that follows an event instead of a single hero, as we see how different character react to a gathering problem without knowing that it's all connected. There are some great character bits in this book (the issue of Daredevil and Luke Cage having lunch together is worth the price of the book alone). It's fun, well written and worth a look.

34 WALKING DEAD VOL 1 DAYS GONE BYE TP (MR) $9.95 IMA 2,153

As I talked about above, this is one of the big successes of the last year, and has landed in the top 100 every month since it came out. It's also really good.

35 BATGIRL KICKING ASSASSINS TP $14.99 DC 2,141
36 TOP COW MARVEL CROSSOVER COLLECTION TP $24.99 IMA 2,109

In the 90's, comic book companies had tons of crossovers. This was between a bunch of Marvel characters and Top Cow characters, many of which haven't been in print for years. This book has all of the problems of mid 90's books: Scratchy art, stories that don't hang together well and a bunch of new characters that have impressive visual looks and nothing else memorable about them. It's impossible to read.

37 IMAGE FIRST TP (MR) $6.99 IMA 2,090
38 CAPTAIN AMERICA & FALCON SECRET EMPIRE TP $19.99 MAR 2,090

Most Marvel comics in the 70's were like this: Wordy as hell, focused on making sure there was a big super-hero fight in every issue, but trying to tell more than just a standard super-hero story in each book. This was a rather clumsy attempt at a political theme in the early 70's and comes off as ham fisted and strained now, but when it came out, it was a Big Deal. It's more of a nostalgia book than n attempt to reaching new readers, so I'm surprised it did as well as it did. Maybe there is a market for 70's Marvel stuff.

39 NEW X-MEN ACADEMY X VOL 3 X-POSED TP $14.99 MAR 1,945

No, it's not REALLY the X-Men, but a new version of the “New Mutants” book from the 80's, focusing on the students in the Xavier School. It has struggled since it started, so it has recently had a creative team change, and the addition of X-23, a character that is Wolverine's “daughter”. We'll see if it sells.

40 GOLDEN AGE HAWKMAN ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC $49.99 DC 1,939

All of these Golden Age Archives have an audience that will buy any of the Golden Age stuff. It's crude, and hard to read for today's readers, but for people who like comics from the 40's, they can't get enough of these books.

41 FANTASTIC FOUR BY J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI VOL 1 PREM HC $19.99 MAR 1,920

Marvel used to reprint 12 issues in their hardcovers, leaving the 6 issue book as paperbacks. Now, they are switching to smaller 6 issue hardcovers. JMS's run on the Fantastic Four hasn't been as BAD as his recent Spider-Man comics, but it's still not good enough for me to think it needs hardcover treatment.

42 OH MY GODDESS VOL 1 AUTHENTIC ED TP $10.95 DAR 1,831
43 WATCHMEN TP $19.99 DC 1,800

As I said above, this comic has been in print for 16 years and still sells. Probably the best super-hero story ever, and one that even non comic book fans will love.

44 WALKING DEAD VOL 4 HEARTS DESIRE TP (MR) $12.99 IMA 1,787
45 SWAMP THING SPONTANEOUS GENERATION TP (MR) $19.99 DC 1,775
46 LITTLE LULU VOL 7 LULUS UMBRELLA SERVICE TP $9.95 DAR 1,768

Reprinting stories from the 40's that look like a kid's comic from today. Back in the 40's, comics were aimed at the general public, and Little Lulu was a popular comic in the Saturday Evening Post. The comic is a lot like Peanuts with a clean art style and stories that are enjoyable for kids without being cloying. Get this for a kid you know, but read it yourself before giving it to them.

47 Y THE LAST MAN VOL 6 GIRL ON GIRL TP (MR) $12.99 DC 1,749

This is one of DC/Vertigo's big hits, but 6 books in, a lot of the excitement of this book is gone for me. What started as an interesting idea (what if all of the men on Earth died but one) quickly became a “quest” series. I don't mind a series about someone traveling to a destination, but this one has gotten bogged down in the “weird group of women of the month” style of storytelling.

48 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS WOLVERINE VOL 2 TP $12.99 MAR 1,743

Reprinting more Wolverine stories from the late 1980's. They aren't bad, but they aren't very good either. For completists only.

49 HELLSING IMPURE SOULS ANIME MANGA TP $14.95 DAR 1,730
50 STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 5 POCKET TP $17.95 ABS 1,724

This continues the reprinting of the complete sees in small, thick books. This is a comic that follows the story of three ordinary people who get swept up in romance, mob connections and mysteries. I read the first story arc in this series and HATED it. The ending was a cheat and demanded that the main character forget the main plot twist, and I quit reading it. Other people have forgiven that sort of thing for the character work. I am not one of those people.

51 WALKING DEAD OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC (MR) $100.00 IMA 1,680

Reprinting the first 24 issues of this series in a huge hardcover book. I LOVE this book, but even I'm not crazy enough to buy this big monster. For hardcore fans only, but it's pretty amazing that they were able to sell almost 1700 of them. Image has got to be pretty happy about that.

52 TOM STRONG BOOK FOUR TP $17.99 DC 1,661

Alan Moore is probably the best writer to ever work in the comic book medium. This was the main book of his “America's Best Comics” line and every issue was a joy to read. The series has the feel of a Golden Age hero done by modern writers and has some of the best art of any mainstream comic, but it never caught on with readers for some reason. It's well wroth a try, and the entire series is available in book for, so give it a try.

53 TEEN TITANS FUTURE IS NOW TP $9.99 DC 1,661

Reprinting a four part story where the Titans go to the future and find out everything sucks. There's nothing here that will make you a fan of this comic, but if you're a fan, you'll think of it as a nice story arc.

54 OWLY VOL 3 FLYING LESSONS TP $10.00 TOP 1,636
55 BATMAN HUSH VOL 2 TP $12.99 DC 1,623

“Hush” was the story a year or so ago that was drawn by Jim Lee. If you like Jim Lee's art, you'll love this. I don't like Jim Lee's art.

56 HOT GIMMICK VOL 10 TP $9.99 VIZ 1,623
57 BATMAN HUSH VOL 1 TP $12.95 DC 1,623
58 DRAGONBALL Z VOL 23 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,617
59 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 22 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,617
60 OMEGA THE UNKNOWN CLASSIC TP $29.99 MAR 1,610

This reprints the entire series by Steve Gerber(of Howard the Duck fame), as well as the painfully bad conclusion that came a few years later in The Defenders. Gerber's story was a odd series that seemed too much ahead of its time. It was a SF series that had to be shoehorned into a super-hero series, all wrapped in 70's Marvel purple prose. More a great IDEA foor a series than a good series, and it is forever marred by the fact that it never got the conclusion Gerber wanted, which would have explained all of the strange things that went on in the book. It's nice to have the whole thing in one book, but it's not something for casual readers.

61 JAZZ VOL 1 GN $12.95 DIG 1,572
62 PLASTIC MAN VOL 2 RUBBER BANDITS TP $14.99 DC 1,560

One of the best comics on the market! Kyle Baker is a CARTOONIST, and draws this comic like it is a cartoon, with plots that go for the laugh, much like the 40's Plastic Man. There is an infectious joy to this comic, and it's a shame it didn't sell well enough to keep going. Give it a try. I DARE you not to laugh at least once while reading it.

63 LIGHT BRIGADE TP (MR) $19.99 DC 1,554
64 BLACKSAD VOL 3 TP (MR) $12.95 PUB 1,528
65 SENTRY TP NEW PTG $24.99 MAR 1,522

Marvel pitched this as a “lost” 60's hero from before the Fantastic Four when it came out, but that was just hype for the story of a hero that everyone in the Marvel Universe had forgotten. The plot is interesting for Marvel Fans, but casual readers will spend most of their time trying to figure out all of the references to older comics, and the main character isn't interesting enough to make you want to.

66 REIKO ZOMBIE SHOP VOL 1 TP $12.95 DAR 1,516
67 ELFQUEST GRAND QUEST VOL 12 TP $9.99 DC 1,497

In the 80's, this was one of the few comics that appealed to female readers. It was pretty much a standard fantasy story in comics form, and spun off books and a number of different comics series. For fantasy fans, this is a great series, but for those of us who aren't, the early books are well done, but lose focus after the initial story arc.

68 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY LIBRARY I HC $100.00 DAR 1,459

Reprinting Frank Miller's Sin City stories in expensive collectors hardcovers.

69 DAWN VOL 1 LUCIFERS HALO TP NEW ED $17.99 IMA 1,446

Dawn is one of those series that it's hard for me to recommend. The art is incredible, and Lisner is a master of making each page look utterly beautiful, but the story doesn't make any sense at all. So, if you just want to LOOK at this book, it's a good buy, but if you try to read the story, don't blame me for the headache.

70 FURTHER ADVS OF ONE PAGE FILLER MAN GN $11.99 IMA 1,421
71 SHAUN OF THE DEAD TP $17.99 IDW 1,408

I don't understand comics adaptations. You can buy this trade paperback of an adaptation of the movie OR spend about $10 less and get the movie on DVD with commentary and extras. In the 60's and 70's, when movies were big events, and you couldn't buy a copy of them, I could see having a comic version if you liked the movie. Now, they seem like an idea whose time has come and gone.

72 LAGOON ENGINE EINSATZ MANGA VOL 1 TP $10.95 ADV 1,383
73 IMAGE COMICS HC $24.99 IMA 1,377

This was supposed to be the 10th anniversary celebration. But, typical for the original Image creators it's 3 years late, Todd McFarlane didn't draw anything new for his part, and they feature characters that are just barely in print any more. I'm really amazed it sold as well as it did.

74 OUR KINGDOM VOL 1 GN $12.95 DIG 1,351
75 RG VEDA VOL 4 GN (Of 10) $9.99 TKP 1,351
76 ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 11 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,351
77 MAHOROMATIC AUTOMATIC MAIDEN VOL 8 GN (Of 8) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,345
78 ANTIQUE BAKERY VOL 2 GN $12.95 DIG 1,326
79 HANA KIMI VOL 9 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,320
80 MARVEL MASTERWORKS GOLDEN AGE ALL WINNERS VOL 1 HC NEW ED $49.99 MAR 1,314

I am a huge fan of the Golden Age comics. Not because they are GREAT, most of them are barely readable, but because they are filled with energy and creativity. The Early Sub-Mariner stories have great art and stories that read like someone drank a LOT of coffee and made it up as they went along. The Captain America stories are all out action with great art and dynamic storytelling from a young Jack Kirby. They rest is a mixed bag...but it's easy to tell that these stories were from the early 40's, with racial stereotypes that come off as pretty shocking.

81 BLOOD RIVER GN $7.99 IMA 1,307
82 NEXUS ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC $49.95 DAR 1,301

One of the best comics of the 80's, and with excellent art by Steve Rude. It makes me feel old that a comic I bought off the shelf is considered old enough to be put in an “archive”, and I'd rather this was in a trade paperback so casual readers could give it a try. It's a SF comic about a man who has been given powers to kill mass murderers, and gets the information on who to kill in dreams...and plays with the ethical and moral implications of that. It has some fantastic character work AND some of the most innovative SF ideas in comics.

83 WIMBLEDON GREEN GREATEST CB COLLECTOR I/T WORLD HC $19.95 DRA 1,301
84 GRAVITY BIG CITY SUPER HERO DIGEST $7.99 MAR 1,295

For $8, you can pick up a mini-series that cost $3 an issue for 5 issues, so it's CHEAP! It's also a decent introduction of a new super-hero into the Marvel Universe in a story that hits all the right notes. It's not going to blow you away, but it is about $10 of entertainment in a $8 package.

85 MAJESTIC WHILE YOU WERE OUT TP $12.99 DC 1,288 86 WE 3 TP (MR) $12.99 DC 1,269

I LOVE this comic, and would rate it as the best one on this list. These are all re-orders, which surprises me, since it is a pretty odd premise. This is the story of a dog, a cat and a rabbit who have been turned into weapons by the military, and then escape. It has echoes of “Watership Down” without being a rip-off, and writer Grant Morrison excells at making the animal character SEEM as if they are actual animal and human characteristics put in animal bodies. It's innovative and something that even non-comics fans could enjoy. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.

87 MARVEL MASTERWORKS AVENGERS VOL 5 HC NEW ED $49.99 MAR 1,263

Reprinting more 60's Avenger's stories. They are decent enough, but since they are already available in a MUCH cheaper “Essential” book, this is only for collectors.

88 WALKING DEAD VOL 2 MILES BEHIND US TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,250
89 MARVEL MASTERWORKS AVENGERS VOL 5 HC VAR ED $54.99 MAR 1,244

And you can buy the same book as above with a different cover for only $5 more. Proving once again that comics collectors are mostly insane.

90 LADY SNOWBLOOD VOL 2 DEEP SEATED GRUDGE TP (MR) $14.95 DAR 1,238
91 BEYOND MY TOUCH VOL 1 GN $12.95 DIG 1,225
92 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST VOL 4 TP $9.99 VIZ 1,219
93 SHOWCASE PRESENTS GREEN LANTERN VOL 1 TP $9.99 DC 1,212

These are re-orders from about three months ago, so the Showcase line is a success for DC. It's nice to see these old stories in a cheap format, but like most 60's DC books, they have a sameness to them, so you should only read one or two stories before setting it down for a while. For $10, you get the first 3 – 4 years of Silver Age Green Lantern stories, and I'm all for this format.

94 LA ESPERANCA VOL 1 GN $12.95 DIG 1,206
95 SCRAPPED PRINCESS VOL 2 GN (Of 3) $9.99 TKP 1,200
96 WALKING DEAD VOL 3 SAFETY BEHIND BARS TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,194
97 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 1 GIFTED TP $14.99 MAR 1,181
98 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 2 DANGEROUS TP $14.99 MAR 1,143

These are the X-Men stories by Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly creator Joss Wheland. The first book is one of the best X-Men stories in years, and the second isn't as good, but worth reading. They will both be collected in a $25 hardcover in about two months, so just wait for that to come out.

99 CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS TP $29.99 DC 1,143

Ah, Crisis. For comic book fans, this is one of the best comics to ever see print. Unbelievable art by George Perez and a story by Marv Wolfman that stands as his crowning achievement. For non-comics fans.....it's a whole lot of super-heroes fighting a whole lot of super-villains and an excursion into DC Comics history that sweeps all of their history away. I'm glad it's available, but for casual readers, I'd give it a pass.

100 YU GI OH DUELIST VOL 11 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,137

That's it!

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