The Top 100 Selling Graphic Novels for June 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 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 Noble or Borders.

1 POWER GIRL TP $14.99 DC 6,153

If someone would have told me two years ago that Power Girl would have the best selling trade paperback during a summer month, I would have told them they were insane. Power Girl was a “Earth 2” version of Supergirl, who DC didn't quite know what to do with when they got rid of Earth 2. As the story in this trade shows, she had THREE different origins over the last 20 years, and none of them made any sense, making her a hard character for creators to work with. As DC geared up for the big “Infinite Crisis” mini-series, Geoff Johns used that confusion to craft a decent story, with great art by Amanda Conner as part of the build-up for that series. This book also reprints the tryout stories from the 70's, when DC tried to give her her own series, but those stories are typical, forgettable 70's DC super-hero stuff.

As a way to show just how messed up DC continuity was, this is a solid example, but as a story, it is CLEARLY for long-time DC fans. My recommendation is that if you don't know at least two of Power Girl's origins, don't bother with this book.

2 SUPERGIRL POWER TP $14.99 DC 6,145

The new version of Supergirl is a much more sexualized version of the one from the 50's. After 20 years, DC reintroduced Superman's cousin as the other survivor of Krypton, only this one wears a micro-mini skirt and a halter top. The story, such as it is, seems to be an excuse for the artist to draw her in sexy poses, and since the character is written and drawn as a 15 – 17 year old, there is a vague creepiness to the whole proceedings that could almost be excused if the story was any good. It isn't.

3 SHOWCASE PRESENTS SUPERMAN VOL 2 TP $16.99 DC 5,961

DC's “Showcase” books, much like Marvel's “Essential” books, are the best value in comics. This book has over 500 pages of late 50's Superman stories for $17 in black and white. In the 50's and 60's, Superman stories were all built around gimmicks, aimed at kids and had none of the fight scenes that readers are used to now. As a nostalgia-fest, this is great fun, but as a reader who grew up on Marvel's more action/soap opera storytelling, I have a lot of trouble reading more than one or two of the stories in this in a row. Recommended for Superman fans who like the older story styles.

4 BATMAN UNDER HOOD VOL 2 TP $9.99 DC 5,931

Continuing the story of the “Red Hood”, which may or may not be the Robin who died in the late 80's. A solid super-hero story that isn't one of the great Batman stories, but is a good example of an average super-hero story that works for casual readers but has more impact for long-time readers. Mildly recommended.

5 DMZ VOL 1 O/GROUND TP (MR) $9.99 DC 5,387

The first trade of the new Vertigo series DMZ, and reprints 5 issues for $10. The series is set in the near future while the US is in the grip of a Civil War, and uses a photojournalist as the main character to introduce readers to the situation and sets up the story quite well. A political action comic that I look forward to reading more about, this book is Highly Recommended.

6 MEGATOKYO VOL 4 $9.99 DC 4,385

The next collection of the Web-based comic strip, and it's one of the few that works a lot better as a book rather than an on-line strip. While it started as a humor strip for anime fans, the series has grown to have a nice mix of drama and humor, and has some really nice manga-style artwork. Check out the strip on-line at www.megatokyo.com, and if you like it, it's worth it to buy the books, as the artist includes a lot of DVD style extras...and you don't have to put up with the constant apologies for late strips. Mildly recommended.

7 SUPERMAN BATMAN COLL SET $29.99 DC 4,178
8 GREEN LANTERN CORPS RECHARGE TP $12.99 DC 4,171

Reprinting the mini-series that brought back most of the characters that were killed back in the early 90's when Green Lantern turned evil, and DC wanted to get rid of the Green Lantern Corps. This brings back the idea of 3000 different Green Lanterns, each patrolling a sector in space. The problem with the story is that it tries to do too much in the six issues reprinted here, and the second half of the book is a confusing mish-mash of strange characters and an unclear plot. I love the Green Lantern Corps, but this book isn't very good.

9 INVINCIBLE VOL 6 DIFFERENT WORLD TP $14.99 IMA 4,094
10 ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 5 TP $16.99 MAR 3,972

The Essentials continue, this one reprinting the last batch of stories by Jack Kirby, and I love these books for the sheer amount of story you get for the money. This book is over 500 pages of black and white comics, and even though it's not the best of the Jack Kirby/Stan Lee stuff, it's still some of the best super-hero comics ever printed. The Fantastic Four under Lee and Kirby was filled with some of the best super-hero action, great villains, and a good balance of humor and melodrama. All of the FF Essentials are highly recommended, and this is no exception.

11 SUPERMAN DOOMSDAY OMNIBUS TP $19.99 DC 3,903

This book is the size of a “Essential”, and is on the cheaper paper, but is printed in color, so it's a great bargain of over 500 pages of comics for $20. The story is billed as a sequel to the “Death of Superman” book, but it mostly collects the various stories using the character “Doomsday”, filling in the character's back story and making Doomsday into a re-usable foe for Superman. It's much better than most mid 90's stories, and has enough action and plot to keep the reader interest. There's nothing here that's “must read”, but for the price, you get a solid read. Mildly recommended.

12 WIZARD BEST OF BASIC TRAINING STORYTELLING $19.99 WIZ 3,773
13 CONAN VOL 3 TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT & STORIES TP $15.95 DAR 3,275

The third collection of Dark Horse's Conan stories, it's a solid book with fantastic art. Writer Kurt Busiek is adapting some of the Conan short stories, but they are done in a different way that the original Marvel adaptations making them worth reading even if you have read the 1970's Marvel Conan stories. A great fantasy series, and highly recommended.

14 ESSENTIAL SAVAGE SHE-HULK VOL 1 TP $16.99 MAR 3,237

Let's be honest for a minute. I buy all of the Essentials because I am a big geek. I love the idea of having 25 issues of a comic in a big thick book I can read on the exercise bike or while waiting somewhere. The fact that I can get an entire comic series from the 70's for $17 appeals to me. However, as I read through this comic, there is a reason the book only lasted 25 issues. This is pretty bland, generic Marvel super-hero stuff from the 70's, with bland art, over-written and formula driven stories. For completists only, this is probably the worst of the Essential collections and isn't recommended to much of anyone. But yeah, I bought it. And I read it. And I beg your forgiveness.

15 NARUTO VOL 10 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,222
16 GHOST RIDER ROAD TO DAMNATION PREM HC $19.99 MAR 3,206

One of the things Marvel has started doing lately is to collect their mini-series as hardcovers, then release them as paperbacks a few months later, just like big book publishers. Ghost Rider is a character that's been on the shelf for a long time, but with a movie coming out next spring, they are making sure there is a lot of Ghost Rider material available. This mini-series was a mature updating of the concept by Garth Ennis, who's best known for his series “Preacher” and his current run on The Punisher. While this revamp isn't as good as some of his other work, it is a good Ghost Rider story, but not Hardcover good. Wait for the trade.

17 UNCANNY X-MEN NEW AGE VOL 4 END OF GREYS TP $14.99 MAR 3,145

Chris Claremont is the writer who made the X-Men the most popular comic of the 80's and 90's, and while much of his work is very good, his writing as of late has not appealed to me at all. His current run on the X-Men has been over-written, convoluted and hard to follow, except for this story. While not Claremont at his peak, it is still a great story that shows why Claremont was considered comics best writer for years. A great story that works well if you are new to the X-Men, but has more meaning if you've read the comic for years, which is how episodic fiction should be written. Highly recommended.

18 SHE-HULK VOL 3 TIME TRIALS TP $14.99 MAR 3,069

She-Hulk is a comic I ignored when it started up, but I was talked into buying the trades, and have been so impressed with them that I now buy the book monthly. She-Hulk is a light super-hero comic, with a lot of humor, solid art, and uses the Marvel Universe in a way that makes it feel like a fun place to set stories. This trade has time travel, lawyers in the old west and enough story for 12 comics. Highly recommended.

19 JLA CLASSIFIED NEW MAPS OF HELL TP $12.99 DC 3,069
20 SUPERMAN VERSUS LEX LUTHOR TP $19.99 DC 3,061

A trade put out to attract people who saw the movie, it collects stories from the last 60 years of Superman, showing how Lex Luthor has been used over the years. The stories are, for the most part, pretty bland, and only work as nostalgia instead of great stories. For someone who wants to look at the history of the characters, it's a nice collection, but for readers, over half of the stories will have you rolling your eyes and wondering why you are wasting your time.

21 KINGDOM HEARTS VOL 4 GN (Of 4) $5.99 TKP 3,046
22 WONDER WOMAN VOL 4 DESTINY CALLING TP $19.99 DC 3,023

Wonder Woman is a character I have never warmed up to, and while the recent Greg Rucka written run was OK, there's really nothing there that will make a casual reader think “Wow, Wonder Woman is really interesting.” For Wonder Woman fans only.

23 CANT GET NO SC (MR) $19.99 DC 2,908

I wrote an in depth review of this comic for Bartcop-Entertainment, and you can read it here. I think this is one of the best stories about the aftereffects of 9/11 I have ever read. It's not a super-hero book, but the story of a man who loses everything and rebuilds himself. It's challenging, thought-provoking and a book that will make readers re-think and examine their own reactions to tragedy. Highly recommended.

24 DECIMATION GENERATION M TP $13.99 MAR 2,900

This is yet another of the series the dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's big summer crossover last year in which most of the mutants in the Marvel Universe lost their powers. This book focuses on a reporter looking into the lives of people after the loss of their powers, and while it doesn't fire on all cylinders, it's still the best of the “Post House Of M” mini-series just because it focuses on characters and not silly X-Men plot twists. Mildly recommended.

25 SUPERMAN OUR WORLDS A/WAR COMP ED $24.99 DC 2,793

First off, I like DC's format for this book. It collects over 500 pages of comics in a single $25 book (that was previously collected in two $20 trades), is on cheap paper, but is in color and has the entire story in one shot. However, the story just isn't very good. The last of the Big Superman Events that used to dominate the character (starting with the Death of Superman story), and this one of an alien invasion just doesn't hold together as it goes through 7 or 8 different creative teams. I hope DC keeps putting out books like this, but I also hope they have better stories.

26 FANTASTIC FOUR J MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI VOL 1 TP $14.99 MAR 2,778

Coming after Mark Waid FF run, JMS had his work cut out for him, as Waid's run was probably the best in over 20 years. JMS's isn't. It's not horrible, it's just not all that good, and other than the story in which The Thing finds out he's wealthy and his reaction to it, it' just not a book that I had much fun reading. Pass this by, and pick up the Mark Waid trades instead.

27 SUPREME POWER NIGHTHAWK TP $16.99 MAR 2,732
28 PATH OF THE ASSASSIN VOL 1 SERVING IN THE DARK TP (MR) $9.95 DAR 2,717
29 PUNISHER VS BULLSEYE TP $13.99 MAR 2,671

The Punisher should be an easy character to get right. He's a guy who's family was killed by the mob, so he kills mobsters, and as Garth Ennis has shown in his run on the character, if you simply go with that and make the mobsters interesting, you've got a good story. This mini-series pits him against Daredevil villain Bullseye, and works on an absurd, over-the-top way. There's not much story here other than th writer setting up the next violent action scene, and the artist making it a kinetic blast to read, but that's really all the story should be. Mildly recommended.

30 OH MY GODDESS VOL 23 RTL TP $10.95 DAR 2,655
31 STAR WARS OMNIBUS X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON VOL 1 TP $24.95 DAR 2,617

One of the problems I have with how the Star Wars franchise is being used lately is that they don't tell stories about characters I want to read about. I don't want to read about Jedi who were around 5000 years before Luke Skywalker, I want to read about Luke Skywalker. This series focuses on minor characters, but is done so well that in this format, I don't mind it as much. Collecting a few of the mini-series from the mid 90's, it is a good read for Star Wars fans and is recommended for them.

32 CHAMPIONS CLASSIC VOL 1 TP $19.99 MAR 2,525

Oh, the 70's. The Champions was a series Marvel started during a book in super-hero sales, and then canceled when the boom was over, and it shows. The team is a mix of character who were laying around with no book of their own (except for Ghost Rider), and there is really no compelling reason for Hercules, Iceman, Black Widow, Angel and Ghost Rider join up other than someone at Marvel said, “Put 'em together and see what happens.” The book reads like most other Marvel 70's books, tons of purple prose, big fight scenes and soap opera histrionics. If you like Marvel ins the 70's, you'll like this, but for modern readers, its more of a chore than a story.

33 INFINITY GAUNTLET TP $24.99 MAR 2,479

The “Big Crossover” story got a bad name in the 90's, but there were times when they were well done. This is one of them. Writer Jim Starlin was great at the “cosmic” story, and this was his biggest, where Thanos gets the power to alter reality, and in doing so, wipes out half of all living beings in the Universe. The art by George Perez and Ron Lim makes it all flow perfectly, and while it may all be over-blown fight scenes, they are FUN overblown fight scenes. A fun read, and the equivalent of a big summer movie with tons of explosions. Highly recommended.

34 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA LAST ORDER VOL 7 TP $9.99 VIZ 2,334
35 MICKEY MOUSE ADVS VOL 10 TP $7.95 GEM 2,296
36 DOWN WARREN ELLIS TP $15.99 IMA 2,273
37 SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY VOL 3 TP $14.99 DC 2,257

I really shouldn't be reviewing this book, since I have nothing but unrestrained glee for the series. This series has been reprinting an ambition story that began in a single comic, went into seven different mini-series, and will go back into a main book, and the trade paperbacks have been reprinting the comics in the order they came out. It's not a stand-alone read, and can only be read as part of the overall story, but I highly recommend to anyone who likes comics at all to buy all of the Seven Soldiers books and see just how interesting second tier characters can be made in the hands of a talented creative team. Highly recommended.

38 LADY SNOWBLOOD VOL 4 RETRIBUTION PT 2 TP (MR) $14.95 DAR 2,250
39 EARTH X TP $29.99 MAR 2,227

There are comics that are fun to read for people who haven't ever picked up a comic book before, and then there are comics that are really only fun for people who have been reading comics for a long, long time, and know way too much about the heroes of a specific company's “universe'. Earth X falls into the latter category as it shows a possible future for the Marvel Universe, tossing tons of characters at the reader that are fun for long time readers and utterly confusing for causal readers. Highly recommended for long time comics fans.

40 MARVEL TEAM-UP VOL 3 LEAGUE OF LOSERS TP $13.99 MAR 2,143

Marvel Team Up is a comic that should have gotten more attention, since it was a comic that told stories in a different way than most books, and usually delivered on the idea of pairing heroes together in different ways. This story starts with a villain from the future killing all of the major heroes because he was able to research them, figure out how best to defeat them, and show up when and where they weren't expecting to be attacked, leaving a small group of minor heroes to try and save the day. The story is well told, ingenious in how it resolved itself, and makes the reader care a lot about a bunch of heroes who have been classified as boring, showing there are no boring characters, just bad creative teams. Highly recommended

41 CHRONO CRUSADE MANGA VOL 8 TP $9.99 ADV 1,997
42 DAREDEVIL VOL 5 HC $29.99 MAR 1,967

Brain Bendis's run on Daredevil is one of the best superhero stories of the modern era, is a good read even if you don't know superheroes, and is told so well that scenes and dialog will stay with you long after you've put the book down. Dealing with his secret identity being revealed in a tabloid, this story makes Daredevil one of the most interesting and complex characters in comics, and the story is highly recommended.

43 YELLOW VOL 4 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,928
44 CONAN & DEMONS OF KHITAI TP (MR) $12.95 DAR 1,913

Conan is a character that is easy to get wrong, and a lot of writers have over the years. This story, but a primarily Japanese creative team, shows that there are a lot of different styles that fit, as long as the creative team remembers to write the Conan character as a man who is savage, but not stupid. A strong story set after Conan has become king, and while it is a must read for fantasy fans, it's also a good comic for people who want to read something outside the superhero genre. Highly recommended.

45 FEAR AGENT VOL 1 REIGNITION TP $9.99 IMA 1,821
46 Y THE LAST MAN VOL 7 PAPER DOLLS TP (MR) $14.99 DC 1,806

Y The Last Man is one of Vertigo's better series, and the idea is simple: In the near future, some virus has killed all male mammals except for Yorick and his pet monkey who travel across the world to try to get to his girlfriend in Australia. After a couple of graphic novels that weren't quite as good as the others, this one is back on track, probably because it goes back to the main plot line instead of exploring the world the series is set in. A good SF comic without seeming like it's too far over-the-top, this has been a great series, and his book is highly recommended.

47 BATMAN DYNAMIC DUO ARCHIVES VOL 2 HC $49.99 DC 1,806

The Archives series from DC reprint older stories in a nice, hardcover format, and “Dynamic Duo” run of Batman is reprinting the work from the 60's after they quit printing goofy stories that didn't fit Batman. These stories are good, but not great, and while they are a fun nostalgic read, this hardcover is really only for hard-core collectors. Casual readers should pick up “Batman in the Sixties” instead.

48 FANTASTIC FOUR/IRON MAN BIG IN JAPAN TP $12.99 MAR 1,806

This is one of those odd recommendations where I feel that the book is a lot of fun, but it's really for a very limited audience. The artist, Seth Fisher, has an amazing art style that blew me away as I read the book, and by the time I got to the end of it, I realized that the story was really just an excuse for him to draw big monsters, fight scenes and Japanese buildings, but the art was so good that it was enough for me. I doubt it will be enough for most readers, but if you flip through it at the bookstore and say “This looked COOL!”, then it's one you should try. Recommended for the art.

49 DEARS VOL 7 GN (Of 7) $9.99 TKP 1,775
50 HELLSPAWN ASHLEY WOOD COLL TP $24.95 IMA 1,768

Spawn is a character that got a lot of attention in the 90's, and because it was so popular, it got a second series called Hellspawn. It didn't really make a hell of a lot of sense, but reading Spawn means you have to pretty much ignore story logic anyway, but these “historical” stories make less sense than regular Spawn comics.

51 BATTLE CLUB VOL 2 GN (Of 3) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,760
52 CRYING FREEMAN VOL 2 TP (MR) $14.95 DAR 1,752

I read this comic in it's first printing back in the early 90's, and while it is one of the better manga on the stands, it is essentially a long series collected in books that do not read well on their own. It is the story of an assassin who is hypnotized into killing, so he cries as his commits murder, knowing he can't stop. It reads like a very long Honk Kong action movie, and all together is a fantastic read, but you can't dive in an start reading in the middle of a story any more than you could walk into a movie a half hour late and pick up everything that is going on.

53 LIBERTY MEADOWS VOL 1 TP $14.99 IMA 1,737

This is a GREAT book, reprinting about a year's worth of the best comic strip you've never seen. Frank Cho is an amazing artist, and this comic strip is funnier than anything in the newspaper currently, so I was pretty shocked that it didn't get more traction in newspapers, and the books are Highly Recommended.

54 YOSHITAKA AMANO FAIRIES HC $24.95 DAR 1,722
55 BLEACH VOL 13 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,699
56 ETERNALS BY JACK KIRBY HC $75.00 MAR 1,691

This is one big book. It reprints 21 comics from the mid to late 70's, and while it's not Kirby's BEST work, it is a lot better than people give it credit for. Still, with a $75 price tag, this is primarily a book for the people who already know the book and want a nice hardcover volume of it, so it's for hard core fans only.

57 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS WOLVERINE VOL 3 TP $12.99 MAR 1,653

Back in the late 80's, Marvel had a bi-weekly book with four stories in each issue, mostly of them long serials, and Wolverine was the “Anchor” character for most of the series's run. Only a few of the stories were any good, and this isn't one of them. A bland story that doesn't really need reprinting, but since Wolverine sells, here it is.

58 SOUTHLAND TALES BK 1 TWO ROADS DIVERGE $12.95 GRA 1,615
59 TENJHO TENGE VOL 8 $9.99 DC 1,607
60 WATCHMEN TP $19.99 DC 1,607

STILL selling a lot of copies every month, as well it should. Watchmen was one of the first comics to treat super-hero stories with maturity and attempted to create something more than fight scenes and instead dealt with how the world would have dealt with masked heroes. It is a murder mystery, a book about fascinating people and probably the one comic where every single panel has something in it that means more than it first seems. A must-read, and if you haven't ever read it and are interested in comics, buy it first. Highly recommended.

61 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 27 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,607
62 LITTLE LULU VOL 10 ALL DRESSED TP $9.95 DAR 1,599

The Little Lulu books have been a lot better than I remember, and I loved these stories as a kid. The Dark Horse books are reprinting them in order, and if I didn't know they were originally printed in the 40's (and reprinted in the 70's when I read them), and the book does little to call that to the buyer's attention, which is probably a good thing. Other than a few things that seem a bit out of date, these are wonderful stories that read as fun stories for children, and have a sly wink toward the older readers. Buy it if you have kids to read bedtime stories to, and you'll stay up reading the rest of the book after they've gone to sleep. Mildly recommended.

63 JAZZ VOL 2 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,592
64 OUR KINGDOM VOL 3 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,561
65 ALIENS PREDATOR PANEL TO PANEL TP $19.95 DAR 1,538
66 LA ESPERANCA VOL 3 GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,531
67 ACTION PHILOSOPHERS VOL 1 GIANT SIZED THING TP $6.95 EVI 1,485
68 SPIDER-GIRL VOL 6 TOO MANY SPIDWRS DIGEST TP $7.99 MAR 1,477

Spider-Girl is a comic that reads just like an average Marvel comic from the 80's, with all of the fight scenes and soap opera subplots that were part of the formula of the time. Set in an a future of the Marvel Universe that is pretty much like our present day, it's a light series that reads well if you like that sort of super-hero story, and with getting 6 issues for $8, it's worth the money. It's aimed at younger readers, but is still mildly recommended.

69 Y THE LAST MAN VOL 1 UNMANNED TP $12.99 DC 1,469

You know what I said about the 7th volume of this book up above? If you were interested but said, “I don't want to come in in the middle of the story, this is about as perfect a first trade as you'll find, with a quick set up, and great art, this volume will hook you so that you want to read the rest of the series. Highly recommended.

70 CLAN OF NAKAGAMIS GN (MR) $12.95 DIG 1,462
71 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 1 GIFTED TP $14.99 MAR 1,446

Still selling, as well it should. This X-Men story, written by Joss Whedon of Buffy and Firefly fame, is the best X-Men story not by Grant Morrison in the last 20 years, and is probably the best book for someone who saw the movie and would like to read an X-Men story. It captures all of the things that made me an X-Men fan years ago and has some of the most amazing art the comic has seen in ages. Highly recommended.

72 LIBERTY MEADOWS VOL 2 TP $14.99 IMA 1,439

You know all of the good things I said about Liberty Meadows up above? This book is just as good. Funny, great art, and the best comic strip you've never read. Highly recommended.

73 HOT GIMMICK VOL 11 TP $9.99 VIZ 1,400

No, it's not about how the WWE creates hew characters and quickly drives them into the ground (Hi, Eugene, welcome to Oblivion), but is instead another manga aimed at pre-teen girls. Since I'm not a pre-teen girl, I don't read it.

74 MAJESTIC VOL 2 TP $14.99 DC 1,377

This is one of those characters that Wildstorm brings out every so often to try and get fans interested, but other than a story here and there, it's just not interesting. Back in the 90's, before they were bought up by DC, Wildstorm was throwing all kinds of ideas at the wall to see if fans would get interested in any of them, and this was their “Superman” style hero. I'm amazed that they keep trying, but here's another try that results in sadly generic stories featuring an uninteresting hero.

75 HOUSE OF M TP $24.99 MAR 1,293

Marvel's big crossover from last summer, and I know people are sick of me saying it, but this story doesn't have much impact unless you already a comics fan. The big crossover from this summer, Civil War, is much better for new readers, and will work better as a trade for new readers. If you're already a Marvel fan, you probably already bought this, and if you aren't, this look at an alternate universe won't make you one.

76 WALKING DEAD VOL 1 DAYS GONE BYE TP (MR) $9.95 IMA 1,270

STILL selling almost two years after it came out, and it has sold a solid 1000+ copies every months since it has been out. Probably the best horror comic on the stands, and this story of life after civilization falls to a zombie attack is one of my favorite books. Highly recommended.

77 BEST OF SPIDER-MAN VOL 5 HC $29.99 MAR 1,240

Marvel can call this the “Best Of” all they want, but it's really just another year's worth of “Amazing Spider-Man” collected as a hardcover, and the stories they are collecting are pretty damn far from the “Best”. In fact, most of them are pretty bad, and while I liked most of the current creative team's work at the beginning of their run, these stories are horrible. Avoid this one.

78 BPRD BLACK FLAME TP $17.95 DAR 1,240
79 CANNON GOD EXAXXION STAGE 5 VOL 5 TP $15.95 DAR 1,240
80 ALAN MOORE COMP FUTURE SHOCK TP $23.99 REB 1,217

A collection of Alan Moore's early short stories for British Comics, these are fun little stories that rely on twist endings. They aren't as good as any of his other work, and they sure aren't worth $24, but if you see it in a half price bin, it's a nice little throw-away read that will remind you of Twilight Zone stories if they were done to get a chuckle.

81 WALKING DEAD VOL 2 MILES BEHIND US TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,201

More of the horror series, still selling and still good. Highly recommended.

82 STUPID COMICS COLL TP $12.99 IMA 1,186
83 ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 14 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,186
84 HANA KIMI VOL 12 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,178
85 FLAMING CARROT VOL 6 FIRST IMAGE SER VOL TP $14.99 IMA 1,178

Flaming Carrot is not for everyone. It's a surreal comic featuring a man who wears flippers and a giant carrot mask who has no powers, but went crazy after reading 10,000 comics in a single sitting. He's friends with a sentient sponge, has fought clones of Hitler's feet and makes The Tick seem sane. It's a weird comic that you will either love or be confused by, and I'm one of the people who loves it. It's well worth a try just to see if Bob Burden's strange storytelling appeals to you, but you should probably give it a close read at the store before picking it up.

86 MARVEL MASTERWORKS RAWHIDW KID VOL 1 HC VAR ED 63 $54.99 MAR 1,171
87 MARVEL MASTERWORKS RAWHIDW KID VOL 1 HC NEW ED $49.99 MAR 1,163

It's too bad Marvel feels the need to do the “special cover” thing with their Masterworks (which is their line reprinting older comics in hardcover), since they would have come in around #35 if you combine these two figures, giving this book a little more exposure. Before the Fantastic Four, Marvel was trying EVERYTHING to get sales in the late 50's, and they had mild success with their westerns. This one has stories by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and other creators who would soon work on the super-hero line. The stories are dated, and appeal only to hard-core fans, but people who like the early Marvel super-hero stuff should pick up this book, since it uses a lot of the same themes as the super-hero books would use.

88 DE TALES VOL 1 TP $14.95 DAR 1,163
89 SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL 2 SUPERGIRL TP $12.99 DC 1,156

I know I am supposed to like this book, but on a second reading, the new Supergirl just seems as if she's done in a creepy “jail bait” way, and the story just isn't all that good. There are MUCH better books using Batman and Superman.

90 MAGE VOL 2 HERO DEFINED TP $24.99 IMA 1,156

MAGE is a comic I have loved for a LONG time. The story of the modern reincarnation of King Arthur, it appears to be a simple adventure story on the surface, but as you read it, you'll get drawn into a wonderfully rich fantasy set in current times filled with fascinating characters. It's much better to read the first book and then this one, but this book does read well on it's own, and shows that Matt Wagner is one of the best cartoonists working today. Highly recommended.

91 VAGABOND VOL 21 TP (MR) $9.95 VIZ 1,156
92 WALKING DEAD VOL 4 HEARTS DESIRE TP (MR) $12.99 IMA 1,148

Another Walking Dead book, another Highly Recommended rating. Funny how that works.

93 ANGEL OLD FRIENDS TP $19.99 IDW 1,133

If you were a fan of the Buffy and Angel TV series, IDW is doing new stories of Angel, these are set in the backstory of the series. It's not bad, it's just not all that good, and really is for the people who bought all of the DVD sets, read the novels and want more.

94 MARVEL ADVS SPIDER-MAN VOL 3 DOOM W/VIEW DIGEST TP $6.99 MAR 1,125

Spider-Man stories aimed at younger readers at a nice cheap price. Highly recommended for kids.

95 KINGDOM COME TP $14.99 DC 1,102
96 NANA VOL 3 TP $8.99 VIZ 1,087
97 LOVE MODE VOL 3 GN (Of 11) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,087
98 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 2 DANGEROUS TP $14.99 MAR 1,056

The second book of the series by Joss Whedon, and while it is good, it just isn't as good as the first of his X-Men books. Buy that one, and if you like it, this one continues the story, and sets up the next story well. It's better than most X-Men comics, but after reading the first trade, it can't help but be a disappointment

99 Y THE LAST MAN VOL 6 GIRL ON GIRL TP (MR) $12.99 DC 1,048

Remember when I said above that some of the books in this series aren't as good as others? This is one that isn't that good, and falls into the trap of “Our hero meets a couple of groups of crazy women” instead of delivering a solid story. It really feels like a lackluster episode of a TV series than a story on it's own.

100 WALKING DEAD VOL 3 SAFETY BEHIND BARS TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,041

And the last of the Walking Dead trades shows up on the list. Highly recommended, as are the other three volumes.

And that's it for another month!

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