The Top 100 Selling Graphic Novels For April 2005
This list comes from digging through sales figures, asking too many questions and using Diamond Comics information. The snotty comments in white are from deep in Cory's sick twisted little brain.
1 VERTIGO FIRST TASTE TP (MR) $4.99 DC 10,767
Probably one of the best ideas DC (or anyone) has had in a while. A nice sized trade paperback that has the first issues of some of the longer running Vertigo series. A great way to get a look at what the line is doing, and probably one of the best bargians on the market. Comic book shops SHOULD be puching this one, and book stores would do well to stock it.
2 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 6 BOOZE BROADS BULLETS 2ND TP
(MR)* $15.00 DAR 9,520
3 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 7 HELL & BACK 2ND TP (MR)*
$28.00 DAR 8,030
Going to be a lot of these in the list this month because of the movie, and it's good to see people picking them up. Miller's Sin City graphic novels are written like a 50's crime novel, but the art really puts them over the top, with Miller using all of his skills to bring a new kind of story telling to comics. You should have all fo these already, and if you don't, go get them.
NOW, DAMMIT!
4 TWISTED TOYFARE THEATRE VOL 5 TP $12.99 WIZ 6,621
Before “Robot Chicken”, there was Twisted Toyfare Theater, and even though I'm not a toy collector, I read the mag on the sheft JUST for these fumetti strips using action figures for funny, sick little sketches. None of these strips will make you think, or have any other purpose than making you laugh and are highly recommended. And “Robot Chicken” should be paying these guys royalties.
5 BATMAN YEAR ONE DELUXE EDITION HC $19.99 DC 5,355
The best Batmans story ever. Period. Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli tell the story of Bruce Wayne's first case, and it took the Batman comics to a different level of storytelling. Not everything that has come since has been good, but this is the one graphic novel I recommend to anyone who wants to read a Batman story. Highly recommended.
6 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 4 THAT YELLOW BASTARD 2ND TP
(MR)* $19.00 DAR 5,156
7 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 1 HARD GOODBYE 2ND TP (MR) $17.00
DAR 5,150
8 SUPERMAN VERSUS THE FLASH TP $19.99 DC 5,006
Another collection from DC that gathers up stories from the 60's to present, and sadly, it shows just how poorly the stories from the 60's and 70's are aging, with stiff art, purple prose and tired gimmicks instead of real stories. Even the “modern” stories come off as tired and bland.
9 DC THE NEW FRONTIER VOL 2 TP $19.99 DC 4,963
I don't like it when comic book companies put out graphic novels that split up a story into two or more trade paperbacks, but this one is worth the expense of buying two trade paperbacks. It LOOKS like another nostaligia tinged look at the 60's super-hero stories, but Darwyn Cooke's simple, Alex Toth inspired art adds to the story of hope and heroes that fit the characters of the 60's better than characters of the modern era. Highly recommended.
10 CHRONICLES OF CONAN VOL 7 DWELLER IN THE POOL TP $15.95 DAR 4,732
Reprinting more of the early John Buscema Conan stories, and it's often been said that these were Buscema's favorite comics to draw. Unlike a lot of Roy Thomas's work, the Conan stories aren't over-written, and they were pretty much the template for non-Tolkien fantasy through the 70's. Highly recommended.
11 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 2 DAME TO KILL FOR 2ND TP (MR)
$17.00 DAR 4,227
12 STAR WARS EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH TP $12.95 DAR 4,221
I cannot comprehend why people buy comic book adaptations of movies, expecially when the DVD will cost about the same as this book, and be loaded with tons of special features...AND THE ACTUAL MOVIE. The only odd thing to me is that this was out a full month before the movie came out, so if you REALLY wanted to know that Annikin become Darth Vader, you could have found out here. Or from watching 1981's “Empire Strikes Back.”
13 RISING STARS VOL 3 FIRE & ASH TP $19.99 IMA 4,202
When the early issues of this comic came out, it was a HUGE hit. But, constant delays, artist shifts and contract problems have made it so I have no idea what the first two trade paperbacks were about, so I'll put this on a shelt until I find them, and then read it all at once. I wonder how many thousand more would have been sold if it wasn't almost 4 years late.
14 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 3 BIG FAT KILL 2ND TP (MR)
$17.00 DAR 4,077
15 ESSENTIAL HULK VOL 3 TP $16.99 MAR 3,865
More Roy Thomas Hulk stories from the late 60's and early 70's. Herb Trimpe did a passable job drawing like Jack Kirby during his career at Marvel, and his Hulk is where he spent most of his career (until the 90's when he started drawing like Rob Liefeld...JESUS, that was some painful crap). Having this big a chunk in one book shows just how repetative this comic got, with pretty much the same story told over and over again. As a nostalgia book, it's a blast, but if you aren't already a fan of the childish, stupid Hul;k, this won't make you one.
16 JENNY FINN DOOM #1 $6.99 ATO 3,747
Another comic that started and then ran in to contractural delays. I love Mike Mignola's work, but as good as this might be, it's basically a reprint of the first Oni issue with some more, and is continued. Not worth the money.
17 INU YASHA VOL 21 TP $8.95 VIZ 3,560
18 NARUTO VOL 6 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,547
19 INVINCIBLE VOL 4 HEAD OF THE CLASS TP $14.95 IMA 3,485
20 SHE HULK VOL 2 SUPERHUMAN LAW TP $14.99 MAR 3,466
The last 6 issues of the recent series. It follows the 90's She-Hulk series where it deals mostly in humor, and I didn't find the book that funny. An unfunny humor comic is about as sad as a sackful of dead puppies. Still, it's not as sad as the Elektra movie, though.
21 DAREDEVIL VOL 11 GOLDEN AGE TP $13.99 MAR 3,410
Another collection of Brian Bendis's incredible run on Daredevil. This story deals with an old crime boss returning to Hell's Kitchen, and trying to show that he's still able to run things. It has a VERY long sequence of Daredevil being held prison, and yet it never once feels like it's being stretched or drug out. Highly recommended.
22 WOLVERINE ENEMY OF THE STATE VOL 1 HC $19.99 MAR 3,392
The first half of Mark Millar's 12 issue run on Wolverine. It's a solid action story that has Wolverine attacking pretty much every character in the Marvel Universe. The equivelent of summer action movie, with some of John Romita Jr.'s best art in years. Is it worth being a hardcover? Not really, but as a trade paperback, it's a great read.
23 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 14 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,342
24 SUPREME POWER VOL 1 HC (MR) $29.99 MAR 3,304
The first 12 issues of JMS's book that pretty much goes over the same ground as his “Rising Stars” series. I have not been impressed with this series, and don't think it's worth the $30 for the first year.
25 BATMAN COVER TO COVER HC $39.99 DC 3,248
A collection of Batman comic book covers. If you like coffee table books, this one looks good, but I READ comic, so this was a waste of paper in my mind.
26 BITE CLUB TP (MR) $9.99 DC 2,905
A recent Vertigo comic, and published in the “manga” sized format. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Sorry.
27 BATMAN SCARECROW TALES TP $19.99 DC 2,887
Since the Scarecrow is going to be one of the villians in the next Batman movie, DC has put out a trade of the best Scarecrow stories in the nearly 70 year history of Batman. Oddly enough, most of them weren't any good. There isn't a single story in this book that stands out as a classic, and Scarecrow has always been a second rate Batman villian, and these stories confirm that.
28 FLIGHT VOL 2 GN $24.95 IMA 2,830
29 FREAK SHOW HC $14.95 IMA 2,830
30 GTO VOL 24 GN (OF 25) (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,774
31 AUTHORITY KEV TP (MR) $14.99 DC 2,643
Wait...this is out? Where the hell is my copy?!?!
32 BATTLE VIXENS VOL 7 GN (OF 8) (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,500
33 FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY VOL 5 FAMILY VALUES 2ND TP (MR) $12.00
DAR 2,469
34 STAR WARS CRIMSON EMPIRE BOOK & BUST UP FIGURE SET $24.99
DAR 2,425
This was one of the better Star Wars mini-series from the 90's, with Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy about the last “name” creators to work on the series. I don't think it's worth getting in his format, which seems like a way to get toy collectors to snap it up. Just look for the $15 trade.
35 KARE KANO VOL 15 GN (OF 18) $9.99 TKP 2,425
36 THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD TP $19.99 DC 2,413
A new version of this book, the first of which came out in 1988. And while it says it's the GREATEST, it's really more a solid collection of stories from every era Batman has been published, including the goofy 60's and early 60's stories. A good introduction to Batman, but if you want the GREATEST Batman stories, buy “Year One”, “The Dark Knight” and “Neal Adams Batman Volume 2.”
37 COMIC CAVALCADE ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC $49.99 DC 2,257
Another one my comic shop didn't get for me. The bastard.
38 GREEN ARROW CITY WALLS TP $12.99 DC 2,201
Reprinting the recent story arc, and by the end of the story, Judd Winnik had turned Green Arrow into a team book, with 4 different characters with the saqme power, shooting arrows. It's pretty bland, despite having a character announce she was HIV positive.
39 BULLSEYE GREATEST HITS TP $13.99 MAR 2,182
Reprint of a quickie mini-series that came off as amazingly mediocre.
40 DAMPYR #1 DEVILS SON $7.99 IDW 2,163
41 MARVEL VISIONARIES STEVE DITKO HC $29.99 MAR 2,151
This should have sold MUCH better. Ditko is one of the great comic book artists, and his work for Marvel in the 50's and 60's set the tone for much of Marvel's style. This is a wide collection of his best works, including the best Spider-Man story, some of his short 5 page “weird” stories, and others. Highly recommended.
42 BLACK WIDOW HOMECOMING TP $14.99 MAR 2,132
43 WILL EISNERS SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL 16 HC $49.99 DC 2,126
44 LEGEND OF GRIMJACK VOL 2 TP $19.99 IDW 2,095
No, I didn't buy this one. I didn't need to, as I have these issues. Tim Truman is an amazing artist, whose work should be far better known than it currently is, and John Ostrander's writing was never better than it was on this series. One of the few SF comics that was more than super-heroes with ray guns, it mixes hard-boiled noir and SF in a way that few creators have been able to pull off in any medium. Highly recommended.
45 MYSTIQUE VOL 4 QUIET TP $14.99 MAR 1,945
46 FANTASTIC FOUR SPIDER-MAN CLASSIC TP $16.99 MAR 1,945
Reprinting a lot of the early team-ups between the characters. These stories have been reprinted repeatedly, so there is nothing here that isn't in the Masterworks and Essentials. A decent enough collection, but with Early Marvel, it's better to read them in series, so skip this and buy the Essentials that reprint the early Spider-Man and FF stories.
47 AVENGERS EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROES HC $24.99 MAR 1,908
Reprinting a recent mini-series that revisits the early days of the Avengers and tells the early stories with a modern twist. I think that navel gazing ideas like this are a waste of time, especially when the early Avengers comics are incredibly assessable with Essentials and Masterworks reprinting most of the early stories in affordable formats.
48 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 13 BEAUTIFUL NIGHT TP $7.95 VIZ 1,877
49 X-MEN COMPLETE AGE OF APOCALYPSE EPIC BOOK 1 TP $29.99 MAR
1,877
This was the story that finally got me to stop reading the X-Men after almost 20 years of reading it (and liking it for the first 15 or so years). Now, without all the hype of the time, these comics come off even worse, with confusing storylines, characters who are never fully explained and nothing really to recommend it unless you are a huge fan of early 90's X-Men and a detailed memory of what each character was doing at that time.
50 MAN-THING WHATEVER KNOWS FEAR TP $12.99 MAR 1,852
I love the Steve Gerber Man-Thing stories, and wish that Marvel would start reprinting them. This reprints the recent 3-issue mini-series that was a prequel to the movie that eventually surfaced as a cable offering on SciFi channel. However bad that movie was, this is worse, and the contrast is made more clear by the reprinting of the first Man-Thing story (which is just bland) and a Steve Gerbar Man Thing story, which is by far the best thing in the comic. Pass and wait for a better collection.
51 ARTHUR SUYDAM ART OF THE BARBARIAN SKETCHBOOK SGN $14.95
IMA 1,789
52 CABLE DEADPOOL VOL 2 BURNT OFFERING TP $14.99 MAR 1,764
53 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA LAST ORDER VOL 5 GN $9.95 VIZ 1,764
54 ELFQUEST THE GRAND QUEST VOL 8 TP $9.99 DC 1,758
55 ELFQUEST SEARCHER & THE SWORD SC $14.99 DC 1,721
The first Elfquest Graphic novel by Wendy Pini ever, and the first Elfquest story from her in years. It's a solid enough story, but it felt to me as if I was revisiting an old friend who hadn't grown up, while I had. It's not BAD, just not very good as a story and seems a bit more twee than I remember.
56 ART OF GREG HORN TP $24.95 IMA 1,714
57 THOR SON OF ASGARD VOL 2 WORTHY DIGEST TP (MR) $7.99 MAR 1,690
Stories of Thor as a young god. Kirby was there first in his “Tales of Asgard” series, and while this has fancy coloring, Kirby's stories felt like actual mythology, while these read like standard issue fantasy stories.
58 FOUR LETTER WORLDS GN $12.95 IMA 1,671
59 TOKYO BABYLON VOL 7 GN (OF 7) $9.99 TKP 1,652
60 FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 14 GN $9.95 VIZ 1,571
61 MARVEL MASTERWORKS AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL 7 NEW ED $49.99 MAR
1,559
Reprinting stories from the mid to late 60's, which were Spider-Man's Golden Age. Stan was still piling on the soap opera stuff with lush visuals by John Romita, who changed the comic from a story about an outsider to a romance comic with super-heroes in it. I have a soft spot for these stories, and if you liked the Spider-Man movie, this is where it all came from. Highly recommended.
62 SPIDER-MAN DR OCTOPUS YEAR ONE TP $13.99 MAR 1,552
The childhood of Dr. Octopus, and it was a pretty unnessesary story. If it was supposed to tie in with the movie, it came out a year too late, and didn't tie in with the movie's version of the character. If it was supposed to re-image the character, it didn't, just drew out the stuff we've already read for 5 issues. Pass.
63 STAR WARS VISIONARIES TP $17.95 DAR 1,546
This was pitched in the ads as “Star Wars stories by people who created the visuals for the movies.” The visuals may have been nice eye candy, but none of these stories are worth reading. Just another book to try and sop up whatever Star Wars money is still floating around.
64 SHAMAN KING VOL 6 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,527
65 ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 7 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,465
66 SUIKODEN III VOL 6 GN (OF 7) $9.99 TKP 1,434
67 SHAOLIN SISTERS REBORN VOL 1 GN (OF 4) $9.99 TKP 1,397
68 MARVEL MASTERWORKS AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL 7 HC VAR ED $54.99
MAR 1,384
And here's another cover for this comic, and is $5 more expensive so that you can have it look like the Masterworks you bought in the early 90's. If you didn't, it's stupid to pay $5 more for a different cover. And if you DID, it's STILL stupid to pay $5 more for a different cover.
69 BATMAN HUSH VOL 1 TP $12.95 DC 1,372
70 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 1 GIFTED TP $14.99 MAR 1,365
Both of these are re-orders, but the only one I liked was Astonishing X-Men.
71 MABURAHO MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99 ADV 1,340
72 SPIDER-MAN INDIA TP $9.99 MAR 1,334
One of Marvel's goofier modern ideas, a “What If?” story...”What if Peter Parker had been from India.” I read it and found absolutely no reason to do this comic as anything more than a backup feature in a “What If?” comic.
73 ALPHA FLIGHT VOL 2 WAXING POETIC TP $14.99 MAR 1,328
Oh, come on. There CAN'T be 1300 people who wanted this. There aren't that many stupid people, are there?
74 BATMAN HUSH VOL 2 TP NEW PTG $12.99 DC 1,259
75 STRAY BULLETS VOL 1 INNOCENCE OF NIHILISM 10TH ANN TP $19.95
EL 1,222
A series I have very mixed feelings about. There's no doubting the talent behind it, and in many ways, it one of the best comics being published. But it always leaves me feeling unfulfilled, as after 38 issues, none of the issues raised in the early story are any closer to resolution. It's well done, but more and more feels like it's just going to trail off into nothingness.
76 VAN VON HUNTER VOL 1 GN (OF 3) $9.99 TKP 1,209
77 BATMAN BLIND JUSTICE TP NEW PTG $14.99 DC 1,178
Wow, this is still in print? A three issue story from Detective 598 – 600, written by the man who wrote the Batman movie from 1989. It hasn't aged very well, and comes off as an average story. Save your money for Year One, and buy this only if you are curious.
78 YU GI OH DUELIST VOL 4 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,178
79 DEVIL DOES EXIST VOL 1 $9.95 DC 1,166
80 BLEACH VOL 6 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,160
81 TEX THE LONESOME RIDER GN $15.95 SAF 1,141
82 GIRL GOT GAME VOL 9 GN (OF 10) $9.99 TKP 1,141
83 SGT FROG VOL 8 GN (OF 10) $9.99 TKP 1,135
84 DR SLUMP VOL 1 TP $7.99 VIZ 1,122
85 BOYS BE VOL 4 GN (OF 20) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,116
86 WALKING DEAD VOL 2 MILES BEHIND US TP (MR) $12.95 IMA 1,097
The second trade of this exellent series, reprinting issue 7 – 12. Set after zombies have destroyed civilization, it's the tale of a small group of survivors, and is as close to a George Romero movie in print as I've seen. For horror fans, it is a must read, for everyone else, if you can handle gore, it's highly recommended.
87 MEGALEX VOL 1 TP (MR) $14.99 DC 1,091
88 MILKMAN MURDERS TP (MR) $12.95 DAR 1,079
89 ULTIMATE GALACTUS VOL 1 NIGHTMARE TP $12.99 MAR 1,072
More re-orders. I know that I'm supposed to really like the Warren Ellis stuff, but this story is only the first third of a story, and there are too many characters for the story to gather the kind of momentum it should.
90 TOM STRONGS TERRIFIC TALES VOL 2 HC $24.99 DC 1,066
Another collection of the series, with amazing art by Art Adams, stories by Alan Moore, and that should be enough to get you to buy it. Highly recommended.
91 ID ENTITY VOL 1 GN (OF 13) $9.99 TKP 1,060
92 TENRYU THE DRAGON CYCLE VOL 1 TP $9.99 DC 1,060
93 GUNDAM SEED ASTRAY R VOL 2 GN (OF 4) $9.99 TKP 1,041
94 BILAL LIBRARY MEMORIES TP (MR) $17.99 DC 1,035
95 TEEN TITANS FAMILY LOST TP NEW PTG $9.99 DC 1,029
96 PRINCE OF TENNIS VOL 7 GN $7.95 VIZ 1,029
97 SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL 1 PUBLIC ENEMIES TP $12.99 DC 1,010
98 VAMPIRE GAME VOL 11 GN $9.99 TKP 1,010
99 WIZARD BEST OF BASIC TRAINING DLX TP $29.99 WIZ 1,010
100 VIDEO GIRL AI VOL 11 TP $9.99 VIZ 1,004
Finally! Done on time!