The Top 100 Selling Graphic Novels For February 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. Right now, it's only partly done because of Cory!!'s workload. At some point he may come back and finish it. But don't hold your breath.
1 SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL 2 SUPERGIRL HC $19.95 7,800
The new Superman/Batman series has been a gold mine for DC, what with it landing in the top 10 every month, collecting each story arc in hardcovers and then in paperbacks, and each of them hit the top of the charts. Is it worth the hardcover treatment? Not especially. The story is pretty convoluted, and I am not a big fan of Michael Turner's art. And $20 for a reprint of five comic books is a bit steep, but then buying them individually was pretty steep too at $3 a pop. If you want it, wait for the trade that will be out in about 6 months, there's nothing here worthy of Hardcover treatment.
2 ULTIMATE X-MEN VOL 10 CRY WOLF TP $8.99 MAR 6,947
I just have never gotten hooked on this version of the X-Men. Not even the Bendis story was enough to get me to read the series.
3 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 1 HARD GOODBYE 2ND TP (MR) $17.00 DAR 5,774
It's nice to see this series by Frank Miller get the attention it deserves. Miller's stories are pretty basic crime fiction stuff, with tough guys, sexy dames and a lot of violence, but what raises this above the standard crime fiction is how Miller uses his art. The stories are in black and white, but he uses contrast in a way that no other artist had done (but Jim Lee started aping his style soon after this book first came out showing his defiencies as an artist). One of the most visually striking comics ever printed, all of the Sin City trades are Highly Recommended, but for adults only.
4 WOLVERINE THE END TP $14.99 MAR 5,467
A “last Wolverine story” that doesn't really have a lot of the emotional resonance that such a story should have. It's a decent enough Wolverine story, but shouldn't the Last One have a big emotional payoff? Bland.
5 BATMAN WAR GAMES ACT ONE TP $14.95 DC 5,095
The first of three books that will reprint the Big Batman Event from last year that attempted to clear the boards and start a new era in the Batman saga. Other than some minor changes (Batman is no longer on friendly terms with the police), it was just a long, drawn out crossover. If you like the big crossovers in the Bat-Books, this is one of the better ones, but as a story on its own, it's just not all that good.
6 BIZARRO WORLD HC $29.95 DC 4,260
The first one (Bizarro comics) was a blast to read, but it wasn't worth $30 to me. Another comic that I'll wait until it is a $20 softcover and read it then. I'm pretty discriminatory as to what I'll shell out the big bucks on a hardcover for, and an anthology of strips, about half of which will be good, isn't worth the $30 hardcover treatment.
7 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 3 BIG FAT KILL 2ND TP (MR) $17.00
DAR 4,254
8 FRANK MILLER SIN CITY VOL 4 THAT YELLOW BASTARD TP (MR)* $19.00
DAR 4,190
9 MEGATOKYO VOL 3 TP $9.95 DAR 4,149
This has to be one of the big successes of the internet, since this started as a comic strip on the web by a big manga fan, and now it sells better than most manga. I loved the first two books, but I didn't make it through this one. The story started getting too scattered, the pacing was horrible, and the humor from the first two books seemed to evaporate. I don't know if it is because of the “page at a time” way the strip is done, but this was a major disappointment to me.
10 FRUITS BASKET VOL 7 GN (OF 14) $9.99 TKP 3,975
11 X-MEN THE END BOOK 1 DREAMERS & DEMONS TP $14.99 MAR 3,900
12 TRIGUN MAXIMUM VOL 4 BOTTOM O/T DARK TP $9.95 DAR 3,795
13 RUNAWAYS VOL 3 GOOD DIE YOUNG DIGEST TP $7.99 MAR 3,668
14 ESSENTIAL LUKE CAGE VOL 1 TP $16.99 MAR 3,668
15 SILENT HILL PAINT IT BLACK (MR) $7.49 IDW 3,575
16 UNCANNY X-MEN NEW AGE VOL 2 CRUELEST CUT TP $11.99 MAR 3,569
17 RUROUNI KENSHIN VOL 11 TP $7.95 VIZ 3,563
18 24 STORIES ONE SHOT $7.49 IDW 3,557
19 BPRD PLAGUE O/FROGS TP $17.95 DAR 3,494
20 LUCIFER VOL 7 EXODUS TP (MR) $14.95 DC 3,453
21 BLACK PANTHER BY JACK KIRBY VOL 1 TP $19.99 MAR 3,418
22 LIBERTY MEADOWS VOL 3 SUMMER O/LOVE HC $24.95 IMA 3,273
23 BATTLE ROYALE VOL 11 GN (OF 13) (MR) $9.99 TKP 3,151
24 JSA VOL 7 PRINCE O/DARKNESS TP $19.95 DC 3,082
25 ARMY O/DARKNESS VOL 1 ASHES TO ASHES TP $14.99 DYN 3,058
26 SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC $19.95 DC 3,029
27 SEAGUY TP (MR) $9.95 DC 2,954
28 DONALD DUCK ADVENTURES VOL 10 TP $7.95 GEM 2,954
29 X-MEN DAY O/T ATOM TP $19.99 MAR 2,873
30 LEGEND O/GRIMJACK VOL 1 TP $19.99 IDW 2,861
31 RANMA 1/2 VOL 29 TP $9.95 VIZ 2,855
32 FLASH IGNITION TP $14.95 DC 2,855
33 GTO VOL 23 GN (OF 25) (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,797
34 MAXX BOOK FOUR TP (MR) $17.95 DC 2,693
35 ULT X-MEN VOL 4 HC $29.99 MAR 2,646
36 BOOKS O/MAGICK LIFE DURING WARTIME BOOK 1 TP (MR) $9.95 DC
2,600
37 GOON VOL 3 HEAPS O/RUINATION TP $12.95 DAR 2,571
38 KARE KANO VOL 14 GN (OF 18) $9.99 TKP 2,559
39 DNANGEL VOL 6 GN (OF 8) $9.99 TKP 2,559
40 MARVEL VISIONARIES STAN LEE HC $29.99 MAR 2,490
41 HULK AND THING HARD KNOCKS TP $13.99 MAR 2,414
42 TRIGUN ANIME MANGA VOL 1 TP $14.95 DAR 2,385
43 STAR WARS TALES VOL 5 TP $19.95 DAR 2,327
44 SNK VS CAPCOM VOL 1 SVC CHAOS TP $13.95 COM 2,310
45 ITS A BIRD SC (MR) $17.95 DC 2,298
46 SEVEN SOLDIERS O/VICTORY ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC $49.95 DC 2,229
47 MARVEL WEDDINGS TP $19.99 MAR 2,229
48 BATMAN HUSH VOL 1 TP $12.95 DC 2,199
49 GRAVITATION VOL 10 GN (OF 12) $9.99 TKP 2,188
50 AI LOVE YOU VOL 7 GN (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,107
51 ALL STAR COMICS ARCHIVES VOL 11 HC $49.95 DC 2,101
52 ASTONISHING X-MEN VOL 1 GIFTED TP $14.99 MAR 2,002
53 BATTLE VIXENS VOL 6 GN (OF 8) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,962
54 NEW MUTANTS BACK TO SCHOOL TP $16.99 MAR 1,938
55 ELFQUEST THE GRAND QUEST VOL 7 TP $9.95 DC 1,915
56 ROGUE VOL 1 GOING ROGUE TP $14.99 MAR 1,904
57 BLEACH VOL 5 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,880
58 TOM STRONG BOOK 3 TP $17.95 DC 1,874
59 SIMPSON COMICS BARN BURNER TP $14.95 BON 1,840
60 LEGAL DRUG VOL 2 GN $9.99 TKP 1,799
61 CHRONO CRUSADE MANGA VOL 4 TP $9.99 ADV 1,793
62 STAR WARS MINI BUST C3PO $49.95 DAR 1,747
63 NEGATIVE BURN VERY BEST FROM 1993-1998 TP $19.95 IMA 1,689
64 WOLFS RAIN VOL 2 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,648
65 BILL & TEDS MOST EXCELLENT ADV VOL 1 TP $13.95 SLG 1,631
66 TOKYO BABYLON VOL 6 GN (OF 7) $9.99 TKP 1,631
67 SAMURAI DEEPER KYO VOL 11 GN (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,613
68 YU GI OH DUELIST VOL 1 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,555
69 SABRETOOTH OPEN SEASON TP $9.99 MAR 1,555
70 INITIAL D VOL 16 GN (OF 26) $9.99 TKP 1,550
71 QUIXOTE NOVEL $9.95 IMA 1,538
72 GUNSLINGER GIRL MANGA VOL 2 TP (MR) $9.99 ADV 1,468
73 KILL ME KISS ME VOL 5 GN $9.99 TKP 1,451
74 SMALL GODS VOL 1 KILLING GRIN TP $9.95 IMA 1,445
75 ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 6 GN $9.99 VIZ 1,439
76 GET BACKERS VOL 7 GN (OF 26) $9.99 TKP 1,404
77 PVP RELOADED VOL 2 TP $11.95 IMA 1,393
78 AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED TP $15.99 MAR 1,370
79 EX MACHINA VOL 1 THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS TP (MR) $9.95 DC 1,352
80 HOT GIMMICK VOL 8 TP $9.99 VIZ 1,352
81 PEACEMAKER KUROGANE MANGA VOL 3 TP $9.99 ADV 1,352
82 JING KING O/BANDITS TWILIGHT TALES VOL 3 GN (OF 6) $9.99 TKP
1,341
83 MAGE VOL 1 THE HERO DISCOVERED TP $29.99 IMA 1,317
84 BUDDY DOES SEATTLE GN (MR) $14.95 FAN 1,312
85 VAGABOND VOL 19 TP (MR) $9.95 VIZ 1,306
86 CERES CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 10 TP $9.95 VIZ 1,294
87 ALICHINO VOL 1 GN $9.99 TKP 1,277
88 PINUP ART OF DAN DECARLO SC (MR) $18.95 FAN 1,271
89 MARVEL MASTERWORKS DAREDEVIL VOL 3 NEW ED HC $49.99 MAR 1,259
90 SKIZZ TP $14.95 DC 1,242
91 HIKARU NO GO VOL 3 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,236
92 CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL MANGA VOL 1 TP $10.95 ADV 1,219
93 MARVEL MASTERWORKS DAREDEVIL VOL 3 VAR DUST JACKET $54.99 MAR
1,213
94 BATMAN HUSH VOL 2 TP $12.95 DC 1,207
95 GI JOE RELOADED TP VOL 1 $12.95 DEV 1,207
96 WALKING DEAD VOL 1 DAYS GONE BYE TP (MR) $9.95 IMA 1,201
97 SUIKODEN III VOL 5 GN (OF 7) $9.99 TKP 1,196
98 BOYS BE VOL 3 GN (OF 20) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,196
99 FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 3 RETURN DOCTOR DOOM DIGEST TP $5.99 MAR
1,184
100 YU YU HAKUSHO VOL 6 TP $7.95 VIZ 1,172