1 STAR WARS CLONE WARS ADVS VOL 1 TP $6.95 DAR 9,463

Based on the Animated series on The Cartoon Network. And yes, the Star Wars franchise is so screwed up that I don't much care about the Clone Wars.

2 BATMAN HUSH VOL 1 TP $12.95 DC 9,174

The first 6 issues of Jim Lee's run on Batman, which I have reviewed so many times that I'm sick of my opinion on it. Funny that a trade paperback with a CD-Rom with 1000's of comics pages on it is about half the price of the Hardcover, when most DC hardcovers only drop $7 when they go to softcover.

3 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 10 HOLLYWOOD TP $12.99 MAR 7,862

Not my favorite story in this series, which was a surprise, since normally, this series is one of the most fun to read. This one tells the story of a Spider-Man movie being filmed, and both Spider-Man and Doc Oc show up because of it. Just not firing on all cylanders, so it's for collectors of the series only.

4 TWISTED TOYFARE THEATRE VOL 4 TP $9.99 WIZ 7,351

Probably the funniest thing being published. I could go on about how it is fumetti, how it plays off of nostalgia and the like, but it's just funny, which is all it really tries to be. Highly recommended.

5 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 1 FANTASTIC TP $12.99 MAR 5,998

The Ultimate version of the Fantastic Four goes through the normal origin with enough changes to update the idea without losing what made it a great comic in the 60's. The problem with it is that while Lee and Kirby got it done in one issue with a LOT more scenes, the story here is stretched out for six issues and doesn't add much to the proceedings. The Ultimate Spider-Man did the same thing, but in doing so, they fleshed out Peter Parker's pre-Spider-Man life, showed the sense of wonder he felt when he got his powers and made Uncle Ben into the best character in the comic. This just takes longer.

6 SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOL 1 TP (MR) $9.95 DAR 5,805

A spin-off of the Lone Wolf and Cub series by the same creators, and even though I was a HUGE Lone Wolf and Cub fan, I had no idea this series existed. It's just as good, and tells stories set in the same era, but from a completely different perspective. Lone Wolf and Cub was the best manga series ever printed and this one is so good it seems like it is just more of that series. Highly Recommended.

7 CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS VOL 3 TP $14.95 DC 5,619

This trade paperback series is reprinting all of the JLA/JSA crossovers, and by this point, we're into the late 60's and early 70's, so the stories have a different approach and are more character based than plot based. Still, for nostalgia buffs only.

8 100 BULLETS VOL 7 SAMURAI TP (MR) $12.95 DC 5,550

This series is one of Vertigo's longest running, and it is being written as trade paperback arcs. Not a typical Vertigo book and is more of a crime novel than anything else. Darkly entertaining with expressive art that fits the story perfectly. Highly recommended.

9 BERSERK VOL 4 TP (MR) $13.95 DAR 4,563
10 GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW VOL 2 TP $12.95 DC 4,438

Yet another reprinting of this run by Denny O'Neil and Neil Adams. Adams's art is still powerful, but the stories are HORRIDLY dated, and have not aged well at all. An important milestone in comics, as it was the first DC series to try and do relevant stories, and helped move the company away from the heavy gimmick plots of the 50's and 60's, but this is for collectors only.

11 BATTLE ROYALE VOL 8 GN (Of 11) (MR) $9.99 TKP 4,245

One of the few manga series I read, and a dark, violent series that is NOT for all readers. It is an over-the-top reality show in which a high school freshman class is put on an island and the last one surviving wins. The perfect example of why manga can do some things better than an American comic company, as this feels like a novel in comic form. Unreadable unless you have read previous issues, it is still highly recommended for mature readers, but be warned, it is VERY violent and brutal to the characters.

12 FRUITS BASKET VOL 4 GN (Of 11) $9.99 TKP 4,045
13 POWERS SELLOUTS TP $19.95 MAR 4,031

The Powers trades move over to Marvel, and are still highly recommended.

14 BONE ONE VOL ED SC $39.95 CAR 4,004

Reprinting the entire series in a single book, and it would have sold even more if it hadn't been allocated. Reports are that they got over 8000 orders from comic shops, but set the print run at around 4100 due to cost. Bone is an amazing achievement, a fantasy story that was almost completely self published, and sold better than Cerebus (the other self-published fantasy story in comics). Read in one book it is VERY apparent that the style of the story shifted toward the end to stretching the story out, as early parts of the story had more going on, and were faster paced. Still, I hope they do a second printing of this book as it is VERY highly recommended and the best way to read the series.

15 ARROWSMITH SO SMART I/THEIR FINE UNIFORMS TP $14.95 DC 3,838

Kurt Busiek's new series. I haven't had time to read it, due to comic shop issues, but it sure looks good, and Busiek is one of the better writers in comics, so I am looking forward to it.

16 ELFQUEST SEARCHER & SWORD HC $24.95 DC 3,714

The first new Elfquest story by Wendy Pini in ages, and it's published by DC. That just sounds odd. There was a time when I would have jumped all over a new Elfquest graphic novel, but now, I look at the price tag, think about how the stuff after the first 20 issue series wasn't all that good and I'll just wait for the trade paperback.

17 FLASH BLITZ TP $19.95 DC 3,500

Reprinting the most recent Flash story arc, which I didn't much care for. Therefor, I prolly wouldn't care for this trade either.

18 DAREDEVIL VOL 9 KING O/HELLS KITCHEN TP $13.99 MAR 3,465

Daredevil has been one of Marvel's best series for quite some time. Bendis is doing his best work on the series, and Maleev gives the series the look of a tabloid photograph, which is PERFECT for the series. This story, where Daredevil sets himself up as the new Kingpin to keep crime out of Hells Kitchen is an amazingly good story and is Highly recommended. No, it's NOT a typical super-hero comic, and doesn't read like one so much as it reads like a crime novel based in the Marvel Universe tangentally.

19 BPRD HOLLOW EARTH & OTHER STORIES TP $17.95 DAR 3,458
20 RANMA 1/2 VOL 27 TP $9.95 VIZ 3,334

If you have ever read a Ranma 1/2 story, these are more of them. It reads like a martial arts sitcom, and for me, I've read enough of it.

21 CATWOMAN MOVIE & OTHER CAT TALES TP $9.95 DC 3,293

The Catwoman movie was one of the worst Super-Hero movies since Steel, and this trade reprints the movie adaptation that came out earlier in the month. The other stories in the book do NOT make up for it. Pass.

22 CAPTAIN AMERICA & FALCON MADBOMB TP $16.99 MAR 3,106

When Jack Kirby returned to Marvel, a lot of the Marvel fans at the time didn't care for it, since by then, Marvel had become a company where the writers and editors were concerned with where the stories fit in continuity. Kirby came back in 1976 and just did all out action stories, and while the dialogue is a bit goofy at times, they have stood the test of time a LOT better than more "fan favorite" comics. This is a BLAST to read, and is still as fun as when I first read the stories back as a kid. Highly recommended, and remember, you7 just can't go wrong when you buy a Jack Kirby comic.

23 MAXX BOOK THREE TP (MR) $17.95 DC 2,947

Another great series, this one from the early 90's. It was made into an MTV cartoon, and is pretty much impossible to describe. Do yourself a favor, tho, and don't buy this as your first one. You HAVE to read the first two for this one to make any sense at all.

24 SPIDER-MAN SON O/T GOBLIN TP $15.99 MAR 2,947

A cross-section of the stories featuring Harry Osborne as the Green Goblin, and it shows what Marvel went through in the 70's and 80's. The early stories (from the early 70's) LOOK dated and read more like fan-fiction than a legit comic. The later stories were ones that I remembered being much better than they actually were, and the Death of Harry (oh fuck your spoilers, the story is over 10 years old) didn't make a whole lot of sense from what they reprinted here. Sadly, I have to recommend you pass.

25 BONE VOL 9 CROWN O/HORNS SC (RES) $18.95 CAR 2,947

The end of the Bone series. See review above.

26 EXILES VOL 7 BLINK I/TIME TP $19.99 MAR 2,871

This is an odd series to be doing so well as trade paperback. It is a collection of little known X-Men characters from alternate universes who do a kind of "Quantum Leap" type of mission, going to different alternate universes and fixing things. For long-time Marvel fans, it's a lot of fun, but for non-fans, it's probably a big mess.

27 DNANGEL VOL 3 GN (Of 8) $9.99 TKP 2,740
28 X-MEN OLD SOLDIERS TP $19.99 MAR 2,733

I have to admit, I buy a LOT of comics, and I have no clue in the world what stories this reprints.

29 AI LOVE YOU VOL 4 GN (Of 8) $9.99 TKP 2,727
30 WONDER WOMAN DOWN TO EARTH TP $14.95 DC 2,713
31 MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN VOL 2 EVERYDAY HERO DIGEST TP $5.99 MAR 2,616
32 FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 4 HEREAFTER TP $11.99 MAR 2,602

Highest Possible Recommendation. This deals with the aftermath of the Fantastic Four's battle with Dr. Doom, and shows just why Mark Waid is the best writer this series has seen in AGES. With a conclusion that is one of the best in years, don't ask, just buy it! (and yes, that's a hint)

33 X-TREME X-MEN VOL 8 PRISONER O/FIRE TP $19.99 MAR 2,602

Chris Claremont's spin-off X-Men series wraps up. If you like Claremont, you'll like this, but it sure won't convert anyone. Still, with all that Claremont's X-Men have done for Marvel over the years, I hope that they let him write an X-Men book for the rest of his life, just because it is the right thing to do.

34 AVENGERS VOL 4 LIONHEART O/AVALON TP $11.99 MAR 2,561

Utter and complete crap. Sorry, there is NOTHING in this story to recommend.

35 AVENGERS LIVING LEGENDS TP $19.99 MAR 2,547
36 GRAVITATION VOL 7 GN (Of 12) $9.99 TKP 2,513
37 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE HC $29.99 MAR 2,395

The first 11 issues and annual of the Kurt Busiek/George Perez Avengers run. Probably the best creative team to work on the book in a LONG time, and Perez's art is the best he has done since Crisis on Infinite Earths. If you don't already have these and have ANY interest in marvel Superheroes, you need to own this.

38 CEREBUS VOL 16 LAST DAY TP $20.00 AAR 2,347

And with this, it's over. I have talked about Cerebus in detail when the last issue came out, so with this, I'll just review the book itself. If you want to see what all the fuss was about, this will NOT answer your questions. If you miss Sim actually doing comics, this will be something you have been waiting for. If you're wanting Sim to explain all the stuff from the end of Church and State, you'll be a bit pissed.

39 ABENOBASHI MAGICAL SHOPPING ARCADE VOL 1 GN (Of 2) $9.99 TKP 2,326
40 ALL STAR COMICS ARCHIVES VOL 10 HC $49.95 DC 2,278

It is easy to tell by this point in the 40's that the steam had all been let out of the super-hero boom. This has always been a collection for the hard core, and probably unreadable to modern casual comics fans, but I like the fact that very soon, DC will have reprinted the entire run of their premire super-hero team. Still, for the first time, I was struggling to make it through some of the stories, so it's for collectors only.

41 MARVEL AGE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 1 DIGEST TP $5.99 MAR 2,174
42 SEBASTIAN O TP (MR) $9.95 DC 2,174

A little oddity from the early days of Vertigo. In the early 90's, Disney published comics, and after they got their animated characters into print, they hired a bunch of DC and British creators to work on some mini-series for a line they were going to call "Hollywood Comics". When it folded, this mini-series landed at DC, got into print and quickly vanished. It was the story of a British dandy who was also involved in mystical combat in the late 1800's, and is odd, entertaining and probably totally unsaleable. One of Grant Morrison's early works, and as a Morrison fanboy, I loved it, but give it a flip through in the store before you buy it, because it's Not to everyone's taste.

43 INITIAL D VOL 13 GN (Of 26) $9.99 TKP 2,085
44 SAMURAI DEEPER KYO VOL 8 GN (Of 18) $9.99 TKP 2,071
45 BATTLE VIXENS VOL 3 GN (Of 6) (MR) $9.99 TKP 2,057
46 WAKE THE DEAD TP (MR) $19.99 IDW 2,057

Another of the IDW horror trades, and again, I just got it this week, so the review is coming soon. But, based on the creator's previous work, I'm tentatively excited about it, since he does do good horror when he's got an original idea behind it.

47 ONE PIECE VOL 4 TP $7.95 VIZ 2,002
48 HARD BOILED TP $16.95 DAR 2,002
49 CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON VOL 7 GN $13.95 HK 1,947
50 KILL ME KISS ME VOL 3 GN (Of 5) $9.99 TKP 1,905
51 CARNET DE VOYAGE $14.95 TOP 1,878
52 THOR VISIONARIES MIKE DEODATO JR TP $19.99 MAR 1,760

This was reprinted once before, under the story arc name. It's Warren Ellis writing, and Deodato in his Image style which made me think "Why is this guy called a good artist?" As far as the Warren Ellis connection, it was decent writing, but not great writing. Unless you are a huge Thor fan, you can pass on this one.

53 COMIC PARTY VOL 2 GN (Of 3) $9.99 TKP 1,733
54 GET BACKERS VOL 4 GN (Of 23) $9.99 TKP 1,712
55 TECHNOPRIESTS VOL 1 TP (MR) $14.95 DC 1,705
56 KYLE BAKER CARTOONIST VOL 2 TP (MR) $14.95 KYL 1,705

A GREAT book, filled with one panel gags, short cartoon strips and Baker's great sense of humor. Highly recommended.

57 DRAGONBALL Z VOL 16 TP SJ ED $7.95 VIZ 1,691
58 LEGEND O/CHUN HYANG GN $9.99 TKP 1,629
59 SPAGHETTI WESTERN GN (MR) $11.95 ONI 1,588

Getting really good reviews, but I haven't seen a copy anywhere. When I do, I'll pick it up. Ghods having your comic shop go under is a pain in the ass.

60 XXXHOLIC VOL 2 GN $10.95 RAN 1,581
61 ANGEL SANCTUARY GN VOL 3 (MR) $9.95 VIZ 1,567
62 SEIKAI TRILOGY VOL 2 BANNER O/T STARS GN (Of 3) $9.99 TKP 1,546
63 VAGABOND VOL 13 TP $9.95 VIZ 1,525
64 STRANGERS I/PARADISE VOL 14 DAVIDS STORY TP $8.95 ABS 1,498

This is still going? People still buy this? This comic is the ultimate example of the word "Twee." And, no, that's not a good thing.

65 UNCANNY DAVE COCKRUM TRIBUTE SC $29.95 AAR 1,491

Again, a book I wanted to buy but couldn't find.

66 WALKING DEAD VOL 1 DAYS GONE BYE TP (MR) $9.95 IMA 1,470

More re-orders of a great graphic novel. Set after civilization falls to zombies, it's a story that I'm surprised hasn't been done in comics before (yes, I know about Deadworld, but it was just a mess). Focusing on character rather than gore, this is highly recommended.

67 STRANGERS I/PARADISE PKT VOL 1 TP $17.95 ABS 1,443
68 DREAM SAGA VOL 1 GN (Of 5) $9.99 TKP 1,429
69 POSSESSED TP (MR) $14.95 DC 1,422

Blah blah, just got it, I suck and so on.

70 CERES CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 8 TP $9.95 VIZ 1,422
71 X 1999 VOL 15 TP $9.95 VIZ 1,408
72 RAVE MASTER VOL 10 GN (Of 21) $9.99 TKP 1,401
73 DOLL GN (RES) $9.99 TKP 1,394
74 TONY MILLIONAIRE SOCK MONKEY UNCLE GABBY HC $14.95 DAR 1,394
75 HORDE TP (MR) $17.95 DC 1,387
76 TOWNSCAPES TP (MR) $17.95 DC 1,381

These are two of the new European graphic novels that DC is importing, and while I am a big fan of Metal Hurlant, I'm not all that impressed with these books. They run $18, the creators are mostly unknown, and the listings in Previews couldn't be more generic. Without a better sell-job, I'm just not going to be interested in this at all.

77 ET CETERA VOL 1 GN (Of 9) $9.99 TKP 1,360
78 APOCALYPSE MEOW MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99 ADV 1,332
79 PRINCE OF TENNIS VOL 2 GN $7.95 VIZ 1,318
80 DEUS VITAE VOL 2 GN (Of 3) $9.99 TKP 1,311
81 CARTOON NETWORK JAM PACKED ACTION TP $7.99 DC 1,277
82 REBIRTH VOL 9 GN (Of 15) $9.99 TKP 1,263
83 WARRIORS O/TAO VOL 1 GN (Of 4) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,256
84 GUNDAM SEED ASTRAY VOL 2 GN (Of 2) $9.99 TKP 1,249

DAMN that's a lot of manga. Anyone want to review it all?

85 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 9 ULTIMATE SIX TP $17.99 MAR 1,249

Re-orders. Probably the best of the Ultimate Spidey GNs since the first, and one you don't need to have read any of the other ones to understand. Highly recommended.

86 TRAMPS LIKE US VOL 1 GN (Of 7) $9.99 TKP 1,249
87 GI JOE FRONTLINE VOL 4 ONE SHOTS TP $15.95 DEV 1,208
88 TRANSFORMERS ENERGON VOL 1 POCKET ED TP $10.95 DRE 1,180

Here you go, kids. More proof that the 80's toy revival is stone cold dead.

89 REMOTE VOL 2 GN (Of 6) (MR) $9.99 TKP 1,173
90 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 1 POWER & RESPONSIBILITY TP $14.95 MAR 1,173
91 DRAGON KNIGHTS VOL 15 GN (Of 20) $9.99 TKP 1,160
92 IMMORTAL RAIN VOL 2 GN (Of 5) $9.99 TKP 1,160
93 TRIGUN VOL 2 TP (MR) $14.95 DAR 1,153
94 DEMON ORORON VOL 3 GN (Of 4) $9.99 TKP 1,146
95 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 8 CATS & KINGS TP $17.99 MAR 1,146
96 STEEL ANGEL KURUMI MANGA VOL 6 TP (MR) $9.99 ADV 1,118
97 THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES MANGA VOL 5 TP $9.99 ADV 1,118
98 CLASSIC PIN-UPS JACK COLE HC $19.95 FAN 1,084
99 TRANSFORMERS WAR WITHIN VOL 1 POCKET ED TP $12.95 DRE 1,070
100 SENSUAL PHRASE VOL 3 GN (MR) $9.95 VIZ 1,056

And, amazingly, I am now all done and completely caught up. For a week or so, at least, until the August numbers are out. As more and more manga takes over the GN list, I will probably have less and less to say about it, since I only read selected titles. Sorry.