The Top 300 Selling Comics For April 2003

This list comes from digging through sales figures, asking too many questions and using Diamond Comics information. The snotty comments in white are mine.

1 BATMAN #614 $2.25 DC 153,129

With the re-orders and such, it looks like this comic has gone up nearly 50% with re-orders and advance re-orders. It's nice to see a comic selling this well. I just wish it was one that I liked.

2 TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE VOL 2 #1* $2.95 DRE 111,355

Another first issue for the Transformers, and it's back in the top 10 with the artificial bump. I hate the Transformers. I REALLY hate Transformers.

3 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #39 $2.25 MAR 103,531

The best Spider-Man book, and the one to read if you want to read Spidey without all the baggage of 40 years of backstory. Brian Bendis is able to write comic stories that use dialogue better than just about anyone else in the business, and makes the character seem fresh without having to feel like he has to introduce a lot of stupid twists. Highly recommended.

4 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #52 $2.25 MAR 96,624

Another good Spidey series, and John Romita's art is better than it has ever been. Mildly recommended for super-hero fans.

5 NEW X-MEN #139 $2.25 MAR 95,981
6 NEW X-MEN #140 $2.25 MAR 94,925

Ah, I am such a Grant Morrison fanboy, but this great storyarc deals with the members of the team trying to discovered who killed the White Queen, and does it expertly. One of the few comics where EVERY LINE gives a kind of new insight into either the characters or the plot and is Highly Recommended.

7 ULTIMATE X-MEN #32 $2.25 MAR 90,484
8 ULTIMATE X-MEN #31 $2.25 MAR 90,086

I don't care for this book, but Brian Bendis is taking over in a few issues, and will write at least 12 issues. So wait and buy it then.

9 UNCANNY X-MEN #421 $2.25 MAR 86,503
10 UNCANNY X-MEN #422 (Note Price) $3.50 MAR 85,890

Not as reader friendly as New X-Men, not as good as New X-Men, but a solidly entertaining super-hero series that is MUCH easier to understand than the X-Men were for the 80's and 90's. While it's not great, if you used to love the X-Men and drifted away, it's well done, with very clear manga styled art. Mildly recommended.

11 WOLVERINE #189 $2.25 MAR 61,282

The last issue before the re-start with a new number one by Mystery Writer Greg Rucka. So, wait a month and just start getting it when it starts over.

12 DAREDEVIL #46 $2.99 MAR 60,517
13 DAREDEVIL #45 $2.99 MAR 60,272

Another book written by Bendis, and I'm just shocked it's selling so well, simply because it's not a typical super-hero book and it's told in a very unconventional way. I LOVE the comic, but it looks like no other Marvel comic (and that is a good thing). It's dark, impressionistic and morally confused and Highly Recommended.

14 JLA #80 $2.25 DC 60,164

I've given up on this comic. Sad, because I love the artist's work, but the stories just don't seem to click. It'll be interesting to see how the upcoming arc by John Byrne and Chris Claremont does, sales-wise.

15 X-TREME X-MEN #24 $2.99 MAR 59,092

If you like Chris Claremont's writing, you'll like this book. If you don't, you won't. No review I give you will change your mind. So there you go.

16 AVENGERS #66 $2.25 MAR 58,312

Geoff Johns has a GREAT grasp of the series, and it feels like the Avengers are once again the Marvel Super-Hero team that goes after the BIG problems. Highly recommended for super-hero team fans.

17 INCREDIBLE HULK #53 $2.25 MAR 57,837
18 INCREDIBLE HULK #52 $2.25 MAR 57,684

The current series has settled into a nice horror mold, however, with the last few stories, the individual issues don't read very well at all. If you want to read The Hulk, just pick up the trade paperbacks, as they put them out the month after each story arc is done, and it reads better that way.

19 GREEN ARROW #23 $2.50 DC 55,280
20 GREEN ARROW #24 $2.50 DC 53,565

OK, these two issues tie DIRECTLY into the Green Lantern issues this month. Why would you only buy half of a story? And now, the book reads like an average super-hero book, so if you like that, here it is.

21 MARVEL UNIVERSE THE END #4 (Of 6) $2.99 MAR 52,569

This Jim Starlin mini-series is doing so well that he is now working on a "Thanos" series. 10 years ago, I would have been all over that. 20 years ago, I would have been dancing with fan glee. Now, I just wonder how many times Starlin can tell the same story.

22 CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 $2.99 MAR 51,804

Stop me if you have heard this before: The hero of the story finds out that everything he thought about his past has been a lie, and the stories from the early period of the character were half-truths. This time, it's Captain America, and he finds out that the whole "Bucky was killed and he was frozen in a block of ice until the Avengers found him" may not be true. I find myself not caring, as this is a story that is SO continuity dependent it barely makes sense. I thought the relaunch of this book was to make it MORE readable in the post 9/11 atmosphere?

23 MARVEL UNIVERSE THE END #3 (Of 6) $2.99 MAR 51,559
24 FANTASTIC FOUR #68 $2.25 MAR 51,405

This is how comics featuring long running heroes should be done...Mark Waid has an uncanny knack for remembering the core concept of a super-hero book and building on it. This is no exception, with wonderfully expressive art by Mike Weiringo that brings the storytelling flair of Manga art with the American draftsmanship. Highly recommended.

25 MYSTIQUE #1 $2.99 MAR 47,562

I wondered why this sold so well, noticed the creative team was no one I had heard of, then I saw the cover. A redhead by Linsner. I guess I'll have to buy it too. Mmmm....redheads...

26 PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN #55 $2.25 MAR 47,531

Easily the worst series currently being published by Marvel. Painfully bad art, STUPID stories and a comic that is just marking time until the Jenkins/Ramos series starts. Hey, Marvel, next time you are going to cancel a book and start it over, why not just cancel the book when the creative team leaves instead of forcing us to read some high school kid's fanwank for half a year while you get everything in place, ok? Thankfully, the last two issues will be drawn by Sam Keith, who is one of my favorite artists.

27 GREEN LANTERN #162 $2.25 DC 45,219
28 GI JOE #16 $2.95 IMA 45,142
29 GREEN LANTERN #163 $2.25 DC 44,469

This (and the other GL issue) were the last part of a crossover with Green Arrow that shifts the creative teams...and the crossover itself was pretty lame. Every issue had GA and GL call each other names, someone stormed off, and the son of the man who gave Hal Jordan the GL ring has been brought in as a new super-villain that strikes me as about as lame as The Plantman. Waste of a crossover, and will read painfully repetitious as a collected trade.

30 WOLVERINE XISLE #1 $2.50 MAR 43,611

What is the epitome of bad marketing? When you can't get a Wolverine Mini-series to sell more than 45,000 copies as a movie about him comes out. I don't know why it failed...I mean, it has a title that starts with an X and everything. Oh, wait, no one knows what it is about, anything about the creative team, and it will be a collected trade paperback 2 weeks after the last issue is out. Carry on.

31 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #10 $2.95 DRE 43,106
32 GI JOE #17 $2.95 IMA 42,493
33 JSA #47 $2.50 DC 42,187

LOVE LOVE LOVE this comic. The current storyline is like most of the others, things seem horridly out of control, the heroes are backed into a corner, but they keep fighting. However, rather than reading like a hackneyed movie serial, The characters are interesting, the story is engaging, and you can't wait for the next issue. Highly recommended for super-hero fans.

34 SPAWN #124 $2.50 IMA 40,732

Well, I was right about this comic. Now that we are in "actual sales", we can see that the book is over a year behind, sales are about 20% less than initial orders (which means people order more than they want in order to get a higher discount, then drop their orders when it's canceled and re-solicited) and there are still about 40,000 people who hold out hope that maybe, Todd McFarlane will come back to drawing the comic unannounced. 124 issues and not ONE memorable story by the regular creative team. That tells you something right there.

35 PUNISHER #24 $2.99 MAR 40,503
36 PUNISHER #25 $2.99 MAR 40,319

Garth Ennis completed a VERY dark story on the comic that played with how the Punisher is seen by different members of society, while giving us some of the most gruesome scenes in a Marvel comic EVER. Highly recommended for fans of dark humor with strong stomachs.

37 WOLVERINE XISLE #2 $2.50 MAR 40,273
38 HULK WOLVERINE 6 HOURS #4 (Of 4) $2.99 MAR 40,120

Just brought the collected trade. It has Hulk 181 in it, isn't that cool? Herb Trimpe's version of Wolverine looked just like the action figure.

Stiff and lifeless.

39 WOLVERINE XISLE #3 $2.50 MAR 39,967
40 WOLVERINE XISLE #4 $2.50 MAR 39,278
41 WOLVERINE XISLE #5 $2.50 MAR 39,002

Pump them suckers out fast before people catch on that the comic is unreadable! HURRY! THEY MIGHT TRY TO READ THE FIRST ISSUE AND NOT BUY ALL Of THESE!!

42 DETECTIVE COMICS #781 $2.75 DC 38,236

Not as good as I would like, but still a solid comic that gives a dark, crime noir version of Batman, which I prefer. I have yet to read a single one of the backup stories. I think the only backup stories I read are the "Black and White" stories in Gotham Knights.

43 HUMAN TORCH #1 $2.50 MAR 37,103

Surprisingly well done, but not for fans who hate Manga style art. Karl Kesel is mostly known as an inker, but his writing on classic comic characters is work that I like and this was no exception. It starts as a story of Johnny Storm in High School, but builds to a story set in current continuity in a way you won't expect. Mildly recommended.

44 EXILES #25 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 36,414

If you are a HUGE Marvel fan and have been for a while, this is a decent enough comic. It is pretty much fanwank, tho, with TONS of continuity story points and a knowledge of Marvel's "Aternate Universe" theories as well to get what is going on.

45 ASTRO CITY LOCAL HEROES #2 (Of 5) $2.95 DC 35,786

Used to be a great comic. Now that it's mini-series, I'll buy it as trade paperbacks. So there.

46 THUNDERCATS RETURN #3 (Of 5) $2.95 DC 35,786

Can they PLEASE go back to where they came from? For all you 20-ish fans who are so giddy about this, could you go back and watch some of those cartoons? THEY WERE UTTER CRAP.

47 X-MEN UNLIMITED #43 $2.50 MAR 35,756
48 X-MEN UNLIMITED #45 $2.50 MAR 34,975

Marvel pumps out a LOT of X-Men related stuff for the movie, and this is prolly the book that would do best for people who saw the movie, as it is an anthology of one-shot stories. Most issues have been decent, but not SPECIAL, like they could be.

49 X-MEN 2 MOVIE ADAPTATION $3.50 MAR 34,852

I have yet to see this, but why does ANYONE buy a movie adaptation comic book anymore? Just wait 4 months and buy the DVD. It'll be better than a comic by people who don't have regular jobs in the business.

50 SENTINEL #1 $2.99 MAR 34,822

This is getting good reviews. Just like "The Iron Giant" which its premise is taken from. Problem is, this doesn't have a cool Pete Townsend musical written about it yet.

51 AQUAMAN #5 $2.50 DC 34,684
52 SUPERMAN #192 $2.25 DC 34,638

I wonder if DC looks at the fact that their flagship book isn't even in the top 50 anymore and says, "Maybe we should do something about that?" You wouldn't be able to tell by the comic, which continues to tell bland stories that the reader forgets about 20 minutes after they finish reading it.

53 THOR #62 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 34,638
54 X-MEN UNLIMITED #44 $2.50 MAR 34,485
55 THOR #63 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 34,408
56 MASTERS O/T UNIVERSE VOL 2 #2* $2.95 IMA 34,347

This comic is moving to CrossGen. Don't worry, tho, it will still suck. And why did they call them the "Masters of the Universe" when they never even left their stupid planet? And the Name "He-Man" is still the most uncreative name for a super-hero EVER. Hell, The Human Top can make fun of He-Man's name.

57 GI JOE FRONTLINE #6 $2.95 IMA 33,811
58 IRON MAN #67 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 32,479

The current "story" is being finished by a writer who didn't start the story. That's always great. I can think of thousands of brilliant novels written by people who took the first two chapters of someone else's book and finished them. Like...well...ok, there is literally no way this story can be any good at all. AT ALL.

59 ACTION COMICS #802 $2.25 DC 32,126
60 BATGIRL YEAR ONE #5 (Of 9) $2.95 DC 31,116

This is actually selling far better than I thought it would. I personally don't think that Batgirl's origin is WORTH 9 issues, but someone does. Not ME...although she is a redhead. Mmm...redheads.

61 X-STATIX #10 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 31,009

Love this comic. Highly recommend it. Go buy it now. If you don't like it, you have lost all sense of both fun and adventure in comics. Highly recommended.

62 JLA SCARY MONSTERS #2 (Of 6) $2.50 DC 30,993

As opposed to non-so-scary monsters, kind of dull monsters and cute and cuddly monsters. Did anyone realize that this was a Chris Claremont mini-series?

63 FLASH #197 $2.25 DC 30,886

The coloring scheme on the book has changed, which has helped the art, and the current story is better than the previous ones by Geoff Johns (who normally writes very good stories), so I'm thinking that the run to issue #200 could be where the comic starts coming together for me. Still only mildly recommended for super-hero fans.

64 BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #40 $2.75 DC 30,565

While the main stories haven't been anything worth reading, the Black and White backups are usually the best Batman story of the month. So, just wait until the collect another batch of them in the wonderfully done hardcovers. I have also read where this series is going to be ended and replaced with a different Batman series.

65 BATGIRL #39 $2.50 DC 30,090
66 HAWKMAN #14 $2.50 DC 29,998

Love this comic! It's Geoff Johns doing stories that are tight, thrilling and interesting, making a character I have never cared much for worth reading. Highly recommended for super-hero fans.

67 ADVS O/SUPERMAN #615 $2.25 DC 29,707
68 NIGHTWING #80 $2.25 DC 29,508

I never EVER thought I would say this, but this book was so much better when Chuck Dixon wrote it. Now, I can barely remember if I have read the current issue or not. Maybe it's just me, but Devin Greyson has pretty much used up her 15 minutes of "fame". Yeah. It's in quotes. It's comic books, NO ONE who works in comic books is famous in any definition of the word.

69 WEAPON X #8 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 29,385
70 X-MEN RONIN #3 (Of 5) $2.99 MAR 29,095

The new Marvel Manga Mini-series. Sells well as trade paperbacks outside the comics industry, is ignored inside comic shops.

71 CAPTAIN MARVEL #8 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 29,033

I really used to like Peter David's stuff. His Hulk was the only version of the character worth reading, his Spider-Man stories were all entertaining and his Star Trek comics work was the only Star Trek comics that didn't cause you to wonder if poking yourself in the eye would be more entertaining. But his Captain Marvel series is pure fatbeard stuff. If not for the "title page" explaining what has gone before, you wouldn't know what the hell is going on, he has made the title character an insane murderer and has kept the story going for 8 issues. I want to like this book, really I do, but I am tired of reading about a character who is crazy, tells us he's crazy and shows no sign of becoming likable anytime soon.

72 X-MEN RONIN #4 (Of 5) $2.99 MAR 28,528
73 DARKNESS VOL 2 #3 $2.99 IMA 28,023

You're kidding, right? Some of you actually bought this shite? What the hell is your problem? With the first series it was excusable because Garth Ennis was writing it for beer money and actually tossed out a decent issue once in a while. But now? Now?

74 RISING STARS BRIGHT #3 (Of 3) $2.99 IMA 27,915
75 PARADISE X #10 $2.99 MAR 27,854

Still going. Still confusing. Still waiting for it to be a trade paperback.

76 SUPERMAN & BATMAN GENERATIONS III #4 (Of 12) $2.95 DC 27,808

A lot of people want to like John Byrne's stuff, me included. I liked Next Men. I liked His Fantastic Four. But ever since his stint on Spider-Man, his art looks sloppy and rushed, his stories aren't so much bad as unreadable, and his increasing desperate attempts to be Alan Moore (just the superficial aspect of "Everything you've known until now has been wrong" Alan Moore, not the gifted prose writer Alan Moore) fall flat with little to no redeeming qualities. Here, he is milking a cow he already milked dry once by having a THIRD miniseries based in his Elseworlds story about Superman and Batman aging. Or as I call it, "The Supersons of Batman and Superman for the 80's."

77 SUPERMAN RED SON #1 (Of 3) $5.95 DC 27,579
78 AGENT X #10 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 26,767

BUYING THIS! Why? It's written by Evan Dorkin. Milk and Cheese, Dork, Space Ghost Coast to Coast Evan Dorkin. And while the art is muddy and tells the story poorly, Dorkin wrings some laughs out of a character that stopped being funny when the first creative team left in 1997. Highly recommended for anyone buying comics.

79 ALIAS #21 (RES) (MR) $2.99 MAR 26,767
80 POWERS #30 (MR) $2.95 IMA 26,690

Two excellent series by Brian Bendis, the gifted bastard. Both are about former super-heroes turned detective, and they couldn't be more different in tone. Alias digs into the dark underside of the Marvel Universe and finds stories there that couldn't be told without Marvel as it's backdrop. Powers deals with a super-hero universe from a policeman's perspective and tells epic stories from the perspective of the people affected by them. Both are Highly Recommended for Mature readers.

81 ELEKTRA #21 (RES) $2.99 MAR 26,553
82 ELEKTRA #22 (RES) $2.99 MAR 26,522

Greg Rucka finishes up his story of Elektra's attempt at redemption, and while it returns the character to the status quo, it always feels like that outcome is in doubt, which is the mark of a great serial fiction writer. The art degrades a bit in these issues, but it's still Highly Recommended.

83 WONDER WOMAN #191 $2.25 DC 25,833

Walt Simonson and Jerry Ordway try their level best to make Wonder Woman interesting, and succeed about as well as you can, I guess. I have never cared for the character, myself, as I have never cared about Greek mythology, but this story is good, just to see Jerry Ordway pencilling again. Wait and buy the trade.

84 RUNAWAYS #1 $2.50 MAR 25,833
85 BATMAN LEGENDS O/T DARK KNIGHT #166 $2.50 DC 25,664

Finishing up soon, and being replaced by a different book that will have the same format (different story arcs by different creators, out of continuity). I never understood why this book didn't sell better, as many months it was better than the "In continuity" Batman stuff. But one of the big problems later in the run was that they just weren't attracting the big name talent. If it IS restarted, they should go to people who haven't done a Big Batman story yet and get them to do a story arc, or just publish the Batman mini-series until that banner.

86 GHOST I/T SHELL 2 MAN MACHINE INTERFACE #3 (MR) $3.50 DAR 25,358
87 FABLES #12 (MR) $2.50 DC 24,929
88 Y THE LAST MAN #10 (MR) $2.95 DC 24,853

These are considered Vertigo's Big Rising Stars, and I guess sales like this are better than most Vertigo books. Both of them are well worth reading, and both are being written with trade paperbacks in mind, which doesn't detract from them at all. Fables is almost a textbook Vertigo type series (what if fairy tale characters lived in the real world), while Y is a SF concept that sounds silly, but works due to its well-done execution. Both are highly recommended, but you shouldn't worry about jumping in the middle of the story, as you can simply wait until the next story starts and pick up the trades to see what has gone before. Or just buy them all as trades.

89 ROBOTECH #5 (Of 6) $2.95 DC 24,838
90 ULTIMATE ADVS #3 $2.25 MAR 24,348

Wasn't this part of the "U-Decide" mess? I think Marvel decided not to publish the damn thing. Or at least, not to have the artist finish it in a decent amount of time.

91 WITCHBLADE #63 $2.99 IMA 24,30

They still publish this? You're kidding, right?

92 RAWHIDE KID #4 (Of 5) (MR) $2.99 MAR 24,286

I don't think all the publicity helped sales on this one-joke mini-series. It's too bad it wasn't very well done, since it has some of the best John Severin art since his EC work. Of course, since he spent about 30 years drawing for Cracked, that's not saying a whole lot.

93 BATMAN NEVERMORE #1 (Of 5) $2.50 DC 24,103
94 RAWHIDE KID #5 (Of 5) (MR) $2.99 MAR 23,888
95 STAR WARS EMPIRE #7 $2.99 DAR 23,796

What kind of a crap industry is comics when they can't sell at least 25,000 of a STAR WARS story? It's not so much pathetic as just sad. The comic is pretty bland, and at $3 a pop, I need more than bland to buy it. If I want to read bland Star Wars stories, I can pick up the novels for $3 at the used bookstore.

96 BIRDS O/PREY #54 $2.50 DC 23,521

Their TV show is canceled, and the comic doesn't sell all that well. Still, the fact that it's lasted 54 issues and is getting a new creative team has to count for something. Doesn't count enough for me to actually BUY it.

97 LEGION #19 $2.50 DC 23,214

I recently read on a message board I frequent that "There is no way the Legion will ever be as good as when Keith Giffen wrote it." Which struck me as odd, as I hated those issues. However, it reminded me that when you start reading a comic, if you like it, that becomes the "best era" for you. This isn't a bad run of the comic to become your "Best Era" as the art has markedly improved, the story is tightly written, and while it seems no one can do a decent job of juggling the 20 or so members of the Legion, the ones they focus on are interesting enough. Mildly recommended for super-hero team fans.

98 SPIDER-GIRL #59 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 23,199

The book they couldn't kill. This would have been the next to last issue, but Marvel decided not to cancel at the last minute. In the 80's, this comic would have been an average Marvel book, super-hero focused stories with enough soap opera to get you to buy the next issue, and competent, but not splashy art. Now, an "average" comic has to struggle to survive. Still, it's a nice diversion for 15 minutes or so, which would be fine if comics were a buck or so. Now, it feels like you've picked up a back issue of a series you didn't know about.

99 CATWOMAN #18 $2.50 DC 23,199

Highly recommended crime noir done in a suitably moody style. Each issue seems like they are walking a tightrope, and they never fall into cliché. For crime fans who read comic books.

100 SOJOURN #22 $2.95 CRO 23,031
101 ROBIN #113 $2.25 DC 22,663

Oh dear Ghods, what a mess this book has become. Between the invulnerable Amish wrestlers, Valkyrie coming to take Robin's dad away and an utter lack of anything resembling forward momentum, this has become DC's worst mainstream super-hero book. Just a gawdawful mess than needs to be forgotten.

102 HERO #3 $2.50 DC 22,525
103 TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE VOL 2 CHROME CVR #1 $5.95 DRE 22,280

So, I would think that everyone below this has to think that they don't sell as well a cover gimmick of a relaunch of eighties nostalgia series. I'm glad I don't work in comics, because that would keep me up at night, questioning if I had made a serious career miscalculation.

104 TOMB RAIDER #29 $2.99 IMA 21,913

Speaking of Has Been concepts...oh, the movie might do well, but I haven't heard so many people actively disliking a video game before it even comes out in my life. Maybe it's because the last 3 Tomb Raider games have sucked, and not in a good way.

105 THUNDERBOLTS #78 $2.25 MAR 21,806

I tried the new concept for a couple issues. I have to say that all it did was confuse me. BTW, this is over with issue #80.

106 JLA AGE O/WONDER #1 $5.95 DC 21,178 107 411 #1 (Of 3) $3.50 MAR 20,795

Marvel's attempt to continue to milk the 9/11 publicity it got with a mini-series of short stories about world conditions and...ok, I lost interest halfway through the press release, and I figure that if the press release isn't worth reading, there is no way the comic could keep my interest for 32 pages. Sorry. Maybe I need to break into my son's stash of ritalin and have a party or something.

108 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE OFFICIAL GUIDE #1 $5.25 DRE 20,519
109 STAR WARS REPUBLIC #52 $2.99 DAR 20,381

They changed the name of the Star Wars comic once everyone buying it figured out that not a single character they gave a rats ass about was in it.

110 HELLBOY WEIRD TALES #2 $2.99 DAR 20,259

How much does my comic shop annoy me? Glad you asked. I have been collecting Hellboy since it started(and John Byrne was scripting it) and this is the 3rd Hellboy series they have pulled the first issue, and failed to pull the rest. Do they think I just read the first part of a story and don't want to read the rest because it would interfere in what I have thought the ending should be? Hellboy is great, but I don't know if this issue is any good. Bastards.

111 SOLUS #2 $2.95 CRO 20,167

This is the CrossGen series drawn by George Perez. His Avengers issues sold roughly 5 times this amount. I'm not buying it because CrossGen packages everything in trades (which I prefer) and its written by Barbara Kesel (who is about the worst writer comics have ever seen). I wonder why other people aren't buying it.

112 STAR WARS REPUBLIC #53 BLAST RADIUS $2.99 DAR 19,708
113 BRIAN PULIDO LADY DEATH #3 MEDIEVAL TALE $2.95 CRO 19,463
114 SUPERMAN METROPOLIS #3 (Of 12) $2.95 DC 19,417

The Chuck Austin Superman mini-series. Hey, DC, just a bit of info for you, when the regular series is slumping and sales are nosediving, a mini-series featuring that character prolly won't sell.

115 TOM STRONG #20 $2.95 DC 19,049

Love This! Alan Moore writes the best super-hero comic out there, and injects the book with odd concepts, dead-on dialogue without being grim, remembering that super-heroes and pulp concepts should be FUN. Highly recommended for anyone who likes comic books.

116 JOSS WHEDONS FRAY #7 (Of 8) (RES) $2.99 DAR 18,911

Over a year late. And with plot points that tied into the series ending episode of Buffy. Oh, just wait and see if the last issue ever comes out.

117 GLOBAL FREQUENCY #7 (Of 12) $2.95 DC 18,850
118 LIBERTY MEADOWS #31 $2.95 IMA 18,758

Highly recommended reprints of a newspaper strip that didn't run in many newspapers. It's funny, expertly drawn and would have been as big a hit as Bloom County if any decent paper would have run it. But you can BUY it now instead of reading it in the morning for free. Isn't life great?

119 SOLDIER X #10 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 18,697
120 BEWARE THE CREEPER #1 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95 DC 18,421

Ouch...I don't think there will be a second Creeper mini-series. I liked the first issue, even though it drops you in the middle of a story and hopes you can swim. Mildly recommended.

121 GOTHAM CENTRAL #6 $2.50 DC 18,345

Highly recommended crime series set in Gotham City, but with Batman as only a peripheral character. Every issue has been as densely packed as a novel, yet still works as a comic book. Why aren't more people buying this?

122 CALL #1 $2.25 MAR 17,885

Marvel tries again to get people to buy this series about firemen, policemen and emergency workers, but continues to mess it up by putting in super-natural elements. It won't last long.

123 RUSE #19 (Net) $1.48 CRO 17,794
124 100 BULLETS #43 (MR) $2.50 DC 17,273
125 GEN 13 #8 $2.95 DC 17,227

You know, I read the #0 issue and had no idea they had brought back Caitlin Fairchild to lead the team. Guess it's because it was so poorly written and laid out I gave up five pages in. *looks at sales* Guess I'm not the only one.

126 SPIDEY & MINI MARVELS $3.50 MAR 17,089

Lots of fun, but a VERY fan only comic. Recommended for Marvel Fanboys with a sense of humor.

127 HELLBLAZER #183 (MR) $2.75 DC 16,905

Not great, but it's not as bad as some issues have been. I guess if you are a long-time Hellblazer fan, you'll like it, but it all feels like we've seen it before, and the comic just can't shock us anymore, which is too bad.

128 TOMB RAIDER JOURNEYS #12 (Of 12) $2.99 IMA 16,783
129 HARLEY QUINN #31 $2.50 DC 16,492

Once a way fun book, now utterly unreadable.

130 BLACK PANTHER #57 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 16,431
131 BLACK PANTHER #58 (Note Price) $2.99 MAR 16,354

Nearing it's last issue, and I know all the reviewers love this comic, but I was never able to figure out what was going on, since the writer has an aversion ot explaining what is going on. I'd like to remind the people in charge of comics that every issue is someone's first, and if a Long Time comics reader can't figure out who is ho and what they are doing, casual readers won't even try.

132 WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #9 (MR) $2.95 DC 16,232
133 OUT THERE #17 $2.95 DC 16,079

Not as good as the previous series by the same creative team (Crimson), but still a comic I like to read in big 6 issue chunks. Do I recommend it? Not really. I'm a big fan of the artist, so I can forgive the horrid slow pacing of the comic and the silly premise.

134 BATMAN ADVS NEWSSTAND ED #1 $2.25 DC 15,619
135 WAY O/T RAT #12 $2.95 CRO 15,512
136 CHIMERA #3 (Of 4) $2.95 CRO 15,451

For the most part, it seems to me that the CrossGen books are all lumped ina bout the same part of the sales chart, which fits since they are really "factory comics". Not that that is a bad thing, since they do appeal to a readership that I am not part of. I hope their plans to get comics into the hands of non-comics fans works, since these comics ARE very slick and professionally done.

137 BLOOD & WATER #2 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95 DC 15,022

Judd Winnik does his Vertigo Vampire story. I think you are required by law to do one if you work for DC.

138 BRATH #3 $2.95 CRO 14,777
139 BTVS #56 SLAYER INTERRUPTED (1 Of 4)* $2.99 DAR 14,746

Don't you just wish the Buffy comic was any good? What a GREAT concept for a comic book, and yet Dark Horse has put on the two writers who made the X-Men utterly unreadable.

140 MICRONAUTS #7 $2.95 IMA 14,685
141 BONE #51 $2.95 CAR 14,440

I say it every other month...if you want to follow the story, buy the trade paperbacks, since the comic has slowed to a painful crawl. I really think he should have rushed the ending and finished it up 10 issues ago because I have lost ALL interest.

142 CSI #4 (Of 5) (MR) $3.99 IDW 14,425

Buying the trade, because I am a Max Allen Collins fanboy and a CSI addict. But $4 for a 32 page comic? That just seems insane.

143 PATH #14 $2.95 CRO 14,409
144 STORMWATCH TEAM ACHILLES #10 (MR) $2.95 DC 14,241
145 JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVS #18 $2.25 DC 14,241

9 times out of 10 this is a solidly done comic with a touch of Silver Age storytelling done in the Paul Dini art style. Highly recommended for super-hero fans, and when you are done, give it to a kid, dammit.

146 SIMPSONS COMICS #81 $2.50 BON 14,011

The bar all licenced comics should be measured by. Just as good (if not better) that the TV series, and by many of the same creators. Highly recommended.

147 LUCIFER #37 (MR) $2.50 DC 13,889
148 SCION #35 $2.95 CRO 13,843
149 KISS #9* $2.99 DAR 13,567

The odd thing is that when I hear about Gene Simmons being a HUGE comics fan, he never seems to mantion any characters or creators from past the mid 70's. Which means he prolly isn't reading this shitty Spawn rip-off of a comic.

150 POWER COMPANY #15 $2.75 DC 13,414

Canceled, and mostly because of the stupid gimmick used to start the comic (putting the origins of the main characters in 7 one shots before the book came out). It was a solid super-hero team book, but both the gimmick and the fact that fans aren't willing to buy just average super-hero books without a ton of history meant it was a dead comic walking. I hope Tom Grummett is able to get another series soon, as his art is just a joy to look at.

151 HELLSPAWN #16 $2.50 IMA 13,276

Ah, Hellspawn...what a messy life this book has had. First, it was to be a Spawn book by Bendis, who was fired by McFarlane when he started working for Marvel. Then, this issue was listed as having the re-appearance of MiracleMan, which got Neil Gaiman to call out the lawyers. Now, here the issue is, two years late and without MiracleMan. And no one cares.

152 MARVELOUS ADVS O/GUS BEEZER STARRING SPIDER-MAN $2.99 MAR 13,138

I fully expected these to suck, but they were actually pretty good. Aimed at a non-comic fans audience, it succeeded in being a fun, entertaining comic that felt like it was worth the price. Marvel has already said they will do a few more, and I think it's so they can get a trade paperback out to go for the general population, which is a good idea. Highly recommended, which is pretty good for a comic I wasn't planning on buying.

153 DOOM PATROL #19 $2.50 DC 13,016

I like this comic, but it's a mixed bag. For every good issue, there's a bad one, and it never seems to get a solid story going before it gets oddly sidetracked. However, it's cancelled, so you don't have to worry about it.

154 DAWN CONVENTION SKETCHBOOK 2003 $2.95 IMA 12,756

Another excuse for Linsner to draw his redhead. Not that I'm complaining. Hell, he can draw redheads until the end of time as far as I am concerned. Mmmm...redheads...

155 BATMAN #613 $2.25 DC 12,557

Wow...reorders from the month before outsold 145 other comics on the list. I think Marvel is making a big financial mistake with their "print to order" policy if DC can rack up sales like this.

156 MARVELOUS ADVS O/GUS BEEZER STARRING X-MEN $2.99 MAR 12,541
157 MARVELOUS ADVS O/GUS BEEZER STARRING HULK $2.99 MAR 12,449
158 GOD LOVES MAN KILLS REPRINT ED $4.99 MAR 12,403

Reprinting the best of Marvel's 80's Graphic Novels, mostly because bits and pieces of the story were used in the second X-Men movie. Oddly enough, this is drawn by Brent Anderson (Astro City) in a faux Neal Adams style because Neal was the first artist on the book. Still one of the better X-Men stories from its peak period and highly recommended if you haven't read it yet, but the smaller page size loses a lot of Anderson's detail.

159 NEGATION #17 $2.95 CRO 12,281
160 MYSTIC #35 $2.95 CRO 12,174
161 JUDGE DREDD VS ALIENS INCUBUS #2 (Of 4) $2.99 DAR 12,143

I wonder if Dark Horse makes a single penny after paying the license fees to Fox and Fleetway? And do you think people who aren't hard core comics fans come in, see this and say, "Why are they having people from crappy movies fight each other?"

OK, so no one who isn't a hard core comics fan would even know this thing exists...my bad.

162 SAVAGE DRAGON #106 $2.95 IMA 12,128
163 MARK O/CHARON #2 (Of 5) $2.95 CRO 12,113
164 Battle Of The Planets BATTLE BOOK $4.99 IMA 12,097

Gee, do you think they might battle? I hope there are battles.

165 KARZA #2 (Of 4) $2.95 IMA 12,067

Looks like the "Micronauts" bloom has faded. Of course, the fact that the first two issues of the "revival" series were UTTERLY incomprehensible may have something to do with that.

166 FIRST #30 $2.95 CRO 12,051
167 CRUX #25 $2.95 CRO 12,005
168 ROUTE 666 #11 $2.95 CRO 11,668
169 BART SIMPSON COMICS #12 $2.50 BON 11,668

And this is how NOT to do a TV adaptation. The stories are marginally better than they have been, but they still read like they were done by someone who was given a series bible of the Simpsons and just wanted to cram the characters in their own stories. Feh.

170 SIGIL #35 $2.95 CRO 11,653
171 ARIA USES O/ENCHANTMENT #2 (Of 4) $2.95 IMA 11,561
172 HUNTER AGE O/MAGIC #22 (MR) $2.75 DC 11,561

If this isn't the last issue, it's close to it. I didn't pick up this series since I have yet to read the last 25 issues of the previous series or the mini-series between the two. DC is already making rumblings that they will start it up again, so the people who like it won't have long to wait for the next version.

173 STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL III #57 $2.95 ABS 11,546

Poetry and women complaining about their weight. This is "Cathy" done as a comic book. I can't read it because I actually have testosterone in my system.

174 MERIDIAN #35 $2.95 CRO 11,362
175 FUTURAMA COMICS #12 $2.50 BON 10,612

Highly recommended, and if you like the TV series, you'll love the comic. One of the very few Licensed comics that is just as good (if not better) that the source material.

176 KORE #1* $2.95 IMA 10,505

Bastards spelled my name wrong. Damn them. Damn them all to hell.

177 SWEATSHOP #1 $2.95 DC 10,321

This is a funny (but really kind of predictable) comic. The premise is that an old conservative cartoonist hasn't drawn or written his strip in years, and a group of young artists "ghost" it. Nothing groundbreaking here, but Bagge and his friends are putting out a funny comic that could be a very cool series if it would sell. Looking at the sales, tho, I don't think it's going to be around for long unless they can get some outside interest. Highly recommended.

178 SHONEN JUMP VOL 1 #5 MAY 2003 $4.95 VIZ 10,290

Sells 250,000+ on newsstands and magazine shops and barely 10,000 in comic shops. Need more proof that comic shops have no clue what sells to the general population?

179 CODENAME KNOCKOUT #23 (MR) $2.75 DC 10,229
180 SLEEPER #4 (MR) $2.95 DC 9,923

I like this comic. Therefor, it will be canceled soon.

181 SPYBOY 13.1 MANGA AFFAIR #1 (Of 3) $2.99 DAR 9,907

First off, I had no idea it was going to be in black and white, second, there is next to no information given about who the characters are and what is going on, and finally, SPYBOY ISN'T IN THE DAMN COMIC. I want this book to make it, but based on this mini-series, I don't think it will be coming back soon.

182 CROSSOVERS #4 $2.95 CRO 9,831
183 MYTHSTALKERS #1 $2.95 IMA 9,647

Image keeps putting out all these comics that no one knows about, and isn't interested in. This is another one of those books.

184 BLOOD LEGACY YOUNG ONES ONE-SHOT $4.99 IMA 9,647
185 SANDSCAPE #3 $2.95 DRE 9,280
186 RA SALVATORE DEMON WARS TRIAL BY FIRE #5 (Of 5) $2.95 CRO 9,218
187 VAMPIRELLA #18 REG ED $2.99 HAR 9,157
188 AMERICAN CENTURY #23 (RES) (MR) $2.75 DC 9,065

I have been asked "Why do series I like get canceled?" The reason this comic is being canceled is that it doesn't even sell 10,000 copies every month. Oh, and it pretty much ran out of steam with issue 12.

189 VAMPIRELLA #19 REG ED $2.99 HAR 8,958
190 VIOLENT MESSIAHS LAMENTING PAIN #3 (Of 4) $2.95 IMA 8,453
191 AUTOMATIC KAFKA #8 (MR) $2.95 DC 8,254

It sold 8,000 copies. Less than 8 people who bought it have any clue at all what is going on it the comic. And only 3 of them liked it. They must work at DC.

192 POWERPUFF GIRLS #37 $2.25 DC 8,070
193 21 DOWN #8 $2.95 DC 8,070
194 DEFIANCE #7 $2.95 IMA 7,963
195 GRENDEL GOD & DEVIL #3 (MR) $3.50 DAR 7,856

My favorite character, and a nice reprint series. If you haven't read it before...well, just wait for the collected trade.

196 HAWAIIAN DICK #3 (Of 3) $2.95 IMA 7,779
197 REX MUNDI #3 $2.95 IMA 7,764
198 QUEEN & COUNTRY #15 (MR) $2.95 ONI 7,289

I buy this as collected trades. Seeing as how it's written by a novelist in story arcs, I don't see why anyone would buy it as a monthly.

199 AGENTS #1 (Of 6) $2.95 IMA 7,258
200 Knights Of Dinner Table MINI-SERIES PX SP VOL 1 #2 (Of 3)* $2.99 KZR 7,197

Read what I wrote about the regular Knights of the Dinner Table and it's the same thing here, without the gaming articles.

201 OH MY GODDESS #96 PHANTOM RACER (1 Of 4) $2.99 DAR 7,151
202 HEIRS O/ETERNITY #1 (Of 4) $2.95 IMA 7,151
203 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #9 $2.95 MIR 7,029

Starting over again, with Peter David writing it. So, in other words, this is one of the few 80's nostalgia projects that no one is buying. And the only one that actually started as a comic book.

204 JACK STAFF #2 $2.95 IMA 6,937
205 KNIGHTS O/T DINNER TABLE #78 $3.99 KZR 6,906

LOVE this comic. A comic about people who play role playing games (like D & D), and is possibly one of the funniest comics being printed. Give it a chance, and if you have ever gamed, it will quickly become one of your favorites. For current gamers, it's 100 pages, with over 50 pages of articles, reviews and stories about gaming. Highly recommended.

206 VENTURE #3 $2.95 IMA 6,845
207 BLACKBURNE COVENANT #1 (Of 4) $2.99 DAR 6,830
208 BLADE O/T IMMORTAL FALL FROST (6 Of 6) #78 $2.99 DAR 6,401
209 STRAY BULLETS #31 (MR) $2.95 EL 6,355

Excellent comic that I buy in collected books because individual issues don't seem to have the impact of the story arcs when collected. Still, if you haven't read it before, a single issue just don't have the same impact.

210 BLACK SUN #6 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95 DC 6,140
211 STRANGERS #2* $2.95 IMA 6,003
212 TECH JACKET #5 $2.95 IMA 5,987
213 CEREBUS #288 $2.25 AAR 5,941

Still going, and only 12 issues left. You have to admire Sim for doing 300 issues as a self-publisher, even if he has gone COMPLETELY INSANE.

214 FIREBREATHER #4 (Of 4) $2.95 IMA 5,911
215 SCOOBY DOO #71 $2.25 DC 5,895
216 SHI PANDORAS BOX #1* $3.50 AVA 5,819

So, there are two different Shi series. One printed by the creator and one printed by a splatterporn publisher. I wonder which one is less readable?

217 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #122 $2.19 ARC 5,804

Selling better than anything else Archie publishes. Amazing. Especially when the video games don't sell very well anymore.

218 GRRL SCOUTS WORK SUCKS #3 (Of 4) $2.95 IMA 5,712
219 LOVE & ROCKETS VOL 2 #7 (MR) $3.95 FAN 5,650
220 DEVILS FOOTPRINTS #2 (Of 4) $2.99 DAR 5,559

I have a Devil's haircut in my mind. Does that count?

221 LOVEBUNNY & MR HELL SAVAGE LOVE $2.95 IMA 5,497
222 RESISTANCE #8 $2.95 DC 5,436
223 MACE BOUNTY HUNTER #1 $2.99 IMA 5,329
224 SUPER MANGA BLAST #30 (MR) $5.99 DAR 5,252

Love this comic. It's a collection of about 5 different Manga series from Studio Proteus, continued and is the best of the many different Manga series being published in the US. It has the delightful "What's Michael" series, as well as 3 By 3 Eyes, Appleseed and others. Highly recommended for people who either love Manga or don't know much about Manga.

225 SHADOWS #2 $2.95 IMA 5,222
226 MUCHA LUCHA #1 (Of 3) $2.25 DC 5,191

ANOTHER wrasslin comic from DC. Didn't they learn anything from "Big Daddy Danger"?

227 METAL HURLANT #5 (MR) $3.95 HUM 4,885
228 XIN JOURNEY VAMPI OMEGA PREVIEW ED $1.99 HAR 4,180
229 DEATHMASK #1 $2.99 FUT 4,119

This must be a comic about the mask I had as a kid for Halloween with no air or eye holes...I thought it was a plastic bag, but mom said I was being an astronaut. When I woke up after wearing it, all of my candy was gone and Mom was in a sugar coma.

230 SHI ILLUSTRATED WARRIOR #7 (Of 7) $2.99 CRU 4,073
231 GOLD DIGGER #41 $3.50 ANT 4,027

Anna Anna Anna Anna Nichole, you're so outrageous...

232 FOREVER MAELSTROM #6 (Of 6) $2.95 DC 3,844
233 WARREN ELLIS SCARS #4 (Of 6) (MR) $3.50 AVA 3,767

Remember the Solitaire Rose Rule of Comic Book Series Names™: If the writer's name is in the title of the comic, the comic isn't going to be any good.

234 PARADIGM #8 $2.95 IMA 3,752
235 HERO DOUBLE FEATURE $4.95 DC 3,629

Reprinting the first two issues of the revamp of "Dial H For Hero". I hear it's OK, but with most DC books, I wait until they put out a trade of the first few issues, since I have started reading so many DC series where they give up about 10 issues in, and the story just never seems to go anywhere.

236 LOONEY TUNES #101 $2.25 DC 3,583
237 ZEN #0 $2.95 ZEN 3,507

This comic gets TONS of mainstream press attention every time they start putting it out again. I would imagine that people who search it out, pick it up and say, "Wow, this is some amazingly stupid shite. I was right. Comics can't suck enough."

238 GOON #4 $2.95 ALB 3,507
239 MH ULTIMATE VENOM $3.99 MAR 3,369

Reprinting the first few Ultimate Spider-Man issues with their version of Venom, which was about a kerjillion times more interesting than the mainline version of Venom.

240 COURTNEY CRUMRIN & COVEN O/MYSTICS #4 (Of 4) $2.95 ONI 3,338

A well done comic by the original artist of "Gloomcookie." Didn't sell well, but when Oni collects it, you should give it a look. The art is amazingly good even if the story has some flaws.

241 ARCHIE #535 $2.19 ARC 3,216
242 KODT ILLUSTRATED #21 $2.99 KZR 3,124
243 BONEYARD #10 $2.95 NBM 3,124
244 BIG DADDY DANGER #9 (Of 9) $2.95 DC 3,078

DC's Big Wrasslin Comic has to be the worst selling thing they have EVER DONE. Do you think that everyone involved in it had to pay back the money they were given to work on the comic in order not to have lost TOO much for the company?

245 WHIZ KIDS #1 $4.95 IMA 3,047
246 BATMAN #610 $2.25 DC 2,971

The "sold out" first issue of Batman by Jim Lee shipped about 3000 copies in April. So, don't pay the $15 that dealers are asking for. Unless you like being chumped.

247 METALLIX #4 $3.50 FUT 2,818
248 BETTY & VERONICA #187 $2.19 ARC 2,818
249 FREEMIND #5 $3.50 FUT 2,787
250 BATMAN GOTHAM ADVS #60 $2.25 DC 2,741
251 CARTOON CARTOONS #17 $2.25 DC 2,726
252 BETTY #125 $2.19 ARC 2,680
253 BETTY #124 $2.19 ARC 2,680

Oh, Betty, when will you ever learn that Jughead is the man for you?

254 SABRINA VOL 2 #44 $2.19 ARC 2,664
255 ALICE IN SEXLAND EXTREME #1 (A) $3.50 ERO 2,664

Because just calling it Alice in Sexland wasn't EXTREME enough on its own. Either that or she's skateboarding nude in it.

256 RADISKULL & DEVIL DOLL RADISKULL HATE LOVE ONE-SHOT $2.95 IMA 2,619

Hm....why didn't it sell? Maybe because it had the word "Radiskull" in the title more than once. This title looks like someone threw together a bunch of random word tiles from their magnetic poetry kit and said, "Yeah, that'll work, but if you put 'Radiskull' in there a couple of times, it'll sell EVEN MORE!"

257 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #114 $3.59 ARC 2,588
258 VERONICA #139 $2.19 ARC 2,573
259 LOEG II BUMPER ED PARTS 1 & 2 $5.95 DC 2,542
260 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #69 $2.19 ARC 2,496
261 AP HOW TO DRAW MANGA #23 $4.95 ANT 2,496
262 NINJA HIGH SCHOOL #105 $3.50 ANT 2,465

Soon to do battle with Pirate High School and Zombie High School. Is anyone else amazed this book has lasted over #100 issues? There are COMPANIES that didn't put out 100 issues.

263 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #70 $2.19 ARC 2,450
264 FOOTMAN 15 FAIRY FIRE ONE-SHOT (MR) $2.95 BAL 2,419

Is there anyone...and the ROSE MEANS ANYONE who would be sitting around, working on a comic and thinks "Yeah, Footman 15 Fairy Fire is a GREAT title! That'll be a HUGE Fooking hit!" I'm shocked it sold THAT many copies with a goofy ass name like that.

I'm just sayin'.

265 THREE STRIKES #1 (Of 5) (MR) $2.99 ONI 2,419
266 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #142 $3.59 ARC 2,404
267 BATMAN #612* $2.25 DC 2,373
268 BATMAN DOUBLE FEATURE $3.95 DC 2,328

Reprinting the first two issues of Batman by Jim Lee. Because even tho it was the #1 comic those months, some people said, "Hmmm...I like Jim Lee, and I like Batman, but I want to wait until it sells out before I pick up a copy."

269 LOEG II BUMPER ED PARTS 3 & 4 $5.95 DC 2,328
270 JUGHEAD #150 $2.19 ARC 2,312

Special anniversary issue where Jughead once again explains why he wears that stupid little crown on his head. You see, in actuality, he is the king of Riverdale, and eventually, he will make Betty and Veronica his concubines.

271 COUNTER OPS #1 $3.95 ANT 2,251
272 RAIJIN COMICS #17 (MR) $4.95 GUT 2,236
273 PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #75 $3.59 ARC 2,236
274 RAIJIN COMICS #18 (MR) $4.95 GUT 2,236
275 RAIJIN COMICS #19 (MR) $4.95 GUT 2,236
276 WONDER WOMAN #190 $2.25 DC 2,236

Walt Simonson's first issue. I liked it, but I'm a Walt Simonson mark.

277 RAIJIN COMICS #20 (MR) $4.95 GUT 2,220
278 ARCHIE MYSTERIES #27 $2.19 ARC 2,174
279 ART & BEAUTY #2 (MR) $4.95 FAN 2,128
280 SILENCERS #1 $3.50 MNS 2,128
281 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #51 $2.25 MAR 2,098

What the...? Marvel actually had issues available for re-order? And they sold about 2100 copies? Could you imagine how many they would have sold if anyone KNEW they were available as re-orders?

282 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #94 $3.59 ARC 2,098
283 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #138 $2.39 ARC 2,083
284 GHOST I/T SHELL 2 MAN MACHINE INTERFACE #2 NEW PTG $3.50 DAR 2,052

Dark Horse's most successful current series...and one I will buy as a collected trade paperback. Like I should have done with the first one. The first movie was kickass, tho.

285 JOSS WHEDONS FRAY #4 (Of 8) $2.99 DAR 1,960
286 GENUS #58 (A) $3.50 RAD 1,945
287 ZATANNA EVERYDAY MAGIC $5.95 DC 1,929

More re-orders of a decent enough one-shot. But then, I'm a sucker for Zatanna...fishnets, top hat, tux outfit...if she were real, I'd be stalking her in a second.

288 MMH ULTIMATE WAR $3.99 MAR 1,929

This is one of the "Marvel Must Have" reprints that reprints a sold out issue and two others that no one could possibly give less of a rat's ass about. I read tht from now on, Marvel will reprint story arcs and consecutive issues in their "Must Have"s. And how long did it take you think that up, genius?

289 LAUGH DIGEST #183 $2.39 ARC 1,914 290 SUPERGIRL #80 $2.50 DC 1,868

You might think, "Damn, those are some low sales, no wonder DC canceled this book." But, no, this is the number of re-orders that sold the month after it shipped. They still should have canceled it, tho.

291 YOUNG WITCHES VOL 5 LEGACY #5 (A) $3.95 ERO 1,838
292 JAGUAR GOD RETURN TO XIBALBA (MR) $3.95 VER 1,838

Ghods, Verotika still published comics? Didn't Danzig decide to waste his money on wank material eslewhere?

293 HSU & CHAN #2 $2.95 SLG 1,807
294 JUGHEAD W/ARCHIE DIGEST #183 $2.39 ARC 1,776
295 ARTBABE PRESENTS LA PERDIDA #3 (MR) $4.95 FAN 1,746

Does "Artbabe" sell so well that it can be used as a "name" to sell other comics? Like when Spider-Man would team up with worthless characters like "Woodgod" in Marvel Team Up? Wait, Marvel Team Up didn't work either.

296 GHOST I/T SHELL 2 MAN MACHINE INTERFACE #1* $3.99 DAR 1,730
297 THIEVES & KINGS #41 $2.95 IBX 1,700
298 DRAGON ARMS #5 $3.50 ANT 1,684
299 JOSS WHEDONS FRAY #5 (Of 8) $2.99 DAR 1,669

Sell them back issues, maybe he'll finally finish the series now that he's had one show cancelled (Firefly) and another finish its run (Buffy). Dear Dark Horse, please don't schedule mini-series until the writer has finished the scripts, especially if he gets a LOT more money at his full-time job.

300 NEOTOPIA #3 $3.95 ANT 1,608

What the blue hell is this? A place where Neo gets to be happy? A home for Neopets?

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