The Top 300 Selling Comics for July 2002

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  TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #1  $2.95   135,930

2  TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE #4  $2.95   126,124

3  BATTLE O/T PLANETS #1  $2.95   109,797

So, the top 3 comics are based on licenses from the 70's and 80's.  I'm sorry, but that is just sad in a way that most fans don't seem to grasp.  Comics are a great way for writers and/or artists to explore new ideas without having to worry about budgets or failing.  Think about it, if they put out a crappy book, it's just $3 or so out of the readers pocket, and the cost of putting it out is pretty darn small compared to a movie, TV show or novel.  Instead of exploring new ideas and using the medium's ability to test new ideas, we get someone's toy fantasy.  Yeah, they are fun and warm in a nostalgic glow much like hearing a Beatles song you haven't heard in a long time, but it's A COMIC BASED ON A GOD-DAMN TOY.  If you are buying these, please stop.  The books aren't very good, and the money you  are spending on them should go to books that actually entertain you.  Thanks.

4  GEN 13 #0  $0.13   108,249  

So, they have cancelled the book which was best known for being a silly, pop-fiction sort of fluff book and started it over with Chris Claremont writing, who couldn't write a light fluffy book at gunpoint.  Shall we start the deadpool at 24 issues?

5  ULTIMATES #7  $2.25   102,396  

I'm kind of amazed that this book is selling so well (the top regular non-80's toy based series) when it is so slowly paced.  Lots of people like it though.  I like it, just not enough to recommend.

6  SPIDER-MAN/BLACK CAT EVIL MEN DO #2  $2.99   101,607  

Kevin Smith's Spider-man work before he takes over Amazing.  Since it's a mini-series, I'm waiting for the collected book.  Yeah, I'm like that.

7  AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #43  $2.25    98,980  

Still very good and recommended, but not my FAVORITE of the Spider-Man books.  Isn't it great that a two years ago, the Spidey books were painful to read and now they are some of the best Marvel does?  Funny how getting decent creative teams and not treating the comics like placeholders helps in that regard.

8  NEW X-MEN #129  $2.25    98,817  

That can't be good.  X-Men is used to ruling the roost, and here it is in 8th place...and even weirder is that under Grant Morrison, it is better than it has been in years.  Hell, I quit reading it around issue 240 (before this series even started) because it had turned to shite, and now it's Highly Recommended.  It has all the high drama you'd expect from an X-Men book, with all of the "ideas bursting out all over" you get from a Morrison book.  The best of both worlds!!

9  ULTIMATE X-MEN #20  $2.25    92,927

10  ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #24  $2.25    92,459  

The greatest thing about Ultimate Spider-Man is that it takes a character we all pretty much know, and makes it fresh and fun in a way it hasn't been, even in GOOD stories.  And the Green Goblin story Bendis is doing now is able to put chills up your spine in a way that the normal book can't do anymore.  Highly Recommended.

11  UNCANNY X-MEN #408  $2.25    87,074

12  UNCANNY X-MEN #409  $2.25    86,942  

Looks like they are burning off the last few issues by Joe Casey, who never seemed to hit his stride on the book like Morrison did.  His stuff didn't seem like that big a change, and by the end was getting as confusing as the stuff from the mid 90's.  Hopefully the new writer will concentrate on telling good stories rather than building a bunch of "gosh wow" subplots and odd character changes.

13  SPIDER-MAN BLUE #3 (Of 6)  $3.50    70,299

14  WOLVERINE #179  $2.25    68,083

15  GREEN ARROW #15 (RES)  $2.50    67,004  

Kevin Smith's last issue, and I have to be totally honest, I think he should have left with issue 10.  Writing a SERIES is a different animal than writing a short story, and Smith does great short stories, but the issues after he wrapped up bringing Green Arrow back were just...OK.  Now that he's leaving, I look for this book to drop FAST no matter who does it.

16  X-TREME X-MEN #15  $2.99    65,915

17  X-TREME X-MEN #16  $2.99    65,688  

Claremont's X-Men.  Nothing else to say really.  I think that as long as he can sell an X-Men book, he should be allowed to write one, since he did pretty much make it into Marvel's cash cow.  Hopefully he thinks of it as his retirement fund.

18  CAPTAIN AMERICA #4  $2.99    65,631  

After the first two "rah rah, kill the Arab" issues (which disturbed me, to be honest) the writer has put in a few nuances and taken the book in a different direction.  Hopefully, the current team will do more than make this a propaganda book.  It worked in the 40's because it was a simpler time, but the stuff done on Cap in the 70's shows that this can be a book that takes current events and does meaningful stories with them.  Highly Recommended.

19  GI JOE #8  $2.95    64,978

20  JLA #68  $2.25    59,978  

Still losing sales and losing interest.  I don't know about anyone else, but the "Big Story To Bring Back Aquaman" doesn't make me get all excited about future issues.  I think JLA is going to keep getting less and less interesting until someone learns the lesson that Grant Morrison and Mark Waid brought to the book.  This is the Justice League, and they take on the BIG PROBLEMS.

21  SPIDER-MAN PETER PARKER #46  $2.25    58,004  

The Green Goblin story in this book is another one that surprises me.  Jenkins is pulling out all the stops to make the Goblin EVIL and not just a nutjob in a mask.  Hard to say where they are going with it, but Jenkins does great work on the book.  Highly Recommended.

22  BATMAN #605 (Note Price)  $2.95    52,635  

Last issue before the book is turned over to Jim Lee, who will make people all excited and make me consider dropping the book.  Lee's art is VERY poor at telling a story, is usually inked with a lot of pointless noodling and makes everything look like a Big Super-Hero book, which is all well and good, but I LIKE how Batman has become a Crime Noir book.  We'll see.  And this issue, wrapping up the Bruce Wayne Murderer is about two months after they should have wrapped up the story.

23  AVENGERS #56  $2.25    51,798  

Lots of people leaving long runs on comics, this one is Kurt Busiek's, and I can't say it's not time for him to move on.  His work on the book with Perez was GREAT, but since then it just hasn't been fun, and the Kang War story just didn't work for me at all.  Not At All.  Humanity enslaved for months, Washington DC destroyed and it doesn't affect the other Marvel books?  Sorry, after something like that, the world would be too different for it not to affect EVERYTHING.

24  LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN VOL II #1  $3.50    50,961  

The First series of this was brilliantly fun with enough intelligence to make it worthwhile, but enough pulp adventure to make it fun.  However, I have learned my lesson from last time and will quietly wait for the hardcover collected version of it when it is all done.  It's better to read that way, and I don't have scramble to find the issues when a new one comes out.  Highly recommended for those who can't wait.

25  DAREDEVIL #35  $2.99    50,045  

Bendis is an amazing asset to Marvel right about now.  Daredevil's secret identity has been exposed in a tabloid, and rather than the story we THINK we would get, we get an action story that also deals with if people believe what they read and how to fight tabloids.  Highly recommended, but for Super-hero fans, the art is very dark and moody.

26  DETECTIVE COMICS #772  $2.50    48,661  

The Batman book that brought the Crime Noir to the character, and now the writer is leaving, wrapping up all of his plot threads.  In years to come, this will be thought of as one of the better Batman runs, so this issue, as well as the ones before it are Highly Recommended.

27  INCREDIBLE HULK #43  $2.25    48,077  

We have ALL read the story about Bruce Banner not wanting to become the Hulk because the Hulk is dangerous, but we always read on, wanting the Hulk to show up and smash things.  Not under Bruce Jones, who came from writing horror stories and bring that idea here.  This issue shows WHY we should be scared when Banner becomes the Hulk...and is incredibly effective and given the book a new feel.  Highly Recommended.

28  X-STATIX #1  $2.99    47,303  

X-Force under a new name with a higher price.  I LOVE this comic, and am actually amazed that some comics fans say that the art drives them off of it.  It's clear, tells the story well and evokes the feel of Ditko and Kirby without imitating their art.  Highly Recommended, even for non-comics fans.

29  PUNISHER #14  $2.99    45,156  

Ennis is back, and I couldn't be happier.  He seems to be the only person who gives this comic it's "over the top" violent humor that made the Punisher worth reading again.  Highly Recommended for mature readers.

30  JSA #38  $2.50    42,724  

DC's best book by far, and it just got done with a story that made me care about Johnny Thunder, a character I always thought was a pain in the ass.  Highly Recommended for super-hero fans.

31  FANTASTIC FOUR #58  $2.25    42,661  

Adam Warren is writing a three part story to bridge the gap until Mark Waid takes over, and while it is a good story, it's not up to what I expect from Adam Warren, who made his mark on Gen13 by having stories that mixed humor with action and gave insight into characters who really were 1 dimensional stereotypes.  Maybe he has something up his sleeve, but this is too bland for recommendations.

32  BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #31  $2.50    42,466  

Still part of the long, on-going story.  I can't fault DC, though, since it caused sales to go up on the books.  For all the people who bemoan big crossovers, they STILL give a sales bump to comics.  Oh, and this book was mediocre.

33  SPAWN #124  $2.50    40,987

34  HAWKMAN #5  $2.50    39,218  

Still a great book, but not as good as I thought it would be.  I haven't even cared for Hawkman, but the JSA story made me care about the character.  Now, the hard part will be crafting stories that are just as interesting to read without having the large cast that JSA has going for it.  Mildly recommended.

35  EXILES #15  $2.25    38,955  

Highly recommended for hard-core long-time Marvel fans, but if you aren't a long timer, you'll be lost.  Totally and completely.

36  SUPERMAN #184  $2.25    38,129

37  GREEN LANTERN #152  $2.25    37,513

38  AGENT X #1  $2.99    37,418  

Another of the X-books cancelled and restarted, this one was Deadpool, and it gives me a chance to drop the book.  Sadly, Deadpool has been slowly getting less and less interesting, and starting over gives me a good spot to just give up.  I'll check in if they get a decent creative team.

39  X-MEN UNLIMITED #37  $3.50    37,381  

Marvel still doesn't quite know what to do with this book, but for a quarterly, it has lasted a LONG time.  I guess this issue will be a single story, but they SHOULD treat it like Tangled Webs is for Spider-Man, calling up creators who haven't worked for Marvel and getting them to do their BEST X-Men story. 

40  THOR #51  $2.25    37,087

41  SOLDIER X #1  $2.99    36,497  

And this used to be Cable and I didn't care about it then.

42  IRON MAN #57  $2.25    35,992

43  PARADISE X #4  $2.99    35,571  

This is about the most inbred comic in the history of comics.  If you haven't been reading Marvel for the last 30 years and remember all the obscure characters in cancelled series, half of this comic won't make any sense at all.  The fact that it STILL sells this well is a testament to how hard core the fans of Marvel comics are.  I still think it's a poor idea for a major series, though, and don't recommend this to anyone buy post-35 fanboys.

44  BATGIRL #30  $2.50    35,144

45  KISS #1 (Of 3)*  $2.99    34,913  

Now Dark Horse gets a try at a Kiss comic book that will be utterly unreadable.

46  SPIDER-MAN QUALITY OF LIFE #3  $2.99    34,781

47  NIGHTWING #71  $2.25    34,739  

Devin Greyson, who took her pen name from this character, takes over.  I have always liked this book, even though the subplots would drag forever, and many would go nowhere.  Her first issue was readable.  Not great, but not horrible either.  Pick it up if you like the character, and hopefully Devin can make this book a must read.

48  ACTION COMICS #793  $2.25    34,676

49  ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606  $2.25    34,271

50  SPIDER-MAN GET KRAVEN #2  $2.25    34,113

This is the mini-series by TV writer Ron Zimmerman, who wrote one of the worst Punisher stories in history.  And that is saying a lot because in the 90's there were a LOT of bad Punisher stories.  Do I think it's a good thing to get people from outside comics to write comic book?  Yep.  But not when they do stuff that painful.

51  SUPERMAN MAN OF STEEL #128  $2.25    33,281

52  CALL OF DUTY PRECINCT #1  $2.25    33,102  

One of Marvel's post 9/11 firefighter/cop/EMT miniseries.  I like the idea of comic series like this, but when I read the preview backup, there was a bunch of utterly unnecessary mystical stuff going on that has kept me from picking the books up.  That and Frank Miller calling them "Crying Firemen" comics.

53  INFINITY ABYSS #3 (Of 6)  $2.99    32,618

54  INFINITY ABYSS #4 (Of 6)  $2.99    32,234  

Jin Starlin going back to the Thanos well one more time. 

55  X-FACTOR #3  $2.50    31,649

This is amazingly good, and shouldn't be. It's a X-Men mini-series, which are normally shit, with the title of the most inconsistent and generally bad X-Books, and it's a very well done story about hate and prejudice. Too bad it wasn't promoted at all...I only found it because someone e-mailed me and told me to buy it. Highly recommended..

56  SABERTOOTH MARY SHELLEY OVERDRIVE #2  $2.99    31,549

Yes, it's Sabertooth in his Nitro Burning Funny car with a refurbished Mary Shelley Overdrive! Sunday at the US 30 dragstrip...where the great ones....run run run run.

57  ELEKTRA #12  $2.99    31,455

58  ALIAS #11 (MR)  $2.99    30,212

59  ALIAS #12 (MR)  $2.99    30,165

I would say this is a unknown treasure, but it is known. Just poorly. Older comics fans (who might enjoy it) won't buy it because they say "It's just exploitative bullcrap" and the people who do buy it keep saying that it's Bendis doing his best mainstream work, with a LOT of the stuff that made Jinx a joy to read. Highly recommended for people over the age of 18.

60  CALL OF DUTY BROTHERHOOD #2  $2.25    30,139

61  CAGE #5 (MR)  $2.99    29,955

How do you know it's an adult book? Luke Cage says "Fuck" instead of "Sweet Christmas." I know I SHOULD like the writer, but I find his work on 100 Bullets to be bland and cliché without any redeeming over-the-top comic book aspects, and his Cage work is about the same. Pass.

62  FLASH #188 (Note Price)  $2.95    29,691

It was $2.95, and didn't have more than maybe 10 extra pages...bugger that.

63  CATWOMAN #9  $2.50    28,912

A very well done crime noir series that would baffle anyone who read the "Big Breast" Catwoman series before this one. Makes the case for starting books over at #1 as long as you completely shift the tone and art style. Highly Recommended.

64  STAR WARS INFINITIES EMPIRE STRIKES BACK #1  $2.99    28,144

A "What If...?" for Star Wars, and the best selling Star Wars comic in years. Why? IT HAS THE CHARACTERS WE KNOW AND GIVE A DAMN ABOUT!!! ARE YOU LISTENING, DARK HORSE?? CAN YOU STOP DOING STORIES ABOUT JLKELKHJH JKEOIIOO FROM 2000 YEARS BEFORE PHANTOM EMPIRE??

65  THUNDERBOLTS #67  $2.25    28,133

66  THUNDERBOLTS #68  $2.25    28,023

OK, with the big "Two stories in one comic in alternating issues", I have given up. Looks like Marvel has too, since they have already announced that with issue #76, there will be a completely new creative team.

67  PRO (MR)  $5.95    27,949

This is the comic about a super-hero prostitute that Jim Sternanko said was the cause of terrorism. Jim, you did some really great comics work about 35 years ago, but the 60's are over. Put the hash pipe down, it's just a comic book, ok?

68  STORMWATCH ACHILLES #1 (MR)  $2.95    27,723

The only time this book was any good was when Warren Ellis turned it into The Authority without changing the name. Other than that, Stormwatch was another in Jim Lee's endless Image X-Clone books. Just let it die, ok?

69  BATMAN LEGENDS O/T DARK KNIGHT #157  $2.25    27,686

70  ROBIN #104  $2.25    26,986

I can't tell a difference between the new team and the old team, since it changed creative teams with issue #100. That is NOT a good thing, since it has been a pretty bland book that has borderline silly stories that went on for way too long.

71  POWERS #23 (MR)  $2.95    26,875

Always a joy, and starting a new storyline. For those who haven't read this series it's the story of policemen in a city that has super-heroes...and reads like a police drama with super-hero elements. Just try it, even if you don't like super-heroes. Highly Recommended.

72  SPIDER-MAN TANGLED WEB #16  $2.99    26,860

73  BIRDS OF PREY #45  $2.50    26,849

74  DEADPOOL #69  $2.25    26,828

Last issue under this name, and it will soon be restarted as Agent X so that people will confuse it with Wolverine. My last issue as well, since I haven't really liked the book in a LONG LONG time. Why did I keep buying it? It was fairly entertaining for $2.25, but when they raise the price to $2.99, it just isn't worth it. Sorry.

75  TOMB RAIDER #23 (Note Price)  $2.99    26,802

76  CABLE #107  $2.25    26,765

Also cancelled and starting over at a higher price and with the name "Soldier X". *shrugs* I doubt I'll care.

77  ORDER #6  $2.25    26,502

The last issue of the mini-series that came out of The Defenders, and probably a mercy killing. The best part of the revived Defenders was the humor, and this series had NO humor, ever though they tried with some attempts at humorous dialogue. Failed, but still.

78  BATTLE O/T PLANETS ROSS HOLOFOIL CVR #1  $5.95    26,186

79  Just Imagine Stan Lee W/JOHN CASSADAY CREATING CRISIS  $5.95    26,033

So, Stan is about to do his version of Crisis using his version of the DC characters. I like Stan a lot, and his DC books have been interesting and fun for us old-time comics fans, but this is just a painfully messy idea waiting to bomb.

80  FILTH #2 (Of 13) (MR)  $2.95    25,728

Grant Morrison, my hero, doing a mini-series...that I'm waiting until it is collected in one book to buy. That's just how I am now.

81  MARVEL MANGAVERSE #4  $2.25    25,649

This is drawn in that Manga style that the kids like today. These kids and their big music, their loud hair, their baggy pants, their calculators, their MTV, their CDs, their rap-rock, their grabber robots, their x-boxes, their frozen waffles, and their tennis shoes. They like this stuff. Idiots.

82  WITCHBLADE #57  $2.50    25,249

83  SPIDER-GIRL #49  $2.25    24,849

Marvel still publishes this? It's fun to read, deals with confusing continuity and it's not written by a British guy? What is up with that? I like this book, and it is aimed at younger fans, despite tying into a very confusing period in Spider-Man's history. Just read it for the fun of it.

84  WONDER WOMAN #183  $2.25    24,828

85  LEGION #10  $2.50    24,775

86  STAR WARS JANGO FETT OPEN SEASONS #3  $2.99    24,533

Well, now we have seen Jango Fett in a movie, and he died like his son did, by screwing up. Why are the Fetts thought of as so great? They DIE every time they show up? At least Vader and the Emperor got away a few times.

87  YOUNG JUSTICE #47  $2.50    24,102

88  SOJOURN #13  $2.95    24,075

89  HELLBOY THIRD WISH #1  $2.99    24,075

This is a mini-series by Mike Mignola, who is probably one of the ten best artists working in comics today. His dark moody art covers a Lovecraftian character that actually has some very funny moments. For non-comics fans, this is one of the best "short reads" coming out if you buy the trade paperbacks. Highly Recommended.

90  APACHE SKIES #1 (MR)  $2.99    23,970

91  CAPTAIN MARVEL #34  $2.50    22,754

This is a book that is the recipient of one of Marvel's dumbest public relations gimmicks I have ever seen. A flame war started on a discussion site when Marvel said they would raise the price so that it would be profitable, and now it is being cancelled and restarted. The bad thing, Peter David doesn't seem to realize that his work has become so inbred that you have to have read all of his past work to know what is going on. He says that "User Friendly" is a codeword for dumbing down...well, Peter, I barely know what you are referring to at times in your books, so dumb it down for this 25 year comic book reading veteran, OK?

92  TITANS #43  $2.50    22,649

New writer, and the book is a little better, but still not a must-read by any means.

93  JLA DESTINY #2 (Of 4)  $5.95    22,617

94  MARVEL KNIGHTS DOUBLE SHOT #4 (RES)  $2.99    22,559

95  SUPERMAN ALIENS II GODWAR #2  $2.99    22,538

No one cares about the damn aliens anymore. Let them go away for a while so we can miss them.

96  MARVEL KNIGHTS VOL 2 #5  $2.99    22,454

97  THING FREAKSHOW #2  $2.99    22,396

I was interested in this mini-series, but decided not to buy it now, but wait until it's collected. Guess not a whole lot of people are interested in the Thing anymore. Sad when you consider than in the 70's he carried Marvel Two-In-One to 100 issues. And I now think that Marvel Two-In-One is a great name for a Mature series.

98  BLADE #5 (MR)  $2.99    21,438

How is it that the movies can do so well, but they can't sell the comic to save their jobs? Is it that Blade isn't a good comic book character? Is it that no one can do a decent story with him? Is it that comic book fans have a limited tolerance for vampires?

99  HARLEY QUINN #22  $2.25    21,054

100  HOOD #3 (MR)  $2.99    20,622

101  ELEKTRA GLIMPSE & ECHO #1  $3.50    20,170

I wouldn't have thought the Elektra book is popular enough for spin-offs...oh, wait, it isn't and this is selling below the "profit" level Marvel has set (Captain Marvel, remember?). I'm sure the $3.50 price tag helps it be profitable, but they need to watch these "Indy style" mini-series, since they usually get Indy Style sales.

102  STAR WARS #44 RITE OF PASSAGE  $2.99    19,954

103  BEAUTIFUL KILLER #1  $2.99    19,696

104  MUTIES #6  $2.50    19,533

105  MORLOCKS #4  $2.50    19,296

Any reason Marvel is doing these books at all? Didn't they say they were going to stop with the endless spin-offs of the X-Books?

106  BLACK PANTHER #47  $2.50    19,185

107  LONE WOLF 2100 #3  $2.99    19,133

108  SUPERGIRL #72  $2.25    19,122

109  HELLBLAZER #176 (MR)  $2.50    19,001

The new team comes on the book, and maybe they will remember that John Constantine isn't in a James Ellroy novel, but is the Scariest Magician On The Planet.

110  WAY O/T RAT #3  $2.95    18,959

111  WARLANDS AGE OF ICE #7  $2.95    18,870

112  FABLES #3 (MR)  $2.50    18,180

Bill Willingham writing a story about fairy tale characters in a modern world. Not a NEW concept, but well done and worth reading. Mildly recommended, since it's hard to say if Willingham will stay with it. He has a bad habit of losing interest in stuff and not finishing it...

113  POWER COMPANY #6  $2.50    17,638

Kurt Busiek is actually saying that he messed up with this series and is going to try and make it more readable.  (sarcasm alert) Odd, I thought it was always the READER'S fault when a comic didn't read well...

114  DEADLINE #4  $2.99    17,585

115  100 BULLETS #38 (MR)  $2.50    17,480

116  SPECTRE #19  $2.50    17,406 

J M DeMatties is an acquired taste, but I find his stories of loss and redemption to be worth reading no matter the character used.  However, with sales this low, I expect that this books' days are numbered.

117  ROUTE 666 #2  $2.95    17,175

118  DOOM PATROL #10  $2.50    16,991

119  JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #9  $1.99    16,822

120  TRANSMETROPOLITAN #58 (MR)  $2.50    16,738  

In this issue Spider walks around and very little happens.  Just like the last 20 issues.  2 issues until the end, so the next issue will probably have the end of the story so he can use the last issue as a wrap up...and I'll just keep thinking it should have ended 20 issues earlier.

121  SCION #26  $2.95    16,464

122  BTVS WILLOW & TARA WILDERNESS #1 (Of 2)*  $2.99    16,369  

OK, it's a pretty bad sign that comics are STILL not doing well when you can't sell a comic based on a popular TV show that features lesbian witches.

123  HIGH ROADS #4 (Of 6)  $2.95    16,296

124  BTVS #47 HELLMOUTH TO MOUTH (1 Of 4)*  $2.99    16,264

125  AUTOMATIC KAFKA #1 (MR)  $2.95    15,780  

Dear Wildstorm, your new line of books is already off to a horrid start, and this title reeks of being something someone thought up to impress his English Major girlfriend.  No one is interested and no one cares.  Try again.

126  FLASH TIME FLIES  $5.95    15,517 

A nice annual that was packaged as a Prestige Format book.  I have not been overly impressed with the new Flash team, but someone is, since this is the second Big Format book they have done. 

127  HIP FLASK UNNATURAL SELECTION  $2.99    15,469  

Yeah, it's about a hippo and it looks to be silly as hell.  But it has art by Ladronn, who is one of the most amazing new talents to show up in comics in the last 10 years.  I don't CARE what the story is, I'd buy Ladronn drawing comics based on Bret Eton Ellis's stuff in his garbage can.  Highly Recommended.

128  X-MEN EVOLUTION #9  $2.25    15,243

129  AZRAEL AGENT O/T BAT #92  $2.50    15,143  

8 more issues, so look for a TON of crossovers as Denny O'Neil tries to make up for all the money he lost in his 401K.

130  SHIDIMA #5  $2.95    15,127

131  SUICIDE SQUAD #11  $2.50    14,811 

One more issue until they fall on their sword.

132  CRUX #16  $2.95    14,406

133  SIMPSONS COMICS #72  $2.50    14,343  

I recomend this comic every month, and this month is no different.  It's a well done version of the long running TV series that always makes me laugh.  As a kid, I would always go for comics based on TV shows, hoping they would give me an experience like watching the show, but one I could keep around and read whenever I wanted.  Now, with VCRs and DVDs, you don't NEED comic adapatations, so they have to be good to be worth reading.  This comic is.

134  Y LAST MAN #1 (MR)  $2.95    14,275

135  LUCIFER #28 (MR)  $2.50    14,264 

DC is REALLY pushing this as the next Sandman, but it just isn't getting off the ground.  Anyone want to place bets on how long until some religious group finds this comic and uses it to say that comic books are filled with devil worship?

136  BONE #49  $2.95    14,259

It's official.  I no longer care at all about this book.  Before Jeff Smith took his break, this was one of my favorite comics.  Now that it's back, with a incredibly slow pace, a lack of humor and a plot that is trying SO HARD to be meaningful, it's just no fun anymore.  I miss the days of the Great Cow Race.

137  MYSTIC #26  $2.95    14,075

138  NEGATION #8  $2.95    13,996

139  SIGIL #26  $2.95    13,790

The Crossgen books all seem to languish down in this area.  Now this is the company that gives salaries, housing, etc...and their sales are down in the same area as Chaos, who is going to declare bankruptsy any day now.  I hope the trade paperbacks are keeping them afloat, because the single issue sales are going down. Oh, and I buy them in the two collected books they put out every month, and they are all pretty bland.

140  IMPULSE #88  $2.50    13,585 

Next to last issue.  I'll write what I thought of the series in next month's snotty remarks.

141  FIRST #21  $2.95    13,575

142  LADY DEATH DARK ALLIANCE #2  $2.99    12,890

143  MUTANT EARTH #2 (Of 4)*  $2.95    12,522

144  HUNTER AGE OF MAGIC #13 (MR)  $2.50    12,511

145  STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL III #52  $2.95    12,327

146  SAVAGE DRAGON #101  $2.95    12,311 

OK, #100 isn't out yet.  Nice to know that Image hasn't lost touch with its roots...books that are copies of old Marvel comics that come out horridly late.

147  BATMAN GOTHAM ADVENTURES #52  $1.99    12,296

148  CODENAME KNOCKOUT #15 (MR)  $2.50    12,206

149  LAB RATS #4  $2.50    12,185 

Dear Mr. John Byrne.  It's not that we dislike your articles about continuity or anything else you seem to be writing about.  Its that your books look like you drew them over a weekend, the stories suck and your new characters read like they should be in an episode of the MC Hammer cartoon.  Nothing personal, but you need to start drawing backgrounds, different faces and get out of the house once in a while.

150  TENTH NIGHTWALKER #4 (Of 4)*  $2.99    12,064

151  SHAZAM FAMILY ANNUAL #1  $5.95    11,990  

I LOVE it when DC does these books, and this one reprints a bunch of Captain Marvel comics from the 40's and 50's for $6...well worth it just to see how the character should be done.  Highly recommended.

152  LEAVE IT TO CHANCE #13  $4.95    11,938

This comic was a missed gem in the late 90's, and to see that it is back makes me happy.  Paul Smith has a wonderfully clean style of drawing that I wish would have taken off while he worked on the X-Men.  This is a wonderful fantasy series that should get a lot more attention than it does now and is Highly Recommended.

153  POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE COMIC  $2.95    11,680

154  DARKMINDS MACROPOLIS #4  $2.95    11,527

155  DEADMAN #8  $2.50    11,201 

Look for this to be cancelled in the next few days.  A shame, since it had great Garcia Lopez art, and interesting stories about a character who is very hard to write about.

156  VAMPIRELLA #11 REG ED  $2.99    11,153

157  HAVEN BROKEN CITY #8  $2.50    11,038  

I don't think this series got any help at all from its JLA team up.  Did anyone read it?

158  VAMPI #21 REG ED  $2.99    11,032

159  VERTIGO POP TOKYO #1 (Of 4) (MR)  $2.95    10,943

160  SAMURAI JACK SPECIAL #1  $3.95    10,611

161  AMERICAN CENTURY #17 (MR)  $2.50    10,443

Howard Chaykin working in comics when he thought there would be a TV writer's strike.  This book started great but has drifted off into being one that I don't get to until complete stories are done, and then I'm not very impressed.  

162  ESTABLISHMENT #11  $2.50    10,259

163  CAT W/REALLY BIG HEAD  $2.95    10,148  

From the artist/writer of Lenore, and twisted fun for people who like their humor to be oddly cute and mean at the same time.  Highly Recommended, but not for everyone.

164  GUARDIAN ANGEL #2 (Of 4)  $2.95     9,643

165  TAROT WITCH O/T BLACK ROSE #15  $2.95     9,559

166  STATIC X #1  $5.99     9,416

167  MIDNIGHT MASS #4 (Of 8) (MR)  $2.50     9,390

168  FUSED #3  $2.95     8,801

169  100% #2 (Of 5) (MR)  $5.95     8,743

170  SHI POISONED PARADISE #2 (Of 2)*  $3.50     8,574

171  SCI SPY #6 (Of 6) (MR)  $2.50     8,564

I believe this is DC's lowest selling comic that isn't based on a cartoon owned by some other division of their company.  I guess no one much cares about Moench and Gulacy anymore...which isn't a good sign for their upcoming Master of Kung Fu reunion series.

172  SUPERPATRIOT AMERICAS FIGHTING FORCE #1  $2.95     8,537

173  NOBLE CAUSES #4*  $2.95     8,369

174  OH MY GODDESS! PART XII #1 LEARNING TO LOVE  $3.50     8,153

175  CRUSADES #17 (MR)  $2.50     8,127 

Guess I was wrong.  There ARE some DC books that sell worse.  Too bad, since I think this is one of the more interesting and well written comics being published these days, and one of the few Vertigo comics worth reading.  Highly Recommended for the last couple of issues.

176  10TH MUSE VOL 2 #1*  $3.50     8,016

177  HEROBEAR & DECOY FIELD TRIP #1  $2.95     7,995

178  USAGI YOJIMBO #59  $2.99     7,811

179  KEN LASHLEYS LEGENDS #1  $2.95     7,337

180  KNIGHTS O/T DINNER TABLE #69  $2.99     7,316  

I recommend this comic every month and will do so again.  You get nearly 100 pages of stories and articles, lots of interesting stuff about Role Playing Games and if you can get past the art, one of the funniest comics about gamers ever.  Not that there are a lot of comics about gamers, I guess.

181  QUEEN & COUNTRY #10 (MR)  $2.95     7,174

182  BLADE O/T IMMORTAL #70 BEASTS (MR)  $2.99     6,900

183  STRAY BULLETS #27 (MR)  $3.50     6,864  

Buy it as collected books.  Trust me.  It doesn't read well at ALL as individual issues.

184  SCOOBY-DOO #62  $1.99     6,743

185  DRAGONBALL Z PART 5 #7  $2.95     6,664

186  CEREBUS #280  $2.25     6,564

187  ONI PRESS COLOR SP 2002  $5.95     6,532  

Every year this is one of the more interesting comics of the year.  Most of Oni's output is good, and some of it is great, but their annual showcase special is always well worth reading.  Highly Recommended.

188  GIRL GENIUS #7 (RES)  $3.95     6,316

189  SPACEMAN ONE-SHOT  $2.95     6,316

190  ALONE IN DARK ONE-SHOT SPECIAL  $4.95     6,153

191  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS BLACK & WHITE #1  $2.99     5,911

192  SHI ILLUSTRATED WARRIOR #2 (Of 7)  $2.99     5,890

193  SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #113  $1.99     5,764

194  DRAGONBALL PART 5 #2 (Of 7)  $2.95     5,716

195  DWELLING #1 (MR)  $4.99     5,627

196  SUPER MANGA BLAST #24 (MR)  $5.99     5,169  

The best Manga anthology being published (oh hush, so there aren't very many), and it's worth buying just for What's Michael and 3 * 3 Eyes, but every story in the book is worth reading.  If you don't know much about Japanese comics, this is the place to start.  Highly recommended.

197  RANMA 1/2 PART 11 #5  $2.95     5,137

198  TERRY MOORES PARADISE TOO #8  $2.95     5,032

199  TERRY MOORES PARADISE TOO #9  $2.95     5,016

200  POISON ELVES #72 (MR)  $2.95     4,979  

I'm tired of whining that this comic is a worthless piece of dog feces.  But I do think that you smack the shite out of everyone who buys it, I'd be a much happier person.

201  CREED UTOPIATE #4 (Of 4)  $2.95     4,874

202  FORT! PROPHET O/T UNEXPLAINED #2  $2.99     4,727

203  BLACK TIDE VOL 2 #1*  $3.50     4,553

204  MADMAN PICTURE EXHIBITION #4  $3.95     4,374

205  GUNDAM WING G UNIT #1 (Of 12)  $2.99     4,363

206  GOLD DIGGER #34  $2.99     4,274

207  CARDCAPTOR SAKURA #30  $2.99     4,090

208  ALL NEW TENCHI MUYO PART 1 #3  $2.95     4,063

209  KODT EVERKNIGHTS #1  $2.99     4,048

210  EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS  $6.95     4,000  

OK, can we PLEASE stop making comic book adaptations of movies now?  PLEASE?

211  ROBO DOJO #6 (Of 6)  $2.95     3,884

212  MAXIMUM FORCE SPECIAL #1 (MR)  $2.99     3,879

213  CASTLE WAITING #15  $2.95     3,811

214  STRANGE KILLINGS BODY ORCHARD #1 (Of 6) (MR)  $3.50     3,790

215  HOPELESS SAVAGES GROUND ZERO #2 (Of 4)  $2.95     3,763

216  DFE BATTLE O/T PLANETS ALT CVR #1  $6.99     3,695

217  GLOOM COOKIE #13 (MR)  $2.95     3,616  

You people can do better than this!!  A wonderfully fun comic that should sell much better than it does.  It's classified as a "goth" comic, but it's really a soap opera with fairy tale type creatures, a romance with humorous overtones and the most fun you can have with a black and white comics.  Highly Recommended.

218  LOONEY TUNES #92  $1.99     3,584

219  INU YASHA PART 6 #15 (Of 15)  $2.95     3,537

220  ARCHIE #526  $1.99     3,453

221  ARCHIE #525  $1.99     3,311

222  HOW TO DRAW MANGA #17  $4.95     3,242

223  BETTY & VERONICA #178  $1.99     3,205

224  CAVEWOMAN HE SAID SHE SAID ONE-SHOT  $3.50     3,121  

Is there an actual Cavewoman series?  Or just pinups and one shots?  And does anyone care?

225  BONEYARD #7  $2.95     3,090

226  BETTY #115  $1.99     3,079

227  BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #108  $3.29     3,074

228  VERONICA #129  $1.99     3,027

229  ARCHIE & FRIENDS #60  $1.99     2,974

230  CERES CELESTIAL LEGEND PART 3 #2 (Of 4)  $3.50     2,890

231  VERONICA #130  $1.99     2,879

232  BASTARD #8 FIGHTER (3 Of 3) (MR)  $3.95     2,869

233  NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PART 7 #3 (Of 7)  $2.95     2,858

234  ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #136  $3.29     2,858

235  NINJA HIGH SCHOOL #97  $2.99     2,816

236  SABRINA VOL 2 #35  $1.99     2,769

237  MARC HEMPELS NAKED BRAIN #1 (Of 3)  $2.95     2,758  

I LIKE Mark Hemple a LOT (Gregory is one of my favorite comics of all time), and this series should be fun, a collection of his work that hasn't been seen anywhere.  Gotta go down the charts pretty far to find it, but it's Highly Reccomended.

238  SIDEKICKS SUBSTITUTE ONE-SHOT  $2.95     2,753

239  HOUSEWIVES AT PLAY #9 (A)  $3.50     2,711

240  CARTOON CARTOONS #12  $1.99     2,695  

Another comic that baffles me.  If this was in Wal-Mart, they'd sell prolly in the hundred thousands, but instead, it sells 2,600 to fanboys.  Comics NEED to get out of comic shops to survive.

241  NODWICK #16  $2.99     2,653

242  BIG O PART 2 #1 (Of 4)  $3.50     2,595

243  PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #69  $3.29     2,558

244  ARCHIE DIGEST #191  $2.19     2,553

245  DUNGEON #1  $2.95     2,542

246  JUGHEAD #146  $1.99     2,363

247  WEASEL #5 (MR)  $4.95     2,332  

The story of Enron.  No, Global Crossing.  No, Worldcom.  No, Xerox.  No, Arthur Anderson. No....

248  SECT #1 (Of 12) (MR)  $2.95     2,305

249  ARCHIES WEIRD MYSTERIES #23  $1.99     2,305

250  BATMAN/GREEN ARROW POISON TOMORROW  $5.95     2,253  

You'd think this is REALLY bad sales for a Batman book, but it's a relisting of a book that came out over 5 years ago, and as such, is a pretty decent charting.  Oh, how is the book?  Bland with bad art.

251  MUTANT TEXAS TALES OF SHERIFF IDA RED #2  $2.95     2,253  

This looks like a OK comic, but with most Oni books, I wait until it's collected.  And humor books are hard for me to pay $3 for, since you usually are done reading them in about 5 minutes or so.  This is prolly a pitch to an animation studio, so I don't feel bad about it.

252  SNAPDRAGONS #1  $2.99     2,221

253  LAUGH DIGEST #177  $2.19     2,184

254  S&M UNIVERSITY #6 (Of 6) (A)  $3.50     2,105

255  ZENDRA VOL 2 #1 WINDMILLS O/T WORLD (Of 6)  $2.95     2,079

256  JUGHEAD W/ARCHIE DIGEST #177  $2.19     2,079  

Archie is a company that would have died if it didn't change how it sold its books.  Relying on the Direct Market would have killed them, but staying in grocery stores by altering the product and how it is sold did very well for them.  Why isn't anyone else looking at that?

257  HOW TO COLOR COMICS GD ADVANCED CONCEPTS  $4.95     2,026

258  MILK #30 (A)  $2.99     2,016

259  AMELIA RULES #7  $2.95     1,926

260  DECOY #1 STORM O/T CENTURY (Of 4)  $2.95     1,900

261  NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PART 7 COLL ED #3  $2.95     1,863

262  BATTLE GIRLZ #6  $2.99     1,826

263  FURRY NINJA HIGH SCHOOL #1 (Of 2)  $4.99     1,769

264  HALO & SPROCKET #2  $2.95     1,753

265  SILENT MOBIUS PART 11 BLOOD #1 (Of 5)  $2.95     1,705

266  MY MONKEYS NAME IS JENNIFER #3  $2.95     1,663

267  TIGERS OF LUFTWAFFE #10  $5.95     1,653

268  BITCH IN HEAT #15 (A)  $3.50     1,632

269  LORI LOVECRAFT #1 (MR)  $3.00     1,621  

Mike Vosberg is a great artist, even if he does spent too much of his time drawing like Howard Chaykin.  This book is...OK, not great, but I think it suffers from having too many #1 issues from too many barely alive publishers. 

270  FUTABAKUN CHANGE VOL 8 #6  $2.95     1,616

271  POP GUN WAR #4  $2.50     1,590

272  BLOWJOB #3 (A)  $3.50     1,563

Third time for this joke:  What, only 1500 comic fans want a blowjob?  

With hard core porn DVDs selling for $20, is there ANY reason to buy this kind of comic?

273  FURRLOUGH #115  $2.99     1,526

274  VAGABOND PART 1 #9 (MR)  $4.95     1,511

275  PAPER MUSEUM VOL 1 #1  $2.95     1,490

276  STRANGE KILLINGS BODY ORCHARD WRPRND CVR #1  $3.95     1,421

277  NAUGHTY BITS #36 (MR)  $2.95     1,390

278  WARRIOR NUN AREALA #9  $2.99     1,384

279  LOST BOOK OF FAERIE MAGIC VOL 1  $2.95     1,374  

For people who are so fucking precious that I want to ram my thumbs into their eyes.  I don't know which are worse, women who say they are faeries or women who collect Precious Moments figures. 

280  FINDER #27  $2.95     1,311

281  OGENKI CLINIC VOL 9 #4 (A)  $2.95     1,305

282  ZOIDS #6  $5.95     1,295

283  BANZAI GIRL LTD ED PREVIEW BOOK  $5.00     1,290  

OK, this is a comic by an artist who looks like a Japanese Schoolgirl, about a girl who looks like a Japanese schoolgirl.  Cute, schmute, does anyone really want to read a pure vanity project in comic form when there are a kerjillion free webcams?

284  PARADIGM #3  $3.00     1,279  

The ONLY time I ever hear this work used is in business meetings involved marketing weasels.  I HATE marketing weasels. 

285  YOU & ME VOL 1 #1  $2.95     1,237

286  SANDWALK ADVENTURES #4  $2.95     1,226

287  SIMPSONS COMICS #50 (STAR12773)  $5.95     1,226

288  PRIVATE BEACH #6  $2.95     1,216

289  EDEN VOL 1 #1 (A)  $3.50     1,205

290  SHIVER IN DARK #1  $2.50     1,205

291  BARCHETTA VOL 1 #1 (MR)  $2.95     1,179  

Is it a Red Barchetta?  Or is it based on a misspelling of a Robert Blake Character? 

292  TREASURE CHESTS #8 (A)  $3.50     1,179  

Hee hee...a book about female pirates with big breasts.  I'm SURE no one has thought of that before.

293  RETRO BLAST #1  $2.95     1,174  

What is this doing down here?  I thought all the retro books were selling better than good comics.

294  TIDALWAVE AT AVATAR SAMPLER  $0.99     1,174

295  VAMPIRE YUI VOL 4 #6  $2.95     1,153

296  KEN LASHLEYS LEGENDS #1 PX CVR  $4.95     1,121

297  DOJIN 2061 CAMMY VS LEONA (A)  $4.95     1,090  

If this isn't a limited focus for a comic, I don't know what is.  Just looking at the title, I know the story will both confuse and bore me.

298  KATMANDU #27 (RES) (MR)  $4.99     1,090

299  HIT THE BEACH 2002  $3.99     1,084  

If you had a decent enough body to hit the beach, you wouldn't pay $4 for drawings of characters in their swimsuits.