The Top 50 Selling Graphic Novels for October 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  LONE WOLF & CUB VOL 27 BATTLES EVE (MR)  $9.95  13,002

I say it every month, so I will say it again.  Best.  Comic.  Ever.  If this isn't the last issue, it's very very close, and I am literally reading each volume as fast as I can, but dreading the end of the story, because then, there isn't any more.  Highly Recommended without reservation.

2  VAMPIRES CHRISTMAS GN  $5.95       11,951

I don't understand how Diamond classifies this stuff.  Most months, these White Wolf comics are in the comics, but once in a while, they show up in graphic novels.  And I don't read them anyway.

3  ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 4 TP  $14.99       7,858

I have praised this series as individual comics, but it works even better collected, as they flow even better than they did as singular issues.  If you don't have these issues, this is the best Super-Hero stuff being published that isn't written by Alan Moore.  Highly Recommended.

4  TELLOS SONS & MOONS (RES)  $5.95       6,942

Image's fantasy series that used to sell a lot better, back when it come out on  a regular basis.  I lost interest during one of the many "hiatuses" the series had.

5  REVEAL TP VOL 1  $6.95       6,931

I have no clue what this is, but it sold better than the Dark Knight Hardcover, so someone must want to read it.

6  DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN HC  $29.95  6,411

Ah, Frank Miller does a sequel to his ground breaking Dark Night Mini-series.  It came with a lot of interviews, baggage and expectations...and my review is that if you are a Miller fan of work like Sin City and the like, you'll enjoy it.  If you haven't liked Miller's manga influenced, impressionistic art, you'll hate it.  If you know DC history, it will make a lot of sense and give you a LOT of big fanboy smiles, but where Dark Knight worked for a general audience, this one is fans only.  I loved it, but if you want to try it and are unsure, wait 8 months for the far more affordable softcover.

7  AUTHORITY TRANSFER OF POWER TP  $17.95   6,049

The last of the Authority trade paperbacks for now anyway, since DC has put the series on hold.  It shows that they were able to put together a decent story out of all of the art delays (Frank Quitely left to go be late on Grant Morrison's X-Men), but it has the flaw of a writer who didn't quite know how to wrap things up, and still trying to do so.  Recommended, but flawed.

8  ULTIMATE X-MEN VOL 3 WORLD TOUR TP (O/A)      $17.99       5,235  

I gave up on this book after the first trade.  Kubert's art is just poorly laid out, and it doesn't matter HOW good the figure drawing is when you can't follow the page flow.

9  TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL 7 SPIDERS THRASH TP (MR)  $14.95       4,952  

By this point, the book's pace had slowed, and the joyful cynicism had faded to simple whining.  Yeah, I know it's not popular to trash this book, but when it went downhill, it went downhill FAST.

10  ALAN MOORE MAGIC WORDS VOL 1 SC (MR)      $6.95       4,737

11  SANDMAN PRESENTS FURIES HC      $24.95       4,624  

OK, let's see if we can put this together, the Replacement Sandman's mother Lyta (who is also a character in JSA at this point) is the focus of this story and Neil Gaiman had nothing to do with it. I'll pass.

12  DANGER GIRL ULTIMATE COLL TP      $19.95       4,590  

A paperback of the hardcover of the series...it has very nice art and a tolerable story if you don't want much more than car chases and gun fights.  I think they got the idea for the TV show Alias from this comic.

13  JLA A LEAGUE OF ONE SC      $14.95       3,878

Reprinting the hardcover from last year that would have been a Wonder Woman graphic novel if anyone gave a damn about Wonder Woman.  Did I read it?  Nope.  I don't give a damn about Wonder Woman.

14  JLA VOL 9 TERRA INCOGNITA TP      $12.95       3,686  

The first reprint of the JLA by the current team.  I'm really sounding negative this month, but this is the first of the JLA trade paperbacks you can skip, as the new team still hasn't quite figured out how to write the kind of stories that Morrison and Waid were known for.

15  BATMAN DARK KNIGHT RETURNS HC NEW ED      $24.95       3,392  

You mean you don't have this one yet?  Frank Miller's Batman story that kickstarted the revival of the character.  Think I'm overhyping?  About a year before this mini-series came out, Detective Comics was cancelled for a weekend, but DC reconsidered and kept it going.  If you don't have it, it's almost REQUIRED comic book reading.

16  ASTRO BOY VOL 9 TP      $9.95       3,392  

17  CLASSIC STAR WARS LONG TIME AGO VOL 3 TP      $29.95       3,369

Dark Horse continues to reprint Marvel's Star Wars series, and these issues aren't quite as goofy as the ones in the first two collections.  By this time, The Empire Strikes Back had come out, so there was a lot more to work with.  Recommended for Star Wars fans.

18  INCREDIBLE HULK VOL 1 HC    $29.99       3,256  

Bruce Jones came on to the book and changed the tone without having to get rid of any of the book's past.  He simply went back to the basics...a man who has a monster inside him.  This is a nice package of the first year, and it's still cheaper than buying the issues individually, but I recommend the trade paperbacks that are currently out.

19  STAR WARS JANGO FETT OPEN SEASONS TP      $12.95       3,245  

Dark Horse gets the mini-series out in a book as the movie moves to DVD.  I haven't read it yet, but most of Dark Horse's Star Wars stuff seems tossed off by people with very little experience or skill. 

20  LOVE HINA VOL 7 GN    $9.99       3,222

21  SOJOURN VOL 2 DRAGONS TALE TP    $15.95       3,188  

Another of the CrossGen trades, and while I find their books pretty bland, I love the way they market their comics and reprint things in collections.  It looks like Marvel is going the same way, seeing that it is easier to sell trade paperbacks than monthly comics outside the comic store markets.

22  OH MY GODDESS QUEEN SAYOKO TP    $16.95       3,098

23  TANK GIRL VOL 3 GN (MR)      $14.95       3,019  

This is a CHARACTER who is more popular than her comic or movie.  The comic was fun, if a bit of fluff, but it shows me that there is a large, untapped market for characters who are female, tough and still act like grrrls. 

24  FORGE #7      $11.95       2,793

25  EDGE #7      $11.95       2,725  

Both of these CrossGen books reprint about 9 comics each, one or two from about 5 different series.  I am buying these and enjoy them, mostly because you get a good two to three hours of comics reading for a decent price.  I hear that these books are going to be shrunk...their size will be more like the small Japanese comic collections, which will also cut their price by about $4, and make it an even bigger bargain.

26  ARCHIES CLASSIC CHRISTMAS STORIES VOL 1     $10.95       2,691  

A nice little collection of some of the stories they have done about Giftmas over the years.  I never much cared for Archie as a kid.  I was more of an Uncle Scrooge kid.

27  DAREDEVIL ELEKTRA LOVE & WAR HC      $29.99       2,680  

28  BATMAN DYNAMIC DUO ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC  $49.95       2,680  

Another DC Archive, reprinting Batman stories from before I was born in an upscale, hardcover format.  I love these books, not because the stories in them are any great shakes, but because they are a way to read the kind of comics that were churned out long before comic shops, multipart crossover, continuity driven comics and instead were by people who just had a fill pages with stories they thought kids would like.

29  DEAD TO RIGHTS GN      $5.95       2,668

30  INFINITY ABYSS TP      $17.99       2,544  

Jim Starlin, who was a huge comics star in the 70's, came back and rehashed his stuff in the early 90's and in this book, goes back to the well one more time.  Marvel didn't really get behind this, but it's a nice, old fashioned (oh how I feel old saying that) comic story where you pretty much need to have been reading comics for 20 years to get most of the minor plot points.  Recommended for people who say comics aren't as good as they were in the 80's.  

Oh, and a note for you people who think that.  You're so wrong.

31  BIRDS OF PREY TP NEW ED    $17.95       2,521

Another printing of this mildly popular comic to hype the TV show that just started up.  How many people will pick it up because of the TV show and be utterly confused that Huntress has no connection to Batman, Black Canary has no super-powers and it's not set in a weird creepy future.

32  PATH VOL 1 CRISIS OF FAITH TP      $19.95       2,442

33  CAGE HC      $19.99       2,442  

A quick reprinting of the 6 part mini-series from Marvel MAX.  Yep, Luke Cage can finally swear.  Sweet Christmas.

34  SHAZAM ARCHIVES VOL 3 HC  $49.95       2,374  

The original Captain Marvel, but they can't call him that.  Out of all of the Archives, this and Plastic Man are the ones that read almost like brand new comics.  The stories, while simplistic, are done with wit, charm and talent, and if you want to know why the 40's were called The Golden Age, this book will show you why.  Highly Recommended.

35  BLOOD LAST VAMPIRE 2002 GN (MR)      $15.95       2,329  

Based on the Japanimation "movie" that came out a couple of years ago.  I don't know if it is new material or an adaptation yet, but if it's just an adaptation, buy the DVD instead.  It's prolly cheaper.

36  RESIDENT EVIL CODE VERONICA VOL 3 (MR)      $14.95       2,205

37  FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 7 CASTAWAY TP      $15.95       2,137

38  TOMB RAIDER WITCHBLADE TROUBLE SEEKERS TP      $7.95       1,990  

Another Top Cow "graphic novel" that has about 48 pages of women who's powers make their clothes go away.  Playboy is cheaper and the women are slightly more realistic, kids.

39  DRAGONBALL Z VOL 10 TP      $12.95       1,979

40  GTO VOL 7 GN  $9.99       1,945

41  STAR TREK TNG FORGIVENESS SC    $17.95       1,922

42  NEGATION VOL 1 BOHICA TP    $19.95       1,911

43  AVENGERS KANG DYNASTY TP    $29.99       1,899  

I THINK this is a reprint of the most recent Kang story in the Avengers which suffered from trying too hard to be The Authority.  Kang enslaves the world, destroys a BUNCH of cities and no other book in the Marvel Universe seems to notice.  Not a BAD story, just one where I couldn't suspend my disbelief.

44  MARVEL MANGAVERSE VOL 2 TP      $12.99       1,820  

The six issues of the regular series collected in a trade since the first one did so well outside of comic shops.  I read the first trade, and while it was fun, it was pretty obvious that the book was aimed at kids...which is a good thing, and I hope this continues to sell well to that market.

45  MARMALADE BOY VOL 4 GN      $9.99       1,809  

After months of jokes, I have discovered that this is a manga series imported to the US instead of a boy who was bitten by radioactive Marmalade.  Just a quick note to people who print Japanese series in the US...try to give the books names that mean something.  I would never, EVER pick up this comic off the shelf because the name just is too damn silly.

46  GROO DEATH & TAXES TP      $12.95       1,775  

Groo is always entertaining, even though the cost on the comic keeps going up for some reason.  Sergio's art is masterful, the jokes are still funny after all the times they have been used, and you don't ever have to have read any pervious comic books to be able to read this and enjoy it.  The problem is, you'll read it in about 15 minutes, which comes to about $1 a minute.  Still, it's cheaper than phone sex, and you can put it on your shelf.

47  VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE GN CALEBROS (MR)  $5.95       1,719

48  SUPERMAN BATMAN WORLDS FINEST TP NEW ED      $14.95       1,673  

Another reprint of a trade, this one is Steve Rude doing a Superman/Batman story, and is highly recommended for those who haven't read it yet.

49  AL WILLIAMSON HIDDEN LANDS TP    $22.95       1,583

50  ANGELIC LAYER VOL 3 GN    $9.99       1,583

That's it.  You go now.