Nov. 5-11: From The Top, To The Bottom, And Back Up The Middle

By Michael Deeley
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“It’s really mostly guesswork.”
-Wayne, manager of Phantom of the Attic Comics, Pittsburgh, on ordering books.

This week, I read books that ranked highly and lowly on Diamond’s list of comics ordered in October. Now, this isn’t a sales chart. Actual sales of a comic book would be almost impossible to determine, since most shops don’t use a computer barcode scanner to ring up comics. This means there’s no national tracking system for comics like Soundscan for CDs. The Diamond list tells you the relative number of comics ordered by shops. It always bugged me that a comic’s success is determined by number of copies ordered in a single month. That’s like gauging a movie’s success by the number of seats in the theaters showing it.

But it’s the only indicator the public has to learn how well their comic is doing. To see the rankings for October, go here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=2942.

So, what kind of books make it to the top? What’s at the bottom? And is there anything in the middle worth reading?

Before we begin, a brief explanation of what these numbers mean. The books are ranked relative to a particular “reference” comic. For October, sales of comics are ranked relative to the number of copies of ‘Batman’ #620 ordered that month. So ‘Batman’ has an index number of 100.00, meaning 100%. The highest-ordered comic that month, ‘Avengers/JLA’ #2, has an index of 150.78. That means the number of copies of ‘Avengers/JLA’ is 150.78% of ‘Batman’. Why not rank every comic in relation to the highest-ordered book for that month? Well, if Diamond did that, the list would make sense. And as it’s become clear over the years, Diamond is not in the business of making things easy.

First, let’s see the rankings of the comics I bought for that month.

Quantity Rank Title Price Publisher
1 AVENGERS/JLA #2 $5.95 DC
13 UNCANNY X-MEN #432 $2.25 MAR
22 THANOS #1 $2.99 MAR
30 DAREDEVIL #53 $2.99 MAR
64 PLANETARY #17 $2.95 DC
84 ALIAS #27 (MR) $2.99 MAR
92 Y THE LAST MAN #15 (MR) $2.95 DC
100 CAPTAIN MARVEL #15 $2.99 MAR
147 ETERNAL #5 (MR) $2.99 MAR
159 SOLUS #7 $2.95 CRO
183 NEGATION #22 $2.95 CRO
187 NEGATION #23 $2.95 CRO
191 RUSE ARCHARDS AGENTS PUGILISTIC PETE $2.95 CRO
250 CEREBUS #295 $2.25 AAR


In October, I only bought 1 of the top 10 ordered books, 2 of the top 20, and 8 from the top 100. I bought 14 books in total, with the lowest ranked at 250. Does this mean my tastes are out of touch with most other comic readers? Would one person buy every book in the top 10? Let’s look at them:

1 150.78 AVENGERS/JLA #2 $5.95 DC
2 138.36 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #500 (#59) (Note Price) $3.50 MAR
3 120.27 MARVEL 1602 #3 (Of 8) $3.50 MAR
4 111.4 ULTIMATE SIX #2 (Of 6) $2.25 MAR
5 101.95 ULTIMATE SIX #3 (Of 6) $2.25 MAR
6 100.44 ULTIMATE X-MEN #38 $2.25 MAR
7 100 BATMAN #620 $2.25 DC
8 98.15 NEW X-MEN #147 $2.25 MAR
9 96.22 SUPERMAN/BATMAN #3 $2.95 DC
10 95.7 NEW X-MEN #148 $2.25 MAR

It’s been my experience (or prejudice), that fans of Marvel heroes are unlikely to buy DC hero comics, and vice-versa. ‘Avengers/JLA’, however, would be popular with both types of readers. Fans of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Sandman’ series would likely buy his ‘1602’ mini-series from Marvel. Spider-Man fans would certainly want the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ 500th anniversary issue, as well as ‘Ultimate Six’. I’d say there were fans of al ‘Ultimate’ Marvel comics who would buy ‘Ultimate Six’, and ‘Ultimate X-Men’. (‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ #48 and #48 ranked at 11 and 12, respectively.) With Bendis writing all three books, that does seem plausible. ‘Batman’s fallen rank from 1 last month to 7 this month can be attributed to the departure of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee from the book. Either retailers ordered fewer copies of ‘Batman’, anticipating a decline in popularity with the changing creative team, or they ordered the same number of copies as last month, but also ordered more copies of the other six titles. (I find that last one highly doubtful.) Conversely, the presence of Jeph Loeb on ‘Superman/Batman’ is the most likely factor in that book’s success. As for ‘New X-Men’, I guess a lot of people like it. What can I say?

So I read each book I could to see if they really were any good. If I couldn’t get the issue listed, I read the newest one available. Here’s what I think:

I raved about ‘Avengers/JLA’ #2 in a previous column. I gave it , and still think it’s great.

‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #500 is all about how Peter Parker is really happy with his life. Yes, it’s hard and a lot of good people have died. But he’s got a loving wife, his aunt is still around, and his Uncle Ben is proud of him. Nice. I’d give it , but I’m not enough a fan of the character to start reading the series yet.

‘Marvel 1602’ #3 continues the Elizabethan look at the Silver Age Marvel Universe, with the assassination of Queen Elizabeth, trouble brewing among the Witchbrood, the Inqusitor showing his true power, and Virginia Dare discovered to be the center of a deadly cosmic storm. Everyone’s been raving about this story, but I just can’t get excited about it. Yes, the art is beautiful, yes, Gaiman writes a nice story. But I’d rather wait for the trade book and read the whole think before I make any concrete judgments. for now.

I skimmed through ‘Ultimate X-Men’ #38, and read the story’s conclusion in ‘Ultimate X-Men’ #39. Jean’s distraught over killing the men coming after Wolverine. The other X-Men track down the rest of this rogue group, who chose death before dishonor. Agent Dugan from S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up and chastises the group since they’ve lost the only lead on a possible coup against the U.S. government. That’s a nice little plot thread to dangle.

I’m liking Bendis’ work more than Millar’s. I find he gives the characters more heart and just plain “character” than Millar ever could. But I’m still not excited or interested enough to buy this series. Besides, I’m getting enough Bendis from ‘Alias/Pulse’ and the ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ trades. Speaking of which. . .

‘Ultimate Six’ wouldn’t be nearly as awesome without Trevor Hairsine. It’s a pity he didn’t finish ‘Cla$$war’ back at Com.X, but at least a wide American audience is seeing his brilliance. for both issues. I’m getting the trade.

‘New X-Men’. I still don’t get it. But I have a sneaking suspicion there’s not much to “get”. , since Morrison can still write and Jimenez can always draw.

‘Batman’ #620 was the first ‘Batman’ comic I’d read in months. I skimmed the “Hush” story, but rarely read a complete issue, and didn’t buy any of them. Issue #620 comes from the ‘100 Bullets’ team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. This feels like a crime noir comic more than a superhero book, which I think is a plus for a Batman series. Batman comes across more human than I’ve seen him lately. He’s an incredibly violent, scary human, but still human. He even laughs at a joke he makes. When was the last time Batman made a joke, or even laughed? The art reminded be to Tim Sale and Frank Miller, further underscoring the crime noir style. My biggest complaint regards the all-too-frequent empty spaces between the panels. It made the book feel light. Also, could we PLEASE have a Batman comic that DOESN’T REHASH HIS PARENT’S DEATH? We know what happened! Everyone knows! It’s encoded into every American’s DNA, right between the destruction of Krypton and the theme song to “Gilligan’s Island”.

Still, this was a pretty good comic, and I’d like to see where this story goes. , with optimism.

‘Superman/Batman’ #3 is drawn by an artist I never liked: Ed McGuiness. I always thought McGuiness’ people looked too lumpy and comical for superhero books. I don’t know if he’s improved, or if it’s the inker, or if it’s just me, but his art looks good here.

Here’s the story as I learned it: A big chunk of Krypton is about to hit Earth. President Luthor blames Superman and ahs offered a $1 billion reward for his capture/death. Superman and Batman are going to confront Luthor’s lies while he’s being interviewed by Lois Lane on national TV. Unfortunately, they’re delayed by a gantlet of supervillains being controlled by Gorilla Grodd.

Internal monologues from Supes and Bats pepper the book between punches. They reveal how much each one respects the other as well as revealing some flaws. Superman is overconfident about his abilities and a little naďve. Batman’s single-mindedness makes him grim and a little paranoid. Still, each is impressed by the other. It was nice reading a comic starring two men who’ve earned each other’s respect and friendship. Their powers and their attitudes compliment each other well. Now I want to know what happens next issue, and what’ really going on.

‘Superman/Batman’ is a great team book, and a solid -earner.

So much for the top 10; what about the lower-selling books?

‘NYX’ #1 had half as many copies ordered as ‘Batman’ #620. I couldn’t find issue #1, so I read #2. A teenage girl from a troubled home is just discovering her power to stop time. Last issue, it got a gangsta’s arm broken. This issue, the gangsta tries to shoot our heroine. While her power saves her life, it accidentally wounds a teacher that tried to help her. This teacher is so traumatized, she quits her job and ultimately kills herself. Frankly, I think the coloring is too bright for a book this serious. I mean, it’s a nice story and all. It just looks too happy. And it’s taking too long for anything to really happen. I’ve read one issue, and it doesn’t feel like a complete story. I’m not coming back next month, so ‘NYX’ gets .

‘Exiles’ #35 is ranked at 50 for quantity, with and index of 37.84. I’ve been skimming through this for months. I like it. Solid characters, exciting storylines, and unusual takes on Marvel history explored in personal directions. Issue #36 has the death of a longtime character, and the return of another. Definitely one to read. .

Coming in at 94, with an index of 25.06 is ‘Weapon X’ #13. Issue #13 was the conclusion of a story arc that shook up the book’s status quo. I read and reviewed issue #14 and found it to be OK. I’ll be reading new issues since they feature Chamber, formerly of Generation X and the X-Men. I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far, but I haven’t been greatly impressed. , for now, but I’m hoping that will go up.

‘Captain Marvel’ came in at 100, and only 24.19 index. C’mon, people, this is Peter David’s best work since ‘Hulk’! Buy it! BUY IT RIGHT NOW!! AAAHHHHHHHHHH!

With an index of 10.12, ‘Micronauts’ #11, the series’ last issue to be published by Image, ranked at 198. I give this . Why? Well, could be I came in late and barely had a clue what was going on. Could be it read like a generic action comic. But mainly it’s because it’s the 11th issue, and the team is just now naming themselves. What were they calling themselves all that time? “Us Guys”? The team name is something to decide on in the first issue! I don’t know why people still care about the Micronauts anyway. The toys don’t look so great.

Ironically, two of the lowest ordered books are as easy to find as the highest. ‘Betty and Veronica’ and ‘Sabrina’ are available at a local grocery store, along with ‘Batman’ and ‘New X-Men’. Their Diamond rankings are 293, 295, and 297. I guess Diamond only tracks comics ordered for the direct market, which further undermines its credibility as a means to track comics sales.

So what did I learn this week? I learned that the Diamond rankings for comic book orders don’t mean jack-all for tracking a comic’s popularity. There are lots of great comics that aren’t ordered nearly as much as mediocre comics. Name recognition goes a long way towards high orders. I learned my favorite books are not the most ordered. Which means the day may come when the book I want has been sold out. Or that my continued purchasing of that title reduces the odds of someone else pricking up that book for the first time.

But most importantly, I learned that ‘Micronauts’ sucks. Image is better off without it!

And now for a more in-depth look at this week’s new books.


Y: The Last Man #16 -

Paul Chadwick guest pencils this issue about a traveling theater company. The troupe’s leader wants to enlighten and educate women about their new reality. Suddenly, Yorick’s monkey appears. This inspires the troupe to do a story about the last man on Earth. Why do I get the feeling this will be very biased?

Wonderful art, but it’s not much different from Pia Guezarra’s work.


Thanos #2 -

Thanos puts down a military coup on Rigel, solves a few minor problems, then tackles Rigel’s biggest problem. Galactus has set up camp on a planet in the Rigel system. Thanos will keep his pledge to aid the Rigellians, even if it means killing the Devourer of Worlds.

Ya gotta love a comic that asks not “Why is Galactus here?” but “Why hasn’t Galactus killed us all yet?” Thanos is still cold and cruel, but with slightly more noble purposes. Warlock is just along for the ride and to make sure Thanos doesn’t destroy everything again. Good old fashioned cosmic hijinx courtesy of Starlin and Milgrom.


Alias #28 -

The series comes to and end with Jessica fighting back against the Purple Man’s influence, thanks to a little “gift” left by Jean Grey. Scott Lang dumps Jessica hard, but she starts up a relationship with Luke Cage.

Bendis wrote a text piece at the end of this issue explaining how and why the book came to an end, and explain what the upcoming ‘Pulse’ will be about. Bendis says, “The point of the book has been examined, revealed, explained, and dealt with.” Well, I thought ‘Alias’ gave a unique, new look at the world of superhumans, proved that just because a person has powers doesn’t mean they’re going to be a noble hero or a dastardly villain, and that there is still a lot of gray, amoral area in the Marvel Universe. If that wasn’t the point, I don’t care. That’s why I liked it. ‘Alias’ was a dirty book in an otherwise clean world. But just because something’s dirty doesn’t mean it’s bad. Jessica Jones was who she was, neither bad nor good, but somewhere in between.

I’ll be reading ‘The Pulse’.


Simpsons #87 -

The family cat is elected mayor in a school project run amok. Lisa acts as the cat’s interpreter, passing all the reforms she’s wanted. Unfortunately, this leads to an invasion from England. Fun fact: This is the comic the cast of “Futurama” got sucked into in the ‘Futurama/Simpsons’ crossover last year. In fact, two pages from that comic are used in this comic. I think the crossover was written first then Bongo created this issue later. Is it bad when a publisher turns throwaway gags into comics?


Powers #36 -

In 1986, Walker, Zora, Retro Girl and Triphammer have made their city almost crime-free. Triphammer shows Walker his new invention that negates superpowers. Walker confesses that he’s tired of being immortal and invulnerable, but Triphammer reminds him being super means a privileged life. The foursome get word of a gathering of crooks led by Jonny Royale. The battle begins next issue.

Honestly, I’m giving this an extra bullet because the book opens with Walker in bed with two naked chicks. That’s enough to convince me to read the book. Walker’s feelings are heartfelt and sincere; you really feel sorry for the guy. Triphammer comes across as a jerk who might not be a hero for the purest reasons. Not bad work at all.


Louis Riel -

The graphic biography of Louis Riel, the French/Indian who led two rebellions of the Metis, (people descended from French and Native Americans in Northwest Canada), against the Canadian government. The first, mostly bloodless, rebellion led to the formation of the Manitoba Province. The second rebellion ended in violence.

What makes the story interesting are the people involved. Riel comes across as a fairly calm man who, somehow, exudes a charisma that compels people to follow him. Before the second rebellion, Riel has a vision from God proclaiming him the prophet of the “New World”. Even after Riel tells his followers his vision, they continue to believe in him without question. How much faith would you have in a leader who tells you God has given him power to create a new world centered, in all places, Canada?

Whether by accident or design, author Chester Brown shows these historical events as the results of men acting out of greed, racism, pity, or patriotism. Notes are included in the back to explain the differences between reality and the story. Source material is also listed, in case you wanted to get the “real” story. It’s great to see history presented as the result of the actions of individuals rather men and women responding to events around them. (It’s the difference between saying “Hitler used people’s feeling to achieve power”, and “The uncertainty and poverty of Germans helped Hitler into power”.)


Only other books this week were ‘Longshot’ #1-6, ‘Alias’ #22-23 and ‘Darkhawk’ #33-34. ‘Longshot’ is a strange, but entertaining, mini-series by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams. I’ve been reading the complete ‘Alias’ series one last time. And ‘Darkhawk’ #34 was reviewed in Newsarama’s Cheap Bin column, so I thought I’d check out that story. It was fun.

Next week is the all-Image review. How will I review the output of a company that is essentially a loose collection of self-publishers and creator owned-books? Take each one at a time and decide if it sucks.

Until then, I pray for the survival of CGE before my altar of Jim Shooter. May his scarred face warn Mark Alessi from the mistakes he made.

QED

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