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Outré is a little-known but very well-polished anthology series that releases new issues twice a year, free on their website and for $0.99 on ComiXology. Even though they receive relatively few submissions, the stories have a consistent and impressive level of quality. Intrigued by it, I spoke to one of the editors, Glenn Moane, about the process of putting Outré together.

What led to the creation of Outré?

When we tabled together at Oslo Comics Expo back in 2012, Magnus and I started talking about anthologies and how it’d be nice if there were more theme-oriented ones around, as opposed to just random collections of comic short stories. Not that we had anything against the latter, but it wasn’t what were looking for, so we came to the conclusion that we had to create one ourselves. We also wanted the anthology to feature work by up-and-coming creators, so in order to get as many eyes on their work as possible, it made sense to offer each issue for free. After settling on the theme for the first installment we put out the call for submissions from both writers and artists. After choosing the strongest story submission and getting their scripts into the right shape, we teamed the writers up with the artists we felt would be a good fit and got the ball rolling from there. After a period of time Outré #1: Responsibility was a reality, and we’ve been repeating the process twice a year ever since.

You receive pitches for stories instead of completed ones. How does that work better than asking for finished comics?

Since we want to put out a quality product, it makes sense for us to get involved right from the start and try to make a writer’s scripts the best it can be. Sometimes a story is ready to go after the first draft and sometimes it takes three. Both Magnus and I have been writing comics for a few years now, and if it’s one thing we learned it’s that it is always healthy to get some feedback on our scripts before we send it off to be illustrated. Also, some of the writers who pitch to Outré are just starting out, and they may not yet have established a network of creators to work with. So if a new writer comes up with a great idea for a story after seeing what theme we’ve chosen for an upcoming issue, presenting it to us is the way to go. Now, for our latest issue we asked for pitches with a creative team intact, and those we picked got produced in the time leading up until the release.

The inherent risk is some stories won’t turn out as good as they appear on paper. Have you ever had to accept a pitch but reject the finished product?

Not yet. We’ve had artists bail on us, but fortunately we’ve always been able to bring in a suitable replacement before the deadline was up.

I assume the name of the comic is, in addition to a word of its own (meaning “unusual and startling”), a play on the word auteur. How do you keep the quality level high while still letting creators feel like they are true auteurs with full ownership over the material?

In addition to pushing the writer to make his script as solid as possible, we do the same with the remaining members of a story’s creative team. The creators who contact us are hungry as hell to get their work out there and in front of readers, and motivated by the fact that the finished product will be available on our site forever. And we don’t own any of the stories. They belong to the creators, who can do whatever they like with them after an issue is released.

Creatively and practically, what are the appeals of including one-page, one-image stories?

When the idea for Outré was conceived we wanted to create a full and satisfying package that could resemble a magazine. We used to feature two interviews in each issue, one with an industry professional and the other with a creator whose work was featured within. To add stand alone illustrations that revolved around the issue’s theme made sense, and it was also a nice way to get more creators involved. And some of these illustrations look really good as well. Practically, overseeing the production of a single illustration is a less time-consuming than getting a whole short story done. Contacting a creator and throwing the theme his or her way was usually enough, and after a while we had a nice illustration in our inbox.

Why don’t you charge for Outré?

To attract as many people to the anthology as possible, also readers who may not read comics on a regular basis like you and me. By offering each

issue for free, there should be really no incentive not to download it and check it out at some point, unless the reader is allergic to the theme in question and/or only interested in a specific genre. Anthologies are a tough sell in the Direct Market, but since we love the format and want more readers to get excited about it, the free and digital option was the way to go. A seasoned comics fan may be reluctant to pick up a book featuring work by creators he’s never heard of before, but if all it costs is a couple of taps to read the issue on his or her tablet, why shouldn’t s/he?

Do you ever worry that offering it for free might diminish its value in some people’s eyes?

I’m sure it’s happened. We try to market Outré as a professional-looking anthology filled with quality stories, and 95% of the reviews we’ve received have been more than positive. But I’m sure there are plenty of readers who don’t bother reading those reviews in the first place, and unfortunately I’ve yet to see an anthology making a huge comics news splash across the board. That’s just the way it is.

But recently Outré made its debut on Comixology, where it’s not possible to offer products for free unless it’s part of special campaign. So we priced each issue at $0.99, and told our regular readers that one could pick them up if they wanted to experience the stories in the cool function that is Guided View. I’m certain a good handful of the customers who bought the issues weren’t aware of our anthology in the first place, so we’ve probably reached a few more readers, which is great.

Not only that, a couple of days ago I found out that Outré #1 & 2 had been uploaded on a torrent site, along with several other new comics. Since those issues are the only ones available on Comixology as of now (#3 & 4 are on their way), the uploader more than likely got them through that digital platform. Now, if piracy leads to Outré getting in the hands of more readers – readers who may be unfamiliar with the creators and their work, then I’m all for it in this particular case.

As a not-for-profit business, is it difficult to keep a regular publishing schedule?

Releasing an issue twice a year has proven to be the best for us. With no budget to speak of, we can only rely on the passion of the creators we work with, and that they have the time and opportunity to work on the stories in their free time. This is why we give our creators long deadlines, and a story greenlit in December won’t be released until June. The creative team then has about six months to get their 8 or 10-pager done in this time period, which should be enough. I say “should”, because life and other opportunities can pop up, and if an artist has to take a break from working on a Outré story because of a paid job offer, we’re the first to understand. But the work gets done, even if some stories take longer than others.

So yeah, two issues each year is enough. When we began toying with the idea we did actually talk of a quarterly schedule, but we see now that we then had to produce two issues more or less at the same time, and handle twice as many creative teams. And right now the anthology business doesn’t pay well enough for us to even consider it.

What motivates you to publish Outré, since profit’s not a real factor?

It’s a pleasure to feel a script coming together and to see it come to life at the hands of a talented and passionate artist. That never gets old. And whenever an issue is finished it gives us a sense of satisfaction, and we take pride in the fact that we managed to pull it off once again, fueled only by us and the creators’ passion for comics.

Outré has also proven to be a great way for us to connect with other creators. I got to know colorist K. Michael Russell and artist/letterer Sean Rinehart through this anthology, who both helped me out on two of my own projects. Not to mention Brett Uren, whose story “Torsobear” in Outré #2: Hopelessness led to a whole anthology of its own, which I co-edited with Brett and wrote a story for. The first volume was uccessfully funded through Kickstarter last year and the campaign for the second one is currently ongoing.

Editing an issue of Outré takes time, but it’s also really fun. We’ve just began to talk about the next issue, and there’s a chance the theme this time around will be something horror-related. So we’re pretty excited about the stories this will lead to.

MATT CHATS is a weekly interview series with a person of prominence and/or value in the comic book industry. Find its author, Matt O’Keefe, on Twitter and Tumblr. Email him with questions, comments, complaints or maybe even praise at [email protected].

Brandon Graham is a maverick. He is most famous for his work on 2009’s King City, but has worked in comics since the 1990s, getting his start in sequential porn before moving into work for Dark Horse, Oni Press, and Image Comics.    Known for his clever wit, graffiti-inspired illustration style, and fascination with butts, Graham has carved a niche for himself in the industry that he uses as a platform to explore artistic styles and subjects rarely seen in mainstream American comics.  He is currently finishing a run on Rob Liefeld’s Prophet and is about to launch two new Image series.  8House is a fantasy series that features a different creative team in each issue telling short stories that combine to form a cohesive universe.  Island is an anthology series that is being curated by Brandon and is designed to reintroduce audiences to the dying art of the comics Zine.

The Beat recently sat down to talk to Brandon about his influences, his work, and what he hopes to accomplish in the years to come.

Alex Lu: King City was one of the first books I read when I was getting into comics.  My favorite thing about it was the inordinate number of puns in the story.  Do you keep a journal full of them?

Brandon Graham: Oh yeah, it’s obscene how many bad puns made it into that book.   I do keep a journal full of jokes and things that make it into the comic, but it’s not necessarily planned.  I used to work very hard at making sure I had enough jokes per page, but it wasn’t the most fun way to work so I toned it down.

I used to have a system for making jokes and making puns.  More recently, I was trying to find different ways to do humor.  I would study Rumiko Takahashi comics, see how she structures her humor, and then try to emulate that.  That influence played into the Multiple Warheads series.  In doing these non-pun based humor, sometimes the puns would just come in naturally, whereas in King City I’d make lists of possible jokes I could make.  I did that a lot, but I didn’t want to keep doing it in everything I did.

Lu: How’s it been working on Prophet, simply being the writer as opposed to playing the role of the artist as well?

Graham: It’s a very different experience.  The humor there is much more subtle, as it’s not meant to be a humorous book.  That makes it faster to write, and it’s been a really good learning process to collaborate with different people and collaborate on a monthly comic.

Lu: How did you script Prophet?

Graham: A lot of the stuff is just me thumbnailing it– just doing a rough version of the comic, handing them a copy, and letting them do their own versions of the pages.  The back of some of the volumes have those rough thumbnails in them.  Sometimes I’d even do them in full color.

Lu: Did you find your collaborators sticking to your roughs or deviating from them dramatically?

Graham: It depends on the artist.  When I work with my wife, Marian, she doesn’t like me to do layouts.  She just likes me to tell her what happens on the page.  However, a lot of the guys on Prophet preferred that I did the layouts so they could come in and not have to think about a page too much.  They’d just rework it if they had a better idea.

Lu: When Prophet wraps, do you plan on doing more work that’s strictly based in writing, or will you transition back to doing art as well?

Graham: I’m working on doing more illustration.  I’m currently doing a magazine, Island, which is an excuse for me to do a lot more short story work and a lot more drawing without a specific sense of place.  If I want to do a series of illustrations, now that I have Island I don’t have to worry about finding a home for it.  I’m going to be writing five or six issues for the 8House shared fantasy universe each year as well.

Lu: I saw the cover work for 8House.  It’s beautiful.  How long has that series been in production?

Graham: Quite a while.  It’s changed dramatically, but it started as a way to do stuff with some of the Top Cow books.  I was going to be doing Pitt, and another team was going to be doing Witchblade.  That didn’t work out, but it turned into a new version of itself.

Lu: What’s the basic premise of 8House?

Graham: It basically takes a bunch of creative teams, have them set stories in the same world, and then have them riff off one another.  It’ll be interesting to see how teams are influenced by one another, similar to how Marvel and DC have these random books that weren’t originally meant to be part of a shared universe, but have been patched together to form one that people accept.

Prophet was very strict about how the universe worked but 8House  is more open.  Different stories can be told from different perspectives and they’ll almost feel like they’re in different worlds.  It’ll be more like how Fantastic Four and New Gods are in the same universe but feel very different from one another.

Lu: Awesome.  And what’s the premise for Island?

Graham: It’s going to be a monthly title put out by Image, 150 pages per issue.  It’ll be distributed through comic stores.  It’s about an inch larger in width and height from a standard comic.  A lot of the production process involved me thinking about what I wanted to read in an anthology as well as why I didn’t often read anthologies.

A part of it was making sure it felt like a bundle of comics than an anthology.  None of the stories are shorter than 20 pages, and some are up to 50 or 60 pages.  You pay for this $8.00 book and you get 3 or 4 entire comics, so it’s slightly cheaper than just buying individual issues.

It’s also carefully curated, so if you like one or two artists in the issue you’ll like the other two as well.  There’s nothing in there I wouldn’t buy myself, and I’ve been very particular about not playing politics and picking people specifically for their names.   I go after quality work.

Lu: So how do you pick the group that ends up in each issue?

Graham: I’m always digging up artists whose work I am excited about, and there’s a huge amount of work that doesn’t get the exposure it deserves.  A lot of people stick to specific publishers or genres, and that’s true even in places like Image.  I come from a different background from a lot of their creators, so I wanted to bring in creators that I feel more in tune with.

I’m even putting some lesser known older work into Island.  There’s a 1986 six issue comic published by Eclipse called Zooniverse that I fell in love with when I was eleven.  That’s getting reprinted in Island.  There’s also a British small press comic by an artist named Lando called Island 3  that’s only been printed in small press zine format in England that we’ll be printing and bringing to a mass audience.

Lu: It’s pretty unique to have a zine in the modern American comic book industry nowadays, isn’t it?

Graham: Well, you have stuff like Dark Horse Presents… but those stories often feel like they’re intended for different audiences.  I’m not trying to do this specifically, but I am trying out untested people.  There are new creators in Island, but there are also creators like Emma Ríos (Pretty Deadly) who are coming in and doing their own writing.

Most of the work is single creator– written, drawn, and colored by them.  If a writer is in Island, I’ll have them do prose or write an essay.  Kelly Sue DeConnick wrote an article in the first issue about a poet who deeply influences her.  It’s stuff you wouldn’t see in a normal comic book.

Lu: What’s your hope for Island?

Graham: Well, I hope people are just as excited for it as I am.  One of the great things about comics right now is that people that are being given the freedom to do whatever they want at publishers have the opportunity to shape how the industry grows, not only in their work but in the work of people they bring into the industry.  If you have a fanbase and people who trust your work, you can tell them to check out the work of someone you admire and help grow the community in that way.

Lu: What specifically has influenced you?

Graham: I used to be strongly influenced by graffiti, but I also did porn comics and it’s all bleeding into my system and becoming something that’s hopefully new.  I read a lot, and I’ve been trying to read more novels in order to remind myself that there’s a world outside of comics.

Lu: What are you reading right now?

Graham: I’m reading a Charles Stross book called Saturn’s Children, which is about a sex robot that activates after humanity goes extinct.  There’s also Haruki Murakami’s Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which is my favorite book ever. I remember reading that and thinking that this is just a better version of everything I’m trying to do.

Lu: How do you feel about having a distinctive style that’s strongly influenced the development about several other artists?

Graham: It’s always really exciting to see that.  I wear my influences on my sleeve so much that I hope it’s a gateway to people tracking down the work of people I’m influenced by like Moebius or Adam Warren.  It’s also a little daunting when you see what you can see what you’ve done in something someone has devoted their life to, but ultimately it’s very exciting.

8House: Arclight #1 releases on June 24th, 2015.  Island #1 hits stands on July 15th, 2015.

Deadline announced today that Universal Television has optioned the rights to Image’s Eisner-nominated The Wicked + The Divine. The comic, by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson, will be adapted via Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick’s production company, Milkfed Criminal Masterminds.  This is the same deal that will bring about the TV adaptation of Sex Criminals – the two-year deal with Universal included adapting not only their own material into television shows, but also allows Fraction and DeConnick to spotlight other creators’ IP.

McKelvie took to Twitter with the announcement:

Been sitting on that one for a while. Hey! Cool! And so happy to be working with Matt and @kellysue.

— Jamie McKelvie (@McKelvie) May 30, 2015

And then Chip Zdarsky, Illustrator for Sex Criminals, took it to another level:

With Both WicDiv and Sex Criminals TV shows being produced by Milkfed, that means a Milkfed Shared Universe, fyi. Suck on THAT, Marvel.

— Chip Zdarsky, ok. (@zdarsky) May 30, 2015

The Wicked + The Divine focuses on members of the Pantheon, people with superhuman powers, a result of merging with the reincarnated spirit of a mythological deity. The first issue was released in June of 2014.

During this year’s C2E2, Comics Beat was #blessed to be able to sit down for a quick roundtable interview with Brad Neely, Daniel Weidenfeld, and Dave Newberg – the driving force behind Adult Swim’s hit show China, IL. What happened next was mostly laughing, carefully edited to read like a real conversation.

CB: Okay so China, IL! What can we expect from the rest of the third season?

Weidenfeld: Well, we have an episode coming up where the mayor bans eating anchovies on pizza in town – you can only eat pepperoni. It sort of becomes our take on the idea of a “gay gene.” We’re showing that now because of everything going on in Indiana. The pizza laws.

Neely: And at the end of the season we have an hour-long musical, kind of in the style of a Disney musical like Lion King, with thirteen original songs by me. We’ve got Cat Power singing, Rosa Salazar, Evan Peters, so we’re real excited about that. Otherwise we’ve got three or four other episodes in there.

CB: You’ve got an extensive cast of voice talent this season. How hard was it to round up all these people? There’s Hulk Hogan, Danny Trejo, Christian Slater, etc. Did you have to come to these people, or did they seek you out?

Neely: Yeah, no one comes to us, haha. We have to go to them. We just aren’t shy about asking, all they can do is say no. There’s an equally long list of people that we have asked that were either busy or thought we were disgusting. We’re very lucky to have these folks.

Weidenfeld: Yeah, Christian Slater has a monologue, and he just kills it, it’s so funny. He was so great, and such a pro, just amazing to record. We did it over the phone in like 15 minutes – it was perfect. And Danny Trejo was the same. We’re just really lucky to have all these talents that bring their own voices and their own style of comedy to keep it varied.

Neely: We have Donald Glover this season, which has been great. We like to think that he came over from Community and moved on to regular college. Stayed in school.

CB: What was it like to get Hulk Hogan onboard as the Dean?

Weidenfeld: Once we got Hulk Hogan, we re-wrote everything because we knew we now had America’s dad as the Dean. The father of masculinity. So everything changed for the better, for us. He’s very fun.

Neely: He recorded for an hour, how many 5-Hour Energy’s did he drink?

Weidenfeld: He brought three and slammed them all. But when you think about how big he is, the ratio kind of works out. He’s something else.

CB: I know in previous seasons the show is sort of done piece by piece and brought together at the end. Are you approaching the production differently this season?

Neely: Well, there’s a plan always. But you know, you have to stay on your toes to adapt to whatever is the funniest or working the most. We bring in every actor individually, we don’t record in an ensemble – to facilitate greater dexterity in editing. But we encourage the actors to read the lines in their own words, and improvise after we get what’s on the page.

Weidenfeld: Brad writes every episode, so we tend to write them a little long, so it’d be really hard to bring everyone into a room and have them all feeding off that energy. It’d be a lot harder to cut as a result. And with Brad doing three of the main voices on the show, we always have the luxury of re-recording. It’s incredible to have that flexibility, especially on an animated show. If we have to cut something, we can salvage lines that are important for story.

Neely: Yeah, we fix things by changing my characters’ stuff, because we don’t want to have to call somebody back in, especially after they’ve done something that’s great, and we’ll work around that and re-work my lines.

CB: Are there limits placed upon you by the network? Do you find that you have more or less creative space either way?

Neely: Strangely – you wouldn’t suspect this of a network with the reputation Adult Swim has – but they insist on us making sense on a emotional and character level. The story has to have an appropriate escalation and resolution. They’re pros about holding us accountable to those standards. They’re very involved when it comes to that.

Weidenfeld: Sometimes they’ll have a very specific thought of something they wants us to do, and we’ll have a conversation about it. There’s a real back and forth respect. We always try to meet in the middle in some capacity.

Neely: It’s a healthy working relationship. They don’t hold back when they think something isn’t working, or could be more forceful.

Weidenfeld: We can say shit now five times per episode. Never a fuck though. They don’t give fucks. Or dicksucker… or cocksucker.

Neely: But we can have an extended pause in between those two words.

CB: So do these episodes start with a joke, or does the joke come together after?

Neely: Every episode starts differently. Some of them just come from a nugget of, “I want to talk about Listerine strips,” or, “Don’t you hate it when you have to order food from a counter?” Sometimes we start with, “Alright, we need to see Frank in this kind of situation.” So we try to keep it balanced where there’s half that come from big stupid ideas and half that come from real deal emotional necessity.

Weidenfeld: But the main thing that has to happen in any given episode, is there has to be one big visual funny that Brad sees.

China, IL airs Sundays at 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Adult Swim.

[Editor’s note: This column is super late through no fault of Kate’s. March will be posted shortly.]

by Kate Reynolds

Spring has sprung for the indie comics titles this month, with Orphan Black leading the charge. The first issue sold nearly half a million copies, which is almost more than the combined sales of the top fifty selling indie comics this month. Spawn’s 250th issue also spurred a selling frenzy, catapulting the title to the top of the chart – between The Walking Dead and Saga.

This month 138 titles hit the top 300 list, which is slightly down from last month’s 142. The Orphan Black phenomenon brought sales up 41.6%; 1,969,396 sales in February compared to 1,391,241 in January. This brings the average number of comics sold to 14,271, which is also up from last month’s average of 9,867. We’ll see how next month fairs without a knock-out hit like Orphan Black.

In terms of individual publishers, Image leads with a 10.51% market share and a 10.61% unit market share. IDW comes in next with a 5.57% market share and an 8.06% unit market share while Dark Horse is trails behind with a 3.48% market share and a 2.66% unit market share. Dynamite Entertainment leads over Boom! Studios with a 2.63% market share and a 2.38% market share while Boom! Studios brings up the rear with a 2.12% market and a 2.12% unit market share.

UK and European Sales from Diamond UK are not represented in this chart.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Grepp for permission to use these numbers, which are estimates only.

1.) Orphan Black #1 (IDW)
2/1/2015	ORPHAN BLACK #1 	497,002

Let’s just take a moment and bask in the glory of an independent comic company nabbing the number one sales for the month of February. The sales were definitely aided by the inclusion of Orphan Black #1 in March’s Lootcrate – a geek subscription box with over 100,000 subscribers. Still, as an Orphan Black fan myself, I’d like to think that the television show’s narrative strength stands for itself.

13.) The Walking Dead #137 (Image)
11/1/2014	WALKING DEAD #134 (MR)		68,093	(-2.1%)
12/1/2014	WALKING DEAD #135 (MR)		67,361	(-1.1%)
1/1/2015	WALKING DEAD #136 (MR)		66,097	(-1.9%)
2/1/2015	WALKING DEAD #137 (MR)		65,620	(-0.7%)

It’s a rare day when The Walking Dead gets outsold by another indie title.

15.) Spawn #250 (Image)
10/1/2014	SPAWN #247	12,023	(-9.9%)
11/1/2014	SPAWN #248	11,934	(-0.7%)
12/1/2014	SPAWN #249	12,121	(+1.6%)
2/1/2015	SPAWN #250	60,357	(+398.0%)

Image went all out to celebrate this huge milestone for Spawn with several variant covers, a triple sized book, and even the return of the original Spawn. Looks like hard work combined with nostalgia helped this title jump into the top 20 titles of the month.

19.) Saga #25 (Image)
6/1/2014	Saga #20 (Mr)		56,497	(+1.9%)
7/1/2014	Saga #21 (Mr)		55,893	(-1.1%)
8/1/2014	Saga #22 (Mr)		55,803	(-0.2%)
9/1/2014	Saga #23 (Mr)		56,162	(+.6%)
10/1/2014	SAGA #24 (MR)	55,534	(-1.1%)
2/1/2015	SAGA #25 (MR)	55,972	(+0.8%)

As Saga comes off its hiatus, so do its readers.

34.) Nameless #1 (Image)
2/1/2015	NAMELESS #1 (MR)		43,785

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham bring us a new horror sci-fi title to titillate the masses, and these numbers say they succeeded.

40.) Wytches #4 (Image)
10/1/2014	WYTCHES #1 (MR) 	67,996	
11/1/2014	WYTCHES #2 (MR) 	58,345	(-14.2%)
12/1/2014	WYTCHES #3 (MR) 	43,240	(-25.9%)
2/1/2015	WYTCHES #4 (MR)	41,827	(-3.3%)

The fourth issue is finally settling down into a normal pattern. We should see more normal attrition starting next issue.

85.) Secret Identities #1 (Image)
2/1/2015	SECRET IDENTITIES #1	24,848

A reasonable debut.

95.) East of West #17 (Image)
6/1/2014	EAST OF WEST #12	27,056	(-3.7%)
7/1/2014	EAST OF WEST #13	26,531	(-1.9%)
7/1/2014	EAST OF WEST #14	26,361	(-0.6%)
9/1/2014	EAST OF WEST #15	25,593	(-2.9%)
12/1/2014	EAST OF WEST #16	35,920	(+40.3%)
2/1/2015	EAST OF WEST #17	23,482	(-12.4%)

A drop to normal after numbers spiked last month for the beginning of the second story arc.

96.) Bitch Planet #3 (Image)
12/1/2014	BITCH PLANET #1 (MR) 	39,011	
1/1/2015	BITCH PLANET #2 (MR)	26,508	(-32.0%)
2/1/2015	BITCH PLANET #3 (MR)	22,726	(-14.3%)

Things are heading towards stable ground for this title.

103.) Wicked and Divine #8  (Image)
10/1/2014	WICKED & DIVINE #5 (MR)		25,424	(-1.0%)
12/1/2014	WICKED & DIVINE #6 (MR)		22,159	(-12.2%)
1/1/2015	WICKED & DIVINE #7 (MR)		20,893	(-5.7%)
2/1/2015	WICKED & DIVINE #8 (MR)		20,515	(-1.8%)

108.) Low #6 (Image)
7/1/2014	LOW #1 (MR)		--
8/1/2014	LOW #2 (MR)	28,426	(-34.4%)
9/1/2014	LOW #3 (MR)	24,308	(-14.5%)
10/1/2014	LOW #4 (MR)	23,530	(-3.2%)
12/1/2014	LOW #5 (MR)	21,584	(-8.2%)
2/1/2015	LOW #6 (MR)	19,832	(-8.1%)

120.) Manifest Destiny #13 (Image)
6/1/2014	MANIFEST DESTINY #7	21,500	(+44.8%)
7/1/2014	MANIFEST DESTINY #8	15,060	(-29.9%)
8/1/2014	MANIFEST DESTINY #9	14,672	(-2.6%)
9/1/2014	MANIFEST DESTINY #10	14,312	(-2.4%)
10/1/2014	MANIFEST DESTINY #11	13,620	(-4.8%)
12/1/2014	MANIFEST DESTINY #12 	12,987	(-4.6%)
2/1/2015	MANIFEST DESTINY #13 	17,891	(+37.8%)

New story arc brings in new readers. A similar spike happened with issue seven.

121.) Autumnlands Tooth & Claw #4 (Image)
11/1/2014	TOOTH & CLAW #1 		41,181	
12/1/2014	AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #2 	33,272	(-19.2%)
1/1/2015	AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #3 	20,173	(-39.4%)
2/1/2015	AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #4	17,700	(-12.3%)

Finally seeing some slowing numbers for this title. Stabilization may be nigh!

124.) Southern Bastards #7 (Image)
4/1/2014	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1 (MR)	38,029	
5/1/2014	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #2 (MR)	25,811	(-32.1%)
7/1/2014	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #3 (MR)	21,313	(-17.4%)
9/1/2014	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #4 (MR)	22,317	(+4.7%)
10/1/2014	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #5 (MR)	21,932	(-1.7%)
12/1/2014	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #6 (MR)	18,637	(-15.0%)
2/1/2015	SOUTHERN BASTARDS #7 (MR)	17,523	(-6.0%)

These numbers might approach settle down to a predictable pattern one of these days.

128.) Lady Mechanika #4 (Benitez Productions)

10/1/2010	Lady Mechanika #0	10,185	
12/1/2010	Lady Mechanika #1	20,034	(+96.7%)
7/1/2011	Lady Mechanika #2	20,760	(+3.6%)
12/1/2011	Lady Mechanika #3	21,358	(+2.9%)
2/1/2015	Lady Mechanika #4	16,924	(-20.8%)

It’s been four years since the last issue of Lady Mechanika, Joe Benitez breaking away from Aspen comics in the interim. After all that hullabaloo a twenty percent drop doesn’t seem so bad.

129.) ODY-C #3 (Image)
11/1/2014	ODYC #1 (MR) [*]	47,414	
1/1/2015	ODYC #2 (MR) [*]	21,316	(-55.0%)
2/1/2015	ODYC #3 (MR) [*]	16,826	(-21.1%)

Starting to settle down for the twenty year journey.

133.) Velvet #9 (Image)
10/1/2013	Velvet #1 (Mr) 	41,897	--
12/1/2013	Velvet #2 (Mr) 	25,549	(-39.0%)
1/1/2014	Velvet #3 (Mr) 	23,177	(-9.3%)
3/1/2014	Velvet #4 (Mr)	            21,412	(-7.6%)
5/1/2014	Velvet #5 (Mr)	            20,258	(-5.4%)
7/1/2014	Velvet #6 (Mr)	            18,775	(-7.3%)
9/1/2014	Velvet #7 (Mr)	            17,901	(-4.7%)
11/1/2014	Velvet #8 (MR)	17,035	(-4.8%)
2/1/2015	Velvet #9 (MR)	16,274	(-4.5%)

Standard attrition.

136.) BTVS Season 10 #12 (Dark Horse)
10/1/2014	BTVS SEASON 10 #8	17,729	(+1.6%)
11/1/2014	BTVS SEASON 10 #9	17,067	(-3.7%)
12/1/2014	BTVS SEASON 10 #10	16,448	(-3.6%)
1/1/2015	BTVS SEASON 10 #11	16,493	(+0.3%)
2/1/2015	BTVS SEASON 10 #12	15,840	(-4.0%)

More attrition for Buffy.

138.) Hellboy and the BRPD 1952 #3 (Dark Horse)
12/1/2014	HELLBOY AND THE BPRD #1 1952	22,368	
1/1/2015	HELLBOY AND THE BPRD #2 1952	16,725	(-25.2%)
2/1/2015	HELLBOY AND THE BPRD #3 1952	15,779	(-5.7%)

Looks like some solid stabilization for the third issue.

142.) Lazarus #15 (Image)
8/1/2014	LAZARUS #10	18,051	(-5.3%)
9/1/2014	LAZARUS #11	16,531	(-8.4%)
10/1/2014	LAZARUS #12 	16,838	(+1.9%)
11/1/2014	LAZARUS #13 	16,094	(-4.4%)
1/1/2015	LAZARUS #14 	15,896	(-1.2%)
2/1/2015	LAZARUS #15 	15,237	(-4.1%)

Continued attrition.

144.) Chew #46 (Image)
2/1/2014	CHEW #40 (MR)	$2.99	IMA	11,193	(-2.6%)
4/1/2014	CHEW #41 (MR)	$2.99	IMA	10,835	(-3.2%)
6/1/2014	CHEW #42 (MR)	$2.99	IMA	10,981	(-1.3%)
9/1/2014	CHEW #43 (MR)	$2.99	IMA	10,777	(-1.9%)
11/1/2014	CHEW #44 (MR)	$2.99	IMA	10,526	(-2.3%)
12/1/2014	CHEW #45 (MR)	$3.50	IMA	10,407	(-1.1%)
2/1/2015	CHEW #46 (MR)	$2.99	IMA	15,073	(+44.8%)

A new story line, with a few other new aspects, has certainly revived the readership.

149.) TMNT Ongoing #43 (IDW)
6/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #35	15,174	(-13.0%)
7/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #36	15,415	(+1.6%)
8/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #37	15,470	(+0.4%)
10/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #38	15,498	(+0.2%)
10/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #39	15,235	(-1.7%)
11/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #40	14,734	(-3.3%)
12/1/2014	TMNT ONGOING #41	14,970	(+1.6%)
1/1/2015	TMNT ONGOING #42	14,286	(-4.6%)
2/1/2015	TMNT ONGOING #43	14,551	(+1.9%)

Almost every loss for this title is followed by a minor gain. Way to keep those numbers strong Turtles.

153.) Stray Bullets Sunshine & Roses #1 (Image)
2/1/2015	STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES #1	14,122

The previous Stray Bullet series, Stray Bullets the Killers, debuted to 14,208 readers. If this title continues to mimic the previous series, we should see numbers just under the 10k mark next issue.

155.) Postal #1 (Image)
2/1/2015	POSTAL #1	$3.99	IMA	13,967

A town full of criminals, a murder, and the FBI rake in a medium debut.

158.) Doctor Who 10th #7 (Titan)
7/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #1	39,707	
8/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #2	10,410	(-73.8%)
10/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #3	14,608	(-40.30%)
11/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #4 	14,296	(-2.1%)
12/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #5 	13,743	(-3.9%)
1/1/2015	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #6	13,703	(-0.3%)
2/1/2015	DOCTOR WHO 10TH #7	13,296	(-3.0%)

Minor attrition.

161.) Birthright #5 (Image)
10/1/2014	BIRTHRIGHT #1 	27,234	
11/1/2014	BIRTHRIGHT #2	18,484	(-32.1%)
12/1/2014	BIRTHRIGHT #3	14,247	(-22.9%)
1/1/2015	BIRTHRIGHT #4	13,506	(-5.2%)
2/1/2015	BIRTHRIGHT #5	13,218	(-2.1%)

I declare this title officially stable. We should primarily only see attrition from here on out.

162.) MPH #5 (Image)
5/1/2014	MPH #1	35,632	--
6/1/2014	MPH #2	21,937	(-38.4%)
9/1/2014	MPH #3	16,881	(-23.04%) 
11/1/2014	MPH #4	14,657	(-13.2%)
2/1/2015	MPH #5	13,202	(-9.9%)

Edging closer to what I’d call attrition.

164.) Doctor Who 11th #8 (Titan)
8/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #1	41,068	
9/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #2	15,947	(-61.2)
10/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #3	14,854	(-6.9%)
10/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #4	13,411	(-9.7%)
12/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #5 	13,477	(+0.5%)
12/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #6 	14,538	(+7.9%)
1/1/2015	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #7	15,614	(+7.4%)
2/1/2015	DOCTOR WHO 11TH #8	13,135	(-15.9%)

This title appears to be making up for two months of increased readership by taking a steep dive.

166.) Deadly Class #11 (Image)
5/1/2014	DEADLY CLASS #5		17,099	(-4.2%)
6/1/2014	DEADLY CLASS #6 		16,305	(-4.6%)
9/1/2014	DEADLY CLASS #7 		14,834	(-9.0%)
10/1/2014	DEADLY CLASS #8 		15,003	(+1.1%)
11/1/2014	DEADLY CLASS #9 		14,148	(-6.7%)
1/1/2015	DEADLY CLASS #10 	13,552	(-4.2%)
2/1/2015	DEADLY CLASS #11 	12,805	(-5.5%)

Numbers often dip towards the tail end of a story arc. Next issue will start a new story, and let’s hope a bump in numbers.

167.) Invincible #117 (Image)
4/1/2014	INVINCIBLE #110		12,557	(-1.5%)
5/1/2014	INVINCIBLE #111		18,440	(+46.8%)
6/1/2014	INVINCIBLE #112		14,413	(-21.8%)
8/1/2014	INVINCIBLE #113		13,642	(-5.3%)
9/1/2014	INVINCIBLE #114		13,921	(+2.0%)
11/1/2014	INVINCIBLE #115		13,277	(-4.6%)
1/1/2015	INVINCIBLE #116		13,125	(-1.1%)
2/1/2015	INVINCIBLE #117		12,627	(-3.8%)

This title is settling back into a normal pace.

167.) Doctor Who 12th #5 (Titan)
10/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 12TH #1	33,891	
11/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 12TH #2 	15,277	(-54.9%)
12/1/2014	DOCTOR WHO 12TH #3	14,144	(-7.4%)
1/1/2015	DOCTOR WHO 12TH #4	13,214	(-6.6%)
2/1/2015	DOCTOR WHO 12TH #5	12,140	(-8.1%)

Still trying to find steady ground.

172.) Divinity #1 (Valiant) 
2/1/2015	DIVINITY #1	12,079

I’m personally excited for this title. Matt Kindt sure knows how to tell a stellar sci-fi story.

173.) Conan Red Sonja #2 (Dark Horse)
1/1/2015	CONAN RED SONJA #1	15,398	
2/1/2015	CONAN RED SONJA #2	12,073	(-21.6%)

Standard second issue drop.

176.) Imperium #1 (Valiant)
2/1/2015	IMPERIUM #1		12,028

Let’s hope this title only gets hit with a normal second issue drop, and not a Valiant sized one.

178.) Empty #1 (Image)
2/1/2015	EMPTY #1	11,623

A low debut for this comic set in an unforgiving desert.

181.) Rumble #3 (Image)
12/1/2014	RUMBLE #1 (MR)	22,527	
1/1/2015	RUMBLE #2 (MR)	14,580	(-35.3%)
2/1/2015	RUMBLE #3 (MR)	11,084	(-24.0%)

We should see a smaller drop next issue.

182.) Nailbiter #10 (Image)
9/1/2014	NAILBITER #5 (MR)	14,947	(+1.6%)
10/1/2014	NAILBITER #6 (MR)	13,340	(-10.8%)
11/1/2014	NAILBITER #7 (MR)	12,361	(-5.3%)
12/1/2014	NAILBITER #8 (MR)	12,096	(-2.1%)
1/1/2015	NAILBITER #9 (MR)	11,222	(-7.2%)
2/1/2015	NAILBITER #10 (MR)	10,889	(-3.0%)

More attrition for this book.

184.) Transformers vs GI JOE #5 (IDW)
7/1/2014	Transformers Vs Gi Joe #1 	23,009	
8/1/2014	Transformers Vs Gi Joe #2 	15,472	(-32.8%)
10/1/2014	Transformers Vs Gi Joe #3 	14,293	(-7.6%)
11/1/2014	Transformers Vs Gi Joe #4	12,733	(-10.9%)
2/1/2015	Transformers Vs Gi Joe #5	10,590	(-16.8%)

A large dip for this title.

186.) Angel and Faith Season 10 #11 (Dark Horse)
9/1/2014	ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #6 	11,593	(-3.5%)
10/1/2014	ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #7	11,457	(-1.2%)
11/1/2014	ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #8	11,129	(-2.9%)
12/1/2014	ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #9	10,946	(-1.6%)
1/1/2015	ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #10 	11,029	(+0.7%)
2/1/2015	ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #11	10,397	(-5.7%)

Larger than average drop for this title.

187.) Black Hood #1 (Archie Comics)
2/1/2015	BLACK HOOD #1 (MR)	10,386

This new title from Archie Comics deals with dark territory. The break from the traditional Archie Comics tone may account for the low debut.

188.) Munchkin #2 (Boom! Studios)
1/1/2015	MUNCHKIN #1	16,234	
2/1/2015	MUNCHKIN #2	10,382	(-36.0%)

Sizable second issue drop.

189.) TMNT Mutanimals #1 (IDW)
2/1/2015	TMNT MUTANIMALS #1	10,274

Not selling as well as the regular turtle titles do, but this is a secondary team.

192.) Adventure Time #37 (Boom! Studios)
10/1/2014	ADVENTURE TIME #32	12,632	(-10.4%)
10/1/2014	ADVENTURE TIME #33	11,929	(-5.6%)
12/1/2014	ADVENTURE TIME #34	11,442	(-4.1%)
12/1/2014	ADVENTURE TIME #35	11,138	(-2.7%)
1/1/2015	ADVENTURE TIME #36	10,170	(-8.7%)
2/1/2015	ADVENTURE TIME #37	9,978	(-1.9%)

Continued attrition for Adventure Time.

193.) The Valiant (Valiant)
12/1/2014	THE VALIANT #1		21,364	
1/1/2015	THE VALIANT #2 		11,649	(-45.5%)
2/1/2015	THE VALIANT #3		9,870	(-15.3%)

A much needed decrease in drops. This title might be on the chart for awhile yet.

195 & 199.) Django Zorro #3 & 4 (Dynamite Entertainment)
11/1/2014	DJANGO ZORRO #1		15,468	
12/1/2014	DJANGO ZORRO #2		11,001	(-28.9%)
2/1/2015	DJANGO ZORRO #3		9,659	(-12.1%)
2/1/2015	DJANGO ZORRO #4		9,212	(-4.6%)

Stabilization at last!

196 & 200.) Star Trek Ongoing #41 & 42 (IDW)
7/1/2014	Star Trek #35	10,089	(-1.2%)
8/1/2014	Star Trek #36	10,017	(-0.7%)
9/1/2014	Star Trek #37	9,893	(-1.2%)
11/1/2014	Star Trek #38	10,150	(+2.6%)
12/1/2014	Star Trek #39	9,931	(-2.2%)
1/1/2015	Star Trek #40	9,819	(-1.1%)
2/1/2015	Star Trek #41	9,632	(-1.9%)
2/1/2015	Star Trek #42	9,138   (-5.1%)

Star Trek readers are incredibly consistent, but if there’s not a boost in these numbers soon we may see a drop below 9k.

197.) Goon Once Upon a Hard Time #1 (Dark Horse)
2/1/2015	GOON ONCE UPON A HARD TIME #1	9,602

This title is following in the footsteps of Goon Occasion for Revenge.

198.) They're Not Like Us #3 (Image)
12/1/2014	THEYRE NOT LIKE US #1 (MR)	18,015	
1/1/2015	THEYRE NOT LIKE US #2 (MR)	10,028	(-44.3%)
2/1/2015	THEYRE NOT LIKE US #3 (MR)	9,424	(-6.0%)

A quick recovery for this title.

200.) Transformers More Than Meets The Eye #37 (IDW)
11/1/2014	TRANSFORMERS More Than Meets Eye #35 	9,390	(-2.9%)
12/1/2014	TRANSFORMERS More Than Meets Eye #36 	9,159	(-2.5%)
2/1/2015	TRANSFORMERS More Than Meets Eye #37 	9,138	(-0.2%)

The current story arc is holding steady.

203.) Legenderry Red Sonja #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
2/1/2015	LEGENDERRY RED SONJA #1	$3.99	DE	8,854

I’m not sure whether this debut is proof that steam punk has lost its momentum, or just that it takes a phenomenal writer like Gail Simone to see Red Sonja sales spike.

204.) Rat God #1 (Dark Horse)
2/1/2015	RAT GOD #1	8,744

This title looked a bit too scary for me. The horror genre of comics also isn’t as popular as some.

205.) Rasputin #5 (Image)
10/1/2014	RASPUTIN #1 (MR)	21,373	
11/1/2014	RASPUTIN #2 (MR)	11,693	(-45.3%)
12/1/2014	RASPUTIN #3 (MR)	9,775	(-16.4%)
1/1/2015	RASPUTIN #4 (MR)	9,264	(-5.2%)
2/1/2015	RASPUTIN #5 (MR)	8,723	(-5.8%)

Not a bad run for Rasputin.

206.) Edward Scissorhands #4 (IDW)
10/1/2014	EDWARD SCISSORHANDS #1 	13,533	
11/1/2014	EDWARD SCISSORHANDS #2 	0,121	(-25.2%)
1/1/2015	EDWARD SCISSORHANDS #3 	7,823	(-22.7%)
2/1/2015	EDWARD SCISSORHANDS #4	8,714	(+11.4%)

A deserved jump in numbers this month.

207.) EI8HT #1 Outcast (Dark Horse)
2/1/2015	EI8HT #1 OUTCAST	8,663
As long as the second issue doesn't fall too much we should see this title around for a bit.

208.) Legenderry Vampirella #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
2/1/2015	LEGENDERRY VAMPIRELLA #1	8,629

Vampirella always seems to play second fiddle to Red Sonja.

209.) Dawn Vampirella #3 (Dynamite Entertainment)
9/1/2014	DAWN VAMPIRELLA #1	13,368	--
11/1/2014	DAWN VAMPIRELLA #2	9,248	(-30.8%)
2/1/2015	DAWN VAMPIRELLA #3	8,548	(-7.6%)

Should only see standard attrition from here on out.

210.) Lumberjanes #11 (Boom! Studios)
9/1/2014	LUMBERJANES #6	10,029	(-0.7%)
10/1/2014	LUMBERJANES #7	9,999	(-.3%)
11/1/2014	LUMBERJANES #8	9,543	(-4.6%)
12/1/2014	LUMBERJANES #9	8,917	(-6.6%)
1/1/2015	LUMBERJANES #10	8,539	(-4.2%)
2/1/2015	LUMBERJANES #11	8,472	(-0.8%)

Issue eleven started a new story arc, accounting for the near stasis in numbers.

212.) Lady Death Apocalypse #1 (Avatar Press)
2/1/2015	LADY DEATH APOCALYPSE #1 (MR)	8,202

We’ll have to see how this title holds up against a second issue drop.

214.) Drifter #4 (Image)
11/1/2014	DRIFTER #1 (MR)		20,887	
12/1/2014	DRIFTER #2 (MR)		10,443	(-50.0%)
1/1/2015	DRIFTER #3 (MR)		8,924	(-14.5%)
2/1/2015	DRIFTER #4 (MR)		8,111	(-9.1%)

The numbers on this title are still slowing.

216.) Sonic the Hedgehog #269 (Archie Comics)
10/1/2014	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #265	8,869	(-1.7%)
11/1/2014	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #266	8,822	(-0.5%)
12/1/2014	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #267	8,608	(-2.4%)
1/1/2015	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #268	8,383	(-2.6%)
2/1/2015	SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #269	8,078	(-3.6%)

Slow and steady attrition.

217.) Conan the Avenger #11 (Dark Horse)
10/1/2014	CONAN THE AVENGER #7		8,547	(-3.1%)
11/1/2014	CONAN THE AVENGER #8		8,250	(-3.5%)
12/1/2014	CONAN THE AVENGER #9		8,105	(-1.8%)
1/1/2015	CONAN THE AVENGER #10	8,024	(-1.0%)
2/1/2015	CONAN THE AVENGER #11	7,995	(-0.4%)

Ditto.

220.) Cluster #1 (Boom! Studios)
2/1/2015	CLUSTER #1 (MR)	7,852

The initial run may have been low, but this went back for a second printing.

221.) Escape from New York #3 (Boom! Studios)
12/1/2014	ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #1	15,450	
1/1/2015	ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #2	9,221	(-40.3%)
2/1/2015	ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #3	7,761	(-15.8%)

If this stabilizes by next issue we may see it on the chart a few more times.

224.) Adventure Time Marceline Gone Adrift #2 (Boom! Studios)
1/1/2015	ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE GONE ADRIFT #1	9,493	
2/1/2015	ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE GONE ADRIFT #2	7,613 (-19.8%)

One of the lower second issue drops of the month.

225.) Legenderry Green Hornet #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
2/1/2015	LEGENDERRY GREEN HORNET #1	7,593

Green Hornet can’t hold a candle to Red Sonja or Vampirella.

226.) Disney Frozen Adaptation #1 (Joe Books Inc.)
2/1/2015	DISNEY FROZEN ADAPTATION #1	$4.99	JOE	7,553

Frozen fever is still going on, but there doesn’t seem to be much overlap between frozen fans (little girls) and comics.

227.) John Carter Warlord #4 (Dynamite Entertainment)
11/1/2014	JOHN CARTER WARLORD #1		15,930	
12/1/2014	JOHN CARTER WARLORD #2 		8,858	(-44.4%)
1/1/2015	JOHN CARTER WARLORD #3 		8,236	(-7.0%)
2/1/2015	JOHN CARTER WARLORD #4 		7,444	(-9.6%)

I don’t read this title, so I can’t tell you if something really off-putting happened in issue three to drive readers away, or this current hit was just the luck of the dice.

228.) Thief of Thieves #26 (Image)
5/1/2014	THIEF OF THIEVES #21 (MR)	9,625	(-2.5%)
7/1/2014	THIEF OF THIEVES #22 (MR)	9,457	(-1.7%)
8/1/2014	THIEF OF THIEVES #23 (MR)	9,069	(-4.1%)
10/1/2014	THIEF OF THIEVES #24 (MR)	8,731	(-3.7%)
11/1/2014	THIEF OF THIEVES #25 (MR)	8,336	(-4.2%)
2/1/2015	THIEF OF THIEVES #26 (MR)	7,428	(-10.9%)

Continuing on, we have more unexplained large dips in numbers. Maybe the angry naked woman on the cover scared everyone away.

229.) GI Joe (2014) #9 (IDW)
9/1/2014	GI JOE (2014) #1	16,848	
10/1/2014	GI JOE (2014) #2	9,708	(-42.4%)
11/1/2014	GI JOE (2014) #3 	8,602	(-11.4%)
12/1/2014	GI JOE (2014) #4	8,282	(-3.7%)
2/1/2015	GI JOE (2014) #5	7,385	(-10.8%)

Apparently this title doesn’t want to stabilize either.

230.) Sparks Nevada Marshal on Mars #1 (Image)

2/1/2015	SPARKS NEVADA MARSHAL ON MARS #1	7,362

This mini series is based on the hit Nerdist podcast. It makes me wonder how high the digital sales on this title are.

231.) BRPD Hell on Earth #128 (Dark Horse)
9/1/2014	BPRD HELL ON EARTH #123		7,762	(-3.0%)
10/1/2014	BPRD HELL ON EARTH #124		7,759	0%
11/1/2014	BPRD HELL ON EARTH #125		7,534	(-2.9%)
12/1/2014	BPRD HELL ON EARTH #126		7,535	0%
1/1/2015	BPRD HELL ON EARTH #127		7,275	(-3.5%)
2/1/2015	BPRD HELL ON EARTH #128		7,341	(+0.9%)

Tiny upswing this month, fighting to stay above 7k.

232.) Satellite Sam #11 (Image)
2/1/2014	Satellite Sam #6 	10,797	(-17.3%)
3/1/2014	Satellite Sam #7	10,210	(-5.4%)
5/1/2014	Satellite Sam #8 	9,997	(-2.1%)
7/1/2014	Satellite Sam #9	9,271	(-7.3%)
9/1/2014	Satellite Sam #10	8,655	(-6.5%)
2/1/2015	Satellite Sam #11	7,211	(-16.7%)

Since new story arcs typically bring in additional readers, it’s strange to see such a large drop on this issue.

233.) Tomb Raider #13 (Dark Horse)
10/1/2014	TOMB RAIDER #9		8,748	(-4.1%)
11/1/2014	TOMB RAIDER #10		8,153	(-6.8%)
12/1/2014	TOMB RAIDER #11		7,730	(-5.2%)
1/1/2015	TOMB RAIDER #12		7,407	(-4.2%)
2/1/2015	TOMB RAIDER #13		7,160	(-3.3%)

Nothing strange going on here, just normal attrition.

234.) Rai #7 (Valiant)
4/1/2014	RAI #1		29,137	
6/1/2014	RAI #2		13,448	(-53.8%)
7/1/2014	RAI #3		10,665	(-20.7%)
8/1/2014	RAI #4		9,394	(-12.4%)
12/1/2014	RAI #5 	8,280	(-11.9%)
1/1/2015	RAI #6 	8,301	(+0.3%)
2/1/2015	RAI #7		7,151	(-13.9%)

Still waiting to see a drop under 10%.

235.) D4VE #1 (IDW)
2/1/2015	D4VE #1		7,120

Thi is another title we’ll have to wait and see about.

237.) X-O Manowar #33 (Valiant)
5/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #25		12,493	(+45.4%)
6/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #26		10,083	(-19.3%)
7/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #27		9,183	(-8.9%)
8/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #28		9,634	(+4.9%)
9/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #29		8,566	(-11.1%)
11/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #30		8,354	(-2.5%)
12/1/2014	X-O MANOWAR #31		7,398	(-11.4%)
1/1/2015	X-O MANOWAR #32		7,042	(-4.8%)
2/1/2015	X-O MANOWAR #33		7,056	(+0.2%)

Always nice to get a break from attrition.

238.) Transformers Drift Empire of Stone #4 (IDW)
11/1/2014	TRANSFORMERS DRIFT EMPIRE OF STONE #1	9,246	
12/1/2014	TRANSFORMERS DRIFT EMPIRE OF STONE #2	7,729	(-16.4%)
1/1/2015	TRANSFORMERS DRIFT EMPIRE OF STONE #3	7,109	(-8.0%)
2/1/2015	TRANSFORMERS DRIFT EMPIRE OF STONE #4	7,033	(-1.1%)

This title only lost about two thousand readers from start to finish. Not too bad.

239.) Groo Friends and Foes #2 (Dark Horse)
1/1/2015	GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #1	8,446	
2/1/2015	GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #2	6,986	(-17.3%)

A low second issue drop.

240.) George Perez's Sirens #3 (Boom! Studios)
9/1/2014	GEORGE PEREZ SIRENS #1	24,900	
12/1/2014	GEORGE PEREZ SIRENS #2	9,837	(-60.5%)
2/1/2015	GEORGE PEREZ SIRENS #3	6,953	(-29.3%)

Yup.

241.) Simpsons Comics #214 (Bongo Comics)
8/1/2014	SIMPSONS COMICS #214		7,079	----
10/1/2014	SIMPSONS COMICS #215		6,818	(-3.7%)
12/1/2014	SIMPSONS COMICS #216		6,758	(-0.8%)
1/1/2015	SIMPSONS COMICS #217		6,583	(-2.6%)
2/1/2015	SIMPSONS COMICS #218		6,905	(+4.9%)

This title has been staying between six thousand and seven thousand readers for ages. It was due for another upswing.

243.) Rachel Rising #31 (Abstract Studios)
4/1/2014	RACHEL RISING #25	7,378	--
6/1/2014	RACHEL RISING #26	7,260	(-1.6%)
8/1/2014	RACHEL RISING #27	7,319	(+.8%)
9/1/2014	RACHEL RISING #28	7,188	(-1.8%)
10/1/2014	RACHEL RISING #29	7,036	(-2.1%)
12/1/2014	RACHEL RISING #30	6,952	(-1.2%)
2/1/2015	RACHEL RISING #31	6,819	(-1.9%)

Attrition.

244.) Annihilator #5 (Legendary Comcis)
9/1/2014	ANNIHILATOR #1	10,345	--
10/1/2014	ANNIHILATOR #2	6,482	(-37.3%)
11/1/2014	ANNIHILATOR #3	8,383	(+29.3%)
12/1/2014	ANNIHILATOR #4	7,519	(-10.3%)
2/1/2015	ANNIHILATOR #5	6,816	(-9.3%)

Only one more issue to see these numbers settle down.

245.) Lady Killer #2 (Dark Horse)
1/1/2015	LADY KILLER #1	8,431	
2/1/2015	LADY KILLER #2	6,804	(-19.3%)

A nice low-end second issue drop. I’m a huge fan of this title, so if assassin housewives are your groove, check this out!

246.) Cowl #8 (Image)
5/1/2014	COWL #1 (MR)	20,851	--
6/1/2014	COWL #2 (MR)	13,569	(-34.9%)
7/1/2014	COWL #3 (MR)	11,604	(-14.5%)
8/1/2014	COWL #4 (MR)	10,893	(-6.1%)
9/1/2014	COWL #5 (MR)	9,852	(-9.6%)
11/1/2014	COWL #6 (MR)	8,208	(-16.7%)
12/1/2014	COWL #7 (MR)	7,343	(-10.5%)
2/1/2015	COWL #8 (MR)	6,747	(-8.1%)

One of these days these numbers will start to make sense.

247 & 258.) Sonic Universe #72 & #73 (Archie Comics)
10/1/2014	SONIC UNIVERSE #68	7,438	(-1.8%)
10/1/2014	SONIC UNIVERSE #69	7,378	(-0.8%)
11/1/2014	SONIC UNIVERSE #70	7,161	(-2.9%)
12/1/2014	SONIC UNIVERSE #71	6,998	(-2.3%)
2/1/2015	SONIC UNIVERSE #72	6,741	(-3.7%)

2/1/2015 SONIC UNIVERSE #73 6,366 (-5.6%)
More attrition.

248.) Curb Stomp #1 (Boom! Studios)
2/1/2015	CURB STOMP #1	6,736

This new title from Boom! is a little too visceral for me.

249.) New Vampirella #9 (Dynamite Entertainment)
10/1/2014	NEW VAMPIRELLA #5	7,784	(-6.1%)
11/1/2014	NEW VAMPIRELLA #6	7,378	(-5.2%)
12/1/2014	NEW VAMPIRELLA #7	7,417	(+0.5%)
1/1/2015	NEW VAMPIRELLA #8	6,715	(-9.5%)
2/1/2015	NEW VAMPIRELLA #9	6,695	(-0.3%)

Only a minor drop this month.

250.) Ivar Timewalker #2 (Valiant)
1/1/2015	IVAR TIMEWALKER #1	15,784	
2/1/2015	IVAR TIMEWALKER #2	6,667	(-57.8%)

251.) Roche Limit #5 (Image)
9/1/2014	ROCHE LIMIT #1 (MR)	23,404	--
10/1/2014	ROCHE LIMIT #2 (MR)	11,424	(-51.2%)
11/1/2014	ROCHE LIMIT #3 (MR)	9,296	(-18.9%)
1/1/2015	ROCHE LIMIT #4 (MR)	7,885	(-15.2%)
2/1/2015	ROCHE LIMIT #5 (MR)	6,657	(-15.6%)

252.) Red Sonja Vulture's Circle #2 (Dynamite Entertainment)
1/1/2015	RED SONJA VULTURES CIRCLE #1	7,888	
2/1/2015	RED SONJA VULTURES CIRCLE #2	6,650	(-15.7%)

255.) GI Joe Snake Eyes Agent of Cobra #2 (IDW)
1/1/2015	GI JOE SNAKE EYES AGENT OF COBRA #1	9,539	
2/1/2015	GI JOE SNAKE EYES AGENT OF COBRA #2	6,451	(-32.4%)

257.) Abe Sapien #20 (Dark Horse)
8/1/2014	ABE SAPIEN #15		7,244	(-3.0%)
9/1/2014	ABE SAPIEN #16		7,143	(-1.4%)
10/1/2014	ABE SAPIEN #17		6,998	(-2.0%)
12/1/2014	ABE SAPIEN #18		6,652	(-4.9%)
1/1/2015	ABE SAPIEN #19		6,453	(-3.0%)
2/1/2015	ABE SAPIEN #20		6,381	(-1.1%)

259 & 263.) Mega Man #45 & #46 (Archie Comics)
8/1/2014	MEGA MAN #40	6,924	(-4.7%)
10/1/2014	MEGA MAN #41	6,899	(-0.4%)
10/1/2014	MEGA MAN #42	6,946	(+0.7%)
11/1/2014	MEGA MAN #43	6,771	(-2.5%)
12/1/2014	MEGA MAN #44	6,531	(-3.5%)
2/1/2015	MEGA MAN #45	6,325	(-3.2%)
2/1/2015	MEGA MAN #46	5,987	(-5.3%)

260.) War Stories #5 (Avatar Press)
10/1/2014	WAR STORIES #1 (MR)	9,487	
10/1/2014	WAR STORIES #2 (MR)	6,723	(-29.1%)
12/1/2014	WAR STORIES #3 (MR)	6,865	(+2.1%)
1/1/2015	WAR STORIES #4 (MR)	6,575	(-4.2%)
2/1/2015	WAR STORIES #5 (MR)	6,252	(-4.9%)

262.) TMNT New Animated Adventures #20 (IDW)
8/1/2014	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #14	6,420	(-10.3%)
9/1/2014	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #15	7,589	(+18.2%)
10/1/2014	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #16	????	????
11/1/2014	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #17	6,228	????
12/1/2014	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #18	6,084	(-2.1%)
1/1/2015	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #19	5,227	(-14.1%)
2/1/2015	TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #20	6,049	(+15.7%)

264.) Witchblade #180 (Image)
10/1/2013	Witchblade #170		7,990	(+9.9%)
12/1/2013	Witchblade #171		7,263	(-9.1%)
1/1/2014	Witchblade #172		6,221	(-14.3%)
3/1/2014	Witchblade #173		6,109	(-1.8%)
4/1/2014	Witchblade #174		6,049	(-0.9%)
6/1/2014	Witchblade #175		7,843	(+29.7%)
7/1/2014	Witchblade #176		????	????
7/1/2014	Witchblade #177		????	????
10/1/2014	Witchblade #178		????	????
11/1/2014	Witchblade #179		6,041	????
2/1/2015	Witchblade #180		5,985	(-0,9%)

267.) Game of Thrones #24 (Dynamite Entertainment)
4/1/2014	Game Of Thrones #20 (Mr)		6,938	(-1.5%)
8/1/2014	Game Of Thrones #21 (Mr)		7,010	(+1.0%)
11/1/2014	GAME OF THRONES #22 (MR)	6,696	(-4.5%)
12/1/2014	GAME OF THRONES #23 (MR)	6,120	(-8.6%)
2/1/2015	GAME OF THRONES #24 (MR)	5,926	(-3.2%)

268.) Uber #22 (Avatar Press)
9/1/2014	UBER #17 (MR)	6,934	(-2.1%)
10/1/2014	UBER #18 (MR)	6,684	(-3.6%)
10/1/2014	UBER #19 (MR)	6,436	(-3.7%)
12/1/2014	UBER #20 (MR)	6,303	(-2.1%)
1/1/2015	UBER #21 (MR)	5,858	(-7.0%)
2/1/2015	UBER #22 (MR)	5,915	(+1.0%)

269.) Shutter #9 (Image)
4/1/2014	SHUTTER #1 (MR)		18,984	
5/1/2014	SHUTTER #2 (MR)		12,267	(-35.4%)
6/1/2014	SHUTTER #3 (MR)		9,887	(-19.4%)
7/1/2014	SHUTTER #4 (MR)		9,107	(-7.9%)
8/1/2014	SHUTTER #5 (MR)		8,140	(-10.6%)
9/1/2014	SHUTTER #6 (MR)		7,499	(-7.9%)
12/1/2014	SHUTTER #7 (MR)		10,669	(+42.2%)
1/1/2015	SHUTTER #8 (MR)		6,587	(-38.4%)
2/1/2015	SHUTTER #9 (MR)		5,881	(-10.7%)

270.) Futurama Comics #74 (Bongo Comics)
2/1/2014	FUTURAMA COMICS #70	5,901	????
5/1/2014	FUTURAMA COMICS #71	5,914	(+0.2)
9/1/2014	FUTURAMA Comics #72	????	????
11/1/2014	FUTURAMA COMICS #73	5,994	(+1.6%)
2/1/2015	FUTURAMA COMICS #74	5,845	(-2.5%)

271.) Spongebob Comics # (Universal)
9/1/2014	SPONGEBOB COMICS #36		6,405	(-1.3%)
10/1/2014	SPONGEBOB COMICS #37		6,417	0.00%
11/1/2014	SPONGEBOB COMICS #38		6,201	(-3.4%)
12/1/2014	SPONGEBOB COMICS #39		6,007	(-3.1%)
1/1/2015	SPONGEBOB COMICS #40		5,851	(-2.6%)
2/1/2015	SPONGEBOB COMICS #41		5,828	(-0.4%)

273.) Vampirella Feary Tales #5 (Dynamite Entertainment)
10/1/2014	VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #1	10,571	
11/1/2014	VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #2	6,607	(-37.5%)
12/1/2014	VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #3	6,341	(-4.0%)
1/1/2015	VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #4	6,076	(-4.2%)
2/1/2015	VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #5	5,724	(-5.8%)

274.) Unity #15 (Valiant)
8/1/2014	UNITY #10	8,491	0%
9/1/2014	UNITY #11	7,602	(-10.5%)
11/1/2014	UNITY #12	6,508	(-14.4%)
12/1/2014	UNITY #13	6,066	(-6.8%)
1/1/2015	UNITY #14	5,722	(-5.7%)
2/1/2015	UNITY #15       5,636	(-2.4%)

276.) Sex #20 (Image)
8/1/2014	SEX #15 (Mr)	7,601	(-2.9%)
9/1/2014	SEX #16 (Mr)	7,167	(-5.7%)
10/1/2014	SEX #17 (MR)	6,709	(-6.4%)
11/1/2014	SEX #18 (MR)	6,361	(-5.2%)
1/1/2015	SEX #19 (MR)	5,775	(-9.1%)
2/1/2015	SEX #20 (MR)	5,573	(-3.5%)

277.) Sons or Anarchy #18 (Boom! Studios)
10/1/2014	SONS OF ANARCHY #14 (MR)	6,537	0.00%
11/1/2014	SONS OF ANARCHY #15 (MR)	6,271	(-4.1%)
12/1/2014	SONS OF ANARCHY #16 (MR)	5,930	(-5.4%)
1/1/2015	SONS OF ANARCHY #17 (MR)	5,626	(-5.1%)
2/1/2015	SONS OF ANARCHY #18 (MR)	5,485	(-2.5%)

279.) Galaxy Quest Journey Continues #2 (IDW)
1/1/2015	GALAXY QUEST JOURNEY CONTINUES #1	6,947	
2/1/2015	GALAXY QUEST JOURNEY CONTINUES #2	5,329	(-23.3%)

280.) Zombie vs. Robots #2 (IDW)
1/1/2015	ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS #1	8,725	
2/1/2015	ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS #2	5,308	(-38.3%)

281.) Humans #4 (Image)
11/1/2014	HUMANS #1 (MR)		17,274	
12/1/2014	HUMANS #2 (MR)		7,132	(-58.7%)
1/1/2015	HUMANS #3 (MR)		5,870	(-17.7%)
2/1/2015	HUMANS #4 (MR)		5,299	(-9.7%)

282.) Woods #10 (Boom! Studios)
5/1/2014	WOODS #1	13,916	--
6/1/2014	WOODS #2	9,352	(-32.8%)
7/1/2014	WOODS #3	8,852	(-5.3%)
8/1/3014	WOODS #4	8,272	(-6.6%)
9/1/2014	WOODS #5	7,649	(-7.5%)
10/1/2014	WOODS #6	7,103	(-7.1%)
11/1/2014	WOODS #7	6,554	(-7.7%)
12/1/2014	WOODS #8	6,067	-7.4%)
1/1/2015	WOODS #9	5,558	(-8.3%)
2/1/2015	WOODS #10	5,295	(-4.7%)

283.) GFT The Little Mermaid #1 (Zenescope)
2/1/2015	GFT LITTLE MERMAID #1 (MR)	5,234

284.) Help Us Great Warrior #1 (Boom! Studios)
2/1/2015	HELP US GREAT WARRIOR #1	5,153

286.) King Prince Valiant #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
2/1/2015	KING PRINCE VALIANT #1	5,139

287.) King Mandrake Magician #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
2/1/2015	KING MANDRAKE MAGICIAN #1	5,115

288.) Twilight Zone #12 (Dynamite Entertainment)
9/1/2014	Twilight Zone #8	6,633	(-4.7%)
10/1/2014	Twilight Zone #9	????	????
12/1/2014	Twilight Zone #10	5,680	????
1/1/2015	Twilight Zone #11	5,359	(-5.7%)
2/1/2015	Twilight Zone #12	5,064	(-5.5%)

289.) Joe Frankenstein #1 (IDW)
2/1/2015	JOE FRANKENSTEIN #1	5,030

289.) Quantum and Woody Must Die #2 (Valiant)
1/1/2015	QUANTUM & WOODY MUST DIE #1	5,771	
2/1/2015	QUANTUM & WOODY MUST DIE #2	5,030	(-12.8%)

291 & 297.) God is Dead #28 & 29 (Avatar Press)
9/1/2014	GOD IS DEAD #20 (MR)	6,667	(-2.8%)
10/1/2014	GOD IS DEAD #21 (MR)	6,579	(-1.3%)
10/1/2014	GOD IS DEAD #22 (MR)	6,457	(-1.9%)
11/1/2014	GOD IS DEAD #24 (MR)	5,902	(-8.6%)
12/1/2014	GOD IS DEAD #25 (MR)	5,874	(-0.5%)
1/1/2015	GOD IS DEAD #26 (MR)	5,298	(-9.8%)
1/1/2015	GOD IS DEAD #27 (MR)	5,209	(-1.8%)
2/1/2015	GOD IS DEAD #28 (MR)	5,027	(-3.5%)
2/1/2015	GOD IS DEAD #29 (MR)	4,876	(-3.0%)

292.) GFT Grimm Fairy Tales #107 (Zenescope)
7/1/2014	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #100	11,722	(+56.9%)
8/1/2014	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #101	6,740	(-42.5%)
9/1/2014	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #102 	6,462	(-4.1%)
10/1/2014	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #103 	????	????
11/1/2014	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #104 	5,341	????
12/1/2014	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #105 	5,166	(-3.3%)
1/1/2015	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #106 	5,031	(-2.6%)
2/1/2015	GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #107 	4,996	(-0.7%)

293.) Morning Glories #43 (Image)
4/1/2014	MORNING GLORIES #38 	6,007	(-1.8%)
7/1/2014	MORNING GLORIES #39	????	????
9/1/2014	MORNING GLORIES #40	????	????
10/1/2014	MORNING GLORIES #41	????	????
11/1/2014	MORNING GLORIES #42 	5,322	????
2/1/2015	MORNING GLORIES #43 	4,988	(-6.3%)

294 & 296.) Crossed Badlands #71 & 72 (Avatar Press)
12/1/2014	CROSSED BADLANDS #67 	5,304	0%
12/1/2014	CROSSED BADLANDS #68	5,159	(-2.7%)
1/1/2015	CROSSED BADLANDS #69 	5,019	(-2.7%)
1/1/2015	CROSSED BADLANDS #70 	4,973	(-0.9%)
2/1/2015	CROSSED BADLANDS #71 	4,978	(+0.1%)
2/1/2015	CROSSED BADLANDS #72 	4,886	(-1.8%)

298.) Lady Demon #2 (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/1/2014	LADY DEMON #1	9,016	
2/1/2015	LADY DEMON #2	4,836	(-46.4%)

299.) Strain Night Eternal #6 (Dark Horse)
8/1/2014	STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #1 (MR)	9,394	
9/1/2014	STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #2 (MR)	7,540	(-19.7%)
10/1/2014	STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #3 (MR)	7,021	(-6.9%)
11/1/2014	STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #4 (MR)	6,162	(-12.2%)
1/1/2015	STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #5 (MR)	5,209	(-16.5%)
2/1/2015	STRAIN NIGHT ETERNAL #6 (MR)	4,828	(-7.3%)

By Nick Eskey

Penelope Bagieu is a French illustrator who over the last ten years has become more involved in making comics and graphic novels. Some of her works include Josephine, Not Bad, White Page, and Stars of the Stars. She also has a comic blog, My Life Is Quite Fascinating, where she portrays everyday life in a humorous light.

In honor of her debut English-language graphic novel Exquisite Corpse (published by First Second), we discussed with the artist her career and newest work.

How did you find yourself doing graphic novels?

By accident, mostly. I always wanted to make cartoons (actually, as a child, I said wanted to grow up to become Tex Avery. Great ambition). I studied animation in art college and everything. But then, one thing led to another, and I started to do commissioned illustration for magazines (mostly because I had a rent to pay), and one of these magazines offered me to do their weekly last-page comic strip, and I thought “hey, why not, it’s not that far from what I want to do, which is drawing and telling stories), and it had a little success, and it was turned into a book, and another, et voilà.

How are the stresses of making a living off of art?

On that aspect, I think it’s the same everywhere: very few people make a real living off of it. I’m lucky enough to be one of them, but most of the cartoonists I know also work for advertising agencies, or take commissioned anonymous jobs to make both ends meet. Comics is such a long-term business. It’s hard to be bankable when you need years to finish a book. French politic on books and arts in general is very compliant and we pay less taxes than most of the self-employed people in other domains. We also have our cherished law on the price of books, which prevent stores from giving away books on sale like it’s a TV screen. But it’s a very fragile economy.

How did you get the title “Exquisite Corpse?”

As often, my editor came up with the idea. I don’t want to reveal too much of the story, but I thought this surrealist technique of writing, in which a story alternates from the hands of one author to another, and also had some sort of macabre to it, well, it made sense.
Obviously the story takes place in France, and the main character is a woman. What kind of parallels have you pulled from your life for the book?
Well, that’s it, pretty much! Except all the inspiration on her crappy dead-end jobs and moron ex-boyfriend, that I kept in a corner of my head from my previous own career in crappy dead-end jobs and moron ex-boyfriends. I knew it would be useful one day!

What inspired you to write this story?

On one hand, it was a part of the world I come from, that is the people who never read and only know a famous name if it’s on TV, and on the other, this other world I got to know later, that is the tiny literary Parisian scene, a planet that spins by itself, without a care for anything other than prizes, critics and book reviews. I don’t judge either of these two worlds, and I don’t think any of them is better than the other. I just wondered what would happen if they happened to collide.

Not giving too much away, the main male character is an author who thrives on attention, and wilts without it. As also an author, do you feel any similarities with the situation?

Oh, the character of the author is so me. Which is why I have so much empathy for him. On the selfish aspect of creation, where nothing and no one exists but my story while I’m writing it. The world around me may fall apart, the plants die and the cat starve. It’s exactly like I’m starting a new love relationship and I’m totally devoted to it, and bore my friends to death while speaking about nothing else. I think it’s hard to be the boyfriend or the children of an author.

One of bigger themes I’ve noticed is people using each other to live, whether it’s physically or mentally, or emotionally. Do you see this cycle in your life, or life in general?

I think you tend to step up as you grow older, and don’t get fooled by people who make you believe you need them while they’re totally using you in a one-way system. But it’s not necessarily the case when you’re younger, or confused, or don’t really know where you’re going, like the character of Zoe. Because you have the feeling that these people you meet, who look so self-confident and strong, well they know. So you’re willing to follow them anywhere, and support, and help, and be used, because you think they have a plan. But in the end, they have no idea what they’re doing either and they need you just as much.

There are a few scenes in the book where breasts are exposed. With the U.S. having different censorship compared to some European countries, how do you feel that your book may either be censored, marketed to an older audience, or how it might affect who will carry it?

I found out about that while reading my first reviews! I read several times “uh-oh, not to be put in the hands of a younger audience,” and I honestly really scratched my head, mentally browsing my entire book and thinking “Wait, what? Where? Did I put any sex scene? Or a violent murder? Or a massacre? Oh, right! The image with NIPPLES!” So breasts are considered obscene here. Oh, well, we French have our weird little habits too, I guess.

The editor character seems to play an important part in Rocher’s career. Do editors really carry such an important role? How has your editor(s) affected your life and/or work?

There are two schools on this: either you consider you need to be absolutely alone to write, and you expect nothing from your editor but the publishing part, that is printing well and promoting even better. If so, you take his observations as interfering, because you know exactly where you’re going. I’m from the other school, where I need my editor to comfort me every ten pages, to be the cheerleader on the side of the road, to be able to tell me “this chapter is crap,” or “switch these two panels and it will be a lot more efficient.” Usually, I talk for hours with my editor while my story is just a tiny seed, something that is starting to itch my brain only. And we talk it over until it becomes clearer. And then, all along the writing process, I know that he knows my story just as well as I do. I always have this image of the crazy scientist in The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dr Finkelstein, who splits his own brain in two and give one half to his creation, so that they will understand each other perfectly. Well, I like that my editor has the exact same amount of information as I have on my own story. He can tell me at any time “Hey, you should read that book, it would help you on the subject,” because he knows what it’s truly about. Of course, it’s not easy finding people you trust enough, that you will blindly listen to them when they suggest you should dramatically change your story, or your images. But if you have these people around you, it is so comfortable, to know that you’re not alone, and that someone will warn you if you’re actually heading right into a wall. It’s a very lonely and insecure job, otherwise.

If we were to use the character of the author Rocher as a sliding scale, where in your life do you see yourself now compared to his journey?

Haha, that’s a funny one! I suppose I’m at the point where I never really had bad-bad critics, and I still have the pressure of having had a very successful first book. I’m not famous enough to have really mean reviews, because if critics don’t like my books, they just don’t write a word about it, that’s how they show it. You must be very famous to have people finding a column in a magazine (and time, energy) to write all the horrible things they think about you. I didn’t marry my publisher, and I still have millions of ideas for my future books. But I quit reading things about my books a long time ago: I usually rather take credit for things that people tell me to my face.

What do you hope readers will take away after reading “Exquisite Corpse?”

I hope they miss their subway stop while reading because they’re too captivated by the twist, the tension and the suspense. Do you think they could do that for me?

Be sure to pick up Exquisite Corpse by First Second at your local retail store.

By Kevin J. Johnson

“Razor Sharp” is an exciting new project from writer/director Marcus Perry and actress/stuntwoman Amy Johnston (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). The story combines the sleek futuristic trappings of Aeon Flux with a bit of slapstick wit from The Pink Panther and a little bit of Samus Aran from Metroid thrown in for good measure. Forced to take on a corporate criminal syndicate in the distant future of Los Angeles, Veronica “Ronnie” Sharpe, a cat-burglar-gone-good must decide between saving a child genius held captive or saving her own neck.

Imagine J. Scott Campbell’s Danger Girl brought to life sans the male gaze and patronizing cheesecake poses, with a large heaping dose of Ripley-esque badassery and cyberpunk cityscapes. A proof of concept short features the heroine in action turning a squad of goons into rag dolls. The fight choreography and digital backlot betrays its no-budget status, highlighting the team’s “money-on-the-screen” ethos.

The crew is made up of dedicated “action movie junkie(s), and we all grew up obsessed with comic books,” says Perry, “so we wanted to create a character that embodies that passion.” Sharpe is definitely cut from the same cloth as female legends that writers such as Chris Claremont, John Bryne and Gail Simone have brought us.

And what’s more, the Razor Sharp team seem just as committed as the aforementioned in bringing a full-fledged heroine to life, where other major motion pictures have stumbled in the past. “Veronica’s not a damsel in distress, or somebody’s girlfriend,” Perry continues, “she’s in command, full of vulnerability and humor that I hope will catch people off guard.”

The creative team are stocked with industry vets who have delivered for audiences in the past, and know how to maximize a budget. And now, they have their opening salvo with “Razor Sharp,” along with a fully-visualized world, a companion comic book, and accolades from several film festivals. Perry and co are looking to expand their short film into a feature-length extravaganza, and count me in.

With films as brutal as The Raid or John Wick adapting a back-to-basics bare-knuckle approach to fight scenes, it’s refreshing to see a project as appealing as Razor Sharp but just as committed to raising the bar in action cinema. Spearheaded by their accomplished lead Johnston, the crew promises to deliver a striking new style to the big screen.

You can visit the official Facebook page and  the team on Twitter to find out more about the film.

Out of all the nerds talking about things on the webs, KJ literally ranks among the tallest. Check out his reviews, ramblings, proclamations and declarations on his website.

After a four year hiatus, a new issue of Sammy Harkham’s acclaimed Crickets is coming at the end of April. You can pre order it at the What Things Do website. It’s billed as “Special all Blood of the Virgin issue! The mishegoss continues.”

Cricket’s #3 came out at the end of 2010 and Harkham won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for his 2012 collection Everything Together. He’s also known as the ground-breaking editor of the Kramer’s Ergot anthology. His keenly observed slice of life short stories—and editorial vision—have been a huge influence on the current generation of cartoonists, so a new issue is definitely a comics event.

Doc Unknown created by Fabian Rangel Jr & Ryan Cody.

Fabian Rangel Jr. and Ryan Cody debuted Doc Unknown # 1  two years ago, and the project was financed entirely by Fabian out of pocket. They launched a Kickstarter project to fund BOSS SNAKE: Cold Blood, Cold Streets. The duo raised $7,540 to fund the project based on a character from the introductory issue, but the fruitful Kickstarter ventures put the creators on the map and helped with further projects with IDW and Dark Horse. Fabian and Cody raised $12,250 to publish DOC UNKNOWN: Winter of the Damned & other. The second Doc Unknown kickstarter project offered a number of enticing rewards that made publishing the comic with a cover by The Goon’s Eric Powell that much sweeter.

Third time’s the charm? The ambitious creators are attempting to fund their final installment of the series:

DOC UNKNOWN: THE WAR FOR GATE CITY is a 104 page graphic novel collecting the final four issues of supernatural pulp series DOC UNKNOWN. The third and final volume will be 94 pages of new story, featuring an introduction from ED BRISSON (SHELTERED, CLUSTER, MURDERBOOK) an afterword by me (Fabian Rangel Jr) and will include a pin-up gallery featuring MATT SMITH (BARBARIAN LORD), ALEXIS ZIRITT (SPACE RIDERS) LOGAN FAERBER (OH, KILLSTRIKE), DAVID RUBIN (THE RISE OF AURORA WEST), and MIKE MIGNOLA (HELLBOY)!

The series has raised (not taking account the Kickstarter and Amazon fees) $19,790. So, it’s safe to say they know what their doing when it comes to launching a successful Kickstarter, following through a quality product and rewards. I had a conversation with my Southern Arizona dive bar drinkin’ buddy and AMCE director, Ryan, about the success of the series, what to expect from DOC UNKNOWN: THE WAR FOR GATE CITY, and offers advice to Kickstarter comic creators.

Henry Barajas: Let’s cut to the chase. You and Fabian have raised $19,790 for this series. You’re already over 50% of goal. What’s your fuckin’ secret?!

Ryan Cody: Our backers are comic and pulp adventure fans who appreciate the world we’ve built. I think we really built on a successful first volume and good reviews and word of mouth. Doc Unknown Vol.1 was totally financed by Fabian on his own, then we did a small Kickstarter for a spin-off one-shot featuring Boss Snake and the enthusiasm was overwhelming. We noticed that there could be a market for more of these characters and Volume 2 of Doc was funded via Kickstarter within two days and did incredibly well. By delivering on time a high quality product, we eliminate any fear backers may have, and they in turn feel confident in telling their friends about it. It’s very grass roots and organic.

“New Boss Snake one-shot cover by ABE SAPIAN artist MAX FIUMARA with colors by DAVE STEWART!”

Barajas: Without giving anything away, what can backers expect in the last Doc Unknown adventure?

Cody: Everything. It will reward long time readers and include practically every character we’ve seen before. All of our villains are banding together to take out Doc. It’s also welcoming to new readers as the book is designed to be very accessible. There are alternate universes, magic, science, fish monsters, motorcycles, explosions, ghosts, lasers and plenty of punching. What else could you possibly want in a comic book?

Barajas: I noticed some big names are doing some pin ups of the character. How does it feel to see your character reimagined by someone like Hellboy creator Mike Mignola?

I was floored when Fabian told me. These guys are really busy with their own work, so the fact that they will take time out of their schedules to draw a character Fabian and I created is pretty amazing. Volume Two had Scott Godlewski and James Harren pin-ups in it, two of my personal favorite artists, and now to have someone like Mignola drawing a character I designed is absolutely nuts. It’s really cool and it’s fair to say he’s one my biggest influences. I think it just shows how timeless and fun our book is, it has a bit of everything we all loved growing up in it.

Barajas: What are some things you’ve noticed with unsuccessful kickstarter comic book projects?

Cody: I think there are two major factors in why kickstarters can fail. #1 is poor production and art. If your comic does not look like it could stand up with other books on the shelf, it’s probably not ready and the art and story is probably not up to par. Poor design, coloring and lettering can make even a good artist look like an amateur. The other reason I see is people asking for way too much money. The theory on these Doc Unknown books is to ask for the absolute minimum and then hope it makes considerably more than that to actually cover all the expenses. I think Fabian has really done well planning them out that way.

Rewards include shirts, sketch cards by Ryan Cody, digital comics via Comixology, and thank you credits in the book.

Click here to learn more or support the project.

By Kate Reynolds

December felt like a rough month for comics, with seven titles seeing a drop of over 40% of their readers. The month wasn’t all bad, however, as it also saw the release of Bitch Planet from Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro. It had the highest release of December, followed by Rumble (Image), Hellboy and the BRPD (Dark Horse), and The Valiant (Valiant Entertainment).

This month 133 independent titles hit the top 300 list, which is down from last month’s total of 140. Despite the loss of seven title, indie sales were up 1.2% with 1,506,427 issues sold compared to last month’s 1,488,193. That brings the average number of comics sold to 11,327 which is also up from last month. Nice to end the year on a positive note!

In terms of individual publisher, Image leads the pack with 9.89% retail market share and a 10.40% unit market share, which is slightly down from November. IDW picked up this slack with a 6.10% retail market share and a 4.17% unit market share, followed by Dark Horse with a 3.47% retail market share and a 2.95% unit market share. Boom! Studios came out ahead of Dynamite this month, with a 2.66% retail market share and 2.82% unit market share compared to Dynamite’s 2.58% retail market share and 2.26% unit market share.

UK and European sales from Diamond UK are not reported in this chart.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which are estimates only.

12.) Walking Dead #135 (Image)
10/1/2014    WALKING DEAD #132 (MR)    326,334    (+367.5)
10/1/2014    WALKING DEAD #133 (MR)    69,561    (-78.7%)
11/1/2014    WALKING DEAD #134 (MR)    68,093    (-2.1%)
12/1/2014    WALKING DEAD #135 (MR)    67,361    (-1.1%)

Unsurprisingly, the Walking Dead continues to be the king of indie comics. Slight decrease this month, but still going strong.

41.) Wytches #3 (Image)
10/1/2014    WYTCHES #1 (MR) 67,996   
11/1/2014    WYTCHES #2 (MR) 58,345    (-14.2%)
12/1/2014    WYTCHES #3 (MR) 43,240    (-25.9%)

This stellar series from Scott Snyder and JOCK is still finding it’s footing, but 40k readers is nothing to scoff at for a third issue.

50.) Bitch Planet #1 (Image)
12/1/2014    BITCH PLANET #1 (MR) [*]    $3.50    IMA    39,011

Strong debut for this #noncompliant title from Kelley Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro. With only one issue out before the end of 2014, many “Best Of” lists still included Bitch Planet. I’ll be interested to see what kind of second issue drop it has, but in the meantime you should just read this book.

54.) Outcast #6 (IMAGE)
6/1/2014    OUTCAST #1 71,788   
7/1/2014    OUTCAST #2    55,126    (-23.2%)
8/1/2014    OUTCAST #3    46,717    (-15.2%)
9/1/2014    OUTCAST #4    45,401    (-2.8%)
11/1/2014    OUTCAST #5     39,967    (-12.0%)
12/1/2014    OUTCAST #6    36,354    (-9.0%)

We’re still seeing some steady drops for this title.

56.) East of West #16 (Image)
6/1/2014    EAST OF WEST #12    7,056    (-3.7%)
7/1/2014    EAST OF WEST #13    26,531    (-1.9%)
7/1/2014    EAST OF WEST #14    26,361    (-0.6%)
9/1/2014    EAST OF WEST #15    25,593    (-2.9%)
12/1/2014    EAST OF WEST #16    35,920    (+40.3%)

Huge upswing this month as East of West beings “Year Two”.

63.) Autumnlands Tooth & Claw #2 (Image)
11/1/2014    TOOTH & CLAW #1 (MR)        41,181   
12/1/2014    AUTUMNLANDS T&C #2 (MR) [*]    33,272    (-19.2%)

Even with a slight title change, this comic managed to only suffer a standard second issue drop.

92.) Afterlife with Archie #7 (Archie Comics)
10/1/2013    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1    41,533   
11/1/2013    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #2    19,188    (-53.8%)
1/1/2014    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #3    24,266    (+26.5%)
3/1/2014    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #4    24,165    (-0.4%)
5/1/2014    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #5    27,071    (+12%)
7/1/2014    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #6    25,702    (-5.1%)
12/1/2014    AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #7    27,157    (+5.7%)

An increase in sales this month for Afterlife with Archie, although if it holds true to pattern we’ll see a decrease next month.

112.) Sex Criminals #9 (Image)
3/1/2014    SEX CRIMINALS #5 (MR)    22,593    (+0.07%)
6/1/2014    SEX CRIMINALS #6 (MR)    26,309    (+16.4%)
8/1/2014    SEX CRIMINALS #7 (MR)    24,385    (-7.3%)
10/1/2014    SEX CRIMINALS #8 (MR)    23,938    (-1.8%)
12/1/2014    SEX CRIMINALS #9 (MR)    22,597    (-5.6%)

Another decrease for Sex Criminals, but it’s holding steady in the lower 20k range.

113. Rumble #1 (Image)
113    12/1/2014    RUMBLE #1 (MR)     22,527

I’m going to go ahead and say that 20k readers for a comic about a Warrior Scarecrow God is a pretty solid debut.

114.) Hellboy and the BRPD (Dark Horse)
12/1/2014    HELLBOY AND THE BPRD #1    22,368

It’s Hellboy, it’s Mike Mignoala (and John Arcudi, Alex Maleev, David Steward), so naturally it’s the best-selling Dark Horse comic to come out this month.

115.) Wicked & Divine #6 (IMAGE)
6/1/2014    WICKED & DIVINE #1 (MR)    42,948   
7/1/2014    WICKED & DIVINE #2 (MR)    27,962    (-34.9%)
8/1/2014    WICKED & DIVINE #3 (MR)    27,208    (-2.7%)
9/1/2014    WICKED & DIVINE #4 (MR)    25,668    (-5.7%)
10/1/2014    WICKED & DIVINE #5 (MR)    25,424    (-1.0%)
12/1/2014    WICKED & DIVINE #6 (MR)    22,159    (-12.2%)

The second story arc of Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie’s, and Matt Wilson’s irreverent and blasphemous comic starts off by…alienating readers? I just finished the first trade, and I’m itching for more, so this drop feels a bit anomalous.

119.) Low #5 (Image)
7/1/2014    LOW #1 (MR)    43,340    --
8/1/2014    LOW #2 (MR)    28,426    (-34.4%)
9/1/2014    LOW #3 (MR)    24,308    (-14.5%)
10/1/2014    LOW #4 (MR)    23,530    (-3.2%)
12/1/2014    LOW #5 (MR)    21,584    (-8.2%)

Another drop for Low, which might drop below 20,000 next month.

121.) The Valiant (Valiant)
12/1/2014    THE VALIANT #1    21,364

For all of you feeling concerned for Valiant, this new mini-series combining the talents of Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt, and Paolo Rivera had a strong debut.

132.) Black Science #11 (Image)
7/1/2014    BLACK SCIENCE #7 (MR)        28,147    (+13.1%)
9/1/2014    BLACK SCIENCE #8 (MR)        22,429    (-20.3%)
10/1/2014    BLACK SCIENCE #9 (MR)        21,639    (-3.5%)
10/1/2014    BLACK SCIENCE #10 (MR)    21,125    (-2.4%)
12/1/2014    BLACK SCIENCE #11 (MR)    19,688    (-6.8%)

Slight drop.

140. Southern Bastards #6 (Image)
4/1/2014    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1 (MR)    38,029   
5/1/2014    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #2 (MR)    25,811    (-32.1%)
7/1/2014    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #3 (MR)    21,313    (-17.4%)
9/1/2014    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #4 (MR)    22,317    (+4.7%)
10/1/2014    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #5 (MR)    21,932    (-1.7%)
12/1/2014    SOUTHERN BASTARDS #6 (MR)    18,637    (-15.0%)

Sizable drop.

142.) They're Not Like Us #1 (Image)
12/1/2014    THEYRE NOT LIKE US #1 (MR)    $2.99    IMA    18,015

Strong debut, even with a standard 20-30% drop we should still see the next issues above the 10k mark.

143.) My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (IDW)
11/1/2013    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #13    35,653    (+50.5%)
12/1/2013    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #14    22,990    (-35.5%)
1/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #15    27,461    (+19.4%)
2/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #16    26,942    (-1.9%)
3/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #17    26,683    (-0.9%)
4/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #18    26,091    (-2.2%)
5/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #19    22,820    (-12.5%)
6/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #20    20,711    (-9.2%)
7/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #21    20,871    (+0.8%)
8/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #22    21,642    (+3.7%)
9/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #23    19,491    (-9.9%)
10/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #24    20,762    (+6.5%)
11/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic#25    26,619    (+28.2%)
12/1/2014    My Little Pony Friendship is Magic#26    17,454    (-34.4%)

A significant drop this month after a significant climb in the previous month. My Little Pony often bounces back from drops, but this may just be a case of attrition finally catching up to the ponies.

144.) Star Trek Planet of the Apes #1 (IDW)
12/1/2014    STAR TREK PLANET OF THE APES #1    17,307

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Star Trek fans are the best fans to have on your side…if you’re looking for strong sales.

151.) BTVS Seasons 10 #10 (Dark Horse)
7/1/2014    Btvs Season 10 #5    18,827    (-2.8%)
8/1/2014    Btvs Season 10 #6    18,121    (-3.7%)
9/1/2014    Btvs Season 10 #7    17,701    (-2.3%)
10/1/2014    BTVS SEASON 10 #8    17,729    (+1.6%)
11/1/2014    BTVS SEASON 10 #9    17,067    (-3.7%)
12/1/2014    BTVS SEASON 10 #10    16,448    (-3.6%)

Some minor attrition.

155.) Escape from New York #1 (Boom! Studios)
12/1/2014    ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #1    $3.99    BOO    15,450

I love that this is the SECOND Kurt Russell property that Boom! Studios has recently put out. I, and fifteen thousand other members of society, have been waiting a long time for this.

158.) TMNT Ghosbusters #3 (IDW)
10/1/2014    TMNT GHOSTBUSTERS #1 21,223   
11/1/2014    TMNT GHOSTBUSTERS #2    16,624    (-21.7%)
12/1/2014    TMNT GHOSTBUSTERS #3    15,264    (-8.2%)

Minor third-issue drop. Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening continue to masterfully capture the tone of both franchises, providing laughs and warm fuzzies to all who read this series.

159.) My Little Pony: Friends Forever #12 (IDW)
7/1/2014    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #7    19,850    (+9.5%)
8/1/2014    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #8    17,444    (-12%)
9/1/2014    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #9    16,803    (-3.7%)
10/1/2014    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #10    16,587    (-1.3%)
11/1/2014    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #11    15,630    (-5.8%)
12/1/2014    MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #12    15,202    (-2.7%)

Minor attrition.

160.) TMNT Ongoing (IDW)
2/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #31    $3.99    IDW    14,684    (-2.0%)
3/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #32    $3.99    IDW    15,040    (+2.4%)
5/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #33    $3.99    IDW    16,736    (+11.2%)
6/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #34    $3.99    IDW    17,442    (+4.2%)
6/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #35    $3.99    IDW    15,174    (-13.0%)
7/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #36    $3.99    IDW    15,415    (+1.6%)
8/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #37    $3.99    IDW    15,470    (+0.4%)
10/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #38    $3.99    IDW    15,498    (+0.2%)
10/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #39    $3.99    IDW    15,235    (-1.7%)
11/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #40    $3.99    IDW    14,734    (-3.3%)
12/1/2014    TMNT ONGOING #41    $3.99    IDW    14,970    (+1.6%)

Some mostly minor ups and downs have this series going relatively steady for the last ten issues. Turtle Power!

166.) Birthright #3 (Image)
10/1/2014    BIRTHRIGHT #1     $2.99    IMA    27,234   
11/1/2014    BIRTHRIGHT #2    $2.99    IMA    18,484    (-32.1%)
12/1/2014    BIRTHRIGHT #3    $2.99    IMA    14,247    (-22.9%)

This title still hasn’t found it’s happy place.

163 & 169.) Doctor Who 11th #6 & #5 (Titan)
8/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 11TH #1    41,068   
9/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 11TH #2    15,947    (-61.2)
10/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 11TH #3    14,854    (-6.9%)
10/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 11TH #4    13,411    (-9.7%)
12/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 11TH #5     13,477    (+0.5%)
12/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 11TH #6     14,538    (+7.9%)

An increase in both issues released this month. Color me impressed!

167.) Doctor Who 12th #3 (Titan)
 
10/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 12TH #1    33,891   
11/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 12TH #2     15,277    (-54.9%)
12/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 12TH #3     14,144    (-7.4%)

Much smaller drop this month, a smidgen below the 11th Doctor on this same issue.

168.) Doctor Who 10th #5 (Titan)
7/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 10TH #1    39,707   
8/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 10TH #2    10,410    (-73.8%)
10/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 10TH #3    14,608    (+40.30%)
11/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 10TH #4     14,296    (-2.1%)
12/1/2014    DOCTOR WHO 10TH #5     13,743    (-3.9%)

Minor drop. If we’re going strictly by comic readers, the 11th Doctor is the crowd favorite.

171.) Alien vs. Predator Fire and Stone #3 (Dark Horse)
10/1/2014    ALIEN VS PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #1     20,319   
11/1/2014    ALIEN VS PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #2    13,942    (-31.4%)
12/1/2014    ALIEN VS PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #3    13,261    (-4.9%)

Still selling solid for a mini series.

173.) Prometheus Fire and Stone #4 (Dark Horse)
9/1/2014    PROMETHEUS FIRE AND STONE #1    19,468   
10/1/2014    PROMETHEUS FIRE AND STONE #2    14,407    (-24.8%)
11/1/2014    PROMETHEUS FIRE AND STONE #3    13,624    (-5.4%)
12/1/2014    PROMETHEUS FIRE AND STONE #4    13,237    (-2.8%)

Finishing strong before the conclusion in Prometheus: Omega.

177.) Aliens Fire and Stone #4 (Dark Horse)
9/1/2013    ALIENS FIRE AND STONE #1    19,878   
10/1/2014    ALIENS FIRE AND STONE #2    14,240    (-28.4%)
11/1/2014    ALIENS FIRE AND STONE #3    13,357    (-6.2%)
12/1/2014    ALIENS FIRE AND STONE #4    12,735    (-4.7%)

Minor drop.

182. Predator Fire and Stone (Dark Horse)
10/1/2014    PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #1 [*]    17,166   
11/1/2014    PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #2    12,695    (-26.0%)
12/1/2014    PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #3    12,128    (-4.5%)

Predator Fire and Stone may be trailing behind the other Fire and Stone series, but it’s still holding its own.

 175.) Manifest Destiny (Image)
6/1/2014    MANIFEST DESTINY #7    21,500    (+44.8%)
7/1/2014    MANIFEST DESTINY #8    15,060    (-29.9%)
8/1/2014    MANIFEST DESTINY #9    14,672    (-2.6%)
9/1/2014    MANIFEST DESTINY #10    14,312    (-2.4%)
10/1/2014    MANIFEST DESTINY #11    13,620    (-4.8%)
12/1/2014    MANIFEST DESTINY #12 12,987    (-4.6%)

Some standard attrition for the last few issues.

178.) Crossed Plus 100 #1 (Avatar)
12/1/2014    CROSSED PLUS 100 #1    12,666

I expected Alan Moore to attract more readers for this debut.

180.) Shaft #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/1/2014    SHAFT #1 (MR)    12,430

A standard second issue drop should see this falling below the 10k mark by the second or third issue.

183.) Spawn #249 (Image)
7/1/2014    Spawn #245    12,090    (+2.1%)
8/1/2014    Spawn #246    13,343    (+10.4%)
10/1/2014    SPAWN #247    12,023    (-9.9%)
11/1/2014    SPAWN #248    11,934    (-0.7%)
12/1/2014    SPAWN #249    12,121    (+1.6%)

Slight increase this month sees Spawn holding steady.

184.) Nailbiter #8 (Image)
5/1/2014    NAILBITER #1 (MR)    22,746   
6/1/2014    NAILBITER #2 (MR)    15,193    (-33.2%)
7/1/2014    NAILBITER #3 (MR)    16,581    (+9.1%)
8/1/2014    NAILBITER #4 (MR)    14,706    (-11.3%)
9/1/2014    NAILBITER #5 (MR)    14,947    (+1.6%)
10/1/2014    NAILBITER #6 (MR)    13,340    (-10.8%)
11/1/2014    NAILBITER #7 (MR)    12,361    (-5.3%)
12/1/2014    NAILBITER #8 (MR)    12,096    (-2.1%)

Minor drop this month.

187 & 192.) Adventure Time #34 & #35 (Boom!)
7/1/2014    ADVENTURE TIME #30    14,487    (+5.1%)
8/1/2014    ADVENTURE TIME #31    14,099    (-2.7%)
10/1/2014    ADVENTURE TIME #32    12,632    (-10.4%)
10/1/2014    ADVENTURE TIME #33    11,929    (-5.6%)
12/1/2014    ADVENTURE TIME #34    11,442    (-4.1%)
12/1/2014    ADVENTURE TIME #35    11,138    (-2.7%)

Some attrition following a large drop in October.

191.) Copperhead #4 (Image)
9/1/2014    COPPERHEAD #1    24,272   
10/1/2014    COPPERHEAD #2    17,250    (-28.9%)
11/1/2014    COPPERHEAD #3    12,079    (-30.0%)
12/1/2014    COPPERHEAD #4    11,241    (-6.9%)

A smaller drop this month hopefully means the numbers will hold steadier for next.

193.) Django Zorro #2 (Dynamite Entertainment)
11/1/2014    DJANGO ZORRO #1    15,468   
12/1/2014    DJANGO ZORRO #2    11,001    (-28.9%)

The drop falls within the average second-drop range, though it is on the higher end.

194.) Garbage Pail Kids #1 (IDW)
12/1/2014    GARBAGE PAIL KIDS COMIC BOOK PUKETACULAR #1    10,996

I personally think some fads should stay in their decade, but ten thousand readers proved me wrong this month.

195.) Angel and Faith Season 10 #9 (Dark Horse)
8/1/2014    ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #5    11,957    (-4.1%)
9/1/2014    ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #6     11,593    (-3.5%)
10/1/2014    ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #7    11,457    (-1.2%)
11/1/2014    ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #8    11,129    (-2.9%)
12/1/2014    ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #9    10,946    (-1.6%)

If this series was a surgeon, I feel like it would have steady enough hands to operate on me.

196.) Army of Darkness Vol. 4 #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/1/2014    ARMY OF DARKNESS VOL 4 #1    10,814

Army of Darkness:Hitched debuted to similar numbers, and I expect it drop find its niche around the 5k mark.

199.) Shutter #7 (Image)
4/1/2014    SHUTTER #1 (MR)    18,984   
5/1/2014    SHUTTER #2 (MR)    12,267    (-35.4%)
6/1/2014    SHUTTER #3 (MR)    9,887    (-19.4%)
7/1/2014    SHUTTER #4 (MR)    9,107    (-7.9%)
8/1/2014    SHUTTER #5 (MR) 8,140    (-10.6%)
9/1/2014    SHUTTER #6 (MR)    7,499    (-7.9%)
12/1/2014    SHUTTER #7 (MR)    10,669    (+42.2%)

A huge spike in readers this month as Shutter begins its second story arc. I’m a huge fan of this series…and it’s not just because the main character and I share the same first name.

200.) Big Trouble in Little China #7 (Boom!)
6/1/2014    BTiLC #1    $3.99    BOO    24,160    --
7/1/2014    BTiLC #2    $3.99    BOO    14,838    (-38.6%)
8/1/2014    BTiLC #3    $3.99    BOO    14,076    (-5.1%)
9/1/2014    BTiLC #4    $3.99    BOO    13,370    (-5.0%)
10/1/2014   BTiLC #5    $3.99    BOO    12,598    (-5.8%)
11/1/2014   BTiLC #6    $3.99    BOO    11,483    (-8.9%)
12/1/2014   BTiLC #7    $3.99    BOO    10,482    (-8.7%)

Another steady drop for this title. I’m probably biased because of the number of Kurt Russel fans in my life, but I hope to see this stabilize soon.

201.) Drifter #2 (Image)
11/1/2014    DRIFTER #1 (MR)    $3.50    IMA    20,887   
12/1/2014    DRIFTER #2 (MR)    $3.50    IMA    10,443    (-50.0%)

An abnormally large second issue drop for indie comics.

202.) Chew #45 (Image)
2/1/2014    CHEW #40 (MR)    11,193    (-2.6%)
4/1/2014    CHEW #41 (MR)    10,835    (-3.2%)
6/1/2014    CHEW #42 (MR)    10,981    (-1.3%)
9/1/2014    CHEW #43 (MR)    10,777    (-1.9%)
11/1/2014   CHEW #44 (MR)    10,526    (-2.3%)
12/1/2014   CHEW #45 (MR)    10,407    (-1.1%)

Minor attrition at play for one of Image’s long running comics, even with a slight increase in cover price this month.

203.) Graveyard Shift #1 (Image)
12/1/2014    GRAVEYARD SHIFT #1    10,388

205.) Wayward #5 (Image)
8/1/2014    WAYWARD #1 (MR)    29,240   
9/1/2014    WAYWARD #2 (MR)    15,053    (-48.5%)
10/1/2014    WAYWARD #3 (MR)    10,795    (-28.3%)
11/1/2014    WAYWARD #4 (MR)    10,318    (-2.3%)
12/1/2014    WAYWARD #5 (MR)    10,009    (-3.0%)

Minor attrition this month. While it might drop below 10k with the next issue, this comic definitely has a solid fanbase.

206.) Ragnarok #3 (IDW)
7/1/2014    RAGNAROK #1    15,598   
10/1/2014    RAGNAROK #2     12,941    (-17.0%)
12/1/2014    RAGNAROK #3     9,940    (-23.2%)

Ragnarok (the end) may come for this title if the numbers continue dropping like this. Pray to the gods (the Norse ones) that this doesn’t happen!

 207.) Star Trek Ongoing #39 (IDW)
6/1/2014    STAR TREK ONGOING #34    10,216    (+4.8%)
7/1/2014    STAR TREK ONGOING #35    10,089    (-1.2%)
8/1/2014    STAR TREK ONGOING #36    10,017    (-0.7%)
9/1/2014    STAR TREK ONGOING #37    9,893    (-1.2%)
11/1/2014    STAR TREK ONGOING #38    10,150    (+2.6%)
12/1/2014    STAR TREK ONGOING #39    9,931    (-2.2%)

Up last month, down this one.

209.) George Perez's Sirens (Boom!)
9/1/2014    GEORGE PEREZ SIRENS #1    24,900   
12/1/2014    GEORGE PEREZ SIRENS #2    9,837    (-60.5%)

A rather large second issue drop. It looked fascinating when it came to my attention, so the drop is surprising.

210.) Supreme Blue Rose #5 (Image)
7/1/2014    SUPREME BLUE ROSE #1 (Mr)    26,100    --
8/1/2014    SUPREME BLUE ROSE #2 (Mr)    16,268    (-37.7%)
9/1/2014    SUPREME BLUE ROSE #3 (Mr)    13,603    (-16.38%)
10/1/2014    SUPREME BLUE ROSE #4 (MR)    12,147    (-10.7%)
12/1/2014    SUPREME BLUE ROSE #5 (MR)    9,783    (-19.5%)

Another steep drop for Supreme Blue Rose.

 211.) Rasputin #3 (Image)
10/1/2014    RASPUTIN #1 (MR)    21,373   
11/1/2014    RASPUTIN #2 (MR)    11,693    (-45.3%)
12/1/2014    RASPUTIN #3 (MR)    9,775    (-16.4%)

The hits keep coming for Rasputin, which at least somewhat holds to historical accuracy.

 212.) Transformers More than Meets the Eye #36 (IDW)
11/1/2014    Transformers MTMTE #35     9,390    (-2.9%)
12/1/2014    Transformers MTMTE #36     9,159    (-2.5%)

Minor losses as More than Meets the Eye heads into a new story arc.

 213.) X-Files Season 10 #19 (IDW)
7/1/2014    X-fILES SEASON 10 #14    10,850    (-5.6%)
8/1/2014    X-FILES SEASON 10 #15    10,581    (-2.5%)
9/1/2014    X-FILES SEASON 10 #16    10,067    (-4.9%)
10/1/2013   X-FILES SEASON 10 #17    9,865    (-2.0%)
11/1/2014   X-FILES SEASON 10 #18    9,915    (+0.5%)
12/1/2014   X-FILES SEASON 10 #19    9,121    (-8.0%)

Natural attrition for an unnatural book.

215.) Lady Demon #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/1/2014    LADY DEMON #1    9,016

217.) Lumberjanes #9 (Boom!)
4/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #1    13,129    --
5/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #2    9,904    (-24.6%)
6/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #3    9,150    (-7.6%)
7/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #4    9,988    (+9.2%)
9/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #5    10,099    (+1.1%)
9/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #6    10,029    (-0.7%)
10/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #7    9,999    (-.3%)
11/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #8    9,543    (-4.6%)
12/1/2014    LUMBERJANES #9    8,917    (-6.6%)

Another drop, but this issue of Lumberjanes followed a spectacular finale to the first story arc, and gave readers some truly spooky storytelling.

218.) John Carter Warlord #2 (Dynamite Entertainment)
135    11/1/2014    JOHN CARTER WARLORD #1    15,930   
218    12/1/2014    JOHN CARTER WARLORD #2 8,858    (-44.4%)

Large second issue drop.

219.) Bobs Burgers #5 (Dynamite Entertainment)
8/1/2014    BOBS BURGERS #1    20,157   
9/1/2014    BOBS BURGERS #2    11,030    (-45.2%)
10/1/2014    BOBS BURGERS #3    9,571    (-13.2%)
11/1/2014    BOBS BURGERS #4    10,160    (+6.2%)
12/1/2014    BOBS BURGERS #5    8,829    (-13.1%)

The increase last month may have been a fluke, as we see a large decrease this month.

220.) Revival #26 (Image)
5/1/2014    REVIVAL #20 (MR)    10,341    (-0.4%)
6/1/2014    REVIVAL #21 (MR)    9,808    (-5.2%)
7/1/2014    REVIVAL #22 (MR)    9,931    (-1.9%)
8/1/2014    REVIVAL #23 (MR)    9,425    (-5.9%)
10/1/2014    REVIVAL #24 (MR)    9,019    (-4.7%)
11/1/2014    REVIVAL #25 (MR)    9,535    (+5.7%)
12/1/2014    REVIVAL #26 (MR)    8,696    (-8.8%)

Sad to see another drop after last month’s bump, and not just because I really wanted to make more revival jokes.

221.) Alex + Ada #11 (Image)
5/1/2014    ALEX + ADA #6    9,869    (+1.1%)
6/1/2014    ALEX + ADA #7    9,579    (-2.9%)
8/1/2014    ALEX + ADA #8    9,453    (-1.3%)
10/1/2014    ALEX + ADA #9    9,370    (-0.9%)
11/1/2014    ALEX + ADA #10    8,946    (-4.5%)
12/1/2014    ALEX + ADA #11    8,619    (-3.7%)

Some natural attrition for Alex and Ada. The trope of “teaching a robot to love” may be a niche audience, but I am still a huge fan of this title.

222.) Sonic the Hedgehog #267 (Archie Comics)
10/1/2014    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #265    8,869    (-1.7%)
11/1/2014    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #266    8,822    (-0.5%)
12/1/2014    SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #267    8,608    (-2.4%)

Sonic continues to shake off minor attrition each month. He’s not afraid of anything as longs as he’s still got some rings.

225.) GI Joe (2014) #4 (IDW)
9/1/2014    GI JOE (2014) #1    6,848   
10/1/2014    GI JOE (2014) #2    9,708    (-42.4%)
11/1/2014    GI JOE (2014) #3     8,602    (-11.4%)
12/1/2014    GI JOE (2014) #4    8,282    (-3.7%)

A stabilizing drop this month for the GI Joe.

226.) Rai #5 (Valiant)
4/1/2014    RAI #1    29,137   
6/1/2014    RAI #2    13,448    (-53.8%)
7/1/2014    RAI #3    10,665    (-20.7%)
8/1/2014    RAI #4    9,394    (-12.4%)
12/1/2014    RAI #5     8,280    (-11.9%)

Another fast drop for Rai this month. I hesitate to call it attrition while the losses are still over 10%

227.) Squarriors #1 (Devil's Due)
12/1/2014    SQUARRIORS #1 (MR)    8,276

The first issue of Squarriors was funded via Kickstarter, with a total of 420 backers. While 8k may seem like a low debut number, it’s almost twenty times the initial number of Kickstarter backers. Not so bad then.

228.) Sonic Boom #2 (Archie Comics)
10/1/2014    SONIC BOOM #1    17,228   
12/1/2014    SONIC BOOM #2    8,216    (-52.3)

Large second issue drop for Sonic Boom.

229.) Conan the Avenger #9 (Dark Horse)
8/1/2014    CONAN THE AVENGER #5    8,941    (-2.6%)
9/1/2014    CONAN THE AVENGER #6    8,820    (-1.4%)
10/1/2014    CONAN THE AVENGER #7    8,547    (-3.1%)
11/1/2014    CONAN THE AVENGER #8    8,250    (-3.5%)
12/1/2014    CONAN THE AVENGER #9    8,105    (-1.8%)

Slow and steady attrition.

230.) Godzilla Cataclysm #5 (IDW)
8/1/2014    GODZILLA CATACLYSM #1    11,868   
9/1/2014    GODZILLA CATACLYSM #2    8,859    (-25.4%)
10/1/2014    GODZILLA CATACLYSM #3    8,624    (-2.7%)
11/1/2014    GODZILLA CATACLYSM #4    7,981    (-7.5%)
12/1/2014    GODZILLA CATACLYSM #5    7,892    (-1.1%)

Minor losses this month.

232.) Tomb Raider #11 (Dark Horse)
7/1/2014    TOMB RAIDER #6    10,149    (-3.7%)
8/1/2014    TOMB RAIDER #7    9,429    (-7.1%)
9/1/2014    TOMB RAIDER #8    9,125    (-3.2%)
10/1/2014    TOMB RAIDER #9    8,748    (-4.1%)
11/1/2014    TOMB RAIDER #10    8,153    (-6.8%)
12/1/2014    TOMB RAIDER #11    7,730    (-5.25)

Attrition is a comic book’s worst enemy. If superheroes can’t fight it, why should Lara Croft be able to?

233.) Transformers: Drift - Empire of Stone #2 (IDW)
11/1/2014    TRANSFORMERS DRIFT EMPIRE OF STONE #1    9,246   
12/1/2014    TRANSFORMERS DRIFT EMPIRE OF STONE #2    7,729    (-16.4%)

A pretty minor second issue drop as far as these things go.

234.) BRPD Hell on Earth #126 (Dark Horse)
6/1/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #120    8,127    (-2.2%)
7/2/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #121    8,092    (-0.4%)
8/1/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #122    8,004    (-1.1%)
9/1/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #123    7,762    (-3.0%)
10/1/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #124    7,759    (0.00%)
11/1/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #125    7,534    (-2.9%)
12/1/2014    BPRD HELL ON EARTH #126    7,535    (0.00%)

Minimal attrition, with readers staying ever faithful.

235.) Annihilator #5 (Random House)
9/1/2014    ANNIHILATOR #1    10,345    --
10/1/2014    ANNIHILATOR #2    6,482    (-37.3%)
11/1/2014    ANNIHILATOR #3    8,383    (+29.3%)
12/1/2014    ANNIHILATOR #4    7,519    (-10.3%)

The numbers have been up and down for Annihilator. We’ll look to next month’s numbers to establish a firmer trend.

238.) Intersect #2 (Image)
11/1/2014    INTERSECT #1 (MR)    18,292   
12/1/2014    INTERSECT #2 (MR)    7,437    (-59.3%)

A huge second issue drop for Intersect. I’m crossing my fingers in hopes that it will still be on next month’s charts.

239.) New Vampirella #7 (Dynamite Entertainment)
6/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #1    22,864   
7/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #2    9,445    (-58.7%)
8/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #3    8,732    (-7.5%)
9/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #4    8,287    (-5.1%)
10/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #5    7,784    (-6.1%)
11/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #6    7,378    (-5.2%)
12/1/2014    NEW VAMPIRELLA #7    7,417    (+0.5%)

A tiny upswing this month.

240.) X-O Manowar #31 (Valiant)
5/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #25    12,493    (+45.4%)
6/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #26    10,083    (-19.3%)
7/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #27    9,183    (-8.9%)
8/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #28    9,634    (+4.9%)
9/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #29    8,566    (-11.1%)
11/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #30    8,354    (-2.5%)
12/1/2014    X-O MANOWAR #31    7,398    (-11.4%)

A significant drop after a month of semi-stability.

241.) Cowl #7 (Image)
5/1/2014    COWL #1 (MR)    20,851    --
6/1/2014    COWL #2 (MR)    13,569    (-34.9%)
7/1/2014    COWL #3 (MR)    11,604    (-14.5%)
8/1/2014    COWL #4 (MR)    10,893    (-6.1%)
9/1/2014    COWL #5 (MR)    9,852    (-9.6%)
11/1/2014    COWL #6 (MR)    8,208    (-16.7%)
12/1/2014    COWL #7 (MR)    7,343    (-10.5%)

Another significant drop this month, with no signs of stopping.

244.) Humans #2 (Image)
11/1/2014    HUMANS #1 (MR)    17,274   
12/1/2014    HUMANS #2 (MR)    7,132    (-58.7%)

I officially dub Decemeber the month of the ridiculous second issue drops.

246.) God Hates Astronauts #4 (Image)
9/1/2014    GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #1 (MR)    16,689   
10/1/2014    GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #2 (MR)    10,178    (-39.0%)
11/1/2014    GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #3 (MR)    8,017    (-21.2%)
12/1/2014    GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #4 (MR)    7,008    (-12.6%)

While God Hates Astronauts is still dropping a bit more than average for a fourth issue, the drops do show signs of slowing down.

247.) Sonic Universe #71 (Archie Comics)
10/1/2014    SONIC UNIVERSE #68    7,438    (-1.8%)
10/1/2014    SONIC UNIVERSE #69    7,378    (-0.8%)
11/1/2014    SONIC UNIVERSE #70    7,161    (-2.9%)
12/1/2014    SONIC UNIVERSE #71    6,998    (-2.3%)

Attrition.

248.) Godzilla Rulers of the Earth #19 (IDW)
3/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #10    6,677    (+0.2%)
4/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #11    6,917    (-3.6%)
5/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #12    7,890    (+14.1%)
6/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #13    6,980    (-11.5%)
7/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #14    7,144    (+2.3%)
8/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #15    7,156    (+0.2%)
9/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #16    7,181    (+0.3%)
10/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #17    7,167    (-0.2%)
11/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #18    7,065    (-1.4%)
12/1/2014    GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #19    6,964    (-1.4%)

Some recent attrition, but the numbers are still slightly higher than they were just ten issues ago.

249.) Rachel Rising #30 (Abstract Studio)
4/1/2014    RACHEL RISING #25    7,378    --
6/1/2014    RACHEL RISING #26    7,260    (-1.6%)
8/1/2014    RACHEL RISING #27    7,319    (+.8%)
9/1/2014    RACHEL RISING #28    7,188    (-1.8%)
10/1/2014    RACHEL RISING #29    7,036    (-2.1%)
12/1/2014    RACHEL RISING #30    6,952    (-1.2%)

The losses for Rachel Rising are so minimal they’re almost not worth mentioning. Terry Moore’s masterpiece continues to have a cult following.

250.) War Stories #3 (Avatar Press)
10/1/2014    WAR STORIES #1 (MR)    9,487   
10/1/2014    WAR STORIES #2 (MR)    6,723    (-29.1%)
12/1/2014    WAR STORIES #3 (MR)    6,865    (+2.1%)

A third issue gain isn’t unheard of, but it is still applaud worthy.

251.) Bee and Puppycat #7 (Boom!)
5/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #1    12,204    --
6/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #2    7,557    (-38.1%)
8/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #3    8,031    (+6.3%)
9/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #4    7,556    (-5.9%)
10/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #5    7,255    (-4.0%)
11/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #6    7,055    (-2.8%)
12/1/2014    BEE AND PUPPYCAT #7    6,801    (-3.6%)

Continued attrition won’t stop my love of this title.

252.) Savage Dragon #200 (Image)
6/1/2013    Savage Dragon #181    4,556    (-0.8%)
10/1/2013    Savage Dragon #182    ????    ????
11/1/2013    Savage Dragon #183    4,603    ????
1/1/2013    Savage Dragon #184    4,366    (-5.1%)
3/1/2013    Savage Dragon #185    4,457    (+2.1%)
5/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #186    ????    ????
5/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #187    ????    ????
6/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #188    4,319    ????
7/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #189    ????    ????
8/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #190    5,078    ????
10/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #191    ????    ????
12/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #192    ????    ????
2/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #193    4,979    ????
4/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #194    ????    ????
6/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #195    ????    ????
7/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #196    ????    ????
8/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #197    ????    ????
9/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #198    ????    ????
10/1/2013    SAVAGE DRAGON #199    ????    ????
12/1/2014    SAVAGE DRAGON #200    6,798    ????

We haven’t exactly had solid numbers on Savage Dragon for some time. That said, the 200th issue managed to get the book back on the board, in spite of a $8.99 price tag.

253.) Goon Occasion of Revenge #4 (Dark Horse)
7/1/2014    GOON OCCASION OF REVENGE #1    9,736   
8/1/2014    GOON OCCASION OF REVENGE #2    7,865    (-19.2%)
10/1/2014    GOON OCCASION OF REVENGE #3    7,436    (-5.5%)
12/1/2014    GOON OCCASION OF REVENGE #4    6,794    (-8.6%)

Just above average drop this month for Goon.

254.) Simpsons Comics #216 (Bongo)
3/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #210    6,334    (-2.7%)
4/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #211    6,390    (+0.9%)
6/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #212    6,619    (-3.6%)
7/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #213    ????    ----
8/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #214    7,079    ----
10/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #215    6,818    (-3.7%)
12/1/2014    SIMPSONS COMICS #216    6,758    (-0.8%)

Negligible attrition.

257.) Justice Inc. #5 (Dynamite Entertainment)
8/1/2014    JUSTICE INC #1    12,020   
9/1/2014    JUSTICE INC#2    8,651    (-28.0%)
10/1/2014    JUSTICE INC #3    7,546    (-12.8%)
11/1/2014    JUSTICE INC #4    7,057    (-6.5%)
12/1/2014    JUSTICE INC #5    6,660    (-5.6%)

Edging ever nearer stabilization.

258.) Abe Sapien #18 (Dark Horse)
 
2/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #10    7,995    (-6.1%)
3/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #11    7,825    (-2.1%)
5/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #12    7,559    (-3.4%)
6/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #13    7,674    (+1.5%)
7/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #14    7,469    (-2.7%)
8/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #15    7,244    (-3.0%)
9/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #16    7,143    (-1.4%)
10/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #17    6,998    (-2.0%)
12/1/2014    ABE SAPIEN #18    6,652    (-4.9%)

Continued attrition makes this the poorest selling Hellboy adjacent title on the list.

259.) Mega Man #44 (Archie Comics)
8/1/2014    MEGA MAN #40    6,924    (-4.7%)
10/1/2014    MEGA MAN #41    6,899    (-0.4%)
10/1/2014    MEGA MAN #42    6,946    (+0.7%)
11/1/2014    MEGA MAN #43    6,771    (-2.5%)
12/1/2014    MEGA MAN #44    6,531    (-3.5%)

Mega Man continues to be very content in the 6k range.

260.) October Faction #3 (IDW)
10/1/2014    OCTOBER FACTION #1 [*]    9,181   
11/1/2014    OCTOBER FACTION #2 [*]    7,174    (-21.9%)
12/1/2014    OCTOBER FACTION #3 [*]    6,445    (-10.1%)

If the decreases slow down for the fourth issue – like many do – then we should see this on the board again next month.

261.) Shadow Show #2 (IDW)
11/1/2014    SHADOW SHOW #1    8,634   
12/1/2014    SHADOW SHOW #2    6,412    (-25.7%)

Standard second issue drop.

263.) GI Joe a Real American Hero #209 (IDW)
9/1/2014    GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #204    7,651    (+16.6%)
10/1/2014    GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #207    6,494    (-16.1%)
11/1/2014    GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #208    7,810    (+20.3%)
12/1/2014    GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #209    6,344    (-18.8%)

There’s been some flip-flopping back and forth for the previous few issues. Ideally next month we’ll learn whether it’s trending up or down.

264.) Vampirella Feary Tales #3 (Dynamite Entertainment)
10/1/2014    VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #1    10,571   
11/1/2014    VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #2    6,607    (-37.5%)
12/1/2014    VAMPIRELLA FEARY TALES #3    6,341    (-4.0%)

If the drops continue to be this small next month, I’ll officially commit to Feary Tales finding it’s niche.

265.) Little Nemo Return to Slumberland #3 (IDW)
8/1/2014    LITTLE NEMO RETURN TO SLUMBERLAND #1 [*]    11,883   
10/1/2014    LITTLE NEMO RETURN TO SLUMBERLAND #2 [*]    8,130    (-31.6%)
12/1/2014    LITTLE NEMO RETURN TO SLUMBERLAND #3 [*]    6,320    (-22.3%)

266.) Uber #20 (Avatar Press)
7/1/2014    UBER #15 (MR)    7,456    (-0.5%)
8/1/2014    UBER #16 (MR)    7,082    (-5.0%)
9/1/2014    UBER #17 (MR)    6,934    (-2.1%)
10/1/2014    UBER #18 (MR)    6,684    (-3.6%)
10/1/2014    UBER #19 (MR)    6,436    (-3.7%)
12/1/2014    UBER #20 (MR)    6,303    (-2.1%)

Each month brings minor losses to Uber. From what I’ve heard about the book, these casualties might mirror the violence within the pages.

267.) Harbinger Faith #0 (Valiant)
12/1/2014    HARBINGER FAITH #0    6,170

I won’t lie, it’s not usually good to see a first issue so far down this list. However, there are occasionally increases after a zero issue, so we won’t say farewell yet.

268.) Adventure Time Banana Guard Academy #6 (Boom!)
7/1/2014    ADV TIME BGA #1    $3.99    BOO    10,402   
8/1/2014    ADV TIME BGA #2    $3.99    BOO    8,287    (-20.4%)
10/1/2014   ADV TIME BGA #3    $3.99    BOO    7,977    (-3.7%)
10/1/2014   ADV TIME BGA #4    $3.99    BOO    7,453    (-6.6%)
11/1/2014   ADV TIME BTG #5    $3.99    BOO    6,514    (-12.6%)
12/1/2014   ADV TIME BTG #6    $3.99    BOO    6,148    (-5.6%)

The Banana Guard is definitely the black sheep of the Adventure Time family, but it seems to be stabilizing at least.

269.) Game of Thrones #23 (Dynamite Entertainment)
3/1/2014    GAME OF THRONES #19 (MR)    7,043    (-6.3%)
4/1/2014    GAME OF THRONES #20 (MR)    6,938    (-1.5%)
8/1/2014    GAME OF THRONES #21 (MR)    7,010    (+1.0%)
11/1/2014    GAME OF THRONES #22 (MR)    6,696    (-4.5%)
12/1/2014    GAME OF THRONES #23 (MR)    6,120    (-8.6%)

Perhaps readership will increase with the advent of the next television season.

270.) TMNT New Animated Adventures #18 (IDW)
4/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #10    5,911    (-1.6%)
5/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #11    6,075    (+2.8%)
6/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #12    7,577    (+24.7%)
7/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #13    7,158    (-5.5%)
8/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #14    6,420    (-10.3%)
9/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #15    7,589    (+18.2%)
10/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #16    ????    ????
11/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #17    6,228    ????
12/1/2014    TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #18    6,084    (-2.1%)

Minor drop this month, although a bump up could happen at anytime it seems.

271.) Woods #8 (Boom!)
5/1/2014    WOODS #1    13,916    --
6/1/2014    WOODS #2    9,352    (-32.8%)
7/1/2014    WOODS #3    8,852    (-5.3%)
8/1/3014    WOODS #4    8,272    (-6.6%)
9/1/2014    WOODS #5    7,649    (-7.5%)
10/1/2014    WOODS #6    7,103    (-7.1%)
11/1/2014    WOODS #7    6,554    (-7.7%)
12/1/2014    WOODS #8    6,067    (-7.4%)

At this point a seven percent drop just seems standard.

272.) Unity #13 (Valiant)
3/1/2014    UNITY #5    12,268    (+15.3%)
4/1/2014    UNITY #6    9,351    (-23.8%)
5/1/2014    UNITY #7    8,653    (-7.5%)
6/1/2014    UNITY #8    9,442    (+9.1%)
7/1/2014    UNITY #9    8,485    (-10.1%)
8/1/2014    UNITY #10    8,491    0%
9/1/2014    UNITY #11    7,602    (-10.5%)
11/1/2014    UNITY #12    6,508    (-14.4%)
12/1/2014    UNITY #13    6,066    (-6.8%)

One of the smallest losses the title has taken yet!

273.) Abigail and the Snowman #1 (Boom!)
12/1/2014    ABIGAIL AND THE SNOWMAN #1    6,050

Comics targeting children that aren’t based on previous intellectual property are always a hard sale. That doesn’t stop Abgail and the Snowman from being an adorable series.

274.) Samurai Jack #15 (IDW)
7/1/2014    SAMURAI JACK #10    6,741    (-20.4%)
8/1/2014    SAMURAI JACK #11    7,489    (+11.1%)
9/1/2014    SAMURAI JACK #12    7,135    (-4.7%)
10/1/2014    SAMURAI JACK #13    6,657    (-6.7%)
11/1/2014    SAMURAI JACK #14    6,245    (-6.2%)
12/1/2014    SAMURAI JACK #15    6,023    (-3.6%)

Some attrition in the last few months.

275.) Spongebob Comics #39 (Universal)
8/1/2014    SPONGEBOB COMICS #35        6,491    ????
9/1/2014    SPONGEBOB COMICS #36        6,405    (-1.3%)
10/1/2014    SPONGEBOB COMICS #37        6,417    0.00%
11/1/2014    SPONGEBOB COMICS #38        6,201    (-3.4%)
12/1/2014    SPONGEBOB COMICS #39        6,007    (-3.1%)

Minuscule attrition.

276.) Sons of Anarchy #16 (Boom!)
6/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #10 (MR)    7,875    (-7.7%)
7/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #11 (MR)    7,394    (-5.9%)
8/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #12 (MR)    6,955    (-5.9%)
9/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #13 (MR)    6,506    (-6.5%)
10/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #14 (MR)    6,537    0.00%
11/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #15 (MR)    6,271    (-4.1%)
12/1/2014    SONS OF ANARCHY #16 (MR)    5,930    (-5.4%)

If the trend continues, this title may soon drop off the top 300 list.

278.) Skylanders #3 (IDW)
10/1/2014    SKYLANDERS #1 [*]    12,361   
11/1/2014    SKYLANDERS #2 [*]    7,665    (-38.0%)
12/1/2014    SKYLANDERS #3 [*]    5,882    (-23.2%)

Skylanders as a franchise already sees children clamoring for more. If it came down to a decision between a new Skylanders figure and a Skylanders comic, I’d probably choose the toy. That said, my friend reads these to her 2nd grade classroom and they adore each issue.

279.) God id Dead #25 (Avatar)
6/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #15 (MR)    8,262    (-1.3%)
7/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #16 (MR)    8,029    (-2.8%)
7/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #17 (MR)    7,759    (-3.4%)
8/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #18 (MR)    7,358    (-5.2%)
9/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #19 (MR)    6,857    (-6.8%)
9/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #20 (MR)    6,667    (-2.8%)
10/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #21 (MR)    6,579    (-1.3%)
10/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #22 (MR)    6,457    (-1.9%)
11/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #24 (MR)    5,902    (-8.6%)
12/1/2014    GOD IS DEAD #25 (MR)    5,874    (-0.5%)

The readers held faithful this month as Avatar Press launched an over-sized edition to celebrate the title’s 25th issue. The $5.99 price tag may have scared off the new readers the comic hoped to attract with a new jumping on point.

280.) Eternal Warrior Days of Steel #2 (Valiant)
11/1/2014    ETERNAL WARRIOR DAYS OF STEEL #1     6,785   
12/1/2014    ETERNAL WARRIOR DAYS OF STEEL #2    5,760    (-15.1%)

A lower than average second issue drop.

281.) Twilight Zone #10 (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/1/2013    Twilight Zone #1    21,723   
2/1/2014    Twilight Zone #2    11,537    (-46.9%)
3/1/2014    Twilight Zone #3    10,061    (-12.8%)
4/1/2014    Twilight Zone #4    9,014    (-10.4%)
5/1/2014    Twilight Zone #5    8,140    (-9.7%)
7/1/2014    Twilight Zone #6    7,528    (-7.5%)
7/1/2014    Twilight Zone #7    6,976    (-7.3%)
9/1/2014    Twilight Zone #8    6,633    (-4.7%)
10/1/2014    Twilight Zone #9    ????    ????
12/1/2014    Twilight Zone #10    5,680    ????

Back on the board after a month away.

282.) Flash Gordon #10 (Dynamite Entertainment)
4/1/2014    FLASH GORDON #1    $3.99    DE    14,398   
5/1/2014    FLASH GORDON #2    $3.99    DE    8,255    (-42.7%)
6/1/2014    FLASH GORDON #3    $3.99    DE    7,034    (-14.8%)
8/1/2014    FLASH GORDON #4    $3.99    DE    6,657    (-5.4%)
8/1/2014    FLASH GORDON #5    $3.99    DE    6,257    (-6.0%)
12/1/2014    FLASH GORDON #7    $3.99    DE    5,658    (-9.6%)

Another drop like this might see Flash Gordon drop off the charts.

283.) BSG Death of Apollo #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
12/1/2014    BSG DEATH OF APOLLO #1    5,626

I want to know what this debut says about fan feelings towards Apollo.

284.) Massive #30 (Dark Horse)
6/1/2012    Massive #1    22,173   
7/1/2012    Massive #2    16,600    (-25.1%)
8/1/2012    Massive #3    15,310    (-7.8%)
9/1/2012    Massive #4    13,427    (-12.3%)
10/1/2012   Massive #5    12,698    (-5.4%)
11/1/2012   Massive #6    11,455    (-9.8%)
12/1/2012   Massive #7    10,854    (-5.2%)
1/1/2013    Massive #8    10,206    (-6.0%)
2/1/2013    Massive #9     9,936    (-2.6%)
3/1/2013    Massive #10    9,795    (-1.4%)
4/1/2013    Massive #11    9,661    (-1.4%)
5/1/2013    Massive #12    9,489    (-1.8%)
6/1/2013    Massive #13    9,371    (-1.2%)
7/1/2013    Massive #14    8,983    (-4.1%)
8/1/2013    Massive #15    8,713    (-3.0%)
10/1/2013   Massive #16    8,345    (-4.2%)
11/1/2013   Massive #17    7,957    (-4.6%)
12/1/2013   Massive #18    7,770    (-2.3%)
1/1/2014    Massive #19    7,387    (-4.9%)
2/1/2014    Massive #20    6,976    (-5.6%)
3/1/2014    Massive #21    6,841    (-1.9%)
4/1/2014    Massive #22    6,650    (-2.8%)
5/1/2014    Massive #23    6,470    (-2.7%)
6/1/2014    Massive #24    6,372    (-1.5%)
7/1/2014    Massive #25    ????    ????
8/1/2014    Massive #26    6,144    ????
9/1/2014    Massive #27    ????    ????
10/1/2014    Massive #28    ???    ????
11/1/2014    MASSIVE #29    5,681    ????
12/1/2014    MASSIVE #30    5,622    (-1.0%)

In honor of the end of the Massive, here’s all the numbers we have on the series from start to finish.

285.) Dungeons & Dragons Legends of Baldur's Gate (IDW)
10/1/2014    D&D LEGENDS OF BALDURS GATE #1     9,341   
11/1/2014    D&D LEGENDS OF BALDURS GATE #2     7,642    (-18.2%)
12/1/2014    D&D LEGENDS OF BALDURS GATE #3     5,563    (-27.2%)

Such a large third issue drop does not bode well for this title, sadly.

288.) Fairy Quest Outcasts #2 (Boom!)
11/1/2014    FAIRY QUEST OUTCASTS #1    8,958   
12/1/2014    FAIRY QUEST OUTCASTS #2    5,389    (-39.8%)

Another above average second issue drop.

289.) Singery #2 (Image)
11/1/2014    SINERGY #1    9,380   
12/1/2014    SINERGY #2    5,309    (-43.4%)

Ditto.

290 & 295.) Crossed Badlands #67 & 68 (Avatar Press)
9/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #59 (MR)    5,991    ????
9/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #60 (MR)    5,991    0%
9/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #61 (MR)    ????    ????
9/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #62 (MR)    ????    ????
10/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #63 (MR)    ????    ????
10/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #64 (MR)    ????    ????
11/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #65 (MR)    5,410    ????
11/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #66 (MR)    5,303    (-2.0%)
12/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #67 (MR)    5,304    0%
12/1/2014    CROSSED BADLANDS #68 (MR)    5,159    (-2.7%)

Attrition continues for Crossed Badlands.

291.) Shadow Midnight Moscow #6 (Dynamite Entertainment)
5/1/2014    Shadow Midnight Moscow #1    7,772   
6/1/2014    Shadow Midnight Moscow #2    ????    ????
8/1/2014    Shadow Midnight Moscow #3    5,735    ????
9/1/2014    Shadow Midnight Moscow #4    ????    ????
10/1/2014    Shadow Midnight Moscow #5    ????    ????
12/1/2014    Shadow Midnight Moscow #6    5,301    ????

Even without all the numbers, it’s clear that they keep dropping.

293.) Judge Dredd #26 (IDW)
1/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #15    6,296    (-14.1%)
2/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #16    6,456    (-2.5%)
3/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #17    6,475    (+0.3%)
4/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #18    6,274    (-3.1%)
5/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #19    6,152    (-1.9%)
7/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #20    ????    ????
7/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #21    ????    ????
9/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #22    5,715    ????
9/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #23    ????    ????
10/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #24    ????    ????
11/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #25    6,055    ????
12/1/2014    JUDGE DREDD #26    5,184    (-14.4%)

A steep loss this month, but the title was relatively stable for most of 2014.

294.) GFT Grimm Fairy Tales #105 (Zenescope)
7/1/2014    GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #100 (MR)    11,722    (+56.9%)
8/1/2014    GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #101 (MR)    6,740    (-42.5%)
9/1/2014    GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #102 (MR)    6,462    (-4.1%)
10/1/2014    GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #103 (MR)    ????    ????
11/1/2014    GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #104 (MR)    5,341    ????
12/1/2014    GFT GRIMM FAIRY TALES #105 (MR)    5,166    (-3.3%)

Still going somewhat steady after a hundred issues. An accomplishment that very few indie titles can boast!

298.) Q2 RTN Quantum & Woody #3 (Valiant)
10/1/2014    Q2 RTN QUANTUM & WOODY #1    8,226   
11/1/2014    Q2 RTN QUANTUM & WOODY #2    5,802    (-29.5%)
12/1/2014    Q2 RTN QUANTUM & WOODY #3    5,073    (-12.6%)

This may be the title’s last time on the chart, but I hope we see it back again.

300.) Magnus Robot Fighter #9 (Dynamite Entertainment)

3/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #1 $3.99 DE 27,497
4/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #2 $3.99 DE 9,898 (-64.0%)
5/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #3 $3.99 DE 8,333 (-15.8%)
6/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #4 $3.99 DE 7,898 (-5.2%)
7/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #5 $3.99 DE 7,205 (-8.8%)
9/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #6 $3.99 DE ???? ????
10/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #7 $3.99 DE ???? ????
11/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #8 $3.99 DE 5,402 ????
12/1/2014 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #9 $3.99 DE 5,053 (-6.5%)

By Matt O’Keefe

Ryan Ferrier jumpstarted his comic book writing career with the self-published Tiger Lawyer in 2010. In it he playfully poked at the wide breadth of interpretations of licensed characters, both story-wise and artistically, by splitting his creator-owned comic into two parts: one goofy and broad and the other dark and gritty, but both about the same protagonist. From there, Ferrier has gone on to build a career out of comics in both the styles he introduced in Tiger Lawyer #1. He balances writing more eclectic comics like D4VE from Monkeybrain and soon in print from IDW with darker ones like Brothers James and the upcoming Curb Stomp and Sons of Anarchy for BOOM! Studios. I spoke to Ryan about his humble small-press beginnings and speedy rise to publishers like Monkeybrain, BOOM! and IDW.

Art by Felipe Torrent.

I thought the split between the fun and the serious in Tiger Lawyer was really clever. What made you decide to go that route?

It wasn’t planned; it just kind of happened. It started as a joke. I posted the script online for the funny half and Matt McCray, the artist, really got into it and said we should make it into a comic. So we did it and it steamrolled from there. That was all unplanned. After that half of the comic was completed I decided I wanted to put out a full issue and not just an ashcan, and at the time I really wanted to work with Vic Malhotra, whose art I just love. So we paired up and took it in a different direction with the crime noir more serious half. Because it was so unplanned we didn’t feel that we had to do it all fun [like the first half] and we could just do whatever we wanted with it. It was just comics people kind of goofing off, jamming with it. It just kind of took off from there. People dug it so we kept doing it.

Art by Brian Level.

How’d you get people to pay attention to Challenger Comics when it first started up?

It has (or had, I haven’t touched it in a while) a pretty small following, but the people who did follow it were really cool and excited about it. And I think a part of it was how everyone involved in Challenger Comics had already worked hard for years trying to “break in.” So each person that contributed kind of had their own equity in the sense that they all had people rooting for them and followers from their other work. And it can’t be understated how important social media is for creators just starting out. Twitter’s just been amazing about getting the word out and spreading links around and getting attention. So it was kind of a culmination of all those different things. And the first year that we did Challenger we put out just a ton of comics. I had several banked up from before the site had even launched, and in the first year we had over a dozen [on the site]. We hit the ground running, which is now kind of biting us in the butt because Challenger slowed down a lot. I think that’s partly because everyone involved is seeing bigger work. So it’s a lot harder for any of us to make a free short because we’re just so busy right now.

Yeah, I saw that like three people from Challenger Books have had books published Monkeybrain?

Yeah. Monkeybrain was really cool. We all kind of got on that Monkeybrain train this year and that was just a really interesting transition. And I’m even seeing now that a lot of people who were or are involved in Monkeybrain stuff are catapulting to other things like Mike Moreci, Ryan Lindsay and Paul Allor. They’re all getting big work now so I think i think Monkeybrain’s a logical next avenue for people putting all their work online and getting their work out there independently like with Challenger. But at the same time Monkeybrain has top names doing books there. Gabriel Hardman has Kinski and Joshua Williamson has Masks and Mobsters. The closest thing I can equate Monkeybrain to, and I use this comparison a lot with Challenger, is that it’s a really cool online convention for people really into making interesting comics their own way.

Art by Fiona Staples.

D4VE is coming out from IDW as single issues, right?

Yeah, that starts in Mid-February.

Why the shift from graphic novels to single issues for a Monkeybrain book?

You know, I’m not entirely sure. I’m certainly very cool with it. I think when I first started talking with IDW we were talking under the assumption that it would go right to trade. I can’t speak for Alison [Type] or Chris [Roberson], who run Monkeybrain, or anyone at IDW but I think that D4VE has had some good feedback and I think people dig it. At least I hope that’s why they want to do it in singles. But yeah, I’m interested in seeing how it does in a different market. Although at the same time there’s not too much difference between putting out a book at Monkeybrain and putting out a book in print with the exception of page count. That’s something a little bit different in the case of D4VE because of its digital roots. Some issues run a couple pages short, some run over. So that’s really the only kind of logistical challenge, but yeah, I’m really excited to see how it all plays out.

Art by Valentin Ramon.

How did you tackle the page count challenge?

Well, in the case of D4VE with IDW we’re doing a whole bunch of new backmatter, so every issue is going to have some really cool original stuff. I know Issue 1 has a couple pin ups but moving forward with Issues 2-5 there’s going to be a whole bunch of cool stuff that me and Valentin [Ramon, the artist] are working on right now. And we’re doing all-new covers as well. I think each issue is going to have 3-4 variants and Valentin did a whole row of covers that connect to each other. It’s pretty exciting

Do you worry if cheap digital will cannibalize the sales for the print version?

That’s a really good question. I have thought about that many times, and I honestly don’t really know what to expect because this is also my first book at a bigger publisher. It’s my first time solicited in previews and being in regular comic shops and being on the shelves and stuff like that. Up until now I’ve just been super indy swinging it on my own, so I’m really curious to see how it goes. I think we’re still in a period of feeling out digital comics and I think there’s still a really big audience that is print only and an audience that’s digital only. I’ve heard lots of people say that they’re excited to read D4VE but they’re print people so they’ll get it once a trade comes out. So I’m hoping that [the print version finds an audience]. But at the same time I’m really just happy to have anyone read it, whether it be on ComiXology or the print books. I hope they buy the print books because I want them to be successful and I just quit my day job so [laughs] I would like to keep some money and hopefully it snowballs into more work. But I’m kind of not worried too much about it. More than anything, I’m grateful to have anything out. It’ll be interesting.

Art by Devaki Neogi and Neil Lalonde.

How’d you land a miniseries at BOOM Studios?

That’s a good question. I think I’m still figuring that out [laughs] but BOOM is awesome I love BOOM very much and they have been really really good to me. I guess long story short was that I met BOOM at a convention a few years ago and just started talking to them and some of their peoples. I actually started out lettering for BOOM. I do a lot of lettering still, and that for me has been a really good way to meet people in the industry, get experience and talk to editors. I don’t want to say sneak in through the backdoor because there’s no such thing, but for me lettering stuff was a way to build a relationship with editors and other creators. So yeah, that’s more or less how it happened. I started out lettering RoboCop two years ago and they were really nice to give me work and I’ve just been pitching stuff to them for awhile now and they were really stoked about Curb Stomp. Now that’s coming out, I think, two weeks after D4VE.

Art by Brian Level.

Curb Stomp seems to to be in a somewhat similar vein to Brothers James. Is that accurate?

I think in the sense that it’s not at all like D4VE or Tiger Lawyer you’re definitely on the right track. I think Brothers James is a little more of a genre book. I kind of hate using that term, but it’s really grindhousey pulpy. It knows what it is, it knows it’s in that cinematic, gritty world. I think that, if anything, Curb Stomp has a little more brightness to it. Which is really weird because Curb Stomp deals with more real social issues and there are a lot more messages in it than there were in Brothers James. And I think that Curb Stomp has a wider array of characters and different kinds of characters. That’s not at all to put down Brothers James because I love Brothers James. That was like my first passion project and I love what Brian and I have done with it; it was one of my favorite books to work on. But [Brothers James and Curb Stomp] are similar in that they’re really ultra violent but not in an offensive way, I hope. They’re more serious books and they’re more gritty. But Curb Stomp has a lot of humor and atmosphere and interesting and fun character stuff.

Art by Toni Infante.

You mentioned the violence isn’t offensive in Curb Stomp and Brothers James. The violence in the Sons of Anarchy TV show is offensive to some people. How do you address that in the comic version? 

That’s a very good question. It’s very, very interesting writing Curb Stomp and Sons of Anarchy at the same time because in Curb Stomp there are a lot of my beliefs and a lot of real issues that we’re tackling. And not to fault Sons of Anarchy, but it knows what it is and it knows the kind of content that it has. So there are a lot of differences in how to approach Sons of Anarchy as opposed to Curb Stomp. Like, if I wrote the kind of violence in Sons of Anarchy that I write in Curb Stomp, it wouldn’t feel like Sons of Anarchy. But at the same time I think [Sons of Anarchy] is a modern book. It’s a really great show so there’s wiggle room there, but there’s a distinct difference in how to approach both of them. I’m about an issues into Sons and it’s been a really interesting experience. Although they’re both in the same wheelhouse as gang-related, violent, kind-of-thriller books they’re like apples and oranges in terms of what headspace I need to get into to write them.

Your career has been progressing at a steady clip. Have you been following any sort of game plan to get where you are now?

Oh, man. That’s a tough one. I think it’s very, very apt that you ask me this today, because I finally came to terms that I’m going to quit my day job in a few weeks. I’m at that point in my career when it’s really, really fucking terrifying. This is it and I’m either going to fail spectacularly or at best kind of keep my head above water. But I think the game plan… lettering’s helped out a lot, but it’s not something that you can rest on entirely, just hope writing gigs come out of it. Over the past six or seven years I’ve made a lot of sacrifices and just worked myself to the bone. That’s what you have to do; you have to work so much and for very little. You have to work and know that most of [what you’re working on] is not going to get published. You just have to kinda hope that you get good and nurture relationships. There are so many things that affect a career. There are so many different factors that go into getting a comic book series greenlit. I honestly don’t really know anything beyond that you just have to hustle. So that’s kinda what i’m going to keep doing. I’m not going to slow down now that I don’t have a day job. After taking the leap you just have to hustle ten times faster [laughs].

You can find Ryan Ferrier on Twitter and Tumblr. D4VE #1 just went on sale last week and Curb Stomp #1 comes out tomorrow 2/25. 

Kathryn and Stuart Immonen are of course well known for their stellar superhero work, but in their “spare time” they turn out some more personal work which though smalelr and quiter, has an even greater scope. 2010’s Moving Pictures was a thoughtful and tense exploration of the relationship between a museum curator in Nazi occupied France, and a German officer set against the backdrop of World War II’s art pillaging.

Now they’re back with the collection of Russian Olive to Red King a very long in the making story about a woman whose lover dies. It’s described as “a tortured love story” featuring “petroglyphs and plane crashes and bad dogs and angry people.”

After being promised for several years, AdHouse is publishing the book in May. And here’s a preview. As you can see, it looks amazing.

Ordering info:

Russian Olive to Red King
by Kathryn Immonen and Stuart Immonen.
Published by AdHouse Books

When your lover may be dead, how long can you hold on to what remains? To whatever is left of you? A plane crash, a package, her dog, her voice. A notebook, his writer’s block, and heat-distorted summer memories of a search for Jumbo the Elephant and an absent father.

details:
176 4C pages
7 ” x 10.5″HC
$24.95 US funds
ISBN 978-1-935233-34-3
Shipping May 2015
Diamond Order Code: MAR15 0857

By: Lindsey Morris

Lesson #1 : Appearances can be deceiving. 

Help Us! Great Warrior is the latest effort from cartoonist Madeleine Flores, who took the strip from humble beginnings on Tumblr to the eight-issue limited series it now has with BOOM! Box. The comic found a strong following quickly when it was introduced online, so it’s no surprise that this new iteration has already seen acclaim and success. Who wouldn’t be able to relate to a lumpy warrior whose main concerns are looking cute, eating junk food, and defeating evil?

Lesson #2 :  The sooner you beat the baddies, the sooner you can have dessert.

Flores and colorist Trillian Gunn create a landscape of pastel imperfection where monsters roam freely, sleepy time is mercilessly interrupted, and there is just never enough cake to go around. A cruel world, indeed. The titular Great Warrior is constantly called upon to help fight demons, but sometimes she just has better things to do, you know? All work and no play never worked out for anyone.

Lesson #3 : Honesty is the best policy. 

From lamenting her lack of deodorant, to trying to pawn off heroic missions on her friends, Great Warrior is a charming goofball of a lead character. Her supporting cast of ladies, Hadiyah and Leo, bring personalities that help balance the levity of the book, offering more serious tones to the mix. Between the three of them, and Great Warrior’s new companion Buckets, they make a ragtag group of champions that will surely dominate the day in the issues to come.

Help Us! Great Warrior #1 is an excellent introduction to a great all-ages comic steeped in fantasy, snacks, and friendship.

Brought to you by Publishers Weekly, it’s More To Come, the weekly podcast of comics news, interviews and discussion with Calvin Reid, Kate Fitzsimons and The Beat’s own Heidi MacDonald.

In this week’s podcast, the More to Come crew discuss Charlie Hebdo, the attack on its offices and its cultural context as well as comics publisher IDW purchasing Top Shelf, Reed Pop buying Emerald City Comic Con and much more on PW Comics World’s More To Come.

Download this episode direct here, listen to it in streaming here and catch up with our previous podcasts on the Publishers Weekly website, or subscribe to More To Come on iTunes

By Bruce Lidl

Lost somewhat in the initial burst of news from last week’s ImageExpo was the announcement of a new Image Humble Bundle offering, beginning that morning and lasting until January 21. The “Humble Image Comics Bundle 2: Image Firsts” is a massive collection of digital comics that can be purchased for whatever price the consumer chooses. Included in the basic bundle are the beginning issues of a number of recent series, including Alex + Ada, Deadly Class, C.O.W.L., Elephantmen 2260 Book One, Minimum Wage, God Hates Astronauts, Genius, and Satellite Sam. Paying at least $15 also gets you the slightly higher profile titles The Manhattan Projects, The Wicked + The Divine, The Fuse, Velvet, Sex Criminals, Wytches, The Walking Dead Vol. 22: A New Beginning (#127-132), The Fade Out #1, Nailbiter, Stray Bullets, Southern Bastards, and Shutter. And finally, a stretch price of $18 brings The Walking Dead Compendium One (#1-48), East of West: The World, and Saga Book One (#1-18). For anybody at all interested in Image brand comics, the price truly cannot be beat, especially as the retail price of the comics would be over $300 according to Humble Bundle. Also, purchasers are strongly encouraged to mark a portion of their price paid towards charity, in this case the comics creator focused Hero Initiative. As of this evening, the Image bundle has generated almost $318,000, with over five days left to go.

The current offering is the third Humble Bundle to include Image titles. The first time Humble Bundle included any digital comics was the Image bundle in April 2014 that generated almost $400,000 revenue in two weeks, with titles including Saga, Walking Dead, Fatale, Invincible and Chew. Image imprint Skybound also did a special Comic-Con Humble Bundle in July 2014 as well, which was almost entirely Kirkman based titles such as The Walking Dead, Invincible, Thief of Thieves, and Super Dinosaur. That bundle alone generated $232,000.

Other comic publishers that have released Humble Bundles since April include Dark Horse, Oni, Dynamite, BOOM!, IDW, Top Shelf and Valiant. According to Kelley Allen, Director of Books for Humble Bundle, comics publishers are eager to work with them, and she has a number of ebook and comics bundles planned in 2015 alongside Humble Bundle’s traditional gaming focused offerings. The average revenue number for the comics based bundles so far has been $288,000 for the 14 day period. According to Allen, non-gaming bundles allow Humble to “break out from their core gaming audience” but from the comics perspective, they can also create “enormous crossover” by getting great comics in front of the very large Humble Bundle community. With a very clearly defined, and devoted, young male demographic, Humble Bundle chooses comics with both a logical appeal, like Transformers, Star Wars and The Walking Dead, but Allen also curates high quality titles that may stretch demographic borders. She “pushed very hard” to include titles like Sex Criminals in the latest Image bundle, trusting the Humble Bundle audience to appreciate an outstanding title, even without prior awareness.

While the Humble Bundles may help expand the reach of digital comics, they are also helping to encourage comics publishers to feel comfortable with forgoing DRM protections for their products. Humble Bundles, regardless of content, gaming or ebooks, do not use Digital Rights Management anti-copying technologies, both for philosophical reasons and from a practical standpoint. As Allen pointed out, why use DRM when the consumer could theoretically decide to purchase the content for one cent in any case? Even Dark Horse, which has been very reluctant to forgo DRM generally, was convinced to try not using it for their big Star Wars themed Humble Bundle in October and was rewarded with sales over $375,000 for the two week offering.

Fundamentally, the Humble Bundle “pay what you want” approach reflects exactly the insights independent game developers have learned over the years in regards to digital sales. Since their products are almost universally available to be pirated, often in formats that are actually *more* user friendly than the official versions, game creators have learned to embrace the concept of giving customers compelling reasons to purchase, in the recognition that they do not have to anymore. Distribution options like Steam and Humble Bundle provide explicit value beyond what a pirated version can give, whether through ease of use, personal connection to the creators, community recognition, charitable giving, etc. The Humble Bundle experiment really leverages the unique potential of digital distribution, as the pay what you want model could not really scale in a system that necessitated fulfillment and postage charges. With this almost “donation” type model there is no extra expense for the seller after the first sale, everything after that is essentially “profit.” And the possibility that the new readers exposed to the material may become fans, and go on to make further purchases, even print purchases in local comic books stores, only heightens the value of the Humble Bundle offering. We are likely to see a number of interesting comics based bundles in 2015 and we will learn if this kind of non-traditional sales can become a significant portion of publishers’ revenue, in much the same way digital has already established itself recently.

While comics seem to be holding their own as an industry, with revenue generally up, there are a few folks on shaky ground, and 2014 saw a few casualties. One of them is Great Beast, the indie uUK graphic novel publisher run by cartoonists Adam Cadwell and Mark Ellerby. The imprint was sort of run as an “Image” like model, with Great Beast generally handling distribution for an emerging generation of UK cartoonists including , Robert M Ball, Dan Berry, Adam Cadwell, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, Dan Cox, John Cei Douglas, Marc Ellerby, Isabel Greenberg, John Riordan and Rachael Smith.

The reason for the shut down? Too much success basically. Ellerby had left running the publisher earlier in the year and Cadwell did not have the time to keep things going:

The reason behind this decision is that the Beast has grown too big for us to handle. As the group got bigger, as the books became more successful and as we widened the range of shops we sold to there became more of a need for the management and promotion to come from one or two people and Marc Ellerby and I (Adam Cadwell) happily took up that role. However, as time went on we found that the time spent working for the benefit of the group was getting in the way of us actually making our own comics, which is why we started the group in the first place. In Summer, Marc stepped back from the ‘publishing’ side of things to focus on his freelance work and his comics and now as 2014 draws to a close I feel like it’s time for me to do the same.

We looked at many ways of monetising the group so we could pay someone to run things whilst still giving the creators the bulk of the profits but we just couldn’t find a fair way to make it work. I wish we could find a business minded person who loved our comics (but didn’t make comics themselves) who could find a way to make the model financially viable and take over but I can’t imagine who that would be or how it would work.
Marc and I started Great Beast in April 2012 as a place to self publish comics to a professional standard and create a home for fun, accessible comics for a wide age range. Over the last few years, Great Beast has gained a reputation as an exciting and innovative publisher of quality comics and I’m enormously proud of that and of all the books we’ve helped produce. I hope we’ve improved the perception of what self publishing can be and shown the appeal of fun, bold, original comics. Please continue to follow the work of all our fantastic creators, I’m sure there’s a lot of incredible work yet to come.

While Great Beast has joined the Great Hall of Shuttered Publishers, it definitely left its mark on a British scene that is growing and developing by leaps and bounds. Check out commentary by Zainab Akhtar and Steve Morris for more. Morris writes:

Great Beast was hugely helpful for the UK comics scene in general – the influence it wields will likely live on in a number of small-press publishers who’ve been set up in their wake. Having a publisher makes it easier for comic-makers to get press out to retailers and fans, and Great Beast were rather pioneering in the way they marketed themselves and got their books onto shelves across the company.

By Matt O’Keefe

Just a few months ago I came across a call for creators to submit stories to be published in a then-untitled anthology made up of stories that, for one reason or another, had yet to find a home. Before I knew it, the anthology was released digitally on DriveThruComics and sent to the presses for December 1st release. To get my head around the quick turnaround and the quality of a book made up of seemingly “unwanted” stories, I spoke with one of the editors, Marta Goodrich Tanrikulu. She informed me of the process that lead to the creation of the anthology, eventually titled Out of the Blue: A Collection of Strange Stories.

‘Three Sons': Written by Mike Exner III. Drawn by David Newbold. Colored by Joseph Baker. Lettered by Joe Simmons.

I feel like I saw the call for submissions for the anthology pretty recently. How long did it take for the Out of the Blue to come together, from start to completion?

Once we decided to form an editorial team and solicit submissions and production help, it took 3 months from announcing the call to finalizing files for printing. The brainstorming on whether to do an anthology and how to organize the effort started a couple months earlier.

‘Sounding the Deep': Written by Tom Alexander. Illustrated by Jim Giar. Lettered by E.T. Dollman.

How did you turn it around so quickly?The biggest reason is that the stories were all essentially complete at submission. A few stories still needed lettering or coloring.

Did you get many submissions?We kept the call to word of mouth to keep submissions from being overwhelming and ended up with 40 of them. Some creators contributed more than one story.

‘Helping Hand': Written by Brandon Barrows. Illustrated by Johnnie Christmas. Lettered by E.T. Dollman.

What made you want to do an anthology for stories that didn’t have a home?

A lot of creators mention having stories completed that are seeking a suitable home. Since a common goal is having good-quality published versions to sell both at conventions and online, collecting stories as part of a larger book that would attract more readers seemed to be a community consensus. It just required someone to organize the effort.

‘Time Machine': Written by Mick Shubert. Illustrated by Giles Crawford.

Did you worry that people would perceive them as “unwanted” stories?

We did consider using a word like “homeless” or “unwanted” in the title, but that’s not really what defines or holds the stories together. These stories will likely all find more homes. We’re simply fortunate to have the opportunity to house them together.

All the stories in Out of the Blue are strong, so if that stigma’s there it’s unwarranted. How did you find such solid work with the restrictions you had?

The editors, Corey Fryia, Marcus Muller, and myself, all were familiar with the work of over half the contributors. So we knew their submissions were likely to be strong.

‘Deliveries': Written by Mike Isenberg & Oliver Mertz. Illustrated by Jeff McComsey.

What were some of the reasons the stories didn’t have homes?

Some were developed with a different publication in mind, or a publication hadn’t been identified yet, while others may have been experiments in style or genre, independent of other projects the creators are working on.

‘As a Family': Written by Glenn Moane. Illustrated by Tomasz Wites. Lettered by E.T. Dollman.

The theme is “strange stories.” Was that theme determined by the submissions you received, or decided on beforehand?

The theme was determined by what would best unite the most stories as they were being reviewed, though we suspected based on presubmission interest that such a theme would be a contender.

‘In His Image': Written and illustrated by JE.

An indy anthology is always a risky venture. Did you consider either a Kickstarter or digital-only release to lower the costs?

A digital-only release wasn’t of much interest because so many contributors wanted to sell printed copies, though upfront costs were definitely an obstacle. A Kickstarter was considered, but we wanted this anthology printed with no contingencies, such as successful funding. The anthology was lucky to attract the interest of Stache Publishing. We hope it will sell well enough so they have no regrets.

What are some stories from the anthology you want to spotlight?

To give readers a teaser of what’s in the anthology, it includes an intense one-page story called “The Wait,” and a twist none of us saw coming in “Deliveries.” There’s lots more, ranging from family stories to legends and futuristic tales.

‘There': Written by Hansel Moreno. Illustrated by Claire Connelly.

A lot of creators put together anthologies to give home to their unpublished stories, but you don’t have a story in Out of the Blue. What, then, was the motivation for you to dedicate a lot of time and effort to make this anthology happen?

To avoid bias, none of the editors submitted a story. Speaking for myself, this project was another chance to work with comics writers and artists, which was tempting enough. Since I enjoy editing, it was also an opportunity for a proof of concept: developing an enticing, themed anthology around available stories. We hope both the contributors and their fans will consider it a success.

You can order Out of the Blue in print from Stache Publishing and digitally through DriveThru Comics.

By Matt O’Keefe

The first page of the prologue.

The first page of Chapter 1.

Gregg Schigiel describes the art in ‘Pix’ as his natural style.

More amazing books to pick up tomorrow at Comic Arts Brooklyn or via your local comics shop or the web if you can’t attend. What are you most looking forward to? Many thanks to the creators and publishers for sending me info and to CAB’s Gabe Fowler for enabling this.

Part one is here.

I’ll have D&Q and Fantagraphics in their own posts, BTW

Dip Your Dock

Josh Simmons

oilycomics.com

40 page sketchbook zine straight from the head of Josh Simmons.

MACANUDO #2

Liniers

Enchanted Lion

Sometimes Macanudo is standard comedy fare with a gag and a punchline; at other times, it’s lyrical and philosophical; and at yet other moments in other strips, it’s a weird, surreal treat. The one thing it’s not –not ever – is dull or mean. Rather, it has an air of surrealism and childlike wonder that gives it a timeless quality. It is deadpan and wacky and has the added bonus of featuring Henrietta, a wildly interesting child and a great girl character, with her teddy bear Mandelbaum and her cat Fellini. But it’s not only Henrietta who shows up repeatedly and sometimes she doesn’t show up for a while, because Liniers is thinking about other things and he needs other cool characters to situate and embody them.

DyingSami AhoThe book transports the reader thru story like broken computer game – a story without characters, a story where every attempt to
sustain life is doomed to failure and all the possibilities have been already used. Read: this is one is a horribly beautiful book. We’ll
celebrate the release at opening of the Business Talk Partner Zone -exhibition in Wayfarers Gallery on Sunday 9th, 6–9PM. The book is of
course available from our booth as well. That’s a 64-page silent comic, thread sewed in size 11.3″ x 8.3″.
Kuti33

German side: Ana Albero, Max Baitinger, Sharmila Banerjee, Robert Deutsch, Martin Ernstsen, Michel Esselbrügge (kansi / cover), Aisha Franz, Till Hafenbrak, Anna Haifisch, Jeong Hwa Min, Paul Paetzel, Josephin Ritschel, Marie-Luce Schaller & James Turek

Ötzi – King of the JungleTommi Musturihttp://www.kutikuti.com/That’s Ötzi, the oldest mummy in Europe, found in Tirol 1991. Later he moved to Finland to work as an au-pair and ending up as an anarchistic comic strip hero for this weird book of Tommi Musturi, drawn with ten different styles or no style at all.

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9th Art Ink. #5

Jude Killory

The 5th edition of my self published series of short stories. In this issue we have part 1 of BEK (Black Eyed Kid), where the Grim Reaper has a hard time getting the dead to follow directions.

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DYING WIZARD
Anya Davidson
16-pg 2-Color Risozine Comic by Anya Davidson – Elderly Wizard and his familiars prepare for the passing of the staff.

 

KICKFOOT
Dongery16-pg 2-Color Risozine Comic by Dongery – Norwegian art collective returns with a new English language zine of their patented bizarre humor.

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Psychotherapy

 

 

Mimi & The Wolves Act II: The Den

Alabaster

Hic and Hoc

The second volume of Alabaster’s beloved series about affairs, alliances, and arts & crafts.

 

Hansel & Gretel

by Neil Gaiman & Lorenzo Mattotti

This all happened a long time ago, in your grandmother’s time, or in her grandfather’s. A long time ago. Back then, we all lived on the edge of the great forest.

Neil Gaiman and Lorenzo Mattotti both remember the horror and fascination with which they read the Grimm Brothers’ “Hansel and Gretel.” The writer and the artist now join forces for a brilliant reimagining of one of humanity’s most enduring tales. Be brave, be bold, and keep your wits about you–Gaiman and Mattotti are welcoming you into the woods.

Cast Away on the Letter A: A Philemon Adventure

by Fred

Meet Philemon, one of France’s most beloved comic book adventurers!

On an ordinary day in the countryside, Philemon falls into a well on his father’s farm and lands… in the Atlantic Ocean?! He begins a wild and whimsical journey through a fantasy world as original as Alice’s Wonderland, as richly imagined as Little Nemo’s Slumberland, and as exciting to explore as Oz.

Theseus and the Minotaur

by Yvan Pommaux

Relive Theseus’s fantastic adventure as he comes face-to-face with the terrible Minotaur!

Son of both a god and a man, Theseus was destined for greatness. How did he become both the king of Athens and the creator of democracy? And why did he abandon Ariadne after she risked her life to save him? Thanks to the unique flair of writer and artist Yvan Pommaux, this classic tale is brought vividly to life in a glorious retelling of the original myth. A must for fans of Percy Jackson and mythology-inspired video games–it will captivate young readers and nourish their imaginations.

Benny and Penny in Lost and Found!

by Geoffrey Hayes

It’s not even breakfast time but Benny is already in a bad mood. And when he sets out in the fog to find his missing hat, he leads himself and his sister Penny straight into… big trouble!

Once again Geoffrey Hayes, the winner of the Geisel Award for best early reader, displays his talent at showing finely articulated emotions, as two tiny mice give us a hugely valuable lesson in what it takes to be a leader.

Boutique Mag #1

by Marc Bell

Colour Code Printing

Marc Bell’s prequel to Boutique Mag #2, 4 colour risograph collages and comics by the creator of Shrimpy and Paul!

 

Next Morning

by Juliana Neufeld
Colour Code Printing

 

Generous Bosom
by Conor Stechschulte, published by Breakdown PressThis book is an erotic psychological thriller involving a stranded motorist and a strange isolated couple.

Glancing

by Conor Stechschulte

Three kids go night swimming in a lake and look at one another in the water through the dark.

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REVIVAL HOUSE

Hawd Tales #1

Devin Flynn

Hilarity and heartbreak unfolding in a jugular vein.  Hawd Tales is the debut book by Devin Flynn, known for his appearances in the anthologies, “Monster” and “Paper Rodeo.”  Hawd Tales marks his first solo book and features a rogue’s gallery of characters emitting a sordid, street-savy kind of virtue.

Labyrinthectomy/Luncheonette

Chris Cilla
Chris Cilla’s latest comic is a flip-book of the mind-bending variety, crafted to elicit a state of altered consciousness and pure joy.

Lion Forge, the mostly digital but going to print comics company, picked up some nice 80s licenses like Punky Brewster and Miami Vice.

In the modern era of licensing, it isn’t about likenesses and wooden stories, but about reimagining things.

So Lion Forge hired Joe Casey and artist Jim Mahfood to do Miami Vice. Bringing Crockett and TUbbs to the modern day.

Since both Casey and Mahfood are certifiably bonkers*** this is awesome.

***That was a loving joke. Both are sane, responsible adults. Please do not sue me, Joe and Jim.

By Matt O’Keefe

There’s no one doing as pure a form of worldbuilding as indy fantasy comic Cartozia Tales. Not only does it have a map that it intends to explore every part of (unlike the majority of fantasy stories that leave most of their maps untouched), it has a rotating list of creators who take turns furthering the adventures of characters created by their peers. The world of the characters and Cartozia itself is expanded every issue with charming short stories by some very talented cartoonists. It fills a lot of voids in the mainstream comic book market today as a black-and-white fantasy that can be read by kids but doesn’t talk down to them. I interviewed the man running the show, Isaac Cates, to learn more about the inner workings of the fantastic, ambitious Cartozia Tales.

The map of Cartozia.

How did Cartozia Tales come together?
If you mean “where did the idea come from,” it was mostly developed from three sources:
1. An experimental world-building “jam” that I’d tried a few years earlier, using the same format where cartoonists move to a different part of the map in each issue. That was a really fun project, but it was sort of doomed because no one could give it priority.
2. A series of books that I really love, the Dungeon comics by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim, that just always make me want to create a shared fantasy world every time I read them.
3. My sense that there aren’t nearly as many smart, engaging all-ages fantasy comics as there ought to be.

I figured that to make the “map-jam” idea work, to justify printing enough copies that I could afford to pay the contributors enough to get the stories off the back burner from time to time, we’d need a substantial audience — and kids (and grown-ups) who like magic and odd creatures are a pretty big audience of readers.

After I’d put those three things together in my head, I spent maybe a month trying to dissuade myself from doing it, because I knew it would involve a huge commitment of time from me. But I couldn’t let it go, because I kept thinking that it might turn out amazing. And, thank goodness, Cartozia Tales has been more awesome than I could have hoped.

How did you connect with the wonderful contributors to Cartozia Tales?
That’s actually a long and cool story. Gathering the group of core contributors — the people without which there would be no Cartozia Tales, because we’re inventing the world and its stories together — was sort of like the first act of Seven Samurai or Magnificent Seven. I recruited people I knew were good storytellers, with different but compatible drawing styles, most of whom hadn’t worked together before.

I’ve been friends with Sarah Becan for a long time, since meeting her and reading her comics at some SPX many years ago; I’ve known Shawn Cheng for even longer (he was a student of mine when he was in college, back in 2001); Mike Wenthe and I have been collaborating on comics for like thirteen years. Once they all said they wanted to do this thing, I was pretty sure I’d be able to gather a good group.

I’ve been exchanging weird formalist experimental comics with Tom Motley for almost as long as I’ve been making comics. Lupi McGinty and our secret eighth core cartoonist Caitlin Lehman are both people I met online during the “Animal Alphabet” Tumblr project, and they were both people that I really wanted to collaborate with based on what they’d done there. I knew Jen Vaughn from her CCS days (and from conventions). I tracked down Lucy Bellwood on someone else’s recommendation, and invited her in after reading a couple of her minicomics. And that completed the core group.

As for the guest artists and cover artists, it was mostly a matter of asking my most high-profile friends, like Dylan Horrocks and Jon Lewis, first — then letting their participation embolden me to ask people I don’t know quite as well. A lot of people said no, but a lot of other people were willing to pitch in, given that there’s a sort of mission for the project (smart comics for kids) and the page-count commitment isn’t very high.

It takes a lot of faith for someone to leave a character they created in another creator’s hands. Has that been hard for the writers and artists of this series, including yourself?
You know, I think we see it kind of the opposite way. I mean, we all have that faith in each other, I think, and mostly we are really eager to see what everyone else will do with our characters. I know I’ve been really blown away with the things the other cartoonists have done with Minnaig (the otter-girl) and Ibbacod (the heron-headed incantor), two characters that Mike Wenthe and I created together. I really love to see other cartoonists “recognize” or “get” the characters, and the other cartoonists help me understand the characters better.

Think of it like this: If you have cool toys, you want to share them with your friends. Maybe your toys are special to you, but if the person you’re sharing with is really your friend, then you have to trust them to play nice.

Can you walk me through the process of creating and sharing a character?

Here is the way we came up with Wick the Wind-Up man:

First, during the early planning stages for the first issue, Shawn Cheng suggested that there might be wind-up men in Cartozia:

Then I suggested that Mike Wenthe and I might use a wind-up man in among the characters we were including on the image that wound up on the back cover of the first issue. Some of the other characters in that image (Ottie the phibbit, Reshii, Blip, Lila, Tierce and Gandria) were from stories that we had already seen; we just needed a short creature to be in front.

These are my “thumbnails” (a doodle, really) for the image:

… and this is how the little wind-up man wound up looking in Mike’s completed inks, which I would color later.

Around the time we finished this image, Dylan Horrocks gave me an outline for his story in issue 1, which featured a wind-up man named Wick. Dylan didn’t have a design in mind for Wick yet, so I sent him the drawing Mike and I had done, and suggested he might do something like that.

That’s why Mike and Shawn get co-creator credits when Dylan introduces Wick in the first story, though Wick’s personality in that story is totally Dylan’s doing.

In the next issue, when Lupi McGinty drew Wick, she gave him what has become his signature catch-phrase, “Oh, Cogs!” …

Though it’s only in the moment when Kevin Cannon repeats the line that it really becomes a catchphrase:

… And a little later Mike and I added the detail that wind-up men, like some other robots, have storage compartments, though we don’t know yet what Wick is or isn’t carrying. (The drawing here is Caitlin Lehman from my thumbnails on a script Mike and I worked out together.)

Wick’s personality has been sort of gradually evolving as we’ve taken turns writing him, though most of it is in place when Dylan writes him: talky, oddly formal, willing to sacrifice everything for Taco (the servant girl who wound him up). I can guess now that he (and, probably, those other wind-up men) will have something to do with deposing Prince Malo and restoring the true prince of Neenorra to the throne, though of course when Dylan finished his first story there was no necessity that Wick and Taco would even appear again.

It’s a big part of the fun of working on this book: you add what you can to the creation of a character or a place or a story, then hand that work in progress to someone else who takes it a little farther, expands it a little more, makes it a little more complete.

I was talking to some people last week about the way Cartozia Tales gives you the same character drawn by a bunch of different hands, and I think it actually makes the character seem more real — as if there has to be some objective entity that all the different cartoonists are referring to, and you as reader are sort of triangulating the actual character through a series of versions.

Back cover of Issue 6. Art by Mica and Myla Hendricks

You make it a goal to challenge kids instead of making content that’s easily digestible. I love that; the opposite seems like a big reason some all-ages comics don’t catch on.
Yeah. When I was a kid, I could always tell when a book or a show was simplified because it was pitched at kids, and it bothered me. I felt condescended to. I would always rather read something I don’t totally understand, instead of being pandered to, and I think a lot of kids enjoy the challenge of slightly complex reading.

At comics conventions, what I tell parents is that we use big words, but not bad words.

It’s actually pretty easy to tell interesting and compelling stories without getting into “adult” levels of violence or sexuality — you just have to make the stories about some other aspect of our emotional lives. Curiosity about the world, social acceptance, friendship, justice … none of those require gore or strong language or anything else a parent wouldn’t want to explain to his or her kids.

How wide-reaching was the Cartozia fanbase before the Kickstarter? After?
We had about a hundred subscribers before we launched the Kickstarter; now I think we have about five hundred, plus another hundred or so who have subscribed for PDF delivery.

That’s enough to keep us in the black for about one more issue, maybe two. But, fingers crossed, we’ll get enough new subscribers in the coming months to keep me from going into debt before we reach issue 10.

The breakdown of where the money from the Kickstarter went.

Cartozia Tales #5 is now available to order. Art by Eleanor Davis.

I didn’t realize this until preparing for this article because the release of Cartozia has seemed pretty dependable, but your original goal was to release all ten issues by September. Have you had any backlash for not being able to meet that goal?
There are like one or two backers who have complained, but I think everyone is still happy to get it at the pace we’ve been managing, which is about one book every two or three months. Some backers might like to get updates from me more often, but I bet there are even more who would prefer that I not fill their inbox with gradual updates.

When you gather up the first six issues, it’s definitely a good stack of reading (about 250 fairly dense pages). Plus there are the various bonus books. I was just at a convention, and people looking at the whole full table would ask me how long we’d been putting out Cartozia Tales; when I said “a little over a year,” they seemed pretty stunned.

What’s your audience like? Is there a lot of enthusiasm there?
I don’t get to see a lot of the audience in person, but I can tell you that the kids who subscribe are often seriously into the book, which is exactly what I had hoped. I mean, when I have met some of these kids they have just sort of gushed about their favorite characters, and the places on the map that we haven’t explored yet, and the things they’re wondering about upcoming issues.

The core contributors to Cartozia Tales: Shawn Cheng, Jen Vaughn, Mike Wenthe, Sarah Becan, Tom Motley, Lupi McGinty, Lucy Bellwood and Issac Cates.

Who’s your youngest reader? Oldest?
I know at least one five-year-old is really into it, because Mica Hendricks collaborated with her daughter on a really fun drawing of Minnaig and Wick for the back cover of issue 6.

I think we’ve got a lot of readers between ages seven and fifteen, but we’ve also got a lot of grown-up readers who are enjoying the book just as much. There are parents who read the book to kids who are too young to read; there are probably also some grandparents who enjoy the book on the same terms, but I haven’t heard from them yet.

Back cover of Cartozia Tales #1. Art by Mike Wenthe.

Is there any one thing you want people to know about Cartozia other than the information that I’ll include in the opening paragraph?
One of the things I’m loving about it as the books grows is that Cartozia itself feels like a coherent world — full of strange things, as any fantasy world would be, but unified by tone and oddball imagination in a way I didn’t exactly anticipate. Everyone involved is imagining stuff in his or her own way, and there are a lot of different flavors of influence making up our world, but they all make sense together. Partly that’s because everyone is so generous about collaborating carefully with each other. It’s really like a shared world, and not like a world where each balkanized fiefdom runs by its own logic. I think it’s one of the most satisfying things about the experience of reading the book: you feel like you’re visiting someplace that’s personal and idiosyncratic, but it also belongs to a bunch of different people.

You can sample Cartozia comics and subscribe to the series at its online shop.

Matt O’Keefe is a writer for hire of comics, comics journalism and even things mostly unrelated to comics. Visit his blog to see his current musings and his portfolio to view his previous work.

Everyone should  “Listen to JImmy” Palmiotti that is. The veteran writer, artist editor and publisher is one of the most knowledgeable comics people out there.  With his collaborators from Paperfilms, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner, he’s made a small publishing enterprise out of kickstarting a series of graphic novels based on the European album format. The seventh, Sex and Violence  Vol. II is ending in a few days and we advise you to get in on the Amanda Conner/Dave Johnson action as soon as possible — the books will not be sold in any other way. We talked to Palmiotti a few months ago when he was Kickstarting the SF tale Denver and got his overall thoughts on using Kickstarter as a platform. This time out we talk about the storytelling process,finding artists and also find out how Harley Quinn, which he co-writes with Amanda Conner, has become one of DC’s bestselling titles, with a huge female fan base. 

The Beat: Sex and Violence is billed as stories of “crime, lust, and redemption.” Are  these stories that you carried around for a while or did you sit down to think of  them just for this volume? 

Photo by Seth Kushner

Palmiotti: I can’t speak for Justin, but I have had the FILTER story idea for a while and was  at one point going to pitch it as a series, but never got around to it. I reworked  it so it can be enjoyed as a single story with a beginning and an end. The other  short story was something I came up with and thought it might fit perfectly into  the book. A lot of the time story ideas hit me and I keep files on them, waiting for  the right time or opportunity to place them. I have another story that I want to do  and hope we can get to a volume 3 of this series.

The Beat: I know Justin Gray wrote one of the stories, but can you tell us a little about  each of the three stories, and what interested you enough in your two to tell the  tale?

Palmiotti: Justin’s is called RED DOG ARMY and its based on actual history. Hitler  launched a full-scale invasion on Russia called Operation Barabossa, and Stalin,  reacting to this, authorized a special unit to train dogs as anti-tank weapons, sort  of a suicide dog squad. It’s a real interesting setting to tell a story and beautifully  illustrated by Rafa Garres whom we worked a number of time with on Jonah Hex.  The next story is called DADDY ISSUES and is about a mother and daughter  living in a trailer park dealing with the men in their lives. Its got a very tales from  the crypt feel but works perfectly here. Romina Moranelli illustrated it and it’s  just beautiful. The last story is called FILTER and it’s a look back on a killer’s life  and the things he has done to get to where he is today. It’s dark and cruel and  will stay with you for a while, I think. Vanesa R. Del Ray illustrates that story, an  art student I met a couple of years ago that is making a name for herself all over  now. All three stories work together pretty nicely.

The Beat: Your two stories sounds like they have fairly unsympathetic protagonists,  which I know can be a challenge. How do you make dark characters like this  compelling enough for the reader to want to follow along?

Palmiotti: Well, with Daddy Issues, you sort of understand what they are going through, but  in the end, these are killers and you should be scared to be around them. With  Filter, I set out to give the reader an understanding of how someone goes from  bad to worse. The interesting aspect of the story is there is a level or redemption  to the character that makes him a bit more sympathetic. I think the trick is to  humanize the situation into something we can relate to so we understand the  extreme reaction the character takes. Honestly, all of these characters are scary  on their own level.

The Beat: How do you find artists for these? You’ve said it’s like casting, and as a  sometimes editor, I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes you think of an  element of a comics story and an artist just pops into your head with just the  qualities that will make it work. Do you keep a physical or mental folder of artists  you want to work with?

Palmiotti: I actually meet most of them at conventions. They come by and show me  their work and I can feel the enthusiasm. I keep a file and also give them my  contact and hope they follow through and we chat again. The people that I end  up working with are the ones that stay after me and keep sending their latest  samples. I try to stay up as well on who is new and exciting in the field best I  can. I buy just about every new book that comes out, which my local retailer,  Emerald City loves. The casting thing is a perfect way of explaining what I do for  each story, It’s one of the most important parts of the job. I always say the Marvel  Knights gig was all about casting the right people with the right characters. The  magic happens after that.

The Beat: Do you ever write a story for a specific artist?

Palmiotti: All of the time. All three of the stories in Sex and Violence are catered to the  artist. I may have an idea, but once I know who the artist is going to be, I change  it to fit their style. In the case of All Star Western and Jonah Hex, we always  wrote for the artist. I think that’s how we got their best work. Issue 34 of All Star  was made for Darwyn Cooke and once we knew G.I.Zombie was going to be  Scott Hampton, the book took a creepier, grounded tone. I didn’t want to fight  against his style. I also think the work is better for it.

The Beat: I talked with you a few months ago for your Denver Kickstarter and it  sounds like you really have crowdfunding down to a science.   Were there any tweaks to the model this time?

Palmiotti: Yes, I did a few after the Denver Campaign. The first thing I did is stop  offering the expensive packages overseas because we felt the price was  too high to ask for the shipping and to be honest, a lot of the packages got  lost or damaged pretty bad. The next thing was limit the prints because we  felt there wasn’t as big a need for them this time, and last, since this is a  follow up of a series of books, we went back to press and reprinted the first  book with two brand new covers by Amanda Conner and Dave Johnson,  knowing a lot of people did not get the first one that might be backing the  new one.

The Beat: Your Kickstarter books seem to have a very European feel to them and  not just because you often use foreign artists. Is that part of the inspiration  for these books?

Palmiotti: It’s based on my love of European comics and artists. I grew up on Heavy  Metal and with that steady diet; it was bound to have its influence. I also  like to make the books mature audience books, again, a very European  thing. I feel I do a ton of all ages work for the mainstream, so we get to  unleash ourselves here and do whatever works for the story.

The Beat: On another note, Harley Quinn has been a huge hit for DC and for the  Paperfilms crew. I saw you talking recently about the fact that it has a lot  of women readers. I know it’s all still anecdotal for DC but this audience  seems to be one that is really growing quickly. Can you talk about your  own experiences with that?

Palmiotti: Amanda and I have had a very busy year of conventions and signings and  the thing we noticed from working on the Harley book is that the majority  of the people coming up to us are females of all ages. We have only had  this happen once before and it was for the Painkiller Jane series. The cool  thing about this group is that we’ve had a large percentage telling us it’s  the first comic book they ever bought and thanking us for not weighing  down the title with continuity. They say they love that they can just pick up  an issue and enjoy it without going broke or feeling left out and confused  because they haven’t bought 15 other books. It’s something I am always  aware of on all my books because I’m one of those people that, if I feel  lost picking up a book, I never go back to it again.

What we are learning is that the traditional idea of done–in-one stories  not selling in comics just doesn’t apply to the new audience buying the  books, and believe me, most of that new audience are female. I think the problem right now is we have some people running the companies that just aren’t going out and trying new comics or interacting with the next wave of readers and keep pushing things the traditional way they did years ago. The retailers themselves are seeing this happening daily now and I feel it’s the reason Image comics will continue to grow and eventually outsell the big two, unless they start thinking outside the box and just make superheroes a PART of their publishing plan and not the entire thing and start looking at the different ways a superhero type of book can be done. Harley is one example , Hawkeye is another . The traditional graphics people associate comics with have been changing for years now and the market is embracing different looks and styles that are outside the house style and its pretty cool to see.

The thing that keeps me interested in comics is the prospect of new  ideas, new voices and especially new methods of applied technology and  connecting with the audience. It’s what keeps the Paperfilms crew and I  trying new things all the time. As an example, we had a soundtrack scored  on our last book DENVER and people loved it. That and the fact that  people can go to Paperfilms.com and get digital downloads of our books,  prints of Amanda’s work and copies directly from us is the next big for  creators these days. That thing is the connection between the creator and  the fan; something bigger companies have no real interest in promoting.  This is also happening in all media. Things are changing fast, and for me,  all for the better.

The Beat: You’ve made your Kickstarters a real cottage industry, What are your  plans going forward? How many a year do you foresee doing and how long  are you going to keep at it?

Palmiotti: I will keep making Kickstarters for as long as we have an audience for  them. The people that back our Kickstarters are a lot of repeat customers  and we are growing that fan base with every project. Our plans going  forward are to do more of them and take on less work that we just do to  pay the bills. Kickstarter has been a huge learning experience for us in so  many ways. Each project teaches us what the audience wants from us. We  look at the hard numbers, the comments and all the interaction and fine  tune each and every new project to be able to connect better with the fans.  We have only a few days left on SEX AND VIOLENCE VOL. 2 and after  this, we have another book ready to roll that is a western graphic novel,  something you would think we had enough of…but this one is different in a  number of ways and we are super excited to announce it in a few weeks.

You can read my official SPC report at PW, with news and notes, but I’m guessing that  everyone who was at SPX is probably, like me, realizing that the magic is over and we have a whole year to go, or maybe a few weeks if you count APE, but in the meantime, I can keep the magic going a few moments more by rounding up some of the magical, mystical memories of SPX. I said there were a few people who didn’t have a good time, and you can find one of two on Tumblr who sat outside hotel rooms sadly waiting for the person with the key to come back. But if you could open your heart, SPX would make you love it. As the above picture shows, SPX is the only con where you can find Julia Wertz and Renee French just sitting and smiling with each other. It’s also the only place where someone would leave their computer just sitting out on a table (as one prominent comics personage di don Friday)and feel pretty secure that it would be just fine.  There is a reason why people puts up so many pics and blog so much about this show—it’s a full on love affair.

§ Webtooner Even Dahm gets right to the heart of the matter comparing SDCC with SPX—really the indispensable alpha and omega of US shows:

SDCC was fun but kind of discouraging, and presents an image of what is now, I guess, the Entire entertainment industry in a bluntly capitalistic way: the most space is given to the companies with the most money for it, and the events and products are talked about according to a similar hierarchy. I don’t like it but it makes its own kind of sense and it’s how things are: work that makes money has more mobility in the culture, and barring any strongly-principled management at events like this, the amount of money the work makes will be the thing that decides its place. I try really hard to not get pessimistic about this. And of course popular things can be quality things! I like a lot of popular things. But the connection between popularity and your or my specific notion of quality is tenuous.

I leave SDCC and shows like it having spent huge amounts of money the exhibit there and feeling like what I’m doing is insignificant and untenable. I want to emphasize that this is an issue I have with the philosophy of the show, not with the attendees. I have met some very excellent people who attend SDCC every year.

I came out of SPX this year extremely excited about the huge volume of beautiful and idiosyncratic work being produced by artists working outside of entrenched & monied institutions. It’ll never be the same amount of room as the Marvel Cinematic Universe or whatever, but there is room in the culture for this stuff, in terms of attention and money and enthusiasm. It’s hugely inspiring to me to see so many people making work independently or with publishers they know personally and believe in, and seeing that a lot of that work is sustainable for them, and seeing that a lot of it takes full advantage of its independence by being brutally honest, or strange, or socially conscious.

§ Loser City’s David Fairbanks, an occasional Beat contributor, made his first journey and was swept off his feet:

The next two days were a blur of comics with SPromX right in the middle, and I can honestly say I have never been in an environment that was so pro-comics. Whether you had been making minicomics as long as folks like John Porcellino and James Kochalka, you were a cartoonist fresh out of (or still in) school, or you had never once put pencil to paper to craft a comic, you were among peers. I think I speak for most of the attendees when I say that the environment at SPX felt like home, despite knowing virtually no one there before my plane landed. Over the course of the first twenty-four hours, I made fast friends with artists and fans, and I get the feeling these are friendships that are going to last. From the (sometimes exhausted) smiles I caught on the faces of nearly everyone there, I would imagine I was not alone in my joy, and I think a great deal of it stemmed from the communal feeling of SPX.

§ Even grizzled veteran Derf shared the love:

This year’s theme was a celebration of the alt-weekly cartoons, from Jules Feiffer to the end, which I believe was reached sometime last week. It’s something that is long overdue. The peak of the genre, from 1985 to 2000, produced, in my opinion, the finest, most original comix of the time. Discounting hacks like me, of course.  We were always kind of the bastard stepchildren of both the mainstream comic strip community and the indy comix community. I always felt like an outsider to both. Now I’m a B-minus Indy Comix Star, so those days are behind me, as are comic strips, but it’s nice to see the genre get it’s due.

§ Jane Irwin, like many, had a stellar show sales wise:
This year I had the best SPX I’ve ever had — but for some reason I neglected to take any photos other than the sad, blurry one at the top of this post (the lettered balloons were to identify the blocks of tables — I was in the “L” block). It may have been because I was just so busy at my table — the crowds were incredibly heavy and were extremely generous — I heard some folks could barely stop selling long enough to go to the bathroom, and several people sold out of books entirely on the first day, including C. Spike Trotman and my next-door neighbor, Pregnant Butch author A.K. Summers. I sold out of Clockwork Game mid-day on Sunday, but I was able to take orders for a few more copies (they went out this afternoon, and should arrive soon!) and I know I could’ve sold a dozen more, if I’d only had them on hand.
§ Roger Langridge didn’t even break even and he still had a great time:

I attended SPX this past weekend. As usual, I had an excellent time. Despite it not being a successful trip from a financial point of view (although I covered my biggest expense, I’m still somewhat out of pocket at the end of it) I’m really glad I went. I find I need SPX in my life every so often as a kind of course corrective; a reminder of the kind of comics I ought to be doing.

I have a really strong attachment to this show. SPX was the first show I ever attended in the USA, back in 2000. I was just there as a visitor, not even as an exhibitor; it was the year Will Eisner was there, I remember. I bought minicomics from Craig Thompson. I met Dean Haspiel for the first time, who went out of his way to make me feel like a part of the community, which I will always be grateful for. Attending that show energised me to turn my Fred the Clown webcomic into a self-published comic book, which in turn has led to every opportunity I’ve had in comics since then. Without SPX, it’s probably fair to say that my subsequent career wouldn’t have happened.

So I keep coming back. Not every year, but I try to do at least every other year. And each time, I feel like it’s a timely reminder that these are the kinds of comics I ought to be doing: comics straight from the cartoonist’s brain to the reader’s hands, without compromises.

 

§ It’s not just a place to hang out! You can get work!!! Game designer \ Daniel Solis says it’s a great place to find new talent. And I know animation scouts go every year:

I came into the fandom a bit late, but it’s such a welcoming and vibrant community that I never felt out of place. After weeks of awful news coming from gamer culture, it was such a positive experience at SPX seeing diverse creators and fans in a niche community all supporting each other. It can happen, people! I’ve seen it! But I really recommend SPX to tabletop game designers because it is an excellent place to network with lots of undiscovered and rising talent. You can check out the artists I talked to at SPX on my pinterest board here. Specifically for “SPX 2014″ tag in the description. Also check out the SPX Tumblr and Twitter feeds for more cool arts.

§ Joshua O’Neill of Locust Moon captures the unique nature of Camp Comics at the Marriott:

As usual, half of the reason for the glory of SPX is due to the Bethesda Marriott Hotel, whose comfy confines are given over completely to the endless array of misfits that we call a comics industry. It’s more than just a con venue — it’s the eye of the storm, for one brief weekend this one building is the center of the comics universe. You exhibit there, you drink there, you draw there, you sleep there. (You eat elsewhere and abruptly realize there’s such a thing as outside.) By the end of the weekend it feels like home. I’m not sure Jesse Reklaw ever put on a pair of shoes. To the maids and bellhops it must be kind of like going to the zoo, if the animals were all inside of your house. Their hospitality was stunning, and can in no way be attributed to the eight bazillion dollars they generated in overpriced drink sales.

And visual representations:

OMG, someone on my flight back home is reading a copy of my book. Someone I don’t know!

— Nick Sumida (@nsumida) September 14, 2014

Still processing the joy ;) http://t.co/3idQSAxGsF Big THX to everyone who made all the @SPXcomics magic happen pic.twitter.com/15oGSRjqvd

— Connie Sun (@dearconnie) September 15, 2014

And so on and so forth….I probably could have found a half dozen more similar tributes, but I’ll leave with just a few representative photos.

Am I the only person who caught the TV in the bar switching from football to vibrator infomercials on Friday?

Can you believe these people are all FIRST TIME SPXers? Okay Chris Butcher went before, but he hadn’t been to the “new” venue, which is really the only venue most people know. Amy Chu, Louie Chin, Murilo, Butcher and Brigid Alverson were all converts by the end of the weekend.

Fun and frolic at the SPromX. Looks like it will be back next year…and so will I.

By Chris Rice

A few interesting new entries this month, headed by, of all things, The Death of Archie! That’s joined by Rick Remender’s new book Low, and a pair of new Doctor Who books become Titan’s biggest selling comics yet. Lots of books not charting this month for reasons explained below.

Marvel went a bit bonkers this month, and seem to have released about 25-30 more titles than normal, meaning there are only 126 indie titles charting in the top 300, well down on last month’s 148. Despite that, overall sales were up at 1,766,686, compared to last month’s 1,624,693, so average sales this month are 14,021, a huge increase on last month’s 10,977. 31 titles went up in sales and 72 went down, with the rest made up of new entries and specials.

Image are still at number one with an 8.83% dollar share and a 10.97% market share, IDW at second place with a 5.43% dollar share and 4.67% market share. Dark Horse have a 4.73% dollar share and a 4.03% market share, Dynamite have a 2.59% dollar share and 2.40% market share and Boom! have a 2.32 % dollar share and 2.14% market share.

UK and European sales from Diamond UK are not reported in this chart.

Thanks to icv2.com and Milton Griepp for permission to use these numbers, which are estimates, and can be found here.

12. The Walking Dead (Image)

07/2009: The Walking Dead #63 - 24,001
07/2010: The Walking Dead #75 - 33,079
07/2011: The Walking Dead #87 - 32,126
07/2012: The Walking Dead #100 - 388,038
07/2013: The Walking Dead #112 - 72,975

====

08/2013: The Walking Dead #113 - 70,273 (-3.7%)
09/2013: The Walking Dead #114 - 70,440 (+0.2%)
10/2013: The Walking Dead #115 - 310,584 (329,127)(+340.9%)
10/2013: The Walking Dead Tyreese Special - 40,572
10/2013: The Walking Dead #1 10th Anniversary Ed - 39,780
11/2013: The Walking Dead #116 - 69,913 (-77.5%)
11/2013: The Walking Dead #117 - 68,818 (-1.6%)
12/2013: The Walking Dead #118 - 68,020 (-1.2%)
01/2014: The Walking Dead #119 - 65,151 (-4.2%)
01/2014: The Walking Dead #120 - 65,286 (+0.2%)
02/2014: The Walking Dead #121 - 65,244 (-0.1%)
02/2014: The Walking Dead #122 - 64,810 (-0.6%)
03/2014: The Walking Dead #123 - 64,460 (-0.5%)
03/2014: The Walking Dead #124 - 64,659 (+0.3%)
04/2014: The Walking Dead #125 - 66,761 (+3.3%)
04/2014: The Walking Dead #126 - 67,853 (+1.6%)
05/2014: The Walking Dead #127 - 71,352 (+5.2%)
06/2014: The Walking Dead #128 - 74,326 (+4.2%)
07/2014: The Walking Dead #129 - 72,908 (-1.9%)

A slight drop, but still one of the stronger months for the industry’s premier indie book.

27, 42, 297. Life With Archie(Archie)

07/2014: Life with Archie #36 - 57,054
07/2014: Life with Archie Magazine #36 - 6,653
07/2014: Life with Archie #37 - 48,842

So they killed Archie Andrews. He heroically threw himself in front of a gunman’s bullet to save his friend Kevin Keller, and these sales are what happened. Just to give some perspective, last time this book charted, back in January 2011, it sold 2,802 copies through the direct market. With this and Afterlife with Archie, someone in the editorial or marketing department is obviously on the right track!

30. Saga (Image)

07/2012: Saga #5 - 40,556
07/2013: - 

====

08/2013: Saga #13 - 55,372 (+3.8%)
09/2013: Saga #14 - 55,585 (+0.4%)
10/2013: Saga #15 - 54,816 (-1.4%)
11/2013: Saga #16 - 54,593 (-0.4%)
12/2013: Saga #17 - 53,264 (-2.4%)
01/2014: Saga #18 - 53,139 (-0.4%)
02-04/2014: -
05/2014: Saga #19 - 55,422 (+4.3%)
06/2014: Saga #20 - 56,497 (+1.9%)
07/2014: Saga #21 - 55,893 (-1.1%)

Holding very steady this month. I’m gonna slightly stick my neck out and predict that this book won’t go below 40,000 copies for the whole of its run, regardless of how long it lasts.

32. Outcast (Image)

06/2014: Outcast #1 - 71,788
07/2014: Outcast #2 - 55,126 (-23.2%)

I would say that’s a very healthy drop; if it can keep its sales around the high 40,000s that has to be a huge success.

54. Low (Image)

07/2014: Low #1 - 43,340

That man Rick Remender has another in an incredible string of hits with Image, this time beautifully illustrated by Greg Tocchini. How many books does this guy write now?

59, 67. Doctor Who Ongoing (IDW)

07/2009: Doctor Who #1 - 10,949
07/2010: Doctor Who #13 - 6,636
07/2011: Doctor Who Vol. 2 #7 - 7,356
07/2013: Doctor Who Vol. 3 #11 - 11,425

====

08/2013: Doctor Who Vol. 3 #12 - 10,220 (-10.5%)
09/2013: Doctor Who Vol. 3 #13 - 14,499 (+41.9%)
10/2013: Doctor Who Vol. 3 #14 - 10,826 (-25.3%)
11/2013: Doctor Who Vol. 3 #15 - 10,926 (+0.9%)
12/2013: Doctor Who Vol. 3 #16 - 10,264 (-6.1%)
12/2013: Doctor Who Special 2013 - 10,926 
07/2014: Doctor Who 11th Doctor #1 - 41,068
07/2014: Doctor Who 12th Doctor #1 - 39,707

I happen to know that the 11th Doctor issue has sold out of a 100,000 copy print run and gone to a second print, so these numbers certainly don’t provide the whole picture. I’ve included the previous IDW run for perspective, but will be splitting the two titles into their own listings from next month.

101. Black Science (Image)

11/2013: Black Science #1 - 40,873
12/2013: Black Science #2 - 20,151 (-50.7%)
01/2014: Black Science #3 - 23,965 (-18.9%)
02/2014: Black Science #4 - 25,713 (+7.3%)
03/2014: -
04/2014: Black Science #5 - 25,492 (-0.9%)
04/2014: Black Science #6 - 24,892 (-2.3%)
06/2014: Black Science #7 - 28,147 (+13.1%)

The second arc sees a very healthy increase.

105. Wicked & Divine (Image)

06/2014: Wicked & Divine #1 - 42,948
07/2014: Wicked & Divine #2 - 27,962 (-34.9%)

Not too bad a drop at all, and still a solid hit.

106. Star Wars (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Star Wars #7 - 41,611

====

08/2013: Star Wars #8 - 38,792 (-6.8%)
09/2013: Star Wars #9 - 37,502 (-3.3%)
10/2013: Star Wars #10 - 36,019 (-3.9%)
10/2013: 1-for-1 Star Wars #1 - 16,690 (-3.9%)
11/2013: Star Wars #11 - 34,227 (-5.0%)
12/2013: Star Wars #12 - 33,093 (-3.3%)
01/2014: Star Wars #13 - 31,543 (-4.7%)
02/2014: Star Wars #14 - 30,828 (-2.3%)
03/2014: Star Wars #15 - 29,967 (-2.8%)
04/2014: Star Wars #16 - 29,087 (-2.9%)
05/2014: Star Wars #17 - 28,241 (-2.9%)
06/2014: Star Wars #18 - 27,898 (-1.2%)
07/2014: Star Wars #19 - 27,197 (-2.5%)

Into the last 6 issues.

107, 109. East of West (Image)

07/2013: East of West #4 - 43,228

====

08/2013: East of West #5 - 36,345 (-15.9%)
09/2013: East of West #6 - 33,381 (-8.2%)
10/2013: -
11/2013: East of West #7 - 32,889 (-1.4%)
12/2013: East of West #8 - 31,059 (-5.6%)
01/2014: East of West #9 - 29,885 (-3.8%)
02/2014: -
03/2014: East of West #10 - 28,853 (-3.4%)
04/2014: East of West #11 - 28,090 (-2.6%)
05/2014: East of West #12 - 27,056 (-3.7%)
06/2014: -
07/2014: East of West #13 - 26,531 (-1.9%)
07/2014: East of West #14 - 26,361 (-0.6%)

Pretty solid this month.

111. Supreme Blue Rose (Image)

07/2014: Supreme Blue Rose #1 - 26,100

A good launch for Warren Ellis’ turn to play with Rob Liefield’s toys. This is Ellis at his most conceptual and arch, and he’s ably joined by Tula Lotay, doing some lovely things with layout and colour. No idea what it’s actually about yet.

115. Afterlife with Archie (Archie)

10/2013: Afterlife With Archie #1 - 41,533 (47,195)
11/2013: Afterlife With Archie #2 - 19,188 (-53.8%)
12/2013: -
01/2014: Afterlife With Archie #3 - 24,266 (+26.5%)
02/2014: -
03/2014: Afterlife With Archie #4 - 24,165 (-0.4%)
04/2014: -
05/2014: Afterlife With Archie #5 - 27,071 (+12.0%)
06/2014: -
07/2014: Afterlife With Archie #6 - 25,702 (-5.1%)

Holding up very well, even with a slight dip this month.

124. Trees (Image)

05/2014: Trees #1 - 31,926
06/2014: Trees #2 - 25,515 (-20.1%)
07/2014: Trees #3 - 23,822 (-6.6%)

Ellis’ other indie book starts levelling out at an encouragingly high sales level.

130. Transformers vs GI Joe (IDW)

07/2014: Transformers vs GI Joe #1 - 23,009

That’s a very strong debut, higher sales than either title command on their own. Or indeed, added together.

140. Southern Bastards (Image) 

04/2014: Southern Bastards #1 - 38,029
05/2014: Southern Bastards #2 - 25,811 (-32.1%)
06/2014: -
07/2014: Southern Bastards #3 - 21,313 (-17.4%)

Average third-issue drop, I would imagine sales will settle around the high teens.

141. Spread (Image)

07/2014: Spread #1 - 21,150

Justin Jordan’s new book self-admittedly has similar themes to both Saga and Last of Us, in it’s post-apocalyptic setting and narration by a character who is a baby at the time of the book, but it’s been forming since before both of those stories started, and it’s pretty interesting in its own right.

142. My Little Pony (IDW)

07/2013: My Little Pony #9 - 41,444

====

08/2013: My Little Pony #10 - 24,475 (31,860) (-30.4%)
08/2013: My Little Pony Cover Gallery #1 - 6,859
09/2013: My Little Pony #11 - 32,784 (+33.9%)
10/2013: My Little Pony #12 - 23,686 (31,365) (-27.7%)
10/2013: My Little Pony 2013 Annual - 18,614
11/2013: My Little Pony #13 - 35,653 (+50.5%)
11/2013: My Little Pony Art Gallery - 6,028
12/2013: My Little Pony #14 - 22,990 (30,725)(-35.5%)
01/2014: My Little Pony #15 - 27,461 (+19.4%)
02/2014: My Little Pony #16 - 26,942 (-1.9%)
02/2014: My Little Pony 100 Penny Press #1 - 21,957 (-1.9%)
03/2014: My Little Pony #17 - 26,683 (-0.9%)
04/2014: My Little Pony #18 - 26,091 (-2.2%)
05/2014: My Little Pony #19 - 22,820 (-12.5%)
06/2014: My Little Pony #20 - 20,711 (-9.2%)
07/2014: My Little Pony #21 - 20,871 (+0.8%)

149. My Little Pony Friends Forever (IDW)

01/2014: MLP Friends Forever #1 - 23,370 
02/2014: MLP Friends Forever #2 - 20,676 (-11.5%)
03/2014: MLP Friends Forever #3 - 20,038 (-3.1%)
04/2014: MLP Friends Forever #4 - 20,149 (+0.5%)
05/2014: MLP Friends Forever #5 - 19,312 (-4.2%)
06/2014: MLP Friends Forever #6 - 18,132 (-6.1%)
07/2014: MLP Friends Forever #7 - 19,850 (+9.5%)

Both Pony books see a rise this month, Friends Forever in particular.

153. Lazarus (Image)

05/2013: Lazarus #1 - 48,030
07/2013: Lazarus #2 - 27,143 (31,470)(-43.5%)
08/2013: Lazarus #3 - 24,961 (-8.0%)
10/2013: Lazarus #4 - 23,701 (-5.0%)
12/2013: Lazarus #5 - 22,695(-4.2%)
02/2014: Lazarus #6 - 21,198(-6.6%)
03/2014: Lazarus #7 - 20,150(-4.9%)
04/2014: Lazarus #8 - 19,826(-1.6%)
07/2014: Lazarus #9 - 19,066(-3.8%)

Starting to settle into a gradual downward slide, but still performing well.

157. Buffy TVS (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Buffy TVS Season 9 #23 - 20,768

====

08/2013: Buffy TVS Season 9 #24 - 20,584 (-0.9%)
09/2013: Buffy TVS Season 9 #25 - 20,392 (-0.9%)
03/2014: Buffy TVS Season 10 #1 - 27,851 (+36.6%)
04/2014: Buffy TVS Season 10 #2 - 21,804 (-21.7%)
05/2014: Buffy TVS Season 10 #3 - 20,556 (-5.7%)
06/2014: Buffy TVS Season 10 #4 - 19,365 (-5.8%)
07/2014: Buffy TVS Season 10 #5 - 18,827 (-2.8%)

Standard attrition.

158. Velvet (Image)

10/2013: Velvet #1 - 41,897
12/2013: Velvet #2 - 25,549 (-39.0%)
01/2014: Velvet #3 - 23,177 (-9.3%)
03/2014: Velvet #4 - 21,412 (-7.6%)
05/2014: Velvet #5 - 20,258 (-5.4%)
07/2014: Velvet #6 - 18,775 (-7.3%)

Dropping a little fast, but still healthy.

160. Star Wars Rebel Heist (Dark Horse)

04/2014: Star Wars Rebel Heist #1 - 24,913
05/2014: Star Wars Rebel Heist #2 - 20,387 (-18.2%)
06/2014: Star Wars Rebel Heist #3 - 19,379 (-4.9%)
07/2014: Star Wars Rebel Heist #4 - 18,710 (-3.4%)

The series closes out at a very decent sales-level.

164. Dark Engine (Image)

07/2014: Dark Engine #1 - 17,407

I’ve read the first two issues and enjoyed them, but I honestly couldn’t tell you what this book is about. I would suggest that does not bode well for sales.

169. Nailbiter (Image)

05/2014: Nailbiter #1 - 22,746
06/2014: Nailbiter #2 - 15,193 (-33.2%)
07/2014: Nailbiter #3 - 16,581 (+9.1%)

A nice little increase as word of mouth spreads.

171. Star Wars Darth Maul (Dark Horse)

07/2012: Darth Maul Death Sentence #1 - 18,579

====

05/2014: Darth Maul Son of Dathomir #1 - 17,905
06/2014: Darth Maul Son of Dathomir #2 - 15,829 (-11.6%)
07/2014: Darth Maul Son of Dathomir #3 - 15,994 (+1.0%)

Dead solid.

173. Ragnarok (IDW)

07/2014: Ragnarok #1 - 15,598

Walt Simonson tells a very different tale of the Norse gods than those he used to write in the pages of Marvel’s Mighty Thor.

175. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW)

07/2012: TMNT #12 - 18,789
07/2013: TMNT #24 - 16,484

====

08/2013: TMNT #25 - 17,833 (+8.0%)
09/2013: TMNT #26 - 17,322 (-2.9%)
10/2013: TMNT #27 - 17,042 (-1.6%)
11/2013: TMNT #28 - 17,045 (0%)
12/2013: TMNT #29 - 15,532 (-8.9%)
01/2014: TMNT #30 - 14,979 (-3.6%)
02/2014: TMNT #31 - 14,684 (-2.0%)
03/2014: TMNT #32 - 15,040 (+2.4%)
04/2014: TMNT #33 - 16,736 (+11.3%)
05/2014: TMNT 30th Anniversary Special - 13,391 
06/2014: TMNT #34 - 17,442 (+4.2%)
06/2014: TMNT #35 - 15,174 (-13.0%)
07/2014: TMNT #36 - 15,415 (+1.6%)

Solid.

178. Manifest Destiny (Image)

11/2013: Manifest Destiny #1 - 17,371
12/2013: Manifest Destiny #2 - 12,801 (-26.3%)
01/2014: Manifest Destiny #3 - 12,034 (-6.0%)
02/2014: Manifest Destiny #4 - 13,291 (+10.4%)
03/2014: Manifest Destiny #5 - 14,152 (+6.5%)
04/2014: Manifest Destiny #6 - 14,851 (+4.9%)
06/2014: Manifest Destiny #7 - 21,500 (+44.8%)
07/2014: Manifest Destiny #8 - 15,060 (-29.9%)

Shamefully, I managed to miss this last month, when it shot up for the beginning of the new arc. Now it’s dropped back off again a bit, but it’s still up overall.

179. Big Trouble in Little China (Boom!)

06/2014: Big Trouble In Little China #1 - 24,160
07/2014: Big Trouble In Little China #2 - 14,838 (-38.6%)

Quite a big drop, but still just Boom’s biggest seller…

180. Adventure Time (Boom!)

07/2012: Adventure Time #6 - 26,019
07/2013: Adventure Time #18 - 21,071

====

08/2013: Adventure Time #19 - 19,852 (-5.8%)
09/2013: Adventure Time #20 - 18,822 (-5.2%)
10/2013: Adventure Time #21 - 18,156 (-3.5%)
10/2013: Adventure Time 2013 Spooktacular - 16,920
11/2013: Adventure Time #22 - 16,905 (-6.9%)
12/2013: Adventure Time #23 - 15,635 (-7.5%)
01/2014: Adventure Time #24 - 14,757 (-5.6%)
01/2014: Adventure Time 2014 Special - 13,388 
02/2014: Adventure Time #25 - 14,191 (-3.8%)
03/2014: Adventure Time #26 - 13,839 (-2.5%)
04/2014: Adventure Time #27 - 13,205 (-4.6%)
04/2014: Adventure Time 2014 Annual - 11,573
05/2014: Adventure Time #28 - 12,806 (-3.0%)
06/2014: Adventure Time #29 - 13,785 (+7.6%)
07/2014: Adventure Time #30 - 14,487 (+5.1%)

…closely followed by Adventure Time, which seems to be rebounding a bit in sales, helped by this special Marcelzine issue.

182. Fatale (Image)

07/2013: -

====

08/2013: Fatale #16 - 17,045 (-24.6%)
09/2013: Fatale #17 - 16,571 (-2.7%)
10/2013: -
11/2013: Fatale #18 - 16,154 (-2.5%)
12/2013: -
01/2014: Fatale #19 - 15,725 (-2.7%)
02/2014: Fatale #20 - 13,862 (-11.8%)
03/2014: Fatale #21 - 14,799 (-6.8%)
04/2014: -
05/2014: Fatale #22 - 14,694 (-0.7%)
06/2014: Fatale #23 - 14,407 (-1.9%)
07/2014: Fatale #24 - 14,255 (-1.1%)

The last issue holds steady, with The Fade Out, their new series, starting next month.

184. Groo vs Conan (Dark Horse)

07/2014: Groo vs Conan #1 - 13,942

The long-awaited crossover finally begins, to decent sales.

186. The Manhattan Projects (Image)

07/2012: The Manhattan Projects #5 - 18,398
07/2013: -

====

08/2013: The Manhattan Projects #13 - 17,556 (+2.8%)
09/2013: The Manhattan Projects #14 - 16,881 (-3.8%)
10/2013: The Manhattan Projects #15 - 16,842 (-0.2%)
11/2013: The Manhattan Projects #16 - 16,674 (-0.1%)
12/2013: The Manhattan Projects #17 - 15,646 (-6.0%)
01/2014: -
02/2014: The Manhattan Projects #18 - 15,076 (-3.6%)
03/2014: The Manhattan Projects #19 - 14,813 (-1.7%)
04/2014: The Manhattan Projects #20 - 14,253 (-3.8%)
05/2014: -
06/2014: The Manhattan Projects #21 - 15,126 (+6.1%)
07/2014: The Manhattan Projects #22 - 13,319 (-11.9%)

Slightly ouch. Honestly, while it’s still wildly funny, it’s had a slightly aimless feel these last few issues, as if Hickman isn’t quite sure where to go next

187. Rat Queens (Image)

09/2013: Rat Queens #1 - 21,745
10/2013: Rat Queens #2 - 12,335 (-43.3%)
11/2013: Rat Queens #3 - 11,967 (-3.0%)
12/2014: -
01/2014: Rat Queens #4 - 11,553 (-3.5%)
02/2014: Rat Queens #5 - 11,121 (-3.7%)
03-04/2014: -
05/2014: Rat Queens #6 - 11,476 (+3.2%)
06/2014: Rat Queens #7 - 12,903 (+12.4%)

Rat Queens gets the Image new-arc boost for its second highest sales.

188. Death Vigil (Image)

07/2014: Death Vigil #1 - 12,832

Stjepan Sejic writes and draws this surprisingly fun afterlife romp, and gets relatively decent sales.

189. Star Wars Legacy (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Star Wars Legacy II #5 - 15,854

====

08/2013: Star Wars Legacy II #6 - 15,394 (-2.9%)
09/2013: Star Wars Legacy II #7 - 14,924 (-3.0%)
10/2013: Star Wars Legacy II #8 - 14,576 (-2.3%)
11/2013: Star Wars Legacy II #9 - 13,999 (-4.0%)
11/2013: 1 For $1 Star Wars Legacy #1 - 6,624
12/2013: Star Wars Legacy II #10 - 13,783 (-1.5%)
01/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #11 - 13,398 (-3.0%)
02/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #12 - 13,029 (-2.7%)
03/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #13 - 12,671 (-2.7%)
04/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #14 - 12,523 (-1.2%)
05/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #15 - 12,473 (-0.4%)
06/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #16 - 12,373 (-0.8%)
07/2014: Star Wars Legacy II #17 - 12,544 (+1.4%)

Very solid over these last few issues.

190. Angel & Faith (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Angel & Faith #24 - 13,368

====

08/2013: Angel & Faith #25 - 13,335 (-0.2%)
04/2014: Angel & Faith #1 - 17,820 (+33.6%)
05/2014: Angel & Faith #2 - 14,200 (-20.3%)
06/2014: Angel & Faith #3 - 13,029 (-8.2%)
07/2014: Angel & Faith #4 - 12,468 (-4.3%)

Starting to level out, sales-wise.

191. The Devilers (Dynamite)

07/2014: The Devilers #1 - 12,311

Josh Fialkov riffs on Seven Samurai for his new supernatural book.

193. Spawn (Image)

07/2009: Spawn #193 - 20,293
07/2010: Spawn #198 - 17,985
07/2011: Spawn #209 - 13,964
07/2012: Spawn #221 - 15,801
07/2013: Spawn #233 - 15,701

====

08/2013: Spawn #234 - 15,930 (+0.8%)
09/2013: Spawn #235 - 15,081 (-5.3%)
10/2013: Spawn #236 - 13,368 (-11.4%)
11/2013: Spawn #237 - 14,411 (+7.8%)
12/2013: Spawn #238 - 12,459 (-13.5%)
01/2014: Spawn #239 - 12,369 (-0.7%)
02/2014: Spawn #240 - 11,827 (-4.4%)
03/2014: Spawn #241 - 11,766 (-0.5%)
04/2014: Spawn #242 - 11,827 (+0.5%)
05/2014: Spawn #243 - 11,714 (-1.0%)
06/2014: Spawn #244 - 11,837 (+1.0%)
07/2014: Spawn #245 - 12,090 (+2.1%)

Ticking up as it approaches the 250th issue.

194. Chew (Image)

07/2009: Chew #2 - 6,735
07/2010: Chew #12 - 13,011
07/2011: Chew #19 - 12,510
07/2012: Chew Secret Agent Poyo #1 - 15,982
07/2013: Chew #35 - 12,818

====

08/2013: -
09/2013: Chew #36 - 12,402 (-3.2%)
10/2013: Chew #37 - 12,214 (-1.5%)
12/2013: Chew #38 - 12,068 (-1.2%)
01/2014: Chew #39 - 11,487 (-4.8%)
02/2014: Chew #40 - 11,193 (-2.6%)
04/2014: Chew #41 - 10,835 (-3.2%)
05/2014: Chew/ Revival #1 - 18,259
06/2014: Chew #42 - 10,981 (-1.3%)
07/2014: Chew Warrior Chicken Poyo #1 - 12,075

These Poyo specials really are quite popular, aren’t they?

198, 265. Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)

07/2009: Grimm Fairy Tales #40 - 9,616
07/2010: Grimm Fairy Tales #49 - 9,594
07/2011: Grimm Fairy Tales #61 - 7,777
07/2012: Grimm Fairy Tales #75 - 11,108
07/2013: Grimm Fairy Tales #87 - 7,201

====

08/2013: Grimm Fairy Tales #88 - 6,023 (-16.4%)
09/2013: Grimm Fairy Tales #89 - 7,423 (+23.2%)
10/2013: Grimm Fairy Tales #90 - 6,779 (-8.7%)
11/2013: Grimm Fairy Tales #91 - 6,697 (-1.2%)
12/2013: Grimm Fairy Tales #92 - 6,262 (-6.5%)
01/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #93 - 6,362 (+1.6%)
02/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #94 - 6,175 (-2.9%)
03/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #95 - 6,036 (-2.3%)
04/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #96 - 5,928 (-2.3%)
05/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #97 - 6,055 (+2.1%)
05/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales Annual 2014 - 5,089
06/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #98 - 5,828 (-3.7%)
07/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #98 - 7,472 (+28.2%)
07/2014: Grimm Fairy Tales #100 - 11,722 (+56.9%)

Double-shipping this month, with the hundredth issue scoring particularly good sales.

200. Cowl (Image)

05/2014: COWL #1 - 20,851
06/2014: COWL #2 - 13,569 (-34.9%)
07/2014: COWL #3 - 11,604 (-14.5%)

A fairly standard third-issue drop.

203. TMNT Turtles in Time (IDW)

06/2014: TMNT Turtles In Time #1 - 13,840
07/2014: TMNT Turtles In Time #2 - 11,334 (-18.1%)

207. Star Trek City o/t Edge of Forever (IDW)

06/2014: City on the Edge of Forever #1 - 12,028
07/2014: City on the Edge of Forever #2 - 11,224 (-6.7%)

208. Armor Hunters (Valiant)

06/2014: Armor Hunters #1 - 16,484
07/2014: Armor Hunters #2 - 11,224 (-31.9%)

Three second-issues in a row, the first two with very reasonable drops, Armor Hunters sadly does not fare so well.

210. Army of Darkness (Dynamite)

10/2013: Ash & The Army of Darkness #1 - 12,620
11/2013: -
12/2013: Ash & The Army of Darkness #2 - 8,223 (-34.8%)
01/2014: Ash & The Army of Darkness #3 - 7,261 (-11.7%)
02/2014: Ash & The Army of Darkness #4 - 6,563 (-9.6%)
03/2014: -
04/2014: Ash & The Army of Darkness #5 - 6,207 (-9.6%)
04/2014: Ash & The Army of Darkness #6 - 5,884 (-5.4%)
05/2014: Ash & The Army of Darkness #7 - 5,690 (-3.3%)
06/2014: Ash & The Army of Darkness #8 - 5,455 (-4.1%)
07/2014: Army of Darkness Ash Gets Hitched #1 - 10,956 (+100.8%)

Looks like they’re going to the mini-series model from here-on. With a debut like this, you can see why.

211. Life After (Oni)

07/2014: Life After #1 - 10,899

Josh Fialkov’s second new book this month, and enormously good fun it is too.

212. X-Files Season 10 (IDW)

07/2013: X-Files Season 10 #2 - 16,729

====

08/2013: X-Files Season 10 #3 - 17,557 (+4.9%)
09/2013: X-Files Season 10 #4 - 16,999 (-3.2%)
10/2013: X-Files Season 10 #5 - 16,819 (-1.1%)
11/2013: X-Files Season 10 #6 - 15,289 (-9.1%)
12/2013: X-Files Season 10 #7 - 14,792 (-3.3%)
01/2014: X-Files Season 10 #8 - 13,981 (-5.5%)
02/2014: X-Files Season 10 #9 - 13,129 (-6.1%)
03/2014: X-Files Season 10 #10 - 12,252 (-6.7%)
04/2014: X-Files Season 10 #11 - 13,210 (+7.8%)
04/2014: X-Files Annual 2014 - 9,504
05/2014: X-Files Season 10 #12 - 11,773 (-10.9%)
06/2014: X-Files Season 10 #13 - 11,497 (-2.3%)
07/2014: X-Files Season 10 #14 - 10,850 (-5.6%)

Sales continue to slip.

213. Rai (Valiant)

04/2014: Rai #1 - 29,137
05/2014: -
06/2014: Rai #2 - 13,448 (-53.8%)
07/2014: Rai #3 - 10,665 (-20.7%)

Rapidly approaching the sales level of the rest of Valiant’s line.

214. Squidder (IDW)

07/2014: Squidder #1 - 10,537

Ben Templesmith returns to the fray with this new Lovecraftian sci-fi book.

215. Adventure Time Banana Guard Academy (Boom!)

07/2014: Banana Guard Academy #1 - 10,402

Do I hear the distant sound of a barrel being scraped?

216. Ten Grand (Image)

07/2013: Ten Grand #3 - 21,858 (-25.5%)

====

08/2013: Ten Grand #4 - 19,017 (-13.0%)
11/2013: Ten Grand #5 - 17,020 (-10.5%)
12/2013: Ten Grand #6 - 15,366 (-9.7%)
02/2014: Ten Grand #7 - 13,201 (-14.1%)
03/2014: Ten Grand #8 - 12,117 (-8.2%)
04/2014: Ten Grand #9 - 11,210 (-7.5%)
07/2014: Ten Grand #10 - 10,354 (-7.6%)

This really doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

218. X-Files Year Zero (IDW)

07/2014: X-Files Year Zero #1 - 10,333

Going back to the forties for the origin of the X-Files department.

219. Legenderry (Dynamite)

12/2013: Legenderry #1 - 27,174
02/2014: Legenderry #2 - 14,570 (-46.4%)
03/2014: Legenderry #3 - 12,218 (-16.1%)
06/2014: Legenderry #4 - 10,865 (-11.1%)
07/2014: Legenderry #5 - 10,317 (-5.0%)

The drops are finally starting to slow up.

221. Chastity (Dynamite)

07/2014: Chastity #1 - 10,208

Another of the old Chaos characters gets her own book.

222. Tomb Raider (Dark Horse)

02/2014: Tomb Raider #1 - 18,486
03/2014: Tomb Raider #2 - 13,636 (-26.2%)
04/2014: Tomb Raider #3 - 12,133 (-11.0%)
05/2014: Tomb Raider #4 - 11,300 (-6.9%)
06/2014: Tomb Raider #5 - 10,536 (-6.8%)
07/2014: Tomb Raider #6 - 10,149 (-3.7%)

Sales starting to stabilize.

223. Star Trek Ongoing (IDW)

07/2013: Star Trek Ongoing #23 - 11,022

====

08/2013: Star Trek Ongoing #24 - 10,886 (-1.2%)
09/2013: Star Trek Ongoing #25 - 11,388 (+4.6%)
10/2013: Star Trek Ongoing #26 - 10,872 (-4.5%)
11/2013: Star Trek Ongoing #27 - 9,985 (-8.2%)
12/2013: Star Trek Annual 2013 - 8,683
12/2013: Star Trek Ongoing #28 - 10,443 (+4.6%)
01/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #29 - 10,127 (-3.0%)
02/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #30 - 9,906 (-2.2%)
03/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #31 - 9,781 (-1.3%)
04/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #32 - 10,801 (+10.4%)
05/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #33 - 9,729 (-9.9%)
06/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #34 - 10,216 (+4.8%)
07/2014: Star Trek Ongoing #35 - 10,089 (-1.2%)

Solid this month.

224. Transformers More TMTE (IDW)

07/2013: More Than Meets Eye #19 - 9,320

====

08/2013: More Than Meets Eye #20 - 9,402 (+0.9%)
09/2013: More Than Meets Eye #21 - 9,258 (-1.5%)
10/2013: More Than Meets Eye #22 - 9,248 (-0.1%)
11/2013: Dark Cybertron #1 - 12,165
11/2013: More Than Meets Eye #23 - 9,579 (+3.6%)
12/2013: More Than Meets Eye #24 - 10,138 (+5.8%)
01/2014: More Than Meets Eye #25 - 9,867 (-2.7%)
02/2014: More Than Meets Eye #26 - 9,663 (-2.1%)
03/2014: More Than Meets Eye #27 - 9,409 (-2.6%)
03/2014: Dark Cybertron Finale - 9,395
04/2014: More Than Meets Eye #28 - 9,667 (+2.7%)
05/2014: More Than Meets Eye #29 - 9,543 (-1.3%)
06/2014: More Than Meets Eye #30 - 9,395 (-1.6%)
07/2014: More Than Meets Eye #31 - 10,063 (+7.1%)

A bit of an increase.

228. Lumberjanes (Boom!)

04/2014: Lumberjanes #1 - 13,129
05/2014: Lumberjanes #2 - 9,904 (-24.6%)
06/2014: Lumberjanes #3 - 9,150 (-7.6%)
07/2014: Lumberjanes #4 - 9,988 (+9.2%)

Sales catch up to word-of-mouth, with a nice increase.

229. Revival (Image)

07/2013: Revival #12 - 13,948

====

08/2013: Revival #13 - 12,549 (-10.0%)
09/2013: Revival #14 - 12,254 (-2.3%)
10/2013: -
11/2013: Revival #15 - 11,468 (-6.4%)
12/2013: Revival #16 - 11,065 (-3.5%)
01/2014: Revival #17 - 10,585 (-4.3%)
02/2014: -
03/2014: Revival #18 - 10,456 (-1.2%)
04/2014: Revival #19 - 10,384 (-0.7%)
05/2014: Revival #20 - 10,341 (-0.4%)
06/2014: Revival #21 - 9,808 (-5.1%)
07/2014: Revival #22 - 9,931 (+1.2%)

Solid.

230. The Goon (Dark Horse)

11/2013: The Goon #44 - 7,894
06/2014: The Goon #45 - 8,848 (+12.1%)
07/2014: The Goon #46 - 9,736 (+10.0%)

The beginning of a new mini-series within the series and sales head upwards.

231. Hack Slash (Image)

07/2014: Hack Slash Son of Samhain #1 - 9,466

The return of Hack-Slash, and these are the second-best sales the book’s ever got, only less than the original #1.

232. Thief of Thieves (Image)

07/2013: Thief of Thieves #15 - 14,013

====

08/2013: Thief of Thieves #16 - 13,182 (-5.9%)
09/2013: -
10/2013: Thief of Thieves #17 - 12,511 (-5.1%)
11/2013: Thief of Thieves #18 - 11,809 (-5.6%)
12/2013: -
01/2014: Thief of Thieves #19 - 11,291 (-4.4%)
02-03/2014: -
04/2014: Thief of Thieves #20 - 9,874 (-12.6%)
05/2014: Thief of Thieves #21 - 9,625 (-2.5%)
07/2014: Thief of Thieves #22 - 9,457 (-1.7%)

Slowly declining.

233. Vampirella (Dynamite)

07/2013: -

====

08/2013: Vampirella #31 - 5,618 (-6.3%)
08/2013: Vampirella #32 - 5,548 (-1.2%)
08/2013: Vampirella #33 - 5,445 (-1.9%)
09/2013: Vampirella #34 - ???? (???)
10/2013: Vampirella #35 - ???? (???)
11/2013: Vampirella #36 - ???? (???)
12/2013: Vampirella #37 - ???? (???)
02/2014: Vampirella #38 - 4,758 (???)
06/2014: New Vampirella #1 - 22,864 (+380.5%)
07/2014: New Vampirella #2 - 9,445 (-58.7%)

A big drop, but still well above the last series.

234. Tuki Save the Humans (Cartoon Books)

07/2014: Tuki Save the Humans #1 - 9,425

If Jeff Smith has a publicist he needs to give them a kick up the arse, ‘cos I didn’t even know this, his new series, was coming out. Judging by these sales, neither did a lot of other people.

235. Satellite Sam (Image)

07/2013: Satellite Sam #1 - 32,452
08/2013: Satellite Sam #2 - 20,752 (-36.1%)
09/2013: Satellite Sam #3 - 16,909 (-18.5%)
10/2013: Satellite Sam #4 - 14,666 (-13.3%)
12/2013: Satellite Sam #5 - 13,060 (-11.0%)
02/2014: Satellite Sam #6 - 10,797 (-17.3%)
03/2014: Satellite Sam #7 - 10,210 (-5.4%)
05/2014: Satellite Sam #8 - 9,997 (-2.1%)
07/2014: Satellite Sam #9 - 9,271 (-7.3%)

After a slight slowdown in the drops last issue, they accelerate again.

236. X-O Manowar (Valiant)

07/2013: X-O Manowar #15 - 13,997

====

08/2013: X-O Manowar #16 - 11,019 (-21.3%)
09/2013: X-O Manowar #17 - 10,859 (-1.5%)
10/2013: X-O Manowar #18 - 11,438 (+5.3%)
11/2013: X-O Manowar #19 - 11,744 (+3.0%)
12/2013: X-O Manowar #20 - 9,941 (-15.4%)
01/2014: X-O Manowar #21 - 9,336 (-6.1%)
02/2014: X-O Manowar #22 - 9,808 (+5.1%)
03/2014: X-O Manowar #23 - 9,394 (-4.2%)
04/2014: X-O Manowar #24 - 8,595 (-8.5%)
05/2014: X-O Manowar #25 - 12,493 (+45.4%)
06/2014: X-O Manowar #26 - 10,083 (-19.3%)
07/2014: X-O Manowar #27 - 9,183 (-8.9%)

Sales dropping back to pre-Armor Hunters level.

237. Conan (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Conan the Barbarian #18 - 12,331

====

08/2013: Conan the Barbarian #19 - 12,105 (-1.8%)
09/2013: Conan the Barbarian #20 - 11,828 (-2.3%)
10/2013: Conan the Barbarian #21 - 11,800 (-0.2%)
11/2013: Conan the Barbarian #22 - 11,384 (-3.5%)
12/2013: Conan the Barbarian #23 - 11,245 (-1.2%)
01/2014: Conan the Barbarian #24 - 10,924 (-2.9%)
02/2014: Conan the Barbarian #25 - 10,736 (-1.7%)
03/2014: -
04/2014: Conan the Avenger #1 - 11,565 (+7.7%)
05/2014: Conan the Avenger #2 - 9,946 (-14.0%)
06/2014: Conan the Avenger #3 - 9,486 (-4.6%)
07/2014: Conan the Avenger #4 - 9,182 (-3.2%)

Maybe starting to find a level.

238. Transformers Windblade (IDW)

04/2014: Transformers Windblade #1 - 9,855
05/2014: Transformers Windblade #2 - 8,980 (-8.9%)
06/2014: Transformers Windblade #3 - 8,920 (-0.7%)
07/2014: Transformers Windblade #4 - 9,130 (+2.3%)

A slight uptick for the last issue.

239. Shutter (Image)

04/2014: Shutter #1 - 18,984 (21,500)
05/2014: Shutter #2 - 12,267 (-35.4%)
06/2014: Shutter #3 - 9,887 (-19.4%)
07/2014: Shutter #4 - 9,107 (-7.9%)

Still a little way until this settles.

240. Red Sonja (Dynamite) 

07/2013: Red Sonja #79 - ????

====

08/2013: Red Sonja #2 - 18,327 (-40.0%)
08/2013: Red Sonja #80 - 5,066 (???)
09/2013: Red Sonja #3 - 15,928 (-13.1%)
10/2013: Red Sonja #4 - 15,128 (-5.0%)
11/2013: Red Sonja #5 - 13,811 (-8.7%)
12/2013: Red Sonja #6 - 13,291 (-3.7%)
01/2014: Li'l Sonja #1 - 5,465
02/2014: Red Sonja #7 - 12,622 (-5.0%)
02/2014: Red Sonja Berserker - 5,810
04/2014: Red Sonja #8 - 12,392 (-1.8%)
04/2014: Red Sonja and Cub - 5,877
05/2014: Red Sonja #9 - 11,850 (-4.4%)
06/2014: Red Sonja #10 - 11,685 (-1.4%)
06/2014: Red Sonja Sanctuary - 5,486
07/2014: Red Sonja #0 - 9,009

This #0 backfired a little, it’s by the regular team, but retailers took the opportunity to cut 2,600 copies off their orders.

241, 251. Caliban (Avatar)

04/2014: Caliban #1 - 13,196
05/2014: Caliban #2 - 9,454 (-28.4%)
06/2014: Caliban #3 - 9,506 (+0.5%)
07/2014: Caliban #4 - 8,986 (-5.5%)
07/2014: Caliban #3 - 8,300 (-7.6%)

Have I mentioned how much I like this book? Two issues this month.

242. Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie)

07/2013: Sonic #251 - 12,782

====

08/2013: -
09/2013: Sonic #252 - 10,968 (-14.2%)
10/2013: Sonic #253 - 10,982 (+0.1%)
10/2013: Sonic #254 - 10,585 (-3.6%)
11/2013: -
12/2013: Sonic #255 - 10,422 (-1.5%)
01/2014: Sonic #256 - 9,840 (-5.6%)
02/2014: Sonic #257 - 9,325 (-5.2%)
03/2014: Sonic #258 - 9,023 (-3.2%)
04/2014: Sonic #259 - 6,228 (9,495)(+5.2%)
05/2014: Sonic #260 - 8,866 (-6.6%)
06/2014: Sonic #261 - 8,822 (-0.5%)
07/2014: Sonic #262 - 8,971 (+1.7%)

Slightly up this month.

243. The Woods (Boom!)

05/2014: The Woods #1 - 13,916
06/2014: The Woods #2 - 9,352 (-32.8%)
07/2014: The Woods #3 - 8,852 (-5.3%)

Starting to find a level.

244. Borderlands Origins (IDW)

11/2012: Borderlands Origins #1 - 6,409
12/2012: Borderlands Origins #2 - 5,040 (-21.4%)
01/2013: Borderlands Origins #3 - 5,572 (+10.6%)
02/2013: Borderlands Origins #4 - 5,581 (+0.2%)
07/2014: Borderlands Fall of Fyrestone #1 - 8,830 (+58.2%)

A big increase for this new series.

245, 264. Harbinger (Valiant)

07/2013: Harbinger #14 - 10,709

====

08/2013: Harbinger #15 - 12,086 (+12.9%)
09/2013: Harbinger #16 - 10,199 (-15.6%)
10/2013: Harbinger #17 - 10,686 (+4.8%)
11/2013: Harbinger #18 - 9,203 (-13.9%)
12/2013: Harbinger #19 - 9,237 (+0.4%)
01/2014: Harbinger #20 - 9,060 (-1.9%)
02/2014: Harbinger #21 - 8,473 (-6.5%)
03/2014: Harbinger Bleeding Monk #0 - 8,423
04/2014: Harbinger #22 - 8,213 (-3.1%)
05/2014: Harbinger #23 - 8,011 (-2.5%)
06/2014: Harbinger #24 - 7,256 (-9.4%)
07/2014: Harbinger #25 - 8,766 (+20.8%)
07/2014: Armour Hunters Harbinger #1 - 7,518 (-14.2%)

Not great sales really.

246. Transformers Robots In Disguise (IDW)

07/2013: Transformers Robots In Disguise #19 - 9,564

====

08/2013: Transformers Robots In Disguise #20 - 9,218 (-3.6%)
09/2013: -
10/2013: Transformers Robots In Disguise #21 - 9,220 (0%)
10/2013: Transformers Robots In Disguise #22 - 9,044 (-1.9%)
11/2013: Transformers Robots In Disguise #23 - 10,355 (+14.5%)
12/2013: Transformers Robots In Disguise #24 - 9,812 (-5.2%)
01/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #25 - 9,609 (-2.1%)
02/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #26 - 9,535 (-0.7%)
03/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #27 - 9,409 (-1.3%)
04/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #28 - 9,568 (+1.7%)
05/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #29 - 9,543 (-0.3%)
06/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #30 - 9,714 (+1.8%)
07/2014: Transformers Robots In Disguise #31 - 8,706 (-10.4%)

That’s a surprisingly big drop, I suspect there may be some copies that missed the chart but we’ll see next month.

247. Unity (Valiant)

11/2013: Unity #1 - 60,003
12/2013: Unity #2 - 18,845 (-68.6%)
01/2014: Unity #3 - 13,277 (-29.5%)
02/2014: Unity #4 - 10,644 (-19.8%)
03/2014: Unity #5 - 12,268 (+15.3%)
04/2014: Unity #6 - 9,351 (-23.8%)
05/2014: Unity #7 - 8,653 (-7.5%)
06/2014: Unity #8 - 9,442 (+9.1%)
07/2014: Unity #9 - 8,485 (-10.1%)

All of last month’s increase lost.

248. Black Market (Boom!)

07/2014: Black Market #1 - 8,414

Kind of a superhero Breaking Bad, with an out of work doctor sucked into an illicit world of superhero DNA harvesting. It’s rather good, written by Frank Barbiere.

253. King Conan (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Hour of The Dragon #3 - 9,319

====

08/2013: Hour of The Dragon #4 - 9,492 (+1.9%)
09/2013: Hour of The Dragon #5 - 9,358 (-1.4%)
10/2013: Hour of The Dragon #6 - 9,131 (-2.4%)
02/2014: Conqueror #1 - 9,646 (+5.6%)
03/2014: Conqueror #2 - 8,495 (-11.9%)
04/2014: Conqueror #3 - 8,519 (+0.3%)
05/2014: Conqueror #4 - 8,428 (-1.1%)
06/2014: Conqueror #5 - 8,376 (-0.6%)
07/2014: Conqueror #6 - 8,171 (-2.4%)

254. Aphrodite IX (Image)

07/2013: Aphrodite IX #3 - 9,339 (-0.8%)

====

08/2013: Aphrodite IX #4 - 9,186 (-1.6%)
09/2013: -
10/2013: Aphrodite IX #5 - ???? (???)
11/2013: Aphrodite IX #6 - 5,830 (???)
01/2014: Aphrodite IX #7 - 5,404 (-7.3%)
02/2014: Aphrodite IX #8 - 4,998 (-7.5%)
03/2014: Aphrodite IX #9 - 5,352 (+7.1%)
05/2014: Aphrodite IX #10 - 5,211 (-2.6%)
07/2014: Aphrodite IX/ Cyber Force #1 - 8,115 (+55.7%)

255. Chaos (Dynamite)

05/2014: Chaos #1 - 19,537
06/2014: Chaos #2 - 10,399 (-46.8%)
07/2014: Chaos #3 - 8,097 (-22.1%)

256. BPRD (Dark Horse)

07/2013: Hell on Earth #109 - 10,018

====

08/2013: Hell on Earth #110 - 9,842 (-1.8%)
09/2013: Hell on Earth #111 - 9,587 (-2.5%)
10/2013: Hell on Earth #112 - 9,497 (-0.9%)
11/2013: Hell on Earth #113 - 8,904 (-6.2%)
12/2013: Hell on Earth #114 - 8,668 (-2.6%)
01/2014: Hell on Earth #115 - 9,072 (+4.7%)
02/2014: Hell on Earth #116 - 8,674 (-4.4%)
03/2014: Hell on Earth #117 - 8,510 (-1.9%)
04/2014: Hell on Earth #118 - 8,473 (-0.4%)
05/2014: Hell on Earth #119 - 8,306 (-2.0%)
06/2014: Hell on Earth #120 - 8,127 (-2.2%)
07/2014: Hell on Earth #121 - 8,092 (-0.4%)

257, 259. God is Dead (Avatar)

09/2013: God Is Dead #1 - 26,664
10/2013: God Is Dead #2 - 15,366 (-42.4%)
11/2013: God Is Dead #3 - 14,930 (-2.8%)
12/2013: God Is Dead #4 - 13,369 (-10.5%)
01/2014: God Is Dead #5 - 11,897 (-11.0%)
02/2014: God Is Dead #6 - 12,852 (+8.0%)
02/2014: God Is Dead #7 - 12,008 (-6.6%)
03/2014: God Is Dead #8 - 11,515 (-4.1%)
03/2014: God Is Dead #9 - 10,976 (-4.7%)
04/2014: God Is Dead #10 - 10,564 (-3.7%)
04/2014: God Is Dead #11 - 10,326 (-2.3%)
05/2014: God Is Dead #12 - 9,275 (-10.2%)
05/2014: God Is Dead #13 - 8,987 (-3.1%)
06/2014: God Is Dead #14 - 8,373 (-6.8%)
06/2014: God Is Dead #15 - 8,262 (-1.3%)
07/2014: God Is Dead #16 - 8,029 (-2.8%)
07/2014: God Is Dead #17 - 7,759 (-3.4%)

258. Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War (IDW)

06/2014: Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War #1 - 10,155
07/2014: Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War #2 - 7,800 (-23.2%)

260. Sonic Universe (Archie)

07/2013: Sonic Universe #54 - 11,398

====

08/2013: Sonic Universe #55 - 9,239 (-18.9%)
09/2013: Sonic Universe #56 - 9,253 (+0.1%)
10/2013: Sonic Universe #57 - 8,874 (-4.1%)
11/2013: Sonic Universe #58 - 8,433 (-5.0%)
12/2013: Sonic Universe #59 - 8,123 (-3.7%)
01/2014: -
02/2014: Sonic Universe #60 - 7,902 (-2.7%)
03/2014: Sonic Universe #61 - 7,715 (-2.4%)
04/2014: Sonic Universe #62 - 7,927 (-2.7%)
05/2014: Sonic Universe #63 - 7,507 (-5.3%)
06/2014: Sonic Universe #64 - 7,423 (-1.1%)
07/2014: Sonic Universe #65 - 7,664 (+3.2%)

261. Elfquest (Dark Horse)

10/2013: Elfquest Final Quest Special - 9,680
01/2014: Elfquest Final Quest #1 - 9,861 (+1.9%)
03/2014: Elfquest Final Quest #2 - 8,390 (-14.9%)
05/2014: Elfquest Final Quest #3 - 7,967 (-5.0%)
07/2014: Elfquest Final Quest #4 - 7,662 (-3.7%)

262. Star Trek Special (IDW)

07/2014: Flesh & Stone #1

263, 281. Twilight Zone (Dynamite)

12/2013: Twilight Zone #1 - 21,723
01/2014: Twilight Zone #2 - 11,537 (-46.9%)
02/2014: Twilight Zone #3 - 10,061 (-12.8%)
03/2014: -
04/2014: Twilight Zone #4 - 9,014 (-10.4%)
05/2014: Twilight Zone #5 - 8,140 (-9.7%)
06/2014: Twilight Zone Annual 2014 - 5,154
07/2014: Twilight Zone #6 - 7,528 (-7.5%)
07/2014: Twilight Zone #7 - 6,976 (-7.3%)

266. Abe Sapien (Dark Horse )

07/2013: Abe Sapien #4 - 10,314

====

08/2013: Abe Sapien #5 - 9,676 (-6.2%)
09/2014: -
10/2013: Abe Sapien #6 - 9,120 (-5.7%)
11/2013: Abe Sapien #7 - 8,709 (-4.5%)
12/2013: Abe Sapien #8 - 8,622 (-1.0%)
01/2014: Abe Sapien #9 - 8,516 (-1.2%)
02/2014: Abe Sapien #10 - 7,995 (-6.1%)
03/2014: Abe Sapien #11 - 7,825 (-2.1%)
04/2014: -
05/2014: Abe Sapien #12 - 7,559 (-3.4%)
06/2014: Abe Sapien #13 - 7,674 (+1.5%)
07/2014: Abe Sapien #14 - 7,469 (-2.7%)

267. Uber (Avatar)

07/2013: Uber #4 - 12,030

====

08/2013: Uber #5 - 11,598 (-3.6%)
10/2013: Uber #6 - 10,747 (-7.3%)
11/2013: Uber #7 - 9,784 (-9.0%)
12/2013: Uber #8 - 9,065 (-7.3%)
01/2014: Uber #9 - 8,448 (-6.8%)
03/2014: Uber #10 - 8,133 (-3.7%)
03/2014: Uber Special #1 - 7,176
04/2014: Uber #11 - 7,732 (-4.9%)
04/2014: Uber #12 - 7,694 (-0.5%)
05/2014: Uber #13 - 7,653 (-0.5%)
06/2014: Uber #14 - 7,493 (-2.1%)
07/2014: Uber #15 - 7,456 (-0.5%)

268. Sons of Anarchy (Boom!) 

09/2013: Sons of Anarchy #1 - 27,601
10/2013: Sons of Anarchy #2 - 14,688 (-46.8%)
11/2013: Sons of Anarchy #3 - 13,251 (-9.8%)
12/2013: Sons of Anarchy #4 - 12,215 (-7.8%)
01/2014: Sons of Anarchy #5 - 11,607 (-5.0%)
02/2014: Sons of Anarchy #6 - 11,228 (-3.3%)
03/2014: Sons of Anarchy #7 - 9,910 (-11.7%)
04/2014: Sons of Anarchy #8 - 9,304 (-6.1%)
05/2014: Sons of Anarchy #9 - 8,511 (-8.5%)
06/2014: Sons of Anarchy #10 - 7,857 (-7.7%)
07/2014: Sons of Anarchy #11 - 7,394 (-5.9%)

270. Turok, Dinosaur Hunter (Dynamite)

02/2014: Turok Dinosaur Hunter #1 - 30,722
03/2014: Turok Dinosaur Hunter #2 - 11,296 (-6.3%)
04/2014: Turok Dinosaur Hunter #3 - 9,586 (-15.1%)
05/2014: Turok Dinosaur Hunter #4 - 8,426 (-12.1%)
06/2014: Turok Dinosaur Hunter #5 - 7,803 (-7.4%)
07/2014: Turok Dinosaur Hunter #6 - 7,352 (-5.8%)

271. Bloodshot (Valiant)

07/2013: Bloodshot #12 - 10,058

====

08/2013: Bloodshot #0 - 11,303 (+12.4%)
09/2013: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #14 - 10,225 (-9.5%)
10/2013: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #15 - 9,806 (-4.1%)
11/2013: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #16 - 8,666 (-11.6%)
12/2013: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #17 - 8,142 (-6.0%)
01/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #18 - 8,529 (+4.8%)
02/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #0 - 7,895 (-7.4%)
02/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #19 - 7,281 (-7.8%)
03/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #20 - 7,929 (+8.9%)
04/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #21 - 7,630 (-3.8%)
05/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #22 - 7,350 (-3.7%)
06/2014: Bloodshot & The Hard Corps #23 - 6,783 (-7.7%)
07/2014: Armour Hunters Bloodshot #1 - 7,334 (+8.1%)

272. Doctor Spektor (Dynamite)

05/2014: Doctor Spektor #1 - 16,471
06/2014: Doctor Spektor #2 - 7,318 (-55.6%)

274. Baltimore (Dark Horse) 

09/2013: Baltimore Infernal Train #1 - 8,280 (-0.3%)
10/2013: Baltimore Infernal Train #2 - 7,374 (-10.9%)
11/2013: Baltimore Infernal Train #3 - 7,228 (-2.0%)
12/2013: Baltimore Chapel of Bones #1 - 7,250 (+0.3%)
02/2014: Baltimore Chapel of Bones #2 - 6,922 (-4.5%)
07/2014: Baltimore Witch of Harju #1 - 7,271 (+5.0%)

275. Mega Man (Archie) 

07/2013: Mega Man #27 - 10,332

====

08/2013: Mega Man #28 - 8,404 (-18.7%)
09/2013: Mega Man #29 - 8,042 (-4.3%)
10/2013: Mega Man #30 - 8,086 (+0.5%)
11/2013: Mega Man #31 - 7,854 (-2.8%)
12/2013: Mega Man #32 - 7,352 (-6.4%)
01/2014: Mega Man #33 - 7,015 (-4.6%)
02/2014: -
03/2014: Mega Man #34 - 6,688 (-4.7%)
04/2014: Mega Man #35 - 6,681 (-0.1%)
04/2014: Mega Man #36 - 6,400 (-4.2%)
05/2014: Mega Man #37 - 7,640 (+19.4%)
06/2014: Mega Man #38 - 6,604 (-13.6%)
07/2014: Mega Man #39 - 7,265 (+10.0%)

276. The Veil (Dark Horse)

03/2014: Veil #1 - 14,445
04/2014: Veil #2 - 9,627 (-33.3%)
05/2014: Veil #3 - 8,184 (-15.0%)
07/2014: Veil #4 - 7,222 (-11.7%)

277, 298. Magnus Robot Fighter (Dynamite)

03/2014: Magnus Robot Fighter #1 - 27,497
04/2014: Magnus Robot Fighter #2 - 9,898 (-64.0%)
05/2014: Magnus Robot Fighter #3 - 8,333 (-15.8%)
06/2014: Magnus Robot Fighter #4 - 7,898 (-5.2%)
07/2014: Magnus Robot Fighter #5 - 7,205 (-8.8%)
07/2014: Magnus Robot Fighter #0 - 6,640 (-7.8%)

278. TMNT New Animated Adventures (IDW)

07/2013: TMNT New Animated Adventures #1 - 14,397

====

08/2013: TMNT New Animated Adventures #2 - 10,304 (-28.4%)
09/2013: TMNT New Animated Adventures #3 - 8,744 (-15.1%)
10/2013: TMNT New Animated Adventures #4 - 7,905 (-9.6%)
11/2013: TMNT New Animated Adventures #5 - 7,112 (-10.0%)
12/2013: TMNT New Animated Adventures #6 - 6,649 (-6.5%)
01/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #7 - 6,331 (-4.8%)
02/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #8 - 6,034 (-4.7%)
03/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #9 - 6,009 (-0.4%)
04/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #10 - 5,911 (-1.6%)
05/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #11 - 6,075 (+2.8%)
06/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #12 - 7,577 (+24.7%)
07/2014: TMNT New Animated Adventures #13 - 7,158 (-5.5%)

279. Godzilla (IDW)

07/2013: Godzilla #13 - 6,741

====

08/2013: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #2 - 7,483 (-23.7%)
08/2013: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #3 - 7,080 (-5.4%)
09/2013: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #4 - 6,820 (-3.7%)
10/2013: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #5 - 6,920 (+1.4%)
11/2013: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #6 - 6,653 (-3.9%)
12/2013: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #7 - 6,587 (-0.9%)
01/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #8 - 6,530 (-0.8%)
02/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #9 - 6,531 (0%)
03/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #10 - 6,677 (+0.2%)
04/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #11 - 6,917 (-3.6%)
05/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #12 - 7.890 (+14.1%)
06/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #13 - 6,980 (-11.5%)
07/2014: Godzilla Rulers of The Earth #14 - 7,144 (+2.3%)

280. Wonderland (Zenescope)

07/2013: Wonderland #13 - 7,253

====

08/2013: -
09/2013: Wonderland #14 - 7,034 (-3.0%)
09/2013: Wonderland #15 - 6,558 (-6.8%)
10/2013: Wonderland #16 - 6,820 (+4.0%)
11/2013: Wonderland #17 - 6,723 (-1.4%)
12/2013: Wonderland #18 - 7,859 (+16.9%)
01/2014: Wonderland #19 - 6,434 (-18.1%)
02/2014: Wonderland #20 - 5,780 (-10.2%)
03/2014: Wonderland #21 - 5,937 (+2.7%)
04/2014: Wonderland #22 - 5,374 (-9.5%)
05/2014: Wonderland #23 - 5,313 (-1.1%)
06/2014: Wonderland #24 - 5,261 (-1.0%)
07/2014: Wonderland #25 - 7,030 (+33.6%)

282. Stray Bullets (Image)

03/2014: Stray Bullets #41 - 8,297
03/2014: Stray Bullets The Killers #1 - 14,208
04/2014: Stray Bullets The Killers #2 - 9,147 (-35.6%)
05/2014: Stray Bullets The Killers #3 - 7,935 (-13.2%)
06/2014: Stray Bullets The Killers #4 - 7,092 (-10.6%)
07/2014: Stray Bullets The Killers #5 - 6,938 (-1.5%)

284. Sidekick (Image)

08/2013: Sidekick #1 - 27,832
09/2013: Sidekick #2 - 14,533 (-47.8%)
10/2013: Sidekick #3 - 11,371 (-21.8%)
11/2013: Sidekick #4 - 9,976 (-12.3%)
02/2014: Sidekick #5 - 8,943 (-10.3%)
04/2014: Sidekick #6 - 8,192 (-8.4%)
07/2014: Sidekick #7 - 6,900 (-15.8%)

285. Archer & Armstrong (Valiant)

07/2013: Archer & Armstrong #11 - 9,880

====

08/2013: Archer & Armstrong #12 - 9,971 (+0.9%)
09/2013: Archer & Armstrong #13 - 9,910 (-0.6%)
10/2013: Archer & Armstrong #14 - 10,811 (+9.1%)
11/2013: Archer & Armstrong #15 - 8,998 (-16.8%)
12/2013: Archer & Armstrong #16 - 8,608 (-4.3%)
01/2014: Archer & Armstrong #17 - 8,112 (-5.8%)
02/2014: Archer & Armstrong #0 - 8,671 (+6.9%)
03/2014: Archer & Armstrong #18 - 8,156 (+0.5%)
04/2014: Archer & Armstrong #19 - 7,969 (-2.3%)
05/2014: Archer & Armstrong #20 - 7,553 (-5.2%)
06/2014: Archer & Armstrong #21 - 7,120 (-5.7%)
07/2014: Archer & Armstrong #22 - 6,883 (-3.3%)

286. Danger Girl (IDW)

07/2013: Danger Girl Trinity #4 - 7,790

====

08/2013: -
09/2013: Danger Girl The Chase #1 - 10,180 (+30.7%)
10/2013: Danger Girl The Chase #2 - 8,067 (-20.8%)
11/2013: Danger Girl The Chase #3 - 7,738 (-4.1%)
12/2013: Danger Girl The Chase #4 - 7,411 (-4.2%)
04/2014: Danger Girl Mayday #1 - 9,051 (+22.1%)
05/2014: Danger Girl Mayday #2 - 6,945 (-23.3%)
07/2014: Danger Girl Mayday #3 - 6,872 (-1.1%)

288. Wildfire (Image)

06/2014: Wildfire #1 - 12,552
07/2014: Wildfire #2 - 6,806 (-45.8%)

289. Grimm Fairy Tales Oz (Zenescope)

07/2013: GFT Oz #1 - 19,237
08/2013: GFT Oz #2 - 11,119 (-42.2%)
10/2013: GFT Oz #3 - 10,537 (-5.2%)
11/2013: GFT Oz #4 - 12,064 (+14.5%)
12/2013: GFT Oz #5 - 10,158 (-15.8%)
02/2014: GFT Oz #6 - 9,631 (-5.2%)
03-04/2014: -
05/2014: Warlord of Oz #1 - 7,787 (-19.1%)
06/2014: Warlord of Oz #2 - 5,810 (-25.4%)
07/2014: Oz Age of Darkness - 6,784

290. Black Kiss (Image)

07/2014: Black Kiss XXXmas In July Special One Shot - 6,777

291. Samurai Jack (IDW)

10/2013: Samurai Jack #1 - 23,661
11/2013: Samurai Jack #2 - 12,645 (-46.6%)
12/2013: Samurai Jack #3 - 11,553 (-8.6%)
01/2014: Samurai Jack #4 - 10,451 (-9.5%)
02/2014: Samurai Jack #5 - 9,989 (-4.4%)
03/2014: Samurai Jack #6 - 8,960 (-10.3%)
04/2014: Samurai Jack #7 - 8,990 (+0.3%)
05/2014: Samurai Jack #8 - 8,471 (-5.8%)
06/2014: Samurai Jack #9 - 8,464 (-0.8%)
07/2014: Samurai Jack #10 - 6,741 (-20.4%)

292. Regular Show (Boom!)

07/2013: -

====

08/2013: Regular Show #3 - 16,000 (-18.0%)
09/2013: -
10/2013: Regular Show #4 - 15,269 (-4.6%)
11/2013: Regular Show #5 - 12,677 (-17.0%)
11/2013: Regular Show #6 - 11,213 (-11.6%)
12/2013: Regular Show #7 - 10,733 (-4.2%)
01/2014: Regular Show #8 - 9,201 (-14.3%)
02/2014: Regular Show #9 - 8,554 (-7.0%)
02/2014: Regular Show #10 - 7,623 (-10.9%)
03/2014: Regular Show #11 - 7,084 (-7.1%)
04/2014: Regular Show #12 - 6,540 (-7.7%)
05/2014: -
06/2014: Regular Show 2014 Annual - 5,377 (-7.7%)
07/2014: Regular Show #13 - 6,724 (+2.8%)

293. GI Joe Real American Hero (IDW)

07/2013: Real American Hero #192 - 7,361

====

08/2013: Real American Hero #193 - 7,314 (-0.6%)
09/2013: -
10/2013: Real American Hero #194 - 7,314 (0%)
10/2013: Real American Hero #195 - 7,135 (-2.4%)
11/2013: Real American Hero #196 - 8,102 (+13.6%)
12/2013: Real American Hero #197 - 6,983 (-13.8%)
01/2014: Real American Hero #198 - 6,736 (-3.5%)
02/2014: Real American Hero #199 - 6,652 (-1.2%)
03/2014: Real American Hero #200 - 11,780 (+77.1%)
04/2014: Real American Hero #201 - 8,294 (-29.6%)
05/2014: Real American Hero #202 - 6,781 (-18.2%)
06/2014: Real American Hero #203 - 6,791 (+0.1%)
07/2014: Real American Hero #204 - 6,706 (-1.3%)

296. Robocop (Boom)

08/2013: Robocop Last Stand #1 - 9,959
09/2013: Robocop Last Stand #2 - 7,476 (-24.9%)
10/2013: Robocop Last Stand #3 - 6,868 (-8.1%)
11/2013: Robocop Last Stand #4 - 5,923 (-13.8%)
12/2013: Robocop Last Stand #5 - 5,368 (-9.4%)
01/2014: Robocop Last Stand #6 - 5,042 (-6.1%)
02/2014: Robocop Last Stand #7 - 4,975 (-1.3%)
02/2014: Robocop Beta One Shot - 4,263
07/2014: Robocop 2014 #1 - 6,676

299. Angry Birds (IDW)

06/2014: Angry Birds Comics #1 - 11,939
07/2014: Angry Birds Comics #2 - 6,629 (-44.5%)

300. GFT Realm Knights (Zenescope)

08/2013: GFT Realm Knights #1 - 6,550
07/2014: GFT Realm War #1 - 6,620

======

All figures on this chart are estimates for comics sold by Diamond to direct market retailers. They include reorders that shipped in the same month. Books shipping in the first week of a month will have more time for reorders to appear than ones shipping in the last week of the month, when reorders will slip to the following month.

by Zachary Clemente

This past weekend, the 20th annual Small Press Expo (SPX) brought an explosion of independent and small press comics to the Marriott hotel in Bethesda, MD. Literally overflowing with an abundance of talent, the weekend was filled with amazing creators, signings, panels, even a wedding and a prom. One of the panels, Micro-Press and Beyond, discussed the findings of a study on micro-press comics publishers by moderator Robyn Chapman, who runs mini-comics publisher Paper Rocket, as well as posing the study’s questions to the panel participants. From left to right, the publishers are Chuck Forsman (Oily Comics), Keenan Marshall Keller (Drippy Bone Books), Anne Koyama (Koyama Press), and Raighne Hogan & Justin Skarhus (2D Cloud).

Chapman kicked off the panel by showing her findings, collected in The Tiny Report, a mini-comic she published, based on questions she sent to 52 micro-press publishers, which she defines as being “one-person publishing houses”. The purpose of the Tiny Report is to be a “micropress yearbook”, serving to be an aid in understanding and chronicling the comics micro-press movement. One by one, she took the panel through some of the questions she posed for the report, seeing how they affect each representing publisher. While the responses for Forsman, Keller, Hogan, and Skarhus were fairly uniform; Koyama, as a more established publisher had slightly different answers. Although all agreed the major challenge of publishing was funding, seeing it as the root of any other discussed challenges, such as distribution or marketing.

Data Collected by Robyn Chapman

The majority of the panel was an informative and lengthy discussion about how micro-publishing is in essence a massive clustercuss. Selling books to comic stores often requires very precise book-keeping, dealing with printing and shipping costs is a measured act of a madness, running the convention circuit can be emotionally and physically punishing, and even trying managing an online store or crowd-funding campaigns can be a full-time job. Despite all these hurdles, micro-press publishers have been springing up left and right to print minis and floppies, filling the void left by publishers left by publishers like Fantagraphics or Drawn & Quarterly, who now focus more on graphics novels, collections, or art books. Ultimately, the issues voiced come from a lack of steady funding as it’s not uncommon for an independent publisher to see a check for books sent to a store 6 months after the fact.

During the audience Q&A portion, a question I’ve been curious about was raised about artist contracts and compensation. Most of the publishers pay in copies or small royalties, depending from artist to artist and many don’t really bother with formal contracts. Only Koyama utilizes formal, customized contracts and pays a lump sum up front to each artist she works with.

“You’re an angel from Heaven.” – Forsman to Koyama

Data Collected by Robyn Chapman

Lastly, on the word of submitting, all but Koyama takes submissions through email or convention drop-offs – all stating that finished or nearly finished work is ideal. Koyama bemoaned the fact that she often cannot find the names of people on their websites or tumblr pages and won’t be able to contact them. Koyama press rarely takes submissions, only publishing 10 books a year, all handpicked by Anne herself. Everyone agreed that the best possible policy for getting published is just “make a good comic.” When asked about the “Beyond” of micro-publishing, all wished for a climate where sustainable and local printing was a more affordable option, but for now, overseas printing is the most economical option.

This was my first time at SPX and it was an exceptional experience. I’ll be back next year and (hopefully) continuing small press coverage!