As I'm not into comics/graphic novels that much, just how do these sales rate against other comics? Are they substantially fewer, or are they greater, or are they about the same?
John
As I'm not into comics/graphic novels that much, just how do these sales rate against other comics? Are they substantially fewer, or are they greater, or are they about the same?
John
The rankings show how they're selling in comparison to other comics. Right now the last issue ranked 93 with issues that were sold.
As for its success, it depends on how you look at it. There's been a very significant drop in sales from the early issues, but comic sales have been dropping across the board for all the titles to the point where Marvel and DC are going to be dropping a dollar off for their pricier titles.
Marvel considered it to be a big enough success that they renewed the series after Jericho Hill, so take that as you will.
If you want to see the full sales rankings for all the titles for this month (and others) check out the link below:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/18551.html
A hound will die for you, but never lie to you. And he'll look you straight in the face.
My Collection
Thanks!
John
Also a lot of people tend to wait for the collections. That's obviously drop the individual comic sales.
Well stated! Thanks!Originally Posted by CyberGhostface
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
Actor & Bestselling Author Team For Vertigo Graphic Novel
Vaneta Rogers, Newsarama Contributor
As part of a growing trend toward actors and authors writing comics, an unlikely pair of celebrities have teamed up on a new graphic novel.
Best-selling horror novelist Peter Straub and actor Michael Easton united to write The Green Woman, a new graphic novel just released by publisher Vertigo. Featuring art by painter John Bolton, the story follows both a homicide detective and the seemingly reformed serial killer he's hunting.
It's not the first time either Straub or Easton has worked within the world of graphic novels, and they're part of a growing trend. From Stephen King's just-finished comic work on American Vampire to Kevin Smith's recent Batman comic, actors and novelists dabbling in comics is becoming a familiar occurrence. Names like Nicolas Cage, Milo Ventimiglia, Jodi Picoult, Brad Meltzer and Ian Rankin have turned up on the front of graphic novels and comics.
"Michael and I are both very fond of graphic novels," Straub told Newsarama of their choice to write in the medium. "I read all the way through the Preacher and the John Constantine books because Michael raved about them to me - and he was right about them, of course, they're great works of complex storytelling."
The two met when Straub was given a tour of the One Life to Live set, where Easton plays the popular character John McBain. Straub was dropping off some signed books for his favorite actors. "Michael soon wrote to me, telling me that he had already known and enjoyed the book Koko, which he had in fact read aloud to his mother in her last year of life," Straub said.
As the two began talking, Easton asked Straub to take a look at the graphic novel he was writing. "I said yes, of course, and a few days later he turned up at my house with a big folio of pages from Soul Stealer," Straub said. "It was a natural evolution of all this that we one day began to talk about doing a graphic novel of our own."
Although Easton's best known for his acting on shows like Ally McBeal and Mutant X, he's written several screenplays and even published a book of poetry, as well as his Soul Stealer graphic novels. But he recognized the benefit of getting to work with a writer like Straub.
"When you get the opportunity to write a horror story with one of the true masters of horror you jump at it," Easton said. "I'm a guy who's been pretty damn fortunate. And working with Peter you get an understanding of what a true writer is. I have a ways to go, but maybe I'm getting there. For now, I'm just trying to get the right words in the right order."
This is Straub's first graphic novel as a writer, although he's been overseeing the comic adaptation of The Talisman, a novel he co-wrote with Stephen King.
With The Green Woman, the two writers expand the story of Fielding "Fee" Bandolier, the serial killer who previously appeared in Straub's Blue Rose Trilogy. But this part of Bandolier's story doesn't rely on the novel - instead being self-contained - so the two decided to tell Fielding's new chapter in a graphic novel.
"Some words like pictures," Easton said of the decision to turn away from prose. "In this case, I think it allows for a bit of magic on the page."
"We liked the darkness, the potential for violence, the odd brooding
'poetry' that seemed to move through the story," Straub said.
The title, "The Green Woman," refers to the old, abandoned bar on the banks of the Milwaukee river that is Fielding Bandolier's sanctuary. "He lives there, brooding about his terrible history and thinking about new outrages," Straub said of the serial killer. "He wishes to be released from the obligation to kill, and he senses that his release is immanent.
"In the other half of the story, a brilliant young New York homicide detective of excessive habits and deep self-loathing, Bob Steele, gradually pieces together the facts of Bandolier's existence and sets out to arrest or murder him," Straub said.
The bar, "The Green Woman," gets its name from the figurehead of an old, evil ship called the Black Galleon. The title echoes the story's theme and adds an eerie mystery of its own. "[The figurehead] is the source of the evil in the story," Straub explained. "In part, her evil comes from incompletion and the yearning for a restored wholeness: the figurehead wants to be reunited with the timbers of the old Black Galleon, now long rebuilt into a pub in Belfast."
When the writers were working with Vertigo to choose an artist, they were attracted to John Bolton's painted images. "We considered the work of a lot of artists, and it just seemed to us that John Bolton really had the tools to do a great job with our material," Straub said. "He could be naturalistic and he could be grotesque. His touch, his line and use of color, had a great deal of power -- what he wound up giving us knocked us out. Bolton did a brilliant job with our story."
"We wanted something twisted and epic and John got that from the first page," Easton added. "You never have to ask him to push the boundaries with his art because he's already doing it. We were very fortunate that John responded to our story. Sometimes you shoot for the moon and you get it."
Both authors admitted the story is very dark and disturbing, which Vertigo is marketing in light of this month's Halloween focus. "It is a story about a kind of imprisonment and the need to break out of that confinement," Straub said.
"I like to think of it as more haunting than dark," Easton said. "Hopefully it sticks with you like your shadow."
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
A big admission ahead of bigger mission for Batman
By MATT MOORE, Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA – Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is going public about his role behind the Dark Knight.
After a lifetime spent wearing the cowl — and a scowl that's made him the scourge of Gotham's madmen — the fictional billionaire is taking full responsibility for keeping the caped crusader financed to fight crime.
The admission is unveiled Wednesday in the final pages of "Batman and Robin" No. 16 that marks the last issue in a run by Scottish writer Grant Morrison.
The acknowledgment in the final pages comes as Wayne holds a news conference where he asks those gathered: "Some of you may have wondered ... how does a man like Batman afford to constantly update his crime-fighting technology? Where does his money come from?
"Well, the answer is me."
The confession, Morrison said, is part of a detailed effort that puts into motion a plan for Batman Incorporated, a global network of Batmen from China to Argentina to fight crime worldwide.
Morrison told The Associated Press that the decision was made to protect Wayne's secret identity by deflecting attention away from speculation it was he who wore the cape.
"We've sidetracked the media that he has actually been financing Batman all these years," Morrison explained of the long arc he's written that has seen the Dark Knight plunge through time and space and have his mantle taken up by former Robin Dick Grayson. "He is the man behind the Batman, but he is not Batman."
In doing so, Wayne is free to take his crime fighting international by building what Morrison calls a "global, international army of Batmen. Batman in China, Batman in Japan, Batman in Russia. Expanding the Batman brand to areas where he really hasn't been before."
Those tales will unfold in full in the first issue of "Batman Incorporated," due out Nov. 17.
turtlex comments : Wow. Wow and holy smokes!! Big happenings in Gotham.
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Shades of Kingdom Come with the Batman going for a larger crimefighting unit. I think it will not last though. In five years (real years, not comic book years) someone will come along and bring it all down.
Margaret Emmie Mackey Catoe, you are, have been, and always will be my soulmate, and I love you.
Con todo mi corazon, por todo de mis dias. And I always will, in this life and into the next.
August 2, 1947 - September 24, 2010
Oh, I'm sure it will be re-designed or whatever they're calling that these days, but I thought it was interesting. I mean, hearing Bruce stand up and say those words.
Morrison is a great writer - that helps, too.
It seems DC is never hesitant to re-imagine Batman, but they wouldn't dream of touching Superman. What's up with that?
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Stan Lee: First Hand Impressions of the Comic Book Legend
by L. Vincent Poupard
During the last weekend of October, I was granted access to comic creator Stan Lee that few ever have. Due to my all-access press pass for the Detroit FanFare comic book convention, I had the opportunity to spend more time around him than most comic book fans will ever have. After this high level of access, I found that I was bombarded with the same question from all angles. "What is Stan Lee really like?"
My History of Evaluating Personalities
A am a former business/political consultant who found it necessary to figure out how to evaluate personalities as soon as possible. In the business and political world, one has to have a keen sense of human nature and psychology, and the ability to use as many skills as possible to size up the hidden feelings of others.
My Access to Stan Lee
I was invited to the exclusive kickoff party for the Detroit FanFare on October 29 th , where Stan Lee was the guest of honor. I was rarely more than a dozen feet away from him. I had the opportunity to sit in on a Q&A session with the master as well. I spent time popping in when Stan Lee was spending time signing autographs, and taking pictures with fans. I was also able to sit down with him for a private interview (well, private if you exclude his manager and bodyguard).
Stan Lee with the Fans
While any celebrity would prefer to be known as someone who shows genuine love for the fans, Stan Lee is someone that undoubtedly does it with ease. If you are a fan in the presence of Stan Lee, you will almost assuredly sense a feeling of gratefulness emanating from him. Stan Lee makes sure that every fan knows that he is grateful for the career that he has, and exudes a feeling that he would be nothing without the fans. On many occasions, I noticed that Stan Lee was as excited to meet a fan as the fan was to meet him.
Stan Lee with Other Comic Book Creators
During the Detroit FanFare, there were many instances in which I saw Stan Lee interact with other comic book creators. Not only did he interact with the legends that he has worked with for years, but also the new creators that hope to be legends one day. In each instance, I found that he treated each creator with so much respect that an outsider might wonder who the bigger legend in the industry was. He spoke to each creator with reverence.
Stan Lee with Children
On many instances, I had the honor of Stan Lee interact with children. Again, an outsider looking in on his interaction might have been confused. They might have wondered how it was that one man could be a grandfather to so many children. It did not matter what the color was of their skin, he interacted with them as if he had known them, and loved them dearly for many years.
Stan Lee's Sense of Humor
To say that Stan Lee has a good sense of humor would be an understatement. I believe that there are few professional comedians that appear to enjoy the sound of laughter more than Stan Lee. During the entire time that I spent around him, I noticed him taking every opportunity to make as many people laugh as possible.
Stan Lee's Persona
There have been statements by some in the past that Stan Lee has a public persona that is completely different from his private one. With my years of experience, I could not pick up on any hint of a man who was hiding feelings. In every sense, Stan Lee personifies the positive qualities of every character that he has ever created.
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
His appearance as himself on The Big Bang Theory was funny, too.
Stan Lee is just so cool. He's one of those iconic people who I think truly deserve the star-treatment paid to him.
I mean, how serious can he be about himself when he was in Mallrats!!
And I love all his cameo appearances.
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
He was the BOMB in Mallrats!!
Margaret Emmie Mackey Catoe, you are, have been, and always will be my soulmate, and I love you.
Con todo mi corazon, por todo de mis dias. And I always will, in this life and into the next.
August 2, 1947 - September 24, 2010
Rare Superman, Batman covers heading for auction
By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press
.NEW YORK – Jerry Robinson was 18 when he created the Joker, Batman's villainous psychopathic nemesis. He was among the pioneers of a new American art form that included Fred Ray, whose iconic 1942 comic book cover known as Superman Patriotic Shield sealed the superhero's status as the defender of "Truth, Justice and the American Way."
The two men worked side by side at DC Comics. But it was Robinson who had the wherewithal to save the original Superman 14 cover art depicting "The Man of Steel" with a bold eagle perched on his shoulder in front of a U.S. shield — as well as his own "Double Guns" Detective Comics No. 69 prototype showing the maniacal Joker rising out of an Aladdin lamp pointing guns at Batman and Robin.
Nearly 70 years later, Robinson is reluctantly parting with the two original artworks through the online auctioneer ComicConnect.com, from Nov. 10 through Dec. 1. The Superman cover is expected to bring $500,000 to $1 million, the Joker more than $400,000.
In the days before the comic book became accepted as a legitimate American art form, the original artworks — executed in black and white India ink on thick drawing boards — had no intrinsic value.
"It was a new genre, a new art form," Robinson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his Manhattan apartment. "Nobody thought of the original art work as having any value. It wasn't valued until it was published."
"I just had the sense that it should be saved," said Robinson, who was a member of the original Batman team at DC Comics, working alongside Superman's other big-name creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and Captain America illustrator Jack Kirby, at DC's New York headquarters.
To Robinson, the Superman "just was perfect."
"'Truth, Justice and the American Way' really came from that cover," said Stephen Fishler, owner of ComicConnect.com.
DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee described it as "an important part of comic book history ... pure Americana."
Robinson explained that the Patriotic Shield "became the iconic cover of World War II."
"Americans needed heroes and Superman became our hero," he said. "Superman would fight the Nazis and Hitler. He became a symbol of America."
"As soon as I finished a cover and I wanted to save it I'd have to call the engraver and say, 'Please don't destroy that, send it back when you come to pick up the next delivery,'" he said.
"When he forgot to call, as he often did, they were destroyed," added Robinson, whose work was featured last year in a Los Angeles exhibition "ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950."
Robinson, who is the subject of a new biography, "Jerry Robinson: Ambassador of Comics," is the only creator of the golden age of comics from the 1940s still alive, said Fishler. "Ninety-nine point nine percent of the art ... doesn't exist any longer. Publishers were there to make money, so to warehouse the hand-drawn black and white art was a waste of money."
Robinson's Joker cover — one of his first — is the only image to depict the supervillain using guns.
The firearm was nixed because "we wanted the Joker to be resourceful, to use other means of his own. All other common villains of the time used guns. The Joker was different. ... I wanted to create a villain worthy of Batman," said Robinson, who spent much of his later career as a political cartoonist.
A student of literature who attended Columbia University, he said he wanted the Joker "more in the line of literary Shakespearean villains."
So he created a villain with no super powers but one with maniacal tendencies who schemes to destroy his archenemy Batman and delights in his own warped sense of humor.
The idea of the Joker's image came from the joker found in a deck of cards, which were always around the house, he said, because his brother and mother were champion bridge players.
While both covers have been in his life for a while, Robinson said he was selling them because "now I'm 88 and I reluctantly have to make that decision."
The record for a piece of original comic art, attained this year, is $380,000 for a 1955 Weird Science cover by Frank Frazetta. The record for a comic book is $1.5 million, set last year, for a 1938 issue of a Superman Action Comics No. 1 issue.
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
I'm actually going to spoiler this whole news article ... it references a mainstay Marvel team and a death :
Spoiler:
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Comic book legend Stan Lee gets Hollywood star
.LOS ANGELES – There's a new superhero on Hollywood Boulevard.
Comic book legend Stan Lee, creator or co-creator of such Marvel Comics characters as Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four and Iron Man, has now been enshrined in concrete.
The 88-year-old Lee unveiled his Walk of Fame sidewalk star on Tuesday in front of the Live Nation Building on Hollywood Boulevard. It's the 2,428th star dedicated on the famous avenue of dreams.
Lee is founder, chairman and chief creative officer of POW! Entertainment.
More than 2 million of Lee's comic books have been published in 75 nations and in 25 languages. His characters have been featured in 24 animated television series and several live-action movies.
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
saw this and thought 'What? Why?'
http://blastr.com/2011/06/dc-reboots-every-superher.php
Does whatever a spiderman does.
I forgot about this thread and was talking about this in the "What Are You Currently Reading: Comics" thread. It could either be a really good thing, or a disaster. It could go either way. It seems almost like they are doing something like the Marvel Ultimate line, only in the main continuity, rather than a separate line.
There's one hole in every revolution, large or small. And it's one word long.. people. No matter how big the idea they all stand under, people are small and weak and cheap and frightened. It's people that kill every revolution.
I understand they're continuing the main Batman titles, which makes sense considering they're very popular.
I can see why long-standing readers could be very irritated by this though, especially if the new stories end up retelling stuff they've read before!
That being said, it should certainly be a good thing for the new readers. I haven't read a whole lot of DC or Marvel stuff*, (although I know a lot of the main characters) so I do find this somewhat appealing. It provides a good jumping on point.
I might just pick up an issue or two depending on how much their digital copies are priced. I'm thinking of Wonder Woman, perhaps one of the GL strips(I understand there are 3 starting, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corp and Red Lanterns, but I'll probably go for the first, keep things simple. The Corps looks appealing though.) I might have a look at Superman too, but I wouldn't mind dipping into a character title I'm unacquainted with. Something less mainstream.
Any suggestions?
*Relatively speaking. Most of my reading material has been graphic novels I've grabbed from the library. A mixed bunch, but I largely liked them. I guess it all adds up, but compared to real fans of this stuff, it's not a lot.
just saw an article about the new Superman changes. The changes are subtle but you can tell if you look closely
Does whatever a spiderman does.
I was looking forward to the lack of pants on the outside, but I think I actually prefer the original in those two pics. It might just be that picture though. I think the yellow belt definitely looks better though.
I'm quite looking forward to the new Action Comics myself. It seems they're going for a less empowered Superman there. Hearkening back to the 30s version (not that I've read that). I think that could be quite interesting.
Yeah, the belt tied the costume together well I think. Now the gold in the S will just stand out more.
Does whatever a spiderman does.
Frank Miller's Holy Terror sends superhero to battle al-Qaida
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011...rhero-al-qaida
A "hard-edged" new superhero, The Fixer, is set to take on al-Qaida in acclaimed comic book author Frank Miller's latest outing, the "gut-wrenching" graphic novel Holy Terror.
Set for release around the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the long-awaited comic – "a dark, uncompromising superhero tale for the modern era", according to its publisher – was originally intended to feature Batman taking on the terrorist group, and was called Holy Terror, Batman! "Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for ... It is, not to put too fine a point on it, a piece of propaganda," Miller said in 2006 at a comic convention where he described the book as "a reminder to people who seem to have forgotten who we're up against".
But the author of The Dark Knight Returns and 300 told the LA Times's Hero Complex blog last year that he had "decided partway through" that the graphic novel was not a Batman story. "The hero is much closer to 'Dirty Harry' than Batman. It's a new hero that I've made up that fights al-Qaida," he said. Told in the author's iconic black-and-white style made famous by his Sin City series, Holy Terror "seizes the political zeitgeist by the throat and doesn't let go until the last page", according to its publisher Legendary Comics , a subsidiary of Legendary Films.
Miller said The Fixer was "very much an adventurer who's been essentially searching for a mission". He told the LA Times that he was "very different than Batman in that he's not a tortured soul". Instead, "he's a much more well-adjusted creature even though he happens to shoot 100 people in the course of the story".
"He's been trained as special ops and when his city is attacked all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place and all this training comes into play. He's been out there fighting crime without really having his heart in it – he does it to keep in shape," said Miller. "It began as my reaction to 9/11 and it was an extremely angry piece of work and as the years have passed by I've done movies and I've done other things and time has provided some good distance, so it becomes more of a cohesive story as it progresses. The Fixer has also become his own character in a way I've really enjoyed. No one will read this and think, 'Where's Batman?' ... My guy carries a couple of guns and is up against an existential threat. He's not just up against a goofy villain. Ignoring an enemy that's committed to our annihilation is kind of silly. It just seems that chasing the Riddler around seems silly compared to what's going on out there. I've taken Batman as far as he can go."
The 120-page Holy Terror is due out on 14 September.
Best comic artist/writer ever. He is even one of my all time favorite artist in any media.
Soo... Rambo?
I'll pass Mr. Miller.
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