Top Five Fridays 4/11/08
Some of you may have noticed on the sidebar, we have our “Top Five of the Moment” listed. These are the five books that are most clicking with each Pants writer. It may or may not represent the best books we’ve read all month, year, or just what we’re digging that week. We generally try to update it with books from that week, but there are no hard and fast rules. Inspired by an email from one of our readers, we’re going to post every Friday with the most recent Top Five from each member of the Panteon, and hope for your comments on our lists, or maybe even your own “Top Five of the Moment.”
Also, just as the Wednesday Number Ones feature is generally our spot for folks to talk about the comics of the week, we hope that Top Five Fridays is where you’ll come to talk about what’s going on in comics in general. News in the comics world, thoughts on comics you’ve recently read, talk about comic-related movies that release this weekend and more are welcome in the comments thread for Top Five Fridays.
This week, the Top Five Books of the Moment are:
Nick Budd’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Nova
- Batman/Grendel TP
- X-Men First Class: Mutant Mayhem TP
- Nightwing
- Secret Invasion
Dave Farabee’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- New Mutants Classic Vol. 3 TP (Sienkiewicz!)
- Nova
- Batman: Death Mask
- Serenity
- Aqua Leung Vol 1 GN
Dan Grendell’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Nova
- BPRD 1946
- Wonder Woman
- The Foundation
- George R R Martins Wild Cards
Randy Lander’s Top Five Books of the Moment
- Nova
- Aqua Leung Vol 1 GN
- Batman: Death Mask
- BPRD 1946
- George R R Martins Wild Cards
Loading ...
I’d like to request a ‘Top 5 Comics I’d Like to Punch In the Face’ column.
Let me kick it off.
1. Fantastic Four
2. Fantastic Four
3. Fantastic Four
4. You get the picture
11 Apr 2008 at 1:33 pm
QuoteBut Murphy, Mr. Fantastic’s on his way!
11 Apr 2008 at 1:35 pm
QuoteDid Nova come out this week?
Damnit.
11 Apr 2008 at 1:38 pm
QuoteExcept, for this week, it would be a “Top 10 Comics I’D like to Punch in the Face” …
1. Fantastic Four
2. Fantastic Four
3. Fantastic Four
4. Fantastic Four
5. Fantastic Four
6. Fantastic Four
7. Fantastic Four
8. Fantastic Four
9. Fantastic Four
10. Fantastic Four
Seriously, I can’t believe there’s been such a stink about the “Brand New Day”/”One New Day” Spidey-relaunch but nary a whimper about the “Fantastic Four” travesty. What a nightmarish combination of material and creators … especially following the underrated MacDuffie/Pelletier run!
And at least at my LCS, there are more extras of the Millar/Hitch issues than the MacDuffie/Pelletier ones. So it’s apparently not going over too “large” …
11 Apr 2008 at 1:50 pm
QuoteBut … under the heading “Five Comics I REALLY Liked This Week!” …
1. Criminal (perhaps the best issue of the title to date)
2. Nova (would have been No. 1 most weeks)
3. Serenity: Better Days
4. Amazing Spider-Man (OK, three of the four writers have been decent!)
5. The Goon
11 Apr 2008 at 1:53 pm
QuoteMr Fantastic can stay on the ‘edge of the universe’. And he can take Millar and his stupid omnipotent robot with him.
11 Apr 2008 at 2:17 pm
QuoteHow is it possible that Criminal #2 isn’t on any of your lists? Was Rogues Gallery shorted this week?
11 Apr 2008 at 2:42 pm
QuoteMy deal: I’ve come to realize over the years that I actually don’t have a high tolerance for noir tropes. That, and I have less and less interest in crime stories in general of late. They can be well-executed, but they don’t interest me so much.
Now…to this day, my favorite Brubaker works remain Scene of the Crime and The Fall, but I find myself remembering them more as human dramas wrapped around crime stories and less as noir. Been some years since I’ve read ‘em, but that’s my memory.
So Criminal just hasn’t been pushing my buttons. I was digging it for a while, but my disinterest in the genre has led me to stop following it regularly. Maybe in trades?
11 Apr 2008 at 3:14 pm
Quote1. Nova
2. Criminal
3. Booster Gold
4. Echo
5. Young Liars
Abnett and Lanning continue to amaze and that splash of Nova with his powers back at full strength was awe inspiring. Criminal and Booster were as good as ever. Moore’s Echo isn’t blowing me away but there’s enough there to keep me coming back, and Young Liars still has me interested even if that was a pretty f’d up issue.
11 Apr 2008 at 3:46 pm
QuoteWhoa, whoa, whoa, this came out this week:
“New Mutants Classic Vol. 3 TP (Sienkiewicz!)”
I didn’t know about this. Is it an Essentials title? I bet that run looks sweet in black and white.
11 Apr 2008 at 4:42 pm
QuoteBasically, the “Classics” volumes are color reprints of series not currently in trade- as I recall, anywhere from five to nine issues a volume. I wish they did an Essential of New Mutants (or more than one volume!) but Marvel seems to be shying away from it.
Classics was Marvel’s response to people that didn’t like the black and white of the Essentials. They’re doing the same thing with Wolverine, Excalibur, and a bunch of the New Universe comics.
11 Apr 2008 at 4:46 pm
QuoteHere, here, Don!
Seriously, I think it’s the best single issue of what’s been a terrific book. And there certainly aren’t any “noir tropes” in this book. It’s VERY character involved.
11 Apr 2008 at 5:41 pm
QuoteAnd … anyone else bummed that Paul Pelletier isn’t going to be the permanent “Nova” artist? The others so far have been competent. But his work has blown the others’ away!
On the plus side, he’s doing “Guardians of the Galaxy” …
11 Apr 2008 at 5:42 pm
QuoteHi Guyz!
First time caller, long time listener.
Why now?
Aside from seeing Don’s post (usedta read The Rail every week) I haveta say this.
WTH (that’s heck for you little kiddies out there) was up with FF this month? Let’s not belabor the out of logical continuity of both Avengers teams showing up at the same time, the cover that just reaked of 1982 “won’t really happen in the book, but won’t it get you to buy it?’”ness, nor the whole nothing REALLY happened to advance the story for $2.99 of my hard earned cash.
Mr. Fantastic on a space-harley to the rescue?
And, I used to LOVE The Authority.
Also, in the Five, why no love for Kick-Ass? There’s something just so pleasurably visceral about it. Not just for violence’s sake. For the pure “that makes sense that would happen in that way” sake.
Oh, and for my other four of the moment-
Booster Gold
Action Comics
Justice Society
Angel (Just better than Buffy, like the last few televised seasons)
11 Apr 2008 at 7:27 pm
Quote1: Nova
2: Criminal Vol 2
3: Batman: Death Mask
4: Serenity: Better Days
5: Amazing Spider-Man
11 Apr 2008 at 7:29 pm
QuoteI’d argue with that. In just this issue, we have the use of dramatic shadow and low-key lighting to produce a specific feel, crime, betrayal, an urban setting, seduction, regular cigarette smoking, narration, and a pessimistic story about someone fighting a doomed fight against an uncaring world. None of these are the singular domain of noir, but they are all noir tropes. You seem to be mistaking the phrase “noir tropes” for a claim that the book is simply depressing with no substance. For it to be truly noir, it must be very character involved- that’s the whole point.
As for me, Criminal is doing exactly what it is setting out to do, and doing it well. I just can’t read that much dark material for very long and still enjoy it. After the first two story arcs, I’m pretty much burnt out on such pessimistic stories for a while. That’s why it isn’t in my top five.
11 Apr 2008 at 8:56 pm
QuoteNo, I’m objecting to the term “trope,” which is often used synonymously with “cliche.” Are you arguing that it’s cliched? Sorry, but that’s how I read it and take offense to the description/categorization.
And the book’s certainly not as doom-and-gloom as Brubaker’s “Daredevil,” which even *I* find interminably depressing and to be a turn-off.
Also, you want to take about “tropes,” how about the “manga” Batman tale that was extolled here? I’m glad I checked it out before purchasing it. Now THAT tale was a turn-off to me!
11 Apr 2008 at 9:10 pm
QuoteMy top book of the week was Concrete: Think Like a Mountain.
I’ve been reading Concrete for a long time, but have only just now started working on reading all the Concrete books. And so, if I may divert the discussion a bit…:)
The only Concrete books I’ve yet to read are Killer Smile and Strange Armor. I’ll probably read Killer Smile someday, but I’m wavering on Strange Armor. I’ve heard that it’s essentially just a retelling of Concrete’s origin, but as more of a basis for a possible movie script/tv pilot that was never made.
Well, I’ve read Concrete’s origin story multiple times, and it’s honestly one of the few things about the character I find mostly uninteresting. Have any of the Panteon read Concrete: Strange Armor? And is that particular book worth it?
11 Apr 2008 at 9:14 pm
QuoteDexter Morgan’s Top Five Books of the Moment
1. Criminal
2. George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards
3. Nova
4. Wolverine
5. Wormwood Gentleman Corpse
I looked at the previews for Aqua Leung and what I saw seemed pretty funny, but I didn’t like the art so I didn’t get it; it’s too bad because it seems like a lot of fun.
11 Apr 2008 at 9:23 pm
QuoteNope. You can define “trope” in a couple different ways, but the one I (and I believe Dave, though he can speak for himself) am using it for is “a common theme or device.” There’s nothing insulting about that- those common devices and themes are exactly what define a story as noir. If I wanted to be derogatory, I would have called it cliched or hackneyed, implying there was nothing to it *except* those noir tropes. I didn’t because that isn’t true of Criminal.
As far as Brubaker’s Daredevil, I haven’t been reading that for some time, either, for the exact same reason I’m not feeling Criminal right now.
11 Apr 2008 at 11:04 pm
QuoteWassup!!
I know a number of the Panteon outright dislike Kick-Ass for various reasons, but it’s managed to make my Top Five (if only just) both weeks it’s been released. It has a certain “what the hell’s gonna happen next?” quality that, combined with its bone-cracking violence, reminds me of the addictive qualities of the Garth Ennis oeuvre.
There are Millar tics that bother me a bit - the clumsy pop culture references, for one - but the central premise appeals to me and Millar’s practiced cynicism fits it. And I’ve always been a total geek for John Romita Jr. art.
So there’s at least a little love here. Well, maybe more of a cautious flirtation given my usual dislike for Millar’s writing, but so far opposites are attracting.
11 Apr 2008 at 11:08 pm
QuoteAdmittedly I’ve used the word “trope” casually for some time without feeling I’ve got it really pinned down in my lexicon, so I looked it up to see if I was using it right. This first definition doesn’t really fit what I was looking for:
A figure of speech using words in nonliteral ways, such as a metaphor.
And definitely not this one!
A word or phrase interpolated as an embellishment in the sung parts of certain medieval liturgies.
So this seems like the closest:
a common or overused theme or device
Seems like one of those definitions that could run more or less pejorative depending on context. Calling something “common” is fairly neutral, calling it “overused” ain’t. And to be something of a fence-sitting, my intent was somewhere in-between. Criminal’s grim first-person narratives, its hardboiled heroes, its femme fatales, its spirals of inevitability…these qualities aren’t all that define it, but they’re common enough to many crime and noir stories that I’m damn tired of ‘em.
I may be misremembering, but I recall Brubaker’s Scene of the Crime and The Fall as being notably less stylized by noir tropes, and more broadly humanistic. That’s more where my interests in crime stories lies. I’m not even particularly criticizing Brubaker for choosing the voice he has in Criminal - it’s just not for me right now.
Nothin’ wrong with that. I wrote up a pretty positive capsule review, but that same review described it as “traditional”, “conventional” and a “novelty”. It just happened to be a novelty I really dug.
So there ya go!
11 Apr 2008 at 11:46 pm
Quote*looks up*
That’s QUITE all right. I think most of the Panteon knows that Concrete’s one of my all-time favorite series. I can even tie him to the discussion of noir going on! Years ago I kickstarted a sketchbook with a sketch from 100 Bullets’ artist Eduardo Risso. He drew one of the 100 Bullets characters puffin’ on a cigarette like all good noir characters do.
Now this was in a themeless sketchbook, but when I handed it off to Paul Chadwick next, he jokingly decided my theme was smoking and sketched out a terrific pic of Concrete…smoking a pipe. The perfect fit for the big, rocky intellectual! =D
I’ve read everything Concrete, so yeah. And, yes, it’s a decidedly imperfect story derived from Chadwick’s work on a script for a Concrete movie - a script with more than a few concessions to Hollywood convention. BUT…it’s also filled with neat ideas, casually great character bits, the usual Chadwick goodness. Check out his intro to the current collection from Dark Horse for a typically candid overview of both the pleasures and pains of the series. I do recommend reading it, but know that, yes, the origin story is always going to be the weakest element of Concrete’s history and this retelling doesn’t change that.
ASIDE: If you’ve never read the story “I Strive for Realism” that was originally published in a Dark Horse Concrete special, it’s worth picking up the new printing of Strange Armor for that story alone. It’s the one where Concrete meets his maker, literally meets Paul Chadwick, and they…talk about things. In some ways it’s a perfect addendum for Strange Armor, encompassing Chadwick’s surrealist fascination (as manifest throughout Concrete’s alien origin) and well as the same desire for realism that fights it out with the fantasy in Strange Armor.
As for Think Like a Mountain, I need to revisit that one. I remember that it risked becoming a mouthpiece for Chadwick’s environmentalism, but it’s so nuanced and specific that I recall it kept me fascinated throughout. In particular I was drawn to seeing the mild-mannered Concrete experiencing the lure of radicalism. That, and Chadwick’s always honest approach to movivation - I remember part of Concrete’s initial draw to the group is an attractive woman who makes their pitch.
Yeah, I definitely need to give this one a re-read.
12 Apr 2008 at 12:19 am
QuoteNope, we all got it, and I think most of us, maybe even all of us, read it.
I’m not as off noir as Dave, but I am getting tired of the mopey, nihilistic tone in everything Brubaker writes (with the exception of his co-writing work on Immortal IF, of course). I thought this was a good issue, but as a standalone, it’s merely good, not great, and I think it’s going to read better in the trade when you can really see the connections between the characters that are so important to raise the story to a higher level.
Character involved doesn’t mean it doesn’t feature noir tropes. Brubaker’s work almost without exception (I think IF, again, is the exception) features the tropes of noir storytelling, most notably a grim outlook, unhappy endings and tortured characters.
I see that Dan and Dave have covered this in more detail, but I think that saying there certainly aren’t any noir tropes in Criminal is kind of like saying there aren’t any superhero genre elements in Action Comics.
Kick-Ass is the current Millar book I least want to set on fire.
That’s about as close to interest as I can get.
As for books I actually *liked* this week:
1. Nova - Awesome. Nice come-around back to Annihilation: Conquest #6, great use of a New Mutants character I’ve developed a recent nostalgic (I know, weird usage, roll with it) fondness for, everything I love this book for. Plus, Abnett and Lanning aren’t leaving to do X-Men and Iron Man, which winds up making this the Marvel book most likely to remain my favorite until it is inevitably canceled for low sales.
2. Aqua Leung Vol 1 GN - See review. It bums me out to see folks letting this one go because they don’t like the art. Maybury’s unconventional (but undeniable) talent is half the reason I dug the book. If it were the same story with art by Butch Guice or Michael Lark, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good. The wild, indy-flavored art is half the reason the book works.
3. Batman: Death Mask - Such low expectations I wasn’t even going to read it, but when I did, I loved it. Some of the best action I’ve seen in a Batman comic in years, a nice traditional take on Batman, a weird and creepy villain with weird and creepy murders and a little flavor of manga and Japan? Sold. If the rest of the series is this good, I’ll definitely pick up the trade.
4. BPRD 1946 - Love seeing Hellboy’s “dad” in action, loved the vampire doomsday plot, and nice to get an “early” look at a familiar Hellboy foe.
5. George R R Martins Wild Cards - See Wednesday #1 review… this one is just barely in the top five, but it edges out other (admittedly stronger) books because of my nostalgic fondness for the property and what I thought was a well-executed story with that property. I didn’t think I’d ever see a good Wild Cards story again… a great one would have been even better, but that’s a lot to ask.
6. Criminal - See, Don? It made my top ten!
Anyway, pretty much covered above. Good single issue, probably great in larger context. Still not as good as Scene of the Crime, still wishing we could have gotten an ongoing of those characters.
7. Serenity Better Days - Good character moments, but for a three issue series, this thing is really, really, really, *really* plot light. Which annoyed me. But some of the dream sequence stuff was pretty funny. Basically, I’d like them to treat this a little less like a comedy road show and more like the sci-fi/action tinged with comedy it originally was.
8. Amazing Spider-Man - Still kinda digging Bachalo’s artwork, and it’s got Spidey vs. Mayan snow ninjas, which is just cool however you slice it. I’m still mostly interested in seeing what Guggenheim does next, but it’s nice that Spidey is readable on a regular basis again.
9. Terry Moores Echo - Still really slow, but still has great art and intriguing characters.
10. Booster Gold - I’ve been sucked in by the Booster/Blue Beetle time-traveling/alternate future stuff, which hits a lot of my personal superhero enjoyment buttons. And great use of some of my favorites (Hawkman and Green Arrow) and even better use of some truly obscure characters like Pantha and… Wild Dog?
Wonder Woman, Batman Confidential and Wormwood Calamari Rising were all just outside the top 10 as well.
12 Apr 2008 at 1:37 am
QuoteMan, I’d love to pick up some original Concrete art myself. Is Chadwick open to commissions?
Well, it’s good to know that I’m not alone in thinking Concrete’s origin story is a step below most of the stories:) I thought I just couldn’t see the appeal it was supposed to have. But maybe I’ll still check Strange Armor out, just to see if it can bring to light what I may still have missed.
Ah, I’ve heard of this one. If it’s in Strange Armor, that’ll increase my interest in the book. Reminds me of when Grant Morrison met Animal Man…though Concrete is really probably way more suited to that kind of story:)
I liked Think Like a Mountain, and while I can kind of see the environmental part of it becoming a mouthpiece for Chadwick, I’ve often gotten that vibe through different parts of the series and I think he mostly handles it well. It’s probably up on the list of great Concrete stories for me, though my favorite three are probably the recent “The Human Dilemma”, mostly for its great character work; “Now is Now”, where Concrete realizes that he might be immortal and speculates what the Earth might be like in the future; and oddly enough, “The Transatlantic Swim”, from way back, mostly because it has my favorite moment in the series, which is when Concrete dives to the ocean floor in the middle of the Atlantic. As a former avid scuba diver, that scene always gives me chills:)
12 Apr 2008 at 5:30 am
QuoteSukat, his eyes uncovered!
You know, since you guys gave it so much love I tried, once I read someone here mention that there was a preview of sorts in Popgun, I dug it out to try to give it a fair chance but nothing changed, like I said before maybe I’m just a philistine, but I just didn’t dig the art, it was I dunno too powderpuff girls like or something.
13 Apr 2008 at 12:26 am
QuoteNot a bad week, all told. The Panteon may not be showing much love for Criminal anymore, but it’s still pushing my buttons. Different strokes, I guess.
1. Criminal - nihilistic brilliance.
2. Nova - Nuff said!
3. Amazing Spider-Man - Bachalo’s best art ever?
4. Doktor Sleepless - Warren Ellis is a genius.
5. Wolverine - Aaron should be on this book permanently.
13 Apr 2008 at 5:17 am
QuoteOut of curiosity, Gray, have you ever read, say, Bone or Usagi Yojimbo, two of the higher points of comics with very cartoony art? Bone definitely changed how I looked at comics back in the 90s, though I was already skewing towards more stylized artists - Frank Millar, Mike Mignola, Sam Kieth, etc.
Oh, and just as an aside, I wasn’t as into Aqua Leung as Randy. I thought the designs were really cool and they’re the main reason it’s on my list, but the storytelling and the story were too haphazard for my tastes.
13 Apr 2008 at 12:24 pm
Quote1. Mike Manley
2. Mike Manley
3. Mike Manley
4. Mike Manley
5. Mike Manley
Oh wait, I read that first post as comic creators I want to punch in the face. Sorry.
My actual top five:
1. Gun Blaze West Vol. 1- kids stuff, but well executed, interesting kids stuff. It’s kind of like Naruto the western.
2. Number of the Beast- wow, this is the best thing I’ve ever read from Scott Beatty. Granted, that’s world’s smallest midget territory but I find the idea of mixing Ellis StormWatch, Astro City Style heroes, and what looks to be an artificial armageddon extremely creative.
3. Amazing Spider-Man- while the question of “why he doesn’t go back and get Wolverine to help him” hangs in the air like a wet sponge, this is perfectly acceptable and entertaining Spider-stuff. I don’t know if it’ll reach the audience Marvel wants, but I enjoyed it.
4. Halloween: Nightdance- holy shit, Hutchinson and Seeley have finally delivered a Halloween sequel worthy of the original.
5. George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards: The Hard Call- Never read WC, huge fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, and yeah, this was a little hard to get into, but I still enjoyed it. Eric Battle is a good artist for this kind of thing.
13 Apr 2008 at 12:57 pm
Quotenova rocks my socks.
To me, Kick-ass is a guilty pleasure that I know isn’t good. Checked out issue 2 but I probably won’t follow it. It is silly fun, but with issue 2 he really went with an unreal direction.
13 Apr 2008 at 1:23 pm
Quote1.Nova-This issue and the last issue are the two first issues I’ve read of this series and I’m kicking myself for not having been there from the start. Makes me look forward to the Surfer/Galactus story starting next and Guardians of the Galaxy. How about Abnett and Lanning be the next team on Fantastic Four?
2.Criminal-Excellent…as always.
3.Batman:Death Mask-This took a little get used to with having to reverse the reading process but it was worth it. Very good first issue and it has a very Batman Begins feel to it in terms of the story. It seems it’s almost gonna be more of a Bruce story then a Batman one which I think is good and different when you look at the regular monthly books.
4-BPRD 1946-I absolutely loved that ending.
5-Wonder Woman-Diana gives us insight into how to beat a Green Lantern. I love that.
I also have to say I’ve finally seen the light..and will be dropping Green Arrow/Black Canary.
What an absolute embarassment of an issue. I think the clown/old woman/sheep scene might be one of the worst for all time. Titans I thought was decent enough but I’m growing tired of him(Winick)…finally. Maybe he’ll eventually go away like Chuck Austin did.
13 Apr 2008 at 1:49 pm
Quote(O_O)
Maybe I’m better of not knowing, but…care to elaborate?
13 Apr 2008 at 7:12 pm
QuoteTotally down with this idea. Sadly, it’s entirely likely that Nova may have wrapped by this point, unless the sales take an uptick. It’s selling *fantastic* at our store, better than Kick-Ass and Fantastic Four and every Ultimate book (not combined, but individual levels), but that seems to be an aberration, looking at the sales charts.
But if the upshot of that is that they’d have time to take on FF, that would cushion the blow. Let’s start the rumor campaign now to make this happen.
13 Apr 2008 at 8:15 pm
QuoteThe Arrow team decides torturing two mercenaries they’ve captured while tracking down Connor’s shooter would be inhumane, so they bring in a hairy fat guy in a thong and clown makeup, an older woman in bunny ears and a bra and panties, and a sheep wearing a spiked collar and a leather hat. They threaten to take nasty pictures and videos of the mercenaries with this crew and post them online if they don’t tell them what they want to know.
Because nothing says mourning for your braindead son like a hilarious comedy deviant sex scene.
13 Apr 2008 at 9:55 pm
QuoteWhat Dan said.
Oh and don’t forget the clown squeezing his squeezy nose.
13 Apr 2008 at 10:42 pm
QuoteNever got into Bone, heard great things about it, but the art just wasn’t my thing.
I do dig Usagi, at first the anthropomorphic thing threw me a bit, but Sakai is an excellent draftsmanship and his eye for detail in the costuming and setting really drew me in.
I admit my preferences tend towards the more realistic art, but I do dig the stylized as well. Of the ones you mention I was a big fan of Miller back in the day, and I also really like Mingola of course, Sam Kieth not so much. One guy I dig nowadays though I hated as a child is Frank Robbins, I read he left the field after he didn’t hit as big as he would have liked here, to bad, cause nowadays I really enjoy going back and seeing his work on Cap and the Invaders. I guess he worked on Batman too, I think he co-created Man-Bat, but I never saw any of those issues and it’s never been collected to my knowledge.
14 Apr 2008 at 8:38 am
QuoteHere it is on Scans Daily. Haven’t been reading this, but I have to admit it made me smile.
http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/5305643.html#cutid1
14 Apr 2008 at 12:22 pm
QuoteI wonder where it isn’t selling? Is it a question of the retailers just not ordering it enough? The store I visit is filled with Nova fans, including one of the owners and some employees. I half wonder if his support of it influences how it sells at his store? It would be a damn shame to see this book take a hike. It is one of only a handful of Marvel reads worth investing in.
How much does a book need to sell to stay on the shelves? When is “Critical darling” enough?
Oh, and I totally heard the rumor about them doing Fantastic Four. Yup.
15 Apr 2008 at 11:30 am
QuoteMarvel starts to get cancel-happy when a book gets around 20,000 a month. Right now Nova is at something like 30,000 a month, but losing 1,000 to 2,000 per issue. If it doesn’t level off it will hit the danger zone later this year.
I know those sales are dictated by how many copies are ordered, and some stores order high, but it’s weird to me that the most acclaimed books are the ones that seem to bleed readers.
15 Apr 2008 at 1:15 pm
Quote