Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (+2). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3 *
2 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
3 (+3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5 *
4 (-2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
5 (-1). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (+1). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour *
7 (-2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
8 (+1). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1
9 (-1). Wednesday Comics
10 (+5). Instructions
11 (+34). Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl (Dork Diaries) *
12 (+4). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
13 (-3). Kick-Ass
14 (-1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
15 (-4). Bloom County: The Complete Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984
16 (+5). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
17 (N). Mass Effect Volume 1: Redemption
18 (+9). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
19 (+10). Walking Dead Volume 12 *
20 (-6). Naruto, Vol. 48
21 (-1). Watchmen
22 (-10). The Walking Dead Book 5
23 (-4). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
24 (-2). The Flash: Rebirth
25 (+9). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
26 (N). The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies Volume 1: 1936-1938
27 (+3). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
28 (N). The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang
29 (-3). Serenity, Vol. 2: Better Days
30 (-7). Wilson
31 (R). Batman: Year One
32 (-8). Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Volume 5
33 (-15). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 6: Retreat
34 (+8). Y: The Last Man, Vol. 3 (Deluxe Edition)
35 (R). Blackest Night *
36 (-3). Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead
37 (+1). Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, Vol. 13
38 (-10). Hellsing Volume 10
39 (R). The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become
40 (N). Warcraft: Shadow Wing Volume 1: The Dragons of Outland
41 (N). Invincible Volume 12: Still Standing
42 (+4). Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn
43 (+6). American Born Chinese
44 (+4). Batman: The Killing Joke
45 (N). Blacksad *
46 (-5). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
47 (N). Justice League of America: Cry for Justice
48 (N). How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
49 (R). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5)
50 (N). Daredevil by Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark Omnibus, Vol. 2 *



Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* The highest debut this week belongs to the collected edition of the Mass Effect comic, based on the video game. If you're wondering why comic companies keep putting out the poorly-selling licenses based on video games, this is a good reminder that the collected editions usually sell quite well outside the typical comic market.

* Also debuting this week is the first volume of The Popularity Papers, described as 'Wimpy Kid for girls.' The other 'Wimpy Kid for girls,' Dork Diaries, moves up an impressive thirty-four places to almost crack the top ten.

* The real Wimpy Kid volumes move back ahead of Scott Pilgrim this week, but the number one slot belongs to Janet Evanovich's Troublemaker.

MYTHFITS Tees

Thanks to everyone who requested MYTHFITS T-shirts. I'm taking the plunge, as you can see by clicking on the tee images below. These are initial designs, but I'm curious to hear what YOU would like on a tee. Are there any favorite characters or scenarios you'd be more inclined to purchase on a tee? Unicorn? Robot? Poo? The acorns? Let me know in a comment because I'm open to suggestions! Oh... and buy one, pretty pleeeease. They come in more colors than shown below and you can choose American Apparel brand to make sure it's SOFT and COMFORTABLE. [ ' _ ' ]

     

Baloney Show Redux

After many years of people asking me to post video of my comedy shows, I finally managed to get one on the web. Go here to see clips from my full-length, elaborate, one-man comedy show which hasn't been performed in its entirety since '08 and will likely never be performed again – The Bizarro Baloney Show. This is the one I debuted in The New York International Fringe Festival in '02 and won "Best Solo Show" for. I also got a nice review in The New York Times, but, alas, nobody reads that shameless left-wing rag.

And the same folks that put up the comedy show clip have further demonstrated their twisted sense of reality by attempting to get me nominated for a Kennedy Center Honor. Yes, it's ridiculous, but the best things in life always are! Here's how you can help.

We're on Facebook now!

Now that we've crawled out from underneath the rock we've been under, we've discovered this thing called "Facebook" and though it seems like a fad that'll die out in the next few weeks, like the return of "trucker hats" (gosh, I hope so)...we decided to create a Facebook page for IITS anyway. We will continue to update the blog site but since some people prefer to just use Facebook for everything...we'll keep that site updated as well. There's not much to see right now but we'll try to put something up soon. In the meanwhile, please join our Official Islands in the Sky Central group on Facebook and leave us a note on the wall!

- Joseph

Fleas and Thank You

Bizarro is brought to you today by Seeing Eye Dogs.

Here's an alternate take on the "my wife doesn't understand me" cartoon cliche. I like using standard cartoon setups in new ways, not sure why, just do.

I don't like to blow my own horn but someone sent me a link to the nicest thing anyone has ever written about me and I cannot resist passing it along. (If that link doesn't work, try this url: http://blog.cagle.com/greenberg/2010/06/08/bizarrely-acknowledged/ )Plus, if it gets a lot of hits, maybe they'll write more nice things about me and eventually people will begin to believe them. I hope you don't lose respect for me.



I may not post for a few days, have to run out to L.A. to host a movie premiere Thursday night – not the new Jake Gyllenhaal Hollywood blockbuster, but a documentary about the fur trade. Come by and say hi if you're around. CHNW and I are interviewed in the film, maybe we come off like dweebs, I have no idea as I haven't seen it yet.

Then Saturday I may be motorbiking up to Woodstock Sanctuary to attend our annual June Jamboree. Come by there for sure, it's way fun and a great way to knock down a couple hours on a summer afternoon. Be sure to find me and say hello if you do. I like people who say hello.

New This Week: June 8, 2010

What should you look for at the comic shop tomorrow? I'm glad you asked!

Dark Horse has a hardcover omnibus collection of the three Blacksad stories by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido. I read the first two stories when they were published previously by iBooks; they are pretty good anthropomorphic noir stories with some gorgeous art.


I Box have the first volume of Stardrop, a sci-fi comic by Thieves & Kings creator Mark Oakley about an alien princess hiding out on Earth. I remember reading a preview of this a few years back (perhaps in an issue of T&K?) and it was quite enchanting.


Batman #700 is the first of this month's 700th anniversary issues (with Superman & Wonder Woman following). Written by Grant Morrison and stories drawn in turn by Andy Kubert, Tony Daniel and Frank Quitely. I'm sure the Quitely-illustrated story will be worth the price of admission alone.


I enjoyed the first two issues of John Byrne's Star Trek – Leonard McCoy: Frontier Doctor series. The third issue is out this week; they're all done-in-one stories covering McCoy's time with the Starfleet Medical Corps in between the end of the original series and The Motion Picture. If you enjoy classic Trek, give it a look.


Superman/Batman: Finest Worlds collects three two-issue stories written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson. All three are more-or-less imaginary stories. The first, feature a Li'l League that finds it's way to the regular DCU, is a hoot, and the others are good too. You probably missed these in the comics, so now you have a second chance.



Those are just a few of this week's new comics; you can find the complete list over at ComicList.com.

We've Moved the Comics!

As part of our library-wide reshelving (we're integrating the monographs and the journals), the comics & graphic novels have been moved from the basement to their new home on the second floor (east side of the building). They are no longer in compact shelving and are on the more spacious regular shelving. There is now natural light (indirect) and plenty of growth space.

Here are some pictures:



View down the aisle.



View face-on. Look at all that growth space!



Some Manwha. Again, lots of room for growth!



Manga!



More manga!



Bound volumes of The Comics Journal.



Comics from India.



Tintin, in French and in English.



Yotsuba&! in Japanese.



Naruto in Japanese.



Volumes of The Complete Peanuts.



More comics (mostly strip collections).



More comics, American and Canadian (L-M).