Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

Kamandi fights a gorilla over Superman's costume on the cover of Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #29 (1975) by Jack Kirby and Bruce Berry.

(Standard disclaimer about gorillas in the future not really being monkeys applies).

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Amazon Top 50

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


1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6) *
2 (R). The Stonekeeper (Amulet, Book 1)
3 (-1). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle edition)
4 (-1). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
5 (+25). The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume III: Century #2 1969 *
6 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
7 (R). The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet, Book 2)
8 (-1). Batman: Year One
9 (-1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
10 (R). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
11 (R). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
12 (+1). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
13 (-9). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star
14 (-5). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
15 (+16). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
16 (-6). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
17 (-1). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
18 (+4). Batman: The Killing Joke
19 (-7). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
20 (-2). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 *
21 (+8). Watchmen
22 (+13). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
23 (-12). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 8: Last Gleaming
24 (+3). V for Vendetta
25 (-10). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
26 (-2). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth
27 (-21). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
28 (-2). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
29 (-10). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
30 (+8). Walking Dead Volume 13
31 (-2). Batman: Hush
32 (+7). Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Lost Adventures
33 (N). Amulet #4: The Last Council *
34 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 2
35 (+2). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
36 (R). Sailor Moon 1 *
37 (-17). Batman: The Long Halloween
38 (+2). Black Butler, Vol. 6
39 (R). Daytripper
40 (N). The Hobbit
41 (N). Codename: Sailor V 1 *
42 (+1). Big Nate Out Loud
43 (R). Batman & Robin Vol. 3: Batman & Robin Must Die!
44 (R). The Walking Dead, Book 1
45 (-24). Blackest Night
46 (R). Hark! A Vagrant *
47 (+1). Batman: Dark Victory
48 (R). Big Nate: From the Top
49 (R). Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft
50 (N). Jericho Season 3 *



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:

* After being featured on NPR, the volumes of Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet hop up high onto the list: the three released volumes into the top eleven, and the pre-release of the upcoming fourth volume as the top new item.

* Alan Moore still has what it takes to sell books: the second volume of LOEG: Century hops up to #5 this week.

* How does the long-out-of-print graphic novel adaptation of The Hobbit hit the chart this week? Strange and mysterious are the ways of the Amazon comics chart...

Project IITS Game Update

Hey IITS Readers,

Just a quick update to let everyone know we're still alive. A lot of folks are wondering how the game will play and so the current plan is to create a visual proof of concept and I'm still in the process of putting that together. Beyond just entertaining a small but faithful group like yourselves, the visual proof of concept will help to secure funding to kick the project into full gear.

Due to the self funded nature of Project IITS, things like animation and modeling and such are all done on a contract basis...rather than having a full time team. As contractors come and go (getting busy with other contracts or finding full time work), the team changes from time to time and there is a process of relearning things and sometimes finding new directions to go in. Currently, Project IITS is in that process...but don't worry, we're still in business.

RE: The IITS Comic, I don't have any real updates for you...sorry. As it stands, Genevieve is still focused on working full time in the game industry and I'm focused on the Project IITS game. As always, if there is some new development, it will be posted here. For you small group of faithful fans out there...thank you for still dropping by from time to time!

- Joseph

All-Time Top Comic Book Movies

Movies based on comics properties, ranked by Worldwide box office gross:

1. The Dark Knight ($1001.9)
2. Spider-Man 3 ($885.4)
3. Spider-Man ($806.7)
4. Spider-Man 2 ($783.6)
5. Iron Man 2 ($616.8)
6. Men in Black ($587.2)
7. Iron Man ($571.8)
8. 300 ($456.6)
9. Thor ($445.1) *
10. Men in Black II ($425.6)
11. Batman ($413.2)
12. X2 ($406.4)
13. Superman Returns ($389.6)
14. X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($374.9)
15. Batman Begins ($352.0)
16. X-Men: First Class ($346.0) *
17. Wanted ($338.8)
18. Batman Forever ($335.0)
19. Over the Hedge ($329.6)
20. Fantastic Four ($329.3)
21. The Mask ($320.9)
22. X-Men ($294.1)
23. Superman ($289.4)
24. Batman Returns ($282.8)
25. Casper ($282.3)
26. Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer ($277.5)
27. The Incredible Hulk ($254.2)
28. Hulk ($241.7)
29. Batman & Robin ($237.2)
30. Constantine ($229.5)
31. Ghost Rider ($219.7)

Box office grosses given in millions. Source: IMDb.

(Marvel: 17. DC: 9. Dark Horse: 2. Image: 1. United Media: 1. Harvey: 1.)

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

The Gorilla battles mobsters on the cover of Fantastic Adventures #15 (1964) by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.

(Standard disclaimer about mobster-hating gorillas not really being monkeys applies).

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

'68 #2 (of 4)

'68 #2 (of 4)
CBR | May 25 2011 | 30 Pages | 20.19 MB
An anti-war activist actress on a propaganda tour, a deep cover CIA agent with a secret agenda and a young, Chinese-American grunt facing a screeching, drooling undead thing made up of dozens of Viet-Cong dead…these stories and more intertwine as the Vietnam-Zombie epic continues.
Download MIRROR #1

Download MIRROR #2

Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat

Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat
English | 358 pages | CBZ | 120MB
Collected for the first time, here are the twelve extraordinary illustrated volumes that form the graphic novel of THE VAMPIRE LESTAT. Evocative full-color paintings and an artful abridgment of the original text capture the inimitable spirit and atmosphere of this passionate, complex, and thrilling tale. The story begins in our own time with Lestat, tall, blond, and handsome, a world-renowned rock star. His gifts are timeless, his youth never withers. But he was not always the powerful and famous child of darkness. Before his long earth-encrusted sleep, he was an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-Revolutionary France. It was then that he came face-to-face with the incarnation of evil and the temptations of love that he has ravenously pursued through time. Where it has led him and what he has become is the heart of the tale that has captured millions of readers.
Download MIRROR #1

Download MIRROR #2