Monday, January 26, 2004

The one and only dominator: ICv2.com reports that -- surprise, surprise -- manga continues to dominate the BookScan graphic novel list:

"Aside from four volumes of strip reprints and two titles from DC Comics, everything else in the top 25 is manga. Dark Horse's new manga line, co-published with Digital Manga, is well represented. The first volume in the Hellsing series has remained at #8 for the past three weeks, while the first volume of Trigun, which has been out for over two months, only recently slipped out of the top 10 and still resides at #14. The second Trigun book (#22) is just starting to hit the bookstores and it should make the top ten next week."

I tried to get the information from the source, but the Nielsen BookScan website is an impenetrable void. The UK site boasts actual information, but nothing that does me any good. I suppose they want us to pay for the service or something. The nerve!

But back to the ICv2 article. I found this paragraph particularly interesting:

"Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2, which came in at number 20, was the top American comic book collection, followed closely by Batman Hush at #24. JLA Liberty & Justice, which was the direct market's #1 trade paperback title of 2003 came in at #49, while Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Endless Nights was at #56. Alan Moore's venerable Watchmen graphic novel has sold over 800 copies so far this year and occupied the eighty-sixth spot on this week's list. With eight titles in the top 100, DC Comics was the top publisher of American material, narrowly edging out comic strip reprinting specialists Andrews McMeel, which had seven spots."