The sky is falling: At ICv2.com, retailer Joe Krolik thinks the slow growth of the graphic novel market is a sure sign of a coming apocalypse:

"Uh oh, I feel the vibration of the ground as that first crack has appeared in the solid underpinning of the Manga boom. It's a small crack now, perhaps a hairline, but it will surely spread. Slowly, slowly, it will eke it's way towards the edge of the first bookshelf, picking up a bit of speed, building on itself, until like a full-scale earthquake it will shake and tremble across myriad bookstore shelves, leaving in its wake desolation and ruin in chains and independent stores alike as the boom becomes a bust. A very fast bust. A very big bust."

While Krolik plays Cassandra, ICv2 marches on, posting its estimated sales figures for comics and graphic novels shipping in August. The site notes that graphic novel sales were up 22 percent over August 2003, while single-issue sales increasing by 8 percent.