Books for Marvel:
Spider-Man #570
The return of Eddie Brock continues as Spider-Man is caught between Venom and the Anti-Venom in a battle that threatens the life of Aunt May… naturally.
X-Men Origins: Beats #1
A brand new story about how Hank McCoy really joined the X-Men.
Deadpool #1
Daniel Way brings Deadpool smack dab in the middle of Secret Invasion, but just who’s side is Deadpool on? The first chapter in this ongoing series is called ‘One of Us’ and that could mean a lot of things. Is Deadpool a Skrull? If so has the Skrull Deadpool proved just as insane as the real Wade? There’s only one way to find out and that’s by picking up this book when it hits shelves.
X-Men: Return of Magik #1
The long awaited return of Peter’s sister Illyana has been collected in a sweet one off for new readers and old ones alike.
Books from DC
Batman: The Black Glove collection
Collecting issues of Batman together for a special hard bound collection, this book gathers issues 667-669 and 672-675 all in one book! By the writer of Final Crisis.
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam #2
From the writer of Hero Bear comes an all new series that retells the life and times of a young Billy Batson.
Secret Six #1
DC comic’s says, “Because you demanded it! The Secret Six are back in an all-new ongoing series that promises to deliver some of the darkest, most twisted action-adventure the DC Universe has seen since...well, the last time the Secret Six got together!”
Titans #4
The wild conclusion to the teams first arc in their new ongoing series. This time it’s the Titans versus the Sons of Trigon, be there!
Books from Dark Horse
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #18
Buffy has met her future counterpart Fray and now the duo is on a brand new adventure. Also there seems to be more trouble for Buffy’s sister Dawn.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1
Dark Horse Comic’s says, “Set in the time between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, this new series will focus on the legendary Clone Wars! Some of your favorite Jedi: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Master Yoda, Master Mace Windu, and others, will be joined by a few new faces as they fight to maintain the true spirit of the Republic.”
End League #6
The man known only as Black must stand alone against the villains of the world, but will he be enough?
Star Wars Legacy #28
Vector finally hits the future of Star Wars in its 9th chapter. How will Celeste Morne effect the future? The only way to find out is to check out Legacy!
As comic editor for Crave Online I decided it was time for a change the comic guide. This space will be dedicated to looking at how each company is doing in sales for the month leading up to this one. Kind of a state of the company address for comics if you will. Enjoy.
The big winner: Marvel Comics
14 out of the top 20 books to be ordered by diamond distribution were from Marvel. Uncanny X-men #500 was second only to Marvel's Secret Invasion. Secret Invasion has topped the charts with every issue so Marvel is definitely doing something right when it comes to marketing books.
It also looks like team books are the way to go recently with both Avengers Titles joining the X-Men in the top ten. Captain America, Thor, and Wolverine are also all in the top twenty books ordered in July.
Honorable mention: DC Comics
Two DC books made the top 10 books ordered through Diamond distributors in July, they were Batman R.I.P. and Justice League America. Its funny how all their books in the top 10 are all directly linked to movies either here or potentially on the way. It’s also pretty surprising that Final Crisis didn’t have a better showing but that series has been a bit of a disappointment so far and all the tie-ins don’t fill me with confidence either.
Third runner up: Dark Horse
The tenth book in the top ten belongs to Dark Horse Comics Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All those fans of the show plus Joss Whedon’s X-Men fans have made this the highest ordered book in the Dark Horse line. The rest of the Dark Horse titles to make the top 100 books are Star Wars Legacy, Conan the Cimmerian, and Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
The State of Comics
Marvel is still the big dag on the block with a string of successful movies and another potential blockbuster on the way in the form of Punisher: Warzone. DC seems to have hit a stall in the despite having the biggest movie of the year to fill their war chest. They have Supermax on the way but I’m taking a wait and see approach with that film, which is supposed to be a superhero movie with no real superheroes. That’s right, Green Arrow isn’t a superhero.
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army did ok in theaters but the books have a cult following that will guarantee more books at the very least, but we’ll have to wait and see about a Hellboy 3 movie. Here’s hoping that Vector (Star Wars) will be the sleeper crossover of the year. It might inspire more crossover‘s from the publishing house.
That’s it folks, come back next month when we’ll look at the state of comics in August.
