Intermission — April 23 — Bigfoot Problems

There are some Bigfoot problems that hit harder than others — and for certain legendary figures, male pattern baldness anxiety isn’t just about looks… it’s about legacy. Today’s comic imagines what happens when one very famous cryptid starts wondering if his myth might not survive a receding hairline.


What I’m Watching: Invincible, JJK, and the Great Animation Trade-Off

I’ve been watching Invincible with my sons, and I’ve got… thoughts.

First off: the story? Very, very good. Genuinely compelling stuff — even though the violence and gore is way past my personal comfort range. I'm not super comfortable with one character shooting another. The stuff that happens on a median-level episode of Invincible is a real challenge for me.

As someone who does NSFW comics, I'm constantly amazed at how perfectly acceptable Invincible is... yet an animated series based on Phil Foglio's XXXenophile would have people losing their ever-loving minds.

Further, it's a little disappointing to go from watching Jujutsu Kaisen (which we're also following at the moment) to watching Invincible.

JJK features jaw-dropping visuals and animation that constantly raises the bar episode after episode. It's phenomenal.

On the other side of the spectrum, Invincible clearly put all of its budget into getting celebrity voice talent. Some of them are very good.

I just wish a few of those Amazon dollars had been spent on the animation. Some of the scenes are pretty clearly PNGs that get enlarged to show an object moving through space, and it's a goddamned embarrassment.

But the story itself is very, very good.

Comic Book Publisher Market Share: October 2009


For the first time since 1968, DC snagged the top six spots in the top-ten selling titles of the month. Marvel Comics maintained its hold on the dominant market share in comics, according to Diamond Comic’s monthly sales report. But DC closed the gap from 14.84% to just under 2.5% by dominating the top six, best-selling titles of the month. Blackest Night #4 secured the Number One position, with four other Blackest Night themed titles and Batman and Robin shoring up the rest of the top six slots. Dark Horse held its firm bronze finish over both IDW and Image — who traded off fourth- and fifth-positions yet again. And Archie Comics crept into the Top Ten for the second month in a row, no doubt because of the “Archie marries Veronica” storyline that has been garnering a fair share of media buzz. Here’s a look at the numbers:

Percent of unit share, by publisher.

Publisher
July 09
Aug. 09
Sept. 09
Oct. 09
This month’s
Top 10
Marvel Comics
42.58
41.26
47.58
40.12
Marvel
DC Comics
34.14
32.06
32.74
37.69
DC Comics
Dark Horse
4.06
5.74
3.72
4.14
Dark Horse
IDW Publishing
3.72
3.29
2.58
3.15
Image Comics
Image Comics
3.21
2.91
2.93
3.93
IDW Publishing
Dynamite Entertainment
2.27
2.11
1.72
Dynamite
Boom! Studios
1.52
1.42
1.44
Boom!
Viz Media
0.76
1.61
0.62
0.79
Avatar Press
Avatar Press
0.68
0.92
Archie Comics
Aspen MLT
0.62
Viz Media
Tokyopop
1.15
Wizard Entertainment
0.95
0.45
Gemstone Publishing
0.92
Dynamic Forces
0.92
Archie Comics     0.95 0.90  


Top Ten Titles, Oct. 2009


1 BLACKEST NIGHT #4
2 BATMAN AND ROBIN #5
3 GREEN LANTERN #47
4 BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #3
5 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #41
6 BLACKEST NIGHT: SUPERMAN #3
7 NEW AVENGERS #58
8 DARK AVENGERS #10
9 UNCANNY X-MEN #516
10 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #608

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 4,000+ accounts, comprised of comic book specialty shops and other merchant stores and buyers. The shops are primarily located in North America, with a percentage of sales also to international stores and buyers located throughout the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores. Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.