Books

Courtesy of Diamond, we've been posting their top sales charts for 2011 today (more are coming) -- but one question keeps coming up. Diamond releases charts for both "Indie" publishers and "Small" publishers. What is the difference? When you see Random House -- the world's biggest publisher -- on Diamond's "Small" chart, it seems paradoxical. Well, Diamond has provided us with some definitions.

As we've mentioned here several times, there have been no more important graphic novels published in this century than PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi and FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel. Both found large audiences well beyond the traditional ones for comics, and both have become oft-imitated -- but never duplicated -- by book publishers trying to cash in on the "graphic novel" trend. (The number of graphic autobiographies exploring ethnic roots alone is staggering.)

"I think a solid core of high-selling mainstream-y genre comics would be nice, but it really hasn't happened (except for arguably the manga phenomenon,...

Looking for the unusual? The overlooked? Something a bit different? Take a look here!

Matthias Wivel is one of a trio of reviewers -- Domingos Isabelinho and Ng Suat Tong are the other two -- known for applying the most stringent possible personal standards to comics in their criticism. Thus, seeing Wivel come to the defense of HABIBI at The Hooded Utilitarian is a bit of a surprise -- but he makes a plausible point. Running down a host of critical beatdowns administered on that site over stereotypes and gender issues, he says that "parts of the comics intelligentsia seem to be developing an unhealthy obsession with ideological readings of comics."

Amazon has the deets on GET JIRO!, the graphic novel brainstormed by master chef Anthony Bourdain, co-written with Joel Rose and drawn by Langdon Foss. it sounds a little like our dream of an American version of IRON WOK JAN has finally come true.

The past decade may have been the graphic novel decade but some comics observers dreamed of the crowning moment of comics PR as Oprah Winfrey holding up a copy of Gilbert Hernandez's LUBA as a selection of her book club—a Winfrey book club pick rountinely meant mllions of copies sold, so you can see why it would have been the crowning moment of mainstream acceptance for comics. Sadly, that moment never came, as Oprah canceled her syndicated show to focus on her own network. But while comics might not get that instantaneous boost, at least Oprah.com has picked a few GNs s part of an article entitled

11 Books You Never Thought You'd Read (but Will Fall in Love with Instantly):

Scottish novelist/playwright Denise Mina has been chosen to adapt the Millennium Trilogy into comics, it was revealed in The Scotsman. Known as a purveyor of "Tartan Noir," Mina already has solid comics cred, having written a year's worth of HELLBLAZER and A SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY for the Vertigo Crime line. The GN adaptations of Stieg Larsson's hugely successful books, starring investigator/hacker Lisbeth Salander, were announced back in October -- to be published by DC's Vertigo imprint -- but no further details have been released. The first book in the comics adaptation will be out in March -- each novel will be split into two GNs for a total of six books.

By Todd Allen Back in August, DC released the "TALES OF BATMAN: GENE COLAN VOL. 1" hardcover book. This book reprints Batman #340, 343-345,...

Our review copy of THE NEW 52, the $150, 1216-page collection of EVERY SINGLE NEW 52 #1 issue has arrived. Future uses: pressing flowers, anchoring papers during hurricane. This thing is HEAVY. And big. We've shown it here next to a cup of coffee for size reference. Meanwhile, James Robinson is on Twitter drumming up support for the non-New 52 SHADE which is selling badly and in danger of cancellation. Which, if it had been a New 52 book, would probably be selling as well as BATWING or OMAC.

The Graphic Classics line of comics anthologies has been around for over a decade without getting much attention the comics world -- but in libraries, they love these thoughtfully produced collections of comics adaptations of single authors or themes. And here's a neat idea that comics haven't really covered before: early black authors such as Florence Lewis Bently, Charles Chestnutt, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Editor Lance Tooks has rounded up a fine slate of cartoonists for the adaptations, including Kyle Baker, Afua Richardson, Christopher Priest and Trevor von Eeden.

X'ed OUT was one of 2010's best comics, a fantasmic, multi-leveled horror fantasy by the man who practically invented the category, Charles Burns. It was also an interesting experiment for publisher Pantheon, as it was at a slender 56 pages really only the first chapter in a story. The second part has been long in coming, but Entrecomics has posted what appears to be the cover to part two, THE HIVE. Dunno if it's the real thing or not, but hopefully the next part is coming in 2012.