The Pulse has released Diamond’s sales figures for December (Top 300 Comics, Top 100 Graphic Novels, and Top 50 Manga).
Twenty-eight manga titles made it onto the Top 100 GN list, led by Dark Horse’s Samurai Executioner Vol. 7 at #7 and Viz’s Naruto Vol. 8 at #8. Just outside the top 10 of GNs were Viz’s Rurouni Kenshin Vol. 21 at #14 (Vol. 22 came in at #59), Tokyopop’s Kingdom Hearts Vol. 2 at #15, and Del Rey’s Negima Vol. 8 at #16.
The Pulse chose to ignore Image’s Spawn Manga Vol. 1, which came in at #19 among GNs. Is this a simple oversight or a flagrant example of culturist thinking? You be the judge. I’m just glad they didn’t call it Spawn Pumpkin Pie, because that sounds revolting. Then again, the Pulse also forgot Viz’s Bleach Vol. 10 on the manga list, #21 in GNs, so maybe it was just an oversight.
Viz’s guilty pleasure, Hot Gimmick Vol. 10, is the first shôjo title to crack the list, #56 in GNs, #9 (or #11) in manga. It’s joined on the GN list by Tokyopop’s RG Veda Vol. 4 at #75, Viz’s Angel Sanctuary Vol. 11 at #76, and Viz’s Hana Kimi Vol. 9 at #79.
A lot of yaoi made it onto not only the manga list but the GN list as well. Release delays and a large number of titles shipping at roughly the same time didn’t seem to hurt sales of Digital Manga’s Jazz Vol. 1 (GN #61, manga #12/14), Our Kingdom Vol. 1 (GN #74, manga #15/17), Antique Bakery Vol. 2 (GN #73, manga #19), Beyond My Touch Vol. 1 (GN #91, manga #22/24), and La Esperanca Vol. 1 (GN #94, manga #24/26). Further down the manga list was Blu’s Wild Rock at #44/46.
For those of you who were wondering, Viz’s Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 4, originally released in November, is still popular in comic shops. It hit #92 on the GN list and #23/25 in manga. (Vol. 5 arrives in comic shops next week.)
Moving beyond the top 100 GN entries, I’m glad to see Vertical’s Buddha Vol. 7 hit #28/30 on the manga list. That seems like more of a bookstore title to me, so it’s nice to see it performing reasonably well in the Direct Market. Both of Dark Horse’s Harlequin debuts made the top fifty, with Violet: Response at #41/43 and Pink: Girl in a Million at #43/45. Spicy trumps sweet! (Oh, and I saw a copy of the pink one while shopping in Pittsburgh today. It’s really, really pink.)
Tokyopop’s Juror 13 seems to be the only OEL title (other than Spawn) at #42/44 on the manga list.
After an absence from the Top 300 Comics in November, Shonen Jump returns at a fairly higher position (#194) than it held the last time it showed up, in October (#216). Shojo Beat (#280) held fairly steady from November (#274).
Please feel free to go through the above with red pens. I’m bound to have messed up something.