Pop culture retailers should note that two very different comic book-based projects are scheduled to debut on Christmas:  the prize-winning animated feature based on Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, and the action-packed Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, which is the second big screen team-up of two movie monsters that first faced off in the pages of Dark Horse comics. 

Ms. Satrapi's autobiographical Persepolis graphic novels were surprisingly strong sellers in the North American bookstore market (see 'Persepolis the Stealth Hit'), and the animated Persepolis film, which won the Jury Prize (shared) at the Cannes Film Festival (see 'Persepolis Wins Cannes Jury Prize'), could introduce the Persepolis graphic novels to a much wider audience.  Although the Persepolis release will likely be limited to art houses, a film doesn't have to do land office business at the box office to stimulate sales of a lot of graphic novels (Ghost World earned less than $6 million).  The December launch of Persepolis also means that the film will be eligible for nomination for the Academy Award for 'Best Animated Feature' -- and a nomination would ensure that interest in the film would last well into 2008.

The other comic-based Christmas Day feature film debut, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, should also provide retailers (especially those in the direct market) with some opportunities because by then Dark Horse will have published two Alien vs. Predator Omnibus Editions, which contain over 400 pages of full color comics for just $24.95.