Sales were soft for most of the top comic titles this month, with five out of the top ten and 16 out of the top 25 dropping in sales. But the top seven piece books were all higher than the current base $2.25 price.

This week, Bates gives us his top gift items this season, in three parts. In Part 3, he looks at the toy category.

Columbia Tri-Star has released the French/International production Blueberry (2004) under the title Renegade .

This week, Bates gives us his top gift items this season, in three parts. In Part 2, he looks at the game and DVD categories.

Longtime corporate raider Carl Icahn, who took a run at Marvel a few years back, is now working the video business.

In spite of heavy advertising that prominently featured the Marvel logo, Blade: Trinity finished a distant second at the weekend box office.

Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose Comics in Whippany, New Jersey sent us a comment on the launch of Kandora Publishing's new comic line, which elicited a response from a Kandora creator, which prompted Strasser to comment further.

Today's column wades into the discussion of new publisher Kandora Publishing and its strategies.

Writer C. Edward Sellner, the co-creator and writer of two upcoming titles from Kandora Publishing ( Savage World and Monarch of Manhattan ), saw the previous comments on the pricing of the new line and sent us this comment.

Upper Deck is planning a new program of launch events in hobby stores in 2005.