Sales of c om ics and graphic novels skidded 16% in October 2004 vs. the previous year period. The tough c om parisons ranged fr om the top to the bott om of the list.

Marvel has released its book schedule for the first five months of 2005, and it includes 92 titles in hardcover and paper combined.

Comic and graphic novel dollars were up 5% in September, despite tough comparisons with September 2003, when JLA/Avengers #1 contributed over $1 million to the month's dollar total.

Robert Scott of Comickaze in San Diego, California saw the Talk Back comments of Joe Krolik and Ilan Strasser on manga sales, and feels that the opportunities in manga are huge for retailers, if not for everyone.

Astonishing X-Men reclaimed the top spot on the comic charts with its fourth issue, the first time it's led the pack since #1 was released in May.

These are estimates of the sales on graphic novels by Diamond U.S. to comic specialty stores during August 2004.

Steven Bates of Bookery Fantasy in Fairborn, Ohio saw our coverage of the Daredevil/Batman crossover that didn't happen and sends us his thoughts.

These are estimates of the sales by Diamond U.S. to comic specialty stores during July 2004.

At Wizard World Chicago, Top Cow announced two crossovers with DC, b ut the biggest crossover news concerned the 'crossover that didn't happen.'

From the truth is stranger than fiction department, an article by Jim Henley (not Hanley) in the online American Spectator identifies the first use in fiction of suicide bombers -- Avengers #113, written by Steve Engelhart in 1973.