I came to this conclusion after I saw Up in the Air last night (fantastic film, by the way). As I tend to do after I see movies, I went online to do some research into the film's background, its cast, etc, and, I must admit, into its cute young supporting actress, Anna Kendrick. And lo and behold, when I read about Anna Kendrick I noticed that she'll be playing the role of Stacey Pilgrim in the upcoming comic-adapted movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Now, Anna Kendrick is a pretty big rising star. Up in the Air is a definite contender for 2009's Best Picture award (a lot of people are saying it'll take it), and Anna's received 18 nominations and 5 awards for her performance in said movie. Anna also happens to be a cast member in the Twilight saga films, which I understand are pretty popular nowadays or something. Scott Pilgrim is her next movie, and there's gonna be a lot of attention on her going into it.
And then I thought a little more, and I realized just how many people involved in Scott Pilgrim have a lot of buzz around them. Maybe not the lead actor anymore (I feel like Michael Cera's days are numbered, although that depends on how Youth in Revolt goes, and I want to see that movie just based on Zack Galifianakis... I can't be the only one who feels that way), but look at some of the other talent: it's directed by Edgar Wright, who's made a string of beloved movies (most notably Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz). Playing some of the evil ex-boyfriends we've got Brandon Routh and Chris Evans, which is at least a little funny, as well as Jason Schwartzman, which is straight-up cool. Aubrey Plaza from NBC's Parks & Recreation also has a supporting role as Scott's sister's kind-of-bitchy friend Julie. That's some solid talent right there.
What I'm saying is, all these big names surrounding the Scott Pilgrim movie are going to make people curious. And I'm cautiously optimistic that that curiosity will turn into sales of the graphic novels. I mean, the trailers for Watchmen sold the related comics in a way that hasn't been seen before... Dark Knight, which did way better at the box office, didn't have that kind of effect, nor did Iron Man or any of the Spider-Mans or any other comic film. Granted, Scott Pilgrim is not instantly recognizable as a comic-book film (i.e., little to no tights), so one might be tempted to compare it more to movies like From Hell or Road to Perdition instead.
The thing is, as good and acclaimed as they are, From Hell wasn't winning any sales awards when the movie came out. Ditto Road to Perdition. But Scott Pilgrim is already a hot property in the comic world. As you might have seen in my last blog, Scott Pilgrim vol. 1 was the best-selling graphic novel for all of 2009 at OUR store, while Scott Pilgrim vol. 5 was a huge commercial success last year nationwide.
I'm hoping what we see here is some crazy kind of alchemy where two strands of popularity--comic and film--merge to create an uber-successful franchise in both media. Would I bet on it? No, probably not. But will we be stocking several copies of all available volumes of Scott Pilgrim come summer 2010? Yes, most definitely.
Maybe we won't sell through Scott Pilgrims as furiously as we did Watchmen. But if we did, that would be okay with me.
Almost every website concerned with things that are new and interesting does some kind of big year-end wrap-up at the end of December, saying what they thought was best/worst/most cromulent or what-have-you about new products in their field from the preceding year. I purposefully waited til 2010 for ours, because I've got something maybe a little more interesting than just opinions: sales data! Thanks to the nifty new POS we got in mid-February, our computer has been keeping track of every sale we've made throughout the year and I thought it would be cool to include some actual hard facts in my personal "Best of '09" list. Please note these sales reflect only OUR store, and as such they are a SUPREMELY USEFUL gauge of what comic fans around Lansing, IL enjoy. SUPREMELY USEFUL. Also please note that this data doesn't include any sales made in January or the first two weeks of February.
After the hard sales data is the usual slough of opinions from yours truly.
FROM THE STAND-UP COMICS POS:
Top single issues of 2009:
1. Captain America Reborn #1
2. Blackest Night #1
3. TIE: Blackest Night #2/Blackest Night #3
4. Amazing Spider-Man #600
5. Blackest Night #4
Top ongoing series of 2009 by average sales:
1. Batman & Robin
2. New Avengers
3. Green Lantern
4. Dark Avengers
5. Justice League of America
Top graphic novels/trade paperbacks of 2009, including CBC:
1. Scott Pilgrim vol. 1: Precious Little Life
2. We3
3. Fun Home
4. Arkham Asylum
5. Watchmen
Top graphic novels/trade paperbacks of 2009, not including CBC:
**note: once you get past the books that got a bump from being CBC books, there's a humongous tie, so I'm just going to alphabetically list all the books that are tied for first**
-Batman: The Killing Joke
-Batman: The Man Who Laughs
-Irredeemable vol. 1
-Sandman vol. 5: A Game of You
-Walking Dead vol. 1: Days Gone Bye
-Y the Last man. vol. 1: Unmanned
FROM THE MIND OF ERIC GARNEAU
Top ongoing series of 2009:
1. Batman & Robin
2. Adventure Comics
3. Dark Avengers
4. Detective Comics
5. Unwritten
Top events/miniseries of 2009:
1. Blackest Night
2. Wednesday Comics
3. Strange Tales
4. Superman: Secret Origins
5. Transformers: All Hail Megatron
Top graphic novels/trade paperbacks of 2009:
1. Masterpiece Comics by R. Sikoryak
2. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
3. I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly
4. Sulk vol. 3 by Jeffrey Brown
5. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi
Top writers of 2009, superhero:
1. Geoff Johns (Blackest Night, Adventure Comics, Green Lantern)
2. Grant Morrison (Batman & Robin)
3. Brian Michael Bendis (Dark Avengers, New Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man)
4. Greg Rucka (Detective Comics)
5. Fred van Lente (Incredible Hercules, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men Noir, Marvel Zombies)
Top writers of 2009, other:
1. Jeffrey Brown (Sulk, Funny Misshapen Body)
2. Fred van Lente (Comic Book Comics, Action Philosophers)
3. Mike Carey (Unwritten)
4. Joe Kelly (I Kill Giants)
5. Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County)
Top artists of 2009:
1. JH Williams III (Detective Comics)
2. Frank Quietly (Batman & Robin)
3. Doug Mahnke (Green Lantern)
4. Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County)
5. Scott Kolins (Solomon Grundy, Superman/Batman, Blackest Night: Flash)
And finally, because I'm a music nerd... top albums of 2009:
1. Def Leppard/Taylor Swift: CMT Crossroads
2. Neko Case: Middle Cyclone
3. Art Brut: Art Brut vs. Satan
4. The Mountain Goats: The Life of the World to Come
5. Pearl Jam: Backspacer
So there you have it: a two-pronged look at the top comics of 2009. I have some reflections on the data above, which will probably be the topic of my next blog post. Until then... maybe go listen to one of the albums I listed at the end there? You won't be disappointed. (And yes, I'm serious about Def Leppard/Taylor Swift being #1).
At the beginning of 2009, Stand-Up Comics started doing what I refer to as (Comic) Book Club... a group of about twelve or so people who read one graphic novel/trade paperback each month and then get together to talk about it. This is something that's very near and dear to me, as it was my idea (not my idea *originally* mind you--I read about a comic store in Florida that did it and that was my inspiration--just my idea to start it, and push it, here). Now we're one year in to the club, and I can honestly say that of all the things Stand-Up Comics has done in its whole existence, that's possibly the thing I'm most proud of.
The great thing about (Comic) Book Club really hit me this last meeting, when we discussed Scott Pilgrim vol. 1. Picking the book was my idea, and I chose it because I wasn't sure *what* I thought of it. I had lots of friends whose opinions I respected telling me it was one of the greatest comics of the decade, but on my own first read-through it left me a little flat. Knowing what I did about Scott Pilgrim's sales power (HIGH) and also about the impending movie, I felt like I needed to give it another try, and I was hoping that the other members of CBC (yes, we're abbreviating now. It's what the cool kids are doing) would help me get an interpretive handle on the book.
And you know what? That's exactly what happened. In the midst of a conversation about, I believe, what in the book is goofy and what's "real," and if there's any kind of deeper emotional truth to the story, it struck me that the idea of having to defeat someone's evil exes before you can date them is, well, fairly brilliant. Because isn't that what happens in every relationship? You have to overcome the memories, possibly the scars, of every person your loved one has ever significantly been involved with. Sure, you probably don't fight them by engaging in 64-hit juggle combos, and they probably don't drop coins when they're defeated, but every ex has to be battled past just the same And in that sense, I think Scott Pilgrim has something really special to offer the world of comics--I'm still not ready to call it the greatest comic of the decade, but it's a really sharp relationship metaphor disguised as a teen-dramedy-slash-video-game. And I wouldn't have thought that at all without the excellent discussion brought about by the CBC.
So it is that I want to thank everyone who's participated in our little (Comic) Book Club in 2009; you all have made the club everything I wanted it to be. I look forward to an excellent 2010, with 12 exciting new books to be exposed to. And that, by the way, is a way in which every member of the CBC leaves an indelible mark on the store, for the graphic novels they choose for the club will forever be kept in stock! I feel like we should have some kind of induction ceremony or something. Joining the Stand-Up Comics Hall of Fame this year (with the name of its chooser in parenthesis--be proud!):
Hellboy vol. 1: Seed of Destruction (Pat Hughes)
Watchmen (me!)
The Question vol. 1: Zen and Violence (Marc Fishman)
We3 (Kyle Gnepper)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Mary Schons)
Notes for a War Story (Betty Bush)
Empowered vol. 1 (Brendan Green)
Arkham Asylum (Brian Sokol)
Planetary vol. 1 (Jason Gay)
Eduardo Risso's Tales of Terror (Melinda Sterbenc)
Invincible vol. 1: Family Matters (Pat Hughes)
Scott Pilgrim vol. 1: Precious Little Life (me again!)
For more information on any of these titles, check out the (Comic) Book Club section of our website or just stop in the store and give our CBC rack a browse. And thanks again, everyone! I can't wait to see what we read this year.
