From: [o--b--t] at [ix.netcom.com] (Michael R. Grabois)
Subject: [FLASHBACK] Ten years ago: the top 150 comics
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 96 15:00:52 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info

I was looking through some old CBGs recently before getting rid of them, and
I thought it would be interesting to see what the industry was like a decade
ago. Here's what the top 150 comics were, cover-dated December 1986,
according to Capital City (direct sales only).

(NOTE: this is the corrected version)

1. X-Men #216
2. Avengers vs. X-Men #1
3. X-Factor #15
4. Batman #406
5. Fantastic Four vs. X-Men #3
6. Superman #4
7. Fallen Angels #1
8. Mephisto vs. Four Heroes #1
9. GI Joe #58
10. Legends #6
11. Classic X-Men #8
12. New Mutants #58
13. 'Nam #5
14. GI Joe and Transformers #4
15. GI Joe Special Missions #4
16. Amazing Spider-Man #287
17. Action #587
18. Watchmen #8
19. Web of Spider-Man #25
20. Fantastic Four #301
21. Adventures of Superman #527
22. West Coast Avengers #19
23. Avengers #278
24. Strange Tales #1
25. Alpha Flight #45
26. Peter Parker #125
27. Wonder Woman #3
28. Shazam! The New Beginning #1
29. Daredevil #241
30. Elektra: Assassin #7
31. Thor #378
32. Power Pack #29
33. Spectre #1
34. DP7 #6
35. Star Brand #7
36. Iron Man #217
37. Strikeforce Morituri #5
38. Psi-Force #6
39. Demon #4
40. Who's Who #26
41. Mr. Miracle Special #1
42. Captain Atom #2
43. Transformers #27
44. Justice League of America #261
45. Captain America #328
46. Comet Man #3
47. Marvel Age #49
48. Justice #6
49. Teen Titans Spotlight #6
50. Incredible Hulk #330
51. New Teen Titans #30
52. Detective #573
53. Justice Machine #1
54. Mark Hazzard: Merc #6
55. Nightmask #6
56. Question #3
57. Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #7
58. Swamp Thing #59
59. Kickers, Inc. #6
60. Secret Origins #13
61. Marvel Saga #17
62. Groo the Wanderer #26
63. Who's Who in Star Trek #2
64. ElfQuest #21
65. Legion of Super-Heroes #33
66. Comico Checklist #5
67. Jonny Quest #7
68. Star Trek #37
69. Blue Beetle #11
70. Elementals #11
71. Green Lantern Corps #211
72. Grendel #4
73. Dragonring #1
74. Warlord #116
75. Outsiders #18
76. Fury of Firestorm #58
77. Airboy #11
78. Airboy #12
79. Vigilante #40
80. Infinity, Inc. #37
81. Conan the Barbarian #193
82. Mask #3
83. Elflord #4
84. Mage #15
85. Hawkman #9
86. Booster Gold #15
87. Robotech Macross Saga #16
88. Alien Legion #18
89. Badger #22
90. Robotech Masters #13
91. Villains and Vigilantes #1
92. Elric: Weird of White Wolf #4
93. Jon Sable, Freelance #46
94. Scout #14
95. Death of Groo
96. Electric Warrior #12
97. Avengers Index #1
98. Nexus #31
99. Marvel Tales #198
100. Hero Alliance #1
101. Hamsters 3-D #4
102. Tales of the Teen Titans #76
103. GI Rambot #1
104. Savage Sword of Conan #134
105. Thundercats #10
106. Grimjack #33
107. Terraformers #10
108. Donald Duck #252
109. Steelgrip Starkey #6
110. Judge Dredd #7
111. Power Factor #1
112. Uncle Scrooge #216
113. American Flagg! #39
114. Tales of the Legion #346
115. New Wave #11
116. Luger #2
117. New DNAgents #16
118. Whisper #6
119. Dynamo Joe #6
120. Lunatic Fringe #1
121. Wayfarers #2
122. Moonshadow #12
123. Mickey Mouse #225
124. Samuree #2
125. Walt Disney's Comics #217
126. GI Rambot #2
127. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles poster
128. Armor #4
129. Shatter #8
130. Alien Encounters #10
131. Ms. Mystic #3
132. Terraformers #3
133. Mr. Monster #7
134. Adventures of the Outsiders #44
135. Chrome #3
136. Flesh and Bones #4
137. GI Joe Digest #3
138. Rogue Trooper #7
139. Zooniverse #3
140. Saturday Knights #3
141. Sam Slade, Robo-Hunter #7
142. Arctic Comics #1
143. Midnight Surfer Special
144. Priority: White Heat #1
145. Animax #3
146. Ghostbusters #3
147. Spellbinders #5
148. AD Presents #13
149. Valor Thunderstar and Fireflies #1
150. JLA Index #7

By my count, only 30 of the top 150 comics are still around in some form
today. I didn't count series that had been cancelled and then later
resurrected, but rather series that had had a more-or-less continually
ongoing title (with allowances for titles changing like New Mutants to
X-Force).

But if you take out all the specials and miniseries from the top 150 list,
that brings it down to just 30/133 or 22% remaining. Still, thinking that
a little more than two out of every nine titles published just ten years ago
is around today... that should be sobering to someone.


1. X-Men
3. X-Factor
4. Batman
6. Superman
9. GI Joe #58 (as Dark Horse version)
12. New Mutants (as X-Force)
16. Amazing Spider-Man
17. Action
19. Web of Spider-Man (as Spectacular Spidey)
20. Fantastic Four (as v2)
21. Adventures of Superman
23. Avengers (as v2)
26. Peter Parker (as Spectacular Spider-Man)
27. Wonder Woman
29. Daredevil
31. Thor (as Journey Into Mystery)
36. Iron Man (as v2)
44. Justice League of America (as new JLA via JLA/JLE/JLI/JLTF/EJ/etc.)
45. Captain America (as v2)
50. Incredible Hulk
52. Detective
58. Swamp Thing #59 (as Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing)
64. ElfQuest
65. Legion of Super-Heroes (as v4)
68. Star Trek #37 (as Marvel series)
71. Green Lantern Corps #211 (as Emerald Dawn/GL)
98. Nexus #31 (as a series of miniseries)
108. Donald Duck
112. Uncle Scrooge
125. Walt Disney's Comics


-----
 Michael R. Grabois  | http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mgrabois
 Houston, TX         | [o--b--t] at [ix.netcom.com]    CI$: 74737,2600
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you can read this, you're an alien trying to steal my brain
      just like you did to Elvis."