The Indy Comics & TPBs/OGN Sales Charts for the Year of 2009

Buffy Season Eight has been a ridiculously successful license for Dark Horse Comics, by allowing them to tap into large fan base of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show. In addition, by having the series written by such well known comic writers as Brian K. Vaughan and Brad Meltzer, the comic has also pulled in comic fans that were not followers of the TV show. With the recent revelation of the identity of Twilight, this series is about to get even more popular!

With Haunt, Kirkman collaborated with Todd McFarlane to create a new character called Daniel Kilgore, a Catholic priest, who is haunted by the ghost of his brother Kurt, a murdered secret agent. Daniel finds that he can bond with his brother’s spirit, to form the superhero, Haunt.

With Image United, Kirkman collaborated with six of the seven Image Comics founders, for a crossover story featuring Youngblood, Spawn, Savage Dragon, Pitt, Shadowhawk, Witchblade, Cyberforce, and The Darkness.

• The top ranking indy graphic novel of 2009 was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1910 (Top Shelf), with an overall ranking at position #2.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol III): Century #1 (“1910″), sees our familiar cast of Victorian literary characters enter the brave new world of the 20th century! This latest installment of the LOEG saga has been a great seller for Top Shelf this year, and they must be ridiculously happy that Alan Moore decided to shift publishers!
- Written by Alan Moore, with art by Kevin O’Neill.

• The fifth spot goes to Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe (Oni Press), with an overall ranking at position #14.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe is the penultimate volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s story about a Canadian slacker who falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona V. Flowers, but must defeat her seven “evil exes” in order to date her. In this volume, two of Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends are in town, and they’re playing dirty. His band is in turmoil, and his own exes aren’t making things any easier. Meanwhile, Scott and Ramona’s relationship is starting to feel strained.

- Written and Illustrated by Bryan Lee O’Malley

• The seventh spot goes to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4 (Dark Horse), with an overall ranking at position #19.

This volume of the series contains the highly anticipated Buffy/Fray crossover, ‘Time of Your Life’, written by Joss Whedon, as well as ‘After These Messages . . . We’ll Be Right Back’, written by Jeph Loeb. In the tiular story, Willow and Buffy head to New York City to unlock the secrets of Buffy’s mysterious scythe, when something goes terribly awry. Buffy is propelled into a dystopian future where there’s only one Slayer — Fray.

- Written by Joss Whedon and Jeph Loeb, with art by Karl Moline, Eric Wight, and Andy Owens.

• The eight spot goes to The Boys, Vol. 4 (Dynamite Entertainment), with an overall ranking at position #21.

This volume of the series contains the ‘We gotta Go Now’ story arc, from issue #23 to #30 of the series. Following the very public suicide of original team member, Silver Kincaid, The Boys are sent in to investigate the G-Men, Vought-American’s most bankable team of outcasts. After a brief history of the team is given, the Boys send in Hughie undercover to G-Wiz, one of the junior teams in the franchise, with The Female and The Frenchman as back up in case anything goes wrong.

- Written by Garth Ennis, with art by Darick Robertson.

• Spots 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 and 19 go to volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10 of The Walking Dead (Image Comics).

Every single volume of The Walking Dead trade paper backs appear in the 2009 charts, as well as the volume 1 compendium, and the volume 1 HC! That’s a pretty remarkable achievement!

- Written by Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard , and Tony Moore.