Dark Horse Comics’ Avatar: The Last Airbender by Gene Luen Yang topped bookstore graphic novel sales in February according to the Nielsen BookScan list of the Top 20 adult graphic novels.  All three volumes of Sailor Moon remained on the list, though the Volume 3 slipped to the number two spot.  After putting just one title on the list in January, Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead placed four volumes in the Top 20 in February as the second half of Season 2 of the TV series got underway with huge ratings during the month.

Another media-aided book on the list was Dark Horse’s adaptation of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, which benefited from the 3-D release of the film during the month.  Movies and TV shows aren’t the only drivers of graphic novel sales, the Blizzard Entertainment video game tie-in Diablo III: Book of Cain dropped from #5 to #10, but remained on the list for the third month in a row.

BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novels in February 2012
Rank	Title	Author	Publisher
1	AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE PROMISE PART 1	GENE YANG	DARK HORSE COMICS
2	SAILOR MOON VOL. 3	NAOKE TAKEUCHI	KODANSHA COMICS
3	THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 15	ROBERT KIRKMAN	IMAGE COMICS
4	NARUTO VOL. 54	MASASHI KISHIMOTO	VIZ MEDIA
5	NEGIMA! VOL. 33	KEN AKAMATSU	KODANSHA COMICS
6	BLEACH VOL. 38	TITE KUBO	VIZ MEDIA
7	BLUE EXORCIST VOL. 6	KAZUE KATO	VIZ MEDIA
8	THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM ONE	ROBERT KIRKMAN	IMAGE COMICS
9	BLACK BUTLER VOL. 8	YANA TOBOSO	YEN PRESS
10	DIABLO III: BOOK OF CAIN HC	DECKARD CAIN	INSIGHT EDITIONS
11	THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 1	ROBERT KIRKMAN	IMAGE COMICS
12	THE WALKING DEAD BOOK 1 HC	ROBERT KIRKMAN	IMAGE COMICS
13	MAXIMUM RIDE: THE MANGA VOL. 5	JAMES PATTERSON	YEN PRESS
14	SAILOR MOON VOL. 1	NAOKE TAKEUCHI	KODANSHA COMICS
15	BAKUMAN VOL. 9	TSUGUMI OHBA	VIZ MEDIA
16	NARUTO VOL. 53	MASASHI KISHIMOTO	VIZ MEDIA
17	SAILOR MOON VOL. 2	NAOKE TAKEUCHI	KODANSHA COMICS
18	DURARARA!! VOL. 1	RYOHGO NARITA	YEN PRESS
19	STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE	HENRY GILROY	DARK HORSE COMICS
20	NARUTO: THE OFFICIAL CHARACTER DATA BOOK	MASHASHI KISHIMOTO	VIZ MEDIA

After five months on the list Craig Thompson’s Habibi dropped out the Top 20. It should be noted that Habibi has clearly been the bestselling new literary graphic published in 2011. .

For the second month in a row manga took 13 spots on the list.  The manga juggernaut may not be what it used to be, but it remains a key player in the bookstore graphic novel market.  Three volumes associated with Masashi Kissimoto’s Naruto (two volumes of manga and a character guide) made the list.  Naruto has remained the bestselling manga property in North America for over five years, an unprecedented run for sure.

For past BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novel lists, see the "BookScan Top 20 GNs Index."