Graphic novels are on the rise across channels this year, according to a new report in ICv2’s Internal Correspondence #83.  The growth in comic stores (up 6.59% through the Spring and Summer seasons) is the continuation of a long-running trend, but the improvements on the bookstore side, if they hold up through the year, will be the first since the global financial crisis in 2008.

Movie and TV sales are one big reason for growth this year, and one surprising component of that was the success of DC’s Superman graphic novel publishing program around Man of Steel.

And after a painful period of decline that stretches back to a peak in 2007, manga appears to have turned around in both the comic and bookstore markets.  The growth is multifaceted:  the return of popular titles like Fairy Tail and Sailor Moon, increasing numbers of omnibi, and new hits such as Kodansha’s Attack on Titan (which appears to be in the mega-hit scale) and Viz’s Demon Love Spell.

One trend everyone seems to agree on is the growing importance of Amazon, with Overstock making a recent splash with its below-cost price competition with Amazon.  Coupled with growing graphic novel sales in mass merchants, the stage is set for aggressive price competition in the graphic novel marketplace.

Internal Correspondence #83 also included ICv2's bestseller charts of the top graphic novel properties across eight categories for Summer 2013:

Top 10 Genre Graphic Novel Properties--Summer 2013
Top 10 Fiction & Reality Graphic Novel Properties--Summer 2013
Top 10 Superhero Graphic Novel Properties--Summer 2013
Top 5 Comic Strip Properties--Summer 2013
Top 10 Kids & Tweens Graphic Novel Properties--Summer 2013
Top 25 Manga Properties--Summer 2013
Top 10 Shojo Properties--Summer 2013
Top 10 Shonen Properties--Summer 2013

For info on how to get your copy of ICv2's Internal Correspondence #83, with the full market reports, Pick Hits of the best upcoming releases, and reviews, see "ICv2 Releases 'Internal Correspondence' #83."