Seconds: A Graphic Novel, Bryan Lee O’Malley's long-awaited follow-up to Scott Pilgrim, had a strong launch, according to the "Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels" sold in the bookstore channel in July, based on this chart provided exclusively to ICv2.com by Nielsen BookScan.  Two editions of the title made the top five (at #2 and #5), making it likely that if the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition were counted with the regular edition, it would have taken the top spot.

The other big notable in this month's chart is that DC had eight titles in the Top 20, way ahead of Image Comics' three titles.  That hasn't happened since September of 2012, a run during which the former titan of American comics sales in bookstores had been beaten by the creator-owned brand every month except one (November 2013), in which the two companies tied with the same number of titles in the Top 20.  We see some vintage titles (Batman: The Killing Joke Deluxe Edition, Batman: Hush) with the newer ones, so we sense the result of a trade promotion around the Batman 75th anniversary.

There were six manga titles in the Top 20, including the putative winner, the latest volume of Naruto, and five volumes of Attack on Titan.

BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novels in July 2014

Rank

Title

Author

Publisher

1

NARUTO VOL. 66

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ MEDIA

2

SECONDS: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC

BRYAN LEE O'MALLEY

BALLANTINE BOOKS

3

ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 1

HAJIME ISAYAMA

KODANSHA COMICS

4

ATTACK ON TITAN: NO REGRETS VOL. 1

GUN SNARK

KODANSHA COMICS

5

SECONDS: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC (B&N EXCLUSIVE ED.)

BRYAN LEE O'MALLEY

BALLANTINE BOOKS

6

INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US VOL. 2 HC

TOM TAYLOR

DC COMICS

7

ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 2

HAJIME ISAYAMA

KODANSHA COMICS

8

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX ED

ALAN MOORE

DC COMICS

9

SAGA VOL. 3

BRIAN K VAUGHAN

IMAGE COMICS

10

BATMAN VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

11

THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM VOL. 1

ROBERT KIRKMAN

IMAGE COMICS

12

SAGA VOL. 1

BRIAN K VAUGHAN

IMAGE COMICS

13

BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

14

ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 3

HAJIME ISAYAMA

KODANSHA COMICS

15

INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US VOL. 1

TOM TAYLOR

DC COMICS

16

THE JOKER: DEATH OF THE FAMILY

VARIOUS

DC COMICS

17

BATMAN VOL. 2: THE CITY OF OWLS

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

18

ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 9

HAJIME ISAYAMA

KODANSHA COMICS

19

BATMAN: HUSH

JEPH LOED

DC COMICS

20

AMERICAN BORN CHINESE

GENE LUEN YANG

SQUARE FISH


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