The Walking Dead volumes took the top two spots, three of the top five, and five of the Top 20 adult graphic novels sold in bookstores in December, according to the Nielsen BookScan bestseller chart. That's the first time since July that an American title has taken the top spot (the bestselling title in July was also The Walking Dead). The latest Naruto volume took the #3 slot, and Yen Press's new Maximum Ride volume took #4.
Craig Thompson's Habibi, from Pantheon, is holding strong at #6; it has been in the top 10 since its launch in September.
Kodansha's Sailor Moon slipped a little, after three months on top (see "'Sailor Moon' Pulls Off a Hat Trick"), but still placed three titles in the Top 10, including Sailor Moon Vol. 2 at #9.
| BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novels in December 2011 | |||
| Rank | Title | Author | Publisher |
| 1 | THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM VOL. 1 | ROBERT KIRKMAN | IMAGE COMICS |
| 2 | THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 15 | ROBERT KIRKMAN | IMAGE COMICS |
| 3 | NARUTO VOL. 53 | MASASHI KISHIMOTO | VIZ MEDIA |
| 4 | MAXIMUM RIDE: THE MANGA VOL. 5 | JAMES PATTERSON | YEN PRESS |
| 5 | THE WALKING DEAD BOOK 1 HC | ROBERT KIRKMAN | IMAGE COMICS |
| 6 | HABIBI HC | CRAIG THOMPSON | PANTHEON BOOKS |
| 7 | BATMAN: NOEL HC | LEE BERMEJO | DC COMICS |
| 8 | HARK! A VAGRANT | KATE BEATON | DRAWN & QUARTERLY |
| 9 | SAILOR MOON VOL. 2 | NAOKE TAKEUCHI | KODANSHA COMICS |
| 10 | DIABLO III: BOOK OF CAIN HC | DECKARD CAIN | INSIGHT EDITIONS |
| 11 | THE WAKLING DEAD VOL. 1 | ROBERT KIRKMAN | IMAGE COMICS |
| 12 | FABLES VOL. 16 | BILL WILLINGHAM | VERTIGO |
| 13 | SAILOR MOON VOL. 1 | NAOKE TAKEUCHI | KODANSHA COMICS |
| 14 | FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST VOL. 27 | HIROMU ARAKAWA | VIZ MEDIA |
| 15 | BATMAN: THE BLACK MIRROR HC | SCOTT SNYDER | DC COMICS |
| 16 | THE BATMAN FILES HC | MATTHEW MANNING | ANDREWS MCMEEL |
| 17 | BATMAN: YEAR ONE | FRANK MILLER | DC COMICS |
| 18 | THE WALKING DEAD BOOK 2 HC | ROBERT KIRKMAN | IMAGE COMICS |
| 19 | BLEACH VOL. 37 | TITE KUBO | VIZ MEDIA |
| 20 | CODENAME: SAILOR V VOL. 2 | NAOKE TAKEUCHI | KODANSHA COMICS |
For past BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novel lists, see the "BookScan Top 20 GNs Index."
