Superheroes dominated the Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels chart for May, with twelve superhero titles on the list, compared to eight in April and two in May, based on info provided exclusively to ICv2.com by Nielsen BookScan.  While only three of the superhero titles were tied to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (DK’s non-graphic novel Marvel the Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide; Civil War, the storyline for the next Captain America movie; and Infinity Gauntlet, tied to a credits scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron), it’s hard not to get the feeling that Age of Ultron put superheroes in the zeitgeist in a big way in May.

DC Comics made a strong showing, with five Batman titles, Watchmen, and one Vertigo title (Fables).  Marvel had five, counting the two licensed Marvel titles from DK Publishing.

The latest volume of Image’s The Walking Dead was the top title in May, and the only The Walking Dead volume in the Top 20, a typical off-season performance.

VIZ Media's Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which VIZ Media Senior Director--Sales and Marketing Kevin Hamric told ICv2 would be VIZ's bestselling release in 2015 (see "Interview with VIZ's Kevin Hamric, Part 2") was #2 in its first month.

BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novels in May 2015

Rank

Title

Author

Publisher

1

THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 23

ROBERT KIRKMAN

IMAGE COMICS

2

LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST

SHOTARO ISHINOMORI

PERFECT SQUARE

3

MARVEL THE AVENGERS: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE HC

ALAN COWSILL

DK PUBLISHING

4

MARVEL ENCYCLOPEDIA: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE HC

MATT FORBECK

DK PUBLISHING

5

CIVIL WAR

MARK MILLAR

MARVEL COMICS

6

BATMAN: EARTH ONE VOL. 2 HC

GEOFF JOHNS

DC COMICS

7

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX ED

ALAN MOORE

DC COMICS

8

BATMAN VOL. 6: GRAVEYARD SHIFT HC

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

9

ROSARIO + VAMPIRE: SEASON II VOL. 14

AKIHISA IKEDA

VIZ MEDIA

10

INFINITY GAUNTLET

JIM STARLIN

MARVEL COMICS

11

RAT QUEENS VOL. 2

KURTIS J. WIEBE

IMAGE COMICS

12

SPIDER-VERSE

DAN SLOTT

MARVEL COMICS

13

FABLES VOL. 21

BILL WILLINGHAM

VERTIGO

14

DRAGON AGE: THE WORLD OF THEDAS VOL. 2 HC

VARIOUS

DARK HORSE BOOKS

15

BATMAN VOL. 5: ZERO YEAR-DARK CITY

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

16

FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC

ALISON BECHDEL

MARINER BOOKS

17

SUNSTONE VOL. 2

STJEPAN SEJIC

IMAGE COMICS

18

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS

FRANK MILLER

DC COMICS

19

WATCHMEN

ALAN MOORE

DC COMICS

20

MARCH: BOOK 1

JOHN LEWIS

TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS

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