Only three of the top 20 graphic novels were superhero titles: Infinity Gauntlet in the number nine spot, Dark Nights: Metal: Deluxe Edition at number 12, and Dark Nights: Metal: Dark Knights Rising at number 15.
Of course one could argue (and I have) that a number of the manga that dominate the chart are actually superhero stories. One-Punch Man is an action filled superhero spoof, and My Hero Academia is set at a superhero training school. Both are mostly based on the tradition of American superhero comics but deviate from it in important ways.
Be that as it may, this month belongs to the first volume of The Adventure Zone, which is neither manga nor a superhero comic. It's an original graphic novel based on a podcast in which a father and three sons play Dungeons & Dragons. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
It's totally legit though. The first story arc of The Adventure Zone was 69 episodes long, and the podcast has an avid following. In fact, sticking with the story for 69 episodes is pretty much the definition of "true believer." Maybe it's quicker to read the graphic novel; that would explain why this book charted at #1 and #4 (the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition). You can see this same tenacity with manga readers, who come back to their favorite series month after month, picking up the latest volume, or catching up with older ones.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels – July 2018 (7/1/18 - 7/29/18) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
2 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 14 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
3 |
DRAGON BALL SUPER VOL. 3 |
AKIRA TORIYAMA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS (B&N EXC. ED.) |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
5 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA: VIGILANTES VOL. 1 |
HIDEYUKI FURUHASHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 13 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
8 |
ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 25 |
HAJIME ISAYAMA |
KODANSHA COMICS |
|
9 |
INFINITY GAUNTLET |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
10 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 12 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: DLX. ED. HC |
SCOTT SNYDER |
DC COMICS |
|
13 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS |
|
15 |
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: DARK KNIGHTS RISING HC |
PETER TOMASI |
DC COMICS |
|
16 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
BERSERK VOL. 39 |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE MANGA |
|
18 |
TOKYO GHOUL: RE VOL. 5 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 11 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
TOKYO GHOUL VOL. 1 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For charts of July graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
July 2018 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels
July 2018 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Superhero, Manga, Author Graphic Novels
For the charts with the actual sales numbers from NPD BookScan, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
July 2018 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
July 2018 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
July 2018 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Superhero, Manga, Author Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
NPD BookScan collects weekly point-of-sale data on print books from over 16,000 locations including e-tailers, chains, mass merchandisers, independent bookstores, and more. NPD BookScan covers approximately 85% of the U.S. trade print book market. The ranks on this chart are based on piece sales. Some publishers classify titles that are primarily text, or art books, as graphic novels; we've removed those titles from the ranking above.
For past BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novel lists, see the "BookScan Top 20 GN Index."
