The superhero chart has had a bit of a shakeout. Infinity Gauntlet is back on top, and Jim Starlin’s Infinity War returns to the chart in ninth place. Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons is in second place, as it was last month, and another March release, the deluxe hardcover of Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman, is at number 3.
Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame Prelude, an obvious movie tie-in released in April, takes the number 4 spot. Two books that tie in to the Shazam! movie show up further down; Shazam! Origins was released in March but didn’t chart that month, while Shazam! Volume 1 is an older title from the "New 52" era.
What’s interesting is what’s not on the chart. Tom King’s Mister Miracle, which debuted in the number one spot in February and showed up at number 7 in March, is absent in April. Also among the missing: The first trade of Brian Michael Bendis’s Superman and any Captain Marvel titles (there were two in the March top 20).
Marvel Comics has eight titles on the chart, while DC Comics and its imprints account for nine.
|
NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superhero' Graphic Novels – April 2019 (4/7/19 - 5/4/19) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
INFINITY GAUNTLET |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
2 |
RICK AND MORTY VS. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS |
PATRICK ROTHFUSS |
IDW PUBLISHING |
|
3 |
DETECTIVE COMICS: 80 YEARS OF BATMAN DLX. ED. HC |
VARIOUS |
DC COMICS |
|
4 |
MARVEL'S AVENGERS: ENDGAME PRELUDE |
VARIOUS |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
5 |
WATCHMEN |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
6 |
STAR WARS VOL. 10: THE ESCAPE |
KIERON GILLEN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
7 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
8 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT |
SEAN MURPHY |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
9 |
INFINITY WAR |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
10 |
CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA |
ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA |
ARCHIE COMIC PUB. |
|
11 |
SHAZAM!: ORIGINS |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
SHAZAM! VOL. 1 (N52): FROM THE PAGES OF JUSTICE LEAGUE |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
13 |
MS. MARVEL VOL. 10: TIME AND AGAIN |
G. WILLOW WILSON |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
14 |
FIREFLY: THE UNIFICATION WAR VOL. 1 HC |
GREG PAK |
BOOM! STUDIOS |
|
15 |
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
16 |
THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES 30TH ANNI. ED. |
NEIL GAIMAN |
VERTIGO |
|
17 |
AVENGERS BY JASON AARON VOL. 1: THE FINAL HOST |
JASON AARON |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
18 |
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER - DARK LORD OF THE SITH VOL. 4 |
CHARLES SOULE |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
19 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
VERTIGO |
|
20 |
SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES VOL. 1 |
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
|||
In terms of manga, it’s a very VIZ Media month: 11 volumes of My Hero Academia plus one of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes; the first volume of Tokyo Ghoul and the most recent volume of Tokyo Ghoul: Re; the latest collection of short stories by horror master Junji Ito; plus the first volumes of One-Punch Man and The Promised Neverland, two series that seem to have grown legs.
Kodansha Comics represents with the latest volume of Attack on Titan, and Dark Horse Comics makes the chart with the new volume of Mob Psycho 100, by the creator of One-Punch Man. Marie Kondo tidies up in the number 20 slot, as her book is still getting a boost from the Netflix series.
|
NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – April 2019 (4/7/19 - 5/4/19) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 18 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
SMASHED: JUNJI ITO STORY COLLECTION HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
3 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 17 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 27 |
HAJIME ISAYAMA |
KODANSHA COMICS |
|
8 |
TOKYO GHOUL: RE VOL. 10 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
9 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA: VIGILANTES VOL. 4 |
HIDEYUKI FURUHASHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 16 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 5 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 15 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
TOKYO GHOUL VOL. 1 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 14 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 1 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
THE PROMISED NEVERLAND VOL. 1 |
KAIU SHIRAI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
18 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 6 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
MOB PSYCHO 100 VOL. 2 |
ONE |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
20 |
THE LIFE-CHANGING MANGA OF TIDYING UP: A MAGICAL STORY |
MARIE KONDO |
TEN SPEED PRESS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
|||
The first two volumes of The Umbrella Academy top the Author chart, and the graphic adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is right behind them in the number three slot. Both got obvious boosts from streaming TV, the former on Netflix, the latter on Hulu. Batting cleanup is the latest volume of The Walking Dead.
Giraffes on Horseback Salad, a March release, makes the chart for a second month at number 9. This book has a fascinating backstory: It’s the graphic adaptation of a never-produced screenplay by Salvador Dali and the Marx Brothers.
Among the April releases that debut on the chart are Emily Carroll’s gothic horror story When I Arrived at the Castle and the second volume of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.
|
NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – April 2019 (4/7/19 - 5/4/19) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
2 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 2: DALLAS |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
3 |
THE HANDMAID'S TALE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
MARGARET ATWOOD |
NAN A. TALESE |
|
4 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 31 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
5 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
6 |
HELLBOY OMNIBUS VOL. 1: SEED OF DESTRUCTION |
MIKE MIGNOLA |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
7 |
AMERICAN GODS VOL. 2: MY AINSEL HC |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
8 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
9 |
GIRAFFES ON HORSEBACK SALAD: SALVADOR DALI, THE MARX BROTHERS, AND THE STRANGEST MOVIE NEVER MADE HC |
JOSH FRANK |
QUIRK BOOKS |
|
10 |
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
HARPER LEE |
HARPER |
|
11 |
AM I THERE YET?: THE LOOP-DE-LOOP, ZIGZAGGING JOURNEY TO ADULTHOOD HC |
MARI ANDREW |
CLARKSON N POTTER |
|
12 |
ANNE FRANK'S DIARY THE GRAPHIC ADAPTATION HC |
ANNE FRANK |
PANTHEON BOOKS |
|
13 |
FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC |
ALISON BECHDEL |
MARINER BOOKS |
|
14 |
SAGA VOL. 9 |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
15 |
SHEETS |
BRENNA THUMMLER |
LION FORGE |
|
16 |
PAPER GIRLS DELUXE EDITION VOL. 2 HC |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
17 |
GIDEON FALLS VOL. 2: ORIGINAL SINS |
JEFF LEMIRE |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
18 |
MONSTRESS VOL. 1 |
MARJORIE LIU |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
19 |
SAGA VOL. 1 |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
20 |
WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE CASTLE |
CARROLL, EMILY |
KOYAMA PRESS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
|||
For charts of April graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
April 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
April 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels
For the charts with the actual sales numbers from NPD BookScan, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
April 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
April 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
April 2019 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."
