The September superhero chart had a lot of Batman on it (see "September 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels"), and October is not that much different, with eight straight-up Batman titles in the top 20, plus two in which Batman is a character: Joker and Heroes in Crisis.
The Batman books get bumped from the top spots by the new edition of Watchmen and the first volume of Doomsday Clock. Two other editions of Watchmen make the chart as well, probably buoyed by the HBO series, which drew 1.5 million viewers for the first episode (see "Ratings for ‘Watchmen’").
What this means is that DC really dominates the top 20 superhero graphic novels, with a total of 15 titles across all its imprints. Marvel has two titles, both Star Wars, and three other publishers have one apiece. (While Donald Duck may seem like a kids’ title, the Fantagraphics Books collections are really designed more for adult connoisseurs. This is a Disney title, making it "superhero" on our chart.)
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NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superhero' Graphic Novels – October 2019 (10/6/19 - 11/2/19 |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
2 |
DOOMSDAY CLOCK PART 1 HC |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
3 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC (NEW ED.) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
4 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
5 |
WATCHMEN: THE DELUXE EDITION |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
6 |
THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS HC |
SCOTT SNYDER |
DC COMICS |
|
7 |
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER - TEAM AVATAR TALES |
GENE LUEN YANG |
DARK HORSE BOOKS |
|
8 |
BATMAN: DAMNED HC |
BRIAN AZZARELLO |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
9 |
WALT DISNEY'S DONALD DUCK: CHRISTMAS IN DUCKBURG (VOL. 21): COMPLETE CARL BARKS DISNEY LIBRARY HC |
BARKS CARL |
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS |
|
10 |
STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE |
ETHAN SACKS |
MARVEL |
|
11 |
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN |
JEPH LOEB |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
JOKER (DC BLACK LABEL EDITION) |
BRIAN AZZARELLO |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
13 |
STAR WARS: TIE FIGHTER |
JODY HOUSER |
MARVEL |
|
14 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
VERTIGO |
|
15 |
SABAN'S POWER RANGERS ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL: THE PSYCHO PATH |
PAUL ALLOR |
BOOM! STUDIOS |
|
16 |
WATCHMEN |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
17 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT |
SEAN MURPHY |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
18 |
BATMAN: YEAR ONE |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
19 |
HEROES IN CRISIS HC |
TOM KING |
DC COMICS |
|
20 |
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
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Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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Turning to manga, we see that, as usual, VIZ Media owns the chart, with just one Dark Horse title breaking their streak. And that Dark Horse Comics title is Volume 40 of Berserk, which is an impressive achievement, actually: to have a readership so dedicated that the series still makes the chart this far along.
As usual, the chart is heavy on My Hero Academia, with 11 volumes of the original series plus one of the spinoff My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.
It’s clear from this chart that the main readership for manga is still teens, although older readers (especially Berserk fans!) will pick up a volume from time to time. Seventeen of the top 20 are shonen (boys) titles; My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Dragon Ball Super are all Shonen Jump titles (that’s the magazine where they are serialized in Japan, as well as the VIZ imprint), while Komi Can’t Communicate is a Shonen Sunday series. VIZ brands Tokyo Ghoul: Re as Shonen Jump, but it actually runs in the sister magazine Weekly Young Jump in Japan, and like Berserk and Uzumaki, it’s actually a seinen title (targeted at young men). Plenty of girls and women read these series, but manga that’s specific to them doesn’t seem to do as well as the boys stuff.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – October 2019 (10/6/19 - 11/2/19) |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 21 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE VOL. 3 |
TOMOHITO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
3 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
UZUMAKI HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
BERSERK VOL. 40 |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
7 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 20 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
8 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
9 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 8 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
TOKYO GHOUL: RE VOL. 13 |
ISHIDA, SUI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA: VIGILANTES VOL. 6 |
HIDEYUKI FURUHASHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 19 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 5 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 7 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 18 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 17 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
18 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 16 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE VOL. 1 |
TOMOHITO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
DRAGON BALL SUPER VOL. 6 |
AKIRA TORIYAMA |
VIZ MEDIA |
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Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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The Author chart, on the other hand, is quite diverse, with stories from all over. The latest volume of The Walking Dead Compendium is in the top spot, followed by the gamer graphic novel Critical Role Vox Machina: Origins, Voume. 1, the nonfiction title Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration, and Star Trek star George Takei’s memoir, They Called Us Enemy. Further down, we have adaptations of two classic novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as the most indy comic ever, Chris Ware’s Rusty Brown. Image Comics has five titles on the list, making it the best-represented publisher. What the Author chart shows, as usual, is how broad the readership is for graphic novels.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – October 2019 (10/6/19 - 11/2/19) |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM VOL. 4 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
2 |
CRITICAL ROLE VOX MACHINA: ORIGINS VOL. 1 |
MATTHEW MERCER |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
3 |
OPEN BORDERS: THE SCIENCE AND ETHICS OF IMMIGRATION |
BRYAN CAPLAN |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
4 |
THEY CALLED US ENEMY |
GEORGE TAKEI |
TOP SHELF PROD |
|
5 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: MURDER ON THE ROCKPORT LIMITED! |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
6 |
FALSE KNEES: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO ANIMAL BEHAVIOR |
JOSHUA BARKMAN |
ANDREWS MCMEEL |
|
7 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 3: HOTEL OBLIVION |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
8 |
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
HARPER LEE |
HARPER |
|
9 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
10 |
RUSTY BROWN |
CHRIS WARE |
PANTHEON BOOKS |
|
11 |
PAPER GIRLS VOL. 6 |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
12 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD |
|
13 |
MONSTRESS VOL. 4 |
MARJORIE LIU |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
14 |
THE WICKED + THE DIVINE VOL. 9: OKAY |
KIERON GILLEN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
15 |
THE AMORY WARS: GOOD APOLLO, I'M BURNING STAR IV ULT. ED. |
CLAUDIO SANCHEZ |
BOOM! STUDIOS |
|
16 |
THE HANDMAID'S TALE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
MARGARET ATWOOD |
NAN A. TALESE |
|
17 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 32 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
18 |
MOONCAKES |
SUZANNE WALKER |
LION FORGE |
|
19 |
WALKING DEAD COMPEND VOL. 4 BN EXC |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
20 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
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Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For charts of October graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
October 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
October 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:
October 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
October 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
October 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids 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."
