November bought some changes and some interesting new titles to the lists of the top 20 author, manga, and superhero graphic novels in the book channel, based on NPD BookScan data for November (11/1/20-11/28/20) provided to ICv2.

New releases added some variety to the Superhero chart, which is usually heavy on DC in general and Batman in particular.  Not so this month, although it kicks off with Batman: Three Jokers, which made number 3 on the Adult chart (see "November 2020 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels").  Then there’s Watchmen, of course, but after that the chart gets interesting, with a string of new, non-DC comics: Star Wars: Darth Vader, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Beyond the Grid, and Star Wars Vol. 1: The Destiny Path in the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively; Mass Effect: The Complete Comics, which collects comics based on the BioWare game, at number 7; Power Rangers: Sins of the Future at number 14; the first volume of Donny Cates’ Thor at number 16; and Star Wars: Bounty Hunters Vol 1: Galaxy’s Deadliest at number 18.  Doomsday Clock: The Complete Collection, which topped last month’s superhero chart, is at number 8 this month.

NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superheroes' Graphic Novels – November 2020 (11/1/20 - 11/28/20)

Rank

Title

Author

Publisher

1

BATMAN: THREE JOKERS HC

GEOFF JOHNS

DC COMICS

2

WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION)

ALAN MOORE

DC COMICS

3

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER BY GREG PAK VOL. 1: DARK HEART OF THE SITH

GREG PAK

MARVEL COMICS

4

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS BEYOND THE GRID DLX. ED.

MARGUERITE BENNETT

BOOM! STUDIOS

5

STAR WARS VOL. 1: THE DESTINY PATH

CHARLES SOULE

MARVEL COMICS

6

HARLEEN HC

STJEPAN SEJIC

DC COMICS

7

MASS EFFECT: THE COMPLETE COMICS

MAC WALTERS

DARK HORSE COMICS

8

DOOMSDAY CLOCK: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION HC

GEOFF JOHNS

DC COMICS

9

THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS HC

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

10

V FOR VENDETTA

ALAN MOORE

DC COMICS

11

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC (NEW EDITION)

ALAN MOORE

DC COMICS

12

BATMAN: CURSE OF THE WHITE KNIGHT

SEAN MURPHY

DC COMICS

13

THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES 30TH ANN. ED.

NEIL GAIMAN

DC COMICS

14

POWER RANGERS: SINS OF THE FUTURE

TREY MOORE

BOOM! STUDIOS

15

BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH

SCOTT SNYDER

DC COMICS

16

THOR BY DONNY CATES VOL. 1: THE DEVOURER KING

DONNY CATES

MARVEL COMICS

17

BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN

JEPH LOEB

DC COMICS

18

STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS VOL. 1: GALAXY'S DEADLIEST

ETHAN SACKS

MARVEL COMICS

19

BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT

SEAN MURPHY

DC COMICS

20

DCEASED HC

TOM TAYLOR

DC COMICS

Source: The NPD Group/BookScan

The manga chart continues to be heavy on backlist, with the first two volumes of My Hero Academia topping the chart and the first volumes of a number of older series charting as well.  In this regard, it’s interesting to look at what’s not on the chart: VIZ Media released Volume 8 of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes and Volume 9 of Beastars in November, but neither made the top 20.  Vigilantes doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as popular as the main My Hero Academia series, although it is a good read in its own right; Beastars is popular enough that the new volume usually makes the top 20, but it got elbowed aside this month.  The new volumes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Dark Horse Comics’ deluxe edition of Berserk, and The Promised Neverland did make the chart, and Volume 1 of Chainsaw Man hangs on for another month at number 18.

NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – November 2020 (11/1/20 - 11/29/20)

Rank

Title

Author

Publisher

1

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

2

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

3

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 25

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

4

HAIKYU!! VOL. 1

HARUICHI FURUDATE

VIZ MEDIA

5

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 18

KOYOHARU GOTOUGE

VIZ MEDIA

6

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 1

KOYOHARU GOTOUGE

VIZ MEDIA

7

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

8

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 24

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

9

TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN VOL. 1

AIDAIRO

YEN PRESS

10

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

11

TOKYO GHOUL VOL. 1

SUI ISHIDA

VIZ MEDIA

12

UZUMAKI HC

JUNJI ITO

VIZ MEDIA

13

MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 5

KOHEI HORIKOSHI

VIZ MEDIA

14

HAIKYU!! VOL. 2

HARUICHI FURUDATE

VIZ MEDIA

15

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 2

KOYOHARU GOTOUGE

VIZ MEDIA

16

BERSERK DELUXE VOL. 6

KENTARO MIURA

DARK HORSE COMICS

17

DEATH NOTE BLACK EDITION VOL. 1

TSUGUMI OHBA

VIZ MEDIA

18

CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 1

TATSUKI FUJIMOTO

VIZ MEDIA

19

THE PROMISED NEVERLAND VOL. 17

KAIU SHIRAI

VIZ MEDIA

20

JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 2

GEGE AKUTAMI

VIZ MEDIA

Source: The NPD Group/BookScan

The top seller on the Author chart is the paperback edition of Sapiens, a graphic adaptation of Yuval Noah Harari's best-selling prose book, and the hardcover edition is at number 5.  The original book was a best-seller in its own right and was recommended by President Obama (himself known to be a comics fan).  It’s possible that some folks are picking this up because of that, and this may be their first graphic novel.  Interestingly, the hardback made the October Author chart, suggesting that early buyers were going for the prestige format.

Next up in the number 2 slot is the graphic adaptation of Dune, which Abrams is publishing in three parts in anticipation of the movie (see "‘Dune’ Gets Graphic Novel Treatment by Abrams ComicArts").

We’re in familiar territory with Nathan Pyle’s Strange Planet, which topped the chart this time last year, and Stranger Planet, the follow-up.  Then at the number 6 spot is a self-published book, Chicken Thoughts: Comics About Birds, by Sarah Wymer, a collection of the comics that she posts on Instagram and Twitter.

Other November debuts that make the chart include the library edition of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins (see "‘Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Receives Hardcover Treatment"), with the second volume of the regular series also popping up at number 18, and One of Those Days, the complete collection of the slice-of-life comic that runs on Instagram and Facebook (see "‘One of Those Days’ Comes to Print").  Also worth noting: Volume 5 of Monstress, which made last month’s chart, is back at number 19.

With Chicken Thoughts and Noise both charting, this may be the first month that two self-published books make the Author top 20.

NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – November 2020 (11/1/20 - 11/29/20)

Rank

Title

Author

Publisher

1

SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY: THE BIRTH OF HUMANKIND (VOL. 1)

YUVAL NOAH HARARI

HARPERCOLLINS

2

DUNE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK 1 HC

BRIAN HERBERT

ABRAMS COMICARTS

3

STRANGE PLANET HC

NATHAN W. PYLE

MORROW GIFT

4

STRANGER PLANET HC

NATHAN W. PYLE

MORROW GIFT

5

SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY: THE BIRTH OF HUMANKIND (VOL. 1) HC

YUVAL NOAH HARARI

HARPERCOLLINS

6

CHICKEN THOUGHTS: COMICS ABOUT BIRDS HC

SARAH WYMER

LIGHTNING SOURCE

7

MARCH: BOOK ONE

JOHN LEWIS

TOP SHELF PROD.

8

CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA ORIGINS LIBRARY EDITION: SERIES I & II COLLECTION

CRITICAL ROLE

DARK HORSE COMICS

9

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE

GERARD WAY

DARK HORSE COMICS

10

MARCH (TRILOGY SLIPCASE SET)

JOHN LEWIS

TOP SHELF PROD.

11

FANGS HC

SARAH ANDERSEN

ANDREWS & MCMEEL

12

THEY CALLED US ENEMY

GEORGE TAKEI

TOP SHELF PROD.

13

THE BOYS OMNIBUS VOL. 1

GARTH ENNIS

DYNAMITE ENT.

14

ONE OF THOSE DAYS HC

YEHUDA DEVIR

RANDOM HOUSE

15

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 2: DALLAS

GERARD WAY

DARK HORSE COMICS

16

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 3: HOTEL OBLIVION

GERARD WAY

DARK HORSE COMICS

17

THE ADVENTURE ZONE: PETALS TO THE METAL

CLINT MCELROY

FIRST SECOND BOOKS

18

CRITICAL ROLE: VOX MACHINA ORIGINS VOLUME II

CRITICAL ROLE

DARK HORSE COMICS

19

MONSTRESS VOL. 5

MARJORIE LIU

IMAGE COMICS

20

NOISE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL BASED ON A TRUE STORY

KATHLEEN RAYMUNDO

LIGHTNING SOURCE

Source: The NPD Group/BookScan

For charts of November graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
November 2020 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
November 2020 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:
November 2020 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
November 2020 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
November 2020 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."