That’s actually redundant, as all the manga on the list have been adapted into anime that is available to English-language viewers. So really, every graphic novel in the Top 20 is associated with something or another, whether the comic is an adaptation of the media property (as with Stranger Things) or vice versa (The Umbrella Academy).
The other interesting thing about this chart is that fully half of it is May 2019 releases. That’s unusual; usually there are more older titles, but there seems to have been a flurry of interest in newer books this month. Besides the manga, the May releases are all media tie-ins: volume 1 of Stranger Things (see "Dark Horse and Netflix Join Forces for ‘Stranger Things’"), Godzilla Aftershock HC (see "Legendary’s Godzilla Movies Get Companion Graphic Novel"), The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire, Part One (see "‘Legend of Korra’ Continues in New Graphic Novel Trilogy"), and volume 1 of Life is Strange (see "Titan Comics Celebrates Anniversaries of Doctor Who, Tank Girl, and More"). Both volumes of The Umbrella Academy are still on the list, although they have dropped considerably from their April rankings of number 1 (for volume 1) and number 5 (for volume 2).
Breaking it out by publisher, as usual VIZ Media is the dominant publisher with 11 titles on the list; Dark Horse Comics has five, and Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Legendary, and Titan Comics have one each.
Now that we’ve discussed what’s there, let’s look at what’s not there. There’s nothing from a publisher that doesn’t specialize in comics. In May 2018 (see "May 2018 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels"), the number two book was Mari Andrew’s Am I There Yet? The Loop-De-Loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood, by Instagram star Mari Andrew, published by Clarkson Potter. At the time, I speculated that that book, as well as The Philosophy of Snoopy, was probably on the chart because it made a nice graduation gift. Neither is on this year’s May chart, nor is there anything comparable.
Also, there are only five volumes of My Hero Academia on the chart, an unusually low number. It could be that this series is reaching saturation, or it could be that with no new volume this month, readers stayed away or checked out other shonen series instead.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels – May 2019 (5/5/19 - 6/1/19) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 16 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
BERSERK DELUXE VOL. 1 HC |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
3 |
DRAGON BALL SUPER VOL. 5 |
AKIRA TORIYAMA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
INFINITY GAUNTLET |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
6 |
STRANGER THINGS VOL. 1: THE OTHER SIDE HC |
JODY HOUSER |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
7 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
8 |
GODZILLA AFTERSHOCK HC |
ARVID NELSON |
LEGENDARY COMICS |
|
9 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 18 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 4--DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE VOL. 1 |
HIROHIKO ARAKI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
ONE PIECE VOL. 90 |
EIICHIRO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
THE LEGEND OF KORRA: RUINS OF THE EMPIRE PART ONE |
MICHAEL DANTE DIMARTINO |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
14 |
SMASHED: JUNJI ITO STORY COLLECTION HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
WATCHMEN |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
16 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
LIFE IS STRANGE VOL. 1: DUST |
EMMA VIECELI |
TITAN COMICS |
|
18 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 2: DALLAS |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
19 |
BLACK CLOVER VOL. 15 |
YUKI TABATA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For the charts with the actual sales numbers from NPD BookScan, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
May 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels
May 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Superhero, Manga, and Author Graphic Novels
For the charts with the actual sales numbers from NPD BookScan, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
May 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
May 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."