That’s good news for publishers, actually, because those backlist titles that sell well year after year, such as Watchmen and Fun Home, create a reliable stream of income that allows them to take chances on new books. On the other hand, a chart filled with older graphic novels is a sign of stagnation. The Superhero and Author charts are particularly heavy with frequent flyers this month, while the manga chart is dominated by older volumes of My Hero Academia, although there are certain series that appear on the chart whenever a new volume comes out, and this month there’s also a new series that seems to have come out of nowhere.
The biggest seller on the Superhero chart is the deluxe hardcover edition of Detective Comics #1000 (see "‘Detective Comics’ #1000 Gets Deluxe HC Edition"), which was also one of the top sellers in the direct market (see "Comics and Graphic Novel Sales in Comic Stores Eke Out Small Gain in June").
Next up is Stranger Things: The Other Side, based on the cult TV series and number two on this chart for the second month in a row. Then we have three very different perennials: Infinity Gauntlet, Watchmen, and volume 1 of Ms. Marvel. Besides the Detective Comics hardcover, the new June books debuting on the chart are Spider-Man Noir: The Complete Collection at number 10, The Dreaming Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations at number 15, and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 6: Worst Among Equals at number 17.
In terms of publisher share, DC/DC Black Label/Vertigo has eight titles on the chart, Marvel has seven, Dark Horse Comics and Legendary have two each, and IDW Publishing has one.
|
NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superhero' Graphic Novels – June 2019 (6/2/19 - 7/6/19) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
DETECTIVE COMICS #1000: THE DLX. ED. HC |
VARIOUS |
DC COMICS |
|
2 |
STRANGER THINGS: THE OTHER SIDE VOL. 1 |
JODY HOUSER |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
3 |
INFINITY GAUNTLET |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
4 |
WATCHMEN |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
5 |
MS. MARVEL VOL. 1 |
G. WILLOW WILSON |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
6 |
RICK AND MORTY VS. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS |
PATRICK ROTHFUSS |
IDW PUBLISHING |
|
7 |
THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES 30TH ANN. ED. |
NEIL GAIMAN |
VERTIGO |
|
8 |
THE LEGEND OF KORRA: RUINS OF THE EMPIRE PART ONE |
MICHAEL DANTE DIMARTINO |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
9 |
GODZILLA AFTERSHOCK HC |
ARVID NELSON |
LEGENDARY COMICS |
|
10 |
SPIDER-MAN NOIR: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION |
DAVID HINE |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
11 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
GODZILLA AFTERSHOCK VARIANT: EXCLUSIVE ART ADAMS COVER HC |
ARVID NELSON |
LEGENDARY COMICS |
|
13 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT |
SEAN MURPHY |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
14 |
BATMAN: HUSH |
JEPH LOEB |
DC COMICS |
|
15 |
THE DREAMING VOL. 1: PATHWAYS AND EMANATIONS |
SIMON SPURRIER |
VERTIGO |
|
16 |
SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES VOL. 1 |
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
17 |
STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA VOL. 5: WORST AMONG EQUALS |
SIMON SPURRIER |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
18 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
VERTIGO |
|
19 |
SPIDER-GEDDON |
CHRISTOS GAGE |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
20 |
IMMORTAL HULK VOL. 1: OR IS HE BOTH? |
AL EWING |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
|||
My Hero Academia dominates the manga chart, with 10 volumes of the main series plus the latest volume of the spinoff My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. No other series has more than one volume on the chart, but as we pointed out earlier, it’s remarkable that Vol 1 of Komi Can’t Communicate sold so well in its first month (see "June 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels"), given that there is no anime to boost sales.
The rest of the chart consists of four June releases (volume 6 of Splatoon, volume 10 of The Promised Neverland, volume 6 of Boruto, and volume 11 of Tokyo Ghoul: Re) and four titles from earlier this year that have been on the chart since their release (volume 16 of One Punch Man, Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection, Vol 1 of Berserk (deluxe edition), and volume 5 of Dragon Ball Super). And as usual it’s VIZ Media’s chart, just one Dark Horse Comics book away from a total sweep.
|
NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – June 2019 (6/2/19 - 7/6/19) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 19 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
3 |
KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE VOL. 1 |
TOMOHITO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
SPLATOON VOL. 6 |
SANKICHI HINODEYA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 18 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
8 |
THE PROMISED NEVERLAND VOL. 10 |
KAIU SHIRAI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
9 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 16 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
SMASHED: JUNJI ITO STORY COLLECTION HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
BERSERK DELUXE VOL. 1 HC |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
12 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 17 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 16 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
DRAGON BALL SUPER VOL. 5 |
AKIRA TORIYAMA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
BORUTO VOL. 6: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS |
UKYO KODACHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
TOKYO GHOUL: RE VOL. 11 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
18 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 15 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 5 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA: VIGILANTES VOL. 5 |
HIDEYUKI FURUHASHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
|||
There are lots of familiar titles on the Author chart, with only two June releases making the top 20: The hardcover edition of Saga Book Three and volume 1 of Die, a new Image series written by Kieron Gillen, although we could add in Book One of Middlewest, another Image series, which was released on May 28. Other than that, the list is mostly perennials: The Umbrella Academy, March, The Adventure Zone, Fun Home. Image Comics takes seven of the top 20 slots, Dark Horse Comics takes three (including Anthony Bourdain’s Hungry Ghosts, published under their Berger Books imprint) and the other publishers on the chart have one book each.
|
NPD BookScan Top 19 Author Graphic Novels – June 2019 (6/2/19 - 7/6/19) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
SAGA BOOK THREE HC |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
2 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
3 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
4 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
5 |
THE HANDMAID'S TALE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
MARGARET ATWOOD |
NAN A. TALESE |
|
6 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 2: DALLAS |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
7 |
DIE VOL. 1: FANTASY HEARTBREAKER |
KIERON GILLEN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
8 |
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
HARPER LEE |
HARPER |
|
9 |
FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC |
ALISON BECHDEL |
MARINER BOOKS |
|
10 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 31 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
11 |
SHEETS |
BRENNA THUMMLER |
LION FORGE |
|
12 |
ANNE FRANK'S DIARY: THE GRAPHIC ADAPTATION HC |
ANNE FRANK |
PANTHEON BOOKS |
|
13 |
ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S HUNGRY GHOSTS HC |
ANTHONY BOURDAIN |
BERGER BOOKS |
|
14 |
SAGA VOL. 1 |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
15 |
SAGA VOL. 9 |
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
16 |
HYPE |
JIMMY PALMIOTTI |
ADAPTIVE B |
|
18 |
BLACKBIRD VOL. 1 |
SAM HUMPHRIES |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
17 |
AM I THERE YET?: THE LOOP-DE-LOOP, ZIGZAGGING JOURNEY TO ADULTHOOD HC |
MARI ANDREW |
CLARKSON N POTTER |
|
19 |
MIDDLEWEST BOOK ONE |
SKOTTIE YOUNG |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
|||
For charts of June graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
June 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
June 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:
June 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
June 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
June 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Superhero, Author, and Manga 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."