Let’s start with superheroes: Garth Ennis' and Darick Robertson's The Boys did well in August, thanks to the Amazon Prime Video adaptation, which launched in July. Three omnibus volumes, published by Dynamite Entertainment, the most recent one an August release, make it into the top 10.
In second place is the 2014 edition of Watchmen; the new 2019 edition, which came out in August and features a lenticular cover, makes the number 6 slot.
William Gibson’s Alien 3, based on an unproduced screenplay written by the cyberpunk author (see "William Gibson’s Original ‘Alien 3’ Screenplay Gets Comic Adaptation"), debuts in the number 3 slot.
Volume 1 of the Destiny Comic Collection, based on the game of the same name, charts for the second month in a row, dropping from number 3 on the superhero chart to number 10.
Toward the bottom of the chart, a quintet of Star Wars collections by various creators make this a Marvel month, with that publisher grabbing seven slots. DC has six titles, Dynamite Entertainment has three (all The Boys), and BOOM! Studios and Dark Horse Comics have one each.
Missing from the August lineup is the Stranger Things adaptation by Jody Houser, which was the top seller on the superhero chart in July, following two months at number 2.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superhero' Graphic Novels – August 2019 (8/4/19 - 8/31/19) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
THE BOYS OMNIBUS VOL. 1 |
GARTH ENNIS |
DYNAMITE ENT. |
|
2 |
WATCHMEN |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
3 |
WILLIAM GIBSON'S ALIEN 3 HC |
WILLIAM GIBSON |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
4 |
INFINITY GAUNTLET |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
5 |
THE BOYS OMNIBUS VOL. 2 |
GARTH ENNIS |
DYNAMITE ENT. |
|
6 |
WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
7 |
THE BOYS OMNIBUS VOL. 3 |
GARTH ENNIS |
DYNAMITE ENT. |
|
8 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
VERTIGO |
|
9 |
MS. MARVEL VOL. 1 |
G. WILLOW WILSON |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
10 |
DESTINY COMIC COLLECTION VOL. 1 HC |
BUNGIE INC |
BUNGIE INC |
|
11 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
FIREFLY VOL. 1 HC B&N EXC |
GREG PAK |
BOOM! STUDIOS |
|
13 |
STAR WARS VOL. 11 |
KIERON GILLEN |
MARVEL PRESS |
|
14 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT |
SEAN MURPHY |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
15 |
STAR WARS: REY AND PALS HC |
JEFFREY BROWN |
CHRONICLE BOOKS |
|
16 |
WAR OF THE REALMS |
JASON AARON |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
17 |
STAR WARS: VADER - DARK VISIONS |
DENNIS HOPELESS |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
18 |
SPIDER-GEDDON |
CHRISTOS GAGE |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
19 |
STAR WARS: AGE OF THE REBELLION - HEROES |
GREG PAK |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
20 |
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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The Manga chart is diversifying a bit, with only nine volumes of My Hero Academia (including the gag spinoff My Hero Academia: Smash) making the top 20. It’s still a VIZ-o-rama, though, with only two titles from other publishers: the latest volumes of Attack on Titan and Mob Psycho 100 (which is by the author of VIZ’s One-Punch Man).
We’ve already remarked on the unlikely success of Komi Can’t Communicate, which has done extraordinarily well despite not having an anime to support it. Everything else on the list is familiar stuff, including the latest volume of The Legend of Zelda, which topped the July chart.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – August 2019 (8/4/19 - 8/31/19) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 20 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 17 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
3 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE VOL. 2 |
TOMOHITO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 4--DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE VOL. 2 HC |
HIROHIKO ARAKI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
ONE PIECE VOL. 91 |
ODA, EIICHIRO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
8 |
ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 28 |
HAJIME ISAYAMA |
KODANSHA COMICS |
|
9 |
THE PROMISED NEVERLAND VOL. 11 |
KAIU SHIRAI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA: SMASH!! VOL. 1 |
HIROFUMI NEDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA, VOL. 19 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE, VOL. 1 |
TOMOHITO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
TOKYO GHOUL: RE VOL. 12 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS VOL. 5 |
AKIRA HIMEKAWA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
UZUMAKI HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
18 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 17 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
MOB PSYCHO 100 VOL. 3 |
ONE |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
20 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 16 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy tops the Author chart, after two months in the number two slot, elbowing aside the second volume of The Adventure Zone, which was in first place last month. That’s the paperback in second place; the hardcover of the same volume is at number 15.
The Author chart is always a mixed bag, but the August releases are a particularly diverse group: The final volume of The Walking Dead; Neil Gaiman’s Snow, Glass, Apples, adapted by Colleen Doran; the latest volume (8, if you’re counting) of Rick Remender’s Deadly Class; and Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories by real pro wrestling manager/personality Jim Cornette.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – August 2019 (8/4/19 - 8/31/19) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
THEY CALLED US ENEMY |
GEORGE TAKEI |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
2 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: MURDER ON THE ROCKPORT LIMITED! |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
3 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 32 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
4 |
NEIL GAIMAN'S SNOW, GLASS, APPLES HC |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
5 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
6 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND |
|
7 |
FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC |
ALISON BECHDEL |
MARINER BOOKS |
|
8 |
THE HANDMAID'S TALE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
MARGARET ATWOOD |
NAN A. TALESE |
|
9 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOLUME 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
10 |
ADVENTURE ZONE HERE BN EXCL ED |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
11 |
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
HARPER LEE |
HARPER |
|
12 |
ANNE FRANK'S DIARY: THE GRAPHIC ADAPTATION HC |
ANNE FRANK |
PANTHEON BOOKS |
|
13 |
DEADLY CLASS VOLUME 8: NEVER GO BACK |
RICK REMENDER |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
14 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOLUME 2: DALLAS |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
15 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: MURDER ON THE ROCKPORT LIMITED! HC |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
16 |
NOISE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL BASED ON A TRUE STORY |
KATHLEEN RAYMUNDO |
INDY PUBLISHED |
|
17 |
JIM CORNETTE PRESENTS: BEHIND THE CURTAIN - REAL PRO WRESTLING STORIES |
JIM CORNETTE |
IDW PUBLISHING |
|
18 |
THE WALKING DEAD: HERE'S NEGAN HC B&N EXC |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
19 |
HYPE |
JIMMY PALMIOTTI |
ADAPTIVE B |
|
20 |
MARCH: BOOK TWO |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For charts of August graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
August 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
August 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels
For charts of August with actual sales numbers from NPD BookScan, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
August 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
August 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
August 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."