DC Comics dominates the superhero list with 13 titles, including four different editions of Watchmen, plus the Watchmen sequel Doomsday Clock, five Batman books, DCeased, V for Vendetta, and Volume 1 of The Sandman. That’s… not a lot of range, and also not a lot of new titles.
Marvel Comics has the number 2 book: sandwiched between two editions of Watchmen is House of X/Powers of X, the collected edition of the two miniseries that reset the X-Men (see "Paired Hickman X-Men Series Launch in July"). The first issues of House of X and Powers of X were among the top 10 comic books of 2019 (see "DC Has Top Comic, Graphic Novel of 2019").
Two books that debuted on the November charts didn’t make it back in December: The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire Part Two, which was number 4 on the BookScan chart and number 6 on the Diamond Comic Distributors chart last month, and Frank Miller’s Superman: Year One, which was number 6 on the BookScan chart and number 5 on the Diamond chart.
And hats off to Tom Taylor, the writer of two Top 20 books on this month’s chart, one for DC (DCeased) and one for Marvel (Star Wars: Age of Resistance – Villains).
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NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superhero' Graphic Novels – December 2019 (12/3/19 - 1/4/20) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
2 |
HOUSE OF X / POWERS OF X HC |
JONATHAN HICKMAN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
3 |
WATCHMEN: THE DELUXE EDITION HC |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
4 |
DCEASED HC |
TOM TAYLOR |
DC COMICS |
|
5 |
WATCHMEN: INTERNATIONAL EDITION LENTICULAR |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
6 |
BATMAN: DAMNED HC |
BRIAN AZZARELLO |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
7 |
THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS HC |
SCOTT SNYDER |
DC COMICS |
|
8 |
DOOMSDAY CLOCK PART 1 HC |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
9 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC (NEW ED.) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC BLACK LABEL |
|
10 |
RICK AND MORTY VS. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS |
PATRICK ROTHFUSS |
RANDOM HOUSE |
|
11 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES 30TH ANN. ED. |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DC COMICS |
|
13 |
DESTINY COMIC COLLECTION VOL. ONE HC |
BUNGIE INC. |
BUNGIE INC. |
|
14 |
THE WITCHER OMNIBUS |
PAUL TOBIN |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
15 |
WATCHMEN (DC MODERN CLASSICS EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
16 |
INFINITY GAUNTLET |
JIM STARLIN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
17 |
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER VOL. 1 |
KIERON GILLEN |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
18 |
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN |
JEPH LOEB |
DC COMICS |
|
19 |
STAR WARS: AGE OF RESISTANCE - VILLAINS |
TOM TAYLOR |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
20 |
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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The manga chart has 19 Viz titles and one from Kodansha. The chart is mostly shonen titles, with some seinen, and there are 11 volumes of My Hero Academia. Junji Ito’s adaptation of Osamu Dazai’s novel No Longer Human debuts at number 6, and Ito’s Uzumaki is at number 14. Several of these titles get a boost from anime, notably Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 1—Phantom Blood, Volume 1, a 2015 release; the latest Jojo anime started running on Adult Swim’s Toonami block in October.
Not getting a boost from anime: Komi Can’t Communicate, which doesn’t have an anime yet. What it does have is a pretty big fanbase, big enough to put the fourth volume, a December release, in 14th place.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – December 2019 (12/3/19 - 1/4/20) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 22 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
3 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 18 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
NO LONGER HUMAN HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
8 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 1 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
9 |
DRAGON BALL SUPER VOL. 7 |
AKIRA TORIYAMA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 5 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 21 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 20 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
KOMI CAN'T COMMUNICATE VOL. 4 |
TOMOHITO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
UZUMAKI HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL, 6 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 1--PHANTOM BLOOD VOL. 1 HC |
HIROHIKO ARAKI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 17 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
18 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 19 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 2 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 29 |
ISAYAMA, HAJIME |
KODANSHA COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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Top of the Author chart is Strange Planet. Gentle aliens with a sideways view of the English language are what America needs right now, apparently.
In second place is the graphic adaptation of the Mueller Report. We’re seeing some interest in graphic novels tied to current events, and more are on the way now that we’re in an election year; last month, it was Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration that made the list, along with a history of feminism.
Chris Ware’s Rusty Brown made the top 20 Adult Graphic Novels list in September, the month it was released, and has stayed consistently on the Author charts since then. That’s a nice little run for a book that, unlike most of the rest of this list, doesn’t have a cross-media tie-in or celebrity creator to boost sales.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – December 2019 (12/3/19 - 1/4/20) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
STRANGE PLANET HC |
NATHAN W. PYLE |
MORROW GIFT |
|
2 |
THE MUELLER REPORT ILLUSTRATED: THE OBSTRUCTION INVESTIGATION |
THE WASHINGTON POST |
SCRIBNER |
|
3 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: MURDER ON THE ROCKPORT LIMITED! |
CLINT MCELROY |
MACMILLAN |
|
4 |
THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM VOL. 4 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
5 |
THEY CALLED US ENEMY |
GEORGE TAKEI |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
6 |
CRITICAL ROLE VOX MACHINA: ORIGINS VOL. 1 |
MATTHEW MERCER |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
7 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
MACMILLAN |
|
8 |
MAKING COMICS |
LYNDA BARRY |
DRAWN & QUARTERLY |
|
9 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 3: HOTEL OBLIVION |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
10 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
11 |
RUSTY BROWN HC |
CHRIS WARE |
PANTHEON BOOKS |
|
12 |
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A GRAPHIC NOVEL |
HARPER LEE |
HARPER |
|
13 |
THE HANDMAID'S TALE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
MARGARET ATWOOD |
NAN A. TALESE |
|
14 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 2: DALLAS |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
15 |
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SNOOPY HC |
CHARLES M. SCHULZ |
HACHETTE |
|
16 |
THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 32 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
17 |
SHEETS |
BRENNA THUMMLER |
LION FORGE |
|
18 |
NEIL GAIMAN'S SNOW, GLASS, APPLES HC |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
19 |
THE WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM VOL. 1 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
20 |
NOISE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL BASED ON A TRUE STORY |
KATHLEEN RAYMUNDO |
LIGHTNING SOURCE |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For charts of December graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
December 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
December 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:
December 2019 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
December 2019 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
December 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."