The Superhero chart is heavy on DC Comics and heavy on Batman, with Alan Moore also prominently featured. How heavy on DC? 16 of the 20 titles are DC Comics, two are Marvel Comics, and Dark Horse Comics and Oni Press have one each.
Watchmen takes the top spot, which is not surprising as that’s consistently a solid seller. The number two seller is Harleen, which came out in February 2020 (see "February 2020 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels"). As we noted then, this was the first Harley Quinn graphic novel to make the charts since 2017, and it probably got a bump from the Birds of Prey movie. It’s impressive, though, that Harleen has remained popular enough to make the Superhero chart every month since then, although it hasn’t made the top 20 Adult chart since February.
Actually, what that means is that everything else did worse. Apparently, bookstore shoppers have a limited range of superhero interests, and superheroes that aren’t Batman aren’t among them. (Note that the only two Marvel graphic novels on the list are Star Wars titles.)
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NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superheroes' Graphic Novels – Full Year 2020 (1/5/20 - 1/2/21) |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
2 |
HARLEEN HC |
STJEPAN SEJIC |
DC COMICS |
|
3 |
BATMAN: THREE JOKERS HC |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
4 |
THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS |
SCOTT SNYDER |
DC COMICS |
|
5 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC (NEW ED.) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
6 |
BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH HC |
SCOTT SNYDER |
DC COMICS |
|
7 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
8 |
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN |
JEPH LOEB |
DC COMICS |
|
9 |
THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES 30TH ANN. ED. |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DC COMICS |
|
10 |
BATMAN: YEAR ONE |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
11 |
DCEASED HC |
TOM TAYLOR |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT |
MURPHY, SEAN |
DC COMICS |
|
13 |
DOOMSDAY CLOCK PART 2 HC |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
14 |
BATMAN: DAMNED HC |
BRIAN AZZARELLO |
DC COMICS |
|
15 |
THE WITCHER OMNIBUS |
PAUL TOBIN |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
16 |
WATCHMEN: THE DLX. ED. HC |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
17 |
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF KYLO REN |
CHARLES SOULE |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
18 |
RICK AND MORTY VS. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS |
PATRICK ROTHFUSS |
ONI PRESS |
|
19 |
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
20 |
STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE |
ETHAN SACKS |
MARVEL COMICS |
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Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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Manga fans, on the other hand, really love just one superhero story. VIZ Media, which is the largest manga publisher, dominates the chart, and one VIZ title, My Hero Academia, accounts for 11 slots. My Hero Academia is literally a superhero manga, set at a school for superheroes and featuring a large cast of characters with a very miscellaneous set of powers.
Honorable mention on this chart goes to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, with four volumes. As with My Hero Academia, there are several early volumes in the top 20, indicating that new readers not only continue to discover the series but like it well enough to keep reading. This bodes well for both series and is probably related to the fact that both have been adapted into popular anime. The rest of the chart is assorted first volumes plus the one-shot Uzumaki. Because everyone loves Junji Ito.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – Full Year 2020 (1/5/20 - 1/2/21) |
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|
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 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 1 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 24 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 3 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 23 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
UZUMAKI HC |
JUNJI ITO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
8 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 4 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
9 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 2 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 5 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 25 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
12 |
HAIKYU!! VOL. 1 |
HARUICHI FURUDATE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
13 |
TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN VOL. 1 |
AIDAIRO |
YEN PRESS |
|
14 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 22 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
15 |
TOKYO GHOUL VOL. 1 |
SUI ISHIDA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 21 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 6 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
18 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 3 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
THE PROMISED NEVERLAND VOL. 1 |
KAIU SHIRAI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 7 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
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Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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When we turn to the Author chart, the picture changes. A number of different publishers are represented on the chart, although a closer look shows a certain consistency: Both the Morrow Gift titles are Strange Planet collections, four of the five Top Shelf Productions titles are volumes of March, all three Dark Horse Comics titles are The Umbrella Academy, and all three First Second Books titles are The Adventure Zone. So there’s still a certain consistency to it, but overall, the Author chart is more varied than the others.
Strange Planet, which was a breakout hit at the end of 2019, tops the chart, with its sequel right behind it. The fact that the third best-selling author graphic novel of the year is March, and that all three volumes plus the box set are in the top 20, testifies to this story’s popularity; it’s also impressive that the box set is higher on the chart than volumes 2 and 3.
Down at the bottom of the chart, To Kill a Mockingbird didn’t make the top 20 Adult chart at all in 2020, and the last time it made the Author chart was in August, but it’s a good example of a book that does moderately well every month and ends up with high cumulative sales, as opposed to one that soars and disappears.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – Full Year 2020 (1/5/20 - 1/2/21) |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
STRANGE PLANET HC |
NATHAN W. PYLE |
MORROW GIFT |
|
2 |
STRANGER PLANET HC |
NATHAN W. PYLE |
MORROW GIFT |
|
3 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
4 |
SNUG: A COLLECTION OF COMICS ABOUT DATING YOUR BEST FRIEND HC |
CATANA CHETWYND |
ANDREWS & MCMEEL |
|
5 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: PETALS TO THE METAL |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
6 |
THEY CALLED US ENEMY |
GEORGE TAKEI |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
7 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 1: APOCALYPSE SUITE |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
8 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 3: HOTEL OBLIVION |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
9 |
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY VOL. 2: DALLAS |
GERARD WAY |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
10 |
MARCH (TRILOGY SLIPCASE SET) |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
11 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: PETALS TO THE METAL |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
12 |
MARCH: BOOK TWO |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
13 |
MARCH: BOOK THREE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
14 |
FANGS HC |
SARAH ANDERSEN |
ANDREWS & MCMEEL |
|
15 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: MURDER ON THE ROCKPORT LIMITED! |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
16 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: HERE THERE BE GERBLINS |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
17 |
NOISE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL BASED ON A TRUE STORY |
KATHLEEN RAYMUNDO |
LIGHTNING SOURCE |
|
18 |
DUNE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK 1 HC |
FRANK HERBERT |
ABRAMS COMICARTS |
|
19 |
SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY: THE BIRTH OF HUMANKIND (VOL. 1) |
YUVAL NOAH HARARI |
HARPERCOLLINS |
|
20 |
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: A GRAPHIC NOVEL HC |
HARPER LEE |
HARPERCOLLINS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For charts of Full Year 2020 graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
Full Year 2020 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
Full Year 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:
Full Year 2020 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
Full Year 2020 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
Full Year 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."