The top title on the Superhero chart is A Vader Family Sithmas, the latest in Jeffrey Brown’s lighthearted series of riffs on the Star Wars cast. Like Brown’s other Star Wars books, this one is not really a children’s book, but it is appropriate for Star Wars fans of all ages, and its small, square, hardback format fits into the gift book category, so it’s not too surprising that it did well in November.
Next up is the complete collection of Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye, released just in time for the Disney+ series, which launched on November 24 (see "‘Hawkeye’ Gets Date"). No surprise there! After that we have Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, on the chart for the third month in a row, followed by that hardy perennial, Watchmen.
As usual, the Superhero chart is heavy on DC Comics (15 titles) and heavy on Batman and Alan Moore, but this month also brings two comics based on games, Volume 5 of Life Is Strange and Dark Souls: The Complete Collection, both from Titan Comics.
Hawkeye and both the Titan titles were November releases, and two other graphic novels debuted on the chart as well: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters and Vol. 1 of The Joker.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 'Superheroes' Graphic Novels – November 2021 (10/31/21 - 11/27/21) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
STAR WARS: A VADER FAMILY SITHMAS HC |
JEFFREY BROWN |
CHRONICLE BOOKS |
|
2 |
HAWKEYE BY FRACTION & AJA: THE SAGA OF BARTON AND BISHOP |
MATT FRACTION |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
3 |
BATMAN/FORTNITE: ZERO POINT HC |
CHRISTOS GAGE |
DC COMICS |
|
4 |
WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
5 |
LIFE IS STRANGE VOL. 5: COMING HOME |
EMMA VIECELI |
TITAN COMICS |
|
6 |
BATMAN: YEAR ONE |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
|
7 |
STAR WARS: WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS |
CHARLES SOULE |
MARVEL COMICS |
|
8 |
V FOR VENDETTA |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
9 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DLX. ED. HC (NEW EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
10 |
FAR SECTOR |
N.K. JEMISIN |
DC COMICS |
|
11 |
INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US YEAR ONE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION |
TOM SAYLOR |
DC COMICS |
|
12 |
BATMAN: THREE JOKERS HC |
GEOFF JOHNS |
DC COMICS |
|
13 |
HARLEEN HC |
STJEPAN SEJIC |
DC COMICS |
|
14 |
THE SANDMAN VOL. 1: PRELUDES & NOCTURNES 30TH ANN. ED. |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DC COMICS |
|
15 |
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN |
JEPH LOEB |
DC COMICS |
|
16 |
WATCHMEN: THE DELUXE EDITION |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
|
17 |
BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT |
SEAN MURPHY |
DC COMICS |
|
18 |
THE JOKER VOL. 1 HC |
JAMES TYNION IV |
DC COMICS |
|
19 |
KINGDOM COME |
MARK WAID |
DC COMICS |
|
20 |
DARK SOULS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION |
GEORGE MANN |
TITAN COMICS |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer makes its first appearance on the Author Top 20, over two years after it was first published, perhaps because it is being challenged in a number of school districts at the moment and that’s made people curious.
Topping the list, of course, is Lore Olympus, which debuted (and built an audience) on Webtoon before being published in print (see "Massively Popular Webtoon ‘Lore Olympus’ Coming to Print from Del Rey"). All three volumes of the Korean comic Solo Leveling also make it into the top six, along with the recent adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984.
Two other graphic adaptations make the chart as well: The first two volumes of Sapiens: A Graphic History, and both the regular and the deluxe editions of Dune. V. E. Schwab’s ExtraOrdinary is a new story set in the world of her Villains books, not an adaptation of an existing work, but it’s definitely prose-adjacent.
The first volume of BRZRKR makes the chart for the second month in a row, and the rest of the slots are taken up by Author chart frequent flyers: March, They Called Us Enemy, Invincible, Strange Planet, Stranger Planet, and The Adventure Zone.
One interesting thing about this month’s Author chart is the repetition of titles: The first three volumes of Solo Leveling, the first two of Sapiens and Invincible, plus Strange Planet and Stranger Planet, all make the chart.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – November 2021 (10/31/21 - 11/27/21) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
LORE OLYMPUS: VOLUME ONE HC |
RACHEL SMYTHE |
DEL REY |
|
2 |
LORE OLYMPUS: VOLUME ONE |
RACHEL SMYTHE |
DEL REY |
|
3 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 3 |
CHUGONG |
YEN PRESS |
|
4 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 1 |
CHUGONG |
YEN PRESS |
|
5 |
1984: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL |
GEORGE ORWELL |
MARINER BOOKS |
|
6 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 2 |
CHUGONG |
YEN PRESS |
|
7 |
SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY VOL. 2: THE PILLARS OF CIVILIZATION |
YUVAL NOAH HARARI |
HARPER PERENNIAL |
|
8 |
SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY VOL. 1: THE BIRTH OF HUMANKIND |
YUVAL NOAH HARARI |
HARPER PERENNIAL |
|
9 |
DUNE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK 1 HC |
BRIAN HERBERT |
ABRAMS |
|
10 |
INVINCIBLE COMPENDIUM VOL. 1 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
11 |
STRANGE PLANET HC |
NATHAN W. PYLE |
MORROW GIFT |
|
12 |
DUNE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK 1: DLX. COLLECTOR'S ED. HC |
BRIAN HERBERT |
ABRAMS |
|
13 |
GENDER QUEER: A MEMOIR |
MAIA KOBABE |
ONI PRESS |
|
14 |
THEY CALLED US ENEMY |
GEORGE TAKEI |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
15 |
MARCH: BOOK ONE |
JOHN LEWIS |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
|
16 |
INVINCIBLE COMPENDIUM VOL. 2 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
|
17 |
EXTRAORDINARY HC |
V. E. SCHWAB |
TITAN COMICS |
|
18 |
THE ADVENTURE ZONE: THE CRYSTAL KINGDOM |
CLINT MCELROY |
FIRST SECOND BOOKS |
|
19 |
BRZRKR VOL. 1 |
MATT KINDT |
BOOM! STUDIOS |
|
20 |
STRANGER PLANET HC |
NATHAN W. PYLE |
MORROW GIFT |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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On the manga chart, we see a slightly different pattern: The first and the most recent volumes of several series are making the Top 20: Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, My Hero Academia, and Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. That means some readers are just getting started with the series while others are catching up with the latest volumes. This is happening with series from three different publishers, too, so there’s some variety on the chart, although VIZ Media still dominates.
We’re also seeing a number of second and third volumes on the chart, which means that new readers are sticking with these series in large enough numbers to show up in the top 20.
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NPD BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – November 2021 (10/31/21 - 11/27/21) |
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|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
DEMON SLAYER COMPLETE BOX SET |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
2 |
ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 34 |
HAJIME ISAYAMA |
KODANSHA COMICS |
|
3 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 29 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
4 |
CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 1 |
TATSUKI FUJIMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
5 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 2 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
6 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 1 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
7 |
TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN VOL. 1 |
AIDAIRO |
YEN PRESS |
|
8 |
CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 2 |
TATSUKI FUJIMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
9 |
CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 3 |
TATSUKI FUJIMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
10 |
DEATH NOTE BLACK EDITION VOL. 1 |
TSUGUMI OHBA |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
11 |
TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN VOL. 2 |
AIDAIRO |
YEN PRESS |
|
12 |
ATTACK ON TITAN VOL. 1 |
HAJIME ISAYAMA |
KODANSHA COMICS |
|
13 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 2 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
14 |
BERSERK DELUXE VOL. 9 HC |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE COMICS |
|
15 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 23 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
16 |
CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 7 |
TATSUKI FUJIMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
17 |
TOILET-BOUND HANAKO-KUN VOL. 11 |
AIDAIRO |
YEN PRESS |
|
18 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 3 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
19 |
JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 5--GOLDEN WIND VOL. 2 |
HIROHIKO ARAKI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
20 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 1 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
|
Source: The NPD Group/BookScan |
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For charts of November 2021 graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
November 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
November 2021 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:
November 2021 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
November 2021 NPD BookScan - Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
November 2021 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."