November 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels

For the first time in months, there are three non-manga titles in the top 20 Adult graphic novels in the book channel, based on NPD BookScan data for November 2021 (10/31/21-11/27/21) provided to ICv2.

All three of the non-manga titles in the top 20 are webtoon collections, a sign of the massive audiences the new digital format is garnering.  The top two slots are taken by the hardcover and paperback editions of Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus, a comic that started out on the Webtoon platform, where it had 5.1 million followers (see “Massively Popular Webtoon ‘Lore Olympus’ Coming to Print“).  The third non-manga title is Vol. 3 of Solo Leveling, a Korean comic that also started as a webcomic, at number 7.

As was the case last month, there are four different manga publishers on the chart (see “October 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels“), three of which have more than one volume in the top 20.  Unlike last month, though, there aren’t many new manga volumes.  There were 11 different manga series on the October chart; in November, there were eight.  And while there were eight new releases on the October chart, the November chart only has two new manga volumes, Volume 9 of Berserk and Volume 11 of Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun.  Volume 3 of Solo Leveling is a new release as well, and this series seems to fit the pattern of new releases making the chart in their debut month.  The number of first and second volumes of manga on this month’s chart indicates that readers are still discovering new series.  And the fact that the Demon Slayer box set, with its MSRP of $199.99, sold enough units to make the number 3 spot indicates that this series continues to be popular, even though the last volume came out in August.

For charts of November 2021 graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
November 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero 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.”

Source: ICv2