November 2021 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, Superhero Graphic Novels

Comics adaptations and comics that have been adapted into movies, TV, or anime are prominent on the list of the top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero graphic novels in the book channel, based on NPD BookScan data for November 2021 (10/31/21-11/27/21) provided to ICv2.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

Source: ICv2