February 2023 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, Superhero Graphic Novels

There are plenty of titles with roots in other media on the charts of the Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero graphic novels in the book channel, based on NPD BookScan data for February 2023 (1/29/23-2/25/23) provided to ICv2.

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour, the fifth volume in the RPG-based series, tops the Author chart.  This was a blockbuster series when it launched, but its popularity has been flagging, and the long hiatus between volumes (the fourth was released in July 2021) probably didn’t help.  Back then, both the hardcover and the paperback made the Adult top 20 (see “July 2021 NPD BookScan“), but this time, the hardcover did not, although it shows up on the Author chart.  The pattern with this title lately has been that the paperback sells better than the hardcover, the opposite of the case with Lore Olympus.

Next up is Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins—Nott the Brave, which testifies to the continuing popularity of Dungeons & Dragons-adjacent graphic novels.

After that, we’re in familiar territory, with Lore Olympus and Solo Leveling switching off; for the second month in a row, Vol. 2 of Lore Olympus doesn’t make the top 20, but all five volumes of Solo Leveling are there.

Looking at the other webtoon-based comics, while there were four on the chart last month (see “January 2023 NPD BookScan”), now there are just two: Vol. 2 of Villains Are Destined to Die (replacing Vol. 1, which was on the January chart) and Vol. 1 of My Gently Raised Beast, on the chart for the third month in a row.

Yet again, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin tops the Superhero chart.  The presence of All-Star Superman in fourth place, and the deluxe edition at number 14, suggests there may be an uptick in interest in the book since the announcement of the upcoming movie Superman: Legacy (see “DC Announces Ten New Movies and TV Series”), which was clearly inspired by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s take on the character.

A.X.E.: Judgment Day, last year’s big crossover, sits at number 6 in its debut month. At number 11, the 2013 release The Last of Us: American Dreams may have gotten a boost from the HBO series, which launched in mid-January.  And just like last month, a couple of hefty omnibi make the Superhero chart: The first volume of Morrison’s Batman, a 2018 title, and two new releases from Marvel Comics, Daredevil and Spider-Verse/Spider-Geddon.

The manga chart is almost identical to the Adult Top 20 (see “February 2023 NPD BookScan”) with one exception; taking The Adventure Zone off the top of the chart brings Vol. 17 of Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun up in the bottom slot, showing the continued popularity of that franchise.

That said, it’s worth noting that the Tatsuki Fujimoto/Chainsaw Man count is down, from 12 volumes in January 2023 to just eight in February, and the chart is showing some healthy diversity, with new volumes of My Dress-Up Darling, Komi Can’t Communicate, Kaiju No. 8, and yes, Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun making the top 20, as well as the first volume of the soccer manga Blue Lock, a June 2022 release that is on the chart for the second time, having first appeared in December 2022 (see “December 2022 NPD BookScan”).

For charts of February 2023 graphic novel sales from NPD BookScan:
February 2023 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
February 2023 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:
February 2023 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
February 2023 NPD BookScan – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
February 2023 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