Webtoons on the Author Chart, New Takes on 80s and 90s Properties on the Superhero Chart, More
Two new releases in blockbuster franchises and one evergreen top the charts of the Top 20 best-selling Author, Manga, and Superhero graphic novels according to Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan data for May 2024 (5/5/24 – 6/1/24) provided to ICv2.
While the new volume of Lore Olympus took the top two spots on the Author chart (for the hardcover and paperback editions), these are the only two volumes of the webtoon-based series on the chart. Typically, when a new volume comes out, it boosts sales of the earlier volumes enough to get some of them on the Author chart, but that didn’t happen this time. Perhaps new readers are catching up on the Webtoon platform instead of in print.
Appropriately, for Webtoon Week, the chart is heavy on webtoon properties. In addition to Lore Olympus, the Top 20 includes all eight volumes of Solo Leveling, the newly released Covenant, and Vol. 2 of Boyfriends, an April release that is charting for the second month in a row.
Two other titles of note are the much-anticipated second volume of Emil Ferris’s My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (see “Fantagraphics to Publish Vol. 2“) and the graphic adaptation of The Hobbit, back on the Author chart for the third month in a row.
Circana BookScan Top 20 Author Graphic Novels – May 2024 (5/5/24 – 6/1/24) |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
1 |
LORE OLYMPUS VOL SIX HC |
RACHEL SMYTHE |
INKLORE |
2 |
LORE OLYMPUS VOL. SIX |
RACHEL SMYTHE |
INKLORE |
3 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 1 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
4 |
INVINCIBLE COMPENDIUM VOL. 1 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
5 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 2 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
6 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 8 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
7 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 4 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
8 |
INVINCIBLE COMPENDIUM VOL. 3 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
9 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 3 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
10 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 7 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
11 |
INVINCIBLE COMPENDIUM VOL. 2 |
ROBERT KIRKMAN |
IMAGE COMICS |
12 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 6 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
13 |
SOLO LEVELING VOL. 5 |
CHUGONG |
IZE PRESS |
14 |
MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS BOOK TWO |
EMIL FERRIS |
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS |
15 |
THE HOBBIT: A GRAPHIC NOVEL |
J. R. R. TOLKIEN |
WILLIAM MORROW |
16 |
THE CALVIN AND HOBBES PORTABLE COMPENDIUM SET 1: VOL. 1 |
BILL WATTERSON |
ANDREWS MCMEEL |
17 |
CRITICAL ROLE: THE MIGHTY NEIN ORIGINS–BEAUREGARD LIONETT HC |
MAE CATT |
DARK HORSE |
18 |
THEY CALLED US ENEMY |
GEORGE TAKEI |
TOP SHELF PROD. |
19 |
COVENANT |
LYSANDRA VUONG |
ONI PRESS |
20 |
BOYFRIENDS VOL. 2 |
REFRAINBOW |
WEBTOON UNSCROLLED |
Source: Circana |
The top slots of the Manga chart are usually dominated by the latest blockbuster Shonen Jump titles, but there’s some interesting data at the lower levels of the chart: When the first volume of a series shows up in the Top 20, it’s still attracting new readers, and when the 28th volume of One Punch Man or the 35th volume of Black Clover makes the chart, that’s a series that readers are sticking with for the long haul.
Circana BookScan Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels – May 2024 (5/5/24 – 6/1/24) |
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Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
1 |
CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 15 |
TATSUKI FUJIMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
2 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 22 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
3 |
BERSERK DELUXE VOL. 1 HC |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE |
4 |
DRAGON BALL SUPER VOL. 21 |
AKIRA TORIYAMA |
VIZ MEDIA |
5 |
ONE PIECE OMNIBUS EDITION VOL. 1 |
EIICHIRO ODA |
VIZ MEDIA |
6 |
ONE-PUNCH MAN VOL. 28 |
ONE |
VIZ MEDIA |
7 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 21 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
8 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 1 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
9 |
MY HERO ACADEMIA VOL. 37 |
KOHEI HORIKOSHI |
VIZ MEDIA |
10 |
CHAINSAW MAN VOL. 14 |
TATSUKI FUJIMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
11 |
KAIJU NO. 8 VOL. 1 |
NAOYA MATSUMOTO |
VIZ MEDIA |
12 |
A SIGN OF AFFECTION VOL. 8 |
SUU MORISHITA |
KODANSHA COMICS |
13 |
SPY X FAMILY VOL. 11 |
TATSUYA ENDO |
VIZ MEDIA |
14 |
DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA VOL. 1 |
KOYOHARU GOTOUGE |
VIZ MEDIA |
15 |
SPY X FAMILY VOL. 1 |
TATSUYA ENDO |
VIZ MEDIA |
16 |
[OSHI NO KO] VOL. 6 |
AKA AKASAKA |
YEN PRESS |
17 |
BERSERK DELUXE VOL. 2 HC |
KENTARO MIURA |
DARK HORSE |
18 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 2 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
19 |
JUJUTSU KAISEN VOL. 17 |
GEGE AKUTAMI |
VIZ MEDIA |
20 |
BLACK CLOVER VOL. 35 |
YUKI TABATA |
VIZ MEDIA |
Source: Circana |
Almost two years after it was released, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin continues to be the top selling franchise property in the book channel. The theme that has been running through the Superhero Top 20s of late is new takes on properties from the 1980s and 1990s, such as TMNT, Transformers, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and even the Power Rangers, who are mixing it up with Godzilla in a graphic novel from 2022.
There is one webtoon on the Superhero chart: Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, the DC Comics series that runs on the Webtoon platform. As with manga, the fact that the fourth volume of this series is in the Top 20 indicates that it’s still appealing to a core audience.
Circana BookScan Top 20 “Superhero” Graphic Novels – May 2024 (5/5/24 – 6/1/24) |
|||
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
1 |
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE LAST RONIN HC |
KEVIN EASTMAN |
IDW PUBLISHING |
2 |
TRANSFORMERS VOL. 1: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE |
DANIEL JOHNSON |
IMAGE COMICS |
3 |
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE LAST RONIN–LOST YEARS |
KEVIN EASTMAN |
IDW PUBLISHING |
4 |
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES X STRANGER THINGS |
CAMERON CHITTOCK |
IDW PUBLISHING |
5 |
DISNEY MANGA: TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS – THE BATTLE FOR PUMPKIN KING |
DAN CONNER |
TOKYOPOP |
6 |
PREDATOR VS. WOLVERINE |
BENJAMIN PERCY |
MARVEL COMICS |
7 |
BATMAN: YEAR ONE |
FRANK MILLER |
DC COMICS |
8 |
THE SANDMAN BOOK ONE |
NEIL GAIMAN |
DC COMICS |
9 |
WATCHMEN (2019 EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
10 |
MIRACLEMAN BY GAIMAN & BUCKINGHAM: THE SILVER AGE |
NEIL GAIMAN |
MARVEL COMICS |
11 |
GODZILLA X KONG: THE HUNTED |
BRIAN BUCCELLATO |
LEGENDARY COMICS |
12 |
DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE |
CULLEN BUNN |
MARVEL COMICS |
13 |
BATMAN: WAYNE FAMILY ADVENTURES VOLUME FOUR |
CRC PAYNE |
DC COMICS |
14 |
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SATURDAY MORNING ADVENTURES VOL. 2 |
ERIK BURNHAM |
IDW PUBLISHING |
15 |
GODZILLA VS. THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS |
CULLEN BUNN |
IDW PUBLISHING |
16 |
BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE DELUXE ED. HC (NEW EDITION) |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
17 |
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND CHILD HC |
JEFFREY BROWN |
CHRONICLE BOOKS |
18 |
HOUSE OF X/POWERS OF X |
JONATHAN HICKMAN |
MARVEL COMICS |
19 |
WATCHMEN: THE DELUXE EDITION |
ALAN MOORE |
DC COMICS |
20 |
NIGHTWING: A KNIGHT IN BLUDHAVEN COMPENDIUM BOOK ONE |
CHUCK DIXON |
DC COMICS |
Source: Circana |
For charts of May 2024 graphic novel sales from Circana:
May 2024 Circana – Top 20 Adult & Kids Graphic Novels
For the charts with the actual sales numbers from Circana, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
May 2024 Circana – Top 20 Adult & Kids Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
May 2024 Circana – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
Circana collects weekly point-of-sale data on print books from over 16,000 locations including e-tailers, chains, mass merchandisers, independent bookstores, and more. Circana 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 Top 20 Graphic Novel lists, see the “Top 20 GN Index.”
Source: ICv2