There are new graphic novels worth noting on the chart of the Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels in the book channel, based on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan data for May (4/30/23-5/27/23) provided to ICv2.
Four new titles pop up on this month’s chart, pushing aside a Baby-Sitters Little Sister book, Jerry Craft’s School Trip, and Volumes 1 and 3 of Cat Kid, all of which were in the Top 20 in April (see “April 2023 Circana BookScan“). Three of those titles are new volumes in ongoing series, providing an interesting perspective on the long tail:
- At number 8, I Survived The Great Chicago Fire, 1871, is the third in its series to make the Top 20; Graphix started adapting Lauren Tarshis’ I Survived… books into graphic novels in 2020 (see “Scholastic to Publish ‘I Survived’ Graphic Novels“), and this is the seventh volume.
- At number 11, Surprisingly Sarah is Terri Libenson’s annual new installment in the Adventures in Middle School series, which started with Invisible Emmie in 2017. These books are popular and usually make the chart in their first month of release, sometimes sticking around for a month or two.
- At number 20 is Volume 3 of Katie the Catsitter. The first volume came out in 2021 and was one of ICv2’s picks for the top 10 kids’ graphic novels of 2021 (see “10 Best Kids Comics of 2021“) for Venable’s witty, fast-paced scripting and Yue’s kinetic, cartoony style. This is the first time this series has made the BookScan Top 20, and that indicates that the audience has been growing.
The other new title is the first in its series, but it’s a spinoff of a popular property: The Last Comics on Earth has the kids from Max Brallier and Douglas Holgate’s The Last Kids on Earth illustrated novels drawing their own comic and starring in it as well.
As usual, the chart is mostly Graphix titles, including most volumes of Dog Man and Cat Kid.
|
Circana BookScan Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels – May 2023 (4/30/23 – 5/27/23) |
|||
|
Rank |
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
|
1 |
DOG MAN VOL. 11: TWENTY THOUSAND FLEAS UNDER THE SEA HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
2 |
DOG MAN VOL. 9: GRIME AND PUNISHMENT HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
3 |
DOG MAN VOL 10: MOTHERING HEIGHTS HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
4 |
CAT KID COMIC CLUB VOL. 4: COLLABORATIONS HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
5 |
DOG MAN VOL. 7: FOR WHOM THE BALL ROLLS HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
6 |
DOG MAN VOL. 8: FETCH-22 HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
7 |
BABY-SITTERS CLUB VOL. 13: MARY ANNE’S BAD LUCK MYSTERY |
CYNTHIA YUAN CHENG |
GRAPHIX |
|
8 |
I SURVIVED VOL. 7: I SURVIVED THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE, 1871 |
LAUREN TARSHIS |
GRAPHIX |
|
9 |
DOG MAN VOL. 5: LORD OF THE FLEAS HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
10 |
DOG MAN VOL. 4: DOG MAN AND CAT KID HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
11 |
SURPRISINGLY SARAH |
TERRI LIBENSON |
BALZER + BRAY |
|
12 |
DOG MAN VOL. 3: A TALE OF TWO KITTIES HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
13 |
DOG MAN VOL. 6: BRAWL OF THE WILD HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
14 |
DOG MAN VOL. 1 HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
15 |
THE LAST COMICS ON EARTH |
MAX BRALLIER |
VIKING BOOK YR |
|
16 |
DOG MAN VOL. 2: UNLEASHED HC |
DAV PILKEY |
GRAPHIX |
|
17 |
WINGS OF FIRE VOL. 1: THE DRAGONET PROPHECY |
TUI T. SUTHERLAND |
GRAPHIX |
|
18 |
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S VOL. 2: FAZBEAR FRIGHTS |
SCOTT CAWTHON |
GRAPHIX |
|
19 |
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S VOL. 1: FAZBEAR FRIGHTS |
SCOTT CAWTHON |
GRAPHIX |
|
20 |
KATIE THE CATSITTER VOL. 3: SECRETS AND SIDEKICKS |
COLLEEN AF VENABLE |
RH GRAPHIC |
|
Source: Circana |
|||
For charts of May 2023 graphic novel sales from Circana:
May 2023 Circana – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
May 2023 Circana – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels
For the charts with the actual sales numbers from Circana, see these articles on the ICv2 Pro site:
May 2023 Circana – Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
May 2023 Circana – Top 20 Author, Manga, and Superhero Graphic Novels with Actual Sales
May 2023 Circana – Top 20 Kids 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
