It is that time of the month when we get to check out the latest graphic novels sales numbers. As always, ICv2 is the best source for these sales numbers. ICv2 released several sales charts for April 2023 including the ComicHub Top 100 Graphic Novels, the Top 20 Author Graphic Novels, Top 20 Superheroes Graphic Novels, the Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels, and the Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels.
These are unit and dollar sales rankings based on sales tracked at point-of-sale by the ComicHub system at stores selling American comics around the world. During the period for which these reports were generated, there were over 125 stores using the ComicHub system.
The Top 20 Author Graphic Novels, Top 20 Superhero Graphic Novels, Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels, and Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels sales charts are all based on Circana (formerly NPD) BookScan numbers. Circana BookScan collects weekly point-of-sale data on print books from over 16,000 locations through direct reporting from all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, independent bookstores, and many others. Circana BookScan covers approximately 85% of the U.S. trade print book market.
ICv2 has respectfully requested that we not publish their sales charts here on our website. So, you can go to ICv2 and check out the April 2023 Top 20 ComicsHub Graphic Novels sales chart here. Or you can opt to pay for the Pro membership and get access to the April 2023 Top 100 ComicsHub Graphic Novels sales chart here.
You can also go to ICv2 and check out the April 2023 Circana BookScan Graphic Novels sales chart without numbers here. Or you can opt to pay for the Pro membership and get access to the April 2023 Circana BookScan Graphic Novels sales charts with sales numbers here.
All right, once you are done looking at the charts let’s get to our normal in-depth analysis!
ComicHub April 2023 Top 10
Comic Hub April 2023 Top 25
ComicHub April 2023 Top 50
ComicHub April 2023 Top 75
ComicHub April 2023 Top 100
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Author Graphic Novels
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Superhero Graphic Novels
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
ComicHub April 2023 Top 100 Graphic Novels Sales Chart
Top 10
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 1-10 range typically sell in the 11,000-3,000 unit range.
DC Comics took first place with four volumes in the Top 10. The best-selling was Batman The Doom That Came To Gotham which took the number 3 spot. Of course, three of the four DC Comics titles were from the Batman franchise. All three titles starred Bruce Wayne.
The one non-Batman franchise title was Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow which took the number 9 spot. This is most certainly due to the reader interest generated by James Gunn namedropping this story during the DC Studios press conference.
Month-over-month numbers were flat as DC Comics had four volumes in the Top 10 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were up over the two volumes DC Comics had in the Top 10 in April 2022.
VIZ Media took second place with two volumes in the Top 10. Another impressive showing by the manga publisher in Marvel Comics and DC Comics’ stronghold of the local comic shop. The two volumes were Tombs Juni Ito Story Collection and Chainsaw Man Vol. 1 which took the number 6 and 7 spots respectively.
Month-over-month numbers were up over the zero titles that VIZ Media had in the Top 10 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up over the one volume that VIZ Media had in the Top 10 in April 2022.
IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, Image Comics, and Graphix all tied for third place with one volume apiece in the Top 10. It should be noted that IDW Publishing’s sole volume in the Top 10 was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Last Ronin HC which took the number 1 spot. Seriously, without TMNT IDW Publishing would absolutely be out of business by now.
Top 25
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 11-25 range typically sell in the 3,000 to 2,000 unit range.
DC Comics took first place with eight volumes in the Top 25. This is where we start to see some of DC Comics’ other franchises make an appearance. DC vs. Vampires Vol. 2, Nice House ON The Lake Vol. 2, Sandman Universe Nightmare Country Vol. 2, and All-Star Superman all make an appearance at this point in the sales rankings. Again, it looks like James Gunn’s name-dropping of All-Star Superman during the DC Studios press conference continues to drive reader interest in this story.
Month-over-month numbers were up over the five volumes that DC Comics had in the Top 25 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up over the five volumes that DC Comics had in April 2022.
Image Comics took second place with six volumes in the Top 25. Month-over-month numbers were up from the four volumes that Image Comics had in the Top 25 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up over the three volumes that Image Comics had in April 2022.
VIZ Media took third place with five volumes in the Top 25. Month-over-month numbers were up over the four volumes that VIZ Media had in the Top 25 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were flat as VIZ Media had five volumes in the Top 25 in April 2022.
IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, Graphix, Titan Comics, Penguin Workshop, and Marvel Comics all tied for fourth place with one volume apiece in the Top 25.
Marvel Comics finally joins the party at this point in the sales rankings with Mighty Marvel Masterworks Mighty Thor Vol. 3. A story from the 1960s. What a ringing endorsement for Marvel Comics’ current offering to readers.
Top 50
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 26-50 range typically sell in the 1,900 to 1,000 unit range.
DC Comics took first place with fourteen volumes in the Top 50. The Batman franchise has the most volumes with five. The Sandman franchise is in second place with three volumes. Nice House On The Lake and the Superman franchise tie for third place with two volumes apiece.
Month-over-month numbers were up over the thirteen volumes that DC Comics had in the Top 50 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up over the twelve volumes that DC Comics had in April 2022.
VIZ Media took second place with eleven volumes in the Top 50. Month-over-month numbers were up big over the seven volumes that VIZ Media had in the Top 50 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up over the seven volumes that VIZ Media had in April 2022.
Image Comics slipped to third place with eight volumes. Month-over-month numbers were up over the seven volumes that Image Comics had in the Top 50 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were flat as Image Comics also had eight volumes in April 2022.
BOOM! Studios came in fourth place with five volumes. Month-over-month numbers were down from the six volumes in the Top 50 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were down from the seven volumes that BOOM! Studios had in the Top 50 in April 2022.
Marvel Comics comes in fifth place with just four volumes in the Top 50. Month-over-month numbers were down sharply from the nine volumes that Marvel Comics had in the Top 50 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also down from the eleven volumes that Marvel Comics had in April 2022.
IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics had two volumes apiece in the Top 50.
Graphix, Titan Comics, Penguin Workshop, and Z2 Comics are all tied with one volume apiece in the Top 50.
Top 75
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 51-75 range typically sell in the 1,000 to 900 unit range.
DC Comics took first place with twenty volumes in the Top 75. The Batman franchise has the most volumes with seven. It is interesting to note that Creature Commandos came in at the number 68 spot. Again, this is due to James Gunn name-dropping this comic when discussing the new Creature Commandos cartoon during the DC Studios press conference.
Month-over-month numbers were up from the nineteen volumes that DC Comics had in the Top 75 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were down from the twenty-one volumes that DC Comics had in April 2022.
VIZ Media took second place with seventeen volumes in the Top 75. Month-over-month numbers were up from the fourteen volumes in the Top 75 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up from the fifteen volumes that VIZ Media had in April 2022.
Image Comics came in third place with eleven volumes. Month-over-month numbers were up from the eight volumes that Image Comics had in the Top 75 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were down from the twelve volumes that Image Comics had in April 2022.
Marvel Comics comes in fourth place with nine volumes in the Top 75. Month-over-month numbers were down sharply from the sixteen volumes that Marvel Comics had in the Top 75 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also down from the eleven volumes that Marvel Comics had in April 2022.
BOOM! Studios came in fifth place with seven volumes. Month-over-month numbers were down from the nine volumes that BOOM! Studios had in the Top 75 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were flat as BOOM! Studios also had seven volumes in April 2022.
Dark Horse Comics had three volumes in the Top 75. IDW Publishing had two volumes in the Top 75.
Graphix, Titan Comics, Penguin Workshop, Z2 Comics, Oni Press, and Pantheon Books are all tied with one volume apiece in the Top 75.
Top 100
Based on historical numbers from the Comichron as well as projections through April 2022, the titles in the numbers 76-100 range typically sell in the 900 to 700 unit range.
DC Comics took first place with twenty-nine volumes in the Top 100. The Batman franchise has the most volumes with thirteen. Month-over-month numbers were up over the twenty-four volumes that DC Comics had in the Top 100 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also up over the twenty-eight volumes in April 2022.
VIZ Media took second place with nineteen volumes in the Top 100. Month-over-month numbers were down from the twenty volumes that VIZ Media had in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were down from the twenty volumes that VIZ Media had in the Top 100 in April 2022.
Marvel Comics comes in third place with fifteen volumes in the Top 100. Month-over-month numbers were down from the eighteen volumes that Marvel Comics had in the Top 100 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were also down from the sixteen volumes that Marvel Comics had in April 2022.
Image Comics came in fourth place with thirteen volumes. Month-over-month numbers were flat as Image Comics also had thirteen volumes in the Top 100 in March 2023. Year-over-year numbers were down from the sixteen volumes that Image Comics had in April 2022.
BOOM! Studios came in fifth place with eleven volumes. Month-over-month numbers were flat as BOOM! Studios also had eleven volumes in the Top 100 in March 2023. However, year-over-year numbers were up over the seven volumes that BOOM! Studios had in April 2022.
Dark Horse Comics had four volumes in the Top 100. IDW Publishing had two volumes in the Top 100.
Graphix, Titan Comics, Penguin Workshop, Z2 Comics, Oni Press, Pantheon Books, and First Second Books are all tied with one volume apiece in the Top 100.
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels
Top 10
Dav Pilkey placed seven volumes in the Top 10. Six were from the Dog Man franchise. One was from the Cat Kid franchise.
What really underscores that kids are reading Dog Man not anything from Marvel Comics or DC Comics is that Dog Man Vol. 11: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea HC sold a monstrous 313,830 units! That is mind-blowing!
The drop-off between the volume in first place and the volume in second place is massive, though. Cat Kid Comics Club Vol. 4 came in the number 2 spot with 29,705 units.
Top 20
Dav Pilkey placed fourteen volumes in the Top 20. Eleven were from the Dog Man franchise. Three were from the Cat Kid franchise.
The only other franchises to place multiple volumes in the To 20 would be the Baby-Stitters Club franchise and Scott Cawthon’s Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise as each franchise placed two volumes in the Top 20.
Unfortunately for DC Comics, the appearance of Teen Titans: Robin in the Top 20 Kids Graphic Novels sales chart at the number 20 spot in March 2023 was a fleeting moment. Normalcy resumed as there is nothing from either DC Comics or Marvel Comics in the Kids Graphic Novels sales chart.
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Author Graphic Novels
Top 10
Yen Press won the battle of the publishers by placing three volumes in the Top 10.
Del Rey and Ize Press tied for second place with two volumes apiece in the Top 10.
Seven Seas Entertainment, Top Shelf Productions, and First Second Books all tied with one volume apiece in the Top 10.
Solo Leveling won the battle of the franchises by placing three volumes in the Top 10. Lore Olympus came in second place with two volumes in the Top 10. This is nothing new. Solo Leveling and Lore Olympus have been dominating the Top 20 Author Graphic Novels sales chart for a long time.
South Korean webtoons/manwha accounted for six volumes in the Top 10. Lore Olympus is a webtoon from New Zealand that took two spots in the Top 10. There were only two volumes in the Top 10 from the United States.
Solo Leveling Vol. 6 took the number 1 spot with 9,579 units. Sales slipped below the 5,000 unit mark by the number 3 spot where Love Is An Illusion! Vol. 2 sold 4,620 units. Sales fell below the 3,000 unit mark by the number 5 spot where The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour sold 2,845 units. The volume in the number 10 spot, Lore Olympus Vol. 3, sold 2,470 units.
Month-over-month numbers were down across the board. In March 2023, the volume in the number 1 spot sold 18,285 units. Sales did not drop below the 5,000 unit mark until the number 4 spot. Sales did not drop below the 3,000 unit mark until the number 16 spot. The volume in the number 10 spot sold 3,617 units.
Year-over-year numbers were also down at the top. In April 2022, the volume in the number 1 spot sold 7,065 units. Sales did not drop below the 5,000 until mark until the number 3 spot. Sales did not drop below the 3,000 unit mark until the number 7 spot.
Top 20
Yen Press won the battle of the publishers by placing seven volumes in the Top 20. Del Rey and Ize Press tied for second place with four volumes apiece in the Top 20.
Seven Seas Entertainment, Top Shelf Productions, First Second Books, Oni Press, and BOOM! Studios tied with one volume apiece in the Top 20.
South Korean webtoons/manwha accounted for twelve volumes in the Top 20. Lore Olympus is a webtoon from New Zealand that took four spots in the Top 20. There were only four volumes in the Top 20 from the United States.
Sales dipped below the 2,000 unit mark by the number 17 spot where Solo Leveling Vol. 5 sold 1,980 units. The title in the number 20 spot, Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansion Vol. 3 sold 1,880 units.
Month-over-month numbers were down as sales never dipped below the 2,000 unit mark. The volume in the number 20 spot sold 2,056 units.
Year-over-year numbers were up slightly at the bottom of the chart as sales dipped below the 2,000 unit mark by the number 9 spot. The volume in the number 10 spot sold 1,061 units.
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Superhero Graphic Novels
Top 10
DC Comics won the battle of the publishers by placing eight volumes in the Top 10. Four of the eight DC Comics volumes were from the Batman franchise.
IDW Publishing took second place with two volumes in the Top 10.
The gap between the superhero graphic novel in the first place and the volume in the second place is tremendous. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin HC took first place with 14,676 units. Batman Vol. 1: Failsafe HC took second place with only 2,240 units. That is a massive drop-off.
Sales dropped below the 2,000 unit mark by just the number 3 spot where Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham sold 1,815 units. The volume in the number 10 spot, Batman: Year One, sold 1,015 units.
Month-over-month numbers were largely flat at the top as the volume in the number 1 spot in March 2023 sold 14,228 units. Sales dropped below the 2,000 unit mark by the number 3 spot. Sales dropped below the 1,000 unit mark by the number 10 spot. The volume in the number 10 spot sold 958 units.
Year-over-year numbers were up sharply at the number 1 spot. In April 2022, the volume in the number 1 spot sold 3,401 units. However, sales were down across the rest of the Top 10. Sales did not drop below the 2,000 unit mark until the number 5 spot. The volume in the number 10 spot sold 1,452 units.
Top 20
DC Comics placed sixteen volumes in the Top 20. Nine of DC Comics’ sixteen volumes came from the Batman franchise. As usual, DC Comics’ success was powered largely by decades-old stories rather than new ones including titles like Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Batman: Year One, Batman: Killing Joke, Batman: Hush, All-Star Superman, and The Sandman Book One, and Book Two. That is a whopping 50% of the DC Comics volumes in the Top 20.
IDW Publishing placed two volumes in the Top 10
Dark Horse Comics and Penguin Group placed one volume apiece.
Sales dropped below the 1,000 unit mark by the number 11 spot where Strange Things: Kamchatka sold 991 units. Sales dropped below the 800 unit mark by the number 12 spot. Sales dropped below the 600 unit mark by the number 18 spot. The volume in the number 20 spot sold just 558 units.
Month-over-month numbers were slightly down. In March 2023, sales did not drop below the 800 unit mark until the number 14 spot. Sales never dropped below the 600 unit mark. The volume in the number 20 spot sold 680 units.
Year-over-year numbers were also down. In April 2022, the volume in the number 11 spot sold 1,434 units. Sales never dipped below the 1,000 unit mark. The volume in the number 20 spot sold 1,013 units.
Another month and the message is the same. American superhero comics continue to erode. There is nothing positive to take away from these dreadful numbers. It appears that Marvel Comics and DC Comics are content with riding this car with no brakes right over the cliff.
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Manga Graphic Novels
Top 10
To no surprise, VIZ Media won the battle of the publishers by placing nine volumes in the Top 10. Square Enix Manga placed one volume in the Top 10.
Spy x Family won the battle of the franchises by placing two volumes in the Top 10. No other franchise had more than one volume in the Top 10.
One Piece Vol. 102 took first place with 21,413 units. It has been a while since we have seen the old powerhouse in One Piece back in the number 1 spot of this sales chart. Sales did not drop below the 17,000 unit mark until the number 4 spot where Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 19 sold 12,850 units. Sales dropped below the 10,000 unit mark with My Dress-Up Darling Vol. 8 which sold 9,931 units. The volume in the number 10 spot sold 9,138 units.
Month-over-month numbers were down sharply. In March 2023, the volume in the number 1 spot sold 39,644 units. Sales did not drop below the 17,000 unit mark until the number 5 spot. Sales never dropped below the 10,000 unit mark as the volume in the number 10 spot sold 12,284 units.
Year-over-year numbers were also down in dramatic fashion. In April 2022, the volume in the number 1 spot sold 65,657 units. Sales never dropped below the 17,000 unit mark as the volume in the number 10 spot sold 18,728 units.
Top 20
VIZ Media won the battle of the publishers by placing seventeen volumes in the Top 20. Kodansha Comics placed two volumes in the Top 20. Square Enix Manga placed one volume in the Top 20.
Spy x Family won the battle of the franchises with three volumes in the Top 20.
Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Blue Lock had two volumes apiece in the Top 20.
One Piece, Kaiju No. 8, My Dress-Up Darling, Komi Can’t Communicate, Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Dandadan all had one volume apiece in the Top 20.
The volume in the number 11 spot sold 8,647 units. Sales dropped below the 8,000 unit mark by the number 16 spot where Blue Lock Vol. 1 sold 7,788 units. The volume in the number 20 spot, Chainsaw Man Vol. 2, sold 6,664 units.
Month-over-month numbers were down across the board. In March 2023, the volume in the number 11 spot sold 11,846 units. Sales never dipped below the 8,000 units mark as the volume in the number 20 spot sold 8,935 units.
Year-over-year numbers were also down. In April 2022, the volume in the number 11 spot sold 17,330 units. The volume in the number 20 spot sold 11,594 units.
The obvious bad news is how far down sales are in the manga category. While this category is still far healthier than either the Superhero category or the Author category, the drop in sales is still alarming.
Year-over-year sales were down by a wide margin. Part of this can be explained by the fact that in 2023 everyone has returned to their normal pre-pandemic activities. Sales for manga spiked massively during 2021 and 2022 when more people were staying at home rather than going out. Now? It could simply be more people are spending time going out and living their lives rather than staying at home and reading manga and binge-watching TV.
Another reason for the drop in sales numbers is the lack of a powerhouse franchise. Chainsaw Man and Spy x Family helped supercharge the sales numbers in 2022. My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer helped supercharge sales in 2021. However, in 2023, there has been a noticeable lack of a new powerhouse franchise to help boost sales.
On the other hand, there is also some positive news to be found in the manga sales chart. There is much more diversity in the number of manga franchises populating the Top 20 sales chart. There were thirteen different manga franchises in the Top 20 in April 2023. This is far better than in April 2022, when only eight different manga franchises were in the Top 20.
While it would be nice to see sales increasing or staying the same, it is equally nice to see more manga titles making the Top 20. The more diverse in number of franchises the Top 20 gets the healthier the manga market in the United States will be overall.
Circana BookScan April 2023 Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels
Top 10
Manga accounted for eight volumes in the Top 10. Korean webtoons accounted for one volume in the Top 10. TMNT was the sole American superhero comic representation in the Top 10.
Top 20
Manga dominated all competitors by placing 18 volumes in the Top 20. Korean webtoons accounted for one volume in the Top 20. TMNT was the sole American superhero comic representation in the Top 20.
The best-selling volume from either DC Comics or Marvel Comics was Batman Vol. 1: Failsafe which sold a paltry 2,240 units. That is nowhere even close to the volume which took the number 20 spot in the Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels Chart which was Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 1 which sold 6,841 units.
No matter in a strong market or a soft market, manga continues to dominate all challengers. On top of that, both DC Comics and Marvel Comics continue to not even be remotely competitive in the battle against manga. It is clear that readers that DC Comics and Marvel Comics have driven away over the past few years have found a safe home in manga.
All right, that is it for April 2023. Will manga continue its utter dominance in the Top 20 in May 2023? We will find out! Until then, stay safe and be good!
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