by 
Updated on December 10, 2021
The July 2020 New York Times graphic novel and manga best seller list is out.
The top five best sellers
The top five entries:
- “New Kid,” by Jerry Craft (Amazon, Bookshop, Kobo)
- “Stranger Planet,” by Nathan W. Pyle (Amazon, Bookshop, Kobo)
- “Guts,” by Raina Telgemeier (Amazon, Bookshop, Kobo)
- “My Hero Academia,” vol. 24, by Kohei Horikoshi (Amazon, Kobo)
- “Becoming Brianna,” by Terri Libenson (Amazon, Bookshop, Kobo)
(Disclosure: The blog is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and will earn a commission for purchases made through Bookshop links.)
“New Kid” tops the list
The new #1 this month is Jerry Craft’s “New Kid.” The graphic novel is about a middle schooler who’s enrolled in a prestigious private school by his parents, but finds he’s only one of a few people of color there. The graphic novel’s won numerous awards, including this year’s Newbery Award. Additionally, “New Kid” and other books by and about African-Americans are seeing a boom in sales in recent weeks, as a result of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
Here’s a video (via Craft’s publisher, HarperCollins) of Craft describing how his own childhood inspired “New Kid.”
The top (and only) superhero entry: “My Hero Academia”
“My Hero Academia,” vol. 24. Art by Kohei Horikoshi. (Viz Media)
“My Hero Academia” is not only the top superhero entry on the list (occupying two spots on the list, at #4 and #9), but it’s also the only superhero entry on the list. Again, it’s another no-show from DC or Marvel. The last time either company made the best seller list is DC’s graphic novel about Raven back in December.
Success for webcomics, as well
The webcomic “Strange Planet” also put in a few appearances on this list, with two compilations coming in at #2 and #14. The strip interprets various mundane life events (work, babies learning to walk, etc.) through the overly-wordy view of aliens.
Half the entries are by women
By my count, at least eight of the 15 entries on the list are by women. As usual, popular creator Raina Telgemeier puts in heavy appearances (with four different books). A few new entries include Terri Libenson’s “Becoming Brianna,” the fourth in a series of books about middle schoolers.
Image from “New Kid.” Art by Jerry Craft.
