by 
Updated on December 10, 2021
Here’s a look at the New York Times graphic novel and manga best seller list for September 2021.
The top five best sellers
- “Mothering Heights,” by Dav Pilkey (Amazon, Bookshop)
- “Jujutsu Kaisen,” vol. 11, by Gege Akutami (Amazon, Bookshop)
- “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba,” vol. 23, by Koyoharu Gotouge (Amazon)
- “Chainsaw Man,” vol. 6, by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Amazon, Bookshop)
- “Grime and Punishment,” by Dav Pilkey (Amazon, Bookshop)
(Disclosure: The blog is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and will earn a commission for purchases made through Bookshop links.)
Another big month for manga and “Dog Man”
Yet again, manga continues to do well. Manga occupies three of the top five spots on the list, and five of the 15 spots overall. Newcomer “Jujutsu Kaisen” (at #2) is a series about a high school student who joins a secret sorcerers society to combat a curse. Another newcomer is horror manga volume “Sensor,” by Junji Ito. Its plot, to quote the New York Times: “A village near Mount Sengoku is covered in hairlike volcanic glass fibers, and unidentified flying objects rain down at night.” I wonder if some tie-in anime series might’ve boosted manga series’ numbers this month.
“Dog Man” also continues its dominance, with the various “Dog Man” graphic novels making up seven of the 15 spots on the list. As noted in my 2020 bookstore graphic novel sales post, “Dog Man” overall dominated 2020 graphic novel sales. It’s looking like the same will be true for 2021.
Others
“The Bad Guys in Cut to the Chase,” which came in at #3 last month, dropped down to #13 this month.
At #14 is “Karen’s Kittycat Club,” a “Baby-Sitter Club” spin-off that also appeared on last month’s list.
Finally, at #15 is another horror-related graphic novel, “The Twisted Ones,” part of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise.
“Dog Man: Mothering Heights.” Art by Dav Pilkey. (Scholastic)
