Watchmen was the #1 title on the Bookscan Top 20 Graphic Novel chart for April (which excludes some Kids and YA titles), and Naruto dominated the list, but the biggest mover was IDW’s Star Trek Countdown, which debuted at #9, the highest rank ever for an IDW title.   This lead-in to the opening of the movie this weekend is just one demonstration of the renewed strength of this property; the title is also the #1 comic download on iTunes.



Rank

Title

Author

Pub

PubDate

1

WATCHMEN

ALAN MOORE

DC

4/1/95

2

NARUTO VOL. 43

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

4/1/09

3

NARUTO VOL. 44

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

4/1/09

4

NARUTO VOL. 42

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

4/1/09

5

FRUITS BASKET VOL. 22

NATSUKI TAKAYA

TKP

3/1/09

6

NARUTO VOL. 41

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

7

NARUTO VOL. 40

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

8

NARUTO VOL. 39

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

9

STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN

ROBERT ORCI

IDW

4/1/09

10

NARUTO VOL. 38

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

11

VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 6

HINO MATSURI

VIZ

4/1/09

12

NEGIMA! VOL. 21

KEN AKAMATSU

DEL

3/1/09

13

CHIBI VAMPIRE VOL. 13

YUNA KAGESAKI

TKP

4/1/09

14

NARUTO VOL. 36

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

15

NARUTO VOL. 37

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

16

NARUTO VOL. 35

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

17

NARUTO VOL. 34

MASASHI KISHIMOTO

VIZ

3/1/09

18

V FOR VENDETTA

ALAN MOORE

DC

10/1/08

19

BLEACH VOL. 26

TITE KUBO

VIZ

3/1/09

20

ROSARIO+VAMPIRE VOL. 6

AKISHISA IKEDA

VIZ

4/1/09


The Watchmen effect declined somewhat in April (a month or more after the release of the film), but that wasn’t enough to budge the title from the #1 slot, where it’s now been for 10 straight months.  The Watchmen hardcover did drop out of the top 20, and Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta dropped three slots from #15 to #18.

 

The second Naruto surge dominated the list, as the #1 manga title, with three new volumes a month over the past several months, took 12 of the top 20 slots, up from nine slots in March.

 

The penultimate volume of Fruits Basket from Tokyopop, the #1 shojo title, moved up one slot from #6 to #5, and Del Rey’s Negima!, moved up from #19 to #12. 

 

Tokyopop’s Chibi Vampire Vol. 13 debuted on the list at #13. 

 

Only three non-manga titles, the two Alan Moore titles and Star Trek, made the top 20.

For past charts, see the "BookScan Top 20 GNs Index."