R. Crumb’s The Book of Genesis settled in at #1 in bookstores for the key month of December, its second month at #1 (see “Genesis Is #1”), its third in the top two, and its fourth in the top ten. The title held its #1 position despite thin inventory in some locations.
The only new title in the top ten was the latest volume of Bleach, which debuted at #5. Two Big Two releases from November, DC’s Batman: Battle for the Cowl HC and Marvel’s Wolverine: Old Man Logan HC, made the top 20 for the first time in December, at #s 12 and 13, respectively. Marvel’s The Wonderful World of Oz HC, which has been quietly building since its September release, debuted on the list at #15.
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BookScan Top 20 Graphic Novels in December 2009
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Rank
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Title
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Author
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Publisher
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1
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THE BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUS. BY R. CRUMB HC
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ROBERT CRUMB
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W. W. NORTON
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2
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THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS
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MAX BROOKS
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THREE RIVERS
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3
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WATCHMEN TP
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ALAN MOORE
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DC COMICS
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4
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NARUTO VOL. 46
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MASASHI KISHIMOTO
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VIZ MEDIA
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5
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VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 8
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MATSURI HINO
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VIZ MEDIA
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6
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BLEACH VOL. 29
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TITE KUBO
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TOKYOPOP
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7
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MAXIMUM RIDE: THE MANGA VOL. 2
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JAMES PATTERSON
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YEN PRESS
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8
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MAXIMUM RIDE: THE MANGA VOL. 1
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JAMES PATTERSON
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YEN PRESS
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9
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FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST VOL. 21
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ARAKAWA HIROMU
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VIZ MEDIA
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10
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NARUTO VOL. 45
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MASASHI KISHIMOTO
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VIZ MEDIA
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11
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V FOR VENDETTA TP
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ALAN MOORE
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VERTIGO
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12
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BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL HC
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TONY DANIEL
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DC COMICS
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13
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YOTSUBA&! VOL. 7
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MARK MILLAR
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MARVEL COMICS
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14
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WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN HC
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KIYOHIKO AZUMA
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YEN PRESS
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15
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THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ HC
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ERIC SHANOWER
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MARVEL COMICS
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16
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SOUL EATER VOL. 1
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ATSUSHI OHKUBO
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YEN PRESS
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17
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BLACK BIRD VOL. 2
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KANOKO SAKURAKOJI
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VIZ MEDIA
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18
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VAMPIRE KNIGHT VOL. 1
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MATSURI HINO
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VIZ MEDIA
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19
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ONE PIECE VOL. 23
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EIICHIRO ODA
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VIZ MEDIA
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20
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ASTERIOS POLYP
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DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI
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PANTHEON
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Also new to the top 20 were two other December releases, Yen Press’s Yotsuba&! Volume 7 and Viz’s One Piece Volume 23 (the last volume before the title goes on its accelerated release schedule, see “Viz Speeding Up One Piece”).
There were 12 manga (including two OEL) titles in the top 20 in December.
The rankings, provided by Nielsen BookScan, track the bestselling U.S. adult graphic novels in major book chains, mass merchants, online retailers, and some independent retailers using POS data from December 6th to January 3rd. Titles racked in the Kids or YA sections do not appear in this list.
For charts from other months, see the "BookScan Top 20 GNs Index."
