New Report Confirms Manga Artists Led U.S. Comic Sales in 2022

The comics industry is a broad one, and over the past few years, a shift has become clear so far as sales are concerned. Mediums like manga have taken a firm hold over markets across the globe, and the United States has been one of its biggest adopters alongside France. Now, new data is out breaking down the full scope of comic sales in 2022, and the report confirms a number of manga creators landed in the top-sellers list.

The update comes from Comics Beat as the site unpacked all of the NPD BookScan reports from 2022. The organization tracks the physical sale of graphic novels and comics, so everything from children’s comics to superhero series are counted. But when it comes to 2022, it seems many of the United States top-selling creators were mangaka.

In first place, the data listed Dav Pilkey at the top, and no – they are not responsible for any manga on the market. The creator oversees the Captain Underpants series as well as its spin-offs. Their sales are nearly double that of BookScan’s second-place winner, so as you can see, the power of children’s comics cannot be overlooked.

As for second place, the award goes to Tatsuki Fujimoto of Chainsaw Man. He landed just about Demon Slayer creator Koyoharu Gotouge, and third place was given to Gege Akutami of Jujutsu Kaisen. Fifth place was awarded to Kohei Horikoshi, thecreator of My Hero Academia, and sixth place ended up going to Spy x Family’s maker Tatsuya Endo. The top ten also includes Kentaro Miura, the late creator of Berserk as Dark Horse Comics oversees the series’ release stateside.

Clearly, manga creators are fairing well in the United States, and there are many more mangaka listed in this report’s top 100 sellers. From Hajime Isayama (Attack on Titan) to horror icon Junji Ito, manga titles are flying off the shelves. The data from 2022 confirms just over half of all comic sales stateside were due to manga, and the medium’s popularity grew YOY from 2021. And within that massive market share, manga publisher Viz Media accounts for at least 60% of physical sales in the United States thanks to its ties with Shonen Jump.

There is no denying the power manga has these days, and its place in the United States market cannot be overlooked. With anime on the rise as well, Japanese media is slowly yet surely getting rightful recognition from industry shakers. After all, the money trail here is clear, and bookstores nationwide are stocking more manga now than ever before.

What do you make of this latest sales update? Have you put money into manga in the last year or so…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.