Manga Is Causing an “Explosion” in Graphic Novel Sales Stateside

Comic books released in North America, and around the world, come in a number of shapes and sizes, with many people adding graphic novel collections and one-shots to their collection with each passing day, and a recent study shows that sales are growing in the West thanks to the inclusion of manga. With the likes of Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, and more attempting to tell new stories in the world of superheroes and otherwise, it seems as if manga sales overall have come a long way in bolstering the overall sales for the first quarter of 2021.

For the most part, comic books are released on a monthly schedule, with twenty-two-page installments being released from Marvel, DC, and other comic book companies on the regular. Though the format will often differ depending on the series or work, graphic novels and trade paperbacks will often combine the single issues into a larger format for fans to purchase, with manga doing something similar when it comes to their chapters and volumes. Though there are plenty of manga series that are released on a weekly schedule, with mangakas’ schedules being legendary in terms of the time they put into the overall work.

According to a recent study by ICV2, manga has helped graphic novel sales in North America skyrocket by eighty percent in 2021, with 4 million units being sold at the beginning of this year for fans of graphic novels, trade paperbacks, and manga series across the board.

Much like in the East, Shonen series such as My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball Super, One Piece, and others have been some of the highest sellers in the world, though some series outside of this genre, such as Attack On Titan, are also making giant strides in helping boost sales overall.

Recently, we witnessed Marvel getting into the manga game with their story, Deadpool Samurai, which sees the Merc With A Mouth teaming up unexpectedly with none other than My Hero Academia’s All Might, the former Symbol of Peace who is currently putting his experience to good use in teaching the next generation of heroes how to best use their Quirks in saving the world. It will be interesting to see if Marvel unites with any other big anime franchises during its travels through the world of manga.

What do you think of these big numbers? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of manga.