Current Events > Manga sales up a stunning 171% in 2021, Super Hero comic sales only up 2.3%

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.comicsbeat.com/report-graphic-novel-sales-were-up-65-in-2021/

Overall, graphic novel sales in 2021 were up 65% from 2020 not as much as the pandemic-fueled 100% growth from 2019 to 2020 but still impressive. 21 million more graphic novels were sold in 2021 than 2020 a very healthy number.

The growth was led by adult graphic novels, up 107%, but its important to note that this category includes manga which led the charge, up 17 million units. This was the direct result of the boom in anime on dueling streaming services, with Pandemic-era stay-at-home viewers seeking out the original manga in droves.

NPD Bookscan also provided a genre breakdown for adult fiction comics, and this is where it gets very interesting. Manga is definitely the 800 lb gorilla here. In rough numbers, manga was up 171% from 2020. Adult superhero comics were up a modest 2.3%, but the category was the second biggest genre in actual sales after manga, shifting more than 2 million units. These numbers reflect graphic novel sales only, and not periodical comics, and are based on BISAC categories.

Looking at the number of books sold, Mangas growth in 2021 is stunning.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/1/8/AANRQlAAC-s-.png

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/1/9/AANRQlAAC-s_.png

I don't know how super hero comics aren't capturing a bigger share of this market? The "well they have decades of stories to catch up" excuse doesn't really hold up, not when most mangas are just one continuous story that is nearly impossible to jump in during the middle of it and understand what is going on. One Piece has been going on for 20+ years now, and is confusing as hell even for fans

Excellent news. A genuinely good manga series is what western comics should dream of being.

You can order One Piece volume 1 and start from the beginning, and it isnt confusing. While theres history, its not confusing whats canon, and whats been retconned.

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

most mangas are just one continuous story that is nearly impossible to jump in during the middle of it and understand what is going on

Actually, I find anime and manga to be shockingly easy to understand after minimal investment, even if you go into it late. Like... the whole "explain my abilities and motives during the fight" concept gets memes abound, but it really helps the reader comprehend what's happening.

I got into DBZ during the Cell Saga and I felt like I had a good grasp on the whole series within like 15 episodes thanks to callbacks, training sessions, and expository dialogue.

I think most super hero comics would fall under periodicals which this does not include, someone correct me if I am wrong.

i hope it leads to more reprinting of old series.

Some absolute greats like ARIA are getting reprints due to popular demand.

I normally dont do a lot of manga, but i recently got all the Hellsing Deluxe volumes

Some people say it's because there was a civil war in the comics Industry and a lot of oldheads got forced out or left and more woke artists took over and mix their politics in with the art. Whereas manga doesn't do that and focused on stories , not changing the world

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/2/AAZssKAAC-tC.jpg

The comic icons that most are familiar with have no consistency to them, making it a difficult interest to develop. I've said that before, but something I'm just now considering is how that affects aggregators, which, in turn, affect consumer interest. Unlike most manga titles, where you could search and find "Naruto" nigh-instantly, you won't have any fucking idea what to look for among Batman comics. Search that and you'll get literally hundreds of different authors, artists, and storylines.

Gobstoppers12 posted...

Actually, I find anime and manga to be shockingly easy to understand after minimal investment, even if you go into it late. Like... the whole "explain my abilities and motives during the fight" concept gets memes abound, but it really helps the reader comprehend what's happening.

I got into DBZ during the Cell Saga and I felt like I had a good grasp on the whole series within like 15 episodes thanks to callbacks, training sessions, and expository dialogue.

Huh, how'd you get into DBZ so late?

Also, yes, shonen is designed specifically for that. Anyone can jump in at any time and have an idea of what's going on, because no one ever shuts the fuck up about what's going on. That, and (usually) being designed to go on indefinitely are why shonen maintains prominence still. Even if the other edge of that sword being that it's getting real fuckin' samey.

Guide posted...

you won't have any fucking idea what to look for among Batman comics. Search that and you'll get literally hundreds of different authors, artists, and storylines.

I wanted to read the Infinity Crisis story line, and it involves reading various issues of like 12 different titles in a specific order, which is just... fucking bananas.

Manga is simply more accessible than comics. Even just physically, holding a small paperback manga to read is easier than larger graphic novels.

Guide posted...

Huh, how'd you get into DBZ so late?

I think I thought it looked lame when I was younger, but eventually I heard kids in my class bringing it up a lot, so I finally watched an episode on Toonami, during the "midnight run" when it was the "less censored" version.

I can tell you exactly which episode it was, too. Trunks vs. Perfect Cell, when he first revealed USSj2. The whole concept of fighting in detail, talking about it, addressing the strategies and drawbacks of the form, it just...

Spoke to me. I was literally watching two characters I knew nothing about, having a fight whose stakes hadn't sunken in, talking about how having huge muscles resulted in a massive speed decrease...

And I was so. Fucking. Hooked.

Snip-N-Snails posted...

Manga is simply more accessible than comics. Even just physically, holding a small paperback manga to read is easier than larger graphic novels.

<_>

Literally nobody understands how mainstream comics (Batman, Spiderman, etc.) work because there's a trillion different versions of all of them which then get multiverse crossovers etc. etc.

One Piece I just read from Chapter 1 to Chapter 1000

Yeah, putting in your political agenda first and jamming it in your audience throat is gonna do that

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/6/AAdk2bAAC-tG.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/7/AAdk2bAAC-tH.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/8/AAdk2bAAC-tI.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/9/AAdk2bAAC-tJ.jpg

Also western comics are usually in color = expensive whereas manga are usually in black & white = cheap.

Keith_Valentine posted...

Some people say it's because there was a civil war in the comics Industry and a lot of oldheads got forced out or left and more woke artists took over and mix their politics in with the art. Whereas manga doesn't do that and focused on stories , not changing the world

Honestly, manga are more political than people give credit for. One Pieces Fishman Island arc is pretty much all about civil rights (in general, not based on America). Id even argue that they were a bit preaching with it at points, but it wasnt really annoying. It manages to blend in well with the story. Honestly, one of the primary antagonists in the entire story is a corrupt government. They just manage to blend it in naturally with the story. That image of yours is egregious.

It isnt wrong to be political in comics, in fact, Im pretty sure a good amount of comics always were. But there are many examples of it being awkwardly placed. It doesnt really inspire anyone, even when I (pretty much always) agree with the statement.

Keith_Valentine posted...

Some people say it's because there was a civil war in the comics Industry and a lot of oldheads got forced out or left and more woke artists took over and mix their politics in with the art. Whereas manga doesn't do that and focused on stories , not changing the world

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/2/AAZssKAAC-tC.jpg

I get that comics have a history of being relatively liberal in nature. And maybe some people exaggerate progressivism in media. But Jesus Christ, that just looks insufferable to read and it is too easy to find other similar examples in western comics.

PerseusRad posted...

Honestly, manga are more political than people give credit for. One Pieces Fishman Island arc is pretty much all about civil rights (in general, not based on America). Id even argue that they were a bit preaching with it at points, but it wasnt really annoying. It manages to blend in well with the story. Honestly, one of the primary antagonists in the entire story is a corrupt government. They just manage to blend it in naturally with the story. That image of yours is egregious.

It isnt wrong to be political in comics, in fact, Im pretty sure a good amount of comics always were. But there are many examples of it being awkwardly placed. It doesnt really inspire anyone, even when I (pretty much always) agree with the statement.

Sure, most people don't mind a little political commentary in their media. But there is presenting political commentary to your audience and there is obnoxiously assaulting them with it.

PerseusRad posted...

Honestly, manga are more political than people give credit for. One Pieces Fishman Island arc is pretty much all about civil rights (in general, not based on America). Id even argue that they were a bit preaching with it at points, but it wasnt really annoying. It manages to blend in well with the story. Honestly, one of the primary antagonists in the entire story is a corrupt government. They just manage to blend it in naturally with the story. That image of yours is egregious.

It isnt wrong to be political in comics, in fact, Im pretty sure a good amount of comics always were. But there are many examples of it being awkwardly placed. It doesnt really inspire anyone, even when I (pretty much always) agree with the statement.

People tolerate political stories that give them room to interpret and even misinterpret. Modern western comics beat you over the head without using any literary symbolism anymore. Like they think their audience is too stupid to understand any real world parallel unless it's 1:1 on a page.

Esrac posted...

I get that comics have a history of being relatively liberal in nature. And maybe some people exaggerate progressivism in media. But Jesus Christ, that just looks insufferable to read and it is too easy to find other similar examples in western comics.

Ye, it's sort of like being able to find pedo stuff in manga: it's just all over the place.

PerseusRad posted...

Honestly, manga are more political than people give credit for.

See, there's a difference between a work carrying a political message like "war is bad, corrupt governments are bad, slavery is bad"... and a work that's projecting a very specific, detailed view on literal current events with strawman arguments and self-congratulating characters who praise and prop up the author's specific point of view.

Subtlety goes a long way.

I like how some of the examples of comics forcing politics into everything are just some drawings of characters who arent white and straight

really living up to some stereotypes here, champs

ellis123 posted...

Ye, it's sort of like being able to find pedo stuff in manga: it's just all over the place.

I'm not going to argue. Lolicon is pretty awful and too common.

greyfox747 posted...

just some drawings of characters who arent white and straight

If you think that's the issue, and not that the characters are just terribly designed in general.... then go ahead and buy what you wanna buy, lol. I'm not gonna stop you.

Hint: the main complaints are about the lack of talent involved, and how uninteresting the characters actually are. There are lots of characters in comics who aren't white, and/or aren't straight, who are insanely popular.

Is that why one of the examples of shoving politics down our throats is just a picture of superboy having a love interest thats a dude

Esrac posted...

I'm not going to argue. Lolicon is pretty awful and too common.

Frankly the most awkward part of it is that "loli/ta/con" (however you want to say the term as it is colloquially the same) isn't the term for "young girl" in Japanese. It's the term for a younger girl that you think is hot/want to bang. It being the common term for younger children in manga from western readers makes the whole thing exceptionally creepy once you read conversations with that understanding.

greyfox747 posted...

Is that why one of the examples of shoving politics down our throats is just a picture of superboy having a love interest thats a dude

I'm not really looking to have this argument, but I assure you, the backlash is not just because "he's not straight"

It's about writing quality. About character designs. About what the creators chose to fill the pages with.

Like I said, buy what you want, but don't expect others to buy things they don't like.

Keith_Valentine posted...

Some people say it's because there was a civil war in the comics Industry and a lot of oldheads got forced out or left and more woke artists took over and mix their politics in with the art. Whereas manga doesn't do that and focused on stories , not changing the world

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/2/AAZssKAAC-tC.jpg

How are western comics not dead with trash like that?

ThePrinceFish posted...

People tolerate political stories that give them room to interpret and even misinterpret. Modern western comics beat you over the head without using any literary symbolism anymore. Like they think their audience is too stupid to understand any real world parallel unless it's 1:1 on a page.

There was nothing subtle about the X-Men and their allegory yet they are some of the most popular comic characters

its not about the fact that hes not straight i scream as we post screencaps of him kissing a guy as the only example of why the writing is bad

Blue_Inigo posted...

There was nothing subtle about the X-Men and their allegory yet they are some of the most popular comic characters

Yeah, but it came out when people were allowed to not spell out everything. Unlike Gate, which came out during a time where it had to spell out that it was propaganda.

Blue_Inigo posted...

There was nothing subtle about the X-Men and their allegory yet they are some of the most popular comic characters

It was still an allegory. A lot of stuff now isn't even allegorical. It's characters all but directly saying things to the effect of "use the term latinx otherwise you're a bigot"

I think we all know deep down why this is happening.

And I can speak on personal experience. A few years ago I had a comic subscription where every month a good pile of comics was sent to me. This included Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan), several X-men, Superman Unchained, Batgirl, Female Thor, Green Lantern (Or some spinoff) and Gotham Academy.

I swear, in a lot of these comics it felt like they were talking down to the reader whenever some "social issue" was brought up. Even when it wasn't brought up, the issues they covered was covered in such an artificial way, it was insulting. Hell, I still remember the first few issues of Kamala Khan, how she referred to non-halal meat as "infidel meat". There is not one Muslim I have EVER come across in my life who speaks the way she spoke. And how her rival was some blonde white girl who was constantly teetering on the line of racism.

Or the fact that Kamala's identity was the the reason the whole comic was even made in the first place. It was insulting. I also remember some lines from Female Thor (I think?) where a character had an outburst about pronouns out of nowhere.

Now compare this to Manga. I've been reading Kakegurui recently and its been a fucking ride. Every character was interesting in their own right. Even though this manga is absurd, it still feels like its telling an actual plot with scenes that make you feel like you're on a rollercoaster. Again, they don't give a shit if they could be seen as offensive.

It made me want to watch the live action version and even that stayed true to the original source material to an extent. It was so goofy and fun, something that a lot of comics have failed to capture recently.

Its a shame because I'm not bashing on comics for the sake of it. I spent hundreds on my subscriptions and just got tired of the shit. Now I have THREE boxes of comics I haven't even opened under my bed and I don't know what to do with this shit. Its so depressing.

greyfox747 posted...

its not about the fact that hes not straight i scream as we post screencaps of him kissing a guy as the only example of why the writing is bad

I didn't post it.

greyfox747 posted...

Is that why one of the examples of shoving politics down our throats is just a picture of superboy having a love interest thats a dude

This is the sort of person the new artists make their books to appease, but they don't actually read comics usually. They just Tweet about under representation or get offended like this individual. Couldn't ask for a better example tbh

Tsukasa1891 posted...

How are western comics not dead with trash like that?

Comicbook films bump comics sales just long enough for everyone to realize how awful they still are.

Solo_Wing posted...

Yeah, putting in your political agenda first and jamming it in your audience throat is gonna do that

Gay people: *exists*

Solo Wing: Stop jamming it down my throat!

Keith_Valentine posted...

This is the sort of person the new artists make their books to appease, but they don't actually read comics usually. They just Tweet about under representation or get offended like this individual. Couldn't ask for a better example tbh

Is this a bad time to say that I read a lot of comics, or do you just wanna go on like this for a bit

Gobstoppers12 posted...

It was still an allegory. A lot of stuff now isn't even allegorical. It's characters all but directly saying things to the effect of "use the term latinx otherwise you're a bigot"

The x-men were a direct response to the current events happening in America. They always are. Characters like Black Panther were also a response to the current events that were happening. Western comics have worn on their sleeves their politics and those comics weren't always liberal views.

greyfox747 posted...

Is this a bad time to say that I read a lot of comics, or do you just wanna go on like this for a bit

Well I did say usually so I'm covered , and youre still offended so I stand by it.

What's your favorite comic?

Blue_Inigo posted...

The x-men were a direct response to the current events happening in America. They always are. Characters like Black Panther were also a response to the current events that were happening. Western comics have worn on their sleeves their politics and those comics weren't always liberal views.

Hang on, are you telling me that a character named Black Panther might be a bit political?

Keith_Valentine posted...

Well I did say usually so I'm covered , and youre still offended so I stand by it.

What's your favorite comic?

Definitely the one that you hate the most.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/3/7/AAaaLFAAC-tR.jpg
VERY SUBTLE

greyfox747 posted...

Is this a bad time to say that I read a lot of comics, or do you just wanna go on like this for a bit

You'd just be proving the point that they're written for you, but not me.

They used to be written for everyone. Now it's just a soap box, which more or less preaches to the choir. The people who "need" to have the messages beaten into them stopped reading comics years ago because the proselytizing got to be too egregious.

Blue_Inigo posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/3/7/AAaaLFAAC-tR.jpg
VERY SUBTLE

Nobody thinks those comics were very good, either.

Gobstoppers12 posted...

You'd just be proving the point that they're written for you, but not me.

They used to be written for everyone. Now it's just a soap box, which more or less preaches to the choir. The people who "need" to have the messages beaten into them stopped reading comics years ago because the proselytizing got to be too egregious.

Im sorry that you think minorities being in a comic book means that its not for you anymore. Sounds rough.

greyfox747 posted...

Hang on, are you telling me that a character named Black Panther might be a bit political?

Funny you say that, apparently the Black Panther superhero came about RIGHT before the Black Panther organization was founded. Like by a few months. It's a coincidence according to Stan Lee. I always thought he was named after them too

greyfox747 posted...

Im sorry that you think minorities being in a comic book means that its not for you anymore. Sounds rough.

This is the kind of strawman stuff I'm talking about. I can see why you would enjoy modern comics lol