Naruto Manga Dominates BookScan's 2008 Top 20 Bestseller List

From ICV2:The manga ninja dynamo that is Naruto dominated Nielsen's BookScan list of the top 20 Bestselling Graphic Novels of 2008. Fueled by the buzz over the upcoming release of the feature film version of the classic graphic novel by Allan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen ruled the top of the charts. But the rest of the top 20 list of best-selling graphic novels sold in bookstores? Mostly manga, and mostly Naruto, with 9 volumes of the immensely popular shonen manga series including volumes 1, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 taking up almost half of the list, and most of the top 10 slots.

Other popular series included in this list include Death Note, Bleach and Vampire Knight, all from VIZ Media and Fruits Basket from TokyoPop. Here's the top 20 list:

1. Watchmen by Allan Moore and Dave Gibbons (DC Comics)
2. Naruto Volume 28 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
3. Naruto Volume 29 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
4. Naruto Volume 30 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
5. Batman: The Killing Joke - Special Edition by Allan Moore (DC Comics)
6. Naruto Volume 27 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
7. Naruto Volume 31 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
8. Naruto Volume 26 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
9. Death Note Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Shonen Jump Advanced / VIZ Media)
10. Fruits Basket Volume 19 by Natsuki Takaya (TokyoPop)
11. Fruits Basket Volume 20 by Natsuki Takaya (TokyoPop)
12. Death Note Volume 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Shonen Jump Advanced / VIZ Media)
13. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (DC Comics)
14. Vampire Knight Volume 4 by Matsuri Hino (Shojo Beat / VIZ Media)
15. Naruto Volume 1 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
16. Naruto Volume 32 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
17. Bleach Volume 22 by Tite Kubo (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
18. Naruto Volume 25 by Masashi Kishimoto (Shonen Jump / VIZ Media)
19. Death Note 13: How to Read by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Shonen Jump Profiles / VIZ Media)
20. Vampire Knight Volume 1 by Matsuri Hino (Shojo Beat / VIZ Media)

It's also interesting that the first volumes of Naruto, Vampire Knight and Death Note continue to sell well, even years after their release -- a sign that new readers are still catching on to these series.

Keep in mind that this list only captures sales in bookstores, not comic specialty shops where superheroes still reign supreme. But it's a testament to the enduring popularity of Naruto that it's been such a force on the bestseller lists, even as it heads into its 30-somethingth volume. With the surge of 11 new volumes of Naruto coming between now and July, who knows what the 2009 BookScan bestseller list will look like?

Image credit: © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto