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Alice Oseman and Dav Pilkey are the most popular comic creators in the United States, according to the New York Times

Cat Kid Comic Club, Heartstopper, and Dog Man are the best-selling comics in the US right now

Alice Oseman and Dav Pilkey
Image credit: Scholastic/Kai Suzuki

There's popular, then there's popular - and according to the New York Times, cartoonists Dav Pilkey and Alice Oseman were pretty popular in May - together accounting for eight of the top 10 spots in its monthly best sellers lists for Graphic Books and Manga (yes, this does include comic books).

Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose cover by Dav Pilkey
Image credit: Scholastic

Pilkey and Oseman claimed four spots in the top 10 each - the former for his Cat Kid Comic Club and Dog Man books, and the latter for their Heartstopper print editions (which were no doubt helped by the recent Netflix live-action adaptation, written by Oseman).

They're joined by manga-ka Tasuya Endo's Spy X Family Vol. 1, and Aaron Blabey's The Bad Guys (which was recently adapted into a DreamWorks animated movie).

From another angle, Scholastic is also top dog - claiming 11 out of the top 15 spots. Here's the full top 15 New York Times Best Sellers for Graphic Books and Manga.

  1. Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose by Dav Pilkey
  2. Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
  3. Heartstopper Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman
  4. Spy X Family Vol. 1 by Tasuya Endo
  5. Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman
  6. Heartstopper Vol. 3 by Alice Oseman
  7. Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives by Dav Pilkey
  8. The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
  9. Dog Man: Mothering Heights by Dav Pilkey
  10. Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey
  11. Remarkably Ruby by Terri Libenson
  12. Death Note Short Stories by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
  13. The Brightest Night by Tui T. Sutherland and Mike Holmes
  14. Dog Man: Grime and Punishment by Dave Pilkey
  15. Solo Leveling Vol. 4 by Chugong and Dubo/Redice Studio

Compared to last month, this is a bit of a shift. While Dav Pilkey still had the top spot (and five in total for the top 15), Oseman's Heartstopper only had one spot (#8), which is still pretty impressive. But that goes to show what a great comic, a great adaptation, and news of a second (and third season) renewal for Netflix can do for you.

How does this ranking come about? The New York Times Best Seller List is an aggregated compilation of sales reports from US-based bookstores (both chain and independent), as well as wholesalers. Although the New York Times keeps its metrics fairly secret, in 2004 it was said to be at least 4,000 bookstores as well as several undefined wholesalers.


Cat Kid Comic Club returns with a new volume in November - just in time for those stockings.
Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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