This page provides lists of best-selling comic book series to date. It includes Japanese manga, American comic books, and European comics. This list includes comic books that have sold at least 100 million copies.
There are three separate lists, for three different comic book publication formats: collected comic book volumes, periodical single-issue floppy comics, and comic magazines. They are separated because the sales figures of these publication formats are not directly comparable.
This list is for comics printed in a traditional book format (paperback or hardcover), typically with a similar number of pages as novels. The list includes graphic novels printed exclusively in this format, and trade paperback/hardcover books which compile periodical comic chapters/issues into larger collected volumes. Japanese manga tankōbon volumes and European comic albums account for the vast majority of collected comic book volume sales. [1] American trade paperbacks and graphic novels are also included in the list.
These comic series were originally serialized either as chapters (typically 15-30 pages each) in comic publications (such as comic magazines) or as single-page comic strips in non-comic publications (such as newspapers), before being collected into a larger comic book volume (which compiles either multiple comic chapters or numerous comic strips). [1] For comic series originally serialized as chapters in comic magazines or manga magazines, their estimated circulation figures in those magazines are given in footnotes.
Denotes comic series currently running |
Comic series | Creator(s) | Publisher | No. of collected volumes | Serialized | Approximate sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
One Piece | Eiichiro Oda | Shueisha | 109 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 1997 – present | 516.6 million† [2] |
Asterix | René Goscinny Albert Uderzo | Dargaud Les Éditions Albert René | 40 | 1959 – present [lower-alpha 1] | 393 million [3] [lower-alpha 3] |
Dragon Ball | Akira Toriyama | Shueisha | 42 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 1984–1995 | 300 million [4] |
Golgo 13 | Takao Saito | Shogakukan | 203 | Big Comic 1968 – present | 300 million† [5] |
Peanuts | Charles M. Schulz | — | — | 1950 – 2000 | 300 million [6] |
Oriental Heroes | Wong Yuk-Long, Tony | Culturecom | 2427 | 1969–present | 280 million [7] [8] |
Case Closed | Gosho Aoyama | Shogakukan | 105 | Weekly Shōnen Sunday 1994 – present | 270 million [9] [lower-alpha 5] |
Naruto | Masashi Kishimoto | Shueisha | 72 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 1999 – 2014 | 250 million [10] [lower-alpha 7] |
The Adventures of Tintin | Hergé | Casterman Le Lombard Egmont Group | 24 | 1929 – 1976 | 250 million [11] |
Spike and Suzy | Willy Vandersteen | Standaard Uitgeverij | 365 | 1945 – present | 230 million [12] |
Slam Dunk | Takehiko Inoue | Shueisha | 31 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 1990 – 1996 | 170 million [13] [lower-alpha 8] |
KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops | Osamu Akimoto | Shueisha | 200 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 1976 – 2016 | 156.5 million [14] [lower-alpha 9] |
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Koyoharu Gotōge | Shueisha | 23 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 2016 – 2020 | 150 million [15] |
Diabolik | Angela Giussani Luciana Giussani | Astorina | 862 | 1962 – present | 150 million [16] |
Crayon Shin-chan | Yoshito Usui | Futabasha | 67 | Manga Action 1990 – present | 148 million [lower-alpha 10] [17] |
Garfield | Jim Davis | — | — | 1978 – present | 135 million [18] |
Oishinbo | Tetsu Kariya Akira Hanasaki | Shogakukan | 111 | Big Comic Spirits 1983 – present | 135 million [19] |
Bleach | Tite Kubo | Shueisha | 74 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 2001 – 2016 | 130 million [20] [lower-alpha 11] |
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | Hirohiko Araki | Shueisha | 131 | 1987 – present | 120 million† [21] [lower-alpha 12] |
Attack on Titan | Hajime Isayama | Kodansha | 34 | Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine 2009 – 2021 | 120 million [22] |
Amar Chitra Katha | Amar Chitra Katha Pvt. Ltd. | 449 | 1967 – present | 100 million [23] | |
Astro Boy | Osamu Tezuka | Kobunsha | 23 | Shōnen 1952 – 1968 | 100 million [24] |
Casper the Friendly Ghost | Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo | Harvey Comics | — | 1949 – present | 100 million [25] |
Baki the Grappler | Keisuke Itagaki | Akita Shoten | 191 | Weekly Shōnen Champion 1991 – present | 100 million† [lower-alpha 13] [26] |
Fist of the North Star | Buronson and Tetsuo Hara | Shueisha | 27 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 1983 – 1988 | 100 million [27] [lower-alpha 14] |
Hajime no Ippo | George Morikawa | Kodansha | 141 | Weekly Shōnen Magazine 1989 – present | 100 million† [28] |
Jujutsu Kaisen | Gege Akutami | Shueisha | 31 [lower-alpha 15] | Weekly Shōnen Jump 2018 – 2024 | 100 million†‡ [29] |
The Kindaichi Case Files | Yōzaburō Kanari, Seimaru Amagi, Fumiya Satō | Kodansha | 95 | 1992 – present | 100 million† [30] |
Kingdom | Yasuhisa Hara | Shueisha | 72 | Weekly Young Jump 2006 – present | 100 million†‡ [31] |
My Hero Academia | Kōhei Horikoshi | Shueisha | 42 | Weekly Shōnen Jump 2014 – 2024 | 100 million†‡ [32] [lower-alpha 16] |
Touch | Mitsuru Adachi | Shogakukan | 26 | Weekly Shōnen Sunday 1981 – 1986 | 100 million [33] |
This list is for single-issue floppy comics, also known as the American comic book format. Unlike the paperback book format, floppy comics are thinner periodicals and stapled together. Each floppy comic issue is typically 20–40 pages, and usually consists of a single chapter (as opposed to a larger comic book volume that typically includes multiple chapters). A floppy comic is comparable to a comic magazine, but is thinner in size and is dedicated to a single character or group of characters (whereas a comic magazine is thicker and serializes multiple different unrelated series). [1]
Single-issue floppy comics are the most common publication format for American comics, and account for the vast majority of American superhero comic sales. [34] This list also contains periodical publications from other countries that are similarly dedicated to a single character or group of characters. Some of the numbers reported here may also include sales of trade paperback volumes, which account for a small portion of American comic sales.
According to the most recently available data, the best-selling American single-issue comic of all time was X-Men #1, which was published in 1991 and has since sold almost 8.2 million copies.
Comic series | Creator(s) | Publisher | No. of issues | Serialized | Approximate sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Superman | Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster | DC Comics | 18,732 [35] | 1938 – 2016 | 600 million [36] [lower-alpha 17] |
Batman | Bob Kane Bill Finger | DC Comics | 23,193 [37] | 1939 – 2016 | 484 million [lower-alpha 18] [lower-alpha 17] |
Spider-Man | Stan Lee Steve Ditko | Marvel | 13,500 [41] | 1963 – 2016 | 387 million [lower-alpha 19] [lower-alpha 17] |
X-Men | Stan Lee Jack Kirby | Marvel | 12,000 [46] | 1963 – 2016 | 260 million [47] [lower-alpha 17] |
Captain America | Joe Simon Jack Kirby | Marvel | 9,000 [48] | 1941 – 2016 | 210 million [47] |
Diabolik | Angela Giussani Luciana Giussani | Astorina | 862 | 1962 – 2016 | 150 million [16] |
Spawn | Todd McFarlane | Image Comics | 600 [49] | 1992 – 2016 | 150 million [50] |
The Phantom | Lee Falk | Frew Publications | 3,000 [51] | 1936 – 2016 | 150 million [47] |
This list is for comic magazines, which are anthology magazines that serialize multiple different unrelated comic series. This list includes Japanese manga magazines, European comic magazines, and English-language comic magazines.
In Japan, manga magazines account for the vast majority of manga sales. Most manga series first appear in manga magazines, before later being sold separately as collected tankobon volumes. [1]
Comic magazine | Publisher | Country | No. of issues | Serialized | Approximate sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weekly Shōnen Jump | Shueisha | Japan | 2,406 [52] | 1968 – present | 7.6 billion [52] [lower-alpha 20] |
Weekly Shōnen Magazine | Kodansha | Japan | 2,942 [53] | 1959 – present | 5.2 billion [lower-alpha 21] |
Weekly Young Jump | Shueisha | Japan | 1,765 [54] | 1979 – present | 2.2 billion [lower-alpha 22] |
The Beano | DC Thomson | United Kingdom | 4,200+ | 1938 – present | 2 billion [55] |
Weekly Shōnen Sunday | Shogakukan | Japan | 2,805 [56] | 1959 – present | 1.9 billion [lower-alpha 23] |
Weekly Young Magazine | Kodansha | Japan | 1,976 | 1980 – present | 1.8 billion [lower-alpha 24] |
Micky Maus | Egmont Ehapa | Germany | 3,169 | 1951 – present | 1 billion [lower-alpha 25] |
Classics Illustrated | Elliot Publishing Co. Gilberton Company, Inc. Frawley Corporation | United States | 169 | 1941 – 1971 | 1 billion [58] |
Ribon | Shueisha | Japan | 694 [59] | 1955 – present | 594 million [lower-alpha 26] |
MAD Magazine | EC Comics, DC Comics | United States | 557 | 1952 – present | 430 million [60] |
CoroCoro Comic | Shogakukan | Japan | 480 [61] | 1977 – present | 407 million [lower-alpha 27] |
Nakayoshi | Kodansha | Japan | 756 | 1954 – present | 400 million [lower-alpha 28] |
Monthly Shōnen Jump | Shueisha | Japan | 317 [62] | 1970 – 2007 | 215 million [lower-alpha 29] |
Action Comics | DC Comics | United States | 1,000 | 1938 – present | 188 million [lower-alpha 30] |
Pilote | Dargaud | France | 420 [69] | 1959 – 1989 | 117 million [lower-alpha 2] |
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. Chapters of the series that run in Weekly Shōnen Jump are collected and published in tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint every two to three months. It is one of the longest-running manga magazines, with the first issue being released with a cover date of August 1, 1968.
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since July 1997, with its chapters compiled in 110 tankōbon volumes as of November 2024. The series follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the mythical treasure known as the "One Piece" to become the next King of the Pirates.
The Kindaichi Case Files is a Japanese mystery manga series about the crime solving adventures of a high school student, Hajime Kindaichi, the supposed grandson of the famous (fictional) private detective Kosuke Kindaichi. Written by Yōzaburō Kanari or Seimaru Amagi and illustrated by Fumiya Satō, the Kindaichi series was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from October 1992 to October 2017, spanning a total of 76 tankōbon volumes. It is one of the earliest works in the mystery manga genre. In North America, the series was published in English by Tokyopop with the title The Kindaichi Case Files. Only the first 17 volumes were released by Tokyopop.
Hana to Yume, also known as HanaYume (花ゆめ), is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha on the 5th and 20th of every month. The magazine is B5-size, and always comes with furoku or free supplements, such as drama CDs, pencil boards (shitajiki), manga anthologies, stationery, and calendars. Hana to Yume was ranked 4th by Japanese girls as their favourite manga anthology in a survey conducted by Oricon in 2006.
Sho-Comi, formerly published under its full name Shōjo Comic (少女コミック) until December 2007, is a shōjo manga magazine published semimonthly in Japan by Shogakukan since 1968. The magazine has gained a reputation for being a "love bible for maidens in love" or a "romance manga bible".
Ace of Diamond is a Japanese baseball-themed manga series written and illustrated by Yuji Terajima. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 2006 to January 2015, with its chapters collected in 47 tankōbon volumes. A sequel titled Ace of Diamond Act II was serialized from August 2015 to October 2022, with its chapters collected in 34 tankōbon volumes.
Kōhei Horikoshi is a Japanese manga artist known for creating the manga series Oumagadoki Zoo, Barrage, and My Hero Academia, all of which have been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. His latter work had over 100 million copies in circulation by April 2024, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Horikoshi is a graduate of Toho High School and Nagoya University of Arts and is a native of Aichi Prefecture. He was a former assistant for Yasuki Tanaka, creator of the manga series Summer Time Rendering, Hitomi no Catoblepas, and Kagijin.
Haikyu!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from February 2012 to July 2020, with its chapters collected in 45 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Shoyo Hinata, a boy determined to become a great volleyball player despite his small stature.
Fire Force is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from September 2015 to February 2022, with its chapters collected in 34 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the manga has been licensed for English language release by Kodansha USA.
Jujutsu Kaisen is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 2018 to September 2024, with its chapters collected in 28 tankōbon volumes as of October 2024. The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host. Jujutsu Kaisen is a sequel to Akutami's Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School, serialized in Shueisha's Jump Giga from April to July 2017, later collected in a tankōbon volume, retroactively titled as Jujutsu Kaisen 0, in December 2018.
Mashle: Magic and Muscles is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Kōmoto. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from January 2020 to July 2023, with its chapters collected in 18 tankōbon volumes.
Blue Lock is a Japanese manga series written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and illustrated by Yusuke Nomura. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 2018, with its chapters collected in 31 tankōbon volumes as of October 2024.
Koyoharu Gotouge is a Japanese manga artist, known for the manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2016–2020). By February 2021, the manga had over 150 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
The Elusive Samurai is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since January 2021, with its chapters collected in 17 tankōbon volumes as of September 2024. The series is based on the historical figure of Hōjō Tokiyuki, a young samurai determined to enact revenge on Ashikaga Takauji, a samurai who betrayed and caused the downfall of his family.
Tokyo Aliens is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoe. It has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy since April 2020.
RuriDragon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masaoki Shindo. It was originally a one-shot published in Shueisha's Jump Giga magazine in December 2020, before being serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump starting in June 2022. Following an indefinite hiatus, the series was moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump's digital version and the Shōnen Jump+ service in April 2024. Its chapters have been collected into two tankōbon volumes as of September 2024.
The Summer Hikaru Died is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mokumokuren. It began serialization on Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up website in August 2021. As of June 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected in five tankōbon volumes. It follows the story of Yoshiki, a teenager in rural Japan who discovers that his best friend has been replaced by an otherworldly entity, forcing him to navigate their changed relationship amid supernatural dangers.
Super Doctor K is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuo Mafune. It was serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April 1988 to October 1996, with its chapters collected in 44 tankōbon volumes. A second series, Doctor K, was serialized in the same magazine from October 1996 to October 1998, with its chapters collected in ten tankōbon volumes. A third series, K2, was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Evening from May 2004 until February 2023, when the magazine ceased its publication, and moved to the Comic Days online platform in March of that same year. Its chapters have been collected in 47 tankōbon volumes as of May 2024.
One Piece manga has surpassed 500 million copies published worldwide […] 416,566,000 of those copies are in Japan, and 100 million copies are in 60 countries and territories outside of Japan. (In the past, Shueisha has used the Japanese term for "published" in reporting its manga statistics, but clarified that these figures include both print and digital copies.)
the manga's popularity has continued to grow with an astonishing record of 260 million copies sold worldwide
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