Oh, Naruto, is there anything you can’t do?
As Viz Media readies the next wave of “Naruto Nation,” ICv2.com casts an eye over the BookScan list of graphic novels sold in bookstores and discovers, unsurprisingly, that Vols. 16-18 of Masashi Kishimoto’s manga have held to top spots for all four weeks of their release.
What may be surprising is that Vol. 1 of the series, which was released in August 2003, clocked in at No. 8 at the BookScan chart for the week ending Sept. 23, an indication that the spiky-haired ninja is still attracting new fans — and in significant numbers. Naruto, Vol. 15, which was released in July, held the ninth spot.
ICv2 points out that 43 of the Top 50 slots were held by manga, including the first volume of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Death Note, which came in at No. 11. It’s worth noting that although Viz released the first volume of that series in October 2005, it, too, is drawing new readers. With the debut of the Death Note anime next month on Adult Swim, we’re likely to see the 12-volume thriller repopulate the chart.
Related: ICv2′s overview of fall graphic novel releases
