Graphic novel sales in the United States and Canada reached $375 million last year, an increase of 12 percent over 2006. That’s according to a report delivered Thursday at the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference at New York Comic Con.
Single-issues sales were $330 million in 2007, up nearly 10 percent from the previous year.
According to the annual white paper, delivered by ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp, manga sales were up 5 percent to $210 million, the slowest-growth rate for manga since the website began tracking sales. The report cites a decline in sales in the direct market “due to a reduced emphasis on the category by comic stores,” and possible increased competition from American graphic novels.
Still, the number of manga titles released in 2007 climbed 25 percent to 1,513. American “genre” releases — that includes superhero, science fiction, fantasy and horror graphic novels — increased 31 percent in 2007 to 1,268.
Publishers Weekly further breaks it down, noting that “literary” comics rose 2 percent to 272, humor grew 24 percent to 83, while kids’ comics were, at 1 percent, virtually unchanged with 145.
In all, 3,391 graphic novels were released last year, up 22 percent from 2006.
Related: Tom Spurgeon has commentary from the conference
