Summary
A comic book doesn’t need to sell the most to be considered the best, but it certainly helps gauge its popularity. When it comes to single-issue, regular comics, the usual roster of classic superheroes, likeSuperman,Batman,Spider-Man, etc., take the top spots, with some Italians and other Europeans being glad their gritty thiefDiabolikis at least still ahead ofSpawn.
But since they’re designed around these single-issue installments, the DC and Marvel superheroes falter when they’re sold by volume. Their trade paperbacks and graphic novels surprisingly don’t measure up to the volumes, albums, and collections of these classic comic books, which range from popular manga to iconic newspaper strips, with some unique standouts along the way.
10Spike and Suzy
Quirky Flemish Kids Go on Adventures
Some Americans might knowSpike and Suzybetter asWilly and Wanda, while others know the strip by its original Belgian nameSuske en Wiske. However one knows it, they tell the same story about a polite, mild-mannered boy and his more impulsive lady friend going on all sorts of adventures, often to the consternation of their friends and family. It’s not a mere slice-of-life strip either, as the duo often end up contending with ghosts, traveling through time, or some other supernatural or sci-fi phenomena.
The strip became a hit in Belgium, and caught on throughout the rest of mainland Europe, inspiring films, TV shows, and even stage plays. While it helped creator Wally Vandersteen become so famous in Belgium and the Netherlands that the Dutch press called him “the Walt Disney of the Low Countries”. Hergé, ofTintinfame, preferred to call him “the (Pieter) Brueghel (the Elder) of the comic strip”. Which leads into…
9The Adventures of Tintin
Belgian Boy with a Quiff Makes European Comics History
Belgium is famous in Europe for its different comic strips, likeLucky Luke,Spirou, andThe Smurfs, alongsideSpike and Suzy. But as popular as they are, they didn’t break ground likeThe Adventures of Tintindid. It’s basically Indiana Jones if it was actually made in the early 20th century instead of being a throwback to the era, and had an idealistic kid reporter instead of a jaded grave robber as the hero.
His different adventures offered a similar mix of magical and mystical elements with political intrigue and sci-fi wizardry, as Tintin ended up getting involved in complex plots, or hunts for mysterious MacGuffins. All of which were rendered in Hergé’s ‘ligne claire’ style, which would inspire comic artists on both sides of the Atlantic, and evensome game developers. Tintin’s adventures officially came to an end in 1976, but his old adventures continue to be re-released, and re-adapted into movies, TV shows, audio dramas and more.
8Naruto
A Bestseller? It’s Easy to Believe It
Some generations learned about ninjas from history books. Others heard about them from supplements in martial arts magazines, cheesy low-budget Hong Kong films, or from a certain quarter of shelled reptiles. But in the past 26 years, people likely got their first ninja experience viaNaruto. Not bad for a kid who learned the art of stealth while dressed in bright orange.
In volumes, the Hokage hopeful’s adventure sold 250 million copies across its 72 volumes. But his influence has gone beyond that, as many more readers (be they fans or not) would’ve caught its chapters via their original run inWeekly Shōnen Jump. Then the anime adaptation became a key part of many a young millennial and Gen Z’r’s childhood, faults, filler and all. So, whether people readNarutoor watched it, loved it or loathed it, they’d know about its jutsus and ninja poses just from how ubiquitous it became.
7Dragon Ball
Monkey Boy’s Adventures Become a Story of Two Halves
Narutobecame the big shōnen hit for anime fans in the 2000s, though it still came up short next toDragon Ball, the series that set the mark for nearly every subsequent action story. The difference is that those fans at least got to see Naruto grow up across the series. Whereas mostDragon Ballfans outside Japan likely didn’t get into the series until they saw Goku’s grown-up days get animated.
Within Japan, Goku’s journey from his first meeting with Bulma, to him running off with Uub, were all part of the same main manga. No multi-year breaks like the decades between it andDragon Ball Super. It was only outside Japan that everything after chapter 195 was published asDragon Ball Zto match the anime, with many considering the chapters before that to bemore of a prequelto the later Saiyan showdowns.
6Case Closed
Child-Man Detective Uses His Smarts to Sell Millions
BothNarutoandDragon Ballbecame worldwide smashes, though some strips can become iconic bestsellers from their domestic reception alone. For example,Case Closedis popular enough outside Japan, with some Western readers enjoying Detective Conan’s mystery-solving adventures, and quest to regain his grown-up body, as much as any jutsu-filled action scene.
In Japan, his manga is still a hit with readers and critics alike, maintaining high spots inDa Vincimagazine’s annual Best Book polls since 2012. Conan has also headlined crime awareness campaigns, and inspired Hokuei, the hometown of series’ creator Gosho Aoyama, to produce a range ofConan-themed tourist attractions. With that kind of reception, it’s perhaps no surprise it beat outDBandNarutoin volume sales.
5Oriental Heroes
Hong Kong’s Gangster-Bashing Trio Become a Manhua Mainstay
Domestic fame also worked out pretty well forOriental Heroes, a long-running manhua that inspired a broad range of similar crime-fighting Chinese comics. Though it’s moreStreets of RagethanMarvel’s Spider-Man, as it follows three men from the Dragon Tiger Gate kung fu school in their fights against the gangsters and other criminals encroaching onto their turf. Not that it was without controversy, as its content caused Hong Kong to ban explicit violence in manhua.
This led creator Tony Wong Yuk-long to find a way around the law by setting up his own newspaper,Sàng Bou,just to publish the comic as a newspaper strip instead of a standard manhua. Though this didn’t stop it from being a success. Its fame hit its peak in the 1980s, where it got more gritty and violent, but it’s still going strong today, and was even adapted intoan underrated martial arts flick.
4Peanuts
A Boy and His Dog Make Comic History
It’sPeanuts. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, etc. Do they really need an introduction? Charles M. Schultz’s iconic strip didn’t have crime dramas, ninjas, or adventure-seeking Belgians. Most of the time, they were 4-panel gag strips offering pithy wit with a dose of melancholy and plenty of heart. Which was enough, as it set the standard for 4-panel comedy comics, opening the way for many more newspaper funnies and 4-koma manga to come.
Though it ended with Schultz’s death back in 2000,Peanutslives on through syndication, volume sales, and a host of different animated specials and movies that brought the gang to life. Which is why the franchise is still gaining new fans today, who have homaged, parodied, and referenced the series in all sorts of ways.Like in ‘3eanuts’, which eliminates the last panel in strips to bring out their existential dread without their tension-popping punchlines.
3Golgo 13
Not Even Death Keeps Togo From His Work
Many Western comic book characters live on well beyond their original creators’ deaths. But in manga, when a creator finishes their story off, or has theirs ended for them, their manga usually ends with them too. It usually takes plenty of soul-searching or a clear plan to keep their work going once they’re gone. Which is what happened toGolgo 13.
The hits and near-misses of the infamous assassin Duke Togo are still going on because Takao Saito, the series' progenitor, wanted it to continue. Without this approval, his company, Saito Production, likely would’ve ended it when he died in 2021. Instead, they’ve continued to write and illustrate the hitman’s escapades, continuing its streak as the longest-running and best-selling seinen manga ever made.
2Asterix
Western Comics' Biggest Volume Seller is a Tiny Celt With a Mustache
Who’sAsterix, and how did he sell roughly 130 million more volumes thanDragon Ball? He’s the star of a bunch of historical adventure comedies where the diminutive Gaulish warrior foils the schemes of many a Roman general with his smarts, and a magic potion that gives him super strength. All while usually accompanied by his big buddy Obelix, or the other pun-named members of his village (e.g. Chief Vitalstatistix, Cacophonix the Bard, Getafix the potion-brewing Druid, etc.)
While his volumes offer plenty of cartoon violence, it’s often its brainier stories that end up being most compelling, as the Romans try everything from gentrifying the area around their village, to introducing Obelix to capitalism in a bid to take over Gaul. This extra wit is likely how Asterix became a hit in France, then managed to catch on with the rest of Europe, as his adventures have been published in nearly every language and dialect the continent offers, from Alsatian to Welsh, with some more international translations on top of that.
1One Piece
Little Rubber Boy Outsells Dragon Ball and Naruto Put Together
Golgo 13,among other strips, has beat outOne Piecein the number of volumes published. But in volumes sold, through prints and digital copies, it’s the best-selling comic book of all time. It’s also the best-selling manga too, beating out Japanese children’s iconDoraemonby 200+ million sales. That, and it’s hit the #1 spot in Oricon’s comic charts every week since 2008.
Even now that it’s winding down, as Eiichiro Oda has been planning its finale for a while, chances are it won’t disappear from the limelight either. The live-action series was a hit with fans and critics, and the anime is still going strong too. If that wasn’t enough, the series is going to be animated again asThe One Piece, retelling Luffy’s story from the top. At this rate, people might not remember a time when the Strawhat Pirates weren’t a thing to begin with.
