Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, my times bestseller, Watchmen

Watchmen Returns to the NY Times Bestseller List Thanks to Unauthorised Sequel

Published Fri, 06 Dec 2019 14:00:43 -0600

The New York Times has released its latest graphic novel bestseller list, and joining Raina Telgemeier, Raina Telgemeier, Raina Telgemeier, Raina Telgemeier, Raina Telgemeier, and Raina Telgemeier is Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal work Watchmen (not to be confused with Moore's fish-semenal work, Neonomicon). Watchmen takes fifth place on the list, spurred by interest in HBO's unauthorised sequel. Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle took the top spot, followed by Guts by Telgemeier, Best Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham, and Drama by Telgemeier. Following Watchmen in slots 6-10 are Smile, Ghosts, and Sisters by Telgemeier, White Bird by R.J. Palacio, and Sunny Rolls the Dice by Jennifer and Matthew Holm. My Hero Academia Vol. 1 by Kohei Horikoshi takes the eleventh spot, followed by Stargazing by Jen Wang, The Midwinter Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag, Camp by Kayla Miller, and finally Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo.

Watchmen's ranking right in the middle of Telgemeier's powerhouse quintuplet of books 33 years after its initial release is impressive, even if it does further reward DC and Warner Bros for continuing to exploit Alan Moore's work without his permission. The bestseller list as a whole, as always, is a sobering look for the insular world of superhero comic book publishing at what the general public actually wants to read when it comes to comic, which tends to be graphic novels geared toward young readers. It's a fact DC seems keen to capitalize on with the Teen Titans series, but for the most part, the superhero-industrial complex will probably just release a bunch of variant covers and call it a day… or find more of Alan Moore's work to release unauthorised sequels to.