Things We Saw Today: The List of 2017’s Best-Selling Graphic Novels Proves What We Already Knew: Diversity Sells

A company called BookScan, which tracks the “sell-through” of books (that’s the ratio of retail sales to wholesale distribution), and comics news business site ICV2 have collaborated to produce a list of the best-selling graphic novels of 2017. The results tell us what we’ve been insisting for just about forever: diversity sells, both when it comes to characters and the real-life teams behind them. Publishing books from creators of color or ones that feature female leads is not a charity. These books make money. A lot of it.

The results are interesting and worth clicking through to look at all the lists, as they’re broken down by audience and genre. Comics Beat has also created a chart for the Adult Graphic Novel list, highlighting the diversity of the books’ creators. It’s heartening to see the direct financial benefit of inclusivity in the comics industry.

It’s also pretty damn cool to see Rep. John Lewis nab the #1 and #4 spot on that list. (via ComicsBeat)

• I’m not sure if I can stomach this video game where you fend off pick-up artists. (via Kotaku)
• The awesome Megan Follows is joining the Wynonna Earp cast as Wynonna’s mother. We are VERY excited. (via Deadline)
• Fiona Apple and Shirley Manson covered Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” and it’s what’s going to get me through this week. (via Jezebel)
• This is very cool: If you’re looking for a small but essential way to be more politically active, here’s a weekly newsletter that suggests one to five political candidates to consider donating one to five dollars (or more) to. You have to sign up to receive it (no, I don’t get anything if you do), but the newsletter includes a brief summary of why the candidates are worth your attention and contribution. (via The Big Blue Weekly To-Do)

What did you all see out there on the internet today?

(image: Marvel)

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