One of the main advantages of a deep, diverse digital collection for readers to explore is they can choose to read whatever’s most interesting to them at the time — regardless of how new or old, mainstream or niche, popular or “under the radar” a book might be. With the unlimited, simultaneous access available in Comics Plus, that also means artificially influential factors don’t have an impact on what actually circulates.
With one quarter of 2025 behind us, we took a look at our circulation data from January – March 2025 in the 3,500+ schools and libraries that help make “Read All The Comics!” happen. Unlike typical bestsellers lists heavily influenced by marketing budgets and traditional pre-publication reviews, the vast majority of our most popular titles were published before 2024.
Backlist is frontlist for the majority of readers, and when there aren’t barriers to access, many of them will choose an older book they missed when it was first released rather than wait for the hot title du jour to become available, especially if they’re into genres that aren’t as well-represented in single-user collections.
MOST POPULAR: Q1 2025
For Kids of all ages, there were some charming new additions that are worth a look, starting with the adorable couple of Milk & Mocha (Andrews McMeel). While there may be an anthropomorphized version of writer/artist Melani Sie’s own relationships (depicted in lovable bear form) that grown-up readers may recognize, there is still plenty of universal appeal to the characters and their antics, and more than a few heartstring-tugging moments that fans of books like Chi’s Sweet Home (Kodansha) may appreciate as well.
Milk & Mocha Comics Collection: Our Little Happiness (Andrews McMeel) was an immediate hit when it was first added to Comics Plus in the summer of 2023, and has been our most popular individual title ever since. It was our overall most popular title in 2023 and 2024, and readers are still discovering it this year.
New readers are literally born every day, and they eventually become new students and new patrons, eager to be introduced to and guided through the vast world of reading options at their public and school libraries. The backlist of great titles they get to discover grows larger every year, too.
Notably, only 10% of the titles across our four top 10 lists below were added to Comics Plus in 2025, and only 15% in 2024. That means 75% have been available to our readers since 2023 (or earlier), waiting to be discovered by every wave of new readers who aren’t only interested in the latest bestsellers, and don’t want to decide what to read next based on wait lists and borrowing limits.
YOUNG READERS
Our youngest readers got the best of two worlds last year when we started adding Picture Books to Comics Plus, and although comics are still the primary attraction, we’ve seen interest growing steadily for picture books, too.
- Loading Penguin Hugs (Andrews McMeel, 2018)
- Pocket Peaches (Andrews McMeel, 2023)
- Where’s My Tushy? (Lerner, 2024)
- Mr. Valentine (Frederator Books, 2021)
- Disney Manga: Monsters, Inc. (Tokyopop, 2019)
- Pocket Peaches: At the Fair (Andrews McMeel, 2024)
- Picnic Pigs (Capstone, 2024)
- The Discovery of Anime & Manga (Immedium, 2021)
- Sheroes: Harriet Tubman (ABDO, 2022)
- Catbug Says (Frederator Books, 2021)
While Loading Penguin Hugs (another webcomics collection from Andrews McMeel) was the most popular title for younger readers, Where’s My Tushy? became a LibraryPass staff favorite! Of course, comics can be used in classrooms, so it was no surprise to see Sheroes: Harriet Tubman among the most popular titles, too.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
MIDDLE GRADE
There’s a persistent industry narrative that claims “Middle grade is dead!”, but that has never matched what we’ve seen on Comics Plus, where titles for middle grade readers are routinely our most popular overall — by a long shot. One of the reasons we break out our circulation by age ranges is because “middle grade” is so overwhelmingly popular, it can seem like we only serve those readers.
- Milk & Mocha Comics Collection: Our Little Happiness (Andrews McMeel, 2023)
- Crush (Yen Press, 2021)
- Big Nate: No Worries! (Andrews McMeel, 2023)
- Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic & Tails: Best Buds Forever (IDW, 2022)
- Zootopia #1 (Dynamite, 2025)
- Big Nate: Remain Calm! (Andrews McMeel, 2024)
- Minecraft: Heart of Cobblestone Volume 1 (Dark Horse, 2025)
- Big Nate: Game On! (Andrews McMeel, 2013)
- Enemies (Yen Press, 2022)
- Big Nate: Nailed It! (Andrews McMeel, 2023)
What’s particularly interesting about Milk & Mocha‘s enduring popularity is that it’s happening on a platform with equal access to incredibly well-known and popular series like Big Nate, Minecraft, Sonic, and Svetlana Chmakova’s “Berrybrook Middle School” series. Every time there’s a new release in those series, older titles find a new audience and we’ll see several of them push into the most popular rotation, while Milk & Mocha just keeps finding new readers on its own.
It’s an important reminder that some very large fandoms fly under the mainstream radar, and if you’re only relying on traditional bestseller lists for readers’ advisory, you’re going to miss some gems your readers find much more interesting.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
TEEN & YOUNG ADULT
Teenagers are an interesting group and can be the most challenging to engage with books. Many are finding other media more appealing (particularly webtoons and games), while increased academic demands can make reading for pleasure feel like a chore.
Fortunately, comics and manga offer a diverse range of genres covering all interests, and many of those titles are also of interest to older readers — doubling their readers’ advisory and circulation potential.
- Owlturd Comix: Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes (Andrews McMeel, 2018)
- The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All, Vol. 1 (Yen Press, 2025)
- Sheets (Oni Press, 2018)
- They Called Us Enemy* (IDW, 2020)
- One Cup at a Time: A Cat’s Café Collection (Andrews McMeel, 2022)
- Cthulhu Cat (Dark Horse, 2025)
- Catana Comics: Little Moments of Love (Andrews McMeel, 2018)
- Invincible Vol. 1 (Image Comics, 2022)
- Iyanu: Child of Wonder Vol #1 (Dark Horse, 2021)
- Sasaki and Miyano, Vol. 1 (Yen Press, 2022)
Andrews McMeel clearly has their fingers on the pulse of webcomics, and if you include their various collections of comics strips (which are all basically webcomics now), they’re a great example of a publisher literally reaching readers of all ages. Of course, teens have been into manga long before “mainstream” publishers took notice, and Yen Press has some of our most popular series beyond the two appearing here. Meanwhile, both editions of They Called Us Enemy continue to circulate well on Comics Plus, as one of the most popular comics to align with curriculum needs.
Invincible has been our most popular superhero series since we added it back in 2022, surely helped by the popular animated series’ just-completed third season, so it will be interesting to see what happens with Iyanu (and the broader YouNeek YouNiverse), after the launch of its own animated series this month.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
ADULT
Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of Comics Plus in schools, our large collection for Adult readers is often overlooked since they’re only available to readers through public and academic libraries. It features a wide range of noteworthy titles from amazing creators like Kelly Sue DeConnick, Los Bros Hernandez, Kago, Maia Kobabe, Alan Moore, Joe Sacco, Brian K. Vaughan, and many others.
It also includes a deep selection of manga that goes way beyond the Shonen series most people usually think of first. Perhaps too deep for some, which is why Comics Plus customers have full control over which titles they make available in their own collections!
- Honey Trap Shared House, Vol. 1 (Yen Press, 2023)
- When I Arrived at the Castle (Silver Sprocket, 2024)
- Honey Trap Shared House, Vol. 2 (Yen Press, 2024)
- No Kidding (FairSquare Graphics, 2023)
- Interspecies Reviewers, Vol. 1 (Yen Press, 2022)
- Giselle & Beatrice – Season 1 (Europe Comics, 2022)
- Magical Explorer, Vol. 1 (Yen Press, 2022)
- Berserk Volume 1 (Dark Horse, 2019)
- Lost Girls Book 1: Older Children (IDW, 2020)
- The Dream – 1. Jude (Europe Comics, 2023)
One of the other important benefits of digital access via libraries is the fundamental right to privacy, and the ability to freely read what you enjoy without the judgement of others. “Read all the comics!” means you have to be able to “Read ALL The Comics!”
- Comics Plus Collection: Full Collection
Read All The Comics!
“An absolute game changer.” School Library Journal
With Comics Plus, schools and libraries can offer readers unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, manga, and picture books from popular publishers like ABDO, Andrews McMeel, Capstone, Cherry Lake, Dark Horse, Europe Comics, Fantagraphics, Humanoids, Image Comics, Kodansha, Lerner, Mad Cave, Manga Classics, Oni Press, Papercutz, Tokyopop, TOON Books, UDON Entertainment, Yen Press, and dozens more.
No holds, wait lists, or monthly borrowing limits—all at a price that won’t break your materials budget.
Learn more at comicsplusapp.com and sign up for a free demo account.
We curate high-interest, immersive digital content that helps schools and libraries expand and diversify their collections—without breaking their materials budgets.
