The second quarter of 2025 saw many older favorites remain popular with Comics Plus‘ readers 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 reviews, the vast majority of our most popular titles, once again, are backlist.
Of course, backlist is frontlist for the majority of readers, and with dozens of new schools and libraries adding Comics Plus every month, there are literally thousands of “new” titles to explore for their readers. When there aren’t artificial barriers to access — hold lists, borrowing limits — many readers 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 the other digital collections they have access to.
MOST POPULAR: Q2 2025
As noted last quarter, 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 it’s continued to be our most popular individual title ever since.
Whether it’s new readers discovering it for the first time, or avid fans revisiting it again and again, Comics Plus’ unlimited simultaneous access makes it possible, thanks to our library-friendly publisher partners like Andrews McMeel.
YOUNG READERS
Our youngest readers get the best of two worlds with access to comics and picture books, and our collection of the latter continues to grow thanks to other library-friendly partners like ABDO, Capstone, Cherry Lake, Frederator, Lerner, and Red Comet Press, among many others.
- Pocket Peaches (Andrews McMeel)
- Pocket Peaches: At the Fair (Andrews McMeel)
- Loading Penguin Hugs (Andrews McMeel)
- Where’s My Tushy? (Lerner)
- How Animals Sleep (Red Comet Press)
- Disney Manga: Monsters, Inc. (Tokyopop)
- The Discovery of Anime & Manga (Immedium)
- The Great Grrrrr (Red Comet Press)
- Bandit’s Imagination: Tub Trouble (Scout Comics)
- Catbug: The Ice Cream Man (Frederator Books)
Pockets Peaches is another popular webcomics collection from Andrews McMeel, while Bandit’s Imagination broke into the Top 10 despite being available on Comics Plus since late 2022. With unlimited simultaneous access, there’s always an opportunity to discover something new, no matter how long ago it was published, and new readers are discovering Comics Plus every day.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
MIDDLE GRADE
Middle Grade is alive and well on Comics Plus, where these titles are routinely our most popular overall — by a long shot — even during the summer break. 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, like Netflix recommendations before they introduced user profiles!
On Comics Plus, popularity is purely organic. There are no algorithms involved, no targeted advertising; just human curation (every featured list is manually curated by us) and reader engagement.
- Milk & Mocha Comics Collection: Our Little Happiness (Andrews McMeel)
- Big Nate: Attack of the Cheez Funk Breath (Andrews McMeel)
- Adventure Time #1 (Oni Press)
- Slice of Mallow Vol. 1 (Andrews McMeel)
- Scribbles and Ink Adopt a Pet Rock (Red Comet Press)
- Crush (Yen Press)
- Big Nate: No Worries! (Andrews McMeel)
- Slice of Mallow Vol. 2: Second Slice (Andrews McMeel)
- Minecraft: Out of Order Volume 1 (Dark Horse)
- Big Nate: Game On! (Andrews McMeel)
While Milk & Mocha continues to out-circulate other well-known and popular series, Big Nate remains incredibly popular, too. Every new release drives circulation of older volumes, as evidenced by the three appearing here, and 10 of the top 25! A new Slice of Mallow similarly pushed both volumes into the top 10.
Many large fandoms can fly under the mainstream radar (Milk & Mocha has 1.7 MILLION followers on Instagram and nearly 1 MILLION on TikTok), so if you’re primarily relying on traditional bestseller lists and trade reviewers for readers’ advisory support, you’re going to miss some gems your readers will 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 represent a relatively narrow age range, but arguably have the most diverse interests of any age group, which can make them more challenging to engage with books. Anime and games often get more of their free time, especially as increased academic demands can make reading for pleasure feel like a chore.
Fortunately, Comics Plus offers a diverse range of genres covering all interests — including anime and game adaptations, as well as webcomics collections — many of which are also of interest to older readers, doubling their readers’ advisory and circulation potential.
- Owlturd Comix: Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes (Andrews McMeel)
- They Called Us Enemy (IDW)
- Click: A Story of Cyberbullying (Zuiker Press)
- The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
- Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans (A Wave Blue World)
- Invincible Vol. 1 (Image Comics)
- ZomCom’ics (Andrews McMeel)
- Stranger Things Library Edition Volume 1 (Dark Horse)
- Sasaki and Miyano, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
- I Picked Up This World’s Strategy Guide, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
The top 10 represents a notable mix of escapism and relevant topics, the latter of which include some that are increasingly considered controversial. Fortunately, the library is often the safest place for a teenager to educate themselves about the world around them and beyond, and digital access offers them a greater level of privacy.
- 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 ever-expanding collection for adults is often overlooked since they’re only available to older readers through public and academic libraries, but it features a wide range of noteworthy must reads that shouldn’t be overlooked.
It also includes a deep selection of manga that goes way beyond the usual suspects… perhaps too deep for some tastes, but readers want what they want. Comics Plus customers have full control over which titles they make available in their own collections, though, to comply with their individual collection development policies.
- Strategic Lovers, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
- Strategic Lovers, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
- Reincarnation Coliseum, Vol. 1 (manga): The Weakest Skill Conquers the Strongest Women and Creates a Harem (Yen Press)
- Honey Trap Shared House, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
- Honey Trap Shared House, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
- Berserk Volume 1 (Dark Horse)
- Lost Girls Book 1: Older Children (IDW)
- Giselle & Beatrice: Season 1 (Europe Comics)
- Interspecies Reviewers, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
- I’m Here, Beside You, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
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 being 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.
