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compiled/edited by B. Munn

The Bestseller List: Whew! It’s been quite a stretch between this and the last issue of the Sequential bestseller list just after TCAF. I simply haven’t had the time to sift through the numbers lately. Lots of new books and totally new rankings from last time. I guess the new reality is that Scott Pilgrim 6 came out. As I compile this list, the book is #39 overall at Chapters/Indigo online and #24 at Amazon.ca (where all of the Scott Pilgrim books are in the top 10 and even Lost at Sea, O’Malley’s first graphic novel, was at #47 on the graphic novel list when I checked). A big deal indeed.
This semi-regular feature of Sequential presents a snapshot of comics sales in Canada.
Part 1.
Intro: The bestselling graphic novels and comics collections in Canada, courtesy of BookManager. The full list by BookManager is available, with some work, here. The list is compiled by BookManager based on sales through over 400 independent bookstores, including several comic book stores and the D+Q store. Sales through most comic shops and larger retailers like Chapters-Indigo are not reflected in this list. For balance, you might want to try the Amazon.ca and Chapters-Indigo lists. See here for our previous list.

Sequential’s Over-All Top 30
from BookManager

1. (-) Naruto 48, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
2. (-) Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
3. (1) Twilight 1, Stephanie Meyer et al (Orbit)
4. (2) Warriors 2, Erin Hunter (Harper Collins)
5. (12) 500 Years of Resistance, Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp)
6. (-) Vampire Knight 10, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
7. (-) Simpsons Comics Get Some Fan. , Groening et al (HC)
8. (21) Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks (Crown)
9. (-) Fullmetal Alchemist 23, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ)
10. (-) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
—–
11. (-) Bleach 31, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
12. (13) Book of Genesis, Robert Crumb (WW Norton)
13. (30) Maus 1, Spiegelman (Pantheon)
14. (7) Wilson, Dan Clowes (D+Q)
15. (-) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
16. (28) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
17. (-) Market Day, James Sturm (D+Q)
18. (4) Black Bird 4, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
19. (-) Neil Young’s Greendale, Cliff Chiang et al (DC)
20. (27) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (ONI)
—–
21. (23) Naruto 47, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
22. (-) Ouran High School, Bisco Hatori (VIZ)
23. (-) Manga Mutiny, (Tyndale)
24. (5) Black Butler 2, Yana Toboso (Orbit/Yen)
25. (-) Inuyasha 50, Rumiko Takahashi (VIZ)
26. (10) Seekers: Toklo’s Story, Erin Hunter (Harper Collins)
27. (-) Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack, Davis et al (Random House)
28. (-) Logicomix, Doxiadis, et al (Bloomsbury)
29. (-) Stitches, David Small (Penguin)
30. (-) Vampire Knight 9, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
Part 2. Canadian Content:
You have to wade through an awful lot of translated Japanese manga, U.S. superhero fantasies, and collected editions of Sherman’s Lagoon to come up with a list of 30 bestselling books created by Canadians. In total, BookManager lists over 4000 graphic novels, trades, and strip collections, the vast majority of which are not by Canadians. On this list, a single sale in a single tiny bookstore can make all the difference. This list does not include books that are only illustrated but not written/created-by Canadians.

Sequential’s All-Canadian Top 30
from BookManager

1. (-) Scott Pilgrim 6, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
2. (-) 500 Years of Resistance, Gord Hill (Arsenal Pulp)
3. (8) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
4. (10) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
5. (-) Neil Young’s Greendale, Chiang et al (DC)
6. (4) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. (9) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. (2) Skim sc, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
9. (-) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
10. (8) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
—–
11. (16) Bigfoot 1, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
12. (-) Wall-E Vol 1, J. Torres (Boom)
13. (-) George Sprott, Seth (D+Q)
14. (30) Sweet Tooth 1, Jeff Lemire (DC)
15. (15) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
16. (5) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
17. (-) The Selves, Sonja Ahlers (D+Q)
18. (1) Kenk, Peter Poplak et al (PopSandbox)
19. (3) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
20. (-) Ruts & Gullies: Nine Days in St Petersburg, Philippe Gerard (Conundrum Press)
21. (-) Sword of my Mouth, Jim Munroe/Shannon Gerard (Insomniac)
22. (-) Children of the Atom, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
23. (23) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws, Chad Solomon (Lone Pine)
24. (13) Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
25. (11) Important Artifacts, Leanne Shapton (FSG)
26. (-) Just One More Hug, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
27. (-) Graduation, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
28. (12) The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
29. (-) Shenzen, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
30. (20) KRAZY!: The Delirious World of Anime +Comics + Video Games + Art, Bruce Grenville (Douglas & McIntyre)
Holy crap, things have changed. Lots of new books have come out since the last list, and the Scott Pilgrim tsunami has really gathered speed and power.