compiled/edited by B. Munn
The Top 30 Graphic Novels 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. Sales through 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. This list has two parts, the top 30 overall and (at the bottom) the top 30 by Canadian creators. See here for last week’s list.
Top 30 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada
1. (1) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
2. (2) Naruto 34, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
3. (3) Naruto 35, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
4. (5) Naruto 37, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
5. (4) Naruto 37, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
6. (16) Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure! 2, Ihara Shigekatsu (VIZ)
7. (8) Tsubasa 20: Reservoir Chronicle, Clamp (Random House)
8. (-) Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes – Book I, Gaiman (DC)
9. (7) Naruto 33, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
10. (6) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
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11. (11) Rosario+Vampire 5, Akihisa Ikeda (VIZ)
12. (14) Bleach 25, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
13. (12) Maximum Ride 1, James Patterson/NaRae Lee (Yen)
14. (-) Death Note 5, Ohba/Obata (VIZ)
15. (10) Batman Killing Joke, Moore/Bolland (DC)
16. (13) Naruto 32, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
17. (9) Garfield Spills the Beans, Jim Davis (Random House)
18. (-) Sandman II: The Doll’s House, Gaiman (DC)
19. (-) Daniel X Alien Hunter, Patterson (Little Brown)
20. (23) Maus II, Spiegelman (Knopf)
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21. (24) Persepolis 1, Satrapi (Pantheon)
22. (-) Death Note 3, Ohba/Obata (VIZ)
23. (-) Batman RIP, Tony Daniel et al (DC)
24. (15) Naruto 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
25. (17) V for Vendetta, Moore/Lloyd (DC)
26. (-) Walking Dead 9, Kirkman et al (Image)
27. (21) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
28. (-) Vampire Knight 2, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
29. (-) Naruto 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
30. (28) Dark Tower, King et al (Marvel)
Standard explanation: The pattern that emerges from looking at these lists over a period of weeks is that certain books, especially manga series, continuously jostle with each other, sliding up and down the longer list on the strength of a new volume or a spate of purchases for the kiddies. This week: 9 Narutos and 2 Gaiman (an effect of the Coraline film and Gaiman’s new novel?).
Canadian Content: You have to wade through an awful lot of translated Japanes manga, U.S. superhero titles, 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.
Sequential’s All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager
1. (1) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
2. (-) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
3. (3) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
4. (2) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
5. (4) The Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
6. (7) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
7. (5) Ojingogo, Matt Forsythe (D+Q)
8. (9) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
9. (10) Spirit 1, Darwyn Cooke (DC)
10. (6) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
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11. (8) Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC)
12. (11) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
13. (14) Baloney, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q)
14. (18) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
15. (20) Milk Teeth, Julie Morstad (D+Q)
16. (22) In Me Own Words: Bigfoot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
17. (23) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
18. (26) I Never Liked You, Chester Brown (D+Q)
19. (12) Family Business, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
20. (13) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belleveau (Condundrum)
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21. (17) It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, Seth (D+Q)
22. (19) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
23. (16) Essex County 1: Tales from the Farm, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
24. (21) Dramacon Ultimate Edition, Svetlana Chmakova (Tokyopop)
25. (-) Essex County 3, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
26. (25) Keep The Home Fries Burning, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
27. (27) Batman: Ego and other tales, Darwyn Cooke/Paul Grist (DC)
28. (-) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
29. (30) Never Wink at a Worried Woman, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
30. (-) Paul Has a Summer Job, Rabagliati (D+Q)
4 out of the 5 Scott Pilgrim volumes are in the top 30, including the newest volume which sits at #2 in its first week. Still, Lynn Johnston has five in the top 30…
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