compiled/edited by B. Munn
We missed last week, but the list is back in full force this week…
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, 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. 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. Last week’s rankings are in parentheses.
Top 30 Comics and Graphic Novels in Canada
1. (1) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
2. (-) B is for Beer, Tom Robbins (Harper Collins)
3. (3) Naruto 42, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
4. (2) Naruto 44, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
5 (4) Naruto 43, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
6. (5) Fruits Basket 22, Takaya Natsuki (Tokyopop)
7. (6) Vampire Knight 6, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
8. (-) Garfield Just Desserts, Jim Davis (Random)
9. (7) Naruto 41, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
10. (12) Naruto 39, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
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11. (13) Naruto 38, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
12. (-) Chibi Vampire 13, Yuna Kagesaki (Tokyopop)
13. (10) Manga Metamorphosis, Kozumi Shinozawa (Tyndale)
14. (9) Naruto 40, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
15. (8) Negima! 21, Ken Akamatsu (Random House)
16. (11) Naruto 36, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
17. (18) Naruto 35, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
18. (22) Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl Adventure! 2, Ihara Shigekatsu (VIZ)
19. (14) Naruto 37, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
20. (16) Naruto 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
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21. (-) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
22. (19) Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
23. (17) Naruto 34, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
24. (15) V for Vendetta, Moore/Lloyd (DC)
25. (27) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
26. (-) Manga Messiah, Kozumi Shinozawa (Tyndale)
27. (21) Rosario+Vampire 6, Akihisa Ikeda (VIZ)
28. (-) Daniel X: Alien Hunter, James Patterson et al (Little, Brown)
29. (20) Naruto 33, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
30. (-) Naruto 3, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
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.
Canadian Content: You have to wade through an awful lot of translated Japanes 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.
Sequential’s All-Canadian Top 30 from BookManager
1. (2) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
2. (1) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (6) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
4. (11) The Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
5. (-) Night School, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
6. (5) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
7. (27) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. (3) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
9. (8) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
10. (4) Baloney, Pascal Blanchet (D+Q)
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11. (25) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
12. (-) Middle Aged Spread, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
13. (9) Doug Wright: Canada’s Master Cartoonist, Doug Wright (D+Q)
14. (13) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
15. (19) Ojingogo, Matt Forsythe (D+Q)
16. (7) Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC)
17. (26) It’s a Good Life…, Seth (D+Q)
18. (14) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: The Voyageurs, Chad Solomon (Little Spirit Bear)
19. (18) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
20. (21) Essex County 1, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
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21. (10) I Never Liked You, Chester Brown (D+Q)
22. (28) Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: The Voyageurs, Chad Solomon (Little Spirit Bear)
23. (-) Shenzhen, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
24. (16) Essex County 2, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
25. (20) Witness My Shame, Shary Boyle (Conundrum)
26. (23) Paul Goes Fishing, Rabagliati (D+Q)
27. (24) Spirit 1, Darwyn Cooke (DC)
28. (29) Essex County 3, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
29. (30) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
30. the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belliveau (Conundrum)
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Please feel free to comment or email about these lists.