compiled/edited by B. Munn
Our first list since the end of Summer. Whew. I forgot how time-consuming this thing is.
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. Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks (Crown)
2. Naruto 46, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
3. Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
4. Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
5. Book of Genesis, Robert Crumb (WW Norton)
6. Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection, Roff et al (Chronicle)
7. Rosario + Vampire 9, Akihisa Ikeda (VIZ)
8. Pokemon 1, Shigekatsu Ihara (VIZ)
9. Complete Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Knopf)
10. Maus 1, Spiegelman (Knopf)
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11. Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
12. Naruto 38, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
13. Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack, Davis et al (Random House)
14. Fullmetal Alchemist 20, Hiromu Arakawa (VIZ)
15. Vampire Knight 7, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
16. Naruto 41, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
17. Bleach 1, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
18. Naruto 42, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
19. Skim, Mariko and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
20. Shugo Chara! 7, Peach Pit (Random House)
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21. Halo Encyclopedia (DK)
22. Fruits Basket 21, Takaya NAtsuki (Tokyopop)
23. Naruto 45, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
24. Pokemon 2, Shigekatsu Ihara (VIZ)
25. Naruto 37, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
26. Bleach 28, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
27. The Hobbit, Tolkien et al (Harper Collins)
28. Black Bird 1, Kanoko Sakurakoji (VIZ)
29. One Piece 22, Eiichrio Oda (VIZ)
30. Naruto 1, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
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. 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. (-) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
2. (1) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (2) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
4. (5) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
5. (3) George Sprott, Seth (D+Q)
6. (-) The Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC)
7. (20) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. (-) The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
9. (12) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belliveau (Conundrum)
10. (17) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
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11. (-) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
12. (4) Rabbit and Bear Paws 2: The Voyageurs, Chad Solomon (Lone Pine)
13. (-) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
14. (-) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
15. (-) In Me Own Words, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
16. (-) It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, Seth (D+Q)
17. (8) Nightschool 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
18. (7) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
19. (-) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
20. (6) The Burma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
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21. (19) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
22. (-) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
23. (16) Doug Wright: Canada’s Master Cartoonist, Doug Wright (D+Q)
24. (-) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
25. (-) Rabbit and Bear Paws 1, Chad Solomon, Lone Pine
26. (9) Important Artifacts, Leanne Shapton (Farrar, Strauss + Giroux)
27. (-) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews MacMeel)
28. (-) Captain Canuck 1, Richard Comeley et al (IDW)
29. (11) The Nobody, Jeff Lemire (DC/Vertigo)
30. (-) Papercut Heart, Ian Sullivan Cant (Conundrum)
(previous rank in parentheses)
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Please feel free to comment or email about these lists.