compiled/edited by B. Munn
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. (2) Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks (Crown)
2. (10) Watchmen, Moore/Gibbons (DC)
3. (8) Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection, Roff et al (Chronicle)
4. (-) Garfield 47, Davis et al (Random House)
5. (11) Asterix and Obelix Birthday, Uderzo (Orion)
6. (6) Logicomix, Apostolos Doxiadis et al (Bloomsbury)
7. (5) Naruto 46, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
8. (3) Bleach 29, Tite Kubo (VIZ)
9. (4) Manga Mutiny, Hidenori Kumai/Kozumi Shinozawa (Tyndale)
10. (29) Maus 1, Spiegelman (Knopf)
—–
11. (17) Garfield 3 Pack, Davis et al (Random)
12. (18) Hobbit GN, Tolkien et al (Harper Collins)
13. (-) Asterix Olympics, Goscinny & Uderzo (Orion)
14. (-) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
15. (-) Fahrenheit 451, Tim Hamilton et al (FSG)
16. (9) Book of Genesis, Robert Crumb (WW Norton)
17. (26) Stitches, David Small (M&S)
18. (12) Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years, Charles Schulz (Andrews McMeel)
19. (30) Naruto 2, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
20. (1) Vampire Knight 8, Matsuri Hino (VIZ)
—–
21. (-) Naruto 4, Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ)
22. (21) B is for Beer, Tom Robbins (Garper Collins)
23. (7) Louis Riel, Brown (D+Q)
24. (-) Evil Cats, Elia Anie (Headline)
25. (-) Tales from the Crypt 8, Kinney et al (Papercutz)
26. (-) Complete Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (Knopf)
27. (-) Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Gaiman et al (DC)
28. (-) Asterios Polyp, David Mazzucchelli (Knopf)
29. (-) Sandman: Preludes Nocturns, Gaiman et al (DC)
30. (14) Black Cross, Greg Iles (New American Library)
Analysis: Well, you take a week off, and big changes happen. Plus, some Christmas perennials peep up and a mini-Gaiman tour.
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. (3) Red: A Haida Manga, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
2. (1) Louis Riel, Chester Brown (D+Q)
3. (15) Senior’s Discount, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
4. (5) Skim, Mariko Tamaki/Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood)
5. (10) Hot Potatoe: Fine Ahtwerks, Marc Bell (D+Q)
6. (2) Home Sweat Home, Lynn Johnston (Andrews McMeel)
7. (7) Scott Pilgrim 1, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
8. (13) Scott Pilgrim 4, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
9. (4) Scott Pilgrim 3, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
10. (6) George Sprott, Seth (D+Q)
—–
11. (12) The Plain Janes, Castelucci/Rugg (Minx/DC)
12. (9) Big Foot, Graham Roumieu (Plume)
13. (21) Scott Pilgrim 5, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
14. (8) Scott Pilgrim 2, Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
15. (14) It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, Seth (D+Q)
16. (-) I Never Liked You, C. Brown (D+Q)
17. (29) Essex County, Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf)
18. (16) Ojingogo, Matthew Forsythe (D+Q)
19. (-) Nurma Chronicles, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
20. (17) Pyongyang, Guy Delisle (D+Q)
—–
21. (27) the great hopeful someday, Elizabeth Belliveau (Conundrum)
22. (-) Important Artifacts, Leanne Shapton (FSG)
23. (24) Wimbledon Green, Seth (D+Q)
24. (11) The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum)
25. (30) Nightschool 1, Svetlana Chmakova (Yen)
26. (19) Collected Doug Wright 1, Doug Wright (D+Q)
27. (23) Rabbit and Bear Paws 1, Solomon (Lone Pine)
28. (20) The Big 5-0, Lynn Johnston (Andrews)
29. (22) Back and Forth, Marta Chudolinska (Porcupine’s Quill)
30. (26) Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
(note: previous rank in parentheses)
—–
Please feel free to comment or email about these lists.